Pandaily's Digest #20221212 & Holiday Season Offer
Lam Research, a US-based supplier of chip wafer fabrication equipment and provider of services for the semiconductor industry, has started to cut 10% or more of its staff in China.
US Chip Equipment Firm Lam Research Starts Layoffs in China
Lam Research, a US-based supplier of chip wafer fabrication equipment and provider of services for the semiconductor industry, has started to cut 10% or more of its staff in China, Chinese media outlet Xinzhixun reported on December 9.
China to Scrap COVID-Tracing Digital “Itinerary Card”
Operators of China’s digital “itinerary card,” a smartphone function that has played a key role in authorities’ pursuit of zero COVID, announced on December 12 that the service will officially go offline at 0:00 on December 13.
Li Auto and XPeng Adjust Key Personnel and Organizational Structure
In order to achieve faster and long-term development, various personnel changes and organizational adjustments have recently taken place at Li Auto and XPeng, two Chinese electric vehicle manufacturers. Li Auto’s internal restructuring was announced on December 9, while Li Auto completed the changes last month.
Alibaba’s Joseph Tsai Invests in Web3 Video Platform
Joseph Tsai, co-founder and executive vice chairman of Chinese tech giant Alibaba, has recently taken significant interest in Web3. Shibuya, a Web3 video platform, received seed round funding of $6.9 million on December 8, led by a16z crypto and Variant, which was also the first Web3 startup to publicly accept investment from Joseph Tsai.
First C919 Aircraft Delivered to China Eastern Airlines
The first C919 large passenger aircraft was delivered to China Eastern Airlines in Shanghai on December 9. With registration number B-919A, the aircraft marks the completion of a critical step in China’s efforts to develop domestic commercial operations in civil aviation.
Xiaomi 13 Flagship Smartphones Launched, Priced From $573
Chinese consumer tech giant Xiaomi held a product launch conference on December 11, officially releasing the high-end flagship Xiaomi 13 smartphone series, a new MIUI 14 operating system and various AIoT products such as the Xiaomi Sound Pro, Xiaomi mini console, Xiaomi Watch S2 and Xiaomi Buds 4 earphones.
Honda to Become CATL’s Second-Largest Battery Buyer After Tesla
Japanese automotive giant Honda Motor announced on December 8 that it will purchase about 123GWh in vehicle batteries from China’s CATL from 2024 to 2030. These products will be produced centrally at CATL’s Yichun Factory.
OPPO and Huawei Reach Global Patent Cross-Licensing Agreement
Shen Hongfei, the vice president of Huawei’s legal department, said in an interview that with this agreement, OPPO paid for the license of Huawei’s advanced 5G technology, and Huawei also obtained the patent license for OPPO’s wireless standard technology.
“The Three-Body Problem” Animated Series Passes 100M Views as Criticism Abounds
At around 10 pm on December 10 in China, an animated series based on sci-fi trilogy “The Three-Body Problem,” which had been online for less than 12 hours, exceeded 100 million views on domestic video streaming platform Bilibili. At the same time, the number of simultaneous online viewers in the platform’s “animation stations” reached a new high. However, the highly anticipated animated work was quickly criticized by many viewers.
BYD Frigate 07 Launched in China, Priced From $29K
BYD’s Ocean Series five-seat hybrid SUV “Frigate” model was launched on December 9. The new car comes in six options with five colors, and the price is 202,800 – 289,800 yuan ($29,077 – $41,551) after reducing subsidies.
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