Tech

Tech Trends
Tech War
Big Tech
Policy
China Future Tech
Deegares says it is raising prices of lithium batteries by 15 per cent. Photo: Handout

China Business

Can rising lithium costs save China’s energy storage firms from a price war?

China’s battery makers raise prices amid lithium rebound and global AI energy demand.

China to remain biggest buyer of chipmaking equipment through 2027: SEMI

SenseTime pushes open-source AI model to provide a ‘smart brain’ for every robot

Big Tech

CATL marks trailblazing deployment of humanoid robots at scale in China plant

The initiative underscores the growing use of intelligent Chinese-made robots in the country’s manufacturing industry.

Built by start-up Spirit AI, the Xiaomo humanoid robot works on the assembly line of electric vehicle battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology. Photo: CATL
Built by start-up Spirit AI, the Xiaomo humanoid robot works on the assembly line of electric vehicle battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology. Photo: CATL

Business

Alibaba deepens ecosystem with Qwen-Amap tie-up for routes, restaurants and more

The integration marks Alibaba’s first full tie-in for Qwen, as the company pushes for more synergy across its sprawling consumer platforms.

Tech Trends

ByteDance AI model usage grows over tenfold on strong demand from Chinese firms

‘AI is being adopted at an unprecedented speed,’ Tan Dai, president at cloud unit Volcano Engine, says.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Tech Trends

AI agent maker Manus hits US$100 million revenue milestone in 9 months

Manus 1.5, launched in October, boasts improvements in speed and reliability across research and web development tasks.

Manus claims to be the first general-purpose AI agent capable of reliably carrying out tasks autonomously on behalf of users. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Manus claims to be the first general-purpose AI agent capable of reliably carrying out tasks autonomously on behalf of users. Photo: Shutterstock Images

China Business

Holiday rush: Hong Kong IPO market sparkles with busiest December in years

From biotech to AI, December’s listings – including at least 15 down the stretch – crown the city’s revival in equity fundraising.

China Business

BYD ups the ante on L3 autonomous cars, begins testing for mass production

BYD has pinned its hopes on preliminary self-driving technologies to bolster its sales in mainland China.

China Business

Hong Kong stocks tread water as tech giants stumble on AI bubble jitters

Hang Seng Tech Index slides after US equities slump, while investors await inflation report.

The Hang Seng Index falls 0.3 per cent in early trading on Thursday. Photo: Jelly Tse

Tech Trends

China cements global lead in smart vacuums as Picea acquires Roomba maker iRobot

Last month, Picea subsidiary Santrum bought about US$191 million of iRobot’s outstanding debt from the investment firm Carlyle Group.

4
Roomba robot vacuums for sale in a store in Miami, Florida, December 15, 2025. Photo: Getty Images via AFP
Roomba robot vacuums for sale in a store in Miami, Florida, December 15, 2025. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Tech

AMD chief Lisa Su commits to ‘deeper’ China investments after MIIT meeting

In Beijing on Wednesday, Su exchanged views with MIIT director on ‘strengthening cooperation’ in the digital economy and AI sectors.

Big Tech

ByteDance pushes frequent updates to Doubao AI as privacy concerns persist

Strong demand for Doubao AI phone eclipses concerns its agent-like functions pose a security risk.

Tech Trends

China’s open-source AI models rival US giants, making engagement urgent: report

The report calls on US actors to engage with Chinese firms as the AI landscape continues to evolve.

12
Chinese AI developers are largely pursuing an open-source approach, releasing the weights of their models for end-users to freely deploy and modify. Photo: Shutterstock

Big Tech

Tencent shakes up AI operations, names recent recruit as chief AI scientist

Vinces Yao Shunyu now serves as chief AI scientist under the CEO’s office, reporting directly to Tencent president Martin Lau.

Tencent Holdings’ latest restructuring underscored the intense competition in the country’s fast-developing AI sector. Photo: Shutterstock
Tencent Holdings’ latest restructuring underscored the intense competition in the country’s fast-developing AI sector. Photo: Shutterstock

Tech Trends

Memory crunch: China’s Xiaomi and Honor raise tablet prices as chip costs surge

Supplies of memory products for electronic devices squeezed by AI pivot of chipmakers, spurring companies to pass on costs to consumers.

China EVs

Xpeng CEO dismisses AI bubble fears, predicts more affordable robots soon

He Xiaoping’s recent trip to the US, where he met more than 30 professionals in the AI field, helped form his conclusions about the industry.

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

Tech War

How Nexperia saga exposes Europe’s waning influence in US-China chip war

The dispute around the Dutch chipmaker shows the erosion of Europe’s geopolitical neutrality in the face of escalating US-China rivalry.

19
Nexperia is caught in a geopolitical tussle between the Netherlands and China. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen
Nexperia is caught in a geopolitical tussle between the Netherlands and China. Illustration: Lau Ka-kuen

Tech War

China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race

The AI war is increasingly waged among ‘hyperscalers’ – companies with full-stack capabilities across software, hardware and applications.

videocam
80

Tech War

How Huawei and DeepSeek are tending the garden of China’s AI aspirations

Amid growing AI rivalry with the US, the two companies are leading China’s drive to shake off the nation’s dependence on Nvidia processors.

14

Big Tech

Immediate gratification: instant commerce transforms China’s retail market

Instant commerce has developed over a short period of time, as providers expanded their on-demand delivery coverage beyond food.

Illustration: Henry Wong
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
China Future Tech
HIGHLIGHTS FROM
China Future Tech

Big Tech

China’s DeepSeek challenges Google DeepMind with new AI model

7
A shop advertising DeepSeek in Hong Kong. Photo: Universal Images Group via Getty Images

Tech

China to remain biggest buyer of chipmaking equipment through 2027: SEMI

China will remain the top consumer of semiconductor manufacturing hardware at least until 2027, a report says. Photo: Xinhua

Tech Trends

SenseTime pushes open-source AI model to provide a ‘smart brain’ for every robot

SenseTime’s AI-powered interactive machine, SenseRobot, plays a round of chess at the Hong Kong Science Park. Photo: Edmond So

Big Tech

CATL marks trailblazing deployment of humanoid robots at scale in China plant

Built by start-up Spirit AI, the Xiaomo humanoid robot works on the assembly line of electric vehicle battery giant Contemporary Amperex Technology. Photo: CATL

Business

Alibaba deepens ecosystem with Qwen-Amap tie-up for routes, restaurants and more

Amap has become the first Alibaba ecosystem service to be fully integrated with its Qwen app. Photo: Handout
MORE IN China Future Tech
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
OPINION
Winston Mok

Opinion | How China can help Africa build human capital

Winston Mok
James David Spellman

Opinion | Why 2026 will be the year AI hype collides with reality

James David Spellman
Andrew Sheng

Opinion | Age of AI holds both promise and peril

Andrew Sheng
Jeffrey Wu

Opinion | Why the real AI race is within China and not across the Pacific

Jeffrey Wu
Ningrong Liu

Opinion | The bright side to US-China decoupling and global self-reliance drives

Ningrong Liu
Brian P. Klein

Opinion | Will AI kill the middle class?

Brian P. Klein
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
MULTIMEDIA
Video

How a Shanghai start-up is digitalising Chinese tea

Safety, verification and trust behind start-up company Teakan Technology’s goal to make traditional Chinese tea digitally traceable
Video

Humanoid robots take centre stage at Shanghai summit

Competitions mainly focused on robotic applications in industrial assembly, home services, flower arranging, healthcare and elderly care, as well as restaurant services
Video

Australia’s under-16 social media ban due to take effect

dsfewd
02:58
Video

Chinese firm unveils new lightweight AI glasses

New AI glasses
01:56
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement
TRENDING TOPICS
Huawei Technologies
Artificial intelligence
Smartphones
Alibaba
Tencent Holdings
Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement