Enterprise
Analyst: Qualcomm will fall as Huawei rises again
Plus, the US government orders an investigation into the new Kirin chips
The decline of Huawei is finally at an end. After the bans from the American government sank the company’s dominance, the Chinese brand is bouncing back. Its biggest salvo to mark the new era was the launch of the Mate 60 series. According to an analyst, the series isn’t just a win for Huawei but also a loss for Qualcomm.
Qualcomm versus Kirin
The Mate 60 series touted a new chipset: the 5G Kirin 9000 series. The 7nm chipset was reportedly manufactured by China’s SMIC. Now, the key to Huawei’s new chip is that it was made in China, reducing the reliance on foreign companies.
According to analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the in-house, China-made chipset will ultimately harm Qualcomm. After all, Huawei is (or was) one of the biggest customers for Qualcomm. The Chinese brand often used the latter’s chipsets to boost its smartphones’ performance. However, the bans from several years ago severed ties between the two. Eventually, Qualcomm reportedly received a license to continue business with Huawei but only for 4G chipsets.
Now, with Huawei firmly investing in its own chipsets, the long-standing relationship between Huawei and Qualcomm might finally be at an end. Kuo expects that Huawei will no longer order as many chips from the chipset maker anymore.
Further, the analyst predicts that other Chinese brands might also reduce their orders from Qualcomm. “Qualcomm’s SoC shipments to Chinese smartphone brands in 2024 are expected to be at least 50-60 million units lower than in 2023,” he writes.
On the political side
The American government isn’t taking the new developments lightly, though. According to Reuters, Representative Mike Gallagher is pushing the Commerce Department to end all American tech exports to China. Huawei’s latest chipsets “likely could not be produced without US technology,” the representative said.
The implication is clear. Gallagher believes that the new Kirin 900 chipsets are in direct violation of the ongoing American bans started in 2019.
Also recently, the Chinese government started ordering its officials to stop using Apple and other foreign brands for work. As a result, Apple’s stock value dipped from the loss.
Despite how long the bans have been ongoing, the trade war between the United States and China — with Huawei still being the center of it all — is still alive and well.
SEE ALSO: Huawei surprisingly reveals the Mate 60 Pro with three punch holes
Enterprise
AgiBot robots can now learn skills on the factory floor
Robotics company deploys real-world reinforcement learning system
Robotics company AgiBot has successfully deployed its Real-World Reinforcement Learning (RW-RL) system on a pilot production line with Longcheer Technology.
The company specializes in embodied intelligence, and the project marks the first application of RW-RL in real industrial robotics.
It connects advanced AI innovation with large-scale production, signaling a new phase in the evolution of intelligent automation for precision manufacturing.
Precision manufacturing lines have long relied on rigid automation systems that demand complex fixture design, extensive tuning, and costly reconfiguration.
Where AgiBot’s RW-RL system comes in is addressing such pain points. It enables robots to learn and adapt directly on the factory floor.
Within just minutes, robots can acquire new skills, achieve stable deployment, and maintain long-term performance without degradation.
The system also autonomously compensates for common variations, such as part position and tolerance shifts
Meanwhile, during line changes or model transitions, only minimal adjustments and standardized deployment steps are required. This dramatically improves flexibility while cutting time and cost.
Moreover, AgiBot’s system allows for flexible reconfiguration. Task or product changes can be accommodated through fast retraining; such solution exhibits generality across workplace layouts and production lines.
This milestone signifies a deep integration between perception-decision intelligence and motion control. And it represents a critical step forward unifying algorithmic intelligence and physical execution.
Unlike many laboratory demonstrations, AgiBot’s system also achieved validation under near-production conditions. It has completed a full loop from cutting-edge research to industrial-grade verification.
Moving forward, AgiBot and Longcheer plan to extend real-world reinforcement learning to a broader range of scenarios. These include consumer electronics and automotive components, with focus on developing modular and rapidly deployable robot solutions.
Once again, Warner Bros. Discovery is up for sale. Right now, the entertainment giant does not have a new owner yet. But, of course, there is a growing list of potential suitors. One of which has seemingly made its presence known. Netflix is reportedly considering a bid on its streaming rival.
In 2022, the then-named WarnerMedia, owned by AT&T, completed a blockbuster merger with Discovery. The new Warner Bros. Discovery brought the entire Warner library, HBO, Discovery, and Cartoon Network under a single umbrella. The resulting streaming service, dubbed HBO Max, now has enough content to rival Netflix and Disney+.
Recently, Warner Bros. Discovery put itself up for sale. Almost immediately, competitors have expressed interest in buying the library, including Amazon, Apple, and Netflix.
Over the weekend, Netflix has hired Moelis & Co, an investment bank, to evaluate a potential offer for the company, as reported by Reuters. Though it’s not an official bid yet, it’s a big show of interest from the other streaming giant.
According to Netflix CEO Ted Sarandos, the company will evaluate what value the entire library can offer Netflix. However, Sarandos isn’t interested in acquiring the legacy cable networks currently under the Warner umbrella, such as CNN and TNT.
SEE ALSO: Max is rebranding once again to HBO Max
Enterprise
US caught dumping ‘millions of tons’ of e-waste into Southeast Asia
This includes Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
Where do all old devices go after we’re done using them? If you’ve ever been in a place with a good recycling system, then you’ve probably seen bins for e-waste. Then again, you can go further down the chain and ask where these bins go. If you’re an American, a new report has an answer for you: Southeast Asia.
A Seattle-based organization called the Basel Action Network (or BAN, for short) conducted a two-year investigation on e-waste produced by the United States. The investigation revealed that at least ten American companies are shipping millions of tons of waste to several countries in Southeast Asia and the United Arab Emirates. These Asian countries include Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and the Philippines.
According to ABC News, a few of the ten companies implicated have refuted that the imports are well within environmental standards and do not include harmful chemicals. Notably, these importers don’t handle the recycling themselves. Though their own processes might be legally allowed, the imports might still enable environmental hazards.
Regardless, the importing of e-waste is banned under an international treaty called the Basel Convention. The treaty covers hazardous waste shipped to other countries. The United States, however, have not ratified the treaty, so they’re not covered by the rules from a legal standpoint.
The shipping of waste has been a constant problem for Southeast Asia for a long time. However, e-waste carries more risk because of the harmful chemicals involved. The waste itself, for example, carries cadmium, lead, or mercury; all of which are harmful for humans. Further, the recycling process can involve harmful working conditions without appropriate protective gear. Some just burn the waste, leading to toxic fumes.
According to the report, Asia already produces almost half of the world’s e-waste. With America — a huge contributor of e-waste by itself — dumping e-waste all over Southeast Asia, the region is turning into a dumping ground for toxic garbage.
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