Daily Strategic Briefing

Datacenter diplomacy: Australia commits to help Vanuatu build bit barns

$79 million is a small price to pay to keep China at bay Australia will help to fund the development of two datacenters in the Pacific island nation Vanuatu, an example of tech infrastructure becoming an important diplomatic consideration.…

Hungry hyperscalers boosted Cisco's AI sales by a cool billion bucks

Big Tech is spending vastly more on AI infrastructure but Switchzilla thinks its piece of the pie will be fat and juicy Cisco sold twice as much AI kit as it forecast during its 2025 fiscal year and expects the market for binary brainboxes will continue to boost its bank balance in future.…

Doctors get dopey if they rely too much on AI, study suggests

A tool can become a crutch When doctors use AI image recognition technology to spot and remove precancerous growths known as adenomas during colonoscopies, the detection rate is higher. But take the AI away, and their rate drops to below where it was in the first place.…

Tsunami forecasting about to get a lot faster thanks to El Capitan super

The world's most powerful known supercomputer stretches its legs with some life-saving science Eggheads working on El Capitan, the world's most powerful publicly known supercomputer, have developed a new tsunami forecasting system that could dramatically improve response times in coastal communities.…

Claude Code's copious coddling confounds cross customers

Never mind the errors, we've had it with "You're absolutely right!" Developers using Anthropic's Claude Code wish that the AI coding assistant would stop being so effusively supportive.…

Co-founder of Elon Musk’s xAI departs the company

Summary:

Igor Babuschkin is leaving xAI less than three years after he co-founded the startup with Elon Musk, following a series of scandals at company.

Waymo finally has a music experience worthy of its robotaxi

Summary:

Waymo now lets you stream music straight from Spotify, which makes the back seat of a robotaxi feel more like your own private space.

Pocket FM gives its writers an AI tool to transform narratives, write cliffhangers, and more

Summary:

Pocket FM is building LLM to help users write faster and in turn, produce more audio shows.

Anthropic nabs Humanloop team as competition for enterprise AI talent heats up

Summary:

While an Anthropic spokesperson confirmed that the AI firm did not acquire Humanloop or its IP, that’s a moot point in an industry where IP lives in the brain. And what Humanloop’s team is bringing to Anthropic is experience developing the tools that help enterprises run safe, reliable AI at scale.  

NeoLogic wants to build more energy-efficient CPUs for AI data centers

Summary:

To fund its vision of building more energy-efficient server CPUs, NeoLogic recently raised a $10 million Series A round led by KOMPAS VC with participation from M Ventures, Maniv Mobility, and lool Ventures.

Livspace makes a $5.5M bet on furniture hardware startup TplusA

Livspace founder Ramakant Sharma and Kedaara Capital’s Nishant Sharma also joined the funding round in a personal capacity.

Avendus Fund leads Rs 300 Cr investment in Aragen Life Sciences

Avendus’ Rs 300 crore bet on Aragen comes amid a surge in India’s CRDMO sector, as global pharma outsourcing accelerates and trade policy shifts raise questions over export exposure.

Brandworks Technologies raises $7M in round led by Catcus Partners

The electronics design-led manufacturing company will use the newly raised funds to fuel R&D, enter global markets, and scale-up manufacturing.

Speciale Invest announces close of Fund III with a target corpus of Rs 600 Cr

Speciale Invest's Fund III will invest in 18 to 20 startups between 2025 and 2029 across deeptech segments, including spacetech, advanced manufacturing, energy, health, and AI.

AI startup Refold AI scores $6.5M funding led by Eniac Ventures, Tidal Ventures

The San Mateo- and Bangalore-based firm plans to use the fresh funds to expand its 20-member engineering team, deepen product integrations, and support its enterprise client base.

Sanofi India Appoints Richa Bakshi as People Excellence Lead, Effective Aug 2025

Sanofi India announces Ms. Surabhi Kaul's cessation as SMP effective 14 Aug 2025; she moves to another role in Sanofi group. Ms. Richa Bakshi appointed People Excellence Lead effective 18 Aug 2025; brings 16 years HR experience across geographies. Source: BSE

Infosys Buys Versent Stake for A$233M

Telstra sells majority stake in Versent Group to Infosys for A$233M. The deal establishes a strategic partnership, effective August 14, 2025. Source: MarketScreener India

Muthoot Finance Soars 7% on Q1 High, Price Targets Raised

Muthoot Finance hits all-time high, rising over 7% post strong Q1. Upgrades and increased price targets boost Muthoot Finance's performance. Source: ScoutQuest

Deepak Spinners Faces Profit Dip, Outlook Adjusted

Deepak Spinners' evaluation score was adjusted due to technical outlook changes. The company faced profit decline and consistent underperformance over the past year. Source: Marketsmojo

Global Vectra Q1 PAT Falls to ₹9.4 Cr

Global Vectra Helicorp reported a PBT of Rs 14.8 crore for June 2025. PAT stood at Rs 9.4 crore, reflecting declining profitability and performance metrics. Source: Marketsmojo

Indonesia Stocks Hit Record Peak

Country: Indonesia, Description: The IDX Composite rose 50 points, or 0.6%, to 7,943 in early trading on Thursday, marking its fifth consecutive session of gains and hitting a record high. The index tracked an upbeat session on Wall Street overnight, amid rising expectations that the Federal Reserve may cut interest rates at its September meeting. Ongoing foreign capital inflows also continued to support market sentiment. Investor confidence was further lifted by the decision of the US and China to extend their trade truce deadline by another 90 days. All sectors traded in the green, led by infrastructure, followed by transportation, energy, and technology. Among the top performers were DCI (+10.0%), Dian Swastika Sentosa (+5.6%), Map Aktif Adiperkasa (+2.2%), Mitra Adiperkasa (+2.0%), and Telkom Indonesia (+1.8%).

China Rolls Out Nationwide Equipment Upgrade Initiative

Country: China, Description: China earmarked CNY 188 billion (USD 25.9 billion) from its 2025 ultra-long special treasury bond funds to back equipment upgrades across major sectors, the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) said Wednesday. The funding will cover about 8,400 projects spanning industry, energy equipment, power, transport, logistics, environmental infrastructure, education, healthcare, and more. The plan, part of the “two new” policy, aims to leverage over CNY 1 trillion in total investment, with tighter vetting to accelerate modernization in key sectors.

Australia 10-Year Yield Stabilizes After Jobs Report

Country: Australia, Description: Australia’s 10-year government bond yield stabilized at 4.20% on Thursday, halting a three-day decline as investors assessed the latest labour market data. Net employment rose by 24,500 in July, well above June’s 1,000 gain but just shy of expectations for a 25,000 increase. The unemployment rate edged down to 4.2%, from a four-year high of 4.3% in the prior month and matching forecasts. The figures helped ease concerns that the labour market was on the verge of a sharp slowdown, suggesting less urgency for the Reserve Bank of Australia to follow this week’s rate cut with another in September. On Tuesday, the RBA lowered interest rates as expected but stayed cautious on the outlook, leaving markets to anticipate a three-month pause before any further easing. Meanwhile, wage pressures appear contained, with annual pay growth holding steady at 3.4% in the second quarter—well below the 2023 peak of 4.2%.

South Korea to Announce Plan to Restructure Petrochemical Sector

Country: South Korea, Description: South Korea’s government will unveil a plan this month to restructure the country’s struggling petrochemical sector, which is in a “grave” situation, Industry Minister Kim Jung-kwan said on Thursday. Speaking at a shipyard, Kim emphasized that the petrochemical industry must take voluntary measures, including the adjustment of facilities, according to a statement from his ministry, as reported by Reuters. Kim said South Korean petrochemical companies should draw lessons from the restructuring of the shipbuilding industry in the late 2010s, when shipmakers were forced to liquidate assets and streamline operations amid a sharp drop in orders. Profit margins for petrochemical companies in South Korea—and globally—have plummeted due to a supply glut of oil-based products, driven by relentless capacity expansions over the past decade, especially in China, the world’s largest petrochemical market. At the same time, demand has remained sluggish for the past three to four years.

Japan 10-Year Yield Extends Gains on Hawkish BOJ Signals

Country: Japan, Description: Japan’s 10-year government bond yield climbed above 1.52% on Thursday, its fourth straight daily rise, as pressure mounts on the Bank of Japan to drop its reliance on an inflation measure tied to domestic demand and wages that has so far limited further tightening. Governor Kazuo Ueda has defended a cautious approach, noting that “underlying inflation” remains below the BOJ’s 2% target. However, some board members are urging a shift toward highlighting headline inflation, which reached 3.3% in June, as part of a more hawkish communication strategy. Even so, policymakers remain split on the timing and pace of future rate hikes amid uncertainty over economic forecasts and potential tariff effects.

US revokes visas for Brazilian officials over Cuba medical program ties

Summary: State Department targets two officials who helped implement Brazil's Mais Médicos program, which Washington calls Cuba's "forced labor" scheme., Description: The U.S. State Department announced Wednesday the revocation of visas for two Brazilian government officials and former Pan American Health Organization staff members, escalating the Trump administration's crackdown on what it characterizes as Cuba's "forced labor" medical missions. The action represents the latest phase in Washington's broader campaign to dismantle international networks that...

Russia resorts to internet shutdowns to stop drone attacks

Summary: Widespread blackouts force millions back to cash payments, with July recording over 2,000 disruptions nationwide., Description: Russian authorities have dramatically escalated mobile internet shutdowns to counter Ukrainian drone attacks, forcing millions of citizens back to cash payments as digital services collapse across the country. The surge in outages has reached unprecedented levels, with July 2025 recording over 2,099 disruptions—a world record—compared to just 69 incidents in May. This digital blackout campaign...

EU proposal to suspend Israel from research program stalls

Summary: Germany and other member states are blocking sanctions over Gaza conduct, preventing the qualified majority needed for approval., Description: A European Commission proposal to partially suspend Israel from the EU's Horizon Europe research program remains deadlocked two weeks after its introduction, with Germany among several member states blocking the unprecedented sanctions over Israel's conduct in Gaza. Despite growing pressure over the humanitarian crisis, EU diplomats indicate minimal progress toward achieving the qualified...

Trump revokes Biden's sweeping antitrust order

Summary: The president eliminated one of the most ambitious competition initiatives in decades, directing 72 separate measures across federal agencies., Description: President Trump revoked a sweeping executive order from the Biden administration aimed at promoting competition across the U.S. economy, eliminating one of the most ambitious antitrust initiatives in decades. The executive order signed Wednesday, August 13, 2025, formally revokes Executive Order 14036, which former President Joe Biden signed on July 9, 2021. The brief document contains no...

Supreme Court to hear case that could gut voting rights

Summary: Louisiana redistricting dispute centers on whether creating majority-Black districts violates the Constitution, threatening Section 2 protections nationwide., Description: The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments October 15 in *Louisiana v. Callais*, a high-stakes redistricting case that could fundamentally reshape voting rights protections across the nation. The justices' decision to rehear the case has prompted concern among voting rights advocates and signals potential further erosion of the landmark Voting Rights Act.