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Latest news features and opinion on technology, covering everything from AI innovation to smartphone makers and apps.
SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son attends an event to pitch AI for businesses in Tokyo on February 3. Photo: Reuters
Japan

Japan announces US$6 billion support for home-grown AI development

A new company will be established by around 10 firms including SoftBank Group Corp, aiming to develop the country’s largest base AI model.

China economy

Opinion | Arguing about China’s overcapacity overlooks its drive for clean energy

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Australia

Bondi Beach attack sparks global misinformation crisis, and AI-driven hate

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Moore Threads

Moore Threads unveils new AI chips to challenge Nvidia

The Shanghai-listed chipmaker launched the Huashan chip for AI and the Lushan chip for gaming, promising superior performance for both.

Moore Threads’ shares have soared since their debut in Shanghai on December 5. Photo: CFOTO/Future Publishing via Getty Images
Chinese culture

Language Matters | Word of the Year 2025 choices reflect how virtual our reality has become

From Oxford’s ‘rage bait’ to Macquarie Dictionary’s ‘AI slop’, 2025 WOTYs show the influence of the virtual world on our daily lives.

Japan

Bear aware: Japanese drone school develops AI system to track animals

The new system being developed in Akita prefecture can detect bears and share their locations via smartphones.

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US-China trade war

Trump signs defence bill restricting investment in Chinese tech, military firms

Key provisions target contracts with Chinese biotech companies and outbound investment in technologies with military applications in China.

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US President Donald Trump signed an extensive defence bill on Thursday that restricts US investment in Chinese technology companies and military firms. Photo: TNS
Made in China 2025

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.

Artificial intelligence

Opinion | Why AI chatbots are unlikely to bring about human extinction

Stories of chatbots behaving in surprising ways are fuelling the rise of ‘AI doomers’ who warn of the risk of human extinction. This extreme view is misguided.

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Wellness

New dating app is helping disabled and chronically ill people find love

Disabled and chronically ill people are often ghosted or rejected on mainstream dating apps. Dateability is evening the playing field.

Dateability now covers the US, Canada, Mexico and the UK, with about 40,000 registered users. It was recently updated to improve the look and functionality. Photo: info.dateabilityapp.com
Artificial intelligence

Macroscope | Fears of an AI bubble in Asian stock markets are misplaced

The concentration risk so prevalent elsewhere is mitigated in Asia by a diverse equity landscape and the unique strengths in China.

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An employee debugs the AI-powered live-streaming machines at a Rexso workshop on December 8 in Huangshan in China’s Anhui province. Photo: VCG via Getty Images
Electric & new energy vehicles

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.

Australia

Why Southeast Asia’s move to protect children online may fuel state surveillance

Measures to rein in tech companies risk opening the door to tighter state oversight of online platforms, analysts say.

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Education in Hong Kong

University of Hong Kong professor loses key role over retracted paper

Population expert Paul Yip was corresponding author of paper found to contain AI-generated references to publications that didn’t exist.

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Professor Paul Yip is a prominent academic in Hong Kong who has held several influential advisory and leadership roles within the government and semi-governmental bodies. Photo: Sun Yeung
Artificial intelligence

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.

The first smartphone running on ByteDance’s agentic AI phone assistant sold out on the first day, leading to a temporary stock surge for suppliers. Photo: Handout
Artificial intelligence

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.

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Xiaomi

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.

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E-commerce

No ‘lowest-price’ requirement: China warns platforms on monopolistic tactics

Regulators tell platforms that demanding the ‘lowest price’ from vendors may not be permitted under new draft guidelines.

Chinese regulators are warning platforms that demanding the “lowest price” from vendors may be deemed monopolistic under new draft guidelines. Photo: Shutterstock
Artificial intelligence

Video | Japanese woman marries AI partner

Woman says she developed feelings for and decided to marry a chatbot she created and calibrated following her break-up with a human fiancé.

China trade

China bets big on copper processing, but ‘weaponisation’ risks are low: analysts

Beijing views copper as critical for EVs and AI, but a reliance on imported ore limits China’s ability to use the strategic metal as leverage.

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Artificial intelligence

Opinion | China still needs Nvidia’s advanced AI chips – but for how long?

Beijing seems determined to take up the challenge of building most parts of the AI supply chain domestically.

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An employee works at a semiconductor wafer workshop in Chongqing on August 24, 2023. Photo: Xinhua
The Philippines

Why the Philippine Army is turning to locally built remote weapons systems

The roll-out of the new Cobra weapon system is part of Manila’s push to build a self-reliant defence industry.

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Soldiers from the Armour Division operate the Cobra system during a demonstration in Camp O’Donnell, Capas, Tarlac on Thursday. Photo: Philippine Army
Artificial intelligence

OpenAI in talks to raise US$10 billion from Amazon and adopt Trainium chips

The deal is under discussion could value OpenAI upwards of US$500 billion, a source said.

Artificial intelligence

China’s Qwen and DeepSeek edge out US AI models in Christian values benchmark

US start-up Gloo’s Flourishing AI Christian benchmark tested how the output of AI models ‘help people flourish’, CEO Pat Gelsinger said.

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Artificial intelligence

Rapid advances in China’s AI video space lead to widespread tech adoption

Cutting-edge tools from Shengshu, Kuaishou, Alibaba Cloud and SenseTime transform content creation for marketers and creators alike.

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Chinese AI start-up Shengshu Technology has released a new version of Vidu, its text-to-video tool similar to OpenAI’s Sora. Photo: Handout
Electric & new energy vehicles

Xpeng, Li Auto given approval to test ‘hands-off’ L3 cars amid slowing market

Deregulation to legalise L3 technology represents a leap forward in commercialising autonomous driving systems in China.

A Li Auto vehicle draws crowds at the Beijing International Automotive Exhibition, April 25, 2024. Photo: Reuters
China technology

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.

Style Edit

Style Edit: Audemars Piguet’s innovation at Dubai Watch Week

The luxury Swiss horology brand has been creating coveted perpetual calendars since 1948 – and just launched a new technology.

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