SoftBank is reportedly in talks to acquire Allied Universal, the largest private security company in the United States, in a deal that could value the target at roughly $30 billion including debt. The discussions, first reported by the Financial Times on October 17, 2026, remain at an early stage and no agreement has been announced. Allied Universal operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 770,000 people. The move would connect SoftBank's chip, data center, and robotics assets with frontline security services.
Icetana, an AI security firm, has brought its software into SoftBank's SmartBX security solution. The on-premise platform uses a large language model trained on 700 million hours of CCTV footage and is being integrated into security robots. Five regional agreements signed within 12 months have expanded the partnership, with the latest targeting the US market. SoftBank says the collaboration sets a new standard for security and efficiency.
Demand for data center capacity and electricity continues to accelerate as AI infrastructure expands. Vertiv leads the sector with strong orders and raised its full-year 2026 sales guidance to a range of $13.80 billion to $14.20 billion. Digital Realty set a quarterly bookings record with $707 million in signings. Constellation Energy secured 920 MW of nuclear power agreements, while Fermi holds a $6.5 billion contract though revenue remains years away.
Alphabet continues to demonstrate the strength of owning every layer of the AI stack. Google Cloud revenue grew 82% year-over-year to $24.77 billion, and the company's signed backlog surged from $155 billion to over $460 billion. Alphabet raised its quarterly dividend by 5% even while guiding for $175 billion to $185 billion in 2026 capital expenditure. The stock has returned 737% over ten years.
Together AI launched a new post-training service on October 19, 2026, helping users build custom models through reinforcement learning and supervised fine-tuning. Pricing starts at $9 per GPU-hour for the first six weeks. The service launches with open-weight models including Muse Spark Open, GLM 5.3, Kimi K3, and Qwen 3.8-27B. Early users include Collinear AI, Deel, and Jack & Jill.
The IMF warned that an AI investment bubble could harm the global economy. Its Global Financial Stability Report found that 14 transactions since 2023 involved roughly $300 billion in equity investments and $650 billion in debt, supporting $1.4 trillion in future revenue commitments. While AI investments have driven growth, profits remain elusive. The IMF also raised concerns about government bond yields, interest rates, and potential cyberattacks on critical institutions.
Thailand expects digital infrastructure investment to grow from 335 billion baht this year to 641 billion baht in 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 18%. Artificial intelligence, cloud services, and data centres are the primary drivers, with both public and private sectors contributing to the expansion.
On the hardware side, SHINKO introduced advanced AI packaging substrates combining ABF and glass core technologies with hybrid RDL. The design aims to improve performance, reduce power consumption, and increase reliability for AI accelerators. Goodix released a multi-tier fingerprint and security solution for IoT and AI edge devices, featuring hardware-level protection and support for FIDO2 authentication, TLS 1.3, and zero-trust security for cloud-based LLM access.
Key Takeaways
- SoftBank is in early-stage talks to acquire Allied Universal at roughly $30 billion including debt, potentially linking its robotics and data center assets with frontline security services.
- Icetana's AI security software, trained on 700 million hours of CCTV footage, is now integrated into SoftBank's SmartBX solution and security robots.
- Vertiv raised its full-year 2026 sales guidance to $13.80 billion to $14.20 billion, while Digital Realty set a quarterly bookings record at $707 million.
- Alphabet's Google Cloud revenue grew 82% year-over-year to $24.77 billion, with signed backlog surging from $155 billion to over $460 billion.
- Together AI launched a post-training service on October 19, 2026, starting at $9 per GPU-hour, supporting models like GLM 5.3 and Qwen 3.8-27B.
- The IMF flagged an AI investment bubble risk, citing $300 billion in equity and $650 billion in debt tied to $1.4 trillion in future revenue commitments across 14 transactions since 2023.
- Thailand projects digital infrastructure investment will grow from 335 billion baht to 641 billion baht by 2030 at an 18% CAGR.
- SHINKO unveiled AI packaging substrates combining ABF and glass core with hybrid RDL to improve performance and reduce power consumption for AI accelerators.
- Goodix launched a fingerprint and security solution for AI and IoT edge devices with hardware-level protection and zero-trust support for cloud-based LLM access.
- A new 5G AI framework reduces smartphone energy use by up to 27% while achieving 96.4% authentication accuracy.
Icetana brings AI security to SoftBank's robot network
Icetana's AI software now powers SoftBank's SmartBX security solution and is being integrated into security robots. The on-premise platform uses a large language model trained on 700 million hours of CCTV footage. Five regional agreements in 12 months have expanded the partnership, with the latest targeting the US market. SoftBank says the collaboration sets a new standard for security and efficiency.
SoftBank eyes Allied Universal acquisition to expand AI security
SoftBank is considering acquiring Allied Universal, the largest private security company in the United States. The potential deal could value Allied Universal at about US$30 billion including debt. The move would link SoftBank's chip, data center and robotics assets with frontline security services. No agreement has been announced and discussions remain at an early stage.
SoftBank in talks to buy Allied Universal as robot strategy grows
SoftBank is reportedly exploring the acquisition of Allied Universal, a global security services provider that also owns G4S. The Financial Times reported the talks on 17 October 2026. Allied Universal operates in more than 100 countries and employs about 770,000 people. SoftBank has not confirmed the discussions and the deal is not certain to proceed.
AI data center boom creates opportunities for these stocks
Demand for data center capacity and electricity is rising fast as AI grows. Vertiv leads the ranking with strong orders and raised FY26 guidance to sales of $13.80 billion to $14.20 billion. Digital Realty set a record with $707 million in quarterly bookings. Constellation Energy signed 920 MW of nuclear power agreements. Fermi has a $6.5 billion contract but revenue is still years away.
Alphabet's full AI stack approach gains investor confidence
Alphabet owns every layer of the AI stack and Google Cloud revenue grew 82% year-over-year to $24.77 billion. The company's signed backlog surged from $155 billion to over $460 billion. Alphabet raised its quarterly dividend 5% even while guiding for $175 billion to $185 billion in 2026 CapEx. The stock has returned 737% over ten years.
Chipmakers and AI Stocks Push Market Higher
The S&P 500 rose 0.57% today while the Nasdaq 100 gained 1.52%. The Dow Jones dipped 0.11%. Strength in chipmakers and AI-infrastructure stocks drove the broader market upward. December E-mini S&P futures also rose 0.58%.
Together AI Launches Post-Training Service for Custom Models
Together AI launched Together Post-Training on October 19, 2026. The service helps users build custom models through reinforcement learning and supervised fine-tuning. Pricing starts at $9 per GPU-hour for the first six weeks. It launches with open-weight models including Muse Spark Open, GLM 5.3, Kimi K3, and Qwen 3.8-27B. Early users include Collinear AI, Deel, and Jack & Jill.
Data Centres and AI to Drive Investment Boom
Thailand expects digital infrastructure investment to grow from 335 billion baht this year to 641 billion baht in 2030. The compound annual growth rate is projected at 18%. Artificial intelligence, cloud services, and data centres are the main drivers of this growth. Both public and private sectors are expected to contribute.
AI Expert Tells IMF Singularity Has Begun
A speech was given at the IMF meeting in Bangkok on October 17. The speaker discussed AI operating at the frontier of human science, sometimes autonomously. The newsletter Import AI covered this megatrend of AI reaching human-level science capabilities. The speech was inspired by trends covered throughout the year.
IMF Warns AI Bubble Could Harm World Economy
The IMF warned that an AI bubble could damage the global economy. Its Global Financial Stability Report says AI investments have driven growth but profits remain elusive. A review of 14 transactions since 2023 found about $300 billion in equity investments and $650 billion in debt for $1.4 trillion in future revenue commitments. The IMF also raised concerns about government bond yields, interest rates, and potential cyberattacks on critical institutions.
New 5G AI Framework Cuts Phone Energy Use and Boosts Security
Researchers from Iraq, Saudi Arabia, and Vietnam created a 5G framework for mobile learning that reduces smartphone energy use by up to 27 percent. The system uses AI to score login risk in real time and adjusts authentication steps based on behavior. Tests showed 96.4 percent authentication accuracy and 96.1 percent encrypted traffic detection accuracy. It runs on a three-layer design using Mobile Edge Computing and was tested with the HuMIdb and ISCX datasets.
SHINKO Unveils Advanced AI Packaging Substrates with Hybrid RDL
SHINKO introduced new AI advanced packaging substrates that combine ABF and glass core technologies with hybrid RDL. The new design aims to improve performance, reduce power consumption, and increase reliability for AI accelerators. The shift reflects a broader industry move toward advanced packaging as transistor scaling slows. These substrates could impact healthcare, finance, and transportation through faster AI processing.
Goodix Launches Fingerprint and Security Solution for AI and IoT Devices
Goodix released a multi-tier fingerprint and security solution for IoT and AI edge devices. The portfolio includes Match-on-Host, Match-on-Chip, and a new fingerprint MoC plus eSE solution that provides hardware-level protection. It supports capacitive, optical, and ultrasonic fingerprint sensing and complies with the SDCP security standard. The system also supports FIDO2 authentication, TLS 1.3, and zero-trust security for cloud-based LLM access.
Sources
- Icetana plugs AI security into SoftBank’s robot rollout
- “From AI Chips to Security Robots”: Is SoftBank Seeking to Maximize Corporate Value by Expanding Its Value Chain Amid the U.S. Automation Boom?
- SoftBank reportedly considering Allied Universal acquisition as AI and robotics strategy expands into security
- The AI Data Center Race: 3 Stocks Cashing In Today and 1 Aiming to Next Year
- Alphabet Looks Better By The Day for This One AI Strategy
- Strength in Chipmakers and AI-Infrastructure Stocks Lead the Broader Market Higher
- Together AI Launches Together Post-Training Service for Custom Models
- Data centres and AI to fuel digital investment boom
- Import AI 477: In which I tell the IMF the Singularity has begun
- IMF Warns That AI Bubble Could Take Down the Entire World Economy
- AI-Powered 5G Framework Slashes Mobile Energy Use While Boosting Security
- 2026 IMPACT | SHINKO Reveals the Next Evolution of AI Advanced Packaging Substrates: From ABF and Glass Core to Hybrid RDL
- Goodix Launches Integrated Fingerprint and Security Solution to Secure On-Device Identity Authentication in IoT and AI Devices
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