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Start-ups

Start-ups
Articles about early-stage companies; pre-IPO, including those still being funded by angel investors, private equity or venture capitalists.
Aura projects applications directly into the user’s sightline, enabling interaction via hand gestures and granting access to Google Play apps. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

China’s Xreal to power Google’s Android AI glasses as smart eyewear demand grows

Project Aura, which features dual-chip design and optical see-through lenses, is a fresh example of China’s expanding R&D capabilities.

Robotics

China’s Deep Robotics raises US$70 million as sector draws more investors

Artificial intelligence

Chinese open-source models account for 30% of global AI use: report

Made in China 2025

China’s Pudu Robotics rolls out overseas charm offensive with robot dog

Quadruped dubbed D5 from Pudu – founded by former HKUST engineering student Felix Zhang – draws crowds at Tokyo expo.

Pudu Robotics’ latest quadruped model, D5, debuted at IREX. Photo: Wency Chen
Artificial intelligence

Can China fund its AI push? Ex-Google CEO Eric Schmidt casts doubt

Capital from the government and Big Tech firms is set to make up for any lack of market-driven capital, analysts say.

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Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s investment body posts US$300 million income in first year

Every dollar invested by the HKIC has attracted more than six in long-term market capital, Financial Secretary Paul Chan says.

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Robotics

Shenzhen robotics start-up Daimon secures China Mobile backing for AI push

Daimon Robotics, co-founded by HKUST professor Wang Yu, received a fresh injection of funds from the mobile operator’s Lianchang Fund.

Daimon Robotics Technology said Lianchang Fund, backed by China’s largest mobile operator, has invested in the company. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

OpenAI CEO declares ‘code red’ to improve ChatGPT as rivals move in

The call comes after Google released its Gemini 3 AI model last month that gained praise for its capacity to reason and code.

Robotics

Tsinghua University sets up research institute in push for robotics talent

The Institute for Embodied Intelligence and Robotics will be led by Zhang Tao, director of the university’s automation department.

Robotics

Chinese schools offer ‘embodied intelligence’ courses to aid robotics industry

Shanghai Jiao Tong University and Zhejiang University are among seven schools that plan to offer ‘embodied intelligence’ as a new major.

Beijing Institute of Technology plans to recruit 120 students for the first batch of the embodied intelligence course. Photo: Shutterstock
Fintech

Hong Kong reaps the fruits of fintech seeds sown nearly 10 years ago

Hong Kong’s rise as a fintech hub is due to the concerted regulatory push, with the city competing with Singapore for regional leadership.

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Illustration by Henry Wong
Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek releases first open AI model with gold-level scores at maths olympiad

‘Imagine owning the brain of one of the best mathematicians in the world for free,’ Hugging Face CEO Clement Delangue says in a post on X.

Wealth: Alternative Investments

Could investing in China’s AI industry prove more lucrative than the US’?

Amid US fears of an AI bubble, experts argue that China’s home-grown innovation offers robust growth opportunities for investors.

Supported by
BNP Paribas Wealth Management
Artificial intelligence

US, Chinese firms add AI shopping bells and whistles to dominate all-in-one apps

OpenAI’s new ‘shopping research’ tool resembles popular AI shopping services on Chinese e-commerce platforms like Tmall and Taobao.

Leading US and Chinese artificial intelligence firms are ramping up integration of e-commerce solutions in their flagship consumer products in the race to become the “everything app” of the future. Photo: Handout
Robotics

China’s robotics twin stars join national committee to shape industry standards

Unitree’s Wang Xingxing and AgiBot’s Peng Zhihui have been appointed to the Standardisation Technical Committee for Humanoid Robots.

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Unitree founder Wang Xingxing (left) and AgiBot co-founder Peng Zhihui have been named to China’s new robotics standardisation committee. Photo: Handout
Hong Kong economy

Hong Kong’s Paul Chan to lead delegation to Italy to showcase tech, boost trade

Science Park to invite eight tech start-up companies to attend Trade Development Council’s symposium in Milan.

Artificial intelligence

AI pioneer Yann LeCun leaving Meta to launch start-up

LeCun joined the company in 2013 to create Facebook AI Research, the in-house lab that helped transform Meta into one of the AI leaders.

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Artificial intelligence

Google’s new Gemini model puts China’s AI start-ups on the defensive

It highlights the daunting challenge faced by Chinese AI start-ups to compete against firms like Google with massive resources.

Google’s new Gemini model represents a “massive jump” in reasoning and coding ability, according to executives. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Artificial intelligence

Microsoft, Nvidia to invest up to US$15 billion in Anthropic in AI deal

The announcement underscores the AI industry’s insatiable appetite for computing power.

Artificial intelligence

Hong Kong PolyU’s top AI expert Yang Hongxia eyes ‘last mile of generative AI’

Yang aims to broaden the adoption of LLMs, while expanding AI’s scope of innovation via the most cost-effective means for all enterprises.

SCMP Business Awards

Xpeng’s founder headlines SCMP Live’s 2025 Business Awards

The winners of the awards in six categories will be announced on December 12 in Hong Kong.

Pedestrians in Hong Kong’s Central district on February 26, 2025. Photo: Eugene Lee
IPO

China’s Unitree Robotics completes pre-IPO tutoring for onshore listing

The unicorn is reportedly aiming for a valuation of up to US$7 billion in a listing on Shanghai’s Nasdaq-style Star Market.

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A Unitree robot seen at the Web Summit in Lisbon last week. Photo: AFP
Malaysia

Malaysia’s start-ups shiver through a venture capital deep freeze

Global risk capital has fled Asia, with the region’s entrepreneurs left to fight over a dwindling pool of funds.

Semiconductors

Hong Kong-backed ‘Lion Rock’ chip boosts city’s semiconductor standing

The maker of the RISC-V chip, Shanghai-based StarFive, received an investment from the Hong Kong Investment Corporation in March.

US-China relations

Anthropic warns of first reported AI-driven hacking campaign linked to China

The attack, aimed at around 30 global targets, was notable for the extent to which artificial intelligence was used to automate the work.

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Criminal gangs and hacking companies have exploited AI’s potential, using it to automate and improve cyberattacks, to spread inflammatory disinformation and to penetrate sensitive systems. Photo: Shutterstock
Robotics

Chinese humanoid robot makers seize the spotlight at Shenzhen’s hi-tech expo

Robotics firms Unitree, EngineAI, Cyborg and Shenzhen Ruiyan draw enthusiastic crowds at Friday’s opening of the 27th China Hi-Tech Fair.

China Hi-Tech Fair attendees are regaled by a kickboxing match between humanoid robots from Unitree Robotics. Photo: Iris Deng
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba slashes Qwen3-Max model charges up to 50% amid latest AI price war

The new pricing strategy reflects heightened competition in China’s foundational model market.

Artificial intelligence

Anthropic commits US$50 billion to build AI data centres in US

The start-up plans to build data centres in Texas, New York and other locations in partnership with UK firm Fluidstack.

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