China Scrutinizes Meta's US$2 Billion Manus AI Acquisition, Signaling Shift in Tech Regulation

• Singapore has upgraded its economic growth forecast for 2026 to a range of 4.5% to 5.5%. • The upward revision is primarily driven by a powerful boom in artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

• Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry (MTI) has upgraded its 2026 GDP growth forecast to a range of 4.5% to 5.5%. • The revision follows a strong performance in the first half of 2026, where GDP growth reached 6.1% year-on-year.

• Malaysia is emerging as a critical case study for Asia's impending "AI power crunch," highlighting that energy infrastructure is the true bottleneck for AI growth rather than chip availability. • While investors currently focus on semiconductors, cloud platforms, and model developers, the massive capital required for power grids and energy production is largely absent from AI investment products.

• China is leveraging its $28 trillion capital markets to fund AI development, highlighted by CXMT raising $9.8 billion through a new listing. • State investors are actively propping up the Chinese market to ensure continued funding for critical technology sectors.

• A new study released Tuesday by Singapore's Ministry of Trade and Industry reveals that firms adopting artificial intelligence (AI) are experiencing growth in both revenue and employment. • Researchers analyzed firm-level data by linking online job postings with administrative records to measure the impact of AI adoption over a four-year period.

• Economists have upgraded Singapore's economic growth forecasts following a strong performance in the second quarter. • The positive outlook is driven by robust AI-related demand across the region, with supporting data from Singapore, Taiwan, and South Korea.

• Singapore stocks reached an all-time high on Tuesday following an increase in the city-state's annual growth forecast, driven by an AI-powered economic boost. • Conversely, Southeast Asian currencies declined as oil prices hit one-week highs, fueled by fading hopes for a U.S.-Iran agreement and rising energy costs for net importers.

• ABI Research forecasts that the number of global data center facilities will grow from 8,821 in 2026 to over 12,000 by 2035. • The Asia-Pacific region is expected to lead growth with a 2.9% CAGR, fueled by hyperscaler investments and digitalization in India, China, Japan, South Korea, and Southeast Asia.

• French newspapers are escalating their conflict with Google over the tech giant's use of their copyrighted articles to generate AI summaries. • This dispute stems from a broader struggle by media companies to protect their intellectual property as they face significant declines in traditional advertising revenue.

• UK AI companies raised a record $9.6 billion in the first half of 2026, marking a 360% increase compared to H1 2025. • Despite the funding surge, capital is highly concentrated, with the top five companies capturing 84% of the total investment and most funding centered in London.

• London-based start-up Cosine is attempting to develop a "sovereign AI" model to serve as the UK's equivalent to OpenAI. • The company currently operates with a small team of 30 people and has secured strategic backing from the UK government.

• A recent leadership shakeup at Google DeepMind in London has sparked concerns regarding the loss of domestic control over critical AI talent and infrastructure. • The situation highlights a broader trend of foreign takeovers, specifically how U.S.-based giants like Google absorb top-tier British innovation.