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Google's months-long delay in shipping Gemini 3.5 Pro is hardening a view among investors and its own researchers that the company is slipping behind Anthropic and OpenAI in the contest that increasingly defines frontier AI: writing software. The setback has renewed questions about whether the search giant's sprawling structure is now a liability in a fast-moving race.
China used the opening of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai to institutionalize its bid to shape global governance of artificial intelligence (AI), with President Xi Jinping unveiling a package of measures aimed at the developing world and endorsing a new Shanghai-based intergovernmental body. The push positions Beijing as a self-styled champion of the "Global South" on AI at a moment of intensifying rivalry with the US over who writes the rules for the technology.

Vietnam has opened direct access to green electricity for companies, easing a major obstacle for Foxconn and its suppliers as global electronics makers shift production away from China. The change could help global supply chains expand in Vietnam while also increasing pressure on the country's power system, renewable capacity, and environmental management.

Power semiconductor makers say prices are still being adjusted as upstream raw material costs rise and AI-driven high-margin products crowd out capacity. With supply tight across the chain, customers are now focusing on securing shipments first, even as new price-hike notices arrive in the third quarter of 2026.

Nvidia unveils Thor-based modules for robots and edge AI
Jul 17, 11:55

Nvidia has introduced new Thor-based modules aimed at powering robots and autonomous machines as they move into broader commercial use. The launch reflects rising global demand for compact, efficient AI hardware that can run advanced foundation models on-device, helping businesses deploy smarter systems with lower latency and reduced reliance on the cloud.

Chinese DRAM maker ChangXin Memory Technology's (CXMT) IPO has entered its final stage, drawing close market attention. PC supply chain sources said the US had briefly planned to add CXMT to its entity list but had not announced it, and that easing US-China tensions, along with reports that Apple had tested CXMT memory and lobbied the US government, had signaled a possible green light and triggered a rush of orders from brands, with shipments reportedly booked through the end of 2027.
Hygon forecasts higher first-half 2026 revenue and profit
Jul 17, 11:42
Hygon Information Technology said its first-half 2026 results are expected to rise sharply, signaling continued demand for domestic high-end chips as AI, cloud computing, and localization trends reshape technology supply chains for global customers, investors, and competitors. The company said the forecast is preliminary and unaudited.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) posted record second-quarter earnings for 2026, issued third-quarter revenue guidance above market expectations, and raised its full-year US dollar revenue growth forecast to more than 40%. The company also increased its 2026 capital expenditure guidance to US$60-64 billion. However, investors focused more closely on its softer gross margin outlook for the third quarter, the additional US$100 billion investment planned for Arizona, and the company's evolving global manufacturing strategy.

The European Commission has issued binding measures requiring Alphabet's Google to open key Android features to competing AI assistants and share parts of its Google Search data with rival search engines, marking one of the bloc's most significant efforts yet to curb the market power of Big Tech under the Digital Markets Act (DMA).

Microsoft is reportedly preparing to launch a new AI cybersecurity product designed to identify software vulnerabilities and automatically fix them, as the company expands its push into AI-driven enterprise security.

Noetra has launched full-scale R&D for a Japan-developed multimodal foundation model, a move that could shape the future of AI robots, industrial automation, and so-called physical AI worldwide. The project highlights Japan's push for sovereign AI, with implications for how countries build and control advanced AI infrastructure and data.