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Comprehensive report by 21st Century Business Herald New Productivity Research Institute

Good morning, a new day has begun. What interesting things have happened in the technology industry in the past 24 hours? Let's take a look with 21tech.

【Giant weathervane】

1. Wahaha: Zong Fuli decided to continue to perform relevant management responsibilities of Wahaha Group.On July 22, Wahaha issued a statement saying that in order to ensure the company's stable and healthy development, after friendly consultation among shareholders, Ms. Zong Fuli decided to continue to perform the relevant management responsibilities of Wahaha Group. Wahaha also expressed its gratitude for the recent attention from all walks of life and the media, and apologized for occupying media resources.

2. Musk: Tesla will produce humanoid robots on a small scale next year.On July 22, Tesla CEO Elon Musk said on a social media platform that Tesla will produce humanoid robots on a small scale for internal use next year, and is expected to mass-produce humanoid robots for other companies in 2026. Musk said at the shareholders' meeting held in June this year that Tesla's future is betting on the Optimus robot project. The current humanoid robot market produces 1 billion units per year, and Tesla will occupy at least 10% of the market share in the future.

3. Huawei returns to the top of the list of the world's top 500 Internet of Things companies.The 2024 (9th) World Internet of Things 500 Summit was held in Beijing on July 19, and the list of "World Internet of Things 500" was announced at the meeting. The companies on the list are from nearly 50 major economies in the world, including China, the United States, Russia, France, Germany, Japan, Iran, etc. More than 150 high-tech companies in the Internet of Things digital economy in China are on the list, Huawei returns to the top of the list, Haier Group advances to the top ten again, and Benyuan Quantum is on the list for the first time.

4. Microsoft's technical failure may cause global losses of more than US$1 billion.Patrick Anderson, CEO of the Anderson Economics Group, a US research institute, reportedly estimated that the economic losses caused by Microsoft's technical failure are likely to exceed $1 billion. Although CrowdStrike has apologized, it has not responded to whether it will compensate affected customers. James Lewis, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, believes that there may be an exemption clause in the contract signed by CrowdStrike and its customers that allows it to avoid compensation.

5. BMW China responds to the 4S store’s refusal to deliver cars.On July 22, in response to the recent hotly debated incidents of BMW 4S stores refusing to deliver cars, BMW China said: "We have noticed the relevant content and conducted a preliminary internal investigation. The cases involved are all individual cases, and the specific circumstances of each case are different. We are actively communicating with relevant dealers and urging BMW authorized dealers to comply with the "Automobile Sales Management Measures" and relevant laws, regulations and contractual agreements, safeguard consumer rights, and ensure that consumers get a satisfactory service experience."

6. Forbes announced the "Best CEOs of China in 2024", including Pinduoduo's Chen Lei, Zhao Jiazhen, Xiaomi's Lei Jun, Nongfu Spring's Zhong Shanshan and others.On July 22, Forbes released the list of "China's Best CEOs in 2024". According to the list, the top ten best CEOs are Pinduoduo co-CEOs Chen Lei and Zhao Jiazhen, Xiaomi CEO Lei Jun, CATL CEO Zeng Yuqun, BYD CEO Wang Chuanfu, Ctrip Group CEO Sun Jie, Midea Group CEO Fang Hongbo, Sungrow Power CEO Cao Renxian, Haier Smart Home CEO Li Huagang, Nongfu Spring CEO Zhong Shanshan and NetEase CEO Ding Lei. Forbes said that this year's list did not particularly emphasize the ranking order of CEOs. The companies led by the top ten CEOs saw an average stock price increase of 47% during the performance review period.

7. LPR was lowered again. The industry predicts that a reduction in the interest rates on existing mortgage loans will be on the agenda in the second half of the year.On July 22, the People's Bank of China authorized the National Interbank Funding Center to announce the loan market benchmark rate (LPR) on July 22, 2024. The one-year LPR is 3.35%, and the LPR for more than five years is 3.85%. Both the one-year and five-year LPRs have dropped by 10BP from the previous month, setting a new historical low. In addition to benefiting new home buyers, this adjustment of the LPR will also benefit families who are repaying their loans. Li Yujia, chief researcher of the Guangdong Housing Policy Research Center, said, "Of course, the current high-profile interest rate cuts on existing mortgages actually refer more to a reduction in basis points. If the difference between the current new mortgage interest rates and the early existing mortgage interest rates continues to increase, it may put the work of reducing the interest rates on existing mortgages on the agenda in the second half of the year."

8. Doubao denies cooperating with WPS in AI training.Doubao released a "Statement on Doubao's False Rumors" on the afternoon of July 22. The statement said that it has recently noticed speculation from some users and the media that Doubao can access its own unpublished AI content and use WPS's cloud content to train AI. This rumor is completely untrue. The statement said that some of the bibliographic information on Doubao comes from public information, and Doubao will also provide relevant website information; Doubao and WPS have not carried out any form of cooperation in AI training, nor have they used any user's undisclosed private data for training.

【The most core news】

1. Nvidia may develop a special version of AI chip for China.Recently, there have been reports that Nvidia is developing a new flagship AI chip based on the Blackwell architecture for the Chinese market. The chip is named "B20" and will comply with relevant US export control regulations. The news also said that Nvidia will cooperate with Inspur Information to launch and distribute the "B20" chip. On July 22, Nvidia declined to comment, and Inspur Information said the news was untrue. Since the United States strengthened export controls on China's cutting-edge semiconductors in 2023, Nvidia has developed three chips tailored for the Chinese market, namely HGX H20, L20 PCIe and L2 PCIe.

2. Samsung has reportedly begun mass production of HBM3 memory for Nvidia.According to reports, industry insiders revealed that Samsung Electronics recently passed Nvidia's HBM3 qualification test and has started mass production and supplying HBM3 memory to Nvidia. This is the first time that Samsung Electronics has supplied HBM3 memory to Nvidia. In order to supplement the general DRAM supply that has become insufficient due to HBM supply, the Pyeongtaek P4 plant will be converted into a production line that only produces DRAM.

【New Products】

1. Google Gemini will participate in the broadcast of the Paris Olympics.The Paris Olympics will open on July 26. Google has reached a cooperation with NBC Universal, a large American media, to integrate artificial intelligence technology into the broadcast of the Paris Olympics. NBC Universal will use a series of Google application products, including search, maps and Gemini, to attract viewers who are not accustomed to watching live TV, especially the younger generation.

2. Kuaishou’s color vision impairment assistance mode will be expanded to live broadcast scenarios.On July 22, Kuaishou released data showing that nearly 2.08 million users with color vision impairment turn on the "color vision assistance mode" function to watch short videos on Kuaishou without any obstacles every day. Kuaishou announced that this assistance mode will also be extended to live broadcast scenes and will be launched before the Paris Summer Olympics. Kuaishou reached an authorization cooperation agreement with China Central Radio and Television in June this year, obtained the on-demand and short video rights of the 2024 Paris Olympics, and became the rights-holding broadcaster of the 2024 Paris Olympics.