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Yahoo
17 hours ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Black Sesame Technologies Debuts at 2025 Hong Kong Auto Expo, Driving the Evolution of Next-Generation Vehicles with Advanced Chips
HONG KONG, June 13, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Black Sesame Technologies, a leading automotive-grade computing SoC and SoC-based intelligent vehicle solution provider, showcased its Huashan and Wudang series chips, along with domain controllers, at the Automotive Technology and Supply Chain Exhibition Area (Booth No. H03) of the 2025 International Automobile and Supply Chain Expo (Hong Kong) (hereinafter referred to as the "Auto Expo"). The company's founder and CEO, Johnson Shan, attended the opening ceremony, joining industry representatives in witnessing the grand launch of the event. Held on June 12, the Auto Expo was inaugurated by John Lee, Chief Executive of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, who delivered an address at the opening ceremony. Co-hosted by the China Association of Automobile Manufacturers, the Hong Kong Chinese Enterprises Association, the Chinese Manufacturers' Association of Hong Kong, the China General Association for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan, and Phoenix Television, the Auto Expo capitalizes on Hong Kong's unique position as a "super connector" between mainland China and global markets, serving as a key platform for industry collaboration and exchange. The expo brought together eleven major automakers, including FAW, Dongfeng, Chang'an, SAIC, GAC, BAIC, Chery, Geely, BYD, XPeng, and Leapmotor, as well as dozens of automotive supply chain and technology companies. Highlighting the theme of this year's Auto Expo, "New Automobiles," Black Sesame Technologies offered key insights into how intelligent computing is driving the industry's transformation. As a key partner to many leading automakers and Tier 1 suppliers, Black Sesame Technologies is enabling the shift toward smarter vehicles with its Huashan series of autonomous driving computing chips and Wudang series of cross-domain computing chips. Known for their performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency, these solutions play a critical role in accelerating the intelligent transformation of next-generation vehicles and fostering the growth of a new automotive ecosystem. At the 2025 Auto Expo, Black Sesame Technologies unveiled its Huashan A2000 chip—an advanced, high-performance solution built to support next-generation AI models. Equipped with the industry's largest NPU core, "Jiushao," and paired with the next-generation universal AI toolchain, BaRT, the A2000 delivers both exceptional computing power and flexible scalability. The A2000 chip is not only suited for advanced driver-assistance scenarios but also meets the high-performance inference demands of industrial and consumer applications. Currently, the Huashan A1000 family of chips has been adopted by several leading Chinese automakers and has entered mass production, powering models such as the Geely Galaxy E8 and Xingyao 8, Lynk & Co 07 and 08 EM-P, and Dongfeng Yipai eπ007 and eπ008. The Wudang C1200 family is purpose-built for multi-domain integration and cabin-driving convergence scenarios. Among them, the C1236 is the industry's first single-chip platform to support high-speed assisted driving, while the C1296 is the first to enable multi-domain integration. Since the launch of the C1200 series, Black Sesame Technologies has made steady progress in its commercialization, securing partnerships with major domestic and international companies, including FAW, Dongfeng, Aptiv, Joyson, and Banma. In addition to its chips, Black Sesame Technologies also showcased a series of domain controllers jointly developed with top Chinese and international Tier 1 suppliers, based on the Huashan A1000 and Wudang C1200 series, demonstrating the company's deep integration with the broader intelligent automotive supply chain. This exhibition not only served as a focused showcase of Black Sesame Technologies' innovative products and collaborative achievements but also highlighted Hong Kong's role as a key strategic hub for the company. By the end of 2023, the firm formed a partnership with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation to co-establish a new R&D and innovation center in the region. In August 2024, the company successfully listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, entering a new phase of rapid growth. Black Sesame Technologies is accelerating the broad deployment of the Huashan and Wudang product lines across multiple markets and application scenarios to strengthen its core IP portfolio, while deepening supply chain collaboration and advancing its global expansion. Meanwhile, the company's business vision extends beyond automobiles, actively expanding into robotics and embodied intelligence. "Hong Kong's strategic location and unique resources provide vital support for supply chain deployment and serve as a key gateway in our global strategy," said Johnson Shan, Founder and CEO of Black Sesame Technologies. "We aim to be a value creator in the industry by empowering our ecosystem partners through cutting-edge technology. Building on Hong Kong's platform and resources, we will continue to deepen collaboration with global automakers and Tier 1 suppliers, driving the prosperous development of the intelligent vehicle industry through a win-win ecosystem." 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Zawya
21-02-2025
- Business
- Zawya
China regulatory easing hopes brighten outlook for offshore equity fundraising
HONG KONG/SYDNEY - Chinese companies, mainly those in the tech sector, are accelerating plans to raise funds offshore, tapping into a rebound in investor sentiment fueled by hopes of Beijing's support for private firms and the popularity of DeepSeek, bankers said. In a sign of the pickup in offshore equity sale momentum, two tech companies raised $500 million in total this week alone, and bankers and lawyers said a growing list of firms is preparing to launch offshore equity sales in the coming months. A pickup will reverse the last few years' sluggish offshore fundraising activity induced by faltering economic growth and a regulatory crackdown on private enterprises, and will give the Chinese companies much-needed access to capital for growth. Chinese video streaming platform iQIYI on Thursday raised $350 million in an upsized five-year convertible bond, a day after Hong Kong-listed auto chip maker Black Sesame raised $160 million via private placement of shares. Those two deals came just a couple of days after a meeting between President Xi Jinping and tech business leaders including Alibaba founder Jack Ma, seen as a sign that Beijing is softening its approach to its internet giants. Xi's meeting with the business leaders and the meteoric rise of AI startup DeepSeek could help China tech companies regain traction in international capital markets, said Li He, a partner at law firm Davis Polk, who advises on IPOs. "We're already seeing a solid pipeline of IPO candidates, particularly in tech, healthcare, and consumer sectors," he said. Besides secondary market deals, IPOs by Chinese companies, particularly in Hong Kong, are also expected to pick up pace in the coming years - 29 new listing applications were filed in Hong Kong in January versus 15 in the same period last year. Offshore equity capital markets deals involving Chinese companies in general totalled $3.3 billion so far this year, more than six times the amount in the same period last year, Dealogic data showed. The jump comes on the back of a market rally, with the main Hong Kong index rising 12.55% this year. "On the back of the rally, we expect to see more capital markets fundraising activities in the coming months, as well as acceleration of IPO execution in 2025," said UBS Asia vice-chair of global banking Mandy Zhu. INVESTOR INTEREST Offshore Chinese listing hopefuls include battery giant CATL , which this month filed for a Hong Kong listing that could raise at least $5 billion, frozen food company Anjoy Foods and online health services firm WeDoctor. "Global investor interest in China tech is getting stronger. Valuations have been very attractive compared to other markets," said Ho-yin Lee, head of Asia technology and communications at Citigroup. Underscoring the investor interest, iQIYI on Thursday bumped up its convertible bond offering to $350 million from $300 million after receiving interest from over 50 institutions, according to bankers involved in the offering. Besides the public market activity, the rise of DeepSeek has also propelled Chinese venture capital firms to scout for investments in AI-enabled applications, investors and advisers said. A number of Chinese funds and tech firms have in recent weeks reached out to DeepSeek, whose AI breakthrough has been described as a "Sputnik moment" for the country, said three tech investors familiar with the matter and media reports. DeepSeek, whose founder Liang Wenfeng was among those who met Xi on Monday, however has not decided on any fundraising plan, said the three sources, declining to be named as they were not authorised to speak to the media. DeepSeek did not respond to Reuters request for comment. "In the next two years, AI-enabled applications and robotics will be a big focus for venture investors, who are inspired by the success of DeepSeek," said Ming Jin, managing partner at advisory firm Cygnus Equity. Dollar venture funds are, however, unlikely to return soon due to heightened Sino-U.S. tensions and increased regulatory scrutiny of private investments in companies by both countries, analysts said. "U.S. institutional money investors are under federal, state-level and unofficial pressure to avoid allocating capital to public and private Chinese assets," Gavekal Dragonomics said in a report published on Tuesday. "While a few high-profile liquidity events could change some minds, the direction of travel is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future." (Reporting by Kane Wu and Selena Li in Hong Kong and Scott Murdoch in Sydney; additional reporting by Li Gu in Shanghai; Editing by Sumeet Chatterjee and Stephen Coates)
