https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/rss/508726/feed en https://assets-v2.i-scmp.com/production/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg Ann Cao Ann Cao Embracing the open-source approach is the only way for Europe to achieve technological independence, Alibaba Group Holding chairman Joe Tsai said, pointing to China’s own open-source drive as a blueprint for innovation under constraints. For Europe, which shares China’s deep roots in traditional manufacturing, the open-source approach presented a unique opportunity, Tsai said, highlighting that factories in the region possessed highly valuable manufacturing data. “You don’t want to feed it into... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3370428/open-source-ai-europes-only-path-tech-independence-says-alibaba-chairman-joe-tsai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3370428/open-source-ai-europes-only-path-tech-independence-says-alibaba-chairman-joe-tsai?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 10 Oct 2026 05:34:09 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee Did Chinese AI companies secretly tap US models to close the technology gap? That is the central question hanging over China’s tech sector following a wave of allegations from Washington and American AI lab Anthropic. According to a joint advisory by the National Security Agency, FBI, and Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency last month, Chinese AI developers have been systematically extracting capabilities from US frontier models to reduce their own computing, electricity and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3370317/anthropic-claims-chinese-ai-firms-secretly-use-claude-it-true?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3370317/anthropic-claims-chinese-ai-firms-secretly-use-claude-it-true?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 13:30:07 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Renewed fears of potential US trade curbs on next-generation optical transceivers for data centres have sent shares of Chinese suppliers tumbling, deepening a sell-off across artificial intelligence supply chain stocks. Shares of Chinese optical chipmakers extended their losses for a second straight session on Friday despite reassurances from major suppliers, while China’s benchmark CSI 300 Index slid 1.3 per cent by the midday break to its lowest level since August last year. Upstream laser... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3370305/chinese-optical-chip-stocks-extend-rout-amid-fears-potential-us-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3370305/chinese-optical-chip-stocks-extend-rout-amid-fears-potential-us-curbs?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 09 Oct 2026 07:13:16 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee On September 22, the global artificial intelligence landscape spun on its axis within a matter of hours. In Beijing, Xiaomi engineers went live with an unusual broadcast, streaming the training run of their new MiMo-V2.6 model. In San Francisco, Anthropic unveiled its frontier Opus 5.5 model. About an hour later, OpenAI crashed the party with the surprise release of its GPT-6 Sol and Luna models. For tech executives and developers trying to keep pace, it was just another overwhelming day in the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369757/chinas-ai-race-accelerates-model-fatigue-becomes-next-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369757/chinas-ai-race-accelerates-model-fatigue-becomes-next-challenge?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 06 Oct 2026 12:00:07 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao As global adoption of the open-source RISC-V chip architecture accelerates, US intellectual property provider MIPS is collaborating with Chinese firms at an unprecedented level, according to a senior executive, highlighting how cross-border cooperation persists despite intense tech rivalry between Washington and Beijing. MIPS, which was acquired by US chipmaker GlobalFoundries last year, was driving RISC-V standardisation “very closely with China”, chief technology officer Yankin Tanurhan said... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369590/how-us-china-risc-v-collaboration-deepening-despite-chip-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369590/how-us-china-risc-v-collaboration-deepening-despite-chip-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 03 Oct 2026 13:00:16 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese semiconductor plants amassed hundreds of immersion lithography machines worth billions of dollars in recent years, according to former US officials, who urged Washington and its allies to shut down further exports. Chinese-owned fabs had acquired an estimated 343 immersion deep ultraviolet (DUV) lithography systems by early 2026, said a report published in late September by the Centre for Technology & Statecraft (CTS), a Washington research group established in August. Co-authored by... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3369557/china-stockpiles-asml-lithography-tools-spurring-us-calls-complete-export-ban?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3369557/china-stockpiles-asml-lithography-tools-spurring-us-calls-complete-export-ban?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 12:00:11 +0000 Wency Chen,Howard Liu Wency Chen,Howard Liu China has set a five-year goal for the expansion of intelligent computing capacity to drive artificial intelligence (AI) that calls for a more than fourfold increase on what was in place at the end of June this year. To reach the 2030 target while being blocked by the United States from importing the most advanced Western-made AI chips will require innovation, adaptation and the application and coordination of vast resources. Judging by the 177 per cent increase in capacity achieved in the year... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/policy/article/3369537/chinas-ai-compute-ambitions-demand-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/policy/article/3369537/chinas-ai-compute-ambitions-demand-innovation?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 07:05:21 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee US artificial intelligence company Anthropic appears to have stepped up enforcement of geographical restrictions on its Claude models in Hong Kong, with local users reporting abrupt account suspensions after accessing the service through virtual private networks (VPNs). A wave of complaints surfaced on social media platforms X and Reddit on Thursday, as users who had operated accounts for months using VPNs found them suddenly disabled. One Hong Kong-based user posted on the “r/claude” subreddit... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3369526/hong-kong-users-caught-offguard-anthropic-tightens-vpn-access-claude?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3369526/hong-kong-users-caught-offguard-anthropic-tightens-vpn-access-claude?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 02 Oct 2026 05:44:12 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies is making rapid progress in rolling out a new breed of advanced chip based on its self-developed Tau Scaling Law, with the Chinese company set to adopt the processors across the newly released Mate 90 smartphone series. The roll-out marks another step forward in the Chinese tech giant’s push to overcome stringent US export curbs, which has seen Huawei rewire its smartphone business to run on home-grown technology. Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, Huawei consumer... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369400/huawei-steps-tau-chip-roll-out-mate-xt-2-track-1-million-sales?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369400/huawei-steps-tau-chip-roll-out-mate-xt-2-track-1-million-sales?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Oct 2026 03:00:08 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee The US artificial intelligence giant Anthropic has warned of the potential danger posed by Chinese firm Z.ai’s GLM-5.3, with the open-weight model showing a troubling mix of powerful hacking abilities but weak safety constraints. GLM-5.3 almost matches Anthropic’s most advanced model in terms of its cyber capabilities, but has far weaker safeguards, meaning there is greater potential for the model to be co-opted by bad actors, according to the San Francisco-based firm. In a report released on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369354/anthropic-raises-alarm-over-elite-hacking-ability-chinese-firm-zais-glm-53?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3369354/anthropic-raises-alarm-over-elite-hacking-ability-chinese-firm-zais-glm-53?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2026 12:00:08 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Subscribers: The Daily Pulse won’t be published on October 1, which is China’s National Day. We will resume publication on Friday, October 2. US President Donald Trump has again ruled out collaborating with China on artificial intelligence (AI), arguing that it would undermine American leadership in the technology. Cooperation would let China “immediately gain access to things that we know that they don’t know”, Trump told reporters on Tuesday. “We’re leading now over China and everyone else,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3369336/trump-relies-ai-giants-self-police-after-ruling-out-china-deal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3369336/trump-relies-ai-giants-self-police-after-ruling-out-china-deal?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2026 09:13:03 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek on Wednesday open-sourced a suite of core tools tailored for Huawei Technologies’ Ascend AI chips, marking a step forward in the country’s push to end dependence on processors from US giant Nvidia amid US export curbs. Hangzhou-based DeepSeek released six software modules that mirror its prior open-source tools for Nvidia’s AI chips, aiming to build a new “independent and controllable” software ecosystem for graphics processing units (GPUs),... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369301/chinas-deepseek-open-sources-tools-help-huawei-chips-supplant-nvidia-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369301/chinas-deepseek-open-sources-tools-help-huawei-chips-supplant-nvidia-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 30 Sep 2026 06:31:08 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Chinese chip foundry CanSemi Technology’s Shenzhen initial public offering (IPO) is emerging as one of mainland China’s most sought-after tech listings this year, as investors bet on its push into silicon photonics and its role in domestic artificial intelligence infrastructure. The Guangzhou-based company’s retail tranche was oversubscribed by more than 2,300 times after clawback, according to a stock exchange filing late on Sunday, as investors scrambled for a piece of the domestic... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369074/chinese-chip-foundry-cansemis-ipo-oversubscribed-2360-times-investors-chase-ai-boom?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3369074/chinese-chip-foundry-cansemis-ipo-oversubscribed-2360-times-investors-chase-ai-boom?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Sep 2026 11:30:11 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow If the American guests seated at the head table with President Xi Jinping and US President Donald Trump at Thursday’s White House state dinner were any indication, Washington now views its relationship with Beijing largely through the prism of technology. Analysts said the seating arrangement underscored how tech industry titans driving the global AI infrastructure boom were pushing to draw the two economic superpowers closer together. Sitting alongside Xi, Chinese first lady Peng Liyuan, Trump... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368774/xi-trump-dinner-puts-us-tech-titans-spotlight-what-does-it-mean-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368774/xi-trump-dinner-puts-us-tech-titans-spotlight-what-does-it-mean-china-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 25 Sep 2026 07:00:17 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu China’s technology sector is facing fresh pressure in the United States as lawmakers seek to broaden the range of products that can be placed on a trade blacklist, while Lenovo Group has been drawn into a patent dispute involving memory devices. The Communications and Technology Transparency Act, unveiled by the US House Energy and Commerce Committee on Wednesday, would expand the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC) Covered List from “communications equipment or service” to the much... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368633/china-tech-faces-fresh-scrutiny-us-blacklist-bill-introduced-lenovo-case-emerges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368633/china-tech-faces-fresh-scrutiny-us-blacklist-bill-introduced-lenovo-case-emerges?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:30:25 +0000 Chong Ming Lee,Vincent Chow Chong Ming Lee,Vincent Chow When the presidents of the United States and China meet in Washington, the world will be watching to see whether their two countries can make good on their agreement to work towards “constructive strategic stability”. In the sixth part of a series, Chong Ming Lee and Vincent Chow examine what’s behind the call for “pacing” by American AI giants – effectively a slowdown in development – and how the phenomenon is being viewed in China. After years of rapid development, leading US AI executives are... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368503/pacing-problem-can-ai-fears-overcome-us-china-race-dynamics-and-force-slowdown?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368503/pacing-problem-can-ai-fears-overcome-us-china-race-dynamics-and-force-slowdown?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 23 Sep 2026 15:00:06 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Chinese chipmaker Hygon Information Technology on Tuesday launched a suite of central processing units (CPUs) for robotics and industrial edge devices, expanding beyond cloud computing and into the fast-growing market for physical artificial intelligence. The firm unveiled its Hygon 1000 series processors, designed to be embedded into physical devices in industrial automation systems such as robotics and factory controllers, enabling computing and graphics processing to be handled locally. Built... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3368417/chinas-hygon-moves-beyond-data-centres-embedded-processors-robotics-edge-ai?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3368417/chinas-hygon-moves-beyond-data-centres-embedded-processors-robotics-edge-ai?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 14:30:09 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Huawei Technologies’ latest smartphone processor, the Kirin 9050 Pro, unveiled earlier this month, has narrowed its gap with Apple’s chips to about three years, from roughly four years in the previous generation, according to equity research firm Bernstein. The chip, which Bernstein estimated was produced using technology equivalent to a 7-nanometre process node, outperformed Apple’s 3nm A17 Pro in Geekbench 6 multicore tests, a widely used benchmark that measures how effectively processors... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3368404/chinas-huawei-trims-mobile-chip-gap-apple-tau-scaling-law-pays-bernstein?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3368404/chinas-huawei-trims-mobile-chip-gap-apple-tau-scaling-law-pays-bernstein?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 12:00:06 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Alibaba Group Holding has introduced what it called China’s most powerful artificial intelligence chip and teased plans to train an AI model with up to 10 trillion parameters, as top executives reaffirmed the tech giant’s ambition to pursue artificial superintelligence (ASI). Speaking at the company’s annual Apsara Conference in Hangzhou on Tuesday, group chairman Joe Tsai highlighted Alibaba’s commitment to building end-to-end capabilities. “Alibaba is firmly investing in building full-stack AI... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3368338/alibaba-teases-10-trillion-parameter-model-debuts-chinas-most-powerful-ai-chip?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3368338/alibaba-teases-10-trillion-parameter-model-debuts-chinas-most-powerful-ai-chip?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 05:59:40 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng In China’s hardware hub in Shenzhen, the speculative frenzy around consumer multilayer ceramic capacitors (MLCCs) has cooled into a sharp price correction, but prices for artificial intelligence server components remain elevated. Spot prices for consumer-grade MLCCs, often dubbed the “the rice of the electronics industry”, have fallen by two-thirds from their peak two months ago, according to Wang Jun, an MLCC distributor in Huaqiangbei, a commercial zone in the city known for electronic... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3368295/chinas-mlcc-market-splits-two-ai-server-demand-outpaces-consumer-electronics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/article/3368295/chinas-mlcc-market-splits-two-ai-server-demand-outpaces-consumer-electronics?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Sep 2026 00:00:22 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang The United States and China’s agreement to establish an official AI dialogue, including a proposed threat-notification system, marks a pragmatic step towards crisis prevention in their tech war, even as deep-seated divisions over chip access, model distillation and market dominance threaten to limit its impact, analysts said. Announced following high-level talks in New York on Sunday between US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer and Vice-Premier He Lifeng,... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368281/ai-safety-fears-mount-can-us-china-hotline-prevent-global-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368281/ai-safety-fears-mount-can-us-china-hotline-prevent-global-crisis?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 13:00:08 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee Neither Beijing nor Washington can win the race for artificial intelligence dominance without relying on other countries, a Bank of America analyst said ahead of this week’s high-stakes bilateral summit, citing deeply entangled global tech supply chains. While China’s advantages had emerged in areas like power grids and manufacturing equipment, the country remained reliant on overseas suppliers for advanced chips, memory and some high-end materials, said Matty Zhao, co-head of China equity at... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3368219/neither-us-nor-china-can-win-ai-race-alone-bofa-analyst-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3368219/neither-us-nor-china-can-win-ai-race-alone-bofa-analyst-says?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Sep 2026 07:00:13 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Chinese researchers have made early strides in pushing semiconductor processing nodes below 3-nm using older lithography technology, as more advanced extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUV) tools from ASML remain blocked under US sanctions. The breakthrough marks the latest progress in China’s drive to chart an alternative path to advanced chipmaking amid US export restrictions. Under current export control rules, Dutch equipment giant ASML is barred from selling its state-of-the-art EUV machines... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368042/china-makes-progress-3-nm-chips-without-advanced-lithography-tools?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3368042/china-makes-progress-3-nm-chips-without-advanced-lithography-tools?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 19 Sep 2026 00:00:21 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao As market fears mount over waning Big Tech spending and calls to slow down frontier artificial intelligence development, Asia-Pacific semiconductor foundries are better positioned to withstand a potential downturn in AI investment than other tech hardware firms in the region, according to S&P Global Ratings. In a report published on Thursday, the rating agency said it had stress tested four key Asia-Pacific sectors – foundries, memory manufacturers, cooling component suppliers and original... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367973/chip-foundries-better-insulated-ai-slowdown-asia-pacific-tech-peers-sp-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367973/chip-foundries-better-insulated-ai-slowdown-asia-pacific-tech-peers-sp-says?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 07:00:09 +0000 Iris Deng,Howard Liu Iris Deng,Howard Liu Huawei Technologies expects a major domestic shift towards its artificial intelligence computing infrastructure for model training next year, as its Ascend processors gain ground on Nvidia in China despite supply constraints, according to rotating chairman Eric Xu Zhijun. “I believe that starting from next year, a lot of the AI model training will be based on the SuperPoD or SuperCluster based on Ascend 950DT,” Xu told reporters during the Huawei Connect 2026 conference in Shanghai on... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367955/china-see-major-shift-huawei-ai-model-training-2027-rotating-chair?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367955/china-see-major-shift-huawei-ai-model-training-2027-rotating-chair?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Sep 2026 04:59:31 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Huawei Technologies on Thursday unveiled a new computing architecture that it says could make as many as 1 million processors work as a single computer, putting its UnifiedBus interconnect technology at the centre of an ambitious effort to rethink how large data centres are built. The Peerium Computing Architecture combines nested parallelism, unified memory addressing and peer-to-peer interconnect, with UnifiedBus serving as the high-speed fabric connecting processors, memory, storage and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367882/how-huawei-plans-bypass-us-chip-curbs-its-new-unifiedbus-technology?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367882/how-huawei-plans-bypass-us-chip-curbs-its-new-unifiedbus-technology?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 12:00:07 +0000 Howard Liu,Iris Deng Howard Liu,Iris Deng Huawei Technologies on Thursday unveiled its latest Atlas 960 SuperPoD computing cluster and an upgraded version of its UnifiedBus interconnect technology, key components of the Chinese tech giant’s strategy to build advanced artificial intelligence systems despite US semiconductor-related restrictions. At the Huawei Connect 2026 conference in Shanghai, the Shenzhen-based firm introduced near-packaged optics (NPOs) – a placement structure enabling higher speeds and lower energy use – to the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367796/huawei-unveils-latest-tech-boost-ai-power-push-break-chinas-nvidia-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367796/huawei-unveils-latest-tech-boost-ai-power-push-break-chinas-nvidia-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 17 Sep 2026 02:26:07 +0000 Wency Chen,Ben Jiang Wency Chen,Ben Jiang China’s Moonshot AI has attracted global investor interest spanning Europe, Asia and the Middle East, people familiar with the matter say, as international capital scrambles for access to Chinese frontier artificial intelligence labs, betting on their high-stakes race against US rivals. The Beijing-based developer of the Kimi family of AI models has seen mounting interest from overseas players ranging from European investment firms to Middle East family offices, with some seeking indirect... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367723/kimi-creator-moonshot-draws-global-investors-seeking-top-tier-chinese-ai-developers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367723/kimi-creator-moonshot-draws-global-investors-seeking-top-tier-chinese-ai-developers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Sep 2026 10:46:58 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang China is surging ahead of the US in consumer AI adoption as technology giants like Tencent Holdings and Alibaba Group Holding embed artificial intelligence directly into popular everyday apps, even as American models lead in capability, according to Morgan Stanley. A survey conducted by the bank and published in a report on Monday showed that 80 per cent of Chinese respondents used AI for personal purposes at least weekly, compared with 54 per cent in the US. China’s generative AI user base grew... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367601/china-beating-us-consumer-ai-adoption-thanks-super-apps-morgan-stanley?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367601/china-beating-us-consumer-ai-adoption-thanks-super-apps-morgan-stanley?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 15 Sep 2026 11:00:12 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee Calls by US tech leaders for a voluntary slowdown in artificial intelligence development have run into sharp pushback from Chinese researchers and state media, who question whether the proposal is a genuine push for responsibility or an effort to entrench America’s technological lead. The debate intensified on Monday when OpenAI CEO Sam Altman joined a growing chorus of Silicon Valley leaders demanding industry-wide “pacing”, warning that competitive pressure must not override safety as AI... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3367448/china-rejects-calls-pacing-ai-development-fearing-it-would-entrench-us-tech-lead?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/policy/article/3367448/china-rejects-calls-pacing-ai-development-fearing-it-would-entrench-us-tech-lead?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 14 Sep 2026 10:00:10 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee The US-China race for artificial intelligence dominance has entered a new phase: using AI to build better AI. Leading AI companies in the United States and China are increasingly focused on deploying advanced models to write code, design experiments, and develop training techniques that can be used to improve more powerful models. The ultimate goal is to achieve what the industry refers to as recursive self-improvement (RSI) – the creation of AI systems that can train themselves... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367237/us-and-china-are-racing-build-self-improving-ai-heres-whats-stake?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367237/us-and-china-are-racing-build-self-improving-ai-heres-whats-stake?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 13 Sep 2026 00:00:10 +0000 Howard Liu,Minxiao Chang,Ann Cao Howard Liu,Minxiao Chang,Ann Cao The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has published its final decision on updates to its equipment authorisation rules, easing market anxiety over potential bans on Chinese optical transceivers. The rule, adopted in July and finalised on Friday, tightens authorisation requirements for devices containing certain hardware components made by entities on the Covered List – a US blacklist of foreign technology equipment and service providers deemed to pose an unacceptable risk to national... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367219/chinese-optical-transceiver-makers-dodge-us-ban-now-fcc-updates-rules?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367219/chinese-optical-transceiver-makers-dodge-us-ban-now-fcc-updates-rules?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2026 11:30:09 +0000 Chong Ming Lee,Xinmei Shen Chong Ming Lee,Xinmei Shen A flurry of cybersecurity breaches, internal whistle-blowing, and declining visibility into model safety has sparked fresh alarm over the US artificial intelligence boom, igniting calls from some experts to slow down development – even as critics warn that deceleration risks surrendering America’s technological lead to China. The mounting concerns come just weeks before President Xi Jinping and US leader Donald Trump are set to meet for a high-stakes summit in Washington. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367163/why-ai-experts-are-freaked-out-over-safety-fears-ahead-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367163/why-ai-experts-are-freaked-out-over-safety-fears-ahead-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2026 08:00:10 +0000 Ann Cao,Iris Deng Ann Cao,Iris Deng The future of computing has arrived, according to China’s Huawei Technologies. The Shenzhen-based technology giant’s launch this week of the Mate XT 2 smartphone, its first commercial product powered by a processor with a novel architecture, is a public test of the Chinese tech giant’s claim to have invented a new chip design paradigm. It is also its first step to rewiring artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure. The phone’s chip, the Kirin 9050 Pro, is the first designed according to the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/big-tech/article/3367153/novel-chip-huawei-phone-china-heads-computing-reset?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/big-tech/article/3367153/novel-chip-huawei-phone-china-heads-computing-reset?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 11 Sep 2026 05:05:57 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee DeepSeek has released its V4.1 Flash model, claiming it outperforms its previous flagship while cutting inference costs and boosting speeds – the latest salvo in China’s aggressive price-and-performance war. The Chinese artificial intelligence developer said on Thursday that V4.1 Flash used a new “Causal-Encoder-Decoder” architecture. While built on a massive 552 billion-parameter framework, it relies on a Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) design. In traditional AI, every query runs through the entire... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367051/deepseek-says-new-flash-ai-model-beats-kimi-k3-cyber-coding-benchmarks?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3367051/deepseek-says-new-flash-ai-model-beats-kimi-k3-cyber-coding-benchmarks?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 10 Sep 2026 09:26:24 +0000 Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Brian Rhoads,Raymond Ma Huawei Technologies introduced the first smartphone fitted with LogicFolding processors after addressing concerns about a new chip-design approach at least partly driven by US sanctions. The 19,999 yuan-plus (US$2,980-plus) Mate XT 2 trifold smartphone uses Kirin 9050 Pro chips designed by Huawei’s HiSilicon unit, the company said at a launch event on Monday. The phone is also the first device to run on HarmonyOS 7, the latest version of Huawei’s self-developed operating system. Using the new... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3366924/huaweis-new-chip-philosophy-gets-run-out-debut-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3366924/huaweis-new-chip-philosophy-gets-run-out-debut-smartphone?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2026 09:33:29 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese e-commerce giant JD.com is accelerating its push into robotics with a sweeping plan to automate its nationwide logistics network, while promising to retrain its vast workforce of couriers for technical roles as machines take over frontline duties. At an event in Beijing on Wednesday, the company’s logistics arm unveiled its industrial Wolf Robot series. Over the next five years, JD Logistics aimed to procure 3 million robots, 1 million unstaffed vehicles and 100,000 delivery drones to... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366884/jdcom-deploy-3-million-robots-fully-automate-logistics?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366884/jdcom-deploy-3-million-robots-fully-automate-logistics?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 09 Sep 2026 06:25:50 +0000 Chong Ming Lee,Xinmei Shen Chong Ming Lee,Xinmei Shen Chinese artificial intelligence companies Z.ai and MiniMax could remain loss-making through 2030 even as their revenues surge, underscoring the enormous cost of competing at the technological frontier, according to Macquarie Group’s head of Asia internet and software research Ellie Jiang. One reason cited was the expense required for the computing power to train and run frontier AI models. Jiang told the South China Morning Post on Tuesday that China’s compute crunch was two to three times more... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366784/chinese-ai-firms-zai-and-minimax-could-remain-loss-making-until-2030-macquarie-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366784/chinese-ai-firms-zai-and-minimax-could-remain-loss-making-until-2030-macquarie-says?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 09:33:07 +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?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366740/deepseek-embarks-unprecedented-hiring-spree-it-overhauls-backend-systems?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 08 Sep 2026 06:30:37 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu The massive gap in artificial intelligence spending between US and Chinese tech titans may not buy the advantage expected for American giants, as lower domestic costs and heavy state support allow Chinese firms to secure far more computing power per dollar, according to a new report by Moody’s Ratings. While US hyperscalers outspent their Chinese counterparts by a staggering margin, the physical gap in computing capacity was nowhere near as wide as those mega-budgets suggested, the report... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366407/punching-above-their-weight-how-chinas-ai-giants-stretch-each-dollar-compute-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366407/punching-above-their-weight-how-chinas-ai-giants-stretch-each-dollar-compute-race?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2026 13:00:07 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Huawei Technologies has released a new research paper showing its Tau Scaling Law-based semiconductor architecture can avoid overheating, which analysts view as a key technical hurdle for its anticipated Kirin 2026 smartphone chip. The paper, authored by He Tingbo, chairwoman of the Huawei Scientist Committee and president of the company’s semiconductor business department, rebutted scepticism that vertically stacking logic circuits would create an insurmountable thermal bottleneck. It was... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366543/huawei-paper-shows-tau-scaling-law-chip-solves-overheating-ahead-kirin-2026-launch?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366543/huawei-paper-shows-tau-scaling-law-chip-solves-overheating-ahead-kirin-2026-launch?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Sep 2026 12:06:42 +0000 Iris Deng,Wency Chen Iris Deng,Wency Chen One by one, Tesla Model Y Ls roll out of the company’s end-of-line inspection bays, gleaming in black, white and gold. They are a mix of left-hand and right-hand drive – one of many signs the electric vehicles (EVs) produced here are destined for ports around the world. The company touts a total assembly time of less than 40 seconds at its sprawling Gigafactory in Lingang, a coastal area on the far southeastern edge of Shanghai. From there, Tesla says, a finished car can reach the port and be... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3366387/talk-growing-tesla-spacex-merger-will-geopolitics-throw-spanner-works?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3366387/talk-growing-tesla-spacex-merger-will-geopolitics-throw-spanner-works?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2026 22:00:07 +0000 Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow Raymond Ma,Neil Denslow The United States and China joined other G20 nations in supporting light-touch regulation for artificial intelligence (AI) this week, creating rare agreement between the tech rivals and a potential foundation for further discussions ahead of an upcoming presidential summit. G20 nations agreed to adopt sector-specific rules for AI and avoid creating new AI regulators at a meeting in North Carolina. The Carolina Principles also call for close cooperation between governments and developers in... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3366359/us-china-ai-agreement-g20-trade-spat-inflation-data?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/plus/tech/tech-war/article/3366359/us-china-ai-agreement-g20-trade-spat-inflation-data?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 04 Sep 2026 09:00:14 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang TikTok parent ByteDance is seeking to expand its computing capacity by building out more data centres in north China’s Inner Mongolia autonomous region in the next two years, according to a person familiar with the matter, another example of a Chinese tech giant stepping up its investments in artificial intelligence infrastructure. The company had been in preliminary talks with local data centre vendors to add between five and six gigawatts’ worth of compute in the city of Ulanqab, the person... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366220/bytedance-expand-massive-ai-data-centre-cluster-inner-mongolia-source-says?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366220/bytedance-expand-massive-ai-data-centre-cluster-inner-mongolia-source-says?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:12:31 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee US tech titans including Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang and Tesla’s Elon Musk are pressing global powers to curb artificial intelligence regulations, warning that strict guard rails risk suffocating innovation as the US and China compete in an intensifying technological arms race. Speaking at a G20 meeting alongside US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on Wednesday, Huang urged policymakers to pursue AI regulations targeting “actual and pragmatic harm” rather than... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366216/tech-race-flashpoint-huang-musk-push-back-ai-guard-rails-amid-heated-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366216/tech-race-flashpoint-huang-musk-push-back-ai-guard-rails-amid-heated-us-china-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 08:00:26 +0000 Chong Ming Lee Chong Ming Lee Chinese technology companies seeking public listings are increasingly concentrated in areas where Beijing is trying to break its reliance on foreign technology, as years of US export controls reshape the country’s pipeline of stock market hopefuls. About 20 per cent of companies that have launched initial public offerings on Shanghai’s Star Market so far this year are engaged in tackling key technological “chokepoints” facing China, compared with just 8.1 per cent in 2022, according to a Morgan... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366164/us-export-curbs-have-reshaped-chinas-tech-scene-around-chokepoints-report?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-trends/article/3366164/us-export-curbs-have-reshaped-chinas-tech-scene-around-chokepoints-report?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 03 Sep 2026 01:29:43 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang China’s science and technology minister Yin Hejun has called for global cooperation to manage the opportunities and risks posed by artificial intelligence, as Beijing and Washington face renewed trade and tech tensions ahead of a planned meeting between their leaders later this month. Speaking at the G20 Innovation Ministerial Meeting held in the United States, Yin said the development of AI and other emerging technologies had entered an “unprecedentedly active” period, with opportunities and... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3366143/china-urges-global-ai-cooperation-not-rivalry-ahead-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/tech-war/article/3366143/china-urges-global-ai-cooperation-not-rivalry-ahead-xi-trump-summit?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 13:30:10 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Anthropic’s powerful new Claude Fable 5.1 model has widened its lead in performance benchmarks over Chinese rivals, even as budget-friendly open-weight models from China continue to gain commercial traction globally. The American company said on Wednesday that Fable 5.1, along with a restricted-access version called Mythos 5.1, was the world’s most advanced model for software coding and complex knowledge work. The standard version scored 66 on Artificial Analysis’ Intelligence Index, taking the... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366125/frontier-ai-cost-what-anthropics-fable-51-means-us-china-model-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366125/frontier-ai-cost-what-anthropics-fable-51-means-us-china-model-race?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 11:30:06 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Major Chinese foundry Hua Hong Grace Semiconductor is pouring US$2 billion into a massive capacity expansion in the Chinese chip production hub of Wuxi, racing to meet skyrocketing domestic demand for AI infrastructure and bypass US tech curbs. The fresh capital would fund the construction of a new 12-inch speciality line, its third facility in the eastern Chinese city, the country’s second-largest contract chipmaker said in a filing to the Hong Kong stock exchange on Tuesday. Once fully... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366104/chinas-no-2-foundry-hua-hong-invests-us2b-new-fab-meet-surging-ai-driven-demand?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366104/chinas-no-2-foundry-hua-hong-invests-us2b-new-fab-meet-surging-ai-driven-demand?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 09:30:11 +0000 Howard Liu Howard Liu Chinese chip equipment giant Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (AMEC) has unveiled six new machines – at different stages of commercialisation – in a single day as the company accelerates research and development to feed soaring local demand driven by Beijing’s self-reliance push. The new line-up, announced at an industry conference in Wuxi on Tuesday, spans several steps in chip production, including etching tools that carve microscopic patterns into wafers, deposition systems that build... https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366079/chinas-amec-unveils-6-chip-making-machines-one-day-speed-self-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www-scmp-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/tech/big-tech/article/3366079/chinas-amec-unveils-6-chip-making-machines-one-day-speed-self-reliance?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 02 Sep 2026 07:04:16 +0000