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Asian Tech Stocks Retreat As AI Sell-Off Spreads

Technology stocks across Asia fell on Thursday, extending the weakness seen on Wall Street as investors continued to reassess valuations in the AI sector.

The sharpest losses came from semiconductor companies. South Korea’s SK Hynix dropped nearly 10%, while Samsung Electronics fell more than 6%. In Japan, SoftBank Group lost 4.4%, Tokyo Electron declined more than 5%, Advantest fell 2.1%, and memory chipmaker Kioxia slid almost 9%. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC), the world’s largest contract chipmaker, also traded lower.

The decline followed a strong rally a day earlier, highlighting the heightened volatility that has become a defining feature of AI-related stocks.

AI Investment Outlook Remains Intact

Despite the market pullback, analysts say the sector’s long-term fundamentals remain unchanged.

J.P. Morgan said recent selling across Asian technology shares does not signal a weakening AI investment cycle. While investors have questioned whether major technology companies can sustain record levels of AI spending, the bank does not expect hyperscalers to scale back their capital expenditure.

“Stepping away from the share price moves, we do not see any fundamental indicators that signal meaningful weakness in the next 6-12 months,” the bank said.

Demand Continues To Support The Sector

A separate report from S&P Global pointed to continued strength in technology demand, driven largely by artificial intelligence and defence spending.

According to the report, global output in the technology equipment sector expanded in July at its fastest pace since May 2021, while software and IT services also recorded their strongest growth in ten months.

The latest market moves suggest investors remain sensitive to short-term shifts in sentiment. Even so, analysts continue to view AI as one of the strongest long-term drivers of demand for semiconductor manufacturers and technology companies.

Ring Makes New Encryption Standard Default For Cloud-Based Features

Amazon’s smart home division Ring is introducing a new encryption standard that will become the default for video protection and user controls, while allowing the company to offer more cloud-based features.

The standard, called TAKE, or “Throw Away the Key Encryption,” is designed to balance privacy with features that can be limited by end-to-end encryption, including video search, descriptions and access for trusted users.

Temporary Keys Support Cloud Features

Under TAKE, Ring uses rotating encryption keys that are temporarily stored in the cloud and accessible only when needed to provide features activated by users. Once a request is completed, the company says the relevant keys will be deleted within 24 hours.

The system allows Ring to temporarily decrypt and process videos for cloud services such as Smart Alerts, which can notify users when people, vehicles or packages appear in a camera’s view. The company said in a blog post that the encryption key is deleted after the feature has been used.

Amazon’s technical white paper says TAKE was developed using Messaging Layer Security, an open messaging standard created by the Internet Engineering Task Force.

Users Can Still Choose End-To-End Encryption

TAKE will begin rolling out to customers in September and will become the default worldwide. Ring users will still be able to manually select end-to-end encryption instead.

The new system also includes several options for recovering encryption keys. Users who lose access to their device can authenticate by standing near their Ring cameras, while passphrases, cloud backups, another approved device or passkeys can provide alternative recovery methods.

Ring said the approach is intended to preserve access to cloud features without requiring users to give up control of their video encryption keys.

Privacy Concerns Remain

The announcement comes after months of scrutiny over Ring’s use of facial recognition. Its Familiar Faces feature can identify people appearing in camera footage.

In June, a class-action lawsuit accused Amazon of storing images of people passing by Ring cameras without their consent. The introduction of TAKE therefore comes as Ring faces continued questions over how its cameras process and protect personal data.

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