Driven by major DRAM manufacturers focusing on investment and research in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) and gradually phasing out mature process products, DDR4 spot prices have rapidly doubled since the second quarter of 2025. According to market estimates, DDR4 spot prices have nearly doubled over the past three months.
A flash fire at Taiwan Cement’s lithium battery subsidiary Molicel threatens to derail the company’s pivot away from traditional cement operations, highlighting risks as Asian manufacturers rush into the electric vehicle supply chain.
On the afternoon of July 14, 2025, China’s State Administration for Market Regulation announced its conditional approval of US-based Synopsys’ acquisition of Ansys shares. This deal is a significant merger in the global semiconductor and simulation software sectors, valued at approximately US$35 billion. It has attracted considerable industry attention since its announcement in early 2024.
JS Foundry, a Japanese contract manufacturer focused on power semiconductors, filed for bankruptcy with the Tokyo District Court on July 14, reporting liabilities of JPY16.1 billion (approx. US$110 million). The company’s failure highlights increasing challenges faced by the global power semiconductor industry, where optimistic projections linked to electric vehicle (EV) demand have confronted difficult market conditions.
China has hit a roadblock in its printed circuit board (PCB) industry on its way to expand to Southeast Asia. Starting on August 1, 2025, the US will impose tariffs of up to 36% on goods from Thailand, which risks seriously impacting Thailand’s manufacturing sector and upstream Chinese PCB operations in the country.
Samsung Display is reportedly gearing up to become the exclusive supplier of OLED panels for Apple’s first foldable iPhone, signaling a deepening partnership between two of the biggest names in tech.
SoftBank is preparing to commercialize its next-generation telecommunications infrastructure using high-altitude platforms by 2026, marking a pivotal milestone in its UTX (Ubiquitous Transformation) initiative. The company announced that it will deploy a hybrid fleet of solar-powered aircraft and unmanned airships to operate base stations in the stratosphere, approximately 20 kilometers above the Earth’s surface. This dual-platform system is expected to support emergency communications first, with plans to expand into broader commercial services by 2027.