Tech Brief (Dec. 16): Unitree Robotics Launches App Store for Humanoids
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China approves first two Level 3 autonomous cars
The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology on Monday granted conditional approval to Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. Ltd. and BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. to build electric cars with Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities. The permits cover a Changan electric sedan and an Arcfox electric sedan, allowing them to conduct pilot operations in designated areas after passing necessary reviews.
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- China approved two Level 3 autonomous electric cars by Changan and BAIC BluePark for pilot operations.
- MetaX raised 3.899 billion yuan in its Shanghai STAR Market debut, while China’s AI market is projected to grow 30% to 1.2 trillion yuan in 2025.
- Foxconn will invest $507 million in a new Kaohsiung HQ; Ant Group’s rebranded health app reached 15 million users.
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Who’s Who
- Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. Ltd.
- Chongqing Changan Automobile Co. Ltd. has received conditional approval from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to build electric cars with Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities. This permit covers a Changan electric sedan, allowing it to conduct pilot operations in designated areas after passing necessary reviews.
- BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co. Ltd.
- BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology Co. Ltd. received conditional approval from China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology to build electric cars with Level 3 autonomous driving capabilities. This approval covers an Arcfox electric sedan, allowing it to conduct pilot operations in designated areas after regulatory reviews.
- MetaX Integrated Circuits (Shanghai) Co. Ltd.
- MetaX Integrated Circuits (Shanghai) Co. Ltd. will debut on the Shanghai Stock Exchange’s tech-focused STAR Market on Wednesday. The chip designer raised 3.899 billion yuan to fund high-performance graphics processing unit development.
- Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics Co. Ltd.
- Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics Co. Ltd., a Shenzhen-listed chipmaker, has announced the establishment of a central research institute. This institute will focus on developing AI chips for autonomous driving, new memory devices based on two-dimensional materials, and high-performance sensor chips. The company has also restructured its internal management into seven departments to streamline operations.
- Govy Technology Co. Ltd.
- Govy Technology Co. Ltd. (广汽映羽航空科技有限公司) is Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd.'s (GAC) low-altitude mobility unit. They anticipate mass-producing their AirCab flying car by 2026 and have already delivered prototypes for airworthiness certification. Their AirJet, designed for intercity travel, began production in late 2024, aiming for commercial operations by 2028.
- Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd.
- Guangzhou Automobile Group Co. Ltd. (GAC) is the parent company of Govy Technology Co. Ltd. Govy, GAC's low-altitude mobility unit, is developing flying cars. Their AirCab model is expected to be mass-produced in 2026, while the AirJet model, designed for intercity travel, rolled off the production line in late 2024.
- Ant Group Co. Ltd.
- Ant Group Co. Ltd. rebranded its AI-powered health app, AQ, to Ant Afu. The app boasts over 15 million monthly active users, answering more than 5 million health questions daily. Over half of its users reside in third-tier cities or below.
- Unitree Robotics
- Unitree Robotics launched an app store for humanoid robots, enabling users to upload and share trained models for various activities like dancing and martial arts. This platform allows developers to download and deploy models created by others and facilitates sharing real-world robot operation data to train and optimize algorithms.
- Foxconn
- Foxconn (富士康) has committed to investing NT$15.9 billion ($507 million) in a new headquarters in Kaohsiung. This 11,000-square-meter complex, slated for completion by 2033, will include R&D centers for new-energy vehicle technology, batteries, energy storage, and AI software.
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What Happened When
- Late 2024：
- Govy Technology’s AirJet flying car rolled off the production line.
- December 12, 2025：
- Foxconn signed an agreement to build a new headquarters in Kaohsiung, pledging NT$15.9 billion ($507 million) investment. The headquarters is expected to break ground in 2027 and complete by 2033.
- December 13, 2025：
- Wei Kai from CAICT estimated that the number of large model tokens used in China in 2025 may exceed two quadrillion, and that the market value of AI in China is expected to rise by 30% to over 1.2 trillion yuan ($170 billion) in 2025.
- December 13, 2025：
- Unitree Robotics unveiled an app store for humanoid robots, enabling users to upload, share, and download trained models.
- December 15, 2025：
- The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology conditionally approved Chongqing Changan Automobile and BAIC BluePark New Energy Technology to build Level 3 autonomous electric cars.
- December 15, 2025：
- MetaX Integrated Circuits announced its shares will begin trading on the STAR Market on December 17, 2025.
- December 15, 2025：
- Unigroup Guoxin Microelectronics announced the establishment of a central research institute for AI chips and memory, and a restructuring into seven departments.
- December 15, 2025：
- Govy Technology said it expects to mass-produce its AirCab flying car in 2026; the AirJet flying car rolled off the production line in late 2024 with commercial operations targeted for 2028.
- December 15, 2025：
- Ant Group rebranded its AQ health app as Ant Afu, upgrading its consultation and service features and announcing over 15 million monthly active users.
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