STMicroelectronics posted its first operating loss in over a decade, driven by US$190 million in restructuring and impairment charges amid soft automotive and industrial chip demand. The loss coincided with the company’s announcement of a US$950 million deal to acquire NXP Semiconductors’ MEMS sensor business, a move to strengthen its foothold in the high-growth automotive sensing sector.
The competition to bring 1.4nm process nodes to market is splitting the industry’s leading chipmakers. TSMC is moving steadily toward its 2028 mass production target, while Intel and Samsung Foundry are both pulling back, revealing diverging levels of confidence and capital readiness among the Big Three.
BYD, the world’s largest electric vehicle maker, plans to begin assembling electric and plug-in hybrid cars in Pakistan by mid-2026, aiming to capture surging demand across South Asia. The initiative reflects BYD’s broader strategy to expand into emerging markets, leveraging Pakistan as both a domestic foothold and a potential regional export base.
As the global competition in generative AI intensifies, the South Korean government is accelerating its AI industry policies. It seeks breakthroughs across multiple areas, including GPU resources, foundational models, semiconductors, data platforms, and talent systems to build a sovereign and competitive national AI ecosystem.
Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong recently marked his 1,000th day in office, a tenure that Korean media describes as filled with challenges and crises. Even though Lee officially took the chairman title only three years ago, he joined Samsung’s General Affairs department in 1991 at age 23, meaning he’s spent more than 30 years with Samsung.
The 2025 BIO Asia-Taiwan Exhibition has begun, with the Southern Taiwan Science Park Administration (STSPA) collaborating with 12 emerging biotech companies from the park to exhibit at the event. The Hsinchu and Central Taiwan Science Parks set up the Science Parks Pavilion at booth N604, promoting AI and biotech cluster innovation and showcasing innovative achievements in AI applications, smart healthcare, and precision health from southern Taiwan’s biotech cluster.
Samsung Electronics is reportedly evaluating titanium and carbon fiber-reinforced plastic (CFRP) as potential materials for the backplate of its 2026 flagship foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 8, according to a report from South Korea’s TheElec. The move underscores Samsung’s ongoing push to reduce weight and thickness in its foldable lineup while navigating the geopolitical complexities of global sourcing.