Driven by major DRAM manufacturers focusing on investment and research in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and gradually phasing out mature process products, DDR4 spot prices have rapidly doubled since the second quarter of 2025. According to market estimates, DDR4 spot prices have nearly doubled over the past three months.
China has hit a roadblock in its printed circuit board (PCB) industry on its way to expand to Southeast Asia. Starting on August 1, 2025, the US will impose tariffs of up to 36% on goods from Thailand, which risks seriously impacting Thailand’s manufacturing sector and upstream Chinese PCB operations in the country.
JS Foundry, a Japanese contract manufacturer focused on power semiconductors, filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court on July 14, reporting liabilities of JPY16.1 billion (approx. US$110 million). The company’s failure highlights increasing challenges faced by the global power semiconductor industry, where optimistic projections linked to electric vehicle (EV) demand have confronted difficult market conditions.
On the afternoon of July 14, 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced its conditional approval of US-based Synopsys’ acquisition of Ansys shares. This deal is a significant merger in the global semiconductor and simulation software sectors, valued at approximately US$35 billion. It has attracted considerable industry attention since its announcement in early 2024.
A flash fire at Taiwan Cement’s lithium battery subsidiary Molicel threatens to derail the company’s pivot away from traditional cement operations, highlighting risks as Asian manufacturers rush into the electric vehicle supply chain.
Samsung Display is reportedly gearing up to become the exclusive supplier of OLED panels for Apple’s first foldable iPhone, signaling a deepening partnership between two of the biggest names in tech.
Taiwan, with a rapidly aging population, is gearing up for the development of the AgeTech industry, with the government coordinating efforts from various sectors to form a “national team” targeting the needs of both domestic and international markets.
With autonomous vehicles and service robots ushering in a new era of “physical AI,” the spotlight is once again on core sensing technologies. While Tesla CEO Elon Musk has famously championed vision-based systems over LiDAR, South Korean startup SOS Lab believes laser-based sensing is poised for a comeback, thanks to breakthroughs in size, clarity, and safety.