Nikkei Asia
In fiscal year 2026, chip manufacturing plants in Japan must abide by certain cybersecurity requirements as a condition for receiving subsidies. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry will require companies to restrict the people and the types of devices permitted to enter those facilities. Additionally, a point person must be designated to oversee the response to a cyberattack, and production lines must be divided so computer viruses cannot easily spread across the facility.
From "Japan Chip Plants to Face Cybersecurity Mandate as Condition for Subsidies"
Nikkei Asia (11/24/25) Hajime Tsukada
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Interesting Engineering
University of Delaware researchers are using a robotic exoskeleton to study the loss of proprioception, the body's internal sense of movement, in stroke patients. Although clinics rarely test this sensory ability, it plays an important role in whether stroke survivors can regain functional independence. The KINARM robotic exoskeleton maps upper-limb movement, helping distinguish sensory issues from motor issues.
From "Robotic Exoskeleton Uncovers Rarely-Tested Sensory Deficits in Stroke Patients"
Interesting Engineering (11/24/25) Neetika Walter
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The Wall Street Journal
South Korea has become a test case for "sovereign AI." In addition to calling for a 2026 budget of around $6.8 billion for AI development, South Korean President Lee Jae Myung's administration plans to procure 260,000 advanced GPUs from Nvidia. Samsung, Hyundai, SK Hynix, and LG have pledged $540 billion in domestic investment in AI datacenters, chips, and AI-based manufacturing. Chip startups Rebellions and FuriosaAI, meanwhile, are working on "neural-processing units" that could become cost-effective alternatives to Nvidia's GPUs.
From "'Sovereign AI' Takes Off as Countries Seek to Avoid Overreliance on Superpowers"
The Wall Street Journal (11/24/25) Jiyoung Sohn
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Reuters
Under a Nov. 28 order from India's telecoms ministry, major smartphone companies have 90 days to pre-install the government's Sanchar Saathi app on new smartphones and prevent users from disabling it. Manufacturers also must push the app to phones already in the supply chain via software updates. The app uses a central registry to help users block and track smartphones lost or stolen, as well as identify and disconnect fraudulent mobile connections, across all telecom networks.
From "India Orders Smartphone Makers to Preload State-Owned Cyber Safety App"
Reuters (12/01/25) Aditya Kalra; Munsif Vengattil
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Financial Times
Under a contract between the U.S. Department of State and drone delivery startup Zipline, the U.S. government will pay as much as $150 million to help cover drone manufacturing and infrastructure construction costs in five African countries. Zipline delivers blood, medicine, and other essential goods in Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Rwanda, with 1.7 million deliveries completed since 2016. The deal will allow Zipline to transition to a national model and expand from 13 hubs to around 40.
From "U.S. to Fund Delivery Drones for Africa Under New Aid Strategy"
Financial Times (11/25/25) Rafe Rosner-Uddin
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Penn State College of Engineering News
Pennsylvania State University researchers have developed a smartphone app that helps visually impaired users locate objects in real time. NaviSense, which incorporates recommendations from the visually impaired community, uses the phone's integrated audio and vibrational capabilities to guide users to the desired object. The app leverages large language models and vision language models to learn about its environment and can recognize objects based on spoken prompts.
From "AI Tool Helps Visually Impaired Users 'Feel' Where Objects Are in Real Time"
Penn State College of Engineering News (11/24/25) Ty Tkacik
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