https://www.scmp.com/rss/519750/feed Explore cutting-edge AI developments in China that are transforming various industries and reshaping the future. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Coco Feng Coco Feng US President Donald Trump and Chinese officials discussed artificial intelligence “guardrails” and Nvidia’s H200 chips during his just-ended state visit to Beijing. Speaking to reporters on Air Force One during his return flight, Trump said the two sides “talked about possibly working together for guardrails” on AI, characterising them as “standard guardrails that we talk about all the time”. Regarding Nvidia’s H200 graphics processing units (GPUs) – shipments of which have yet to be approved by... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3353764/trump-xi-weigh-ai-guardrails-nvidia-chip-exports-hang-balance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3353764/trump-xi-weigh-ai-guardrails-nvidia-chip-exports-hang-balance?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 15 May 2026 13:45:47 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Alibaba Group Holding expects its annualised recurring revenue from AI models and applications to hit 30 billion yuan (US$4.42 billion) by the year’s end, as the company ramps up its AI commitment. AI products are projected to generate more than 50 per cent of Alibaba’s cloud-computing revenue within the next year, as the tech giant looks to step up its AI monetisation efforts. Alibaba CEO Eddie Wu Yongming said the company was likely to “overshoot” the original capital-expenditure target of 380... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3353451/alibaba-ai-revenue-logs-triple-digit-growth-11th-quarter-amid-strategic-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3353451/alibaba-ai-revenue-logs-triple-digit-growth-11th-quarter-amid-strategic-reshuffle?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 10:57:52 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen ByteDance’s Volcano Engine, the cloud unit that released an OpenClaw-based cloud agent tool ArkClaw, is betting that the next phase of artificial intelligence will hinge on cheaper tokens, higher inference efficiency and longer context windows. “Agent-related token consumption still accounts for a single-digit percentage of total token usage, but it is growing,” said Li Guodong, chief architect of ArkClaw, on Tuesday on the sidelines of OpenClaw’s first mainland China event since the open-source... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3353310/how-bytedance-plans-turn-openclaw-craze-profitable-ai-business?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3353310/how-bytedance-plans-turn-openclaw-craze-profitable-ai-business?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 13 May 2026 02:00:05 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen China ranked third in a new global index measuring competitiveness in AI for biotechnology, healthcare and longevity, as the race to apply AI moves from chatbots and general-purpose models into regulated, data-heavy industries such as drug discovery, diagnostics and preventive medicine. The latest edition of the Global AI Competitiveness Index, released on Monday by Deep Knowledge Group, a consortium focused on deep-tech research, analytics and investment, ranked China behind only the US and UK... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3353081/china-ranks-third-global-index-ai-competitiveness-life-sciences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3353081/china-ranks-third-global-index-ai-competitiveness-life-sciences?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 11 May 2026 07:00:26 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group Holding is preparing an overhaul of how local consumers shop online, betting that the next trend will feel more like chatting with an artificial intelligence chatbot rather than typing keywords into a search bar, according to a source. Users of the company’s flagship AI assistant Qwen – one of the most popular in China – would soon be able to use natural language to “talk” with the chatbot app to find and buy items listed on Alibaba’s Taobao and Tmall... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3353044/alibaba-brings-chat-style-shopping-taobao-and-qwen-amid-ai-gateway-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3353044/alibaba-brings-chat-style-shopping-taobao-and-qwen-amid-ai-gateway-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2026 10:35:23 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee China wants artificial intelligence to become a new engine of growth, powering everything from factory upgrades to scientific discovery. But outside the country’s technology hubs, the economic benefits promised by AI may be harder to realise. Recent studies suggest that AI will widen regional divides. Big cities with deep pools of talent, capital and innovative firms are best placed to adopt the technology, while smaller cities and rural areas may struggle to keep up. According to analysts, the... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352918/chinas-ai-drive-seen-widening-wealth-gap-testing-common-prosperity-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352918/chinas-ai-drive-seen-widening-wealth-gap-testing-common-prosperity-push?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 10 May 2026 00:00:09 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huaqiangbei, home to the world’s largest electronics marketplace in southern China’s tech hub Shenzhen, is reinventing itself as the world’s artificial intelligence showroom, drawing back foreign traders and tourists hunting for the latest gadgets. For first-time visitors like Abigail Slagveer from Rotterdam, the Netherlands, the sheer scale of Huaqiangbei’s electronics market is overwhelming. “I came here one and a half hours ago through that front door,” she said, pointing to an entrance just... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352938/chinas-huaqiangbei-bets-ai-innovations-revive-global-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352938/chinas-huaqiangbei-bets-ai-innovations-revive-global-appeal?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 09 May 2026 07:00:05 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin At a New York City ballroom late last month, a crowd of hi-tech luminaries gathered at an honours ceremony. The biggest draw for the assembled tech geniuses was Nvidia founder Jensen Huang, the superstar head of one of the world’s most valuable companies, set to receive the night’s top award. In some ways, engineers have been at the centre of every industrial revolution, Huang told the crowd, from steam to electricity to information technology. But this one, artificial intelligence (AI), will be... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352950/china-and-us-ai-revolution-race-tech-rivals-battle-global-supremacy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352950/china-and-us-ai-revolution-race-tech-rivals-battle-global-supremacy?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 14:01:56 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Chipmaking giant Nvidia’s deepening partnership with US fibre optics maker Corning to replace copper links in next-generation rack-scale artificial intelligence systems is shining a spotlight on mainland China’s optical communications supply chain. The domestic optical value chain is also doubling down on AI scenarios, emerging as the global bedrock for the high-capacity components required to power AI infrastructure. “The global optical fibre and cable market had entered a period of both rising... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352907/how-nvidias-corning-pact-shines-light-chinas-dominant-role-global-fibre-supply?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352907/how-nvidias-corning-pact-shines-light-chinas-dominant-role-global-fibre-supply?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 13:00:06 +0000 Alice Li Alice Li China’s rapid technological gains and aggressive pricing are making it increasingly difficult for South Korean firms to find profitable areas of industrial synergy with their Chinese counterparts, according to experts. Speakers at a recent forum in Beijing urged firms from both countries to pivot towards building more interdependent ecosystems in high-growth sectors such as batteries and artificial intelligence, while also calling for the advancement of negotiations towards an upgraded... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352913/how-chinas-sharper-tech-edge-forces-south-korea-rethink-decades-industrial-ties?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352913/how-chinas-sharper-tech-edge-forces-south-korea-rethink-decades-industrial-ties?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 10:30:13 +0000 Zhang Shidong Zhang Shidong An electricity shortfall for AI data centres and computing power is fuelling demand for generators and power equipment, driving up stocks from Weichai Power in China to GE Vernova in the US. The AI investment spree in the world’s two largest economies, which are vying for a leading position in the cutting-edge technology, has rekindled buying interest in stocks of a sector viewed as old economy. Shares of Weichai Power, a heavy-duty truck maker that also builds large-bore engines, have jumped... https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352880/ai-electricity-gap-fuels-weichai-power-ge-vernova-shares-generator-demand-surges?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/china-business/article/3352880/ai-electricity-gap-fuels-weichai-power-ge-vernova-shares-generator-demand-surges?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 08 May 2026 08:32:50 +0000 Ben Jiang Ben Jiang Chinese technology billionaire Chen Tianqiao’s artificial intelligence start-up MiroMind is suspending its services in mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, in the latest sign that some of the country’s most globally ambitious firms are increasingly retreating from the domestic market as geopolitical tensions reshape the industry following the Manus saga. In an email sent to select users on Wednesday, the company said that its MiroThinker services would stop operating in regions including... https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3352778/tech-billionaire-chen-tianqiaos-miromind-halts-china-services-after-meta-and-manus-saga?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/policy/article/3352778/tech-billionaire-chen-tianqiaos-miromind-halts-china-services-after-meta-and-manus-saga?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 14:00:11 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen South Korean tech giant Samsung Electronics said on Wednesday it would end sales of all home appliance products in mainland China, retreating further from a consumer market increasingly dominated by domestic rivals as the group doubles down on its far more profitable semiconductor business. Samsung’s home appliance portfolio in China includes televisions, monitors, air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, dryers, vacuum cleaners and air purifiers. In a notice published on its official... https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3352690/samsung-halts-all-home-appliance-sales-china-pivot-ai-accelerates?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/companies/article/3352690/samsung-halts-all-home-appliance-sales-china-pivot-ai-accelerates?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 02:48:28 +0000 Xinmei Shen,Sylvia Ma Xinmei Shen,Sylvia Ma Chloe Wang, a 26-year-old fund employee in Shenzhen, said she “definitely wouldn’t” pay for a subscription to Doubao, Chinese tech giant ByteDance’s artificial intelligence chatbot, at its proposed price. “I’m willing to pay for AI tools, but I don’t think it’s worth that much – even though I find Doubao relatively easy to use among domestic AI products,” said Wang, who uses the app occasionally for work-related queries. “If I had to pay for an AI tool as a productivity aid, I’d probably rather... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352661/bytedances-ai-subscription-gamble-chatbot-faces-reality-check-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352661/bytedances-ai-subscription-gamble-chatbot-faces-reality-check-china?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 07 May 2026 01:59:51 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng While the world’s largest memory-chip makers are reaping record profits from the artificial intelligence boom, traders in Shenzhen’s Huaqiangbei electronics market are being left to deal with the fallout of a speculative frenzy that has sharply reversed, wiping out much of the value of their inventories since late 2025. “The market surge last year became so frantic that everyone from shoemakers to fishmongers piled into memory-chip speculation,” a trader surnamed Liu said from his cramped stall... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352642/after-frenzy-fallout-why-chips-are-down-shenzhens-tech-traders?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352642/after-frenzy-fallout-why-chips-are-down-shenzhens-tech-traders?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang The release of DeepSeek’s latest large language model, V4, has been followed by a wave of adoption among domestic semiconductor manufacturers and artificial intelligence chipmakers, with firms racing to support the model on local hardware platforms. The shift comes amid rising geopolitical tensions over advanced semiconductors. Here are some of the key players enabling the model’s deployment on domestic hardware. Huawei Huawei Technologies was among the first to act, with the V4 fully adapted to... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352644/chinas-chipmakers-rush-embrace-deepseeks-v4-which-names-stand-out?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352644/chinas-chipmakers-rush-embrace-deepseeks-v4-which-names-stand-out?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 12:30:05 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu China’s chip champions channelled a larger proportion of revenue into research and development (R&D) than their US peers, first-quarter earnings show, as Beijing presses ahead with its tech self-reliance drive amid an artificial intelligence boom. Beijing-based Moore Threads spent half of its revenue on R&D in the quarter ended March 2026, while Shanghai-based MetaX spent 45 per cent over the same period, according to exchange filings. By contrast, US chipmakers such as AMD and Intel have... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352533/chinas-chipmakers-pour-revenue-rd-outpacing-us-ratios?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352533/chinas-chipmakers-pour-revenue-rd-outpacing-us-ratios?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 May 2026 02:30:05 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao In China, computing facilities have emerged as a new form of infrastructure over the past two years, sparking an arms race among cities and technology companies to build 10,000-card computing clusters. These clusters – which link 10,000 or more artificial intelligence accelerator chips – enable faster iteration of AI capabilities and significantly reduce model training times. Domestic champions, from tech giants such as Huawei Technologies and Alibaba Group Holding to graphics processing unit... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352200/supersized-and-scaling-china-pushes-10000-card-computing-clusters-ai-race?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352200/supersized-and-scaling-china-pushes-10000-card-computing-clusters-ai-race?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 15:00:08 +0000 Matt Terrell Matt Terrell When it comes to artificial intelligence, the United States still dominates the headlines – and, by most conventional measures, the technology itself. American institutions continue to produce a large share of high-impact AI research, and private investment reached over US$109 billion in 2024, nearly 12 times China’s total, according to the Stanford Institute for Human-Centred AI. At the same time, the economics of AI are rapidly improving. Training and deployment costs have fallen dramatically... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352235/america-builds-ai-china-uses-it-gap-may-decide-future?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3352235/america-builds-ai-china-uses-it-gap-may-decide-future?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 08:30:05 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu Robots are beginning to reshape everyday life in China as the country accelerates its embrace of embodied artificial intelligence, handling tasks from cleaning homes and directing traffic to repairing equipment in hazardous factory settings. Embodied AI refers to AI embedded in physical machines, such as robots, that can sense their environment, make decisions and act in the real world. A cleaning service that launched in March on 58.com, a Chinese classifieds platform, pairs a human cleaner... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352368/chinas-robots-step-real-world-roles-cleaning-directing-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352368/chinas-robots-step-real-world-roles-cleaning-directing-traffic?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:17 +0000 Ralph Jennings Ralph Jennings US technology companies should stay in China, despite persistent political pressure for their exit, to capitalise on revenue potential and stifle local competition while monitoring consumer trends, according to a Washington-based policy think tank. Sales generated by American firms within China can be reinvested in research and development back in the United States, thereby helping “sustain US innovation leadership”, the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) said in a new... https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352371/us-tech-can-use-china-listening-post-global-edge-washington-think-tank-explains?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/global-economy/article/3352371/us-tech-can-use-china-listening-post-global-edge-washington-think-tank-explains?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 13:00:13 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen A Hong Kong government-backed artificial intelligence lab is preparing to launch a new model built on DeepSeek that can run entirely on Chinese-made chips. The Hong Kong Generative AI Research and Development Centre (HKGAI) plans to unveil its HKGAI-V3 model in the first half of this year as it looks to export its “sovereign AI” capabilities to overseas markets. The system was based on DeepSeek V4 architecture with “full-parameter fine tuning for localisation”, and had been optimised to operate... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352364/hong-kong-puts-its-own-spin-deepseek-china-chip-ai-push-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3352364/hong-kong-puts-its-own-spin-deepseek-china-chip-ai-push-abroad?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 04 May 2026 11:30:07 +0000 Ran Guo Ran Guo At the end of March, China inaugurated the World Data Organisation in Beijing, a body with a stated mission of “bridging the data divide, unlocking data’s value and powering the digital economy”. The move is the latest signal of a broader trend: over the past several years, Beijing has developed a distinct data governance strategy to drive artificial intelligence (AI) development as it reshapes the terms of technological competition. Since late 2025, Beijing has pursued an aggressive AI adoption... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3351972/world-may-find-itself-very-chinese-time-data-governance?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3351972/world-may-find-itself-very-chinese-time-data-governance?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 03 May 2026 12:30:08 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng ByteDance, the Chinese owner of TikTok, is pushing deeper into artificial intelligence with Anew Labs, a drug-discovery unit that has begun presenting its AI-designed therapies at international conferences. The unit – also known as Anew Therapeutics or ByteDance AI Drug Discovery – operates from Shanghai, Singapore and San Jose, California. Its official website listed 36 core members, as well as big names on its “scientific advisory board”: Liu Yongjun, former president of Innovent Biologics, Ji... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352032/bytedances-drug-unit-presents-ai-designed-therapies-global-conferences?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3352032/bytedances-drug-unit-presents-ai-designed-therapies-global-conferences?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 02 May 2026 07:00:09 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee Vigloo, a South Korean micro drama production company, has gone all-in on artificial intelligence this year, betting that automation can fundamentally reshape how content is made. The company has begun spending roughly 30 per cent of its budget on AI-driven workflows, and the change is already having a dramatic impact. It can now produce a show in just one month rather than three, and at one-fifth of the cost. That is not only allowing Vigloo to release far more shows, but also to experiment... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352019/how-china-using-ai-and-state-funding-transform-micro-drama-industry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3352019/how-china-using-ai-and-state-funding-transform-micro-drama-industry?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 01 May 2026 06:00:12 +0000 Dewey Sim Dewey Sim China has built a state-driven campaign to harvest American data and weaponise it as a strategic asset that could prove critical in a conflict with the US, including over Taiwan, a key advisory committee to the US Congress heard. Experts told the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission on Thursday that Washington was falling short in countering Beijing’s data-collection drive, one that could have far-reaching implications for American society and the economy, as well as US wartime... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352089/apps-autos-chinas-data-reach-sparks-us-espionage-and-sabotage-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3352089/apps-autos-chinas-data-reach-sparks-us-espionage-and-sabotage-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 22:05:19 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Artificial intelligence investments by US tech giants continue to soar, dwarfing those of Chinese AI firms, but China’s rising appetite for AI applications will compel its tech companies to increase their AI spending this year, according to analysts. The largest US tech companies are on track for more than US$700 billion in AI capital expenditures this year, driven in part by rising memory costs and continuously growing demand for AI applications. Google and Microsoft on Thursday both said that... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352068/chinese-firms-face-pressure-ai-investments-us-peers-spending-keeps-soaring?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352068/chinese-firms-face-pressure-ai-investments-us-peers-spending-keeps-soaring?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 14:30:09 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix, South Korea’s two memory chip giants, are warning of a prolonged and severe global supply crunch, weeks after the two companies disclosed increased investments in their China wafer fabs to meet surging artificial intelligence demand. During Samsung’s first-quarter earnings call on Thursday, the company said its order fulfilment rate had plunged to a “record low”. In a rare move, customers worried about shortages were already pre-booking memory capacity for 2027,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352001/samsung-sk-hynix-flag-record-supply-squeeze-memory-market-ai-demand-soars?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3352001/samsung-sk-hynix-flag-record-supply-squeeze-memory-market-ai-demand-soars?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 30 Apr 2026 08:30:28 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow Chinese artificial intelligence start-up DeepSeek has added multimodal capabilities to its flagship chatbot for the first time – meaning that it can process images and video in addition to text – bringing it in line with rivals that already offer the function. The limited release to select users comes just days after the Hangzhou-based company released its new flagship model V4, which was followed by extensive price cuts. According to DeepSeek multimodal team leader Chen Xiaokang, who made the... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351892/whale-can-now-see-deepseek-adds-ai-vision-major-move?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351892/whale-can-now-see-deepseek-adds-ai-vision-major-move?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 14:00:12 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Cambricon Technologies, dubbed “China’s little Nvidia,” on Thursday became the costliest stock in mainland China’s equities market after it reported substantial growth in the first quarter amid an artificial intelligence boom and China’s tech self-sufficiency push. Cambricon shares rose as much as 18 per cent to nearly 1,680 yuan (US$245) on Thursday, beating optical chipmaker Yuanjie Semiconductor Technology, which traded at around 1,660 yuan. On Wednesday, Cambricon announced a 160 per cent... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351894/revenue-jumps-chinas-cambricon-metax-amid-thirst-domestic-ai-chips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351894/revenue-jumps-chinas-cambricon-metax-amid-thirst-domestic-ai-chips?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 29 Apr 2026 13:15:23 +0000 Coco Feng,Wency Chen,Vincent Chow Coco Feng,Wency Chen,Vincent Chow It could be “time-consuming”, “complex” and “difficult” for Meta Platforms to unwind its acquisition of Manus, an artificial intelligence start-up that originated in China, given how far the deal has gone, according to analysts. Beijing’s order on Monday blocking the US$2 billion deal came roughly four months after the acquisition was announced. During that time, Manus – developer of what it described as the world’s first general AI agent – provided Meta employees with unlimited-usage accounts,... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351718/meta-manus-ai-deal-difficult-undo-how-will-beijing-exert-its-authority?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351718/meta-manus-ai-deal-difficult-undo-how-will-beijing-exert-its-authority?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 14:30:09 +0000 Vincent Chow,Minxiao Chang Vincent Chow,Minxiao Chang The potential emergence of a new DeepSeek spokesman has sparked intrigue as speculation over the whereabouts of founder and CEO Liang Wenfeng continues, more than a year after his last public appearance. While the Hangzhou start-up’s latest V4 model did not make the same waves as its breakout moment a year earlier, the much-anticipated release still grabbed headlines through a collaboration with domestic tech giant Huawei Technologies and its remarkably low prices. For the traditionally... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351700/deepseek-mystery-who-speaking-start-ceo-liang-wenfeng-remains-out-sight?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351700/deepseek-mystery-who-speaking-start-ceo-liang-wenfeng-remains-out-sight?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 11:00:15 +0000 Ann Cao Ann Cao Lightelligence, the first mainland Chinese photonics chipmaker to go public in Hong Kong, saw its share price surge by nearly 400 per cent in its trading debut on Tuesday, as investors banked on the country’s quest for a fast-growing alternative to conventional electronic semiconductors in artificial intelligence data centres. The Shanghai-based company opened at HK$880, versus the offer price of HK$183.20 – the top of its marketed range of HK$166.60 to HK$183.20. It raised HK$2.4 billion... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351551/lightelligence-jumps-hong-kong-debut-amid-ai-driven-demand-photonics-chips?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351551/lightelligence-jumps-hong-kong-debut-amid-ai-driven-demand-photonics-chips?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 28 Apr 2026 02:03:55 +0000 Xinmei Shen Xinmei Shen Chinese optical chipmaker Yuanjie Semiconductor Technology reported an elevenfold surge in first-quarter profits as domestic firms capitalise on soaring demand for computing power amid the artificial intelligence boom and the country’s tech self-sufficiency drive. Net profit in the three months ended March 31 jumped 1,153 per cent year on year to 179 million yuan (US$26.2 million), while revenue grew 321 per cent to 355 million yuan, the Shanghai-listed company said in a stock-exchange filing on... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351605/optical-chipmakers-profit-soars-1153-ai-demand-chinas-tech-self-reliance-push?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351605/optical-chipmakers-profit-soars-1153-ai-demand-chinas-tech-self-reliance-push?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 14:00:35 +0000 Coco Feng,Vincent Chow Coco Feng,Vincent Chow Beijing has blocked the proposed purchase by Meta Platforms of artificial intelligence firm Manus, a start-up that is officially registered in Singapore but developed its products in mainland China. The National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC), the country’s top economic planner, announced the ruling in a statement on Monday, and asked the parties involved in the deal to cancel the transaction. Neither Meta nor Manus immediately responded to requests for comment on Monday. A... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351552/china-blocks-metas-manus-deal-after-months-long-probe-thwarting-purchase?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351552/china-blocks-metas-manus-deal-after-months-long-probe-thwarting-purchase?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 08:18:45 +0000 Vincent Chow Vincent Chow In the third of a three-part series on Anthropic’s powerful Mythos AI model, we look at how China is responding to the growing threat of AI-powered cyberattacks and what it means for the country’s cybersecurity. China is not immune to any fallout that might result from AI-powered cyberattacks, according to experts, although a sense of panic may not be as high due to the country’s strict scrutiny of its artificial intelligence industry. In the weeks since US start-up Anthropic announced its new... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351485/scepticism-concern-mythos-panic-slowly-starting-reach-china?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351485/scepticism-concern-mythos-panic-slowly-starting-reach-china?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 27 Apr 2026 02:00:31 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng OpenClaw has adopted DeepSeek’s new V4 Flash as the default model for the popular artificial intelligence agent, while the global tech community scrutinises the implications of the Chinese AI firm’s major update optimised to run on Huawei Technologies’ chips. In an update on Sunday, OpenClaw said it had expanded its catalogue to include DeepSeek’s V4 Flash and its flagship V4 Pro models, and had integrated other capabilities such as Google Meet into the agent. OpenClaw also optimised how... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351471/openclaw-adds-deepseek-v4-models-tech-world-assesses-huawei-tie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3351471/openclaw-adds-deepseek-v4-models-tech-world-assesses-huawei-tie?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 26 Apr 2026 09:24:39 +0000 Lizzi C. Lee Lizzi C. Lee The idea of a token economy is gaining traction. The concept is still nascent, loosely defined and easy to dismiss as just another piece of artificial intelligence jargon. It is no surprise Chinese policymakers are quick to jump on the bandwagon. But in the Chinese context, there is a more concrete policy logic that deserves attention. It reflects an emerging attempt to reframe how energy, infrastructure and digital services interact, and in doing so, how China positions itself in the next phase... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350766/chinas-ai-token-drive-really-about-upgrading-inland-economies?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350766/chinas-ai-token-drive-really-about-upgrading-inland-economies?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 25 Apr 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Coco Feng Coco Feng Amid the artificial intelligence boom, the world has been laser-focused on technologies like graphics processing units and memory chips. However, a quieter miracle has been unfolding in the mainland stock market. Optical modules, which allow ultra-fast communications in data centres, have minted a new class of industrial upstarts. In the past year, shares in Shenzhen-listed Zhongji Innolight, the world’s largest optical module producer, jumped tenfold. Smaller peers Eoptolink Technology and... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351312/why-chinas-optical-communications-sector-latest-ai-boom-beneficiary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351312/why-chinas-optical-communications-sector-latest-ai-boom-beneficiary?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 11:30:09 +0000 Vincent Chow,Wency Chen Vincent Chow,Wency Chen DeepSeek has finally released its much-anticipated next-generation foundational artificial intelligence model, the open-source V4, which it said was competitive with leading US closed-source models from the likes of OpenAI and Google DeepMind. The Hangzhou-based AI start-up released two versions of the model on Friday, with the V4-pro model boasting 1.6 trillion parameters, making it the company’s biggest-ever model by that metric, while the smaller V4-flash model has 284 billion parameters. A... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351239/deepseek-releases-next-gen-ai-model-world-leading-efficiency?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351239/deepseek-releases-next-gen-ai-model-world-leading-efficiency?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 24 Apr 2026 03:25:33 +0000 Wency Chen Wency Chen Alibaba Group Holding has struck its first external partnership for its flagship consumer artificial intelligence app, linking it with China Eastern Airlines in a move that pushes its agentic capabilities beyond the company’s own ecosystem and into real-world services. The company said the fresh collaboration allowed users of the Qwen app to manage the full flight booking process – from search and ticket purchase to seat selection and check-in – within a single natural-language chat interface.... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351076/alibaba-opens-qwen-app-outside-partners-china-eastern-airlines-tie?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3351076/alibaba-opens-qwen-app-outside-partners-china-eastern-airlines-tie?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 23 Apr 2026 03:12:43 +0000 Lucy Quaggin Lucy Quaggin The US visa system rolls out the “red carpet” for spies and aids China’s alleged efforts to steal American innovation, senators charged at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, as Washington and Beijing intensify competition for dominance in artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. Through its permissive legal channels, the US is “inviting, welcoming, come on in with the red carpet rolled out” people who steal military and commercial secrets, Republican Senator Ashley Moody of Florida... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351062/us-visa-system-rolls-out-red-carpet-chinese-spies-congressional-hearing-told?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3351062/us-visa-system-rolls-out-red-carpet-chinese-spies-congressional-hearing-told?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 22:37:28 +0000 Minxiao Chang Minxiao Chang As Chinese artificial intelligence companies continue to push for the adoption of their flagship models overseas, they have taken on a new role as a key source of so-called “token exports” to the global market. Chinese AI models accounted for four of the top 10 models in terms of token consumption on popular AI model marketplace OpenRouter from March 18 to April 18, highlighting their growing visibility in global developer usage of AI systems. Domestic token demand has been surging at an... https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351011/can-token-exports-give-china-edge-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/article/3351011/can-token-exports-give-china-edge-ai-era?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 14:00:09 +0000 Carol Yang Carol Yang China is embarking on a sweeping overhaul of its industrial architecture, aiming to fuse software and steel as part of a 100-trillion-yuan (US$14.7 trillion) undertaking to modernise its service sector while pushing manufacturing into the future. The State Council’s blueprint, unveiled on Tuesday, said the valuation target for the service sector was achievable by 2030 as advanced manufacturing increasingly becomes fused with specialised technical support. Analysts say Beijing’s plan will help... https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351021/china-fuse-software-and-steel-us14tr-sector-fix-weak-links-worlds-factory?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/economy/china-economy/article/3351021/china-fuse-software-and-steel-us14tr-sector-fix-weak-links-worlds-factory?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 22 Apr 2026 11:00:15 +0000 Xiao Qian Xiao Qian The United States House Select Committee on China recently released a report on artificial intelligence. Titled “Buy What It Can, Steal What It Must: China’s Campaign to Acquire Frontier AI Capabilities”, it captures a hardening view in Washington that Beijing’s artificial intelligence rise is closely tied to both market access and security concerns. Whether fully substantiated or not, such beliefs are increasingly shaping the policy lens through which technology competition between the two... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350871/us-china-ai-race-must-strike-balance-between-security-and-openness?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/china-opinion/article/3350871/us-china-ai-race-must-strike-balance-between-security-and-openness?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 21:30:08 +0000 Yeon Woo Lee Yeon Woo Lee As cryptocurrency converges with traditional finance, driving industry growth and mainstream adoption, officials at Hong Kong’s Web3 Festival are anticipating the next leap: the emergence of artificial intelligence agents. They say AI agents – which perceive their environment, make decisions and act autonomously around the clock – will need tools to unlock their full economic potential, which crypto can provide through its ability to transfer funds instantly across borders without... https://www.scmp.com/tech/blockchain/article/3350852/crypto-industry-sees-ai-driven-agent-economy-next-growth-driver?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/blockchain/article/3350852/crypto-industry-sees-ai-driven-agent-economy-next-growth-driver?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 10:07:51 +0000 Brian Y. S. Wong Brian Y. S. Wong There is a tendency to portray the global artificial intelligence (AI) landscape as consisting of two bitter rivals – China and the United States. The remaining 80 per cent of the world’s population, by virtue of their supposed dearth of scale, research and other critical overheads, are purportedly followers with no agency. The reality is more complex. The emerging global AI order is neither unipolar nor strictly bipolar. Instead, it is characterised by a swathe of middle powers hedging their... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350129/hong-kong-can-advance-ai-beyond-confines-geopolitical-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/hong-kong-opinion/article/3350129/hong-kong-can-advance-ai-beyond-confines-geopolitical-rivalry?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 21 Apr 2026 01:30:09 +0000 Iris Deng Iris Deng Huawei Technologies has launched its first artificial intelligence glasses, as the Shenzhen-based tech giant joins an intensifying battle with US leader Meta and domestic peers including Alibaba Group Holding and Rokid in smart eyewear. Priced from 2,499 yuan (US$367), the new eyewear weighed just 35.5 grams and featured various AI functions ranging from voice interaction to payments, Huawei said in a launch event. Powered by Huawei’s self-developed chip designed for eyewear, the glasses enable... https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350768/chinas-huawei-debuts-ai-glasses-challenge-meta-alibaba-and-rokid-crowded-arena?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/tech-trends/article/3350768/chinas-huawei-debuts-ai-glasses-challenge-meta-alibaba-and-rokid-crowded-arena?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 20 Apr 2026 14:00:13 +0000 Eunice Xu Eunice Xu “State-of-the-art” (Sota) artificial intelligence models excel at solving complex Olympiad maths but still struggle with everyday enterprise tasks, according to an executive from a top AI unicorn in the US. David Meyer, senior vice-president of product at US data processing and analysis company Databricks, told the South China Morning Post in a recent interview that the very traits making models state-of-the-art could cause issues in basic office work. For instance, when tasked with identifying... https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350614/state-art-models-can-struggle-basic-enterprise-tasks-ai-unicorn-executive?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/tech/big-tech/article/3350614/state-art-models-can-struggle-basic-enterprise-tasks-ai-unicorn-executive?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 10:00:18 +0000 Yulu Ao Yulu Ao As the artificial intelligence race moves beyond language models into the physical world, Asia’s manufacturing and supply chain strengths could give it an edge over the US, says Granite Asia’s Jixun Foo. The veteran venture capitalist said the current wave of AI development, sparked by breakthroughs in foundation models over the past two years, had entered a new phase where physical applications – from robotics to industrial automation – were becoming increasingly important, playing to Asia’s... https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3350609/asias-supply-chain-strengths-could-give-it-edge-over-us-ai-race-granite-asias-foo?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/business/markets/article/3350609/asias-supply-chain-strengths-could-give-it-edge-over-us-ai-race-granite-asias-foo?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 19 Apr 2026 06:00:18 +0000