SoftBank gets upsized US$11.9 billion loan in OpenAI funding push: sources

The Business Times - Sep 14, 2026

The Japanese conglomerate attracts commitments from around 20 banks for the two-year facility

Read full article

More News

Toyota boosts its electric lineup with the Cat A Urban Cruiser

Oct 9, 2026

Toyota boosts its electric lineup with the Cat A Urban Cruiser

The new Urban Cruiser is smaller, not just in size, but also in price.

Anthropic claims Chinese AI firms secretly use Claude. Is it true?

Oct 9, 2026

Anthropic claims Chinese AI firms secretly use Claude. Is it true?

Did Chinese AI companies secretly tap US models to close the technology gap? That is the central question hanging over China’s tech sector following a wave of allegations from Washington and American AI lab Anthropic. According to a joint advisory by the National Security Agency, FBI, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency last month, Chinese AI developers have been systematically extracting capabilities from US frontier models to reduce their own computing, electricity and...

Soaring component costs force laptop makers to rethink shift away from China: report

Oct 9, 2026

Soaring component costs force laptop makers to rethink shift away from China: report

Notebook manufacturers are being forced to rethink their shift out of China and consider moving production back to the manufacturing hub, as skyrocketing component costs squeeze profit margins, according to market research firm TrendForce. The Taiwan-based firm projected that the share of global notebook production outside mainland China would decline to 21 per cent this year from about 24 per cent in 2025, and drop below 20 per cent in 2027. “This suggests that brands are reassessing the...

Fired OpenAI staffers say safety warnings led to dismissal

Oct 9, 2026

Fired OpenAI staffers say safety warnings led to dismissal

SAN FRANCISCO — Three former OpenAI security researchers on Thursday accused the ChatGPT maker of firing them for warning about the dangers of artificial intelligence, reigniting the debate over safety at a company whose software has been involved in security breaches. “I believe we were fired for prioritizing safety over the near-term interests of OpenAI

China state funds double down on Hua Hong in legacy chip push

Oct 9, 2026

China state funds double down on Hua Hong in legacy chip push

Chinese state funds are ramping up support for the country’s second-largest contract chipmaker, pouring billions of yuan into the parent of Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor and a new manufacturing facility to fuel Beijing’s drive for self-reliance in mature-node chips. The capital blitz, spanning Hua Hong’s Shanghai-based parent company and a fabrication plant in Wuxi, highlights how government-coordinated financing is doubling down on domestic foundries, as Washington tightens technology...

China state funds double down on Hua Hong in legacy chip push

Oct 9, 2026

China state funds double down on Hua Hong in legacy chip push

Chinese state funds are ramping up support for the country’s second-largest contract chipmaker, pouring billions of yuan into the parent of Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor and a new manufacturing facility to fuel Beijing’s drive for self-reliance in mature-node chips. The capital blitz, spanning Hua Hong’s Shanghai-based parent company and a fabrication plant in Wuxi, highlights how government-coordinated financing is doubling down on domestic foundries, as Washington tightens technology...

Chinese optical chip stocks extend rout amid fears of potential US curbs

Oct 9, 2026

Chinese optical chip stocks extend rout amid fears of potential US curbs

Renewed fears of potential US trade curbs on next-generation optical transceivers for data centres have sent shares of Chinese suppliers tumbling, deepening a sell-off across artificial intelligence supply chain stocks. Shares of Chinese optical chipmakers extended their losses for a second straight session on Friday despite reassurances from major suppliers, while China’s benchmark CSI 300 Index slid 1.3 per cent by the midday break to its lowest level since August last year. Upstream laser...

JBL’s rival to Sonos is called the Cove, and it brings whole-home Wi-Fi audio from S$399

Oct 9, 2026

JBL’s rival to Sonos is called the Cove, and it brings whole-home Wi-Fi audio from S$399

The Cove lineup consists of three speakers, and can even work with JBL soundbars to create a home theatre setup.

Samsung’s P9 and P7 portable SSDs supports USB4 and transfer speeds of up to 4,000MB/s

Oct 9, 2026

Samsung’s P9 and P7 portable SSDs supports USB4 and transfer speeds of up to 4,000MB/s

Samsung’s next-generation portable SSDs feature USB4 connectivity, delivering sequential read speeds of up to 4,000MB/s.

Overwatch season 5 adds new hero, map and major changes

Oct 8, 2026

Overwatch season 5 adds new hero, map and major changes

MANILA, Philippines — Blizzard Entertainment released Overwatch Season 5, “A Grim Doctrine,” on October 7, opening the final chapter of the game’s Reign of Talon storyline with new gameplay content, seasonal events and major hero changes. The update introduces Doctrine, a new Support hero with a violent history tied to Doomfist, after the latter breaks

More threat data is useful only if security teams can act on it

Oct 8, 2026

More threat data is useful only if security teams can act on it

Security teams have access to more threat intelligence than ever, but the volume of information can create another problem: figuring out what actually needs attention. Security Operations Centers are already handling large numbers of alerts every day, often with fewer people than they need. Attackers are also moving quickly, leaving analysts less time to determine

Can China match up with Meta’s Muse in race to harness AI agents?

Oct 8, 2026

Can China match up with Meta’s Muse in race to harness AI agents?

Meta Platforms’ breakout Muse personal AI agent is shining a spotlight on a new battleground in artificial intelligence – one in which China’s biggest internet companies are already jostling for position. Launched on September 8, Muse surpassed 2.5 million downloads in its first two weeks and topped free-app rankings on Apple and Google’s US app stores. Its popularity has drawn fresh attention to the emerging market for what are known as agent harnesses. Unlike chatbots, which merely respond to...

Recommended