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WeRide and Uber have launched commercial robotaxi services in downtown Abu Dhabi, marking the emirate’s first deployment in its city center. The netwo…

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WeRide and Uber have launched commercial robotaxi services in downtown Abu Dhabi, marking the emirate’s first deployment in its city center. The network covers about 70% of core areas, with the fleet quadrupling since December 2024. Rides are available via the Uber app under a phased rollout toward fully driverless operations.

ChatGPT maker <a href="/company/openai">OpenAI</a> has told US lawmakers that <a href="/company/deepseek">DeepSeek</a> used distillation and “new, obfuscated methods” to extract outputs from US-made <a href="/industry">AI</a> models to train its R1 chatbot, according to a memo. The company said accounts tied to DeepSeek sought to bypass safeguards via third-party access routes.

<a href="/company/grab">Grab</a>, operator of the eponymous Southeast Asian app, has signed definitive agreements to acquire 100% of US digital investment platform Stash, valuing an initial 50.1% stake at a USD 425 million enterprise value at closing, with the remainder to be acquired over three years. The deal, expected to close in Q3 2026, expands Grab’s fintech operations beyond Southeast Asia.

E-Power, formerly Sunrise New Energy, has signed an MoU with Kehui International to establish a US joint venture focused on microgrids for <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> compute and power automation. E-Power will hold at least 55% and invest USD 1.5 million, while Kehui contributes patented technology with exclusive rights in the US and Canada. The venture targets USD 3 million in sales within three years.

<a href="/company/bytedance">ByteDance</a> has launched Seedance 2.0, a multimodal generation model that supports text, image, audio, and video inputs. The system enables up to 15-second multi-shot outputs with dual-channel audio, expanded editing, and video extension features, and is available on Dreamina, Doubao, and Volcano Engine’s Model Ark.

<a href="/company/alibaba">Alibaba</a> said its Qwen app completed more than 120 million orders in six days during a Lunar New Year campaign backed by up to RMB 3 billion in subsidies, after users made 4.1 billion requests. Alipay’s “AI Pay” also surpassed 120 million transactions in a week.

<a href="/company/bytedance">ByteDance</a> is developing an <a href="/industry/ai">AI</a> inference chip and negotiating with Samsung Electronics for manufacturing and memory supply, with sample units targeted by end-March, sources said. The company plans to produce at least 100,000 chips this year, potentially scaling to 350,000. ByteDance said the reported in-house chip details are inaccurate.

<a href="/company/xiaomi">Xiaomi</a> has discontinued production of the first-generation SU7, with the final unit shipped, founder Lei Jun said. The new SU7 will begin arriving in stores from February 13 ahead of an April launch. The company delivered more than 410,000 vehicles in 2025 and has set a 2026 sales target of 550,000 units.

<a href="/company/byd">BYD</a> reported 4.6 million vehicle sales in 2025, surpassing Ford’s nearly 4.4 million as the US automaker’s wholesale numbers fell almost 2%. The result lifts BYD to sixth in global rankings, one spot ahead of Ford. Toyota remained in first place for a sixth straight year with 11.3 million units sold, up 4.6% YoY.

<a href="/company/li-auto">Li Auto</a> confirmed it will roll out a "store partner" program after the 2026 Lunar New Year, granting store managers greater decision-making power and replacing single sales targets with metrics covering sales, profit, and user satisfaction. It is also evaluating the closure of low-efficiency stores opened during its expansion phase.

<a href="/company/pop-mart">Pop Mart</a> said it sold more than 400 million units worldwide in 2025 across all IPs and categories, with The Monsters alone exceeding 100 million units. The figures were released in a voluntary board announcement.

Lenovo supplies laptops, PCs, smartphones, and data center solutions, supporting business productivity and personal computing across markets.

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A USD 285 million charge weighed on earnings as Lenovo repositions for AI-driven growth.

Lenovo profit slips in latest quarter as restructuring offsets gains

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Trust and prudence are central to Distinct Healthcare’s path to the public market.

“Costco of healthcare” makes Hong Kong debut with trust at its core

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Photo of Syed Faiz Karim (left), CEO of Abu Dhabi Motors, and Jason Wang, president of overseas business at Seres, at the agreement signing ceremony in Chongqing, China, on February 6.

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WeRide, Uber launch Abu Dhabi robotaxis

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