Tag - chipmakers

 
 

CHIPMAKERS

Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia Corp., speaks at a company event in Taipei on May 27. The company's Blackwell chips may have made their way to Chinese entities based outside the country despite U.S. efforts to starve China of semiconductors.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jun 1, 2026
U.S. takes step to halt Nvidia AI chip shipments to Chinese firms outside China
Nvidia and AMD’s chips may have been making their ⁠way to Chinese entities despite U.S. efforts to starve China of the semiconductors needed to develop critical AI capabilities.
Multilayer ceramic capacitors, which are tiny components that regulate and stabilize power flow in electronic devices, are becoming a growing bottleneck in the construction of artificial intelligence data centers.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 29, 2026
Taiyo Yuden sees ‘scary’ levels of AI parts demand risking supply chain
The Tokyo-based company and Murata Manufacturing comprise the bulk of the world’s supplies of high-end multilayer ceramic capacitors needed for artificial intelligence.
The Nvidia logo at the company's annual developers conference in San Jose on March 16. Japan is one of many locations in Asia where Chinese companies access American AI chips — by renting hardware that’s owned by foreign firms and installed in overseas data centers.
BUSINESS
May 28, 2026
Taiwan suspects Nvidia chips smuggled to China via Japan
Japan is one of many locations in Asia where Chinese companies access American AI chips — by renting hardware that’s owned by foreign firms and installed in overseas data centers.
Samsung Electronics is the world’s biggest supplier of the memory chips that go into everything from smartphones and electric vehicles to servers at artificial intelligence data centers.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2026
Samsung workers accept wage deal that averts chip plant strike
The agreement avoids what could have been a damaging strike for Samsung and the tech industry amid shortages in the memory chip sector.
Ajinomoto, known more as a seasonings and foods maker, holds more than 95% of global market share for insulating materials used in personal computers and data center servers.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 27, 2026
Wall Street’s AI winner hunt leads to seasoning maker in Japan
The beneficiaries of the artificial intelligence buildout are spreading far beyond technology high-flyers.
Stock market information displayed at the Taiwan Stock Exchange in Taipei on May 6
BUSINESS
May 26, 2026
TSMC’s relentless rise powers Taiwan’s market value above India
The island’s market capitalization climbed to $4.95 trillion as of Monday, while India’s value has dropped to $4.92 trillion.
A Kirin 9000s chip fabricated in China by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp., taken from a Huawei Mate X5 foldable smartphone in 2023.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 25, 2026
China’s Huawei reveals chip design breakthrough amid U.S. sanctions
China is seen as unlikely to reach Huawei’s target through conventional manufacturing alone because of restricted access to advanced lithography tools and other technologies.
A Huawei booth during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai last year
BUSINESS / Tech
May 25, 2026
Huawei’s ‘chip queen’ etches her name in China’s tech folklore
He Tingbo’s career has tracked Huawei’s rise, its struggle following U.S. sanctions, and then a rebirth as the ​core ​driver of China’s mission to become a high-tech juggernaut.
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer speaks with reporters at the White House in Washington last month.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 23, 2026
U.S. weighs chip tariffs to spur domestic growth, trade chief says
U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer stressed the importance of using import duties to bring chip production back to the U.S.
Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi attends a meeting of the Council on Economic and Fiscal Policy on Friday at the Prime Minister's Office in Tokyo.
BUSINESS
May 23, 2026
Takaichi considering new quota for growth investment
The plan would cover 17 growth areas, including artificial intelligence and semiconductors, to support long-term corporate investments.
Choi Seung-ho, head of the Samsung Electronics union, Yeo Myung-koo, head of the People Team under Samsung’s Device Solutions division and the company’s chief management negotiator, and Labor Minister Kim Young-hoon pose for photographs after reaching tentative pay deal in Suwon, South Korea, on Monday.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 21, 2026
Samsung reaches 11th-hour deal with union to avoid strike
The truce averts what could have been a damaging strike for Samsung and the tech industry.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's plant in Kumamoto Prefecture. Japan plans to create industry clusters in 10 regions as a key component of its regional future strategy.
BUSINESS
May 18, 2026
Japan plans industry clusters in 10 regions
The draft plan names the Tohoku region a green transformation center candidate, citing the presence of many nuclear and renewable-energy power sources.
The U.S.-China rivalry is increasingly centered on semiconductor and rare-earth chokepoints as Japan tries to revive its chip industry and secure a strategically vital role in global supply chains.
COMMENTARY / Japan / Geoeconomic Briefing
May 18, 2026
Semiconductor chokepoints define U.S.-China rivalry
Two chokepoints now stand out: advanced semiconductors for China and rare-earth minerals for the United States.
The components of a Kioxia solid-state drive. Shares are up more than 300% this year for the Tokyo-based company.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
Kioxia shares awash in buy orders after AI-driven profit surge
The Tokyo-based company said it expects to earn an operating profit of ¥1.3 trillion during the June quarter, above the record profit it earned for the full year ended March.
Choi Seung-ho, head of Samsung Electronics union, speaks after a mediation session at the National Labor Relations Commission in Sejong, South Korea, on May 13.
BUSINESS / Companies
May 18, 2026
Samsung and its South Korean union resume pay talks as strike risks loom
South Korean government officials have voiced concerns that a strike could pose significant risk to economic growth, exports and financial markets.
Members of Samsung Electronics' labor union chant during a protest against the company's compensation levels, in front of a Samsung semiconductor plant in Pyeongtaek, South Korea, on April 23.
BUSINESS
May 17, 2026
Samsung and labor union to meet in ‘last chance’ to avert strike
Management and the union representatives at the world’s biggest memory chipmaker will meet Monday for the talks on wages and compensation.
A Kioxia semiconductor manufacturing plant in Japan
BUSINESS / Companies
May 15, 2026
Kioxia prepares U.S. shares after riding AI boom to big profit
The Tokyo-based firm’s meteoric rise encapsulates the booming demand for memory as hyperscalers rush to build AI infrastructure.
Samsung, whose operating profit soared 48-fold in the March quarter, is projected to surpass Apple and Alphabet to rank second only to Nvidia among the world’s most profitable tech companies.
BUSINESS / Tech
May 12, 2026
South Korea roils market by floating ‘citizen dividend’ from AI gains
The benchmark Kospi sank as much as 5.1%, then pared losses after the influential policy adviser clarified he wanted to tap “excess tax revenue” generated from the AI boom.
The semiconductor industry and related electronics sector together account for around 17% of Taiwan’s economy.
ASIA PACIFIC / FOCUS
May 7, 2026
Hormuz crisis shows gaps in Taiwan’s high-tech ‘silicon shield’
The factors that make Taiwan an economic powerhouse — its successful technology industry and artificial intelligence-driven chipmaking — are also the ones making it vulnerable.
The Nvidia logo and a Neura humanoid robot at the Hannover Messe 2026 trade fair in Hannover, Germany, on April 20. Nvidia’s grip on the AI processor market is seen as increasingly under threat from other chipmakers as well as its biggest customers.
BUSINESS
May 6, 2026
Nvidia is facing more competition and it’s spooking investors
Nvidia’s grip on the AI processor market is seen as increasingly under threat from other chipmakers as well as its biggest customers.

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