US President Donald Trump’s imposition of reciprocal tariffs and aggressive “Make America Great Again” measures has deepened political and economic rifts even among allies, undermining long-standing trust and reliance on the US. The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) summit held in Tianjin, China, on September 1 brought together major powers including China, Russia, India, and Iran. This was soon followed by a grand military parade on September 3, during which the heads of state of North Korea and Russia joined Chinese leaders, in an alarming threat to global peace.

As AI chip manufacturing technology rapidly evolves, US test equipment manufacturer National Instruments (NI) points out that many view the testing phase as a “necessary evil.” Customers must repeatedly verify their products to ensure proper operation and meet claimed performance standards. However, this process is lengthy and complex, driving up overall testing costs.

Japan’s semiconductor materials suppliers are racing to expand capacity as the AI data center build-out drives unprecedented demand for advanced chips and packaging inputs. Nikkei reports that Asahi Kasei will invest JPY16 billion (US$108 million) to double production of PIMEL, its photosensitive insulating material used in GPUs and other high-end semiconductors, by fiscal 2030.