Alibaba

ByteDance

CATL

Huawei

Meituan

Tencent

Xiaomi

Most Followed

KrASIA Connection

Venture Roundup

Earnings Reports

China's Auto Sector

Inside China's Startups

100 AI Creators

View All

Collections

News

Features

Insights

Ecosystem

Press Releases

DeepSeek

Li Auto

Luckin Coffee

Mixue Bingcheng

Pop Mart

Xpeng

On the Radar

JD.com has formed a new business unit to integrate and commercialize its AI initiatives, including the JoyAI app, JoyInside platform, and digital huma…

Events

Latest

About

Consumer

Robotics

Fintech

Collaborate

What lies beyond familiar frontiers? Investigate emerging tech—like quantum computing and AI—transforming traditional sectors.

Deep Tech

What powers digital devices? Delve into chip design, manufacturing bottlenecks, and semiconductor breakthroughs fueling global electronics.

Semiconductors

China

Hong Kong

The Chinese chipmaker has built a vertically integrated GPGPU ecosystem, and now seeks new capital to scale it.

Iluvatar CoreX becomes first Chinese GPGPU firm to gain HKEX listing approval

Decoding China&#039;s tech and business pulse

KrASIA

CHENG Zi is based in China, covering technology and business-related events. She works with her colleagues at 36Kr Global to provide coverage in both English and Chinese.

Cheng Zi

Photo of the RT6 vehicle from Baidu’s Apollo Go, used for autonomous vehicle testing in Switzerland as part of a collaboration with a Swiss Post subsidiary.

Baidu leads Chinese search engines, voice assistants, autonomous driving research, and AI platforms connecting users with information and services.

Baidu

China’s tech ecosystem serves as a driving force behind the world’s second largest economy, influencing global digital markets.

Explore East Asia’s thriving tech hubs, global electronics producers, and fast-evolving digital platforms shaping cross-border innovation.

East Asia

How are driverless systems redefining mobility? Uncover sensor technologies, regulatory frameworks, and AI driving cars without human intervention.

Autonomous Vehicles

How is the way we move evolving? Explore developments in autonomous transportation, electric vehicles, and more efficient urban transit.

Mobility

How do goods and people flow worldwide? Examine transport networks, logistics innovations, and policies shaping global connectivity.

Transportation

Europe

Trials are underway even as narrow roads and competition from buses pose potential hurdles.

UK, Europe emerge as robotaxi battleground for Baidu and Waymo

As part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with Nikkei, you can read selected content from Nikkei Asia on KrASIA.

Nikkei Asia

How do markets shape wealth creation? Study portfolio diversification, asset classes, and strategies balancing growth and risk.

Investment

When do companies invite public investment? Understand listing criteria, underwriter roles, and regulatory steps defining initial offerings.

Why do firms join forces? Investigate synergy goals, valuation methods, and negotiations driving corporate consolidation.

Merger &amp; Acquisition

What happens after acquisitions close? Examine deal structures, operational improvements, and exit strategies molding corporate outcomes.

Private Equity

What fuels startup ecosystems? Review funding rounds, investor strategies, and market insights guiding entrepreneurial growth.

Venture Capital

Singapore

Southeast Asia

Vietnam

Bringing you the latest updates on funding and investment activity across the Asia Pacific.

Deals in brief: Pyxis hits first close of SGD 18 million round, BBVA leads Olea’s Series A funding, latest China investments, and more

An alias used when humans and machines team up in our newsroom. Articles under this byline may be shaped with the help of AI, but are always vetted by a human before publication.

Sudo Lim

KrASIA tracks China’s tech and business stories, alongside key developments across the broader Asia Pacific region.

Header Section | KrASIA

Home

Sections

Header Section

<a href="/company/jd">JD.com</a> has formed a new business unit to integrate and commercialize its <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> initiatives, including the JoyAI app, JoyInside platform, and digital human products. JD also plans to launch new AI-driven plush toys this month following strong initial sales.

BrainCo has confidentially filed for a Hong Kong IPO and is working with CICC and UBS on the deal, according to people familiar with the matter. The filing follows the brain-computer interface startup’s recent RMB 2 billion fundraising, the industry’s second largest round globally after Neuralink.

<a href="/company/xpeng">Xpeng</a> has hired JPMorgan Chase and Morgan Stanley to prepare an IPO of its flying car unit in Hong Kong, according to people familiar with the matter. The company has confidentially filed for a share sale that could take place this year as it seeks to tap China’s low-altitude economy and expand its frontier technology portfolio.

<a href="/company/pop-mart">Pop Mart</a> has denied reports that it is developing a smartphone, saying it will instead launch an IP collaboration with a major phone brand. Earlier reports suggested the company planned to release a youth-oriented device. The statement comes as Pop Mart expands into new consumer segments, including jewelry and <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a>-powered toys.

China has banned major <a href="/industry/e-commerce">e-commerce</a> platforms such as <a href="/company/alibaba">Alibaba</a>, <a href="/company/jd">JD.com</a>, and <a href="/company/meituan">Meituan</a> from coercing merchants into promotions, part of new rules aimed at curbing fierce online competition. Effective February this year, the regulations also prohibit false influencer marketing and require platforms to strengthen consumer and data protections.

China's Ministry of Commerce has said it would review Meta’s USD 2.5 billion acquisition of <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> startup Manus, founded by Chinese entrepreneurs who relocated the company to Singapore. Sources said the review reflects Beijing’s broader effort to safeguard AI technologies amid an intensifying tech rivalry with the US.

Omdia ranked <a href="/company/agibot">Agibot</a> first globally in humanoid robot shipments and market share for 2025, with 5,168 units delivered and a 39% global share. The report said Chinese manufacturers led the sector’s rapid growth and rated Agibot highest in six of eight technical dimensions, ahead of peers including Unitree and <a href="/company/tesla">Tesla</a>.

<p data-start="317" data-end="767"><a href="/company/geely">Geely</a> said its group-wide vehicle sales reached 4.12 million units in 2025, up 26% YoY and surpassing four million for the first time. New energy vehicle (NEV) sales rose 58% to 2.29 million units, raising the group’s NEV penetration to 56%.</p>

Cainiao has launched a new G2G cross-border logistics service in the Americas, starting with a route between the US and Mexico. Covering key <a href="/industry/e-commerce">e-commerce</a> hubs along the west coast in the US and 99% of Mexico, the launch makes Cainiao the first Chinese logistics company to offer G2G operations across Asia, Europe, and the Americas.

<a href="/company/anta">Anta Sports</a> has offered to buy the Pinault family’s 29% stake in German sportswear group Puma. The offer is fully financed, though talks have stalled. Artemis, the family’s holding firm, had sought bids above EUR 40 per share. Puma shares rose after the report as investors welcomed potential new backing for the brand’s turnaround plan.

Moore Threads has released an updated version of SimuMax, upgrading its open-source simulator for distributed LLM training. The new release adds a visual configuration interface, automated parallel strategy search, and improved Megatron-LM compatibility, turning the tool into an integrated workflow platform for large-scale model optimization.

Photo of Abel Deng, Agibot’s president for the Asia Pacific and Middle East, speaking at the Malaysia launch event on January 13.

Agibot

Embodied Intelligence

How does automation advance industry? Analyze robotic arms, drones, and AI-driven tools reshaping manufacturing and services.

Malaysia

The Chinese robotics company is deploying its technology at Malaysia’s i-City, marking the first step in a regional rollout across Southeast Asia.

Agibot kicks off APAC expansion with Malaysia launch event

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/cd0d29f7b9fd019c7c0d49a09a1ec8b1?s=96&d=blank&r=g

T. K. Lin

AI Infrastructure

What guides machine-led insights? Uncover AI applications, language models, and decision-making systems transforming sectors worldwide.

Artificial Intelligence

The data center rush is fueling massive demand for power equipment and cooling systems.

Chinese suppliers set to gain from global AI boom despite trade tensions

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/aec5e55596415464d13490d0e0caa9a2?s=96&d=blank&r=g

SenseTime’s AI solutions power facial recognition, image processing, and autonomous driving, serving governments, enterprises, and research institutes.

SenseTime

Investors seeking founders with both technical depth and market awareness see SenseTime’s alumni network as a consistent source of AI talent.

After DJI, SenseTime alumni emerge as a new draw for investors

36Kr is China's most influential business and technology network, delivering high-quality content focused on China’s innovation and new economy trends since 2010. With its extensive traffic and network, 36Kr has built a comprehensive database and strong data analytics capabilities to provide insights into China’s technology landscape.

https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/a6b9ace74da9df391d5f7ba1892f4393?s=96&d=blank&r=g

JD.com sets up AI unit

Latest Pulses

Most Recent

Agibot kicks off APAC expansion with Malaysia launch event

Chinese suppliers set to gain from global AI boom despite trade tensions

After DJI, SenseTime alumni emerge as a new draw for investors