Manus, a Chinese AI startup, announced it has raised more than $500 million in its initial funding round since ending its $2 billion acquisition agreement with Meta. The funding was led by Boyu Capital and IDG Capital, with participation from existing investors including Tencent and HSG. The company plans to expand its hiring efforts globally and has not disclosed its current valuation, though reports suggest it was in talks for a $4 billion valuation last month.
techcrunch.com
· 2026-10-08
American hardtech startups are attracting more attention, with deep tech funds outperforming traditional venture capital. Increased investment is supporting the transition from invention to commercial scale, reflecting a growing recognition of the sector's potential.
fastcompany.com
· 2026-10-08
A shipment of sensitive F-35 fighter jet parts from Australia to the U.S. was rerouted through Hong Kong due to a missed email warning from freight company DSV. The UPS agent responsible for the shipment did not see the instructions to avoid certain regions under ITAR regulations, leading to the parts passing through a Chinese territory. The components included stealth coatings and critical aircraft parts, raising concerns over security and compliance.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-08
Prosecutors in Taiwan have charged ten company executives over the illegal export of military-grade chips from US manufacturers Texas Instruments and Analog Devices to China. The chips, falsely declared as made in Taiwan and ordered under the guise of Taiwan defense institute names, were allegedly diverted to Chinese military projects including missile and radar systems. The investigation revealed that the chips originated from multiple countries and were shipped through Taiwanese distributors using forged documentation to bypass export restrictions.
tomshardware.com
· 2026-10-08
Envision Energy, a Chinese renewable energy firm, has installed over 100 GW of wind power globally and is expanding into markets like Germany, Brazil, and Australia. Meanwhile, Chinese battery developers such as WeLion New Energy are making significant advances in solid-state battery technology, achieving high energy densities and working on semi-solid-state options. These developments highlight China's prominent role in advancing climate tech innovations.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-10-08
Florida and three other states have filed lawsuits against TP-Link, accusing the company of misleading consumers about the safety of its routers and its connections to China. The legal actions come six months after the FCC implemented a ban on certain foreign-made consumer routers, which currently prevents TP-Link from selling its latest Wi-Fi 8 models in the US. The lawsuits allege that TP-Link's routers have been exploited by Chinese state hackers and that the company falsely claimed its products were secure.
arstechnica.com
· 2026-10-07
BMW announced the upcoming release of the iX4 SUV, set to debut in March 2027, with a starting price of $66,200. The vehicle features a 112.2kWh battery, 800-volt architecture, and EPA-estimated range of 428 miles, surpassing many competitors including Tesla's Model Y. The iX4 is part of BMW's strategy to strengthen its position against the influx of Chinese electric vehicles in Europe and beyond.
theverge.com
· 2026-10-07
French AI startup Mistral released a new open-weight model, which it says performs competitively against leading open-source models developed in China. The company positioned the release as part of its effort to offer a European alternative in the global open-source AI race.
news.slashdot.org
· 2026-10-06
Android Authority surveyed 2,252 readers on whether they'd buy the upcoming OnePlus 16 if it were sold in their market. 61% said they'd buy it without question, 32% said it would depend on price, and only 7% said no. OnePlus plans to launch the phone in China this month with wider availability expected in November, after exiting the North American market.
androidauthority.com
· 2026-10-06
French AI firm Mistral has unveiled Le Chonk, a one trillion-parameter model available for free, designed to rival top US and Chinese models. The model is currently in preview, with a final version expected soon, and is optimized for coding, cyberdefense, and niche industrial tasks. Mistral claims Le Chonk is the most capable open-weight model outside China, trained from scratch without relying on distillation techniques used by Chinese competitors.
wired.com
· 2026-10-06
DeepSeek, a Chinese AI company, is considering increasing its latest funding round from an initial 50 billion yuan to as much as 100 billion yuan ($14.9 billion). The company is attracting interest mainly from government-backed and corporate investors, including Tencent, CATL, and Geely Auto, while turning away private individual funds. The fundraising process is ongoing, with a target valuation of around 500 billion yuan ($75 billion).
cnbc.com
· 2026-10-06
Moment Energy, founded in 2019 in Vancouver, is transforming used electric vehicle batteries into energy storage solutions. The company is expanding its operations in North America, aiming to categorize its repurposed batteries as domestic products and secure safety certifications from UL. This move comes amid ongoing trade tensions and a growing demand for sustainable energy storage options.
technologyreview.com
· 2026-10-06
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