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Google decision to change the release schedule of Android source code has unnerved some Chinese developers. Photo: Shutterstock
Smartphones

Google’s Android transparency shift unnerves Chinese developers

Google is no longer developing Android in the open, which some developers believe could give an advantage to Huawei’s HarmonyOS.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese EV industry pressed to accelerate global expansion amid tariffs

TikTok

TikTok Shop to expand to Germany, France, Italy next week amid uncertainty in US

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Semiconductors

China’s top foundry SMIC reports revenue growth in 2024, but net profits plunge

Full-year revenue grew 27 per cent to US$8 billion but net profit plunged 45.4 per cent to US$493 million.

Exterior view of SMIC’s facilities in Pudong district, Shanghai on March 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
Exterior view of SMIC’s facilities in Pudong district, Shanghai on March 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
Alibaba

Alibaba’s AI crackdown: Taobao says e-commerce images must be ‘realistic’

Taobao’s initiative aligns with China’s broader regulatory efforts to address the misuse of generative AI.

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Alibaba

Alibaba launches AI model that can process images and video on the go

The multimodal Qwen2.5-Omni-7B model is designed to run locally on mobile devices and tops rivals in some benchmarks.

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Artificial intelligence

China’s 2025 cloud spending to grow 15% on the back of DeepSeek adoption

Cloud spending, which totalled US$40 billion in 2024, is expected to reach US$46 billion this year as cloud providers expand investments.

The Alibaba cloud logo is shown on a smartphone is this arranged photograph taken June 24, 2024. Photo: Shutterstock Images
The Alibaba cloud logo is shown on a smartphone is this arranged photograph taken June 24, 2024. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Robotics

US robotics firms push for national strategy to compete with China

Tesla, Boston Dynamics and others are pushing for US policies that would boost American companies in the global robotics race.

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China manufacturing

‘Dominant’: US and Chinese robotics start-ups attract 75% of global funding

America and China are ‘reinforcing their leadership’ in robotics, allowing them to shape the future of automation, new study finds.

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Robotics

Unitree Robotics profitable since 2020, eyes expansion amid high demand

The Hangzhou start-up known for its robot dogs told local media it had no immediate plans for additional fundraising.

A Unitree G1 humanoid robot waves to children at a kindergarten in Yantai, Shandong province. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

Microsoft abandons data centre projects, sparking oversupply fears

Microsoft’s retrenchment in the last six months included lease cancellations and deferrals, analysts at investment bank TD Cowen said.

Microsoft’s offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France. Photo: Reuters
Microsoft’s offices in Issy-les-Moulineaux near Paris, France. Photo: Reuters
US-China tech war

Beijing AI research lab says inclusion on US export control list a ‘mistake’

The updated BIS list includes more than 50 new Chinese entities, including six units of cloud computing provider Inspur Group.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba chairman Joe Tsai questions AI’s limits, casts doubt on humanoid robots

Speaking at Alibaba’s Jumpstarter event, the entrepreneur said much of what humans value is not captured in training data.

Alibaba

Alibaba, Ant partner with home province to boost China’s AI drive

The two tech giants have become key partners in empowering government agencies with AI capabilities.

Representatives from Alibaba and Ant Group attend a signing ceremony in Hangzhou with Zhejiang’s governor and deputy governor. Photo: Handout
Tencent

Tencent adds AI chatbot friend to WeChat to keep users glued to app

WeChat users can now add Yuanbao as a ‘friend’ and interact with the chatbot without downloading a separate app.

WeChat has added the Yuanbao AI chatbot to its messaging feature. Photo: Shutterstock
WeChat has added the Yuanbao AI chatbot to its messaging feature. Photo: Shutterstock
Apple

Apple CEO meets top Chinese officials in charm offensive but offers no AI update

Cook was among 80 company executives who attended the China Development Forum, an annual event to facilitate dialogue with global investors.

Artificial intelligence

ChatGPT can now create charts for work and edit photos better

The new capabilities are available to both free and paid users via OpenAI’s GPT-4o model.

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Robotics

Chinese tech giant Tencent invests in Shanghai robotics start-up Agibot

Robots have become a hot investment area in China as VC firms, supply chain partners and tech giants jostle to back leading start-ups.

The Tencent logo is seen behind a robotic hand in this illustration taken February 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters
The Tencent logo is seen behind a robotic hand in this illustration taken February 16, 2025. Photo: Reuters
Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD out-earns Tesla after out-making, out-selling Model 3 producer

Chinese EV maker is forecast to widen its lead over Tesla in 2025 and 2026 global sales, according to consensus compiled by Bloomberg.

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Banking & finance

Alibaba’s Tsai says some AI bets like excess data centres are speculative

‘People are talking literally about US$500 billion, several US$100 billion [projects]. I don’t think that is entirely necessary,’ Tsai says.

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Semiconductors

US start-up PsiQuantum raising US$750 million in quantum computing race

Start-ups and major tech firms are chasing quantum computing, with Google, Microsoft and Amazon having unveiled new quantum chips.

PsiQuantum, a US start-up, is raising at least US$750 million in a funding round led by BlackRock. Photo: Shutterstock
Auctions

23andMe’s bankruptcy puts 15 million users’ DNA data on auction block

23andMe has proposed an auction in May for the sale of its assets, which include the genetic data of more than 15 million customers.

The 23andMe headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Photo: AFP
The 23andMe headquarters in Sunnyvale, California. Photo: AFP
Robotics

Chinese start-up targets 5,000 robots this year, taking on Elon Musk’s Optimus

The robotics start-up co-founded by former Huawei ‘Genius Youth’ recruits has an ambitious 5,000-unit production target, far exceeding 2024 output.

Robotics

Unitree’s robots won’t be helping with the cleaning up just yet

Despite growing competition, Unitree’s founder says the company will not release household robots until safety issues are sorted out.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

BYD launches a ‘Model 3 killer’ at half the price of Tesla’s top seller

The Qin L and Xpeng’s Mona M03, which are priced around US$16,500, arrive as the US company’s mainland sales are dropping.

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BYD Qin L EV starts at 119,800 yuan (US$16,526). Photo: Handout
China Future Tech
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
China Future Tech

Tech War

‘Coming out’: Huawei-related chip tool maker makes splash at Semicon China

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The booth of chip equipment maker SiCarrier drew large crowds at Semicon China on March 26, as people looked for any new information regarding the company’s latest technology. Photo: Ann Cao

Tech Trends

Google’s Android transparency shift unnerves Chinese developers

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Google decision to change the release schedule of Android source code has unnerved some Chinese developers. Photo: Shutterstock

China EVs

Chinese EV industry pressed to accelerate global expansion amid tariffs

A file photo taken on September 11, 2023, shows BYD EVs waiting to be loaded on a ship at the international container terminal of Taicang Port at Suzhou Port, in China’s eastern Jiangsu Province. Photo: AFP

Big Tech

China’s top foundry SMIC reports revenue growth in 2024, but net profits plunge

Exterior view of SMIC’s facilities in Pudong district, Shanghai on March 15, 2024. Photo: AFP

Tech

Alibaba launches AI model that can process images and video on the go

Alibaba’s open-source Qwen models have been popular options for AI developers to build upon. Photo: Reuters
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