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Start-ups
Articles about early-stage companies; pre-IPO, including those still being funded by angel investors, private equity or venture capitalists.
Anthropic has rejected the Pentagon’s demand that it agree to unconditional military use of its Claude models. Photo illustration: Reuters
United States

Anthropic vows to sue US after Trump tells government to stop using firm’s AI

The start-up has refused to let its models be used for the mass surveillance of US citizens or deployed in fully autonomous weapons systems.

Artificial intelligence

Facebook owner Meta goes ahead with Manus merger despite Beijing probe

Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax, Moonshot top AI token use ranking, ending year of US dominance

Artificial intelligence

Anthropic’s allegations against Chinese firms expose AI training grey area

The US AI lab says DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and MiniMax AI used its systems to improve their models’ capabilities.

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Anthropic said that DeepSeek, Moonshot AI and MiniMax AI allegedly used roughly 24,000 fraudulent accounts to generate more than 16 million exchanges with its Claude models. Photo: AFP
Robotics

From Doraemon to dexterous hands: LinkerBot equips robots with human skills

The start-up is revolutionising humanoid robotics with ultra-dexterous hands, ushering in a new era of humanlike robotic capability.

US-China relations

China’s extreme 996 work schedule meets US tech’s hustle culture

Why advocates believe 996, the controversial 9am to 9pm, six-day-a-week culture popularised in China, can give American firms decisive edge.

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IPO

Will Chinese AI chip designer Enflame’s Shanghai IPO be another blockbuster?

Tencent-backed Enflame’s listing on the Star Market could follow successful recent flotations from peers Moore Threads, MetaX and Biren.

AI chip designer Enflame on Wednesday entered the inquiry stage of its initial public offering on Shanghai’s Star Market. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek boosts AI model with 10-fold token addition as Zhipu AI unveils GLM-5

The upgrade will allow DeepSeek’s AI model to remember and process more information in a single conversation or task.

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Artificial intelligence

Funding surge powers Chinese robotics firms as focus shifts to humanoid ‘brains’

State-backed funds, Big Tech drive fresh capital into robotics companies, betting on operating systems that underpin humanoid intelligence.

Artificial intelligence

Compact AI model from China’s StepFun outshines rivals from DeepSeek, Moonshot

StepFun says its lightweight model Step 3.5 Flash aims to redefine efficiency and reasoning in China’s growing AI race.

Chinese AI developers are rushing to launch new models around the Lunar New Year to capitalise on the festive season. Photo: Shutterstock
Robotics

Video | World’s first ‘biomimetic AI robot’ debuts in Shanghai

The robot, which is able to replicate human micro-expressions and walking postures, will be priced at 1.2 million yuan (US$173,000).

The robot, which is able to replicate human micro-expressions and walking postures, will be priced at 1.2 million yuan (US$173,000)
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Artificial intelligence

China’s AI labs race to debut latest models before Lunar New Year

More firms expected to follow Alibaba and Moonshot with model releases, as the festival becomes a key period to establish visibility.

Robotics

Forget soulless humanoid robots like Tesla’s Optimus. This one’s more Wall-E

Fauna Robotics’ humanoid robot Sprout is an attempt to start a focus on ‘approachable’ robots inspired by Wall-E and BB-8, not Terminator.

Icons and Influencers

Nadya Okamoto on challenging norms through menstrual care activism

With nearly 4.5 million TikTok followers, the entrepreneur – who also started a non-profit to combat period poverty – has clearly struck a chord.

Social entrepreneur and menstrual care activist Nadya Okamoto founded two enterprises focusing on women’s health before she was 23. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Moonshot’s newest release narrows US-China AI model development gap: analysts

Kimi K2.5 raises questions about the potency of US controls on advanced chips to constrain China’s AI efforts, Brookings’ Kyle Chan says.

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Chinese start-up Moonshot AI on Tuesday released its latest artificial intelligence model, Kimi K2.5. Photo: Shutterstock
Banking & finance

Hong Kong’s US$8 billion wealth fund eyes fintech, aerospace and AI for growth

The Hong Kong Investment Corporation will use the city’s advantages amid global competition, geopolitical challenges, CEO Clara Chan says.

China technology

Opinion | How Hangzhou’s tech ecosystem nurtures dragons and rockets

It’s not one factor but a ‘rainforest’ of policy, capital, talent, universities and research institutions operating within clear boundaries.

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Artificial intelligence

Alibaba’s Qwen-3 becomes one of world’s first AI models to operate in orbit

The entire Qwen-3 process – from uploading queries to on-orbit inference and sending results back to Earth – took less than two minutes.

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Adaspace Technology’s constellation of 12 satellites, equipped with AI-powered computing systems, was launched on May 14, 2025. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

Geely-linked veteran Yin Qi joins Chinese AI start-up StepFun as chairman

StepFun closes US$690 million B+ funding round as the company doubles down on “physical AI”.

Robotics

Chinese tech giants Tencent and Baidu join fight for Spring Festival spotlight

The two companies launch digital red packet campaigns following tie-up moves by ByteDance and Alibaba with CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala.

Robotics

China’s Eyou opens world’s first automated line for humanoid robot joints

Manufacturer adds line in anticipation of surge in global demand for humanoid robots, with one estimate projecting 100,000 shipments by 2027.

Eyou supplies domestic humanoid robot makers, including AgiBot. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Next level: why China’s game makers are quietly bankrolling generative AI

From scripts and storylines to customer service and user-generated worlds, developers are deploying LLM tools across the gaming pipeline.

Peacekeeper Elite, also known as Game for Peace, by Tencent Holdings. Photo: Handout
IPO

From labs to listings: capital markets are the next battleground in the AI race

Stock exchanges have become another barometer in the US-China tech rivalry as markets assess a wave of start-ups in real time.

Artificial intelligence

China’s ‘infrastructure first’ effort a major edge in AI arms race: Davos panel

A rapid energy buildout and strategic data centre expansion give China unique advantages in developing its AI industry.

Artificial intelligence

China-founded Shanda’s AI lab boosts Singapore operation, pulling China research

MiroMind asks some staff in Shanghai to relocate and continue their AI research work in Singapore, sources say.

People gather next to the Merlion statue at the Marina Bay Waterfront Promenade in Singapore. Photo: AFP
Artificial intelligence

Beijing outlines tech push with focus on AI, 6G, humanoid robots

Tech ministry’s plan targets breakthroughs in AI models, agents and chips, as well as AI’s spread into diverse sectors.

A child interacts with a robot at a store in Shenzhen, in south China’s Guangdong province, on January 16, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
HKEX

New energy, AI, EV and biotech to drive Hong Kong IPO growth: HKEX

11 companies raised US$4 billion in Hong Kong in the first three weeks of 2026, with hundreds more lining up to list, Bonnie Chan says.

China technology

China’s nuclear fusion start-ups power up with record funding round

Startorus Fusion raised US$143 million, a record for a private firm, while Supermag New Energy received ‘several hundred million yuan’.

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