On January 16 2026, DeepMind chief Demis Hassabis said China's artificial intelligence capabilities are only a few months behind those of the United States. He noted that Chinese tech groups such as Alibaba, Moonshot AI, Zhipu and DeepSeek have built strong models, but still lag in breakthrough innovation, while U.S. chip export controls and limited access to Nvidia's most advanced processors may slow China's progress.

On January 15, 2026, WhatsApp suspended enforcement of its new AI chatbot restrictions in Brazil after the country's regulators intervened. The policy would block third-party general-purpose AI chatbots such as ChatGPT and Grok from using WhatsApp's business API, while leaving customer-service bots for businesses unaffected. Brazil's antitrust regulator CADE has opened an investigation into whether Meta's updated terms could undermine competition and favour its own Meta AI on WhatsApp.

On January 15, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said South Korea will keep monitoring newly announced U.S. tariffs on advanced AI chips and assess effects on domestic manufacturers. The 25% duties target select Nvidia and AMD processors, and Seoul is also watching won stability alongside a US$350 billion investment pledge and related U.S. currency remarks.

On January 15, 2026, Morningstar introduced a daily index that measures valuation movements across 20 private generative AI companies, such as OpenAI, xAI, Anthropic, Databricks, Mistral AI, and Cohere. The tool uses PitchBook's private market data to give investors performance visibility into high-profile AI firms that are not publicly listed, while OpenAI and Anthropic simultaneously expand their healthcare offerings with new tools for clinicians, researchers, and consumers.

CleanSpark is advancing a strategic move beyond standalone Bitcoin mining by agreeing to purchase 447 acres in Brazoria County, Texas, to host large-scale AI and high-performance computing infrastructure. Combined with its existing development in Austin County, the company is building a regional compute hub near Houston with potential power capacity approaching one gigawatt to serve hyperscale and enterprise clients.

China is drafting rules to cap domestic purchases of Nvidia's H200 AI chips, opting for quotas and approvals rather than a full ban. Local firms have ordered over two million units at about $27,000 each, while Nvidia's inventory is roughly 700,000. The U.S. has cleared H200 sales to China, and Beijing will determine which companies receive chips and in what quantities.

CleanSpark has signed a definitive agreement to buy 447 acres in Brazoria County, Texas, to build large-scale AI and high-performance computing data centers as Bitcoin mining becomes less profitable. The new location can initially support 300 MW of power with expansion up to 600 MW, and combined with the firm's Austin County site, offers nearly 1 GW of potential capacity for AI customers. CleanSpark plans to serve both front-of-the-meter and behind-the-meter power needs, using Texas's strong grid to deliver reliable energy and long-term growth options. Rising mining costs and volatile margins are driving the company and other miners to diversify into AI and HPC infrastructure.

On January 14 2026, Chinese authorities ordered domestic firms to stop using cybersecurity software from more than 12 companies based in the United States and Israel, citing national security risks and potential data exposure. The decision affects major vendors such as Broadcom's VMware, Palo Alto Networks, CrowdStrike, Fortinet and Check Point Software Technologies, and is part of Beijing's broader push for technological self-reliance and a shift to local providers.