Uber Ordered to Pay $8.5 Million in Bellwether Sexual Assault Lawsuit 
OpenAI Expands Enterprise AI Strategy With Major Hiring Push Ahead of New Business Offering 
Anthropic Eyes $350 Billion Valuation as AI Funding and Share Sale Accelerate 
TrumpRx Website Launches to Offer Discounted Prescription Drugs for Cash-Paying Americans 
Instagram Outage Disrupts Thousands of U.S. Users 
Nasdaq Proposes Fast-Track Rule to Accelerate Index Inclusion for Major New Listings 
Nintendo Shares Slide After Earnings Miss Raises Switch 2 Margin Concerns 
SoftBank Shares Slide After Arm Earnings Miss Fuels Tech Stock Sell-Off 
Prudential Financial Reports Higher Q4 Profit on Strong Underwriting and Investment Gains 
Sony Q3 Profit Jumps on Gaming and Image Sensors, Full-Year Outlook Raised 
Toyota’s Surprise CEO Change Signals Strategic Shift Amid Global Auto Turmoil 
Baidu Approves $5 Billion Share Buyback and Plans First-Ever Dividend in 2026 
FDA Targets Hims & Hers Over $49 Weight-Loss Pill, Raising Legal and Safety Concerns 
Nvidia Nears $20 Billion OpenAI Investment as AI Funding Race Intensifies 
Tencent Shares Slide After WeChat Restricts YuanBao AI Promotional Links 
Once Upon a Farm Raises Nearly $198 Million in IPO, Valued at Over $724 Million 
SpaceX Seeks FCC Approval for Massive Solar-Powered Satellite Network to Support AI Data Centers 
Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are expected to benefit from the U.S. government's plan to tighten regulations on Chinese legacy chips. The move aims to prohibit American defense companies from importing semiconductors from China. Securities analysts have predicted this development.
U.S. Department of Commerce Launches Survey
Last Thursday, the U.S. Department of Commerce announced its intention to conduct a survey in January. Korea Times reported that the survey will identify how American companies in critical industries source chips from China, specifically those with a size of 28 nanometers or larger.
According to the Korea Herald, The department aims to mitigate national security risks associated with China.
The upcoming measure is seen as a preemptive attempt to prevent Chinese firms from dominating the U.S. semiconductor market. This follows their success in the American steelmaking and solar power sectors.
The Korean government is monitoring the potential impacts of the U.S. restriction on domestic companies. The Ministry of Trade, Industry, and Energy stated that they have strengthened cooperation with the U.S. and other major countries, to stabilize the semiconductor supply chain.
Positive Outlook for Samsung and SK
Market observers anticipate that the U.S. restrictions will primarily affect the exports of Chinese chipmakers. On the other hand, Samsung and SK hynix are expected to benefit from increased sales of their stocks of legacy DRAMs and NAND flash chips.
Kim Dong-won, an analyst at KB Securities, predicts that American companies will reduce their reliance on Chinese products to avoid regulatory uncertainties. The forthcoming U.S. measure is believed to target YMTC, CXMT, and SMIC, potentially exempting Chinese Samsung and SK hynix factories.
The forthcoming regulation aims to restrict YMTC's share in the U.S. NAND flash market. This move is expected to contribute to the growth of Samsung and SK's NAND businesses during the second half of next year.
China's foreign ministry spokesman, Wang Wenbing, expressed criticism towards the U.S., accusing it of "weaponizing" trade issues. China urges the U.S. to respect international trade regulations.
Photo: SK Hynix Newsroom
