Hong Kong's initial public offering (IPO) market experienced a robust start to 2026, with listing applications tripling year on year and proceeds reaching their second highest level on record for Jan. This surge positions Hong Kong back in the global IPO spotlight.

Perplexity, an AI startup, has secured a $750 million agreement with Microsoft to utilise its Azure cloud service. This three-year deal allows Nvidia-backed Perplexity to run various AI models through Microsoft's Foundry program.

Amazon is in discussions to invest up to USD 50 billion in OpenAI, the creator of ChatGPT. These early-stage talks could position Amazon as the largest contributor to the artificial intelligence company’s current fundraising initiative.

Samsung Electronics reported a record operating profit for its fourth quarter, totaling USD 13.98 billion. This significant increase underscores the world's top memory chipmaker's strong pricing power.

Tesla announced a USD 2 billion investment in Chief Executive Officer Elon Musk’s artificial-intelligence organisation xAI. The company also reiterated that its Cybercab robotaxi production plans are on track for this year. This investment supports Musk's strategy to transition Tesla from an electric vehicle manufacturer to an AI organisation.

Seagate Technology anticipates third-quarter revenue and profit will surpass analyst expectations, driven by robust demand for its data storage devices. Enterprises are significantly scaling their use of artificial intelligence, fuelling this increased demand.

Intel is struggling to meet demand for server chips utilised in artificial intelligence data centres. This challenge has led the organisation to forecast quarterly revenue and profit below market estimates. Following the announcement, shares dropped 13% in after-hours trading. Credit: INTEL The forecast highlights Intel's difficulties in predicting global chip markets, where current products result from decisions made years ago. The company's shares had risen 40% in the past

Chinese robotics firm UBTech has signed a deal with Airbus, the world's largest planemaker, to supply robots for aviation manufacturing. Airbus has already acquired UBTech's latest industrial humanoid robot, the Walker S2.