Krypton Evening News: South Korea's Samyang Foods plans to invest approximately 1 billion yuan to build a factory in China to produce "Turkey Noodles"; The aftermath of Jiyue employees is exposed: Baidu and Geely assist in contributing funds, and the government sets up a jointly managed account; The 95 Intelligent Driving under Xingmin Zhitong has launched the first manned electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL).
Big Companies:
It is reported that multiple informed sources have disclosed that Apple is in discussions with Tencent and ByteDance to integrate their artificial intelligence models into iPhones sold in China. Apple began integrating OpenAI's ChatGPT into its devices this month, and Siri can invoke ChatGPT, but ChatGPT is not accessible in China. It is understood that the discussions between Apple and Tencent and ByteDance regarding the use of their artificial intelligence models are still in a very early stage. (Jiemian)
South Korea's Samyang Foods Company, renowned for manufacturing "Spicy Chicken Noodles," stated on Thursday that it will invest 201.4 billion Korean won (approximately 1 billion yuan) to establish its first overseas factory in China by the beginning of 2027 to meet the local escalating demand for its products. A spokesperson for the company said that Samyang plans to establish a subsidiary in Singapore in the first half of next year and commence the construction of the factory in Jiaxing City, Zhejiang Province in eastern China by the end of next year. (Sina Finance)
36Kr has learned that recently, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the country officially announced the "Typical Application Cases of Artificial Intelligence Empowering New Industrialization", and Feibu Technology's "Case of Driverless Horizontal Transport Vehicle Equipment for Smart Ports" has been officially selected, and the self-developed driverless standardized product has once again received an important national-level qualification recognition. It is understood that the application case of Feibu Technology selected by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology is mainly "Unmanned Container Truck + Intelligent Flat Transport Vehicle (IGV)", and it is uniformly equipped with the latest generation of driverless horizontal transport system (FabuDrive®).
JD Pay Announces: It Will Invest 1 Billion Yuan in Marketing Expenses for Partners in 2025
36Kr has learned that on December 19, at the JD Supply Chain Finance Technology Service Trade Industry Conference held in Suzhou, JD Pay announced that it will continue to lower processing fees and offer profits to support industrial partners. In 2025, JD Pay is committed to achieving a processing fee that is at least 20% lower than that of WeChat Pay; simultaneously, it will invest 1 billion yuan in marketing expenses to assist partners in reducing costs and increasing efficiency. It is introduced that this price reduction will be benchmarked against the actual transaction price of the corresponding platform. In 2024, JD Pay has served more than 4 million merchants cumulatively, reducing costs by more than 1 billion yuan for various customers in marketing and payment expenses.
36Kr has learned that on December 19, the launch conference for the upgrade of the member service of PetroChina's joint WeChat payment Kunlun e-Enjoy Card was held in Suzhou, Jiangsu. The upgrade of the member service of PetroChina's joint WeChat payment Kunlun e-Enjoy Card pioneered the experience of integrating WeChat palm-print technology with multiple scenarios of member services in the industry, using the WeChat palm-print device as the member interaction device of PetroChina's Kunlun e-Enjoy Card to realize member identification and conversion. Currently, WeChat palm-print devices have been installed in more than 10,000 PetroChina gas stations in 31 provinces across the country.
36Kr has learned that on December 19, a photo of the aftermath handling plan document for Jiyue employees was exposed online. The document shows that under the guidance and witness of the relevant government departments, a regulatory jointly managed account is established to pay the relevant expenses for the employees on behalf of Jiyue, and the advance funds are injected by Baidu and Geely. The exposed aftermath handling plan specifically involves four aspects: 1. Economic compensation: Economic compensation will be provided according to the "N + 1" standard. 2. Salary, social insurance, and provident fund: The salary is settled until December 20, 2024. 3. Special placement: For employees in the "three periods" (pregnancy, childbirth, and lactation), work-related injury, and medical treatment periods, the job positions will be retained in principle until the corresponding situations end. 4. Implementation method and time: Under the guidance and witness of the relevant government departments, a regulatory jointly managed account is established to pay the salary and economic compensation on behalf of Jidu Company before January 20, 2025, and the advance funds are injected by Baidu and Geely.
Since its launch on December 6, Geely Galaxy Starship 7 EM-i, the first A-class electric hybrid SUV built on the GEA architecture under Geely Galaxy, has been widely favored by consumers with its 3L-level fuel consumption in low battery mode, four new native standards, and 10越级 full configurations. As of December 19, the cumulative delivery volume of Geely Galaxy Starship 7 EM-i has exceeded 10,000 units, setting a new record for the fastest delivery of electric hybrid SUVs.
Investment and Financing:
Perplexity Completes the Latest Round of Financing, with Its Valuation Rising to $9 Billion
It is reported that the artificial intelligence-driven search engine Perplexity has completed its fourth round of financing this year, and its valuation has increased to $9 billion. It is attempting to compete with the products of Google and OpenAI. According to multiple informed sources, the $500 million financing in this round is led by Institutional Venture Partners, and NVIDIA, New Enterprise Associates, B Capital, and T Rowe Price also participated. (Jiemian)
"Shanggu Technology" Obtains Ten-Million-Level Pre-A Round Financing
36Kr has learned that recently, Shanghai Shanggu Technology Co., Ltd. announced that it has obtained a ten-million-level pre-A round of financing, with Tengxin Investment as the investor. Li Chaofeng, the general manager of Shanggu Technology Company, said: "This financing is mainly used for the optimization of artificial intelligence algorithms, system research and development, and big data construction of the intelligent digital marketing system." It is introduced that the core product of Shanggu Technology, the intelligent digital marketing system, is a full-process digital marketing solution that integrates advanced artificial intelligence technology.
Shanghai Youquhui Information Technology Co., Ltd. Obtains 28 Million Yuan in Series A Financing
36Kr has learned that Shanghai Youquhui Information Technology Co., Ltd. has completed a 28 million yuan Series A financing round, which is invested by Zhonghaiyangshengjia Investment Holding Co., Ltd. This financing will assist Youquhui Technology to further increase its R & D investment in emerging technology fields such as artificial intelligence and big data analysis, and enhance its market promotion efforts.
New Products:
36Kr has learned that recently, at the Low-altitude Economy Industry Development Conference held in Longkou City, Shandong Province, Jiuwu Zhijia, a subsidiary of Xingmin Zhitong, launched the first manned electric vertical takeoff and landing aircraft (eVTOL). According to the official introduction, this is a single-person sports version of a light eVTOL. At the same time, Jiuwu Zhijia also signed an agreement with the Longkou Economic Development Zone Management Committee for the landing of the "Manned Aircraft Manufacturing Center", completing the entire industrial chain layout from research and development to production.
Other News Worth Noting:
Ministry of Commerce: Accelerating the Release of Policy Documents to Promote the Debut Economy
He Yongqian, the spokesperson of the Ministry of Commerce, stated at the regular press conference of the Ministry of Commerce that the Ministry of Commerce will implement the policy documents to promote the high-quality development of service consumption, continuously enrich the supply of service consumption, and innovate diversified consumption scenarios. Cultivate and expand new types of consumption, accelerate the release of policy documents to promote the debut economy, develop the ice and snow economy, the silver-haired economy, and promote digital consumption, green consumption, and healthy consumption. Improve consumption conditions, deepen the cultivation and construction of international consumption center cities, promote the construction of a quarter-hour convenient living circle, deeply implement the three-year action plan for county-level commercial development, and promote the transformation and upgrading of "Thousands of Collections and Ten Thousands of Stores". (China Securities Journal)
36Kr has learned that the website of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council published a reply to the Suggestion No. 7972 of the Second Session of the 14th National People's Congress. In the reply, it is proposed that the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission of the State Council will promote state-owned enterprises to continuously deepen compliance management. Guide enterprises to expedite the equipping and strengthening of chief compliance officers, clarify job responsibilities, strengthen performance guarantees, and give full play to the leading role. Continuously improve the system and mechanism, improve the compliance management system led by the main responsible person of the enterprise, led by the compliance management agency, and coordinated by relevant departments, layer by layer to压实 responsibilities, and promote the efficient implementation of compliance systems. Use various means such as informatization to embed compliance requirements into job responsibilities and business processes, deeply integrate with business management, and improve the effectiveness of compliance management. Increase the accountability for illegal business operations and investment, and implement assessment and punishment for major risks caused by illegal business operations.
36Kr has learned that according to the news on the official website of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, on December 18, Wu Qing, Chairman of the China Securities Regulatory Commission, met with Raymond Tang, Chairman of the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission, and Julia Leung, CEO. The two sides respectively introduced the recent operation of the capital markets in the mainland and Hong Kong, and exchanged views on further optimizing and improving the mutual connectivity mechanism, promoting the coordinated development of the capital markets in the two places, and consolidating and enhancing the status of Hong Kong as an international financial center.