Daily Tech & GNSS News Digest - January 15, 2026

A landmark US-Taiwan trade deal dominates today’s headlines, promising $250 billion in semiconductor investments while cutting tariffs to 15%. OpenAI continues its infrastructure buildout with a transformative $10 billion Cerebras partnership, even as America’s largest grid operator dials back AI power demand projections in a reality check for the industry.

Tech News

US-Taiwan Clinch Historic $250 Billion Trade Deal

The United States and Taiwan announced a sweeping trade agreement that will lower tariffs on Taiwanese goods to 15% (down from 20%) in exchange for $250 billion in new tech industry investments. The deal puts Taiwan on par with Japan and South Korea, which reached similar agreements last year.

TSMC has pledged approximately $165 billion in US investments and is accelerating construction of its Arizona fabrication plants. Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick revealed the chipmaker has purchased “hundreds of acres adjacent to their property” for potential expansion. TSMC plans to boost its capital expenditure to $52-56 billion for 2026, up from roughly $40 billion last year.

The agreement includes significant penalties for non-compliance: Taiwanese chip companies that decline to build in the US face potential 100% tariffs, with the administration’s stated goal of bringing 40% of Taiwan’s semiconductor supply chain to American soil. Companies building new US fabs can import up to 2.5 times their construction capacity tariff-free during the building phase.

OpenAI Signs Transformative $10 Billion Cerebras Deal

OpenAI secured a landmark $10 billion multi-year agreement with AI chipmaker Cerebras, one of the largest AI infrastructure deals in history. Under the terms, Cerebras will deliver up to 750 megawatts of computing power to OpenAI through 2028, starting this year.

Cerebras claims its chips produce responses “up to 15x faster than GPU-based systems.” OpenAI’s Sachin Katti explained the strategic rationale: “Cerebras adds a dedicated low-latency inference solution to our platform. That means faster responses, more natural interactions, and a stronger foundation to scale real-time AI to many more people.”

The partnership has deep roots—both companies have collaborated behind the scenes since 2017, with teams meeting regularly to share R&D insights. CEO Sam Altman is already a Cerebras investor, and OpenAI once considered acquiring the chipmaker. The deal will help diversify Cerebras away from the UAE’s G42, which accounted for 87% of revenue in the first half of 2024.

US Grid Operator Cuts AI Power Demand Forecast

PJM Interconnection LLC, which manages the 13-state eastern grid serving 65 million people, cut its peak demand forecast for summer 2027 to approximately 160 gigawatts, down from 164 gigawatts—a 2.5% reduction. The revision comes because some data center projects lack firm electric service or construction commitments.

The adjustment sent power producer shares tumbling: Vistra Corp. fell 3.1%, Constellation Energy dropped 2.3%, and NRG Energy declined 2%. Mehdi Paryavi of the International Data Center Authority noted this represents a “reality check for the AI boom.”

Despite the revision, PJM still projects 17% demand growth by 2030 from data centers alone. The operator warns the grid will be 6 gigawatts short of reliability requirements by 2027—nearly equivalent to Philadelphia’s entire electricity demand.

Additional Headlines

Investors rotate from tech: Asian markets saw rotation out of tech stocks, with investors taking profits after tech shares rose 8-16% year-to-date.
Coinbase pulls crypto bill support: The exchange withdrew support from pending cryptocurrency legislation amid ongoing regulatory negotiations.
will.i.am touts AI renaissance: The Grammy-winning artist told Bloomberg Tech Europe that AI is ushering in a new “renaissance” for creative industries.

GNSS News

LEO Constellations Reshape Positioning Landscape

Low-Earth orbit positioning, navigation, and timing (PNT) satellites have seen exponential growth, with more than 8,000 satellites now operational in space—nearly all growth happening in LEO. GPS World reports that innovation in the LEO space has transformed the industry over the past decade.

Xona’s Pulsar constellation is emerging as a key player, with a target of 16 satellites to achieve persistent 1-satellite-in-view service. At this scale, Pulsar will enable precise time transfer and coarse positioning for stationary users, including indoor environments. The system also provides a link for streaming GNSS corrections through a partnership with Trimble, demonstrating how LEO and traditional GNSS are converging to deliver enhanced positioning services.

The rise of LEO PNT addresses critical vulnerabilities in traditional GNSS—stronger signals from closer satellites offer improved resistance to jamming and spoofing, particularly valuable for defense and critical infrastructure applications.

Arazim Navigation Systems announced a nearly $1 million contract to deliver approximately 100 dual-antenna GPS/GNSS compasses for land-based defense applications. The HPLS-2G navigation units provide anti-jam capabilities for military vehicles operating in contested electromagnetic environments.

The contract reflects growing defense sector demand for resilient positioning solutions as GPS jamming and spoofing threats increase globally. Dual-antenna systems provide heading information independent of magnetic interference while offering improved resistance to single-point signal attacks.

Key Takeaways

Semiconductor sovereignty accelerates: The US-Taiwan deal represents a massive bet on reshoring chip production, with $250 billion committed and 100% tariff threats for non-compliant manufacturers.
AI infrastructure buildout continues: OpenAI’s $10B Cerebras deal shows big labs are diversifying beyond Nvidia while seeking faster inference for real-time applications.
LEO PNT gains momentum: With 8,000+ LEO satellites now operational and partnerships like Xona-Trimble forming, low-Earth orbit positioning is transitioning from experimental to operational.