Krypton Evening Post: Google buys land in Finland to advance the expansion plan of cloud computing and data infrastructure; Zhipu AI increases its capital to 33.05 million yuan; iQOO Neo10 series is released, starting at 2299 yuan.
Big Companies:
In response to the news that "Huawei specifically chose Lerobo Robotics as a local ecological partner in the field of humanoid robots" and "plans to release and achieve a certain scale of mass production in 2025", the relevant person in charge of Lerobo Robotics stated that the company has not released relevant information and cannot confirm other related information. The specific information is subject to the official release. (Yicai)
36Kr learned that Meituan released its third-quarter financial report for 2024. The financial report shows that the adjusted net profit in this quarter was 12.83 billion yuan, an increase of 124% year-on-year. In this quarter, the order volume of the in-store, wine and travel business increased by more than 50% year-on-year, and the number of annual active merchants also reached a new high. Meituan's consumption data during the "National Day" Golden Week shows that the in-store consumption of national life services increased by 41.2% year-on-year. Among them, the average daily consumption of tourists increased by 69.6% compared with the previous holiday.
According to the information submitted by Marriott to the official website of the Maryland government where the company's headquarters is located, Marriott plans to lay off 833 employees at the beginning of 2025. Public information shows that if calculated based on the approximately 5,000 headquarters employees mentioned by Marriott last year, the layoff of 833 employees at the headquarters accounts for about 16%. Marriott China said that the current business in China is not affected, and the layoff plan has no connection with the Chinese market. (Yicai)
It is reported that due to the excessive vehicle emission levels, eight automakers including Hyundai, Kia, and Honda may be fined about 73 billion rupees. Hyundai responded on November 29 that the company has not received any formal or informal information or notice regarding the penalty, and the reports of the penalty are untrue. (Jiemian)
iQOO Neo10 Series Released, Starting at 2299 Yuan
36Kr learned that the iQOO Neo10 series was released, starting at 2299 yuan. It is introduced that the basic version and Pro version of the iQOO Neo10 are equipped with the third-generation Snapdragon 8 chip and the Dimensity 9400 chip respectively. In terms of battery life, the iQOO Neo10 series supports the "dual-hundred-watt" charging protocol for the body and the charging set.
India Is Reportedly to Expand Incentive Measures for Electric Vehicle Production
According to Reuters, sources familiar with the matter revealed that India plans to expand the electric vehicle incentive measures to automakers that produce models in the country's existing factories, rather than being limited to those willing to build new factories. India's electric vehicle policy is still being finalized. Its original intention is to encourage Tesla to enter the Indian market and produce locally, but Tesla abandoned these plans earlier this year. The minutes of the meeting of India's Ministry of Heavy Industries show that other foreign automakers have also expressed interest in producing electric vehicles in India's existing and new factories. Sources said that it is hoped that the policy change can encourage electric vehicle investments from companies such as Toyota and Hyundai. (Jiemian)
On November 29, the Japanese Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry stated that it will provide up to 70.5 billion yen in aid to automotive parts manufacturer Denso and Fuji Electric for the joint production of power semiconductors. The total cost of the joint power chip business between Denso and Fuji Electric is expected to reach 211.6 billion yen. (Jiemian)
BYD Issues Cost Reduction Requirements to Dozens of Suppliers
Recently, an email from BYD requesting cost reduction from suppliers has been circulating on the Internet. The email stated that BYD has requested a 10% price reduction for the products supplied by this supplier starting from January 1, 2025. An insider from BYD said that BYD has more than 8,000 suppliers, and less than 1% of the suppliers have received the cost reduction notice email. Another insider from BYD revealed that the cost reduction plan is being advanced rhythmically by field. This cost reduction requirement email was mainly sent to electronic control and sensor suppliers, with a number of dozens; in the future, it is not excluded that it will be extended to suppliers in other fields. (Yicai)
Investment and Financing:
36Kr learned that according to the App Aiqicha, recently, Tianjin Heyu Green Energy Partnership Enterprise (Limited Partnership) was established, with Yanling County Xiangfeng New Energy Co., Ltd. as the executive partner, with a contribution of 2.742 billion yuan. The business scope includes power generation technology services. The partner information shows that this enterprise is jointly funded by China Kangfu International Leasing Co., Ltd., State Power Investment Henan New Energy Co., Ltd. and its Yanling County Xiangfeng New Energy Co., Ltd.
Zhipu AI Increases Its Capital to 33.05 Million
36Kr learned that according to the App Tianyancha, recently, the business registration of Beijing Zhipu Huahang Technology Co., Ltd., the associated company of Zhipu AI, has undergone changes, and the registered capital has increased from approximately 31.066 million yuan to approximately 33.048 million yuan. Beijing Zhipu Huahang Technology Co., Ltd. was established in June 2019, with Liu Debing as the legal representative. Its business scope includes basic artificial intelligence software development, artificial intelligence application software development, software development, data processing and storage support services, data processing services, information technology consulting services, etc. It is jointly held by Shanghai Feiya Technology Co., Ltd., Guangxi Tencent Venture Capital Co., Ltd., Liu Debing, etc. It is worth noting that this company has increased its capital three times in August, September, and early November this year.
"Zhimei Technology" Completes a Pre-A Round Financing of Several Thousand Yuan
36Kr learned that "Zhimei Technology" announced the completion of a Pre-A round financing of several thousand yuan. This round of financing is led by Yuanqi Fund, and Jinsheng Capital, with Zhangjiagang State-owned Capital Fund as the main contributor, follows the investment. It is introduced that Zhimei Technology is a skin intelligence application company, and its main direction is to make the skin instruments and products AI intelligent and digital.
New Products:
Google Buys Land in Finland to Advance Cloud Computing and Data Infrastructure Expansion Plan
Google stated in a statement on November 28 local time that as part of its plan to expand cloud computing and data center infrastructure in Finland, the company has purchased land in Kajaani and Muhos in the country. The Finnish Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry said that the total land area is approximately 1,400 hectares, and the total transaction value exceeds 27 million euros. Google announced in May this year that it will further invest 1 billion euros to expand the data center park in Finland to promote the growth of its artificial intelligence business in Europe. (Jiemian)
vivo S20 Series Released, Starting at 2299 Yuan
36Kr learned that the vivo S20 series was released, starting at 2299 yuan. Based on vivo's self-developed AI Lanxin large model, the vivo S20 series provides AI functions such as XiaoV Circle Search, One-click Screen Query, XiaoV Time Snippet, XiaoV Memory Aid, XiaoV Writing, AI ID Photo Background Replacement, and XiaoV Phone Assistant. In terms of battery life and performance, the vivo S20 adopts the third-generation silicon anode battery technology. Coupled with the upgrade of the stacking process, the battery capacity reaches 6500mAh. In terms of imaging, it adopts physical fill light and self-developed AI 3D virtual fill light technology, which can also take clear and natural portraits in low-light environments.
Today's Views:
36Kr learned that the First Global Low-altitude Economy Forum Annual Meeting was held in Beijing on November 27. Yao Shangkun, Chairman of Guoxiong Capital Co., Ltd., pointed out that since 2021, the low-altitude economy has been included in the national plan, marking a new stage in its development. Last year, the scale of China's low-altitude economy reached 500 billion yuan. It is expected to increase to 2 trillion yuan in 2030 and may reach 5 trillion yuan in 2035. There are nearly 70,000 related enterprises nationwide.
There are market rumors that HSBC will exit the credit card business in China. The bank has stopped issuing new cards and is trying to reduce the services provided to most customers in China. Insiders revealed that HSBC previously tried to sell the business but failed. Now it plans to end the business and may continue to provide credit card services to a small number of high-end customers. In a statement to the media, an HSBC spokesperson responded: "As part of our Premier and Global Private Banking services in mainland China, we will continue to provide credit card services focusing on international travel and lifestyle." (Jiemian)
Other News Worth Paying Attention To:
36Kr learned that on November 29, the Exit and Entry Administration of the People's Republic of China announced that with the approval of the State Council, the policy of "multiple visas for one sign" for traveling to Hong Kong will be implemented in Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, the policy of "one visit per week" for traveling to Macau will be implemented in Zhuhai, and the policy of "multiple visas for one sign" for traveling to Macau will be implemented in the Hengqin Guangdong-Macao In-depth Cooperation Zone. Half an hour after the policy was released, the search popularity of Hong Kong and Macau destinations on the Ctrip platform increased by more than 30% month-on-month. Ctrip data shows that Hong Kong and Macau are among the top 10 popular destinations for mainland residents to travel abroad this year. Since this year, the orders of mainland residents traveling to Hong Kong and Macau have increased by more than 11% year-on-year.
It is reported that sources familiar with the matter said that Mizuho Financial Group expects that the US litigation involving the Adani Group will not have a long-term impact and intends to continue to support the latter. It is understood that Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group also have no plans to withdraw their capital. If necessary in the future, they are willing to provide new financing to the Adani Group. Previously, US federal prosecutors accused the founder of the Adani Group, Gautam Adani, and others of promising to bribe Indian government officials by more than 250 million US dollars to obtain solar energy contracts and concealing this plan when financing from US investors. The Adani Group later denied the relevant accusations, stating that it intends to seek all possible legal means to resolve the issue. (Jiemian)