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Technology

ByteDance explores autonomous driving for unmanned logistics

ByteDance is exploring autonomous driving technology for unmanned logistics through the world model team under Seed, its AI research unit, according to Chinese media reports. The early-stage project is reportedly tied to Volcengine’s automotive industry line. ByteDance said its large model research includes early exploration in physical AI, but added that it has no plan to build a smart driving business. [IT Home, in Chinese] Every Wednesday and Friday, TechNode’s Briefing newsletter delivers a roundup of the most important news in China tech, straight to your inbox. Your support helps TechNode continue to provide credible, on-the-ground journalism and industry insights about the Chinese tech industry.

July 13, 2026

Technology

OpenHarmony Six-Year Transformation: An Operating System Revolution Spanning Thousands of Industries

OpenHarmony surpasses 13,000 contributors, 140 million lines of code, and 1.3 billion ecosystem devices, driving digital transformation across mining, power, healthcare, and government services.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Native AI Agents Arrive: The AI Phone Market Enters Its Second Half With Nubia and ByteDance Leading the Charge

Nubia debuts the world first native AI agent smartphone at WAIC 2026, moving beyond AI feature add-ons to autonomous agent systems that understand, execute, and remember user tasks across apps.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Alipay Launches AI Open Platform: The Agent Commerce Infrastructure Behind Ant Group AI Strategy

Alipay AI open platform lets merchants package services as plug-ins for AI agents across phones, cars, and terminals, completing Ant Group three-month AI commerce infrastructure buildout.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Has Tencent AI Finally Turned the Corner? Inside Hunyuan Hy3, the Model That Got Tencent Back in the Race

Tencent Hunyuan Hy3, with 295B MoE parameters and strong Agent performance, climbs to top-8 on OpenRouter and demonstrates a rebooted approach to building AI models by rethinking the training pipeline.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Has China AI Really Surpassed the US? Behind Two Viral Charts, Five Questions Worth Asking

Analysis of China vs US AI competition from a talent development perspective, examining what NeurIPS authorship data and MacroPolo talent tracking actually reveal about the competitive landscape.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Google reportedly beats Apple to TSMC’s 2nm chip debut with Tensor G6

According to the latest industry leaks, Google’s next-generation in-house flagship chip, the Tensor G6, will be the first to adopt TSMC’s 2nm process, making it the world’s first mass-produced 2nm smartphone chip. The chip will power the Pixel 11 series, scheduled for launch in August 2026, about a month ahead of Apple’s iPhone 18 Pro lineup, which is also expected to use TSMC’s 2nm technology. Historically, Apple has been TSMC’s first customer to adopt each new leading-edge process and bring it to its mobile devices. That tradition, however, is set to be broken this year, with Google expected to become the launch customer for TSMC’s 2nm process, drawing significant industry attention. [IThome, in Chinese] Every Wednesday and Friday, TechNode’s Briefing newsletter delivers a roundup of the most important news in China tech, straight to your inbox. Your support helps TechNode continue to provide credible, on-the-ground journalism and industry insights about the Chinese tech industry.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Seres Group expects H1 2026 net loss of $220 million–$270 million

Seres Group on Sunday issued a profit warning for the first half of 2026, forecasting a net loss attributable to shareholders of between RMB 1.5 billion ($220 million) and RMB 1.8 billion ($270 million) for the period from January 1 to June 30. The company compares with a net profit of RMB 2.941 billion ($430 million) in the same period last year, which would represent a reversal from profit to loss. According to the announcement, the expected earnings decline was mainly driven by higher production costs resulting from rising prices of key raw materials, including memory chips, industrial metals, and lithium carbonate. Additionally, the company, based on the principle of prudence, adjusted the carrying value of certain existing assets that had become less suitable due to technology upgrades and model replacements. The company’s core subsidiary, Aito, is expected to swing from a profit to a loss, dragging Seres’ consolidated net profit into negative territory. The earnings forecast is based on the company’s preliminary calculations and has not been audited by certified public accountants. Final financial results will be disclosed in Seres’ official interim report for the first half of 2026.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Major Breakthrough: CZ-10B Threads the Needle for Net Recovery, But What Remains for Private Rockets?

As CASC Long March 10B proves state-owned reusable rocket capability, private rocket companies face existential questions about their role versus delivering incremental innovation.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Paper-Thin Smart Material Adhesion Increased 400x: NPU Discovers Electric-Activated Grip Holding 10-Pound Dumbbells

Northwestern Polytechnical University develops smart adhesive material that activates 400x stronger grip when electrified, opening applications in chip manufacturing, soft robotics, and precision assembly.

July 13, 2026

Technology

After CZ-10B, the Next Exam for China Private Commercial Rocket Companies

With CASC Long March 10B now demonstrating reusable rocket capability, China private rocket startups face a higher competitive bar requiring larger payloads and operational reusability.

July 13, 2026

Technology

Tencent WorkBuddy Beginner Guide: A Local AI Agent Tailored for Chinese Users That Actually Does Your Work

Tencent launches WorkBuddy, a local AI coding agent built on CodeBuddy with Hunyuan Hy3 model, integrating WeChat for file management, automation, and task execution.

July 13, 2026