Toray Advanced Materials Completes PPS Unit 2 at Saemangeum National Industrial Complex
Toray Advanced Materials held the ‘Gunsan Plant PPS-2 Completion Ceremony’, which will lead the company to become a key base for the future advanced materials industry, at the Saemangeum National Industrial Complex on the 31st.
The newly completed PPS-2 is a new production line that was completed after signing an investment agreement in 2022 and holding a groundbreaking ceremony in 2023.
PPS (polyphenylene sulfide) is a high-strength, heat-resistant, and lightweight material that can replace metal in various industrial fields such as electric vehicles, semiconductors, and electronic components, and is attracting attention as a key advanced material in the carbon-neutral era.
New Risen, a semiconductor cleanroom filter company, has begun listing and applied for a technology evaluation.
According to financial investment industry sources on the 31st, New Risen applied for a technology evaluation for a technology-specific listing on the KOSDAQ market in mid-month. Its goal is to obtain ratings of “A” and “BBB” or higher from two professional rating agencies and apply for preliminary listing review early next year. Daishin Securities is leading the listing process.
New Risen specializes in next-generation filter materials. Founded in 2020 by CEO Seungwook Lee, a former researcher at a large corporation’s environmental facilities research institute, New Risen aims to develop high-performance air conditioning filters. Its flagship product is “Durafiltex,” a next-generation filter material that combines a 50nm-scale nanofiltration layer with an electrostatic filtration layer.
Qualcomm Announces AI Semiconductor Launch, Using Cost-Effective DRAM Instead of HBM
Qualcomm announced on the 27th (local time) that it will release its next-generation AI accelerators, the ‘AI200’ and ‘AI250’, in 2027 and 2028, respectively. This is about a year earlier than originally planned, marking a full-scale entry into the AI chip market currently dominated by Nvidia.
Qualcomm is a company focused on semiconductors for mobile and communications. Most top-of-the-line Android smartphones feature Qualcomm chips, demonstrating its exceptional semiconductor design capabilities.
In particular, this product features the use of lower-priced LPDDR (low-power DRAM) instead of HBM (high-bandwidth memory), which is commonly found in AI accelerators.
Intel in Preliminary Negotiations to Acquire AI Chip Startup
Bloomberg News reported on the 30th (local time) that Intel is in preliminary talks to acquire the American artificial intelligence (AI) semiconductor startup SambaNova Systems.
Founded in 2017 by Stanford University professors, SambaNova is developing custom AI chips that can compete with Nvidia’s products. Intel CEO Lipbu Tan served as SambaNova’s board chairman and continued to serve as its chairman after joining Intel.
SK Hynix begins delivering its first M15X equipment to Cheongju.
SK Hynix has opened its first cleanroom, the M15X in Cheongju, and has begun full-scale equipment installation. M15X is an expansion fab of its M15 fab, which the company is investing over 20 trillion won in to meet growing HBM demand.
The M15X line is scheduled for completion in the fourth quarter of this year and is expected to begin producing key products, including next-generation DRAM and HBM, next year. SK Hynix has been placing equipment orders for the M15X line since late last year and through this year.
The M15X is also expected to feature extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography equipment. This essential equipment for drawing ultra-fine circuits is exclusively supplied by ASML in the Netherlands.
Amazon to Invest an Additional 7 Trillion Won in Korean Cloud Infrastructure by 2031
Amazon Web Services (AWS) announced on the 29th a plan to invest an additional 7 trillion won in expanding Korea’s cloud infrastructure by 2031.
This is the largest investment plan ever announced by a global cloud service provider in Korea. AWS has invested 5.6 trillion won to date. Upon completion of additional investments, the cumulative investment is expected to reach 12.6 trillion won (approximately $9 billion).
AWS plans to expand its AI and cloud computing technology capabilities through this investment and strengthen the foundation for Korean companies to adopt generative AI and agentic AI.
NVIDIA strengthens AI alliance with Korea, prioritizing supply of 260,000 GPUs.
NVIDIA CEO Jensen Huang announced on the 31st that the company will provide 260,000 GPUs (graphics processing units), essential for AI development, to the Korean government and companies. This suggests that the “AI alliance” between NVIDIA, the world’s largest AI company, and South Korea has been strengthened following the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) meeting in Gyeongju.
NVIDIA plans to supply a total of 260,000 GPUs to the Ministry of Science and ICT, Samsung Electronics, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group, and Naver. Naver will receive 60,000 GPUs, and the remaining companies will receive 50,000 each. This is more than five times the number of NVIDIA GPUs currently in operation in Korea (45,000). Considering that the latest Blackwell B200 GPU costs $30,000 to $40,000 per unit, the total value is expected to be between $7.8 billion and $10.4 billion (approximately 14.8 trillion won).
The Bolt, launched by GM from the beginning of its electric vehicle business. /Photo = GM
GM to cut 3,300 jobs at Detroit plant and other locations
On the 29th (local time), the Wall Street Journal (WSJ) reported that GM plans to lay off more than 3,300 workers at its plants in Michigan, Ohio, and Tennessee in response to slowing demand for electric vehicles. Of these, 1,700 will be laid off indefinitely, with 1,500 expected to return around mid-2026.
Looking at each plant, Ultium Cells, a battery joint venture between GM and LG Energy Solution, will halt operations at its battery plants in Warren, Ohio, and Spring Hill, Tennessee, starting January 5th of next year, before resuming production in mid-next year. This will result in indefinite layoffs of 1,400 workers at the Warren plant and temporary layoffs of 710 workers at the Spring Hill plant.
SK On: “US EV battery plant to be converted to ESS sequentially… Investment to be halved next year.”
SK On is sequentially converting its electric vehicle battery production line at its U.S. plant to ESS (Energy Storage Systems) to meet North American demand. To ensure profitability, the company plans to reduce next year’s investment by 50% compared to this year.
At SK Innovation’s third-quarter earnings briefing held on the 31st, SK On said, “Demand for ESS in the U.S. continues to rise, and market opportunities are expected to increase further,” and “We are discussing ESS supply contracts of up to 10 gigawatt hours (GWh) or more with multiple customers.”
Hyundai Motor Company Launches Elecio, a Strategic Electric Vehicle for China
Hyundai Motor Company announced on the 30th that it has unveiled the Elecio, a strategic electric SUV (sports utility vehicle) aimed at Chinese consumers. Based on Hyundai’s dedicated electric vehicle platform, E-GMP, the Elecio offers a luxurious ride and enhanced safety with a durable body structure.
It also has an 88.1kWh battery, which allows it to travel 722km on a single charge (based on CLTC), and can charge the battery from 30% to 80% in approximately 27 minutes.
BYD’s performance also faltered amid intensifying competition in the Chinese electric vehicle market, with sales and net profit declining for the first time in five years.
According to major foreign media outlets on the 31st, BYD announced the previous day that it recorded 194.9 billion yuan (approximately 39 trillion won) in revenue and 7.8 billion yuan (approximately 1.56 trillion won) in net profit for the third quarter of this year. These figures represent a 3% and 33% decrease, respectively, compared to the same period last year. This figure significantly falls short of analyst forecasts compiled by Bloomberg (revenue of 215.9 billion yuan and net profit of 9.6 billion yuan). The Nikkei explained that this is the first time since the first quarter of 2020 that both revenue and net profit have declined simultaneously.
Third-quarter automobile sales also fell 2% year-on-year to 1.11 million units. September sales declined for the first time in five years.
Lucid, the US electric car company, is developing autonomous driving based on the NVIDIA platform.
American electric vehicle company Lucid announced on the 28th (local time) that it will develop a fully autonomous vehicle that does not require driver intervention by incorporating NVIDIA’s artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Lucid plans to release a vehicle equipped with ‘Level 4’ autonomous driving functions based on the ‘DRIVE AGX Thor’ platform developed by NVIDIA within a few years.
“We are now taking the next step by combining cutting-edge AI with Lucid’s exceptional engineering capabilities to bring the smartest and safest autonomous vehicles to the road,” said Marc Winterhoff, Lucid’s interim CEO.
POSCO FutureM’s Q3 earnings rebound… Has the electric vehicle chasm bottomed out?
On the 27th, POSCO Future M announced that it recorded sales of KRW 874.8 billion and operating profit of KRW 66.7 billion for the third quarter of this year. While sales decreased 5.2% year-on-year, operating profit surged 4,773.5% during the same period.
By business division, the Energy Materials Business, which manufactures battery materials such as cathode and anode materials, recorded sales of KRW 533.4 billion and operating profit of KRW 47.4 billion. Sales decreased 8.5% year-on-year, but surged 69.1% quarter-on-quarter. Operating profit, in particular, marked the strongest performance since the KRW 77.8 billion recorded in the third quarter of 2022. The Basic Materials Business, including refractories, recorded sales of KRW 341.4 billion and operating profit of KRW 19.3 billion.
Hyundai Motor: “The US electric vehicle market will recover to some extent after 2030.”
Hyundai Motor Company analyzed the U.S. electric vehicle market on the 30th, saying, “While the U.S. market will not experience explosive growth in the short term, the electric vehicle market will recover to some extent after 2030.” During the third-quarter earnings conference call that day, Hyundai Motor Company stated, “We believe that recovery will occur at some point.”
Hyundai said, “Sales of electric vehicles (in the U.S.) temporarily surged as we stepped up promotions to reduce inventory in September after the IRA subsidy was withdrawn,” adding, “Sales of electric vehicles in Europe should continue through 2027 and 2028, but there are environmental regulations.”
NVIDIA Drive Orin./Photo = NVIDIA
Hyundai Motor and NVIDIA Join Forces for Physical AI, Collaborating on Autonomous Driving and Robotics
Hyundai Motor Group and NVIDIA announced on the 31st at the APEC held in Gyeongju, Gyeongsangbuk-do that they will strengthen their cooperation for innovation in the fields of autonomous vehicles, smart factories, and robotics by introducing a new AI factory based on the next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) chip, ‘NVIDIA Blackwell.’
Hyundai Motor Group and NVIDIA emphasized that they are moving beyond their existing partnership of software platforms and infrastructure to a new stage of collaboration called “joint innovation in physical AI technology.” Physical AI is an AI technology that collects data using hardware such as sensors in not only virtual environments but also real-world environments, such as autonomous driving, smart factories, and robotics, enabling machines to make autonomous decisions.
Lotte Innovation Unveils 40km/h Autonomous Shuttle at Tokyo Mobility Show
Lotte Innovation announced on the 31st that it participated in the ‘2025 Japan Mobility Show’ held at Tokyo Big Sight in Japan from the 30th of this month to the 9th of next month.
Held since 1954, the Mobility Show is considered one of the world’s top five motor shows, along with the Detroit Motor Show and the Geneva Motor Show. Companies showcase future mobility technologies, including autonomous driving and electric vehicle charging.
Specifically, the company operated the Show Lotte Pavilion and introduced the Type B autonomous shuttle, a “driverless” vehicle. The company’s autonomous vehicles received the first temporary operating permit in Korea in 2021 and are currently operating in collaboration with local governments in Jeju, Gangneung, Gyeongju, Gunsan, and Suncheon. In October of last year, the Type B became the first to receive a permit for operating at 40 km/h.
Seoul Robotics and Hanwha to Build a Self-Driving City
Seoul Robotics, a logistics autonomous driving solutions company, announced on the 31st that it has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the Ulsan Complex City Development Corporation to build autonomous driving infrastructure within Ulsan’s “New On City.” The agreement aims to transform New On City into a future-oriented autonomous driving city by applying artificial intelligence (AI)-based smart mobility technology throughout the city.
Seoul Robotics plans to build a smart mobility infrastructure that efficiently manages logistics and transportation movement on urban roads and industrial facilities, centered around the “Level 5 Control Tower,” a core autonomous driving control technology.
StradVision, a self-driving software company, has submitted an application for preliminary review for listing on KOSDAQ.
StradVision, a company specializing in artificial intelligence (AI)-based image recognition software, announced on the 30th that it had submitted a preliminary application for listing under the KOSDAQ Technology Special Listing System to the Korea Exchange. KB Securities is the lead underwriter for the listing.
StradVision is a company that develops and supplies deep learning-based perception software for autonomous driving and advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It has received high evaluations for the completeness of its core technologies, level of commercialization, and market competitiveness, and has received A and BBB ratings from two technology evaluation agencies, respectively.
StradVision’s flagship product, SVNet, is a deep learning-based recognition software that analyzes images input from vehicle-mounted cameras in real time to recognize various objects on the road, such as pedestrians, vehicles, lanes, and traffic lights.
A panoramic view of LG Display’s Paju plant. / Photo = LG Display
Apple’s next-generation iPad mini will feature water resistance, but OLED technology is expected to drive up prices.
On the 29th (local time), IT media PhoneArena reported that Apple plans to change the iPad mini’s external design to improve its water resistance. Previously released iPad minis have not received official waterproof certification, putting them at risk of damage if exposed to water.
According to reports, Apple plans to eliminate speaker holes by introducing vibration-transmitting speaker technology to prevent water ingress. This approach, rather than relying on adhesive or rubber seals like the iPhone, would improve maintainability and repairability by altering the internal design.
The next-generation iPad mini is expected to be released in 2026, and there’s speculation that it might adopt an OLED panel. The switch from LCD to OLED could result in deeper blacks, more vivid colors, and improved contrast ratio.
LGD: “Large OLED panel shipments expected to reach mid-6 million units this year.”
LG Display announced its third-quarter earnings conference call on the 30th, stating, “This year’s large-size organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel shipment target is expected to reach the mid-6 million units, up from the early 6 million units last year.” LG Display is gradually increasing its large-size OLED panel shipments by around 500,000 units annually.
LG Display said, “We are targeting to exceed 7 million units (for large OLED panel shipments) next year.”
TopRun Total Solutions signs a KRW 150 billion supply contract with Taiwan’s Global Company.
Toprun Total Solutions, an automotive display manufacturing company, announced on the 30th that its Vietnamese subsidiary signed a 150 billion won contract with Taiwanese global display company A to supply backlight units (BLU) and module assemblies (MA, assembled products/semi-finished products) for the Slim Cluster 9.9 project.
Toprun Total Solutions will supply a total of 7.5 million vehicle cluster display modules to Company A from 2027 to 2032. The Slim Cluster BLU·MA is a product line that combines high-resolution, slim design to increase interior space efficiency and maximize dashboard design flexibility.
Source: Kipost.net
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