On January 12, 2026, Japan's scientific drilling vessel Chikyu slowly departed port, heading toward the waters near Minamitorishima Island, about 1,900km southeast of Honshu. This mission is not merely a scientific expedition but a critical test tied to Japan's national economic security and the restructuring of global critical mineral supply chains

In August 2024, the US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) finalized three Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) standards, known as FIPS 203, 204, and 205. These standards incorporate ML-KEM algorithms for key exchange and encryption, along with ML-DSA and SLH-DSA algorithms for digital signatures. Industry leaders are actively integrating these algorithms into web browsers, operating systems, and hardware products to prepare defenses against anticipated quantum-computer-enabled cyberattacks

The development of quantum computing is increasingly taking on the character of a global arms race. Nations and corporations that secure an early lead stand to gain outsized strategic advantages. Quantum computers promise breakthroughs in drug discovery, advanced materials and industrial design. They could accelerate the training and optimization of artificial intelligence models and dramatically enhance military capabilities

If today's AI data centers are blazing "powder kegs" of heat, IBM was the visionary that prepared the "fire extinguisher" half a century ago. While Nvidia's top chips now require water cooling to operate, few realize that this technology's "biological father" actually dates back to IBM in the 1960s. Today, we explore this groundbreaking US patent 3,524,497 ("Patent 497") and its blue-cooling revolution spanning over 50 years

At the opening of his keynote, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang delivered a stark message: the world's US$10 trillion computing infrastructure is entering a fundamental modernization phase, driven by two platform shifts unfolding in parallel

The US AI sector stands at a crossroads. After years of breakneck infrastructure expansion, cracks are beginning to show in the financial foundation supporting this boom

The global economic landscape underwent three major transformations in 2025: the Great Rebalancing, the evolution of the AI supercycle, and a US industrial revival driven by national security considerations

Two-dimensional (2D) materials were once regarded as important candidates for extending semiconductor scaling. Because they are only an atom thick, they are theoretically very suitable for fabricating extremely small, ultra-low-power transistors. However, once these ideas move into advanced logic processes, challenges begin to surface. The problem lies in the fact that using 2D materials to fabricate FETs requires process control that is nearly at the single-atom level

The rapid growth of generative AI and large-scale models has significantly increased power consumption in computing chips, pushing thermal management into critical focus. High-end AI accelerators now consume power at kilowatt levels, producing concentrated heat fluxes that challenge existing cooling methods, potentially limiting performance and reliability across data center systems

The isolation of graphene in 2004 sparked widespread expectations that two-dimensional (2D) materials could fundamentally reshape electronic devices. Graphene and transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs) have since enabled progress in niche applications and research prototypes. Yet their impact on mainstream logic devices remains limited. The long-anticipated use of 2D materials to sustain Moore's Law through transistor channel integration has yet to materialize at scale

AI is inevitably driving innovation in global server architecture. AI servers differ significantly from traditional servers in design philosophy and operational mode. This reflects not only innovations in computing architecture but also emerging challenges in energy consumption and thermal management driven by rapidly increasing computational demands

The UN has designated 2025 as the International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, recognizing significant breakthroughs in quantum hardware, quantum error correction, and practical quantum applications throughout the year. Research firm QURECA reports that worldwide investment in quantum technologies has exceeded US$55.7 billion, reflecting growing global interest

Quantum communication, which uses phenomena such as entanglement to enable highly secure data transmission via photons, is set for significant expansion. Market forecasts estimate the sector will reach around US$1.2 billion in 2024 and continue growing at an annual rate approaching 30% through 2035. Early applications like Quantum Key Distribution (QKD) and quantum networks are already being adopted in industries, despite obstacles such as high costs and the absence of standardized protocols

Quantum sensing, one of the three pillars of quantum technology alongside quantum computing and quantum communication, is rapidly advancing toward commercial use. By leveraging quantum effects at atomic or subatomic scales, quantum sensors enable precision and security beyond the reach of conventional systems

Rare earth elements (REEs), comprising 17 chemical elements including the 15 lanthanides from lanthanum (La, atomic number 57) to lutetium (Lu, 71), plus scandium and yttrium, are essential materials with unique optical, electrical, magnetic, and catalytic properties. Often called "industrial vitamins" or "industrial gold," REEs are indispensable in many high-tech industries