Can the US create high-tech manufacturing jobs?

1. It is hard to imagine exactly how we will know who won the AI arms race. We would need a global consensus about what AI that supersedes human-level intelligence (commonly referred to as artificial general intelligence) looks like, a benchmark that is much harder to pin down than a picture of Neil Armstrong on the moon.

2. Whatever the case, industry and government officials at the SelectUSA Investment Summit agreed: the US wants, needs, to be first.   

3. A crucial part of winning the AI race in the US involves creating a high-tech manufacturing industry that will build the thousands of chips and data centres needed to power this technology. The creation of such an industry is aligned with one of the Trump administration’s main goals: bringing manufacturing jobs back to the US. However, delegates at the SelectUSA Investment Summit made it clear that this was not an easy task and that the lack of a trained labour force is one of the main obstacles they face. How will the US address its skilled labour shortfall in order to power its AI ambitions?  

What are Small Modular Reactors (SMRs)?

1. Small modular reactors (SMRs) are advanced nuclear reactors that have a power capacity of up to 300 MW(e) per unit, which is about one-third of the generating capacity of traditional nuclear power reactors. SMRs, which can produce a large amount of low-carbon electricity, are:

• Small – physically a fraction of the size of a conventional nuclear power reactor.

• Modular – making it possible for systems and components to be factory-assembled and transported as a unit to a location for installation.

• Reactors – harnessing nuclear fission to generate heat to produce energy.

Finance can put trade at risk, leaving the global economy 'on the brink' – with developing countries hardest hit

 1. A new UN Trade and Development report says reforms to global financial systems are key to reducing vulnerability, improving predictability and supporting stronger alignment between trade, finance and development.

2. Global growth will slow to 2.6% in 2025, down from 2.9% in 2024, as global trade and investment face growing pressure from financial volatility and geopolitical uncertainty, according to UN Trade and Development’s new “Trade and Development Report 2025: On the Brink – Trade, finance and the reshaping of the global economy”. The report shows that shifts in financial markets move global trade almost as strongly as real economic activity, influencing development prospects worldwide.

3. UN Trade and Development (UNCTAD) Secretary-General Rebeca Grynspan said the findings show how financial conditions increasingly determine the direction of global trade: “Trade is not just a chain of suppliers. It is also a chain of credit lines, payment systems, currency markets and capital flows.”

Malaysia: National Semiconductor Strategy to Secure Global Position

 1. Malaysia is working to strengthen its role in the global semiconductor sector by diversifying supply chains and maintaining investor confidence amid trade uncertainties. The country’s approach is being shaped by the National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS), which aims to enhance resilience in an industry increasingly influenced by geopolitical and economic shifts.

2. The NSS reflects Malaysia’s ambition to position itself, alongside neighbouring economies such as Singapore and Vietnam, as a vital link in the global technology supply chain. The emphasis is on creating a more robust and flexible framework for semiconductor production and trade, moving away from the older reliance on single-sourced operations.