Global tech developments surged this week as China launched a dozen AI-powered satellites, South Korea revealed plans for a massive supercomputer, India greenlit a new chip plant, and Kyndryl announced a €100 million investment to boost France’s AI and cybersecurity ecosystem. However, new US tariffs are casting uncertainty over Asia-Pacific’s tech outlook.
China’s AI Cloud Takes Off with 2,800-Satellite Vision
Guoxing Aerospace has initiated its ambitious plan to build an AI-powered cloud in orbit by launching 12 satellites equipped with 744 TOPS of computing power each. The satellites, linked via 100Gbps laser networks, run an eight-billion parameter AI model and will support applications including space-based observation and emergency response.
Each satellite acts like an edge compute node, minimizing latency for real-time tasks such as cosmic X-ray monitoring. Guoxing ultimately aims to deploy 2,800 such satellites, forming a space-based AI infrastructure that rivals Earth-bound data centers in resilience and coverage.
South Korea Unveils GPU-Packed Supercomputer
Meanwhile, South Korea’s Ministry of Science and ICT has commissioned a new supercomputer based on HPE’s Cray EX4000 system. The machine will host 8,496 GPUs—including NVIDIA’s GH200 Grace Hopper chips—and feature 205 petabytes of storage with 400Gbps networking speeds.
In a parallel move, Korea is investing $1 billion to secure 10,000 GPUs for local innovation, supporting startups and research institutions in AI development. These initiatives are part of the country’s broader effort to strengthen digital sovereignty and research capabilities.
US Tariffs Hit APAC Tech Growth Forecast
Despite these technological strides, analyst firm Forrester has revised its tech spending forecast for the Asia-Pacific region, citing the disruptive impact of new US tariffs. Originally projected at 6.5% growth for 2025, the region’s tech spending outlook has now been trimmed by up to two percentage points.
Forrester emphasized the effect of increased costs and supply chain issues, with countries like India and Vietnam expected to maintain strong growth, while others may struggle to adapt. The firm urged tech leaders to adopt scenario planning and resilience strategies.
Kyndryl to Invest €100M in AI and Cybersecurity in France
In Europe, Kyndryl announced it would invest €100 million over three years to strengthen France’s capacity in AI, data infrastructure, and cyber resilience with plans to hire 300 specialists, launch a private AI cloud targeted at enterprises, and establish a digital hub in Sophia-Antipolis to lead in AI and cybersecurity research and development.
The announcement follows the “Choose France” initiative and addresses a reported shortage of AI-ready talent when only 28% of French leaders highlighted that their workforce was currently ready for AI.
Innovation Thrives as Global Players Push Forward
As the world’s tech leaders continue investing in AI, semiconductors, and digital infrastructure, geopolitical forces such as tariffs and regulatory changes present both challenges and opportunities. Whether it’s satellites orbiting Earth or private clouds rising over France, the global race for digital leadership shows no signs of slowing.
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