3 Before 9: April 9, 2026

Asia's largest technology and AI conference kicked off at Marina Bay Sands today, drawing more than 550 enterprises and startups, 250 investors managing over $350 billion in funds, and speakers from 110 countries. The second edition of GITEX AI Asia arrives as IDC projects regional AI spending will reach $78 billion in 2026, driven by enterprise and government deployment across healthcare, finance and public services. Country pavilions from Australia, China, India, South Korea, Vietnam and 15 other nations are showcasing everything from semiconductor advances to quantum computing research, while the co-located North Star Asia startup platform features 300 startups from 50 countries including 20 unicorns.

The World Bank lowered its 2026 growth projection for East Asia and the Pacific to 4.2 percent, down from 5.0 percent in 2025, citing the energy shock from the Middle East conflict, elevated trade barriers and domestic economic drag. China's economy is expected to decelerate from 5.0 to 4.2 percent this year, while the rest of the region is forecast at 4.1 percent with a rebound to 5.0 percent in 2027 once geopolitical tensions ease. The report, released yesterday, identified surging AI-related exports and investment in Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam as a notable counterweight to the broader slowdown.

Microsoft announced a $10 billion investment in Japan spanning 2026 to 2029, making it the company's largest single-country AI commitment in Asia. The package covers GPU-based AI infrastructure built with domestic partners Sakura Internet and SoftBank, a cybersecurity partnership with Japan's national agencies, and a pledge to train more than one million engineers and developers by 2030. Sakura Internet's stock surged 20 percent on the news, while the plan directly addresses Japan's projected shortfall of 3.26 million AI and robotics workers by 2040.