BOJ Seen Holding Rates at 1% While Keeping Inflation Risk Warning 
Rubio Rejects AI ‘Kill Switch’ Claims as U.S. Defends American Technology Abroad 
Gold Price Climbs Above $4,130 as Middle East Tensions Boost Safe-Haven Demand 
Australia ASIC Tightens Auditor Oversight After KPMG Leak Scandal 
AMD Unveils Helios AI Servers to Challenge Nvidia as OpenAI Adopts New Platform 
US Dollar Posts Best Weekly Gain in Over a Month as Middle East Tensions Boost Safe-Haven Demand 
Wistron Opens $700M Texas AI Factory to Build Nvidia Superchips in U.S. 
SpaceX Stock Slump Wipes Out Nearly $700 Billion From Elon Musk’s Paper Wealth 
Intel, AMD Seek Long-Term China Server CPU Deals as AI Demand Drives Supply Crunch 
US-Mexico USMCA Talks Advance as Auto Rules Remain Major Sticking Point 
Domino’s Weighs Appeal After Australian Court Rules Workers Were Misled on Pay 
Global Leaders Push Back as Trump Imposes New Forced Labor Tariffs 
Trump Administration Monitors OpenAI Incident as Lawmakers Push AI Kill Switch Bill 
Oil Prices Rise as Houthi Attacks on Saudi Tankers Heighten Middle East Supply Fears 
Gold Price Holds Above $4,000 as Fed Rate Hike Bets Rise on Oil-Driven Inflation 
GE Vernova Q2 Revenue Tops Estimates as Earnings Miss, Shares Slide Despite Higher 2026 Outlook 
Volkswagen Cuts 2026 Revenue Outlook as China Weakness, Trade Risks Weigh 
Toyota Motor and Sony led Japanese firms that set up a new company named Rapidus to ramp up next-generation semiconductor production.
The consortium also includes SoftBank Corp, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp, Kioxia Corp, Denso Corp, NEC Corp, and MUFG Bank.
The eight firms will invest around 7 billion yen in the consortium, while the Japanese government will extend 70 billion yen in subsidies.
Rapidus will develop and manufacture chips and advance the cultivation of human resources in the semiconductor industry.
Rapidus is aiming to develop and produce sub-2-nanometer semiconductors by the late 2020s.
The joint effort by the consortium comes amid intensifying global competition to develop advanced chips to be used in quantum computers, artificial intelligence, and military weapons.
The move also coincides with a worldwide chip shortage and spurred concerns about Japan’s economic security as the race has been led by companies in Taiwan, South Korea, and the US.
