https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/60411/feed Samsung Electronics is a key subsidiary of Samsung Group, a South Korean multinational conglomerate company headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul. It is the largest South Korean chaebol. Other key subsidiaries include Samsung Heavy Industries, Samsung Engineering and Samsung C&T. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Ann Cao Ann Cao Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, South Korea’s two memory chip giants, are warning of a prolonged and severe global supply crunch, weeks after the two companies disclosed increased investments in their China wafer fabs to meet surging artificial intelligence demand. During Samsung’s first-quarter earnings call on Thursday, the company said its order fulfilment rate had plunged to a “record low”. In a rare move, customers worried about shortages were already pre-booking memory capacity for 2027,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3352001/samsung-sk-hynix-flag-record-supply-squeeze-memory-market-ai-demand-soars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3352001/samsung-sk-hynix-flag-record-supply-squeeze-memory-market-ai-demand-soars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:30:28 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro For financial markets, the war in Iran and the energy shock that ensued might as well be over. Since March 30, the benchmark S&P 500 equity index has surged 12.5 per cent, exceeding the record high reached on January 27. Global shares have also bounced back sharply. The MSCI All-Country World Index ex US, a gauge of international stocks that excludes the United States, is less than 4 per cent below its all-time high on February 25. Several factors are at play. Most investors evidently believe... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351940/how-ai-boom-helping-asia-weather-iran-war-energy-shock?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3351940/how-ai-boom-helping-asia-weather-iran-war-energy-shock?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:30:08 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg When Lee Kun-hee, the patriarch behind Samsung Electronics, died in 2020, his dynasty soon dealt with a crisis on two fronts: first, a multibillion-dollar inheritance tax. The following year, his son Jay Y. Lee was jailed after being convicted of bribing South Korea’s former president Park Geun-hye to win support for his succession. At the time, some observers speculated that the sheer scale of one of the world’s largest death levies could threaten the family’s control over the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351771/how-south-koreas-samsung-clan-made-us45-billion-financial-comeback-1-year?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3351771/how-south-koreas-samsung-clan-made-us45-billion-financial-comeback-1-year?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 01:39:37 +0000 Ann Cao,Iris Deng Ann Cao,Iris Deng The distant geopolitical conflict in the Middle East is sending shock waves through Asia’s semiconductor industry, exposing fresh vulnerabilities in the supply chain as shortages of photoresist – a critical chipmaking material – emerge as the latest weak link. With the Strait of Hormuz effectively closed since early March, supplies of naphtha – a key feedstock for specialty chemicals used in semiconductor production including photoresist – have been sharply curtailed. Produced during the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3351192/asias-chipmakers-feel-heat-naphtha-crunch-hits-photoresist-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3351192/asias-chipmakers-feel-heat-naphtha-crunch-hits-photoresist-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 14:00:08 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Fund managers investing in Asian and emerging markets added mainland Chinese and Taiwanese stocks to their portfolios in February and March, while cutting their exposure to South Korean equities, according to HSBC Holdings. The reallocation also came at the expense of Indian stocks during the period, with the country’s weighting in Asian funds hitting a new low, HSBC analysts Prerna Garg and Herald van der Linde said in a report on Tuesday, without giving details. The report was based on data... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3350997/asian-emerging-market-funds-rotate-mainland-china-and-taiwan-stocks-hsbc?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3350997/asian-emerging-market-funds-rotate-mainland-china-and-taiwan-stocks-hsbc?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 23:00:09 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong posed for a widely shared selfie in New Delhi on Monday, drawing attention to the optics of “selfie diplomacy” at a Korea-India summit. The photo was taken during a state lunch using Samsung’s latest foldable smartphone, the Galaxy Z Flip7. The image quickly went viral online on social media and was picked up by multiple media outlets. The moment comes months after Lee drew... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3350837/after-xi-south-koreas-lee-brings-modi-selfie-diplomacy-frame?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/south-asia/article/3350837/after-xi-south-koreas-lee-brings-modi-selfie-diplomacy-frame?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 06:35:07 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Chinese suppliers of parts for Tesla’s electric vehicles (EVs) and robots saw their stock prices gain on Thursday morning as the US tech giant announced that its AI5 artificial intelligence inference chip was 45 days ahead of schedule. After a nearly 7.7 per cent jump in Tesla’s Nasdaq-listed stock on Wednesday, shares of the company’s Chinese suppliers were up by as much as 4.6 per cent on Thursday. Shanghai-listed Ningbo Tuopu Group and Shenzhen-listed Zhejiang Sanhua Intelligent Controls,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3350279/chinese-investors-cheer-teslas-ai-chip-progress-pushing-shares-local-suppliers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3350279/chinese-investors-cheer-teslas-ai-chip-progress-pushing-shares-local-suppliers?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 16 Apr 2026 07:00:36 +0000 Iris Deng,Yeon Woo Lee,Coco Feng Iris Deng,Yeon Woo Lee,Coco Feng Samsung Electronics faces a “strategic dilemma” over whether to defend its shrinking footprint in China or redeploy resources to bolster global competitiveness, analysts say, as speculation grows that the tech giant may scale back parts of its mainland operations and double down on semiconductors. The South Korean firm was considering a broad restructuring of its China business, potentially exiting segments such as home appliances and displays while retaining smartphones and storage as core... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3349728/samsung-weighs-china-retreat-focus-shifts-global-chip-race-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3349728/samsung-weighs-china-retreat-focus-shifts-global-chip-race-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 11 Apr 2026 05:08:28 +0000 Biman Mukherji Biman Mukherji The Iran war is rattling Asian chipmakers as damage to Qatar’s gas facilities chokes off supplies of helium, an essential ingredient in manufacturing products ranging from smartphones to medical scanners. Analysts warn that the supply disruption is expected to trigger ripple effects across the global economy for some time. Pradeep Philip, head of Deloitte Access Economics, said that while there had been considerable focus on the energy shock arising from the conflict, the crisis over helium... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3348954/helium-supply-shock-threatens-asian-chipmakers-economic-slowdown-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3348954/helium-supply-shock-threatens-asian-chipmakers-economic-slowdown-fears-mount?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 03 Apr 2026 09:00:01 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are stepping up investments in their China wafer fabs as they race to boost supply amid a tightening memory chip market driven by demand for artificial intelligence computing, underscoring China’s continued role in semiconductor production despite US restrictions. Samsung Electronics invested 465.4 billion won (US$308.8 million) in its Xian chip plant in 2025, a 67.5 per cent increase from a year earlier, according to an annual report filed with South Korea’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3348159/south-korean-chip-giants-step-china-investments-combat-global-ai-memory-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3348159/south-korean-chip-giants-step-china-investments-combat-global-ai-memory-shortage?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 29 Mar 2026 00:00:08 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang Beyond oil, the Middle East conflict is fuelling fears of a shortage of helium – a by-product of liquefied natural gas (LNG) production that is critical for semiconductors, aerospace applications and high-end medical equipment. The medical sector is on alert, as magnetic resonance imaging machines depend on liquid helium to cool their superconducting magnets, and a supply crunch could jeopardise diagnostic services. A warning from Marc Johnson, a virologist and professor at the University of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3348153/semiconductors-medical-tech-iran-war-puts-helium-users-edge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3348153/semiconductors-medical-tech-iran-war-puts-helium-users-edge?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 27 Mar 2026 10:00:12 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow A new artificial intelligence algorithm developed by Google that could reduce demand for memory chips triggered a slump in global memory stocks, but analysts said it presented an opportunity for investors to “buy the dip”. Shares in memory giants including Samsung and SK Hynix fell after Google said in a blog post on Tuesday that the algorithm, called TurboQuant, reduced the memory demands of key-value (KV) caches – a crucial component of how AI models are served to users – by six times through... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3348038/googles-turboquant-ai-advance-dents-memory-chip-stocks-analysts-say-buy-dip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3348038/googles-turboquant-ai-advance-dents-memory-chip-stocks-analysts-say-buy-dip?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Mar 2026 13:24:11 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Technology stocks across China, South Korea and Japan have taken a beating as risk-off sentiment sweeps markets amid escalating fears that the US-Iran war may further disrupt tech infrastructure and supply chains. Hong Kong and Chinese tech stocks have been affected to a lesser degree than their Korean and Japanese peers because of the different levels of exposure to energy and shipping disruptions caused by the Middle East turmoil, analysts said. In Seoul, the Kospi index sank over 12 per cent... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3345407/asian-tech-stocks-reel-us-iran-war-disrupts-energy-logistics-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3345407/asian-tech-stocks-reel-us-iran-war-disrupts-energy-logistics-supply-chains?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 04 Mar 2026 09:04:16 +0000 dpa dpa A £2 billion (US$2.68 billion) class action will claim that millions of PlayStation users in the UK are overcharged for games on the console in the latest legal challenge against technology firms’ market dominance. The case, brought by consumer champion Alex Neill on behalf of an estimated 12.2 million gamers, accuses Sony of levying “excessive and unfair” charges on downloads from its PlayStation Store. The antitrust claim is set to be heard by the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3345190/us268-billion-class-action-claims-uk-playstation-users-are-overcharged-games?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/europe/article/3345190/us268-billion-class-action-claims-uk-playstation-users-are-overcharged-games?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 02 Mar 2026 20:08:53 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese smartphone makers are set to introduce their latest handsets at MWC Barcelona, as the mobile industry navigates an ongoing memory crunch and a pivot to artificial intelligence. Some Android phone makers are also expected to showcase experimental robots and other AI devices at the annual trade show formerly known as Mobile World Congress, which will run from March 2 to 5. Honor, an independent brand formerly under Huawei Technologies, will unveil more details about its highly anticipated... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3344960/mwc-2026-chinese-smartphone-makers-bet-pivot-ai-weather-memory-chip-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3344960/mwc-2026-chinese-smartphone-makers-bet-pivot-ai-weather-memory-chip-crunch?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies is aiming for a major international comeback, with the overseas release of its latest flagship smartphone, the Mate 80 Pro, alongside a new smartwatch and the addition of a “wheelchair mode” to its wearable devices. Powered by the company’s self-designed, China-made Kirin 9030 Pro processor, the overseas version of its Mate 80 Pro handsets will run on the Android-based EMUI 15 operating system, Huawei announced at a launch event in Madrid, Spain, on Thursday. While the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3344774/huawei-targets-global-comeback-mate-80-pro-smartphone-new-smartwatch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3344774/huawei-targets-global-comeback-mate-80-pro-smartphone-new-smartwatch?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 16:01:08 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao South Korean investors returned to mainland equities at the start of 2026, ramping up purchases of Hong Kong-listed players in artificial intelligence and semiconductors amid enduring enthusiasm for the tech sector. They bought US$92.5 million worth of Hong Kong-listed shares this year as of February 13, according to data from SEIBro, a portal maintained by the Korea Securities Depository. The buying was concentrated in newly listed technology companies and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) tracking... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3343628/korean-investors-pour-us925-million-hong-kong-listed-ai-tech-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3343628/korean-investors-pour-us925-million-hong-kong-listed-ai-tech-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 16 Feb 2026 00:30:13 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg For decades, one of the world’s most historically significant collections of Korean art has been kept largely out of public view, quietly assembled by South Korea’s richest family and Samsung founders, the Lees. Now, the works are on their first-ever overseas tour, riding a global wave of interest in Korean culture that extends well beyond pop music and film into the country’s deepest artistic traditions. “Korean Treasures: Collected, Cherished, Shared” features more than 200 works from the late... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3341832/samsung-familys-korean-art-collection-being-shown-first-time-overseas-tour?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/arts/article/3341832/samsung-familys-korean-art-collection-being-shown-first-time-overseas-tour?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 07:15:07 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Enterprises across China’s semiconductor industry recorded hefty profit growth last year, according to their unaudited financial results, driven by the country’s artificial intelligence infrastructure buildout and Beijing’s push for tech self-reliance. Graphics processing unit (GPU) designer Cambricon Technologies on Friday reported a net profit of 2.2 billion yuan (US$316 million) in 2025, its first profitable year, on the back of “the continuous rise in computing power demand within the AI... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3341834/chinas-semiconductor-firms-post-hefty-2025-profits-amid-ai-boom-tech-self-reliance-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3341834/chinas-semiconductor-firms-post-hefty-2025-profits-amid-ai-boom-tech-self-reliance-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 06:00:19 +0000 Ann Cao,Iris Deng Ann Cao,Iris Deng In the world’s biggest wholesale electronics marketplace in the bustling Huaqiangbei district of the southern Chinese metropolis of Shenzhen, memory is the new gold. On a Tuesday in January, a merchant surnamed Ye held up a list of prices that looked more appropriate for luxury goods than humble computer parts. A pair of 32-gigabyte, 6000-megahertz Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5) memory sticks was priced at 6,878 yuan (US$990) – having shot up nearly fivefold since September. “In my over 10 years in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3341762/how-hair-raising-prices-memory-chips-could-take-chinas-top-makers-new-heights?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3341762/how-hair-raising-prices-memory-chips-could-take-chinas-top-makers-new-heights?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 31 Jan 2026 02:00:08 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Significant worldwide shortages of memory chips are expected to persist well into 2027, according to analysts, even as the sector’s top manufacturers – Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Micron Technology – move to boost production capacity. According to a report by Hangzhou-based Zheshang Securities, industry expansion plans through 2026 and 2027 were unlikely to bridge the global supply gap. Micron on Saturday said it aimed to meet global memory chip demand via its US$1.8 billion acquisition of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3340568/global-memory-chip-crunch-persist-even-samsung-sk-hynix-micron-boost-production?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3340568/global-memory-chip-crunch-persist-even-samsung-sk-hynix-micron-boost-production?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 21 Jan 2026 00:15:09 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao The shortages and associated price increase in the global memory chip sector could potentially intensify, as the US government threatened to impose hefty new tariffs on some major foreign manufacturers. Speaking at Friday’s groundbreaking ceremony for Micron Technology’s US$100 billion factory in New York, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick warned that memory chipmakers – without naming any company – had two options: “They can pay 100 per cent tariff, or they can build in America.” Lutnick... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3340428/global-memory-chip-crunch-set-intensify-amid-trumps-new-industrial-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3340428/global-memory-chip-crunch-set-intensify-amid-trumps-new-industrial-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 11:00:10 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies edged out Apple to reclaim the No 1 spot in mainland China’s smartphone market in 2025, a new report showed, as the domestic handset maker overcame crippling US sanctions. For the full year, Huawei captured 16.4 per cent of China’s smartphone market with 46.7 million units shipped, narrowly beating Apple, which shipped 46.2 million iPhones for a 16.2 per cent share, research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) said on Wednesday. Huawei’s smartphone shipments fell 1.9... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3339863/huawei-reclaims-top-spot-over-apple-china-smartphone-market-after-chip-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3339863/huawei-reclaims-top-spot-over-apple-china-smartphone-market-after-chip-breakthrough?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 14 Jan 2026 11:30:12 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow A technical paper co-authored by Liang Wenfeng, the founder of Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek, and a group of Peking University researchers has proposed a new model training technique, which they say can facilitate “aggressive parameter expansion” by bypassing graphics processing unit (GPU) memory constraints. The development underscores the Hangzhou start-up’s continued focus on maximising cost efficiency amid a deficit in computational power relative to US industry leaders,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3339740/deepseek-founders-latest-paper-proposes-new-ai-model-training-bypass-gpu-limits?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3339740/deepseek-founders-latest-paper-proposes-new-ai-model-training-bypass-gpu-limits?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 13 Jan 2026 10:00:16 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro For some time now, global economic cycles and financial market trends have been less US-centric and more multipolar in nature. This might seem counterintuitive given the long period of “American exceptionalism” stemming from the US dollar’s role as the world’s leading reserve currency, America’s deep and transparent capital markets, huge natural and human resources and the dominance of its technology companies in global equity indices. Deeper forces have been at play in the past several years,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339120/chinese-stocks-could-be-biggest-winner-venezuela-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3339120/chinese-stocks-could-be-biggest-winner-venezuela-fallout?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 08:30:11 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng China’s secondary semiconductor market is seeing a sharp run-up in memory chip prices as global supplies tighten, though vendors say the rally faces an awkward conundrum: the price tags might be higher, but the buyers are disappearing. “We’re looking at high asking prices, but no buyers,” said Cai Zhaojie, a merchant who sells electronic components at Huaqiangbei, the vast Shenzhen wholesale hub often described as the world’s biggest electronics market. The mark-ups on memory products had become... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3339065/soaring-prices-shrinking-demand-chinas-memory-chip-market-falters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3339065/soaring-prices-shrinking-demand-chinas-memory-chip-market-falters?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 07 Jan 2026 13:00:10 +0000 Reuters Reuters Samsung Electronics is expected to flag a 160 per cent jump in its fourth-quarter operating profit spurred by a severe chip shortage that has sharply driven up ‍memory prices as customers scramble to meet booming demand for artificial intelligence. Semiconductor prices have rocketed in recent months, as the industry’s shift to AI-related chips has curbed production for traditional memory, while demand has been surging for both conventional and advanced chips to train and run AI models. Samsung... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3338849/samsung-likely-flag-160-jump-fourth-quarter-profit-ai-boom-stokes-chip-prices?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3338849/samsung-likely-flag-160-jump-fourth-quarter-profit-ai-boom-stokes-chip-prices?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Jan 2026 03:50:09 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Hua Hong Semiconductor, China’s No 2 contract chipmaker, on Wednesday announced the acquisition of its sister foundry in Shanghai, days after market leader Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) said it would take full control of a subsidiary. Those big-ticket transactions – 8.27 billion yuan (US$1.2 billion) for Hua Hong and 40.6 billion yuan for SMIC – signalled a fresh round of consolidation in the country’s semiconductor industry, as Beijing’s tech self-sufficiency drive... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3338551/chinas-top-contract-chipmakers-pursue-acquisitions-amid-beijings-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3338551/chinas-top-contract-chipmakers-pursue-acquisitions-amid-beijings-self-sufficiency-drive?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Jan 2026 13:00:19 +0000 Reuters Reuters The US government ‍has granted an annual licence to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) to import American chip manufacturing equipment to its fabrication facility in Nanjing, the capital of eastern China’s Jiangsu province, according to the company. The approval “ensures uninterrupted fab operations and product deliveries”, TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, said in a statement on Thursday to Reuters. South Korea’s Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix have also received similar... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3338380/us-grants-tsmc-annual-licence-import-american-chipmaking-tools-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3338380/us-grants-tsmc-annual-licence-import-american-chipmaking-tools-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 06:05:57 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng One of the biggest moments for China’s booming robotics industry this year was the catwalk performance by carmaker Xpeng’s new humanoid robot: it was so lifelike that founder He Xiaopeng had to unzip its back to prove there was no person inside. The reveal exposed what was under the covers: bionic “muscles” that enable such uncanny lifelikeness, made possible by the 3D printing technology and high-performance materials from Chinese start-up PollyPolymer. Wang Wenbin, founder and chairman of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3337880/how-chinese-start-scaling-3d-printing-sneakers-robots?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3337880/how-chinese-start-scaling-3d-printing-sneakers-robots?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 28 Dec 2025 23:00:10 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Prosecutors in South Korea have indicted 10 people, including former Samsung Electronics executives, for allegedly leaking the company’s technology to Chinese chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT). The Seoul Central District Prosecutors’ Office on Tuesday said five people had been arrested, including a former Samsung executive who allegedly recruited key personnel and leaked the company’s proprietary technology to CXMT, according to a report by Yonhap News Agency. They face charges for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3337835/chinese-chipmaker-cxmt-crosshairs-south-korean-prosecutors-over-samsung-tech-leak?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3337835/chinese-chipmaker-cxmt-crosshairs-south-korean-prosecutors-over-samsung-tech-leak?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:00:09 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Xiaomi on Thursday unveiled the 17 Ultra, its latest premium smartphone model that features improved night photography and mobile imaging capabilities on the back of the firm’s enhanced partnership with German camera maker Leica. “We work together to build future-proof optical technology … and completely reshape the mobile photography experience,” Xiaomi president Lu Weibing said at the handset’s launch. In a side-by-side comparison of dimly lit photos taken in Hong Kong with Xiaomi’s 17 Ultra... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3337738/xiaomis-17-ultra-backed-leica-challenges-apples-iphone-pro-max-mobile-imaging?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3337738/xiaomis-17-ultra-backed-leica-challenges-apples-iphone-pro-max-mobile-imaging?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 25 Dec 2025 14:00:11 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro One of the biggest sources of concern in global stock markets in recent years has been concentration risk. Long before the launch of ChatGPT – the chatbot whose debut in November 2022 stoked a frenzy of excitement about generative artificial intelligence (AI) – the benchmark S&P 500 index was dominated by a clutch of giant technology companies. In 2019, the 10 biggest companies in the index – led by the “Magnificent Seven” stocks consisting of Nvidia, Apple, Alphabet, Microsoft, Amazon, Meta and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3336850/fears-ai-bubble-asian-stock-markets-are-misplaced?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3336850/fears-ai-bubble-asian-stock-markets-are-misplaced?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies’ latest Mate 80 series smartphones are powered by an upgraded in-house chip after its foundry partner made improvements to the 7-nanometre node process despite US export restrictions on advanced technology, according to a new report. The Kirin 9030, the processor behind Huawei’s Mate 80 Pro Max, was manufactured by China’s top foundry Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) using the N+3 process, which is a “scaled evolution” of the chipmaker’s previous 7-nm... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3336501/huaweis-kirin-9030-processor-shows-chinas-chip-progress-despite-us-export-curbs-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3336501/huaweis-kirin-9030-processor-shows-chinas-chip-progress-despite-us-export-curbs-report?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Dec 2025 13:00:14 +0000 Hamzah Rifaat Hamzah Rifaat Western analysts often frame automation, artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics as an existential threat to workers, with the risk of impending unemployment potentially triggering economic unrest. However, 74 per cent of all industrial robots deployed last year were in Asia, where they do not appear to be replacing workers but are instead redefining roles amid innovative modes for production and higher efficiency. As digital factories become ubiquitous, countries such as Vietnam and China are... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335106/does-ais-rise-have-mean-job-losses-east-asia-tells-different-story?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3335106/does-ais-rise-have-mean-job-losses-east-asia-tells-different-story?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 01:30:09 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times A story about Hotel Shilla CEO Lee Boo-jin’s son nearly acing South Korea’s national college entrance exam has already made headlines in the country, but the buzz did not stop there. The news quickly leapt across the Pacific and began circulating among Korean mothers in the United States, where parents are reacting with equal parts envy and fascination. Parents abroad said they were struck by how a Samsung scion managed to excel within South Korea’s intensely competitive school system. Many... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335305/samsung-scion-aces-seouls-tough-csat-sparking-envy-among-korean-american-mums?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3335305/samsung-scion-aces-seouls-tough-csat-sparking-envy-among-korean-american-mums?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 05 Dec 2025 06:32:38 +0000 Reuters Reuters Samsung Electronics unveiled on Tuesday its first multi-folding smartphone in a bid to strengthen its position in a sector of the handset market where competition is expected to intensify. The launch of the Galaxy Z TriFold marks Samsung’s bid to reinforce its footing in a segment where Chinese rivals have been gaining ground, even as analysts said the high price and production challenges meant foldable devices were likely to remain a niche category for now. The model, priced at about 3.59... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3334851/samsung-unveils-first-multi-folding-phone-competition-set-heat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3334851/samsung-unveils-first-multi-folding-phone-competition-set-heat?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Dec 2025 04:00:06 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao China has made significant progress in artificial intelligence hardware as the country’s top memory chipmaker has joined Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix to supply some of the world’s most advanced products. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) on Sunday unveiled its new Double Data Rate 5 (DDR5) Synchronous Dynamic Random-Access Memory (DRAM) products with high frequency and expanded memory, which are vital for state-of-the-art AI computing servers and stacks. The DRAM chips were released at the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3333938/chinas-cxmt-challenges-samsung-and-sk-hynix-cutting-edge-ddr5-ai-memory-chips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3333938/chinas-cxmt-challenges-samsung-and-sk-hynix-cutting-edge-ddr5-ai-memory-chips?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 10:00:18 +0000 David D. Lee David D. Lee When Samsung Electronics chairman Lee Jae-yong took the stage at an Nvidia event in Seoul last month, his wry observation – “Why are there so many iPhones here?” – was met with knowing laughter from the assembled crowd. For a country that prides itself on the global success of home-grown brands like Samsung, South Korea is seeing an increasing number of its young people opt for American alternatives. A July poll by Gallup Korea found more than 60 per cent of respondents in their twenties used an... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3333733/apple-their-eye-why-south-koreas-gen-z-want-american-brands?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3333733/apple-their-eye-why-south-koreas-gen-z-want-american-brands?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 00:00:10 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro As 2025 draws to a close, three themes loom large in politics, economics and finance. The first is the unprecedented degree of uncertainty and unpredictability when it comes to the performance of economies and asset prices, amplified by US President Donald Trump’s erratic policymaking. Who would have predicted at the start of this year that the MSCI All Country World Index, a gauge of global stocks, would stand slightly below its all-time high five weeks before Christmas? More surprisingly, who... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3333485/south-koreas-challenges-taste-whats-come-global-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3333485/south-koreas-challenges-taste-whats-come-global-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 20 Nov 2025 08:30:09 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg The ambitious spending plans of artificial intelligence developers coupled with rapid user adoption indicate the global rally in their stocks will persist despite bubble concerns, fund managers at Fidelity International and Allianz Global Investors said. The recent downturn in global semiconductor stocks, ahead of Nvidia’s closely watched earnings later this week, was likely to be temporary, according to Joseph Zhang, portfolio manager at Fidelity International. Unless AI capital spending or... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3333353/too-early-leave-party-fund-managers-say-ai-stock-boom-still-has-room-run?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3333353/too-early-leave-party-fund-managers-say-ai-stock-boom-still-has-room-run?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 19 Nov 2025 04:42:00 +0000 dpa dpa Motorola is a little late to the party for ultra-slim smartphones. But with its new Edge 70, it is making a distinct statement as it aims to take on the iPhone Air and the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. That statement begins with the design of this 5.9mm-thick smartphone. Motorola has collaborated with Pantone to create three eye-catching colour combinations. The 6.67-inch OLED display is beautifully bright and has a very narrow bezel around the screen. At 159 grams (5.6oz) and with its aluminium... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3333206/motorola-edge-70-review-ultra-slim-phone-takes-iphone-air-samsung-galaxy-s25-edge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/lifestyle/gadgets/article/3333206/motorola-edge-70-review-ultra-slim-phone-takes-iphone-air-samsung-galaxy-s25-edge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 18 Nov 2025 08:15:08 +0000 Reuters Reuters Samsung Electronics, Hyundai Motor and other major South Korean manufacturers on Sunday unveiled domestic investment plans, as a US trade deal raised concerns that investment in the US could weaken manufacturing at home. Samsung Electronics will add a chip production line at its plant in the South Korean city of Pyeongtaek to meet rising demand amid the global boom in artificial intelligence, as part of the parent group’s 450 trillion won (US$310.79 billion) investments at home over the next... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3332982/samsung-hyundai-announce-us310-billion-domestic-investment-plans?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3332982/samsung-hyundai-announce-us310-billion-domestic-investment-plans?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 16 Nov 2025 10:28:10 +0000 SCMP’s Asia desk SCMP’s Asia desk For generations, the heirs of South Korea’s powerful family-run conglomerates, known as chaebol, often married into political families to secure influence and protection. Today, their descendants are pursuing different strategies. Nearly half of fourth- and fifth-generation chaebol marriages are now between members of other business dynasties, according to corporate tracker CEO Score – a marked increase from previous generations. Others are marrying outside elite circles entirely, signalling a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3332615/south-koreas-chaebol-scions-shun-political-marriages-favour-safer-alliances-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/people/article/3332615/south-koreas-chaebol-scions-shun-political-marriages-favour-safer-alliances-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 13 Nov 2025 07:20:38 +0000 The Korea Times The Korea Times A fried chicken restaurant in South Korea has introduced a one-hour time limit for the table used by Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang during his casual dinner with Samsung Electronics Executive Chairman Lee Jae-yong and Hyundai Motor Group Executive Chair Chung Euisun last week. “The table occupied by Jensen Huang can be used for only an hour,” said a notice posted in front of the store near Samseong station in southern Seoul. Since Huang’s visit last Thursday, crowds have lined up in front of the store... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3331577/frenzy-over-south-korea-eatery-table-used-nvidias-jensen-huang-prompts-time-limit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3331577/frenzy-over-south-korea-eatery-table-used-nvidias-jensen-huang-prompts-time-limit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 05 Nov 2025 05:15:08 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Smartphone giant Xiaomi briefly took the spotlight during Saturday’s meeting between President Xi Jinping and his South Korean counterpart, Lee Jae-myung, as a pair of the company’s handsets were presented as gifts by China’s head of state. The selection of its flagship consumer product as a state gift reflected Xiaomi’s growing status as a symbol of China’s technological ambitions, according to analysts, more than 15 years since the company was founded. The pair of Xiaomi handsets were... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3331342/xiaomis-credentials-get-boost-beijing-picks-smartphones-state-gift?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3331342/xiaomis-credentials-get-boost-beijing-picks-smartphones-state-gift?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 11:00:10 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro South Korean President Lee Jae-myung does not mince his words. In an interview with Bloomberg last week, Lee said South Korea’s residential property market was a bubble waiting to burst. He called the housing market a “ticking bomb” and said South Korea could go the way of early 1990s Japan, whose epic real estate bust condemned the nation to decades of stagnation and deflation. Such alarmist talk from a president who took office in June after pledging to stabilise the housing market and improve... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3331289/south-korea-not-headed-japanese-style-housing-bust?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3331289/south-korea-not-headed-japanese-style-housing-bust?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 08:30:59 +0000 Reuters Reuters Nvidia’s advanced Blackwell chip for artificial intelligence would not be available to “other people,” US President Donald Trump said Sunday. Nvidia, the world’s most valuable company, dominates the market for AI chips. Questions have swirled about whether Trump would allow shipments of a version of the Blackwell to China since August, when he suggested he might allow sales of a scaled-down version of Nvidia’s next-generation advanced GPU chip in China. However, Trump’s remarks to reporters... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3331273/trump-says-nvidias-blackwell-ai-chip-not-other-people?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3331273/trump-says-nvidias-blackwell-ai-chip-not-other-people?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 03 Nov 2025 03:06:58 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Jensen Huang’s viral meal is driving a sharp rally in South Korea’s fried chicken-related stocks. The Nvidia CEO shared beers with Samsung Electronics Chair Jay Y. Lee and Hyundai Motor Executive Chair Chung Eui-sun at a local restaurant, Kkanbu Chicken, on Thursday evening. While Kkanbu is not publicly listed, shares of rival Kyochon F&B surged as much as 20 per cent on Friday after photos and videos of the gathering circulated widely on social media. South Korean poultry processor Cherrybro... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3331003/nvidia-samsung-chiefs-bond-over-fried-chicken-seoul-lifting-snack-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3331003/nvidia-samsung-chiefs-bond-over-fried-chicken-seoul-lifting-snack-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 31 Oct 2025 03:42:22 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s leading memory chipmaker, has started mass production of a new generation of DRAM products in the latest sign of the country’s advancing semiconductor capabilities. The Hefei-based company, which is preparing for an initial public offering in Shanghai, announced on its official website that it had begun producing LPDDR5X – an advanced type of DRAM widely used in mobile devices. DRAM chips function as high-speed memory in artificial intelligence... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3330927/cxmt-begins-producing-advanced-lpddr5x-memory-chips-china-narrows-tech-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3330927/cxmt-begins-producing-advanced-lpddr5x-memory-chips-china-narrows-tech-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Oct 2025 10:58:05 +0000