China Tech Digest is a daily collection of the most important technology news in China, brought to you by China Money AI.
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China’s Tianwen 1 probe successfully implemented Mars capture
The National Space Administration said that China’s first Mars exploration mission, Tianwen-1, has implemented near-Mars capture braking. The 3000N orbital engine of the orbiter ignited for about 15 minutes.
The probe smoothly enters the near-Mars altitude of about 400 kilometers. The large elliptical orbit of Mars with an inclination of about 10° in about 10 Earth days has become China’s first man-made Mars satellite, achieving the goal of the first step of successfully orbiting Mars.
US plan for TikTok to sell its assets has been "shelved indefinitely"
According to media reports, sources familiar with the situation revealed that the US plan to ask TikTok to sell its assets in the US has been "held indefinitely."
According to the report, the new US President Biden is conducting an extensive assessment of his predecessor’s efforts to deal with potential security risks of Chinese technology companies.
General Motors: Expected semiconductor shortage will have an impact on short-term production
General Motors said that the temporary shortage of semiconductors will not affect the company’s growth and electric vehicle plans. The semiconductor shortage is expected to have an impact on short-term production.
Shanghai Stock Exchange terminated the listing review of Royole Technology
The Shanghai Stock Exchange announced that it would terminate the initial public offering of shares of Royole, a flexible screen maker, and its listing on the Science and Technology Innovation Board.
According to the Shanghai Stock Exchange, on February 9, the company and the sponsor applied to withdraw the listing application documents. It is suspected that Royole’s huge losses and high uncertainty of reaching meaningful commercialization may be behind the withdrawal.
Baidu has no comment on its plan of fundraising AI chip company
According to CNBC reports, Baidu is raising funds for the establishment of an independent AI chip company. Baidu said it has no comment.
Guaishou Chongdian plans to conduct an IPO in the United States, raising US$300 million
Guaishou Chongdian, a phone charging power bank rental operator backed by SoftBank, plans to conduct an IPO in the United States to raise US$300 million.
Gojek will merge with Tokopedia before listing, says reports
According to media reports quoting people familiar with the matter, Indonesia’s two most valuable start-ups, ride-hailing giant Gojek and e-commerce provider PT Tokopedia, are finalizing merger terms and plan to reach an agreement as early as this month.
The above-mentioned people familiar with the matter said that the two companies are discussing various plans, and the ultimate goal is to make the combined company listed in Jakarta and the United States.
One of the people familiar with the matter said that the target valuation of the combined company in the public market is between US$35 billion and US$40 billion.
World’s top ten chip buyers: Apple’s No. 1 Huawei declines, Xiaomi saw substantial growth
On February 9, local time, market research firm Gartner announced the top ten semiconductor buyers in 2020. After returning to the number one position in 2019, Apple continued to maintain its leading position, with a market share of 11.9%, widening the gap with Samsung Electronics.
Samsung Electronics followed closely with a market share of 8.1%. Huawei sharply cut its semiconductor spending in 2020, a reduction of 23.5% from 2019, and it is also the largest decline among the top ten buyers.
Among the top ten semiconductor buyers in the world, Xiaomi’s spending on semiconductors has increased the most, with an increase of 26% in 2020 compared to 2019.
Apple and TSMC collaborate to develop ultra-advanced display technology
Apple and TSMC cooperate to develop ultra-advanced display technology, according to media reports.
California autonomous driving report is released, and two Chinese companies are among the top five
On February 9, 2021, the California Department of Transportation DMV released new full-year automatic driving data for 2020.
Two Chinese autonomous driving companies AutoX and Pony ranked in the top five, following Waymo and Cruise. The top five rankings remained the same as last year, with new player Ford’s Argo ranked fifth.
Among the top three, Waymo, Cruise and AutoX have all obtained California’s full driverless license.
WeRide obtains online car-hailing operation permit in Guangzhou
On February 9, 2021, WeRide officially obtained the license for online car-hailing operations and has the qualifications to carry out online car-hailing business in Guangzhou.
WeRide obtained the "Online Rental Car Operation Permit", commonly known as the online car-hailing operation permit, which was issued by the Guangzhou Municipal Transportation Bureau.
