Asian Tech Roundup: Huawei beats Bluetooth?

Plus: China’s new laser weapon

Welcome to Computing's weekly roundup of tech news in Asia. This time we look at Huawei’s new wireless protocol, China’s converged energy weapon and Australia’s ongoing attempts at a social media youth crackdown.

Australia

• Australia will carry on with its plans to regulate social media and AI, no matter what a new US administration says. Tech and child welfare experts have warned of the difficulties of implementation. Source 1, Source 2
• People searching online for Bengal cats in Australia are at risk from a targeted campaign featuring Gootloader malware, which then downloads an infostealer. Source

China

• Huawei has developed a short-range wireless technology called Nearlink that it says is faster, more efficient and has less latency than WiFi or Bluetooth. It has signed up nearly 300 partners, the vast majority of them Chinese. Source
• Chinese scientists claim to have invented a converged energy weapon, where multiple vehicles emit microwaves that combine to form a beam. It has been tested for military use. Source
• TSMC’s news that it would no longer supply AI chips to Chinese customers (see Taiwan) sent China’s semiconductor index to a three-year high, with assumptions it would reignite Chinese self-reliance. Source
• CATL founder Robin Zeng has told Reuters he wants to reinvent the battery maker as a green energy provider, suggesting zero carbon grids could be a “ten times” larger business. Source
• Lenovo has built a ‘new’ premium laptop, the the Kaixian X1 G1d, built on an old x86 processor built locally by Shanghai Zhaoxin Integrated Circuit Co. Source

India

• Shares in “quick commerce” company Swiggy rose 17% after the firm went public, bucking the downward trend for Indian tech IPOs. Source
• The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Police and Ministry of Home Affairs to examine how people are still able to access and use privacy-focused email service Proton Mail, despite a ban. Source
• A Division Bench of the Delhi High Court says Wikipedia is due to serve a summons to its editors who worked on the page for Asian News International (ANI), which called it a “propaganda tool” of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. Source

Japan

• Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has unveiled a $65 billion plan to boost the country’s chip and AI industries through financial incentives over the next five years. The government does not plan to raise taxes to cover the cost. Source 1, Source 2

South Korea

• The government is providing subsidies and has lifted a national cap on working hours for chipmakers, to tackle potential risks from incoming US President Donald Trump. Source
• A Chinese national has been sentenced to 18 months in prison and fined KRW20 million ($14,400) for allegedly stealing semiconductor manufacturing technology from SK Hynix. Source
• South Korean cyber agencies have detected an uptick in attacks across the country from Russian and Russia-linked sources. Source 1, Source 2

Taiwan

• Taiwan’s minister of economic affairs has said that TSMC will not be transferring its specialised 2nm chip production capabilities overseas. Source
• TSMC has told Chinese customers it will no longer manufacture its most advanced AI chips for them, to comply with the US trade embargo. Source
• TSMC revenues are up 29.2% year-on-year, to NT$314.24 billion (around US$9.7 billion), mostly on demand for new 7nm chips. Source
• TSMC, GlobalFoundries and another unnamed company are in the final stages of agreements to receive billions of US dollars in funding under the CHIPS Act. However, there is concern that president-elect Trump will cut the funding. Source

Vietnam

• Chinese retailers Shein and Temu have been told they must register with the government before the end of November to continue operating in the country. Source
• The global shift away from the Chinese chip market is benefitting Vietnam, with foreign companies expanding capacity and domestic firms considering investments. Source