Semiconductors

Attendees visit a display at the SEMICON technology trade fair in Shanghai. China also has invested heavily in its semiconductor industry, through a state-backed fund.
Semiconductors

China trade groups blast U.S. CHIPS Act as hindering innovation

Foreign Ministry accuses Washington of 'economic coercion' with law, subsidies

11 August 2022
Taiwanese electronics assembler Foxconn's $800 million investment to take a 10% stake in China's Tsinghua Unigroup is under review by regulators on the island. 
Technology

Foxconn stands by China chip deal as cross-strait tensions rise

Public has 'misunderstood' nature of Tsinghua Unigroup, says Taiwan tech titan

10 August 2022
President Joe Biden signs the CHIPS and Science Act alongside Vice President Kamala Harris and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo outside the White House. 
Semiconductors

Biden signs CHIPS Act into law as tech arms race with China heats up

U.S. bipartisan legislation devotes $52bn to domestic semiconductor manufacturing

10 August 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden, South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol and Samsung Electronics Vice Chairman Lee Jae-yong visit a Samsung factory in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, in May.  
Technology

Pardon likely for Samsung chief as company faces chip challenge

South Korean president seen clearing deck for 'commander' Lee Jae-yong

9 August 2022
The Russian Aleksin corvette fires missiles during a parade in Baltiysk in the Kaliningrad region of Russia on July 31.
Ukraine war

Russian military relies on Western, Asian tech components: study

Microelectronics from U.S., Japan, Taiwan, South Korea found in weapons systems

8 August 2022
Tokyo Electron, one of the world's largest suppliers of chipmaking equipment, says about a quarter of its sales come from China. (Photo by Karina Nooka) 
Semiconductors

Tokyo Electron 'concerned' about U.S. tech curbs on China

Japanese chip equipment maker, hit by Shanghai lockdowns, suffers 17% profit fall

8 August 2022
Vietnam says it has attracted a semiconductor investment from Samsung.
Semiconductors

Samsung to begin making semiconductor parts in Vietnam in 2023

Southeast Asian nation picks up win in global battle to attract chip suppliers

6 August 2022
China's chipmaking industry has a long way to go before attaining 70% self-sufficiency by 2025.
Semiconductors

China wages war on 'corruption' in chip industry after years of fundraising

Semiconductor executives investigated after massive investments fail to take off

6 August 2022
Taiwan's Pegatron is a key iPhone supplier with important facilities located in China. 
Semiconductors

Shipments to Pegatron's China factory disrupted after exec met Pelosi

Suppliers spooked as Beijing wields rule against 'Taiwan' label on goods

5 August 2022
Oppo and other Chinese smartphone makers saw a significant drop in shipments in the first half of 2022.
Technology

China smartphone shipments slump toward 10-year low

Consumer shift toward thrift compounds structural weakness in demand

4 August 2022
The U.S. Congress recently passed the bipartisan CHIPS Act, earmarking $52 billion in subsidies for the industry. (Photo by Ryosuke Eguchi)
Materials

After CHIPS Act, Japanese supplier to triple U.S. semiconductor chemical output

Exclusive: Mitsubishi Gas Chemical invests $372m to ramp up production

4 August 2022
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, left, met senior Taiwanese chip industry officials at a lunch hosted by Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-Wen. (Source photos by Shinya Sawai, AP and Reuters) 
Semiconductors

U.S. House Speaker Pelosi meets chip industry leaders in Taipei

Senior lawmaker talks with TSMC chief, calls for collaboration in key tech area

3 August 2022
Showa Denko Materials is the top supplier of cerium oxide-based wafer polishing slurries. (Photo courtesy of Showa Denko)
Semiconductors

Chip industry supplier Showa Denko to boost output of wafer polishing agent

Materials maker will spend $150m on new capacity in Japan and Taiwan

3 August 2022
President Joe Biden is set to sign the $280 billion CHIPS and Science Act into law, providing financial support for chip companies that invest in the U.S. semiconductor industry. 
Semiconductors

CHIPS Act leaves chipmakers facing choice between U.S. and China

Bill's funding comes with overseas investment restrictions attached

2 August 2022
U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi at a news conference on July 29. The spirals of hostility that can lead to war are choices, not given realities.
Opinion

China is more concerned about microchips than about Pelosi

Washington can avoid drift toward conflict by assuring Beijing about supplies

2 August 2022
There is a growing view among industry analysts that the chip market has passed its peak in the current round of the boom-bust cycle.
Semiconductors

Chip crunch eases for phones and PCs, but not for cars

Decline in consumer device demand hints at tipping point in industry cycle

2 August 2022
U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken and Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo hold a joint news conference with Japan's Foreign Minister Yoshimasa Hayashi and Koichi Hagiuda, Minister of Economy, Trade, and Industry in Washington on July 29.
Semiconductors

Japan, U.S. agree on 'rules-based order' in 1st economic 2-plus-2 talks

Both sides to seek secure, resilient supply chains for chips and industrial minerals

30 July 2022
MediaTek CEO Rick Tsai said the chipmaker's customers, which include the world's leading smartphone makers, will continue to adjust their inventories for another "two to three quarters."
Semiconductors

Mobile chip king MediaTek lowers outlook on expected smartphone dip

New foundry partner Intel reported a sharp drop in profit amid PC downtown

29 July 2022
Since 1990, the U.S. share of modern semiconductor-manufacturing capacity has fallen from 37% to 12%.
Politics

U.S. Congress passes CHIPS Act to boost semiconductor sector

Updated legislation seen helping in competition with China

29 July 2022
Taiwan hosts the lion's share of global production capacity for high-end semiconductors.
Semiconductors

Japan, U.S. to launch R&D for 2-nm chip mass production

Economic and diplomatic chiefs to discuss supply chains at 2+2 meeting Friday

29 July 2022
Xiao Yaqing, seen here in 2018, leads China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology. 
Semiconductors

Beijing probes leaders of China's semiconductor industry drive

Chinese tech crackdown expands as U.S. passes CHIPS Act

29 July 2022
Stream article image
#techAsia

The myth of chip resilience and a homesick Alibaba

The inside story on the Asia tech trends that matter, from Nikkei Asia and the Financial Times

28 July 2022
Proponents of the legislation say other countries are spending billions of dollars to lure chipmakers.
Semiconductors

U.S. Senate passes bill to boost computer chip production

$280bn measure including grants and tax breaks now awaits a House vote

28 July 2022
Chipmaker Tsinghua Unigroup recently was taken over by a duo of investment funds after going through bankruptcy proceedings.
Semiconductors

Creation of China chip supply chain key for Tsinghua Unigroup revival

Embattled Chinese chipmaker to build synergies with newly related companies

27 July 2022
Chipmaking requires hundreds of machines, materials and chemicals. In this TSMC plant in Taiwan, an engineer in protective clothing holds a Front Opening Unified Pod (FOUP) for transferring the wafers used in chips safely between machines.
The Big Story

The resilience myth: Fatal flaws in the push to secure chip supply chains

From China to the U.S. to Europe, semiconductor makers are being showered with subsidies, but to what effect?

27 July 2022