AI Around the World News — 2026-10-23 (Fri)

Overview

In the UK, AI companies are requesting government action to prevent data center protests, and in Taiwan, semiconductor power usage has set a new record.Infrastructural and energy constraints for AI have become apparent in various countries. While the UAE is moving half of its government services to agent AI, Barclays is planning mass layoffs as it strengthens its use of AI, showing a difference in the speed of hiring in both the administrative and employment sectors.

Domestic in the United States

- United States: It has been pointed out that AI and its risks have been incorporated into the midterm elections (The New York Times).

Domestic in China

- China: Chinese stocks are reportedly nearing bear market territory due to AI-related transactions and a decline in policy expectations (Bloomberg's view). - China: A Chinese tech company has announced a new AI model based entirely on domestic computing infrastructure (Global Times report).

European countries

- UK: AI companies demand government action within 12 months to prevent data center protests (according to reports). - Italy: Nvidia will enter the Italian market through TIM (Decode39 report). - Europe (multiple countries): Government websites across Europe were taken offline due to a PHP vulnerability discovered by AI (originated in Thai media, but categorized here as a European event).

India/South Asia

- Barclays: announced plans to cut 5,000 jobs by the end of 2026 as it increases its reliance on AI (BBC, The Times of India). - India: Over 100,000 engineers trained to develop using Gemini (reported by The Economic Times). - India: IIT Madras is scheduled to release a white paper on AI, employment, global standards, and reskilling (planning and presentation stage).

Southeast Asia/Oceania

- Malaysia: Dassault Systèmes has opened an office in Bandar Utama with the aim of promoting industrial AI and virtual twins (implementation). - Philippines: Industry insiders say that the Philippines lags behind its ASEAN neighbors in AI data center investment (according to the views of those involved). - Vietnam: Vietnam's CDC presented a procurement system using AI at an Asian Development Bank (ADB) meeting (implementation). - Vietnam: Data and AI are increasing added value in the textile and garment industry (reported by vietnamnews.vn).

Korea/Taiwan

- Taiwan: With the expansion of AI demand, power usage in Taiwan's semiconductor sector has set a new record (implemented/occurred).

middle east

- UAE: 50% of government services are transitioning to agent AI (currently transitioning). - Saudi Arabia: Saudi company Humain announced an expanded deal with Nvidia on an 84-megawatt AI computing plan (announcement).

Africa/Central and South America

- Nigeria: Tijani warns that Nigeria risks falling behind in the global AI race (as he sees it).

Integrated analysis: What can be seen when comparing the movements of each country

Similar developments (① Infrastructure and Energy): Concerns about data center protests in the UK, Taiwanese semiconductors breaking records in power usage, Saudi Arabia's 84-megawatt plan, and slow investment in the Philippines all point to common constraints regarding where AI can be installed and power. While acceptance of citizens is becoming a problem in Europe, we can see a contrast between the Middle East and its progress towards large-scale operations. Similar movements (② Government recruitment): The UAE's transition to agent AI, Vietnam's presentation of an AI procurement system, and the US state government's subsidies to address the talent gap show that while recruitment in the government sector is progressing, human resources are also emerging as an issue. Similar movements (③ employment): Barclays' plan to cut 5,000 jobs (reduction) and India's training and white paper announcement of over 100,000 engineers (development) are related in that the impact on employment comes in two forms at the same time: ``retrenchment'' and ``retraining.'' The fact that Barclays has also been reported in Indian media suggests a connection with the structure of its base, but this cannot be confirmed from the headline information alone. Different moves: When it comes to computing resources, China is launching a completely domestic computing infrastructure, while India is developing human resources using an external platform called Gemini, which shows the contrast between self-sufficient resources and external utilization. Implications for Japan: Barclays' downsizing plan could serve as a precedent for employment plans and reskilling designs involving Japan's financial industry. Concerns about the UK's protests and Taiwan's electricity record show that Japan's data center and semiconductor policies need to consider location acceptance and power security in advance. The progress of government adoption in the UAE and Vietnam can be compared when considering the introduction and procurement of AI in the Japanese government.

Future points of interest

The UK government's specific response to AI companies' request to respond within 12 months and the spread of data center protests in Europe. 2. Whether large-scale cuts similar to those at Barclays have spread to other financial institutions, and the content of the IIT Madras white paper (AI and employment/reskilling). 3. The degree of penetration of AI models based on China's completely domestic calculation infrastructure and trends in AI-related transactions in Chinese stocks.