Exclusive: ‘A Chip Odyssey’ director crafts semiconductor epic

The documentary ‘A Chip Odyssey,’ which chronicles the development of Taiwan’s semiconductor industry, premiered on June 13, 2025. It quickly surpassed NT$5 million (approx. US$169,141) in box office revenue during its opening weekend and has maintained strong public interest since. With over 300 private screenings booked, the film’s performance is impressive.

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Japan races to build domestic drone supply chain as China tightens grip

Japanese drone makers, long proud of their “Made in Japan” branding, remain heavily reliant on low-cost components from China, including key parts like electronic speed controllers, propellers, and engine generators. However, that dependence is coming under fresh scrutiny as China’s recent export restrictions, imposed over national security concerns, have sparked concerns about supply chain reliability.

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South Korea’s chip firms target Japan in bid to break global design bottleneck

South Korean semiconductor companies are making a concerted push into Japan, positioning themselves to capture opportunities in one of the world’s most underpenetrated but promising system semiconductor markets. With Japan commanding over twice the market share of South Korea in this domain, the nation has emerged as a strategic “blue ocean” for Korean IC design firms and AI hardware startups seeking growth beyond their domestic confines.

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HBM capacity crunch triggers price surge in DDR5 and VRAM markets

Rising demand for AI servers is forcing memory makers to shift their production priorities, sending shockwaves through the semiconductor supply chain. As manufacturers focus more on High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), prices for DDR4 modules have spiked sharply, raising concerns that DDR5 and video RAM (VRAM) prices could climb as well in the coming months. It’s still unclear whether these rising costs will push up prices for finished products or dampen consumer buying.

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