R&D Cooperation Between Aramco, MIT

R&D Cooperation Between Aramco, MIT
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R&D Cooperation Between Aramco, MIT

R&D Cooperation Between Aramco, MIT

Aramco Services Company (ASC), the North American arm of Saudi Aramco, revealed Sunday that it had struck a $25 million-worth five-year research and development (R&D) cooperation agreement with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

The partnership focuses on R&D in the areas of sustainable and renewable energy, advanced materials, carbon capture, utilization and storage, environmental science, conservation and reuse of water resources, and advanced techniques including computational modeling, artificial intelligence, nanotechnologies and robotics.

“We are delighted to be collaborating with MIT which is a distinguished, world class institution recognized for its groundbreaking research excellence," said Saudi Aramco President and CEO Amin Nasser.

"Our engagement with the MIT Energy Initiative is working well and the long term potential for continuing to make significant energy technology breakthroughs is showing considerable promise.”

The collaboration underscores a mutual commitment to leveraging R&D to develop new solutions with the potential to address global energy and climate challenges, the firm said. It also builds on Aramco’s existing engagement with MIT Energy Initiative and its Low-Carbon Energy Centers.



China’s Car Sales Rise in May, but Price Wars Cloud Outlook

 Amukelani Masungi, a worker, cleans the floor next to BYD vehicles on display at a BYD dealership in Sandton, South Africa, June 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Amukelani Masungi, a worker, cleans the floor next to BYD vehicles on display at a BYD dealership in Sandton, South Africa, June 5, 2025. (Reuters)
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China’s Car Sales Rise in May, but Price Wars Cloud Outlook

 Amukelani Masungi, a worker, cleans the floor next to BYD vehicles on display at a BYD dealership in Sandton, South Africa, June 5, 2025. (Reuters)
Amukelani Masungi, a worker, cleans the floor next to BYD vehicles on display at a BYD dealership in Sandton, South Africa, June 5, 2025. (Reuters)

China's car sales rose for a fourth consecutive month in May, but slower increases across major automakers highlighted concerns over aggressive price competition in the world’s largest auto market.

Sales grew 13.9% from a year earlier to 1.96 million vehicles last month, slowing from 14.8% growth in April, China Passenger Car Association (CPCA) data showed on Monday.

Sales of electric vehicles and hybrids rose 28.2% year on year, down from a 33.9% gain in April.

Leading EV maker BYD reported decelerating annual passenger vehicle sales growth to 14.1% last month from April's 19.4% despite a new round of subsidies and incentives late in the month.

Other major automakers, including Geely and Chery, also reported slower growth as the industry’s attention shifted to price wars that have raised concern over a potential market shakeout.

Authorities have warned that such price wars threaten the industry's long-term health, with the sentiments echoed by leading manufacturers such as BYD, Chery and Xiaomi.

The CPCA's secretary-general, Cui Dongshu, said the industry should focus on quality and technology innovation and that leading automakers should lower their sales targets for this year.

CPCA data also showed that car exports rebounded, rising 13.5% year on year in May, reversing a 2% decline in April.