On December 16, 2025, Beijing approved China's first two passenger cars with level-three hands-off capability. According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, Changan and BAIC can produce models restricted to designated zones, with limits of 50 kilometers an hour on city roads and 80 kilometers an hour on highways.

On December 15, 2025, OpenAI was selected as Yahoo Finance's Company of the Year even as it carried the largest losses ever recorded, tied to $1.4 trillion in spending plans. The firm shifted into a for-profit structure, struck massive deals with Microsoft, Oracle, AMD, Nvidia and others, and now reports 800 million weekly active users, $13 billion in 2025 revenue, and a private valuation of $500 billion. HSBC projects a $207 billion funding gap by 2030, while analysts warn that ambitious chip and data center investments have rattled partners and heightened competitive and financial risks.

On Dec. 15, the Gensyn Foundation launched its $AI token sale on Sonar, offering 3% of the total supply. The event features an English auction with a $1 million FDV floor and $1 billion FDV cap, plus a Testnet bonus multiplier and a chance to receive a Gensyn-branded GPU workstation.

Microsoft, valued at $3.59 trillion, is projected to reach about $5 trillion in market capitalization by 2026 as it expands artificial intelligence across Azure, Office, Windows and other products. The company has invested roughly $13 billion in OpenAI and holds a 27% stake, yet most of its AI revenue already comes from Azure AI services rather than reselling OpenAI models. Microsoft is also spending heavily on AI infrastructure, including a planned $80 billion outlay through fiscal 2025 and a $5 billion commitment to Anthropic.

According to Cryptopolitan, Apple, Microsoft, Meta and Disney are setting up internal energy trading operations as AI data centers push US electricity demand far beyond the patterns of the past decade. Federal approvals and new job listings show these companies moving into wholesale power markets to manage rising costs, stricter utility contracts and the risk of paying for unused capacity, while building teams to handle both short-term load balancing and long-term power purchase deals.

Investors are reassessing AI-linked chip and infrastructure stocks as heavy capital needs meet slowing growth outlooks. OpenAI's projected $1.4 trillion build-out and more than $400 billion in expected Big Tech data-center spending are stressing balance sheets, while names like Nvidia and Oracle have wobbled. With projections pointing to weaker earnings in 2026, many see rising odds of a sector rotation.

Nvidia co-founder Jensen Huang has rapidly moved from a low-profile figure in Washington to a central negotiator in a White House-backed deal allowing H200 chip exports to China with a 25% revenue share for the United States. Over 2025 he built direct access to Donald Trump through repeated meetings, international travel and alignment with US manufacturing plans, while lobbying Congress against strict chip export bans that he argued would strengthen Chinese competitors instead. His campaign has drawn both support and criticism, and has helped shape ongoing legislative efforts around US authority over Nvidia's China sales.

South Korea will activate its AI Framework Act on January 22, 2026, creating a nationwide governance system with safety, transparency and disclosure rules. According to a Startup Alliance survey, 98% of local AI firms lack a compliance response system, and founders warn mandatory content labeling and tight timelines could force product changes or offshore launches.