Technology Development

• AI-linked stocks declined recently after CEOs from companies like OpenAI and Anthropic called for a slowdown in the development of artificial intelligence. • Memory chipmaker Kioxia plunged 9.8 per cent, while Samsung Electronics and Tokyo Electron both fell 3.7 per cent. • The slump reflects investor volatility as market leaders weigh the potential for humanity-threatening risks against the race for technological dominance.

• AI-linked Asian stocks declined recently after CEOs of leading AI laboratories called for a slowdown in the development of the technology. • The slump follows growing opposition to the industry driven by cyberattacks from rogue AI agents and public pushback against data center construction. • This volatility affects global equity markets that have relied on AI-related trades for gains since the 2022 release of ChatGPT.

• NASA has postponed a mission intended to reposition a satellite using advanced robotic technology. • Amazon is progressing with its Low Earth Orbit (LEO) broadband satellite network to expand global internet access, while India's Skyroot Aerospace prepares for its first private rocket launch. • Scientific researchers have released new findings explaining the geological and climatic reasons why Antarctica froze before the Arctic.

• The U.S. Department of Defense designated Quantum and Battlefield Information Dominance (Q-BID) as one of six critical technology areas in November 2025, with the Quantum Applications Program receiving $59.5 million in the FY 2026 National Defense Authorization Act. • Quantum computing, sensing, and networking have advanced at the research level, but substantial gaps remain between laboratory demonstrations and industrial deployment, particularly in miniaturization, durability, and production cost reduction for quantum sensors. • The United States maintains classical computing leadership but faces gaps in quantum-supercomputer deployment compared to international competitors, with Europe and Japan reaching operational quantum-supercomputer deployment stages that U.S. initiatives have not yet achieved.