Singapore's sovereign wealth fund, the Government Investment Corporation (GIC), has made significant investments in artificial intelligence startups Anthropic and MiniMax amidst rising concerns about an AI investment bubble. Anthropic recently closed a funding round valuing it at US$35 billion, with GIC as a key backer. At the same time, Chinese AI startup MiniMax saw a strong stock debut on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, also reportedly supported by GIC

The long-discussed Taiwan-US tariff negotiations have finally concluded, agreeing on US$500 billion investment and reciprocal tariffs aligned with those of the EU, Japan, and South Korea without stacking. These terms match disclosures from US sources

Record profits. Soaring margins. Relentless demand. TSMC's January 15, 2026, earnings call painted a picture of semiconductor dominance so complete it seems almost untouchable. Almost

The White House has finally released details regarding chip tariffs. Despite previous concerns, tariff rates and products included are relatively limited. The tariff rate has been set at 25%; chips imported for data centers, startups, technology R&D, maintenance and replacement, consumer applications, industrial control applications, as well as any chips used to build US industries, are all exempt from the tariffs

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

TSMC announced plans in 2020 to establish an advanced wafer fab in the US, marking a major shift toward significant US investments. Initially seen as a political necessity, TSMC's US expansion has evolved over five years into a long-term commitment exceeding US$165 billion, supporting American manufacturing ambitions

DIGITIMES has recently published three latest research reports regarding Qualcomm's cloud AI ASIC business strategy for 2026, the status of the worldwide top-3 memory makers, plus the latest trends of the memory industry, and an update to DIGITIMES' estimate of global smartphone shipments in 2026 as a result of ongoing price hikes of memory

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

For years, smart glasses and augmented reality (AR) headsets were among the most visible attractions at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), peaking in 2025 when they dominated the exhibition floor. At CES 2026, their presence was noticeably reduced. This does not point to an industry slowdown. Rather, it signals the sector's exit from the "concept phase" and its entry into a market defined by price competition and practical commercialisation

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

China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, together with eight other government departments, has released the plan for "AI + Manufacturing." While framed as an industrial upgrade policy, it functions in practice as a strategically significant AI roadmap

China has intensified pressure on Japan's supply chains. Following curbs on dual-use items and rare earth exports, the Ministry of Commerce has launched an anti-dumping probe into Japanese-origin dichlorosilane (DCS)

China's Ministry of Commerce said on January 7, 2026, that it has launched an anti-dumping investigation into Japanese-origin dichlorosilane (DCS). While framed as a routine trade-remedy case under existing rules, the decision reflects a more specific reality in the semiconductor materials supply chain: China now has domestic fallback capacity in this critical process material, allowing policymakers to act selectively at a sensitive juncture

Recent supply-chain signals suggest that OpenAI has shifted hardware orders from Luxshare to Foxconn, a move widely interpreted as preparation for highly interactive, portable AI devices. While specifications remain undisclosed, industry sources believe the products will emphasize real-time interaction tightly coupled with cloud-based AI, pointing to a new class of always-connected endpoints rather than conventional consumer electronics

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