US, Japan and South Korea Back Taiwan Ahead of Trump-Xi Summit 

The United States on Monday reiterated its commitment to the defense of key Asian allies ‌Japan and South Korea, and the three nations expressed support for Taiwan ahead of a summit between US President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with his South Korean counterpart Cho Hyun and Japan's ​Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in New York on Monday. They issued a joint statement vowing, in apparent reference to China, to stand firm "against economic coercion and non-market policies and practices" and "arbitrary export restrictions that disrupt supply chains." 

The United States on Monday reaffirmed its commitment to the defense of Japan and South Korea, while the three countries also voiced support for Taiwan ahead of a summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week.

The statements come as Trump prepares to host Xi at the White House in Washington on Thursday, with trade and broader U.S.-China relations expected to feature prominently in their discussions.

Japan and South Korea are watching the summit closely amid concerns over how potential U.S.-China agreements could affect regional security and economic interests.

Analysts say some U.S. allies are particularly concerned that Trump could offer concessions to Beijing, potentially involving Taiwan or trade issues, in exchange for economic gains from China.

Reference Sources

1. Reuters - US stresses backing for Japan, Korea and Taiwan ahead of Trump-Xi summit
2. Chosun - Korea, US, Japan bolster unity to deter China and push regional stability
3. SCMP - US, Japan and South Korea launch economic-security talks before Xi summit 

There's a '0% chance' AI will end the world by 2030, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang assures

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has dismissed warnings that artificial intelligence (AI) could lead to humanity's extinction, calling such predictions overblown "doomsday narratives."

Huang's comments come amid a heated debate in Silicon Valley over whether companies should second-guess the rapid development of AI — and whether the technology poses an existential threat.

The conversation was sparked in part by former Anthropic researcher Jacob Coxon, who wrote a series of viral X posts warning that top AI developers "earnestly believe that it could kill us all by the end of the decade." Following Coxon's comments, Anthropic's Evan Hubinger predicted that there was a 10% chance that AI could kill all humans within the next decade.

Huang, however, claimed that he didn't believe in such extinction forecasts because they were "not grounded in science." The billionaire Tech executive's comments come amid a debate in Silicon Valley over whether companies should second-guess the rapid development of AI — and whether the technology poses an existential threat.

Coxon's remarks, which were backed by two other researchers at the maker of the AI Claude, prompted an international debate about the dangers and lack of oversight of AI as companies race to develop ever more powerful models.

Reference Sources

1. newyorkpost - There's a '0% chance' AI will end the world by 2030, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang assures
2. indiatoday - Scaring people is unnecessary: Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang calls out AI critics, says 0% chance world will end
3. theguardian - Nvidia boss says there is 0% chance AI destroys the world by 2030

EU to require data centres to disclose energy and water efficiency

The European Commission has proposed rules requiring data centres in Europe to disclose how efficiently they use energy and water, as concerns grow over their consumption of resources.

The EU wants to triple its data centre capacity over the next seven years to support the rapid development of artificial intelligence and attempt to cut reliance on US big Tech.

However, this risks straining Europe's energy Grids, depleting water resources and increasing CO2 emissions if the huge facilities' use of energy and water is not controlled. To attempt to incentivise companies to build more energy- and water-efficient data centres, the Commission has proposed a rating scheme for facilities to make this information more transparent.

The scheme would not impose limits on their energy and water use or require data centres to disclose their total power use, but would require operators of facilities with a capacity of 500 kW to disclose their energy and water efficiency using an EU-designed labelling system. Data centres are essential to Europe's digital future.

They are also one of the world's fastest-growing sectors, projected to consume more than 3% of overall electricity demand in the EU by 2030.

This growth puts pressure on electricity grids and the use of natural resources, such as water, and contributes to increased carbon emissions.

Reference Sources

1. thestarmy - EU to require data centres to disclose energy and water efficiency
2. commissioneuropa - Making data centres energy efficient thanks to a new EU rating system
3. eceuropaen - Minimum performance standards for data centres in Europe - public consultation launched
4. brusselstimes - EU eyes tighter control on data centre power as demand surges

The CommonWealth English daily news digest is a service curated by CommonWealth English team with the help of AI tools.  

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