Photonic semiconductors have become indispensable to modern defense — prized for their ultra-high-speed data processing, high capacity, low power consumption, and exceptional reliability. Yet despite their growing strategic importance, South Korea remains almost entirely dependent on foreign suppliers for these critical components. Industry leaders are now sounding the alarm: as global supply chains fracture along geopolitical lines, photonic semiconductors are no longer just industrial goods — they are national security assets, and South Korea's access to them is far from guaranteed.

Samsung Electronics' largest labor union said it will proceed with an 18-day strike beginning May 21 after last-ditch government-mediated talks failed to resolve a dispute over performance-based bonuses, according to Yonhap News Agency and Reuters.

Trump has once again accused Taiwan of "stealing" the US semiconductor industry — his second such broadside in as many months.

As artificial intelligence reshapes the global economy, demand for data centers is rapidly redrawing the export map of nations.

Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) chair and CEO Lisa Su led the company's China team in Shanghai for AMD AI DevDay 2026 on May 19. The event marks the first time it has been held outside the US, drawing large crowds of Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) developers, supply chain partners, and corporate customers.

Supply chain optimism grows as Blackwell shipments ramp, Rubin approaches, and Intel CPUs re-enter the AI server spotlight.

South Korean media commentary has highlighted a structural shift in Apple's influence over memory chip pricing, arguing that its long-standing bargaining power over suppliers is weakening as demand for artificial intelligence (AI) reshapes global semiconductor priorities.

ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is approaching its planned STAR Market IPO with sharply stronger earnings, as a global memory upcycle helps China's leading DRAM maker move closer to offsetting years of accumulated losses.

US President Donald Trump's trip to China with 17 business leaders thrust Tesla CEO Elon Musk and Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang back into the spotlight — as Beijing's position on Nvidia's H200 chips and China's broader AI supply chain continue to reshape the market narrative.