A digital map created by Helmut Schmidt University’s Hybrid Intelligence Department shows the locations of conflict and disruption in the Strait of Hormuz in April, including the downing of a US military F-15E Strike Eagle plane during the launch of the Resilia Innohub innovation hub in Berlin, Germany, on May 27, 2026.
Sean Gallup Getty Images
Hello, my name is Hui Jie from Singapore. Welcome to another edition of CNBC’s Daily Open.
From SK Hynix’s U.S. listing to AI executives predicting demand will be “almost unlimited” to employees saying AI wealth should be shared more equitably, the tech industry remains a hot topic.
But all that has been overshadowed by renewed tensions in the Middle East and a renewed rise in oil prices amid a military conflict between the United States and Iran.
What you need to know today
After saying talks with Tehran would continue but the ceasefire had ended, the US launched attacks on Iran this weekend, but Iran retaliated by attacking US military bases in neighboring countries.
Air strikes once again disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps said the vital waterway was closed, but the U.S. Central Command, which oversees operations in the Middle East, said it was open.
The developments signaled continued disruption to energy supplies, sending oil futures higher. U.S. crude oil futures were last up 4.03% at $74.31 a barrel, while international benchmark Brent crude futures were up 3.89% at $78.97. US stock futures fell, with all three major indexes in negative territory.
Outside of oil, AI remains a hot topic in the technology industry, but top executives and employees appear to view the boom in a very different light.
Multiple AI executives told CNBC that demand for AI remains strong. “I think the demand for AI is almost limitless,” said Pat Gelsinger, former Intel CEO and current general partner at Playground Global, adding that the only limiting factor is energy.
But workers, especially those in the United States, have a different view on this area. A recent poll shows that a majority of U.S. employees are now dissatisfied with increased layoffs in the technology sector, even as overall corporate profits have increased, and would like to see more corporate accountability through an AI sovereign wealth fund.
A survey by the research firm Verasight found that 69% of Americans currently support forcing AI companies to transfer 50% of their shares to public sovereign wealth funds.
And finally…
While Musk’s Neuralink drills holes in your skull, China’s BrainCo is betting the future of brain tech is on wearables.
Elon Musk’s Neuralink is a brain-computer interface (BCI) that replaces disabilities by implanting it in people’s heads. But some companies are confident that mass-market neural technology will eliminate the need to open the skull at all.
While companies like China’s StairMed and NeuroXess are pushing implants, the non-invasive space is also gaining traction, from Sam Altman-backed Merge Labs to China’s Gestara, both of which are pursuing ultrasound-based approaches.
BrainCo is one of the so-called “Six Xiaolongs” of high-tech startups in eastern Hangzhou, which uses BCI technology to manufacture prosthetic limbs and wearable devices.
— Elaine Yu
