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• The US-China technology rivalry is increasingly centered on quantum computing, with both nations treating the field as a strategic asset with profound economic and national security implications alongside AI and semiconductors. • China has deployed an estimated US$16 billion in public funding—roughly four times current US government investment—embedding quantum computing into its Five-Year Plan as one of seven frontier technologies through a highly centralized, state-led approach. • The US ecosystem remains decentralized, driven by over 40 companies, national laboratories, universities, and hyperscalers, with government support focused on funding, benchmarking, and validation rather than selecting national champions.

• The United States hosts nearly 5,500 data centers and accounts for three-quarters of the world's computing power as of May 2025, providing a substantial advantage over China in the global AI race according to EpochAI research. • America's semiconductor superiority remains the primary AI advantage, with Nvidia chips significantly outperforming China's most powerful Huawei-produced chips in both processing power and bandwidth memory, and the performance gap will increase substantially in coming years. • ByteDance plans to invest $23 billion this year on AI infrastructure including chips, while US companies are coordinating with the White House to secure additional grid capacity for data centers to prevent consumer price hikes.

Daria Boyarskaya coordinating OSCE mission to monitor next month’s parliamentary vote in countryHungarian rights groups have raised concerns over the appointment of Vladimir Putin’s former interpreter to a key role in an international election monitoring mission, amid fears of Russian interference ahead of Hungary’s crucial vote next month.Daria Boyarskaya, who worked for many years for Russia’s foreign ministry and interpreted in numerous high-level meetings including one between Putin and Donald Trump, is now a senior adviser at the parliamentary assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE-PA), based in Vienna. She is coordinating the body’s mission to monitor next month’s parliamentary election in Hungary. Continue reading...

Ilya Remeslo sends Telegram post titled ‘Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin’ to his 90,000 followersFor years, Ilya Remeslo was a reliable pro-Kremlin operator, going after critics of the regime and smearing independent journalists, bloggers and opposition politicians.Then the 42-year-old lawyer abruptly turned on the country’s most powerful man. Late on Tuesday, Remeslo posted a manifesto to his 90,000 Telegram followers titled: “Five reasons why I stopped supporting Vladimir Putin.” Continue reading...

• Advantech, a global leader in IoT intelligent systems and embedded platforms, is demonstrating next-generation edge AI platforms powered by NVIDIA Jetson Thor and NVIDIA IGX Thor at GTC 2026 (March 16-19 in San Jose, California). • The company is highlighting real-world applications of physical AI across robotics, medical systems, smart logistics, and intelligent retail environments, including the USM-500 medical-grade platform optimized for AI-assisted surgery and intraoperative imaging. • Advantech's showcase reflects the industry's shift from cloud-based model training toward physical AI applications and edge deployment, enabling faster commercialization of AI technologies across industrial and healthcare sectors.

Liz Kendall announces £1bn funding to help design large-scale quantum computers for scientists, researchers, public sector and businessThe UK will not let quantum computing talent slip through its fingers and must learn lessons from US dominance of the AI race, the technology secretary has said, as the government announced a £1bn quantum funding pledge.Liz Kendall said the government hoped to retain homegrown quantum startups, engineers and researchers rather than lose them to competing countries, with the US stealing a march on its western rivals in AI. Continue reading...

Ukrainian president’s visit coincides with deadline for Roman Abramovich over proceeds from £2.5bn Chelsea saleMiddle East crisis – live updatesKeir Starmer will host Ukraine’s president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, on Tuesday as the prime minister warns US-Israeli strikes on Iran cannot be allowed to become a “windfall for Putin”.Zelenskyy’s visit will come on the day of the government deadline for the Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich to pay proceeds from his sale of Chelsea FC to victims of the Ukraine war. Continue reading...