Taiwan–U.S. Outreach: Arizona opened a new Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Phoenix, with Gov. Katie Hobbs backing Taiwan ties despite Chinese warnings—an explicit push to support semiconductor-focused collaboration and Taiwanese residents. Defense & Arms Sales: Taiwan’s defense minister said he hasn’t heard the U.S. would split a potential $14B arms package into smaller batches, while stressing Washington’s commitments remain unchanged. UK–Taiwan Tech Pact: The UK and Taiwan signed a science/innovation/tech collaboration covering semiconductors, AI standards, space, telecoms and net zero, including a silicon photonics academic alliance. Semiconductor Momentum: TSMC’s Arizona expansion and AI demand kept markets upbeat, while Nvidia neared a $6T valuation and Taiwan-linked chip optimism continued to ripple through regional trading. AI Supply Chain Finance: Asia’s banks are pouring record loans into the AI buildout, with Taiwan lenders extending huge working-capital credit tied to the AI supply chain. Offshore Wind Reliability: Ørsted reported a second turbine blade failure at Taiwan’s Greater Changhua 4 wind farm in two months, prompting safety measures and a technical probe. Cybersecurity Watch: UK intelligence warned of China-linked academic funding that could boost espionage capabilities, including AI and cybersecurity work. Energy for AI: A new analysis highlights that AI’s real bottleneck is power availability, not just chips—data center electricity demand is projected to surge.