Semiconductor industry

Dutch chip equipment maker ASML says it is not selling its chipmaking machines in Europe, warning that the region risks falling behind the US, China and India in semiconductors. The remarks are drawing attention to Europe's limited role in advanced chip manufacturing despite hosting ASML itself, and are fueling debate about industrial policy and investment in the region.

Taiwan's dominance in semiconductor manufacturing, led by TSMC, is being described as a 'silicon shield' that deters Chinese aggression while making the island indispensable to the United States in the AI era. As artificial intelligence drives global demand for advanced chips, control over Taiwan's chip industry has become central to both its security and US strategic interests, intensifying debate over cross-strait tensions.

Reporting from Taipei frames Taiwan as the potential deciding factor in the escalating technology rivalry between the United States and China. Taiwan's tech industry produces more than 90 percent of the world's most advanced semiconductors, the chips that power AI servers, giving the island outsized strategic importance as both superpowers compete for dominance in artificial intelligence.

China may allow Alibaba to purchase Nvidia's RTX chips, according to a report by The Information. The potential approval would mark a notable shift in Beijing's stance on access to American AI hardware, which has been tightly restricted amid US-China tech tensions. The report was also picked up by Bloomberg, drawing attention across the semiconductor and cloud computing industries.

China is considering allowing ByteDance and Alibaba to buy Nvidia's newest chips, according to a report by The Information. The deliberation comes amid ongoing US-China tensions over semiconductor exports, with Washington restricting sales of advanced Nvidia technology to Chinese companies. Any approval would signal a shift in Beijing's stance and could ease pressure on major Chinese AI firms seeking cutting-edge hardware.

Reports suggest China may allow Alibaba and ByteDance to purchase Nvidia's newest AI chips, a shift from earlier restrictions on advanced US semiconductor exports. If confirmed, the move would ease access to critical hardware for two of China's largest technology companies and could signal a thaw in US-China tensions over chip trade. Observers are watching for official confirmation from both governments.

China may permit Alibaba to purchase Nvidia's RTX chips, according to a report by The Information picked up by NDTV Profit. The reported move would mark a significant shift in China's stance on foreign semiconductor purchases amid ongoing US-China technology tensions. The news is drawing attention across global semiconductor and tech industry watchers, with implications for both Nvidia's China business and Chinese AI development.

ASML, the Dutch chip equipment maker, says it sold 'absolutely nothing' in Europe in 2026 and is calling on the EU to help create demand for its lithography machines. The comments highlight Europe's weak semiconductor manufacturing base, as ASML's sales remain concentrated in Asia, particularly Taiwan, South Korea and China.

Nvidia's latest AI chips may be headed to China, according to market chatter reported by financial media. The prospect is drawing attention given US export restrictions that have limited the company's ability to sell advanced semiconductors to Chinese customers, making any return to that market a significant development for the industry.

Huawei's latest smartphone chip is closing the performance gap with leading competitors, according to industry coverage. The development signals continued progress by the Chinese tech firm in domestic semiconductor design despite export restrictions limiting its access to advanced foreign chip technology.

New data from South Korea shows that nearly four out of ten reported leaks of industrial technology involve semiconductor-related know-how. The figures underline growing concern in Seoul over the theft of critical chip technology, a sector central to the country's economy and to intensifying global competition over semiconductor supply chains.

India's Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has urged increased investment in artificial intelligence and semiconductor manufacturing. She positioned the sectors as key to India's economic and technological ambitions, aligning with the government's push to attract chip fabrication projects and build AI capacity. The remarks come as countries compete for investment in these strategic industries.

Workers at the Taiwanese factory producing a popular snack treated as a good luck charm in the chip industry have voted 94% in favour of a strike, threatening a production halt. The dispute centres on demands that employees receive a share of a $176 million factory sale to semiconductor firm ASE. The standoff has drawn attention because the snack is a familiar talisman in computing circles.

Apple and Qualcomm have renewed their chip licensing agreement, extending a business relationship that has swung between partnership and litigation over the years. Qualcomm supplies modem chips for iPhones under licensing terms, and the renewal keeps that arrangement in place. The deal matters for the semiconductor and smartphone industries since both companies depend on the continued supply relationship.

Chinese chipmaker Amicro, described as a 'little giant' firm, has cleared a key regulatory hurdle for a listing in Hong Kong, according to sources cited by the South China Morning Post. The reported progress would advance the semiconductor company's plans to go public as China pushes to develop its domestic chip industry and expand funding channels for strategic technology firms.

New data reported by The Korea Times shows that nearly 40% of South Korea's industrial technology leak cases involve semiconductor technologies. The figure highlights how heavily the country's flagship chip industry is targeted for industrial espionage, reinforcing concerns in Seoul about protecting critical technologies amid intense global competition over semiconductors.

DigiTimes Asia reports that China's artificial intelligence industry is moving past its earlier phase of catching up with global leaders and is now focused on turning AI technology into commercial products and revenue. The shift is tied to domestic semiconductor efforts, including CXMT's memory chip development and hardware packaging advances, which give Chinese firms a broader homegrown supply chain for AI hardware.

Google is preparing to test its AI chips in space, according to a report carried by The Brussels Times. The move suggests the company is exploring how its custom AI hardware performs outside Earth, though details on the mission, timeline and partners have not been disclosed. Observers of the semiconductor and space industries are watching for what this could mean for satellite computing and data processing in orbit.

Google plans to test its AI chips aboard satellites in orbit under a project called Suncatcher, according to a report in The Daily Star. The initiative suggests the company is exploring whether space-based hardware could help run artificial intelligence workloads. Details on timing, partners and the scale of the orbital tests have not yet been made clear.

Automotive localisation in India is advancing beyond chip manufacturing into complete smart factory capability, according to ET Auto. The shift means domestic players are moving up the technology stack, building higher-value manufacturing systems rather than only producing components, reflecting broader efforts to deepen self-reliance in the auto and semiconductor supply chain.

South Korean chip developer Moblint is working with LG, Doosan and Daedong to build on-device AI semiconductors designed to run artificial intelligence directly inside robots and home appliances. The partnerships signal a push to bring AI processing off the cloud and into everyday consumer and industrial hardware across Korea's electronics and machinery sectors.

The Trump administration has committed more than $5 billion to a program called the Genesis Mission, aimed at advancing cancer research, semiconductor development, and quantum computing. The initiative signals a major federal investment in strategic technologies, combining health science goals with industrial policy on chips and next-generation computing capabilities.

This week's semiconductor roundup highlights the Mach M100 chip, which delivers 1,280 TOPS of AI computing performance, alongside news that a chip business unit has been split off and is actively seeking customers. The recap suggests major strategic shifts in the AI chip market, with the newly separated unit hunting for buyers to secure its commercial future.

Bruker is targeting a revenue rebound in the fourth quarter, citing growing demand from the semiconductor industry driven by artificial intelligence. The scientific instruments maker says AI-related chipmaking is boosting orders, and a strong Q4 is seen as critical to recovering its financial performance for the year.

South Korean semiconductor startup Mobilint has announced partnerships with LG, Doosan Robotics and Daedong to supply its on-device AI chips. The deals would embed Mobilint's neural processing technology directly into products spanning consumer electronics, industrial robots and agricultural machinery, allowing AI tasks to run locally without cloud connections. The move highlights South Korea's push to build a domestic edge-AI chip industry to compete with global players.

Apple is reportedly considering a return to the commercial server market as competition over accelerator interconnect technology intensifies among chipmakers. The move would mark a notable shift for a company that exited the server business years ago, and it comes as rivals race to define standards for linking AI accelerators in data centers. Details about timing, products or partners remain scarce, and Apple has not publicly commented on the reports.

Chiayi Science Park in southern Taiwan is showing signs of moving into a third phase of development, according to a Taipei Times report. Expansion of the park would extend the science park model that has driven Taiwan's semiconductor and technology industry, bringing potential new investment, firms and jobs to the Chiayi area.