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Buttons launches Solemate, a luxury robot powered by Terminus’ Hali AI agent

3 mins read

Pulses

Meituan plans “dim sum” bond sale

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Meituan
Meituan plans to raise RMB 9–10 billion in its debut "dim sum" bond offering, comprising five- and ten-year notes, according to people familiar with the matter. The sale adds to a wave of offshore RMB bond deals by Chinese tech firms such as Tencent and Baidu amid intensifying price competition at home.

Chery reveals “transformable” SUV concept

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Chery
Chery has unveiled a seven-seat “transformable multi-SUV” concept featuring six reconfigurable layouts for varied family uses, including pickup and camper modes. Developed through global user collaboration, the model reflects Chery’s shift toward scenario-based design and is slated for market launch in 2026.

Alibaba launches AI glasses, chatbot

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CNBC
Alibaba has priced its Quark AI glasses at RMB 4,699, with presales beginning October 24 and discounts lowering the cost to RMB 3,999. Shipments will start in December. The company also introduced a new chatbot powered by its Qwen 3 models, expanding its push into consumer-focused AI products.

Noetix unveils humanoid robot Bumi

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Jiemian News
Noetix Robotics has opened preorders for Bumi, described as the world’s first humanoid robot priced below RMB 10,000. The 94-centimeter-tall model features 21 degrees of freedom and can reportedly walk, run, and dance. Built with lightweight composites and in-house components, it drew more than 300 preorders within 20 hours of launch.

China doubles down on tech self-reliance

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Bloomberg
China has pledged to boost technological self-reliance and expand its domestic market under its next five-year plan, aiming to shield the economy from foreign pressures. The communique emphasized innovation in semiconductors, AI, and advanced manufacturing, alongside efforts to raise consumption and sustain growth.

Japan automakers brace for Nexperia fallout

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Bloomberg
Nexperia has warned Japanese automotive customers that it may not be able to guarantee chip supply, raising concern over global production risks. Japan’s automaker association said members are working to limit disruption. The notice follows the Dutch government’s takeover of Nexperia from Chinese parent Wingtech amid escalating US-China trade tensions.

Tesla recalls Cybertrucks over light issue

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Reuters
Tesla is recalling 63,619 Cybertrucks in the US after regulators found a software issue that made the front parking lights too bright, posing a hazard to oncoming drivers. The NHTSA said Tesla issued an over-the-air fix at no cost, following another recall of nearly 13,000 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.

ByteDance unveils Seed3D generative model

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ByteDance
ByteDance’s Seed team has unveiled Seed3D 1.0, a 3D generative model designed to advance world simulation and embodied intelligence. Built on a diffusion transformer framework, Seed3D can generate high-fidelity geometry, textures, and PBR (physically based rendering) materials from a single image, showing strong performance and compatibility with Nvidia's Isaac Sim.

Honor’s AI spending tops RMB 10 billion

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Cailian Press
Honor chairman Wu Hui said at a company conference that AI is reshaping the device ecosystem and driving human-computer interaction through natural language. Describing intelligent agents as a new “super entry point,” he said Honor has invested more than RMB 10 billion in AI R&D.

Huawei debuts HarmonyOS 6 in China

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SCMP
Huawei has launched HarmonyOS 6 in China, introducing direct file transfers between Huawei and Apple devices for the first time. The update, available on more than 90 models including the Mate 70 and Pura 80, adds new AI features and agent tools as Huawei works to strengthen its position against Android and iOS.

Tesla shares fall as Musk touts robots

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CNBC
Tesla shares fell more than 3% after its Q3 2025 earnings call omitted updates on vehicle demand, margins, or new models. CEO Elon Musk instead focused on robotaxis and humanoid robots, saying Optimus has the potential to be Tesla’s “biggest product of all time.” The company added its FSD system contributed less than 2% of quarterly revenue.

Emaar eyes US, China for expansion

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Semafor
Emaar Properties founder and chairman Mohamed Alabbar said the Dubai developer is exploring expansion into the US and China. Speaking at a Reuters conference, he cited housing shortages in cities such as California and New York as entry opportunities while reaffirming confidence in China’s long-term growth prospects.

Meta cuts hundreds of AI roles

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Axios
Meta is said to be cutting about 600 positions from its AI division, including its FAIR (Facebook Artificial Intelligence Research) and product AI teams, while continuing to expand its TBD Lab. Chief AI officer Alexandr Wang said the restructuring aims to streamline decision-making and increase individual impact.

Hong Kong approves first Solana ETF

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SCMP
Hong Kong has approved its first ETF tracking Solana, launched by ChinaAMC. The Asia-first Solana ETF, set to begin trading on October 27 in HKD, RMB, and USD, directly holds the token to mirror its performance. The move highlights Hong Kong’s effort to cement its digital asset hub status amid growing regional scrutiny.

Gushine opens Vietnam battery base

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Gushine Electronics
Gushine Electronics has opened a 22,000-square-meter lithium battery manufacturing base in Hai Phong, Vietnam. The automated facility will produce industrial and commercial battery packs valued at about USD 100 million annually and create up to 500 jobs.

Alibaba’s Quark drives new AI initiative

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Sina
Alibaba’s Quark unit is reportedly advancing an AI initiative known internally as project "C," led by its core team with senior input from Tongyi Lab. Sources said the project focuses on conversational AI and will unveil initial results soon. The codename may derive from “Chat” or the game Pac-Man, suggesting competition with ByteDance's Doubao.

Leju Robotics raises USD 200 million ahead of IPO

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Bloomberg
Shenzhen-based Leju Robotics has raised more than USD 200 million ahead of a planned listing, attracting investors including CITIC Goldstone Investment and Shenzhen Investment Holdings. The funds will support new robot development and production scaling as Leju deepens partnerships with Huawei, Alibaba, Haier, and other firms.

Innovent, Takeda ink USD 11.4 billion deal

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WSJ
Chinese drugmaker Innovent Biologics has signed a partnership with Japan’s Takeda Pharmaceutical worth up to USD 11.4 billion to co-develop and commercialize two cancer therapies. The deal includes USD 1.2 billion upfront, as much as USD 10.2 billion in milestone payments, and a USD 100 million equity investment.

Baidu partners PostBus to launch AmiGo service

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Baidu
Baidu’s Apollo Go has partnered with Swiss transport operator PostBus to launch AmiGo, an autonomous ride-hailing service in Switzerland’s eastern cantons. Trial runs are set to begin in December 2025 using Baidu’s Level 4 RT6 EVs, with fully driverless operations targeted for early 2027. The partnership marks Apollo Go’s European debut and supports Switzerland’s smart mobility goals.

Shengshu unveils rival to OpenAI’s Sora

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SCMP
Beijing-based Shengshu Technology has unveiled Vidu Q2, a video generation model designed to rival OpenAI’s Sora. The system enables users to create realistic, controllable clips by merging up to seven reference images into coherent scenes. Available globally, the model supports multiple video formats as Shengshu expands its multimodal AI portfolio.
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Events

GITEX Global 2025 wraps in Dubai with strong turnout and new editions on the horizon

The 45th edition of GITEX Global and its sister event, Expand North Star, drew tens of thousands of participants to Dubai.

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