Space is emerging as the next battleground for AI infrastructure. Silicon Valley’s sudden fixation on “space-based data centers” follows a familiar cycle, one in which influential tech leaders periodically converge on, and aggressively promote, a single grand idea, as The Information has noted.

Apple is poised to surpass Samsung Electronics in global smartphone shipments in 2025, marking its first return to the top spot in 14 years. Meanwhile, Samsung’s smartphone business, once a key revenue pillar during downturns in its semiconductor division, is reportedly showing signs of strain amid rising costs and intensifying competition.

Amid sustained high demand for AI computing power and accelerated deployment of data center expansions and edge AI applications, Powertech expressed an optimistic outlook for its 2026 operations during its December 16, 2025, earnings call. The company plans to continue targeting high-growth product lines and markets by expanding its portfolio based on core technologies while concentrating resources on high-value and fast-growing customers.

Japan plans to guarantee up to 80 percent of private-sector loans raised by Rapidus as the government intensifies financial backing for the chipmaker’s plan to mass-produce 2nm semiconductors, the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said on December 18.