Krypton Evening News | Canon responds to the closure of its printer factory in Zhongshan; Concerned about rights and interests, US citizens oppose the construction of AI data centers; Altman: OpenAI plans to postpone other initiatives, such as advertising business.
Large Companies:
Canon Responds to the Cessation of Operations at Its Zhongshan Printer Factory
Recently, Canon (Zhongshan) Office Equipment Co., Ltd., a subsidiary of Canon located in Zhongshan, Guangdong, announced externally that after careful consideration, the headquarters had made the difficult decision to cease the company's production and operations. On December 2nd, Canon China also confirmed to reporters that Canon (Zhongshan) Office Equipment Co., Ltd. had stopped production and operations on November 21st. Canon China explained that due to the long - term shrinking trend of the global laser printer market and the impact of changes in work patterns, the market scale of laser printers for office use is accelerating its decline, and it is difficult to expect a significant recovery in the long run. In addition, the market scale of laser printers in China has also shrunk significantly, resulting in a sharp reduction in orders for Canon Zhongshan, which is the main production base for laser printers targeting the Chinese market.
US Residents Oppose the Construction of AI Data Centers for Fear of Rights and Interests Damage
The US government and business community are vigorously promoting the construction or expansion of data centers in many places to maintain the United States' competitiveness in the field of artificial intelligence (AI). However, this initiative has encountered resistance from many US residents. Data shows that in the second quarter of this year alone, 20 projects were blocked for this reason. Residents are worried that they will ultimately have to pay for the rising electricity prices caused by the surge in energy demand.
Bank of England Says Seven Major Lenders Showed Resilience in the Latest Stress Test
The Bank of England said that the country's seven major lending institutions all passed the latest stress test, which examined their ability to withstand an economic shock more severe than the global financial crisis. The lending institutions tested this year include: Barclays, HSBC Holdings, Lloyds Banking Group, Nationwide Building Society, NatWest Group, the UK division of Banco Santander, and Standard Chartered Group. Together, they account for approximately 75% of the total loans in the UK. According to the results announced on Tuesday, these companies have sufficient capital to continue lending in difficult economic situations. All lending institutions were expected to pass this test.
South Korean AI Startup Upstage Plans to Go Public as Early as the Second Half of 2026
People familiar with the matter revealed that South Korean artificial intelligence startup Upstage has hired Korea National Securities and Mirae Asset Daewoo to assist with its initial public offering, which could be as early as the second half of 2026.
Altman: OpenAI Plans to Postpone Other Initiatives, Such as Advertising Business
According to an internal memo, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman told employees on Monday that given the increasing threats from Google and other artificial intelligence competitors, he has declared a "red alert" to mobilize more resources to improve ChatGPT. Altman said that as a result, OpenAI plans to postpone some other plans, such as the advertising business.
According to sources, Nestle is reviewing various strategic options with Morgan Stanley, including selling its Blue Bottle Coffee chain of coffee shops. This is part of a broader strategic review by the company, aiming to streamline its business portfolio and exit the physical retail store operation business. Nestle acquired a majority stake in Blue Bottle Coffee in 2017, with a valuation of approximately $700 million at that time. Sources said that the expected valuation of this sale will be less than $700 million, and Nestle may also retain the intellectual property of the brand to continue selling related products.
Users Report "Outage" of OpenAI Services
According to the network status monitoring website DownDetector, a large number of users reported problems with OpenAI services. As of 1:13 p.m. Eastern Time in the United States, more than 2,400 fault events had been reported.
New Products:
China's First Crop "AI Gene Scientist" Debuts and Plans to Launch Globally Next Year
China's first "AI colleague" in the field of crop science - "Fengdeng · Gene Scientist", jointly developed by the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Laboratory, Yazhou Bay National Laboratory, China Agricultural University and other institutions, has attracted wide attention since its debut this summer. Reporters recently learned that this research - intelligent agent based on a large - scale model plans to launch globally next year. "Fengdeng · Gene Scientist" can not only accurately answer questions in the field of breeding, but also simulate the thinking chain of breeding experts: proposing scientific hypotheses, independently designing experiments, and analyzing result data. So far, it has assisted researchers in discovering dozens of previously unreported crop gene functions, which have been confirmed by experiments.
Investment and Financing:
36Kr learned that according to the AiQicha App, recently, Huarun Shuanghe Biomedical Industry Fund Investment (Hohhot) Partnership (Limited Partnership) was established. The general partners are China Resources Pharmaceutical Equity Investment Fund Management (Shantou) Co., Ltd. and Hanwei Huayou Equity Investment Shantou Co., Ltd., with a capital contribution of 500 million yuan. Its business scope includes equity investment, investment management, asset management and other activities through private equity funds. Information on partners shows that this fund is jointly funded by Inner Mongolia Jinfeng Investment Management Co., Ltd., Inner Mongolia Guanshi Investment Group Co., Ltd., Huarun Shuanghe Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd. and others.
Malaysian Prime Minister: Intel Promises to Invest $208 Million in Malaysia for the Chip Industry
Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar said on December 1st local time that he met with Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger in the afternoon to discuss the development trend of the semiconductor industry. Anwar said that Intel will make an additional investment of 860 million ringgit (approximately $208 million) to build Malaysia into its operation center for packaging and testing business.
Today's Views:
UK Prime Minister Admits Brexit Has Hit the UK Economy Hard
On December 1st local time, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer admitted that the Brexit deal had seriously damaged the UK economy. He said that in order to achieve economic recovery, the UK must continue to reduce frictions and move towards establishing closer ties with the EU. He also said that the UK is currently facing the challenge of low productivity, and the country has formulated a plan for the whole people to unleash the economic growth potential of UK citizens and communities.
Other Noteworthy News:
As Russia confirmed the implementation of relevant visa - free policies for Chinese citizens, the news department of Russia's S7 Airlines told the media that the company plans to increase the number of flights from Russia to China in December.
Elon Musk Says Tariffs Distort the Market and Tried to Persuade Trump but Failed
Elon Musk said in a recent interview that he had tried to dissuade Trump from taking the tariff route but failed. "I think free trade is better in general," Musk said, adding that tariffs would distort the market. He said that if tariffs between individual countries or US states would have a catastrophic impact on the economy, "then why impose tariffs between countries?" However, Musk said: "The president has made it clear that he likes tariffs."
The China - Laos Railway Has Transported Over 62.5 Million Passengers in Four Years of Operation
Reporters learned from China National Railway Group that as of today (December 2nd), the China - Laos Railway has been in operation for four years, transporting over 62.5 million passengers and over 72.5 million tons of goods in total, and the effect of the golden corridor continues to be evident.