18
Dec
18
Dec
China hikes drone part prices to Russia amid growing reliance
Chinese suppliers have significantly increased the prices of drone components and dual-use technology exported to Russia, according to trade data that highlights Moscow’s growing vulnerability as the conflict in Ukraine continues. Analysis of figures from China’s General Administration of Customs indicates that costs for military-grade hardware rose sharply through October 2025, even as export volumes in several categories declined.
18
Dec
AI servers and semiconductors drive Taiwan PCB peak season; TPCA forecasts 11% growth in 2025
Taiwan’s printed circuit board (PCB) industry is set for robust growth in 2025, supported by strong demand from AI servers amid a weakening traditional smartphone market. The Taiwan Printed Circuit Association (TPCA) highlighted that despite external uncertainties such as exchange rate fluctuations and tariff negotiations, the sector benefits from price hikes driven by tight supply of high-end materials, leading to increases in both volume and prices.
18
Dec
Amazon centralizes AGI, silicon, and quantum under Peter DeSantis
Amazon has launched a restructuring of its artificial intelligence operations, folding artificial general intelligence, in-house chip development, and quantum computing into a single business group under Peter DeSantis, a 27-year AWS veteran.
18
Dec
The Nexperia fallout: Honda’s factories go quiet in fresh blow to supply chain
Honda Motor Company announced on Wednesday that it would suspend or reduce production at several factories in Japan and China starting late this month, the latest sign that a global scramble for automotive semiconductors continues to haunt the industry’s recovery.
18
Dec
Doosan Group named preferred partner in SK Siltron sale talks
South Korea’s Doosan Group has been selected as the preferred negotiation partner for the acquisition of semiconductor wafer maker SK Siltron, valued at approximately KRW4 trillion (approx. US$2.72 billion) to KRW5 trillion, according to reports from The Korea Economic Daily, The Elec, and other media outlets.
18
Dec
LG Energy Solution terminates US$6.5 billion EV battery contract with Ford amid demand concerns
LG Energy Solution (LGES) has ended a major electric vehicle (EV) battery supply agreement with Ford Motor Company valued at about KRW9.6 trillion (approx. US$6.53 billion). The termination highlights ongoing challenges and potential prolongation of the EV demand shortfall, industry observers say.
18
Dec
Intel completes high-NA EUV validation for 14A, advances 2D transistor tech
Intel has completed acceptance testing of the industry’s first commercial high-NA EUV lithography system with a numerical aperture of 0.55, the ASML Twinscan EXE:5200B, laying the foundation for mass production of its 14A process node. This milestone marks the transition of high-NA EUV technology from research and development verification to high-volume manufacturing (HVM), enabling wafer throughput of 175 per hour and reinforcing Intel’s efforts to reclaim leadership in advanced semiconductor processes.
18
Dec
Rising memory and wafer costs to weigh on 2026 smartphone shipments, Counterpoint Research says
The smartphone market is expected to contract in 2026 as rising costs for memory and advanced process wafers drive manufacturers to reconsider pricing and specifications, according to research firm Counterpoint Research. The firm forecasts a 2.1% decline in smartphone shipments next year, with entry-level models anticipated to experience the sharpest drop due to heightened consumer sensitivity to price increases.
18
Dec
Google reportedly launches TorchTPU project to boost TPU compatibility with PyTorch
Google has reportedly initiated the TorchTPU project to enhance support for the PyTorch machine learning framework on its tensor processing units (TPUs), aiming to challenge the software dominance of Nvidia’s CUDA ecosystem. Reuters, citing insiders, said the effort focuses on lowering barriers for developers and increasing TPU adoption in cloud and enterprise settings.