Regional

AI News Brief: Greg Abel, successor to tech-investing giant Warren Buffett, will travel to Japan next month to meet with leaders of the country’s major trading houses for the first time in his role as CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. The trip is seen as a major milestone in Berkshire’s longstanding relationship with Japan’s five biggest trading houses (Itochu, Marubeni, Mitsubishi Corporation, Mitsui & Co., and Sumitomo Corporation). Once mere trade intermediaries…

AI news brief: this piece doesn’t reveal specific implementation details, so here’s the gist in one line: Japanese tech group NEC has set up a new department made up entirely of AI agents, aiming to boost productivity through a clearer division of labor between humans and AI. The department is structured in two layers — ‘worker’ agents and ‘manager’ agents — where worker agents handle automated tasks and are supervised and coordinated by other AI agents acting as managers, who then…

AI news brief: China’s ’national team’ has deployed state-backed funds to intervene in the stock market, as concerns over AI stock valuations rattled Chinese equities in recent weeks, posing a major test for Beijing’s push to build a stable, steady uptrend (the so-called ‘slow bull market’). This national team money publicly surfaced around July 19, roughly a week before memory chipmaker CXMT’s IPO. Meanwhile, tech-focused ETFs have pulled in record inflows, reflecting the market’s continued bet that official stabilization pledges can hold up prices even as AI valuation worries intensify.

AI News flash: Kids in Dalian are on summer break, but schoolwork isn’t — China is seeing a wave of AI-powered learning devices that automatically grade homework and walk through wrong answers, and despite price tags as high as $1,800, education-focused parents are snapping them up, unaffected by the recent crackdown on cram schools (after-school tutoring centers). The repor…

AI News Brief: Japan’s GPIF (Government Pension Investment Fund) reported record quarterly profit for the first quarter (April-June) through the end of June, reaching 24.09 trillion yen (about $153 billion). The gains were driven mainly by the stock market rally fueled by the AI investment boom. GPIF’s overall portfolio (covering domestic and foreign stocks and bonds) returned 8.2% for the quarter. Boosted by the sharp rise in asset value, GPIF’s total assets under management reached 31…

AI News Brief: South Korea and Taiwan both topped Japan in total exports for the first time in H1 2026, according to Nikkei analysis. Both countries benefited from surging semiconductor demand in H1 2026, with export performance clearly outpacing Japan. The report specifically named South Korea’s SK Hynix as one of the few manufacturers capable of producing advanced semiconductors, highlighting its key role in this wave of AI chip demand. The original summary is fairly brief and doesn’t provide specific export figures, growth percentages, or a detailed industry breakdown — see the original article link for more.

AI News Flash: Atlassian (the Australian-founded software giant) saw its stock surge about a third after posting strong earnings, restoring market confidence in its competitive position in the AI era. CEO Mike Cannon-Brookes said customers are getting real value from the company embedding AI directly into workflows, which is the key reason investors are turning bullish again.

AI News Brief: China’s July export growth slowed, mainly due to severe weather disrupting production, but demand for AI-related products partially offset the impact. The report notes that Southeast Asia and the EU continue to absorb more Chinese goods, acting as a buffer for exports. With China facing a critical negotiation window ahead of the US-China and EU-China summits, the export data has become a key focus. See the original article for full details…

AI News Flash: Aidan Yao, senior investment strategist for Asia at Amundi Investment Institute, says that despite recent turbulence in AI-related stocks, Europe’s largest asset manager Amundi continues to invest in the sector. Amundi describes AI as ’the most profound, life-changing event of our time,’ emphasizing that AI is a long-term investment theme that shouldn’t be shaken by short-term market swings.

AI News Flash: World, one of Japan’s largest apparel companies, has launched a new generative-AI-driven brand called ‘OO,’ with both the clothing designs and the model imagery created entirely by generative AI, and some items sold out shortly after launch, showing that AI-designed fashion is getting a positive market response. See the original article for more details.