Japan Tech Expansion and Collaborationactive

Amidst the ongoing crackdown on specialized fraud groups, including Japanese nationals, in Southeast Asian countries, Thai police began operating a new system on the 3rd to identify fraud group bases and track illicit fund flows, with the participation of countries such as Japan and the United States.

Foreign Minister Motegi met with Thai Foreign Minister Sihasak, who is visiting Japan, and the two parties agreed to cooperate toward strengthening energy and resource supply chains.

ASRock Rack, a subsidiary of Pegatron Group's ASRock Inc., has won an order to supply 587 GPU servers equipped with Nvidia B200 accelerators to Japan-based AI infrastructure provider Datasection Inc., the two firms announced. The systems are contracted for deployment at Datasection's AI data center near Bangkok, Thailand, and will serve as a dedicated high-performance computing platform for US companies.

Yageo, one of the world's largest passive component suppliers, said demand from AI-related applications has pushed its book-to-bill ratio to 1.3, surpassing levels seen at Japanese peers, including Murata, as tightening supply across the sector continues to extend lead times.

Nvidia, a leading American semiconductor company specializing in chips for generative AI, announced its financial results for the three months ending in late April on the 20th. Revenue increased by 85% compared to the same period last year, reaching $81.615 billion, which is approximately 12.96 trillion yen. Net income also increased significantly, more than tripling from the same period last year to $58.321 billion, or approximately 9.26 trillion yen. All figures represent record highs for a three-month period. The strong performance was primarily driven by robust sales of semiconductors for data centers, and the company continues to experience rapid growth fueled by the expanding demand for AI.

Tower Semiconductor reported a strong start to 2026, marked by double-digit revenue growth and a significant jump in net profit. Following a "solid" first quarter, the company issued guidance for the second quarter that would represent the highest revenue in its history. Management highlighted surging growth in silicon photonics and a strategic restructuring of manufacturing in Japan as key drivers of long-term expansion.

Gains for OpenAI and Arm investor help Nikkei 225 to record high after holiday closure

LinkedIn announced changes to its executive structure, appointing Dan Shapero as Chief Executive Officer of the company, effective immediately. The executive will be responsible for the overall management of the professional network, including leading the executive team, and will report to Ryan Roslansky in his role as Executive Vice President of LinkedIn and Microsoft Office. At the same time, Mohak Shroff will assume a new position as President of Platforms & Digital Work, also reporting to Roslansky, the company said in a statement. In this role, he will be responsible for leading the long-term technology strategy and innovation for both LinkedIn and the areas that Roslansky oversees at Microsoft, with a focus on initiatives related to the future of work. The company stated that, despite the changes in leadership, the mission remains unchanged: to connect professionals around the world to make them more productive and successful. The new CEO joined the company in 2008 and has since held leadership roles in all areas of LinkedIn's business. Previously, he was Chief Operating Officer, responsible for LinkedIn's global sales, support, operations, and marketing teams. Before that, Dan was Vice President of Product and held leadership positions managing global teams in sales and product management. Prior to joining LinkedIn, Dan was a management consultant at Bain & Company and an entrepreneur in the startup world. Dan holds an MBA from Harvard Business School.

The Plaza Prizes offered 10 awards in 2025 but some judges say they were not paid, while a number of winners hit back over AI accusations A competition for new writers that promised a £20,000 prize fund appears to have shut down, leaving winners and judges, including a Booker prize-winning novelist, out of pocket. Established in 2022, the Plaza Prizes last year offered 10 awards that were judged by the “finest poets and writers in the world”. Continue reading...

Buyers stayed away during the crucial annual buying period amid pessimism over geopolitical tensions and the global economy

OpenAI has put its Stargate UK project on hold, citing high energy costs and regulatory uncertainty, in a setback for the UK's ambitions to position itself as a global artificial intelligence hub.

Prime Minister Koichi met with members of the British rock band "Deep Purple," expressing his deep respect for their long-standing musical career. He also expressed his hope that their upcoming performances in Japan, starting on the 11th, would further promote cultural exchange between Japan and the United Kingdom.

New job driving Japanese group’s AI strategy would be in addition to running the UK chip company

Microsoft, a major US IT company, has announced a plan to invest $10 billion, approximately 1.6 trillion yen, in Japan by 2029. This investment will be used to develop data centers and cultivate specialized personnel necessary for AI development within Japan. In line with the Japanese government's efforts to develop domestically produced AI, Microsoft will collaborate with SoftBank, a major telecommunications company, and Sakura Internet, a company that operates data centers, to create an environment where advanced AI can be developed while managing data within Japan.