36Kr Daily Briefing: 7-Eleven Accuses Nike of Color Scheme Copy for New Sneakers, New A-Share Trading Rules Effective Today, Wall Street: Apple Buys ChangXin Memory Chips to Lower Prices

Multinational retail chain 7-Eleven has sued sportswear brand Nike in a federal court in Texas, the United States.

Today's Hotspot Guide

Apple's Siri AI will be launched in the fall, only available for iPhone 15 Pro and above models.

Jiang Fangzhou responds again to the accusation of thesis fraud by a Tsinghua University professor.

Zhang Xue says she is nearly 100 million yuan in debt and will pay off all debts this month.

The Blackstone Group has abandoned the world's largest data center project, meaning the construction plan has declared bankruptcy.

The Indian government: It is investigating the information leakage incident of Apple phones.

TOP 3 Big News

7-Eleven Sues Nike, Alleging Its New Shoe Color Scheme Copies 7-Eleven's Iconic Colors

It is reported that the multinational convenience store chain 7-Eleven has sued sportswear brand Nike in a federal court in Texas, USA, alleging that the sports shoes Nike plans to launch on July 11th copy the iconic orange, green, and red striped design of 7-Eleven convenience stores.

In a lawsuit filed with the court on the 2nd, 7-Eleven claimed that the colors used in Nike's upcoming Air Max 95 sports shoes are easily confused with the 7-Eleven brand trademark, and consumers may associate the design with the 7-Eleven brand. In addition, Nike has set the release date of the sports shoes as July 11th, which coincides with the retailer's annual promotional event. (Caixin)

Comparison Chart between 7-Eleven and Nike

The new trading rules for A-shares come into effect today, with five major changes

On the evening of April 24, 2026, the Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Beijing stock exchanges revised and issued the trading rules. The new trading rules will come into effect on July 6. There are five major core changes in the new trading rules:

1. The post - market fixed - price trading is fully expanded. It is extended from ChiNext and STAR Market stocks to all A - shares and exchange - traded funds.

2. The trading method of Shanghai Stock Exchange funds during the closing stage is adjusted from continuous auction to closing call auction, and the closing price is generated through call auction.

3. The limit ratio of price increase and decrease for risk - warning stocks on the board is adjusted from 5% to 10%.

4. The market - maker system is introduced to the ChiNext of the Shenzhen Stock Exchange.

5. The block trading mechanism is optimized. The confirmation time for block trading agreements of ChiNext stocks is adjusted from 15:00 to 15:30 to 9:30 to 11:30 and 13:00 to 15:30. The reference price for block trading of stocks without price increase or decrease limits on the Beijing Stock Exchange is adjusted to the real - time average transaction price of the day's call auction trading. (China Securities Journal)

Wall Street investment banks analyze that Apple is purchasing Changxin's memory to drive down prices

Recently, due to the shortage and price increase of memory, the rumor that Apple is going to purchase memory from Chinese companies has become a major focus in the industry. Investment banking institutions from Wall Street believe that Apple's purchase of Changxin's memory is more of a negotiation strategy to drive down prices.

They think it's unlikely that Apple will make a substantial purchase of Changxin's memory, citing three reasons. Firstly, there are policy restrictions from the United States. Secondly, the technical specifications don't meet Apple's requirements. Thirdly, there are patent risks. Companies like Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron hold key IP patents, and using Changxin's memory may pose legal risks.

The report suggests that Apple has other motives. In fact, it wants to use this news to gain an advantage in negotiations and use it as a bargaining chip. When Apple negotiates the contract prices for the second half of 2026 to 2027 with the three major memory giants from the US and South Korea (Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron), the existence of Changxin will be used by Apple to apply pressure and obtain lower procurement prices. (Kuaikeji)

The Cutting - Edge of AI

Apple Siri AI to Launch in Autumn, Exclusive to iPhone 15 Pro and Above

At the WWDC 26 Global Developers Conference in June this year, Apple officially unveiled a new - generation Siri AI system based on the Apple Intelligence architecture, marking a significant upgrade for this virtual assistant in semantic understanding and multitasking execution. With the release of the stable version of iOS 27 this autumn, Siri AI will be officially pushed to eligible users.

According to Apple's announced compatibility strategy, the full features of Siri AI will be strictly limited to devices that support Apple Intelligence. In the smartphone product line, only the iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and iPhone 16 and subsequent models can support this feature. On tablets and computers, the iPad mini equipped with the A17 Pro chip, as well as iPad and Mac models with the M1 chip or higher, are all within the support scope. Users can check if the "Apple Intelligence and Siri" option appears in the device's "Settings" to confirm if their device is eligible for the upgrade. (Global Times Technology)

Samsung Plans to Raise Storage Chip Prices by 20%, Significantly Increasing DRAM Prices for the Third Consecutive Quarter

Recently, it was reported that Samsung Electronics is in talks with customers and plans to raise the average selling price of general DRAM in the third quarter of 2026 by 20% compared with the previous quarter. The price increase of LPDDR may exceed 20%. If this plan is finally implemented, it will be the third consecutive quarter that Samsung has significantly raised DRAM prices. In the previous quarters, the price increased by about 90% in the first quarter and 50% - 60% in the second quarter, with a cumulative increase of more than twice in the first half of the year. A research report from Goldman Sachs pointed out that the imbalance between supply and demand in the global storage market has reached a peak in the past 15 years, and the surge in demand for AI servers and inference cards is the core driving factor. (Yicai Global)

Anthropic Plans to Deploy 1.4GW Data Center Computing Power in Australia

On July 5th, it was reported that the artificial intelligence company Anthropic plans to purchase at least 1.4GW of data center computing power in Australia, with a corresponding construction cost of approximately $15 billion (about A$21.6 billion), far higher than the previous market expectations. The company aims to activate at least 1GW of computing power by the end of 2027 and has established an office in Australia to promote the layout of local infrastructure. (Jiemian News)

Tesla Limits Employees' AI Usage Expenses, Multiple US Tech Companies Tighten AI Spending

According to multiple US media reports on the 3rd, Tesla will start limiting employees' expenses on artificial intelligence tools from the 6th of this month. Similar measures have also been adopted by several other US tech companies. It is reported that Tesla has sent an internal memo to employees, announcing that starting from July 6, each employee's weekly spending limit on AI tools is $200, and any amount exceeding this must be approved by the supervisor. However, Tesla employees' use of the Grok model from Musk's xAI is not included in the $200 limit. It is understood that Grok has a relatively low acceptance rate among Tesla employees, and most employees still choose to use Claude from Anthropic. (CCTV Finance)

The functions and services of Qianwen Agent will be officially taken offline on July 15th

According to the news from the Qianwen platform, the functions and services of Qianwen Agent will be officially taken offline on July 15, 2026. After the offline, users will no longer be able to access the relevant agent configurations and historical chat records. (21st Century Business Herald)

Big Companies/Important Events

Jiang Fangzhou Responds Again to Allegations of Thesis Fraud by Tsinghua Professor

On July 5th, young writer Jiang Fangzhou posted another article on her personal social media platform, titled "Itemized Explanation Regarding Professor Xiao Ying's Allegation of 'Complete Fraud' in My Thesis". In the article, she stated that Professor Xiao Ying's allegations were systematically exaggerated and untrue (such as claiming that the author's thesis was "completely fraudulent"). The author clearly and firmly denied these seriously untrue allegations that were sufficient to damage her reputation. Jiang Fangzhou said that she reported the case to the police yesterday (July 4th), and would submit relevant materials to the relevant departments of Tsinghua University and use legal means to safeguard her interests. (Jiemian News)

Zhang Xue Says Her Debt Is Nearly 100 Million Yuan and She Will Pay Off All Debts This Month

On July 4th, Zhang Xue released a video saying that she would no longer be a billionaire in debt this month. Zhang Xue revealed that she currently owes nearly 100 million yuan. This time, she sold a small stake, and after the sale, she will pay off all her debts. "I won't owe anyone money anymore," she said. (Jiemian News)

The list of high - paying majors is out, and computer science drops out of the top ten monthly incomes of undergraduate majors

Recently, the "2026 Report on the Employment of Chinese Undergraduates" released by MyCOS Research Institute, a third - party social survey institution, shows that the average monthly income of undergraduates six months after graduation in the class of 2025 is 6,435 yuan. The majors of Microelectronics Science and Engineering and Electronic Science and Technology rank first and second with 7,814 yuan and 7,752 yuan respectively. Meanwhile, Computer Science and Technology and Software Engineering, which used to rank high in the monthly income list, have dropped out of the top ten.

Among the top ten undergraduate majors in terms of monthly income in the aforementioned MyCOS report, there are four majors in the field of electronic information, including Microelectronics Science and Engineering, Electronic Science and Technology, Optoelectronic Information Science and Engineering, and Communication Engineering. Graduates from these majors mainly enter fields such as the semiconductor and other electronic component manufacturing industries and the communication equipment manufacturing industry. This means that in terms of employment, majors related to strategic emerging industries and advanced manufacturing, such as integrated circuits, intelligent manufacturing, and new materials, have shown outstanding performance. (China Newsweek)

Spot gold hits $4,200

36Kr learned that spot gold reached $4,200 per ounce in the early trading session, hitting a two - week high and rising 0.6% intraday.

Sam's Club Raises Prices of Multiple Australian Beef Products, Customer Service Responds: Rising Costs in the Beef Supply Chain

Recently, it was reported that Sam's Club had adjusted the prices of multiple Australian beef products. Some consumers posted pictures showing that the prices of most of Sam's Australian beef products had increased by over 30%. The 1200-gram Australian grain-fed topside steak was previously sold at around 119.7 yuan, and now the price is 161.7 yuan. The 900-gram Australian grain-fed beef slices were previously 105.1 yuan, and on that day, the price was 123.1 yuan. Some consumers also said that the price of minced beef had increased by 10 yuan per catty, and the price of beef shanks had also risen significantly.

In response, Sam's Club customer service said that affected by the import quota of Australian beef and trade policies, the costs in the beef supply chain had risen, so the selling prices were raised. To safeguard the interests of members, Sam's Club will bear the cost pressure as much as possible to maintain the price within a reasonable range. (Daily Economic News)

World Cup Boosts Cape Verde: Travel Agencies Rapidly Launch Customized Tours Worth Tens of Thousands of Yuan, Flight and Hotel Search Volume Doubles

On July 4th, in the round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, Cape Verde, the biggest "dark horse" of the World Cup, battled against the defending champion Argentina for 120 minutes and finally lost 2:3. Although they lost the game, this previously obscure destination in China has suddenly come into the view of a large number of football fans and travelers overnight.

Reporters noticed that recently, many travel agencies have quickly launched travel products related to Cape Verde. Some of the routes are newly customized, and the search popularity for flights and hotels has also soared sharply. (Lanjinger News)

The Blackstone Group Abandons the World's Largest Data Center Project, Indicating the Construction Plan Has Declared Bankruptcy

QTS, a data center operator under the U.S. Blackstone Group, announced on the 2nd that it had terminated its data center project in Virginia, the United States, and withdrawn all relevant application documents. This means that the construction plan for the world's largest data center park has declared "bankruptcy."

Some analysts believe that QTS' abandonment of the world's largest data center park project reflects that the construction boom of data centers in the United States has encountered resistance. A survey released by the polling agency Gallup in May showed that 71% of U.S. citizens oppose the construction of data centers near residential areas, with concerns mainly focusing on issues such as energy and water consumption, environmental pollution, and noise. (Observer.com)

2026 Summer Movie Season Box Office Exceeds 2 Billion Yuan

According to data from online platforms, as of now, the total box office (including pre - sales) of movies during the 2026 summer movie season has exceeded 2 billion yuan. The total box office (including pre - sales) of movies in 2026 has exceeded 17.7 billion yuan. (CCTV News)

South Korea's Central Bank Warns That Leveraged ETFs of Samsung and SK Hynix May Intensify Market Volatility

On July 5th, it was reported that South Korea's central bank warned that single-stock leveraged exchange-traded funds (ETFs) linked to Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix could further increase market concentration, amplify market volatility, and strengthen the one-way trading capital flow. South Korea stated that the central bank plans to strengthen the monitoring of the impact of single-stock leveraged ETFs on the stock market and the financial system. (Jiemian News)

An iPhone 17 Pro Max Sealed in a Time Capsule for the 250th Anniversary of the United States, Scheduled to Open in 2276

To celebrate the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, a large - scale time capsule named "AMERICA250" was officially sealed recently and is scheduled to be opened in 2276, the 500th anniversary of the founding of the United States. The corresponding time capsule contains representative items from each state of the United States to record the appearance of contemporary society. According to a FoxNews video, an iPhone 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange color was also placed in the capsule. (FoxNews)

Micron Technology to Invest $9.3 Billion in Expanding Advanced Memory Chip Project, Expected to Ship HBM in the Second Half of 2028

Micron Technology officially launched the expansion project of its factory in Hiroshima, western Japan, on Saturday (July 4) local time. This project, with a total investment of 1.5 trillion yen (approximately $9.3 billion), aims to produce advanced memory chips, including high-bandwidth memory (HBM), to meet the strong demand brought by the artificial intelligence (AI) wave. HBM is a key component of NVIDIA's AI processors, and the factory is expected to start shipping around the summer of 2028.

Recently, Micron, Samsung Electronics, and SK Hynix have each announced plans to expand their manufacturing capabilities. Last week, SK Hynix announced that it plans to invest 80 trillion won (approximately $51.46 billion) to build a new NAND memory chip factory in Cheongju, the capital of North Chungcheong Province, South Korea. (Caixin)

Best: The humanoid robot business is still in the sample stage

Best announced that the cumulative deviation value of the closing price increase of the company's stock for three consecutive trading days has exceeded 30%, which belongs to abnormal fluctuations in stock trading. The company has noticed that the market has a high degree of attention to hot concepts such as humanoid robots. However, the company's humanoid robot parts business is still in the sample stage. In the first half of 2026, the relevant samples achieved a revenue of 223,000 yuan, accounting for about 0.03% of the company's revenue. The business scale is small and does not have a significant impact on the company's performance. There are significant uncertainties in future earnings. (Yicai Global)

The industry's first AI-eSIM industry collaboration platform is established

36Kr learned that, according to the People's Posts and Telecommunications News, on July 3rd, at the China Information and Communication Industry Development High-level Forum, the industry's first AI-eSIM industry collaboration platform initiated by China Mobile - the "AI-eSIM Professional Committee of the China Communications Enterprises Association" (hereinafter referred to as the "Professional Committee") was officially established. China Mobile Internet of Things Company serves as the director unit, and Tianyi IoT, China Unicom Huasheng, Volcengine, Tencent Cloud, Guan'an Information, etc. serve as deputy director units. It is reported that the Professional Committee has brought together more than 40 leading enterprises in fields such as operators, chip design, algorithm research, security services, and model applications.

Indian Government: Investigating Apple iPhone Information Leak Incident

On the 2nd, Krishnan, the secretary of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology of India, said that the government is conducting an investigation into the large-scale data leak incident at Tata Electronics. This is also the first time the Indian government has spoken out about this incident. Krishnan said, "We are investigating." According to him, the relevant incident has been reported to the Computer Emergency Response Team, a subordinate agency responsible for India's cyber security. Tata Electronics is a component supplier for Apple and one of the main contract manufacturers of Apple iPhones in India. According to Reuters, a gang recently stole a large amount of undisclosed confidential data from Tata Electronics and uploaded it to the dark web, including the supply chain information of the unreleased iPhone 18 Pro components and the testing materials for the model, etc. (Xinhua News Agency)

US Launches $300 Million Lithium Procurement Plan to Replenish National Defense Stockpile

The Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) of the United States Department of Defense issued a tender notice on July 2nd, planning to procure battery - grade lithium carbonate through an indefinite - quantity and indefinite - delivery contract over a five - year period to replenish the national defense stockpile. The maximum total procurement volume for this time is approximately 16,167 tons. The total contract value can reach up to $300 million, with a minimum guaranteed procurement amount of about $1 million. The bid submission deadline is July 17th. The contract requires that the purity of the supplied battery - grade lithium carbonate should be no less than 99.5%, and it should be delivered in powder form and implemented in stages: about 3,657 tons will be procured in the first year, and then the quantity will gradually decrease year by year to about 2,839 tons in the fifth year. The delivery locations include the warehouses designated by the DLA in states such as New York, Nevada, Indiana, and Ohio. (Jiemian News)

4nm is Nearly Sold Out, Some 8nm Capacity is Nearly Full: Samsung's Foundry Starts Selective Order Taking

According to reports, industry insiders said that as the demand for AI semiconductors heats up and orders from global large - scale technology companies increase, the wafer foundry division of Samsung Electronics has launched an allocation mechanism for some processes. It concentrates the limited production capacity on more important customers and processes, giving priority to existing customers. New customer orders are selectively accepted. (Sina Finance)

Financial Reports of Large Companies

Tianshan Aluminum: Net profit in the first half of the year is expected to increase by 101.52% year-on-year

Tianshan Aluminum released its performance forecast on July 5, expecting to achieve a net profit attributable to the parent company of 4.2 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 101.52%. During the reporting period, benefiting from the global supply - demand situation in the aluminum industry, the selling price of the company's electrolytic aluminum products increased significantly. Meanwhile, the company's 1.4 million - ton electrolytic aluminum green - low - carbon energy - efficiency improvement project advanced smoothly as planned. The synergistic effect of volume and price, combined with the results of the company's integrated cost control, led to a substantial increase in the profitability of the electrolytic aluminum segment. At the same time, in the second quarter, the income tax rate of Xinjiang Production and Construction Corps' Eighth Division Tianshan Aluminum Co., Ltd., a wholly - owned subsidiary of the company, was raised, which affected the current income tax expense.

During the reporting period, in the company's downstream aluminum deep - processing segment, high - purity aluminum achieved an increase in both volume and price due to positive factors such as the increased demand in the electrolytic capacitor industry, which enhanced the company's profitability. Meanwhile, the market demand for various aluminum foil products in the aluminum deep - processing segment was strong, with full orders. The company's aluminum foil production volume and yield rate increased significantly, making a positive contribution to the overall profit. (Securities Times)

Aolade: It is expected that the net profit for the first half of 2026 will increase by 492.49% - 603.58% year-on-year

Aolade announced that it is expected that the net profit attributable to shareholders of the listed company for the first half of 2026 will be between 160 million yuan and 190 million yuan, a year-on-year increase of 492.49% - 603.58%. The change in performance is mainly due to the continuous strengthening of the core competitive barriers of the equipment business, the full implementation of the advantages of product technology and market positioning, a substantial increase in the revenue of relevant businesses, and a significant improvement in profitability. (Yicai)

Zhefu Holding: It is expected that the net profit in the first half of 2026 will increase by 121% - 156% year - on - year

Zhefu Holding announced that it is expected that the net profit attributable to shareholders of listed companies in the first half of 2026 will be between 1.25 billion yuan and 1.45 billion yuan, an increase of 120.78% - 156.11% compared with the same period of the previous year. The change in performance is mainly due to the stable operation of the company's hazardous waste disposal and comprehensive utilization of renewable resources business. The product sales volume has steadily increased, and the operating income and profitability have achieved a significant increase compared with the same period of the previous year. (Yicai) Original link

CMES: Net profit in the first half of the year is expected to increase by 214% - 248% year-on-year

CMES released its performance forecast on July 5, expecting to achieve a net profit attributable to the parent company of 6.6 billion - 7.3 billion yuan in the first half of 2026, a year-on-year increase of 214% - 248%. Affected by various factors such as changes in the supply - demand structure and geopolitical situation, the international tanker shipping market has entered a super - boom cycle. During the reporting period, the spot freight rates of some routes hit record highs. The international dry bulk market has benefited from the continuous improvement of supply and demand, and the BDI index has steadily rebounded. Among the company's core business segments, the tanker fleet continued its excellent performance in the first quarter. In the second quarter, it overcame the temporary difficulties of oversupply of tankers after the strait blockade and seized market opportunities to achieve good results again. It is expected to achieve a profit contribution growth of about 50% compared with the first quarter. The company's dry bulk segment also performed excellently, with the performance growth rate accelerating in the second quarter. It is expected to achieve a profit contribution growth of about 170% compared with the first quarter. The container fleet, ro - ro fleet, etc. also showed a steady recovery trend. (Securities Times)

Investment and Financing

Embodied AI company Guangxiang Technology has completed a cumulative angel round of financing worth hundreds of millions of yuan

Recently, Guangxiang Technology announced the completion of a cumulative angel round of financing worth hundreds of millions of yuan. The latest round of financing was deeply participated in by leading financial and industrial investors such as Zhuhai Science and Technology Industry Group, Xingzheng Capital, Songhe Capital, Shunxi Fund, Muhua Science and Technology Innovation, See Fund, Yichen Capital, and listed company Xingyun Technology. Old shareholders such as Zero One Ventures and L2F Light Source Entrepreneurs Fund continued to increase their investments. It is reported that the funds from this round will be mainly invested in the R & D and iteration of the physical native base model, and the commercial delivery of embodied AI robot products will be promoted. (Daily Economic News)

A Small Survey on "Snack Consumption"

You don't seem to have eaten much, but the snack bill keeps getting longer. Why are today's young people getting more and more gluttonous?

Snacks seem to be playing an increasingly important role in the lives of young people. Working overtime until 9 p.m., you rely on a pack of "high - protein jerky" to hold out until you get home. When passing by a convenience store in the afternoon, you casually pick up a box of chilled desserts and a few freshly - made marinated snacks to reward yourself. On weekends, a big shopping spree at a bulk snack store has become a daily way to relieve stress. Snacks have quietly occupied the lives of office workers and become a "hidden necessity" in their busy daily lives.

When you buy snacks, do you pick up an extra pack because of labels like "high - protein, 0 - sugar, low - calorie"? How often do you try a new trendy snack you've never had before? Have you ever replaced a regular meal with snacks? In your heart, are snacks just a momentary craving or a daily energy boost? Welcome to fill out the "Small Survey on Snack Consumption" and share the snack you most want to recommend to everyone!

A Small Survey on "Snack Consumption"

Compiled | Yuting He