Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (NYSE:TSM) is all set for full-capacity production in the U.S. and Germany after commercializing its debut Japanese chip plant in Kikuyo, Kumamoto Prefecture, last December.

Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics will cut less than 5% of its global workforce, amounting to fewer than 1,000 positions, as it grapples with sluggish demand for its chips.

A Bloomberg story that the Bank of Japan might lift its inflation forecast due to rice and the yen had an impact, sending the dollar lower vs. the yen. The question is whether the central bank lifts interest rates later this month.

Uniqlo owner Fast Retailing slumped 6.5 percent following its disappointing earnings report. Among the top gainers, Nvidia supplier Advantest soared 5.1 percent.

Ibiden, a supplier of Nvidia for chip package substrates, may need to increase production capacity to meet robust demand from AI chip customers.

TSMC, the world’s largest contract chipmaker, launched a semiconductor manufacturing business called JASM Inc. in Japan three years ago. It’s a joint venture with Sony Group Corp. and Denso Corp., a major auto parts supplier. TSMC broke ground on the Kumamoto fab in April 2022 and completed construction earlier this year.

Nvidia's high-profile CEO, Jensen Huang, made a splash on Monday night when he unveiled in his keynote speech a series of new products, including a $3,000 personal AI computer that will be powered by the highly sought-after Blackwell chip.

U.S. stock futures leaned lower Friday on concern over possible export restrictions on Nvidia, ahead of key data on the jobs market. Dow Jones Industrial Average futures fell 41 points, or 0.1%, to 42837. S&P 500 futures dropped 17 points, or 0.3%, to 5942.

In the high-tech universe, there is a single common road that top-flight companies like Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA), Advanced Micro Devices (NASDAQ: AMD), Apple (NASDAQ: AAPL), Qualcomm (NASDAQ: QCOM), Broadcom (NASDAQ: AVGO),

Taiwan only expects a small impact from any tariffs imposed by the incoming government of US President-elect Donald Trump on semiconductor exports given their technological superiority, Economy Minister Kuo Jyh-huei (郭智輝) said today.

SMIC’s stock rally shows – at least to mainland investors – that China can build a self-sufficient semiconductor ecosystem. But the reality could be different.