The global AI surge has turned computing power into a core strategic resource. With Washington tightening curbs on advanced GPU exports, Nvidia’s revenue in China has collapsed, opening a rare market window for domestic AI chipmakers.
BYD’s financial report reveals a 30% year-over-year decline in profit for the second quarter of 2025. This drop not only fell short of market expectations but also marked the first decline since 2021, underscoring how intense price competition in China’s automotive market is affecting even industry leaders.
Taiwan’s prosecutors are pursuing a 14-year prison term in a high-profile TSMC trade secrets case, underscoring how Taipei views semiconductor technology leaks as threats to national security. The indictment, handed down on August 27, 2024, charged three suspects with violating the National Security Act and misusing core technology abroad. The defendants face potential sentences of 14, nine, and seven years, according to the Intellectual Property Branch of the Taiwan High Prosecutors’ Office.
As high-bandwidth memory (HBM) moves to taller stacks with denser chip-to-chip I/O connections, thermal compression bonding (TC bonder) technology is hitting bottlenecks. Hanwha Semitech aims to address the challenge with advanced fluxless bonding tools, targeting the market for HBM4 and beyond.
South Korea-based optical wafer inspection equipment manufacturer Nextin has made strides in the high-bandwidth memory (HBM) segment, gaining traction after launching its dedicated HBM inspection system, KROKY, in 2023. The company has already supplied the tool to SK Hynix, the world’s leading HBM vendor, and plans to roll out more advanced systems tailored to Micron and other major players.
South Korea recently hosted the second annual Social Value Festa, exploring ways to design a sustainable future. The event attracted over 300 major corporations, social enterprises, and venture capital firms, including SK Group, Kakao, and LG Chem. Leading companies showcased solutions leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) and other emerging technologies to address pressing social challenges.