At 9:00, here are the latest news: CCTV has acquired the World Cup copyright for $60 million; NVIDIA's total market value has exceeded Germany's GDP; The prices of the entire iPhone 17 Pro series have been reduced by 1,000 yuan.
Today's Hotspot Guide
- OpenAI is considering taking legal action against Apple.
- Samsung Electronics is developing the next - generation HBM packaging technology, which may be used in mobile devices such as smartphones.
- Hainan: Accelerate the cultivation of rocket, satellite, and data chains, and build an industrial cluster for wind power equipment manufacturing.
- Indermit Gill, the chief economist of the World Bank, will retire in August.
- The National Security Department's latest reminder: Smart wearable devices purchased overseas may be implanted with espionage devices.
Top 3 Big News
CCTV Confirms Acquisition of 2026 World Cup Broadcasting Rights for $60 Million
On the afternoon of May 15th, China Media Group (CMG) and FIFA jointly announced that they had reached a consensus on the cooperation regarding the broadcasting rights for the new cycle of FIFA World Cup. The tournaments covered by the cooperation include the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the 2027 FIFA Women's World Cup, and the 2031 FIFA Women's World Cup.
According to the cooperation intention of both parties, CMG has confirmed that it has obtained the exclusive all-media rights and media sub-licensing rights in the Chinese mainland for the tournaments in this cooperation cycle, including over-the-air TV, pay-TV, Internet, and mobile devices. A person familiar with the matter revealed that the broadcasting rights agreement between CMG and FIFA took effect on the afternoon of the 15th. According to the agreement, the broadcasting rights fee for the 2026 FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico is $60 million. (Daily Economic News, The Paper)
NVIDIA's market value exceeds $5.7 trillion for the first time, surpassing the GDP of Germany, the world's third - largest economy
According to foreign media reports on May 15th, NVIDIA, which has benefited greatly from the generative AI boom, saw its stock price hit new highs in a row this week. Its market value exceeded the GDP of Germany, the world's third - largest economy, on Wednesday. On Thursday local time, NVIDIA's stock price rose again, and its market value has exceeded $5.7 trillion.
After the stock price rose and hit a new high, NVIDIA's market value also reached a new record. Based on the closing price on Thursday, its market value is $5,731.344 billion, equivalent to approximately 38.957 trillion RMB. (TechWeb)
The entire iPhone 17 Pro series has been reduced by $1000
At midnight on May 15th, Apple phones suddenly went on sale. The entire iPhone 17 Pro series has been reduced by $1000. JD.com's Apple official flagship store has adjusted the prices immediately. The iPhone 17 Pro series has a direct price cut and an additional trade - in offer, with a double subsidy of $2000, and the final price is $6999. The iPhone 17 Pro has reached its lowest price ever and has officially entered the $6000 price range. The iPhone 17 has even seen its first price cut since its launch. With multiple subsidies and trade - in, the final price is only $4499. (Securities Times)
Big Companies/ Major Events
New energy vehicles kick off a price - hike wave, with cost pressure driving up prices
Recently, many new energy vehicle manufacturers have sent signals of price adjustment. Some have directly increased the prices of certain models, while others have gradually reduced terminal purchase discounts, quietly testing the waters for a "price hike". According to incomplete statistics, more than 10 new energy vehicle manufacturers have recently announced price adjustments, reduction of discounts, or plans to raise prices in the second quarter.
It is reported that the main reason behind the rising vehicle prices is cost pressure. Lithium batteries are the core components of new energy vehicles, accounting for about 30% to 60% of the total vehicle cost, and lithium carbonate is an important raw material for manufacturing power batteries. Currently, the price of lithium carbonate has increased by more than 250% compared with the same period last year and is still rising. In addition, the prices of other metals such as cobalt, nickel, and copper are also rising simultaneously, further driving up the raw material cost of the whole vehicle.
Meanwhile, the shortage and price increase of automotive - grade chips have also intensified the cost pressure. The global semiconductor production capacity has been largely occupied by the AI computing power industry, resulting in a longer supply cycle and soaring prices of automotive - grade chips. Data shows that the overall price of automotive - grade memory chips has increased by about 180% in the past three months. A vehicle manufacturer raised the optional installation price of its intelligent driving system from 9,900 yuan to 12,000 yuan in late April, a price increase of 2,100 yuan. (Beijing Daily, Beiwan Online)
US President Trump Ends His Visit to China
In the afternoon of May 15th, US President Trump concluded his state visit to China and left Beijing on a special plane. (CCTV News)
U.S. Stocks Close: Three Major Indexes End Lower, Tech Stocks See Significant Pullback
On May 16th, U.S. stocks closed. The Dow Jones Industrial Average fell 1.07%, the S&P 500 Index dropped 1.24%, and the Nasdaq Composite Index declined 1.54%. Tech stocks generally fell. Micron Technology (MU.O) tumbled 6.62%, Intel (INTC.O) dropped 6.18%, NVIDIA (NVDA.O) declined 4.42%, and Tesla (TSLA.O) fell 4.75%. The Nasdaq Golden Dragon China Index closed down 2.8%. Baidu (BIDU.O) fell 5.56%, and Alibaba (BABA.N) dropped more than 6%. (Jin10 Data APP)
South Korean stock market plunged 7% after circuit breaker tripped, SK Hynix tumbled over 8%
On the afternoon of May 15th, the decline of South Korea's KOSPI index widened to 7%, currently standing at 7,421.91 points. Previously, the operating institution of the South Korean Stock Exchange activated the "circuit breaker mechanism" for sellers targeting the benchmark index, the Korea Composite Stock Price Index (KOSPI). According to the disclosure from the Korea Exchange, around 1:28 p.m. local time, as the decline of the KOSPI 200 index futures reached or exceeded 5% and persisted for at least one minute, the program trading targeting the KOSPI index was immediately suspended for five minutes. As of press time, Samsung Electronics tumbled over 9%, and SK Hynix tumbled over 8%. (Daily Economic News)
OpenAI is considering legal action against Apple
People familiar with the matter revealed on Thursday that the two-year partnership between Apple and OpenAI has become strained. The artificial intelligence startup has failed to achieve the expected benefits from its cooperation with Apple and is currently considering taking legal action. The source said that OpenAI originally hoped to resolve its differences with Apple without resorting to legal means, but its legal team has joined forces with an external law firm to start studying various response plans. Options include sending a letter to Apple accusing it of breaching the contract, but not filing a formal lawsuit for the time being. The news also confirms a previous Bloomberg report on OpenAI's internal consultations. (Sina Finance)
Companies including Huawei Hubble Invested in Mir Light Semiconductor
36Kr learned that Tianyancha App shows that recently, Mir Light Semiconductor (Beijing) Co., Ltd. has undergone industrial and commercial changes. New shareholders include Shenzhen Hubble Technology Investment Partnership (Limited Partnership) under Huawei and Suzhou Future Technology Enterprise Service Partnership (Limited Partnership). At the same time, the registered capital has increased from approximately 5.155 million RMB to approximately 5.514 million RMB. The company was established in May 2021, with Yang Zhanyu as the legal representative. Its business scope includes the manufacturing and sales of semiconductor discrete devices, the R & D of new material technologies, etc. Currently, it is jointly held by Yang Zhanyu, Shanghai Xianaiduo Enterprise Management Consulting Partnership (Limited Partnership), and the above - mentioned shareholders.
The U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission has reached a settlement with Indian tycoon Adani in a civil fraud lawsuit
Indian billionaire Gautam Adani, the founder of the Adani Group, has reached a settlement in a related civil fraud lawsuit initiated by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), pending court approval. The lawsuit involves Adani's alleged bribery of Indian government officials to obtain solar power projects. Although some prosecutors previously claimed that investment commitments would not affect the outcome of the case. (Sina Finance)
Did the price of the long - range Model Y increase by 18,000 yuan? Tesla China: False news
On May 15th, there were reports that Tesla adjusted the prices of the Model Y series of vehicles starting from May 1st. Among them, the price of the long - range version increased by 18,000 yuan, and the price of the high - performance version increased by 20,000 yuan. In response, an insider from Tesla China said, "The rumor is false news." At the same time, it was learned from a salesperson at Tesla China that the price of the Model Y has not increased. Instead, the previous 7 - year low - interest car purchase financial policy has been cancelled. (NBD.com)
Samsung Electronics Develops Next-Generation HBM Packaging Technology, Potentially for Mobile Devices Such as Smartphones
Samsung Electronics is developing a next-generation HBM packaging technology aimed at providing high-performance on-device AI for mobile devices such as smartphones and tablets. The technology, called "Multi-layer Stacked FOWLP," combines ultra-high aspect ratio copper pillars with fan-out wafer-level packaging (FOWLP) and improves on the existing vertical copper pillar stacking (VCS) technology. Although server-grade HBM already has high bandwidth, mobile devices face more stringent restrictions in terms of size, thickness, power consumption, and heat generation. (Caixin)
Toyota Submits Application to Build a $2 Billion Factory in Texas, USA
Documents released by the Office of the Comptroller of Public Accounts of Texas on May 14 show that Toyota Motor has submitted an application seeking approval to build a new manufacturing plant in Texas. The plant will be located in Bexar County, with a total investment of approximately $2 billion. The upcoming plant is expected to create 75 new jobs. According to the application documents, the construction of the project will start this year, is expected to be completed in 2029, and is planned to be officially put into operation in 2030. (Jiemian News)
Hainan: Accelerate the Cultivation of Rocket, Satellite, and Data Chains, and Build an Industrial Cluster for Wind Power Equipment Manufacturing
36Kr learned that the Standing Committee of the Hainan Provincial Party Committee held a meeting on May 14. The meeting pointed out that it is necessary to take the characteristic industrial chains of "striving in five directions" and the future industries of "four new" as the main battlefields. Based on "seed source + seed industry + seed market", promote the revitalization of the seed industry. Drive innovation through application to accelerate the development of the deep - sea science and technology industry. Accelerate the cultivation of rocket, satellite, and data chains, and build an industrial cluster for wind power equipment manufacturing to shape new driving forces for the development of the digital economy. Adhere to self - reliance and self - strength in science and technology, actively connect with the national strategic scientific and technological forces, make good use of the opening - up policies of the free trade port, deepen international scientific and technological cooperation and industrial cooperation, promote the in - depth integration of scientific and technological innovation and industrial innovation, and create an important practice area for new - quality productivity according to local conditions.
Indermit Gill, the Chief Economist of the World Bank, will retire at the end of August
Media saw an internal memo on Thursday. Ajay Banga, the President of the World Bank, informed employees that Indermit Gill, the Chief Economist of the World Bank, will retire at the end of August. Banga highly praised Gill's long - term career at the World Bank Group. Before assuming the position of Chief Economist and Senior Vice President in September 2022, Gill served as the Vice President for Equitable Growth, Finance and Institutions at the World Bank. (Sina Finance)
US Government Discloses Trump's Q1 Trades: Buys Nvidia, Apple, Sells Down Microsoft, Amazon
According to two latest financial disclosure documents released by the US Office of Government Ethics on Thursday local time, US President Donald Trump conducted financial transactions worth at least $220 million in the first quarter of 2026. These documents cover the period from January to March and show that the trades involve securities related to some of the largest and most well - known companies in the United States. The transaction amounts disclosed in the documents are presented in approximate ranges rather than exact figures, with the cumulative total ranging from $220 million to approximately $750 million. The companies involved in the disclosure documents include Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, Broadcom, Bank of America, and Goldman Sachs, among others. In addition, trades of municipal bonds are also recorded. The filing documents do not always clearly indicate the type of securities, such as whether they are stocks or corporate bonds. However, some trades are still eye - catching due to their scale and timing. (Caixin)
Public offering institutions launch ETF theme products to layout the agricultural track
From being “out of the limelight” to becoming a “hot topic”, the agricultural track is becoming an important direction for public offering institutions to layout at present. Recently, many public offering institutions such as Nanfang Fund, Wanjia Fund, Puyin An Sheng Fund, and Penghua Fund have issued announcements for the sale of their agricultural theme funds. Taking ETFs as the vanguard for layout, public offering institutions are stepping up their efforts at the application and issuance ends, actively establishing agricultural theme fund products, and continuously improving the industry's product landscape. (Securities Daily)
National Security Department Issues Latest Warning: "Overseas Shopping" for Smart Wearables May Be Implanted with Spy Devices
36Kr learned that the National Security Department released a safety warning article on the 15th. With the rapid development of global logistics, online cross - border shopping ("overseas shopping") has become a popular consumption model. Consumers don't need to travel abroad in person. They just need to click the mouse, and their favorite products from overseas can be delivered to their doorstep. While enjoying the convenience of "overseas shopping", consumers should also be vigilant and guard against the hidden safety hazards to "shop" for good products safely and happily.
Samsung union says it still plans to hold a strike next week, and negotiations will take place after the strike ends
The largest union of Samsung Electronics said on Friday that despite the company's offer to restart negotiations unconditionally, the union will still hold a large - scale strike as planned next week. Earlier that day, Samsung Electronics' management had sent an official proposal to the union, which is seen as the latest effort by the management to avoid an 18 - day strike originally scheduled to start next Thursday. This strike could disrupt the production of the world's largest memory chip manufacturer. (Sina Finance)
Tencent Maps Launches Rider Mode
36Kr learned that on May 15th, Tencent Maps announced the launch of the rider mode, which provides professional navigation services for riders on food delivery and express delivery platforms. Based on core technological advantages such as massive big data of cycling trajectories, a specially developed AI large model for route planning, and precise POI positioning, this mode can accurately plan more efficient, safer, and more intuitive cycling routes. It also supports indoor navigation in shopping malls, direct access to unit doors, and access control prompts, making it easier to find destinations and systematically helping to solve the "last 100 meters" problem in rider delivery. Measured data shows that this mode can increase the overall delivery efficiency of riders by nearly 20%.
Julis Ropes & Rigging: Investigated by the CSRC for Alleged Illegal and Violation of Misleading Information Disclosure
36Kr learned that Julis Ropes & Rigging announced that the company has received the "Notice of Case Filing" issued by the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC). Due to alleged illegal and violation of misleading information disclosure, the CSRC has decided to launch an investigation into the company. At present, the company's operation is normal. It will actively cooperate with the investigation and fulfill its obligation of information disclosure.
Gold and Silver Prices Plummet
Affected by the strengthening of the US dollar and the rise in US Treasury yields, the international gold and silver prices tumbled on the 15th. Among them, the gold price dropped to a more than one - week low.
In the morning of that day, the June gold futures price on the New York Mercantile Exchange fell below $4,600 per ounce, with a decline of more than 3%; the July silver futures price fell below $80 per ounce, with a decline of more than 10%. (Xinhua News Agency)
The Cutting - Edge of AI
Alibaba Releases Qoder 1.0
36Kr learned that Alibaba has released Qoder 1.0, which has been upgraded from an AI IDE to an autonomous development workbench for intelligent agents. Users only need to focus on defining requirements, and the Agent team can independently complete the entire process of execution, verification, and delivery. Currently, users of Windows, macOS, and Linux systems can download and use it.
QQ Browser and Yuanbao are about to jointly launch "Yuanbao College Entrance Examination Pass"
36Kr learned that on May 15th, QQ Browser and Yuanbao jointly announced the launch of a series of Skills for the 2026 college entrance examination scenario. Two core capabilities, "Yuanbao College Entrance Examination Pass - Regional Score Line Inquiry" and "Yuanbao College Entrance Examination Pass - One-Point-One-Rank Inquiry", have been launched on SkillHub and ClawHub. The industry's first college entrance examination consultant Agent, "Yuanbao College Entrance Examination Pass", jointly created by both parties, will also be launched in the near future.
xAI Officially Launches the Early Beta Version of Grok Build
xAI has officially launched the early beta version of Grok Build, aiming to provide coding agent services for heavy users of Super Grok. (Caixin Press Agency)
CoreWeave Launches Sandboxes Service to Enhance AI Secure Execution Environment
CoreWeave, an AI cloud infrastructure provider, announced the official launch of the Sandboxes service, which provides a secure and isolated execution environment for AI researchers and platform teams to run workloads such as reinforcement learning, agent tool invocation, and model evaluation. (Sina Finance)
OpenAI Launches Codex Mobile Version, Available to All Package Users on iOS and Android
Codex has officially adapted to mobile devices. This code development tool, launched by OpenAI about a year ago, has now been integrated into the ChatGPT mobile app, allowing users to remotely view and manage the development workflow. This new feature enables users to view the real - time environment where Codex is running on any device. OpenAI officially announced this update on Thursday local time. Currently, this feature is in the preview version, and it is available to all package users on both iOS and Android. (Sina Finance)
Going Public in Progress
Shandong Ande Medical Products Co., Ltd.
36Kr learned that according to documents from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Shandong Ande Medical Products Co., Ltd. has submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with CSC International as the sole sponsor.
Shenzhen Aide Tai Technology Co., Ltd.
36Kr learned that according to documents from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Shenzhen Aide Tai Technology Co., Ltd. submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.
Anxuanyuan Technology
36Kr learned that according to documents from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Anxuanyuan Technology submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange. The joint sponsors are China International Capital Corporation and SPDB International.
Hejie Electrical Appliance
36Kr learned that according to documents from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Guangdong Hejie Electrical Appliance Co., Ltd. submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with First Shanghai as the sole sponsor.
Guoxing Astronautics
36Kr learned that according to documents from the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, Chengdu Guoxing Astronautics Technology Co., Ltd. submitted a listing application to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, with Guotai Junan International as the sole sponsor.
Financial Reports of Large Companies
China Gold International: Net profit in Q1 reached US$236 million, a record high
36Kr learned that China Gold International released its Q1 2026 performance report. The report shows that the sales revenue in Q1 increased by 66% to US$453.2 million from US$273.1 million in the same period of 2025; the net profit was US$236.4 million, an increase of US$150.4 million compared with US$86.0 million in the same period of 2025, breaking through the US$200 million mark for the first time in a single quarter in the company's history; the cash flow from operations increased to US$268.7 million from US$143.5 million in the same period of 2025.
Investment and financing
"Shenduo Jizhi" Completes Hundreds of Millions of Yuan in Financing
36Kr learned that the embodied intelligence company "Shenduo Jizhi" recently completed hundreds of millions of yuan in financing. The investors include Zhongguancun Capital, Chengtong Kechuang Fund, Beijing Xicheng Zhiyuan, Puhua Capital, Orient Fortune Sea, Blue Lake Capital, the CVC fund under JinkoSolar Holding, Yunxiu Capital, Future Light Cone Frontier Technology Fund, etc. Its core model has ranked first or achieved leading results in multiple public evaluations such as WorldArena, RoboTwin 2.0, SimplerEnv, RoboCasa, and LIBERO.
Anthropic Agrees to Terms of Funding Round at a Valuation of $900 Billion
According to media reports citing two people familiar with the matter, investors Dragoneer, Greenoaks, Sequoia Capital, and Altimeter Capital have agreed to co-lead Anthropic's funding round. Each co-lead investor may invest $2 billion or more. (Sina Finance)
Cool Products
It is reported that the iPhone 21 may adopt an improved four-curved screen, with the problem of reduced edge brightness
According to South Korean media ETNews, there were previous reports that Apple was developing a "four-curved" panel for the 20th anniversary edition iPhone (iPhone 20). However, currently, this panel has the problem of reduced edge brightness, and Apple is working with Samsung and LG to solve it.
Specifically, the corresponding "distortion problem" mainly occurs in the cathode material used in the four-curved OLED screen. The current solution uses a Magnesium-Silver Alloy cathode layer. However, this material has a certain risk of deformation in the edge area of the screen, which in turn leads to a decrease in edge brightness, thus affecting the overall visual experience of the device.
Apple is also considering replacing the cathode material with IZO (Indium-Zinc Oxide) to improve the display stability and brightness consistency in the curved area from a material science perspective. However, considering the schedule, it is very likely that Apple will not make the switch until the iPhone 21 in 2028.
Meanwhile, there is still another possibility. If Apple cannot solve the edge distortion problem before mass production, the company may temporarily abandon the four-curved screen solution and let the iPhone 20 continue to use the traditional flat bezel design. Since current information generally indicates that 2028 is the time node for the actual mass production of the mature four-curved screen, Apple may also postpone this technology and wait until the display problems are completely solved before officially commercializing it. (IT Home)
Compiled | Happy