Total Energy decides final investment in Nigerian gas field, FATF ratings for Turkey and China examine their dependence on Broadcom

The French oil company Total Energy and its Nigerian partner AMNI announced on Wednesday that the final investment decision has been made to develop the offshore Ima gas field in Nigeria, which will supply the gas liquefaction station of the Nigeria LNG Company.

The field is expected to begin production in 2028 and reach a peak production of 350 million cubic feet of gas per day, which is equivalent to more than 60,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day.

Total stated that the gas extracted from the “Ima” field - located within exploration and production licenses No. 112 and 117 near Bonny Island - will be transported via pipeline to the “Nigeria LNG” facility, and will provide about a third of the amount of gas needed for the “Line 7” expansion project.

It is expected that this expansion will increase the liquefaction capacity from the current 22 million metric tons to 30 million metric tons annually.

The project represents an additional step in the integrated gas company's strategy in Nigeria by adding low-cost gas resources.

Turkey has made progress in combating money laundering and terrorist financing, with improved coordination between government agencies, financial intelligence and international cooperation and a significant rise in investigations, prosecutions and convictions related to money laundering, according to the latest assessment by the Financial Action Task Force (FATF).

In its assessment published on Wednesday, the group said Turkey still needs to make further efforts to track cross-border criminal proceeds and recover illicit assets located abroad, as well as address shortcomings in complex and high-risk cases.

The evaluation comes after a previous comprehensive review conducted by FATF of Turkey in 2019, and showed that Ankara has since strengthened its capabilities in confronting financial crimes, especially in the areas of coordination between government agencies, use of financial information, and cooperation with foreign authorities.

In an indication of the improvement in the level of compliance, Turkey did not receive any “non-compliant” classification among the FATF’s 40 technical recommendations, while only two recommendations were classified as “partially compliant.”

Risks related to Türkiye's economic position Despite the progress, FATF said that Türkiye's position as a regional center for finance, trade, and logistics, along with the wide spread of cash transactions and the size of the informal economy, keep it vulnerable to money laundering risks.

The most prominent risks include fraud, illegal betting and gambling, drug trafficking and smuggling.

The group noted that Türkiye has strengthened its ability to conduct complex investigations into money laundering, and that the number of investigations, prosecutions and convictions has increased significantly compared to the previous assessment.

Challenges in assets located abroad Despite the improved performance of the authorities, the FATF has identified the recovery of criminal assets located abroad as one of the areas that requires further work, in addition to strengthening the ability to track illicit proceeds moving across borders.

The evaluation indicated that the Turkish Financial Intelligence Unit (MASK) plays a pivotal role in collecting, analyzing and exchanging financial information with the relevant authorities, with direct access to more than 300 databases.

The group also praised the cooperation between Musk and law enforcement agencies and other government agencies, and Türkiye's use of formal and informal cooperation channels in cross-border investigations.

Three-year road map At the same time, the FATF called on Türkiye to give greater priority to investigations and prosecutions related to money laundering resulting from high-risk crimes, including drug trafficking, smuggling and illegal betting.

It also recommended improving the identification, tracking and recovery of criminal assets located abroad, and strengthening capabilities to confront terrorist financing risks in accordance with the country's updated risk profile.

The FATF placed Turkey under “enhanced follow-up,” based on the results of the effectiveness and technical compliance evaluation, with Ankara submitting a report to the group on the progress made in implementing the recommendations during the next three years.

The Chinese authorities are studying the extent to which state-supported data centers depend on the equipment of the American company Broadcom, in a new step within Beijing’s efforts to enhance the use of local technology and reduce dependence on foreign infrastructure for artificial intelligence, according to what was reported by the Financial Times.

According to the report, China's State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), which oversees government companies, spent recent weeks conducting a survey to determine the extent of the spread of network adapters produced by Broadcom within data centers under state control.

Preliminary results showed that the American company's equipment may represent up to 90 percent of the transformers used in these facilities, according to the newspaper. Reuters was unable to independently verify the report, and it was not possible to obtain immediate comment from Broadcom or Sasak.

The survey results may prompt the authorities to issue informal directives to government data centers to reduce the use of Broadcom equipment, as part of Beijing's campaign aimed at expanding reliance on Chinese chips and technology in the public sector.

The move comes at a time when China is intensifying efforts to achieve technological sufficiency and enhance the flexibility of supply chains, amid continuing strategic competition with the United States. Especially in semiconductors, artificial intelligence, and computing infrastructure.

Beijing provides special support to a group of smaller, specialized technology companies that it calls “little giants,” in an attempt to build local suppliers capable of competing with foreign companies in vital components.

High-performance network switches are an essential part of AI data centers; It connects the servers and processors used to train and run large models. Broadcom, along with Nvidia and Huawei, sells advanced equipment of this category in China.

According to the report, Nvidia products were previously banned from state-supported data centers, while Broadcom equipment remained widely used, which explains the authorities’ current focus on measuring the extent of reliance on it.

If the survey process turns into actual directives to reduce the use of the American company's products, it will constitute an additional step towards separating part of the Chinese government's technological infrastructure from foreign suppliers, and it could also open up more space for local companies.

These moves demonstrate that American-Chinese competition in artificial intelligence is no longer limited to advanced processors. Rather, it extends to the various components of data centers and the communication networks between them. For Beijing, the ability to build a computing ecosystem that relies more on domestic technology has become a key part of a strategy for supply chain security and technological independence.