Global Semiconductor Industry Updates

1. SoftBank has acquired Ampere Semiconductor for approximately $6.5 billion.

2. Japanese IC substrate giant Ibiden is facing a significant profit slump, with its stock price crashing and hitting the daily limit down on February 5th.

3. Rapidus is progressing smoothly with its factory construction and plans to begin trial production of 2nm chips in April this year.

4. Singapore has committed to increasing its investments in areas such as semiconductors and AI to $10 billion, with these investments expected to create 18,700 jobs over the next five years.

5. According to reports, Apple has started mass production of the M5 chip using TSMC's N3P process technology.

6. South Korean government departments have temporarily banned officials from using DeepSeek, a Chinese AI startup, due to security concerns.

China Semiconductor Industry Updates

1. Antitrust authorities in mainland China are preparing to investigate Apple’s App Store policies and the fees it charges to app developers.

2. Taiwanese passive component giant Yageo has acquired a 3.1 billion RMB stake in the Japanese listed company Shibaura Electronics to accelerate its sensor business.

3. Yesterday, Slkor’s 2024 annual sales summary meeting was successfully held. During the meeting, the Slkor team reviewed the strengths and areas for improvement in 2024, while also gearing up for an ambitious 2025.

4. Beitong Integration has increased its capital by 199,900%, with its registered capital soaring from 10 million RMB to 20 billion RMB.

5. China has successfully verified power devices made from third-generation semiconductor materials in space.

6. According to a statement on the website of the State Administration for Market Regulation, Google (USA) is under investigation for suspected violations of the Anti-Monopoly Law of the People's Republic of China.