BTC $72,942.53 +5.27%
ETH $2,325.92 +3.50%
BNB $656.50 +4.74%
XRP $1.27 +15.03%
SOL $87.49 +2.49%
TRX $0.3399 +1.76%
DOGE $0.0800 +7.43%
ADA $0.1976 +6.33%
BCH $222.52 +4.91%
LINK $10.68 +1.53%
HYPE $73.58 +5.12%
AAVE $98.63 +3.49%
SUI $0.7324 +3.91%
XLM $0.1818 +7.42%
ZEC $574.63 +2.07%
BTC $72,942.53 +5.27%
ETH $2,325.92 +3.50%
BNB $656.50 +4.74%
XRP $1.27 +15.03%
SOL $87.49 +2.49%
TRX $0.3399 +1.76%
DOGE $0.0800 +7.43%
ADA $0.1976 +6.33%
BCH $222.52 +4.91%
LINK $10.68 +1.53%
HYPE $73.58 +5.12%
AAVE $98.63 +3.49%
SUI $0.7324 +3.91%
XLM $0.1818 +7.42%
ZEC $574.63 +2.07%

pan

All
Article
Flash

hot_img Cryptocurrency, AI, and betting companies drive corporate political spending to a record high in the 2026 midterm elections

According to a report by Reuters, American companies have invested a record $517 million in the congressional elections for the House and Senate in 2026 over the 15 months ending in the first quarter of 2026, surpassing the previous high of $461 million during the two-year 2024 election cycle. The cryptocurrency, technology, and online betting industries contributed at least $294 million, becoming a major force in shaping the midterm elections.The Fairshake super PAC, primarily funded by Coinbase, Ripple, and a16z, had $193 million in funding at the beginning of the year and currently has about $130 million remaining; a16z has donated over $81 million to cryptocurrency and AI-related PACs. Elon Musk has invested over $90 million, and Meta has donated $65 million to four super PACs. The AI-related organization Leading the Future has raised $140 million, and Anthropic has donated at least $40 million through dark money non-profit organizations. Online betting companies like DraftKings and FanDuel have donated over $72 million.AdImpact expects total political ad spending for this round of midterm elections to reach a record $11.6 billion. Related industries are making unlimited expenditures through super PACs, affiliated PACs, and dark money non-profit organizations for advertising, voter mobilization, and more, with critics arguing that this amplifies the influence of niche issues such as cryptocurrency regulation, data center energy, and betting regulation.

first_img The Republican Party warns AI companies that data centers have become a sensitive issue in elections

According to Axios, the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) warned in an internal memo to top AI companies that the negative public perception of data centers in the U.S. is harming the party's chances of retaining a key Senate seat in Ohio. The memo pointed out that Democrats have made data centers a core issue in defeating Republican Senator Jon Husted, and it has been effective, stating that if he loses and blames it on data centers, politicians nationwide will avoid future projects, making this issue a potential focal point of the current election cycle.The memo, titled "Ohio Data Center Risks," urges AI companies to improve perceptions by explaining "who benefits, who pays, and why the community should welcome" them. Currently, over 4,000 data centers are operating across the U.S., with more than 3,000 under construction or planned to support AI development. However, they are facing protests due to high electricity and water consumption, rising utility costs, limited job opportunities, and concerns about AI job displacement. Internal polling shows their unpopularity is close to that of nuclear waste and has become a proxy indicator of sentiment towards AI.Husted's opponent, former Senator Sherrod Brown, has invested millions in advertising, calling him the "Ohio data center spokesperson." A Fox News poll shows Brown leading by 8 percentage points. Republicans hope that AI companies can curb the backlash; otherwise, Husted's defeat will cause lasting damage to data center development nationwide. Democrats are also acting based on polling, with Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro signing an executive order imposing strict restrictions on data center development.

first_img Winbond Electronics has initiated the expansion of its Kaohsiung Luzhu plant, with Module B expected to start construction in 2027

According to the Industrial and Commercial Times, driven by the long-term growth in demand for memory and advanced packaging due to AI, Winbond Electronics has proactively initiated expansion plans for its Kaohsiung Luzhu plant, merging the originally planned phases two and three into Module B for simultaneous development. Construction of the cleanroom is expected to start in 2027, with equipment installation beginning as early as the beginning of 2029, and equipment will be phased in according to customer demand forecasts and LTA. Currently, there are already customers negotiating for capacity in 2029 and 2030.Industry sources indicate that Winbond's niche DRAM and SLC NAND are in short supply in the third quarter, with a quarterly price increase estimated at about 50%; NOR Flash benefits from large cloud service provider customers stocking up, with a quarterly price increase estimated at about 30%. The price increase for memory in the fourth quarter is expected to converge to 2% to 5%, but thanks to increased DRAM capacity and growing shipment volumes, revenue and profits can still maintain a quarterly increase. Winbond's consolidated revenue in the second quarter was NT$59.843 billion, a quarterly increase of 56.4% and a year-on-year increase of 184.7%. DRAM prices increased by about 100% quarter-on-quarter, while Flash rose by about 43%, with consolidated gross margin rising to 66.2% and after-tax earnings per share of NT$5.40.The Module B product plan includes Standard DRAM, CUBE DRAM, Wafer-on-Wafer (WoW), and silicon capacitors (Si-Cap), which will support 14-nanometer and future 12-nanometer DRAM processes, with plans to introduce EUV equipment in the future.
app_icon
ChainCatcher Building the Web3 world with innovations.