French semiconductor company SiPearl has raised €130 million (approximately $152 million) in a Series A funding round led by Taiwan's Cathay Venture, alongside the European Innovation Council Fund and France 2030. The investment aims to support the development and production of SiPearl's Rhea1 AI chip, which features 80 Arm cores and over 61 billion transistors. SiPearl is manufacturing the chip at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Philippe Notton, SiPearl's CEO and founder, highlighted the chip's advanced integration, noting it contains four times more components than a typical laptop processor. The Rhea1 chip is designed for applications including weather forecasting, biological computations, and human body modeling.

China’s Ministry of Commerce on 9 July placed eight Taiwanese defence-related entities on its export-control list, immediately prohibiting the shipment of dual-use goods to the companies and halting any ongoing transactions unless a special licence is granted.

Those named include Aerospace Industrial Development Corp., National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology, GEOSAT Aerospace & Technology, JC Technology, CSBC Corporation, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding, Lungteh Shipbuilding and Gong Wei Co. The firms span aerospace, drone and shipbuilding sectors that supply Taiwan’s armed forces.

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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is postponing construction of a second semiconductor plant in Kumamoto, Japan, a project that had been expected to break ground in early 2025, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter. The schedule for the facility—part of a roughly $20 billion Japanese expansion—now remains open-ended.

Sources told the newspaper that TSMC is diverting funds to accelerate capacity in the United States as it seeks to insulate itself from potential import tariffs a future Trump administration could impose on overseas-made chips. The Kumamoto project was to receive about $8 billion in subsidies from Tokyo, underscoring the political and financial stakes of the delay.

Read more

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has experienced a notable surge in its stock performance, reaching new all-time highs by early July 2025. The company's strong finish has contributed to a positive momentum in the Taiwan stock market. Throughout the period, TSMC's stock showed signs of recovery and consolidation, with technical indicators suggesting successful tests of support levels and confirmation of a bottom reversal on the four-hour chart. Market activity indicates increased buying interest ahead of TSMC's upcoming earnings report scheduled for July 17, 2025.

China’s defence ministry said the People’s Liberation Army will "continue to strengthen its military training and combat preparedness" to curb what it called separatist moves in Taiwan, after President Lai Ching-te repeated that the island is a sovereign nation. Spokesman Zhang Xiaogang accused Lai of distorting history and escalating cross-strait tensions, warning that Beijing would "resolutely defend" national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In Taipei, Defence Minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers that Taiwan is “determined to defend itself” and detailed next month’s Han Kuang exercises, which will rehearse responses to high-intensity incursions and a potential amphibious assault. The drills will for the first time deploy US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems as well as domestically developed Sky Sword surface-to-air missiles.

Koo said the exercises aim to show both the international community and Beijing that Taiwan’s military "has the confidence and ability to defend a free and democratic way of life." Earlier the ministry reported a Chinese joint combat patrol involving warships and 21 aircraft, including Su-30 fighters, operating around the island.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, addressed several issues concerning Taiwan and cross-strait relations during a press briefing. Zhu responded to Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's remarks that the Taipei Palace Museum would cooperate with American museums but not with the Palace Museum in Beijing, reaffirming China's stance on Taiwan as an internal affair. Zhu also urged the United States to stop advancing Taiwan-related legislation, specifically criticizing the recently passed Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act by the US House of Representatives. She emphasized the importance of the US adhering to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, warning against sending incorrect signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces. Regarding US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler's claims that China has intensified rehearsals for an invasion and blockade of Taiwan and that Taiwan is included in the US deterrence mission area, Zhu dismissed these assertions. Additionally, Zhu highlighted that cross-strait exchanges have become more active and fruitful with the arrival of summer, inviting Taiwanese people to visit mainland China and participate in cross-strait cooperation and integration.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has opened a joint research facility with the University of Tokyo, marking the chipmaker’s first university laboratory outside Taiwan. The “TSMC UTokyo Lab,” located on the university’s Bunkyo campus, will concentrate on post-1-nanometer semiconductor technologies, novel transistor structures, chip packaging and workforce training.

TSMC will invest about ¥2.2 billion (roughly US$15 million) over five years in the project, according to people familiar with the plan. At the inauguration on 12 June, Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer Y.J. Mii said the company aims to “closely collaborate and foster global semiconductor talent,” while University of Tokyo President Teruo Fujii highlighted the importance of strengthening chip design education amid the rise of generative AI.

Read more

SoftBank Group founder and CEO Masayoshi Son is proposing the development of a $1 trillion industrial complex in Arizona, dubbed "Project Crystal Land," aimed at manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies. The project seeks to establish a high-tech manufacturing hub comparable to Shenzhen, China, with a focus on AI-driven robots and semiconductor chips. Son is actively pitching the plan to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a key player known for producing advanced AI chips for companies like Nvidia, as well as to the Trump administration for support. The initiative aims to attract other major technology companies, including Samsung, to participate in the development of this large-scale AI and robotics hub.

This ambitious plan represents SoftBank's largest industrial AI investment to date and aligns with the company's aggressive approach to AI technology expansion. Discussions and early talks are ongoing as Son seeks to anchor the U.S. chip supply chain and transform Arizona into a leading center for AI hardware manufacturing.

SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is exploring the creation of a US$1 trillion artificial-intelligence and robotics manufacturing park in Arizona, according to Bloomberg. The scheme, code-named “Project Crystal Land,” would mark the 67-year-old billionaire’s largest bet to date and is intended to replicate the scale and integration of China’s Shenzhen industrial hub while repatriating high-tech production to the United States.

Read more

The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering revoking so-called Validated End User waivers that allow Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to ship American chip-making equipment and other controlled technology to their factories in China without obtaining individual export licences, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

Officials described the move as part of a broader effort to tighten enforcement of export controls on advanced technology bound for China and said it is intended to align U.S. licensing rules with the restrictions Beijing applies to rare-earth materials. The White House characterised the plan as contingency planning rather than a fresh escalation, noting that Washington and Beijing are still working to implement a fragile trade truce agreed earlier this month.

Read more

The U.S. government is preparing to revoke waivers that have allowed major allied semiconductor manufacturers—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)—to use American technology in their chip plants located in China without requiring individual licenses. This move is part of a broader export control crackdown on technology exports to China. According to multiple reports, including from the Wall Street Journal and other sources, a U.S.

official communicated this intent to top global semiconductor makers. White House officials have indicated that the action is not intended to escalate trade tensions. The revocation of these waivers would impact the ability of these companies to operate their Chinese manufacturing facilities with U.S. technology, potentially complicating their supply chains and operations. This development follows ongoing efforts by the U.S. to limit advanced technology transfers to China amid heightened geopolitical and trade concerns.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported a marked increase in Chinese military activity near the island in June 2025, detecting up to 74 Chinese military aircraft within a 30-hour period, with 61 crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait. This represents the highest level of incursions since October 2024, when 111 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line. The recent surge in Chinese sorties included various aircraft types such as combat jets, bombers, drones, and helicopters, accompanied by multiple naval vessels operating around Taiwan. The heightened activity follows the transit of a British naval vessel through the sensitive Taiwan Strait and visits by U.S.

lawmakers to Taipei, underscoring ongoing regional tensions. Over several days, Taiwan tracked between 12 and 50 Chinese military aircraft and between 5 and 9 naval ships in its air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Japan also reported a record 216 consecutive days of Chinese ship presence near the disputed Senkaku Islands. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the military flights, emphasizing respect for lawful navigation while maintaining its stance on Taiwan. Taiwan has monitored and responded to these incursions accordingly.

Taiwan has heightened its alert status in response to increased military activities by China in the Pacific region. Recent reports indicate that up to 50 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and six vessels from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) were detected operating around Taiwan. Of these sorties, 46 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern, and eastern Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ). This marks the highest number of Chinese military aircraft incursions in the past eight months.

Japan also reported detecting 520 takeoffs and landings from Chinese aircraft carriers in the Pacific. Taiwan has instructed its forces to strengthen surveillance and monitoring efforts amid these developments. The situation underscores Taiwan's growing concerns over China's military presence in the region and the need to enhance its own power and defense capabilities.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, has inaugurated a joint research laboratory with the University of Tokyo on the university's main campus in Tokyo. This marks TSMC's first collaboration with a university outside Taiwan, expanding a relationship that began in 2019. The new facility, named the TSMC University of Tokyo Lab, involves an investment of approximately 2.2 billion yen and aims to advance research, education, and talent development in cutting-edge semiconductor technologies, including the pursuit of 1-nanometer chip processes. Separately, TSMC has completed its first production run of 2-nanometer chips at its Arizona facility, producing over 20,000 wafers that include chips for Nvidia, Apple, and AMD.

The company's Arizona hub is noted for reinforcing the United States' leadership in artificial intelligence. Additionally, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and NTT Data have launched an initiative to centralize semiconductor industry information to stabilize supply chains, with pilot testing underway in Kyushu, Japan, where TSMC is expanding its presence. The semiconductor industry continues to attract investments and talent globally, as evidenced by the upcoming SEMICON West 2025 event in Phoenix, Arizona, reflecting TSMC's growing influence in the region.

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers led by Representative Ami Bera met openly with Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung on 17 June, according to statements from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense. The session, one of the few publicly disclosed meetings between sitting U.S. legislators and Taiwan’s top defense official, focused on strengthening security ties and regional stability.

Koo thanked the delegation for "supporting Taiwan’s democracy" and said deeper cooperation with Washington would help maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. Bera, co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, reiterated congressional backing for the island’s self-defense and emphasized the importance of deterrence amid mounting pressure from Beijing.

The visit is expected to draw objections from China, which condemns official U.S.–Taiwan contacts and has stepped up military flights and naval patrols near the island in recent months. Beijing typically responds to high-level exchanges with Taipei by conducting large-scale exercises around Taiwan, raising concerns in Washington about miscalculation in a region critical to global supply chains.

Taiwan’s Commerce Ministry has placed Huawei Technologies Co. and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. on its strategic high-tech commodities export control list, effectively blacklisting the two Chinese chipmakers. The decision, announced over the weekend of 15–16 June, means Taiwanese suppliers must obtain government permits before shipping semiconductors, chiplets or related manufacturing equipment to either company.

Read more

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has opened a joint research facility with the University of Tokyo, its first university laboratory outside Taiwan. The “TSMC Tokyo Lab,” located on the university’s main campus in Bunkyo Ward, began operations on 12 June after the chipmaker committed ¥2.2 billion (about US$14 million) to the project.

The laboratory will concentrate on research into next-generation semiconductor technologies at the one-nanometer scale and beyond, while also serving as a center for education and talent incubation. The partnership extends a relationship that started in 2019 and forms part of Japan’s wider effort to reinforce its chip design and manufacturing ecosystem.

Read more

Taiwan's longstanding defense strategy, which relied on withstanding a Chinese attack for about a month until U.S. military intervention, is undergoing a fundamental reassessment. Confidence in American support, particularly under President Donald Trump, is diminishing amid concerns over Washington's willingness to engage militarily, as reflected in its stance on Ukraine. Taiwan is now preparing for the possibility of a prolonged conflict without assured U.S.

assistance, studying Ukraine's experience as a model for resisting aggression independently. This shift is reshaping the island's defense planning amid evolving Chinese tactics that avoid outright invasion but still pose a serious threat. Meanwhile, the U.S. is reportedly unprepared for modern drone warfare, a domain where China is perceived to be advancing, complicating the strategic calculus for Taiwan and its allies.

Micron Technology said it will invest about $200 billion in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and research by 2030, an initiative backed by the Trump administration. The plan allocates roughly $150 billion for domestic memory production and $50 billion for research and development, including the construction of at least six fabrication plants in Idaho and New York. Micron aims to bring advanced high-bandwidth-memory packaging onshore, begin U.S. DRAM output in 2027 and ultimately manufacture 40 percent of its DRAM chips domestically—an expansion the company and officials say could create as many as 90,000 jobs.

The investment announcement comes a day after Micron disclosed it had begun shipping 36 GB, 12-high HBM4 samples to key customers, reportedly including Nvidia. The deliveries position Micron ahead of Samsung Electronics in the latest generation of high-bandwidth memory, although the company remains about three months behind market leader SK Hynix. Micron’s HBM4 devices target fast-growing artificial-intelligence and data-center markets.

Together, the multibillion-dollar investment and initial HBM4 shipments highlight Micron’s strategy to expand domestic capacity while competing in the highest-performance segment of the memory market, aligning with Washington’s broader push to bolster U.S. semiconductor self-sufficiency.

On June 11 and 12, 2025, a series of earthquakes were recorded globally, with notable seismic activity in Taiwan, the United States, and the Pacific region. Taiwan experienced a major offshore earthquake with a magnitude initially reported as 5.9 by the US Geological Survey, later updated to 6.4, occurring about 44 miles south of Hualien City. This quake caused buildings to shake in Taipei, but no damage was reported. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) confirmed normal operations following the event, noting lower magnitudes recorded in their main bases of Tainan and Hsinchu.

In the United States, a 3.1-magnitude earthquake struck Riverside County near Banning, California, with additional smaller tremors recorded in various locations including California, Alaska, Nevada, and Texas. Other significant earthquakes included a 5.7-magnitude event at the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, a 5.2-magnitude quake near Isangel, Vanuatu, and multiple tremors in the Dominican Republic ranging from 3.4 to 4.8 magnitude. Pakistan's Peshawar region experienced a 4.7-magnitude earthquake, and Karachi recorded tremors of 2.6 magnitude. Additional seismic activity was noted in Japan, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Tonga. Despite the widespread seismic events, there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.

French semiconductor company SiPearl has raised €130 million (approximately $152 million) in a Series A funding round led by Taiwan's Cathay Venture, alongside the European Innovation Council Fund and France 2030. The investment aims to support the development and production of SiPearl's Rhea1 AI chip, which features 80 Arm cores and over 61 billion transistors. SiPearl is manufacturing the chip at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC). Philippe Notton, SiPearl's CEO and founder, highlighted the chip's advanced integration, noting it contains four times more components than a typical laptop processor. The Rhea1 chip is designed for applications including weather forecasting, biological computations, and human body modeling.

China’s Ministry of Commerce on 9 July placed eight Taiwanese defence-related entities on its export-control list, immediately prohibiting the shipment of dual-use goods to the companies and halting any ongoing transactions unless a special licence is granted.

Those named include Aerospace Industrial Development Corp., National Chung-Shan Institute of Science & Technology, GEOSAT Aerospace & Technology, JC Technology, CSBC Corporation, Jong Shyn Shipbuilding, Lungteh Shipbuilding and Gong Wei Co. The firms span aerospace, drone and shipbuilding sectors that supply Taiwan’s armed forces.

Read more

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. is postponing construction of a second semiconductor plant in Kumamoto, Japan, a project that had been expected to break ground in early 2025, according to the Wall Street Journal, which cited people familiar with the matter. The schedule for the facility—part of a roughly $20 billion Japanese expansion—now remains open-ended.

Sources told the newspaper that TSMC is diverting funds to accelerate capacity in the United States as it seeks to insulate itself from potential import tariffs a future Trump administration could impose on overseas-made chips. The Kumamoto project was to receive about $8 billion in subsidies from Tokyo, underscoring the political and financial stakes of the delay.

Read more

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has experienced a notable surge in its stock performance, reaching new all-time highs by early July 2025. The company's strong finish has contributed to a positive momentum in the Taiwan stock market. Throughout the period, TSMC's stock showed signs of recovery and consolidation, with technical indicators suggesting successful tests of support levels and confirmation of a bottom reversal on the four-hour chart. Market activity indicates increased buying interest ahead of TSMC's upcoming earnings report scheduled for July 17, 2025.

China’s defence ministry said the People’s Liberation Army will "continue to strengthen its military training and combat preparedness" to curb what it called separatist moves in Taiwan, after President Lai Ching-te repeated that the island is a sovereign nation. Spokesman Zhang Xiaogang accused Lai of distorting history and escalating cross-strait tensions, warning that Beijing would "resolutely defend" national sovereignty and territorial integrity.

In Taipei, Defence Minister Wellington Koo told lawmakers that Taiwan is “determined to defend itself” and detailed next month’s Han Kuang exercises, which will rehearse responses to high-intensity incursions and a potential amphibious assault. The drills will for the first time deploy US-made High Mobility Artillery Rocket Systems as well as domestically developed Sky Sword surface-to-air missiles.

Koo said the exercises aim to show both the international community and Beijing that Taiwan’s military "has the confidence and ability to defend a free and democratic way of life." Earlier the ministry reported a Chinese joint combat patrol involving warships and 21 aircraft, including Su-30 fighters, operating around the island.

Zhu Fenglian, spokesperson for the Taiwan Affairs Office of the State Council, addressed several issues concerning Taiwan and cross-strait relations during a press briefing. Zhu responded to Taiwan regional leader Lai Ching-te's remarks that the Taipei Palace Museum would cooperate with American museums but not with the Palace Museum in Beijing, reaffirming China's stance on Taiwan as an internal affair. Zhu also urged the United States to stop advancing Taiwan-related legislation, specifically criticizing the recently passed Taiwan Non-Discrimination Act by the US House of Representatives. She emphasized the importance of the US adhering to the one-China principle and the three China-US joint communiques, warning against sending incorrect signals to Taiwan independence separatist forces. Regarding US Pacific Fleet Commander Admiral Stephen Koehler's claims that China has intensified rehearsals for an invasion and blockade of Taiwan and that Taiwan is included in the US deterrence mission area, Zhu dismissed these assertions. Additionally, Zhu highlighted that cross-strait exchanges have become more active and fruitful with the arrival of summer, inviting Taiwanese people to visit mainland China and participate in cross-strait cooperation and integration.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has opened a joint research facility with the University of Tokyo, marking the chipmaker’s first university laboratory outside Taiwan. The “TSMC UTokyo Lab,” located on the university’s Bunkyo campus, will concentrate on post-1-nanometer semiconductor technologies, novel transistor structures, chip packaging and workforce training.

TSMC will invest about ¥2.2 billion (roughly US$15 million) over five years in the project, according to people familiar with the plan. At the inauguration on 12 June, Executive Vice President and Co-Chief Operating Officer Y.J. Mii said the company aims to “closely collaborate and foster global semiconductor talent,” while University of Tokyo President Teruo Fujii highlighted the importance of strengthening chip design education amid the rise of generative AI.

Read more

SoftBank Group founder and CEO Masayoshi Son is proposing the development of a $1 trillion industrial complex in Arizona, dubbed "Project Crystal Land," aimed at manufacturing artificial intelligence (AI) and robotics technologies. The project seeks to establish a high-tech manufacturing hub comparable to Shenzhen, China, with a focus on AI-driven robots and semiconductor chips. Son is actively pitching the plan to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a key player known for producing advanced AI chips for companies like Nvidia, as well as to the Trump administration for support. The initiative aims to attract other major technology companies, including Samsung, to participate in the development of this large-scale AI and robotics hub.

This ambitious plan represents SoftBank's largest industrial AI investment to date and aligns with the company's aggressive approach to AI technology expansion. Discussions and early talks are ongoing as Son seeks to anchor the U.S. chip supply chain and transform Arizona into a leading center for AI hardware manufacturing.

SoftBank Group founder Masayoshi Son is exploring the creation of a US$1 trillion artificial-intelligence and robotics manufacturing park in Arizona, according to Bloomberg. The scheme, code-named “Project Crystal Land,” would mark the 67-year-old billionaire’s largest bet to date and is intended to replicate the scale and integration of China’s Shenzhen industrial hub while repatriating high-tech production to the United States.

Read more

The U.S. Department of Commerce is considering revoking so-called Validated End User waivers that allow Samsung Electronics, SK Hynix and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. to ship American chip-making equipment and other controlled technology to their factories in China without obtaining individual export licences, according to people familiar with the deliberations.

Officials described the move as part of a broader effort to tighten enforcement of export controls on advanced technology bound for China and said it is intended to align U.S. licensing rules with the restrictions Beijing applies to rare-earth materials. The White House characterised the plan as contingency planning rather than a fresh escalation, noting that Washington and Beijing are still working to implement a fragile trade truce agreed earlier this month.

Read more

The U.S. government is preparing to revoke waivers that have allowed major allied semiconductor manufacturers—Samsung, SK Hynix, and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC)—to use American technology in their chip plants located in China without requiring individual licenses. This move is part of a broader export control crackdown on technology exports to China. According to multiple reports, including from the Wall Street Journal and other sources, a U.S.

official communicated this intent to top global semiconductor makers. White House officials have indicated that the action is not intended to escalate trade tensions. The revocation of these waivers would impact the ability of these companies to operate their Chinese manufacturing facilities with U.S. technology, potentially complicating their supply chains and operations. This development follows ongoing efforts by the U.S. to limit advanced technology transfers to China amid heightened geopolitical and trade concerns.

Taiwan's Defense Ministry reported a marked increase in Chinese military activity near the island in June 2025, detecting up to 74 Chinese military aircraft within a 30-hour period, with 61 crossing the median line in the Taiwan Strait. This represents the highest level of incursions since October 2024, when 111 Chinese military aircraft crossed the median line. The recent surge in Chinese sorties included various aircraft types such as combat jets, bombers, drones, and helicopters, accompanied by multiple naval vessels operating around Taiwan. The heightened activity follows the transit of a British naval vessel through the sensitive Taiwan Strait and visits by U.S.

lawmakers to Taipei, underscoring ongoing regional tensions. Over several days, Taiwan tracked between 12 and 50 Chinese military aircraft and between 5 and 9 naval ships in its air defense identification zone (ADIZ). Japan also reported a record 216 consecutive days of Chinese ship presence near the disputed Senkaku Islands. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs acknowledged the military flights, emphasizing respect for lawful navigation while maintaining its stance on Taiwan. Taiwan has monitored and responded to these incursions accordingly.

Taiwan has heightened its alert status in response to increased military activities by China in the Pacific region. Recent reports indicate that up to 50 sorties of People's Liberation Army (PLA) aircraft and six vessels from the People's Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) were detected operating around Taiwan. Of these sorties, 46 crossed the median line and entered Taiwan's northern, southwestern, and eastern Air Defense Identification Zones (ADIZ). This marks the highest number of Chinese military aircraft incursions in the past eight months.

Japan also reported detecting 520 takeoffs and landings from Chinese aircraft carriers in the Pacific. Taiwan has instructed its forces to strengthen surveillance and monitoring efforts amid these developments. The situation underscores Taiwan's growing concerns over China's military presence in the region and the need to enhance its own power and defense capabilities.

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), the world's largest contract chipmaker, has inaugurated a joint research laboratory with the University of Tokyo on the university's main campus in Tokyo. This marks TSMC's first collaboration with a university outside Taiwan, expanding a relationship that began in 2019. The new facility, named the TSMC University of Tokyo Lab, involves an investment of approximately 2.2 billion yen and aims to advance research, education, and talent development in cutting-edge semiconductor technologies, including the pursuit of 1-nanometer chip processes. Separately, TSMC has completed its first production run of 2-nanometer chips at its Arizona facility, producing over 20,000 wafers that include chips for Nvidia, Apple, and AMD.

The company's Arizona hub is noted for reinforcing the United States' leadership in artificial intelligence. Additionally, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group and NTT Data have launched an initiative to centralize semiconductor industry information to stabilize supply chains, with pilot testing underway in Kyushu, Japan, where TSMC is expanding its presence. The semiconductor industry continues to attract investments and talent globally, as evidenced by the upcoming SEMICON West 2025 event in Phoenix, Arizona, reflecting TSMC's growing influence in the region.

A bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers led by Representative Ami Bera met openly with Taiwan’s Minister of National Defense Wellington Koo Li-hsiung on 17 June, according to statements from Taiwan’s Ministry of National Defense. The session, one of the few publicly disclosed meetings between sitting U.S. legislators and Taiwan’s top defense official, focused on strengthening security ties and regional stability.

Koo thanked the delegation for "supporting Taiwan’s democracy" and said deeper cooperation with Washington would help maintain peace in the Taiwan Strait. Bera, co-chair of the Congressional Taiwan Caucus, reiterated congressional backing for the island’s self-defense and emphasized the importance of deterrence amid mounting pressure from Beijing.

The visit is expected to draw objections from China, which condemns official U.S.–Taiwan contacts and has stepped up military flights and naval patrols near the island in recent months. Beijing typically responds to high-level exchanges with Taipei by conducting large-scale exercises around Taiwan, raising concerns in Washington about miscalculation in a region critical to global supply chains.

Taiwan’s Commerce Ministry has placed Huawei Technologies Co. and Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. on its strategic high-tech commodities export control list, effectively blacklisting the two Chinese chipmakers. The decision, announced over the weekend of 15–16 June, means Taiwanese suppliers must obtain government permits before shipping semiconductors, chiplets or related manufacturing equipment to either company.

Read more

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. has opened a joint research facility with the University of Tokyo, its first university laboratory outside Taiwan. The “TSMC Tokyo Lab,” located on the university’s main campus in Bunkyo Ward, began operations on 12 June after the chipmaker committed ¥2.2 billion (about US$14 million) to the project.

The laboratory will concentrate on research into next-generation semiconductor technologies at the one-nanometer scale and beyond, while also serving as a center for education and talent incubation. The partnership extends a relationship that started in 2019 and forms part of Japan’s wider effort to reinforce its chip design and manufacturing ecosystem.

Read more

Taiwan's longstanding defense strategy, which relied on withstanding a Chinese attack for about a month until U.S. military intervention, is undergoing a fundamental reassessment. Confidence in American support, particularly under President Donald Trump, is diminishing amid concerns over Washington's willingness to engage militarily, as reflected in its stance on Ukraine. Taiwan is now preparing for the possibility of a prolonged conflict without assured U.S.

assistance, studying Ukraine's experience as a model for resisting aggression independently. This shift is reshaping the island's defense planning amid evolving Chinese tactics that avoid outright invasion but still pose a serious threat. Meanwhile, the U.S. is reportedly unprepared for modern drone warfare, a domain where China is perceived to be advancing, complicating the strategic calculus for Taiwan and its allies.

Micron Technology said it will invest about $200 billion in U.S. semiconductor manufacturing and research by 2030, an initiative backed by the Trump administration. The plan allocates roughly $150 billion for domestic memory production and $50 billion for research and development, including the construction of at least six fabrication plants in Idaho and New York. Micron aims to bring advanced high-bandwidth-memory packaging onshore, begin U.S. DRAM output in 2027 and ultimately manufacture 40 percent of its DRAM chips domestically—an expansion the company and officials say could create as many as 90,000 jobs.

The investment announcement comes a day after Micron disclosed it had begun shipping 36 GB, 12-high HBM4 samples to key customers, reportedly including Nvidia. The deliveries position Micron ahead of Samsung Electronics in the latest generation of high-bandwidth memory, although the company remains about three months behind market leader SK Hynix. Micron’s HBM4 devices target fast-growing artificial-intelligence and data-center markets.

Together, the multibillion-dollar investment and initial HBM4 shipments highlight Micron’s strategy to expand domestic capacity while competing in the highest-performance segment of the memory market, aligning with Washington’s broader push to bolster U.S. semiconductor self-sufficiency.

On June 11 and 12, 2025, a series of earthquakes were recorded globally, with notable seismic activity in Taiwan, the United States, and the Pacific region. Taiwan experienced a major offshore earthquake with a magnitude initially reported as 5.9 by the US Geological Survey, later updated to 6.4, occurring about 44 miles south of Hualien City. This quake caused buildings to shake in Taipei, but no damage was reported. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) and United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) confirmed normal operations following the event, noting lower magnitudes recorded in their main bases of Tainan and Hsinchu.

In the United States, a 3.1-magnitude earthquake struck Riverside County near Banning, California, with additional smaller tremors recorded in various locations including California, Alaska, Nevada, and Texas. Other significant earthquakes included a 5.7-magnitude event at the Pacific-Antarctic Ridge, a 5.2-magnitude quake near Isangel, Vanuatu, and multiple tremors in the Dominican Republic ranging from 3.4 to 4.8 magnitude. Pakistan's Peshawar region experienced a 4.7-magnitude earthquake, and Karachi recorded tremors of 2.6 magnitude. Additional seismic activity was noted in Japan, Indonesia, the Solomon Islands, Papua New Guinea, the Philippines, and Tonga. Despite the widespread seismic events, there were no immediate reports of casualties or significant damage.