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Alibaba’s decision to release Qwen3.8-Max’s weights is a shift from its strategy of keeping its most advanced Max models proprietary. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Tech Trends

Alibaba adds commercial restrictions to open-weight Qwen3.8-Max AI model

In a strategy shift, Alibaba’s flagship Qwen3.8-Max model comes with terms for certain companies using it to generate revenue.

JD.com’s second-quarter profit rises 15% as food-delivery losses narrow

Chinese chip foundries surge as AI boom drives triple-digit profit growth

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Big Tech

DeepSeek’s flagship AI model update underwhelms – except in cybersecurity

Chinese AI start-up’s model impresses in niche areas like cybersecurity but leaves some developers disappointed in its overall capabilities.

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Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek quietly released an updated version of its latest flagship model, DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters
Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek quietly released an updated version of its latest flagship model, DeepSeek-V4-Pro-0813, on Wednesday. Photo: Reuters

Tech Trends

China’s YMTC breaks into top 3 flash-memory suppliers with 14% market share

The chipmaker captured a larger proportion of bit shipments, but still ranks fifth by revenue due to heavier exposure to lower-value products.

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China Business

The next tech race? China launches push to leapfrog US in ‘brain chip’ devices

China is throwing the power of the state behind efforts to overtake Elon Musk in a vital frontier technology: brain-computer interfaces.

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Tech

YMTC-backed fund invests in China’s push for an alternative chipmaking route

Guangzhou-based SOI Micro is developing a low-power logic process aimed at easing reliance on overseas technology while strengthening domestic chip capabilities.

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A wafer sample is seen during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 18. China is looking to cultivate an alternative chipmaking ecosystem. Photo: AFP
A wafer sample is seen during the World Artificial Intelligence Conference in Shanghai on July 18. China is looking to cultivate an alternative chipmaking ecosystem. Photo: AFP

Tech Trends

Robot in a pocket: Honor’s new phone camera nods back at users

The Chinese smartphone maker has integrated embodied AI to control camera movement, along with other features to boost interest amid a cooling market.

Big Tech

Tencent capex jumps 176% on AI push as revenue beats estimates

The firm’s second-quarter revenue surpassed market projections at US$30.4 billion, but the surge in AI spending led to a large negative free cash flow.

Tech War

Zuckerberg cites China threat to US lead in AI manifesto

The Meta’s chief’s 6,500-word essay on artificial intelligence backs open systems and highlights China’s infrastructure edge as a threat to US leadership.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Photo: AP Photo

Tech

Chinese AI start-up ModelBest kicks off pre-IPO tutoring process on mainland

Company says it has hired Citic Securities to guide pre-listing preparation but has not announced further details of plans.

ModelBest’s logo . Photo: mrjjxw.com
ModelBest’s logo . Photo: mrjjxw.com

Big Tech

Why does SK Hynix want to sell its chip facility in southwest China?

The South Korean chipmaker wants to pivot towards the high-margin AI memory sector, but analysts warn any sale would face valuation hurdles.

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Big Tech

Alibaba tests paid AI appetite with US$30 annual assistant subscription

The e-commerce giant launches paid tiers for its office assistant in the Qwen app as costs for artificial intelligence mount.

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Big Tech

Alibaba says it can build AI data centres in 100 days with modular design

With CUBE 5.0, Alibaba Cloud expects to more than double modular data centre delivery efficiency this year amid AI boom, report says.

Alibaba is stepping up its data centre push globally as part of its US$56.3 billion AI capital expenditure commitment set out last year. Photo: dpa

Tech Trends

Unitree IPO deluge masks humanoid robots’ limitations

Retail investors subscribed for more than 5,500 times the shares on offer in Unitree Robotics’ offering amid hype about advances for humanoid robots and a run of Shanghai IPO windfalls.

Photo: SCMP
Photo: SCMP

Big Tech

Meta strikes at China’s open AI lead, betting on potential US curbs

Meta’s renewed push into open-source models aims to attract US businesses wary of the regulatory risks associated with adopting Chinese AI.

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Tech Trends

Unitree IPO frenzy leaves retail investors with 1-in-5,500 odds

Robotics company’s US$900 million Star Market listing offers slimmer odds than recent offerings by CXMT, Moore Threads and MetaX.

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Tech Trends

After Apple leak, has India lost ground in its supply chain race with China?

In the wake of a cyberattack on a local Apple partner, insiders say India has a long way to go before challenging China as a manufacturer.

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Illustration: Henry Wong
Illustration: Henry Wong

Policy

How Beijing became China’s biggest tech venture capitalist, from AI to chips

China’s tech sector thrives on state-backed investment, reshaping funding dynamics and sparking a debate about balancing risk and innovation.

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Tech Trends

Insert token: how China’s surging AI use is turning compute into currency

As the cost of running AI models continues to drop, the token economy is reshaping ecosystems far beyond corporate cubicles.

Tech

The AI industrial revolution: why US faces a historic tech reckoning from China

From EVs to robotics, China’s advancement in cutting-edge tech has seen it shake off the West’s long-standing belief in US exceptionalism.

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Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
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China Future Tech
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
China Future Tech

Big Tech

What is delaying Chinese AI giants switching from Nvidia to local chips?

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Huawei Technologies’ Compute Architecture for Neural Networks requires developers to rewrite and optimise large amounts of code. Photo: Shutterstock

Tech Trends

Alibaba adds commercial restrictions to open-weight Qwen3.8-Max AI model

Alibaba’s decision to release Qwen3.8-Max’s weights is a shift from its strategy of keeping its most advanced Max models proprietary. Photo: Shutterstock Images

Tech Trends

Chinese chip foundries surge as AI boom drives triple-digit profit growth

5
China's top two chipmakers saw their revenues and profits surge in the second quarter amid high demand for AI chips. Photo: Shutterstock

China EVs

Chinese carmakers could capture 15% to 30% of European market by 2035: analysts

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Cars destined for export await loading onto BYD’s Shenzhen car carrier at the port in Suzhou, Jiangsu province, in April. Photo: AFP

Tech Trends

China’s YMTC breaks into top 3 flash-memory suppliers with 14% market share

4
The Wuhan-based chipmaker captured 14 per cent of global NAND bit shipments in the second quarter. Photo: Shutterstock
MORE IN China Future Tech
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OPINION
Thomas O. Falk

Opinion | US does its robotics industry no favours by fencing it off from China

Thomas O. Falk
6
David Dodwell

Outside In | Why Asia need not match West’s fear over data centre buildout

David Dodwell
Hao Nan

Opinion | The AI order will have 3 tracks, not 2

Hao Nan
David Kim

Opinion | In an era defined by AI, can work still be measured by the clock?

David Kim
Shaoshan Liu

Opinion | China should lean into its defining AI advantage – accessibility

Shaoshan Liu
Allen Huang,Frederik Anseel

Opinion | The West is debating AI’s future with half the world absent

Allen Huang
Frederik Anseel
7
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MULTIMEDIA
Video

Beijing bar lets patrons tap AI tools

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Video

US bans Chinese robots in latest tech crackdown

Reuters
01:48
Video

Scientist investigated after death linked to gene-editing therapy

Scientist investigated after death linked to gene-editing therapy
02:53
Video

Trump cuts university budgets to fund AI race

02:59
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