Tech China Post #111

Beyond tech and manufacturing, dental braces market is also impacted by the trade war. Align, the maker of Invisalign, reduced expectation of demand of braces from China. 40% of the dentists and orthodontist trained by Align arein China. (link)

Alibaba announced its first chip — continuing the execution of the strategic direction set forth by the Chinese government to reduce reliance on semiconductor manufacturers in the West. The Alibaba chip, named Xuantie 910 processor, is based on an open-source design and intended to compete with UK-based ARM. (link)

Lead scientist/chemist at Juul is leaving to start her own version of Juul in China. The new venture is called the Myst Labs, targeting 350 million smokers in China.(link)

China’s startup ecosystem is expanding beyond Beijing and Shanghai. Cities such as Chengdu and Wuhan are becoming startup hotbeds. Chengdu is cultivating gaming startups, and Wuhan is hoping to find more of Douyu, an streaming unicorn in China.(link)

Kaiyun Motors, a EV startup in China, is selling low-speed electric vehicles in the U.S. and Europe.(link)

All residents in Shanghai will be required to sort trash into various categories and recycle. Shanghai government is making this effort easier and accessible by including QR codes and trash recycling guidance in WeChat. This approach also allows Shanghai government to monitor the overall effort.(link)

China Academy of Information and Communications Technology (CAICT) expects 5G to bring close to $500 billion of new economy in China in 5 years. 5G will enable smart city, autonomous vehicles, IoT, and new mobile services. China is at the forefront of 5G. Many of the third tier cities are getting infrastructure upgrade to 5G. (link)