South Korea’s tech giant, a global leader in consumer electronics and semiconductors.
Sainsbury’s has agreed to sell Argos and the Habitat brand to Swift Partners. The deal will complete in February 2027 with full separation by 2029. Argos will continue to operate normally during the transition, and staff will transfer to Swift. The move allows Sainsbury’s to focus on its core groceries business.
Apple has confirmed a high-end focus for its September event, with the iPhone 18 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro Max as the main attractions and a foldable iPhone Ultra expected to be unveiled. The base iPhone 18 is delayed to spring 2027, while AirPods and other components face supply and price pressures.
A coordinated U.S.-Japan intervention in late July has only temporarily strengthened the yen. The currency has given back roughly half the gains from the operation and is trading near ¥159–¥160 to the dollar as of mid-August. Analysts say the yield gap between U.S. and Japanese debt and Japan's domestic policy mix are keeping downward pressure on the yen.
Tech shares across Asia buoyed by AI optimism, with notable gains in SK Hynix, Samsung, Kioxia, Advantest and TSMC as markets rebound from recent volatility and traders reassess AI investment momentum.
Anthropic is hiring engineers to design custom chips for Claude and will co-design hardware and models while relying on external hardware partners to scale. Open questions remain about manufacturing partners and timeline as rivals move to in-house Silicon.
JPMorgan Chase Chief Executive Jamie Dimon has warned that market leverage remains elevated, with hidden borrowing amplifying potential disruptions as analysts scrutinise leveraged ETFs and AI-driven bets. The remarks come amid recent stress at Situational Awareness and regulatory moves in Korea.
Waymo has expanded its Ojai robotaxi rollout, adding more U.S. markets and plans to accelerate fleet growth. The company is integrating its sixth‑generation self‑driving system with Zeekr’s Ojai platform, aiming to reduce cost and improve safety as deployments accelerate globally.
Norway’s sovereign wealth fund has posted a record first-half profit of about $185 billion as markets rally in tech names. It has disclosed a 0.05% stake in SpaceX, valuing the position at just over $1.2 billion, while its larger holdings include Nvidia, Apple and Microsoft. NBIM says the fund remains globally diversified and long-term oriented.
Memory prices for DRAM and related chips have spiked as demand from AI-focused data centers, smartphones and consoles outpaces supply. Producers are locking up long-term memory supply, raising costs for consumer devices and cloud services. Apple is testing CXMT memory amid broader price pressures.
Fairphone has launched the 6+ in the US, offering a repairable, modular Android phone with 12GB RAM, Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, and a 6.31-inch 120Hz OLED display. The phone ships with Android 16 and promises updates through 2033, while competing with mid-range devices like Google’s Pixel 10a and Apple’s iPhone 17e.
Oil prices have climbed with Brent above $95 and WTI near $93 as fighting in the Middle East continues to disrupt shipping routes. Analysts say supply fears and demand shifts, particularly from China, are shaping the rally. Markets are also awaiting inflation data and policy signals as bond yields rise globally.
Labor Day deals remain available across tech, home, mattresses and fashion, but savings have cooled since the peak. Shoppers should act quickly as many offers expire tonight or soon, with some brands already returning to regular pricing.
US oil has extended gains in a rally across a eighth straight session, while US equity futures are mixed. The S&P 500 and Nasdaq 100 have slipped, led by industrials and consumer discretionary names, as investors await the Fed’s next move amid ongoing inflation considerations. Market watchers expect the Fed to act later this month depending on jobs data and inflation trends.
Apple has announced the iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max, Apple Watch Series 12, and the iPhone Duo, marking its entry into foldables and boosting health metrics. AirPods 5 and AirPods 4 are highlighted in accompanying coverage, with pricing and preorder details noted.
Bloomberg reports that ByteDance founder Zhang Yiming is personally overseeing the development of a new AI model, with internal teams pooling resources and computing power behind the effort. Separately, a Tokyo-based chip designer is aiming to deliver samples of its latest AI-ready processors to customers in H1 next year, signaling a push to tailor chips for AI workloads.
Rhodium Group finds Chinese frontier AI labs generate only a fraction of OpenAI and Anthropic revenue, challenging assumptions about scale. Z.ai and Moonshot are expanding ARR, while official rounds push for greater in-house sovereignty and AI-powered efficiency.
ASML’s High NA EUV lithography machines, costing about $400 million each, are being adopted by Samsung, TSMC and Intel to print ever-smaller chip features for AI data centers and consumer devices. The move accelerates a global shift toward next-generation photolithography, with industry-wide capacity expansion on the horizon.
Independent analyses show LG smart TVs may collect device data and audio, even when off or on standby, prompting calls for updates to privacy settings and firmware. LG says data collection occurs only with voice features enabled and local processing is used, but researchers warn about broader implications for home networks and advertising.
Oil prices have risen above $108 a barrel as Middle East tensions escalate, with markets watching U.S. inflation data and the Federal Reserve meeting. Global stock indices are mixed, and Treasuries remain volatile as energy costs weigh on households and corporate margins.
Apple has unveiled its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Duo, with a 7.6-inch inner display and a 5.4-inch outer screen. It launches at $1,999, positioning Apple against Samsung’s Galaxy Z Fold 8 and signaling a potential shift in premium smartphones. The device offers a book-style design, a matte inner display, and an under-display selfie camera, while rivals emphasize their crease-free engineering.
Apple has unveiled the iPhone Duo, a foldable handset with a 5.4-inch outer display and a 7.6-inch inner display, the largest ever on an iPhone. The device features a titanium chassis and a 100+ part hinge, running a modified iOS 27. Pre-orders start October 16 in the UK, with prices ranging from £1,999 for 256GB to £3,199 for 2TB.
Micron has announced its strongest-ever rewards for about 60,000 employees globally, including a NT$1 million cash bonus for Taiwan-based staff and annual equity grants. Taiwan unions are seeking changes to profit-sharing, with ongoing talks risking a broader strike near Taipei.
Global markets waver as AI-linked stocks retreat after OpenAI signals a potential year-end stock sale delay. SoftBank jumps on OpenAI ties; oil prices rise amid Middle East tensions. Wall Street edges lower as investors weigh safety over growth.
President Donald Trump has dismissed calls from AI leaders to slow frontier development, attacked Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei on Truth Social and called safety concerns a "hoax" and a "sick conspiracy." His posts have coincided with a sell-off in AI-linked stocks and intensified debate over regulation and US competition with China.
Investors are recalibrating as AI executives urge caution on frontier development, sparking wide stock swings. A mix of weaker chip profits, higher oil prices and looming rate hikes are shaping a safer, slower AI era, while the potential IPOs and data-centre demand face renewed scrutiny.
Prime Big Deal Days will run on Oct. 6-7, with early promotions already live. Amazon, Target and Walmart are launching competing sales as shoppers prepare for the holiday season. The two-day event marks a fall shopping surge ahead of Black Friday.
A roundup of gadget deals shows portable power stations, smart plugs and screen protectors are being discounted ahead of Prime Big Deal Days. New and discounted models from Jackery, EcoFlow and Amazon are highlighted, with guidance on choosing the right option for home backup, travel and everyday use.
Memory-chip makers SK Hynix and Intel are exploring options to manufacture memory chips in the United States, including leasing space at Intel’s Ohio plant or forming a joint venture with cloud providers. Reuters notes potential government scrutiny; no decisions have been finalized.
The government has seen its popularity decline to a fresh record low as foreign policy tensions and domestic economic pressures weigh on public sentiment. Officials are under pressure as investors watch the AI and chip sectors amid concerns over property prices and growth.
A wave of multi-million-dollar rounds in robotics and AI-enabled hardware signals a push to bring ‘physical AI’ into real-world production. Companies from Multiply Labs to FieldAI and SiMa.ai are racing to scale their robot-centric platforms, with strategic rounds aimed at forging scalable, cost-effective manufacturing and autonomous systems.
Prime Day discounts on Apple devices have continued, with AirPods Pro 3 and some iPad/MacBook models seeing notable reductions. Deals vary by retailer and model, with stock sometimes limited as the event progresses.
Mistral AI has introduced ML4, its 1-trillion-parameter model nicknamed Le Chonk, aimed at cyberdefense, coding, and niche industrial tasks. It is in preview, with weights to be released soon. The launch comes amid a broader push for European tech sovereignty and a shift toward open-weight models that rival closed systems.
A wave of Prime Day and seasonal discounts focuses on mini-LED TVs and smart displays. Deals cover Hisense, TCL, Samsung Frame, and Echo Show 8, with prices slashed and features highlighted for gaming, HDR, and home automation.
The AI hardware craze has cooled as investors weigh rising Chinese competition and doubts over memory-chip pricing power. Samsung and SK Hynix lead losses in Korea, with CXMT’s breakthrough feeding fears of tighter margins. TSMC and broader Asia-Pacific peers report mixed signals as demand for advanced AI chips remains volatile.
SpaceX has acquired up to 14 MHz of low-band 800 MHz spectrum, paving the way for Starlink Mobile to become a major US carrier. The deal, awaiting FCC approval, would merge satellite and terrestrial networks to boost indoor and dead-zone coverage. Shares in rival telecoms have fallen as investors reassess the landscape.
Global chip stocks have pulled back as investors weigh the cost of AI infrastructure against earnings and debt. SK Hynix and Samsung Electronics have fallen sharply in Korea, while SoftBank and Tokyo Electron face selling pressure in Japan amid broader tech declines tied to higher borrowing costs and inflation data.