Apac

• Wearable AI interface company Plaud opened its Asia-Pacific headquarters in Singapore to manage operations across the region. • The company committed at least $20 million to the region to support its expansion. • Singapore will serve as the strategic base for Plaud to enter 12 markets, including India, Australia, South Korea, and Vietnam.

• Crude oil futures rose at the start of the week after Saudi Arabia shut down its East-West Pipeline. • The shutdown followed a series of attacks that occurred last week. • This supply disruption increases the risk of higher energy costs for global markets.

• A Nobel Prize winner urged European leaders to strengthen competition and AI capacity to avoid falling into a middle-income trap. • He recommended policies such as increased data sharing, stricter scrutiny of mergers and acquisitions, and support for open-source software development. • These changes aim to capture the growth and employment potential of AI while maintaining social protections like Denmark's flexicurity model, which provides income support and retraining for displaced workers.

U-turn on early release scheme will create ‘stresses and strains’ on prison system, says former justice secretaryAndy Burnham is taking a “big risk” by seeking to continue running prison capacity to the limit, according to the former justice secretary appointed by Keir Starmer to oversee a review of sentencing.As parliament resumes on Tuesday, the government will confirm its U-turn on its early release scheme, which would have seen thousands of prisoners released early as part of a plan to ease prison overcrowding. Continue reading...

• Southeast Asia's data center investment is projected to more than double to $35.08 billion by 2031, according to research from Arizton. • Malaysia is emerging as a regional leader with a 6GW pipeline, supported by construction costs of $8m to $10m per megawatt and aggressive tax incentives. • The Philippines offers the region's lowest costs, with construction ranging from $6m to $7m per megawatt and land prices between $120 and $200 per square metre.

• The United States is considering the imposition of 7.5% tariffs on Chinese imports to combat industrial overcapacity. • This move serves as a strategic step to revive the protectionist trade agenda of the US president ahead of upcoming talks between Donald Trump and Xi Jinping. • The proposed tariffs highlight escalating trade tensions and the US effort to protect domestic industries from an influx of low-cost Chinese goods.

There has been a 76% increase in under-construction gas-fired projects amid ‘frenzy’ to build more datacentersThe US has surged ahead of China in the building of new gas-fired power generation, largely to feed a boom in artificial intelligence (AI) that is adding vast amounts of planet-heating emissions, a new analysis has found.For decades, China’s rapid economic growth has seen it outpace the US in the addition of new gas power generation but a recent “frenzy” in datacenter construction for AI has reversed this, said Global Energy Monitor (Gem) in its new report. Continue reading...

• 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. • Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are projected to develop more gradually, with each region reaching approximately 700 facilities by 2035.

• European markets are expected to open flat following an indecisive trading session in the Asia-Pacific region. • Investors are maintaining a cautious stance as they await the release of the U.S. Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) data. • President Trump indicated that the conflict with Iran may conclude soon, noting that the Strait of Hormuz remains largely open.

• The Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA), partnering with the Research Centre for Digital Transformation of Tourism at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, released the PATA Asia Pacific Visitor Forecasts 2026-2028 Mid-Year Update on August 5, 2026. • The report provides updated projections for visitor trends across the Asia Pacific region, emphasizing that "change is the new constant" in the current tourism landscape. • These forecasts are critical for regional stakeholders to adapt their strategies to shifting travel patterns and digital transformations in the hospitality sector.

• A surge of new personal consumer electronics, smart home appliances, and electronic toys has recently entered regional markets across Asia. • In Malaysia, local hardware developers have launched new smart home management hubs priced at $120. • These breakthroughs in Southeast Asian hubs and East Asian mobile displays reflect a pragmatic, consumer-first approach that is establishing new global technology standards.

• The European Union has launched a tender to establish up to seven "AI Gigafactories" to significantly expand the region's advanced computing capacity. • This initiative is designed to attract private investment and provide critical infrastructure for researchers, governments, and private companies. • The project matters as it seeks to reduce dependence on external providers and establish European standards for the development of frontier AI systems.

• The European Union has launched a call for tenders to establish up to seven "AI Gigafactories" to significantly increase the continent's computing capacity. • Backed by a €30 billion investment, these facilities can be located within a single Member State or developed as cross-border distributed computing networks. • This initiative aims to transform Europe into the "AI Continent," reducing reliance on external technology and strengthening its strategic autonomy in artificial intelligence.

• AIA Singapore has expanded its cross-border medical access and digitalized care services to benefit more than 1 million employees. • The initiative leverages AIA Group's extensive pan-Asian network, which spans 18 markets including Mainland China, Hong Kong, Thailand, and Singapore. • This expansion matters as it improves healthcare accessibility and integrates digital health solutions for a massive workforce across diverse geographic regions.

• Republican lawmakers are considering new legislation to establish term limits or rules regarding prolonged incapacity for congressional leaders following health concerns over Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell. • The proposed "Three strokes and you’re out" concept suggests a mechanism to remove leaders who are medically unable to perform their duties. • This movement highlights growing party anxiety over leadership stability and the lack of a formal succession process for incapacitated officials.

• China's new AI model, Kimi K3, has suspended new subscriptions shortly after launch due to a surge in demand that overwhelmed its system capacity. • The outage follows significant interest from the US tech industry and highlights the operational challenges Chinese AI firms face when scaling for global users. • This development occurs amidst an intensifying US-China tech race, with other models like DeepSeek also gaining international attention.

• China has suspended new subscriptions for its powerful new AI model, Kimi K3, after a surge in demand overwhelmed system capacity within days of its launch. • The model's release has drawn significant attention from the U.S. tech industry, signaling China's growing competitiveness in the global AI landscape. • This outage underscores the critical infrastructure and scaling challenges Chinese AI developers face while attempting to serve a rapidly expanding domestic and international user base.

• China's new AI model, Kimi K3, has suspended new subscriptions after a surge in demand overwhelmed its system capacity within days of launch. • The model's rapid popularity has drawn significant attention from the U.S. tech industry, signaling strong competitive potential. • This capacity crisis underscores the infrastructure challenges Chinese AI firms face while attempting to scale services for domestic and international users.

• Intesa Sanpaolo's stock is trading steadily as investors focus on the Italian banking group's strong capital position and earnings power. • Market attention is centered on the bank's capital ratios, profit trends, and dividend capacity rather than short-term price fluctuations. • The group's financial performance is driven by corporate and investment banking, including corporate lending, M&A pipelines, and debt and equity market activities.

• Leaders from the Congressional Hispanic, Progressive, Black, and Asian Pacific American Caucuses introduced a House resolution on Wednesday calling for urgent democratic reforms. • The resolution seeks to restore and strengthen the Voting Rights Act of 1965 following the Supreme Court’s ruling in Louisiana v. Callais. • Key proposals include eliminating the 60-vote filibuster threshold in the Senate and implementing structural changes to the Supreme Court to protect voting rights.

• Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw announced plans to increase India's AI compute capacity to keep pace with rapid global technological advancements. • The initiative focuses on fostering strategic collaborations between the IT industry and educational institutions to drive innovation and continuous learning. • Vaishnaw urged the tech sector to develop next-generation solutions to strengthen India's competitive position as a global technology leader.

Exclusive: Deputy PM says opponents have ‘no solutions’ to possible collapse of justice system in England and WalesDrugs, drones and heat: Amber Rudd and David Lammy begin search for answers to prisons crisisOpponents of plans to release rapists and sex offenders early from prison have “no solutions” to halt the criminal justice system’s possible collapse, David Lammy has said.Under pressure from Labour MPs – including the former safeguarding minister Jess Phillips – to curb the early release scheme, the deputy prime minister said failing to implement it could leave no capacity across jails in England and Wales in November. Continue reading...

• The ASIFMA 2026 Asia-Pacific Capital Markets Survey has identified the top eight markets in the APAC region for ease of doing business. • Leading jurisdictions include Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia, Japan, India, Taiwan, China Mainland, and South Korea. • The survey highlights 11 key product and service lines targeted for expansion, led by Equities, Fixed Income, FX, Asset Management, and ESG & Sustainability.

• Meta's stock price rose 9% following the announcement of a new business venture to sell its excess AI compute power capacity. • The move allows Meta to monetize its massive infrastructure investments, addressing investor concerns regarding the company's high spending on AI hardware. • This strategy leverages the current global shortage of computing power, which has seen demand surge since the 2022 launch of OpenAI's ChatGPT.

• China, South Korea, and Singapore have emerged as the leading Asia-Pacific nations in a global electric vehicle (EV) ranking index. • The index, which evaluates 25 countries, is heavily dominated by European nations, with France, the Netherlands, and Sweden occupying the fourth, fifth, and sixth spots respectively. • Other top-ten performers include Finland in eighth, the UK in ninth, and Germany in tenth, highlighting Europe's current lead in EV adoption.

• Recent technological developments across the ASEAN and Asia-Pacific regions highlight a shift toward practical applications and emerging digital economies. • Key highlights include the rise of the low-altitude economy in Malaysia and the deployment of niche mobile data networks designed for family safety. • The region is experiencing a tension between computing breakthroughs and the implementation of strict new consumer regulations.

• Leaders from the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC), Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC), Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), and CAPAC have introduced a new resolution calling for urgent reforms to protect American democracy. • The initiative focuses on leveraging federal constitutional power, statutory authority, and financial resources to safeguard voting rights and democratic processes. • This effort is specifically designed to ensure that African Americans and other marginalized communities have equitable access to the "American Dream" and political participation.

• The National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), representing over 3,300 local health departments, released new research on public health preparedness and response capacities. • Findings indicate that over half of local health departments feel completely prepared to handle small-scale infectious disease outbreaks (59%), pandemics (57%), and vaccine-preventable diseases (53%). • This data is critical for identifying systemic strengths and gaps in the U.S. public health infrastructure to ensure more effective responses to future health crises.