Regional

AI news flash: this NTD economic news panel is run by Mimi/the team, just process it directly. Tokyo — A Nikkei survey shows Japan’s AI data center buildout will grow the country’s AI computing capacity more than fourfold over the next eight years. This scale of expansion puts Japan among the top tier of global AI infrastructure investment, second only to the US and China, and is seen as a key step toward Japan’s ‘AI sovereignty’…

AI news flash: Japan’s Ministry of Defense is planning to develop an AI-equipped satellite system to speed up counterstrike decision-making. According to information obtained by Nikkei Asia, Japan’s Ministry of Defense will develop AI satellites capable of analyzing surveillance data directly in space, aiming to strengthen Japan’s ability to counter attacks using long-range missiles by completing data analysis on the satellite itself before transmitting it to ground command, thereby cutting the time lag traditionally required to send raw data back to the ground for processing before decisions can be made.

AI News Brief: South Korea’s tech sector is posting record profits, but new guidelines could make it harder for workers to share in the gains. Samsung Electronics union members protested pay levels outside the Pyeongtaek semiconductor plant on April 23, underscoring the tension. Under the new guidelines, companies have no obligation to negotiate profit-sharing with workers, effectively weakening unions’ bargaining leverage over AI chip-driven windfalls at the regulatory level. See the original article for full details.

AI News Flash: Solvay CEO Philippe Kehren told Nikkei Asia in a Taipei interview on September 3 that the Belgian chemical maker plans to more than double its production capacity for high-purity chip manufacturing chemicals at its Taiwan plant by 2026, aiming to capture the massive growth opportunity from surging AI chip demand. Kehren noted that as customers demand more supply chain security, Solvay is accelerating localization of production…

AI news flash: this story about Vietnam’s trade volume hitting a record high, tied to AI data center demand, is straightforward to translate with no additional fact-checking needed. Vietnam’s total trade volume hit an all-time high of $770 billion in the first eight months of this year, according to data released Thursday by the General Statistics Office. Vietnam is benefiting from AI-driven data center demand along with growth in other goods exports, pushing overall trade volume to a new record. The report notes that Cat Lai Port in Ho Chi Minh City remains busy, with ferries shuttling…

AI news brief: based on the limited information available, including a Spanish-language fragment (Robots que sienten como insectos) mixed into the original English summary, here’s the translation: Tokyo researchers are exploring how to combine insects’ mobility and sensory sensitivity with mechanical devices and AI to develop new emergency rescue technology aimed at reaching environments humans or conventional robots can’t access.

AI News Brief: NEC (Japan’s electronics conglomerate) is exploring M&A opportunities in the manufacturing sector to pursue growth in physical AI, aerospace, and defense. The company’s CFO said NEC isn’t limiting itself to a specific acquisition market and is keeping an open mind about potential targets. In May, NEC completed a landmark acquisition, buying US telecom software provider CSG Systems International.

AI News Brief: On September 2 Taipei time, Rani Borkar, President of Microsoft’s Azure Hardware Systems and Infrastructure division, said in a keynote at SEMICON Taiwan 2026 that simply ramping up memory chip production capacity won’t solve the supply chain bottlenecks currently holding back AI infrastructure buildout. She called on the industry to ease the shortage of key components through technological innovation rather than relying solely on capacity expansion.

AI news brief: Google is speeding up the development and rollout of its custom AI chips to stay ahead in the AI race, with AI infrastructure chief Amin Vahdat saying at Semicon Taiwan 2026 on September 2 that Google is compressing its chip generation cycle from once every two years to two new chips per year, with plans to go even faster, while also boosting R&D investment in Taiwan.

AI News Brief: Japan’s airports are set to roll out artificial intelligence to detect anomalies in runways, lighting, and other infrastructure, aiming to double maintenance efficiency as inbound foreign travelers keep rising while staffing stays tight. The initiative is led by Japanese trading house Sumitomo Corporation, targeting hub airports short on manpower to strengthen infrastructure inspection and maintenance with AI.