By Nitya Chakraborty India-China bilateral relations have started showing cautious improvement with the signals from both the leaderships of the two biggest countries of Asia that they are keen to restore normal political and economic ties. Indian external affairs minister Dr. S Jaishankar’s meeting with the Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday in Beijing was […]
By Dr. Gyan Pathak One day after the “locking down” of the Chief Minister of Jammu & Kashmir Omar Abdullah, his cabinet ministers, his party National Conference legislators, along with leader from the PDP, People’s Conference, and J&K Apni Party in their homes to prevent them from paying homage to Martyrs of July 13, 1931 […]Meta Platforms’ chief executive, Mark Zuckerberg, has announced a staggering commitment: the firm will dedicate hundreds of billions of dollars to construct multiple gigawatt‑scale data centres aimed at advancing superintelligent AI. The first of these massive hubs, named Prometheus, is slated to become operational in 2026, followed by Hyperion, which is expected to scale up to 5 GW in power consumption in the years ahead. These clusters are […]
Globally recognized UI/UX and growth marketing agency Tenet (We Are Tenet) selected to spearhead digital growth initiatives for Yomly, two-time ‘HR Software of the Year’ winner at the Entrepreneur Middle East Tech Innovation Awards, as the company accelerates international expansion & enterprise market penetration. Dubai, UAE — July 14, 2025 — Tenet, an award-winning global growth marketing and UI/UX design agency, today announced its selection as the […]
By Nantoo Banerjee Trade unionism seems to have lost focus in India. It has failed to reform itself to keep pace with economic reforms and globalisation, and changing job scenarios. It is also facing the biggest leadership crisis. The poor public and industry response to the nationwide strike call by 10 central trade unions on […]OpenAI is preparing to unveil a web browser embedded with its flagship ChatGPT interface and “Operator” AI agent, marking a strategic shift directly targeting Google’s Chrome dominance. The forthcoming browser, expected within weeks, promises to streamline browsing by enabling conversational queries, task automation and form-filling without navigating multiple sites, according to Reuters. The browser is built atop Chromium, the open-source foundation behind Chrome, Edge and Opera, ensuring […]
Goldman Sachs has begun deploying “Devin,” an autonomous coding agent developed by London-based startup Cognition, as part of its technology workforce, Chief Information Officer Marco Argenti confirmed to CNBC. The bank plans to roll out hundreds, potentially thousands, of Devin instances working alongside its approximately 12,000 human software engineers. Argenti described Devin as a “new employee” that will augment rather than replace human programmers, forming what he […]
Perplexity this week introduced Comet, an AI-driven web browser designed to merge search, task automation and seamless browsing into a single interface. Initially accessible to subscribers of its $200‑a‑month Max tier, Comet promises to challenge Chrome and Edge by turning browsing into conversation-led workflows. Built on Chromium, Comet offers familiar browsing mechanics—tabs, navigation bar and extension support—yet stands apart through its sidebar-based “Comet Assistant,” powered by Perplexity’s […]
Matein Khalid I had flagged Nvidia in this platform as a must own chip stock on the eve of the AI revolution just before its historic Q2 earnings call in May 2023. Fast forward two years and Nvidia earnings are up 10X while its share price is up 8X since my post as it flirts with a $4 trillion market cap that awaits if the shares trade at […]
Samsung has launched a new generation of Galaxy AI features embedded directly on its smartphones, combining cutting‑edge intelligence with enhanced privacy safeguards. Designed to rival Apple Intelligence and Google Gemini, Galaxy AI now performs tasks such as voice‑to‑text, photo editing, call transcription and real‑time translation entirely on device—only resorting to anonymised cloud support for complex jobs, thus protecting personal data. At the heart of this shift is […]
By Nitya Chakraborty The 17th BRICS summit held in Brazil on July 6 and 7 has helped in partially restoring the image of the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the defender of the interests of Global South against the increasing attacks on the political and economic interests of the developing nations by the United […]Major technology firms and start‑ups are racing to adopt the Model Context Protocol, the open‑source standard that streamlines communication between large language models and external tools. Since its debut in November 2024, Anthropic’s creation has gained swift endorsement from OpenAI, Google DeepMind, Microsoft and others and is now being adopted to power the next wave of agent‑based AI. However, the protocol’s rapid integration has exposed serious vulnerabilities—forcing […]
Security analysts have uncovered a new campaign delivering the Anatsa Android banking trojan to users in the U. S. and Canada via a seemingly legitimate app on Google Play. This marks the third major wave of North American targeting by the threat actor, raising fresh concerns around mobile banking security. The malicious app, masked as a “Document Viewer – File Reader,” gained traction in the U. S. top‑three […]
Asia‑Pacific digital‑native firms attracted USD 15.4 billion in artificial intelligence investment in 2024, a figure reported by IDC that underscores a shift towards deeper commitments and strategic growth, even as the volume of deals declined.
Capital concentration has intensified as larger funding rounds become the norm. IDC analysts found that while the number of funded AI startups has dropped, the average investment per deal has risen markedly—reflecting investors’ preference for enterprises closer to market maturity rather than early-stage ventures.
China, South Korea, Japan and India remain at the forefront of investment flows. These major markets, with their diverse tech ecosystems and supportive policies, continue to lead, though Southeast Asian nations are gaining traction as both AI adopters and innovators.
Generative AI, a wave propelled by breakthrough models in natural-language processing and image creation, is swiftly ascending as the dominant investment theme across Asia‑Pacific. IDC forecasts that GenAI allocations will more than double by 2028, reaching USD 54.5 billion and forging a new frontier for enterprise transformation.
There is mounting evidence that corporations are pivoting from rhetoric to implementation. Only 29 percent of digital‑native businesses have scaled AI organisation‑wide, yet more than 42 percent now actively pursue co‑innovation partnerships with technology vendors to integrate AI across operations. These collaborative efforts are reshaping collaboration models between AI startups and incumbents.
Costs associated with infrastructure and data security continue to shape investment flows. Enterprise-grade AI demands not only computational muscle but also robust governance frameworks to mitigate risks such as bias, intellectual property leakage and regulatory non‑compliance. Data from the region show that 34 percent of organisations have embedded governance within generative AI software development, an advanced step beyond policy‑level oversight.
Cloud infrastructure providers are doubling down on AI support across Asia‑Pacific. Amazon Web Services announced a USD 13 billion expansion in Australia and over USD 5 billion for a Taiwan region, alongside large‑scale investments in Singapore, Malaysia and Japan. AWS claims the region’s cloud spending will reach USD 250 billion in 2025, largely driven by AI demands.
This inflow of cloud capital is critical in overcoming entry barriers. Local language support, data sovereignty and integration capabilities have become competitive differentiators for these platforms—Microsoft Azure, Google Cloud and Alibaba Cloud are aggressively pursuing similar capacity expansion. Southeast Asia, in particular, is emerging as the fastest–growing regional cloud market globally.
Startups are adapting to investors’ sharper focus on maturity and scalability. Fewer low‑valuation seed rounds are appearing; instead, late‑stage funding for companies with clear product‑market fit, real revenue streams and enterprise traction is dominating. This trend reflects an increasingly risk‑averse capital environment that emphasises depth over breadth.
The build‑up of AI infrastructure is dovetailing with rising regulatory attention. With supervision frameworks being rolled out around sensitive sectors such as finance and healthcare, investors are seeking startups equipped with compliance capabilities. For instance, financial‑services firms are prioritising traceability and governance as mission‑critical components for future‑ready AI deployment.
In geographical terms, growth hotspots vary by stage of AI ecosystem development. China leads in institutional funding and government-backed initiatives. Japan and South Korea benefit from combined strengths in industrial automation, robotics and semiconductor production. India’s vibrant startup landscape is gaining attention, particularly in generative AI and enterprise software. Meanwhile, nations such as Indonesia and Malaysia are attracting more attention as AI adoption becomes a priority for government digitalisation agendas.
Challenges persist. High‑cost infrastructure, skilled‑talent shortages and fragmented regulatory regimes pose constraints. Yet the rise of public‑private coalitions and university‑industry alliances is beginning to address these gaps—skills acceleration programmes are proliferating, and data‑sharing frameworks are gaining traction.
Investors are now looking past headline metrics to evaluate alignment with national AI strategies, such as Japan’s AI strategy and India’s push for indigenous innovation. Locally relevant models—capable of understanding linguistic diversity, cultural contexts, and industry‑specific workflows—are increasingly being favoured over globalised, one‑size‑fits‑all solutions.
This funding environment has spurred momentum in adjacent areas. Edge computing, AI‑enabled cybersecurity, AI‑driven supply‑chain optimisation and health‑tech verticals are emerging as new battlegrounds for both startups and incumbents. These sub‑domains are drawing fresh rounds of investment and pilot partnerships.
Policy trends are also influential. Governments across Asia‑Pacific are advancing data protection frameworks, AI ethics norms and public‑sector adoption plans—all contributing to clearer roadmaps for private‑sector engagement. The interlinking of regulatory reform and capital deployment is strengthening ecosystem resilience.
Investor sentiment remains cautiously optimistic. Surveys suggest that, despite macroeconomic headwinds and geopolitical risk, most executives view cloud and AI as avenues to cost reduction, efficiency gains and differentiation. As AWS’s APAC vice‑president remarked, “AI is the biggest market opportunity since cloud in 2006,” signalling sustained confidence in long‑term upside.
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Though on the eve of the workers’ all India general strike on July 9, 2025, Union Ministry of Labour, Government of India, tried to downplay the strike action by claiming that213 unions had informed of their staying away from the strike, India actually witnessed on Wednesday the largest ever general strike […]With Bitcoin prices soaring past $100,000 again and investor optimism at a high, the UAE’s strategic push into crypto is paying off. But what does this bull market really mean for the country’s economy, its investors, and its long-term financial future? The UAE has spent the last few years laying the groundwork to become a global crypto capital. While some countries have struggled to regulate or simply […]
To choose the best creative agency in Dubai, which is located in the center of the innovation hub of the Middle East, it is not enough to just choose a vendor; rather, it is necessary to choose a brand partner for the long term. The city of Dubai, which is one of the most competitive, multicultural, and technologically advanced marketplaces in the world, demands advertising firms that […]
By Dr. Gyan Pathak Election Commission of India’s order of June 24, 2025 for conducting Special Intensive Revision of Electoral Rolls in Bihar violates its core constitutional responsibility, and is contrary to the well-defined protocol and procedure, and hence whimsical. In the note explaining the process of annual revision/updation of electoral rolls, the ECI has […]String.com, launched this week by the Pipedream team, allows users to describe in plain English the AI agent they want, and the platform instantly crafts, tests and deploys fully functional agents without the need for manual coding. This marks a milestone in automation and agentic AI, combining natural language input with backend integration to accelerate deployment of intelligent workflows. The platform’s creator, Tod Sacerdoti, explained that String […]
Google has released Gemini CLI, a terminal‑based interface that brings the Gemini 2.5 Pro model directly into developers’ shell environments, offering a powerful AI‑driven coding assistant alongside content generation and research capabilities. Sign‑in with a personal Google account grants users a free Gemini Code Assist licence, entitling them to an industry‑leading free tier of 60 model requests per minute and up to 1,000 requests per day—previously priced around $200/month for equivalent access […]
Privacy-conscious map users now have an innovative choice with CoMaps, a newly launched open‑source navigation app that operates fully offline and doesn’t track users. Forked from Organic Maps just last month on 1 June 2025, CoMaps is designed for hikers, cyclists, drivers and public‑transport commuters worldwide. CoMaps distinguishes itself with a firm stance on data sovereignty. Under an Apache 2 licence, the community‑developed app ensures no personal location […]
