Counterpoint Research:
Apple led global Q1 smartphone shipments for the first time, with a 21% share in Q1 2026; overall smartphone shipments fell 6% YoY due to memory chip shortages  —  Team Counterpoint  —  Counterpoint research is a young and fast growing research firm covering analysis of the tech industry.

John Sakellariadis / Politico:
The CIA says it recently used AI to create its first-ever autonomous intelligence report, and plans to build “AI co-workers” into all of its analytic platforms  —  Ellis revealed that the agency recently used AI to create its first-ever autonomous intelligence report …

Kiuyan Wong / Bloomberg:
Hong Kong grants its first stablecoin issuer licenses to HSBC and Standard Chartered from a pool of 36 applicants; they are set to issue stablecoins in H2 2026  —  Hong Kong has granted its inaugural stablecoin issuer licenses to HSBC Holdings Plc and a joint venture of Standard Chartered Plc …

Bloomberg:
Documents: Shenzhen-based computing company Sharetronic bought hundreds of Super Micro systems containing banned Nvidia H100 and H200 chips in 2025, worth ~$92M  —  Hours after the United States charged a Super Micro Computer Inc. co-founder with illegally smuggling billions of dollars' worth …

Debby Wu / Bloomberg:
TSMC reports Q1 revenue up 35% YoY to ~$35.6B, vs. ~$35.2B est., signaling global chip demand stayed intact during the first weeks of the war in the Middle East  —  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. reported a 35% increase in quarterly revenue, suggesting global AI chip demand remained intact during …