AI Gold Rush: Chipmakers Pour $5 Billion Into Vietnam, $30 Billion Into Japan, and $10 Billion Into a Single Fund

The artificial intelligence boom is triggering a massive wave of investment across Asia, with chipmakers, equipment suppliers, and infrastructure companies committing billions of dollars to expand production and build the computing backbone for AI systems.

Samsung will invest $5 billion in Vietnam to expand its semiconductor production, moving the country beyond simple assembly work into higher-value chip manufacturing [256819]. The South Korean tech giant also reported a massive jump in quarterly profit, with operating profit reaching 80 billion dollars—nearly nine times higher than the same period last year—driven by soaring demand for AI chips [256792].

In Japan, chipmaking equipment maker Towa will build a new plant to strengthen the country's semiconductor supply chain [256828]. The company makes tools used to mold and package chips and supplies major chip companies including Nvidia, the U.S. firm whose processors power most artificial intelligence systems [256828]. Tokyo Electron, another Japanese semiconductor equipment maker, is set to report a record profit driven by strong demand for AI-related chipmaking equipment [256830].

Australia's AirTrunk announced it will more than triple its investment in Japan, committing up to $30 billion to build new data centers across the country [256812]. The company is betting on Japan's growing demand for cloud computing and artificial intelligence [256812].

Taiwan's biggest chipmakers are also sharply increasing spending in the United States and Southeast Asia. TSMC, the world's largest contract chip manufacturer, is leading the push, expanding production capacity abroad to serve AI customers closer to their markets and reduce risks from geopolitical tensions [256827]. Other Taiwanese technology companies are joining the move, building or expanding factories in Vietnam, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand [256827].

Taiwan's two largest display makers, AUO and Innolux, are turning to glass as a new material for advanced AI chips. Glass offers key advantages over traditional chip packaging materials, improving signal speed, using less power, and allowing chips to be stacked more densely [256835].

In India and Malaysia, AM Intelligence is expanding its NVIDIA Vera Rubin AI factory buildout. The Vera Rubin platform is designed to handle demanding artificial intelligence workloads [256163].

The AI boom is even driving a surge in gold demand, with technology companies buying more gold than ever for AI infrastructure and semiconductors, even as prices reach historic highs [255408].

Hong Kong's main technology stock benchmark is expanding to 50 members from 30, aiming to better represent the fast-growing artificial intelligence and robotics sectors [255981].

A Dallas venture firm is raising a $10 billion megafund after successful bets on hot AI startups. The firm is behind Groq, a chip startup, and its winning investments have pushed it into a small group of firms raising gigantic funds [257380].

Japan's largest bank will connect small Japanese businesses with American AI developers, acting as a bridge between its small-business clients and U.S.-based AI companies. Many of these clients lack the money and staff to develop AI tools on their own [256804].

Nissan and Honda are turning to American artificial intelligence startups to build software for their next generation of vehicles, aiming to create advanced software that can power self-driving features and smarter in-car systems [256836].

Analysts expect the trend to continue as AI investment grows worldwide [256827].