|
Trade Wars
HP, Dell, Acer And Asus Mull Using Chinese Memory Chips Amid Supply Crunch
PC makers HP (HPQ.N), opens new tab, Dell, Acer and Asus are considering sourcing memory chips from Chinese chipmakers for the first time amid a global supply crunch that is threatening product launches and pushing up costs across the tech industry, Nikkei Asia reported on Thursday. This comes at a time when global electronics supply chains are grappling with an acute shortage of memory chips - an essential fixture across devices from smartphones to data centers.
HP has started qualifying products from Chinese memory chipmaker ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) to expand supply alternatives, Nikkei Asia said citing people familiar with the matter. The PC maker is planning to continue monitoring the memory chip supply situation till about mid-2026, and if dynamic random access memory (DRAM) supplies remain tight and prices continue to rise, it would likely start sourcing from CXMT for the first time for non-U.S. markets, the report added.
Read more at Reuters
Shaniko Wool Company partners with Ralph Lauren for Olympic uniforms
The official Opening and Closing Ceremony uniforms for the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Teams for the Winter Games Milano Cortina 2026 are designed by Ralph Lauren. The uniforms feature wool sourced from the Shaniko Wool Company, based in Maupin, Ore. Lauren has served as the Official Outfitter for Team USA since 2008. All apparel worn by U.S. athletes during the official Olympic and Paralympic ceremonies is manufactured in the United States through partnerships with local manufacturers and materials providers.
The 2026 uniforms feature several pieces made from wool provided by Shaniko Wool Company. This includes the toggle coat, pants, sweater, mittens and earflap hat for the Opening Ceremony. The Oregon-based company also provided wool for the sweaters and beanies used in the Closing Ceremony. Shaniko Wool Company was founded in 2018 by Dan and Jeanne Carver. The company is based in Maupin, Oregon. The company's roots trace back to the Imperial Stock Ranch, which was established in north central Oregon in 1871. In 1999, the Carvers developed a new business model by selling wool directly to textile brands that prioritized land stewardship and transparency. The Imperial Stock Ranch became the first ranch in the world to receive the Responsible Wool Standard certification in 2017.
Read more at KTVZ
Big Tech Set To Spend $650 Billion In 2026 As AI Investments Soar
The four Big Tech "hyperscalers"—Microsoft, Alphabet, Amazon, and Meta — are on track to spend upward of $650 billion on artificial intelligence investments this year. Amazon said on Thursday it would invest about $200 billion in capital expenditures in 2026, an announcement that followed Alphabet telling investors on Wednesday its capex would fall between $175 billion and $185 billion this year.
At the low end of that range, the four would spend about $635 billion, marking a roughly 67% spike from the companies’ $381 billion in expenditures in 2025. At the high end of their guidance, the group would spend around $665 billion, or a 74% jump from the previous year. The vast majority of that spending will go to AI chips, servers, and data center infrastructure, the companies said. Investors are beginning to believe in the transformative effect AI could have on enterprises, as new tools from Anthropic and the success of Google’s Gemini 3 have gained traction, Luria said. Their focus has shifted to finding areas of the market that could be negatively impacted by the evolving tech, namely in the software space.
Read more at Yahoo Finance
Collins Aerospace And Pratt & Whitney Expand Advanced Manufacturing And Engine Maintenance In Singapore
Aerospace group RTX Corp. is planning over $139 million in capital investments in Singapore to improve and expand the operations of two subsidiaries there, Collins Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney. The investments will follow a series of memoranda of understanding (MOUs) with the Singapore Economic Development Board, and expanding the two subsidiaries’ advanced manufacturing and maintenance capabilities in that country.
Collins Aerospace, an avionics and aircraft mechanical systems manufacturer, will introduce new MRO capabilities in the region to reduce turnround times for customers, including electrical power systems and environmental and airframe control systems. Collins’ expansion will be fully operational in 2030. Its new capabilities will include Boeing 777X integrated drive generators, ahead of the expected entry into service for that new aircraft; and new products supporting the Boeing 787 fleet, such as controllers for engine starters, cabin air compressors and auxiliary power units, new cooling system capabilities for pumps and controllers. Pratt & Whitney will expand its GTF engine MRO and engine manufacturing capabilities in Singapore, including new services drawing on advanced automation and artificial intelligence for the GTF engine Fan drive gear system (FDGS) at its Seletar operation there.
Read more at American Machinist
Raytheon To Ramp Up Missile Production In Pentagon Deals
Raytheon, a division of RTX, announced Wednesday that it would ramp up production of several key missile systems, weeks after President Donald Trump threatened to nix the company’s government contracts unless it invested more in manufacturing. The defense giant said it reached five agreements with the Pentagon to accelerate annual deliveries of these precision munitions — by as much as four times their current rates — including more than 1,000 Tomahawk cruise missiles, at least 1,900 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles and roughly 500 SM-6 missiles. Production of SM-3 IIA and SM-3 IB missile defense interceptors are also expected to rise.
“These agreements redefine how government and industry can partner to speed the delivery of critical technologies and are a direct result of the administration’s Acquisition Transformation Strategy and commitment to deliver the best technologies faster,” RTX CEO Chris Calio said in a statement. Manufacturing under the deal will take place at facilities in Huntsville, Alabama; Tucson, Arizona; and Andover, Massachusetts.
Read more at Defense News
European BEV Sales Grow In 2025 But Remain Shy Of Targets
Battery-electric vehicle sales took 17.4% of the European car market share in 2025, still far short of industry expectations, according to Jan. 24 data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association. Automakers in Europe are keeping an eye on their share of electrified vehicle sales as they seek to keep up with the European Union’s proposals to lower CO2 emissions. While EU regulators have recently pushed for less stringent requirements, manufacturers can qualify for certain incentives if 25% of their sales by 2025 are from zero-emission vehicles. Industry-wide data shows those targets are not yet within reach for many OEMs.
Meanwhile, the trade association’s figures show that hybrid vehicles lead the market as the most popular propulsion-system choice among European consumers, with plug-in hybrids also consolidating their position in most markets. Hybrids accounted for 34.5% of the total market in 2025. Diesel powertrain sales led the slump in ICE registrations, falling 24.2% to an 8.9% share in 2025. Gasoline powertrains accounted for 2,880,298 new cars registered in 2025, falling to 26.6% of market share from 33.3% a year earlier.
Read more at Ward’s Auto
US January Auto Sales Plunge Amid Bad Weather, Affordability Issues. 2026 Expected to See Flat Sales.
January sales of new light vehicles plunged from December amid weather disruptions, persistent affordability issues and low consumer confidence. January sales fell to a 14.94-million-unit pace, down by 6.7% from the 16.01-million-unit pace in December, according to sales data from the US Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA.) ICIS Senior Economist Kevin Swift said weather disruptions are likely at play and exacerbated the typical usual post-holiday slowdown.
Jincy Varghese, ICIS demand analyst, said increasing trade barriers and challenging demand present obstacles for automakers, necessitating a strategic shift in production. Varghese cited forecasts from Oxford Economics saying that global automotive output in 2026 is expected to be flat compared with 2025. “Modest growth is anticipated for the US auto industry,” Varghese said. “Additionally, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA) is initiating its domestic consultation ahead of the 2026 joint review, potentially stabilizing the supply chain.” Varghese said Oxford Economics forecast is for US automotive output in 2026 to grow by 0.7% compared with 2025.
Read more at ICIS
Startup Pitches X-Rays and AI to Catch Fraudulent Returns
A startup says its technology can help retailers identify counterfeit merchandise returned for a refund, a way for merchants to catch fraudsters trying to exploit their returns policies. Clarity on Thursday emerged from stealth mode and said returns-management company ReturnPro will begin using its machines to screen returns in three of its U.S. facilities.
The company’s machine is similar in concept to an airport security X-ray screener. It uses artificial intelligence to learn what a given product is supposed to look like by scanning an example of the genuine item. The machine can then alert whether a returned product contains any different organic materials inside—a red flag for possible counterfeits—or identify if there are missing parts such as a power cord that was left out of the box. The retailer can then fix problematic items or send them on to a reseller, allowing them to avoid accidentally reselling the fake merchandise back to a new customer. The merchant also can trace those returns back to the customer to flag potential fraudsters.
Read more at The WSJ
|
