INDUSTRY/MARKET

New York Times

President Trump’s science adviser told lawmakers on Wednesday that the Trump administration intended to drastically overhaul the country’s approach to scientific research, including by shifting research funding away from universities toward individual researchers and private companies. At a House hearing, Michael Kratsios echoed points he laid out in a report released Tuesday, titled “Science: A New Golden Age.” He said the administration would prioritize artificial intelligence, robotics and nuclear energy while reducing the government’s focus on what he called “life sciences.”

South Korea’s Early Exports Jump to July Record on AI-Led Gains

Bloomberg

South Korea’s exports extended robust growth in early July as artificial intelligence-driven demand for semiconductors continued to fuel the economy. Semiconductors continue to drive South Korea’s exports and broader economic expansion, helping offset some of the drag from the war in the Middle East. Chip exports climbed 180.6% from a year earlier. Shipments of computer-related products increased almost 232%, while fuel exports gained 33.4%. Automobile exports dropped 10.6%.

CHINA

Axios

China’s latest AI breakthrough is forcing Silicon Valley to confront a terrifying possibility: Building the world’s smartest models may no longer be enough to win. Chinese labs like Moonshot AI are cornering the market for cheap, customizable intelligence, threatening to turn America’s prestige models into expensive niche products. Companies were already shifting away from premium AI models and toward cheaper Chinese alternatives before Moonshot’s Kimi K3 exploded onto the scene this week.

China Wields Its Rare-Earths Leverage Over Europe With Export Controls

New York Times

Last month, China blacklisted two American companies crucial to U.S. efforts to create a supply chain for making powerful rare earth magnets. On Friday, Beijing took similar action against even more companies in Europe. As a result, the companies may struggle to buy many of the critical minerals they need to make products like rare-earth magnets and semiconductors, which are essential for cars, offshore wind turbines, robots, drones and other advanced manufacturing applications.

TRADE

Reuters

U.S. ​and Mexican trade negotiators launched a third round of bilateral talks on Tuesday to try to revise the North American trade agreement, just as President Donald Trump said ‌he would impose new duties on Canada. The talks, which exclude Canada, are set to run for three days and are the first formal discussions on changes to the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement since the Trump administration declined to extend the six-year-old regional trade pact on July 1.

U.S. allies hit with new tariffs object to Trump’s forced labor claims

NPR

Many of America’s key allies on Friday criticized the U.S. administration’s new tariffs against them, after President Trump renewed the tax on more than 60 countries just as the previous tariffs expired. The president cited lax enforcement of a ban on the use of forced labor to produce goods as his reason for renewing the tariffs, an allegation Australia and the European Union vehemently rejected. Those targeted with the latest penalties face between 10% and 12.5% on almost all U.S. imports.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

Semiconductor surfaces can generally be studied only with considerable experimental effort, for example, in an ultrahigh vacuum. To more easily gain new insights into their properties and the possibilities for targeted modification, scientists at Heidelberg University have developed a molecular model for the so-called “buckled dimer” using synthetic and computational chemistry methods.

Two-color lasers aim electron currents through semiconductor with no electric field

Phys.org

Researchers at the University of Michigan have created a device that enables them to control the flow of electrons through a semiconductor using only laser light—no electrical power source required. The device was built to explore fundamental physics and realize a previously unobserved behavior, but it could also open doors for new applications in areas that bridge optics and electronics, including sensing, imaging and telecommunications.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

New York Times

Tech companies increasingly feel under pressure to cut costs to afford the artificial intelligence race. But the call to lay off workers and reduce spending isn’t just being felt at established titans like Microsoft and Meta. Younger ones, including OpenAI, are also facing tough financial decisions. Rivals like Anthropic have made strides in technological capabilities, forcing companies like Meta and OpenAI to spend more on researchers and development resources.

Can a US-governed ‘Pax Silica’ hub turn Philippines into a chip powerhouse?

South China Morning Post

The United States is planning to build an “economic security zone” in the Philippines to counter China’s dominance in critical technologies. The 4,000-acre (1,619-hectare) hi-tech industrial hub will reportedly be the first of its kind in the world, operating under US common law despite being on Philippine soil. In a statement on Thursday, the US State Department described the zone as “a purpose-built platform for allied manufacturing”, adding that it would support the “evolving needs of the allied network”.

CHINA

Associated Press

The Trump administration is vowing to crack down on foreign tech companies’ exploitation of U.S. artificial intelligence models, singling out China at a time that country is narrowing the gap with the U.S. in the AI race. In a Thursday memo, Michael Kratsios, the president’s chief science and technology adviser, accused foreign entities “principally based in China” of engaging in deliberate, industrial-scale campaigns to “distill,” or extract capabilities from, leading AI systems made in the U.S. and “exploiting American expertise and innovation.”

Chinese LED chipmaker’s purchase of Dutch firm collapses after US opposition

South China Morning Post

China’s leading LED chipmaker and its Malaysian partner have abandoned their US$239 million cash offer to purchase Dutch technology company Lumileds Holding after opposition from US authorities, marking the latest setback for Chinese tech investment overseas following the high-profile Nexperia saga. Sanan Optoelectronics, listed in Shanghai, said in a disclosure announcement on Friday that despite multiple rounds of discussions, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) determined the transaction would pose “irresolvable US national security risks” and asked the firms to withdraw their filing and abandon the transaction.

TRADE

Bloomberg

The European Union warned member states that efforts to strengthen safeguards in the bloc’s trade agreement with the US may cause the deal to unravel. The European Commission, the executive arm of the EU that handles trade matters, told the bloc’s ambassadors this week that some changes lawmakers proposed to the EU-US trade deal would sink the accord, according to people familiar with the discussion. EU lawmakers earlier blocked ratification of the deal — which was signed in July — after the US Supreme Court struck down Donald Trump’s use of an emergency-powers law to impose global tariffs and after the American president threatened to annex Greenland, a semi-autonomous territory of EU member Denmark.

Without Formal Trade Talks, Canada and the U.S. Go Public With Their Grievances

New York Times

Canada and the United States have yet to start negotiations over their free trade deal, but they are already publicly squabbling over various issues, reflecting the depth of their ruptured relations. As their talks to renew the North American trade pact that also includes Mexico have failed to get underway, Ottawa and Washington over the past week exchanged threats and insults, with the United States particularly perturbed over the decision by eight Canadian provinces last year to remove American wine and spirits from the shelves of government-owned liquor stores.

India and South Korea plan $50 billion trade push with new deals

Reuters

India and South Korea said on Monday that they would boost their economic ties by expanding cooperation in ‌energy, critical minerals, shipbuilding, semiconductors and steel as they seek to double their trade to $50 billion by 2030. New Delhi and Seoul also agreed to resume and step up negotiations to give new energy to their 2010 trade agreement as India wants their trade to be more balanced and South Korea wants greater market access to the world’s fastest-growing major ​economy.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

Last year, tungsten diselenide (WSe2) had its magic moment. Two independent research groups discovered “magic angles” at which two atom-thin layers of the unique semiconductor, when twisted relative to one another into what’s known as a moire pattern, can superconduct electricity. Cory Dean and his colleagues at Columbia documented superconductivity at a 5° twist angle; upstate at Cornell, Jie Shan and Kin Fai Mak’s team saw it at around 3.5°. Until then, graphene was the only other moire material capable of the feat.

Bright quantum light emission achieved at room temperature in 2D semiconductors

Phys.org

A joint research team led by Professor Park Kyoung-Duck and Associate Director Suh Yung Doug of the Center for Multidimensional Carbon Materials within the Institute for Basic Science (IBS) has succeeded in realizing a high-efficiency quantum light source that emits bright lights even at room temperature. The study is published in the journal Science Advances. The achievement overcomes a longstanding limitation of two-dimensional semiconductors—atomically thin materials typically about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair—which previously required either cryogenic temperatures or complex electrical gating structures to produce efficient light emission.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Politico

The Strait of Hormuz, the waterway crucial for global trade that Iran has effectively closed since the beginning of the U.S.-Iran conflict, has reopened after a 10-day ceasefire was called between Israel and Lebanon, President Donald Trump and a top Iranian official said Friday. Trump welcomed Iran’s reopening of the strait, declaring the critical waterway “COMPLETELY OPEN AND READY FOR BUSINESS” but said that a U.S. naval blockade there remains in effect for Iranian ships.

US Factory Output Rebound in First Quarter Extended Beyond AI

Bloomberg

US factory output snapped back in the first quarter after disappointing at the end of 2025, and the advance extended beyond the artificial intelligence build-out. Federal Reserve data out Thursday showed manufacturing production excluding high-technology industries, such as computers and semiconductors, increased an annualized 2.8%. That’s one of the healthiest paces since 2021, when the economy was shifting back into gear following the pandemic.

CHINA

Bloomberg

House Republicans are calling for US sanctions against Chinese entities that improperly extract results from leading US artificial intelligence models to develop their own competing systems, part of a widening effort by Congress to counter China in the global AI race. Legislation proposed by Representative Bill Huizenga would direct the government to identify entities in China and Russia that use improper query-and-copy techniques on American models, according to a draft seen by Bloomberg News.

Chinese team shows quantum tech can disrupt AI in a real-world task

South China Morning Post

An AI computing centre capable of predicting weather patterns weeks in advance typically carries a price tag of US$100 million or more. Now, Chinese researchers say a small-scale quantum system can outperform such facilities at less than 1 per cent of the cost. The findings raise questions about the long-term economics of the global artificial intelligence infrastructure race.

Bessent Calls Anthropic’s Mythos a Breakthrough in China AI Race

Bloomberg

US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent hailed Anthropic PBC’s Mythos as a revolutionary step that will keep America ahead of China in AI, endorsing an industry leader that’s clashed with Washington over its role in military endeavors. Bessent, speaking Tuesday at a Wall Street Journal event in Washington, dismissed a question suggesting China was rapidly catching up in AI technology, though he said American artificial intelligence stood just three to six months ahead.

TRADE

Financial Times

Donald Trump has warned he could rip up his trade deal with Britain as tensions rise between the US and UK over the Iran war and its economic fallout. The US president said the trade deal, agreed with UK Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer in May 2025, “could be changed”, as he continued to fulminate against a lack of support from London in the conflict with Tehran.

Canada Presses for Wider Trade Agreement in Talks With US

Bloomberg

Canada-US Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc said the government wants to resolve trade frictions with the Trump administration as part of a comprehensive agreement, rather than through “one-off” deals. LeBlanc said the irritants US officials raise privately are the same ones they’ve outlined publicly. A recent report by US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer’s office flagged Canada’s supply-managed dairy system, regulations affecting major US technology firms and other long-standing trade concerns.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

When we watch videos or ask AI questions, enormous amounts of data are constantly moving inside computers. One promising way to solve this problem is to place memory very close to the computing circuits. However, real memory devices consist of multiple stacked layers, including electrodes. As a result, it has remained unclear how thin the entire device can be made. To address this challenge, a research team led by Professor Hiroshi Funakubo at Institute of Science Tokyo (Science Tokyo) set out to minimize the thickness of the entire memory device.

A silicon-compatible path toward scalable quantum systems

Phys.org

In pursuit of new quantum technologies, scientists and engineers have turned to specialized materials for building qubits—the fundamental components of quantum systems. But transitioning from laboratory demonstrations to scalable systems will require scientific and manufacturing infrastructure capable of supporting robust and reliable qubit fabrication. Marking a milestone toward bridging that gap, researchers at the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Brookhaven National Laboratory have built superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) using a silicon-compatible class of materials called transition metal silicides.

SIA NEWS

Press Release

“Global chip sales remained very strong in February, exceeding January’s totals and far outpacing sales from February of last year,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “Sales into the Asia-Pacific region, the Americas, and China were all major drivers of year-to-year growth. Strong global demand is expected to persist during the remainder of the year, with annual sales projected to reach roughly $1 trillion globally.”

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Bloomberg

As it stands, approvals for chipmakers and other companies to ship goods to foreign buyers have been stretching for several months, resulting in billions of dollars in export backlogs, including products slated for US allies, according to an industry letter reviewed by Bloomberg News. Last year, the number of processed licenses fell by roughly 25% across industries exporting everything from firearms and fracking equipment to supercomputers, according to two people familiar with the data. “These delays undermine US competitiveness and run counter to the administration’s goals,” the Semiconductor Industry Association said in its letter to the Commerce Department.

Thailand plans reforms to boost growth and cut business costs, PM draft statement says

Reuters

Thailand will pursue broad economic and administrative reforms, aim for faster growth ​and cut business costs through the use of technology, according ‌to a draft policy statement set to be delivered by the prime minister later this week. The draft, seen and verified by Reuters on Monday, also emphasises ​support for small and medium-sized enterprises, easier access to finance and ​investments in artificial intelligence, semiconductors and clean energy.

CHINA

Bloomberg

The European Union and US are nearing an agreement to coordinate on producing and securing critical minerals, part of a push to break reliance on Chinese supplies. The potential deal would create incentives, such as minimum prices, that could advantage non-Chinese suppliers, according to a draft of an “action plan” seen by Bloomberg.

Semiconductor, AI talent race heats up as Taiwan tightens crackdown on alleged poaching

South China Morning Post

China’s hunt for semiconductor talent has intensified as Beijing aims to achieve artificial intelligence breakthroughs amid deepening tech rivalry with the US, but the plans have triggered fresh probes by Taiwanese authorities into talent poaching by mainland Chinese firms in what analysts describe as a “quiet tech war” over the human capital. A total of 11 new mainland Chinese firms were put under investigation for allegedly poaching semiconductor and other hi-tech talent, according to Taiwan’s Ministry of Justice Investigation Bureau (MJIB) last Monday.

TRADE

Supply Chain Dive

The U.S. will apply a 50% tariff on goods from countries supplying military weapons to Iran, effective immediately, President Donald Trump said in a Truth Social post Wednesday. “There will be no exclusions or exemptions!” Trump wrote, without naming specific countries that would be tariffed. The White House has yet to publish any official documentation of the tariff as of Wednesday morning and Trump did not indicate how the levy would be installed.

US trade court weighs legality of Trump’s 10% global tariff

Reuters

A U.S. trade court on Friday considered the legality of a 10% global import tax imposed by President Donald Trump, which ​several states and small businesses say sidesteps a U.S. Supreme Court ruling that invalidated most of his previous ‌tariffs. A group of 24 mostly Democratic-led states and two small businesses sued the Trump administration to stop the new tariffs, which went into effect on February 24.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

A research team led by Professor Seungbum Hong from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering has published a review paper in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C systematically outlining research strategies for ferroelectric materials based on atomic force microscopy (AFM), addressing these limitations. A research team led by Professor Seungbum Hong from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering has published a review paper in the Journal of Materials Chemistry C systematically outlining research strategies for ferroelectric materials based on atomic force microscopy (AFM), addressing these limitations.

Momentum-engineered photonic states make bulk silicon shine

Phys.org

An international team of researchers, led by scientists from the University of California, Irvine, has demonstrated a fundamentally new way to make silicon emit light—overcoming one of the most persistent limitations in modern electronics and photonics. In their work appearing in Nano Letters, the scientists show that silicon, long considered an inefficient light emitter due to its indirect bandgap, can be transformed into a bright, broadband source.

SIA NEWS

Press Release

“This commonsense measure has promoted growth and innovation across the global digital economy for decades, and it is deeply disappointing that WTO members allowed it to lapse. During upcoming discussions in Geneva, we urge all WTO members to make the Moratorium permanent and usher in much-needed certainty for the semiconductor industry, our customers, and the global digital economy. We commend the Trump Administration and partner governments for their efforts in support of this goal and remain ready to work with government leaders to ensure an agreement is reached in short order.”

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Politico

A top U.S. official on Monday pressured the European Union to join a Washington-led club on artificial intelligence and semiconductors. The U.S. launched the Pax Silica global club in December, an effort to counter China’s dominance by securing the supply chains underpinning artificial intelligence, including critical minerals, semiconductors, energy and hardware. But representatives from EU countries on Friday failed to give approval for the European Commission to begin formal talks with the U.S. State Department on joining the club.

Why the helium shortage matters for chipmakers

Financial Times

The war in the Middle East has highlighted another potential choke point for the semiconductor supply chain as a shortage of Qatari gas has knocked out about 10 per cent to 15 per cent of global helium supply. The effect of the conflict has spread beyond energy commodities into industrial gas. QatarEnergy’s halt to natural gas production after Iranian attacks meant about 30 per cent to 40 per cent of global helium supply would be immediately cut off because helium is almost entirely extracted as a byproduct of natural gas wells.

CHINA

Reuters

A ‌leading artificial intelligence conference on Friday reversed a policy change that would have banned papers from researchers at any entity under U.S. sanctions, soon after a boycott from China’s ​largest federation for technology professionals.

The Conference on Neural Information Processing ​Systems, known as NeurIPS, published the new policy earlier this week, saying its California-based ⁠foundation had to comply with U.S. law.

Three niche commodity prices are surging. What they show about China’s grip on supply chains

CNBC

Prices of three niche elements — tungsten, sulfur and helium — have climbed sharply in recent weeks. Tungsten, a metal nearly as hard as a diamond, creates the electrical connection in the core of a semiconductor chip. Sulfuric acid, a byproduct of sulfur, cleans chip wafers. Helium enables smooth production of semiconductors since the gas prevents unwanted chemical reactions in the manufacturing process. Beijing started to ramp up its control over the critical supplies even before the Iran war started on Feb. 28, partly as tensions with the U.S. escalated over the last few years.

TRADE

Bloomberg

The World Trade Organization failed to extend a 28-year-old ban on e-commerce tariffs at its 14th ministerial conference, a major setback for an organization whose mission is already under threat from US efforts to impose tariffs on its major trading partners. After four days of talks in Cameroon’s capital of Yaoundé, Cameroon’s Minister of Trade Luc-Magloire Mbarga Atangana, who served as the chair of MC14, said “we ran out of time” on issues including the moratorium on customs duties for electronic transmissions.

Trump tariff tweaks smooth the way for EU-US trade deal approval

Politico

A trade truce between the European Union and the U.S. looks more likely after U.S. President Donald Trump lowered the level of some of the most contentious tariffs on Thursday. On the one-year anniversary of the so-called “Liberation Day” tariff package — when Trump rolled out reciprocal tariffs on imports from countries his administration identified as having unfair trade surpluses with the U.S. — the White House announced changes to duties on steel and pharmaceutical items that go some way to assuaging European policymakers’ concerns.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

An electron microscopy image can capture atoms arranged in a crystal lattice or defects threading through a semiconductor material, but turning that image into materials insight can take weeks of careful analysis. Now, an autonomous artificial intelligence platform developed at Cornell can do that work in minutes. The EMSeek platform, reported April 1 in Science Advances, streamlines materials research by identifying key features in a microscopy image, determining the crystal structure, predicting material properties, comparing results with existing scientific literature, and generating a report within a single, integrated workflow.

Revealing the origin of polarity inversion in polymer semiconductors

Phys.org

A research team led by Prof. Boseok Kang at Sungkyunkwan University has uncovered the origin of polarity inversion, a long-standing phenomenon in polymer semiconductors that occurs only in certain materials. The team, in collaboration with Prof. Yun-Hi Kim (Gyeongsang National University) and Prof. Han-Sol Lee (Gachon University), has published their results in the journal Advanced Functional Materials.

SIA NEWS

Blog

The U.S. semiconductor industry is experiencing a period of historic growth. New investments in manufacturing, R&D, and design are helping to strengthen America’s leadership in semiconductor technology. But to fully realize this opportunity, the industry must also address the critical challenge of building the workforce needed to support this expansion. During a recent Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) webinar, leaders from industry, the military, and academia came together to discuss how a critical segment of the U.S. population – military veterans – can help meet the growing workforce needs of the semiconductor sector.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

CNBC

European companies that import semiconductors from Asia are tapping into backup stores and paying more for deliveries as the Iran war causes disruption to air freight routes through the Middle East, industry insiders have told CNBC. The Iran war has caused turmoil to cargo routes as shipping and airports have been targeted since the war began on Feb. 28. Global air freight capacity — which transports cargo such as semiconductors and other high-value electronics — is down around 9% compared to pre-war levels, according to data from logistics firm DSV.

Tesla hiring semiconductor fabs construction manager — Elon Musk’s ambitious Terafab project begins

Tom’s Hardware

Tesla has begun to hire personnel for its upcoming semiconductor production facility operation, tentatively known as Terafab, as noticed by Sawyer Merritt. Among the first people that Tesla is trying to hire is a manager who will oversee the whole end-to-end fab program, which indicates that the whole fab program is not in its early stages, but rather in its pre-stages and currently does not have a scope, strategy, or execution plan.

CHINA

New York Times

The United States has been pressing Brazil to enter an agreement between the two nations to produce millions of tons of critical minerals to help power the economies and battlefields of the future, according to U.S. and Brazilian officials. Brazil and the United States have been in quiet talks for years over an alliance on critical minerals. But now the United States is making a far more forceful bid for access. Brazil and the United States both seek to reduce their reliance on China, which controls much of the extraction and processing of elements like rare earths, lithium and cobalt.

TRADE

Bloomberg

The European Union will restart ratification of its trade deal with the US, setting up the long-delayed agreement for final approval.The European Parliament’s trade committee will vote Thursday on the accord, which will then go to a full plenary vote later this month or in April, Bernd Lange, who chairs the trade committee and is leading negotiations on the issue, told Bloomberg News.

Japan rebels over $6bn fee for SoftBank under US trade deal

Financial Times

SoftBank was set to earn ¥1tn ($6.3bn) in fees from a flagship US-Japan project before panicking officials in Tokyo intervened, as anxiety grows over the rollout of a $550bn joint investment plan with Donald Trump.The fee would have been paid to billionaire Masayoshi Son’s company to build and operate a $33bn gas-fired power station in Ohio, according to multiple people familiar with the matter. The power station is the first fruit of a trade deal that won Japan tariff relief from Washington in exchange for $550bn of investment in the US.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

Researchers at UCLA have discovered a way to dramatically improve how electrical current enters perovskite semiconductors, an emerging class of materials with enormous potential for next-generation electronics. Their research is published in the journal Nature Materials.

Ultra-thin MoSe₂ grating traps infrared light in a 40-nanometer layer

Phys.org

Controlling light at the micro- and nanoscale opens up opportunities for a better understanding of the world and the development of technology. As modern electronics approaches the limits of its capabilities, photonics comes into play. Instead of manipulating relatively heavy and slow electrons, we can use light and fast photons to encode information. This will make it possible to create devices that are not only faster but also even smaller than those currently in use.

SIA NEWS

Press Release

“Semiconductors are propelling an unprecedented era of technological progress, and sound government policies are essential to promoting continued growth and innovation in our industry and across the economy,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “James has substantial experience advancing policies of importance to our sector, making him a strong advocate for SIA in Washington. We’re excited to welcome him to the team.”

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Politico Influence Newsletter

FLY-IN SZN: Executives and other representatives from members of the Semiconductor Industry Association were also on the Hill today. The industry had 75 meetings on the books with members and staff from personal offices and leaders of key congressional committees to discuss a range of issues, including research and development incentives for chip manufacturing, taxes, export controls, supply chains, trade, workforce development, immigration and energy.

South Korea’s Early Exports Surge as AI Boom Fuels Chip Demand

Bloomberg

South Korea’s exports extended their growth momentum in early February, driven by resilient semiconductor demand even as trade uncertainty persists over US tariff policy. Semiconductor exports climbed 134%, extending solid gains driven by investment in artificial intelligence and data centers. The performance suggests Korea’s export engine remains supported by the global AI cycle, cushioning weakness in other sectors.

CHINA

Reuters

Suppliers to U.S. aerospace and semiconductor firms face worsening rare earth shortages, with two turning away some clients, industry insiders said, weeks before U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping for a summit in Beijing. The shortages center on rare earths such as yttrium and scandium, niche members of the family of 17 elements, which play tiny but vital roles in defence technology, aerospace and semiconductors and are almost entirely produced in China.

Why SJ Semiconductor matters in China’s race to build home-grown AI chips

South China Morning Post

SJ Semiconductor, a key player in China’s advanced chip packaging sector, has received approval to list on Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style Star Market on Tuesday, marking a fresh step in the country’s push for semiconductor self-reliance amid US restrictions. Its planned initial public offering (IPO) marks a significant milestone for China’s chipmaking industry, as Beijing pivots towards the high-stakes field of advanced packaging.

TRADE

Axios

After the Supreme Court’s shock decision on tariffs Friday, President Trump quickly pivoted to another trade law: Section 122 of the Trade Act of 1974. The global break from President Trump’s tariffs will only be temporary. For months, top Trump officials said they had a “Plan B” if the highest court blocked their signature economic policy — which could leave hefty import taxes on foreign consumer goods essentially intact.

The European Union Hits Pause on Its U.S. Trade Deal

New York Times

European Union officials said on Monday that they were pausing work toward implementing their trade deal with the United States, as they try to understand what President Trump will do after a pivotal Supreme Court ruling. Last week, the Supreme Court struck down Mr. Trump’s sweeping tariffs, which he had used to reset trading relationships around the globe — including with the European Union, which had negotiated for a 15 percent rate in a deal last year.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

Scientists have observed a new microscopic mechanism enabling precise control of the magneto-optical properties of excitons in alloys of two-dimensional semiconductors. This discovery opens up tangible prospects for technological applications in devices exploiting valleytronics. The research findings were published in the journal Physical Review Letters.

A robust new telecom qubit identified in silicon

Phys.org

Quantum technologies are anticipated to transform computing, communication, and sensing by harnessing the unusual behavior of matter at the atomic scale. In a new study, researchers in UC Santa Barbara materials professor Chris Van de Walle’s Computational Materials Group identified a robust new qubit in silicon, called the CN center. The work is published in the journal Physical Review B.

SIA NEWS

Press Release

“It has been a genuine pleasure and an indelible point of pride for me to work alongside so many great leaders in this incredible industry and to play a part in advancing U.S. semiconductor leadership,” said Neuffer. “The challenges we face as an industry are dwarfed by the many opportunities that lie ahead, and I can’t wait to see what’s next. I will miss very much the high-performing team of dedicated professionals at SIA.”

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Bloomberg

The US will seek to reach consensus with allies on a pricing mechanism to help insulate rare earth mineral refiners and extractors during meetings with dozens of foreign ministers in Washington next week, a senior Trump administration official said.

Trump Administration Takes Another Stake in Rare Earth Sector

New York Times

The Trump administration announced on Monday that it had agreed to extend up to $277 million in direct funding and up to $1.3 billion in loans to USA Rare Earth Inc., a mining and manufacturing group, to help develop its supply chain for rare earth metals and magnets.

CHINA

Bloomberg

Earnings estimates for China’s broader information technology firms have been outpacing the country’s biggest consumer-internet names, with a record-high divide that has been growing for two years. With the continued artificial intelligence boom and Beijing’s emphasis on technological self-reliance in its five-year economic blueprint, AI hardware-focused companies are driving upward revisions in the IT sector.

Opinion: Steadfast state support is key to China winning tech race with US

South China Morning Post

In the science and tech race, China is steadily advancing while America is retreating. That’s the conclusion of multiple Western studies. Several salient features in this race for supremacy have been identified: China’s highly focused state support of science and tech, America’s federal defunding of them, and a nation of engineers and science graduates versus a nation of lawyers.

TRADE

Reuters

U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Mexican Secretary of Economy Marcelo Ebrard agreed on Wednesday to begin formal discussions on possible reforms to the United States-Mexico-Canada trade agreement, Greer’s office said.

Carney downplays Trump’s threats while ruling out China trade deal

Politico

Prime Minister Mark Carney on Monday said it’s “obvious” Ottawa is not in free-trade talks with Beijing, acknowledging that any move in that direction would jeopardize Canada’s trade relationship with Washington. “The president is a strong negotiator,” Carney said when asked to respond to President Donald Trump’s latest volley of attacks, reprising the nickname “Governor” previously used to mock Justin Trudeau.

Exclusive: EU, Vietnam to agree to boost work on minerals, chips, “trusted” 5G, draft document says

Reuters

The European Union and Vietnam want to boost trade and investment in critical minerals, semiconductors and infrastructure, according to a draft joint statement seen by Reuters that is set to be adopted on Thursday as the two sides upgrade diplomatic relations. The eight-page document, still subject to change, says the EU will also explore the possible transfer of defence technology to Hanoi, as both sides seek closer cooperation on “trusted” telecom networks – at a time when Chinese companies have won contracts in Vietnam’s 5G development.

Vowing Higher Tariffs, Trump Rattles South Korea Months After Trade Deal

New York Times

South Koreans got a fresh reminder of President Trump’s unpredictability when they woke up on Tuesday morning to see that he was increasing tariffs on South Korean exports, like cars, back to 25 percent. Only recently it seemed that South Korea had resolved its worst trade dispute with the United States, its only treaty ally.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

Skoltech researchers and their colleagues from Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, Nanjing University of China, and the National Institute for Materials Science of Japan have developed a method for depositing organic molecules on a two-dimensional semiconductor in a highly controlled manner. In this proof-of-concept study, the technique uses self-assembled DNA origami nanostructures to carry organic dye molecules in a predefined pattern covered by a 2D semiconductor.

Edison’s 1879 bulb experiments may have unintentionally produced graphene

Phys.org

What do Thomas Edison and 2010 Nobel Prize in physics winners Konstantin Novoselov and Andre Geim have in common? According to a recent publication from the lab of Rice University’s James Tour in ACS Nano, it could be graphene—an answer that might have confused Edison, who died almost 20 years before physicist P.R. Wallace proposed such a substance could exist and nearly 80 years before Novoselov and Geim were awarded a Nobel Prize for isolating and characterizing it.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Reuters

South Korean President Lee Jae Myung and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni agreed on Monday to expand cooperation in sectors such as artificial intelligence, aerospace, chips and critical minerals, according to the Blue House. Meloni is visiting South Korea for summit talks with Lee.

CHINA

New York Times

Canada will lower tariffs on some Chinese electric vehicles and China will do the same for Canadian canola products, a major shift in policy that was announced on Friday during a landmark state visit by Prime Minister Mark Carney of Canada to Beijing. Mr. Carney announced that Canada will allow up to 49,000 Chinese electric vehicles into the Canadian market under a preferential tariff rate of 6.1 percent.

EU plan to phase-out high-risk tech draws fire from China’s Huawei

Reuters

The EU plans to phase out components and equipment from high-risk suppliers in critical sectors, according to a draft proposal released by Brussels on Tuesday – a move criticised by China’s Huawei, which is set to be among the companies affected. The measures, set out by the European Commission in revisions to the EU’s Cybersecurity Act, follow a rise in cyber and ransomware attacks and growing concerns over foreign interference, espionage and Europe’s reliance on non-EU technology suppliers.

TRADE

BBC

The European Parliament has suspended the approval of a key US trade deal agreed in July in protest against Donald Trump’s demand to take over Greenland. The suspension was announced in Strasbourg, France, on Wednesday, as the US president addressed the World Economic Forum in Davos.

As Europe Tries to Diversify Trade, a Major Deal With South America Stumbles

New York Times

The European Parliament voted on Wednesday to delay a major trade deal between the European Union and four South American countries, a setback to efforts to diversify trade relationships as President Trump threatens a new round of escalating U.S. tariffs on goods from several countries on the continent. The European Union’s legislative arm voted by a slim margin to refer the pact with Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, which form the trade bloc known as Mercosur, to the European Court of Justice to examine whether it is compatible with the bloc’s existing treaties.

South Korea to negotiate with the US for favourable chip tariff terms, official says

Reuters

South Korea will seek favourable terms for U.S. tariffs on imports of memory chips, a presidential office spokesperson said at a televised briefing on Sunday. The country last year released a joint fact sheet on its trade deal with the U.S. that included terms ensuring South Korea will not receive unfavourable treatment from U.S. tariffs on imported chips compared to key competitors, the official said, when asked about the Trump administration’s proclamation imposing tariffs on artificial intelligence chips.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

A nanostructure made of silver and an atomically thin semiconductor layer can be turned into an ultrafast switching mirror device that may function as an optical transistor—with a switching speed around 10,000 times faster than an electronic transistor. An international team of researchers led by University of Oldenburg physicist Professor Dr. Christoph Lienau describes this effect in a paper published in Nature Nanotechnology.

Ultrafast spectroscopy reveals step-by-step energy flow in germanium semiconductors

Phys.org

Detailed knowledge of the mechanisms of energy loss and potential overheating is essential in order to design new materials and devices that heat up less, recover faster or respond to external excitation more precisely. A team led by Professor Ilaria Zardo from the University of Basel reports on the unprecedented accuracy they achieved in measurements of energy flow processes within the semiconductor germanium, which is frequently used in computer technology. Their paper is published in Advanced Science.

SIA NEWS

Press Release

“The global semiconductor industry posted its highest-ever monthly sales total in November, with demand increasing across all major product categories on a month-to-month basis,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “Looking ahead, the global chip market is projected to grow substantially in 2026, reaching nearly $1 trillion in annual sales.”

INDUSTRY/MARKET

New York Times

President Trump signed a proclamation on Wednesday to impose a 25 percent tariff on a narrow list of foreign semiconductors, providing a way for the government to earn revenue off the sale of lucrative chips used in artificial intelligence. The tariff, which would take effect Thursday, is far more limited than what the president initially threatened.

Micron to break ground on $100bn New York megafab, largest semiconductor project in U.S. history

The Manufacturer

Micron Technology will today break ground on what it describes as the largest semiconductor manufacturing facility ever built in the United States, marking a major milestone for domestic chip production and New York state’s economy. The memory manufacturer is set to begin construction on its planned megafab in Onondaga County, Central New York, following the completion of environmental reviews and the receipt of key permits.

CHINA

Bloomberg

Some of China’s most prominent figures in generative artificial intelligence warned that the Asian nation is unlikely to eclipse the US in the global AI race anytime soon. Justin Lin, head of Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s Qwen series of open-source models, put at less than 20% the chances of any Chinese company leapfrogging the likes of OpenAI and Anthropic with fundamental breakthroughs over the next three to five years.

China Is Investigating Meta’s Latest A.I. Acquisition

New York Times

China is investigating whether Meta’s acquisition of the artificial intelligence start-up Manus violated its laws on technology exports and outbound investment. Those rules say the Chinese government must approve the export of certain technologies, including interactive A.I. systems.

We must identify problems before they occur

Handelsblatt

BMW’s new head of purchasing, Nicolai Martin, wants to use more Chinese products. He is aware that this means overlooking geopolitical risks and going against the trend. Nicolai Martin knows the disadvantages of dependence on China. The new head of purchasing at the Munich-based automaker BMW had been part of the management team for less than six months when the Nexperia crisis broke out.

TRADE

Associated Press

Taiwan’s premier on Friday hailed a new trade deal with the United States as the “best tariff deal” enjoyed by countries with trade surpluses with Washington, as meanwhile a Chinese official in Beijing condemned the accord. The agreement cuts U.S. tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15% in exchange for $250 billion in new investments in the U.S. tech industry.

EU assembly weighs freezing US trade deal over Trump’s Greenland threats

Reuters

The European Parliament is considering putting on hold the European Union’s implementation of the trade deal struck with the United States in protest over threats by U.S. President Donald Trump to seize Greenland. The European Parliament has been debating legislative proposals to remove many of the EU’s import duties on U.S. goods – the bulk of the trade deal with the U.S. – and to continue zero duties for U.S. lobsters, initially agreed with Trump in 2020. It was due to set its position in votes on January 26-27, which the MEPs said should now be postponed.

EU reaches South America trade deal after 25 years of talks

BBC

The EU has reached a free trade agreement with South American countries, 25 years after talks began and despite opposition from farmers in several European countries. The deal with the Mercosur trading bloc – which includes Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay – will require the approval of the European parliament within the next few months

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

A KAIST research team led by Professor Himchan Cho of the Department of Materials Science and Engineering has developed a fundamental technology to control, at the atomic level, the surface of indium phosphide (InP) magic-sized clusters (MSCs)—nanoscale semiconductor particles regarded as next-generation eco-friendly semiconductor materials.

Taming heat: Novel solution enables unprecedented control of heat conduction

Phys.org

Prof. Gal Shmuel of the Faculty of Mechanical Engineering at the Technion—Israel Institute of Technology has developed an innovative approach that enables precise control of heat conduction in ways that do not occur naturally. The breakthrough could lead to new applications in energy harvesting and in protecting heat-sensitive devices.

SIA NEWS

Press Release

“The U.S. State Department’s Pax Silica initiative represents a strong and welcome commitment to deepening economic partnerships to secure supply chains critical to semiconductors, AI, and other key technologies. We look forward to working with policymakers in the U.S. and partner governments to advance this timely and important effort.”

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Politico

Tech companies and lobbyists are investing millions of dollars to tackle a new political problem for the industry: Data centers, the lifeblood of the growing artificial intelligence economy, are becoming toxic with voters. Alarmed by elections that candidates won by campaigning against new data centers, the industry is taking out ads and funding campaigns to flip the narrative and put data centers in a positive light — spinning them as job creators and economic drivers rather than resource-hungry land hogs.

CHINA

South China Morning Post

Saudi Arabia has pledged to deepen hi-tech cooperation with China in areas such as new energy and artificial intelligence (AI). “Saudi Arabia is willing to further deepen cooperation with China in areas including oil and gas, new energy, artificial intelligence and high technology, to bring greater benefits to the peoples of both countries,” Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said, according to China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

China convicts 27 people for smuggling 166 tons of critical chipmaking element antimony — heavily-restricted mineral used for semiconductor manufacturing exported without licenses, court decides

Tom’s Hardware

A court in China has convicted 27 people for illegal shipment of antimony ingots out of the country without mandatory export licenses. The ruling was delivered by the Shenzhen Intermediate People’s Court, which sentenced the main defendant, Wang Wubin, to 12 years in prison and a fine of 1 million Yuan ($141,899).

ByteDance dominates China’s tech hiring as AI talent demand surges

South China Morning Post

TikTok owner ByteDance is the top recruiter in China’s tech sector this year, while at the same time artificial intelligence-related job postings on the mainland have risen more than 500 per cent, according to a report by Maimai, China’s largest professional social networking platform.

TRADE

Financial Times

The US has suspended implementation of a technology deal it struck with the UK during Donald Trump’s state visit to Britain, amid growing frustrations in Washington over the progress of trade talks with London. The US-UK “technology prosperity deal”, which was announced in September, aims to spur co-operation between the two countries in areas including artificial intelligence, quantum computing and nuclear energy.

India’s exports defy tariffs, strengthen hand in US trade talks

Reuters

India’s exports leapt in November in defiance of U.S. President Donald Trump’s steep tariffs, providing fresh leverage in ongoing trade talks with Washington and easing pressure on New Delhi to strike a quick deal. Shipments to the United States rose more than 22% in November from a year earlier, outpacing India’s overall export growth of more than 19%, which lifted total goods exports to $38.13 billion, government trade data released on Monday showed.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

Imagine wearable health sensors, smart packaging, flexible displays, or disposable IoT controllers all manufactured like printed newspapers. The same technology could underpin communication circuits, sensors, and signal-processing components made entirely from solution-processed 2D materials. But until now, finding and developing the 2D materials that could enable such devices was largely trial and error.

Integrative quantum chemistry method unlocks secrets of advanced materials

Phys.org

A new computational approach developed at the University of Chicago promises to shed light on some of the world’s most puzzling materials—from high-temperature superconductors to solar cell semiconductors—by uniting two long-divided scientific perspectives.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Mexico News Daily

The framework of the USMCA free trade pact — which will be reviewed by its three signatories in 2026 — will provide crucial support for that objective. In that context, the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), a Washington, D.C.-based trade and lobbying group, wrote to the Office of the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) to comment on “specific USMCA provisions of interest to the semiconductor industry,” including the pact’s rules of origin.

CHINA

Reuters

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp, China’s largest contract chipmaker, on Friday said growing worries about a shortage of memory chips are prompting its customers to hold back their orders for other types of semiconductors. “People don’t dare place too many orders for the first quarter next year,” said Zhao Haijun, SMIC’s co-CEO, during an earnings call.

China exempts chips used by carmakers from export curbs

BBC

China has lifted export controls on computer chips vital to car production, the country’s commerce ministry said on Sunday. Exemptions have been granted to exports made by Chinese-owned Nexperia for civilian use, it said, which should help carmakers who had feared production in Europe would be hit. At the same time, China has also paused an export ban to the US of some materials that are crucial in the semiconductor industry and suspended port fees for American ships.

Chinese Hackers Used Anthropic’s AI to Automate Cyberattacks

Wall Street Journal

China’s state-sponsored hackers used artificial-intelligence technology from Anthropic to automate break-ins of major corporations and foreign governments during a September hacking campaign, the company said Thursday. The effort focused on dozens of targets and involved a level of automation that Anthropic’s cybersecurity investigators had not previously seen, according to Jacob Klein, the company’s head of threat intelligence.

TRADE

Wall Street Journal

European Union goods exports to the U.S. rebounded in September, reflecting the easing of uncertainty surrounding trade after a transatlantic deal on tariffs was agreed in the summer. Exports to the U.S. were up 61% on month in September to 53.09 billion euros, or $61.76 billion, Eurostat data showed Friday. Compared with the same month of last year, they were up 15.4%.

Trump Readies Tariff Cuts, Trade Deals in Affordability Push

Bloomberg

US President Donald Trump is readying substantial tariff cuts designed to address high food prices and a series of new trade deals — including framework agreements with Argentina, Guatemala, El Salvador and Ecuador — as he seeks to address voter concerns over the cost of goods. The push comes after electoral victories for Democrats last week across a number of key state and local races where candidates stressed affordability concerns.

UK, Mercosur Prepare to Launch Trade Talks Amid Tariff Chaos

Bloomberg

The UK and several South American nations are preparing to launch trade talks as rising tariffs disrupt global commerce and push countries to diversify their economic partnerships. Brazilian Foreign Minister Mauro Vieira and his British counterpart Yvette Cooper discussed starting formal negotiations between the UK and the trade bloc Mercosur in a meeting Tuesday, according to officials from both countries who asked not to be identified talking about a private conversation.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

For the first time, researchers have made niobium sulfide metallic nanotubes with stable, predictable properties, a long-sought goal in advanced materials science. According to the international team, including a researcher at Penn State, that made the accomplishment, the new nanomaterial that could open the door to faster electronics, efficient electricity transport via superconductor wires and even future quantum computers was made possible with a surprising ingredient: table salt.

Scientists make dark exciton states shine through nanotube engineering

Phys.org

A research team at the City University of New York and the University of Texas at Austin has discovered a way to make previously hidden states of light, known as dark excitons, shine brightly, and control their emission at the nanoscale. Their findings, published today in Nature Photonics, open the door to faster, smaller, and more energy-efficient technologies.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Bloomberg

Europe’s auto industry is preparing for production disruption within days because of China’s export restrictions on semiconductors made by Nexperia. Chip shortages are likely to hit key suppliers within a week, while the impact could spread across the entire sector within 10 to 20 days, according to people familiar with the matter, who asked not to be identified as the discussions are private.

Trump’s AI exports program stumbles out of the gate

Axios

The Commerce Department is planning to lean heavily on industry and outside groups to shape a new AI exports program, but insiders say this week’s “chaotic” rollout has fallen short. Why it matters: Companies approved for the program created by President Trump’s executive order are promised government financial incentives that could give them an edge in the global AI race. Behind the scenes: Some industry and lobbying sources told Axios that they’re concerned with the lack of clarity and communication from the Trump administration around the AI exports program.

CHINA

Reuters

Dutch chipmaker Nexperia’s Chinese unit has resumed supplying semiconductors to local distributors, according to two people briefed on the matter, having previously halted all shipments when Beijing banned exports following an ownership dispute. But as part of the resumption, which is confined to domestic trade, all sales to distributors must now be settled in Chinese yuan, the people said, whereas transactions had previously only used foreign currencies such as the U.S. dollar.

German foreign minister to press China on semiconductors on Beijing trip

Reuters

German Foreign Minister Johann Wadephul will urge China to relax export restrictions on rare earths and semiconductors, emphasizing fair trade as a cornerstone of successful relations during his visit to Beijing starting Sunday, he told Reuters. Wadephul’s trip marks the first by a minister from the current German government, ahead of Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s planned visit later this year.

TRADE

BBC

US President Donald Trump has announced an immediate end to all trade negotiations with Canada over an advert critical of the tariffs he has imposed on the nation. The advert, sponsored by the government of Canada’s province of Ontario, quoted Trump’s predecessor, Ronald Reagan, an icon of US conservatism, saying tariffs “hurt every American”. Trump wrote on social media that the advert was “FAKE” and “egregious”, adding that trade talks were “HEREBY TERMINATED”.

India cautious on trade deals, says U.S. pact “very near”

Reuters

India will not accept limits on its trading choices or rush to sign agreements, Trade Minister Piyush Goyal said on Friday, even as a senior government official said a bilateral trade deal with Washington was “very near.” “India will not sign any trade deal in a hurry,” Goyal said during a speech at the Berlin Global Dialogue, referring to European Union and the U.S. concerns over India’s continued purchases of Russian oil.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Tom’s Hardware

A research team at Stanford University has engineered a new approach to handling the thermal bottleneck of RF transistor by using diamonds. By wrapping transistors in an integrated diamond layer, grown on the transistor, researchers were able to decrease chip temperatures by up to 70°C in the real world, and by 90% in simulated tests.

Scientists create a new form of light matter in a quasicrystal

Phys.org

Researchers have for the first time created a reconfigurable polariton 2D quasicrystal. The team from the Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology (Skoltech), in collaboration with colleagues from the University of Iceland, the University of Warsaw, and the Institute of Spectroscopy of the Russian Academy of Sciences, demonstrated that this unique state of matter exhibits long-range order and a novel type of phase synchronization, opening new pathways for research into exotic phenomena such as supersolids and superfluidity in aperiodic settings.

SIA NEWS

Press Release

“Global semiconductor sales continued to grow in August, far exceeding sales in August of last year,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “Sales in the Asia Pacific region and the Americas continue to drive growth, with sales of memory and logic chips notably increasing.”

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Reuters

Malaysia warned on Friday that any removal of tariff exemptions on its semiconductor exports by the United States could hurt its competitiveness and strain supply networks, according to a government report. President Donald Trump’s administration in August imposed a tariff of 19% on Malaysian exports to the United States, though some items including semiconductors are currently exempt pending a U.S. national security probe.

Amkor expands Arizona semiconductor campus investment to $7B

Manufacturing Dive

Amkor Technology has broken ground on a new semiconductor packaging and testing campus in Peoria, Arizona, the company announced Monday. Construction is expected to be finished in mid-2027, and production is slated to begin in early 2028.

Amkor described the Arizona site as the “first U.S. based high volume advanced packaging facility.” This week’s announcement marks a $5 billion increase from original plans to build a $2 billion facility.

CHINA

Associated Press

China outlined new curbs on exports of rare earths and related technologies on Thursday, extending controls over use of the elements critical for many high-tech and military products ahead of a meeting in about three weeks between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping. These critical minerals are needed in a broad range of products, from jet engines, radar systems and electric vehicles to consumer electronics including laptops and phones.

China charts path to global competitiveness in chips and AI for next five-year plan

South China Morning Post

China aims to become a global leader in science and technology by 2035, and has identified the next five years as a critical, decisive period for breakthrough advancements towards that goal. This push comes as international competition intensifies in strategic fields such as semiconductors and artificial intelligence. At a State Council press briefing on September 18, the minister of Science and Technology, Yin Hejun, reported on China’s progress during the ongoing 14th five-year plan period (2021 to 2025).

TRADE

Bloomberg

European Union officials see new US demands for concessions as well as other measures as potentially undercutting a recent agreement that brought the allies back from the brink of a trade war. Earlier this month, US President Donald Trump’s administration sent the EU a fresh proposal for implementing “reciprocal, fair and balanced” trade, according to people familiar with the matter, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss private deliberations.

Trump wants Japan to fund his government’s ambitious spending. What’s in it for them?

Politico

The Trump administration has big plans for the massive pot of money promised by Japan and other countries as part of their trade deals with the United States. But the eye-popping sums, as well as the White House’s demands for near-total control of the money, are raising doubts that the funding will ever materialize.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

From computer chips to quantum dots—technological platforms were only made possible thanks to a detailed understanding of the used solid-state materials, such as silicon or more complex semiconductor materials. This understanding also includes being able to identify and control irregularities in the crystal lattice of such materials. Researchers from the “Integrated Quantum Photonics” group at the Department of Physics at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin (HU) and the “Joint Lab Diamond Nanophotonics” at the Ferdinand-Braun-Institut, led by Prof. Dr. Tim Schröder, have developed a new sensor that can detect such individual electrical charges more precisely than ever before.

Harnessing GeSn semiconductors for tomorrow’s quantum world

Phys.org

An international team of researchers from Forschungszentrum Jülich (Germany), Tohoku University (Japan), and École Polytechnique de Montréal (Canada) has made a significant discovery in semiconductor science by revealing the remarkable spin-related material properties of Germanium-Tin (GeSn) semiconductors. Semiconductors control the flow of electricity that power everyday technology all around us (such as cars and computers). However, technology is progressing at such a breakneck speed that it is straining current semiconductor technologies.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Trump Takes Aim at Chip Makers With New Plan to Throttle Imports

Wall Street Journal

The Trump administration is weighing a new plan to reduce dramatically the U.S.’s reliance on semiconductors made overseas, hoping to spur domestic manufacturing and reshape global supply chains. The policy’s goal is to have chip companies manufacture the same number of semiconductors in the U.S. as their customers import from overseas producers. Companies that don’t maintain a 1:1 ratio over time would have to pay a tariff, according to people familiar with the concept.

US to Southeast Asian chipmakers: shift production to America or face ‘tariff solution’

South China Morning Post

Semiconductor manufacturers in Southeast Asia must shift production to the US or face punitive tariffs, Washington’s top trade official warned on Thursday, saying tariffs “are the solution” if trade talks with regional governments fail to deliver results. US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer delivered the message in Kuala Lumpur, where he met with ministers from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean).

CHINA

Reuters

Thailand will deepen cooperation with China, including in areas like semiconductors and battery production, Thai prime minister Anutin Charnvirakul said on Friday, as his new government lined up measures to fire up a sluggish economy. Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy has been struggling with high household debt, weak consumption, the impact of U.S. tariffs and, in recent weeks, a soaring baht , with the currency reaching a four-year high against the dollar.

Chinese AI Circuit Maker Moore Threads Greenlit for Shanghai IPO

Bloomberg

Moore Threads Technology Co., which makes equipment used in areas like artificial intelligence and machine learning, received approval from the Shanghai Stock Exchange for its initial public offering on the Star Market. The Beijing-based company founded in 2020, which is China’s leading provider of graphics processing units, plans to issue no less than 44.45 million shares. About 8 billion yuan ($1.1 billion) of the IPO proceeds will be used in next-generation projects in areas like AI and graphics chips, and to supplement working capital, according to an IPO prospectus submitted to the exchange.

TRADE

Reuters

President Donald Trump’s administration said on Wednesday it was formally implementing the U.S. trade agreement with the European Union, confirming that a 15% duty rate for EU autos and auto parts began on August 1 and listing tariff exemptions for generic pharmaceuticals, aircraft and aircraft parts. In a Federal Register notice, opens new tab, the Commerce Department and the U.S. Trade Representative’s office said they have amended the tariff schedule to implement the framework agreement reached with the EU in July that lowers the Republican president’s tariffs to 15% on most imports from the EU, including autos.

Why U.S.’s Trade Pact With South Korea Has Gotten Messier

Wall Street Journal

President Trump’s trade deal with South Korea is on shaky ground, with Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick taking a tough line in talks as some Seoul officials privately argue to allies that the White House is moving the goal posts. Lutnick, in recent conversations with South Korean officials, has discussed with Seoul the idea of slightly increasing the $350 billion they had previously guaranteed to the U.S. in July and suggested the final tally could get a bit closer to the $550 billion pledged by Japan, according to people familiar with the discussions, including an adviser to South Korea’s government.

Japan to launch facility to support $550 billion investment under US trade deal

Reuters

Japan’s finance ministry said on Friday that it will set up an investment facility at a state-owned development bank to support a $550 billion investment package agreed in Tokyo’s tariff deal with Washington. Japan and the United States signed a memorandum of understanding on the details of the package this month, stating it would focus on investments in sectors such as chips, metals, pharmaceuticals, energy and shipbuilding to be made by January 2029, which coincides with the end of Donald Trump’s presidential term.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

Recent research has found a new way to make graphene that adds structural defects to improve the performance of the material that could have benefits across a range of applications—from sensors and batteries, to electronics. Scientists from the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry, University of Warwick and Diamond Light Source developed a single-step process to grow graphene-like films using a molecule, Azupyrene, whose shape mimics that of the desired defect. The research has been published today in Chemical Science.

Engineers develop a magnetic transistor for more energy-efficient electronics

Phys.org

Transistors, the building blocks of modern electronics, are typically made of silicon. Because it’s a semiconductor, this material can control the flow of electricity in a circuit. But silicon has fundamental physical limits that restrict how compact and energy-efficient a transistor can be. MIT researchers have now replaced silicon with a magnetic semiconductor, creating a magnetic transistor that could enable smaller, faster, and more energy-efficient circuits. The material’s magnetism strongly influences its electronic behavior, leading to more efficient control of the flow of electricity.

INDUSTRY/MARKET

Bloomberg

India and Singapore pledged Thursday to deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence and semiconductors, signing new industry pacts as New Delhi works to expand trade ties with key partners and blunt the impact of 50% US tariffs. “Singapore is a strong pillar of our Act East Policy,” Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said during a joint statement in New Delhi alongside Singaporean counterpart Lawrence Wong. “Tech and innovation are pillars of our relationship.”

Trump to impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from firms not moving production to US

Reuters

President Donald Trump said on Thursday his administration would impose tariffs on semiconductor imports from companies not shifting production to the U.S., speaking ahead of a dinner with major technology company CEOs. “Yeah, I have discussed it with the people here. Chips and semiconductors – we will be putting tariffs on companies that aren’t coming in. We will be putting a tariff very shortly,” Trump said without giving an exact time or rate.

CHINA

South China Morning Post

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China’s largest contract chipmaker, said it planned to buy all of a foundry it controls as the nation’s fab industry undergoes a wave of consolidation. In a statement last week, the company said it planned to buy the remaining equity interest in Semiconductor Manufacturing North China (Beijing) Corporation (SMNC), a subsidiary that is currently 51 per cent owned by SMIC.

China Is Using the Private Sector to Advance Military AI

Wall Street Journal

China’s military has gone outside its typical network of state-owned defense contractors and military-linked research institutes in recent years, tapping hundreds of suppliers including private companies and civilian universities in a push to incorporate AI into its operations and weapons systems, according to new data published Wednesday by researchers at Georgetown University. While the U.S. and Chinese militaries have both sought to tap the knowledge and innovative energy of universities and the private sector, the data indicates the PLA has been able to do it more systematically. That gives China a potential leg up in the challenging task of weaving AI into national defense, security analysts say.

TRADE

CNBC

U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order Thursday stateside to implement a trade deal with Japan, with 15% baseline tariffs on most Japanese goods, including autos. The deal had been reached in July after months of negotiations, with Washington and Tokyo continuing to haggle over details for weeks before it was signed.

European parliamentarians attack EU-US trade deal and demand changes

Financial Times

MEPs from most of the parties in the European parliament called for changes to the EU’s trade deal with the US on Wednesday, raising fears that the fragile transatlantic truce could break. The assembly must vote to approve the reductions in tariffs Brussels has promised Washington on certain American goods as part of the deal struck in July, which levies 15 per cent on most EU exports to the US.

RESEARCH/TECHNOLOGY

Phys.org

The single crystals currently used in semiconductors, electronic devices, and optical devices can’t take the heat. Associate Professor Yuui Yokota and Professor Akira Yoshikawa (Institute for Materials Research, Tohoku University) have developed a new crystal growth technology using a tungsten (W) crucible that can be used at temperatures over 2,200°C. This crystal growth technology is expected to make significant contributions to the discovery of new materials and the mass-production of oxide single crystals with a higher melting point.

Quantum emitter discovery in diamonds enables a new type of coupling

Phys.org

Researchers at The City College of New York have shown how a quantum emitter, the nitrogen-vacancy (NV) center in diamond, interacts in unexpected ways with a specially engineered photonic structure when moved around with a scanning tip. The study, led by Carlos A. Meriles—Martin and Michele Cohen Professor of Physics in the Division of Science—and titled “Emission of Nitrogen–Vacancy Centres in Diamond Shaped by Topological Photonic Waveguide Modes,” appears in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.