South Korean tech companies reiterated concerns on December 28, 2025 as the AI Basic Act nears its January 22 start. Firms say definitions for "high-impact AI" and content labeling remain vague, complicating compliance. A recent survey found only 2% of startups have concrete response plans, while the government intends to suspend fines for a year, a move industry players say won't resolve uncertainty.

Data center operators are installing aircraft-derived turbines and diesel generators to bypass long grid-connection waits. In December 2025, GE Vernova said orders for its aircraft-based units rose 33% in the first nine months of 2025, while Cummins delivered more than 39 GW and doubled capacity. BNP Paribas estimates Meta's Ohio behind-the-meter power at $175/MWh, roughly twice typical industrial rates.

China's internet regulator posted draft rules for human-like AI systems on Saturday, with public comments accepted until Jan. 25. Providers must disclose machine interaction at login and every two hours, warn users about overreliance, and complete security and ethics reviews. Services reaching 1 million registered users or 100,000 monthly active users must file additional reports with provincial regulators before launch.

At the Fortune Brainstorm AI conference in San Francisco on Friday, CoreWeave CEO Michael Intrator argued that talk of a circular AI economy overlooks a real global squeeze on hardware, energy, and infrastructure. He said shortages now extend beyond chips to raw materials such as copper, while demand for AI compute from major technology firms remains strong despite stock volatility, debt concerns, and fears over secondary markets for used GPUs.

Nvidia has committed $20 billion in cash to license Groq’s technology and hire its top executives, while publicly avoiding the term acquisition. Key leaders including Groq’s CEO Jonathan Ross will move to Nvidia, and Groq will continue operating as an independent company under CFO Simon Edwards. Analysts say the non-exclusive license structure mirrors other Big Tech AI talent deals, helping Nvidia move quickly while limiting antitrust scrutiny.

According to Google's latest quarterly filing, the company now tracks "European Commission fines" as a recurring expense, totaling $10.5 billion by September 30. In 2024, EU actions brought €3.8 billion in penalties on U.S. tech firms, while Apple, Meta, and X were hit with nine‑figure fines under the DSA and DMA.

Japan’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry plans to raise support for advanced semiconductors and artificial intelligence to about ¥1.23 trillion for the fiscal year starting April 2026, nearly quadrupling current levels. The overall METI budget will increase by almost 50% after cabinet approval, with funds directed to projects such as Rapidus, domestic AI models, decarbonization and next-generation nuclear power, alongside a separate stimulus package worth about ¥21.3 trillion.

Tsinghua University in northwest Beijing has emerged as a core hub for China’s AI strategy, with government backing, homegrown chips, and startups like DeepSeek founded by its alumni. Between 2005 and the end of 2024, the university filed 4,986 AI and machine learning patents, while students developed models that reportedly rivaled larger systems from US labs. China has expanded AI education from elementary school onward and dramatically increased its share of the world’s top AI researchers, even as US institutions still lead in the most influential patents and top-performing models.