Shares of Intel Corporation (INTC.US) proliferated 8.9% in pre-market trading to USD131.82.

US President Donald Trump posted on the Truth Social platform that Intel reached an agreement with Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) to design and manufacture chips in the US.

With backing from the US government, Intel's share price has cumulatively shot up by more than 4.6x over the past 12 months, with its market cap hiking to USD608.7 billion.
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US President Donald Trump said Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) agreed to partner with Intel Corporation (INTC.US) to design and manufacture chips in the US.

At the moment, Apple relies heavily on Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSM.US), whose advanced production lines must also meet demand from NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA.US) and Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD.US).

The US government acquired a 10% stake in Intel last year and announced plans to invest approximately USD10 billion in the company to build or expand factories in the US.

The White House has been strengthening safeguards for critical minerals and semiconductor supply chains to reduce reliance on China.
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SK Hynix shares set a record high, reaching a peak of KRW2.701 million, and were last up 6.98% at KRW2.697 million. In Hong Kong, XL2CSOPHYNIX (07709.HK) elevated 16.92% to HKD169.3, with a turnover of 54.7682 million shares, involving HKD8.73 billion.

The company said it delivered samples of its HBM4E, designed for next-generation AI processors, to major customers. It will work closely with partners to proceed with mass production in a timely manner.

HBM4E is the seventh-generation HBM, a high-performance DRAM designed for rapid data processing. It is used in GPU and other AI accelerators requiring strong computing power.

Meanwhile, the previous-generation HBM4 will be used in NVIDIA Corporation (NVDA.US)'s Vera Rubin AI supercomputer, which is forecast to be launched in 3Q26. HBM4E is estimated to be applied to the Vera Rubin Ultra platform next year.
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Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) is preparing to launch the second-generation iPhone Air in the spring of next year, Bloomberg, citing sources, reported.

The new model is anticipated to add a rear camera for ultra-wide photography. The device is undergoing internal testing at Apple.

While the appearance of the new iPhone Air will remain unchanged, Apple is working to enhance battery life and may achieve this by improving energy efficiency, sources divulged.
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This article was automatically translated by AI, the Chinese version should be considered the authoritative version. AASTOCKS.com Limited does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness and accepts no liability for any damages or losses arising from the use of this translation.

Microsoft Corporation (MSFT.US) has built a sizable business by selling AI models to Chinese enterprises, as ByteDance has been Microsoft’s largest AI customer in recent years, primarily using OpenAI models, with annual spending on Microsoft’s AI and cloud services estimated to breach USD1 billion, Bloomberg cited sources as saying.

Other Chinese technology companies, including Ant Group, MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) and TENCENT (00700.HK), have also invested heavily in AI models through Microsoft’s Azure cloud services.

Microsoft has reportedly established subsidiaries in China to keep pace with local innovation and serve multinational clients. President Brad Smith testified before Congress that Microsoft’s business in China remains relatively small, accounting for only about 1.5% of the company’s total revenue in 2024.

ByteDance, MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) and TENCENT (00700.HK) have not responded to the report, while an Ant Group spokesperson said the company develops its own AI models and that its core products do not rely on external models.
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Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) CEO Tim Cook told The Wall Street Journal that the company plans to raise product prices to offset surging costs of memory and storage chips.

He said price hikes are unfortunately unavoidable, adding Apple is making every effort to ease the substantial cost pressure passed on by suppliers and has been working to shield customers from the impact of price hikes, but the current situation has become difficult to sustain.

Cook declined to disclose the specific timing, magnitude or affected products of the planned price increases.

Apple’s next major product launch is likely to take place in September, when the iPhone 18 series is expected to be unveiled, including a new foldable iPhone model.
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The HSI closed at 24,312, down 181 pts or 0.74%. Full-day turnover reached HKD270.412 billion. The HSTECH closed at 4,669, up 10 pts or 0.22%, while the HSCEI closed at 8,144, down 96 pts or 1.17%.

Major techs were mixed. KUAISHOU-W (01024.HK)’s Kling AI is reportedly seeking to raise over USD2 billion at a post-investment valuation of USD18 billion. Its shares bucked the market to close up 7.34% at HKD47.7. TENCENT (00700.HK) dipped 0.45%, BABA-W (09988.HK) faded 0.09%, and MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) dropped nearly 1.2%.

KINGBOARD HLDG (00148.HK) placed shares of KB LAMINATES (01888.HK) at an 11.5% discount. KB LAMINATES rattled in the morning, once diving 5.7%, before rebounding 6.87% to a record high of HKD91.8, and ended the day up 3.08%. KINGBOARD HLDG also opened lower but reversed course to finish up 17.68%.

Automakers posted notable declines. LI AUTO-W (02015.HK) shed 3.75%, the worst-performing blue chip of the day. XPENG-W (09868.HK) fell off 3.09%, while GEELY AUTO (00175.HK), BYD COMPANY (01211.HK) and NIO-SW (09866.HK) each slid more than 2%.

KNOWLEDGE ATLAS (02513.HK) officially launched and open-sourced GLM-5.2 today, with its shares skyrocketing 12.62%. MINIMAX-W (00100.HK) shot up 6.34%, while XUNCE (03317.HK) lost 2.56%.
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Amazon.com, Inc. (AMZN.US)'s Amazon Web Services (AWS) held the AWS Summit Hong Kong and announced a deepening of its strategic partnership with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTPC).

The AWS Joint Innovation Center established by both parties will launch a new three-year strategic upgrade plan, promoting three major strategies: "Co-nurturing Startups", "Developing AI Talent" and "Empowering Global Expansion". The annual target of jointly supporting more than 100 startups will be stretched to cover the life and health technology sector.

Terry Wong, CEO of HKSTPC, said the upgrade of the AWS Joint Innovation Center will enable resources to be deployed more systematically into the most promising areas.
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The HSI closed at 24,403 at midday, down 89 pts or 0.37%, with half-day turnover at HKD145.514 billion. The HSTECH closed at 4,666 at midday, up 8 pts or 0.18%, while the HSCEI closed at 8,179, down 60 pts or 0.73%.

Among major techs, General Atlantic is reportedly in talks to lead a financing of over USD2 billion for KUAISHOU-W (01024.HK)'s Kling AI. KUAISHOU-W rallied 5.81% at midday. TENCENT (00700.HK) gained over 1%. BABA-W (09988.HK) edged up 0.28%. MEITUAN-W (03690.HK) faded 0.33%.

Apple-related stocks bucked the market trend on reports that Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) plans to launch a series of new products by the end of next year, including camera-equipped AirPods and a second-generation foldable iPhone. SUNNY OPTICAL (02382.HK) leaped 8.45% at midday, making it the best-performing blue chip. ASMPT (00522.HK) swelled 3.91%, AAC TECH (02018.HK) added 2.76%, and LENS (06613.HK) hiked 1.8%.

KINGBOARD HLDG (00148.HK) placed shares in KB LAMINATES (01888.HK) at an 11.5% discount. KB LAMINATES fluctuated in the morning session, once diving 5.7% before rebounding to leap as much as 6.87%, and closed up 0.23% at midday. KINGBOARD HLDG also opened lower before rebounding, surging 16.87% at midday to HKD115.7.
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Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) plans to launch a series of new products by the end of next year, including AirPods equipped with cameras, a second-generation foldable iPhone, and a new iPhone model to mark the 20th anniversary of the iPhone, Bloomberg, citing people with the knowledge of the matter, reported.

HK-listed Apple concept stocks bucked the market trend and ascended today (17th). SUNNY OPTICAL (02382.HK) last quoted at HKD80.65, up 8.11%. ASMPT (00522.HK) last quoted at HKD201.4, up 3.6%. AAC TECH (02018.HK) last quoted at HKD49, up 2.42%. LENS (06613.HK) last quoted at HKD28.2, up 1.37%.

The above products reportedly entered the later stages of development. The new AirPods will incorporate cameras into the earbud stems as computer vision sensors to provide Siri with information about the user’s surrounding environment and objects.

After launching its first foldable iPhone this year, Apple is expected to introduce a second-generation model by the end of next year, indicating that foldable devices may become part of Apple’s regular product upgrade cycle.
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