Accessible version US Semiconductors Cloud Capex Preview: mission-critical spend to ensure durable growth Industry Overview AI capex CY26/27 outlook now up +36%/+15% YoY Data center remains a key stronghold into Q4 semis earnings, with four major US hyperscalers (Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon) set to report in the coming weeks. Ahead of earnings, our tracker indicates Q4 global hyperscale capex at $141bn, up +9% QoQ or +59% YoY. For CY26/CY27, capex points to $641bn/$739bn or up +36%/+15% YoY now, up from ...

Global Research ab 26 January 2026 First Read China Internet Sector China ad pulse check: 2026 outlook and impacts from new ad tax policy Growth: 2026E stable; bottom-up bright spots to offset soft macro Growth: We expect overall China ad growth to remain stable at 9.5% in 2026E (2025E's 9.6%), based on takeaways from our recent channel checks with leading ad agencies in China and catch-ups with major listcos. We expect ad growth to still outperform underlying consumption growth (UBSe 4.8/4.4% in 2025/26E r ...

Group 1 - Nvidia is navigating complex trade negotiations with the U.S. while selling chips to Chinese companies, with a focus on China's ambition to develop its own AI chips [1] - An exclusive report indicates that Nvidia has secured approvals for sales of over 400,000 H200 chips to major Chinese firms like ByteDance, Alibaba, and Tencent, although the conditions of these sales remain unclear [2] - Nvidia's CEO highlights China as a $50 billion opportunity, which is not included in the company's revenue forecasts, with the expected revenue for the current quarter projected at $65 billion, plus or minus 2% [3] Group 2 - Nvidia's market capitalization stands at $4.6 trillion, significantly surpassing traditional leaders like Alphabet, Microsoft, Apple, and Amazon, driven by investor enthusiasm for its future prospects in China [4] - The company has reported a substantial backlog for Blackwell chips, with investments in data centers for AI reaching hundreds of billions last year, potentially approaching a trillion dollars annually, predominantly utilizing Nvidia chips [5] - Despite skepticism regarding Nvidia's future, the stock has surged 1,351% over the past five years, with investors confident in the AI sector's potential, viewing it as a pivotal technology [6]

BEIJING, Jan. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Yiren Digital Ltd. (NYSE: YRD) ("Yiren Digital" or the "Company"), a leading Fintech company specializing in digital consumer lending, insurance and financial technology innovation across China and Southeast Asia, announced today that it has received the "Annual Digital Intelligence Innovative Application Award" under the "New Technology" category. The award was organized by Caijing New Media in conjunction with Analysys, the China Virtual Reality Technology and Innova ...

22 January 2026 | 8:51AM HKT Equity Research CHINA HUMANOID ROBOT AI Robotics & Power Field Trip takeaways: Driving multi-fold shipment growth through pragmatic verticalization into 2026-2027E As part of our GS China AI Robotics & Power Trip, we visited 8 private/non-covered AI Robotics related companies and met 6 C-level management in Hangzhou/Shanghai/Shenzhen during Jan 15-20 from Unitree, Mechmind, Fourier, LimX Dynamics, UBTech, EngineAI, Paxini and Orbbec. Goldman Sachs China Humanoid Robot Encouragin ...

Summary of the Conference Call on China's Internet and AI Industry Outlook for 2026 Industry Overview - The focus is on the **China Internet** industry, particularly the **AI sector** and its growth prospects in 2026, influenced by both supply and demand factors [1][2]. Key Insights AI Growth Prospects - **Supply Improvements**: Anticipated import of Nvidia H200 chips for training and expansion of domestic chip production capacity for inferencing are expected to enhance AI capabilities [2][4]. - **Demand Surge**: A breakthrough in agentic capabilities is projected to drive a significant increase in consumer (2C) adoption. Positive signals from the latest China CIO Surveys indicate a first-time uptick in enterprise (2B) spending since the second half of 2021 [2][4]. Overseas Expansion - As the domestic market faces deflationary pressures and rising competition, overseas expansion is becoming crucial. Various segments such as gaming (Tencent, NetEase), cross-border e-commerce (PDD, Alibaba), and cloud services (Alibaba, Tencent) are highlighted as key areas for growth [3][4]. - It is estimated that overseas markets contributed over **10%** of revenue for Chinese internet companies in 2025, with expectations for further growth in the next 2-3 years [3][4]. Risks and Challenges - The macroeconomic climate, competition, regulatory changes, and geopolitical tensions are identified as significant risks. A decline in consumption since Q4 2025 is impacting industry revenue growth across e-commerce, local services, and advertising [4]. - Competition in food delivery and quick commerce remains intense, particularly following the State Council's anti-involution investigation. ByteDance's continued disruption across various sectors is also noted [4]. Investment Recommendations Overweight (OW) Recommendations - **Tencent**: Identified as a top pick due to resilient core businesses and strong 2C AI applications [5]. - **Alibaba (BABA)**: Considered the best AI enabler with cloud services as a key growth catalyst [5]. - **PDD**: Valued for its attractive pricing and potential breakeven of Temu in 2026 [5]. - **TME**: Noted for its resilient business model and potential upside from the proposed Ximalaya acquisition [5]. Underweight (UW) / Equal Weight (EW) Recommendations - **JD (UW)**: Facing operational de-leverage and high investments in new businesses [5]. - **BILI (EW)**: Low visibility in gaming and high valuations are concerns [5]. - **Kuaishou (EW)**: Core business performance is lukewarm, with current valuations reflecting this [5]. - **BIDU (EW)**: While Kunlunxin is a near-term catalyst, core business challenges persist [5]. Additional Insights - The report emphasizes the importance of prudent capital expenditure in AI applications to mitigate bubble risks, suggesting a focus on applications that yield better returns on invested capital (ROIC) [2][4]. - The overall industry view remains attractive, with a strong emphasis on the potential for growth in AI and overseas markets despite existing challenges [7]. This summary encapsulates the key points from the conference call, providing a comprehensive overview of the current state and future outlook of the China Internet and AI industry.

Core Insights - The AIQ ETF outperformed the Nasdaq for most of the year, ending with a 32% increase [2][4] - The ETF is diversified with 86 holdings, reducing the impact of any single stock [4] - A significant portion of the ETF, 72%, is composed of information technology stocks, with major international exposure [5] Performance Analysis - The AIQ ETF managed to outperform the Nasdaq even during market downturns, particularly before the Liberation Day tariffs announcement [4] - Samsung is the largest holding at 5.25% of total assets, while the fund has substantial allocations to top memory chip companies like Samsung, Micron, and SK Hynix [4][6] Future Outlook - AI stocks are expected to remain strong heading into 2026, with the AIQ ETF already up 3% as of January 16 [7] - Many of the ETF's top holdings are trading at reasonable valuations, suggesting potential for continued growth as the AI boom persists [7]

Core Viewpoint - Coupang, Inc. has been upgraded by Deutsche Bank from Hold to Buy, reflecting increased confidence in its future despite recent challenges [2][6] Company Performance - Coupang's stock closed at $21.25, showing a 2.21% increase on the latest trading day, outperforming major indices like the S&P 500, Dow, and Nasdaq [2][6] - Over the past month, Coupang's stock has declined by 8.49%, contrasting with the Retail-Wholesale sector's gain of 3.96% and the S&P 500's increase of 1.57% [3][6] - The stock has fluctuated between a low of $20.96 and a high of $21.48 on the latest trading day, with a market capitalization of approximately $38.81 billion [5] Earnings and Revenue Outlook - Analysts predict Coupang's earnings per share will decrease by 25% to $0.03 for the upcoming earnings report [3][6] - Revenue is expected to rise by 16.42% to $9.27 billion compared to the same quarter last year, with full-year projections estimating earnings of $0.16 per share and revenue of $34.97 billion [4][6]

Core Insights - China's artificial intelligence (AI) models are reportedly only "a matter of months" behind U.S. and Western capabilities, according to Demis Hassabis, CEO of Google DeepMind, challenging previous assumptions of a significant gap [3][4] - Chinese AI lab DeepSeek has demonstrated strong performance with models built on less advanced chips, indicating that Chinese companies are making notable advancements in AI technology [5] - Despite progress, there are concerns regarding China's ability to innovate beyond existing technologies, with Hassabis emphasizing the difficulty of achieving frontier breakthroughs [6][8] AI Development in China - Chinese tech giants like Alibaba and startups such as Moonshot AI and Zhipu have released competitive AI models, contributing to the perception of China's rapid advancement in the field [5] - Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang acknowledged that while the U.S. leads in chip technology, China is making significant strides in AI models and infrastructure [9] Challenges Facing Chinese AI Firms - Access to critical technology, particularly advanced semiconductors from Nvidia, poses a significant challenge for Chinese technology firms, which could widen the gap between U.S. and Chinese AI capabilities over time [10][11] - Analysts predict that the lack of access to cutting-edge Nvidia chips may lead to a divergence in AI model capabilities, with U.S. infrastructure continuing to iterate and improve [12] Perspectives on Innovation - Alibaba's Qwen team technical lead, Lin Junyang, expressed skepticism about Chinese firms surpassing U.S. tech giants in AI within the next three to five years, citing a substantial difference in computing infrastructure [15] - Hassabis attributes the lack of groundbreaking innovations in China to a "mentality" issue rather than solely technological restrictions, comparing the need for exploratory innovation to the historical achievements of Bell Labs [16][17]

JB Global Capital, an investment firm, released its fourth-quarter 2025 investor letter. A copy of the letter can be downloaded here. During Q4 2025, JB Global Capital reported an 8.9% decline, largely driven by a sharp drop in Alibaba, its largest holding, while global markets posted modest gains. Despite the quarter’s setback, the fund delivered a strong full-year return of 67.5% and stands at 108.9% since inception, outperforming major benchmarks. The letter explains that 2025 market gains were heavily ...