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Artificial intelligence
Self-driving cars and autonomous vehicles
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Illustration: Henry Wong
Electric & new energy vehicles

Shifting gears: how foreign giants aim to catch up in China’s EV era

International carmakers launch tailored models and accelerate R&D as they scramble to match the speed and sophistication of domestic rivals.

DJI

No-drone zone: DJI, consumers grapple with Beijing sales ban

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China technology

‘It’s hard to compete’: how China is using AI to churn out 500 dramas per day

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Artificial intelligence

Chinese firms face pressure on AI investments as US peers’ spending soars

Largest US companies on track for US$700 billion in AI capital expenditures this year, versus about US$105 billion in China.

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Google and Microsoft both expect 2026 capex to reach about US$190 billion. Photo: AP Photo
Google and Microsoft both expect 2026 capex to reach about US$190 billion. Photo: AP Photo
Semiconductors

Samsung, SK Hynix flag record supply squeeze in memory market as AI demand soars

South Korea’s memory chip giants warn of a prolonged crunch, with worried Samsung customers already pre-booking memory capacity for 2027.

Semiconductors

Wingtech faces delisting risk after audit failure in wake of Nexperia saga

Wingtech says it is working to restore its internal system and gain full access to Nexperia China’s data to solve the audit issues.

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Ant Group

Ant International serves 150m merchants, 2b consumers, bets on AI commerce

Company says it is seeking to broaden its market reach in Asia, Latin America and Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

Ant International’s logo displayed on a smartphone screen. Illustration: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Ant International’s logo displayed on a smartphone screen. Illustration: SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images
Huawei

Huawei’s HarmonyOS on 55m phones as China steps up push for domestic software

China is seeing a ‘transformative shift’ in the use of domestic software compared with a few years ago, says vice-minister.

DeepSeek

‘The whale can now see’: DeepSeek adds AI vision in major move

On DeepSeek’s chat interface, a new ‘image recognition mode’ has been added alongside the ‘expert’ and ‘flash’ chat modes.

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Semiconductors

Hit from memory costs spreads from smartphones to BYD EVs in China

Carmaker explicitly cites sky-high memory costs as it raises the price of a high-end driver-assistance system by 21 per cent.

People watch a demonstration of BYD’s self-parking technology during the 2026 Beijing International Automotive Exhibition on April 26, 2026. Photo: Xinhua
Artificial intelligence

If it can’t stop the Meta-Manus AI deal, how can Beijing exert its authority?

Case shows US-China competition has expanded beyond chips and models to areas of engineering and product design, analyst says.

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The Manus AI agent app is displayed on a mobile phone near the logo of Meta Platforms in this illustration picture taken on April 28, 2026. Photo: Reuters
The Manus AI agent app is displayed on a mobile phone near the logo of Meta Platforms in this illustration picture taken on April 28, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba doubles down on healthcare AI with new tool for early cancer detection

Damo Academy says its Coca AI model accurately identified five previously missed cases from scans of more than 27,000 people.

Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek mystery: who is speaking for start-up amid CEO Liang Wenfeng’s absence?

Researcher Chen Deli is emerging as DeepSeek’s new public face as speculation over the whereabouts of the company’s founder and CEO lingers.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

China’s EV and battery makers race to cut charging times to under 10 minutes

Fast-charging technology takes centre stage at the Beijing Auto Show as firms unveil batteries promising unprecedented speed.

Visitors look at a chamber with sub-zero temperatures that showcases battery-charging technology at the Beijing Auto Show. Photo: AP
Semiconductors

Photonics chipmaker Lightelligence surges 400% in Hong Kong debut amid AI frenzy

Shanghai-based firm’s IPO reflects mainland China’s push for photonics chips as a fast-growing alternative to conventional semiconductors.

Lightelligence says it is the first company to achieve large-scale deployment of hybrid optical-electronic computing globally. Photo: Handout
Lightelligence says it is the first company to achieve large-scale deployment of hybrid optical-electronic computing globally. Photo: Handout
DeepSeek

China’s DeepSeek prices new V4 AI model at 97% below OpenAI’s GPT-5.5

DeepSeek’s move aims to attract more enterprise clients, developers and agent-based users, according to an academic.

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Semiconductors

Chinese optical chipmaker’s profit soars 1,153% on strong AI demand

Yuanjie Semiconductor Technology’s profit gain matches its elevenfold share price increase over the past year.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Chinese robotaxi firms accelerate global roll-outs as cost edge drives expansion

Pony AI and WeRide harness China’s supply chain strength to cut costs, boost efficiency and scale robotaxi fleets worldwide.

A Pony AI robotaxi is displayed at the Beijing Auto Show. Photo: DPA
A Pony AI robotaxi is displayed at the Beijing Auto Show. Photo: DPA
Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek takes step away from Nvidia amid export curbs on China

DeepSeek’s new artificial intelligence model puts up a price challenge to US rivals and is a further step towards a stand-alone Chinese AI ecosystem.

Artificial intelligence

OpenClaw adds DeepSeek V4 models as tech world assesses Huawei tie-up

The popular AI agent adopts the Chinese firm’s V4 Flash and its flagship V4 Pro models and also integrates other capabilities.

Robotics

From supply chain to record growth: Shenzhen dominates China’s robotics sector

The output of the city’s robotics industry hit a record in 2025, rising 20 per cent year on year to over US$35.4 billion.

X Square Robot CEO Wang Qian demonstrates a robot that can pick up rubbish during the unveiling of the Chinese firm’s new Wall-B model in Beijing on April 21, 2026. Photo: Reuters
Artificial intelligence

Underwhelming or underrated? DeepSeek V4 shows “impressive” gains

Benchmark shows V4 trailing Kimi and US frontier models, though gains raise hopes of another R1-style breakthrough.

While V4 Pro marks a clear improvement on its predecessor, V3.2, it still lags top competitors. Photo: Handout
While V4 Pro marks a clear improvement on its predecessor, V3.2, it still lags top competitors. Photo: Handout
China energy security

Why China is spending billions on a robot army to run its power grid

China’s grid operators plan to purchase thousands of robots in 2026 alone, including devices to inspect and maintain vital infrastructure.

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Semiconductors

How Intel is riding the ‘CPU comeback’ as AI shifts - and where China stands

What’s behind the ‘CPU renaissance’ and where China stands in designing and manufacturing central processing units in the AI age.

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Electric & new energy vehicles

Huawei earmarks US$11.7b for training of autonomous-driving systems

Company claims it will outspend all rivals combined to boost computing power, which is essential to enhance advanced driving systems.

Richard Jin, CEO of Huawei’s intelligent automotive solutions business unit, introduces the company’s latest advanced driving system in Beijing on April 23, 2026. Photo: Reuters
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