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 Emma Ma Emma Ma Two major Japanese chemical manufacturers could halt production of a gas crucial to AI chipmaking starting next month, as supply tightens and prices surge amid Beijing’s export controls on tungsten. The price of tungsten hexafluoride has jumped more than 200 per cent year on year because of supply bottlenecks, coupled with rising chip demand, market data showed. The gas is a critical precursor in the semiconductor industry, where it is used to develop the microscopic connections inside advanced... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3356921/do-chinas-export-curbs-tungsten-threaten-japans-ai-chip-supply-chain?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3356921/do-chinas-export-curbs-tungsten-threaten-japans-ai-chip-supply-chain?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 13 Jun 2026 07:00:06 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese memory module maker Biwin has signed a two-year agreement worth US$1.86 billion to secure flash memory chips, a deal larger than its annual revenue, as demand from artificial intelligence servers and data centres squeezes supply. Under the locked-volume, locked-price arrangement, Biwin would buy enterprise-grade chips in batches from the third quarter of 2026 through the second quarter of 2028, according to a filing with the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Tuesday. The supplier was not... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3356752/beat-chip-crunch-chinese-firm-inks-memory-deal-bigger-its-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3356752/beat-chip-crunch-chinese-firm-inks-memory-deal-bigger-its-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Jun 2026 10:00:28 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen SpaceX’s planned mega-listing on Friday is expected to add momentum to the global satellite industry, as Elon Musk’s rocket and connectivity giant pushes beyond satellite broadband into direct-to-cell services and space-based solar power and artificial intelligence (AI) computing, according to a report released on Monday. TrendForce, a Taiwan-based market research consulting firm, expects the global satellite industry to grow at an annual rate of about 14 per cent, reaching US$447 billion by... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3356375/spacex-ipo-set-lift-industry-push-space-based-ai-computing-solar-power-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3356375/spacex-ipo-set-lift-industry-push-space-based-ai-computing-solar-power-report?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Jun 2026 13:30:06 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao This article was first published by The Korea Times in a partnership with the South China Morning Post. Two of China’s leading memory-chip makers are moving closer to public listings, posing a significant long-term challenge to South Korean giants Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, despite a limited immediate threat, according to analysts. ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), China’s leading dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) producer, won approval last week for its nearly 30-billion-yuan... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356130/chinese-memory-makers-step-challenge-koreas-chip-champions?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3356130/chinese-memory-makers-step-challenge-koreas-chip-champions?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 06 Jun 2026 05:00:13 +0000 Zhang Shidong,Peggy Ye Zhang Shidong,Peggy Ye Signs are omnipresent that mainland Chinese investors are rotating out of Hong Kong stocks and back to the onshore yuan-denominated market, as they recalibrate to add domestic exposure to the fervour surrounding the artificial intelligence buildout. Onshore investors sold a combined HK$3.6 billion (US$459.5 million) of Hong Kong stocks through the cross-border exchange link programme in May, marking the first monthly outflow in three years, according to data from the city’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3355963/hong-kong-stocks-struggle-mainland-china-markets-ride-ai-wave?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3355963/hong-kong-stocks-struggle-mainland-china-markets-ride-ai-wave?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 23:00:09 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro For a sign of how the fierce demand for memory chips triggered by the boom in artificial intelligence (AI) is benefiting technology-driven economies, look no further than South Korea. Last month, exports from Asia’s fourth-largest economy grew at a blistering rate of 53 per cent in annualised terms, the fastest pace since 1984. Shipments of semiconductors, which are used to store and funnel the huge amounts of data for AI services, increased nearly 170 per cent to a record monthly high of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355904/how-ai-chip-boom-has-made-south-korea-victim-its-own-success?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3355904/how-ai-chip-boom-has-made-south-korea-victim-its-own-success?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 04 Jun 2026 08:30:06 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese smartphone makers are preparing for their most challenging year since the Covid-19 pandemic, as analysts say skyrocketing memory chip prices are forcing brands to make a difficult choice: absorb the higher costs, raise retail prices or downgrade storage configurations. In a report published on Monday, market research firm Counterpoint projected that global smartphone shipments would plunge nearly 14 per cent this year to about 1.08 billion units – the industry’s lowest volume since... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355655/huawei-defies-memory-chip-squeeze-hurting-xiaomi-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355655/huawei-defies-memory-chip-squeeze-hurting-xiaomi-smartphones?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Jun 2026 06:18:08 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee As his eight-year-old son blew out the candles on his birthday cake in February, Choi Nam-joon gave him a present he hopes will keep growing long after the party ends: three shares of Samsung Electronics. The shares, worth a total of about 500,000 won (US$332) at the time, were added to the boy’s brokerage account, part of a plan the 42-year-old South Korean office worker sees as the most realistic way to help his son build wealth. Choi’s family cannot afford to buy a home in one of Seoul’s most... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3355564/property-portfolios-asias-families-rethink-inheritance-investments?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/global-economy/article/3355564/property-portfolios-asias-families-rethink-inheritance-investments?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:00:06 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Microchip development has always been a race to build smaller and smaller transistors – the fundamental components of chip circuits. Now China’s Huawei Technologies wants to change the game entirely. Faced with US tech export restrictions that block its access to the world’s most advanced chipmaking machinery, Huawei is proposing a fundamental shift in semiconductor progress: stop obsessing over how small the transistors are and start focusing on how fast data moves through the system. It is a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355314/huaweis-new-chip-scaling-law-true-breakthrough-or-mere-hype?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355314/huaweis-new-chip-scaling-law-true-breakthrough-or-mere-hype?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 30 May 2026 03:00:11 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong BOE Technology is on investors’ radar screens again after announcing its foray into a business linked to artificial intelligence infrastructure, causing the stock price of the Chinese maker of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs) to rally following years of listlessness. Yuan-denominated shares of the world’s biggest LCD maker have surged more than 30 per cent in Shenzhen over the past week after the company said last week that it would partner with Corning, the US manufacturer of optical fibres and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3355026/30-rally-boe-tech-shows-how-ai-buildout-can-galvanise-chinese-lcd-maker?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3355026/30-rally-boe-tech-shows-how-ai-buildout-can-galvanise-chinese-lcd-maker?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 27 May 2026 08:59:49 +0000 Coco Feng,Ann Cao,Iris Deng Coco Feng,Ann Cao,Iris Deng Huawei Technologies has engineered a workaround to one of China’s most crippling chipmaking bottlenecks, but analysts warn that the nation’s path to semiconductor independence is still constrained by manufacturing challenges. The US-sanctioned tech giant on Monday introduced a new scaling law and a chip architecture designed to deliver products equivalent to an advanced 1.4-nanometre processing node by 2031. If true, the innovation marks a significant milestone for Huawei, which has been cut off... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3354912/huaweis-new-chip-scaling-law-aims-sidestep-asml-chokepoint-hurdles-remain-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3354912/huaweis-new-chip-scaling-law-aims-sidestep-asml-chokepoint-hurdles-remain-analysts?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 26 May 2026 14:00:05 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu The planned listing of ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), the country’s leading DRAM maker, is drawing attention after a recent update of its prospectus with a sharp earnings turnaround, showing how quickly the Hefei-based company has benefited from a global DRAM shortage and rising memory prices. In the first quarter, its revenue reached 50.8 billion yuan (US$7.4 billion), up 719 per cent from a year earlier, while net profit was 33.0 billion yuan, compared with a loss of 2.83 billion yuan in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3354223/why-chinese-dram-maker-cxmts-ipo-attracting-so-much-attention?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3354223/why-chinese-dram-maker-cxmts-ipo-attracting-so-much-attention?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 10:00:11 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Samsung Electronics workers’ union said late on Wednesday that a planned strike had been put on hold until further notice after negotiations with management resumed with the participation of South Korea’s labour minister. The company’s management and workers’ union had resumed talks earlier in the day in a last-ditch attempt to avert a strike. The labour union at the world’s top memory chipmaker had said it would begin a strike on Thursday after talks over bonuses broke down, raising concerns... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354165/samsung-workers-go-ahead-18-day-strike-bonus-talks-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3354165/samsung-workers-go-ahead-18-day-strike-bonus-talks-collapse?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 20 May 2026 03:08:53 +0000 Julie Zhang Julie Zhang Fuelled by excessive spending on artificial intelligence-linked commodities and computing capacity, AI infrastructure investment has become a global bubble that is unlikely to burst in 2026 or 2027, according to Viktor Shvets, head of global and Asia-Pacific strategy at Macquarie Group. “There are many parts of AI … from the underlying technologies to infrastructure – the things that are going to run on the back of the infrastructure of models; automation, quantum computing, biotech, gene... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3354118/ai-infrastructure-investment-bubble-unlikely-burst-2027-macquarie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3354118/ai-infrastructure-investment-bubble-unlikely-burst-2027-macquarie?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2026 11:00:04 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee The AI-driven “super cycle” in memory chips may lose momentum by 2028 as Chinese chipmakers aggressively expand production and global tech firms curb spending, a Samsung Electronics executive adviser said. “South Korea’s memory chip industry is performing very strongly this year and some forecasts suggest conditions could improve further next year,” adviser Kyung Kye-hyun said at a forum hosted by the National Academy of Engineering of Korea. “But caution is needed for 2027, particularly... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3354099/chinas-rapid-chipmaking-expansion-threatens-ai-memory-chip-boom-samsung-adviser-warns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3354099/chinas-rapid-chipmaking-expansion-threatens-ai-memory-chip-boom-samsung-adviser-warns?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 19 May 2026 09:30:11 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese memory chip stocks rallied on Monday after ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) disclosed sharply stronger first-quarter results and an upbeat first-half outlook in its updated listing prospectus, as the global memory shortage boosts China’s semiconductor supply chain. GigaDevice, a chip designer and CXMT shareholder, rose 6.57 per cent on Monday to close at 400 yuan per share, taking its gain over the past month to more than 40 per cent. In Hong Kong, GigaDevice shares rose 8 per cent on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353988/cxmts-blowout-earnings-outlook-fuels-rally-chinese-memory-chip-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353988/cxmts-blowout-earnings-outlook-fuels-rally-chinese-memory-chip-stocks?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2026 11:05:02 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong In South Korea, the clock is ticking on what threatens to become the most consequential labour dispute in recent history – and Seoul is running out of patience. With 50,000 workers at Samsung Electronics poised to walk off the job on Thursday in an 18-day strike, the government of President Lee Jae Myung finds itself cornered by a crisis it cannot afford to mishandle, with up to 100 trillion won (US$66.7 billion) in projected economic damage on the line, plus the potential disruption to global... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3353960/south-korea-stifling-samsung-workers-us400000-bonus-strike-risks-wider-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3353960/south-korea-stifling-samsung-workers-us400000-bonus-strike-risks-wider-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 18 May 2026 09:00:07 +0000 Reuters Reuters South Korea ⁠will pursue all options, ⁠including emergency arbitration, to ⁠avoid a labour strike at the country’s biggest employer Samsung Electronics and to minimise any damage if one does occur, its prime minister said on Sunday. The world’s largest memory chipmaker and its South ‌Korean labour union will resume pay talks on Monday with a government mediator, in a move that could ease concerns over a potentially disruptive strike at the tech giant that accounts for nearly a quarter of the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3353897/south-korea-weighs-arbitration-avoid-samsung-semiconductor-plant-strike?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/east-asia/article/3353897/south-korea-weighs-arbitration-avoid-samsung-semiconductor-plant-strike?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 17 May 2026 15:18:50 +0000 Park Chan-kyong Park Chan-kyong Samsung Electronics’ biggest labour union is threatening to strike at the height of the global AI chip boom, turning a fight over bonuses into a test of how the industry’s windfall profits should be shared and sparking fears of an economic slowdown in South Korea. The union has warned it will stage an 18-day walkout from May 21 to June 7, raising concerns about production disruptions, customer defections and wider fallout across the global technology supply chain. The dispute comes as demand for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3353543/samsung-unions-strike-threat-fuels-fears-south-koreas-economic-slowdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3353543/samsung-unions-strike-threat-fuels-fears-south-koreas-economic-slowdown?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2026 09:00:06 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong Two China-domiciled exchange-traded funds (ETFs) targeting overseas chipmakers warned of investment risks arising from excessive premiums to net asset values and imposed a temporary trading halt, as the record-setting run in tech stocks has spurred Chinese investors to chase the global rally. Hutai-PineBridge CSI KRX China-Korea Semiconductor ETF, which invests in Chinese and South Korean chipmakers, was suspended from trading for an hour on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on Thursday, citing the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3353523/chinese-chip-etfs-pause-trading-they-warn-soaring-premium-risks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3353523/chinese-chip-etfs-pause-trading-they-warn-soaring-premium-risks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 14 May 2026 06:41:23 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese memory module manufacturers are accelerating the release of consumer and enterprise storage products powered by domestic DDR5 chips, as breakthroughs by ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), the nation’s leading memory chipmaker, filter through the supply chain. Powev, one of China’s major memory module vendors, recently said its Sinker-branded DDR5 server memories had entered mass production and delivery. The 64GB DDR5-5600 RDIMM product passed testing by multiple major customers and was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353464/chinese-memory-module-makers-ramp-production-cxmt-ddr5-breakthrough-hits-market?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3353464/chinese-memory-module-makers-ramp-production-cxmt-ddr5-breakthrough-hits-market?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 23:30:05 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it would end sales of all home appliance products in mainland China, retreating further from a consumer market increasingly dominated by domestic rivals as the group doubles down on its far more profitable semiconductor business. Samsung’s home appliance portfolio in China includes televisions, monitors, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. In a notice published on its official... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/3352690/samsung-halts-all-home-appliance-sales-china-pivot-ai-accelerates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/companies/article/3352690/samsung-halts-all-home-appliance-sales-china-pivot-ai-accelerates?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 02:48:28 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng While the world’s largest memory-chip makers are reaping record profits from the artificial intelligence boom, traders in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei electronics market are being left to deal with the fallout of a speculative frenzy that has sharply reversed, wiping out much of the value of their inventories since late 2025. “The market surge last year became so frantic that everyone from shoemakers to fishmongers piled into memory-chip speculation,” a trader surnamed Liu said from his cramped stall... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3352642/after-frenzy-fallout-why-chips-are-down-shenzhens-tech-traders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3352642/after-frenzy-fallout-why-chips-are-down-shenzhens-tech-traders?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee Samsung Electronics’ surprise leadership reshuffle in its TV division points to a strategic pivot away from a hardware-led model, analysts have said, as intensifying competition from Chinese rivals pushes the company to rethink how it generates revenue beyond television sales. The South Korean tech giant on Monday appointed Lee Won-jin, former head of its global marketing office, to lead the visual display business. Samsung said Lee was “expected to spearhead business turnarounds and identify... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3352511/samsung-reshuffle-signals-shift-beyond-hardware-china-rivalry-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3352511/samsung-reshuffle-signals-shift-beyond-hardware-china-rivalry-intensifies?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 10:29:35 +0000 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