Malaysia Manufacturing Resilience: Malaysia’s PM Anwar Ibrahim ordered MITI and the Economy Ministry to engage manufacturers facing global supply-chain cost pressure, with special focus on plastics that feed E&E, automotive and medical devices. Workforce Pipeline: Malaysia also doubled down on TVET employability, with Deputy PM Ahmad Zahid saying industry-linked training leads to job offers before graduation for WorldSkills 2026 participants. AI Materials Partnership: Covestro and BYD signed an MoU to co-develop advanced sustainable materials for EVs, batteries and energy storage, moving beyond a simple supplier role. US Electronics Expansion: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott announced LITEON’s $307M McKinney expansion for AI power and infrastructure solutions, backed by state incentives and hundreds of jobs. Semiconductor Market Shock: SK hynix shares plunged after its Nasdaq debut, dragging South Korea’s KOSPI and adding to investor jitters over AI-driven chip demand. E&E Export Push: Malaysia’s E&E exports rose sharply, and officials urged moving up the value chain toward semiconductors and AI. Drone Innovation in India: MeitY launched NIDAR 2.0 to build indigenous drone “brains” using India’s VEGA processor. Analog Chip Demand Call: Bank of America flagged analog semiconductors as a key AI power-management beneficiary as data centers drive restocking.