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  • Sam Altman Meets 50 Samsung Executives in South Korea to Secure Memory Chips

    Sam Altman Meets 50 Samsung Executives in South Korea to Secure Memory Chips

    OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman met top Samsung Group executives in South Korea on Oct 31 to deepen cooperation on memory chips and AI infrastructure as global shortages intensify.

    Samsung hosted Altman in Yongin, south of Seoul, for discussions with roughly 50 leaders across its electronics, financial and biotechnology affiliates.

    The talks focused on how artificial intelligence will reshape industries, business opportunities and corporate decisions over the next decade, while data centre operators prepare to spend more than US$3 trillion on AI infrastructure in the coming years.

    The Race for Three Trillion Dollars in Hardware

    Data centre builders are fighting for limited factory allocations. The five largest companies driving the artificial intelligence infrastructure push plan to spend more than US$3 trillion in the coming years.

    That volume of capital expenditure concentrates procurement power directly in East Asia. South Korea controls the bulk of the world’s high-bandwidth and advanced memory manufacturing capacity, turning local suppliers into the primary gatekeepers for global software deployment.

    For hardware brands and consumer device manufacturers across the Asia-Pacific region, this supply crunch poses an immediate cost problem. Server buyers with massive cash reserves are hoovering up production lines, leaving personal computer makers and smartphone builders competing for the remaining silicon at elevated prices.

    Stargate Project and Offshore Data Centres

    The Yongin talks build directly on an existing agreement between the two firms. Samsung previously agreed to supply memory chips for OpenAI’s Stargate computing project and to collaborate on building specialised data centres, including floating offshore facilities designed to handle massive power and cooling loads.

    Securing Samsung’s manufacturing muscle gives OpenAI an alternative channel alongside its existing supplier relationships. For Samsung, locking in high-volume, long-term purchase agreements with the sector’s most prominent model developer guarantees steady off-take for high-margin silicon lines.

    Altman follows a well-trodden executive path into Seoul. Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang and Advanced Micro Devices head Lisa Su have each traveled to South Korea twice since 2025 to protect their component pipelines as fabrication plants struggle to keep pace with order books.

    Internal Automation and Deployment Targets

    Beyond external component sales, Samsung is speeding up its own internal adoption of artificial intelligence. The group is rolling out tools across chip design, laboratory research, factory floor manufacturing, marketing divisions and corporate management.

    Chip production remains tightly bottlenecked by cleanroom capacity and specialized lithography equipment. With major hyperscalers committing US$3 trillion toward compute facilities, the next data point to watch is Samsung’s upcoming quarterly capital expenditure guidance, which will show how much new manufacturing capacity the company plans to build out in Yongin to service Stargate and commercial buyers.

  • Samsung Australia Survey Finds 72% of Consumers Bulk Cook to Ease Bills and Stress

    Samsung Australia Survey Finds 72% of Consumers Bulk Cook to Ease Bills and Stress

    Samsung Australia reported that approximately 72 per cent of surveyed consumers are using bulk cooking to ease grocery bills and stress, pushing demand toward larger refrigeration units across the country.

    A third of respondents, or 34 per cent, stated their existing refrigerator is too small to store batch-prepared food.

    Data collected by research firm PureProfile across a nationally representative sample of 1,008 Australian adults in February 2026 showed that 62 per cent prepared meals in bulk specifically to save money. Another 69 per cent said batch cooking reduced their overall weekly grocery spend, while 59 per cent claimed that bulk cooking helps meet health and nutrition goals. The practice carries over beyond winter, with 56 per cent planning weekend meal prep through spring.

    Refrigeration Limits Drive White Goods Replacements

    Household space constraints are creating clear friction points inside domestic kitchens. Roughly 24 per cent of respondents admitted to stacking food containers unsafely to fit prepared meals into existing shelves. That behavior jumped to 45 per cent among shoppers aged 18 to 24, and reached 43 per cent among those aged 25 to 29.

    For consumer electronics retailers, this bottleneck directly alters what buyers look for on the sales floor. Category tracking from WorldPanel ComTech in February 2026 found that internal volume and energy efficiency have become the two primary features Australians seek when shopping for replacement refrigerators. Consumers are bypassing basic top-mount configurations in favor of wide-format French-door platforms that fit standard kitchen cavities while maximizing usable depth.

    Hardware Margins Shift Toward Smart Connected Units

    Appliance vendors across Asia-Pacific are positioning premium, connected models to capture these replacements rather than competing purely on shelf dimensions. Samsung is pitching its screen-equipped Family Hub units, which integrate internal tracking and automated menu building via its SmartThings application to counter food spoilage. White goods makers face a consumer base managing tighter grocery allowances, making energy efficiency ratings a decisive commercial factor alongside interior literage.

    French-door refrigerators are incredibly popular amongst Australians who rely on bulk cooking to stay on top of bills and schedules because they benefit from large internal capacities, flexible shelving, and in-built beverage centres that give easy access to ice and water, all while fitting into most standard refrigerator kitchen cavities.

    Retailers operating in Australia stand to gain if shoppers trade up to larger formats ahead of annual promotional discount cycles. The risk for manufacturers lies in price sensitivity. While shoppers want larger capacities to economize on food, high interest rates and housing costs constrain disposable cash for discretionary premium upgrades.

    Retail Channel Alignment Ahead of Clearance Periods

    Appliance brands spent the past two years navigating softening consumer durables demand as post-pandemic replacement cycles slowed across developed Asia-Pacific territories. To reignite volume, brands have linked connected home software to tangible cost reductions, such as power monitoring and grocery budgeting tools. Earlier in 2026, Finder named Samsung’s refrigeration range as top value and most recommended in its annual consumer satisfaction review.

    Attention now turns to retailer floor allocations during fourth-quarter promotional clearances, where appliance manufacturers will test whether capacity upgrades translate into sustained retail register sales.

  • Google Chrome Logs 260 Million Hours to Lead Naver in Korea

    Google Chrome Logs 260 Million Hours to Lead Naver in Korea

    Google Chrome logged 260 million hours of mobile usage in South Korea in September, extending its lead over local portal Naver for the fifth consecutive month.

    Chrome held the top spot after outpacing Naver’s 240 million hours during the month, according to mobile app analytics firm Wiseapp Retail.

    Breakdown of Mobile Browser Usage

    Samsung Internet took third place with 130 million hours. Together, the top three applications generated 630 million hours, accounting for about 80 percent of total usage time among the country’s 10 most-used search and browser apps.

    Google’s search app came fourth with 87 million hours, followed by Brave with 38 million hours and Daum with 23 million hours.

    Whale recorded 5.7 million hours, while Nate and Firefox each logged 3.5 million hours. Microsoft Edge rounded out the top 10 with 1.8 million hours.

    Shifting Consumer Gateways

    For brands and digital retailers in South Korea, the continued shift away from Naver’s integrated ecosystem toward Chrome reshapes consumer discovery pathways. Naver built its commercial engine by bundling search results directly with its own shopping comparison engine, smart stores, and payment rails. When shoppers conduct queries directly in a web browser rather than inside Naver’s walled garden, default search engine settings and standard web indexing dilute that proprietary checkout loop.

    Google’s expanding footprint also splits consumer attention between dedicated mobile apps and direct web links. Retailers that previously focused technical resources exclusively on Naver SEO and proprietary storefronts now face higher ad spending requirements to capture high-intent buyers across multiple independent search feeds.

    Consolidation in Korea’s Smartphone Base

    Chrome first overtook Naver in monthly South Korean usage time in May. The transition follows years of Naver holding an undisputed grip over domestic web navigation, supported by localized content directories and dedicated shopping integrations.

    Wiseapp Retail based the September findings on mobile tracking data drawn from a panel representing 51.39 million smartphone users nationwide. That sample pool reflects 36.7 million Android device owners alongside 14.69 million iOS users across South Korea.

    The Next Benchmark for Domestic Portals

    Attention turns to whether Naver can arrest the engagement gap in fourth-quarter figures as domestic e-commerce traffic peaks during seasonal retail sales. With total usage across the top three players holding at 630 million hours, the immediate battle centers on whether Naver’s retail integrations can recover lost ground against Chrome’s default presence across South Korea’s 36.7 million Android handsets.

  • Samsung Electro-Mechanics Commits $5 Billion to Vietnam and Korean Substrates

    Samsung Electro-Mechanics Commits $5 Billion to Vietnam and Korean Substrates

    Samsung Electro-Mechanics will invest nearly $5 billion by 2028 in semiconductor substrate manufacturing across facilities in South Korea and Vietnam.

    The capital program targets high-end substrates for artificial intelligence servers and high-performance computing systems. Construction is underway in Thai Nguyen province. Samsung is building a dedicated chip testing and component facility there.

    Targeting AI server demand

    This outlay shifts Samsung’s manufacturing footprint in Southeast Asia toward higher-value component fabrication. Substrates connect bare silicon chips to printed circuit boards. Global capacity remains tight because orders for artificial intelligence hardware are surging.

    Data centres and generative model clusters require dense, multi-layer substrate packages that handle high heat and complex routing. Expanding in Vietnam allows the group to split lines between its South Korean base and lower-cost Southeast Asian hubs.

    Vietnam’s push into advanced packaging

    Hardware assemblers across the region are shifting capital away from standard consumer electronics assembly. They are focusing on advanced packaging, testing, and component fabrication. Other conglomerates are running similar programs, including LG with its $1 billion expansion in northern Vietnam.

    Major packaging and substrate plants anchor supply chains for materials suppliers, equipment vendors, and industrial park operators. Thai Nguyen and surrounding northern industrial corridors have evolved from handset assembly clusters into integrated electronics nodes.

    Upgrading from smartphone assembly

    Vietnam built its initial manufacturing base largely on final-stage assembly of consumer devices and mobile handsets. Samsung has long run major smartphone assembly plants in the country. Producing advanced semiconductor substrates represents a technical upgrade for local operations.

    Equipment installation and facility construction will proceed in phases through 2028. The five-year spending plan secures component capacity as enterprise computing demand outpaces consumer electronics.

    Capacity rollout schedule

    Suppliers must still navigate long equipment lead times and heavy utility demands. Substrate processing requires stable electrical grids and continuous cleanroom operations. These requirements will test regional infrastructure.

    Samsung Electro-Mechanics will ramp capacity across both South Korea and Vietnam over the next four years to meet target deployment deadlines by 2028.

  • Samsung Pledges $1B to KKR AI Infrastructure Vehicle Helix

    Samsung Pledges $1B to KKR AI Infrastructure Vehicle Helix

    Samsung committed $1 billion to KKR’s Helix Digital Infrastructure strategy on Tuesday. The deal lifts total capital secured for the artificial intelligence platform past $11 billion.

    Half the capital comes from Samsung Electronics. Five group affiliates will contribute the remaining $500 million to fund data centres, electricity networks and cooling systems for global hyperscalers.

    Affiliate Capital and Supply Rights

    Funding flows directly into Helix’s long-duration capital fund. Samsung C&T, Samsung SDS, Samsung SDI, Samsung Life Insurance and Samsung Fire & Marine Insurance are supplying the non-electronics portion.

    The structure gives Samsung a dual role as an equity backer and a priority supplier. Helix confirmed it will explore tapping Samsung for technology, engineering and construction, power storage, and data centre cooling. Samsung Electronics acquired climate control specialist FlaktGroup last year to expand its cooling portfolio. Meanwhile, Samsung SDI manufactures server backup batteries, and Samsung SDS operates GPU cloud infrastructure.

    KKR created Helix to package property development, power generation, transmission and connectivity into a single vehicle for tech giants. The platform launched in June. It secured anchor capital from KKR’s balance sheet alongside commitments from Nvidia, the Kuwait Investment Authority and US power generator Vistra.

    “Samsung’s commitment is a strong vote of confidence in Helix’s strategy and further deepens the long-term capital base we’ve built to meet the scale of AI infrastructure demand,” said Adam Selipsky, co-founder and CEO of Helix.

    Selipsky runs the platform after leading Amazon Web Services through 2024, where he oversaw annual revenue reaching $100 billion. Helix chief investment officer Waldemar Szlezak heads KKR’s digital infrastructure unit globally. He previously managed telecommunications assets at Soros Fund Management.

    The Conglomerate Supply Play

    This capital injection gives Samsung an inside track on massive construction contracts outside its domestic market. Hyperscale operators face severe shortages of high-voltage power equipment, battery storage and specialised cooling gear. That bottleneck cannot be resolved by real estate capital alone. By pooling six corporate entities into one vehicle, Samsung secures a customer pipeline for its heavy industrial, battery and IT services units.

    For regional infrastructure operators and competing landlords, the tie-up raises the barrier to entry. Standalone data centre developers must now compete against private equity consortiums that bring proprietary equipment, chip partnerships and power agreements to site negotiations. The chief risk for Samsung lies in capital concentration. Matching long-duration equity to hyperscale facility leases leaves cash locked into physical assets if artificial intelligence buildout schedules slow down.

    KKR’s Expanding Footprint in Seoul

    South Korea has become a key target for KKR, which has deployed roughly $3 billion in the country this year. In August, KKR agreed to purchase a 29 percent stake in SK Horizon, the server facility arm carved out of SK Broadband. That deal was part of a KRW 3.08 trillion ($2.2 billion) joint transaction with Korean funds.

    That acquisition followed a July agreement between KKR and SK Inc to launch a renewable energy joint venture. The venture started with 1.7 gigawatts of operational capacity. It holds a stated target to expand to 10 gigawatts by 2031.

    Beyond digital infrastructure, KKR has been active across commercial property and logistics in Seoul. The firm completed the KRW 1 trillion buyout of the 427,354-square-metre Cheongna Logistics Center in Incheon from Brookfield in December, securing leases with Coupang and Emart24. It also manages office assets including Namsan Square and the Shinhan Investment headquarters.

    Regional Data Capacity Expansion

    Digital infrastructure deals across Asia Pacific have accelerated as operators race to match power and compute requirements. KKR and Singtel recently completed their buyout of ST Telemedia Global Data Centres, paying S$6.6 billion to take full control in a deal valuing the platform at S$13.8 billion ($10.9 billion). KKR holds 75 percent of that vehicle. It controls 2.3 gigawatts of design capacity across Asia and Europe.

    Helix has yet to announce its first ground-up Asian development site. Meanwhile, the operational carve-out of SK Horizon is scheduled for completion before the end of the year.

  • Samsung Fights Apple Foldable Push as Counterpoint Projects 25 per Cent Duo Share

    Samsung Fights Apple Foldable Push as Counterpoint Projects 25 per Cent Duo Share

    Samsung launched a marketing blitz across Asia and Europe on Wednesday to protect its premium smartphone business. The campaign follows Apple’s release of its first folding handset, the $1,999 iPhone Duo.

    Apple’s entry puts it in direct competition with the $1,899 Galaxy Z Fold 8. Counterpoint Research expects Apple to capture a 25 per cent global market share this year, cutting into Samsung’s projected 38 per cent share.

    Cupertino designed the Duo with a passport-style layout similar to Samsung’s latest flagship, which runs Alphabet’s Gemini artificial intelligence. Samsung fought back by booking billboards across Seoul, Tokyo and London with slogans like “Welcome to Foldables” and “The World’s Lightest Fold”. It also posted technical notes on its consumer website detailing its hinge and weight reductions.

    The Margin Fight at Two Thousand Dollars

    A narrow $100 price gap shifts the fight to hardware refinement and software ecosystems. For telecom carriers and electronics retailers across Asia, having two players at the $2,000 price point turns foldables from a show into a high-volume margin driver.

    Heavy risks sit with Samsung’s mobile division, which faces margin erosion if affluent buyers in South Korea, Japan and Greater China defect to iOS. Samsung Display supplies the folding screens for the iPhone Duo and collects component revenue on every unit sold. Even so, the handset division loses its most profitable hardware moat.

    Rivalry in Component Supply and Social Media

    Online, Samsung went on the offensive. It ran posts on X describing the Duo as “reheating our leftovers” and “So far, so same”. Apple chief executive John Ternus fired back, calling earlier foldables “like two phones awkwardly stuck together.”

    Industry analysts note that Apple waited for screen mechanics to stabilize before entering the segment. “Apple is good at getting its timing right and entering the market when a product reaches a certain level of maturity,” said Ben Wood, chief analyst at CCS Insight.

    Seven Years of Category Building

    Samsung created the commercial category in 2019 after display failures delayed the original Galaxy Fold release by several months. Over the next eight device generations, the Suwon-based company improved screen durability and expanded global distribution while battling Chinese rivals like Huawei in domestic and regional markets.

    Stores begin stocking the iPhone Duo later this month. That starts the first direct quarterly sales clash between Apple and Samsung during the peak year-end shopping season.

  • Apple to Unveil First Foldable iPhone as Sector Shipments Grow 30%

    Apple to Unveil First Foldable iPhone as Sector Shipments Grow 30%

    Apple is expected to unveil its maiden foldable iPhone at its Cupertino headquarters later on Wednesday, entering a product category where Asian rivals hold a combined 70 per cent share.

    Samsung leads the global foldable smartphone sector with a share of about 40 per cent, followed by Huawei with 30 per cent, according to research firm Counterpoint.

    The new handset is expected to adopt a wider passport-style aspect ratio geared toward video and media consumption, arriving as supply-chain advances make flexible displays more durable and less prone to creasing.

    Asian Rivals Defend Premium Dominance

    For Samsung and Huawei, Apple’s entry turns a high-margin hardware niche into an open battleground across Asian retail channels. Both manufacturers spent years refining flexible hardware, using early technical missteps to improve hinge durability and lock down premium market share in China, South Korea and Southeast Asia.

    Asian component suppliers and display manufacturers stand to gain volume as Apple scales production. The primary risk sits with Android hardware makers in the upper price tiers, who lose their sole hardware differentiator once iOS software is available on a flexible screen.

    The Long March from Early Hinges

    Chinese display maker Royole shipped the first commercial foldable device in 2018 with its outward-folding FlexPai. Samsung launched the US$2,000 Galaxy Fold in 2019, withdrawing initial review units to redesign the display before releasing refined models such as the Fold 8. Huawei followed with the Mate X in 2019, before pushing hardware boundaries further in September 2024 with a US$2,800 tri-fold model.

    Apple’s entry will surely increase competition at the premium end. However, foldables are still a very small part of the overall smartphone market, so there is room for the category to grow well beyond current volumes.

    Growth Divergence in Handset Shipments

    Foldable devices account for a single-digit percentage of total handset sales, constrained by high retail pricing and consumer doubts over long-term screen durability. Google entered the segment in 2023 with the US$1,799 Pixel Fold, while Microsoft discontinued its dual-screen Surface Duo line.

    Research firm IDC expects global foldable shipments to grow nearly 30 per cent this year, outpacing an estimated 1.4 per cent decline in standard smartphone sales as Apple unveils its device later on Wednesday.

  • HarmonyOS Hits 24 per Cent Share in China as Global Smartphone Sales Fall

    HarmonyOS Hits 24 per Cent Share in China as Global Smartphone Sales Fall

    Huawei’s HarmonyOS captured 24 per cent of China’s smartphone sales in the second quarter of 2026, squeezing Android down to 58 per cent. The domestic operating system expanded its footprint as overall worldwide smartphone shipments dropped 11 per cent year on year.

    Global handset demand contracted faster than the 4 per cent drop recorded in the first quarter, with the sharpest drops hitting budget and mid-tier devices across developing markets. Android felt the brunt of that pullback. Its worldwide sales share dropped four percentage points to 75 per cent, even with stronger sales from Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup.

    Shifts in Component Sourcing and Pricing

    Huawei insulated its handset business from rising component prices by sourcing more parts from domestic suppliers in mainland China. High demand for the Enjoy 90 Pro Max alongside steady sales of legacy models helped HarmonyOS reach a 5 per cent global volume share.

    Chinese Android manufacturers took a different path. Pinched by memory chip shortages and higher bill-of-materials expenses, brands scaled down their low-cost phone lineups to focus on higher-margin premium devices. That pivot opened room for Apple at the top end of the market.

    Apple Takes Record June Quarter Share

    Apple captured 20 per cent of worldwide sales during the three months ending June, its highest second-quarter share on record. Deliveries were anchored by the iPhone 17 family and the entry of the iPhone 17e, supported by trade-in programs and retail installment plans.

    In India, Android maintained a dominant 91 per cent volume share, leaving iOS with 9 per cent. In the United States, Apple took 51 per cent of sales against Android’s 49 per cent.

    For retailers and hardware distributors across Asia, the product mix is shifting upmarket as low-end volumes shrink. Brands are preparing their product allocations for the fourth-quarter holiday cycle, where component pricing will dictate whether entry-tier production rebounds or stays constrained.

  • TCL Sues Samsung in US Court over Alleged Mini LED Television Claims

    TCL Sues Samsung in US Court over Alleged Mini LED Television Claims

    Chinese electronics manufacturer TCL sued Samsung in Los Angeles federal court, accusing its South Korean competitor of falsely marketing standard screens as Mini LED televisions.

    The complaint targets Samsung’s M Model line, which launched in March at price points below TCL’s entry-level display range. TCL claims the rival sets contain conventional LED hardware rather than the smaller, high-contrast diodes required for true Mini LED performance.

    Dispute Over Screen Technology

    According to the filing, TCL held the lead in US Mini LED television sales between 2023 and 2025 after pricing its units below Samsung’s premium lines. TCL attorney R.C. Harlan stated that Samsung peddled a recycled product line as a supreme tier model to claw back retail buyers.

    Samsung rejected the claims on Tuesday. The company said it intends to vigorously defend itself in court and stands fully behind the accuracy of its product specifications.

    Fight for US Market Share

    Chinese display makers have steadily squeezed South Korean rivals by scaling up advanced panel manufacturing in mainland factories, driving down retail prices across Western markets. While Samsung built its dominance on premium OLED and Quantum Dot hardware, TCL used competitive Mini LED pricing to erode Samsung’s volume share in major retail chains.

    TCL is asking the court for an injunction to halt Samsung’s Mini LED marketing claims alongside unspecified monetary damages. The case now moves toward initial procedural hearings in the Central District of California.

  • Apple Leads Asian Smartphone Market as Xiaomi Expands Low-Cost Reach

    Apple Leads Asian Smartphone Market as Xiaomi Expands Low-Cost Reach

    Apple captured 21.16 per cent of Asia’s smartphone market through early 2026, leading an increasingly divided consumer hardware market across the region. Samsung held second place with 15.57 per cent, retaining its broader footprint after regaining leadership in Southeast Asia despite a 1 per cent dip in total regional shipments during 2025.

    Xiaomi secured third position across Asia with a 12.02 per cent market share, lifting its Southeast Asian shipments 4 per cent to 17 million units. Vivo and Oppo followed with 10.5 per cent and 9.8 per cent shares across Asia, while Huawei retained roughly 18 per cent of domestic shipments in mainland China.

    Social Commerce Alters Budget Device Distribution

    Digital storefronts and direct livestreams on platforms like TikTok have transformed low-cost distribution across developing markets. Xiaomi’s sub-brand POCO recorded its highest monthly volume in November 2025, moving units ranging from the $93 entry-level C71 to the $427 mid-range F7 model.

    Transsion captured 16 per cent of Southeast Asian shipments, supported by basic itel models priced below $30 that drove substantial volume in Vietnam and the Philippines. In Japan, domestic manufacturers Sony and Sharp maintained defensible positions in their home market alongside established flagship brands.

    Component Inflation Squeezes Entry-Level Margins

    Consumer demand in Asia now sits at two distinct poles: premium buyers paying top dollar for ecosystem flagships, and price-sensitive shoppers seeking maximum specifications under $100. While Apple and Samsung control the profitable high end, budget-focused manufacturers face immediate margin erosion from rising memory and storage component expenses.

    Hardware makers entering the second half of 2026 face higher bills of materials that directly threaten sub-$200 device margins. Brands operating in emerging Southeast Asian markets must decide whether to absorb these memory cost increases or risk raising retail price tags above critical affordability thresholds.

  • Asian Tech Giants Taiwan and South Korea Form AI Hardware Alliance Amid Surging Demand

    Asian Tech Giants Taiwan and South Korea Form AI Hardware Alliance Amid Surging Demand

    Long-standing technological competitors Taiwan and South Korea are joining forces to address the booming global demand for AI accelerators, the specialized hardware critical for training generative AI models. This alliance marks a significant shift from decades of intense rivalry to a necessary partnership in the digital age.

    The insatiable demand from tech giants for computing power has strained the capacity of key accelerator suppliers like Nvidia and AMD. Their products rely on an increasingly interconnected supply chain linking Taiwan and South Korea, making cooperation essential to meet the massive market need.

    Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the urgency at Computex 2026 in Taipei, personally requesting more memory wafers from South Korean firm SK Hynix. This collaboration underscores that no single country can satisfy the current scale of AI infrastructure expansion alone.

    From Intense Competition to Interdependence

    For decades, South Korea and Taiwan fiercely competed for supremacy in technologies ranging from televisions and smartphones to memory chips. Both nations, former Japanese colonies, built their economies on exports, initially focusing on labor-intensive goods before advancing to electronics. This rivalry saw Taiwanese brands like Acer and Asus compete against South Korean giants Samsung and LG.

    South Korea often pulled ahead due to the integrated structure of its conglomerates, such as Samsung, which controlled multiple stages of the supply chain. A notable example involved Samsung reportedly aiming to dominate industries where Taiwanese firms competed, though Samsung denied such a specific ‘Kill Taiwan’ strategy.

    Taiwan’s strength, however, lay in its highly specialized contract manufacturing ecosystem. Unlike South Korea’s vertically integrated companies, Taiwan developed a dense network of firms each focusing on a narrow part of the manufacturing process. This specialization allowed for greater flexibility and adaptability, enabling enduring partnerships with global tech firms like Apple, which eventually made Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) its primary chip supplier over Samsung.

    Taiwan’s AI Hardware Dominance and Future Outlook

    In the current AI era, Taiwan’s multifaceted ecosystem has proven highly advantageous. Taiwanese companies now hold dominant positions in crucial niches, from power supplies to chip packaging and advanced cooling systems. This allows global customers to select and combine suppliers, maintaining production flexibility. Nomura’s May report ranked Taiwan first globally in AI hardware production, with its AI-related exports contributing to a 15-year high economic growth of 8.7% last year.

    This economic divergence saw Taiwan surpass South Korea in GDP per capita in 2025 for the first time in over two decades. However, this has not deepened the rivalry; instead, the AI boom has fostered greater interdependence. South Korea excels in High Bandwidth Memory (HBM), with SK Hynix and Samsung together accounting for approximately 80% of global HBM production. These critical memory components are then integrated with computing chips from Taiwan’s TSMC using advanced packaging techniques, a final step in creating AI accelerators.

    This dynamic has resulted in South Korea achieving a record trade surplus with Taiwan last year. The relationship is best described as a ‘frenemy’ dynamic, driven by the sheer scale of AI demand. Despite lingering competitive sentiments, the complementary strengths of Taiwan’s contract chipmaking dominance and South Korea’s memory market stronghold make them indispensable partners in powering the next wave of artificial intelligence.

  • Chip Squeeze Drives up Smartphone Prices in India, Boosting Apple and Samsung over Chinese Rivals

    Chip Squeeze Drives up Smartphone Prices in India, Boosting Apple and Samsung over Chinese Rivals

    Rising memory chip costs are significantly impacting India’s smartphone market, leading to a surge in average selling prices and a shift in consumer preferences. The average smartphone selling price in India has reached a record $315, marking a 14.4 percent increase from the previous year, according to recent market data.

    This price inflation is particularly affecting budget-focused Chinese smartphone brands, which have historically dominated the sub-$150 segment. As cheaper chips become scarce and more expensive, these companies are forced to raise their prices, diminishing their traditional value-for-money appeal. Conversely, premium and mid-range players such as Samsung and Apple are gaining market share, partly due to improved financing options that make their higher-priced devices more accessible to consumers.

    Chinese Brands Face Mounting Pressure

    Chinese smartphone makers, including Vivo, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Realme, experienced significant declines in shipments during the June quarter. Vivo’s shipments fell by 13.9 percent, Oppo by 8.5 percent, Xiaomi by 10 percent, and Realme by 14.2 percent year-on-year, according to IDC. Only OnePlus, which caters to a higher-end segment, saw a smaller decline of 2.5 percent.

    Industry experts indicate that the era of sub-$150 smartphones is effectively over in India. New Chinese models with similar features are now expected to cost between $200 and $250, a substantial increase from their previous pricing. This pricing pressure has already led to some budget brands raising smartphone prices by up to 40 percent.

    This development is crucial for RetailNews Asia readers, as India represents one of the world’s largest and fastest-growing consumer markets. The shift towards premiumisation, driven by supply chain economics, presents both challenges and opportunities for retailers and brands operating across Asia-Pacific. As affordability dynamics change, retailers may need to adapt their product assortments and financing solutions to cater to evolving consumer demand.

    Samsung And Apple Expand Their Foothold

    In contrast to the struggles faced by Chinese brands, Samsung and Apple have demonstrated resilience and growth. In the June quarter, Samsung’s shipments rose by 0.4 percent, and Apple’s by 0.7 percent. This enabled Samsung to narrow the gap with the leading player, Vivo, increasing its market share by nearly 200 basis points. Apple also saw its market share rise by 100 basis points in the same period.

    Samsung, with its diverse portfolio spanning from $200 to over $800, is intensely competing with Vivo in the $200-$300 segment. A key advantage for Samsung is its access to in-house memory chip supplies, which mitigates some of the cost pressures affecting competitors. Many Chinese firms rely on external suppliers like MediaTek, SK Hynix, and even Samsung for their chips, making them more vulnerable to price fluctuations.

    The global memory chip shortage, exacerbated by increased demand for AI and data center applications, has driven chip prices up fourfold since September 2025, with further increases anticipated. This trend is expected to continue pushing smartphone prices higher, accelerating the Indian market’s shift towards more premium products as financing options become more prevalent for expensive handsets.

  • TSMC’s AI Chip Capacity Challenges Offer Samsung A Pricing Advantage

    TSMC’s AI Chip Capacity Challenges Offer Samsung A Pricing Advantage

    Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), a global leader in chip manufacturing, is reportedly struggling with production constraints for its advanced AI chips. These bottlenecks are primarily linked to the intricate Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) packaging technology, which is critical for high-performance computing components used in artificial intelligence.

    This production challenge at TSMC presents a strategic advantage for its main competitor, Samsung. With demand for AI chips surging and TSMC’s capacity limited, Samsung finds itself in a stronger position to negotiate higher prices for its competing memory products, particularly High Bandwidth Memory (HBM). HBM is a vital component often bundled with AI chips.

    Market Dynamics and Pricing Power

    The current situation highlights the intense competition and intricate supply chain dynamics within the semiconductor industry. As AI development accelerates, the ability to produce these complex chips and their associated components at scale becomes a major determinant of market leadership. TSMC’s temporary hurdles with CoWoS packaging could give Samsung a window to capture a larger share of the lucrative AI hardware market, at potentially more favourable pricing. This rivalry extends beyond just the foundry business into memory and packaging, where both companies are significant players.

    Implications for Asia’s Electronics Supply Chain

    For Asia’s electronics and consumer tech sectors, this dynamic is crucial. Many consumer devices, from smartphones to smart home hubs, increasingly rely on AI capabilities, which in turn depend on advanced chips and memory. A shift in pricing power or supply availability from major manufacturers like TSMC and Samsung can ripple through the entire supply chain, affecting component costs and product development timelines for brands across the region. RetailNews Asia tracks how such foundational shifts in manufacturing impact the availability and pricing of critical components for major electronics brands and, ultimately, the consumer market.

  • Misto Holdings Powers Rapid Expansion of JuunJ in Greater China with Samsung C&T Partnership

    Misto Holdings Powers Rapid Expansion of JuunJ in Greater China with Samsung C&T Partnership

    Misto Holdings is moving forward with the broadening of Korean designer brand JuunJ throughout Greater China. This expansive action comes on the heels of the premier flagship store’s grand opening in Beijing’s Sanlitun Taikoo Li on August 4th.

    A Robust Partnership

    The expansion is facilitated through a partnership between Misto and Samsung C&T Fashion Division, which is slated to manage JuunJ’s distribution across Greater China for the next decade through its subsidiaries in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

    The Beijing store marks the second location of JuunJ brought to life by Misto in the area, following the debut of another store in Chengdu Taikoo Li in Sichuan province just last month.

    Misto’s approach to this expansion is a comprehensive blend of physical retail, digital marketing, and localized brand management. They utilize their extensive experience in supporting Korean fashion brands in China to make this venture a success.

    Strengthening Presence

    “JuunJ is among the leading global designer brands of Samsung C&T Fashion Division, and our focus is on ensuring that its distinct brand value and creative identity reach consumers across Greater China,” shared a spokesperson for Misto Holdings. “In collaboration with Samsung C&T Fashion Division, we are committed to augmenting JuunJ’s regional presence while simultaneously broadening our collection of premium global fashion brands.”

    As Misto continues to leverage the solid momentum from a strong first quarter, this move comes at an opportune time. In May, the South Korean fashion and golf group reported an impressive revenue of KRW1.3 trillion (US$864.9 million), showing a 4.2% growth year on year, thanks to the significant demand for golf equipment and K-fashion brands.

    Questions & Answers

    What is the significance of Misto Holdings’ expansion?
    The expansion is a strategic move to broaden the Korean designer brand JuunJ’s presence throughout Greater China, utilizing a blend of physical and digital strategies.

    What role is Samsung C&T Fashion Division playing in this expansion?
    Samsung C&T Fashion Division is partnering with Misto Holdings to manage JuunJ’s distribution across Greater China through its subsidiaries in Shanghai and Hong Kong.

    How is Misto Holdings’ performance in the first quarter of the year?
    Misto Holdings reported solid first-quarter momentum with a revenue of KRW1.3 trillion (US$864.9 million), a 4.2% increase year on year, driven by the high demand for golf equipment and K-fashion brands.

  • Samsung’s Lee Family Wraps Up $7.95B Inheritance Tax Payment: Paves Way for Tech Investment Boom

    Samsung’s Lee Family Wraps Up $7.95B Inheritance Tax Payment: Paves Way for Tech Investment Boom

    The family of the late Chairman of the Samsung Group, Lee Kun-hee, is nearing the completion of a sizeable inheritance tax payment. The amount, approximately 12 trillion won ($7.95 billion USD), is expected to be settled later this month.

    Final Installment

    The heirs, including the Chairman’s widow Hong Ra-hee and their children Lee Jae-yong, Lee Boo-jin, and Lee Seo-hyun, will be making the sixth and concluding payment this month. This plan was initiated in 2021 after the Chairman’s passing in 2020.

    Estate Valuation

    Lee Kun-hee’s estate was estimated to be worth around 26 trillion won, comprising stocks, real estate, and art collections. Hong Ra-hee is shouldering the most significant proportion of the tax, around 3.1 trillion won. The children follow closely behind, each paying between 2.4 to 2.9 trillion won.

    Payment Strategies

    The family members navigated the tax payment through various strategies. Hong and her daughters allegedly sold shares in key Samsung affiliates like Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDS, and Samsung C&T. Hong also entered into a trust agreement earlier this year to sell 15 million Samsung Electronics in an apparent move to cover her portion of the tax.

    In contrast, Samsung Electronics Chairman Lee Jae-yong financed his share of the tax through dividends and personal loans. This approach is perceived as an attempt to maintain his influence over the group’s ownership structure, primarily centered on Samsung C&T.

    Investment Plans

    Over the past five years, the family is estimated to have received about 4 trillion won in dividends from affiliates following Lee Kun-hee’s death, and more than 6 trillion won when considering earlier dividends.

    With the tax nearly settled, the group is predicted to channel more investment into sectors like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and biopharmaceuticals. The completion of the inheritance tax payments is significant as it coincides with improved earnings at Samsung Electronics and the resolution of legal risks.

    Questions & Answers

    What was the total worth of Lee Kun-hee’s estate?
    The estate, which comprised stocks, real estate, and art collections, was estimated to be worth around 26 trillion won.

    How did the Lee family manage to pay off the inheritance tax?
    The family used various strategies to pay the tax. This included selling shares in key Samsung affiliates and gaining dividends. Lee Jae-yong also utilized personal loans.

    What is the expected future investment direction of the Samsung Group?
    With the tax nearly settled, the Samsung Group is expected to increase investment in sectors like semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and biopharmaceuticals.