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Artificial intelligence
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Optics have been drastically revalued as AI clusters scale to unprecedented sizes. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Artificial intelligence

Exclusive | How early bet on photonics gave this Chinese venture capital firm an AI windfall

For Mi Lei, founder of venture capital firm CAS Star, the sudden fascination with photonics is less a surprise than a delayed validation.

Semiconductors

Is Huawei’s new chip scaling law a true breakthrough, or mere hype?

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Alibaba

Alibaba AI voice model beats OpenAI, xAI to bridge Chinese dialect gap

Artificial intelligence

How MuleRun plans to outpace OpenClaw: Alibaba bets on ‘always-on AI workforce’

MuleRun lowers adoption hurdles, positioning Alibaba’s agentic AI as a safer alternative, with reach across 43 countries.

MuleRun offers agents for different tasks, including video generation, stock analysis and social media management. Photo: Handout
MuleRun offers agents for different tasks, including video generation, stock analysis and social media management. Photo: Handout
Robotics

Alibaba, Tencent lead pivot from chatbots to embodied AI for robotics

Embodied AI and autonomous agents are increasingly viewed by investors as one of the next major growth areas for the sector, UBS says.

Artificial intelligence

China’s MiniMax records 1-million client base, fivefold growth in half a year

Its global user base reaches 300 million while ARR more than doubles in two months, though company reports large total losses.

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Artificial intelligence

US banks roll out American AI in Hong Kong despite geopolitical tensions

US AI companies have restricted access for users in Hong Kong and mainland China, forcing banks to navigate a compliance minefield.

The Citibank logo is seen outside its headquarters in New York. Citigroup Hong Kong this month began trialing a new in-house AI agent platform called Arc. Photo: AP
The Citibank logo is seen outside its headquarters in New York. Citigroup Hong Kong this month began trialing a new in-house AI agent platform called Arc. Photo: AP
Artificial intelligence

Alibaba AI beats Google and OpenAI in global coding rankings

The Chinese tech giant is the only non-US firm to crack the top five in Code Arena’s latest leaderboard.

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Semiconductors

Nvidia ‘likely the most concerned’ as Huawei bets on new chip architecture law

Chip advance marks big step accelerating China’s semiconductor self-reliance push and promises leaps in AI computing power.

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Banking & finance

Tech edge to boost Chinese firms’ overseas revenues to record high: UBS

Carmaking, power supply chains at forefront of China’s go-global expansion, driven by rising technological competitiveness, Swiss bank says.

UBS expects China’s power and car supply chain sectors to outperform. Photo: EPA
China stock market

Unitree’s IPO progress spurs stock buying of firms with exposure to robot maker

As the robot manufacturer moves a step closer to its IPO, stocks of its investors and supply chain makers have shot up.

An electronic board shows stock prices below a pedestrian bridge in the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai. Photo: Reuters
An electronic board shows stock prices below a pedestrian bridge in the Lujiazui financial district in Shanghai. Photo: Reuters
Ant Group

Alipay’s AI Wallet and Token Pay a big bet on the future by Ant Group

Chinese fintech giant looks to dominate the transaction layer of the emerging ‘agent economy’ as AI evolves to executing real-world tasks.

China jobs

China has a crucial edge in the global AI race: public optimism

Public attitudes towards AI are ‘strikingly positive’ in China, with only a small minority worried it will lead to fewer job openings, survey finds.

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Artificial intelligence

As China’s humanoid-robot hype cools, Unitree sees profit plunge

A filing shows adjusted profit fell 53 per cent, even as revenue continued to rise, highlighting tough competition in humanoid robot sector.

A Unitree humanoid robot displayed during an international exhibition on AI in Cannes, France, on February 12. Photo: EPA
Huawei

Huawei unveils new scaling law and tech that narrows gap with TSMC, Samsung

The Chinese tech giant’s breakthrough is a major milestone in its mission to create a self-reliant semiconductor ecosystem.

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Huawei Technologies has revealed new technology that can bring its chips equivalent to a process node of 1.4 nanometre within five years. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Huawei Technologies has revealed new technology that can bring its chips equivalent to a process node of 1.4 nanometre within five years. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Robotics

Every humanoid robot in China set to receive personal identification number

The national initiative will give every bipedal humanoid a unique code, like a national ID but for robots.

Artificial intelligence

Xiaomi is pouring billions into AI to future-proof its hardware empire

Beijing-based firm bets on frontier tech, from topping AI benchmarks to designing chips that rival Apple, to secure its long-term survival.

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Artificial intelligence

DeepSeek V4 Pro tops global bang-for-buck ranking after 75% price cut

Model ranks among world’s best for intelligence per dollar thanks to now permanent price cut, according to Artificial Analysis.

On Saturday, DeepSeek made a 75 per cent price cut for the V4 Pro model permanent. Photo: AFP
On Saturday, DeepSeek made a 75 per cent price cut for the V4 Pro model permanent. Photo: AFP
Hong Kong stock market

SpaceX share sale won’t drain Hong Kong IPO boom, JPMorgan says

Bank sees strong demand for Chinese AI, robotics and healthcare listings despite SpaceX’s projected record-breaking IPO in the US.

US-China tech war

A cloud above the clouds: US, China jockey for position in computing space race

China could be a leading player in the new technological battlefield, but the US has a substantial lead in essential tools such as reusable rockets.

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Artificial intelligence

China’s AI start-up funding triples in first quarter amid bets on LLMs, robotics

The fundraising boom follows years of state-led efforts to channel capital into strategic sectors such as chips, AI and manufacturing.

AI-related start-ups in China secured more than 110 billion yuan in the first three months of the year. Photo: Shutterstock Images
Robotics

Inside the Chinese auto-glass maker whose chairman sat beside Elon Musk

Fuyao Glass, which holds 35 per cent of the world market for automotive glass, banks on automation to cement its position.

Intelligent equipment manufactures automotive glass at the Fuyao Glass production facility in Hefei, Anhui province, on May 19, 2026. Photo: Ann Cao
Intelligent equipment manufactures automotive glass at the Fuyao Glass production facility in Hefei, Anhui province, on May 19, 2026. Photo: Ann Cao
Semiconductors

China’s biggest contract chipmaker clears final hurdle for US$6 billion takeover

SMNC is to become a wholly owned subsidiary of SMIC, boosting the semiconductor manufacturer’s prowess and market position.

Semiconductors

What is YMTC, the latest contender in China’s memory-chip IPO push?

As China’s memory-chip giants YMTC and CXMT progress towards IPOs, they shine a spotlight on Beijing’s tech self-sufficiency ambitions.

China technology

AI gives China ‘God’s-eye view’ of green sector as data-centre demand booms

Alibaba and Peking University map nation’s extensive green-energy sites – a move that could help stabilise national grid amid surge in computing-power needs.

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Rows of solar panels are seen at a photovoltaic farm in Datong, China. Photo: AP
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