State Grid Corp. of China plans to invest 6.8 billion yuan ($994.7 million) this year to procure about 8,500 AI-powered robots, transitioning from manual to autonomous power grid maintenance. The robots will be used for power inspections, live-line work, emergency rescue and warehousing, with suppliers including Deep Robotics, Unitree Robotics, Agibot, UBTECH Robotics and Fourier Intelligence.
NEWS SUMMARY
Domestic
China included European Union entities in its export control list for the first time.
China’s National Intellectual Property Administration added artificial intelligence, semiconductors and brain-computer interfaces to its fast-track patent protection channel.
Companies
Xiaomi plans to launch its electric vehicles in overseas markets next year, starting with Germany.
Pony.ai said its 2027 version robotaxi will cost under 230,000 yuan.
A strike by Samsung Electronics workers in South Korea caused the company’s chip production to plunge.
International
China’s foreign ministry opposed U.S. attempts to smear the country’s achievements in the artificial intelligence industry.
The Ministry of Commerce stated it will safeguard the legitimate rights of Chinese companies after the U.S. passed the Multilateral Alignment of Technology Controls on Hardware (MATCH) Act and other export control measures.
Contact editor Lin Jinbing (jinbinglin@caixin.com)
