South Korea's Chip & AI Push, Surging AI Capex, BT-Verizon JV

1. South Korea plans massive investments worth hundreds of trillions of won to build four chip fabs and AI data centers, supported by commitments from Samsung and SK Hynix.
2. Yuanta Funds revised its AI capital expenditure (capex) growth projections for 2026 to 88% and 2027 to 30% year-on-year, significantly exceeding previous estimates, signaling strong AI demand.
3. BT Group and Verizon have formed a 50:50 joint venture to combine their international operations, with Verizon making a $625 million equalization payment to BT.