Global Market: Kospi slides after early surge as AI stocks face valuation pressure - The Economic Times

• President Lee Jae Myung has called for the immediate and prompt execution of government-led large-scale investment projects focusing on AI and semiconductor clusters. • The initiative aims to accelerate the development of critical infrastructure to ensure South Korea remains competitive in the global high-tech landscape.

• AIIMS New Delhi has announced the selection results for over 460 vacant faculty positions across more than 50 different medical disciplines. • The appointments span various seniority levels, from Assistant Professor to Professor, and cover both the main AIIMS New Delhi campus and the CAPFIMS campus at Maidan Garhi.

• Asian stock markets declined as the MSCI Asia Pacific equities gauge slipped 0.4%, driven largely by a 1.6% drop in the regional semiconductor benchmark. • South Korea's Kospi Index saw the steepest losses, falling 2.4%, while the Shanghai Composite dropped 0.8% and Nikkei 225 futures fell 1.4%.

• A growing number of Singaporean firms are scaling their AI adoption, with 37% expanding their usage and 14% fully embedding the technology into their operations. • Despite this rapid rollout, the implementation of governance and control systems is lagging behind, creating a gap between technical deployment and oversight.

• President Lee Jae Myung ordered the government on Monday to accelerate investment plans for semiconductors and artificial intelligence. • The initiative focuses on establishing a "Honam cluster," with Gwangju emerging as a primary site for the new chip infrastructure.

• Chinese semiconductor equipment manufacturers are accelerating expansion via fundraising and acquisitions to capitalize on a major growth cycle. • This surge is driven by increased domestic demand for AI investment, memory chip capacity growth, and a strategic shift toward import substitution.

• Amnesty International has expressed serious concern over reports that more than 1,000 Sri Lankan military and police personnel are slated for deployment to Haiti. • The personnel would serve as part of the international Gang Suppression Force (GSF) to combat instability and gang violence in the region.

• Samsung is projected to report an 18-fold increase in profit, driven by a surge in demand for memory chips used in artificial intelligence. • The growth is fueled by the expanding need for AI infrastructure, though JPMorgan notes that investors are seeking more evidence that AI services will accelerate cloud computing revenues.

• India is accelerating its semiconductor ambitions by implementing new policy advances and increasing local technology investments to boost domestic electronics production. • The initiative involves deepening strategic cooperation with Japan and establishing new manufacturing partnerships to build more resilient global supply chains.

• South Korean President Lee has called for the accelerated launch of "mega chip projects" to strengthen the nation's semiconductor industry. • The initiative aims to secure South Korea's global competitiveness in the high-tech sector through massive infrastructure and production investments.

• Major Japanese companies are projected to achieve record net profits for the sixth consecutive year in the current fiscal year. • This growth is primarily driven by a robust technology sector fueled by the global boom in artificial intelligence demand.