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Jul 20
SpaceX reportedly eyes Pentagon AI infrastructure deal as defense demand for computing accelerates
SpaceX is in talks with the US Department of Defense (DoD) to provide billions of dollars' worth of data center capacity for artificial intelligence (AI) workloads, marking a potential expansion of the company's role from launch services and satellite communications into AI infrastructure. The discussions remain ongoing and could still fall through, according to The Wall Street Journal.
India now has a homegrown, privately built ticket to orbit, and its arrival lands squarely in the middle of a low-Earth-orbit (LEO) contest that until recently was framed as a two-power race between the US and China.

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan reviewed four versions of a special bill for drone procurement on the 16th but reached no conclusion, leaving the measure pending further deliberation. The debate centered on how much of each drone should be made in Taiwan and whether production and storage sites should be spread across regions to protect combat capability.

Taiwan's legislature has moved toward stronger backing for drone research and production following a political shift in June, as the government seeks to close a capability gap in its defense buildup. The Executive Yuan had proposed an eight-year special defense budget of NT$1.25 trillion (US$38.7 billion), but the Legislative Yuan approved an opposition-backed version that capped spending at NT$780 billion, NT$470 billion below the Cabinet's proposal.

Chinese foreign interference in the Netherlands' strategic industries should be treated as a systemic, long-term threat rather than a series of isolated incidents, according to "Beyond Borders," a report published under the China Knowledge Network (CKN) and written by analysts at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies (HCSS). The study warns that while individual acts of espionage, coercion, or influence may look manageable on their own, their aggregate effect risks eroding the Netherlands' technological edge, economic independence, and strategic autonomy.

Taiwan's drone industry has grown rapidly in recent years, with output surging from about NT$5 billion (US$154.87 million) in 2024 to NT$12.9 billion in 2025, while export value jumped from NT$140 million to NT$2.9 billion. Still, compared with semiconductors and electronics assembly, the drone sector remains small, making it critical for the industry to expand technology cooperation and secure government subsidies.

South Korea is accelerating efforts to build an advanced air mobility industry, but the sector is still struggling to produce a workable aircraft body. As US and Chinese rivals move faster toward certification and trial operations, Korea Aerospace Industries (KAI) and Hyundai Motor Group have moved to deepen cooperation on a joint development plan.
Universal Microwave Technology (UMT), a manufacturer of satellite and millimeter-wave (mmWave) communication components, suspended trading on July 15 and held a material information briefing. The company announced that its board of directors approved the acquisition of more than a 51% stake in high-frequency connector manufacturer Dynahz Technologies for no more than NT$1.7 billion (approx. US$52.8 million).

Taiwan's Legislative Yuan Transportation Committee approved amendments to Article 36 of the Telecommunications Management Act in its first reading on July 13, significantly relaxing restrictions on foreign ownership and nationality requirements for satellite operators. The move is widely viewed as paving the way for SpaceX's Starlink to enter the Taiwanese market.

Thunder Tiger is widening its drone business in Taiwan and the US as it prepares new models for 2026, sets up two new entities, and advances work tied to counterdrone systems and aircraft engines. The company said the moves are part of a broader push into the global drone market as its work under the US Department of Defense's Drone Dominance Program moves into a second phase.
A new report released by the Taiwanese national think tank Research Institute for Democracy, Society and Emerging Technology (DSET) found that Taiwan's drone battery industry has achieved steady growth and significant progress in recent years, with Taiwan now Ukraine's third-largest supplier of drone batteries, behind China and Vietnam.

The United States' proposed Golden Dome missile defense system remains highly uncertain, but it is already emerging as a new market that US space and defense startups are racing to enter.