Huawei’s ‘Little HiSilicon’ launches all-out chip blitz: from RISC-V MCUs to AI edge SoCs

HiSilicon (Shanghai) Technologies — Huawei’s application-specific chip design arm known as “Little HiSilicon” — has launched a broad lineup of self-developed chips spanning IoT, industrial automation, smart home devices, visual AI, and energy management. The company also unveiled its first RISC-V-based chips, highlighting China’s accelerating push for independent innovation in semiconductor design.

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Unigroup’s US$14 billion comeback: post-restructuring push spans chips, global reach, IPOs

On July 11, 2025, Tsinghua Unigroup marked three years since its strategic overhaul with a strong performance report highlighting its resurgence in China’s high-tech sector. Over the period, the group generated more than CNY100 billion (approx. US$14 billion) in annual revenue for three straight years, filed over 30,000 patents (up 25%), and won the State Scientific and Technological Progress Award twice.

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Industry calls for delay as EU’s AI crackdown begins

The EU has released the Code of Practice (“Code”) for General-Purpose AI Models (GPAI), a preparatory measure for the AI Act set to take effect on August 2, 2025. The Code aims to guide companies in complying with the upcoming regulations. However, the timeline is tight, and the industry is calling for a delay in enforcement, claiming that the preparation time is insufficient.

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Taiwan must move beyond OEM/ODM to export complete systems, particularly aging-related technology, says NSTC Minister

Taiwan must move beyond its traditional OEM (original equipment manufacturing) and ODM (original design manufacturing) model and focus on exporting complete systems, particularly in the rapidly growing aging-related technology sector, according to National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) Minister Cheng-wen Wu.

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Kioxia, YMTC jump ahead with wafer-bonded NAND in volume production

Kioxia and YMTC are pioneering the use of wafer bonding technologies— CMOS directly Bonded to Array (CBA) and Xtacking, respectively — for next-generation NAND flash memory production. This strategic shift moves the industry beyond the traditional race to increase memory cell layer counts, focusing instead on architectural advances that improve performance, power efficiency, and scalability.

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Smartphone brands expand AI adoption to mid-to-high-end models to boost sales in 2H25

As the third quarter of 2025 kicks off, smartphone brands around the world are rolling out new models, hoping to rejuvenate the sluggish market as inflation, currency swings, and trade tensions continue to weigh on consumer demand. While the smartphone market continues to face challenges like product maturity, high market penetration, and extended replacement cycles, making it difficult to achieve strong overall sales momentum, it’s fortunate that generative AI has boosted the industry in recent years. Brands have progressively incorporated AI functionalities into their mid- and high-end models, which has helped sustain smartphone sales.

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