https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/324341/feed Articles about early-stage companies; pre-IPO, including those still being funded by angel investors, private equity or venture capitalists. en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen A former top executive at HSBC has launched an artificial intelligence-driven wealth management start-up, setting her sights on a billion-dollar valuation and betting that AI can transform how individuals manage their investments and finances. Trista Sun, formerly a managing director in the international wealth and premier banking division at HSBC, said in an interview last week that her venture Equora aimed to help investors manage their finances “proactively” with AI agents, addressing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/money/wealth/article/3370565/former-hsbc-executive-launches-wealth-platform-powered-team-ai-agents https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/money/wealth/article/3370565/former-hsbc-executive-launches-wealth-platform-powered-team-ai-agents Mon, 12 Oct 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Chong Ming Lee,Minxiao Chang Chong Ming Lee,Minxiao Chang US chip giant Advanced Micro Devices (AMD) has agreed to acquire World Labs, the artificial intelligence start-up founded by renowned Chinese-American computer scientist Li Fei-Fei, for US$8.2 billion in an all-stock deal, as the company steps up its rivalry with Nvidia. The acquisition, expected to close by the end of this year, would integrate World Labs’ research team and spatial-intelligence model expertise into AMD, according to an announcement on Monday. Li, a Stanford University professor... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369141/amd-acquires-godmother-ai-li-fei-feis-start-battle-nvidia-intensifies https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369141/amd-acquires-godmother-ai-li-fei-feis-start-battle-nvidia-intensifies Tue, 29 Sep 2026 04:30:18 +0000 Gloria Tso Gloria Tso Female tech entrepreneurship is a rapidly growing field, but not all female founders, it seems, are shown equal treatment. That’s why Phoebe Gates, the 24-year-old daughter of now-divorced Bill and Melinda Gates, made headlines this summer as controversy surfaced over her AI-powered shopping app Phia, which she launched with her former Stanford University classmate Sophia Kianni just last year. Phia was, for all intents and purposes, a huge success story upon launch – the start-up counted Khloé... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3368233/beyond-phoebe-gates-phia-5-female-owned-fashion-tech-apps-have-your-radar https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/magazines/style/fashion/trends/article/3368233/beyond-phoebe-gates-phia-5-female-owned-fashion-tech-apps-have-your-radar Tue, 22 Sep 2026 04:00:10 +0000 Zoe SL Chan Zoe SL Chan Hong Kong is intensifying efforts to attract technology start-ups and nurture unicorns through expanded financial support via a key government-backed platform, leveraging the city’s booming fundraising activities and world-class financial infrastructure. Investors are displaying an increased appetite for the local tech scene compared with a decade ago – a trend that Terry Wong Ping-sau, CEO of the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP), said was a positive sign for the city’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3367351/hong-kong-aims-scale-its-tech-ecosystem-and-nurture-more-unicorns-hkstp-ceo https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3367351/hong-kong-aims-scale-its-tech-ecosystem-and-nurture-more-unicorns-hkstp-ceo Sun, 13 Sep 2026 23:00:11 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek is embarking on what it calls an “unprecedented” hiring spree to overhaul back end systems severely strained by booming user demand and compute-heavy AI agents. Cui Tianyi, a former quantitative trading expert who joined DeepSeek in March to lead its Harness team, said in a social media post on Monday evening that the Hangzhou-based company was seeking to recruit around 150 senior back end engineers. According to Cui, the push was driven by rapid... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366740/deepseek-embarks-unprecedented-hiring-spree-it-overhauls-backend-systems https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366740/deepseek-embarks-unprecedented-hiring-spree-it-overhauls-backend-systems Tue, 08 Sep 2026 06:30:37 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao Shenzhen, the southern Chinese city home to US-sanctioned telecoms giant Huawei Technologies and drone maker DJI, has seen an influx of investors and business leaders amid rising global interest in Chinese artificial intelligence and robotics. On Tuesday, the tech hub hosted investor conferences led by three international financial institutions – HSBC, UBS and Nomura – with AI, robotics and other emerging technologies featuring prominently on their agendas. More investors could arrive to chase... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3365965/global-investors-descend-chinas-shenzhen-ride-wave-ai-and-robotics-opportunities https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3365965/global-investors-descend-chinas-shenzhen-ride-wave-ai-and-robotics-opportunities Tue, 01 Sep 2026 09:00:09 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau Singapore will commit S$220 million (US$173 million) over three years to boost its fintech sector, including co-funding at least 1,000 internships in a strong push to build talent for AI and other emerging technologies. The funds come under the latest iteration of the Financial Sector Technology and Innovation Scheme (FSTI), which aims to strengthen the country’s fintech space and accelerate innovation and technology adoption in the financial sector. The industry currently has more than 1,800... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3365855/singapore-invest-us173m-over-3-years-boost-fintech-innovation https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/economics/article/3365855/singapore-invest-us173m-over-3-years-boost-fintech-innovation Mon, 31 Aug 2026 10:03:46 +0000 Matthew Cheng Matthew Cheng Hong Kong’s leader has called on scientists, leading enterprises and investment institutions from around the world to seize opportunities in the city, describing it as a “golden gateway” for overseas companies to enter the mainland Chinese market and mainland unicorn firms to expand globally. Speaking at the first Global Unicorn Summit on Monday, Chief Executive John Lee Ka-chiu pointed to the city’s unique advantages as a “superconnector” and a “super value-adder” between the mainland and the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3365021/john-lee-urges-start-ups-seize-opportunities-through-golden-gateway-hong-kong https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3365021/john-lee-urges-start-ups-seize-opportunities-through-golden-gateway-hong-kong Mon, 24 Aug 2026 05:08:38 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng China’s southern manufacturing powerhouse of Guangdong province welcomed nearly 40 computer science students from Tsinghua University this week, part of a targeted push by local authorities to bridge a widening gap in China’s artificial intelligence race by attracting top-tier talent from Beijing. Despite raising two of China’s brightest minds in artificial intelligence – Moonshot AI founder Yang Zhilin and DeepSeek founder Liang Wenfeng – Guangdong failed to retain either. After graduating from... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3364095/home-province-deepseek-moonshot-founders-seeks-retain-attract-future-ai-talent https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3364095/home-province-deepseek-moonshot-founders-seeks-retain-attract-future-ai-talent Sun, 16 Aug 2026 03:00:12 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang Chinese artificial intelligence company DeepSeek is venturing into a new battleground beyond large language models, launching a developer preview of its long-anticipated Harness – a software framework that helps developers turn AI models into autonomous agents. The release on Thursday marks a strategic pivot as DeepSeek moves to build foundational digital scaffolding for AI agents – systems capable of using AI models to operate external software, run code, and complete complex jobs on their... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3364082/launch-deepseeks-harness-marks-its-strategic-pivot-towards-autonomous-agentic-ai https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3364082/launch-deepseeks-harness-marks-its-strategic-pivot-towards-autonomous-agentic-ai Fri, 14 Aug 2026 11:03:52 +0000 Judy Xue Judy Xue While Chinese investors faced down long odds for a stake in Unitree Robotics amid a broader frenzy for high-performing tech stocks, the market this week also focused on the implications of July’s US inflation rate, gold price trends and the interim results of CK Hutchison Holdings, one of the flagship companies owned by the family of Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing. Unitree’s retail subscription rate: 0.0181 per cent Millions of retail investors in China rushed to subscribe to Unitree Robotics... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/markets/article/3363998/chasing-robots-chasing-profits-numbers-moving-markets https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/markets/article/3363998/chasing-robots-chasing-profits-numbers-moving-markets Fri, 14 Aug 2026 08:00:07 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has quietly released DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813, an updated version of its latest flagship model, leaving some developers underwhelmed by its overall capabilities and disappointed in its pricing – but impressing researchers in niche areas like cybersecurity. The stealth update to April’s preview version came with a brief statement on DeepSeek’s official website on Wednesday, noting that the model offered “significantly enhanced agent capabilities”, but... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3363895/deepseeks-updated-v4-pro-ai-model-struggles-benchmarks-shines-cybersecurity https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3363895/deepseeks-updated-v4-pro-ai-model-struggles-benchmarks-shines-cybersecurity Thu, 13 Aug 2026 08:00:32 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese smartphone maker Honor has launched a handset with a motorised robotic camera that nods back at users, betting that its interactive hardware will spark growth in a cooling global market for the devices. The new Robot Phone, unveiled on Wednesday, features a three-axis mechanical gimbal with four degrees of motion, allowing for video stabilisation and interaction via nodding and tilting. Activated by a hand gesture, the gimbal camera unfurls from the back of the device – a mechanism that... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3363738/honors-new-robot-phone-looks-boost-global-appeal-its-nodding-camera https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3363738/honors-new-robot-phone-looks-boost-global-appeal-its-nodding-camera Wed, 12 Aug 2026 11:30:11 +0000 Xiaofei Xu,Ben Jiang Xiaofei Xu,Ben Jiang Aiming to catch up with the United States and China, the European Union has opened bidding for up to seven AI gigafactories, putting up €10 billion (US$11.52 billion) in public money and counting on private investors for €20 billion more. Industry insiders welcomed the tender – modest by AI industry standards and more than a year in the making – as a necessary first step, but warned that the plan as drafted risked benefiting the very American tech giants Europe wanted to rival and that Brussels... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3363338/europe-hails-ai-gigafactory-plan-industry-fears-deeper-us-tech-reliance https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3363338/europe-hails-ai-gigafactory-plan-industry-fears-deeper-us-tech-reliance Fri, 07 Aug 2026 14:00:07 +0000 Leopold Chen Leopold Chen At just 18, Hong Kong tech enthusiasts Rexan Wong Chak-chi and Ken Mochizuki are both rushing to deliver their business ideas. However, their choices of launch pad could not be further apart. While Wong is eyeing Silicon Valley in the United States for better support, Mochizuki is keen to stay in the city and contribute to the local community. Their contrasting approaches highlight Hong Kong’s advantages and challenges as it strives to become a global innovation and talent hub under China’s... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3363208/hong-kong-aims-be-global-tech-hub-can-it-hold-its-young-talent https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/hong-kong/hong-kong-economy/article/3363208/hong-kong-aims-be-global-tech-hub-can-it-hold-its-young-talent Fri, 07 Aug 2026 00:30:08 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Tencent Holdings is ramping up its overseas push for its flagship Hy3 artificial intelligence model, joining a wave of Chinese technology firms taking aim at the world’s leading players. On Wednesday, the Shenzhen-based technology giant rolled out Hy3 to global developers, enterprises and users through its workplace agentic tool WorkBuddy, creation studio Tencent Design Miora and model platform TokenHub. According to Tencent, Hy3 would be available free of charge worldwide on WorkBuddy until... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3362991/tencent-ramps-overseas-ai-push-wider-rollout-flagship-hy3-model https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3362991/tencent-ramps-overseas-ai-push-wider-rollout-flagship-hy3-model Wed, 05 Aug 2026 02:58:48 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Prominent US lawmakers have requested information from food delivery giant DoorDash on its use of Chinese artificial intelligence models after its co-founder disclosed that they had experimented with a model from Chinese start-up Moonshot AI, developer of the Kimi models. The move underscores growing tensions between US lawmakers and industry, as Chinese AI models have become increasingly popular among US companies looking to save costs of AI adoption. House Select Committee on China chairman... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362616/us-lawmakers-investigate-doordashs-use-moonshot-ais-kimi-k26-model https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/china/diplomacy/article/3362616/us-lawmakers-investigate-doordashs-use-moonshot-ais-kimi-k26-model Fri, 31 Jul 2026 22:53:21 +0000 Xiaofei Xu,Wency Chen Xiaofei Xu,Wency Chen Unitree Robotics will launch its initial public offering (IPO) in Shanghai next week, the firm announced late on Thursday, as China’s robotics start-ups race to go public amid an intense rivalry with their counterparts in the United States. The Hangzhou-based company plans to sell 40.45 million shares, or 10 per cent of its enlarged share capital. It is another closely watched debut on Shanghai’s Star Market, following the recent listing of ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT), whose market... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3362441/unitree-launch-ipo-next-week-us-china-robotics-rivalry-intensifies https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3362441/unitree-launch-ipo-next-week-us-china-robotics-rivalry-intensifies Thu, 30 Jul 2026 16:24:39 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu The three independent spin-offs of Chinese fintech giant Ant Group are accelerating their capital-raising efforts, forging distinct financial paths after gaining operational autonomy in 2024. Ant Digital Technologies is preparing a financing round ahead of its initial public offering, according to Chinese financial news outlet STAR Market Daily, marking the latest strategic move from one of the units that it spun off. Details regarding the round’s valuation, target size, timeline or planned... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3362420/ant-group-spin-offs-pursue-independent-growth-strategic-capital-moves https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3362420/ant-group-spin-offs-pursue-independent-growth-strategic-capital-moves Thu, 30 Jul 2026 11:39:36 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen China is widening its lead over the United States in the race to develop humanoid robots, with Chinese firms accounting for six of the world’s 10 most innovative start-ups in the sector, according to a new report tracking global patent data, as Washington moves to restrict imports of robots, including those made in China. Firms from China dominated the ranking released by legal research platform LexisNexis on Tuesday, claiming a clean sweep of the top five. The top five places went to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3362195/china-has-6-worlds-10-most-innovative-humanoid-robot-start-ups-report https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3362195/china-has-6-worlds-10-most-innovative-humanoid-robot-start-ups-report Wed, 29 Jul 2026 02:59:49 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) and Zhipu AI have not only seen their share prices skyrocket, but they have also handed a windfall to their common backer: Alibaba Group Holding. Before the listing of China’s memory-chip giant on Monday, Alibaba owned nearly 5 per cent of CXMT, making it the chipmaker’s largest industrial shareholder, according to the prospectus. Alibaba has invested about 7.6 billion yuan in CXMT since 2021. Based on Tuesday’s closing market capitalisation of about 3.14... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3362156/cxmt-zhipu-how-alibabas-investment-pays-growing-ai-and-chip-portfolio https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3362156/cxmt-zhipu-how-alibabas-investment-pays-growing-ai-and-chip-portfolio Tue, 28 Jul 2026 13:30:06 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen On the surface, China’s cutting-edge tech sector – from the algorithmic breakthroughs of DeepSeek and Zhipu AI to the hardware of Unitree Robotics and ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) – mirrors Silicon Valley’s venture capital-backed ecosystem. But a closer look at their financing histories reveals a common investor: the Chinese state. Beijing’s strong presence underscores a more profound structural shift in how China’s frontier technology is being funded. As Western venture capital and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3361779/investment-chinese-characteristics-how-beijings-money-reshaping-tech-ventures https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3361779/investment-chinese-characteristics-how-beijings-money-reshaping-tech-ventures Sat, 25 Jul 2026 02:00:15 +0000 Zoe SL Chan,Ann Cao Zoe SL Chan,Ann Cao MetaX, a Chinese maker of graphics processing units (GPUs), has confidentially filed for a listing in Hong Kong, according to people familiar with the matter. The Shanghai-based company was targeting an initial public offering (IPO) by the end of this year, according to the sources, who asked not to be identified because the information was confidential. MetaX was working with Huatai International Financial Holdings on the potential share sale, the people said. The company did not immediately... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3361754/chinese-gpu-maker-confidentially-files-hong-kong-ipo-amid-fundraising-wave-sources https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3361754/chinese-gpu-maker-confidentially-files-hong-kong-ipo-amid-fundraising-wave-sources Fri, 24 Jul 2026 10:34:48 +0000 Mia Nurmamat Mia Nurmamat Shanghai is exploring dedicated funds to tackle “choke point” technologies and new channels for offshore yuan capital to invest in China’s tech board, while allowing pre-profit tech firms in AI and nuclear fusion to go public. The municipal government will encourage the launch of dedicated funds focused on addressing “supply-chain gaps and breaking through ‘choke point’ technologies”. The funds would pool investment from corporate investment arms of state-owned enterprises, government-backed... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3361618/shanghai-launch-choke-point-tech-funds-relax-pre-profit-listing-rules-key-sectors https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/china-economy/article/3361618/shanghai-launch-choke-point-tech-funds-relax-pre-profit-listing-rules-key-sectors Thu, 23 Jul 2026 13:00:07 +0000 Zoe SL Chan,Coco Feng Zoe SL Chan,Coco Feng Fast-growing Chinese robot maker AgiBot is pursuing an initial public offering in Hong Kong and has hired Citic Securities as a sponsor, according to two people familiar with the matter. Additionally, China International Capital Corporation (CICC) and Morgan Stanley have also been tapped as joint sponsors, one of the people said. Shanghai-based AgiBot had shown signs that it was looking to list following its restructuring from a limited liability company to a joint-stock limited firm last year,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3361444/chinese-robot-maker-agibot-pursues-hong-kong-ipo-hiring-three-sponsors-sources https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3361444/chinese-robot-maker-agibot-pursues-hong-kong-ipo-hiring-three-sponsors-sources Wed, 22 Jul 2026 07:09:56 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese artificial intelligence unicorn Moonshot AI, whose release of its Kimi K3 model last week sparked talk of another “DeepSeek moment”, has accelerated its fundraising ahead of a planned initial public offering (IPO) in Hong Kong, eyeing a new financing round as early as next month, a source says. The Beijing-based company was set to close its current funding round at a US$30 billion valuation later this month or early next month, according to a person familiar with the matter. It planned... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3361415/kimi-k3-developer-moonshot-ai-expedites-fundraising-ahead-planned-ipo-source-says https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3361415/kimi-k3-developer-moonshot-ai-expedites-fundraising-ahead-planned-ipo-source-says Wed, 22 Jul 2026 04:05:06 +0000 Judy Xue Judy Xue A luxury penthouse in Hangzhou has set record highs for both unit price and total value of high-rise flats in the city, as new tech wealth injects fresh momentum into the market. All 66 units at the high-end Wangtianji development’s initial batch were snapped up on the first day of launch on July 16, generating 3.36 billion yuan (US$496 million) in total sales. Competition was fierce, with seven to eight bidders chasing each prime riverfront flat. Buyers averaged 39 years old and largely... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3361214/new-tech-wealth-sparks-luxury-property-rush-chinese-city-home-six-little-dragons https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3361214/new-tech-wealth-sparks-luxury-property-rush-chinese-city-home-six-little-dragons Mon, 20 Jul 2026 23:00:06 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang Chinese tech unicorn BrainCo has unveiled what it claims is the world’s first integrated “brain-to-robot” platform that lets users control robots using only their thoughts, without moving a muscle. The launch of the Brain-Controlled Robot AI Platform was announced on Friday at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) in Shanghai – China’s premier AI event. It comes as global technology firms are racing to develop powerful embodied AI systems, where artificial intelligence is... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3360893/brainco-unveils-brain-controlled-robot-platform-chinas-world-ai-conference https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3360893/brainco-unveils-brain-controlled-robot-platform-chinas-world-ai-conference Fri, 17 Jul 2026 06:00:12 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen As the global artificial intelligence race pushes the limits of scale with massive, trillion-parameter models, a parallel contest is heating up over smaller systems. Instead of relying on sprawling, power-hungry cloud data centres, a growing number of tech companies in China and elsewhere are turning to lightweight models designed to run entirely on smartphones or laptops. Proponents said this localised approach would be a game-changer, promising faster processing, enhanced data privacy and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3360820/giant-models-grab-headlines-some-chinese-start-ups-bet-smaller-phone-ready-ai https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3360820/giant-models-grab-headlines-some-chinese-start-ups-bet-smaller-phone-ready-ai Thu, 16 Jul 2026 13:30:06 +0000 The Star The Star The Retirement Fund Incorporated’s (KWAP) US$47.7 million investment in Indonesian agritech start-up eFishery was the victim of an orchestrated fraud, Malaysia’s finance ministry has confirmed. In a parliamentary written reply dated July 15, the ministry explained that KWAP’s July 2023 investment followed a robust evaluation and governance process. This included internal assessments, independent due diligence and the verification of financial statements by certified international auditors. KWAP... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3360787/malaysias-us47-million-investment-indonesian-start-revealed-fraud https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/asia/southeast-asia/article/3360787/malaysias-us47-million-investment-indonesian-start-revealed-fraud Thu, 16 Jul 2026 07:52:10 +0000 Daisy Wu Daisy Wu The Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC) recorded a major jump in investment income during its second year of operation, as it expanded its role as the city’s “patient capital” engine driving local economic development. The wholly state-owned investment firm generated about HK$6.46 billion (US$824 million) in investment income in 2025, a stunning 175 per cent year-on-year increase, according to its latest financial report released on Thursday. The fund achieved a net internal rate of return... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3360736/hkic-reports-double-digit-investment-return-patient-capital-strategy-bears-fruit https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/banking-finance/article/3360736/hkic-reports-double-digit-investment-return-patient-capital-strategy-bears-fruit Thu, 16 Jul 2026 01:00:20 +0000 Ben Jiang,Wency Chen Ben Jiang,Wency Chen Chinese frontier artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek is in talks with investors to raise a new financing round at around US$70 billion pre-investment valuation, shortly after closing a landmark first round, reflecting unquenched investor enthusiasm for the company. The plan comes on the heels of the Chinese AI darling’s recently closed Series A funding round in June – its first external funding round – which brought in about US$7 billion and valued the Hangzhou-based firm at nearly US$60... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3360626/ai-investor-mania-chinas-deepseek-chases-us70-billion-valuation-fresh-round https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3360626/ai-investor-mania-chinas-deepseek-chases-us70-billion-valuation-fresh-round Wed, 15 Jul 2026 06:11:30 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Two former Chinese AI lab leaders said they aim to challenge Thinking Machines Lab, a US start-up founded by ex-OpenAI executive Mira Murati, and focus on building industry-specific artificial intelligence solutions and models following their exit from the fierce frontier AI race. “All models are relentlessly chasing the ceiling of general intelligence … but in many real-world scenarios, we don’t necessarily need an absolute all-rounder,” Zhang Fan, founder and CEO of Yoolee AI and previously a... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3360411/chinese-ai-labs-challenge-thinking-machines-lab-new-industry-focus https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3360411/chinese-ai-labs-challenge-thinking-machines-lab-new-industry-focus Tue, 14 Jul 2026 02:00:17 +0000 Jean Iau Jean Iau At Carousell’s Singapore office, a red tunnel greets employees with the company’s mission to “make second-hand the first choice” – a slogan its leaders say is moving closer to reality as the platform for buying and selling used goods recorded its first positive adjusted operating profit. The Singapore-headquartered company, last valued at US$1.1 billion in 2021, said on Tuesday it had achieved positive Ebitda – earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortisation – for the first time,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3359639/singapores-carousell-hits-profitability-milestone-banks-ai-force-multiplier https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3359639/singapores-carousell-hits-profitability-milestone-banks-ai-force-multiplier Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:01:05 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng China’s innovation ecosystem has witnessed a resurgence, minting 67 new unicorn start-ups in the first half of 2026 – the biggest increase in almost five years – as AI and robotics kick off a new investment cycle. The growth translates into an average of one new unicorn – private companies valued at US$1 billion or more – in less than every three days and was the highest since the second half of 2021 when 76 new unicorns were created, according to a Monday report by ITJuzi, a start-up... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3359629/china-records-most-new-unicorn-start-ups-5-years-ai-and-robotics-boom https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3359629/china-records-most-new-unicorn-start-ups-5-years-ai-and-robotics-boom Tue, 07 Jul 2026 02:00:15 +0000 Judy Xue Judy Xue China is breeding a new generation of unicorns – start-ups currently valued at US$1 billion or more – at an accelerating pace, cementing its place alongside the United States in a major global index. The world’s second-largest economy saw 381 Chinese unicorns on the 2026 Hurun Global Unicorn Index, an increase of 38 from last year. The annual list, released on Tuesday, ranks the world’s most valuable start-ups. China now mints a new unicorn every five days on average, double last year’s pace of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3358497/chinas-unicorns-rise-381-bytedance-ranks-top-3-globally-hurun-index https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/china-business/article/3358497/chinas-unicorns-rise-381-bytedance-ranks-top-3-globally-hurun-index Fri, 26 Jun 2026 09:00:22 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China has issued the first industry code of conduct for smart glasses powered by artificial intelligence, following public outrage over videos taken by users covertly filming strangers with the increasingly popular devices. The voluntary code calls on smart eyewear manufacturers to adopt a “minimum data collection” approach, provide clear indicators when cameras or microphones are active, and obtain explicit user consent before recording. The guidelines were released on Thursday by the China... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3358459/china-keeps-eye-ai-smart-glasses-privacy-concerns-come-focus https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3358459/china-keeps-eye-ai-smart-glasses-privacy-concerns-come-focus Fri, 26 Jun 2026 07:00:36 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng A Chinese physical AI start-up has launched a new world model designed to simulate reality by embedding the laws of physics directly into its code – a departure from the data-driven approaches favoured by American tech giants like OpenAI and Meta Platforms. Shanghai-based Fysics AI announced the launch of the Fysiverse, which it described as a “new-generation physics-based world model that adheres to real-world physical laws”, in a post on its WeChat social media account on Wednesday. The... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3358346/chinese-physical-ai-start-proposes-new-paradigm-bypasses-openai-meta-road-maps https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3358346/chinese-physical-ai-start-proposes-new-paradigm-bypasses-openai-meta-road-maps Thu, 25 Jun 2026 14:00:05 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Luxshare Precision Industry, a key player in Apple’s AirPods and iPhone supply chains, passed a listing hearing for Hong Kong Exchanges and Clearing (HKEX), joining a wave of mainland Chinese technology manufacturing giants seeking diversified capital in the city. The Shenzhen-listed firm cleared the regulatory hurdle for a Hong Kong listing on Tuesday, days after receiving the green light from the China Securities Regulatory Commission for the offshore plan. The deal counts Citic Securities,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3358183/apple-supplier-luxshare-precision-industry-passes-hearing-hong-kong-listing https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3358183/apple-supplier-luxshare-precision-industry-passes-hearing-hong-kong-listing Wed, 24 Jun 2026 07:30:26 +0000 Mandy Zuo Mandy Zuo Over the past two decades, China’s agricultural workforce has more than halved, leaving largely the elderly, the infirm and the disabled to tend vast expanses of farmland, operating small-scale plots with relatively low efficiency. While Chinese agricultural machinery does not rank globally, the shift to embodied intelligence amid the current tech revolution may reshape this status quo, said Zhao Feng, founder of Shenzhen-based robotics firm GrainCore Dynamics. With its artificial intelligence... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3357363/will-chinas-ai-powered-agribots-repeat-its-ev-success-story https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/economy/article/3357363/will-chinas-ai-powered-agribots-repeat-its-ev-success-story Sun, 21 Jun 2026 13:00:06 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen For decades, fusion energy has sat at the edge of humanity’s clean-energy imagination – a promise of virtually limitless power that always seems just out of reach. But for Xie Huasheng, a fusion theorist and plasma simulation scientist, the industry finally has a tangible way to shorten its costly trial-and-error cycle: better software. “Fusion simulation software has long faced an ‘impossible triangle’,” Xie said. Existing tools, he argued, tend to be either accurate but computationally... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3357765/chinese-start-tackles-fusion-energy-software-bottleneck-help-ai https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3357765/chinese-start-tackles-fusion-energy-software-bottleneck-help-ai Sun, 21 Jun 2026 04:00:13 +0000 Andrew Sheng Andrew Sheng We’ve never had it so good. The S&P 500 and Nikkei 225 have hit record highs this month. SpaceX had its spectacular initial public offering, the largest in history. The company raised an eye-popping US$75 billion and saw a sharp rise in its share price to a mind-blowing valuation of US$2.5 trillion in two days. The US-Iran deal on reopening the Strait of Hormuz caused petrol prices to drop back to below US$4 per gallon. Global stock markets are creating seemingly unstoppable wealth for... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3357574/ai-has-been-known-hallucinate-so-have-financial-markets https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/opinion/world-opinion/article/3357574/ai-has-been-known-hallucinate-so-have-financial-markets Fri, 19 Jun 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Reuters Reuters Anthropic is rolling out ⁠a public version of ⁠its Mythos AI model, but ⁠with guard rails barring its use in risky areas such as cybersecurity, after a preview earlier this year sent shock waves globally with its ability to find software flaws. The new Claude Fable 5 is the most powerful model ‌Anthropic has ever made for wider use, the start-up said on Tuesday, touting its performance in software engineering and analytics. Anthropic has so far limited its access to a group of about 200... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356555/anthropic-opens-powerful-mythos-ai-model-public-some-safeguards https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/news/world/united-states-canada/article/3356555/anthropic-opens-powerful-mythos-ai-model-public-some-safeguards Tue, 09 Jun 2026 20:59:06 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Hong Kong is stepping up its efforts to transform into a global tech hub, backing university-led commercialisation with a funding blitz spearheaded by the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST). Speaking at HKUST’s annual Unicorn Day event on Tuesday, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry Sun Dong said the government had committed over HK$3 billion (US$382.8 million) to 73 projects under the RAISe+ (Research, Academic and Industry Sectors One-plus) scheme. Launched in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355728/hong-kong-commits-us383m-university-tech-spin-offs-bid-be-global-innovation-hub https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3355728/hong-kong-commits-us383m-university-tech-spin-offs-bid-be-global-innovation-hub Tue, 02 Jun 2026 12:05:11 +0000 Enoch Yiu Enoch Yiu The government’s investment arm achieved a double-digit internal rate of return last year, greater than many newly established venture capital funds, according to its CEO. “Many overseas funds have a J-curve performance, as they tend to suffer an initial loss before a gain,” said Clara Chan Ka-chai, CEO of Hong Kong Investment Corporation (HKIC). “But we have already bypassed the J-curve, as we have earned HK$2.3 billion [US$293 million] in 2024, while we have achieved a double-digit rate of... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3355522/hong-kong-governments-venture-fund-eyes-bigger-bankroll-after-double-digit-return https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/business/article/3355522/hong-kong-governments-venture-fund-eyes-bigger-bankroll-after-double-digit-return Mon, 01 Jun 2026 06:24:26 +0000 Vincent Chow,Ann Cao Vincent Chow,Ann Cao Nvidia has partnered with Chinese robotics champion Unitree Robotics and Singapore robotic hand maker Sharpa to release a new humanoid robot reference design to accelerate innovation in the global humanoid industry, the US chip giant’s CEO, Jensen Huang, announced on Monday. The new design, called H2+ or Isaac GR00T, will support industry-wide humanoid robotics research by streamlining the full development workflow for developers, including data collection, policy training and real-world... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3355402/nvidia-unitree-and-sharpa-unite-design-humanoid-robot-can-perform-real-work https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3355402/nvidia-unitree-and-sharpa-unite-design-humanoid-robot-can-perform-real-work Mon, 01 Jun 2026 05:30:25 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Venture capitalists and industrial giants in China are aggressively backing developers of dexterous robotic hands – the toughest bottleneck in the global humanoid hardware arms race – in a funding blitz that is rapidly driving up start-up valuations. The latest capital injection was announced on Friday by Xynova. The Hangzhou-based start-up said it had completed a series A round from investors including the venture arms of smartphone maker Xiaomi and electric vehicle giant Li Auto, bringing... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3355365/unicorn-born-record-time-amid-arms-race-among-chinas-robotic-hand-developers https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3355365/unicorn-born-record-time-amid-arms-race-among-chinas-robotic-hand-developers Sat, 30 May 2026 06:00:10 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Unitree Robotics, a luminary in China’s humanoid robot boom, has reported a sharp plunge in first-quarter profits just days before its crucial listing hearing, casting a shadow over its Star Market initial public offering (IPO) as soaring expenses and a brutal price war catch up to the industry’s hype. The Shanghai Stock Exchange’s listing committee is scheduled to review Unitree’s IPO application on June 1, according to an exchange notice on Monday. The company, based in Hangzhou, the capital... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3354855/unitree-robotics-reports-plunge-first-quarter-profits-days-crucial-ipo-hearing https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3354855/unitree-robotics-reports-plunge-first-quarter-profits-days-crucial-ipo-hearing Tue, 26 May 2026 05:12:25 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng China’s robotics pioneers are rapidly expanding beyond the usual factory surroundings and into more challenging terrains: the unstructured, dynamic and complex world of domestic household chores. GigaAI unveiled the country’s first general-purpose household humanoid robot model on Wednesday, the SeeLight S1, in collaboration with Hubei Humanoid Robot Innovation Centre and Hubei Humanoid Robotics Industry Alliance. The robot will be given to families to test free of charge in Wuhan, the capital... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3354371/commercial-humanoid-robots-china-may-soon-do-laundry-make-beds-care-elders https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3354371/commercial-humanoid-robots-china-may-soon-do-laundry-make-beds-care-elders Thu, 21 May 2026 09:22:27 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence heavyweight DeepSeek has recruited a former Jane Street star engineer to its new AI “harness” team, as it looks to ensure it does not fall behind in the agentic AI era. Cui Tianyi joined the Hangzhou start-up in March, according to a post on his LinkedIn profile on Tuesday, after four years at Hong Kong-based quantitative trading firm TSY Capital, which he co-founded in 2022. The engineer previously spent nearly nine years as a software developer and researcher at... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3354113/deepseek-recruits-former-jane-street-engineer-catch-ai-agents-revenue-race https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3354113/deepseek-recruits-former-jane-street-engineer-catch-ai-agents-revenue-race Tue, 19 May 2026 10:30:28 +0000