South Korean minister warns about CXMT capex as semiconductor profits debate heats up

South Korean Minister of Trade, Industry and Resources Jung-kwan Kim has warned that the country should not rush to redistribute semiconductor profits throughout society just as AI-driven memory demand is lifting earnings at Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to record highs. Instead, he said South Korea must help companies reinvest in facilities and R&D to protect its edge as China speeds up semiconductor investment.

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Europe and US IDM giants expand China EV share on capacity, tech edge

Major European and US integrated device manufactures (IDM) have faced strong competition from Chinese players within China’s electric vehicle (EV) market in recent years, but many are now offering a positive outlook for their business there. In recent earnings calls, several companies said their technology lead remains difficult for local rivals to catch up with, while others said AI-related foundry-capacity bottlenecks have left some Chinese integrated circuit (IC) design firms unable to secure enough production for auto customers, allowing IDMs with in-house manufacturing to win back some market share.

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Sony, TSMC to spend US$6.3 billion on Japan image sensor venture, Nikkei says

Sony Group and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) plan to invest around JPY1 trillion (approx. US$6.3 billion) in a joint venture to mass-produce next-generation image sensors in Kumamoto, Japan, with commercial production starting as early as 2029, Nikkei reported on August 10. Sony would own about 60% of the venture and TSMC about 40%.

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Unitree CEO eyes embodied AI and robot expansion

Chinese humanoid robotics company Unitree said on August 7, 2026, it will continue boosting R&D in core embodied AI technologies, focusing on large embodied AI models, reinforcement learning, self-developed core components, and high-performance actuators. The company also plans to expand its humanoid robot, quadruped robot, and mecha product lines to deploy robots into high-intensity and high-risk tasks.

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SuperAlloy boosts profit and expands into semiconductor green supply chains

SuperAlloy Industrial said after its August 7 board meeting that second-quarter 2026 results showed steady improvement in core profitability, even though foreign exchange losses tied to a weaker yen weighed on net income. The Taiwan-based manufacturer is also moving into the semiconductor front-end equipment supply chain in a bid to build a second growth engine alongside high-end automotive and green materials.

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