The US International Trade Commission (ITC) announced it has launched an investigation into alleged semiconductor patent infringement involving Samsung Electronics, Google, and Supermicro, after the US company Netlist filed a complaint claiming DRAM products imported by Samsung and Google violate Section 337 of the US Tariff Act. However, Netlist has faced criticism for its history of prolonged litigation battles with Samsung.

Memory demand remains elevated, with supply shortages driving prices sharply higher and triggering a broad profit surge across the sector. Memory module makers Adata and Team Group both reported self-calculated November 2025 earnings, posting year-over-year profit growth of more than 1,000%. Phison also delivered a sharp jump in single-month earnings, with CEO KS Pua expressing confidence in the company's outlook and continuing to raise his personal stake.

As AI server and semiconductor companies look set to close out a profitable 2025, recent Chinese military encirclement exercises and live-fire drills around Taiwan have once again highlighted the island's geopolitical tensions. US President Donald Trump has stated that China doesn't want to invade Taiwan.

As global tech companies navigate increasingly complex geopolitical tensions and shifting supply chains, strategic positioning against Chinese competitors has become a critical question. With Beijing ramping up support for domestic industries and the US tightening export controls, technology leaders are reassessing their competitive strategies.

As its most advanced packaging lines are operating at full capacity, TSMC has transferred part of its advanced packaging orders to outsourced semiconductor assembly and test (OSAT) giants ASE and Amkor, rather than allowing customer orders to flow to its largest competitor, Samsung Electronics. The company is instead prioritizing subcontract capacity to relatively neutral OSAT players and plans to further incorporate them into TSMC's ecosystem.

US President Donald Trump has ordered the divestment of certain semiconductor assets of EMCORE Corporation following a national security review that identified risks linked to foreign ownership, according to a White House executive order and a statement from the US Treasury Department.

Taiwan's power semiconductor suppliers are positioning for steady growth through 2026. The momentum comes from two fronts: artificial intelligence data centers adopting new power architectures and automotive customers adjusting sourcing after supply disruptions linked to Nexperia.

Taiwan's integrated circuit (IC) design sector faces intensified challenges as 2026 begins that may push its global revenue ranking to third place, largely due to competitive pressures from the US and China. The dominant reliance on consumer electronics revenue offers limited growth prospects, as AI-driven expansion primarily benefits cloud computing sectors.

Singapore is drawing a new wave of semiconductor investment as global chipmakers expand advanced manufacturing tied to artificial intelligence infrastructure, reinforcing the city-state's strategy of attracting investments to enable next-generation technologies and position Singapore higher up the semiconductor value chain.

Japanese semiconductor firms are pivoting toward advanced packaging and alternative lithography as TSMC extends its scale advantage in artificial intelligence chips. TSMC's 3nm and 2nm capacity is largely locked in. Advanced packaging now contributes a growing share of sales. The company is on track to see annual revenue exceed US$250 billion around 2029 or 2030. That widening gap has pushed Japanese companies to focus on panel-level packaging and nanoimprint technologies. Both emerged at SEMICON Japan 2025 as key levers to bypass manufacturing bottlenecks and secure a foothold in the fast-expanding AI accelerator supply chain.