China’s decision to tighten export controls on seven rare earth elements has sent global prices soaring more than threefold since early April, raising alarms across critical industries, particularly electric vehicles (EVs) and renewable energy.

Siyoung Choi, president of Samsung Electronics’ Device Solutions (DS) division, recently led a senior executive delegation to Silicon Valley, foregoing South Korea’s extended May holidays. The week-long trip focused on meetings with major US tech firms—including Apple, Nvidia, and Broadcom—to shore up demand across Samsung’s semiconductor portfolio, from DRAM and high-bandwidth memory (HBM) to foundry services. US tariff policy was also a key topic on the agenda.

The New Taiwan dollar (NTD) surged to a two-year high against the US dollar on May 5, 2025, briefly strengthening by more than NT$0.15 to reach NT$29.59 per USD—the strongest single-day gain in nearly four decades. The abrupt appreciation prompted Taiwan’s central bank to hold an emergency press conference Monday afternoon.

Powertip Image (PTIC), a subsidiary of STN LCD panel manufacturer Powertip Technology, is actively developing niche products beyond notebook computer applications. Its product range includes medical endoscopes, robot vacuum cleaners, smart refrigerators, industrial computers, drones, and security surveillance systems. All these products have already seen actual shipments, mostly to top international brands.