Asia's Tech News, Weekly: July 5th 2025
$6BN battery plant for Indonesia, SEA Business Connect, Tesla's China deal, $8BN Taiwan-Singapore semicon facility, TikTok enters Japan, Australian startups for SWITCH, Huawei vs racketeering...
• China: 'JDcom and Ant Group are reportedly lobbying Chinese regulators to launch yuan-based stablecoins to boost the currency's global role and counter US dollar-pegged tokens.' / full item
• South Korea: K-Startup Grand Challenge 2025 received 2626 submissions, a 1.5-fold increase over 2024, with Exploration Phase set to commence later in July / full item
• Australia's Qantas cyber-attack: 'What data was taken and what should I do if I’m affected?' / full item
• Indonesia: China's CATL, world's biggest EV battery maker, broke ground on a new $6 billion battery facility in West Java, partnering state-owned Indonesia Battery / full item
• ASEAN Accelerator Programme applications are now open for cleantech startups and MSMEs in the energy sector / full item
"The landmark Chinese mission will be one of the most ambitious attempts at autonomous satellite servicing in geostationary orbit, which rival the United States has yet to achieve." / full item
• SEA Business Connect: A strategic springboard to help global companies enter and thrive in the SE Asia market, with partners including Singapore Economic Development Board / full item
• Vietnam: AI Hay raises $10 million Series-A with platform drawing on large language models, curated local content, and a community of peers and experts / full item
• Indonesia: Development and operation launches for renewable energy projects in 15 provinces, with total investment expected to be approximately $1.5 billion / full item
• New Zealand: Chorus broadband wholesaler wins gov't commission endorsement for $1.5B rural NZ fiber rollout plan under the draft National Infrastructure Plan / full item
• Taiwan's Vanguard Int'l Semiconductor Corp, affiliate of TSMC, may boost chip production schedule at new $7.8BN JV facility in Singapore, responding to growing demand / full item
Video: 'Taking Lei Jun's Xiaomi EV plant as an example, see how AI transform China's industrial landscape' / on YouTube
• Vietnam: VinFast EV firm inaugurates second factory with a footprint of 360,000 square meters, and 240,000 m2 of auxiliary factories under construction / full item
• India: AMD India awards CSR grant to AAGYAVISION, firm developing a full-stack radar solution integrating custom-designed chips, hardware, and AI-powered algorithms / full item
• Australia: NSW Liberal opposition leader proposes AI roll-out including a State Minister for AI, and 'AI for small business' loans / full item
• China: Huawei is to open-source two AI models under Huawei's Pangu series, along with 'model reasoning technology', in bid to incentivize use of other products such as Ascend AI chips / full item
• A brief intro to 10 Western Australian startups travelling to Singapore Week of Innovation & Technology - SWITCH - in October / full item
"Taiwan plans to launch a contract robotics startup by 2026, modeled after the founding of TSMC, according to National Science and Technology Council head...." / full item
• Hong Kong: YAS insurance-tech firm and JOIE taxi fleet partner for 1000-vehicle trial of AI-powered insurance based on real-time driving behavior analysis / full item
• Australia and AI: "But calling Australia a leader risks overstating the current picture. We’re not leading, we’re participating. And there’s a real danger in confusing the two." / full item
• Hong Kong: AllScale closes $1.5 million funding round for stablecoin solutions for small businesses, with sights on enterprize-level applications / full item
• Cambodia: Techo Startup Center and Wing Bank mark completion of Cohort 4 of Digital Platform Accelerator 12-week program to equip startups with the tools and mentorship / full item
• 'US judge says China's Huawei Technologies must face criminal case for racketeering and other charges' / full item
Video: 'AI Is About to Get Physical', a report from Morgan Stanley predicting nearly 1 billion humanoid robots by 2050 / on YouTube
• TikTok Shop opens for business in Japan: "The popular short-video app is seeking to diversify its global footprint while reducing its reliance on the US market" / full item
• In China: "Tours of electric vehicle factories have quickly become the hottest ticket in Beijing, with tens of thousands of people signing up each month for the chance to win a free visit..." / full item
• Thailand: TechSauce Global Summit 2025 is set for August 4-6, delivering business matching, global speakers, tech exhibition and more / full item
• Thailand: Here's a quick intro to Bangkok Startup Association's DISRUPTORS social-and-networking group / full item
• Philippines: Procter & Gamble expands vGROW Program to more startups, looking to address challenges in supply chain management, retail execution, and digital commerce / full item
"Indonesia is working on a new regulation that will require e-commerce platforms to collect and pass on sellers' sales income in a bid to tackle the 'shadow economy', its tax office said..." / full item
• Download: The Japan Research Institute Ltd has published 'Finance x Generative AI: Case Study and Strategy' / full item
• 'Tesla inks first deal to build China's largest grid-scale battery power plant' / full item
• Australia: A quick intro to Impacts Renewable Energy's solar thermal tech solution, Perflection, using mirror facets to focus sunlight for sustainable heating applications / full item
• Indonesia: "...has set an ambitious target of producing some 600,000 EVs by 2030. That would be around 13 times the number sold in Indonesia last year." / full item
• Malaysia: Electronics Manufacturing Expo Asia - EMAX - 2025 is set for July 23-25 in Penang / full item
• Mark your calendar: 2025 Tech in Asia Conference is set for October 22-23 in Jakarta / full item
• China: Sophgo chipmaker has reportedly adapted 'compute card' package to drive DeepSeek AI model, adding to development of domestic AI infrastructure in response to US restrictions / full item
• Vietnam: "For the first time, concepts such as digital assets and tokenized assets have been legally defined.... paving the way for the development of Vietnam’s digital finance market." / full item
• China: "Just a few months ago, Noetix Robotics was struggling to find a single customer for its Hobbit-sized robots... Then one of its N2 models placed second in the world’s first half-marathon for robots." / full item
• A quick intro to 17 Australian, and New Zealand, startups that raise a total of Au$174.3 million in the week to June 27th / full item
• Hong Kong: Government publishes 2nd cryptocurrency policy statement, introducing 'LEAP' framework for legal clarity, ecosystem expansion, applications and talent development / full item
"Southeast Asia is leapfrogging global leaders and setting the new standard for digital payments." / full item
• Taiwan completes combat trials of 'suicide drones' modeled on Ukraine's anti-tank weapons, with plans to acquire 25,000 units equipped with Ukrainian AI systems / full item
• China: AI chip firm, Biren Technology, has raised $207M in fresh funding and is preparing for a Hong Kong IPO / full item
• 'India Considers Bitcoin Reserve Strategy Amid Global Crypto Adoption' / full item
• "China's installations of wind and solar in May are enough to generate as much electricity as Poland..." / full item
• "Scientists have built a compact physical qubit with built-in error correction... could be scaled into a 1,000-qubit machine that is small enough to fit inside a data center..." / full item
"German regulators called on Google and Apple to remove DeepSeek from their app stores, due to growing concerns around the Chinese AI company’s data protection practices." / full item
In wider-world technology news:
» The Danish gov't is to clamp down on creation and dissemination of AI deepfakes by changing copyright law, ensuring citizens have 'the right to their own body, facial features and voice' / full item
» "Concorde now joins Boom Supersonic, Exosonic, Spike Aerospace, and Hermeus in a global race to build the next generation of faster-than-sound aircraft." / full item
» Kraken crypto exchange rolls out Krak app, allowing users to instantly transact across borders for near-zero cost, earning rewards on account balances / full item
» "When OpenAI and Mattel announced a partnership... there was an implicit recognition of the risks. The first toys powered with [AI] would not be for children under 13." / full item
» 'President Trump said Tuesday that DOGE could investigate Elon Musk, the latest indicator that his patience with the Tesla CEO is running thin.' / full item
"...the SubOptic Association estimates that the submarine capacity industry will need to spend $3 billion to upgrade its repair and maintenance fleet over the next 15 years." / full item
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And here's a link to the LinkedIn edition of Asia's Tech News, Weekly for the week to July 5th:
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/asias-tech-news-weekly-july-5th-2025-startup-news-asia-3qvrc/
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https://indopacificinsights.substack.com/s/indo-pacific-5x5