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… institutions?</h3>
VL: There are far more opportunities than challenges when working with financial institutions. Banks are embracing digitalization and welcome innovation, and we have seen a lot of fintech innovation in Hong Kong over the years.
For AlipayHK, we have partnered with many banks in the city. Take Standard Chartered, for example—we collaborated to offer the “A. Point Card,” which is a credit card that gives users rewards points for both local and cross-border spending, as well as no handling fees on transfers done via AlipayHK.
Additionally, we have teamed up with various insurance companies such as Prudential and YAS to offer health protection and other insurance products to AlipayHK's millions of users.
For wealth management, through collaborating with Ant Bank (Hong Kong), we have created a marketplace within the Ant Bank mini app on AlipayHK where users can access low-threshold fund investments starting from as little as HKD 1 (USD 0.13).
Ultimately, we strive to provide a platform that can help financial institutions digitalize, while providing users access to wealth management services from our various banking and insurance partners via AlipayHK.
<h3>KrASIA: AlipayHK covers nearly the full range of transport modes in Hong Kong. What were the critical unlocks to achieving this coverage?</h3>
VL: To date, AlipayHK can be used to pay for over 90% of public transport services in Hong Kong. A key factor in achieving this level of coverage and cooperation with transportation providers is EasyGo, our QR code transportation solution that enables fare payments to be processed in less than a second.
What’s great about EasyGo is that even if the user’s phone or the terminal—say, on a bus—are offline or have a weak network connection, the transaction will still be recorded and processed when the system is back online. This ensures that transportation providers do not have to worry about missed payments, positioning AlipayHK as a reliable platform that providers are happy to integrate into their systems.
Due to the stability of our EasyGo technology and our extensive transport coverage, AlipayHK has become the first e-wallet in Hong Kong to be incorporated into the government’s Public Transport Fare Subsidy Scheme (PTFSS) since the beginning of this year.
We are also the first and only e-wallet to partner with Uber in Hong Kong, allowing rides to be paid via AlipayHK.
Beyond local transport, users can also easily access cross-border travel options, such as high-speed train tickets and ride-hailing services on the Chinese mainland via AlipayHK.
<h3>KrASIA: AlipayHK launched an AI smart assistant this year. What prompted its introduction and how will it change the user experience?</h3>
VL: As a platform that aims to connect technology with daily life, we want to enhance users’ experience by integrating AI into AlipayHK. With the AI assistant, users can ask for advice on how to use Alipay services or receive dining and travel recommendations, then book those services within AlipayHK’s ecosystem.
AI also drives improvements in efficiency, safety, and user experience. Since last year, we have incorporated AI for account security measures like automated fraud detection and for handling customer enquiries.
In a way, we aspire to become Hong Kong’s superapp, where users can access a wide variety of services they need daily via AlipayHK. Eventually, we hope to become an AI-driven superapp that’s tailored for Hong Kong users and the wider Greater Bay Area, delivering more AI-powered fintech solutions along the way.
Within this year, we will further integrate AI into various fields such as financial planning and travel services, allowing people in Hong Kong to personally experience the advent of the “'AI-as-a-service” era.
<h3>KrASIA: Hong Kong consumers are known to be both tech-savvy and privacy-conscious. How do you design for that balance?</h3>
VL: AlipayHK was among the first batch of e-wallets to receive a stored value facilities (SVF) license from the Hong Kong Monetary Authority (HKMA). Like banks and other e-wallets, we are regulated by the HKMA and subject to Hong Kong’s data privacy laws. Trust and safety are paramount to us.
We have implemented multi-factor authentication (MFA) to protect accounts. Our proprietary risk management system, powered by big data and AI, runs round-the-clock to assess the risk of every transaction. Suspicious transactions are automatically blocked and require user authentication before proceeding.
Additionally, we empower customers with the ability to customize security parameters like maximum transaction limits and time-based restrictions to enhance account protection.
<h3>KrASIA: Hong Kong is often known as a society where “cash is king.” How does AlipayHK encourage adoption in small businesses and merchants?</h3>
VL: Many Hong Kong merchants traditionally preferred dealing in cash, but much of this changed during the Covid-19 pandemic, when both consumers and businesses shifted toward contactless payment methods. That was a major push factor encouraging both users and merchants to adopt digital payments.
We provide various solutions for merchants that are easy to integrate into their current payment systems, reducing friction. Some options, such as offering merchants a QR code that customers can scan to make payments, come with no handling fees while enabling acceptance of digital payments.
Merchants hoping to attract tourists are also motivated to adopt digital payments, potentially increasing their customer base. Chinese mainland tourists, as well as travelers from nine other countries and regions including the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Singapore, can pay with their local wallets partnered with the Alipay+ payments ecosystem. So far, we have partnered with 14 e-wallet providers for cross-border payments.
In a sense, AlipayHK is not just a payment solution for merchants but also a tool to grow their customer base and market their businesses through our platform.
<h3>KrASIA: What’s the vision for AlipayHK?</h3>
VL: AlipayHK is on its way to becoming a superapp for Hong Kongers. We want users to be able to access services for nearly every aspect of their lives—whether it’s food, entertainment, travel, payments, or wealth management—via AlipayHK, while ensuring that mobile payments remain seamless and borderless when users travel abroad.
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“We aspire to become Hong Kong’s superapp,” says AlipayHK CEO Venetia Lee

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The chemistry of a lithium battery leaves little room for error. In a crash, an electric vehicle becomes more than just twisted metal and broken glass. Power can vanish in a heartbeat. Fires can ignite. Sometimes, things blow up.
China’s national EV safety standards try to build in a buffer: battery packs must hold off on bursting into flames or blowing up for at least five minutes after a single cell overheats—a phenomenon known as thermal runaway. But those rules are calibrated to specific crash tests: frontal collisions at 50 kilometers per hour and side impacts at just 32 km/h. Real accidents, of course, often happen faster and hit harder. That five-minute window? It might shrink to seconds. And in that tight span, whether a door unlocks could spell the line between escape and catastrophe.
Which is why, deep inside the electronics of every EV, the door-locking system quietly plays the role of unsung hero.
<h3>First line of defense</h3>
Most cars on the market today use electronic locking. The setup makes remote unlocking and smartphone control easy. Once the car hits around 20–30 km/h, wheel speed sensors kick in and lock the doors by default.
Behind the scenes, it’s all run by the in-vehicle controller area network—a nervous system of sorts, where the battery acts as the heart. Thick, high-voltage wires (called hardwiring) carry power to the main controller. Secondary components, including door locks, communicate through finer CAN (controller area network) wires.
Some systems add redundancies—extra wiring, backup power sources—to make sure critical parts don’t fail if something goes wrong. But most of it still hinges on one thing: an intact battery.
In EVs, batteries are usually tucked behind the rear seats, away from typical crash zones. That placement, sandwiched between the B- and C-pillars, helps. But damage doesn’t always come through the front.
If the battery stays intact yet power still cuts off, odds are the wiring took the hit.
“Wiring practices are fairly mature in the industry,” one automotive R&amp;D staffer told 36Kr. “We design them away from sharp metal, use rubber sleeves, that sort of thing. But materials make all the difference.”
There’s an entire ecosystem around wire protection: tape, heat-shrink tubing, corrugated tubes, spiral wraps. Prices run from tens to thousands of RMB, depending on durability and resistance to corrosion or vibration.
“Everyone uses protective layers. The question is what kind,” another engineer said. “Some companies are scaling back—cheaper materials, thinner wraps—just to save a few RMB.”
High-end international brands tend to err on the side of caution. Some local automakers? Not always.
And when the wires fail, so do the locks. They’re powered devices. No electricity means no function—unless they’ve been designed to unlock right before the power vanishes.
<h3>Second line of defense</h3>
This is a race against time—something the industry is familiar with. Look at airbags: crash sensors react in minute fractions of a second, triggering deployment just 20–30 milliseconds after impact.
But that kind of speed? It’s not standard for door locks.
Airbag systems often cost RMB 3,000–10,000 (USD 420–1,400), with premium sensors and fast processors baked in. Door-lock systems, by comparison, usually rely on slower, cheaper hardware.
“Even expensive cars might not have high-end safety features,” a supplier said. “Between different models—even within the same brand—there’s huge variation. Some look great, but cut corners where it really matters.”
Same wiring layout, but cheaper insulation. Emergency door systems that react slower. In today’s fierce price wars, saving pennies on components can cost lives when things go south.
Still, there’s movement. Some global brands are considering faster, premium sensors for door-unlock systems too, according to supply chain insiders.
And what about those polarizing hidden door handles? They have taken flak, but they are mostly cosmetic. Handles are just the interface. The real work happens at the latch, which is a time-tested mechanical mechanism.
As long as the lock disengages, the latch opens. The door swings out. Done.
<h3>Final line of defense</h3>
But what if power dies, locks stay shut, and doors jam?
“Mechanical systems are the last resort,” one functional safety engineer said. “Every car has to have a purely mechanical way out.”
US regulations spell this out: mechanical door-release systems are mandatory. China doesn’t explicitly require mechanical handles, but it does say doors must work in case of power failure.
“Automakers may vary in how they treat the other doors, but the driver’s side always has a mechanical handle,” the engineer added.
The problem is, those handles aren’t always where you’d expect. On some EVs, they are nestled next to the window buttons or hidden near the door pocket. “Why hide something that could save your life?” a veteran safety manager asked.
And this all assumes the door hasn’t warped from the crash. If it has, only cutting tools or rescue crews will get people out.
China is racing ahead on smart driving and active safety systems for EVs—measures meant to prevent crashes altogether. But when collisions do happen, battery fires can ignite and spread with alarming speed.
That’s where passive safety—like mechanical escapes and power-failure failsafes—becomes vital. Global joint-venture brands usually lead the charge here.
“At Mercedes-Benz, most passive safety testing is done through simulation,” one engineer said. “You can’t crash thousands of cars. But with years of data, we know exactly where to focus.”
Others in the supply chain echoed that view. “You can’t have it all. If you want top-tier safety and performance, the cost goes up,” one expert said. “Top brands build for safety first, then aesthetics or price. Some local makers don’t even know how to evaluate products holistically. They are too focused on flashy specs,” another added.
At the end of the day, there’s a brutal clarity to EV safety: when things go wrong, every millisecond counts. And sometimes, all it takes is a working door handle to tip the scales.
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3233218483486337">article</a> was written by Xu Caiyu for 36Kr.

What happens when an EV crashes? Door locks might decide your fate

Transportation

Electric Vehicles

Mobility

… introduced by Thailand, the Philippines, and Indonesia.
"The number of non-tariff measures … is a big frustration," said Nazir Razak, chairman of the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (BAC), a regional business lobby, and former CEO of Malaysian bank CIMB Group. "ASEAN doesn't have any effective mechanism to enforce the elimination of trade-distorting non-tariff measures."
Woon from RAM Rating Services noted an International Monetary Fund study published in 2022 suggested that reducing non-tariff measures could potentially increase ASEAN's GDP by 1.6%.
Nazir, however, noted there are estimates that structural constraints could cap intra-ASEAN trade at about 30% of total trade. But, he added, boosting that share is seen as essential for resilience.
With Trump's tariffs on China, some fear the region may become a backdoor for Chinese trade. "Clearly, with tariffs at more than 100%, firms will be keen to figure out solutions to avoid paying," said Deborah Elms, head of trade policy at the Hinrich Foundation in Singapore. "These legal and illegal options will proliferate quickly."
"Even firms that have no connection to anything Chinese might have to show that they do not, which would be a huge new compliance burden," she added.
Trump's 145% tariffs on China could also accelerate <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/The-Big-Story/Southeast-Asia-pushes-back-on-cheap-Chinese-imports" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the flood of cheap Chinese products</a> into Southeast Asian markets, with steel, textiles, electric vehicles, and e-commerce goods in the vanguard. Overdependence on the Chinese economy could also make the region vulnerable to economic fluctuations in China.
"ASEAN is a net importer from China, but a net exporter to the US," said Hafidzi Razali, CEO of advisory firm Strategic Counsel in Malaysia. "This asymmetry exposes the region to strategic shifts in US-China trade relations."
Despite the hurdles, ASEAN continues to pursue deeper ties. These include the ASEAN Economic Community, which aims to create a single market and production base for the bloc. The ASEAN BAC has proposed an "ASEAN Business Entity" badge to ease the movement of labor and capital across the bloc.
IEA's Ing said ASEAN's "flexibility" allows countries to pursue multiple bilateral deals while collaborating regionally. Unlike a customs union, ASEAN does not impose common external tariffs, which she sees as a strength.
While member states are "natural competitors," Ing said, "it highlights the opportunity to develop stronger regional value chains, where each country contributes a specific role in a larger production network."
Even the Philippines, whose economy is largely <a title="" href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Markets/Trading-Asia/Trump-policies-threaten-to-shake-foundation-of-shock-resistant-Philippine-peso" target="_blank" rel="noopener">driven by domestic demand</a>, is courting investment amid the tariff fallout. With US tariffs on Philippine goods relatively low at 17%, Manila sees an opening. The Philippine Economic Zone Authority said it expects companies facing higher tariffs elsewhere to consider relocating.
Very few expect or even hope ASEAN will become another EU, which has struggled with internal upheavals from the Eurozone debt crisis to repercussions from the Russia-Ukraine war. ASEAN's diversity and lack of centralized institutions are seen as both a limitation and a reason for its endurance.
"One could argue that some of these limitations have been key to ASEAN's longevity and success," Nazir said. "So we need to work around our own constraints instead of just adopting what has been introduced in the EU."
Bruno Jaspaert, chairman of EuroCham Vietnam—which represents 1,480 EU companies in Vietnam, said Trump's policies might further unite ASEAN, if the EU is anything to go by. "The bigger the enemy, the stronger the united voice. Europe today is more united than ever before because there is a common enemy … a nation that decided to declare a trade war."
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Spotlight/ASEAN-Money/ASEAN-struggles-to-boost-regional-trade-amid-Trump-tariff-threat">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.kr-asia.com/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

ASEAN struggles to boost regional trade amid Trump tariff threat

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… International</a>, a supply chain services provider, has raised an eight-figure USD sum in a Series C funding round led by Vision Knight Capital. Shenqi Capital, Enlight Growth Partners, and Kam Luen Securities also joined, with existing backers Shunwei Capital and Puhua Capital increasing their stakes. Lighthouse Capital served as financial advisor. Panex plans to strengthen its emerging markets presence and upgrade operations. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/3262849695235846">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1">AtomForm, a 3D printing startup, has secured an eight-figure RMB sum in an angel funding round led by Empyrean Venture. The funds will support product R&amp;D, brand development, team growth, and market expansion. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/3260658818514689">36Kr</a></li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.sinchinnano.com/en/">Sinchin New Material</a>, a manufacturer of electronic and photovoltaic materials, has raised RMB 50 million (USD 7 million) in a Series B+ funding round. Zhejiang Venture Capital Group led the deal, with participation from ZJKF Capital Management. The company will ramp up production of advanced materials, including MLCC (multi-layer ceramic capacitor) electrode powders. —<a href="https://36kr.com/p/3260623492054788">36Kr</a></li>
</ul>
whereRelatedArticle
<h3>Eratani, Groundup.ai, A Cabin Company, and more made recent headlines:</h3>
<ul>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://eratani.co.id/en">Eratani</a>, a Jakarta-based agriculture technology startup, raised USD 6.2 million in a Series A funding round. The round was led by Clay Capital, with participation from TNB Aura, SBI Ven Capital, AgFunder, Genting Ventures, and IIX.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://groundup.ai/">Groundup.ai</a>, an industrial AI company, raised USD 4.25 million in a Series A funding round led by Tin Men Capital, with participation from Wavemaker Ventures and Seeds Capital. The new funds will support product development and global expansion.</li>
<li aria-level="1"><a href="https://www.acabincompany.com/">A Cabin Company</a>, a startup based in Japan, closed an oversubscribed pre-seed funding round backed by Seveno Capital.</li>
</ul>
If there are any news or updates you'd like us to feature, get in touch with us at: <a href="mailto:hello@kr-asia.com">hello@kr-asia.com</a>.
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Deals in brief: Temasek’s Heliconia backs Sin Chew Woodpaq, Supabase raises Series D funding, Syfe and AnyMind confirm acquisitions, and more

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… better than Doubao, we will actively integrate it," a team representative told LatePost. During early development, Doubao’s “Deep Thinking” capability had yet to launch. The team initially considered DeepSeek-R1 but found its tool invocation abilities insufficient during testing.
Following comparisons across six Chinese-developed models, ByteDance selected several to support the platform, with Doubao 1.5 Pro as the primary model. It excelled in instruction following, multimodal processing, and tool invocation, while maintaining low inference costs—key for scalability.
Coze also benefits from ByteDance’s extensive internal ecosystem. Drawing on feedback from more than two million AI applications and millions of developers, the team can identify trends early. Integration with ByteDance’s infrastructure, including Volcano Engine, supports rapid iteration and deployment across platforms such as Doubao, Lark, and Douyin mini programs.
While this ecosystem does not generate new products outright, it enables rapid validation of promising ideas. In the second half of 2023, the team pivoted from chatbot development to workflow automation, positioning Coze as a platform that fosters human-agent collaboration, supported by relevant data.
One tool that supports this shift is Coze Luopan, a debugging system built to oversee large model applications. Luopan tracks development, fine-tuning, and deployment, helping the team optimize performance and learn from each iteration. It has been instrumental in accelerating the development of sophisticated agent features.
Coze also has an edge in building collaborative features. While many AI tools on the market now integrate with Lark, most MCP (Model Context Protocol) implementations remain limited to API interactions. MCP, introduced by Anthropic in 2024, provides a standardized interface for large models to interact with software, bridging traditional apps and AI systems. Though many companies use MCP to augment their own tools, few have built MCP-ready software designed for broader integration.
This is where ByteDance’s position proves advantageous. The Coze team has converted Lark’s Docs, Sheets, and Base apps into callable tools. With user authorization, agents can read and write directly within Lark documents, eliminating manual uploads and streamlining workflows. Agents can also access internal documentation the user has permission to view, enhancing automation for workplace tasks. Secure access to private data is widely recognized as a key differentiator in agent capability.
<figure id="attachment_152625" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-152625" style="width: 360px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-full wp-image-152625" src="https://console.kr-asia.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/LatePost-ByteDance-Coze-9.gif" alt="" width="360" height="354" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-152625" class="wp-caption-text">Graphic source: LatePost.</figcaption></figure>
As access to foundational models becomes more standardized, differentiation is shifting toward integration depth and data availability. Open-source technologies have narrowed the field on model performance. The true competitive edge now lies in whether an agent can effectively tap into proprietary tools and high-value data.
This perspective also shapes how the Coze team views progress. Emphasis is not placed on releasing a perfect product, but on building a system that responds to user feedback. “Timing is everything,” one representative said. Releasing the beta was seen as a necessary step to gather insights and iterate quickly.
The broader AI community increasingly agrees that expanding user bases alone does not improve model performance. Claude 3.5 Sonnet and DeepSeek-R1, for example, were launched before reaching large-scale adoption. But while foundational models improve primarily through data loops, agents operate at another level—where user interaction with systems is central to their development.
“Real user feedback is crucial,” the Coze team noted. “It informs feature refinement, improves user experience, and makes better use of foundational models.”
Coze’s roadmap reflects these priorities. Analysis of platform data shows that many applications built with Coze meet highly specific needs. Though usage is concentrated in smaller user groups, the frequency of use remains steady. This reflects the “fat tail” distribution described by financial theorist Nassim Taleb: long-term relevance among niche audiences.
While future improvements in foundational models could absorb some use cases, highly personalized tasks are unlikely to be addressed by generalized systems. Coze aims to fill that gap by enabling collaboration between generalist and specialist agents—one reason the platform was named after the Chinese word for “space.”
Coze marks the beginning of ByteDance’s deeper engagement with agentic AI. Other major Chinese technology firms are following suit. The race is on, and ByteDance is already in motion.
This <a href="https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/E3c0BfInpLquXBSqrQJKaQ">article</a> was adapted based on a feature originally written by and published on LatePost. KrASIA is authorized to translate, adapt, and publish its contents.

ByteDance launches Coze, its new AI agent platform, in beta

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Kajima’s The GEAR launches Startup CoLab to drive innovation in the built environment sector

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The 21st Auto Shanghai show is underway, and <a href="/company/gac">GAC Aion</a> is participating with a range of updated models and one notable new entry: a Level 4 autonomous vehicle it describes as ready for mass production.
The robotaxi, developed in collaboration with <a href="/company/didi">Didi</a>, is designed to operate autonomously in predefined scenarios, reflecting the companies’ efforts to advance practical applications of self-driving technology.
Unveiled earlier this month at a GAC event, the vehicle features a headlight-linked interactive display designed to show greetings, vehicle status, and expressions. A floating disc-shaped LiDAR (light detection and ranging) unit is mounted on the roof, supplemented by additional sensors on the fenders and cameras positioned to provide a 360-degree field of view.
GAC said the car incorporates Didi’s latest autonomous driving platform and is equipped with 33 sensors, including ten LiDAR units, infrared and acoustic sensors, multiple cameras, and 4D millimeter-wave radar. These components enable perception across various driving conditions. The vehicle’s onboard computing system is rated for 2,000 TOPS (trillion operations per second), a benchmark aimed at ensuring safety redundancy.
GAC and Didi formalized their collaboration in May 2023, establishing a joint venture, Andi Technology, in April 2024. Six months later, Didi secured USD 298 million in Series C funding, with GAC as a lead investor. The funding is expected to support their shared efforts in autonomous vehicle production.
The robotaxi is built on GAC Aion’s premium electric vehicle platform and Xingling electronic architecture. It integrates Didi’s proprietary hardware-software stack, a multi-layer safety system, and a new cockpit interface developed specifically for driverless operation.
According to GAC Aion, the model has completed automotive-grade verification testing and is intended for both domestic and international deployment. If commercialized as planned, it would be among the first Level 4 robotaxis built for global distribution.
In addition to the robotaxi, GAC Aion introduced three updated models:
<ul>
<li aria-level="1">The Ultra version of the Aion UT is positioned as a sportier option within the lineup.</li>
<li aria-level="1">The Aion V Bawanglong, meanwhile, is being promoted with a prize draw and tailored for long-range travel.</li>
<li aria-level="1">Rounding out the trio is a restyled <a href="https://kr-asia.com/gac-launches-aion-rt-with-mona-m03-pricing-can-it-capture-the-same-demand">Aion RT</a>, which appears to draw design cues from the Porsche Panamera and features improvements in both handling and visual appeal.</li>
</ul>
KrASIA Connection features translated and adapted content that was originally published by 36Kr. This <a href="https://36kr.com/p/3261123652878086">article</a> was written by Han Yongchang for 36Kr.

GAC Aion and Didi unveil Level 4 robotaxi at Auto Shanghai

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Autonomous Vehicles

In the first quarter of 2025, the company posted revenue of RMB 1.111 billion (USD 155.5 million), representing a 4,230.2% year-on-year jump. Net profit reached RMB 355 million (USD 49.7 million), reversing a loss of RMB 227 million (USD 31.8 million) from the same period a year earlier.
Cambricon’s recent momentum comes as China accelerates efforts to strengthen its domestic semiconductor sector. The company’s Siyuan chips have gained traction following the US government’s ban on Nvidia’s H20 exports to China, creating an opening for local alternatives.
Still, the strong results have not quieted concerns. This marks only the second profitable quarter since Cambricon’s IPO, and challenges remain. Operating cash flow fell sharply, and the company continues to rely heavily on a small group of clients. Competition is also intensifying, with rivals such as Loongson and Huawei introducing products aimed at similar markets.
Founded in 2016, Cambricon initially gained attention for co-developing one of the first artificial intelligence-enabled mobile chipsets with Huawei. But after Huawei exited the partnership, Cambricon struggled to diversify its client base while grappling with high R&amp;D spending. Its IPO provided much-needed capital, though the fundamentals lagged behind.
In 2022, Cambricon was added to the US export control list, cutting it off from advanced chip production at top-tier foundries like TSMC. That move dealt a heavy blow. Revenues dropped and the company became the subject of scrutiny in Chinese media.
Rather than retreat, Cambricon expanded its product offerings beyond mobile to a broader range of computing scenarios, including cloud and edge applications. Its rebound gained traction in 2024, when its stock performance temporarily outpaced Nvidia’s.
Signs of upcoming expansion are there: the company disclosed inventories of RMB 2.755 billion (USD 385.7 million) and prepayments of RMB 973 million (USD 136.2 million), indicating that more orders may be coming.
Cambricon’s progress is unfolding amid a broader reordering of China’s chip sector. With international supply chains under pressure, domestic firms are moving quickly to plug the gaps. <a href="/company/deepseek">DeepSeek</a>, a foundational AI company, is helping to unlock downstream demand, while inference workloads—an area less dependent on ultra-advanced processors—are proving to be a strong match for China-made chips.
By early 2025, major players including Huawei, Biren, Moore Threads, and Hygon had launched DeepSeek-compatible products. Cambricon’s return to profitability places it back in the conversation, though whether it can maintain that position is an open question.
Cash constraints, fierce competition, and an uncertain customer mix will shape its next steps. But for now, Cambricon’s latest results offer a glimpse into what a locally driven AI chip sector might look like under pressure.

Cambricon swings to profit as revenue multiplies 42-fold

AI Infrastructure

A viral trend of using generative <a href="/industry/ai">artificial intelligence</a> to turn photos into illustrations in the style of Japan's beloved Studio Ghibli has fueled anger from artists and arguments over whether art styles should be protected by copyright.
Starting late in March, X (formerly Twitter) was flooded with images of smiling families on vacation, newlywed couples and other scenes, all in a style closely resembling Ghibli's My Neighbor Totoro.
This followed <a href="/company/openai">OpenAI's</a> incorporation of a high-quality image generator into ChatGPT, allowing users to produce Ghibli-esque images with just a photo and a simple prompt.
A few days after the update, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said on X that the service had "added one million users in the last hour."
Governments jumped on the bandwagon. The White House's official X account posted a Ghibli-style illustration of a handcuffed and crying Dominican immigrant. The Israel Defense Forces posted images of soldiers carrying guns and piloting a fighter jet, spurring an outcry from fans of Ghibli films accusing the military of using the studio's style for war propaganda.
Questions have been raised about whether replicating Ghibli's style so closely constitutes copyright infringement, but there is a broad view that it does not violate current US law.
Those protections are extended to works "fixed in a tangible medium of expression." For example, specific characters such as Mickey Mouse. But they do not cover ideas or styles. Copying a specific work by a watercolor painter would infringe on their copyright, but creating a new painting in that style would not.
"We continue to prevent generations in the style of individual living artists, but we do permit broader studio styles—which people have used to generate and share some truly delightful and inspired original fan creations," OpenAI said in a media statement. Studio Ghibli declined to comment to Nikkei on March 27.
This does not mean there is no risk of violating IP rights. Joshua Weigensberg, a partner at law firm Pryor Cashman, has said AI images with features that are "similar or identical to the artist's works, not only in terms of an abstract artistic 'style' but also in terms of particular expressive features, that may also give rise to a legal claim for infringement."
Trademarks are a potential issue as well, if an AI user or company uses Ghibli-style illustrations in a way that misleads others into thinking that a service is officially tied to the studio.
Creators in the US have decried the Ghibli trend. Digital illustrator Marc Brunet made a post on X criticizing how "Ghibli is making [zilch] out of this while [OpenAI] is raking in the billions after literally stealing their iconic art style."
Karla Ortiz, an artist and illustrator, has called it a "copyright infringement and a deep violation of artists' rights and livelihoods."
The legal landscape for AI is still being established, as are protections for the rights of artists and other creators. Momentum toward barring the use of AI to replicate voices has grown since film star Scarlett Johansson objected last year to OpenAI's use of a voice "eerily similar" to hers for ChatGPT, and the Ghibli trend may also become a case study for the questions surrounding use of the technology.
"Having it automatically generated, feels much more of a kind of violation of their moral principles and not just of their IP," said Mark Lemley, a professor at Stanford Law School. "It doesn't fit within existing copyright law. So courts, maybe, will be motivated to stretch the bounds of existing copyright law to prevent this. Another possibility is that … Congress might change the rules," he added.
Adobe, a developer of widely used software for digital art, has said it advocates for an "anti-impersonation right" protecting creators against the use of AI to copy their styles. It supported a bill introduced last year by Republican representative Darrell Issa that would ban unauthorized commercial use of digital replicas of individuals, calling it a step toward ensuring responsible use of AI content.
Some believe there should be restrictions placed on the content AI trains on, not just on the AI output itself. That would open OpenAI to a legal quandary if the company had used Ghibli's IP without permission.
OpenAI has argued that training AI models on publicly available data falls under the fair use exemption of copyright law. The debate on what constitutes fair use in AI applications remains ongoing.
There are roughly 40 US court cases underway revolving around AI training and fair use, according to Lemley. It remains to be seen if the Ghibli-style AI images will continue to take the world by storm.
Japanese studios have "the right to decide whether they want their art copied by generative AI," Weigensberg said.
This article first appeared on <a href="https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Technology/Artificial-intelligence/Ghibli-style-AI-images-ignite-debate-over-art-copyright-protections">Nikkei Asia</a>. It has been republished here as part of 36Kr’s ongoing partnership with <a href="https://www.kr-asia.com/nikkei-teams-up-with-36kr-in-asia-tech-news-coverage/">Nikkei</a>.

Ghibli-style AI images ignite debate over art copyright protections

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