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Technology
Latest news features and opinion on technology, covering everything from AI innovation to smartphone makers and apps.
last updated:
9 September, 2024
DeepSeek and ChatGPT icons are seen on an iPhone screen. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Artificial intelligence

China’s AI disrupter DeepSeek bets on ‘young geniuses’ to take on US giants

DeepSeek prefers to hire new graduates, or those early in their AI career, in line with the company’s preference for ability over experience.

Tourism

Are electric-powered skis, unveiled at CES, the future of snow sports?

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Business of climate change

Can China’s solar industry find a solution before it’s too late?

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US-China relations

At US Supreme Court, TikTok’s pleas to honour free speech met with scepticism

But observers split on whether a ‘dark day’ for 170 million American users looms or a preliminary injunction to delay the ruling is coming.

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TikTok, a short-video app, has more than 170 million American users. Its parent company is ByteDance, a Chinese tech company. Photo: AFP
Science

China releases powerful electronic warfare weapon design software – for free

While similar US industrial software can cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, a Chinese program has been released at no cost.

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Alibaba

Alibaba studio pulls top mobile game from Vivo’s app store

The move comes amid ongoing disputes between Chinese video game companies and smartphone brands over app-store commission rates.

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Huawei

Huawei’s Android rival scores major win as WeChat gets on board

The US-sanctioned Chinese company hopes to have 100,000 apps in its self-developed mobile operating system this year.

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Huawei’s French headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris. Photo: Reuters
TSMC

Apple and Nvidia chip supplier TSMC’s sales top estimates, boosting AI in 2025

The world’s largest contract chipmaker reported a 39 per cent rise in October-December revenue to US$26.3 billion.

China technology

Chinese software firm Yonyou picks former senior SAP executive as new president

Huang Chenhong is the latest multinational veteran to join China’s tech sector, as these firms scale back operations on the mainland.

TSMC

Exclusive | TSMC cuts ties with Singapore firm over Huawei processor: sources

The world’s largest chip foundry ended its relationship with a Singapore-based firm after a client review.

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A TSMC logo seen at its headquarters in Hsinchu, Taiwan. Photo: AFP
CES

5 car tech innovations at CES show that could change motoring

From Sony’s first electric car to a flying car from China and BMW’s new heads-up display, five notable innovations from the CES tech fair.

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The Xpeng X2 flying car pictured at the company’s headquarters in Guangdong, China. Xpeng’s flying car is one of the cutting-edge innovations in motoring on display at the CES tech fair in Las Vegas. Photo: Xinhua
Germany

Germany charges 3 with spying on naval tech for China

They allegedly gathered information on boat engines, sonar, drones and other technologies and illegally exported specialised lasers to China.

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Science

China plans to build ‘Three Gorges dam in space’ to harness solar power

Chinese rocket scientist reveals blueprint for ‘incredible project’ to build solar power station in space using super heavy rockets.

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ByteDance

TikTok parent ByteDance denies its algorithms create filter bubbles

Douyin is motivated to break information cocoons because that helps retain users in the long run, executive says.

A ByteDance executive argues that the company’s algorithms do not lead to filter bubbles. Photo: Reuters
China economy

Opinion | China will rein in vicious competition at the root of its overcapacity

New reforms for a unified national market, including addressing unfair competition, will rein in unchecked competition and the damage it is causing.

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Workers check solar panels at a solar power station on a factory roof in Changxing, eastern China’s Zhejiang province in 2012. Like many other sectors in China, the solar industry has become a global powerhouse but faces headwinds from punitive tariffs abroad to a brutal price war at home. Photo: AP
Malaysia

Anwar wants Malaysia to be energy and chip hub, seeks US$100 billion investment

PM Anwar Ibrahim envisions Malaysia as a hub for electricity, talent, and supply chain diversification, emphasising oil and gas and semiconductor expertise.

Lenovo

Things are looking up for Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable laptop

Lenovo’s ThinkBook Plus Gen 6 Rollable laptop, seen at CES in Las Vegas, has a screen that extends upwards to provide more display area.

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Tencent

US trade office removes Tencent’s WeChat from counterfeit sellers list

WeChat was among six online Chinese platforms and nine bricks-and-mortar sellers added to the counterfeit goods list in 2022.

The WeChat logo is displayed on a smartphone screen in this arranged photograph. Photo: Shutterstock
CES

Facial recognition to unlock your car, shown at CES, coming in 3 to 5 years

A prototype car at the Las Vegas CES tech fair can identify owners and authorised drivers, and stay locked when approached by strangers.

China manufacturing

Amid EV sales surge, China’s BYD hits brakes in Brazil over ‘ill practices’

China’s labour practices are driving a wedge between the world’s biggest EV maker and efforts to expand globally in areas where employee protections are paramount.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | How the Global South can defend against Trump’s AI offensive

US removal of AI safeguards risks widening the global divide. Global South must invest in AI regional partnerships, education and infrastructure.

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Attendees are given a sneak peak on January 5 into the latest gadgets at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada, where gadgets, robots and vehicles imbued with artificial intelligence will once again vie for attention. Photo: AFP
Science

New discoveries raise China’s lithium reserves to second largest in the world

Recent finds, including a massive deposit in Tibet, will help meet demand for metal, which is key for EV batteries and other technologies.

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Lithium is key component in electric car batteries. Photo: AFP
Science

Biomathematician Hu Yijuan is among Chinese scientists in continuing US exodus

The renowned biostatistician has left Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia for a full-time post with her prestigious alma mater in Beijing.

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Banking & finance

China says ‘patient capital’ a virtue in government investment funds

Beijing’s government investment funds have been encouraged to set higher risk thresholds, particularly in tech research allocations.

Semiconductors

US semiconductor firm SiFive taps China’s growing appetite for open-source chips

California-based SiFive has set up a subsidiary in Shanghai to help customers ‘achieve technological breakthroughs’.

SiFive co-founder Krste Asanović. Photo: Handout
XXIV

Mechanical marvels: when watchmakers push horological boundaries

Luxury maisons showcase extreme engineering feats through their complex timepieces that include intricate designs and groundbreaking technology.

Pushing boundaries (from left): De Bethune Kind of Grande Complication, IWC Portugeisier Eternal Calendar, Jaeger LeCoultre Duometre Heliotourbillon. Photos: Handout
China's population

China’s cabinet is calling in humanoid robots to care for granny

To address its rapidly ageing population, China is among the first nations to set policy plans for humanoid robots that will provide companionship, monitor health and may even resemble loved ones.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | How world can ensure AI revolution doesn’t worsen inequality

Fears over AI fuelling inequality are well-founded, but the technology can be a force for good with proactive governance and global cooperation.

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