alibaba

US prosecutors suspect Bangkok-based OBON Corp.—a company central to Thailand's national AI strategy—of acting as the middleman in a $2.5 billion scheme to smuggle Nvidia-equipped Supermicro servers into China, with alibaba among the alleged end customers. Bloomberg identified OBON as the unnamed "Company-1" in a March federal indictment that charged Supermicro co-founder Wally Liaw with violating US export control law. OBON and alibaba have not been charged.

US approved major Chinese tech giants like alibaba and Tencent to acquire Nvidia's advanced H200 AI chips. However, no sales have materialized as Beijing reportedly discourages domestic firms from buying foreign technology, prioritizing the development of its own chip industry, particularly Huawei's. Nvidia's CEO is now in China, hoping for a breakthrough.

Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky defended the company's use of Chinese AI models, stating US lawmakers misunderstand open-source systems. He clarified that Airbnb does not share user data with Chinese firms, primarily utilizing open-source models, including those from the US. This defense comes amid congressional concerns over data security and potential national security risks.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has acknowledged the company has largely conceded China's AI chip market to Huawei due to US export restrictions, with Nvidia's market share in the region dropping to zero. Huang praised Huawei's strength and its local chip ecosystem, stating Nvidia has "evacuated that market."

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang joined Donald Trump's Beijing summit at the last minute, boarding Air Force One in Alaska, but China still won't approve H200 AI chip purchases. Trump said Beijing "chose not to" because it wants homegrown silicon. With DeepSeek now running on Huawei chips and 10 cleared Chinese firms yet to place orders, Nvidia's China stalemate looks set to drag on.

China's blocking of Meta's $2 billion Manus AI acquisition signals a shift, making Singapore a less effective shield for Chinese tech firms seeking Western exits. Regulators intervened despite Manus's Singapore registration, barring founders from leaving the country. This move suggests Beijing's scrutiny now extends beyond incorporation, impacting future international ventures.

President Trump's Beijing visit concluded without major breakthroughs, highlighting a widening gap in core interests between the US and China. While projecting stability, the meetings revealed limited cooperation on issues like Iran and Taiwan, with trade offering the only tangible deliverables. Both leaders claimed victory, entering a transactional phase focused on leverage.

Chinese developers are bypassing AI restrictions by using underground 'shadow APIs' hosted outside mainland China. These services provide access to leading US AI models like Claude and Gemini for coding and other tasks. Despite tightened controls and identity checks, demand persists as Western AI is perceived as superior for complex engineering, fueling a growing grey market.

A man in Gurgaon was allegedly producing fake Mounjaro injections and selling his own unapproved brand, 'Toneup', disguised as a Japanese product. Authorities recalled 22 Toneup injections after tracing sales to multiple cities. The accused learned to make injections using online resources and sourced materials from China.

Anthropic's paper outlines two scenarios for US-China AI leadership by 2028. In one, the US maintains its compute advantage through tightened export controls, leading to democratic AI norms. The other sees China overtaking the US if policymakers fail to act, resulting in authoritarian AI dominance.

US lawmakers are investigating Airbnb and AI firm Anysphere over their use of Chinese AI models, citing national security concerns. Concerns stem from potential data risks and vulnerabilities associated with AI trained by China's censorship regime. Airbnb CEO previously highlighted reliance on alibaba's Qwen model for its speed and cost-effectiveness.

Chinese golfer Haotong Li has built a respected global career, earning an estimated net worth of $5 million by 2026 through competition winnings and brand partnerships. He turned professional at 16, achieving significant wins like the China Open and Dubai Desert Classic, and continues to compete at a high level in major tours.

alibaba is set to revolutionize online shopping. Its AI platform Qwen will now connect with Taobao. Shoppers can chat with an AI agent to find and buy products. This new system accesses over 4 billion items. It also offers personalized recommendations and handles logistics. This move places China's e-commerce ahead in AI integration.

Sensitive UK Biobank health data, potentially affecting nearly 500,000 participants, was briefly listed for sale on a Chinese marketplace. British authorities acted swiftly to remove the listings, but the incident has raised fresh concerns about the security of the vast research database.

Amazon is re-entering China with a new strategy, focusing on logistics to support Chinese sellers exporting globally, particularly to the US. After its previous marketplace failed against local giants, the e-commerce giant has opened a Shenzhen hub offering storage, customs, and shipping services. This move aims to cut seller costs and compete with rivals like Temu and Shein.

Jack Ma, founder of alibaba, emphasizes that success often hinges on intelligence and focus rather than power or resources. He advises those starting small to rely on their brains to outsmart challenges, a principle that remains relevant for entrepreneurs navigating today's economic uncertainties and competitive landscapes.

China's e-commerce landscape is transforming with the rise of 'one-person companies,' powered by AI agents like OpenClaw. These tools are empowering solo entrepreneurs on platforms like alibaba, handling tasks from customer service to product listings. This trend signifies a significant shift, making entrepreneurship more accessible and efficient for individuals.

Meta has launched Muse Spark, its first AI model from Meta Superintelligence Labs, aiming to catch up with competitors. This natively multimodal reasoning model powers the Meta AI assistant and is designed for complex reasoning and everyday tasks. While initially smaller and faster, Meta plans further generations to enhance its capabilities.

alibaba has unveiled its XuanTie C950, claiming it's the world's highest-performing RISC-V CPU. This 5nm chip, developed by T-Head, marks a significant step in China's semiconductor independence and AI advancement. Running at 3.2 GHz, it's three times faster than its predecessor and designed for AI agents requiring substantial real-time processing power.