AI Chips & Memory Race: South Korea’s Samsung and SK hynix unveiled an $518B (800 trillion won) chipmaking hub in the southwest, adding new fabs to feed AI-driven memory demand. Market Pulse: Japan’s Nikkei kept climbing on AI-linked stocks, while Korea’s Kospi leadership battle between Samsung and SK hynix intensified as memory gains reshuffled investor rankings. Ecosystem Play: Samsung pushed its AI foundry “SAFE Forum” to sell an end-to-end AI semiconductor ecosystem beyond process tech, including design and advanced packaging. Robotics Push: LG created a CEO-level Robotics Business Centre to accelerate commercialization of its robotics/physical AI strategy, while China’s AgiBot said it passed 15,000 humanoid robots with real factory deployments. Power & Cooling Demand: Europe’s heatwave is driving a surge in cooling sales for Chinese brands, and Japan targets a homegrown AI model plus 10M AI robots by 2040. Payments & Security: Open Standard launched Open USD (OUSD), a governance-owned stablecoin backed by major firms, as Microsoft prepares more layoffs and counterfeit-watch seizures highlight ongoing electronics supply-chain risks.