Supply Chain

Murata Manufacturing president Norio Nakajima poses at Japanese consumer electronics show CEATEC in Chiba prefecture on Oct. 18. (Photo by Mitsuru Obe)
Supply Chain

Japan tech supplier Murata warns over rapid U.S.-China decoupling

Component maker is building up 'duplicate supply chains' to manage risks

18 October 2022
Foxconn Chairman Young Liu lays out the company's EV strategy at its annual tech day in Taipei on Oct. 18. (Photo by Cheng Ting-Fang)
Automobiles

Foxconn to expand EV production in Thailand and U.S.

Chairman says electric car assembly will remain outside China for now

18 October 2022
A garment factory in Vietnam. Slow demand in the West is bad news for the country's export-oriented businesses. (File photo by Rie Ishii)
Supply Chain

Vietnamese factories go idle as orders from the West slow

In run-up to holiday, demand drops for Asian exports from smartphones to sweaters

18 October 2022
U.S. pressure has disrupted Apple's plans for using chips from China's Yangtze Memory Technology Co. (Source photo by Ken Kobayashi)
Semiconductors

Apple freezes plan to use China's YMTC chips amid political pressure

Company previously planned to put Chinese-made memory in some iPhones

17 October 2022
Drought conditions have caused Mississippi River water levels to drop, triggering barge draft restrictions.
Inflation

Food inflation worries reignite as U.S. barge prices hit new highs

Surging fertilizer costs add to hunger threat in emerging nations

14 October 2022
TSMC shares tumbled and Naya Technology warned of weak China demand on Oct. 11, days after the U.S. unveiled new curbs on the Chinese chip sector. (Source photos by AP and screenshot from Nanya's website)  
Semiconductors

TSMC shares fall 8.3% after U.S. steps up China chip curbs

DRAM maker Nanya Tech says market 'unexpectedly terrible,' flags weak China demand

13 October 2022
Despite the waiver to maintain production in China, the U.S. restrictions will still hit TSMC, as they mean it can no longer help its Chinese customers put advanced graphics and AI processors into production.
Semiconductors

TSMC gets 1-year U.S. license for China chip expansion

Record quarterly profits for Taiwanese chip giant

13 October 2022
 Employees work on the production line of semiconductor wafer at a factory in China. The latest round of U.S. export curbs takes aim at the heart of Beijing's chip ambitions.
Semiconductors

China's 'sea turtle' tech executives stranded by U.S. crackdown

Chinese Americans at top chipmakers snared by U.S. new export ban

11 October 2022
The U.S. is clamping down on China's tech ambitions by tightening restrictions on the export of of vital chip equipment.   
Semiconductors

China chip sector shares tumble on U.S. export curbs

Equipment makers and AI semiconductor developers among those hit

10 October 2022
Tsai's government promotes the New Southbound Policy, which encourages manufacturers to invest and set up factories in Southeast Asia. (Source photos by AP) 
International relations

Taiwanese companies in China flocking to Southeast Asia: survey

Shift indicates potential importance of President Tsai's New Southbound Policy

8 October 2022
Red-hot steel plates pass through a press at a Tata Steel plant. The company and its rivals face soaring production costs. 
Interview

India's Tata Steel taps Australia, North America for coal

CEO says company needs to replace Russian cargoes after halting purchases

7 October 2022
Nikkei had a close look at the iPhone 14, finding it rich in advanced hardware but lacking in new functions. (Photo by Kosuke Imamura)
Technology

iPhone 14 teardown reveals parts 20% costlier than previous model

Profit margins likely lower as Apple eats most of production price rise

7 October 2022
Yaskawa Electric's investment will help the company produce domestically more of its inverters that are used in air conditioners and elevators. (Photo by Kenichi Yamada)
Supply Chain

Japan's Yaskawa to build domestic plant to reduce China dependence

Electronics maker set to invest $415m on producing more inverters at home

6 October 2022
The U.S.-led "Chip 4" initiative includes Japan, Taiwan and South Korea, but Taipei is worried about its impact on its flagship semiconductor industry.
Semiconductors

Taiwan vows to safeguard interests amid U.S.-led 'Chip 4' talks

Senior Taiwanese official says full decoupling from China is difficult

5 October 2022
India is becoming a more important production base for Apple, as the company looks to diversify away from its heavy reliance on China. (Source photos by AP) 
Supply Chain

Apple asks suppliers to shift AirPods, Beats production to India

iPhone maker taps South Asian nation again in push to diversify from China

5 October 2022
Simon Yang, then CEO of Yangtze Memory Technologies, speaks at the China Flash Market Summit in Shenzhen in 2018. (Photo by Cheng Ting-Fang)
Semiconductors

CEO of Chinese chipmaker Yangtze Memory steps down

Company is key asset in Beijing's push for self-reliance in semiconductors

3 October 2022
A circuit board and chips at a research institute in Taiwan. The island produces 90% of advanced chips, which exposes the crucial goods to supply disruptions during crises.
Supply Chain

Japan sets guidelines for protecting critical supply chains

Semiconductors, rare earths and medical supplies likely to receive government support

1 October 2022
Asian and U.S. chipmakers are building and expanding facilities across America as the federal and state governments roll out incentives for investment. (Source photos by Yifan Yu, Samsung and TSMC) 
Business Spotlight

Chipping in: How U.S. states woo the likes of TSMC and Samsung

Subsidies, big tax breaks and size of the workforce go into the equation

30 September 2022
Apple has started producing its newest iPhone 14 in India, within weeks of their global launch. (Source photos by Reuters and Kosaku Mimura)
Supply Chain

Apple already building latest iPhone 14 in India

Move a sign South Asian country is gaining importance in supply chain

26 September 2022
Daikin hopes to wean itself off Chinese-made parts by March 2024. (Photo by Hisashi Iwato)
Supply Chain

Daikin to wean itself off Chinese-made air conditioner parts

Japanese company seeks other suppliers in case of emergency

20 September 2022
U.S. President Joe Biden holds up a microchip as he speaks before signing an executive order in February 2021 aimed at dealing with a shortage of semiconductors.
Politics

Biden orders deeper foreign investment reviews in chips, supply chains

Directive focuses on technology, cybersecurity in line with China concerns

16 September 2022
COSCO Group is set to expand its carrying capacity by 20%, a move echoed by several competitors. (Photo courtesy of COSCO Group)
Transportation

China's COSCO bets $5bn in 2nd shot at shipping crown

Ambitious expansion plan faces risk of industrywide capacity glut

15 September 2022
Apple plans to adopt Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.'s updated 3-nanometer tech for some iPhones and Mac computers next year, sources told Nikkei Asia. (Source photos by Reuters) 
Semiconductors

Apple to use TSMC's next 3-nm chip tech in iPhones, Macs next year

Move will mark industry's first adoption of updated production technology

14 September 2022
Shipping containers are unloaded from a ship at the Port of Los Angeles-Port of Long Beach complex.
Supply Chain

Global supply chains poised for relief as ship congestion eases

Vessels waiting to load off U.S. West Coast drop to less than 10th of peak

11 September 2022
Fourteen countries have signed onto the U.S.-led Indo-Pacific Economic Framework. (Photo from Katherine Tai's Twitter account)
Indo-Pacific

Indo-Pacific framework objectives take shape, but India not all in

Group's most populous member stops short of agreeing to trade 'pillar'

10 September 2022