Semiconductors

JSR holds the leading global market share in photoresist, which is used to create circuit lines on silicon wafers in the chipmaking process.
Business deals

Japan state-backed fund looks to buy top photoresist maker JSR

$7bn acquisition would take manufacturer off Tokyo bourse as soon as 2024

24 June 2023
Christophe Fouquet, ASML's executive vice president and chief business officer. (Photo courtesy of ASML) 
Semiconductors

ASML says decoupling chip supply chain is practically impossible

Top equipment maker sources globally while keeping most production in Netherlands

22 June 2023
The Doha skyline: The Qatar Investment Authority has expanded the scope of its investments to finance, sports, tech and beyond.
Semiconductors

Qatar wealth fund to invest in KKR-owned Japan chip equipment maker

Petrodollar-fueled investor to take roughly 5% stake in Kokusai Electric

22 June 2023
Display maker AUO is mulling how to transform its facility in Singapore, with options including moving some of the production equipment to Taiwan for use in micro-LED development. (Photo courtesy of AUO)
Technology

Taiwan's AUO follows Apple in betting on advanced display tech

Tesla supplier to turn Singapore manufacturing base into regional service hub

21 June 2023
There were at least 89 sales of semiconductors to Russia that involved Japanese manufacturers from Feb. 24, 2022 to March 31, 2023, according to Nikkei analysis.
Trade

Japan-made semiconductors skirt sanctions to enter Russia

Domestically made chips avoid export controls via China and other countries

19 June 2023
Komatsu is best known for excavators, mining trucks and other heavy equipment.
Semiconductors

Komatsu nurtures prized chip equipment unit despite lack of synergy

Gigaphoton boasts 20% operating margin, far above Japanese parent's

14 June 2023
The area around Kikuyo, the site of Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s new factory, is filled with prime farmland. (Photo by Kosuke Kondo)
Semiconductors

TSMC-led push for Japan chip hub faces land shortage

Local governments in Kumamoto farming region race to create industrial zones

14 June 2023
Presidents Joe Biden and Yoon Suk Yeol, with Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong at a Samsung campus in May 2022. With South Korea in the middle, Yoon has referred to the chip industry competition between the U.S. and China as "all-out war." 
Semiconductors

Ex-Samsung executive indicted for stealing trade secrets for China

Prosecutors say leaks deal $233m blow to South Korean chipmaker

12 June 2023
Delivery times for some popular cars in Japan, such as the Toyota Yaris, have been cut in half, thanks to the easing of the chip shortage as the COVID-19 pandemic recedes. (Photo by Yuki Nakao)
Automobiles

Japan sees shorter car delivery delays as chip crunch eases

Nissan Ariya, Toyota Yaris arrive faster but some models still scarce

9 June 2023
TSMC is just one of many parts of China's invasion calculus. 
Opinion

TSMC's fate will indeed be at stake if China attacks Taiwan

U.S. shouldn't threaten to bomb foundries, but self-destruction can be deterrent

2 June 2023
Although the Nikkei 225 closed down 1.4% on May 31, the benchmark index was 7% higher for the month, making Tokyo the top performer among the world's major stock markets.
Markets

Japan topped global stock rises in May, led by chip sector

Investors shun China risk, yet some doubt Tokyo hype will last

31 May 2023
Interdependence between Taiwan, China and the U.S., particularly in the tech industry, has deepened even as the prospect of cross-strait conflict rises.
The Big Story

How Taiwan became the indispensable economy

Tech companies fear war but struggle to leave the island

31 May 2023
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang holds a media roundtable in Taipei on May 30. (Photo by Lauly Li)
Semiconductors

Don't underrate China's ability to catch up in chips: Nvidia CEO

Jensen Huang says Beijing will foster competitive companies amid U.S. tensions

30 May 2023
MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai, left, and Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang appear on stage together in Taipei on May 29. (Photo by Lauly Li)
Technology

Nvidia CEO unveils flurry of AI projects, products in Taiwan

Jensen Huang draws thousands for keynote speech at Computex Taipei

29 May 2023
Samsung's announced investment in new chip plants in South Korea, among the largest ever, is attracting other players in the chip supply chain. (Photo courtesy of Samsung Electronics)
Semiconductors

Samsung's $230bn chip hub draws top equipment makers to Seoul area

Local supply chain development to facilitate R&D, echoing TSMC in Taiwan

28 May 2023
IBM CEO Arvind Krishna speaks during an interview on May 23 in Tokyo. (Photo by Yuki Nakao) 
Interview

AI a plus for jobs, but needs 'precision regulation': IBM chief

Arvind Krishna sees 'very high chance of success' in Japan chipmaking venture

27 May 2023
U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, left, and Japanese Trade Minister Yasutoshi Nishimura met in Detroit on May 26. (Photo by Anna Nishino)
Supply Chain

Japan, U.S. to take aim at 'geographic concentrations' in chip production

Trade chiefs discuss supply chain resilience ahead of IPEF talks

27 May 2023
Yasutoshi Nishimura, right, Japan's minister of economy, trade and industry, and U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo meet on Jan. 5 in Washington. (Courtesy of Japan's trade ministry)
Semiconductors

Japan, U.S. to lay out road map for more chip cooperation

Allies to issue statement on chip strategy at ministerial meeting in Detroit

26 May 2023
Japan is following the U.S. lead on measures to restrict China's access to advanced chip technology.
Semiconductors

Japan chip export curb to China will take effect in July

Tokyo follows U.S. measures irrespective of Beijing's anger

23 May 2023
China has been pushing for great self-sufficiency in key tech such as microchips. (Source photo by AP) 
Semiconductors

China's Micron ban creates chip dilemma for Samsung, SK Hynix

Move could leave supply gaps but U.S. has urged South Korea not to fill them

22 May 2023
Demand for wafer fabrication equipment has been lackluster. (Photo courtesy of Tokyo Electron)
Semiconductors

Chip equipment makers brace for sales decline on memory slump

Stock prices on rise as investors factor in anticipated recovery, demand from AI

21 May 2023
Advanced semiconductors are one area in which Japan, the U.S., Australia and India will discuss joint investment. (Photo by Tomoki Mera)
Supply Chain

Quad to discuss joint investments in chips, critical minerals

Leaders set to agree on creating public-private investor network during Japan talks

20 May 2023
Renesas was a latecomer in silicon carbide power chips, but it intends to bridge the gap with quality. (Photo obtained by Nikkei)
Semiconductors

Japan's Renesas to make next-gen silicon carbide chips from 2025

Technology expected to enable longer driving ranges for electric vehicles

19 May 2023
Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger speaks during an interview with Nikkei on May 18 in Tokyo. (Photo by Tomoki Mera) 
Interview

Intel eager to partner with Japan in chip manufacturing: CEO

Quantum computing among possibilities for cooperation

19 May 2023
Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida, foreground, met Thursday with executives including, from left, IMEC's Max Mirgoli, Dario Gil of IBM, Kyung Kye-hyun of Samsung Electronics, and Intel's Pat Gelsinger. (Photo by Uichiro Kasai)
Semiconductors

Chip companies pour $14bn into Japan, seeking stable supply chain

Kishida calls for more investment in bid to boost region's economic security

19 May 2023