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.
Chinese AI developer Moonshot AI released Kimi K3 on July 16, a 2.8-trillion-parameter model the company bills as the first open model in the roughly 3-trillion-parameter class, pushing the distance between freely downloadable systems and the industry's top proprietary models to its narrowest point yet. Moonshot said it will publish the full model weights by July 27.
Jabil has opened a new logistics hub in Penang, underscoring how manufacturers are reshaping supply chains through automation, artificial intelligence (AI), and improved inventory visibility. The facility is designed to support global customers facing greater complexity, tighter delivery demands, and persistent logistics pressure across the electronics and advanced manufacturing sectors.
Ubiqconn Technology said its North America localization strategy was gaining traction in June 2026, with its US subsidiary contributing more revenue and becoming a larger base for regional expansion. The company said manufacturing, assembly and testing capacity in the US was improving delivery flexibility for North American customers and helping it respond to demand for localized supply chains.
Europe's push for supply-chain security is lagging as AI, software-defined vehicles, and electric vehicles drive demand for critical minerals and local production. For readers worldwide, the stakes are rising: control over raw materials, energy, and processing capacity is becoming central to industrial competitiveness, resilience, and geopolitical leverage.
Australia has escalated a two-year campaign to force Chinese investors out of Northern Minerals Ltd., barring three China-linked shareholders that defied divestment orders from voting or exercising other rights in the heavy rare-earths developer — a signal that Canberra now intends to police foreign ownership on an ongoing basis, not just at the point of a transaction.
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) held its second-quarter 2026 earnings conference on July 16, where chairman and CEO C.C. Wei discussed the latest developments in AI demand, saying the market continues to evolve at a rapid pace.
Sea Group's data center push in Southeast Asia is creating new demand for servers, components, and integration services, with global supply chains likely to feel the effects. Singapore remains the region's AI hub, but distributors say Shopee's parent is emerging as a major customer across multiple markets and technologies.
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