Although CATL has been quite successful with its energy-dense Qilin and fast-charging Shenxing batteries for passenger electric vehicles (EVs), the Chinese battery giant is already pursuing a third brand as it eyes strong growth in the flourishing hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) segment.

The world’s largest battery manufacturer has captured 45.9% of China’s EV battery market as of September this year, but its share in the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) segment is lower at about 40.2%, closely followed by BYD at 30.9%, official figures have shown (in Chinese). Nearly six out of every 10 new energy vehicles (NEVs) sold this year by BYD were PHEVs, powered by the EV giant’s proprietary blade batteries.

Despite double-digit growth for PHEVs this year, which in China include extended range hybrids, or EREV, many customers have complained about overly short EV-only ranges and slow charging, an Aito M5 owner surnamed Li told TechNode.

Li normally charges his crossover, which provides up to 255 kilometers (159 miles) on its electric-only range, from 30% to 95% in 40 minutes using a direct current (DC) fast charger. Another popular and cheaper sports utility vehicle (SUV), the BYD Tang DM-i, charges from 25% to 80% in 30-plus minutes. It has an EV-only range of 115 km.

CATL’s Freevoy hybrid battery was developed to alleviate pain points for a growing number of PHEV and EREV owners. The company said it offers hybrid vehicles a range of up to 400 km, takes only 10 minutes to add up to 280 km of range, and can charge and discharge at normal rates at temperatures as low as -20 degrees Celsius (-4 degrees Fahrenheit).

Such superior low-temperature performance is mainly attributed to the dual deployment of sodium-ion and lithium-ion materials in an integrated AB battery system, making it possible to leverage the advantages of each material. The sodium-ion batteries are used as a monitoring scale to assist in calibrating the system to measure the state of charge (SOC) of lithium-ion batteries, reducing lapses in calibration and boosting driving range.

The move reflects CATL’s view of the future of the broader EV market – PHEV and EREV, which combine an internal combustion engine with an electric motor system, will not after all be a temporary solution as previously estimated, but a major option over an extended period of time. More than 30 upcoming models will be equipped with the Freevoy battery, Gao Huan, chief technology officer of CATL’s electric vehicle business in China, told reporters on Oct. 24.

Here are some highlights from the interview, which have been condensed and edited for clarity:

Can you share details of how the Freevoy battery will be deployed when it comes to key metrics such as energy density and lifespan?

Different vehicle models have varying requirements for battery energy density and CATL is capable of supplying corresponding products to meet the needs of our customers. For instance, it is necessary for A-class PHEVs and EREVs to integrate batteries at a cell-level energy density of 450-500 watt-hours per liter (Wh/L) for a one-charge range of 400 km. That number for MPVs (multi-purpose vehicles) will likely go up to around 650 Wh/L.

The energy consumption levels of different models also vary, leading to differences in battery capacities. For example, the energy consumption of B-class and C-class MPVs is often around 16-17 kilowatt-hour (kWh) per 100 km; thus, a 70 kWh or even higher battery pack is required to ensure a driving range of 400 km. It is important to note that the Freevoy battery showcases CATL’s advantages in energy density, charging speed, and cycle life. In addition, the life cycle of the products providing a range of 400 km is above 2500 cycles, as long service life is a standard feature of CATL batteries.

Although a growing number of automakers are making their new models with more modern 800-volt architecture, the normal voltage for most EVs on the market is around 400 volts or even lower. Would the Freevoy battery’s charging capability be limited by the charging architecture of vehicles?

The 4C charging capability of the Freevoy battery is definitely related to the vehicle’s power system architecture. For EVs with 400-volt systems to handle a 4C charge rate, the charging current needs to be double that of those with 800-volt systems, and the additional thermal energy generated throughout the process will be more than that. As a result, 400-volt EVs need more advanced thermal management capabilities.

This doesn’t mean that an EV equipped with a 400-volt charging architecture can’t handle a 4C charge rate. The idea is still feasible when the car is designed to have a shorter EV-only range, like 300 km or even 200 km. However, if a car is set to have both a high energy capacity and a long range, the trend now is toward 800-volt architecture.

What prompted CATL to develop sodium-ion batteries against the backdrop that battery-grade lithium carbonate prices have been going down?

Our decision to continue developing sodium-ion batteries is certainly based on their advantages. Sodium-ion batteries have a relatively lower energy density than lithium-ion ones, and it is difficult for a PHEV or EREV to have an electric-only range of 400 km with a sodium-ion battery pack at a favorable size and weight. 

(Editors note: The Chinese spot lithium carbonate prices had been hovering around RMB 100,000 ($14,020) per ton until recently, after reaching their November 2022 peak. The prices fell to RMB 73,000 per ton on Oct. 28, compared with their year-high of RMB 116,000 in March, according to figures from the metal research institute Shanghai Metals Market.)

However, with CATL’s AB battery pack solution, which combimes sodium-ion battereis and lithium-ion batteries into one battery pack, both types of battereis can leverage their respective advantages to deliver superior performance under low-temperature conditions and maintain a high cycle life. Therefore, we will continue to invest in the research and development of sodium-ion batteries and other electrochemical battery systems.

Sodium-ion batteries perform well at low temperatures. However, will frequent charging and discharging in low-temperature conditions affect the lifespan of EV batteries?

We know that the internal resistance of batteries increases at low temperatures, which requires a reliable Battery Management System (BMS) and strong thermal management capabilities to ensure its great performance under low temperatures. CATL has developed technologies to achieve that. Battery charging technology in low-temperature environments is more critical because the battery’s SOC could be calibrated inaccurately in frigid conditions, which could result in issues with battery performance. Such issues could accelerate the degradation of the battery’s lifespan. 

What is CATL’s view on the outlook on the Chinese new energy vehicle (NEV) market, and more specifically the PHEV and EREV segments?

Regardless of vehicle type, A-class cars priced between 100,000 and 200,000 yuan are the preferences of consumers. Based on data analysis and forecasts, entry-level A-class cars, with a price tag of roughly RMB 100,000, will soon be capable of traveling 200 km on a single charge. Meanwhile, a driving range of 300 km will likely become a mainstream feature for mid-range A-class cars. A top-end A-class car could achieve a range of 400 km, while Chinese consumers increasingly expect an EV-only range of 400 km or even higher from B-, C-, and D- class models priced above RMB 200,000 to meet their travel needs.

READ MORE: BEYOND EXPO 2024 | CATL CEO’s vision takes shape with AI, energy storage, and more

Stripe, the fintech giant known for its payment processing software, is looking to expand its presence in Asia, where cross-border trade is expected to continue growing.

In China in particular, cross-border e-commerce represents a significant potential revenue stream for businesses of all sizes. In 2023, the total import and export volume of the country’s cross-border e-commerce reached RMB 2.38 trillion, a 15.6% increase from a year prior.

Stripe, too, has seen strong growth in recent years. Sarita Singh, regional head and managing director for Southeast Asia, India, and Greater China,  said in Stripe’s annual regional event that the company’s growth reflects the expansion of the digital economy generally, which now accounts for 15% of global GDP.

Below are Singh’s comments on the surge of cross-border trade and Stripe’s role in Asia. The text has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Booming cross-border transactions

Stripe surpassed the $1 trillion milestone in total payment volume in 2023, and while we don’t break down our results by country, looking only at the aggregate level,  I can tell that cross-border businesses in China are doing very well globally, expanding into new markets, adopting new technologies, and offering new products and solutions to consumers all around the world. 

Last year, cross-border payment volume in Asia on Stripe grew more than 30%, and Stripe saw a 28% year-on-year increase in the number of Asian businesses that processed $1 million or more in payment volume on the platform.

What we are also seeing as a result is that Chinese businesses are innovative and creating whole new industries and whole new customer segments wherever they go. 

Not just e-commerce

We’re seeing growth not just in e-commerce but across a number of different industries. E-commerce is just one of them. It’s the one that we’re probably most familiar with, but it is not limited to e-commerce. We’re seeing really strong innovation come out of China, whether it’s in software, gaming, all sorts of digital assets, or physical assets that Chinese businesses are looking to trade internationally. 

For us, it’s less about industry, and more about business models and target markets. Because what we’re seeing is a lot of Chinese businesses are looking for new pockets of growth. There’s a lot of interest in going global. 

Financial activities

Moving the money globally becomes very important for businesses expanding internationally. They need to be able to collect payments from customers worldwide, manage and optimize these funds, handle taxes, and report accordingly. The final step involves paying out to suppliers or partners.

Stripe can help those financial activities. We build in all the regulations from each of the countries that Chinese businesses want to play in. The regulations are changing all the time. It’s really hard for Chinese cross-border businesses to ensure they adhere to all of the right local regulations. We build it into our technology and infrastructure so that Chinese businesses can focus on what they do best – running their own businesses.

Note: The article was first published on TechNode China written by Penghui Li and translated by Zinan Zhang.

The global humanoid robot market is expected to reach a peak of $154 billion by 2035. Much like the emergence of generative AI, this rise of robots – not to mention the combination of these two fields – may well pose several questions and spark considerable debate beyond mere tech circles. 

Unitree Robotics, which started with quadruped robots and quickly became a global leader in the humanoid robot industry through its general humanoid robot H1, undoubtedly has plenty to say on this.

Here, Chen Li, co-founder of Unitree Robotics,  offers a range of insights into the rapidly developing robotics industry.

1. How has the explosive growth in generative AI impacted the robotics field?

Unitree’s development of humanoid robots can be seen as seizing the opportunity. General artificial intelligence (AGI) has made significant progress and breakthroughs. AGI now needs the most suitable carrier to take it forward, and general robots are bound to be one of the future development directions, with humanoid robots being the most straightforward candidate to become general robots. Therefore, we firmly believe that once general artificial intelligence and general humanoid robots are combined, robots can truly enter daily life in the future.

2. What are the biggest challenges in the development of quadruped and biped robots?

Hardware reliability, self-developed complete machines, motion control, sensors of quadruped or humanoid robots, and how to integrate the data obtained from sensors into motion control — such as combining perception and terrain to dynamically adjust leg height in real-time, and then swiftly and stably traversing unstructured terrain… these are all challenges.

As Unitree has a good relevant accumulation of knowledge in quadruped robots, our progress in humanoid robots is relatively faster than others. We started the project on February 23 [2023], and then on August 15, we developed and released the humanoid robot (H1), which took about half a year.

We can make humanoid robots at any time because the core components of Unitree’’s quadruped robots are self-developed. Transferring the relevant technology of quadruped robots to humanoid robots is relatively straightforward for Unitree.

The joint motors, electronic control technology, control algorithms, and other aspects of our humanoid robots are inherited from Unitree’s previous accumulated technology in quadruped robots. Then, in terms of control algorithms, we also draw from the control technology of quadruped robots, using model predictive control.

3. How is Unitree responding to the increasingly complex and dynamic external environment?

The biggest difference between Unitree now and before is the areas we are currently focusing on. Robotics has always been our focus, and it remains our most important direction. However, at the same time, we are also paying more attention to directions related to general artificial intelligence models, considering how to integrate these latest artificial intelligence technologies with robotics to take robot functionality to the next level more effectively. To face a more complex and dynamic external environment, what Unitree needs to do is to keep doing its current job first, and then, driven by research and development, to deliver excellent products and serve our customers well.

4. Some experts have suggested that with the gradual heating up of the robotics race in recent years, the year 2024 will be the “inaugural year” for the robotics industry, especially humanoid robots. How do you view this statement? 

If we look solely from the perspective of societal attention to the product, the year 2024  is indeed the inaugural year of the robotics industry. However, 20 or 30 years ago, humanoid robots had already appeared overseas — including in Japan and the United States. We need to look at it from two perspectives.

Of course, I prefer to say that 2024 could be the Year of Humanoid Robots. But this milestone is not policy-driven. In 2023, there were significant breakthroughs and developments in large-scale models and AGI. General artificial intelligence could be applied in various scenarios in the future. In such a scenario, general artificial intelligence would require a carrier. Based on this, humanoid robots have started to gain traction.

Then, what are the necessary conditions for the emergence of the Year of Quadruped and Humanoid Robots? I think, on the one hand, it is the empowerment of AI, and on the other hand, it is the stability, reliability, cost-effectiveness, consistency in production, and the maturity of software and hardware technologies of the products themselves. 

5. Unitree also has several quadruped robot products listed on e-commerce platforms such as Taobao, making futuristic products accessible. Could you discuss some observations you have on the domestic quadruped robot market?

Yes, we have listed some quadruped robots on e-commerce platforms, and people can find two consumer-grade quadruped robot products, Go2 AIR and Go2 Pro. Whether it’s in terms of product performance, cost-effectiveness, reliability, or playability, I believe the features and functionalities of Go2 are very relevant to daily life.

Currently, the consumer-grade quadruped robot market hasn’t fully opened up for several reasons. The first reason is the price, which is still relatively high. With leading companies like Unitree, our current market price for products is around RMB 10,000. However, there is hope to lower the price to a few thousand yuan in the future.

The second reason is interaction. When facing individual consumers, we need to consider how to make quadruped robots have more functions to increase user stickiness. This is something Unitree has been investing in for the long term. If it’s just a remote-controlled robot or robot dog, consumers may lose interest after playing with it for a few days. So we need to give the robot dog more features — such as interaction, interactive AI dialogue, etc. Only in this way can we turn the robot dog into a true electronic pet.

6. Apart from the price difference, what are the most obvious distinctions between Unitree’s consumer-grade and industry-grade robot products? 

The most obvious distinction between our consumer-grade and industry-grade robots lies in their performance or functionality. For example, the Go2 AIR and Pro versions of our quadruped robots are consumer-grade. In comparison to our industry-grade B2 robot, the difference lies in their functionality — such as payload capacity. The B2 can handle up to 50 kilograms, while the Go2 AIR is approximately five to eight kilograms, resulting in a significant gap.

The second difference lies in the protection level. The highest protection level for the B2 can reach IP68, which is the highest level of waterproof and dustproof protection, allowing it to be immersed in water for a long time. However, the Go2 is not waterproof. The third difference is in their mobility or obstacle traversal capabilities. Due to the smaller size of the Go2, compared to the B2, their leg lengths differ, affecting their obstacle traversal performance. For example, the B2 can climb up to 1.2 meters of stairs, while the Go2 can currently only climb 16 centimeters, which is a significant difference.

The fourth difference lies in their battery life. The Go2, with its long-life battery version, can walk continuously for about two hours. However, the B2 can walk continuously for over five hours. Of course, there are also other differences in software and hardware, so the distinction is quite significant.

In terms of application scenarios, consumer-grade robots mainly lean toward home use, including performances, interactive entertainment, and family companionship. The industry-grade B2 is geared towards work. For example, it can be used for inspections, patrols, emergencies, and rescues in industries such as energy, electricity, oil, chemicals, and coal, as well as for police, firefighting, and various arduous, labor-intensive, dangerous, and repetitive tasks that can be replaced by industry-grade robots.

7. What are some unexpected use cases that you’ve come across for these products?

Since many of our Unitree employees have backgrounds in robotics or artificial intelligence, users come from various industries and often propose application scenarios based on the characteristics of our robots, many of which we hadn’t previously considered. I think this is a very positive thing — it broadens Unitree’s product capabilities, and we also work closely with users to develop solutions for these scenarios.

For example, the application of robot dogs in firefighting emergencies is something we hadn’t thought of before. This scenario was suggested by firefighting and rescue personnel. They mentioned that these robot dogs are quite capable — they can climb stairs, traverse mountains, and handle rugged terrain without much difficulty. In their firefighting emergency scenarios, which often involve high-rise rescues — such as in many of China’s tall buildings — when a fire breaks out, elevators are typically shut down, leaving only staircases. However, entering from the staircase can be quite dangerous for firefighters. In such situations, they proposed the idea of sending in robot dogs first to gather relevant data using various sensors. After assessing the situation, firefighters could then proceed with the rescue operation, thereby reducing casualties.

8. Unitree has expanded its business into the fitness equipment field based on its robotics technology. What made you leap into that sector?

The idea of the fitness pump product was conceived in 2018, but at that time, most of our time and resources were dedicated to robotics, so we didn’t pursue it actively until recent years. We’ve always been contemplating whether we could utilize these related technologies to create new products that cater to a broader consumer base. This idea has always been there, so we decided to develop the fitness pump.

Unitree’s core competitiveness lies in the complete self-research and development of our products. The core components and motion control algorithms are all developed in-house. This is our most fundamental competitive advantage.

9. You initially launched the fitness pump on Amazon and Unitree’s overseas business accounts for about 50% of its total revenue. What factors contributed to your confidence in going global? 

Yes, around 50% of our business comes from overseas. I think there are several reasons. Firstly, before starting this venture, I worked in a hard-tech company handling overseas markets. So, I had some insights and perspectives on overseas markets. Secondly, products like robots or humanoid robot products, especially consumer-level robot dogs, have a broader customer base overseas. Especially in developed countries like the United States and Europe, purchasing power is stronger and profits are better. Thirdly, some of our research clients purchase our robots for secondary development. Many of these research clients are from universities, and many of these universities are in Europe and the United States. Of course, many excellent schools in China are also developing projects very well based on our robot dogs or humanoid robots.

As for the inspiration these successes brought to Unitree’s progress in the domestic market, I think firstly, on the market side, it is crucial to prioritize the market, to quickly prepare and promote the market. Then, the sales business should follow up quickly, distribute goods rapidly, and provide excellent customer service, allowing customers to receive our products as soon as possible. Thirdly, service must keep up — both pre-delivery and post-delivery technical support are crucial tasks, where they continuously provide pre-sale, during-sale, and after-sale training and support to customers. Once such a chain is formed, whether in the domestic or overseas market, companies will have a very solid development foundation.

10. What challenges did you face when going into foreign markets?

It is not easy to expand into overseas markets – there are marketing expenses and communication costs on the business end, and you have to deal with time zone differences and cultural aspects. As for the right choices made by Unitree, I believe the first one is the first-mover advantage. During the initial phase of establishing brand influence, it’s crucial to act swiftly with strategies tailored to robot dogs or humanoid robot products. For customers, it’s challenging to judge product functionalities without physically interacting with them. In such cases, it’s essential to rapidly launch the product and then establish brand or product awareness in the minds of consumers. Additionally, it’s not enough just to launch; there must be subsequent promotions. For example, our product was featured in the 2023 Super Bowl in the United States, and various influencers both domestically and internationally reviewed our robot dogs. These efforts greatly benefitted Unitree’s brand promotion.

The most challenging aspect, I believe lies in the gap that exists between marketing promotions and subsequent customer engagement during business transactions. There may be disparities in product performance, pricing, and applicable scenarios, which require continuous customer nurturing and communication to manage their expectations effectively.

Another challenge might be localization. Currently, Unitree doesn’t have a dedicated overseas team for localization; instead, it’s managed through business trips abroad. Additionally, in terms of team building, I believe that selecting suitable individuals is paramount. A suitable colleague can be more valuable than having 10 or even 20 employees with average abilities.

11. In a recent B2 round of financing totaling nearly 1 billion yuan completed by Unitree, you mentioned that in the coming years, the company will continue to break through technology barriers and promote the integration of AI with general-purpose robots. How should we understand the integration of “AI+ general-purpose robots”? 

At the beginning of our entrepreneurship journey, Unitree was a relatively traditional robotics company, but now we are gradually transforming into a company that integrates “AI+ general-purpose robots”. In between, we have done a lot of strategic thinking. Taking the household scenario as an example, it was quite challenging for robots to enter households, especially general-purpose ones. There are already some robots in households, such as vacuum robots. However, overall, their functionality is relatively limited, either serving specific purposes or performing single functions. In the future, we hope to create general-purpose household robots that can assist homeowners in various tasks such as washing dishes, cleaning floors, making beds, and cooking.

To accomplish these diverse tasks, single-function robots are insufficient; they must be empowered with general artificial intelligence. This empowerment can be done through end-to-end approaches, cloud-based methods, or training methods. The approach is not limited, but I believe the only viable path is to establish a “strong bond” between general artificial intelligence and robots so that robots can enter millions of households.

12. What can you tell us about Unitree’s future plans?

We firmly believe that innovation is the cornerstone of enterprise development. Unitree continuously enriches its product line, improves product performance, and continues to advance the construction and improvement of existing production lines. We deeply cultivated the quadruped robot track in both the B2B and B2C markets, and through a multidimensional growth journey, we have expanded from quadruped robots to the intelligent fitness track and then to the general humanoid robot track, making people’s work and life more convenient, comfortable, and efficient.

Unitree has always believed in becoming a leader in a segmented industry, driving the entire industry and high-quality development of the Chinese economy. We look forward to embarking on a new journey of “technology changing the world” together with everyone, using the power of the collective. 

Note: The article was written by Icebin and translated by Zinan Zhang.

As China’s domestic smart manufacturing industry enters a new stage of development, the demand for robots continues to rise. YOUIBOT, as a highly influential participant in the production of industrial mobile robots, is having a considerable impact on the normalization of the use of robots across the entire Chinese manufacturing industry. A pioneer in China, the company is also looking at international expansion, with the exploration of markets in the Asia-Pacific region, Europe, and the US. 

As part of our Next China series, TechNode conducted a special interview with Zhang Chaohui, the founder and CEO of YOUIBOT, to discuss his firm’s products, the challenges of international expansion, and the future of robotics. 

1. YOUIBOT is already a pioneer in the field of industrial robotics. Tell us a little about your company’s journey to date. 

YOUIBOT applies high-precision Slam navigation mobile robots and application software systems to provide advanced manufacturing with upgraded in-house logistics solutions and intelligent inspection and operation solutions for the energy industry.

In the industrial logistics sector, YOUIBOT focuses on in-house logistics for advanced manufacturing, achieving a closed-loop of material flow and data flow throughout the facility’s entire lifecycle. YOUIBOT has committed to the semiconductor industry, covering the entire production process from upstream wafer fabrication, chip packaging and testing, to downstream assembly. It is the largest mobile robot enterprise in terms of shipments in the semiconductor field. Additionally, YOUIBOT continues to explore the new energy sector with lithium battery production at its core and is a partner to many well-known semiconductor and lithium battery manufacturing companies both domestically and internationally.

YOUIBOT has dedicated itself to the energy industry’s inspection and maintenance field. By utilizing robot motion control technology, AI vision algorithm technology, multi-machine scheduling, and online monitoring technology, YOUIBOT provides customers with a comprehensive intelligent inspection solution and assists energy industry clients in creating smart power plants, intelligent power grids, and other new intelligent management systems, offering intensive, intelligent, and unmanned advanced inspection and maintenance capabilities.

YOUIBOT focuses on advanced manufacturing logistics in China, primarily targeting the semiconductor and lithium battery fields, as well as providing intelligent inspection and maintenance solutions in the fields of electricity, new energy, and petrochemicals. Since 2021, YOUIBOT has actively expanded into overseas markets, with products shipped to over 30 countries and regions, and the establishment of more than 60 network sales channels.

In the global wave of industrial intelligence upgrades, autonomous mobile robots, as an advanced and mature productivity tool, play a significant role across various industries. In the field of mobile robots, China’s robot technology is on par with international standards, with the broadest market potential. 

2. The new energy industry, semiconductor industry, and 3C industry are currently highly dynamic sectors, both domestically and overseas. How has YOUIBOT adapted to this opportunity? 

We have a systematic process for industry analysis and selection, focusing on ‘advanced manufacturing and advanced capacity.’ In these fields, there is a pressing need for expansion and efficiency improvement, making the introduction of mobile robots for logistics automation in factories both necessary and urgent.

With this logic, industries such as semiconductors and lithium batteries become our primary focus. We concentrate on the production and manufacturing processes of these scenarios, developing integrated solutions for mobile robots. This ensures automated logistics on the production line as well as seamless data connectivity and helps factories achieve a closed loop of material and data flows throughout the entire production cycle, contributing to the goal of improving quality and efficiency.

However, it is not easy to achieve depth in the industry. Taking semiconductors as an example, wafer production is the most precise and demanding area in the electronics manufacturing process, requiring high standards for mobile robot equipment. For instance, to achieve class 100 cleanliness, the slightest vibration during handling will affect the yield of the lobes. We spent nearly two years in the early stages understanding the industry, and constantly refining product performance through interactions with factories and research centers. In 2021, we launched a composite mobile robot specifically for wafer production, and market feedback indicates that our early technical efforts have yielded excellent results. In industry technical performance tests, we often top the rankings, earning customer recognition and trust.

Facing the overseas market, we introduced the ‘Integrated’ strategy in 2022, expecting overseas business to account for over 30% of our activity within three years. We deeply integrate our rich and scalable landing experience in the Chinese semiconductor and lithium battery industries, along with the efficient integration capabilities and long-term customer service experience of local partners. This creates friendly and comprehensive service support, forming an overseas business layout centered on customers and supported by local partners.

Since officially entering the Japanese market in 2022, YOUIBOT has completed a comprehensive channel roll-out and established strong cooperative relationships with powerful players. This year, we will also establish a subsidiary in Japan, providing 24/7 responsive sales, technical support, and after-sales service capabilities. Thanks to the rapid development of Chinese manufacturing, Chinese industrial mobile robot brands have accumulated extensive project experience in improving manufacturing efficiency, automating upgrades, and landing high-end capacity over the past few years.

The foundation of industrial automation in the European market stems more from the accumulation of the past 20-30 years. YOUIBOT has a more mature experience compared to local European brands in the rapid deployment and application experience of new technologies. In the process of landing projects in the Chinese market, our products have undergone more stringent requirements, are constantly refined, and have superior performance including navigation accuracy, battery life, and fixed integrated interfaces. Simultaneously, experience from multiple project landings allows YOUIBOT to have a more complete understanding of end-user applications, providing more comprehensive solutions to customers and addressing their on-site needs and issues quickly. In addition to product performance advantages and solution capabilities, YOUIBOT provides more cost-effective products compared to European and American brands.

3. What are some of the challenges that Chinese companies face when they go global?

We said that every step in the global roll-out is a new beginning. Economic, political, industrial, and cultural factors vary greatly across different countries and regions. We first need to clarify the underlying logic of product demand, then tailor solutions that adapt to the corresponding needs based on different application scenarios.

• Products: Upgrade standard products running domestically to meet overseas standards, and refine them according to the requirements of overseas customers.
• Services: Provide comprehensive training and support to the channel network, offer 24/7 online services for key regions, and gradually establish local teams to enhance service efficiency.
• Sales: Layout and coverage of the channel network.

4. Robots are becoming increasingly crucial in the era of intelligent manufacturing, with some big name players such as ByteDance and Tesla entering the sector. How does YOUIBOT view the competition brought to the industry by these tech giants? 

The unveiling of Tesla’s Optimus humanoid robot in 2023 generated a lot of discussion among the public and led to sustained attention in the entire field of robotics. Robotics is an extensive field encompassing various types of service robots, special-purpose robots, and industrial robots like ours used in industrial settings. On a macro level, we hope more industry giants join the robotics market, introducing additional technology and resources to accelerate the iteration and evolution of the robotics industry. However, in the specific field of industrial mobile robots where we operate, unlike the consumer market, industrial scenarios are intricately segmented. Understanding customer points within these complex scenarios and providing professional solutions impose high demands on AMR (Autonomous Mobile Robot) vendors. One needs to comprehend both the scenarios and robot technology. Therefore, the entry barriers in this field are relatively high. 

Our technological foundation is quite solid, with over 50% of our team dedicated to research and development. We have established a modular and configurable product architecture tailored to diverse scenarios, enabling us to rapidly develop and deploy solutions to meet various market demands. Simultaneously, we collaborate with experts, educational institutions, and enterprises to create innovation labs, tackle research projects, and maintain exploration at the forefront of technology. In March 2023, we took the lead in a national key research and development project in semiconductors, aiming to fill the gap in industrial software for semiconductor production.

5. The rise of generative AI has led to some concerns over the technology in wider society. Are there similar issues regarding robotics? Where do you see the future of the sector?

We believe that mobile robots are a mature and advanced productivity tool. In the future, they will have various roles and positions similar to humans, participating in social production activities alongside humans. They will supplement human labor, free human hands, coexist harmoniously with humans, and contribute to creating a more harmonious world.

I don’t have much say on humanoid robots; I prefer to focus on the field of industrial mobile robots that I am engaged in. Currently, mobile robots, much like the early days of the internet, are gradually infiltrating various industries, bringing about a transformation in traditional production methods. It can be anticipated that as the scale of mobile robots grows, they will, in the future, develop their ecosystem, much like the automotive industry, with dedicated sales and service centers, charging stations, and cleaning facilities, forming their ecological industry.

Note: The article was written by Miziko Li and translated by Zinan Zhang.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Miziko Li, Social Media Editor at TechNode. Miziko Mainly focuses on ConsumerTech and Dynamics of Major internet companies.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

At the end of Nov, Pinduoduo saw its market value surpass Alibaba’s, becoming the largest Chinese company in terms of market capitalization on the U.S. stock market, marking a historic moment. As someone who loves shopping online, I usually buy daily necessities on Pinduoduo, which can essentially meet my therapeutic consumption needs (Not because I can’t afford anything on Taobao or Tmall, but because buying products on Pinduoduo has better value for money). Whether the price is low or high, Pinduoduo supports free shipping, and compared to other platforms, its return and refund services are the most user-friendly. From cross-border e-commerce to user innovation, I have transitioned from questioning Pinduoduo to understanding it and ultimately loving to use the platform. 

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Huawei. Despite facing various external pressures, Huawei has released numerous new products this year, spanning from wearable devices to smart homes and even automobiles. Huawei is actively building an intelligent world of interconnected devices. With the release of Huawei ADS 2.0, the new M5 model, a collaboration with SERES, entered the scene, and the subsequent release of the new M7 model led to a significant increase in SERES’s sales. Having experienced the vehicle, I also find the new M7 quite appealing! At the end of December, the launch of the M9, as the flagship product under the HarmonyOS Smart Travel division, is set to lead a new journey in driving. While Huawei doesn’t manufacture cars independently, it plays a crucial role in helping car manufacturers produce and sell high-quality vehicles.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Zhihui Jun. I’ve been a fan of watching Zhihui Jun’s videos on Bilibili. In February 2023, Zhihui Jun established his startup, AGIBOT, transitioning from a well-known tech influencer to a tech entrepreneur. The founding team managed to create and launch their first product within six months. In less than a year since its establishment, AGIBOT has completed five rounds of financing. In the A+++ round of financing completed in December, the funding amount exceeded 600 million yuan. It is reported that AGIBOT is currently undergoing a new round of financing, with a pre-investment valuation reaching 7 billion yuan. I believe he is someone with clear goals and extraordinary initiative. In his spare time, he can immerse himself in researching advanced hardcore technology for three to four months. The passion he demonstrates in his field is not only admirable but also unparalleled. He is undoubtedly a role model for us all. 

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

OpenAI experiences a major movement in leadership. In just five days, CEO Sam Altman was ousted by the board, and President Greg Brockman announced his resignation as the board chairman. Subsequently, both swiftly joined Microsoft’s new artificial intelligence research lab. Eventually, an agreement was tentatively reached between OpenAI and Sam Altman, leading to Sam Altman’s return as CEO of OpenAI. He is set to form a new board, and Microsoft, OpenAI’s largest investor, gains a non-voting board seat. Amid the excitement of 5G developments, concerns about AI safety continue to grow, reflecting the rapid evolution of AI technology.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

Brand crossovers. At the end of the year, Xiaomi held a highly anticipated Xiaomi Car Technology Conference, unveiling the Xiaomi SU7. Huawei collaborated with SERES and Chery to create two models, while NIO launched the NIO Phone. In 2023, many internet giants have successfully ventured into new fields, marking a trend of diversification.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Certainly, it’s AIGC. The year 2023 is a year of AI breakthroughs. From the emergence of ChatGPT to the present, AIGC has become the hottest topic in the tech world. For instance, Google recently introduced its largest and most powerful LLM, Gemini, along with the Imagen 2 model. HeyGen launched an AI voice-changing product, enabling figures like Guo Degang to perform traditional Chinese stand-up comedy in English and Zhao Benshan to deliver skits in English, with voice and lip-sync matching so convincingly that it’s almost indistinguishable from reality. While providing entertainment, it has also raised concerns about technology and privacy.

For me, on a daily basis, I use ChatGPT to assist in office tasks, ranging from optimizing text, checking spelling errors, translating articles to providing solutions and content ideas. The advent of AIGC has significantly improved my work efficiency and quality.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Nei Juan. ChatGPT is surging in popularity, leading to a “battle of a thousand models” as capital, industry giants, and startups all rush to enter the big model arena. Despite a sluggish demand on the consumer end in the smartphone market, major manufacturers are striving to bring forth new innovations. Professor Zhang Xuefeng even remarked at an event that the smartphone industry is more competitive than preparing for postgraduate exams or civil service exams. The electric vehicle (EV) market is also fiercely competitive, with China’s global leadership in EV. Independent brands are rising, and an influx of new models intensifies price wars. Despite the severity of internal competition, we also witness more innovations. Only through continuous innovation can we address more pain points and meet the ever-increasing demands of consumers.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Humanoid robots. As humanoid robot technology continues to develop, its application scenarios are becoming increasingly widespread, and it is expected to have profound implications in various fields in the future. 

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

Currently, AI does not pose a threat to human. However, the threats posed by AI to humanity go beyond survival and encompass potential risks such as employment, legal issues, privacy, and security. With the rapid development of AI, an increasing number of countries and governmental organizations have established AI regulations or implemented stricter regulatory frameworks. While humans enjoy the convenience brought by artificial intelligence, it is crucial to avoid these potential threats. Many tech leaders have been warning us consistently that humanity will face risks from the development of AI. As AI evolves to become more autonomous and less constrained, there is a possibility that it could pose a threat to human survival in the future.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Zinan Zhang, Social Media Editor at TechNode. Zinan Mainly focuses on AI, E-commerce, and Social Media.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

The company that has impressed me the most this year is Huawei. Whether it’s their innovations in the smartphone industry or their entry into the automotive market and the development of the HarmonyOS, every piece of news about Huawei has left me in awe of their progress. In the short six months since my return to China, I have truly experienced the powerful counterattack of Huawei. From technological innovations to a market comeback, Huawei has indeed demonstrated formidable industry influence.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

The most unexpected company for me is Luckin Coffee. I didn’t anticipate Luckin Coffee and Moutai collaborating to create an alcoholic coffee, but the product became extremely popular upon its launch. The joint venture and marketing were highly successful. The online community also showed a strong reaction to the popularity of this Sauce latte, sparking several waves of discussions on social media platforms.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

The entrepreneur who has left a deep impression on me is Elon Musk. Since he renamed Twitter to “X” in May, every time I log in and refresh Twitter, his tweets consistently make headlines on the front page. As a highly skilled marketer and visionary genius of the future, his tweets cover innovative technology and various humorous memes. They are a bit eccentric but incredibly interesting.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

The overseas event that left the deepest impression on me this year was the months-long Hollywood screenwriters’ strike. Although this strike initially appeared to be a large-scale movement within the entertainment industry, its core issues were closely related to AI. Aside from the impact brought by streaming platforms, AI, especially AIGC, significantly affected the rights of most screenwriters. During my visit to the United States in May, I witnessed the immense scale of this strike firsthand. It made me acutely aware of the profound influence that AI has on creative industry professionals. In the wave of technological advancement, finding a balance between technological progress and the rights of creators may become a crucial issue for many creative industries and related professionals.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

The significant industry trend that I would like to highlight is the revival of Aito. It’s truly not easy; it involves both strength and luck.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

From a media perspective, the industry buzzword I encountered the most this year is AIGC. In 2023, AI-related news constantly emerged and became a widely discussed topic on social networks. For workers in social media, every day of my work involves encountering and using AI.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

For 2023, one could summarize the technology industry as reaching a white-hot stage. As a social media operator, we pay attention to various fields within the technology industry every day. This year, every sector of the technology industry has been exceptionally active, witnessing many groundbreaking advancements, as well as some notable dramatic events and eye-catching innovations.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Next year, what I am most looking forward to is the smart home industry. I have great expectations for how technology can be cleverly integrated into people’s daily lives. With the increasing prevalence of smart technology, I also hope to experience more convenient and efficient smart home products.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I believe technology is neutral, and the key lies in the humans who use it. AI needs to be appropriately regulated and supervised to achieve peaceful coexistence with humans.

Note: The article was written by Emilie Wang and translated by Zinan.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Emilie Wang, Social Media Director at TechNode. Emilie Mainly focuses on New media, digital marketing, AI, entrepreneurship.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

OpenAI. I believe the most significant development in 2023 is the rise of AIGC. From models like GPT-4, offering higher accuracy and multimodal understanding capabilities, to its impact on various aspects of our copywriting and planning as new media operators, it has proven to be highly beneficial, significantly enhancing our work efficiency.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

In March 2023, the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) was an unexpected event. The term “bank run” was previously only heard in economics classes, but this year, it happened in the technology startup community. SVB, not a minor player, had a history of nearly 40 years and managed assets exceeding $200 billion. Unlike traditional large banks, SVB primarily serves high-tech startups in the United States. The collapse of SVB had a significant impact on many startup companies. Additionally, due to its account-opening system allowing the use of Chinese mobile numbers, numerous Chinese technology startups were also affected.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Alvin Wang Graylin. He is the first guest on the “The Force Talk” segment, collaborates with Dr. Lu Gang and Tencent Technology (Tencent News Technology Channel), which I jointly organized for the latter half of the year. He, like many entrepreneurs, has immense passion for the industry he is involved in. Thirty years ago, he began studying VR and later delved into AI, patiently waiting for the joy that is about to erupt today. Due to his friendship with Dr. Lu Gang, throughout the entire segment, one can sense his relaxed attitude towards work and life. Simultaneously, he has also provided valuable advice for young people, and I am greatly inspired.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg. This is one of the most closely followed topics for social media workers after Elon Musk acquired Twitter and renamed it “X.” As a social media operations professional, I also monitor the dynamics of X’s social media platform. After all, we all have official accounts and need to consider future operational strategies. The Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg incident is a showdown between the world’s richest person and the youngest wealthy individual, inadvertently revealing the secrets of online traffic, capturing global attention, but ultimately coming to nothing. This event has also prompted me to reflect on how, in this age of information explosion, we can filter out meaningful content rather than being misled and consumed by trivial entertainment.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

I must strongly recommend the BEYOND Expo. It is a big technology event worthy of everyone’s attention. I have witnessed its growth from its first edition in December 2021, held in Macao under the dual pressures of the pandemic and entry policies, showcasing the industry’s resilience and innovation. In September 2022, BEYOND Expo leveraged the metaverse platform, attracting the participation of numerous overseas technology companies and demonstrating the industry’s foresight and openness. In May 2023, with the dissipation of the pandemic, on-site activities flourished, and BEYOND Expo reached new heights in scale, quality, and proportion of overseas companies, showcasing the industry’s vitality and influence. BEYOND Expo has indeed become the flagbearer of Asian technology, and in May 2024, it will continue to be held in Macao!

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

AIGC. The year 2023 can be considered the inaugural year for AIGC, as many groundbreaking AIGC models and applications emerged during this year. The applications of AIGC are incredibly diverse, and for me, they have become indispensable tools in people’s work. For instance, I use ChatGPT almost every day, from copy optimization to text translation and even framework planning, significantly enhancing the efficiency of professionals. Additionally, tools like Midjourney are employed in planning marketing campaigns, swiftly visualizing your ideas, and presenting them intuitively in proposals.

Furthermore, I also use ClipDrop and RunwayML for image and video editing. With just one click, they make images clearer and facilitate easy scaling, making them indispensable for media professionals – a real game-changer, enabling self-sufficiency.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Innovation in the face of challenges. This phrase may sound cliché, but in 2023, I deeply understand its significance. My work is confronted with unprecedented challenges, and many AIGC models can easily replace my work. Only by being more creative than AI can I secure my livelihood. Many startup companies are also adhering to this principle, and are now navigating survival during economic downturns and market competition. In such an environment, innovation is the only way forward.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

I might choose Huawei’s groundbreaking product. According to Huawei’s Executive Director, CEO of the Consumer Business Group (BG), and Chairman of the Intelligent Car Solutions Business Unit, Richard Yu, at the Huawei Annual Conference, Huawei will launch extremely pioneering, innovative, and disruptive products that can rewrite the history of the industry next year. Although he did not reveal specific details about the product, some netizens speculate that it could be a scrollable folding screen with 3D imaging interactive features for a smartphone, or XR wearable glasses similar to those seen in science fiction movies, or a smartphone supporting broadband satellite internet, or a HarmonyOS operating system supporting multiple devices like smartphones and PCs, or perhaps something else magical?

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

The answers from version 4.0 are more comprehensive and of higher quality compared to version 3.5. Currently, I feel that the development is still within human controllable limits, but it is also easy to imagine uncontrollable scenarios. The learning of a lot of information may lead it to “go bad,” and many science fiction movies have warned us about this.

Note: The article was written by Steven Lee and translated by Zinan.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Steven Lee, Editor at TechNode. Steven is an editor who focuses on Apple, Google, Microsoft and other big company dynamics.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

This year, the most impressive company for me is OpenAI. ChatGPT is the most eye-catching product of the year, sparking a trend in AI. This generative AI has influenced various fields, including creativity, design, media, etc. Tech giants in China and the U.S. are competing to develop and launch similar products.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

TikTok Shop being shut down in Indonesia by the government was unexpected. The Indonesian government believed that TikTok Shop’s business model would impact the livelihood of local small businesses, leading to the shutdown order. Later, TikTok announced a $1.5 billion investment in the Indonesian e-commerce platform Tokopedia. The developments of these two companies will continue to be watched closely.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT. After being removed from the CEO position, Microsoft announced his hiring along with co-founder Greg Brockman. In a surprising turn of events, with the support of core employees and investors, Altman and Brockman returned to the company, highlighting their influence and status.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT, was unexpectedly removed from the CEO position by the OpenAI board. Later, Microsoft announced his inclusion, and he returned to OpenAI in a strong comeback.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

NVIDIA’s collaboration with Malaysia’s YTL Group to build a $4.3 billion AI data center in Malaysia. The development of NVIDIA in Malaysia is anticipated, and there are hopes that it will drive the growth of AI in the country. Due to the popularity of ChatGPT, AI has become a focal point, making NVIDIA the best-performing listed company on the S&P 500 index last year. The founder, Jensen Huang, created a buzz with his whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam, at the end of last year.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Artificial Intelligence (AI), ChatGPT.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

AI field: Rapid advancement, intense competition. With the significant success of ChatGPT, major tech giants and startups are competing to launch AI-related products, leading to a rapid advancement of AI.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

I’m very excited about the developments in the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector. Huawei and Xiaomi have recently launched their EV models, and I’m eager to see the impact and changes they will bring to the overall EV industry. Additionally, the Chinese EV brands BYD and NIO have surpassed Tesla in global sales, and I’m looking forward to the plans and developments of BYD, especially its introduction of products in Indonesia in January.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I believe AI may affect some jobs, but currently rather than replacing people’s jobs, I tend to believe that AI is helping people enhance efficiency and solve problems such as quick data collection.Furthermore, I have confidence that humans will find ways to control or balance the threats posed by AI and use AI more effectively to enhance efficiency and solve various problems.

Note: The article was written by Yimie and translated by Zinan.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Yimie Yong, Reporter at TNGlobal. Yimie is a reporter who focuses on EV, AI, FinTech, and InsurTech.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

This year, the most impressive company for me is OpenAI. ChatGPT is the most eye-catching product of the year, sparking a trend in AI. This generative AI has influenced various fields, including creativity, design, media, etc. Tech giants in China and the U.S. are competing to develop and launch similar products.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

TikTok Shop being shut down in Indonesia by the government was unexpected. The Indonesian government believed that TikTok Shop’s business model would impact the livelihood of local small businesses, leading to the shutdown order. Later, TikTok announced a $1.5 billion investment in the Indonesian e-commerce platform Tokopedia. The developments of these two companies will continue to be watched closely.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT. After being removed from the CEO position, Microsoft announced his hiring along with co-founder Greg Brockman. In a surprising turn of events, with the support of core employees and investors, Altman and Brockman returned to the company, highlighting their influence and status.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

Sam Altman, the creator of ChatGPT, was unexpectedly removed from the CEO position by the OpenAI board. Later, Microsoft announced his inclusion, and he returned to OpenAI in a strong comeback.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

NVIDIA’s collaboration with Malaysia’s YTL Group to build a $4.3 billion AI data center in Malaysia. The development of NVIDIA in Malaysia is anticipated, and there are hopes that it will drive the growth of AI in the country. Due to the popularity of ChatGPT, AI has become a focal point, making NVIDIA the best-performing listed company on the S&P 500 index last year. The founder, Jensen Huang, created a buzz with his whirlwind tour of Southeast Asia, including Singapore, Malaysia, and Vietnam, at the end of last year.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Artificial Intelligence (AI), ChatGPT.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

AI field: Rapid advancement, intense competition. With the significant success of ChatGPT, major tech giants and startups are competing to launch AI-related products, leading to a rapid advancement of AI.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

I’m very excited about the developments in the Electric Vehicle (EV) sector. Huawei and Xiaomi have recently launched their EV models, and I’m eager to see the impact and changes they will bring to the overall EV industry. Additionally, the Chinese EV brands BYD and NIO have surpassed Tesla in global sales, and I’m looking forward to the plans and developments of BYD, especially its introduction of products in Indonesia in January.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I believe AI may affect some jobs, but currently rather than replacing people’s jobs, I tend to believe that AI is helping people enhance efficiency and solve problems such as quick data collection. Furthermore, I have confidence that humans will find ways to control or balance the threats posed by AI and use AI more effectively to enhance efficiency and solve various problems.

Note: The article was written by Angelo.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Angelo, Editor at TNGlobal. Angelo is an editor who focuses on SEA Tech News.

1. Which technology has impressed you the most in 2023?

Undoubtedly, artificial intelligence is the hottest topic in recent years, and OpenAI has been at the forefront of this industry. It’s not necessarily for its advancements in technology, because other companies like Google, Microsoft, Meta, etc., have also been building upon their own capabilities. Many of these are under-the-radar, but OpenAI accelerated the time-to-market for AI-driven products, for better or worse. More importantly, the management “drama” that unfolded toward the end of 2023 highlighted the importance of governance and accountability in this emerging technology, especially given its potential impact on humanity.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Frankly, Microsoft is the single company that has surprised me this year. While many would view Microsoft as a bland company that now lacks the sexiness and edge that other giants like Apple and Google have, it does have significant investments in products and technologies that can potentially be gamechangers, particularly AI. It is also making significant inroads into community-driven technologies such as open-source projects, which is one of the things I am deeply interested in.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

OpenAI’s Sam Altman made an impression on me not only because of AI, but rather because of his interest in survivalism and prepping. Altman reportedly has a bunker in New Zealand, same as many other billionaires who can afford the infrastructure, supplies, personnel, and training involved in prepping for disasters in the long-haul. I am mostly interested in prepping for more localized ones, such as those brought about by natural hazards (e.g., earthquakes, storms, etc.). But given Altman’s involvement in AI, does he know something we don’t? Will AI eventually lead to humanity’s ruin?

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

I am particularly interested in exploring the unknown and pushing human capabilities and technologies to the extremes. For this reason, I have two events from 2023 that are quite memorable to me. One is India’s successful Chandrayaan-3 mission to the moon, which is perhaps one of the factors that will rekindle renewed interest in moon missions and exploration, not to mention the other activities by NASA, SpaceX, CNSA, ESA, and other organizations in advancing space-exploration technologies.

Another is the OceanGate disaster, which involves another area of exploration–the deep oceans. With its loss of its Titan and crew, it also underscores the importance of establishing a balance between achieving innovations and developing standards for safety.

We’ve achieved so much in these areas in the past century alone. I’m excited for what we can achieve in the 21st century onwards.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

There’s always talk about how electric vehicles will enhance the sustainability of our transportation systems. For me, however, what’s more interesting is the deep technology behind these industries, particularly alternative power sources. Electric vehicles may simply be shifting the carbon footprint from fossil fuels to other sources of energy. But what about new breakthroughs that can potentially be cleaner and safer, such as the use of hydrogen and other materials? And this might not only be for terrestrial travel. How about propulsion or space-going vessels?

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

AI, of course, and its related buzzwords, had been the most popular in 2023. Other contenders would be “The Great Resignation” in the context of work-from-home and return-to-office trends, as well as “Open Source Intelligence” in the context of data management.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

“Anxious but excited,” is the phrase that best summarizes my view especially in tech-driven industries across the globe. On one hand, we are having significant advancements in artificial intelligence, which means we can come at innovations and efficiencies at a scale previously not achievable. However, this also means potential disruption to a lot of industries. Some might get left behind if we are not able to get ahead of the wave.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

We have been exploring space for decades. With recent advancements in reusable materials and propulsion technologies, we might just achieve significant developments in the next years to come that will make space travel more accessible and viable than ever.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I think humanity poses a threat to humanity. AI will just be something that accelerates it if left unchecked. We therefore need better governance mechanisms that will ensure AI is not utilized for harmful applications and that AI itself will not have the means to do such on its own.

Note: The article was written by icebin and translated by Zinan Zhang.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from icebin, reporter at TechNode. icebin is a tech reporter based in Shanghai who focuses on Sustainability, EV, VR/AR, IoT, and New Material.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

It’s BYD. This company has transitioned from one era to another. After years of dedicated efforts, BYD has become a leader in China’s EV market, with 1557 patent applications making it the company with the highest number of pure EV-related patent applications among the top four EV manufacturers in China. Leveraging their accumulated technology and patents in the battery field, coupled with the expansion of product categories, they achieved a remarkable annual sales figure of 3,024,417 vehicles, a year-on-year growth of 61.9%. With this impressive data, BYD not only fulfilled its goal of selling 3 million vehicles set at the beginning of the year but also secured the top spot in China’s annual automotive sales, claiming the global crown in new energy vehicle sales. The 3 million mark also set a new record for annual car sales in China.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

The most surprising company for me is Huawei. Before the launch of the Apple 15 series, Huawei preemptively released and sold the new Mate 60 series, especially considering the chip restrictions. Additionally, Huawei has made a strong product layout in the automotive market, exerting significant competitive pressure on other car manufacturers.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

The entrepreneur who has left a deep impression on me is Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI. The products he has led have ushered in a new era of AI. The revolutionary AI chatbot, ChatGPT, introduced by OpenAI, connects extensive corpora to train the model, achieving conversations in chat scenarios almost similar to real human interaction. In the future, as intelligent applications in areas such as customer service, education, healthcare, and search engines continue to be implemented, ChatGPT, integrated with various industry applications, is set to witness the establishment of more paid business models.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

The overseas event that left the deepest impression on me this year is the continuous surge in NVIDIA’s stock price. This also signifies the industry’s recognition of its key role in AI sector. In the AI frenzy, NVIDIA has emerged as the biggest winner, surpassing a trillion-dollar market cap. The sudden popularity of ChatGPT has triggered a global AI race between major tech companies and startups, all eager to acquire NVIDIA’s H100 product. Jensen Huang referred to it as “the world’s first computer [chip] designed for generative AI”.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

The industry trend that I’d like to highlight is Microsoft’s strategic layout in the field of AI. With Microsoft’s involvement in AI and its integration with the Windows and PC ecosystem, AI can now bring significant innovation in both software and hardware ecosystems.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Without a doubt, the hottest trend is AI. This term has made an impact across various industries, with almost every sector leveraging AI for innovation and breakthroughs. It can be foreseen that this trend will continue in the coming years.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

It can be described as “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend”. Whether in the field of AI, new energy vehicles, or consumer electronics, with the collaborative efforts of AI and related hardware and chips, the pace and diversity of changes in the world have become even more rapid.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Next year, what I am most looking forward to is the integration of AI in consumer electronics and personal digital products, breakthroughs in the MR/AR field, technological innovations in the new energy vehicle sector, and the refinement of technology in the field of intelligent driving. This includes leading enterprises both domestically and internationally. Of course, the actions of companies led by Musk next year are also worth paying attention to, as he always manages to bring unconventional breakthroughs and innovations.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

From a technological perspective, AI, when used friendly, will undoubtedly significantly improve human work and life. However, technology can also be exploited by malicious actors, and what we need to do is take preventive measures. In the current trend, AI will not pose a threat to humanity; it will only assist humanity in entering a new era of development, resolving more conflicts.

Note: The article was written by Evan Huang and translated by Zinan Zhang.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Evan Huang, reporter at TechNode. Evan Huang is a tech reporter based in Shanghai who focuses on consumer electronics, hardware, and AI.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

Huawei. Under U.S. sanctions for over three years, Huawei’s business faced setbacks. However, the launch of Mate60 Pro on August 31 sparked a wave of enthusiasm. Huawei, now using self-developed chips again, is considered to break the U.S. technological blockade, showcasing the strength and resilience of Chinese technology.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Apple. iPhone, as a trendsetter in the smartphone industry, experienced minimal overall upgrades in 2023 which needed to be improved. Moreover, it is the first time that Apple hasn’t released any new iPad in the entire year. Since the initial launch of the iPad in 2010, Apple has consistently introduced new iPads each year, making 2023 an exception.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Lei Jun. On November 29th, Lei Jun, the founder, chairman, and CEO of Xiaomi Group, made a personal donation of RMB 1.3 billion to Wuhan University where he graduated from. This is the largest individual cash donation received by any university in China. Lei Jun believes that basic disciplines have been relatively disadvantaged in universities in recent years. Therefore, he donated this amount to support fundamental research in six disciplines (mathematics, physics, chemistry, literature, history, and philosophy), technological innovation in the field of computer science, and the education of university students.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

In November, OpenAI CEO, Sam Altman, faced a sudden dismissal, after a series of twists, he briefly joined Microsoft before ultimately returning to OpenAI to reclaim his position. Throughout this process, the major disagreement between Altman and former Chief Scientist Ilya at OpenAI revolved around the pace of commercialization. Ilya advocated for a slower approach, emphasizing the importance of interpretability and safety in AI products. In contrast, Altman and former President Greg held a stance of technological optimism, pushing for an active pursuit of commercialization paths and a new round of financing.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

In September, Huawei announced the launch of HarmonyOS applications. It is said that the next-generation, HarmonyOS NEXT system base, is completely self-developed, eliminating traditional AOSP code and only supporting applications based on the HarmonyOS kernel and HarmonyOS system. This new design reduces 40% of redundant code, completely breaking free from the “skin” of Android. At the same time, by focusing on the development of HarmonyOS applications, Huawei can expand the influence of the HarmonyOS system and enhance the independent and controllable level of related technology and ecology.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Large Language Models. With the rapid development of technologies such as deep learning and big data, significant breakthroughs have been achieved in the training and application of large models. Large language models exhibit stronger generalization capabilities and higher performance, demonstrating outstanding abilities in areas such as speech recognition, natural language processing, computer vision, and more. The industry widely recognizes their enormous application potential in many commercial scenarios.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

“Seeking Change”. The Consumer Electronics Market is undergoing unprecedented transformation, with various emerging technologies and products continuously emerging. AI has brought a new atmosphere to hardware products in areas such as smartphones and smart homes, providing consumers with more choices and better experiences. At the same time, market competition is becoming increasingly fierce, and manufacturers need to keep pace with the times to meet consumer demands.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

AI Agent. The AI Agent will connect to other services and solve practical problems, making the interaction between humans and AI more profound, rather than just simple input-output interactions.  For example, a mature AI Agent can significantly reduce the cost of software production.  Microsoft founder, Bill Gates, has expressed, “Whoever wins the personal agent, that’s the big thing, because you will never go to a search site again, you will never go to a productivity site, you’ll never go to Amazon again.”

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

AI is a double-edged sword, and my answer is temporarily uncertain. AI creates more opportunities and possibilities, reshaping global business, technology, education, and other fields. Additionally, with the continuous improvement of AI’s capabilities in decision-making and execution, there may be some unpredictable and uncontrollable situations.   Moreover, the widespread adoption and application of AI may lead to excessive reliance on technology, potentially weakening certain fundamental skills and judgments in humans.   In this process, it is essential to closely monitor and establish appropriate regulatory and ethical frameworks to ensure that the development of AI has a positive long-term impact on humanity.

Note: The article was written by Penghui Li and translated by Zinan Zhang.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll present nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Penghui Li, reporter at TechNode. Penghui is a tech reporter who focuses on the Southeast Asian VC Ecosystem and Companies Going Overseas.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

Whether from the perspective of a netizen or a content creator, the generative AI craze sparked by ChatGPT over the whole year has frequently appeared in my daily life. I have gradually accepted and actively started using such tools to enhance my work efficiency. I look forward to more surprises from this type of technology.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

It’s amazing that VinFast, a Vietnamese electric vehicle company, actually delivered its first EV in 2023. This company was founded in 2017, and the company announced its transition from fuel vehicles to electric vehicle manufacturing in 2021. In the second half of 2022, I always saw related news about the delivery of its first car on Christmas Day that year but it was still delayed. 

Before this, I have always had doubts about VinFast. Although I have seen too much news about car manufacturing, it is difficult for me to believe whether this young car company can produce cars as its pricing is benchmarked against Tesla, and its primary target market is also North America. In addition, the industry has always referred to it as the “Vietnamese Tesla.” The combination of these accolades and repeated delays makes it hard for people not to feel that it is a script. However, VinFast has indeed been produced.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Sam Altman. Before the recent conflicts within ChatGPT and OpenAI this year, as I have a slight interest in tokusatsu, “Ultraman” would more specifically refer to Tsuburaya’s Ultraman series in my memories (Altman and Ultraman have a similar translation in China) However, after the ChatGPT and OpenAI controversies, the various Chinese translations of Altman’s name. I hope that he can have a consistent Chinese translation of his name.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

The upheaval in TikTok’s Indonesian e-commerce business. What stands out to me is that, on the one hand, as a company, TikTok’s impact extends far beyond our conventional understanding of a business. On the other hand, looking at it from the perspective of a company going global, there have been significant changes compared to simply introducing products and services to overseas markets in the past.

However, in my opinion, when a startup gradually continues to mature and becomes a presence that industry insiders pay attention to and even influence the development of the industry, the things it undertakes will gradually surpass everyone’s imagination. At this point, interpreting these things purely from the perspective of right or wrong, or good or bad, becomes quite complex. From the standpoint of a content creator, this can make me feel an intangible pressure.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

Cross-border Payment Linkage among Southeast Asian countries and between Southeast Asia and other regions. More specifically, this movement is made up of a series of specific events over 23 years, particularly cross-border payments and cross-border transfers.

Before the pandemic, there were large groups of tourists and travelers traveling between Southeast Asian countries every year. And as the effects of the pandemic have gradually passed, these movements have begun to return. The ease of payment will further promote the transactional activities in these cross-border behaviors. Almost every Southeast Asian country will have its QR code payment platform. If one account/one phone can be used in all countries, I believe more people will also start this kind of transaction behavior.

From my perspective, I would recommend that we focus on the impact of this process of increasing integration. When we mention Southeast Asia, it’s not hard to realize that the region is made up of many countries with different development paths and processes.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Funding Winter. Intuitively, our readers might notice that the funding reports I’ve written in 2023 have been significantly decreasing compared to the previous two years.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

“Back to the reasonable range” for the tech VC in Southeast Asia.

I’ve heard this from Southeast Asia-focused investors over the past year. The Southeast Asian VC community was experiencing a boom in 2021 and the first half of 2022. In comparison, Southeast Asia is currently undergoing a “financing winter.” Despite being an “underrated region”, their performance in the past few years does not seem to be a sustainable condition in the long term. On the journey of Southeast Asia’s “digital decade”, it has only completed one-third of the road.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Electric Vehicle/EV industry (both two and four-wheeled). On the one hand, it comes from Southeast Asia’s ambition to become a regional hub for EVs. On the other hand, the Southeast Asia area is also hosting a boom in EVs going overseas in China. 

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

Yes. My understanding of the threat is to have a harmful effect. AI may currently refer specifically to AIGC, and the main reason that makes me feel threatened is the increasing presence of AI voices including harassing phone calls and video content AI reading voice. AI content, such as the articles that are becoming more commonly produced by AI, usually seems to be well-written but is actually uninformed or even wrong in its opinions. There are quite a few people who use AI assistants to discuss issues with me.

I’m not saying that AI answers are wrong, but in terms of accuracy, AI-generated content can easily be misleading.

I also realize that AI is essentially a tool, and the value it can add depends on the perspective of the people who use it. What I’m worried about has existed before AIGC was created, though they’re likely to become more numerous and difficult to discern in the future.

Anyway, before more specific regulations and policies are finalized, this buzzword will bring more room for imagination and development value to the world, and at the same time, it will also produce negative impacts that cannot be ignored. As for the concern of AI occupying human jobs, I don’t think that’s what I can explore alone, and at least not in the short term for my job, it doesn’t have that possibility.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the technology field. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll be presenting nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Cheyenne Dong, reporter at TechNode. Cheyenne is a tech reporter now based in Shanghai. She covers e-commerce and retail, blockchain, and Web3.

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

OpenAI. OpenAI’s launch of ChatGPT at the end of 2022 led directly to the following year belonging to the wild year of generative artificial intelligence. Despite the subsequent launch of ChatGPT-like services by worldwide tech firms, OpenAI’s overwhelming success in AI has made it a challenge for rivals to keep up with its pace.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Alibaba. The Chinese e-commerce giant conducted eye-catching organizational overhauls throughout the past year, and each adjustment has been a big deal, both internally and to the public. What kind of energy the company will unleash in the new year to take on the competition in industries under its startling overhaul?

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. He was able to face around five hours of questioning by dozens of US lawmakers in March.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman was in the center of media spotlight even before the board abruptly fired him, and this unexpected 72-hour-long firing event gives me a feeling that it’s more exciting than any TV series.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

PDD’s market value exceeds that of Alibaba. This landmark event shows that Pinduoduo, which offers ultra-low-priced goods at a time of economic uncertainty, is emerging as the most challenging and disruptive force in China’s e-commerce sector.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

AI, companies in almost every field are looking to rebuild their services and products with the power of AI.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Juan or in the English context it can be understood as competition for even some small factors has reached unhealthy levels, like which platform offers ultra-low prices for the same items, delivery times, or providing near-zero threshold after-sales service.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

OpenAI’s GPT-5.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

Not at this stage, instead, human beings could be significantly more productive if they had better AI tools, but the future is not easy to predict.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the field of technology. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll be presenting nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Today, our Q&A comes from Jill Shem, reporter at TechNode. Jill is based in Shanghai and covers news from across China’s tech landscape while keeping a close eye on developments in the fields of electric vehicles and autonomous driving. 

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

BYD retained its top position as China’s top EV maker with sales of more than 3 million units last year. The annual growth rate was also much higher than the industry average despite the competition, and it looks like the giant maker will stay on top in the foreseeable future.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

Huawei surprised everyone with a strong bouceback in EV sales, as the technology giant delivered more than 56,000 Aito-branded EVs with manufacturing partner Seres over the last three months of 2023. The company was amazingly adaptive that it finally “revived a dead brand,” as Huawei’s consumer business boss Richard Yu has said. 

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Huawei’s Richard Yu, probably one of the best-known workaholics in the Chinese auto and tech industries. I watched him speak on at least five press conferences throughout the year and witnessed how he made the phrase “far ahead of rivals” a trending term on the Chinese internet. 

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

The ongoing anti-subsidy investigation into China-made electric vehicles by the European Commission was unexpected and could have a far-reaching impact on Chinese rising carmakers. This, along with the US Inflation Reduction Act, could herald more regulations and even sanctions against Chinese electric cars and take the tensions between China and the West to a new level. 

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

It will be interesting to know what efforts will be made by global auto majors to defend their market share against Chinese competitors. Any good updates from Volkswagen regarding its partnerships with Xpeng, whether Toyota would change its mind and be more open to battery EVs, or would Tesla finally be able to roll out its full-self driving software this year? I am happy to find out. 

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

Nei Juan, a buzzword meaning involution in Chinese. Usually we just call it Juan for short and that’s what everybody says and what I’ve seen from this huge but increasingly crowded EV market. Automakers launched their tech-packed, luxury-styled new models at stunningly low prices and yet some of them still can’t capture a decent volume. China is undoubtly the most violent regional market on the planet and an industry veteran told me that if you can survive here, you will make it anywhere else in the world. 

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Upmarket. That’s probably one of the most significant developments when we take a look into what Chinese automakers have done in the past year. It would be hard to imagine 10 years ago that a Chinese-branded car sells good at more than RMB 300,000 (RMB 41,880), but this is happening right now and right here. How far will they go?

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

I very much expect the availability of automated driving functions that would allow cars to steer, brake, and navigate on Chinese complex city streets. I took several really smooth test rides offered by automakers and self-driving car companies in the past year and that was amazing. I look forward the technology being more reliable and affordable in 2024, bringing future into reality faster. 

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

I am a bit worried about the potential for humans to lose control of AI as we’ve seen the technology advanced at unprecedented rates in the past year. I am hoping for more dialogues and collaborations among nations and businesses for AI regulation and transparency.

Get ready for the annual insights from TechNode Content Team! The year 2023 can be considered a groundbreaking year in the field of technology. As wrapping up this year, we gathered different insights from our content team. We’ll be presenting nine Q&As, with timely updates every Wednesday and Friday in the following weeks!

Our first Q&A comes from Jessie Wu, our reporter at TechNode. Jessie is a tech reporter based in Shanghai. She covers consumer electronics, semiconductors, and the gaming industry for TechNode. 

1. Which company has impressed you the most in 2023?

Huawei introduced the Mate60 series featuring the cutting-edge Kirin 9000S chip, manufactured in China by Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC). This chip marks a significant advancement as it is the first chip from the Chinese manufacturer to be built on a 7nm node process.

2. Which company has surprised you the most in 2023?

ByteDance has scaled down its gaming business following reports of significant job cuts. ByteDance currently struggled to deliver high-grossing games and grab gaming market share, despite entering the gaming market in 2019 to challenge the domestic industry leaders like Tencent and NetEase.

3. Which industry professional/entrepreneur/startup founder has left the most profound impression on you in 2023?

Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun set a record by making a cash donation of RMB 1.3 billion ($183 million) to his alma mater, Wuhan University. This contribution, the largest ever from an alumnus to a Chinese university, is expected to support computer science innovations, students’ development, and research across six fundamental disciplines.

4. What is the most memorable overseas event for you in 2023?

ChatGPT can generate unique images based on a conversation. If users describe the vision, ChatGPT will provide related visuals and further revisions within the chat.

5. If you were to recommend one significant industry trend for everyone to follow, what would it be?

In June 2023, the Dutch government implemented additional export controls on specific advanced semiconductor production equipment. Consequently, ASML needs to apply for licenses for selling advanced chip-making machines to China due to this ban.

6. What industry buzzword have you encountered the most in 2023?

AI is being employed by companies to enhance employee productivity. AI can manage repetitive tasks throughout an organization, allowing employees to concentrate on innovative solutions, complex problem-solving, and meaningful work.

7. Which phrase or sentence best summarizes your perspective on the field you’ve been following in 2023?

Challenge. Huawei and Xiaomi are focusing on creating their own operating systems for devices, as domestic tech companies may face potential restrictions on accessing crucial hardware or software of US origin.

8. What product/company/technology/industry are you most looking forward to next year?

Black Myth: Wukong is an upcoming action role-playing game by Chinese developer Game Science, based on the classical 16th-century Chinese novel Journey to the West. This martial arts title might be China’s very first AAA game.

9. Do you believe AI has the potential to threaten humanity?

Currently, I think that AI is not a threat for humans. Because we are currently in the stage of capitalist society, and the essence of capitalist society is built on consumption. However, AI itself cannot consume, which means it is destined to be unable to fully replace humans.

Chinese EV maker Zeekr made a splash on Sept. 1 when it launched its first high-performance, track-focused vehicle – one which it hopes will establish new benchmarks in the field and compete with established brands such as Porsche and Tesla.

The 001 FR, which Zeekr is calling the world’s best-performance electric vehicle, uses four silicon-carbine motors for sophisticated torque vectoring, producing a powerful 1,265 brake horsepower, compared with 887 hp of the Porsche 918 Spyder.

The high-performance brake, completely redesigned from the original 001, can, the company claims, accelerate from 0-100 km/h (0-62 mph) in 2.07 seconds, faster than the 2.1-second acceleration to 60 mph of the Tesla Model S Plaid. The new model promises to be an everyday supercar, with a rapid battery charge from 10% to 80% in 15 minutes.

The debut comes at a time when Chinese manufacturers are rushing to launch premium offerings with eye-catching performance specs in a quest to upscale and compete in the global luxury EV segment. 

Zeekr has not released pricing details for the 001 FR, but has said the car will be made available in limited supply of up to 99 units a month from October. This will bring it into competition with another high-end rival, as BYD begins deliveries of its RMB 1 million ($150,000) electric SUV later this month. 

“Global luxury brands have ruled the performance car segment throughout the era of internal combustion engines … but Chinese electric vehicles are now capable of competing head-to-head against European top-tier supercars,” Andy An, chairman of Geely Auto Group and CEO of Zeekr told reporters in an interview after the launch. 

TechNode also spoke to Chen Qi, vice president of Zeekr and a former Huawei executive, about the company’s approach to autonomous driving as it looks to expand overseas. Geely’s premium EV subsidiary is establishing its footprint in Europe as part of its goal to deliver 140,000 units this year while looking to sell shares publicly in the US. 

Below are highlights from a group interview after the launch, which have been translated, condensed, and edited for clarity:

On limited production of the 001 FR 

An: The Zeekr 001 FR comes with a comprehensive list of high-performance equipment among which are extremely rare parts mostly needed and reserved for professional race cars. 

For example, more than 70% of Brembo’s carbon-ceramic brake systems are provided to today’s top-tier race cars, with less than 20,000 units available for road cars annually. We are individually crafting the 001 FR to ensure the highest standards of quality are attained, which together with other factors restricts the sports car’s output capacity to less than 100 units a month. 

Our customers have reacted remarkably well: the first 99 units of the 001 FR were sold out in 15 seconds after reservations opened [on Sept. 1] and the number exceeded our annual production capacity 20 minutes after that. I think this is because the 001 FR represents the state of the art as a sports wagon, which could improve sales and help establish Zeekr’s image as a technology-driven company. 

On Zeekr’s self-driving roadmap 

Chen: Zeekr has pursued a dual strategy of initiating in-house development as well as outsourcing to catch up with rivals in self-driving technologies. We are pushing forward a new program to bring autonomous driving for urban scenarios with future models using Nvidia’s semiconductor chips.

Meanwhile, it requires a relatively long period of testing and validation for existing Zeekr models to navigate Chinese urban roads with Mobileye’s advanced driver-assist technology. Mobileye has been an early mover in creating its digital maps to enable self-driving cars and we will use its assisted driving systems mainly in the European market. 

Automakers are deploying assisted driving technology on a city-by-city basis because more effort is needed to enhance the neural network’s generalization ability in various practical driving scenarios. [Editor’s note: Transformer is a new deep neural network architecture first mentioned in a 2017 Google paper and later used by Tesla to convert location data gathered by cameras into three-dimensional space for motion planning and control. Many assisted driving software have since been written using the transformer algorithm.]

We are accelerating efforts to roll out driver assistance software, first applicable on major Chinese highways, and we will then let our cars navigate complex urban streets automatically. 

On Zeekr’s US listing plan  

An: Zeekr will venture into the capital markets. But it is not the top priority for our management at the moment. There is no update on Zeekr’s listing plan following approval from the Chinese regulator. We will keep an eye on investor sentiment before taking a chance to go public. 

Zeekr has set an annual delivery target of 650,000 units by 2025 as one of the top three luxury EV makers worldwide since its inception and remains confident under pressure. We’ve made significant progress in a comprehensive way, including building a substantial cost advantage over competitors other than Tesla, and will reach the goal with the launch of a new model later this year, followed by two all-new ones in 2024 and 2025. 

On global expansion 

An: Zeekr started exports to Europe with 500 Zeekr 001 cars last month and will begin vehicle delivery first in Sweden and the Netherlands as early as September and in several other European countries next year. We are also preparing to enter regional markets including Southeast Asia, the Middle East, and Latin America, but will keep our focus on Europe at the moment. 

We expect to see a significant contribution to sales from overseas markets in the future. Chinese electric vehicles are gaining momentum in the global auto industry and we will make use of this to go upscale and expand globally.

READ MORE: Experts bullish on Chinese automakers’ global push as SAIC seeks EU foothold

Speed is key if Continental and its auto clients are to have any hope of defending their market share in China, given the competition they face. Auto suppliers might be used to providing very specific solutions for single customers in Europe, “but in China this is not a good idea,” said Frank Petznick, Executive Vice President of the Autonomous Mobility Business Area at Continental AG.

While foreign auto executives express nervousness about the rise of their Chinese rivals, Continental’s global mobility head says he is not surprised. He says he has been “pretty aware of” of the pace of China’s progress in electric vehicle technology for a long time.

Offering products ranging from tires to dashboard displays, Continental is now growing its business in high-performance computers for automated driving, with GAC’s Hyper GT luxury coupe one of its early adopters. Speaking on April 19 on the sidelines of the Auto Shanghai show, Petznick told TechNode that companies must be lean, localized, and standardized in developing technology for the world’s biggest and most vibrant auto market.

Having lived in China for a decade before the Covid-19 outbreak, he also gave a broader perspective on the Chinese autonomous car industry and competition between global Tier-1 suppliers and local tech companies. The German auto parts giant is pushing to develop advanced electric and connected solutions not only for the China operations of multinational car majors but also for local manufacturers with global ambition.

READ MORE: Baidu and Huawei take on global giants with new in-car software offerings at Auto Shanghai 2023

Below are Petznick’s comments on the rapidly changing Chinese auto industry. The text has been condensed and edited for clarity.

China speed

The Chinese market is working completely differently from Europe, and much faster. In order to be prepared for the market, we need local companies that can put pressure on us to speed up and become more dynamic in the market. That’s why we decided to form a joint venture with Horizon Robotics two years ago. We wanted to make a Chinese joint venture that would be closer to the local market.

Global automakers underestimated China’s speed [with regard to EV transition] over the last three years, but now they are getting super nervous because they have seen what’s going on. EV companies in China have a higher demand for autonomous driving. They integrate the entire technology into their cars and can sell to local young people who just want to buy fancy cars.

A lot of the cost of ADAS [Advanced Driver Assistance System] comes from developing specific software, and what Continental can do very well is integration. We figure out what is a common part, roll out standard components in a fast and cost-competitive way, and then add specific functions to make a difference. I think this is the key [to success] in China, but many Western companies have not understood that yet.

Think local

We are working closely with our Chinese customers and developing systems in China and for China. Global automakers in China also want to use local solutions because they are afraid of being too slow and too late. The other thing is that many Chinese brands are going global very fast. It means we could also help some of our Chinese customers use a more global approach.

Every Chinese brand now has a global ambition, though new OEMs [original equipment manufacturers] are much faster at going global than traditional ones. Since the border opened [late last year], we have seen a growing number of Chinese OEMs coming to our headquarters in Frankfurt and Hanover to talk about having a global setup. In the meantime, we have the same discussions when we come here.

We have different solutions for different regions, but the software and functions are the same. We would like to help the global OEMs develop in China and help local OEMs develop in the global world. This is what we are trying to do: bridge the two.

Autonomous driving

There are some very good startup players in the US, but I believe robotaxis will become real in China before the rest of the world. There are still many difficulties in getting approval for vehicles with close to Level 3 driving capabilities. Some cities have allowed this, others have not. It’s very scattered. 

I see significantly faster development in terms of the infrastructure and the regulations needed in China. That’s why I think China could be the world’s first robotaxi-friendly country. The rest of the world could focus more on commercial trucks, which are more of a highway thing and not as complicated as robotaxis in the cities.

We are developing software basically for all levels of autonomous driving by using a lot of the expertise from our partners. The competition is very tough. You always see companies jumping forward and others catching up, but the good news is that if you can survive in this market, you can survive anywhere in the world.

Competing with tech giants

Tech companies such as Huawei and Baidu are going to be Tier-1 suppliers, while we are shifting to be more on the tech side. We need to be more agile and have a more local mindset in order to be fast enough.

We have launched a couple of products, such as a full-fledged smart camera based on processors from a Chinese partner. We are also making high-performance computers where ADAS will also be a part of it. We will be going into series production with the partners we have now. You will see these cars on the road very soon.

I don’t think we have to turn ourselves into a new Baidu. This would be going too far over to the other side. Chinese tech firms are trying to be more Tier-1 and we are trying to be more like a tech company. We are basically learning from each other. We have discussed globally that we have to become a tech player, and in the China context, we need to do that tomorrow.

AI-powered chatbot ChatGPT has upped its game in the months since it was launched. As the runaway success develops, three recent key announcements indicate that rapid commercialization of the technology is likely to commence. On Mar.14, OpenAI launched a GPT-4 model which supports multi-modal output and surpasses the GPT-3.5 model ChatGPT in complex reasoning and performance. Upon its release, GPT-4 attracted widespread attention and dissemination. Then, on Mar.16, Baidu released its ERNIE Bot, a chatbot rival to ChatGPT. Prior to this, on Mar.1, OpenAI announced the opening of ChatGPT’s API (Application Programming Interface) and reduced usage costs by 90%.

As AI technology develops, large-scale AI models such as GPT are seeing falling costs. So why are AI models becoming more affordable?

John Zhang, founder of StarBitech, discussed this issue with TechNode in a Q&A format. StarBitech is a digital content asset technology company founded in 2015, jointly invested in by the Shanghai Tree-Graph Blockchain Research Institute and digital display company Fengyuzhu. The company recently received support from Microsoft and OpenAI and will leverage its strengths in Chinese natural language processing and local compliance to develop AIGC (AI-generated content) services in visual content creation and marketing content creation. These services will be supported by GPT, DALL-E, and reinforcement learning, providing AI capabilities geared towards marketing, gaming, animation, culture and tourism, and government.

Why are large AI models like GPT becoming increasingly affordable, and will other mainstream models follow the trend?

The decreasing cost of large AI models is mainly due to the continuous advancement of technology and intensification of competition. According to OpenAI, the cost of using the GPT-3.5-turbo model, which is used by ChatGPT, is only $0.002 for 1000 tokens (approximately 750 words), reducing the cost of using GPT-3.5 by 90%. The “turbo” in the GPT model refers to an optimized version of GPT-3.5 that has faster response times.

The significant reduction in OpenAI’s costs may have come from various optimizations, including adjustments to the model architecture, algorithm efficiency and GPU, at business-level, model-level, quantization, kernel-level, and compiler-level.

Adjustments to the model architecture mainly refer to techniques such as pruning, quantization, and fine-tuning to reduce the size of the model. Those measures help to improve its performance and accuracy while reducing computational and parameter costs, and lowering inference time and cost.

Using efficient algorithms and GPU parallel computing, companies can speed up calculations and improve computing efficiency, gaining algorithm efficiency and GPU optimization in the process. Business-level optimization refers to optimizing the performance and efficiency of the entire system, by using caching and prediction techniques to reduce latency and repeated calls. Model-level optimization can be achieved by streamlining the network structure. Quantization optimization can be achieved by reducing computational and parameter costs by using low-precision calculations. Compiler-level optimization uses efficient compilers to optimize code execution and computing efficiency.

In addition, as more and more companies and research institutions enter the field of large AI models, such as Google’s LaMDA (137B) and PaLM (540B), DeepMind’s Gopher (280B), BigScience’s BLOOM (175B), Meta’s OPT (175B), NVIDIA’s TNLG v2 (530B), and Tsinghua University’s GLM-130B (130B), market competition has become intense, and price competition has also begun. This factor has led to a continuous decrease in the prices of AI models. (The numbers in parentheses represent the parameters of these AI models.)

Whether other mainstream models will follow this trend of decreasing prices or not depends on their scale and performance, as well as their level of demand. If these models are comparable in scale and performance to the GPT-3 model and there is strong market demand, they may also see price reductions. However, if these models are smaller in scale, lower in performance, or demand weakens, prices may not drop significantly. 

In the long run, with the continuous development of technology and the progress of software and hardware technology, the cost of processing large amounts of data and training models will gradually decrease, and the prices of large language models will follow. In addition, as more and more companies and organizations turn to large language models, market competition will push prices down. Of course, the specific extent and timing of such price reductions cannot be predetermined because they depend on the supply relationship and quality of models on the market. Of course, for some high-end models, the price may remain buoyant as high-quality, high-performance, high-value-added models may require more computing resources and professional knowledge.

Did these large AI models become more powerful and intelligent while they become more affordable? Do you agree with OpenAI CEO Sam Altman’s statement about the new AI Moore’s Law, which states that the total amount of AI intelligence doubles every 18 months?

I agree with the new AI Moore’s Law — the decrease in costs and increase in applications will also increase the amount of language data and corpus that can be learned by AI, thereby enhancing its capabilities. Starting in 2022, the global internet environment has entered a new era of large-scale AI intelligence, where there is constant “Turing testing”. Unlike the image-based AI of recent years, language-based AI is more like the human brain, with a broader and deeper range of influences. However, the current level of AI’s capabilities still largely depends on hardware, especially the GPU’s high-performance capabilities, and supply. Therefore, AI’s development is strongly positively correlated with Moore’s law of chips.

What are some key factors driving cost reductions in large AI models?

1. Algorithmic improvements: New technologies are constantly being iterated and developed. These are more efficient at using computational resources and data, which reduces the costs of training and inference.

2. Hardware improvements: With advancements in hardware technology, such as the emergence of specialized chips like GPUs and TPUs, more efficient computing power is available to accelerate training and inference processes, thus lowering costs.

3. Dataset size: This is critical to AI training. Larger and higher quality datasets provide more information, leading to improved accuracy and generalization of models. Additionally, more efficient data processing and storage techniques can help reduce data costs.

4. Reusable pre-trained models: Pre-trained models have become an important way to train large models. Models such as BERT and GPT have already demonstrated their capabilities. These models can serve as base models to train other models, reducing training time and costs.

5. Distributed computing: Breaking down the training process into multiple tasks and running them on multiple computers can greatly shorten training time and costs.

ChatGPT has become the talk in China’s tech and business communities these days, with major Chinese tech companies racing to prove they have a similar capability or are developing similar services. TechNode talked to John Zhang, CEO of StarBitech, a digital asset startup based in Shanghai and supported by Microsoft for Startups, on why Chinese tech majors are rushing to push out their own versions of ChatGPT. Below is an edited version of the conversation.

1. Why are Chinese tech companies developing their own AI chatbots like ChatGPT? For example, Baidu announced last week that its look-a-like product, ERNIE Bot, or Wenxin Yiyan in Chinese, will be launched in March. 

There are three reasons for this. First, from a market perspective, ChatGPT is currently not available to Chinese users. They can’t use it as easily as overseas users. So it’s inevitable that there will be a local ChatGPT-like service to satisfy demand. 

Second, from a technological perspective, most large language models (LLMs) currently available on the market, like ChatGPT, are trained on English as the primary language. Their natural language processing (NLP) performance in Chinese is still inferior to that of English. So a model trained with Chinese as the primary language will further improve user effectiveness.

The third reason is data security. AI generates content after going through a large amount of data training. And OpenAI seems to gradually shift from being a non-profit project to a market-oriented one, so there could be uncertainty in the future. Additionally, mainland China requires all data to be locally stored, but OpenAI does not have a team in the country, making it difficult to meet regulatory requirements for local data storage and maintenance.

2. Can China’s AI chatbot compete with ChatGPT and its peers? 

In the short term, it’s still difficult for Chinese AI chatbots to compete. OpenAI entered the stage of large-scale GPU cluster training after getting investment from Microsoft. It’s said that OpenAI owns thousands of Nvidia A100 chips, and Microsoft’s billion-dollar investment was mostly in Microsoft’s Azure cloud resources. Microsoft and OpenAI have just begun the next round of financing and collaboration, which means that in three years, they have burned billions of dollars in cloud resources on training. Such a large-scale investment is very rare in China’s internet circle, especially in underlying infrastructure technology. Most of the big investments in China are more focused on the application side. 

But in the long run, China’s AI chatbot will become more powerful in the future. The country has superior algorithm engineers, a unified large market, abundant application scenarios, and data sources, and cost advantages over Microsoft Azure compared to Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud. 

3. Do you think China is ready in terms of big data and language models?

In terms of big data, China is ahead of the game. It’s highly digitized, so has access to abundant data and a complete industrial chain. However, when it comes to language models, there’s still room for improvement. Currently, models like GPT-3.5 used in chatGPT are large models that require significant investment and are slower in seeing returns, which isn’t an attractive option for many Chinese investors. As a result, only a few major internet companies have participated, with limited investment, slowing China’s progress in language models. But the popularity of ChatGPT offers a good warning for both Chinese investors and internet companies. I expect to see larger investments in the future.

4. How would Chinese AI chatbots differ from others, regarding application and regulations? 

Currently, in China, large-scale chatbots are applied in NLP tasks such as machine translation, intelligent customer service, and Q&A platforms. As the development of LLM progresses, China will also popularize AI chatbots based on LLM. 

AI chatbots developed in China should be: first, eloquent in Chinese expressions. That is, they need to be able to understand Chinese commands. In addition, for a better communication experience, the chatbot must have knowledge of Chinese culture and history, and communicate in a way that fits the Chinese language style and expression. For example, the same word may have different meanings and emotions in different contexts. Furthermore, the chatbot will provide more personalized services based on Chinese users’ habits and needs, such as different payment methods or ethnic customs unique to China.

Chinese-developed chatbots also need to comply with Chinese laws and regulations, including its Data Security Law, Cybersecurity Law, Personal Information Protection Law, and Administrative Measures for Internet Information Services. These laws aim to protect personal information (prevent its illegal acquisition, use, and dissemination), prevent information leaks and misuse, safeguard network security, prevent network attacks and fraudulent activities, and regulate internet information services. With the increasing popularity of chatbots and the continuous improvement of Chinese laws and policies, it is expected that more comprehensive and targeted regulations will be developed in the future to regulate chatbots.

5. Has your team used GPT (Generative Pretrained Transformer, OpenAI’s language model upon which ChatGPT is developed)? What challenges and limitations do you see with this tool?

• Biases. The model is trained on a large amount of text data. If trained data contains biases, the model will also exhibit them. For example, if there is a lack of Chinese language data, particularly in Chinese history, culture, and society, the model may output biased information.
• The model lacks a broad, bird-eye view perspective. Although GPT can maintain a sense of coherence in context, it lacks the ability to think more broadly. 
• Lack of language diversity. GPT is trained mostly based on English material, limiting its compatibility and understanding of other languages.
• High computation cost. GPT is a very large neural network model, with parameter counts ranging from millions to tens of millions. The model size ranges from tens of megabytes to several gigabytes, going up to hundreds of gigabytes. Training such a model costs a significant amount of computing resources and time.

6. Has your team used any China-developed AI language models? How do they compare to GPT?

Currently, with self-developed Chinese AI language models: 

• Some can support different voice responses, which are not currently supported by GPT.
• Regarding language support, there is a greater focus on Chinese-language communication, while GPT has a deeper understanding of English.
• In the application field, Chinese models are more narrowly focused on dialogue generation. To compare, GPT is a language generation model that can be used in text generation, code writing, and more.
• In terms of communication, Chinese models tend to deliver short-sentence communication, while GPT has a strong understanding of long sentences.

7. What are some features or functions that your team would like to achieve using AI language models, but have yet to do?

Current AI-powered chatbots may have achieved impressive results, but there is still room for improvement. One area is the understanding of context and emotions. Chatbots have a limited understanding of things such as one word having different meanings based on the context. 

Another issue is that chatbots can lack coherence in continuous communication on the same topic. Moreover, they lack creativity, as they primarily integrate and sort existing knowledge. This means they do not meet the requirement for independent thinking and creating new ideas.

8. Could you give us an introduction to your company?

StarBitech is a digital content asset technology company founded in 2015. It is jointly invested in by the Shanghai Tree-Graph Blockchain Research Institute and Fengyuzhu and is located at the Microsoft Accelerator in the Caohejing Development Zone in Shanghai. The company focuses on providing individuals and businesses with algorithm-driven digital asset creation and publishing services. StarBitech has worked with companies such as China Merchants Bank, Huawei, LVMH, Shanghai Public Security Jing’an Branch, and the Shanghai Technology Exchange.

The company has recently received support from Microsoft and OpenAI and will leverage its strengths in Chinese natural language processing and local compliance to develop AIGC (AI-generated content) services in fields such as chatbots, visual content creation, and marketing content creation. These services will be supported by GPT, DALL-E, and reinforcement learning, providing AI capabilities for industries such as marketing, gaming, animation, culture and tourism, and government.

Although billions of dollars have been spent on pursuing breakthroughs in electric vehicle batteries, global automakers General Motors, Hyundai, and Honda believe there is still a long way to go to bring next-generation battery technologies to the market.

Speaking on Dec. 14 during an online conference held by SES, a New York-listed battery maker, executives from the world’s major automakers said they are still looking for a pathway to scaling lithium-metal batteries, which could offer higher energy density at a lower weight than existing batteries.

Backed by a list of big auto names that includes GM, Hyundai, and Honda, SES now expects its lithium-metal batteries to be mass-adopted first in drones for freight delivery services over the next three years, according to chief executive Hu Qichao. He added that the company would not introduce EV batteries until after 2025.

Lithium-metal batteries have pure metal lithium in the anode and come without the carbon materials that existing lithium-ion batteries use. Their adoption could allow automakers to develop EVs with a longer driving range and more cabin space.

Industry players are also racing to develop solid-state batteries with a lithium-metal anode, which has a solid electrolyte to enable charging and discharging and is viewed as being safer than those currently in use. SES’s products use liquid materials like today’s lithium-ion batteries and therefore have been considered “a bridge” between existing offerings and solid-state ones.

Other than the challenges in commercializing the newest battery technologies, representatives from the three automakers, SES, Canadian mining group Ivanhoe Mines, and Chinese lithium producer Tianqi Lithium talked about the ongoing US push for supply-chain decoupling from China at the Dec. 14 event.

The text below has been condensed and edited for clarity.

Timothy Grewe, director of electrification strategy, General Motors

We’re very excited about the lithium-metal battery and accelerating it into the marketplace. General Motors has a dedicated EV architecture that we call Ultium, and we specifically designed it to accept this new technology with minimum disruption in the manufacturing process. 

We’re aggressively pursuing this technology and trying to accelerate it as fast as possible. We think we’ve proven the durability of SES’s battery samples with 150,000 miles demonstrated in the lab. The next step is: “How do we get it into people’s hands?”

As we expand into this light-duty, high-volume application, there’s going to be a natural localization. That’s true for anything that we do in a high-volume automotive business. And now we have some of these accelerants, such as the Inflation Reduction Act or some of the other moves by the miners to make the supply chain more local where people use products and we can develop the whole ecosystem.

One of the most important things in high-volume manufacturing is always securing a stable supply. That’s always high value to us and fundamental in our business model. How do we make sure we never get a production interruption? We have numerous processes and contracts to make sure that happens.

Yongjun Jang, global R&D master, Hyundai

To make a battery with higher energy density, lithium metal could be the next-generation material for the anode, and there are two different pathways within it: the liquid approach and the solid-state approach.

Lithium-metal batteries use high-concentrated liquid electrolytes, so it is necessary to induce stable redox reactions to prevent excessive depletion of the liquid electrolyte and the lithium-metal anode at the interface. On the other hand, all-solid-state batteries use solid electrolytes, and it is necessary for solid electrolytes to maintain continuous close contact with lithium metal and prevent short circuits of the battery.

For these reasons, both electrolytes are important factors in determining the long-term durability of higher energy density batteries. It becomes even more sensitive and important in large-format batteries than in smaller ones. We should solve these issues before the commercialization of these new batteries.

SES is developing lithium-metal battery technology rapidly with the manufacturing completeness of large-format, 50Ah high energy density battery cells. If the long-term stability of the battery is secured by applying artificial intelligence technology, it will greatly help automotive companies.

Yoshiya Joshua Fujiwara, expert engineer, Honda

Honda focuses on safe, reliable, and low-cost technology, such as all-solid-state battery technology with lithium-metal anode. We think that’s the holy grail of low-cost battery technology due to its high energy density. We hope to realize commercialization within this decade, before 2030.

The approach SES is making is a more hybrid-based, lithium-ion-like manufacturing process. Honda is working on both technologies simultaneously. We don’t know which one is a cheaper way at the moment, but all-solid-state technology is new compared with what SES is utilizing.

Localization is one of our principles. We have been operating facilities and building supply chains locally in the US since the beginning of the last century. Honda will do the same for electric vehicles, and we are focusing on the US and China, the two major markets where we need to establish our supply chain individually. In particular, it is urgent for us to establish a supply chain in North America due to the Inflation Reduction Act. We believe it is important for us to control and integrate our supply chain locally.

Alice Lei, senior analyst, Tianqi Lithium

As an upstream player in the battery supply chain, Tianqi focuses a lot on lithium-related material innovations, such as lithium sulfur and lithium metal. That’s why we invested in SES, as we are trying to work with downstream battery cell makers to ensure we know what kind of lithium materials they want. We are quite excited about introducing new battery technologies to the market, but it will take a lot of courage and time to commercialize a disruptive technology like full solid-state battery.

We believe that the globalized battery supply chain that has been built in the past decade will probably be changed to be more localized in the next few decades. The Inflation Reduction Act has clarified that most of the critical minerals and materials could be produced in the US and we think it’s a trend that Europe will probably have its own battery act in the future. Therefore, it is important to choose our next location of expansion to comply with the trend and deal with geopolitical tensions.

Hu Qichao, founder and CEO, SES

Regarding ramping up the supply chain for new technology, our lithium-metal battery shares a lot of the supply chain with the current lithium-ion batteries, such as the cathode and manufacturing process. However, there are different parts and the current supply chain for lithium anodes is very fragmented and insufficient.

So we are working with partners to make the process, from mining to the final anode, as simple, streamlined, optimized, and with as few players involved as possible. I think that could be a really key factor to ramp up the supply chain for lithium-metal batteries. 

On geopolitical issues, we do recognize this manufacturing renaissance in North America where there is a lot of potential for battery manufacturing: abundant raw materials, fairly low-cost electricity, and access to well-trained labor and high technology. So we are preparing to build this entire supply chain in North America, for example, electrolyte, anode, and battery cell. This trend offers a lot of opportunities.

Robert Friedland, founder and executive co-chairman, Ivanhoe Mines

Every action begets an equal and opposite counterreaction. When you Balkanize the world economy, you stress the integrated world economy on the supply side. That means the critical raw materials we need to enable this energy revolution become even more important and that’s why we call this the revenge of the miners.

We’ve identified very important lithium resources in the US that can produce lithium metal quickly and efficiently. We’ve been looking at new ways to make lithium metal foil and the types of deposits that will enable us to actually do that. All of these instruments will be part of the orchestra that’s required for the US to have its own secure domestic supply chain for new battery technologies.

Lithium metal has the highest energy density on the anode side of the battery. So we will be a very low-cost lithium-metal producer and solve part of that problem. For the copper, nickel, and cobalt, that’s what we’ve been doing for the past decades. We intend to ensure that the entire supply chain can be audited, carefully studied, and done in a better and more responsible way.

Chinese tech giant Baidu recently showed off its AI capabilities with the unveiling of a newly “completed” ink painting by Chinese painter Lu Xiaoman (1903 – 1965), which was finished by the firm’s deep learning-based art generation platform. 

As part of the presentation of the artwork, Baidu held a roundtable discussion with local auction house Duo Yun Xuan on Nov. 16 in Shanghai. The two partnered on the completion of Lu’s work, which the beloved 20th-century cultural figure had left unfinished.

This discussion presented two attempts to complete Lu’s original unfinished work: one is from famous Chinese artist Le Zhenwen, and the other is from Baidu Wenxin Yige, an art generation platform developed on Baidu’s deep-learning framework PaddlePaddle. The intention is to offer a comparison between the AI interpretation of the work and that of a human artist.

According to Baidu, its version of the work went through four phases: AI learning, AI painting, AI coloring, and theme poem composition. During the process, Baidu partnered with Duo Yun Xuan to collect public ink paintings to train models and reach a better outcome.

The twin artworks will be sold on Dec. 8 at Duo Yun Xuan’s 30th-anniversary auction event.

Below are comments on the project from Xiao Xinyan, chief architect of Baidu Wenxin Yige. His words have been translated, edited, and condensed for clarity. 

How does AI generate such artwork?

In short, AI will shuffle and compose the concepts and datasets it has learned previously, which is somewhat of a knowledge presentation.

From a technical point of view, AI learns before it paints, just as human beings do. It is trained from a vast amount of data in image-text matches. Every painting has a text description. Al can learn the association between languages and images, as well as multiple corresponding concepts related to the images. 

For instance, the concept of mountains could have a wide variety of image styles. So then how do people use AI to paint? They need to provide it with a text description, such as “a pine tree on a mountain.” AI will call on its learned experience and knowledge to generate a vague initial version randomly and then modify and perfect it continuously. There could be hundreds of rounds in the modification process, with the overall outline becoming clearer and clearer during the process, enriching the details. The work will be finally completed when it meets people’s esthetic requirements.

How is Baidu exploring art generation tech?

We [Baidu] adopt self-developed technology. There are two main points to our AI painting tech. Firstly, the image quality is high and looks delicate. We utilize a powerful diffusion model, which is a major technical innovation. Via multimodality of text and image, we can [give AI] a deep understanding, enabling it to create delicate artworks. 

Also, we have a better understanding of Chinese culture, and we will build a relevant dataset to feed it for generations in such a style. For the training datasets, we also developed algorithms to evaluate the aesthetics to ensure they meet the criteria. 

And considering users’ descriptions can be inaccurate, we enhanced the inputs system via a knowledge graph to provide related keywords for a better user experience.

So far, the feedback from users is quite positive; the platform has greatly improved their efficiency. For most casual users, they find the AI generator quite helpful. Looking ahead, we plan to explore a wider range of usage scenarios, for example using AI to assist children to practice painting. 

What is the position of human beings in AI art generation?

The human being is of great importance in AI-driven paintings. In my opinion, human is the mentor of AI. We need to develop the neural network of the AI painting model: there are different models with various effects [and we need to choose ideal ones from them].

The human also has to feed AI some material to learn and determine how the AI should be trained. For example, Baidu Wenxin Yige was fed with traditional Chinese elements and cultural data to have a better understanding of this genre. 

[The platform] can generate an image within minutes. On the first version of the piece drafted by Lu Xiaoman, the Baidu team consulted artist Le for advice. He then provided more training samples for a better outcome.

At the very beginning, AI needs people to teach it to generate the image: what content should appear in the picture and what styles should be presented.

Humans are also the ones to make a final decision despite the machine having an automatic algorithm to tell if the generated work is good enough because AI is not as accurate as human beings in this case.

Jidu Auto, the electric vehicle arm of Chinese search engine giant Baidu, is joining a long list of Chinese companies to take on Tesla by positioning the brand in the premium segment and highlighting its strength in autonomous driving tech.

In recent media appearances, Xia Yiping, chief executive of Jidu, stated that the new automaker can compete with Tesla by leveraging the data and algorithm prowess from its parent company.

A former tech lead of in-car connectivity at Fiat Chrysler, Xia noted that he believes the race among automakers to build intelligent vehicles has only just begun in China.

On Oct. 27, Jidu showcased a special version of its first consumer car Robo-01 that it made in partnership with Chinese automaker Geely. The company plans to launch the standard version next April, which Xia told TechNode could be “very competitive” on price (our translation). He also noted a short-term target of selling at least 10,000 vehicles monthly.

Below is the highlights from a group interview at the car launch event, which have been translated, condensed, and edited for clarity:

Is it too late for Jidu to enter the Chinese EV game as a new competitor?

The EV offerings from our competitors are far less diversified, especially regarding the intelligent and connected capabilities they can offer. The competition has just begun, which I believe will be more about the deployment of semiconductors, algorithms, and computing power rather than vehicle manufacturing, as time goes on, and that’s where our capabilities lie.

We are looking to be a serious player in the medium-to-high-end EV segment, especially in the price range of RMB 250,000 ($34,370) and above, and where in-car intelligent technology has been a major selling point. Our core users are young, educated, tech-savvy, and upper-middle class, and in that sense, there is a big competitive overlap between Jidu and Tesla.

If you compare Jidu’s Robo-01 with Tesla’s Model Y, I would say our vehicle provides a roomier and more luxurious interior, as well as a longer driving range. 

Several competitors have already begun releasing advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) for city environments. What is your advantage and how do you ensure the reliability of vehicle software?

(Note: Rival Xpeng Motors on Sept. 19 released its so-called City Navigation Guided Pilot, a feature similar to Tesla’s Full Self-Driving that allows vehicles to navigate on both highways and city streets. Huawei’s partner Arcfox closely followed with the release of its Navigation Cruise Assist (NCA) software a week later.)

Jidu’s advanced driver assistance capabilities, including those for highways and urban streets, will be fully ready once we begin vehicle delivery to customers later next year. All the variants of Robo-01 will be equipped with lidar sensors and applicable to all Jidu’s intelligent functionality.

We are developing the most advanced electrical and electronic architecture, where we must ensure the complexity of future vehicle systems and fulfill the higher demand for network bandwidth and functional safety. We run algorithms on Baidu’s supercomputers, and I think that’s one of our advantages.

Auto intelligence is not just about software engineering. You need to fully understand when it comes to where the semiconductor industry is headed and how sensors can better enable autonomous driving, among other fields. Not everyone can do that, but that’s in our DNA.

Jidu will begin delivery of Robo-01 later next year. Can you share insights on production plans, retail networks, and charging infrastructure?

Robo-01 is built based on Geely’s SEA (Sustainable Experience Architecture) platform. In early October, we aligned the production plan of Robo-01 for next year with our manufacturing partner and made reservations for many key components ahead of time.

(Note: In September 2020, Geely launched a modular, open-source vehicle platform for EVs called the Sustainable Experience Architecture (SEA), which has been used to build its own EV sub-brands like Lynk & Co, Zeekr, and Polestar.)

We plan to sell our cars via a direct sales model in the early stages so that we can maintain control over our brand image. Jidu’s first flagship store is about to open in Shanghai and we plan to enter 46 domestic cities by 2023.

When it comes to charging networks, we are building a number of charging points along with our showrooms and service centers, but we will also collaborate with public EV charge point providers to expand our footprint.

On June 29, TechNode CEO Lu Gang interviewed Shen Chengang, CEO and co-founder of Meetsocial Group, a cross-border marketing firm, about his insights on marketing Chinese firms to overseas audiences. This interview is part of an ongoing series by TechNode China focusing on Chinese companies doing business outside their home country. 

Founded in 2013, Meetsocial Group has helped many notable Chinese companies with overseas digital marketing solutions. Its most notable clients include Chinese tech firms like Alibaba, Tencent, ByteDance, NetEase, Trip.com Group, Anker, Shein, and Xiaomi. The annual marketing budget under the firm’s management was estimated to exceed $4.5 billion in 2021, according to its official website. Since its inception, the company has provided digital marketing solutions, including software as a service (SaaS), for more than 8,000 companies.

Here are some highlights from the interview, which have been condensed and edited for clarity: 

If a Chinese company wants to go abroad, which market should they enter first, Northern America, Southeast Asia, or others?

Companies need to do in-depth research on their target users to increase the probability of successful marketing overseas.

Makeup products, for instance, will find it challenging to compete in European and American markets because customers have different skin tones than in Asian markets. Thus, domestic makeup brands should prioritize entering Southeast Asian markets due to the similarities with their customer base.

For other products like apps and games, you need to find a suitable market based on your products’ features and content. Or make a new product to cater to your target market. 

What has changed in marketing Chinese firms to global users over the years?

Compared to 10 years ago, our entire infrastructure for helping companies to go overseas has drastically improved, with better delivery, payment, and customer service systems, and those areas are still improving. This progress has made overseas markets more open to Chinese firms and pushed the construction of our infrastructure to the next step.

One key improvement is the development of China’s manufacturing industry, which has found ways to produce quality products at a competitive price. Chinese-made products have become known for their cost-effectiveness, which has helped to better incorporate Chinese companies into the global market. 

Can you share examples of how your firm has helped Chinese companies market overseas?

Two typical cases are our clients, Shein and Anker. Shein is a cross-border platform for fast fashion, while Anker focuses on accessory products for computers and consumer electronics.

Consumer electronics products generally have more value than fashion products. Thanks to the advantage that Chinese brands have when it comes to manufacturing and high standardization in the industry, they are more cost-effective, and such products have an easier time entering overseas markets.

There are fewer opportunities for companies that focus on low-margin products, like Shein. On the contrary, brands that focus more on a specific area, like Anker, are still promising in overseas markets. 

What does Meetsocial Group do differently to help clients find success in a new market?

First, we pay attention to our clients’ needs and invest in related fields. We mainly focus on the e-commerce, gaming, and app sectors. In these industries, we pay attention to marketing needs, the needs of our target consumer base, and other factors.

We have also set up many local offices overseas to help companies to optimize. For example, our teams work closely with local media, learning and meeting the needs of different advertisers overseas.

We have local offices in Singapore, Japan, India, and Dubai, where our local colleagues can offer advice on local marketing strategies to better connect with the market in that region.