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China Future Tech
A customer uses his phone in front of a board with the menu at AGI Bar in Beijing. Drinkers at the AI-themed bar in the city's tech district can even plug in to DeepSeek for free. Photo: AFP

Big Tech

Back in the Harness: DeepSeek continues its pivot towards agentic AI

With the launch of Harness, China’s DeepSeek continues to build the foundational digital scaffolding for autonomous AI agents.

Zhipu launches GLM-5.3 model as China seeks Mythos-level edge in cyber defence

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China’s richest province taps Alibaba to power its AI and chip push

Tech War

SMIC eyes expansion amid AI boom, Zhu Rongji dies, Shein nears IPO

This week: SMIC plans to boost chipmaking capacity on AI demand, former premier Zhu Rongji dies and retail investors flood Unitree IPO. Next week: Shein may open Hong Kong IPO, China retail sales may accelerate, Baidu and Alibaba post earnings, robots go on show in Beijing, and more.

Photo: Shutterstock
Photo: Shutterstock

Economy

Switching lanes: who are the eager Chinese buyers of domestic premium EV models?

Younger, professionally diverse Chinese are turning to local brands for technology and qualities once tied to foreign marques.

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Big Tech

China’s SMIC plans expansion as AI-related chip demand beats forecasts

China’s largest foundry says shortages are spreading to mature-node chips, with some AI-driven demand visible through the end of 2027.

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Tech Trends

Chinese doctor stuns maths world by cracking decades-old problem using ChatGPT

Jin Shanmu, a Beijing-based neurosurgeon, was trying to solve a problem related to brain ultrasounds. Instead, he made mathematical history.

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Frontier artificial intelligence models are making rapid progress in mathematics. Photo: Shutterstock
Frontier artificial intelligence models are making rapid progress in mathematics. Photo: Shutterstock

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.

Tech Trends

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

Net revenue dips, but still beats analysts’ estimate, as e-commerce giant contends with weak demand and fierce competition.

Tech Trends

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

SMIC, Hua Hong Grace results highlight how local foundries are aggressively running their plants at full capacity to meet domestic needs.

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

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

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.

Chinese smartphone maker Honor has launched the Robot Phone, a handset with a motorised, fold-out gimbal camera. Photo: Handout
Chinese smartphone maker Honor has launched the Robot Phone, a handset with a motorised, fold-out gimbal camera. Photo: Handout

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.

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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

Tech Trends

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

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The Wuhan-based chipmaker captured 14 per cent of global NAND bit shipments in the second quarter. Photo: Shutterstock

Global Economy

US-China AI trade decoupling ‘manageable’ – but tech curbs a ‘wild card’: Citi

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Washington’s anxieties over Chinese open-weight models escalated in late July following the release of Kimi K3. Photo: Shutterstock

Business

Patience needed before human gene therapy trials, Stanford expert says

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Karoly Nikolich, pictured at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre on August 8. Photo: Edmond So

Economy

Switching lanes: who are the eager Chinese buyers of domestic premium EV models?

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The Maextro S800 is displayed at the World Manufacturing Convention at the Binhu International Convention and Exhibition Center in Hefei, Anhui province. Photo: Getty Images

Big Tech

China’s SMIC plans expansion as AI-related chip demand beats forecasts

The SMIC logo is seen on the chipmaker’s facilities in the Pudong district of Shanghai on March 15, 2024. Photo: AFP
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
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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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