Technology News
Latest technology news and updates
Total: 510
Geely Bets Big on In‑House AI: Chairman Yin Qi Bridges Big‑Model Firm and Smart‑Driving Unit as JiaYue Raises Over ¥5bn
Geely has accelerated efforts to internalise AI by appointing Yin Qi as chairman of both its smart‑driving unit Qianli Technology and the big‑model company JiaYue Xingchen, which has just closed a B+ round topping ¥5 billion. The move aims to fuse in‑house foundational models with production vehicle terminals to boost proprietary ‘model content’ and fast‑track agent‑driven cockpits and assisted‑driving features.
China’s Big Tech Escalates the AI Arms Race: ByteDance Vows to “Climb Peaks” as Alibaba and Tencent Counterpunch
ByteDance’s CEO Liang Rubo has set an ambitious 2026 agenda, prioritising the Dola assistant and global talent incentives to secure a leading position in AI model capability. Alibaba and Tencent are rapidly countering with chips, cloud integrations and consumer promotions, turning early 2026 into an industry‑wide scramble across applications, silicon and datacentres.
Israeli Industry Sees Opening for AI Ties with China at Tel Aviv Innovation Summit
At the Tel Aviv Spark Innovation Summit (Jan 27–29, 2026) Israeli industry figures expressed optimism about deeper AI cooperation with China, citing complementary strengths: Israeli commercialisation and cybersecurity know‑how and Chinese scale. Opportunities are tangible in non‑sensitive commercial sectors, but geopolitical constraints and export controls will shape the depth and scope of collaboration.
Pony Ma’s RMB1bn AI Counterattack: Tencent Bets ‘Yuanbao’ and Red‑Envelope Growth to Reclaim Social Ground
Tencent has launched a concentrated RMB1 billion push to embed AI into social products, notably upgrading its Yuanbao offering to group chat and using culturally resonant red‑envelope incentives to drive adoption. The plan leverages Tencent’s social graph and payments infrastructure but must navigate regulatory scrutiny and fierce competition from Chinese AI rivals.
China’s 2026 AI Crossroads: Open‑source Infrastructure as the Antidote to Vendor Lock‑in
SUSE executives warn that 2026 is a decisive year for Chinese firms adopting AI: they must choose between the short‑term convenience of closed platforms and the long‑term freedom of open, interoperable infrastructure. SUSE positions SLES 16, long support cycles and observability tooling as solutions to vendor lock‑in, regulatory demands and runaway compute costs.
Kunshan Launches RMB5bn AI Industry Fund to Fast‑Track Industrial Upgrade
Kunshan has launched a RMB5 billion AI industry fund with an initial RMB2 billion tranche to finance AI hardware, compute infrastructure, large models and AI+manufacturing projects. Backed by Chuangkong Group and prominent venture players, the fund aims to accelerate local industrial upgrading and strengthen domestic AI capabilities amid global technology tensions.
Musk Says Tesla’s Next-Gen Optimus Will Be Made in Texas as Production Scales Up
Elon Musk announced that Tesla’s Optimus 4 humanoid robot will be produced in Texas with a substantial increase in output. The declaration signals a push from prototypes toward scaled manufacturing, carrying significant supply‑chain, competitive and regulatory implications for the robotics industry and Tesla’s business mix.
Tiny Fonts, Big Fees: How Mobile Apps Are Quietly Draining China’s Elderly of Pensions
A wave of mobile apps in China is using deceptive design and opaque billing to extract small, repeated payments from elderly users, often hiding the true price behind small, pale fonts, “free” insurance pitches and automatic subscription switches. Legal and platform gaps — including weak pre-listing reviews, disputed intermediary liability and limited refund pathways through app stores — make recovery difficult and keep these practices profitable.
A Young Programmer’s Sudden Death Puts China’s Tech Overtime Culture Under the Microscope
A 32-year-old manager at Shiyuan, Gao Guanghui, collapsed and died suddenly at home in late November. His widow says chronic overwork, a heavy workload after a transfer, and a company culture that rewarded long hours are key parts of the context; the employer has paid RMB390,000 but denies legal responsibility. The case highlights broader concerns about occupational health, overtime norms and employer accountability in China’s technology sector.
Huawei Launches Broad Lunar New Year Discount Drive — Price Cuts Across Phones and Devices Top ¥4,000
Huawei has announced a wide-ranging Lunar New Year promotion on its official site, cutting prices across phones and other devices with headline discounts stated to reach up to ¥4,000 when combining model reductions, trade-ins and finance offers. The campaign aims to boost short-term sales, clear inventory and reinforce Huawei’s device ecosystem amid tougher market conditions and fierce domestic competition.
Alibaba’s Cainiao Consolidates Autonomous-vehicle Arm with Jiushi Intelligent — A Step Toward Integrated, Data-driven Last-mile Logistics
A NetEase headline reports a strategic integration between Cainiao’s unmanned-vehicle arm and Jiushi Intelligent. Though the original post lacked detail, the move would fit a broader pattern of Chinese logistics platforms vertically integrating autonomy technology to cut costs, capture data and accelerate last-mile automation.
Red Envelopes as Weapons: China’s Tech Giants Gamble Big to Buy AI Users This Lunar New Year
China’s tech giants are reviving Lunar New Year cash giveaways to accelerate AI app adoption: Tencent’s Yuanbao will distribute 1 billion yuan, Baidu’s Wenxin 500 million yuan, and ByteDance is showcasing its cloud under the Spring Gala. The tactics expose a strategic split—consumer subsidies to buy attention versus infrastructure plays to win enterprise customers—and highlight the fragility of changing user habits with cash alone.