Tech in Asia

What’s stopping Asia’s chip makers from taking on Nvidia? (Premium read) Nvidia’s rise has made the semiconductor industry generate almost as much FOMO as revenue. This transformation has led to thousands of AI chip startups across Asia, many founded by veterans of older, pre-AI companies such as Intel and AMD. Here comes the bottleneck. Like Nvidia, all of these startups design chips but leave the manufacturing to specialist foundries. The problem is that only a handful of major fabrication facilities exist, such as TSMC and Samsung Foundry, meaning securing a relationship with one of these foundries can matter as much as the chip itself. However, access to foundries is only one constraint startups face. We spoke with founders and investors to examine the state of the industry, why investors continue backing AI chip startups despite these bottlenecks, and how they plan to answer the commercial questions in a market dominated by Nvidia. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

🌏💸M-Daq chases bigger clients as revenue falls, losses grow (Premium read) 💱 M-Daq Global says the focus is on serving enterprise customers with larger cross-border payment needs, with higher-value foreign exchange and payments services that help businesses collect and make cross-border payments in local currencies. 📈 Tan Choon Seng says gross margin improved to 54.9% as enterprise payments “performed strongly,” with gross transaction value rising 2.6x in 2025. Dig into the cash-flow swing to a negative US$18.3 million and what it means for a roughly 21‑month runway. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

🚀🌍Beyond Capital Episode 01 : The Bet (Read more) 🔥 Beyond Capital is a fireside chat series by Tech in Asia and HSBC Innovation Banking that brings founders, investors, and ecosystem partners together to explore what it takes for high-growth tech companies to scale internationally. 🤖 In the first episode, Neil Falconer is joined by Jeremy Au and Lorin Gu to discuss building and funding AI-led startups, while underscoring trust built through clear communication over time. Dive into how HSBC Innovation Banking supports the innovation ecosystem through scaling moments, including growth financing and international expansion, here. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

Scaling AI for millions Grab is more than just a super app. It uses AI to manage its vast network of users, drivers, and businesses. As chief product officer, Philipp Kandal leads the product and technical strategy behind the millions of daily transactions on the platform across Southeast Asia. Moving AI out of the lab and into a real-time consumer environment requires an infrastructure that cannot fail. This in-depth fireside chat pulls back the curtain on Grab's AI machinery, revealing hard-won lessons on making intelligence reliable at a regional scale. From supporting consumer-facing features to ensuring operational consistency, Philipp shares the road map for building AI that survives the pressure of a massive, high-velocity ecosystem. Catch this session only at Tech in Asia Conference: https://bit.ly/4gzHwno

🚀🌏This firm helps companies build new realities behind the scenes (Read more) 🤝 Concentrix is a global technology and services company that acts as a partner to major brands, evolving from streamlining customer support to end-to-end intelligent transformation, AI orchestration, and cloud migration. 🧠 Services span strategy and design, data and analytics, enterprise technology, and digital operations to modernize tech stacks, embed AI, unify data, and automate workflows. Dive into the Vietnam and Malaysia examples, including a 90% reduction in errors and more than US$226,000 in net business benefit, at the link. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

🤖🌏What’s stopping Asia’s chip makers from taking on Nvidia? (Premium read) 🏭 Thousands of AI chip startups across Asia are fabless, but only a few major fabrication facilities such as TSMC and Samsung Foundry can manufacture at advanced nodes, and getting an allocation is “not so easy.” 🧩 Even with foundry access, AI chips need high-bandwidth memory and advanced packaging, creating more bottlenecks, so many startups in India and Southeast Asia focus on edge AI chips on older nodes with more manufacturing options. Dig into how cost and sovereignty concerns are pushing buyers toward non-US, non-China alternatives—and how governments back “national champions.” Follow us @techinasiaofficial

📈🚀Doctor Anywhere posts healthier operations in 2025 (Premium read) 🩺 Recorded S$1.1 million in operating profit for 2025, its first positive in four years, rebounding from a S$35.9 million operating loss. 🌏 CEO Wai Mun Lim called 2025 a “defining year,” phasing out underperforming units, exiting Vietnam, and focusing on “scaling in our core markets” as patient services drove revenue to S$91.1 million. Dig into the full story to see how Doctor Anywhere is lining up a potential acquisition as it heads toward its 10th year. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

📈🤖Singapore’s digital banking battle in 8 charts (Premium read) 💰 Green Link Digital Bank recorded US$12.5 million in net profit in 2025, only three years after launch; Trust Bank’s total income reached US$104.7 million. 🏢 Digital banks are increasingly targeting small and medium enterprises, integrating AI to improve operational efficiency, and attracting depositors with double-digit deposit growth in 2025. Follow up to learn why the Monetary Authority of Singapore expects net profitability five years in, with the window closing around 2027 or 2028. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

💾💸Graas raises $17m, buys Trustana in agentic commerce push (Premium read) 🗄️ A majority of the funds raised will go into building a database combining product and customer information, the foundation of its AI agent platform. 🤖 AI agents are only useful if they can access accurate information about products, customers, prices, and inventory, but a large majority of product data is in “terrible shape.” Dive in to learn which investors led the series B round, and why LemmaTree becomes the largest shareholder in Graas. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

📈🤖LionsBot eyes EBITDA profit, potential listing by 2027 (Premium read) 💰 The firm expects to generate S$50 million (US$38.9 million) in revenue this year, up from US$28.6 million in 2025. 🧹 LionsBot has sold more than 1,000 R5 units since its launch in April. Rising demand is correlated to a shortage of cleaning workers. Read on to learn how Griffin Labs is developing robots for cleaning toilets, wiping surfaces, and collecting trash. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

🌌💡Skyroot’s frugal rocket formula and why it won’t follow SpaceX (Premium read) 🚀 Skyroot Aerospace successfully launched Vikram 1 last month, making history as the country’s first privately built orbital rocket, and challenging the notion that blazing through cash is a prerequisite for growth. 🛰️ Skyroot is trying to solve the problem of access to space, as too many satellites are waiting to be launched but too few vehicles are available, so some customers book an entire rocket to fly directly to their required destination in space. Dig into the interview to find out the technology choices—solid propulsion, carbon composite, and 3D printing—that helped bring down the overall cost. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

If you’re reading this on a screen, your videos, photos, and late-night rants have almost certainly been ingested into a server farm to train someone else’s AI model. Twitch recently faced backlash after confirming parent company Amazon used creator livestreams for AI training data. Naturally, they responded by rolling out an “opt-out” toggle, because, as corporate logic dictates, making it “opt-in” would mean zero human beings would ever voluntarily agree to it. A month ago over on Instagram, Meta tried enabling users to AI-generate content based on other people’s posts until public outcry forced a partial retreat (though the residual settings remain tucked away in your privacy menu). And don’t even get me started on the others. At this point, your entire digital existence is default training fodder for tech conglomerates. And that’s nice to know. Who cares about consent and all that anyway, amirite? Follow us @techinasiaofficial

Skyroot’s frugal rocket formula and why it won’t follow SpaceX (Premium read) Skyroot Aerospace is currently one of the hottest names in India. That is because the Hyderabad-based spacetech unicorn successfully launched Vikram 1 last month, making history as the country’s first privately built orbital rocket. What stands out is how little capital it has used to get there, raising just US$150 million since 2018 while building what it says is one of the world’s lowest-cost rockets. Fresh from the achievement, CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana said he believes India has all the components needed to produce world-class deeptech companies that can achieve “extremely difficult milestones.” We sat down with co-founder and CEO Pawan Kumar Chandana to find the answer, and to discuss Skyroot’s approach to competing with SpaceX and the advantages of being based in India and Asia. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

Singapore’s enParadigm expands Asia Pacific program (News read) What’s happening? - AI firm enParadigm, which builds AI training and talent intelligence software, is expanding an AI-powered training program for an unnamed top-three Singapore bank. - The company said Catalyx, its AI-powered learning and talent intelligence platform, helps wealth advisers practice difficult client conversations, while showing managers skill gaps. Why it matters - EnParadigm said the bank’s initial cohorts saw quarterly revenue per adviser rise by 50 percent, weekly customer appointments double, and competency scores improve by an average of 35 percent. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

MSCI to remove GoTo from Indonesia index in August (News read) What’s happening? - Morgan Stanley Capital International (MSCI) will remove PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia Tbk from the MSCI Indonesia index at the end of August 2026. - Last May, MSCI froze changes to GoTo’s index position over concerns about low liquidity, which could make large trades difficult for investors tracking the index. The context - The move adds pressure on the Indonesian tech group as GoTo’s market capitalization has fallen to about US$3.2 billion from roughly US$29 billion, while its shares have remained at the Indonesia Stock Exchange’s minimum trading price of US$0.0028 per share since May 13, 2026. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

The AI infrastructure boom is built on data nobody actually has (Premium read) AI infrastructure spending has grown large enough to pose two opposite risks. If the buildout doesn’t pay off, the losses could ripple through the global economy. If it does pay off, the resulting labor displacement could be just as disruptive. Matt Walker, chief analyst at MTN Consulting, argues that both scenarios depend on metrics the industry still struggles to measure accurately: how much does AI traffic actually cost? And how much traffic is there? Walker believes the AI boom is being driven largely on emotion as the industry lacks reliable, independently verified data on AI traffic and its impact, making the current spending spree harder to assess. In this article, he explains what we know about AI traffic, where demand is emerging across the infrastructure supply chain, and why today’s forecasts may be more fragile than they appear. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

AI makes launching new ideas easier than ever, but keeping a competitive edge is a whole different story. 💡 Today, a company’s true moat lies in protecting its intangible assets, like proprietary data, unique workflows, and brand equity. With a smart IP strategy, firms can: • Attract investors by proving long-term value early on. • Scale globally without getting copied overnight. • Turn hidden data and algorithms into your biggest competitive advantage. Join global leaders to discuss how AI is rewriting the rules of innovation at Singapore IP Week 2026, taking place from August 26 to 27: https://bit.ly/iposipweek2026omnichannel-cta Follow us @techinasiaofficial

While foreign VCs are fleeing Indonesia, a different kind of investor is quietly propping up Indonesia’s real economy: Hyperlocal Venture Capital (HVC) firms. Instead of chasing cash-burning unicorns, these regional funds invest exclusively in small businesses within a single province. By swapping typical equity deals for debt financing and profit-sharing agreements, some of these HVCs are claiming effective annual returns of 25 to 30% — mostly because they actually understand the local terrain better than a high-rise fund manager ever could. It isn't without serious risk, though. Being hyper-focused means almost zero diversification. These firms are entirely at the mercy of local economic downturns, provincial government policies, and fiscal centralization from Jakarta that can choke regional funding overnight. Not to mention…that guy. You know which guy. Catch the full deep-dive by Jofie on the Tech in Asia app or website! Follow us @techinasiaofficial

Malaysia’s U Mobile works with OpenAI to explore AI applications (News read) What’s happening? - U Mobile is working with OpenAI to explore AI uses in customer service, internal workflows, cybersecurity, software development, data analytics, and network operations. - OpenAI will also become an anchor partner for U Mobile’s Enterprise Innovation Platform, which works with businesses, startups, developers, and academia on AI and 5G-Advanced projects. The context - U Mobile is Malaysia’s third-largest mobile operator, with 9.8 million mobile connections and a 19.8 percent market share. The company is expanding after being selected to build the country’s second 5G network. Follow us @techinasiaofficial

Meta to unwind US$2 billion Manus AI deal after China order (News read) What’s happening? - AI firm Manus will soon operate independently again after Chinese regulators ordered Meta to unwind its US$2 billion acquisition. - The startup also said some users must back up data created on or after December 29, 2025, because separating from Meta requires changes to meet regulatory requirements in specific parts of the world. The context - China has ordered the parties to withdraw the deal while officials examine whether it violated the country’s foreign investment rules. - Since then, Beijing has tightened tech export controls on cross-border deals as the US and China compete for talent, hardware, and data in an intensifying AI race. Follow us @techinasiaofficial