Asia's Tech News, Weekly: January 25th 2025

Singapore semiconductors, Thailand's AI LLM, Philippines Space Agency, Korea & nuclear energy, new China tech curbs, Australian robot surgery, China & laser-delivered energy, Japan cyber defense...

• Singapore: Micron chips major is to invest $7BN across 5 years in chip manufacturing in Singapore, with construction also commencing on a new HBM packaging facility / full item

• Thailand: Government is to launch ThaiLLM, a local large language AI model, later this year, with initial focus on healthcare and environmental support / full item

• NVIDIA and TSMC prep for collaboration on silicon photonics tech, looking to boost data center efficiency / full item

• China unveils a Mach-4 commercial drone prototype, capable of 4 times the speed of sound, targeting supersonic passenger jet services by 2030 / full item

• In 2023, Singapore's digital economy developments contributed 1 out of every 6 Singapore dollars generated, near 18% of 2023 GDP / full item

• Vietnam: One Mount Group secures 1 of 2 places assigned by Ministry of Information & Communications to build 'Make-in-Vietnam' Layer 1 Blockchain network / full item

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"...China appears well-positioned to lead in battery recycling. Yet the very factors that drove its rapid ascent in EV manufacturing... are also introducing unique hurdles..." / full item

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• Thailand: More on BDI, coordinating development of ThaiLLM, a national large language model for AI initially to feature Health Link, Envi Link, Travel Link and the Smart Data Analytics platforms / full item

• Australia: Convergence Medical secures Au$5M Series A with world-first arthroscopic surgical robot, V01, designed to enhance operative precision and dexterity / full item

• Korea Institute of Energy Tech inks MOU with Deep Fission, US startup working in nuclear energy, for a project working on small nuclear reactors / full item

• 'China unveils ‘Crimson Skyblade’ in nuclear fusion quest for unlimited clean energy' / full item

• The Philippine Space Agency in late October 2024 formally became a full member of the International Astronautical Federation / full item

• More than 2 dozen Chinese entities were added to US restricted trade list in the Biden administration's final days, including Zhipu AI, a significant developer of large language models / full item

• Indonesia launches IDXCarbon carbon exchange, trading 40,000 tons of carbon dioxide equivalent - CO2e - on the first day / full item

• "The U.S. Commerce Department and FBI are both investigating a little-known telecoms hardware firm founded by senior Huawei veterans in China over possible security risks..." / full item

• Indonesia: New President plans to spend near $3BN through 2029 on continued construction of new capital city, Nusantara, aiming to relocate government there by 2028 / full item

• Download: 'India's AI Imperative - Building National Competencies in a New World Order' from Observer Research Foundation / full item

• China: Researchers move to assess viability of laser-delivered, wireless power transmission from lunar orbiters to supply spacecraft during long night on the moon's surface / full item

• Taiwan: Military awards contract to Tron Future Tech for 26 anti-drone systems, moving to counter unmanned aerial threats amid rising regional tensions / full item

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"Beneath every instance of network compromise, stolen credentials, ransomware, or data theft and sale on illicit forums, is secure infrastructure that enables cybercriminals..." / full item

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• Japan: New strategy of 'active cyber defence' to allow hackers working for police or Self-Defence Forces to infiltrate servers to neutralise the source of cyber attacks / full item

• A look at the implications of India's decision to allocate, rather than auction, satellite spectrum, a decision that introduces opportunities for firms including SpaceX / full item

• Philippines: Int'l Rice Research Institute and XAG agri-tech ink MOU on precision farming using drone tech, looking at smart agriculture technologies in rice-based cropping / full item

• China: State Administration for Market Regulation is to tighten oversight of online platforms and livestream e-commerce 'to ensure a more balanced and healthier market environment' / full item

• Malaysia's Hong Leong Bank and China's WeBank Tech Services, subsidiary of China’s largest digital bank, ink agreement for fintech and AI collaboration and services growth / full item

• India: Google partners India's Varaha for 100,000 tons of carbon removal credits, achieved using Varaha to lock carbon in soil / full item

• Malaysia and the UAE ink MoU to develop collaboration in AI under the Malaysia MADANI Artificial Intelligence - MMAI - Initiative / full item

• China Aerospace Science & Technology Corporation completes satellite launch for Pakistan, the first of a planned 3-sat group / full item

• Myanmar: Internet and comms tech giants including Apple, Google, LinkedIn and YouTube are warned regarding hosting apps and channels from sanctioned Myanmar telco, MyTel / full item

• India: OrbitAID raises $1.5M pre-seed funding for in-space demo of docking and refuelling operations, looking to expand facilities for on-orbit servicing operations / full item

• China: Zhejiang University and Mirror Me startup unveil quadriped robot, Black Panther 2, capable of a 100-meter dash in under 10 seconds under controlled conditions / full item

• 'The Australian Open (AO) has rolled out facial recognition technology for all visitors under a new addition to its conditions of entry' / full item

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"...80% of the 400 Philippine offshore gaming operators (POGO) hubs have already ceased their operations... those defying the total ban order have resorted to a 'guerrilla' style of operations" / full item

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• Quantum Brilliance, Australian-German firm, raised $20M Series A for portable quantum accelerators, aiming to boost computational power across data centres, robots, satellites and more / full item

• 5 of Australia's high-performance space firms, and the people behind them / full item

• Indonesia: China's BYD EV giant targets completion of $1BN plant in Indonesia by year-end, looking at annual production of 150,000 EV units / full item

• India: Gov't of Uttar Pradesh and Google Cloud India launch Uttar Pradesh Open Network for Agriculture, aiming to provide millions of farmers with a comprehensive digital platform / full item

• 'China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology calls for nationwide trials of private 5G networks' / full item

• South Korean crypto exchange operator has been sentenced to 4 years in prison, found guilty of 'leaking military secrets' to North Korea in exchange for Bitcoin / full item

• India: Salam Kisan data-driven agri-tech inks MoU with Maharashtra gov't to expand drone manufacturing capacity, delivering women-focused drones-as-a-service initiatives / full item

• Australia: Electralith raises $27.5M Series A to further develop sustainable, environmentally-friendly lithium extraction technology / full item

• Japan's Kisui Tech unveils Adam, a harvesting robot combining lunar rover tech and AI to support elderly farmers, 80% of whom are over 60 in Japan / full item

• National Bank of Cambodia launches Bakong Tourists App in partnership with Visa, enabling international tourists to make KHQR code payments at near 4.5M merchants / full item

• India: Jupiter 'neobanking' startup gains Reserve Bank authorization to offer digital wallet services to customers for national UPI payments, money transfers and more / full item

• Malaysia: YTL Digital Bank Berhad gains Ministry of Finance digital banking license, with features including an AI-powered 'private banker' delivering tailored insights and strategies / full item

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"CES is one of the biggest technology shows in the world, showcasing startups from across the globe. But Australia didn’t have a big presence and that’s a problem." / full item

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• China: Alibaba cloud computing unit has launched a AI-based coder, reportedly capable of building an application 'in minutes' / full item

• India: Pixxel, a Google-backed space-tech firm, successfully launched 3 of 6 hyperspectral imaging satellites aboard a SpaceX rocket / full item

• Australia: KPMG Nature Positive Challenge selects Levur for top honours with Levur's focus on replacing unsustainable plant and animal oils with sustainable alternatives / full item

• India: Last year, the Union Cabinet approved a $119M VC fund focused on the growth of India's space sector, managed by the Indian National Space Promotion & Authorization Center, IN-SPACe / full item

• Indonesia: MAKA Motors EV firm launches its first locally-designed e-motorcycle, MAKA Cavalry, building on one of SE Asia's largest seed rounds for a hardware startup / full item

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"Several Chinese-owned solar panel makers have shut down or scaled back their operations in Malaysia, industry sources say" as US tariffs, and scrutiny, rise / full item

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• Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation launches its latest national initiative to boost SME digital adoption, with Penang SMEs leading the way / full item

• Australia: Utility-scale 'big battery' deployment surges past solar and wind but remains far short of requirements / full item

• Q4’24 Venture Pulse Report, Asia findings, from KPMG: "Hong Kong’s IPO market ranked among the top 5 global IPO venues during 2024..." / full item

• Singapore: Germany's Siltronic chipmaker and Taiwan's Vanguard International chip firm have partnered Institute of Technology Education to develop students for roles in Singapore's semiconductor industry / full item

• China: US Commerce Department is to impose new export controls on biotech equipment and related tech, raising national security concerns around AI and data science / full item

• Singapore-based iMotorbike raised $10M Series A with pre-owned motorbike buy-and-sell platform, building on Malaysia and Vietnam footprints and with 500 Global amongst backers / full item

• Australia: CSIRO opens applications for latest 'Innovate to Grow' program, focusing on SMEs working on recycling and circular economy solutions / full item

• 'Geopolitics And Business Sprint' with the University of Sydney is set for March 20th to April 3rd - strategies and tools for navigating geopolitical risk, international politics and the global economy / full item

• Indo-Pacific Insight, issue 22: Japan-Philippines strategic diplomacy; Indonesian army expands; Pakistan and Bangladesh move closer; Cyber-crime deportations from Myanmar; Europe-Thailand Free Trade Agreement / full item

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'The Department of Commerce has issued a final rule that will prohibit the sale and import of connected vehicle hardware and software systems as well as completed connected vehicles from the PRC and Russia' / full item

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In wider-world technology news:

» UK gov't to enact legislation making the creation and sharing of sexually explicit deepfakes a criminal offence / full item

» Apple acquired a 20% stake in Globalstar satellite-telecoms firm, making a $1.5BN investment in satellite-focused iPhone connectivity / full item

» Google has reportedly told the European Union it will not add fact checks to search results and videos, or use them in ranking or removing content, despite requirements of new EU law / full item

» Download: 'The Global Risks Report 2025' from the World Economic Forum "...the vulnerabilities associated with citizens' online activities look set to continue deepening..." / full item

» Download: 'Seraphim Space Index Q4 2024', a quarterly review of global private investment in space technologies (pdf link) / full item

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"If the U.S. wants [internet] rules, and they aren't to come exclusively from Mark Zuckerberg and Elon Musk, we need to do one of two things..." /

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