With Xi Jinping yet to commit to attending, or even sending a delegation, how significant is the possible non-attendance by China at COP26, the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties? Publicly, COP26 president Alok Sharma has acknowledged that China will have to be a “key” part of any agreement, and that the “ball..

China, the world’s largest vehicle market, is expected to sell 1.7 million new energy vehicles (NEVs) in the first eight months of this year, up from 600,000 units in the same period last year. The figures were included in comments made by Xin Guobin, vice minister at China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, at..

“TSMC”: these four letters represent for the global semiconductor industry the pinnacle of achievement in foundry services, the contractual manufacturing of semiconductor chips for those companies who choose to remain ‘fabless’, safe in the knowledge that TSMC, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company, will get the job done on terms that suit their business model.   Under..

China’s National People’s Congress (NPC), or “two sessions” (“lianghui”), took place last month, with passage of the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-25) headlining the agenda. Although wide-ranging in scope, the “14FYP” is where we look for clues to China’s evolving plans for its high-tech base.   First, basic research in technology is to receive significant prioritisation,..

Childhood dreams don’t always evolve into reality, but for Hong Konger “Queenie” Hoi Shan Chan, the calling was always science, and that’s how her journey has proceeded. After a glamorous-sounding spell as a “Fellow” at NASA’s Johnson Space Center (JSC), she’s now back in academe, teaching at universities in the UK, namely the Open University..

As reported in Reuters on 8th Feb 2021, the global chip shortage is being acutely felt in particular by automotive manufacturers, from General Motors to Stellantis and Honda Motor, who are shutting assembly lines due to the shortages. Some auto firms have also furloughed staff. Eight-inch chip manufacturing plants owned mostly by Asian firms, which..

Says the report, which was also cited in the China Economic Review, the Shanghai government is aiming to achieve “scaled production” of 12-nanometer semiconductors this year, as part of the nationwide effort to strengthen domestic production. Underpinning this strategy appears to be a move to cut reliance on imported chips amid ongoing US sanctions that..

Lisa Su, currently CEO and President of Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), has an impressive versatility that allows her to be both an electrical engineer and a successful businessperson. Born in Tainan, Taiwan, Su emigrated to the US aged three, later studying at the renowned Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), majoring in Electrical Engineering. Her focus..