Japan's National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has opened a new shared pilot line capable of producing gate-all-around transistors, a move aimed at helping domestic companies develop 2nm and next-generation chip technologies. The facility, located at AIST's Advanced Semiconductor Research Center in Tsukuba, gives Japanese firms access to production-grade tools needed to prototype and validate GAA structures.

Samsung Electronics has reportedly launched mass production of its latest mobile application processor, the Exynos 2600, sparking increased activity across South Korea's semiconductor ecosystem. Local test and assembly firms, including Doosan Tesna and Hana Micron, have begun increasing utilization rates in response to the new production phase.

Image processing SoC maker Jeilin held a pre-listing performance briefing on November 24, announcing plans to launch a new product platform in response to rapidly growing AI-driven image recognition demands in 2025. The company aims to enter the high-end market with upgraded versions of its traditional digital camera, ecological tracking camera, and action camera products, while also targeting security, drone, and other innovative AI application fields.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk recently indicated that the design finalization of Tesla's AI5 chip is imminent, sparking speculation about Samsung Electronics' semiconductor foundry in South Korea as the likely production site.

The Taiwanese government has expanded its list of core national technologies from 32 to 42 items to enhance the protection of trade secrets and prevent unlawful infringements. The National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) coordinated efforts among various ministries, industry associations, and academic experts to update the list in accordance with the National Security Act.

The 29th International Conference on Technology Law, hosted by National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (NYCU) from November 20–21, 2025, spotlighted Taiwan's role in global technology security. The Science and Technology Law Institute (STLI) under the Institute for Information Industry (III) presented research comparing international foreign investment review frameworks and explored implications for Taiwan's semiconductor, AI, and quantum sectors.

Leading smartphone chip designers Qualcomm and MediaTek are reportedly set to increase prices for their 2026 flagship mobile SoCs due to dual pressures from advanced wafer foundry processes and soaring memory expenses.

ASE Technology Holding announced it will invest more than NT$4.2 billion (US$133.67 million) to acquire a new factory in the Zhongli District of Taoyuan, Taiwan, and simultaneously initiate phase one construction of its new plant at the Kaohsiung Nanzih Technology Industrial Park (KNTIP). The expansion aims to meet the strong AI-driven chip demand and urgent customer needs for advanced semiconductor packaging and testing capacity.

The growing adoption of advanced processes below 3nm for AI GPUs and AI ASIC chips is driving a surge in test points and shrinking pitch sizes during the chip probing (CP) stage. Industry players widely regard micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) probe cards as the future growth engine, expecting significant contributions by 2026.

With the wave of generative AI applications driving rapid upgrades in high-performance computing architectures and data center networks, market demand for ultra-high bandwidth, lower power consumption, and higher reliability products is increasing. This trend is creating leapfrog growth opportunities for the semiconductor and optical communications industries.

South Korea's trade chief said Seoul sees room to coordinate with Taiwan on upcoming US chip tariffs, signaling potential cooperation between the two Asian semiconductor powerhouses as Washington reshapes tariff rules under President Donald Trump. Trade Minister Yeo Han-koo said Taiwan's ongoing negotiations create space for both sides to seek the most favorable treatment.

Wu Cheng-Wen, Taiwan's Minister without Portfolio and head of the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), told the Financial Times that the United States will not levy heavy tariffs on Taiwan's semiconductor sector, and that Taipei will help Washington understand the industrial model behind the island's chip-manufacturing strength.

The turmoil surrounding Nexperia persists as Wingtech, the Chinese parent company of Nexperia, has formally lodged a complaint with the Dutch government, demanding the withdrawal of its control over Nexperia Netherlands. This follows the Dutch government's recent announcement suspending the takeover execution amid negotiations with China's Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM), while not revoking the original court ruling that authorized the takeover.

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to invest JPY100 billion (US$671 million) in Rapidus in fiscal 2025, securing a controlling stake as the government accelerates its push to rebuild domestic advanced chip manufacturing. The funding will be executed through the Information-Technology Promotion Agency, and Rapidus aims to reach break-even around 2030 and pursue an initial public offering in 2031.

Toshiba's sudden move from its long-standing partnership with Rohm Semiconductor to a brief collaboration with China's Sicc unsettled Japan's power semiconductor sector. Toshiba reversed course after METI intervened, but uncertainty still surrounds the future of its relationship with Rohm.

GlobalFoundries (GF) has recently acquired Singapore-based silicon photonics chip company Advanced Micro Foundry. Meanwhile, Lightmatter, a US silicon photonics chip company that works with GF, is expanding the number of systems it is building. Seeing huge growth potential in the silicon photonics market, the company expects that after completing integration and testing with switch and XPU customers, it will move toward commercial shipments in 2027.

Tesla CEO Elon Musk has revealed in a post on X that the company is close to taping out its next-generation AI5 chip while simultaneously beginning development of AI6. Tesla plans to introduce a new AI chip design into volume production every twelve months, positioning the company to become the world's largest producer of AI silicon.

These are the most-read DIGITIMES Asia stories in the week of November 17 to November 23, 2025.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.(TSMC)'s chairman and chief executive, C.C. Wei, used one of the industry's most high-profile stages to restate the company's commitment to expanding in the United States, arguing that scale in America is now indispensable for the next wave of artificial-intelligence demand.

Despite Nvidia's strong third quarter of fiscal 2026 performance, surpassing forecasts for 12 consecutive quarters, global market concerns over AI remain. According to supply chain sources, orders and outlooks for AI servers upstream and downstream continue to trend upward into 2026.

TSMC's advanced CoWoS packaging capacity has become extremely tight, resulting in only a few leading AI chipmakers having the means to book capacity in large quantities. Other ASIC makers and second-tier AI chip companies have struggled to secure sufficient capacity. There is market speculation that Intel's EMIB advanced packaging process is becoming the main alternative option that chipmakers are considering. Marvell and MediaTek are both rumored to try it, following a new business model that involves front-end water fabrication at TSMC and back-end packaging with Intel.

Although South Korea has seen its semiconductor exports hit record highs, concerns are mounting that over-reliance on specific products could heighten risks for the country's manufacturing sector. Moreover, a recent survey by the Federation of Korean Industries (FKI) highlights that China is poised to surpass South Korea across all major industries by 2030, signaling a looming challenge for the country's economic dominance.

India has renewed its push to become a global semiconductor hub, setting an ambitious target to match the manufacturing capabilities of leading producers by 2032. Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the country expects to reach a "level playing field" with major chipmaking nations within the next decade, as New Delhi accelerates investment to build domestic capacity. "By 2031–2032, we will be equivalent to what many of these countries are at today," he told Bloomberg's New Economy Forum in Singapore.