# R&D
Latest news and articles about R&D
Total: 15 articles found
Beyond the Lab: China’s Humanoid Robotics Sector Reaches a Commercial Turning Point
China's humanoid robot industry transitioned from technical experimentation to commercial scaling in 2025, marked by explosive revenue growth and massive manufacturing investments. While primary manufacturers face ongoing losses due to high R&D costs, upstream component suppliers and traditional manufacturing giants are successfully positioning themselves for a high-volume future.
The ‘Madman’ of Motorbikes: How a Self-Taught Mechanic is Disrupting Europe’s Racing Hegemony
Zhang Xue Ji-Che's recent back-to-back victories at the World Superbike Championship mark the end of a 37-year European and Japanese monopoly in the sport. The success of this tech-focused Chinese startup highlights a strategic shift in China's manufacturing sector from low-cost assembly to high-performance R&D and engineering excellence.
Star-Bound: Singapore Launches National Space Office to Anchor Southeast Asia’s Emerging Orbit
Singapore has officially launched its National Space Agency to centralize R&D, promote the local space industry, and establish international regulatory standards. The agency aims to transform the city-state into a regional 'NewSpace' hub by focusing on small satellite technology and data applications.
The Algorithmic Apothecary: Insilico Medicine Nets High-Stakes AI Drug Pact with Eli Lilly
Insilico Medicine has entered a strategic collaboration with Eli Lilly to utilize generative AI for drug discovery, marking a significant milestone in the integration of AI into Big Pharma's R&D pipelines. The partnership validates Insilico's Pharma.AI platform and signals a broader industry shift toward algorithmic molecular design.
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.