Soaring contract prices put memory’s big three on course for blockbuster 2026 profits

The memory industry is entering a super cycle as prices keep soaring, with industry sources saying third-quarter 2026 contract price gains show no sign of slowing amid tight supply from upstream vendors. Overall increases could reach 30% to 40%, after second-quarter 2026 contract prices already climbed 40%. As market prices continue to stack higher in the second half, profits at the top three memory manufacturers are set to expand sharply, driving a surge in full-year memory business earnings.

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China launches 2026 NEV rural promotion campaign to accelerate EV expansion into county-level markets

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), Ministry of Commerce, and three other government departments announced on June 18 the launch of a new round of the 2026 New Energy Vehicle (NEV) rural promotion campaign. Through measures including vehicle trade-in programs, charging and battery-swapping infrastructure development, and tax incentives, the initiative aims to further stimulate the replacement of gasoline vehicles and EV consumption in county-level administrative regions and rural towns.

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MW-level flash charging competition escalates as BYD, Geely, CATL compete for industry influence

In China’s new energy vehicle (NEV) market, industry leader BYD introduced megawatt-level (MW) flash charging technology more than a year ago and further enhanced its fast-charging capabilities with the launch of its second-generation Blade Battery in March 2026. Now, major competitors, including Geely and CATL, have also entered the space. Flash-charging technology remains in a stage of extensive validation and limited pilot deployment, but Chinese automakers and battery manufacturers are already engaged in an intense marketing battle, reflecting the intensifying competition in the NEV market.

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How physical AI and ADAS-cockpit fusion are rewiring China’s smart driving supply chain

Physical AI and ADAS-cockpit integration have become the two main forces driving upgrades in China’s autonomous driving and smart cockpit supply chains, according to the latest report from DIGITIMES Research. Under this trend, automakers and tech companies are accelerating the deployment of world models and LLMs, with a new wave of mass production and commercial pilot runs expected in the second half of 2026.

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Anthropic joins US$915 million Frontier push to scale carbon removal

Anthropic joined Frontier, the carbon removal procurement coalition, becoming the first AI startup to participate as surging power demand from AI data centers made corporate climate pledges harder to meet. The announcement came with Frontier securing an additional US$915 million in funding commitments, raising the coalition’s total to US$1.8 billion, according to Reuters and Bloomberg.

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Taiwan auto parts makers forecast 2H26 recovery as tariff and geopolitical risks ease

Major Taiwan auto parts makers said they expected market conditions to improve in the second half of 2026 as tariff and geopolitical uncertainties eased, executives announced during annual shareholder meetings. Companies reported clearer visibility than in the first half of the year and outlined plans to boost competitiveness in the US and China markets.

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Groq CEO sees GPU and LPU as complementary as AI compute demand grows

Nvidia’s planned US$20 billion strategic deal with Groq is built on a simple logic: as compute gets cheaper, demand keeps expanding. In a recent interview, Groq co-founder and CEO Jonathan Ross explained why Nvidia is expected to combine Groq’s LPU with its latest Vera Rubin platform and how GPU and LPU can work as complementary engines in LLM inference.

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