The US is moving to reinforce critical mineral and semiconductor supply chains with key allies as the West’s push to expand rare earth magnet production runs into a worsening shortage of heavy rare earth elements. Officials from eight allied nations will gather at the White House on December 12, 2025, to negotiate new agreements on energy, advanced manufacturing, semiconductor production, AI infrastructure, and logistics, according to Bloomberg. The initiative seeks to limit dependence on China, which controls more than 90% of global rare earth and permanent magnet refining capacity.

The Pan Wen Yuan Foundation announced on December 1 that MXIC chairman Miin Wu has been honored with the 19th Pan Wen Yuan Prize. The award aims to recognize lifetime achievements contributing significantly to Taiwan’s technology industry. Under Wu’s leadership, MXIC became one of Taiwan’s earliest memory manufacturers to promote proprietary branded products and technology, standing out as a rare integrated device manufacturer (IDM) in Taiwan with capabilities spanning IC design, production, packaging, testing, and marketing.

Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, which control about 70% of the global DRAM market, signalled in recent IR meetings with global investment banks that they will not pursue aggressive supply expansion. Their cautious stance comes as DRAM shortages widen from servers to PCs and smartphones.

Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions (DS) division will continue negotiating mobile DRAM supplies on a quarterly basis with its Mobile eXperience (MX) division, despite ongoing memory shortages and surging prices, according to reports from the Seoul Economic Daily and Nate. This approach aims to enhance DS’s profitability but increases cost pressures on the MX division ahead of the Galaxy S26 series launch.