Japan’s Honda Motor said on Tuesday it is introducing a new electric vehicle brand in China, and will use components from local companies including CATL, Huawei, and iFlyTek as it looks to adapt to significant changes in the highly competitive Chinese car market. The upcoming new models under the Ye series will be equipped with Huawei’s xScene liquid crystal display (LCD) panels and the two companies are exploring more potential collaborations, according to Igarashi Masayuki, head of Honda’s China operations, financial media outlet Caixin reported. The Japanese carmaker said it has also partn ..read more

Nvidia’s use of TSMC’s Chip-on-Wafer-on-Substrate (CoWoS) packaging for its new Blackwell platform products has led to the Taiwanese manufacturer ramping up its production capacity for 2024. Nvidia’s latest Blackwell platform products include the new B200 GPU (Graphics Processing Unit) and the GB200, which integrates the Grace CPU (Central Processing Unit), and all use high-precision CoWoS packaging from TSMC. CoWoS packaging is a technology that integrates multiple chips on a single substrate to improve performance and efficiency in semiconductor devices. The GB200 is expected to ship more t ..read more

BYD on Tuesday unveiled the first supercar under its premium off-road electric vehicle brand called Fangchengbao, which promises ultimate performance and luxury with bold design treatments — the latest example of Chinese automakers going upscale and competing in the high-end segment. The all-electric concept hypercar, called Super 9, features a space shuttle-inspired cabin with carbon fiber racing seats as standard, as well as a futuristic design without a windsheld, making the two-seater an open-top model. Wolfgang Egger, head designer at BYD and formerly a chief of design at Audi, said duri ..read more

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT) has released industry standards for cross-platform interconnectivity in domestic smart home devices, effective from July. The China Academy of Information and Communications Technology, Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, China Telecom, Alibaba, Honor, TCL, Midea, and Haier were consulted in the drafting of the new regulation. The standard specifies unified access process and technical requirements for smart home devices, in an effort to encourage cross-platform access and certification, according to a statement by MIIT. [IThome, in Chines ..read more

China’s search engine operator Baidu said Tuesday the number of users of its AI-driven ERNIE Bot has doubled to over 200 million in four months, declaring itself a leader in artificial intelligence, as competitors rush into the sector. The company also added that ERNIE now handles 200 million daily queries. Why it matters: Baidu’s chatbot has revived confidence in the company’s monetization of AI, with its 200 million users offering new potential avenues for growth.  Details: Co-founder and CEO of Baidu Robin Li expressed confidence that natural language will emerge as the new programmin ..read more

Chinese automaker GAC Group said on April 12 that it had broken through several obstacles regarding the durability and safety of “all-solid-state” batteries, and expected its future rollout of the technology to offer drivers a range of over 620 miles per charge by 2026.  GAC, which made the announcement at its annual Tech Day, is among the few Chinese automakers to have offered specific plans in the race to market for next-generation advanced electric vehicle batteries. Toyota’s long-time partner has opted for a solid electrolyte system that sets it apart from the Japanese giant, by far ..read more

Stellantis-brands Maserati and Alfa Romeo are among the potential partners to China’s Chery Auto in order to acquire advanced Chinese electric vehicle platform technology for their upcoming battery cars, a person with knowledge of the matter told National Business Daily, without revealing further details. The news comes a day after Chery’s chairman Yin Tongyue revealed during a livestream event on April 14 that the firm was in ongoing negotiations with two European premium car brands for licensing its EV platform, with one of them edging close to a deal. Yin also confirmed that the state-owne ..read more

On Monday, Huawei announced its new Pura 70 series smartphones, which were previously expected to be named the P70 series. The Chinese telecom giant has not yet disclosed the release date for the new devices, but tech media outlet IThome reported that a member of sales staff at a Huawei store in Beijing had claimed that the series is expected to arrive in store around April 18. The Huawei Pura 70 series smartphones feature a triangular camera island design on the rear, according to the company’s video of the new range posted to the X-like social media platform Weibo. The series will include f ..read more

In the first quarter of 2024, global smartphone shipments increased by 7.8% to 289.4 million units compared to the previous year, according to market intelligence firm IDC. This marks a third consecutive quarter of growth, signaling a recovery for the smartphone market after some tough years, the report analyzed. The top five smartphone brands in the first quarter are Samsung (20.8% market share), Apple (17.3%), Xiaomi (14.1%), Transsion (9.9%), and Oppo (8.7%). Xiaomi’s 40.8 million units shipped marks a 33.8% year-on-year increase, while Transsion’s 28.5 million units shipped can be conside ..read more

Intel is preparing to launch modified Gaudi 3 chips for the Chinese market when it releases the new generation AI accelerator chip this year, according to British technology media outlet The Register. Intel has disclosed the existence of the two China-exclusive models in its Gaudi 3 white paper, with HL-328 set to launch on June 24 and HL-388 on September 24. Why it matters: Intel’s launch of customized Gaudi 3 chips for China is part of the American chip giant’s efforts to work within US sanctions on chip exports to China. Details: Based on the information provided in Intel’s Gaudi 3 white p ..read more