electronics industry

The International Federation of Robotics reports the number of industrial robots operating in factories worldwide has exceeded five million. The milestone reflects steady automation adoption across manufacturing industries, driven by labor shortages, falling robot costs and rising demand for productivity. Coverage highlights the pace of robot deployment in sectors such as automotive, electronics and logistics, and what continued growth could mean for industrial employment.

China installed 59% of all industrial robots deployed worldwide in 2025, underscoring its dominance in factory automation. The figure highlights how far the country has pulled ahead of other manufacturing economies in adopting robotics, driven by large-scale investment in its electronics, automotive and general industries sectors as it pushes to offset a shrinking workforce.

The global fleet of industrial robots operating in factories has reached five million units, a milestone in the automation of manufacturing. The figure reflects years of steady adoption across industries such as automotive, electronics and logistics, with strong demand from major manufacturing economies. Observers see it as evidence of how deeply robotics has become embedded in modern production lines.

Samsung Electronics said high-bandwidth memory is expected to account for nearly 30% of the industry's DRAM production capacity next year, underscoring how demand from AI data centers is reshaping the memory market. The projection highlights the rapid shift of manufacturing capacity toward HBM, a technology used alongside AI accelerators from the likes of Nvidia, and signals intensifying competition in the segment.

Foxconn and Alter have formed a new joint venture, Beijing Futekang, to build a mass production platform for humanoid robots. The move ties Foxconn's large-scale manufacturing capability to the fast-growing humanoid robotics sector, positioning the partners to industrialise robot assembly much as Foxconn did for consumer electronics. Industry watchers see it as a signal that humanoid robots are moving from prototypes toward volume production in China.

The worldwide stock of operational industrial robots has reached a record 5 million units, according to industry reporting. The milestone underlines the continued rapid adoption of automation in manufacturing, driven by labour shortages, falling robot costs and rising demand across automotive, electronics and logistics sectors. Analysts say the figure reflects sustained double-digit annual installations, with Asia accounting for the largest share of the installed base.

Sony is reportedly withdrawing from CES 2027, breaking an unbroken presence at the consumer electronics show that dates back to 1967. The move, reported by gadget outlet Gadget Review, would mark the first time in nearly six decades that the Japanese electronics and entertainment giant is absent from the Las Vegas event, prompting questions about its trade-show strategy.

Sony will not attend CES 2027, according to an Engadget report, as the company shifts its focus toward entertainment. The move marks a notable absence for one of the tech show's longtime exhibitors and signals Sony's growing emphasis on gaming, film, music and other content businesses over traditional consumer electronics showcases.

Sony will not take part in CES 2027, with reports saying the company is shifting its priorities toward entertainment content rather than the hardware showcases the trade show is known for. The move marks a notable departure from one of the tech industry's biggest stages and fits Sony's broader emphasis on games, music, film and other media businesses.

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) and Agfa have announced an agreement to combine EFI with Agfa's Digital Printing & Solutions business, creating a global, full-service industrial inkjet company. The merger pairs EFI's digital printing platforms with Agfa's inkjet technology and consumables. Industry watchers see it as a bid to consolidate scale in industrial printing amid competitive pressure.

Electronics For Imaging (EFI) and Agfa have announced a combination of EFI with Agfa's Digital Printing Solutions business, creating a larger player in industrial and digital printing technology. The deal brings together EFI's print software, inkjet and Fiery platforms with Agfa's printing systems and chemistry operations. Industry watchers are weighing the competitive impact on the digital printing market.

South Korean semiconductor startup Mobilint has announced partnerships with LG, Doosan Robotics and Daedong to supply its on-device AI chips. The deals would embed Mobilint's neural processing technology directly into products spanning consumer electronics, industrial robots and agricultural machinery, allowing AI tasks to run locally without cloud connections. The move highlights South Korea's push to build a domestic edge-AI chip industry to compete with global players.

The Korea Electrotechnology Research Institute (KERI) has developed a technology for directly coating carbon onto substrates, according to a report by DongA Science. The technique could simplify manufacturing processes that currently rely on more complex carbon deposition methods, with potential applications in electronics and energy materials.

Australian consumer electronics retailer JB Hi-Fi has selected Vusion, the retail technology platform, to advance its connected store strategy. The announcement, carried via PR Newswire, signals JB Hi-Fi's investment in digital in-store infrastructure and smarter retail operations. Details on the scope, timeline and financial terms of the partnership were not disclosed in the initial release.

The Pentagon has joined a $134 million funding round for a startup working to produce U.S.-made iron for rare-earth magnets, the Wall Street Journal reports. The investment signals Washington's push to build a domestic supply chain for critical magnet materials, which are currently dominated by China and are essential to weapons systems, electric vehicles and electronics.

Samsung Electronics is reshaping its next-generation DRAM roadmap by elevating B1b wafer-to-wafer hybrid bonding to become the core technology behind its D0a node, according to DigiTimes Asia. The move signals Samsung's effort to stay competitive in advanced memory as the industry pushes toward denser, more power-efficient DRAM for AI and data-center demand.

LT Game has introduced its new electronic table game 'Crapless Craps', a range of slot titles, and its entertainment platform Livo at the G2E trade show in Las Vegas. The rollout marks the company's push to expand its product line beyond its established offerings, showcasing new gaming content and digital entertainment options to casino industry buyers and operators attending the event.

Microchip Technology has introduced new 10BASE-T1S chips aimed at zonal vehicle designs, a wiring approach that groups car electronics into zones rather than using traditional point-to-point cabling. The single-pair Ethernet components are intended to help automakers cut cabling weight and simplify in-vehicle networks, part of a broader industry shift toward software-defined, zonal electrical architectures.

Japanese robotics giants Fanuc and Yaskawa Electric are accelerating a shift of manufacturing away from China toward the United States, according to Nikkei Asia. The move is driven by surging demand for factory automation tied to the AI boom, as well as trade tensions and supply chain pressures. Both companies are key global suppliers of industrial robots used in electronics and automotive production.