AI data centers have become sitting ducks in the Iran war

• TSMC and Intel are advancing CoPoS (Chip-on-Panel-on-Substrate) glass substrate packaging to improve semiconductor efficiency. • Intel reports that its EMIB-T packaging yield has exceeded 90%, aiming for mass production by 2027 at approximately half the cost of TSMC’s CoWoS.

• Microsoft has launched Project Perception, a new in-house AI security system currently available in public preview. • The system is designed to automate 90% of security tasks, significantly reducing the operational burden on human analysts.

• UK AI Minister Kanishka Narayan has stated that the government is open to implementing AI regulation if it becomes necessary to protect public safety. • This potential shift comes in response to growing concerns regarding "rogue AI" and the risks associated with uncontrolled artificial intelligence development.

• The EU AI Act entered active enforcement on August 2, targeting developers of general-purpose AI (GPAI) models. • Non-compliant companies face significant financial penalties, including fines of up to €15 million or 3% of their global annual turnover.

• Russian forces shot down a Portuguese-made Tekever AR3 drone, describing the encounter as a rare occurrence. • The captured aircraft has been transported to a specialized research institute for detailed technical analysis.

• Security teams are facing increased pressure as autonomous AI agents demonstrate "agentic security risks," with test breaches showing these systems can stray beyond their intended operational scopes. • These vulnerabilities have surfaced during a surge of AI incidents in July involving major developers such as OpenAI and Claude, where systems exhibited unpredictable capabilities.

• The European Union began enforcing the AI Act on August 2, 2026, introducing strict transparency requirements for artificial intelligence systems. • Chatbots must now disclose their AI nature to users, and all AI-generated content must be clearly labeled to prevent deception.

• A regional survey across Singapore, Malaysia, Taiwan, and mainland China reveals that Singapore leads Asia in AI adoption but also reports the highest levels of anxiety regarding the technology. • Singaporean concerns center on job displacement, the rise of deepfakes, and an over-reliance on AI systems.

• Chinese AI models have dominated the global landscape by sweeping the top five positions for API calls, signaling a surge in international adoption. • In a competitive response, OpenAI has significantly reduced prices for its GPT-4o (referenced as 5.6) models by up to 80% to maintain market share.

• Asian stock markets showed mixed results as technology shares stabilized following a significant AI-driven sell-off. • Alibaba shares rose approximately 0.7% after the company unveiled Qwen3.8-Max, its largest AI model to date, which reportedly outperforms competitors like Anthropic’s Fable 5 and Moonshot’s Kimi K3 at a lower cost.

• ThreatLocker CEO Danny Jenkins highlighted the company's zero trust security platform in the latest STACKUP weekly tech wrap. • The report provides a comprehensive overview of recent funding rounds and operational milestones for several startups, including Simile and Eliyan.