Krypton Evening News | Layoffs at Indian tech giant Tata Consultancy signal that AI will reshape the $283 billion outsourcing industry; Industrial and Commercial Bank of China holds a working meeting with the New Development Bank; CureVac reaches a settlement with BioNTech and Pfizer over COVID-19 vaccine patents.
Large Companies:
JD Logistics Establishes Supply Chain Technology Company in Fuzhou
36Kr learned that according to the Aiqicha App, recently, Fuzhou Jingxundi Supply Chain Technology Co., Ltd. was established. The legal representative is Zhang Mingming, with a registered capital of 5 million yuan. Its business scope includes software development, information system integration services, domestic freight forwarding, and wholesale of auto parts. Shareholder information shows that the company is wholly owned by Beijing Jingbangda Trading Co., Ltd., an affiliated company of JD Logistics.
36Kr learned that on August 8, Douyin E-commerce established a Safety and Trust Center and issued a first-phase governance announcement to crack down on illegal blind box marketing in live streams. The announcement shows that since 2025, Douyin E-commerce has suspended over 4,000 relevant illegal live streams and removed over 1,000 influencer accounts. A relevant person in charge of Douyin E-commerce said that the platform will always prioritize the protection of consumers' rights and have zero tolerance for all kinds of illegal and irregular behaviors that disrupt the market order.
Experts said that Tata Consultancy Services, an Indian outsourcing giant, has decided to cut more than 12,000 jobs, marking the start of a broader AI-driven trend. In the next two to three years, this $283 billion industry may see about 500,000 job losses. (Sina Finance)
Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Holds Working Talks with New Development Bank
36Kr learned that according to the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, on August 8, Liu Jun, the president of the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, met with Dilma Vana Rousseff, the president of the New Development Bank, in Shanghai. The two sides held working talks on topics such as further strengthening strategic cooperation. The Industrial and Commercial Bank of China will continue to provide professional and efficient financial services to the New Development Bank, focusing on areas such as green, innovation, and sustainable development, and strengthen project cooperation.
36Kr learned that Zou Tao, the CEO of Kingsoft Group, said at the China Internet Copyright Protection and Development Conference that policy guidance is the key driving force for software legalization. "The guidance of governments at all levels at critical times is the 'reassurance pill' and 'stimulant' for enterprises to move forward firmly." Zou Tao pointed out that in 1989, the legal usage rate of WPS was only 0.15%. As of the end of 2024, the legalization rate of Kingsoft Office's personal users has increased to nearly 20%. The number of monthly active devices of WPS Office globally has exceeded 632 million, and the number of paying personal users has reached 41.7 million.
Huitongda Network Signs Comprehensive Cooperation Agreement with Alibaba Cloud
36Kr learned that Huitongda Network announced that the company has signed a comprehensive cooperation agreement with Alibaba Cloud Computing Co., Ltd. Through resource integration and complementary advantages, the two sides will jointly explore the innovation and application prospects of artificial intelligence and digital solutions, and deepen collaborative cooperation in the fields of cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and digitalization in the sinking market.
36Kr learned that according to the Aiqicha App, recently, Guodian Tou'anmijinxi (Tangshan) New Energy Co., Ltd. was established. The legal representative is Peng Weiya, with a registered capital of 500 million yuan. Its business scope includes power generation, power transmission, and power supply; solar power generation technology services, wind power generation technology services, etc. The equity penetration chart shows that the company is jointly held by Zhejiang Electric Power Co., Ltd. of State Power Investment Corporation under Shanghai Electric Power Co., Ltd. and ArcelorMittal Jinxi New Materials (Tangshan) Co., Ltd.
Report: Meta Teams Up with PIMCO and Blue Owl to Launch $29 Billion Data Center Expansion Plan
According to people familiar with the matter, Meta has invited US bond giant PIMCO and alternative asset management firm Blue Owl Capital to jointly lead the effort to raise $29 billion for its data center expansion project in rural Louisiana. The anonymous source said that PIMCO will be responsible for about $26 billion in debt financing (expected to be issued in the form of bonds), and Blue Owl will provide $3 billion in equity investment. (Sina Finance)
CureVac Reaches Settlement on COVID-19 Vaccine Patents with BioNTech and Pfizer
German biotech company CureVac announced on August 8 local time that CureVac and GlaxoSmithKline have reached an agreement with BioNTech and Pfizer to resolve and dismiss all pending patent lawsuits filed by several companies in the US regarding mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, and have established a framework for resolving ongoing patent disputes outside the US. Under the terms of the agreement, CureVac and GlaxoSmithKline will receive a total of $740 million in payments and single-digit royalties from future US sales of COVID-19 vaccines. In addition, CureVac will also receive $50 million in US product royalties from GlaxoSmithKline. (Caixin)
Haon Automotive Electronics Establishes Low-Altitude Technology Company in Shenzhen with AI Business
36Kr learned that according to the Aiqicha App, recently, Shenzhen Haon Low-Altitude Technology Co., Ltd. was established. The legal representative is Wang Xiudan, with a registered capital of 50 million yuan. Its business scope includes research and development of intelligent robots, manufacturing of intelligent unmanned aerial vehicles, basic software development of artificial intelligence, application software development of artificial intelligence, etc. The equity penetration chart shows that the company is wholly owned by Shenzhen Haon Automotive Electronic Equipment Co., Ltd. under Shenzhen Haon Technology Group Co., Ltd.
New Products:
Full-Size Humanoid Robot LimX Oli by LimX Dynamics Debuts at WRC 2025
36Kr learned that at the 2025 World Robot Conference (WRC), LimX Dynamics brought its newly released full-size humanoid robot LimX Oli and several other core products to the stage. This exhibition covered high-dynamic movements of LimX Oli such as complex dances, multi-style anthropomorphic walking, and kung fu; the all-terrain mobile platform TRON 1 carried out extreme challenges on high-drop terrains, and the newly released mobile operation accessories demonstrated garbage collection on-site; there were also various upgraded embodied intelligence capability modules based on teleoperation and dexterous hands.
He Xiaopeng: XPeng X9 Super Electric Vehicle to Be Launched in the Fourth Quarter
36Kr learned that He Xiaopeng, the chairman of XPeng Motors, posted on Weibo that today, the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced XPeng's first super electric vehicle, the XPeng X9, which will be officially launched in the fourth quarter.
Other Notable News:
Yesterday (July 7), the 14th China International Steel Conference was held in Shanghai. For the first time, the conference included "new quality productivity" in its theme, and the pace of intelligent manufacturing and green and low-carbon development in China's steel industry has significantly accelerated. It was learned from the conference that since this year, Chinese steel enterprises have accelerated technological iteration, achieving a comprehensive improvement in production efficiency, energy utilization levels, and product quality. Currently, 95.1% of Chinese steel enterprises have incorporated the digital transformation strategy into their overall development process and are continuously implementing digital and intelligent transformation and upgrading: the application density of robots, including unmanned equipment, reaches 65 units (sets) per 10,000 people; 82.9% of enterprises have built intelligent centralized control centers; 63.4% of enterprises have used three-dimensional visual simulation systems to build digital factories. (CCTV News)
36Kr learned that according to the website of the Zhengzhou Municipal People's Government, on August 5, Zhuang Jianqiu, the mayor of Zhengzhou, presided over the 64th executive meeting of the municipal government. The meeting emphasized making good use of development opportunities, potential, and advantages, focusing on stabilizing employment, enterprises, the market, and expectations, actively integrating into and serving the construction of a unified national market, deeply implementing the special action to boost consumption, accelerating the cultivation of emerging pillar industries, steadily expanding high-level opening up, continuously preventing and resolving risks in key areas, and preparing the "15th Five-Year Plan" for Zhengzhou with high quality to ensure the completion of all annual goals and tasks and the successful conclusion of the "14th Five-Year Plan".
Swiss Government: US Tariff Measures Put Great Pressure on Swiss Economy
The US measure of imposing a 39% tariff on imports from Switzerland took effect on August 7. The Swiss government issued a statement on the same day, saying that the new US tariff measures have put great pressure on Switzerland's export-oriented economy. Switzerland will continue to negotiate with the US to try to reduce tariffs as soon as possible. The statement pointed out that about 18% of Switzerland's export goods are sold to the US, and nearly 60% of them will be affected by this tariff. Switzerland is in close contact with the US and the affected industries, and currently does not consider taking tariff countermeasures against the US. (Xinhua News Agency)