# R&D
Latest news and articles about R&D
Total: 11 articles found
iFlytek Denies Massive Layoff Rumours as Strong Cash Flow and AI Demand Bolster Guidance
iFlytek has denied online rumours of a major layoff affecting around 1,500 staff and low severance terms, with its PR vice-president calling the reports false. The company reported strong 2025 guidance—projected net profit of RMB 785–950 million—and record operating cash flow above RMB 3 billion, driven by scaled AI deployments and some government project subsidies.
CATL’s Cash Bonanza: How China’s Battery Champion Turned Dominance into Windfall Returns
CATL reported blockbuster 2025 results — ¥423.7 billion in revenue and ¥72.2 billion in net profit — and proposed a record ¥31.5 billion dividend, underscoring its dominant position in both EV batteries and energy storage. Years of heavy R&D investment and scale-up have given the company market share advantages and strategic leverage, although material constraints, competition and regulatory scrutiny pose material risks to future expansion.
Foxconn’s Server Unit Rides an AI Boom — But Cash and Margins Tell a Cautionary Tale
Foxconn Industrial Internet posted blockbuster 2025 results as AI-server demand sent cloud-revenue soaring, but thin gross margins, a heavy reliance on purchased materials and weak cash conversion expose risks. The firm is scaling globally—especially in Mexico—and paying record dividends even as R&D intensity falls and financing fills the cash gap.
China Tops ¥140 trillion GDP as 2025 Growth Holds — Tech, Consumption and ‘Unified Market’ Drive the Turnaround
China reported 5.0% GDP growth in 2025, surpassing ¥140 trillion in aggregate output as officials highlight technological upgrading, higher R&D intensity and stronger domestic circulation. The statistical communique frames the year as a successful close to the 14th Five‑Year Plan, while signalling continued policy support to manage structural adjustment and external uncertainty.
China’s 2025 Economy: Modest 5% Growth, Deep Property Slump and Accelerating Clean‑Tech Transition
China’s economy grew 5.0% in 2025 to about 140.2 trillion yuan ($19.6 trillion), driven by services and export resilience even as a deep real‑estate correction and a first population decline in decades weigh on domestic demand. Industrial upgrading and a rapid clean‑energy expansion — notably in solar, wind and new‑energy vehicles — stand out, while investment and fiscal indicators point to a cautious, targeted policy approach.
China’s Exchanges Loosen Re‑financing Rules to Back Tech R&D — with New Guardrails
China’s three main stock exchanges have eased refinancing rules to help R&D‑intensive and unprofitable science‑and‑technology firms raise capital more quickly, extended a ‘light‑asset, high‑R&D’ standard to main boards, and streamlined procedures while tightening oversight to prevent misuse. The package is calibrated to sustain long‑term innovation funding while guarding against speculative or control‑seeking abuses.
China’s Exchanges Ease Refinancing Rules to Channel Capital Toward Top and Tech Firms — With Tight Guardrails
China’s Shanghai, Shenzhen and Beijing stock exchanges unveiled a package of measures to speed and tailor refinancing for higher-quality and tech-focused listed companies while tightening disclosure and post-issuance supervision. The changes include preferential reviews for market-recognised firms, explicit accommodation for firms whose shares trade below IPO levels to raise funds, and new numerical tests for ‘light-asset, high-R&D’ companies.
Shenzhen on the Cusp of a 4-Trillion Yuan Club — Can Its Model Rescue Guangdong’s Slower Growth?
Shenzhen posted 2025 GDP of 3.873 trillion yuan, growing 5.5% and nearing the 4-trillion threshold, powered by advanced manufacturing, exports and world-leading R&D intensity. Guangdong province, by contrast, grew 3.9%, weighed down by sluggish industrial recovery and a sharp fall in fixed-asset investment, exposing the province’s reliance on Shenzhen and Guangzhou as growth engines.
Appliance Champion Robam Bets on Robot Chefs as Core Business Stalls
Robam has proposed a RMB100 million investment in YouTe Zhichu, a commercial smart‑cooking robot company, aiming to pivot away from slowing range‑hood and gas‑stove sales. The move targets institutional kitchens and leverages YouTe's patent portfolio, but success hinges on sustained R&D, integration challenges and wider macro headwinds in China's appliance market.
Beijing Joins Shanghai as China’s Second City to Top Rmb5 Trillion — A New Service‑Led Model Emerges
Beijing’s 2025 GDP reached Rmb5.21 trillion (about USD740 billion), making it the second Chinese city after Shanghai to cross the Rmb5 trillion threshold. The milestone reflects a service‑and‑innovation‑led growth model achieved under a policy of “reduced‑scale development,” positioning Beijing as a global economic actor comparable to many medium‑sized countries while presenting new strategic tradeoffs in openness, livability and high‑level transformation.
Beijing Joins Shanghai in the 5‑Trillion Club as China’s Urban Hierarchy Tightens
Beijing’s 2025 GDP surpassed RMB 5.2 trillion, making it the second Chinese city after Shanghai to cross the RMB 5 trillion mark. The outcome highlights the concentration of economic power in top-tier cities and Beijing’s hybrid model of leading services, deep R&D and a resilient industrial base as the blueprint for future urban competitiveness.