Semiconductors

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. had planned to build a factory in Taoyuan city that would produce 2-nanometer chips. (Photo by Hideaki Ryugen)
Semiconductors

TSMC scraps plans for Taiwan advanced chip plant site after protests

World's largest contract chipmaker to evaluate other locations on island

18 October 2023
Tokyo Electron's development team in Miyagi prefecture, Japan, made a breakthrough that the company believes could greatly improve its bottom line. (Tokyo Electron)
Semiconductors

Tokyo Electron takes aim at NAND etching leader Lam Research

Breakthrough could flip market shares of the chipmaking equipment producers

15 October 2023
TSMC founder Morris Chang attends a sports day event in Hsinchu, Taiwan, on Oct. 14. (Photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Semiconductors

TSMC's Morris Chang says tougher competition in store for chipmaker

Founder adds Japan and Singapore are well-positioned to win as industry evolves

14 October 2023
Kioxia is the world's third-largest flash memory company, while Western Digital ranks fourth (Photo courtesy of Kioxia)
13 October 2023
TSMC's wafer fabrication plant in Nanjing, in east China's Jiangsu province: The company is applying for permanent approval to ship U.S. chip equipment to Nanjing.
Semiconductors

TSMC seeks permanent U.S. approval to supply China chip plant

Move to ensure access to tools comes as Washington prepares for tighter controls

13 October 2023
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. started building the first chip plant in Japan's Kumamoto prefecture last year. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu)
Semiconductors

TSMC plans to produce 6-nm chips in 2nd Japan plant

Japanese government considering subsidies of up to $6bn

12 October 2023
Amkor has put its factory in Bac Ninh, a province Samsung turned into an electronics epicenter after arriving more than a decade ago. (NIKKEI montage/Source phots by AP and Getty)
Semiconductors

Amkor unveils $1.6bn Vietnam chip factory for packaging, assembly

Country's latest semiconductor project will serve auto and computing clients

11 October 2023
Samsung Electronics is struggling to emerge from a prolonged semiconductor slump that has eaten into its profits.
Semiconductors

Samsung's Q3 profit likely down 78% amid memory chip slump

Analysts expect South Korean tech giant to recover in fourth quarter; shares rise

11 October 2023
Mitsubishi Electric power semiconductor devices. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Semiconductors

Denso, Mitsubishi Electric to invest $1bn in U.S. EV electronics firm

Japanese duo aims to secure silicon carbide via 25% stake in Coherent

11 October 2023
 Huawei's release of the 5G-capable Mate 60 Pro took markets and policymakers by surprise. 
Semiconductors

Huawei aims to double smartphone shipments to 70m next year

New export controls expected from U.S. could thwart ambitious comeback plans

10 October 2023
The release of Huawei's first new 5G phone using homegrown chips has been a boon for the shares of the Chinese smartphone maker's suppliers. (Nikkei montage/Source photo by AP) 
Supply Chain

Huawei supplier shares jump amid China chip self-sufficiency push

Some stocks rise more than 400% since rollout of new 5G-capable phone

6 October 2023
Wellington Koo, secretary-general of Taiwan's National Security Council, told Nikkei Asia that Taiwan will announce this year what are considered core technologies that need to be protected. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by TSMC/AFP/Jiji and Cheng Ting-fang)
Taiwan tensions

Taiwan to tighten tech safeguards against China this year

To list 'core technologies' in industries such as semiconductors, says official

5 October 2023
TSMC's Kumamoto plant is nearing completion, with the chipmaker's moves in the region spurring investments by Japanese industry players. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu)
5 October 2023
A Huawei Mate 60 Pro smartphone at the company's flagship store in Beijing on Sept. 25: At the core of the handset are 7-nm microchips made by SMIC.
Opinion

U.S. regulators made Huawei's chip 'breakthrough' possible

SMIC exploited loose licensing and poor standards but still faces limits

4 October 2023
A shortage of land poses a hurdle to companies seeking to move semiconductor manufacturing to Japan.
Politics

Japan to help chipmakers turn farmland into factories

Government moves to ease land shortage for making critical goods

4 October 2023
TSMC's $8 billion plant in southwestern Japan is set to start production by the end of 2024. (Photo by Toshiki Sasazu) 
Semiconductors

TSMC's $8bn Japan chip project steams ahead as U.S. site hits snags

Tool installation at Kumamoto plant to start in October, production to begin in 2024

3 October 2023
The H100 GPU's price has not changed in dollars but jumped 16% in Japan this September. (Photo courtesy of Nvidia)
Semiconductors

Prices for Nvidia generative AI chips soar in Japan

Weak yen squeezes tech developers rushing for leading-edge GPUs

3 October 2023
Vietnam is courting global chipmaking companies after years of stalled attempts to grow its semiconductor industry. (NIKKEI montage/Source photos by AP and Getty)
Semiconductors

South Korea's Hana Micron to invest $1bn in Vietnam chip production

Samsung supplier begins moving equipment into new plant as Hanoi courts chipmakers

2 October 2023
Micron Technology's semiconductor plant in Higashihiroshima City.  (Photo by Ryosuke Eguchi)
Semiconductors

Japan allocates $1.2bn subsidy for Micron's Hiroshima chip plant

Tokyo ratchets up financial support for U.S. chipmaker to bolster supply chains

29 September 2023
Malaysia relies heavily on foreign players like Intel to sustain its chip industry. (Photo courtesy of Intel)
Business Spotlight

Malaysia aims for chip comeback as Intel, Infineon and more pile in

Country aims to regain semiconductor edge as companies seek supply chain stability

29 September 2023
A Geely plant in Chengdu, China. The Chinese group is part of a new effort to boost chip self-sufficiency in the country's auto industry.
Semiconductors

China auto industry steps up chip supply chain cooperation

GAC- and Geely-linked investment companies form alliance to lower risks

29 September 2023
ASML's extreme ultraviolet lithography equipment and technical support are key to making cutting-edge semiconductors. (Photo courtesy of ASML)
Semiconductors

Chip tool maker ASML to open Japan support center for Rapidus plant

Overseas chipmakers, others spread their bets due to China tensions

26 September 2023
Japan's supply chain for chipmaking materials is receiving an influx of fresh investment. Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Semiconductors

Mitsubishi Chemical to build new Japan plant for chip material

Latest investment in country's semiconductor supply chain follows moves by TSMC, others

24 September 2023
U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm is eliminating hundreds of jobs in China and Taiwan in the face of a downturn in the smartphone market and China supplying more of its own chips.
Technology

Qualcomm slashes jobs in China and Taiwan amid smartphone slump

Move follows client Huawei's release of phones powered with own chips

22 September 2023
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says the company is embarking on a fundamental shift by expanding its contract production operations.
Semiconductors

Intel eyes supply chains in U.S., Europe and Asia for resilience: CEO

Gelsinger says U.S. chipmaker has 'critical' working relationship with Arm

22 September 2023