Key facts
- UBTech's humanoid robot, marketed as a companion, costs $20,000 for a base model and $130,000 for a flagship.
- Chinese tech companies' demand for AI chips is estimated to exceed 5 million units this year, with domestic supply at 3.5 million.
- Apple's iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max orders were reduced by at least 15% in October.
- NTT Data Group's planned data center in Osaka could cost up to 1 trillion yen ($6.3 billion).
Chinese tech companies are facing a significant shortfall in AI chips, with demand expected to far exceed domestic supply in the coming years. Despite increased production, companies like Alibaba, ByteDance, and Tencent are turning to Nvidia's processors to meet their soaring demand, with expected capital expenditure doubling to around 700 billion yuan ($104 billion) this year. UBTech's companion humanoid robot, a life-size doll with chatbot capabilities, has begun shipping in China, with prices ranging from $20,000 to $130,000, and Japan is seen as a key potential market. Meanwhile, Anthropic is set to establish its first dedicated data center in Japan, to be built by NTT Data Group, potentially costing up to 1 trillion yen ($6.3 billion). SoftBank is also investing heavily in AI infrastructure, planning a $33 billion power complex and data center in Ohio for OpenAI. In consumer electronics, Apple has reduced orders for its new iPhone 18 Pro models by at least 15% due to softer consumer demand, exacerbated by price increases driven by soaring memory chip costs.