Technology News
Latest technology news and updates
Total: 302
China Forces Electric Cars to Slim Down: New Efficiency Rules Target the 'Battery-Bloated' NEV Boom
China has introduced a mandatory energy‑consumption standard that ties electric‑vehicle electricity use to curb weight, forcing manufacturers to curb the recent trend of heavier battery‑bulked models. The rule will accelerate lightweighting, higher‑density batteries and systems integration while reducing resource pressure from oversized pack production.
Chinese Commercial Launcher Tests Deep‑Throttle, Reusable LOX‑Kerosene Engine Built with 3D‑Printed Stainless Steel
Zhongke Yuhang has completed acceptance tests of its Liqing‑1 30‑ton LOX‑kerosene engine, demonstrating deep throttle (100%–50%) and 1% thrust precision, using a needle‑and‑pin injector and stainless‑steel 3D‑printed components. The company plans to use three Liqing‑1 engines on its LiHong‑2 reusable vehicle and is preparing larger Liqing‑2 tests, marking a material advance for China’s commercial reusable‑rocket ambitions.
Beijing’s “Rocket Street” Opens as a New Hub for China’s Commercial Space Drive
Beijing has opened the Rocket Street complex in E‑Town, a 145,000 sqm commercial space hub that consolidates R&D, testing, manufacturing and operations under one roof. The project underpins Beijing’s strategic push to scale China’s commercial space industry, accelerate reusable‑rocket capability and foster hundreds of high‑tech firms and unicorns by 2028.
Small, Open and Multimodal: Chinese Startup Releases 10‑Billion‑Parameter Vision‑Language Model Claiming SOTA Performance
Chinese start‑up Jieyue Xingchen open‑sourced Step3‑VL‑10B, a 10‑billion‑parameter multimodal model that the team says matches same‑scale state‑of‑the‑art performance on vision, reasoning, math and dialogue. The release highlights a push for efficient, deployable multimodal models and will prompt independent verification and community adoption.
CES 2026: The Year Physical AI Left the Screen — China’s Hardware Push and the End of Demo Theatre
CES 2026 moved the narrative from flashy demos to physical, embodied AI and underscored China’s shift from exporter to global supplier of AI hardware. Investors returned with cautious optimism: the technology is making measurable progress, but crowded categories and deployment challenges demand clearer paths to revenue and regulatory compliance.
China Moves to Certify Homegrown Testing Instruments as Strategy to Break Foreign Dominance
China's State Administration for Market Regulation will roll out a nationwide validation and evaluation system in 2026 to speed the adoption of domestically produced testing instruments. The programme focuses on standards, overcoming core technological bottlenecks, and promoting nationally competitive brands, with an "AI + testing" push to modernise equipment. The effort is part of a broader drive for technological self-reliance that could reduce dependence on foreign suppliers but will need internationally credible accreditation to win global acceptance.
China’s Xinghe Power Clears Major Engine Test for Reusable 'Zhishenxing-2' Rocket, Signalling Private Sector Maturation
Xinghe Power Aerospace has successfully completed a full-system hot-fire test of the CQ-90 main engine for its Zhishenxing-2 reusable rocket, advancing a private-sector effort to field medium- and heavy-lift reusable launchers. The milestone reduces technical risk ahead of integrated and flight testing and underscores the growing maturity of China’s commercial space industry.
OpenAI's Next Growth Engine: Could Conversation Ads Carve into Google’s Crown by 2030?
An Evercore analyst forecasts OpenAI could earn about $25 billion annually from advertising by 2030 if tests of in‑chat ads scale successfully. The move would leverage ChatGPT’s large user base and rich intent signals, but OpenAI faces entrenched competition from Google, privacy and regulatory hurdles, and the challenge of translating scale into profit.
Loss‑making Satellite Internet Firm Bets 2.8bn RMB on Rocket Factory and Radar Constellation to Scale Launch Capacity to 20 Rockets a Year
Hangtian Hongtu has signed a 2.8 billion yuan aerospace project in Suzhou, Anhui, to build a LOX‑methane rocket manufacturing base and a compute‑enabled radar satellite constellation, aiming for an eventual annual output of 20 rockets. The expansion comes as the company endures multi‑year losses and seeks international contracts, highlighting both the industrialisation of China's commercial space sector and the financial risks of rapid scaling.
Honor and Pop Mart Tap Collectible Fandom with MOLLY‑Themed Limited Edition Phone
Honor has released a MOLLY‑themed limited edition of its 500 Pro smartphone in partnership with Pop Mart, combining custom hardware styling and system animations with collectible IP to drive sales. Priced at ¥4,499 (¥3,999 after subsidy) and on sale 25 January, the device underscores a wider industry trend of using cultural collaborations to attract younger buyers in a crowded Chinese smartphone market.
OpenAI's Hardware Gamble: First Device Planned for 2026 as It Seeks Control of the AI Endpoint
OpenAI plans to ship its first hardware device in 2026, signalling a strategic move to control the AI endpoint and diversify revenue beyond cloud services. The launch raises technical, commercial and regulatory challenges but could reshape competition between model builders and incumbent tech hardware ecosystems.
OpenAI Signals First Consumer Hardware for Late 2026 as It Pushes Beyond Software
OpenAI told Davos it is likely to unveil its first consumer hardware in the second half of 2026, though no firm commitment or details were provided. The move would extend the company's push beyond software and subscriptions into tangible products, amplifying revenue diversification, supply-chain and regulatory challenges.