The artificial intelligence boom is driving demand for optical modules that enable ultra-fast data transmission in data centres, with the latest beneficiary a chemical compound that is seeing an unprecedented surge in prices.
Indium phosphide (InP) is used to make lasers that convert electrical signals into light, allowing data to travel rapidly through fibre-optic cables.
As a major producer of the material, China has seen prices climb sharply. According to a recent report by financial services firm Nomura citing industry experts, two-inch InP substrates surged
From a Chinese AI surprise to US defence bill, here are highlights from the SCMP’s overseas correspondents in the first half of August 2026
2 -MIN READ 2 -MIN
【星島綜合報道】加拿大統計局星期一（17日）公布，受汽油價格回升帶動，加拿大7月份年度通脹率升至3%，但超市食品價格升幅則有所放緩，顯示部分生活成本壓力開始減弱。
7月份消費物價指數（CPI）加快上升，此前
An innocent local photographer — who was well-known in Memphis, Tennessee — was killed in a high-speed police chase.
Reggie Pederson, a well-liked photographer — who captured artists, music events, and people — was killed on August 2 in a car crash stemming from a high-speed police chase in Memphis, Tennessee. Local photographer Pederson had no involvement in the pursuit.
According to a report by Action 5 News , the deadly car chase allegedly came after suspect Donell
在未來受到炮火波及的中東國家或會愈來愈多，美國總理特朗普於周1（17日）揚言，若阿曼妨礙美國與伊朗就霍爾木茲海峽達成協議，美國將對阿曼發動轟炸。
據法新社報道，特朗普在接受福斯新聞
A former street gang leader accused of masterminding the 1996 drive-by shooting death of hip-hop star Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas faces opening statements on Monday in a murder trial tied to a long-unsolved crime that became a seminal moment in rap history.
