China Executive Insights
China three biggest tech firms are dismantling the AI companion features that millions of users built emotional attachments to, citing regulatory and strategic reasons.
DeepSeek and Zhipu AI join OpenAI and Anthropic in developing custom inference chips, signaling a structural shift where leading AI labs pursue in-house silicon to cut costs and reduce GPU dependency.
Xiaomi EV today unveiled SkyNomad, a new vehicle series that the company said represents “the sky, the nomad — a new name for space and lifestyle.” The first model in the lineup will be Xiaomi’s first range-extended full-size SUV, targeting families and outdoor travel scenarios. The vehicle is expected to launch in the second half of 2026, with industry watchers anticipating a debut in the third quarter. Xiaomi also will roll out a range of outdoor-focused ecosystem products alongside the SUV, as the company seeks to build a more comprehensive mobility and lifestyle ecosystem around the new series. [TechNode reporting] 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.
Tencent HY hires OpenAI research scientist Tian Yonglong as new multimodal model lead, reporting to chief AI scientist Yao Shunyu in the latest high-profile AI talent raid.
In recent years, as generative AI has shifted from model training toward large-scale inference, an increasing number of AI model developers have turned their attention to underlying hardware. Chinese AI startup DeepSeek has launched an in-house AI chip project focused on inference workloads, according to Reuters. The company aims to reduce inference costs through custom-designed processors while lowering its reliance on overseas suppliers such as NVIDIA. The report said the project remains in its early stages and is designed primarily for AI inference rather than model training. As generative AI adoption accelerates, inference has become one of the fastest-growing segments of the AI market. Unlike training, which requires concentrated bursts of computing power, inference must continuously serve large volumes of user requests, making cost efficiency, power consumption and system reliability increasingly important. Sources said DeepSeek began developing the chip about a year ago and has stepped up hiring in recent months. Rather than relying on public recruitment, the company has quietly recruited experienced chip engineers through targeted outreach. The team covers chip architecture, verification and software enablement.
China's Nayuta Space unveils Alaya orbital computing constellation, planning 12,500 AI compute satellites in sun-synchronous orbit with aerodynamic rocket recovery.
Chinese semiconductor equipment makers build all-domestic-component test machines, as local parts suppliers like ACM Research, Foxconn Precision, and Feilihua accelerate import substitution.
ByteDance's Seedance 2.0 becomes China's first overwhelmingly dominant video generation model, achieving 70-90% gross margins and redefining the AI business model.
Huawei's Tao's Law V2 paper reveals Kirin 2026 with Logic Folding, boosting transistor density to 175MTr/mm² without advanced EUV lithography.
YOOZOO Interactive deploys AI agents across 75% of its workforce, using Tencent Cloud WorkBuddy to transform game development from coding to global marketing analytics.
China Merchants Group's LionRock AI Lab identifies and solves VLA shortcut learning with Hybrid Dynamic Data Collection, accepted at IROS 2026.
Zhipu AI launches GLM-Image at image.z.ai, a free AI image generator with Chinese text rendering that outperforms Midjourney and others for Chinese-language users.