Two US House committee chairs have asked DoorDash to explain its internal testing of the Chinese open-weight AI model Kimi K2.6 and to provide security-related materials by August 14. In a July 31 letter to DoorDash co-founder and CEO Tony Xu, Representatives John Moolenaar and Andrew Garbarino also required executives to appear before Congress on August 21. The inquiry followed disclosures by co-founder Andy Fang and DoorDash's AI research lab that the model was used for lower-level AI tasks and offered cost and performance advantages over some Anthropic models. DoorDash said it supports US leadership in AI and looks forward to discussing safe, responsible use of AI with the committees.
Microsoft is adding a search indexing feature, 'Automatically Find Other Relevant Locations,' to Windows 11. It learns frequently used folders from file activity and indexes them automatically, with manual exclusion available for mistakenly included folders. This addresses the default index's omission of paths such as Downloads. Microsoft is also testing spelling-error correction, two-character local file lookup, and removal of Bing search and ads from search results. These improvements are scheduled to roll out later in 2026, and spelling-related search optimization has already reached some users.
Samsung's latest foldable flagship, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, achieves an unfolded thickness of just 4.1mm, roughly 27% thinner than Apple's iPhone Air. To reach this slim profile, Samsung removed the internal heat pipe and relies solely on a graphene heat spreader. The device, which starts at US$2099.99, is powered by Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Teardown and tests indicate the chip can still overheat and throttle under high load, affecting game frame rates in hot, humid environments, while light tasks such as video streaming remain smooth.
Lenovo has introduced the ThinkCentre Neo 50a 24 Gen 7 all-in-one, just weeks after the Gen 6 model. The new desktop features Intel Core Series 3 processors (Wildcat Lake architecture), with a choice of Core 5 320 or Core 7 350, both with six cores. It includes 16GB or 32GB LPDDR5X memory at 7467 MT/s, dual M. 2 slots supporting up to 1TB each, and a 23.8-inch 1080p anti-glare IPS display with 99% sRGB coverage and a 120Hz refresh rate.
On August 1, at the opening of the 2026 World Dairy Conference, Yili Group Chairman and President Pan Gang announced the launch of a dairy data hub jointly built with Nvidia and Tencent. The hub introduces a first-of-its-kind four-in-one model integrating data, platform, standards and talent, filling a gap in cloud data services for the industry’s vertical sector. It aims to create a global-leading digital and intelligent foundation for the dairy supply chain, using Data+AI and high-quality datasets to connect breeding, production, distribution and consumption, with future services for smaller dairy companies.
SAIC Motor sold 339,000 vehicles in July 2026, according to its latest monthly sales figures. Cumulative sales from January through July reached 2.384 million vehicles, reflecting the automaker’s continued delivery pace over the first seven months of the year.
BYD sold 419,211 new energy vehicles in July 2026, a 21.8% year-on-year increase and the third consecutive monthly gain. Production reached 420,200 units. Overseas sales of passenger vehicles and pickups jumped 124.3% to 179,841 units, an all-time high. In the first seven months of the year, cumulative NEV sales fell 10.54% to 2,227,722 units. Total NEV sales since inception have topped 17.3 million.
Geely Auto reported sales of more than 250,000 vehicles in July, a level that set a new high for the same period in the company's sales history. Overseas export volume reached 107,000 vehicles, also a record for any single month. These figures, which represent total deliveries and export shipments for the month, put both headline sales and overseas demand on new peaks.
The union at Micron Technology's Taoyuan plant in Taiwan plans to hold strike information sessions for rank-and-file employees to address concerns over inequitable bonus and dividend policies amid the artificial-intelligence boom. The union will discuss Micron's individual performance bonus cap of 200%, or up to five months' salary, and review Samsung Electronics' recent labor dispute, in which employees demanded 15% of semiconductor operating profit and won 10.5% after Samsung removed its 50% cap.
Dongpeng Beverage reported H1 2026 tea-drink revenue of RMB1.058 billion, up 208.99% year on year and the first half-year result above RMB1 billion; tea drinks' share of total revenue rose five percentage points to 8.52%. Dongpeng Special Drink revenue grew 6.89%, electrolyte drinks rose 11.98%, and energy drinks' sales share fell to 71.92%. The company, listed in Shanghai in 2021 and Hong Kong in 2026, first separately disclosed tea-drink sales in an interim report. In 2025, energy-drink sales exceeded RMB15 billion and electrolyte drinks surpassed RMB3 billion.
Samsung's Galaxy S26 FE camera specifications have surfaced ahead of the phone's expected 2026 release. The device, codenamed 'r14', will reportedly carry over the Galaxy S25 FE's imaging system, featuring a 50-megapixel Samsung ISOCELL S5KGN3 main sensor and an 8-megapixel OmniVision OV08A1 telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The new model will also include GalaxyCore GC12A2 and Sony IMX825 sensors, keep 12-megapixel ultra-wide and front cameras, and support 45W wired charging. Samsung executives have confirmed the handset is in development and slated for 2026.
Amazon has completed a $50 billion investment in OpenAI, securing an approximately 5% stake. The phased deal, disclosed in Amazon’s July 31 10-Q filing, comprised $15 billion in first-quarter 2026 Series C preferred shares, $13.7 billion in the second quarter, and a final $21.3 billion after the reporting period. The investment followed OpenAI and Microsoft renegotiating their cloud contract, allowing AWS to supply compute services. Amazon has also committed up to $33 billion to Anthropic, with $18 billion funded. OpenAI’s valuation is about $852 billion.
XPeng Group reported on August 1 that it delivered 38,027 vehicles in July, an increase of approximately 4% year-on-year. The company disclosed the monthly figure in its regular delivery announcement. The July result reflects growth compared with the same month last year. As of July 31, 2026, cumulative global deliveries had surpassed 1.2 million vehicles, according to the same update.
Huayang Group said on its investor interaction platform that it supplies multiple categories of automotive electronic products to Xiaomi Pengcheng Automobile. The statement, made by the company on the platform, confirms a supply relationship for a range of automotive electronics but leaves unspecified the exact product categories, shipment volumes, and transaction value. No further information was released with the statement.
OpenAI has moved toward delaying its IPO to 2027 after submitting a confidential S-1 filing in June 2026, as investors disagree over its valuation and cash burn. The company lost $38.5 billion in 2025 and burned $3.7 billion in Q1 2026, more than half its $5.7 billion quarterly revenue. Its last private round valued it at $852 billion, below the $1 trillion target CEO Sam Altman insists on. Pressure increased after SpaceX’s shares fell about 16% in a day and 48.4% from their peak.
On August 1, 2026, Li Auto reported delivering 30,468 vehicles in July 2026, marginally down from 30,731 vehicles in the same month of 2025. The monthly total remained above the 30,000 threshold despite the slight year-on-year decline. Cumulative deliveries through July 31, 2026 reached 1,764,155 vehicles.
Apple plans to put a Samsung single-layer LTPS OLED display and an M5 chip in the iPad Air in early 2027, potentially ending the model's longest-running exterior design in Apple's tablet lineup. The iPad Air has kept the same shell since its fourth generation launched in 2020, through M1, M2, M3 and M4 chip generations. A redesign would follow Apple's 2024 iPad Pro overhaul, which introduced OLED and the first full chassis rework since 2018, sharply reducing thickness.
Apple added a risk section on components and computing resources in its latest 10-Q filing, warning that supply shortages and price swings could hurt revenue. It said persistent memory chip shortages, particularly NAND Flash and DRAM, have hampered its ability to secure enough components and products on commercially reasonable terms. Apple also said its AI services depend on sufficient computing capacity and that, amid industry-wide tightness, it relies heavily on third-party infrastructure such as Google.
Google integrated its latest image-generation model, Nano Banana 2, into Google Earth web, letting users create fictional scenes from text prompts on real satellite maps. The feature, which also retrieved historical facts for landmark infographics, was withdrawn one day after launch after Google said it detected user-shared screenshots that may violate usage policy. The model uses geospatial constraints anchored to terrain and camera data, renders five subjects and fourteen objects consistently, and takes about two minutes per image at up to 4K resolution.
US regulators have opened a preliminary investigation into suspension defects in Tesla Model 3 and Model Y vehicles, covering 2018 to 2020 Model 3s and 2021 to 2023 Model Ys. The Office of Defects Investigation has received 156 complaints, mostly involving detachment of the front lower lateral link, with failures often occurring without warning. No crashes, injuries or deaths have been reported. The probe is a preliminary evaluation, but the agency could compel a recall if a safety defect is confirmed. Tesla recalled 2,791 Model 3 and Model Y vehicles in 2021 over suspension issues.
Nike and Hyperice have unveiled the Air Zoom Hyperslide, a heat-therapy massage slide priced at US$249 and set for release on September 29. Designed for post-exercise recovery, it delivers heat and vibration massage across the instep through a magnetic Hyperslide Pod, with three heat settings up to 47°C (117°F) and three vibration modes. The USB-C rechargeable Pod runs for about one hour per charge, equivalent to six 10-minute recovery sessions. The design follows the Hyperboot recovery boot launched in April 2025, but in a casual beach-slide format.
SpaceX will dismantle unpermitted natural gas turbines in Memphis within a year, transitioning to a 1.2 GW permanent gas-fired power plant. The temporary turbines, which power xAI's Colossus data center, will be fully removed by July 2027. There are 69 turbines currently operating. The unpermitted units have sparked environmental lawsuits from the NAACP and the Southern Environmental Law Center. SpaceX acquired xAI in February 2026 and plans to purchase $2.8 billion in gas turbines for data centers over three years.
General Motors plans to launch its own in-vehicle AI assistant in late 2026, combining conversational AI with vehicle knowledge and telematics for enhanced capabilities. The system will follow the deployment of Gemini AI on millions of 2022 and newer models. The automaker is working with an unnamed large language model provider to develop predictive maintenance and vehicle telemetry features, with data remaining proprietary.
Yuewen Group on July 7 launched Qidian Theater, a video app dedicated to IP-adapted series, focusing on premium short dramas and AI comic dramas. The app adopts a pay model combining ad unlocks and membership subscriptions, leveraging Yuewen’s vast IP library. Currently, 13 short dramas are available on the 'Editor’s Pick' channel and 6 on the 'Otherworldly Start-up Guide' channel. The platform also introduced an 'IP Wish Plan' where six novels have reached the required vote threshold for production. In 2026, Yuewen plans to launch no fewer than 200 short dramas.
BYD has announced a partnership with Finland's Helsinki Jokerit ice hockey club, becoming its official partner. The collaboration, running through 2028, marks BYD's first entry into the ice hockey sector, deepening its presence in the Finnish and Nordic markets.
Alnylam reported Q2 2026 product net revenue of $1.172 billion, up 74% year-on-year. Amvuttra sales exceeded $1 billion for the first time, reaching $1.012 billion, up 106%. However, the company trimmed its full-year TTR pipeline sales guidance to $4.2-4.5 billion from $4.4-4.7 billion, sending shares down 28% to a market cap below $30 billion. The company highlighted slowing growth in second-line Amvuttra use in the US, with 80% of new starts being first-line.
China's State Council has approved the Shandong Laiyang nuclear power project, including units 1 and 2, after a review by its executive meeting. Diantou Chanrong will establish a new company, Guodian Tou Nuclear Power (Laiyang) Nuclear Energy Co. , Ltd. , as the project owner responsible for investment, construction, and operation. The project will build two CAP1400 (Guohe No. 1) passive pressurized water reactor units, each with a rated capacity of 1,543 MW. The new project company is not yet formed, and preparatory work continues under the existing Guodian Tou Laiyang Nuclear Energy Co.
China General Nuclear Power Group's subsidiary, CGN Huizhou Third Nuclear Power Company, has received State Council approval for the construction of Huizhou Units 5 and 6. The units will use Hualong One 2.0 nuclear technology, each with a capacity of 1217MW. Preparatory work is underway, and full construction will begin after obtaining the Nuclear Power Plant Construction Permit from the National Nuclear Safety Administration.
China Resources Microelectronics (CR Micro) disclosed that it has implemented two rounds of price increases since the start of 2026, responding to a query on an interactive platform. The company stated that its comprehensive gross margin for the first half of the year will improve compared with the same period in the prior year.
Exxon Mobil and Chevron reported sharp gains in second-quarter 2026 profit on July 31, lifted by higher international oil prices from the Middle East conflict. Exxon posted earnings of $14.525 billion, while Chevron earned $12.072 billion. Sales rose 42% at Exxon to $116.017 billion and 56% at Chevron to $70.055 billion. Brent crude averaged $96.68 a barrel, up 23% from the prior quarter, and US crude rose 27% quarter on quarter.