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Showing articles 136 - 150 of 579 total (matching filters).

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  tech 6

  Pony AI and Toyota roll out mass-produced robotaxis in China’s autonomous drive push

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-09 12:28)

  Pony AI, in collaboration with Toyota, has begun mass production of robotaxis in China, with 1,000 units planned for this year. The joint venture aims to expand its total fleet to over 3,000 autonomous vehicles across Chinese and international markets by the end of 2026.

  This partnership combines Pony AI's self-driving technology with Toyota's manufacturing and supply chain capabilities to scale commercial robotaxi operations. Analysts note this model of integrating a tech provider with a major automaker is accelerating the deployment of autonomous cabs in urban areas.

  The main topics covered are the launch and scaling of robotaxi production, the strategic partnership between Pony AI and Toyota, and the commercial deployment of autonomous vehicles in cities.

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  tech 4

  Chinese vacuum maker using Temu’s playbook dreams big with Super Bowl debut

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-09 14:20)

  Chinese appliance maker Dreame debuted a commercial for its robot vacuums during the Super Bowl, following a marketing playbook used by other Chinese companies like Temu and Top Games to break into the US market.

  Company executives state the high-profile ad signals a long-term commitment to the US market, aiming to build Dreame into a trusted household name through innovation tailored to American consumers.

  The strategy appears effective, with Dreame's CEO reporting a 189% year-over-year revenue increase in the market for 2025.

  The main topics covered are Dreame's Super Bowl marketing strategy, its growth in the US market, and the precedent set by other Chinese firms using similar high-visibility advertising.

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  tech 4

  Before the factory floor, the dance floor: humanoids find a path to market at US$145

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-10 00:00)

  A Chinese company is trialing a service to rent humanoid robots for entertainment at events like parties and holidays for 999 yuan (US$145) per 90-minute session. The service, offered by the platform Botshare and featuring robots from maker Agibot, provides programmed performances including dancing and skits in several major Chinese cities. This represents an early commercial pathway for humanoid robots, focusing on entertainment, as their anticipated large-scale industrial applications are still developing.

  The main topics covered are the commercial rental of humanoid robots for entertainment, the specific service and pricing offered by Botshare and Agibot, and the strategic shift towards near-term entertainment applications over longer-term industrial uses.

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  tech 5

  China calls on delivery, ride-hailing firms to respect gig-worker rights ahead of holiday

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-10 02:37)

  Chinese regulators summoned 16 major platform and logistics firms, including Meituan, Alibaba, and Didi Chuxing, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday. The government directed these companies to improve labor management and safeguard the rights of the country's vast gig workforce.

  Separately, Alibaba's ride-hailing service, Amap, was summoned over issues like rate suppression and inadequate driver support. Authorities urged Amap to strengthen care for drivers and improve working conditions during the holiday period.

  The main topics covered are government intervention with gig economy platforms, the protection of gig workers' rights ahead of a major holiday, and specific regulatory actions against a ride-hailing service.

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  tech 5

  Indonesia telco chief warns of ‘digital colonisation’, backs China’s open-source AI

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-10 15:00)

  Indonesian telecommunications executives have warned of "digital colonisation" and stressed the importance of localisation and digital sovereignty in AI adoption. This emphasis comes as major Chinese AI cloud providers, like Huawei and Alibaba Cloud, seek to compete with U.S. rivals in fast-growing Southeast Asian markets such as Indonesia.

  Chinese companies are promoting their open-source AI models as being better suited for customization to local conditions compared to closed-source alternatives. The remarks were made during a panel on China-Indonesia AI cooperation at a conference in Jakarta.

  The main topics covered are digital sovereignty, AI localisation, and the competition between Chinese and U.S. tech firms in Southeast Asia's AI market.

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  tech 5

  RFK Jr. Says Americans Need More Protein. His Grok-Powered Food Website Disagrees

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-10 20:30)

  A new public health campaign, promoted via a Super Bowl ad and the website Realfood.gov, encourages increased protein consumption based on updated government dietary guidelines. The guidelines recommend 1.2 to 1.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, a shift from previous advice, and are framed as ending a "war on protein."

  The AI chatbot Grok, which the campaign directs people to for advice, provided varying protein recommendations; it initially cited the older standard but aligned with the new guidelines when exercise habits were specified. Nutrition experts note that while the higher targets can benefit active individuals, the broad messaging lacks nuance and may not apply to sedentary people.

  The campaign's emphasis on animal protein, including beef, contrasts with Grok's advice and conventional health guidance, which prioritize plant-based proteins and fish while recommending limits on red and processed meats.

  Main topics: New government dietary guidelines promoting protein, the use of AI (Grok) for dietary advice, expert analysis of the guidelines' appropriateness, and the contrast between campaign messaging and established nutritional science.

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  tech 4

  The Physics Behind the Quadruple Axel, the Most Difficult Jump in Figure Skating

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-10 20:45)

  A new biomechanics study has identified that achieving greater vertical height is a crucial, previously underemphasized factor for successfully performing the extremely difficult quadruple axel jump in figure skating. The research analyzed competition footage and found skaters aimed for significantly more height on quad axel attempts compared to triple axels, providing the necessary air time to complete the four-and-a-half rotations.

  The article explains the quad axel's unique difficulty due to its forward takeoff and high rotation count, and notes its high value in the current scoring system. The findings update previous scientific theories and offer insights for training strategies, though mastering the jump remains an exceptional challenge.

  The main topics covered are the biomechanics of the quadruple axel jump, its scoring importance in figure skating, and the specific kinematic strategies required for its execution.

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  tech 5

  China’s SMIC expects flat revenue as drop in low-end orders offsets AI chip growth

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-11 03:13)

  SMIC, China's largest contract chipmaker, expects flat revenue for the first quarter as declining orders for low-end products, like smartphones, offset strong demand for AI chips. The company reported annual revenue and profit growth for 2025, but its profit still fell short of analyst estimates. SMIC's leadership stated they are positioned to address market demands to drive future growth in 2026.

  The main topics covered are SMIC's financial performance, its flat revenue outlook due to shifting market demand between low-end and AI chips, and its role in China's semiconductor self-reliance efforts.

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  tech 6

  Capital injection: China backs AI drug makers in self-reliance drive

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-11 06:00)

  The Chinese government is directing significant investment into domestic AI-driven pharmaceutical companies as part of a broader push for technological self-reliance. A key example is Hangzhou-based METiS TechBio, which secured substantial state-linked funding and has developed China's first AI-designed drug candidate to reach Phase III clinical trials.

  The company plans to seek regulatory approval in China this year and is considering a Hong Kong IPO. This activity highlights Beijing's strategic effort to build an independent biotech ecosystem by financing innovative firms in the sector.

  The main topics covered are: Chinese government investment in AI drug discovery, the progress of a specific company (METiS TechBio), and the national drive for biotech self-reliance.

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  tech 5

  Astronomers Are Closing In on the Kuiper Belt’s Secrets

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-11 10:00)

  The Kuiper Belt, a distant region of frozen debris beyond Neptune, is a largely pristine relic of the early solar system containing thousands of cataloged objects. New observatories, especially the Vera C. Rubin Observatory, are expected to dramatically increase discoveries and provide a more complete census of this frontier.

  This influx of data may answer major questions, including the existence of hidden planets, the belt's full extent, and the history of planetary migrations. For instance, peculiar structures within the belt, like a "kernel" of objects at 44 AU, may be evidence of Neptune's turbulent outward migration billions of years ago.

  Main topics: The Kuiper Belt's nature and significance; upcoming observational advances from new telescopes; key unresolved scientific questions about the solar system's history and structure.

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  tech 5

  China is leading in holistic AI development. Can the US catch up?

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-11 12:30)

  The article argues that success in AI development will be determined by practical applications that meet everyday needs, not just by having the most advanced models. It highlights significant public distrust of AI in the US compared to high trust in China, and concerns that market hype and valuations may be outpacing real-world adoption.

  Financial volatility is a major concern, as AI stocks are deeply tied to the US economy and retirement funds, yet their long-term profitability is questioned. The US is advised to shift focus from just leading in large language models to integrating AI into industrial processes, leveraging massive planned infrastructure investments to fuel re-industrialization.

  The main topics covered are the US-China AI competition, public trust in AI, financial market risks related to AI stocks, and the strategic need for industrial AI integration.

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  tech 5

  China’s Zhipu AI launches new major model GLM-5 in challenge to its rivals

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-11 21:22)

  Chinese AI company Zhipu AI has launched its new flagship model, GLM-5, highlighting a significant leap in coding capabilities and a shift toward "agentic engineering." The announcement caused the company's Hong Kong shares to surge by 28.7 percent.

  The company claims the model achieves leading scores for open models in coding and agentic performance, even surpassing Google's Gemini 3 Pro in internal tests, though it still lags behind Anthropic's Claude on coding benchmarks.

  Technically, GLM-5 is much larger than its predecessor, with 744 billion parameters and trained on 28.5 trillion tokens, utilizing a new efficient architecture called DeepSeek Sparse Attention.

  Main topics: Zhipu AI's GLM-5 model launch; its claimed performance and benchmarks; its technical specifications and architecture; the market reaction.

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  tech 5

  Study of Buddhist Monks Finds Meditation Alters Brain Activity

  (Science Latest / 2026-02-11 22:35)

  A new international study challenges the common perception of meditation as a state of mental rest, finding it instead involves heightened cerebral activity and profoundly altered brain dynamics. Researchers used magnetoencephalography (MEG) to analyze the brain activity of Buddhist monks practicing two forms of meditation: Samatha (focused attention) and Vipassana (open monitoring).

  The study found both meditation practices increase the complexity of brain signals compared to rest, indicating a dynamic state rich with information. However, they achieve this through different neural configurations, with Vipassana bringing the brain closer to an optimal balance between stability and flexibility, while Samatha produces a more focused and stable state.

  The main topics covered are the study's findings on meditation's effect on brain activity, the comparison between Samatha and Vipassana techniques, and the concept of brain criticality as a state of optimal information processing.

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  tech 5

  China’s Baidu unveils AI-driven Wikipedia challenger in bid for international users

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-12 02:51)

  Chinese tech giant Baidu has launched BaiduWiki, an AI-driven online encyclopedia available in multiple languages, as an international challenger to Wikipedia. The service, an extension of its domestic Baidu Baike platform, initially offered one million entries translated with the help of AI agents.

  The launch is part of a broader strategy to bridge global information gaps, simultaneously pulling overseas information for local users and offering Chinese content to a global audience. This effort is supported by a new "global search" feature in Baidu's Ernie Assistant chatbot, which serves over 200 million monthly users.

  The main topics covered are Baidu's international expansion with an AI-powered encyclopedia, the integration of this service with its Ernie AI assistant, and the strategic goal of becoming a global information bridge.

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  tech 6

  Alibaba’s Qwen tops 120 million orders in 6 days amid China’s AI shopping battle

  (Big Tech - South China Morning Post / 2026-02-12 09:02)

  Alibaba's AI shopping assistant, Qwen, received over 120 million orders in six days during a promotional campaign. The campaign significantly attracted new users, with nearly half of orders from less urban areas and about 1.56 million elderly people making their first online purchases.

  Analysts suggest the campaign's mix of AI, social features, and payments could drive unprecedented user growth in China's mobile internet. Alibaba states the initiative is sparking a behavioral shift, positioning AI-powered shopping as an emerging popular lifestyle choice.

  The main topics covered are the commercial success of Alibaba's AI shopping campaign, its impact on user demographics and behavior, and the broader trend of AI integration in e-commerce and lifestyle.