China’s semiconductor market is at a pivotal moment, characterized by an aggressive state-driven ambition for self-sufficiency and rapid indigenous technological development. This forceful drive grows against persistent geopolitical pressures and significant technical hurdles.

Korean police referred a man in his 40s for potential prosecution on Friday, accusing him of attempting to leak semiconductor packaging technology overseas. The Seoul Metropolitan Police Agency’s security investigation bureau accused Kim of committing violations the Unfair Competition Prevention and Trade Secret Protection Act including leaking trade secrets.

The US Department of Commerce (DOC) has formally rescinded the AI Diffusion Rule, introduced by Joe Biden at the end of his Presidential term and set to come into force on May 15.The AI Diffusion Rule restricts the access of AI chips and AI model weights by countries, determined by a tiered system decided by the US government. It essentially blocked or capped the export of high end semiconductors, including GPUs.

SAN FRANCISCO – A U.S. lawmaker plans to introduce legislation in coming weeks to verify the location of artificial intelligence chips such as those made by Nvidia after they are sold. The effort to keep tabs on the chips, which drew bipartisan support from U.S. lawmakers, aims to address reports of widespread smuggling of Nvidia's chips into China in violation of U.S. export control laws.

March data from White Horse Laboratories highlights a continued focus on circuit reliability, component precision, and supplier diversity – key factors in navigating today’s increasingly complex electronics supply chain. We also observed persistent risks in switch-related devices and notable failure rates even among well-known brands.

The Tokyo District Court on Friday ordered Amazon Japan to pay ¥35 million in damages to a Japanese distributor of a medical device, ruling that the platform’s failure to remove Chinese counterfeit products — which appeared on the site as if they were the same product — led to a loss in sales.

China’s export controls on rare earths could cause production delays and higher costs in the semiconductor industry as soon as next year, Boston Consulting Group (BCG) Associate Director Karl Breidenbach told EE Times.

The global semiconductor industry is no longer just about manufacturing silicon wafers—it has become a battlefield for geopolitical dominance, economic power, and technological supremacy. As of early 2025, the stakes couldn’t be higher.

America’s advanced weapons manufacturers are likely to face a critical shortfall of key rare-earth minerals that they import from China as a consequence of Donald Trump’s escalating trade war with Beijing. New export licensing restrictions imposed by China on seven rare earths are like to cause disruptions in supply to more than a dozen US defence and aerospace companies...