Science and Technology Weekly, for you to select the most noteworthy "technology" news of the past week (1.2~1.8).
Finish | Zhou Feng
Editor| Barry
Policy & Markets
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology emphasized the expansion of xi'an one-code pass to ensure that there is no congestion and downtime
According to the official website of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on the 4th, from December 30 to 31, 2021, Han Xia, chief engineer of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, went to the Shaanxi Provincial Communications Administration to carry out research on epidemic prevention and control work. Han Xia stressed that it is necessary to effectively strengthen network and information security, optimize emergency plans, strengthen security protection, check security risks, prevent network security accidents, and respond to problems in a timely manner and repair them quickly; it is necessary to give full play to the role of regional co-investigation and the integration of three public (industry), continue to do a good job in big data and information support, and Xi'an "one code pass" should strengthen technical improvement and network expansion to ensure the safe and stable operation of the platform. (China News Network)
Thirteen departments, including the Cyberspace Administration of China, revise and issue the Measures for Network Security Review
Recently, the State Internet Information Office and 13 other departments jointly revised and issued the "Network Security Review Measures", which will be implemented from February 15, 2022. The Measures include situations in which network platform operators carry out data processing activities that affect or may affect national security into network security reviews, and make it clear that network platform operators with more than 1 million users' personal information must apply for network security review to the Cyber Security Review Office when going public abroad. (State Internet Information Office)
The Cyberspace Administration of China and four other departments issued the Provisions on the Administration of Recommendation of Internet Information Service Algorithms
Recently, the Cyberspace Administration of China, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the Ministry of Public Security, and the State Administration of Municipal Supervision jointly issued the Provisions on the Recommendation and Administration of Internet Information Service Algorithms, which will come into effect on March 1, 2022. The Provisions require that algorithm recommendation service providers must not use algorithm recommendation services to engage in illegal activities or disseminate illegal information; establish and complete management systems and technical measures such as user registration, information release review, data security and personal information protection, and emergency handling of security incidents; standardize the development of Internet news information services; and must not use algorithms to implement conduct that affects online public opinion, evades supervision and management, and monopolizes and unfair competition. (State Internet Information Office)
Five ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: Encourage new government investment in public welfare buildings to promote solar roof systems
Five ministries and commissions, including the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, issued the Action Plan for the Innovative Development of the Smart Photovoltaic Industry (2021-2025). The Action Plan mentions that in qualified towns and rural areas, we will coordinate and promote smart photovoltaic systems for residential roofs, and encourage new government investment in public welfare buildings to promote solar roof systems. Carry out regional-level photovoltaic distributed application demonstration with intelligent photovoltaic system as the core and new technologies such as energy storage and building power demand response as the carrier. Improve the level of intelligent photovoltaic applications in buildings. Actively carry out the demonstration of "light storage direct flexible" building construction that integrates photovoltaic power generation, energy storage, DC distribution, and flexible electricity consumption。 (CBN)
China's intelligent voice market will grow by 44% in 2021
According to the newly released "2020-2021 White Paper on the Development of the Chinese Sound Industry", the scale of China's intelligent voice market will reach 21.7 billion yuan in 2020, an increase of 31% year-on-year, and it will reach 28.5 billion yuan in 2021, an increase of 44% year-on-year. (People's Daily)
133 successes on 144 launches: a new record for rocket entry into orbit worldwide in 2021
According to statistics, in 2021, a total of 144 space launches were carried out worldwide, breaking the record of 139 launches set in 1967. Among them, China has carried out 55 launches, ranking first in the world in the number of launches, and has also created a new record for the number of Chinese space launches. (The Paper)
Counterpoint: Apple topped the Chinese mobile phone market for the second consecutive month
Driven by the success of the iPhone 13 series, Apple's share of the Chinese market in November 2021 was 23.6%, and it topped the chinese phone sales championship for the second consecutive month, according to market research firm Counterpoint Research. Apple's market share in October surpassed all other phone brands for the first time since 2015. Vivo ranked second with a market share of 17.8% in November. (Titanium Media)
IC Insights: Global semiconductor sales expected to grow by 11% in 2022
According to IC Insights, total semiconductor sales are expected to grow 11 percent in 2022 and reach a record $680.6 billion. The entire semiconductor market will grow at a low double-digit rate in 2022. Sales growth in all major semiconductor product categories is expected to slow, but remain above average. (Financial Associated Press)
Big Company & Big Event
China Mobile's return to A-share opened nearly 10% on the first day
China Mobile officially traded on the Shanghai Stock Exchange on January 5, and at 9:30 on the same day, the opening price of China Mobile A shares was determined to be 63 yuan, an increase of 9.41%, while China Mobile H shares rose 5.73% in the morning. China Mobile's return to A-share IPO was issued at 57.58 yuan per share, corresponding to a price-earnings ratio of 12 times. The public offering of 856 million new shares was made and the joint lead underwriters were granted an over-allotment option not to exceed 15% of the initial number of shares to be issued. If the over-allotment option is exercised in full, the total number of shares to be issued will be expanded to 973 million shares. After the exercise, the total fundraising scale of China Mobile's A-share IPO will reach 56 billion yuan, becoming the largest A-share IPO project in the past decade. (World Wide Web)
Apple's market capitalization exceeded $3 trillion for the first time, and Cook's annual salary exceeded 600 million
On the first trading day of the new year, Apple's market value reached $3 trillion, becoming the world's first company to qualify for the $3 trillion club, but the market value fell below $3 trillion at the close of the day. Since Apple launched its first iPhone in January 2007, Apple's stock price has risen by about 5,800 percent, far outpacing the around 230 percent increase in the S&P 500 over the same period.
According to Apple's proxy statement to the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission on Thursday, Apple CEO Tim Cook's total compensation in 2021 is $98.7 million (about 630 million yuan). 2021 is also Cook's tenth year as CEO of Apple. The documents show that Cook's base salary in 2021 is $3 million and he received a stock award of $82.3 million. These stock awards are restricted stock units that will be progressively redeemed, including a $44.8 million performance stock award and a $37.5 million tenure stock award. (Synthesized from CbN and Financial Associated Press)
Xiaomi's mobile phone division will become the company's technology middle office, sending talents to its automotive business
On January 4, Zeng Xuezhong, senior vice president of Xiaomi Group and president of the mobile phone department, said in an interview with the media that Lei Jun put forward a requirement for the mobile phone department, that is, to become a technical middle office at the level of Xiaomi Group, which can incubate and drive some innovative businesses. The most direct performance is that Xiaomi's mobile phone department will transfer talents and technology to the automotive business in the future. Zeng Xuezhong said that Xiaomi's mobile phone department is conducting monthly multi-dimensional technical exchanges with the automotive team, involving batteries, imaging, software and supply chain teams. In 2022, the mobile phone department will import a part of the software technology talent to the automotive team. (Interface News)
The State Administration for Market Regulation imposed administrative penalties on Tencent and Alibaba Venture Capital
On January 5, 2022, the State Administration for Market Regulation made an administrative penalty decision on the acquisition of equity in Guizhou Pan-Asia Information and Communication Network Technology Co., Ltd. by Hangzhou Ali Venture Capital Co., Ltd., Zhengzhou Xunjie Trading Co., Ltd. and Guiyang Radio and Television Media Group Co., Ltd. for failing to declare the illegal implementation of the concentration of business operators in accordance with the law, and gave Ali Venture Capital, Zhengzhou Xunjie and Guiyang Radio and Television each an administrative penalty of 500,000 yuan The administrative penalty decision was made on the case of Tencent Holdings Co., Ltd. and Henan Harmony Automobile Trading Co., Ltd. establishing a joint venture that failed to declare the illegal implementation of the concentration of business operators in accordance with the law, and gave Tencent and Harmony Automobile an administrative penalty of 500,000 yuan respectively. (Financial Associated Press)
Xiaomi responded to the Indian Ministry of Finance's tax collection: insisting on legal operations worldwide
On January 5, Xiaomi responded to the recovery of taxes by the Indian Ministry of Finance. Xiaomi said that Xiaomi adheres to legal and compliant operations around the world and abides by the relevant laws and regulations of the place of operation. Xiaomi said that the Indian authorities required Xiaomi to pay back the import tax related to the royalties between April 1, 2017 and June 30, 2020, which has nothing to do with Xiaomi's recent business, and the official statement is not the final result. (The Paper)
The message said Meta stopped developing VR and AR operating systems
Two people familiar with the matter said on January 5 that Facebook's parent company Meta has stopped developing a new software operating system. The system is primarily designed for its virtual reality devices and upcoming augmented reality glasses. The operating system project has been ongoing for several years and involves hundreds of employees. (Sina Technology)
Intel poached The chief chip designer of Apple's M1
Jeff Wilcox, Apple's (former) director of system architecture for the Mac, announced on his LinkedIn page on Thursday that he will leave Apple for Intel to take up his post at Intel as an Intel Fellow and Technical Director (CTO) of Design Engineering, responsible for the design of all Intel client system single-chip (SoC) architectures. Wilcox has been Apple's Director of Mac System Architecture for the past 8 years, overseeing Mac system architecture, signal integrity, and power integrity, leading Apple's transition to Apple Silicon. (Leifeng Network)
Huawei personnel adjustment: Ding Yun serves as the president of the enterprise BG and concurrently serves as the president of the operator BG
Huawei recently announced a personnel appointment, Ding Yun as the president of the enterprise BG, while still serving as the president of the operator BG. According to the data, Ding Yun joined Huawei in 1996 and has served as president of the company's product line, president of the global solution sales department, president of global marketing, president of products and solutions, and president of carrier BG. (Caijing Network)
Samsung Electronics Q4 operating profit fell short of expectations
On Friday, Samsung Electronics announced preliminary results showing that the operating profit for the fourth quarter was 13.8 trillion won, an increase of 52.49% year-on-year, and the market estimated 15.21 trillion won; Sales increased by 23% year-on-year to 76 trillion won, and the market is estimated to be 75.11 trillion won. Samsung Electronics will release a detailed financial report on January 27, when it will announce net profit and division results. (NetEase Technology)
SpaceX said the StarLink Internet service has gained more than 145,000 users
SpaceX engineer Jessie Anderson said in the company's webcast Thursday that The Starlink service now has more than 145,000 users in 25 countries around the world. This is an increase from 140,000 users at the beginning of November last year. On the same day, the company launched a Falcon 9 rocket in Florida, carrying 49 Starlink satellites into orbit. At present, there are about 1800 satellites in orbit. (Set microgrid)
AsML lithography machine factory suddenly caught fire
On January 3, ASML's factory in Berlin, Germany, burst into flames. There were no casualties in the fire, but the exact extent of the damage is uncertain. In a statement to the media, ASML noted that it would take days to assess the damages, and it was too early to ask questions about whether they would affect this year's performance or claim damages. (Sina Finance)
New Products & New Technologies
The Chinese team refreshes the experimental record of 6G communication rate
On January 5th, Purple Mountain Laboratory of Network Communication and Security, together with southeast university, Pengcheng laboratory, Fudan University and China Mobile, with the support of the national key research and development plan 6G special project and other projects, built the first 360-430GHz band 100/200Gbps real-time wireless transmission communication experimental system, for the first time to achieve a single wavelength net rate of 103.125Gbps, The real-time wireless transmission of terahertz with a net rate of 206.25Gbps at two wavelengths is 10-20 times higher than that of 5G, creating the highest real-time transmission record of terahertz real-time wireless communication publicly reported in the world. Terahertz wireless communication is generally considered to be a core component of the future 6G mobile communication system. (Science and Technology Daily)
The webb Space Telescope's massive visor will provide the necessary guarantee for observation
On January 4, local time, the huge visor of the James Webb Space Telescope in the United States was launched, providing the necessary guarantee for future telescope observations. Shaped like a kite, the sun visor shields the telescope from radiation from the Sun, Earth and Moon, and avoids radiation interference when the telescope captures sensitive infrared signals. The Weber Space Telescope was launched from the Kuru Space Center in French Guiana on December 25, 2021, to a destination about 1.5 million kilometers from Earth, the second Lagrange point of the solar-Terrestrial system, and has now made more than half of the journey. The telescope will be commissioned in space for about 6 months, including the deployment of components such as sun visors and mirrors, and is expected to be officially "inaugurated" at the end of June to begin collecting the first set of scientific observation data. (China Economic Network)
Mobileye launches L4 level autonomous driving chips
On the first day of the 2022 International Electronics and Consumption Show (CES), Intel's autonomous driving subsidiary Mobileye released the EyeQ Ultra Soc, an L4-level autonomous driving chip. The chip, Mobileye's seventh-generation automotive SoC, is designed to enable L4 autonomous driving and become the company's first self-driving SoC for the mass market. According to official data, the chip hash rate of 176TOPS and will be officially introduced to the market in 2025. (Electronic Engineering Album)
AMD builds Zen3+ architecture for notebook CPUs: 24-hour battery life for the first time
On January 5, AMD launched the Ryzen 6000 series mobile processors at the International Electronics and Consumption Show (CES), with 45W H high performance and 15-28W U low-power series, upgrading TSMC's 6nm process and upgrading the CPU architecture to Zen3+. AMD said that the Zen3+ architecture has more than 50 new power management-related functions, coupled with the energy efficiency improvement of the 6nm process, while improving energy savings, the performance is still improved by up to 30%. According to AMD data, the Ryzen 6000 notebook can provide up to 24 hours of battery life, which is the same as the endurance performance of Apple's M1 chip with ARM architecture. (Zhongguancun Online)
Microsoft and Xiaopeng Automobile reached a voice assistant upgrade cooperation
On January 7, Microsoft announced that with the support of TTS (Text-to-Speech), a deep neural network based on Microsoft Intelligent Cloud Azure, Xiaopeng Automobile has successfully completed the upgrade of its vehicle-level voice assistant, further improving the technical level of intelligent car voice assistants. Consumers who purchase the Xiaopeng P7 can upgrade this new intelligent voice assistant "Xiao P" that can compete with the beautiful voice through OTA, and Xiaopeng Motors also plans to introduce this technology upgrade to other models through OTA. (Tencent Technology)
Tucson future collaboration with Nvidia to develop driverless domain controllers
On January 4, Tucson Future and Nvidia announced that they will deepen their strategic partnership to design and develop a next-generation driverless domain controller designed for the needs of L4-level driverless truck scenarios. The product will be equipped with NVIDIA's latest generation of automotive-grade AI chip NVIDIA DRIVE Orin (SoC). The chip hash rate up to 254TOPS. The partnership will accelerate Tucson's future realization of a driverless freight network (AFN) at scale. (Titanium Media)
Unity and Hyundai motor have reached a partnership to build a meta-factory
During CES 2022, Unity and Hyundai Motor Company officially announced a partnership to jointly design and build the development route and platform of the Meta-Factory. Meta-factories are digital twins of factories powered by meta-universe platforms. The emergence of meta-factories allows Hyundai to test a variety of operating conditions in a virtual space, evaluate, calculate and create the optimal operating environment, without the need for employees to participate in the inspection on site. According to reports, the ultimate goal of this cooperation is to create a real-time 3D platform to provide consumers with more comprehensive sales, marketing and consumption services. Consumers will have the opportunity to test drive, test and learn about a wide range of vehicle-related solutions through digital technology before purchasing a real car. (IT House)
Qualcomm will work with Microsoft to develop meta-universe chips for AR glasses
Qualcomm CEO Cristiano Amon said at a conference at the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas that the company will work with Microsoft to develop custom chips that can control lightweight AR glasses for consumers and businesses to use meta-universe applications. (Phoenix.com)
Sony's layout introduces a new VR headset and adaptation to new games
At wednesday's CES (International Consumer Electronics Technology Show), Sony announced new details of the next-generation virtual reality headset platform, as well as a new game adapted to the new platform. The new hardware will be named the PlayStation VR2 and will be compatible with the PlayStation 5 console released by Sony in late 2020. It will come with an OLED display that supports 4K resolution, as well as a new controller called the PS VR2 Sense. In addition, the system will feature eye-tracking technology and a built-in motor that can generate tactile vibrations. (Financial Associated Press)
DingTalk said it will introduce new AR glasses in the near future
DingTalk President Ye Jun said on January 6 that AR glasses with their own spectacle power adjustment function will be launched in the near future, "Myopia no longer needs to wear glasses covers (AR equipment)." On January 5, DingTalk released the manufacturing industry solution 2.0, and Ye Jun said at the 2022 Manufacturing Nail Summit that it is necessary to "make the digital world of manufacturing and the physical world of the same frequency." (Beijing News)
Google publishes the Ripple open source radar standard
Google released an open-source radar API standard called Ripple on Jan. 8. The standard was developed by Ford Motor Co., Ltd. and can be used in electronic equipment and automotive products. Radar in the Ripple project can be used in indoor environments for human detection and obstacle avoidance. Ford motor vehicles said that it is using related radar sensors to enhance the company's assisted driving technology (IT home)
One week of investment and financing
There were 49 financing incidents in the global technology field this week, including 30 in China and 19 overseas. According to incomplete statistics from Ruibao's analysis, the total amount of financing in the domestic technology field this week exceeded 2.2 billion yuan, and the total amount of overseas financing exceeded 1.5 billion US dollars.
Here's what's key global funding information for the week:
Kuxin Microelectronics completed more than 500 million yuan of B series financing
Recently, Kuxin Microelectronics announced the completion of consecutive B rounds and B+ rounds of financing, with a total amount of more than RMB 500 million. The funds will be used for subsequent development such as talent introduction, product research and development, market expansion and business landing. Kuxin Microelectronics' current round of financing is led by Beijing Integrated Circuit Advanced Manufacturing and High-end Equipment Equity Investment Fund, Suzhou Fangguang Phase III Venture Capital, Huaxu (Guangzhou) Industrial Investment Fund, and Sichuan-Shanghai Innovation Fund.
Shanghai Kuxin Microelectronics Co., Ltd. was established in July 2011, dedicated to providing high-performance core chips for the innovative technology track. Since 2013, Kuxin has released a number of AIoT chips and two generations of intelligent vision SoCs. AIoT chip provides reliable video and data connection for unmanned aerial vehicles, wireless security, wireless audio and video transmission, etc.; intelligent vision SoC relies on core technologies such as ISP (image processing), NPU (neural network computing), DSA (dedicated heterogeneous processing architecture) and provides high-performance and cost-effective solutions for a wide range of fields such as intelligent security, intelligent hardware, and intelligent vehicles. The second-generation intelligent vision SoC chip AR9341 released by Kuxin not long ago has set a new benchmark for the end-side artificial intelligence SoC in terms of image quality, neural network computing power, energy efficiency ratio, AI tool chain, etc., meeting the urgent needs of domestic vision and multi-sensor fusion applications for high-end intelligent SoCs, and reaching the industry-leading level.
Xingu Micro completed nearly 400 million yuan of Series C financing
Hefei Xingu Microelectronics Co., Ltd. completed nearly 400 million yuan of C round financing, Guangfa Qianhe led the current round of financing, and many investment institutions such as Cornerstone Capital followed suit.
According to public information, Xingu Micro is committed to the research and development and production of microwave and millimeter wave monolithic integrated circuits. Through this financing, GF Qianhe will help Xingu Micro transform and upgrade into an IDM company in this field.
Jiuzhi Technology received 250 million yuan of angel round financing
SaaS service software company Jiuzhi Technology received a RMB 250 million angel round of financing, invested by Gaorong Capital, Yunjiu Capital and Huanju Group's NBT Fund. The round of financing funds will focus on the research and development of ToDesk remote control desktop high computing power, and will continue to develop a wider range of desktop technologies, further helping users reduce the demand for hardware devices, thereby improving work efficiency.
Jiuzhi Network Technology is an Internet company engaged in the direction of communication plus cloud AI, mainly based on remote control software. The company's current business is divided into three directions: remote desktop, virtual desktop and cloud desktop. ToDesk was founded in 2019 and underwent a major upgrade to remote desktops in 2021 after the product was acquired by Kuru. Four months after the merger was completed, ToDesk users rose to 30 million.
Youwei Technology completed 180 million C round financing
DevOps vendor Youwei Technology (Shenzhen) Co., Ltd. has recently successfully completed the C round of financing, which was led by Hillhouse Venture Capital and co-invested by Haina Asia Venture Capital Fund, with a financing amount of 180 million yuan. The C round of financing will be mainly used for product research and development, market sales, channel construction and the introduction and development of high-end talents. The company has previously received continuous investment from top capital such as Xiangfeng, Sidao and SIG.
Founded in 2015, the founding team and executives are from the former Tencent technology experts, is a cutting-edge one-stop DevOps and O&M solution service provider in China, mainly providing enterprises with comprehensive IT and O&M management solutions. Headquartered in Shenzhen, in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Wuhan, Chengdu and other places to set up business centers, service centers and R & D centers, to achieve service capabilities nearby access, the current Youwei business covers South China, Central China, North China, East China, West China and other regions.
Keyang Semiconductor completed a strategic investment of more than 100 million yuan
On January 2, Suzhou Keyang Semiconductor Co., Ltd. announced the successful introduction of strategic investment of more than 100 million yuan from two institutions, "Longju Zhixin" and "Longju Chuanghe", and recently completed the registration of industrial and commercial changes. After the completion of this round of investment, Keyang Semiconductor will accelerate the upgrading of the CIS production line and the expansion of the 5G filter production line to achieve greater development.
Keyang Semiconductor is a high-tech enterprise specializing in wafer-level packaging and testing services, which began to be prepared in the Suzhou-Xiangxiang Cooperation Zone in 2013, and was officially mass-produced in 2014, with a total investment of more than 500 million yuan and a total area of about 70 acres. The company provides key solutions for the localization of many top semiconductor enterprises in China, and has obtained the national patent of "40/55nm process line domestic equipment wafer-level packaging process development and application", is the top three solution providers in the global TSV advanced packaging segment, and the top 20 integrated circuit industry chain in Suzhou.
EDA Company Xinhuazhang announced that it has obtained hundreds of millions of yuan of Pre-B+ round of financing
On January 5, EDA (Integrated Circuit Design Tools) intelligent software and system leader Core Huazhang announced the completion of a multi-hundreds of millions of yuan Pre-B+ round of financing, led by the China Development Bank Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrading Fund under the National Manufacturing Transformation and Upgrading Fund. This round of financing will increase investment in product research and development, further consolidate the leading position of Chip Huazhang in the field of domestic verification of EDA, and accelerate the next stage of research and technological innovation of the new generation of EDA.
In less than two years, Xin Huazhang has completed the independent research and development of four verified EDA products, and has created a solution with a platform-, intelligent and cloud-based underlying framework by virtue of the team's needs insight in the process of deeply cultivating the industry and serving first-class customers in the past three decades.
Miro, a visual collaboration platform online in America, raised $400 million in financing
Miro, an online visualization collaboration platform, recently announced the completion of a $400 million Series C financing round, with the company's post-investment valuation reaching $17.5 billion.
Investors in this round include ICONIQ Growth, Accel, Atlassian, Dragoneer, GIC, Salesforce Ventures and TCV, as well as Airtable co-founders Howie Liu and Andrew Ofstad, Snowflake CEO Frank Slootman and DocuSign CEO Dan Individual investors such as Springer.
Founded in 2011, Miro is headquartered in Amsterdam and San Francisco. As an online visual collaboration platform, Miro supports teams in different fields and categories to brainstorm, design projects, and manage workflows. Miro provides users with nearly 1000 templates, users can create notes, designs and flowcharts, etc., and can also make video calls and online chats through Miro. The platform also integrates and connects with more than 100 applications, including Atlassian, Cisco, Google Workspace, Microsoft Teams, and Zoom, allowing users to use Miro's features simultaneously while using other software.
French compensation management company PayFit completes $289 million financing
French startup PayFit announced the completion of a $289 million Series E round. After the completion of this round of financing, the company's valuation has reached $2.1 billion. The round was led by General Atlantic, with participation from existing investors such as Eurazeo, Bpifrance, Accel and others.
Payfit has been building a payroll and HR software-as-a-service platform for small and medium-sized companies. It operates in a handful of European countries and currently has about 150,000 people paid through PayFit.