High Capacity

From DeepSeek to Kimi, China's open-source AI models have gotten all the attention. But open source has a much longer history in China, according to Kevin Xu, former head of global expansion strategy at GitHub. Kevin takes us on a journey through China's open source evolution, from its grassroots beginnings to its central role today in China's AI strategy. We also get into the current OpenClaw craze in China and why Chinese tech firms seem to be jumping in faster than their American peers.

00:00 Intro to Kevin Xu
04:21 Early days of Chinese open source
16:11 1024 Programmers' Day and 996.ICU
27:33 Huawei enters the game
41:57 DeepSeek moment
51:17 China's OpenClaw frenzy
56:40 Will China keep doing open-source?

Links:
Chinese Open Source: A Definitive History
Kevin Xu's Interconnected newsletter
Interconnected Capital
Kevin Xu on Twitter / X
For transcripts and more, check out the High Capacity newsletter

What's China's tech culture really like? Are there billionaire tech founders? Are they worshipped like they are in the US? What inspires Chinese tech entrepreneurs?

00:00 Intro to Afra Wang
00:33 What is Chinese tech culture?
09:04 China's 4 tech generations
20:25 China's tech founders and the government
25:42 China's tech canon
44:12 Chinese sci-fi and tech culture
50:43 Chinese ideas of industrial power

Links:
- Concurrent newsletter
- Afra's professional website
- Wired: You've Never Heard of China's Greatest Sci-Fi Novel
- Asterisk: The China Tech Canon
- Afra on Twitter / X

Transcripts and more on the High Capacity newsletter

A deep dive into China's robotaxi and autonomous driving industry. What are the big trends? Who are the major players? LiDAR vs. camera-only? How good are Chinese robotaxis? Where are they going next? I'm joined by China EV and AV expert Lei Xing in this episode of the High Capacity podcast.
00:00 Intro to Lei Xing
01:06 Smart driving vs. autonomous driving
06:37 Chinese government policy for autonomous vehicles
13:44 What's it like to ride a Chinese robotaxi?
19:29 China's different robotaxi strategies
29:30 Huawei as a major player
35:11 AI and autonomous driving in China
41:25 Semiconductor chips and smart driving
47:21 Shifting geopolitical landscape
53:40 Commercial trucking and delivery robots
Follow Lei Xing:
Twitter / X

LinkedIn

YouTube

China EVs & More podcast

For transcripts and more episodes, check out the High Capacity newsletter.

China's top AI players like Alibaba, ByteDance, and Moonshot are pursuing different strategies. China AI expert Grace Shao joins me on the High Capacity podcast to talk about the most important trends in China's AI landscape: agentic AI, ecosystem integration, raising capital, and navigating geopolitics.
00:00 Intro to Grace Shao
03:51 Agentic AI in China
17:42 The popularity of ByteDance's Doubao app
23:11 China's AI tigers
28:42 Shifts in China's AI strategy
34:32 Meta's acquisition of Manus
40:43 Singapore as a geopolitical gateway for AI
50:12 Future trends in China's AI industry
Links:
AI Proem newsletter
Differentiated Understanding podcast
High Capacity newsletter

Chinese EVs are transforming the global auto industry. Tu Le, founder and Managing Director of Sino Auto Insights, joins me on the High Capacity podcast to talk about what's happening with Chinese EVs: technology and features, global expansion, new approaches to manufacturing, hybrids, and robotaxis.00:00 Introduction to Tu Le00:56 Cool Technology in Chinese EVs05:16 Chinese EVs at CES in Las Vegas07:18 Geely's Ambitious Plans for the US Market09:50 Who are the Major Chinese EV Players?17:07 Are EVs like Consumer Electronics?25:16 Manufacturing Changes in the Auto Industry29:05 Overcapacity and Chinese EVs31:43 Overcapacity and Global Implications37:33 Partnering with Chinese EV Makers44:12 The Future of Hybrids and the EV Transition50:18 The Rise of Robotaxis and Autonomous Driving
Links:
Sino Auto Insights
SAI Newsletter
China EVs & More podcast
At the Wheel podcast

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Follow Kyle Chan on Twitter / X