TSMC (TSM.US) and Sony (6758.JP) announced the signing of a non-binding memorandum of understanding (MOU) to form a strategic partnership for the development and manufacturing of next-generation image sensors.

Sony and TSMC intend to establish a joint venture (JV), with Sony being the majority and controlling shareholder, to set up development and production lines in Sony’s newly constructed fab in Koshi City, Kumamoto Prefecture.

Through the JV, both companies expect to leverage Sony's expertise in sensor design alongside TSMC’s strengths in process technology and manufacturing excellence as part of a broader collaboration aimed at enhancing image sensor performance.

This partnership also seeks to explore and address emerging opportunities in physical AI applications, such as automotive and robotics.
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An analysis by the US Central Intelligence Agency indicated that Iran can sustain itself for at least 3-4 months under a US naval blockade before facing more severe economic difficulties, the Washington Post, citing people with the knowledge of the matter, reported.

Despite weeks of intense bombing by the US and Israel, Iran still retains strong ballistic missile capabilities, the US intelligence community found.
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LI AUTO-W (02015.HK) announced that the group added 23 LI Auto supercharging stations and 122 supercharging piles in April. As of April 30, the number of LI Auto supercharging stations totaled 4,077, with 22,509 supercharging piles, covering 31 provinces and 290 cities.

In addition, during the Labor Day holiday period, total trips made by LI Auto vehicles reached 1.559 million, with cumulative mileage of 640 million kilometres, representing an increment of 55.1% compared with normal days.
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Anthropic is exploring to pool tens of billions of US dollars this summer to radically expand its computing capacity, a move that will value the company at nearly USD1 trillion, exceling rival OpenAI, Financial Times, quoting people familiar with the matter, reported.

Anthropic was valued at USD380 billion in February, sources divulged. As revenue continues to grow, the company has attracted interest from investors including Dragoneer, General Catalyst and Lightspeed Venture Partners. These investors expect Anthropics annualized revenue to soon breach USD45 billion, way above USD9 billion at the end of last year.
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XPENG-W (09868.HK) disclosed that one month after the rollout of its second-generation VLA system, smart driving mileage penetration topped 50%, meaning that more than half of total mileage has been led by the "AI driver" in real-world driving scenarios.
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A rules-based international order no longer exists, opined Ray Dalio, founder of Bridgewater Associates, noting that the outcome of a US-Iran war could be defined in almost black-and-white terms of who will control the Straight of Hormuz, and who will control the nuclear materials.

Therefore, investors should maintain diversified portfolios, with gold allocation ranging between 5% and 15%. Historically, during such periods, all fiat currencies have depreciated, while gold prices have appreciated.
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Xiaomi Auto has recently undergone a management reshuffle, according to Sina Tech. Yu Liguo, Vice President of the automobile division, has concurrently taken up the role of head of the preparatory team for overseas business, reporting to both Group CEO and President of the automobile division Lei Jun, as well as Group President Lu Weibing.

Xiaomi Auto is reportedly expediting its overseas expansion. According to information disclosed by Xiaomi Corporation Partner and President Lu Weibing at the company's Investor Day, Xiaomi Auto is assumed to officially launch its globalization process in 2H27, with Europe as its first destination, followed by foray into right-hand-drive markets in 1H28.
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Continuing Jobless Claims for Apr/25 in the United States is 1,766K, lower than the previous value of 1,776K. The forecast was 1,800K.~



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Initial Jobless Claims for May/02 in the United States is 200K, higher than the previous value of 190K. The forecast was 205K.~



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UBS published a report stating that domestic GPU shipment capacity expansion is imminent. Multiple incremental data points reinforced its view that data center demand will accelerate from 2H26. Following large-scale tender release in early January, industry checks indicated that hyperscale cloud operators continue to release orders on a rolling basis. Progress in expanding domestic GPU shipments is in line with expectations. DeepSeek indicated that pricing for its V4 Pro model will decline in 2H26 alongside volume ramp-up of Ascend 950 Supernode.

GDS Holdings Limited (GDS.US) has resumed active expansion in China since 3Q25 and has accumulated a sizeable power quota of approximately 3GW in western regions, the report said. UBS believed the company is likely to secure more than 500MW of new orders in 2026. Although EBITDA acceleration will take time, new orders will become a more important share price catalyst in the new industry upcycle. The TP was lowered to USD60 from USD62. The Buy rating was reiterated.

For VNET Group, Inc. (VNET.US), UBS left its EBITDA forecasts for 2026 and 2027 largely unchanged, but trimmed EBITDA projections for 2028 and beyond pending greater visibility on financing plans to support future growth. The TP was cut to USD15.5 from USD17, with a Buy rating maintained.
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