Tag - chipmakers

 
 

CHIPMAKERS

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co.’s plant in Kumamoto Prefecture. The go-to chipmaker for Nvidia and Apple has decided to adopt cutting-edge technology for its second wafer fabrication plant in the prefecture.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 5, 2026
TSMC plans major upgrade of Japan chip plant in win for Takaichi
The go-to chipmaker for Nvidia and Apple has decided to adopt cutting-edge technology for its second wafer fabrication plant in Kumamoto.
Merchandise are pictured for sale at a Nintendo store in central Tokyo on Aug. 1. Shares in Japanese gaming giant Nintendo plunged 11% on Wednesday, as it was hit by investor concern over software sales and the impact of a memory chip shortage.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 4, 2026
Nintendo shares dive 11% on software sales and chip crunch
The selloff came a day after the “Super Mario” maker said net profit jumped more than 50% year-on-year in April-December.
Nintendo's Switch 2 became the world's fastest-selling gaming console after launching to a fan frenzy last summer.
BUSINESS / Companies
Feb 3, 2026
Switch 2 sales boost Nintendo profits, but chip shortage looms
In April-December, net profit rose 51.3% year-on-year to ¥358.9 billion, Nintendo said, but a global memory chip shortage could drive up manufacturing costs.
Hiroo Oota, incoming chief executive officer of Kioxia Holdings, speaks during a news conference in Tokyo on Thursday.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 30, 2026
Memory maker Kioxia names new CEO to navigate AI chip boom
Shares of Kioxia, which are up more than twelvefold since their initial public offering at the end of 2024, reversed losses and rose 1.6% after the announcement.
Christophe Fouquet, CEO of computer chip equipment maker ASML, speaks at a news conference in Eindhoven, Netherlands, on Wednesday.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 29, 2026
ASML lifts outlook on record AI chip orders, but analysts query capacity
The giant chip equipment maker’s orders exceeded expectations as the global chip market ramps up production capacity for the rollout of artificial intelligence and data centers.
China’s DeepSeek received extensive technical assistance from Nvidia as a legitimate commercial partner hone artificial intelligence models that were later used by the Chinese military, it has been revealed.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 29, 2026
Nvidia helped DeepSeek hone AI models later used by China’s military
When Nvidia provided DeepSeek help, there was no public indication that its technology was ​being used ‌by the Chinese military, U.S. lawmaker John Moolenaar says.
Toto shares surged as much as 11% Thursday, its steepest rise since February 2021.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 22, 2026
Toilet maker Toto’s shares get unlikely boost from AI rush
Known for its heated toilet seats, Toto has for decades been part of the semiconductor and display supply chain via its advanced ceramic parts and films.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te visits a military camp in Taoyuan, Taiwan, in May 2024.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / ANALYSIS
Jan 22, 2026
With chips, investments and defense hikes Taiwan aims to appease Trump. Will it work?
The democratic island’s attempts to accommodate the White House’s priorities are critical for shoring up Taipei’s crucial relationship with the U.S.
Jensen Huang, chief executive officer of Nvidia, speaks at the 2026 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, on Jan. 6.
BUSINESS
Jan 21, 2026
Nvidia’s Huang plans to visit China as he works to reopen market
The U.S. is loosening export restrictions on AI processors, but on the Chinese side, government officials are deciding how many of the chips to let in.
Silicon wafers shown on screens at the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Renovation Museum in Hsinchu, Taiwan. While Taiwan's economy soared in 2025 on exports of AI hardware and semiconductors, companies in more traditional manufacturing sectors have struggled.
BUSINESS / Markets
Jan 21, 2026
Taiwan’s traditional manufacturers miss out on export boom
Exports of a range of goods including machinery, metals and chemicals are becoming less profitable amid U.S. tariffs and unfavorable currency conditions.
A Micron Technology DDR5 DRAM memory module
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 19, 2026
Micron says AI-driven memory crunch is ‘unprecedented’
The Nvidia supplier said the shortage has accelerated and reiterated that the crunch would last beyond 2026 due to the surge in demand.
A man rides a scooter past shipping containers at the Port of Keelung on Friday. The United States said on Thursday that it has signed a deal with Taiwan to reduce tariffs on goods from the democratic island, while increasing Taiwanese semiconductor and tech companies' investments in America.
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 16, 2026
U.S. and Taiwan clinch deal to cut tariffs and boost chip investment
Duties on Taiwanese shipments would fall to 15%, and Taiwan’s tech industry would increase financing for American operations by $500 billion.
A man rides a bike past the headquarters of the chipmaker Nexperia, as lawyers for the European management team of the chipmaker and its Chinese owner Wingtech face off in an Amsterdam court.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 15, 2026
Nexperia accuses Chinese owner of threats in testy chip feud
The standoff between Dutch chipmaker Nexperia and Chinese owner Wingtech Technology has disrupted the auto industry in Europe and around the world.
U.S. President Donald Trump's administration will allow Nvidia to export its second most powerful AI chips to China after the company was previously barred from doing so.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 14, 2026
U.S. gives green light to Nvidia H200 chip exports to China
Under a new rule, Nvidia can export but will need to certify that there are enough chips in the U.S., while Chinese customers must demonstrate “sufficient security procedures.”
A Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. facility under construction in Phoenix on Oct. 17.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 13, 2026
Trump team nears Taiwan trade deal with more U.S. chip investment
Under the deal taking shape, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. would pledge to build at least four more chip manufacturing plants in Arizona, one source said.
Nexperia’s headquarters in Nijmegen, Netherlands. The Dutch chipmaker is at the center of a fight over technology with China.
BUSINESS / Tech
Jan 12, 2026
Europe and China’s feud over chips is reaching a breaking point
Since a Dutch court intervened in chipmaker Nexperia’s ownership in October, the standoff with China has threatened to disrupt auto production in Europe and around the world.
Gwanghwamun square in central Seoul on Thursday. South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics reported a preliminary operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in the three months through December.
BUSINESS / Companies
Jan 8, 2026
Samsung’s profit triples after AI supercharges memory market
South Korea’s largest company reported a preliminary operating profit of 20 trillion won ($13.8 billion) in the three months through December, up 208%.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest semiconductor maker, says it has started mass producing 2-nanometer semiconductor chips.
BUSINESS / Tech
Dec 31, 2025
TSMC says it has started mass production of ‘most advanced’ 2nm chips
Taiwan plans to keep making the “most advanced” chips on home soil and remain “indispensable” to the global semiconductor industry, the island’s deputy foreign minister said.
Japanese memory chipmaker Kioxia Holdings counts Apple and Microsoft among its clients and is now worth about $36 billion.
BUSINESS / Companies
Dec 30, 2025
AI memory demand propels Kioxia to world’s best-performing stock
Kioxia’s shares have risen around 540% year-to-date, outperforming all other members of the MSCI World Index and making it the top stock in Japan’s Topix benchmark for 2025.
A prototype of a Rapidus 300mm wafer displayed at the Semicon Japan exhibition. The industry ministry has earmarked ¥150 billion for state-backed chip venture Rapidus, bringing the cumulative government investment in the venture to ¥250 billion.
BUSINESS / Economy
Dec 26, 2025
Japan to quadruple spending support for chips and AI in budget
The jump in chips and AI spending comes at as Japan is trying to strengthen its capacities in frontier technology, and the U.S. and China race ahead.

Longform

The Terasaka Rice Terraces are seen with Mount Buko in the background.
What Yokoze can teach Japan about rural revival