Japan
This week's international economy focused on the large-scale investment movement in the AI field in the United States and the impact on the energy market of the increasingly tense situation in the Middle East. While AI is attracting attention as a next-generation growth field and huge amounts of funds are being invested in it, the situation in the Middle East continues to cast a shadow over the world economy as a geopolitical risk.
Investment in the United States is accelerating, especially in the field of AI. The SoftBank Group announced that it will build a new data center for AI in Ohio in the Midwest of the United States. The project cost is estimated to reach 80 trillion yen in Japanese yen, and the aim is to capture the growing demand for AI in the United States. In addition, the U.S. Department of Defense is moving ahead with plans to adopt Palantir's AI in its command and control systems, and the scope of the use of AI technology is expanding to the military field, increasing its strategic importance.
一方で、中東情勢は依然として不安定な状況が続いています。 United Airlines has announced that it will reduce its flights by 5% until the fall, as it anticipates that the rise in crude oil prices will continue for a long time due to the situation in the Middle East.燃料コストの上昇が航空会社の経営を圧迫している実態が浮き彫りになっています。 Furthermore, former President Trump's statement that he was "close to achieving our goal of war with Iran" also suggests that tensions in the region continue.
Under these circumstances, the US government approved the sale of Iranian crude oil stranded at sea as a 30-day sanctions exemption. This appears to be aimed at easing upward pressure on soaring crude oil prices by increasing crude oil supply, even temporarily.