Asia's Tech News, Weekly: September 13th 2025
Vietnam's 'data city', Malaysian carbon tech, China's AI subsidies, Korea's crypto moves, OpenAI in Seoul, Singapore-Thailand alt-protein, Johor data centers hub, Philippines gov't blockchain...
• Japan's IHI Corporation partners UK's SatVu to develop a thermal infrared satellite constellation to strengthen Japanese sovereign capabilities, and national security / full item
• Malaysia: Boeing aerospace giant partners carbon removal startup, Equatic, and Sarawak state gov't to pilot ocean-based carbon removal technology / full item
• Laos is to boost 'digital transformation' efforts with $9.9 million Korea Int'l Cooperation Agency support to lift civil servants' digital skills from 2025 to 2029 / full item
• Australia & New Zealand: Here's an overview of 19 ANZ startups that between them raised Au$66.7 million in the past week / full item
• "More than two-thirds of data centre capacity under construction in Southeast Asia's five main growth markets has been committed in Malaysia..." / full item
• Vietnam probes suspected cyberattack on its national credit information database / full item
"Local governments across China... have begun issuing computing power vouchers, which subsidize the cost of renting computing time for AI startups." / full item
• Malaysia: Securities Commission and Khazanah Nasional sovereign wealth fund are preparing to roll out tokenised bonds and sukuk, potentially 'shaking up' Islamic finance / full item
• Taiwan: An intro to Taiwan's Lipro Vision's smart glasses for athletes, featuring ultra-bright displays and long battery life / full item
• China: Mobile majors have begun testing and deploying hollow-core fiber, emerging network tech that sends data via air rather than glass, far outperforming current glass fiber / full item
• South Korea: OpenAI hints at the possibility of building a data center in Korea and expanding cooperation with Samsung, SK, and others, following Seoul office launch / full item
• China: X Square Robot, working on general-purpose embodied intelligence models, has raised $140 million Series A+, launching its self-developed open-source foundation model / full item
• Vietnam: Da Nang is proposed as Vietnam's first pilot 'Data City' / full item
• "South Korea has taken a major step toward legitimizing its cryptocurrency sector by lifting a 7-year restriction that kept digital asset firms from being recognized as venture companies..." / full item
• New Zealand: Starboard Maritime Intelligence secures Au$20.7M Series A with AI-driven data analysis for maritime security / full item
• South Korea: Ministry of SMEs & Startups selects 15 fund managers to deploy $430 million under its Fund-of-Funds program, looking to grow startups in AI and deep-tech / full item
• Download: 'Asia's Carbon Markets - Strategic Imperatives for Corporations', a September White Paper from the World Economic Forum / full item
• Taiwan: TSMC is now repurposing 'old' facilities to bring EUV Pellicle production in-house, seeking overall cost benefits from the semiconductor production 'hygiene' process / full item
• China's data centre firm, Zdata, is reportedly lining up a $500M private loan for data centre construction in Johor, Malaysia / full item
"Several lawmakers in the Philippines have filed bills proposing the creation of a National Budget Blockchain System to make government spending records immutable and publicly accessible." / full item
• Registrations are now open for the Cradle LIVE! Startup ASEAN Summit 2025, set for Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia from November 3-5 / full item
• New Zealand: China's Xpeng EV firm is to enter the NZ market with launch of G6 SUV, a mid-sized vehicle that rivals the Tesla Model Y / full item
• "Sovereign Australia AI... is taking an ethical approach to the sector by earmarking at least $10 million to source copyrighted materials needed for its models." / full item
• Taiwan's TSMC posted a 34% rise in August revenue, with sales last month totaling $11.1 billion / full item
• China added a third trio of spacecraft to a group of remote sensing satellites Saturday, marking the country’s 52nd launch of the year / full item
• South Korea's Hana Micron boosts Vietnam expansion plans with $930M set for investment through 2026 in memory chip packaging operations / full item
Video: An intro to SORA Technology, deploying drones and AI technologies to identify, map, and help eliminate malaria breeding sites in Africa / on YouTube
• Singapore's Full Circle Biotechnology raises funds to build a 7000-ton/year insect protein facility in Thailand for producing protein-rich feedstock / full item
• Malaysia: Johor is the fastest-growing data centre hub in South-east Asia, with aggregate supply nearly doubling in the past year, says a new report / full item
• On e27: "As Vietnam's e-commerce market surpasses US$25B, shoppers are no longer satisfied with low prices alone" / full item
• "OpenAI will release its first AI chip next year. The company has been one of Nvidia’s biggest customers but demand for computing power has grown so fast that it is moving into its own production line." / full item
• Philippines: Geeks on a Beach - GOAB - tech and startup conference is set for October 1–3 in Cebu, with a focus this years on artificial intelligence technologies / full item
• Vietnam's Vietjet airline and Vietnam's National Startup Support Centre partner India's Amity Innovation Incubator for the Startup Flight initiative to connect startup ecosystems / full item
"India is working to obtain rare-earth samples from Myanmar with the assistance of a powerful rebel group...as it seeks alternative supplies of a strategic resource tightly controlled by China." / full item
• South Korea's fintech unicorn, Toss, preps to launch app in Australia and other markets, with sights also on issuing a Korean won-based stablecoin once regulations allow / full item
• Australia: Wable secures Au$1.5 million with social networking app for neurodivergent individuals / full item
• Malaysia launches its first assembly plant dedicated exclusively to EVs, marking a milestone for local company, Proton, and the nation's auto industry aspirations / full item
• 'ASEAN must harness generative artificial intelligence (AI) and strengthen data sharing in the fight against transnational crime' says Malaysia Home Minister / full item
• New Zealand's Leaft Foods inks partnership with Lacto Japan ingredients distributor, ramping up production of RuBisCO alfalfa protein for Japan's food industry / full item
• China: NAND memory firm, YMTC, launches its $3 billion phase III facility in Wuhan, looking to boost production to 150,000 wafers, targeting 15% of global supply / full item
• New Zealand: Marloo fintech raises Au$4.2 million pre-seed with an AI assistant designed for financial advisers / full item
• "...the current version of the Basel Committee rules for banks engaging with crypto-assets has a harsh treatment for any use of permissionless blockchains. Hong Kong is considering exceptions..." / full item
• "South Korean lawmakers continue to push forward with plans to regulate KRW-pegged stablecoins.... sensing an opportunity, both Tether and Circle have recently sent delegations to Seoul." / full item
• "Chinese electric vehicle maker Nio is said to have plans to raise up to nearly HK$8.1 billion through a share sale, the second time in less than six months. " / full item
• Download: 'Quantum Technologies - Key Strategies and Opportunities for Financial Services Leaders' from the World Economic Forum / full item
"French children under 15 should be banned from social media and there should be an overnight 'digital curfew' for 15-18 year olds, a parliamentary commission has recommended." / full item
In wider-world technology news:
» 'Google Gemini dubbed ‘high risk’ for kids and teens in new safety assessment' / full item
» Abu Dhabi has launched K2 Think, a low-cost AI reasoning model that reportedly challenges OpenAI and DeepSeek on both cost and capabilities / full item
» Dutch battery startup, LeydenJar, secures $15.2 million with silicon anode technology, potentially impacting on China's control of the sector / full item
» 'The end of inertia - Agentic AI’s disruption of retail and SME banking', an article from McKinsey & Co / full item
» "...Altilium has developed a process that uses nitric acid to recover valuable metals inside old EV batteries. Lithium, nickel, cobalt, and other metals are then used again to make new EV batteries." / full item
"...the owner of the Daily Mail revealed... that [Google] AI Overviews have fuelled a drop in click-through traffic to its sites by as much as 89%." / full item
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https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/asias-tech-news-weekly-sept-13th-2025-startup-news-asia-ksnjc/