While China remains far from accessing ASML’s most advanced lithography systems, it is steadily strengthening its position in domestically used semiconductor tools. According to Nikkei, Japan is already feeling the impact, with its top five chipmaking equipment manufacturers posting a 10% decline ...

After being implicated in a 2nm-related trade secrets case involving TSMC engineers, Japanese semiconductor equipment giant Tokyo Electron was also caught up in a separate controversy tied to a Chinese chip tool start-up. According to the Financial Times, Jay Chen—formerly a key figure in its Chin...

A magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck off Japan’s northeastern coast on April 20, putting renewed focus on potential disruptions to the semiconductor supply chain, given the region’s concentration of key memory production and chipmaking materials and equipment suppliers. According to ijiwei, Kiox...

As back-end processes take on a larger role in the AI chip era, advanced packaging equipment is rising in strategic importance. According to Hankyung, leading chip equipment makers—including ASML, Applied Materials, Tokyo Electron (TEL), and Lam Research—are moving decisively into the advanced p...

Rising memory prices are expected to lift production and drive stronger demand for chipmaking equipment. According to Nikkei, Toshiki Kawai, president of Tokyo Electron, said the wider adoption of AI is boosting chip demand, prompting memory makers to ramp up equipment purchases from 2026. As a resu...