China’s drive to localize its semiconductor supply chain is reshaping the global chipmaking equipment industry, with three domestic suppliers now ranking among the world’s top 20 for the first time — a shift fueled by heavy investment and tighter US export controls.

The smartphone industry is bearing the brunt of rising memory prices, and the impact is most evident in mid- to low-end models. Transsion, the Chinese smartphone maker regarded as a leading brand in emerging markets, has become one of the first handset vendors to be clearly hit by this wave of memory price increases. On the evening of January 29, 2025, Transsion announced its earnings forecast for full-year 2025, estimating annual revenue of CNY65.568 billion (US$9.4 billion), down about 4.6% year over year. Net profit is estimated at about CNY2.546 billion, plunging 54.11% year over year, nearly half of the previous year. This marks the first significant profit decline since Transsion went public.

Amidst escalating global trade tensions, NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang’s “Trillion-Dollar” power summit in Taipei featured a surprising guest: a legendary chairman of Chinese PCB giant. As the sole Chinese executive invited to the inner circle, his presence alongside the heads of TSMC and Foxconn underscores the pragmatic, border-defying alliances required to power the global AI boom.