APAC

JP Morgan says Europe's push to expand data centre capacity for AI is driving fresh investment in nuclear energy across the EU. The bloc is betting on nuclear power to meet surging electricity demand from data centres while pursuing decarbonisation and energy security goals, with the bank expecting the trend to trigger a wider nuclear energy boom.

China has pushed its deep-sea drilling capability to the 5,000-meter level, becoming only the third country in the world to retrieve hard-rock samples from deep-ocean seabeds. The advance, reported by state media, underlines Beijing's push into deep-sea exploration technology, an area dominated by a small number of nations and increasingly tied to scientific prestige and potential seabed resources.

Meta has signed a deal with Australian firm Firmus to secure AI computing capacity serving Southeast Asia, Reuters reports. The partnership gives the social media company additional data centre infrastructure in the region as demand for artificial intelligence compute surges. Firmus specialises in building high-density, AI-ready data centre capacity, making it a useful partner for Meta's expansion beyond its existing facilities.

Elon Musk said the Colossus 2 supercomputing facility could see its capacity double by December, adding the caveat "if we get lucky." The remarks point to an aggressive expansion timetable for the AI computing buildout tied to Musk's companies. No further details on timelines, hardware or milestones were provided in his statement.

Samsung Electronics said high-bandwidth memory is expected to account for nearly 30% of the industry's DRAM production capacity next year, underscoring how demand from AI data centers is reshaping the memory market. The projection highlights the rapid shift of manufacturing capacity toward HBM, a technology used alongside AI accelerators from the likes of Nvidia, and signals intensifying competition in the segment.

Meta has signed an agreement with Singapore-based data centre firm Firmus to secure AI computing capacity in Southeast Asia. The deal gives Meta access to additional infrastructure for training and running AI models in the fast-growing region. Few further details about the size or timeline of the arrangement are available, and there is not yet broad public reaction to the announcement.

Chinese state media report that the country's deep-sea drilling capability has reached the 5,000-meter level, marking a significant advance in its capacity to explore and extract resources from the ocean floor. The announcement highlights China's growing technological ambitions in deep-sea exploration and its push to secure strategic minerals and energy resources beneath the seabed.

Poland is set to become a servicing hub for Apache helicopter engines, with an agreement now ready and reported as signed or near-final. The move supports Poland's broader military modernisation and its large planned fleet of US-made Apache attack helicopters. Commenters note it deepens defence cooperation between Poland and the United States.

Swedish actors Noomi Rapace and Peter Haber are set to star together in a new film with a BDSM theme. Rapace says it is something neither of them has done before, calling the project unprecedented in their careers. The unusual pairing of the two well-known Swedish stars and the provocative subject matter are drawing attention in Sweden.

Anthropic's AI chatbot Claude is showing an "at capacity" message, telling users it cannot handle new requests at the moment. The error has drawn attention from developers and AI enthusiasts, many of whom read it as a sign of surging demand for the assistant and strain on Anthropic's server infrastructure.

At a G20 meeting, the US trade envoy pushed for coordinated action against excess industrial capacity that is unfairly driving down global prices. Several countries, excluding China, reportedly agreed to a plan involving reductions in capacity. The discussion highlights continued US efforts to rally trading partners on overcapacity, a dispute at the heart of tensions with Beijing over steel, solar and other subsidized exports.

Investors are weighing whether Encompass Health's expansion into smaller-format inpatient rehabilitation facilities can sustain the company's capacity-led growth story. The company, a major US operator of rehabilitation hospitals, has been adding beds and new locations, and the debate centers on whether these smaller sites can match the returns of its larger hospitals and reshape its growth narrative.

Tencent has open-sourced its large Hy4 770B-parameter AI model under the permissive Apache 2.0 license, while also introducing IQuest-Q1, a much smaller 15B-parameter model aimed at more accessible use. Thai-language tech commentary is highlighting the release, noting the combination of a very large open model and a lightweight companion option for developers.

The Bank Policy Institute argues that reserve balances should be replaced, and that banks' pre-positioned collateral capacity at the Federal Reserve's discount window should be backed by loans rather than Treasuries. The proposal is aimed at improving how banks access emergency liquidity, a debate reignited by recent banking stress and the role of the discount window as a backstop.

Las Vegas Metropolitan Police are searching for a suspect in an armed robbery of a business on South Fort Apache Road. Officers responded to the report and are working to identify and locate the person responsible. No further details about injuries, the business involved, or the suspect's description have been released.

REVL Training, described as Asia-Pacific's fastest-growing fitness franchise, has launched its first U.S. locations. The Australia-based gym brand is expanding internationally as it seeks a share of the American boutique fitness market, and the debut is drawing attention in industry coverage of fitness franchise growth.

UNESCO announced a China–Southeast Asia programme aimed at strengthening teacher capacity for AI and STEM education in rural communities. The initiative focuses on training teachers across Southeast Asia so remote schools can benefit from advances in technology education. Further details on funding, participating countries and timelines were not provided in the announcement.

The United States is pressing China over its steel production capacity at the G20 summit, days after President Xi Jinping's state visit. The move signals continued trade friction between Washington and Beijing despite the recent diplomatic engagement, with excess Chinese steel output long blamed for depressing global prices.

A speaker at the Valdai Club, an international affairs forum, argued that the central challenge facing states is to preserve the capacity to cooperate despite disagreements. They stressed holding political space open when military options exist, and maintaining the line between civilian and military spheres as new technologies blur it. The remarks touch on United Nations principles and international law, and are drawing attention in discussions about conflict and diplomacy.

Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong-un has a 'pretty large' nuclear capacity, but insisted the situation will be 'fine' as long as he himself is 'around'. The remarks frame Trump's personal relationship with Kim as the key safeguard against a nuclear threat from Pyongyang, reviving his first-term diplomacy narrative. Commentators are weighing whether such reassurance amounts to a credible deterrent or an oversimplification of a serious security challenge.

A new article argues that over-reliance on AI assistance can quietly lower software quality, as teams stretch their review capacity and miss hidden edge cases in generated code. It offers practical habits for developers to counter this, from deliberate code review practices to stronger team routines around testing and quality control.

US President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un possesses a 'pretty large' nuclear capacity, adding that Kim will be 'fine' as long as he is around. The remarks drew attention for their informal framing of a nuclear-armed adversary and raised questions about the administration's stance on North Korea's weapons programme and future engagement between the two leaders.

A HELMEPA survey finds that more shipping companies in the Eastern Mediterranean are setting climate targets, but a growing share also report obstacles to meeting them, suggesting ambition in the sector is running ahead of practical capacity. The findings point to gaps in resources, technology or infrastructure needed for decarbonisation. Industry watchers are weighing what this mismatch means for the region's maritime transition.

Security researchers have disclosed eight vulnerabilities in Apache MINA SSHD, the Java library for SSH connections, that together can allow authentication bypass. The flaws, tracked under CVE identifiers including CVE-2026-94052, CVE-2026-94053 and CVE-2026-77185, affect applications embedding the library. Administrators are urged to upgrade their Java applications promptly to patched versions.

US President Donald Trump said North Korean leader Kim Jong Un possesses a 'pretty large' nuclear capability, but added that Kim will be 'fine' as long as Trump is around. The comments, reported by Yonhap News Agency, suggest Trump views his personal relationship with Kim as a safeguard against nuclear risk, drawing attention to the state of US-North Korea diplomacy.

Exus Renewables has acquired 715 MW of solar and storage capacity in the United States from developer ibV. The deal adds a substantial portfolio of US renewable energy assets to Exus's holdings and reflects continued consolidation in the American clean energy sector, where developers are selling operational and pipeline capacity to larger international players.

Fleet operators are being warned that electric vehicle repair capacity has become a fresh risk question for their businesses. With more EVs entering fleets, concerns centre on whether enough trained technicians, parts and authorised repair shops exist to keep damaged electric vehicles on the road and control downtime and insurance costs.

REVL Training, described as the fastest-growing fitness franchise in the Asia-Pacific region, is preparing to enter the United States market. The announcement highlights the brand's rapid franchise growth across APAC and its ambition to compete in the crowded American boutique fitness sector. Details on timing, locations or investment partners have not yet been made public.