> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://adjacent.media/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # War Chests & War Tech, Robots, IPOs, and the Hong Kong Queue, AI Everywhere, Even Where You Didn't Expect It - URL: https://adjacent.media/scan/2026-06-23-am/ - Published: 2026-06-23T10:07:11.000Z - Updated: 2026-06-23T10:07:12.000Z - Description: Defense tech is raising money at a pace that has already surpassed all of 2025. Robots are filing for IPOs. Major institutions are deploying AI across operations that once seemed impervious to it. - Author: Jonathan Greene - Tags: #scan-am, #scan Defense tech is raising money at a pace that has already surpassed all of 2025\. Robots are filing for IPOs. Major institutions are deploying AI across operations that once seemed impervious to it. > **$12.3B** — Defense tech (drones, battlefield AI, and more) raised this much across 175 deals in 2026 so far, up from $9.95B in all of 2025\. *(Financial Times / PitchBook)* --- ### Connected World #### [Defense Tech Has Raised $12.3B So Far This Year](https://www.ft.com/content/cb535f43-d2b7-4d14-82fe-abdd14765dfe?ref=adjacent.media) (paywall) Half-year volume has already cleared full-year 2025 — a signal or a warning, depending on your portfolio. *(Financial Times)* #### [Anduril Is Exploring Operations in Israel](https://www.calcalistech.com/ctechnews/article/hj75fpszgl?ref=adjacent.media) Recruiting a local manager is a small step; establishing a footprint in one of the world's most active defense markets is another thing entirely. *(CTech)* #### [Tesla Autopilot Crash in Texas Kills a Woman](https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/21/us/tesla-autopilot-crash-texas.html?ref=adjacent.media) (paywall) Every autonomous vehicle company's liability calculus just got heavier. *(New York Times)* #### [Humble Robotics Raises $24M for Cabless Driverless Freight Trucks](https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2026-06-21/this-startup-wants-to-bring-driverless-freight-trucks-to-californias-roads-but-drivers-are-pushing-back?ref=adjacent.media) The truck has no cab, tops out at 55 mph, and has 200 miles of range — California's freight unions are already pushing back. *(Los Angeles Times)* ### Connected World #### [Coowa, the SoftBank-Backed Robot Maker, Plans a Hong Kong IPO at a $3B Valuation](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/softbank-backed-robot-maker-gears-up-for-hong-kong-ipo-sources-say-ef2c78a2?st=gRBWKG&reflink=desktopwebshare%5Fpermalink&ref=adjacent.media) (paywall) Embodied AI is moving from lab demo to public market — Shanghai-based Coowa raised $600M in its last round before filing. *(Wall Street Journal)* #### [Apple Supplier Lingyi iTech Seeks $1.1B in Hong Kong IPO](https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3357705/apple-supplier-lingyi-seeks-us11-billion-hong-kong-ipo-fund-ai-and-robotics-push?ref=adjacent.media) The electronic parts maker is reframing its IPO story from "Apple supplier" to "AI hardware and robotics play" — a useful tell about where investor appetite sits. *(South China Morning Post)* #### [Spiro Takes $55M as It Approaches a $1B Valuation](https://thenextweb.com/news/spiro-takes-55m-from-chinas-newtrails-as-it-nears-a-1bn-valuation?ref=adjacent.media) The Lagos-and-Nairobi electric motorcycle company cracked the charging problem; now a Chinese fund is betting it can scale across the continent. *(The Next Web)* > “We can't let AI giants eat the economy.” — *Satya Nadella, via Wall Street Journal* ### Machines & Minds #### [Satya Nadella Warns Against Letting a Few AI Labs Control Global Learning](https://www.wsj.com/tech/ai/microsofts-satya-nadella-we-cant-let-ai-giants-eat-the-economy-b9d33b9f?st=qw6QXi&ref=adjacent.media) (paywall) Microsoft's CEO positioning low-cost models as a public good is a clever way to frame competing with OpenAI as a civic virtue. *(Wall Street Journal)* #### [Bain Uses AI to Rebuild Target Companies' Software During Due Diligence](https://www.ft.com/content/e5bac4d1-b1f8-43a4-bd54-b182d5357af0?ref=adjacent.media) (paywall) Hundreds of rough prototypes, built to stress-test acquisition targets before signing — due diligence has a new power tool. *(Financial Times)* #### [Samsung Deploys ChatGPT Enterprise and Codex Across the Company](https://www.sammobile.com/news/samsung-deploys-chatgpt-across-the-company-coding-automation-more/?ref=adjacent.media) Less than two years after banning ChatGPT over a code leak, Samsung has done a full reversal at scale. *(SamMobile)* #### [The Bank of England Backs Down on Its Toughest Stablecoin Rules](https://thenextweb.com/news/the-bank-of-england-backs-down-on-its-toughest-stablecoin-rules?ref=adjacent.media) When the BoE softens on crypto regulation, it tells you something about where the political winds are blowing. *(The Next Web)* ### Connected World #### [Japan Was Hit by 22.4% of Global Cyberattacks in 2024](https://www.bloomberg.com/opinion/articles/2026-06-21/japan-inc-is-right-to-fear-ai-black-ships?ref=adjacent.media) (paywall) The most targeted country on earth is also the one still running on legacy IT — and now facing AI-powered threats on top of it. *(Bloomberg)* #### [Toto — Yes, the Toilet Company — Is Investing $495M in Chip Materials by 2030](https://asia.nikkei.com/business/tech/semiconductors/japan-s-toto-to-invest-495m-in-chip-materials-targeting-1-nm-era?ref=adjacent.media) Targeting R&D for 1nm chip production, which means the most advanced semiconductor race now has an entrant best known for washlets. *(Nikkei Asia)*