Taiwan’s semiconductor manufacturers continue to confront challenging market conditions for mature process technologies, with reports that TSMC may slow expansion plans at its Kumamoto facility. Industry sources indicate that ASE Technology and Intel have also delayed capacity growth in Malaysia, despite maintaining public optimism about future demand.

Zhipu AI, a Chinese artificial intelligence (AI) startup, introduced its open-source AI agent AutoGLM at the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum. Designed to bridge advanced reasoning with task execution, AutoGLM will be supported by proprietary large language models (LLMs) that are set to open-source on April 14.

On April 1, Rapidus inaugurated its first semiconductor fabrication facility, IIM-1, in Chitose City, Hokkaido, marking a pivotal step in Japan’s leap from 40nm technology to the cutting-edge 2nm process. Rapidus is spearheading Japan’s ambition to restore its semiconductor manufacturing autonomy. The consortium includes elite talent from Renesas, Tokyo Electron (TEL), and international firms like United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC), ensuring technological advancements and yield rates align with expectations.