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Thursday 22 May 2025
China’s anti-Altman: Liang Wenfeng and the stealth strategy reshaping AI
As OpenAI CEO Sam Altman toured the Middle East with Donald Trump, promoting a regional "Stargate Project," a quieter but equally profound AI revolution was unfolding in China. At its center is not a headline-chasing and media-hungry founder, but a reclusive, soft-spoken engineer: Liang Wenfeng
Thursday 22 May 2025
Balancing act: Nvidia banks on Shanghai R&D center to sustain China market as US export curbs tighten
The Financial Times recently reported, citing informed sources, that Nvidia plans to establish a new R&D center in Shanghai to strengthen its strategic presence in the Chinese market. The initiative not only responds to China's persistent strong demand for high-end chips but also underscores a pragmatic strategy by the US chip firm to find balance amid rising geopolitical tensions
Thursday 22 May 2025
Japan's chipmaking expansion faces delay as market demand slows
Japan's push to revive its semiconductor manufacturing is hitting speed bumps as major manufacturers expressed cautiousness over operation or expansion amid weak demand outside of AI
Thursday 22 May 2025
China races ahead in hydrogen development but risks repeating solar sector pitfalls
China has rapidly emerged as a global powerhouse in hydrogen energy, demonstrating strong capabilities across the entire supply chain—from production and storage to transport and fuel cell vehicle manufacturing. However, industry observers warn that the sector could soon face the same overcapacity and cutthroat price competition that once plagued the solar and wind industries
Thursday 22 May 2025
Xiaomi vaults to 3nm with XRing O1, pairing custom AP with external baseband
Xiaomi's XRing O1 will debut in the 15S Pro smartphone and Pad 7 Ultra, reportedly built on TSMC's second-gen 3nm (N3E) process. With around 19 billion transistors, the chip ranks alongside Apple's A17 Pro and other flagship SoCs, according to National Business Daily and Zol.com.cn
Thursday 22 May 2025
Xiaomi cracks the 3nm barrier with XRing O1: Qualcomm faces a new reality
On the evening of May 22, Xiaomi is expected to launch its self-developed 3nm mobile system-on-chip (SoC), the XRing O1, in a move that underscores both the company's technological maturity and China's broader drive toward semiconductor independence amid tightening US export restrictions. The chip has already entered mass production and is set to power Xiaomi's upcoming mobile device lineup, according to chairman and founder Lei Jun
Thursday 22 May 2025
Xiaomi pushes the edge with 3nm XRing O1 chip, threading US regulatory needle
Xiaomi is set to unveil its latest slate of strategic products at 7 pm CST on May 22, headlined by the long-awaited debut of its in-house smartphone SoC, the XRing O1—a bold play that marks a new chapter in the company's semiconductor ambitions. Xiaomi chairman Lei Jun quickly followed up with technical disclosures, noting that the XRing O1 is built on a second-generation 3nm process and packs 19 billion transistors, putting it in the same league as Apple's A17 Pro from a specification standpoint
Thursday 22 May 2025
US sets the stage for duties on battery materials from China
The US Commerce Department set the stage for anti-subsidy duties on imports of key battery components from China after concluding materials had been unfairly subsidized
Thursday 22 May 2025
From volume to value: Samsung retreats from legacy DRAM facing Chinese price war
Samsung Electronics has sharply reduced its memory chip production—by more than 100 billion units in a year—raising eyebrows across South Korea's tech industry. The unexpected drop, revealed in the company's latest quarterly report, signals a strategic pivot amid intensifying price competition from Chinese rivals
Wednesday 21 May 2025
CATL's US$2 billion German plant boosts China's invest-abroad bet
More than two years ago, on the outskirts of a medieval German town, China's biggest EV battery company placed a EUR1.8 billion (US$2 billion) bet on the future of global trade
Wednesday 21 May 2025
Chinese smartphone exports to US plunge to lowest since 2011
Chinese shipments of Apple Inc.'s iPhone and other mobile devices to the US dived to their lowest levels since 2011 in April, underscoring how the threat of US tariffs choked off the flow of big-ticket goods between the world's two largest economies
Wednesday 21 May 2025
Khgears eyes early lead in China's humanoid robot race as 2H25 production kicks off
Khgears International Limited secured four humanoid robot customers and will begin small-batch for a customer in the second half of 2025, with revenue recognition expected in the fourth quarter. Although large-scale deployment of humanoid robots remains distant, Khgears believes its smart transmission business could approach 10% of total revenue by 2025 as the sector gains traction
Wednesday 21 May 2025
Japan’s chip buildout stalls as new fabs sit idle
Of the seven semiconductor fabs completed in Japan during fiscal 2023–2024 (April 2023 to March 2025), only three had begun mass production by April 2025. New facilities from Kioxia, Renesas Electronics, Rohm Semiconductor, and Sanken Electric remain inactive, while Sony has launched production but is moving forward conservatively
Wednesday 21 May 2025
NextDrive rises in Japan’s battery market
Japan's behind-the-meter energy storage market is entering a period of significant policy benefits. Driven by subsidy programs and residential demand, the market is rapidly heating up with simultaneous growth in applications and distribution channels. Taiwan-based energy IoT platform provider NextDrive has strategically positioned itself ahead of this trend, recently announcing partnerships with leading Japanese home energy storage brand Choshu Industry (CIC) and Hanwha Japan, boosting its market share ranking to third place with plans to challenge for second place in 2025
Wednesday 21 May 2025
CATL: One in two new heavy-duty trucks in China will be electric by 2028
Robin Zeng, Chairman of CATL, announced on May 18, 2025, that electric vehicles could comprise 50% of all new heavy-duty truck sales in China by 2028, rising sharply from 10% in 2025. According to Reuters, East Money, and Gasgoo, the forecast highlights China's accelerating freight electrification and CATL's evolving multi-sector strategy