Singapore seeks co-investors for deep tech; AutoX goes driverless in China

#China #surveillance - Hikvision and Dahua Technology, China’s two leading manufacturers of surveillance cameras, have quickly recovered from a revenue hit caused by U.S. sanctions as demand grows from corporations adopting measures to contain the spread of the coronavirus. (Asia Nikkei - subscription)

#Singapore #investment - Enterprise Singapore’s Seeds Capital is calling for 10 to 15 “private-sector partners” to co-invest in deep tech startups and plow SG$150 million ($112 million) into these early-stage companies, focusing on three key sectors including health and biomedical sciences. (ZDNet)

#Singapore #startups - Singapore’s fastest-growing online car marketplace UCARS is integrating AI and cloud computing into its platform together with Huawei to provide consumers with enhanced transparency, security and satisfaction. (APN News)

#HongKong #robotics - Inovo Robotics, winner of this year’s Startup Express, the start-up development programme organised by the Hong Kong Trade Development Council, offers a cost effective way to automate repetitive tasks and increase productivity for small-to-medium enterprises (SMEs). (SCMP)

#China #robotaxis - Chinese autonomous vehicle startup AutoX, backed by Alibaba Group Holding Ltd, said on Thursday it has started fully driverless vehicle testing in China with Pacifica minivans from Fiat Chrysler Automobiles NV (FCA). (Reuters)

#China #robotaxis - The world has been inching toward fully autonomous cars for years. In China, one company just got even closer to making it a reality. On Thursday, AutoX, an Alibaba-backed startup, announced it had rolled out fully driverless robotaxis on public roads in Shenzhen. (CNN)

#India #digitaleconomy - Google India on Thursday said artificial intelligence alone can add $500 billion to the economy, and assist in better forecast of floods and accurate diagnosis of diseases. The company has committed USD 10 billion for expanding India’s digital footprint, a top official said. (The Week)

#SouthKorea #healthcare - Hutom, a medical software startup, has announced that it will launch the world’s first AI-empowered recording equipment for minimally invasive surgery in the first quarter of next year. The company’s equipment, dubbed AI-Empowered ViHub, is used for minimally invasive surgery. (Business Korea)

#China #smartdistrict - Danish architecture firm BIG and Chinese tech company Terminus Group are creating a AI-run campus-style development in the southwestern Chinese city of Chongqing called Cloud Valley. (Reuters)

#China #smartcities - British resident Josh showcases one day of his “smart life” in the Eco-City located 150 kilometers from Beijing.

#India #chatbos - Amazon India on Thursday announced the deployment of ‘Distance Assistant’ across its operational sites in the country to help maintain social distancing. (The Hindu)

#India #MSME -  IIT Kharagpur researchers have developed a portable AI-based device for automatic inspection of goods manufactured in MSMEs. (Outlook India)

#China #US #R&D - More than 1,000 Chinese researchers have left the United States amid a US crackdown on alleged technology theft, top US security officials said on Wednesday, adding that Chinese agents had already been targeting the incoming Biden administration. (SCMP - subscription)

#China #US #TikTok - A federal appeals court said on Wednesday it will hear oral arguments on Dec. 14 on the government’s appeal of an order that blocked a ban on Apple and Alphabet’s Google offering TikTok for download in US app stores. (SCMP - subscription)

#SouthKorea #NorthKorea #defence - The unification ministry’s budget for next year has been set at about 1.5 trillion won ($1.34 billion), including a new fund to build an AI and big data program to analyze North Korea. (YNA)

Carrington Malin is a UAE-based entrepreneur, marketer and writer who focuses on emerging technologies.