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Huawei Launches New Software Brand for Intelligent Driving

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is seen outside its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is seen outside its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
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Huawei Launches New Software Brand for Intelligent Driving

FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is seen outside its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: The logo of the Huawei Technologies Co. Ltd. is seen outside its headquarters in Shenzhen, Guangdong province, April 17, 2012. REUTERS/Tyrone Siu/File Photo

Chinese tech company Huawei unveiled on Wednesday a new software brand for intelligent driving, marking its latest push to become a major player in the electric vehicle industry.
The new brand Qiankun, symbolizing a combination of heaven and the Kunlun Mountains, plans to provide self-driving systems involving the driving chassis, audio and driver's seat, Jin Yuzhi, CEO of Huawei's Intelligent Automotive Solution (IAS) business unit, said during an event ahead of the Beijing auto show.
"2024 will be the first year for mass commercialization of smart driving and the cumulative number of cars on road equipped with the Huawei self-driving system will top 500,000 by the year-end," Reuters quoted Jin as saying.
He also expected within a year more than 10 car models adopting Huawei’s Qiankun system would hit the market.
The Shenzhen-based tech conglomerate launched its smart car unit in 2019 with the aim that it could become the equivalent of German automotive supplier Bosch of the intelligent EV era and supply software and components to partners.
Huawei said in November that the unit would be spun off into a new company which would receive the unit's core technologies and resources and take investment from partners such as automaker Changan Auto.
It has also unveiled seven EV models in partnership with Chinese automakers so far and they are selling well, Jin said.
They include three Aito brand models under partnership with Seres, the Luxeed S7 sedan co-developed with Chery , two models with Changan Auto-backed Avatr and one with Beijing Automotive Group (BAIC)-owned Arcfox.
On Tuesday, Huawei also unveiled the S9 sedan, the first model under the premium Stelato brand it launched with BAIC.
Its diversification into EVs comes amid an intensifying price war in the world's largest auto market, which is grappling with slowing sales momentum and deepening overcapacity concerns as more than 40 brands vie for consumer attention.
Earlier this month, Huawei-backed Aito offered discounts of up to 20,000 yuan ($2,760) on its new M7 SUVs until the end of April.

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Technology

Saudi Arabia, Japan Explore AI and Digital Government Collaboration

The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology met with Japan's Minister for Digital Transformation in Davos. SPA
The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology met with Japan's Minister for Digital Transformation in Davos. SPA
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Saudi Arabia, Japan Explore AI and Digital Government Collaboration

The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology met with Japan's Minister for Digital Transformation in Davos. SPA
The Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology met with Japan's Minister for Digital Transformation in Davos. SPA

Saudi Minister of Communications and Information Technology Abdullah Alswaha met with Japan's Minister for Digital Transformation Hisashi Matsumoto during the Kingdom's participation in the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.

The meeting focused on expanding the partnership between the two countries in digital government, AI, digital capability development, and the empowerment of entrepreneurship.

Technology

Taiwan Says It Will Lead ‘Democratic’ High-Tech Supply Chain with US

Taiwan's Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun speaks at a press conference about US-Taiwan trade deal in Taipei, Taiwan, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)
Taiwan's Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun speaks at a press conference about US-Taiwan trade deal in Taipei, Taiwan, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)
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Taiwan Says It Will Lead ‘Democratic’ High-Tech Supply Chain with US

Taiwan's Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun speaks at a press conference about US-Taiwan trade deal in Taipei, Taiwan, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)
Taiwan's Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun speaks at a press conference about US-Taiwan trade deal in Taipei, Taiwan, January 20, 2026. (Reuters)

Taiwan aims to build a "democratic" high-tech supply chain ​with the United States and form a strategic AI partnership under the new tariffs deal it sealed with Washington last week, Taipei's top negotiator in the talks said on Tuesday.

US President Donald Trump has pushed the major producer of semiconductors, which runs a large trade surplus with the United States, to invest more in the US, specifically in chips that power AI.

Under the terms of the long-negotiated deal, chipmakers like TSMC that expand US production will incur a lower tariff on semiconductors or related manufacturing equipment and products they import into the US and will ‌be able ‌to import some items duty-free. Broad tariffs that apply to most ‌other Taiwanese ⁠exports ​to ‌the US will fall from 20% to 15%.

Taiwan companies will also invest $250 billion to boost production of semiconductors, energy and artificial intelligence in the US, while Taiwan will also guarantee an additional $250 billion in credit to facilitate further investment.

Speaking to reporters in Taipei, Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun said the deal was not about hollowing out Taiwan's chip industry, which is so important for the economy it is widely referred to as the "sacred mountain protecting the country".

"This is not supply-chain relocation; rather, it is ⁠support for Taiwan's high-tech industries to extend their strength abroad - through addition, and even multiplication - to expand a strong international footprint in ‌the United States," she said.

CHIPMAKER INVESTMENTS

Under the agreement, chipmakers that ‍expand in the US will be able ‍to import up to 2.5 times their new capacity of semiconductors and wafers with no ‍extra tariffs during an approved construction period. Preferential treatment would apply to chips that exceed that quota.

Cheng said Taiwan has secured preferential treatment in advance under any future Section 232 measures on semiconductors, which is an ongoing US national security investigation into imports of key products like chips and pharmaceuticals.

"As for what the actual ​Section 232 semiconductor tariff will be in the future, (US Commerce) Secretary Lutnick recently mentioned a possible rate of 100%, but this remains undecided," Cheng said.

"Regardless, under any ⁠future tariff scenario, we have ensured that the US will grant Taiwan the most favorable treatment: zero tariffs within the quota and preferential tariffs even outside the quota."

In an interview with CNBC last week, US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said that if companies do not build in the US, a tariff would likely be 100%.

"In the past we said, 'Taiwan can help'," Cheng added, referring to Taiwan's past efforts to help the international community during the COVID pandemic and other crises.

"We hope in the future it will be "Taiwan-US can lead,' with the two sides joining forces and, under the wave of AI, working together to build a high-tech supply chain for the democratic camp. This is our strategic objective."

The US is Taiwan's most important backer and arms supplier, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ‌ties. Beijing claims the democratically governed island as its own and has not ruled out the use of force to achieve its goals.

Technology

OpenAI Introducing Ads to ChatGPT

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
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OpenAI Introducing Ads to ChatGPT

FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo
FILE PHOTO: OpenAI logo is seen in this illustration taken May 20, 2024. REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo

OpenAI announced Thursday it will begin testing advertisements on ChatGPT in the coming weeks, as the wildly popular artificial intelligence chatbot seeks to increase revenue to cover its soaring costs.

The ads will initially appear in the United States for free and lower-tier subscribers, the company said in a blog post outlining its long-anticipated move into advertising.

The integration of advertising has been a key question for generative AI chatbots, with companies largely reluctant to interrupt the user experience with ads.

But the exorbitant costs of running AI services may have forced OpenAI's hand.
Only a small percentage of its nearly one billion users pay for subscription services, putting pressure on the company to find new revenue sources.

Since ChatGPT's launch in 2022, OpenAI's valuation has soared to $500 billion in funding rounds -- higher than any other private company. Some expect it could go public with a trillion-dollar valuation.

But the ChatGPT maker burns through cash at a furious rate, mostly on the powerful computing required to deliver its services.

With its move, OpenAI brings its business model closer to tech giants Google and Meta, which have built advertising empires on the back of their free-to-use services.

Unlike OpenAI, those companies have massive advertising revenue to fund AI innovation -- with Amazon also building a solid ad business on its shopping and video streaming platforms.

"Ads aren't a distraction from the gen AI race; they're how OpenAI stays in it," said Jeremy Goldman, an analyst at Emarketer.

"If ChatGPT turns on ads, OpenAI is admitting something simple and consequential: the race isn't just about model quality anymore; it's about monetizing attention without poisoning trust," he added.

OpenAI's pivot comes as Google gains ground in the generative AI race, infusing services including Gmail, Maps and YouTube with AI features that -- in addition to its Gemini chatbot -- compete directly with ChatGPT.

To address concerns about its pivot into advertising, OpenAI pledged that ads would never influence ChatGPT's answers and that user conversations would remain private from advertisers.

"Ads do not influence the answers ChatGPT gives you," the company stated, according to AFP. "Answers are optimized based on what's most helpful to you. Ads are always separate and clearly labeled."

In an apparent reference to Meta, TikTok and Google's YouTube -- platforms accused of maximizing user engagement to boost ad views -- OpenAI said it would "not optimize for time spent in ChatGPT."

"We prioritize user trust and user experience over revenue," it added.

The commitment to user well-being is a sensitive issue for OpenAI, which has faced accusations of allowing ChatGPT to prioritize emotional engagement over safety, allegedly contributing to mental distress among some users.