Latest news with #Shenzhen-based
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Smartphone sales growth hit by tariff ‘whirlwind of uncertainty'
(Bloomberg) — Sales of Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) iPhone and its closest rivals are expected to take a significant blow from the Trump administration's new tariff policy unveiled in April. NYC Congestion Toll Brings In $216 Million in First Four Months Now With Colorful Blocks, Tirana's Pyramid Represents a Changing Albania The Economic Benefits of Paying Workers to Move NY Wins Order Against US Funding Freeze in Congestion Fight Why Arid Cities Should Stick Together Two independent market research companies have slashed their forecasts for 2025 growth by more than half: IDC now expects just 0.6% growth in global smartphone shipments for the year, while Counterpoint Research sees a 1.9% increase. Both caution that potential price increases and broader macroeconomic uncertainty related to the tariffs will dampen enthusiasm for new purchases. Smartphones were given a tariff exemption in mid-April, however President Donald Trump this month threatened a 25% levy on imports of smartphones made outside the US. That pressure has dragged Apple's share price down and contributed to expectations of potential price hikes by the iPhone maker and others. 'The smartphone industry has faced a whirlwind of uncertainty,' said IDC's Senior Research Director Nabila Popal. 'Smartphone vendors — particularly those shipping to the US — must now navigate complex geopolitics alongside ongoing supply chain diversification efforts.' China's Huawei Technologies Co. marks a bright spot for Counterpoint's analysts, who see the Shenzhen-based company having fewer difficulties with sourcing key components this year. Huawei has been reclaiming market share domestically since it started building its own chips, and its prospects for pushing further afield appear to be improving even with the global economy in turmoil. 'Increasing supply chain strength should help them become more aggressive overseas through the long term,' said Counterpoint analyst Ethan Qi. YouTube Is Swallowing TV Whole, and It's Coming for the Sitcom Mark Zuckerberg Loves MAGA Now. Will MAGA Ever Love Him Back? Millions of Americans Are Obsessed With This Japanese Barbecue Sauce Inside the First Stargate AI Data Center How Coach Handbags Became a Gen Z Status Symbol ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. By subscribing, you are agreeing to Yahoo's Terms and Privacy Policy Sign in to access your portfolio
Business Times
3 days ago
- Business
- Business Times
China's Honor developing humanoid robots in US$10 billion AI plan
HONOR Device, the smartphone maker spun out from Huawei Technologies, is developing humanoid robots as part of its push into China's crowded artificial intelligence (AI) arena. The Shenzhen-based company's department for new business opportunities has decided to go further with robotics including human-shaped machines, it said on Wednesday (May 28). It announced in March a US$10 billion initiative to expand into new industries, with a focus on AI and novel applications. China is leading the way in humanoid robotics with a handful of promising startups that have recently raised their profile. Last month, Beijing hosted a robot half-marathon that was completed by only a few of the 21 robots that entered. Nvidia chief Jensen Huang has said the field has the potential to turn into a trillion-dollar industry, especially in factories and warehouses designed for human workers. Honor's expansion into robots would mirror efforts by the likes of Xiaomi, which has gotten into making electric vehicles and smart factories, to diversify away from commodity electronics. Such as rivals Oppo and Vivo, Honor is building its own agentic AI services that will be integrated into its software for smartphones and other devices. BLOOMBERG
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
China's UBTech takes direct shot at Tesla with $20K humanoid home robot
The race to bring humanoid robots into homes is heating up, with major tech firms betting on what many see as the next frontier in consumer technology. Tesla, Figure AI, and startups across China, the US, and Japan are all developing robots designed to handle domestic chores. With aging populations and labor shortages driving demand, humanoids are quickly shifting from science fiction to commercial reality. Now, Chinese firm UBTech Robotics Corp. is joining the push with a $20,000 household companion robot set to launch later this year. The Shenzhen-based company, known for high-end industrial robots, is pivoting toward consumer use. At the BEYOND Expo in Macau, Chief Brand Officer Michael Tam told Bloomberg, 'Home companion robots are a bright spot in China, partly due to the growing need for elderly care.' UBTech expects to ship around 1,000 units of the new robot in 2025. Though a release date hasn't been announced, the company plans to boost production tenfold by 2026. Tam warned, however, that a robot capable of full caregiving is still years away. UBTech built its reputation with industrial humanoids used by firms like BYD Co. and Foxconn Technology Group. These robots sell for about $100,000 each. The company also markets educational robots, but now aims to break into homes. Tesla looms large as a rival. Elon Musk said last year that Tesla's Optimus robot will perform household tasks and could sell for $20,000 to $30,000 by 2026. Musk recently posted a video of Optimus vacuuming, taking out the trash, and cleaning with a brush and dustpan, highlighting Tesla's rapid progress toward home deployment. Both companies are currently in early production stages. UBTech's pricing undercuts the high-end market and places it in direct competition with Musk's vision of a robot butler. China's growing elderly population is creating urgent demand for caregiving solutions. UBTech believes its new robot can help fill that gap. Government support adds momentum. President Xi Jinping has named robotics a top national priority, encouraging firms to scale quickly. Tam said the robot could reach broad adoption among older adults. Analysts estimate it could serve up to 30% of elderly Chinese households. The Chinese government reportedly views robotics as a crucial part of its broader strategy to support an aging population without putting additional strain on the human workforce. This policy backing may give UBTech an edge in securing funding and accelerating development. UBTech's consumer shift comes as it faces financial strain. The company lost over 1.1 billion yuan ($153 million) last year. Its stock has fallen 45% over the past 12 months in Hong Kong. Still, Tam welcomes the pressure. 'White-hot competition creates a lot of pressure on a single company, but for the whole industry, it helps preserve good companies and eliminate bad ones,' he told Bloomberg. As humanoid robots inch closer to everyday life, UBTech's shift to the home market marks a high-stakes bet. Whether the company can overcome mounting financial pressure and fierce competition or get outpaced by deeper-pocketed rivals like Tesla remains to be seen.
Asia Times
5 days ago
- Science
- Asia Times
China stages first-ever humanoid robot kickboxing match
In a clash of metal, might and artificial intelligence, Unitree Robotics' humanoid robots threw punches and kicks in the world's first kickboxing fight of its kind in China. The China Media Group (CMG) World Robot Competition – Mecha Fighting Series, the first-ever humanoid robot fighting tournament, kicked off in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, on May 25. State-owned Chinese Central Television broadcast the match, which included four Unitree G1 robots and their human trainers. Each fighter robot weighs about 35 kilograms and is 132 centimeters tall. Each match had two sessions. The first required the robots to perform different actions, while the second involved three rounds of combat, each lasting two minutes. A robot could score only if it hits its opponent's head or body. A punch scored one point, while a kick scored three. The fighting machines lost five points if they fell. If it couldn't get up within eight seconds, it lost 10 points, and the round ended immediately. Fight footage showed the robots could punch and kick smoothly, but their attacks were soft and more like pushes than strikes. Some robots lost their balance after kicking or moving backward, but most could stand back up after a few seconds. Trainers controlled their robots remotely with joysticks. 'It is not easy to teach robots different movements,' Wang Qixin, a director at Unitree, told the CCTV. 'We used artificial intelligence (AI) technology to train them.' 'First, we captured the data of the movements of some professional kick-boxing athletes, and then the robots can learn these movements in the virtual world,' he said. Li Gaofeng, a researcher at Zhejiang University's College of Control Science and Engineering, told the National Business Daily that the match demonstrated a leap in China's humanoid robotic technologies in the past six to 12 months. 'Six months ago, people could not imagine that humanoid robots would be able to perform all these movements smoothly,' Li said. 'Combat fight is a difficult task for humanoid robots due to the intensive confrontation during the fight. Robots need to mind their movements and react to their opponent's moves,' he said. 'All these requirements significantly challenge the robots' algorithms, electronic parts and speed reducers.' A speed reducer is a gear between the motor and the machinery that reduces the rate at which power is transmitted. Better speed reducers can achieve faster and more precise movements. Industry experts told the Global Times that the kickboxing fight created a 'train-through-competition' talent pipeline for China's fast-growing robotics sector and will drive innovation in perception, control and execution technology. Tian Feng, former dean of Chinese AI software firm SenseTime's Intelligence Industry Research Institute, said combat sports demand full-body coordination, upper limb capabilities, battery endurance and material durability. EngineAI, a Shenzhen-based robotics company, will host a large-scale combat match for full-sized humanoid robots in December in Shenzhen, Guangdong province. The event aims to showcase cutting-edge AI and robotics technologies while promoting industrial upgrades and adoption. From dancing to fighting Only four months ago, Unitree's H1 humanoid robots surprised the audience by dancing with people at the 2025 CCTV Spring Festival Gala on January 28. Then, on March 19, Unitree's G1 robots performed side-flips and kick-ups in a video, showing a significant improvement from its H1's backflip performed a year ago. Some Chinese commentators said Unitree had surpassed America's Boston Dynamics, as the latter's Atlas could only perform cartwheels. However, others said Boston Dynamics' robots are more advanced because of their precise and steady movements. On April 10, Unitree released footage showing a kickboxing fight between G1 and a male boxer and another between two G1 robots. The human boxer could easily knock down the robot, which was only half his weight. The company requested its users to refrain from making dangerous modifications or using the robot in a hazardous manner. A columnist at a Chinese consumer technology website, said G1's reaction was slower than humans and that its attacks were not precise. Meanwhile, a security camera video showed that a Unitree H1 had tried to attack the developers during a test at a factory in China. The robot was initially sitting dormant, but suddenly began flailing its limbs violently. Attached to a crane, the 1.8-meter-tall robot did not hit anyone before an engineer shut it down. The video went viral on the Internet as some grow concerned about the safety of humanoid robots, especially when Chinese robot makers plan to deploy their products to people's homes within the next three to five years. Read: Chinese humanoid robots get reality check in half-marathon debut
Yahoo
5 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
BYD launches attempt to crush Tesla in China
BYD has slashed the price of its electric vehicles (EVs) in China as it steps up its war with Tesla. The Chinese EV maker is now selling its entry-level car for 75pc less than the cheapest Tesla after cutting the price of the Seagull hatchback by 20pc to 55,800 yuan (£5,712). That is around a quarter of the cost of Tesla's cheapest car, the Model 3, which sells for 231,900 yuan. The Shenzhen-based EV manufacturer, whose investors include Warren Buffett, over the weekend announced discounts on 22 of its models in China until the end of June as it battles a slowdown in the local market and higher tariffs in the EU and US. While BYD's Seagull hatchback is smaller in size than Tesla's Model 3, it demonstrates the strides that Chinese manufacturers have made in lowering the cost of EVs. China has become the world's biggest market for battery-powered cars and domestic giants have invested heavily in producing affordable vehicles. The sweeping price cuts also highlight the intense competition in the market. A record 3.5m EVs were left sitting unsold in dealerships across the country in April. It marks the highest stock level since December 2023, according to figures from the China Passenger Car Association. Slowing economic growth in the country has hit sales. The slump is a blow to Tesla, which counts China as its second biggest market. Sales of Chinese-made Teslas, which cover both the local market and exports to Europe, fell 6pc in April compared to a year earlier and have now been falling for seven straight months. Shares in BYD fell 5.9pc in Hong Kong on Monday following the price cut announcement as investors fretted about profit margins being eroded away. Rivals Li Auto and Great Wall Motor declined 3.2pc and 2.7pc respectively. Rico Luman, a senior economist at ING, said the price war was 'clearly a signal of intensified competition in China and also a maturing of the EV market'. 'There's over 100 manufacturers active in China itself in domestic markets for EVs,' he said. 'If you look at the margins they are not at a decent level at the moment so it really will hurt. It may be the start of a shake out in the Chinese market because we do expect that a lot of these brands will disappear eventually.' While the cuts won't take effect beyond China, Tesla and other Western manufacturers have long struggled to compete on price with Chinese rivals and have seen their market share eaten away. BYD outsold Elon Musk's Tesla in Europe last month for the first time ever and overtook Tesla in Britain in January. The symbolic shift has been helped by a driver boycott of Tesla over Mr Musk's support for Donald Trump. British interest in cars built by Chinese manufacturers has soared, according to Auto Trader, the UK's largest online automotive marketplace. More than 1.4m car adverts viewed in the first four months of this year on its website were for Chinese brands. That represented a market share of 5.3pc, compared with 1.3pc during the same period in 2024. BYD accounts for around half of advert views and stock on Auto Trader, while other Chinese manufacturers to have recently debuted in Britain include Jaecoo, Leapmotor, Skywell, Omoda and Xpeng. Ian Plummer, commercial director at Auto Trader, said: 'Our research shows a breakthrough for Chinese manufacturers in the UK market over the last 12 months. 'Several brands are now motoring from a standing start and bigger names like BYD have embedded themselves in the public consciousness.' Lower prices in China come as BYD seeks to boost sales in its home market and pivot away from focusing on international expansion. Mass adoption of EVs in Europe has been slower than expected and the EU has also imposed tariffs on cars made in China. As a result, BYD pays a 27pc import tax on battery electric vehicles it sells in the EU. In the US, cars have been caught up in Mr Trump's ongoing trade spat with Beijing. While tariffs on Chinese goods have now been lowered from their peak of 145pc, they still stand at 30pc. Mr Plummer said: 'Trade turbulence with the US and EU tariffs is also making the UK relatively more attractive as a market. 'There will be much more to come from Chinese carmakers.' Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. Try The Telegraph free for 1 month with unlimited access to our award-winning website, exclusive app, money-saving offers and more.
