AI adoption is accelerating, prompting global cloud providers to step up data center investment. Alibaba Cloud, the cloud computing arm of Alibaba, announced a new round of global infrastructure expansion at the 2026 Apsara Conference, with plans to broaden its data center footprint across eight countries and regions over the next 12 months.
South Korea's major semiconductor, display, and electronics parts factories are staying open through the Chuseok holiday as AI-driven memory demand and new Apple iPhone panel production keep lines running. Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix are continuing output at key plants, while display and MLCC makers are also maintaining round-the-clock operations.
Anthropic will open its Singapore office in October, making it the company's fifth office in the Asia-Pacific region after Tokyo, Bengaluru, Seoul, and Sydney. The move underscores the AI company's push into Singapore as demand for Claude surges across startups, large enterprises, and government agencies.
Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit to the US is heightening anxiety across the global auto industry, where suppliers, dealers, and lawmakers fear it could open the door to Chinese carmakers in America. For readers worldwide, the issue matters because it could reshape EV pricing, supply chains, jobs, and trade tensions far beyond the US market.
GMI Technology, a Taiwan-based electronics component distributor and application solutions provider, said its AI computing rental business is booming, with strong demand from US technology companies for computing power. The company said large users tend to secure computing capacity through long-term contracts, leaving the market short of supply.
Japan's Leading-edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC) is building a public-private-academic framework around Rapidus, which plans to mass-produce 2-nanometer chips in 2027, to advance next-generation semiconductor research and talent development and give Japan a unique edge in the global race for advanced process technology.
The US and China are moving toward different models for governing increasingly capable artificial intelligence, even as the US proposes a limited safety mechanism with China ahead of President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping's September 24 summit in Washington. AI is expected to be among the issues discussed at the meeting.
