Asian Tech Roundup: EU risks Chinese trade war

Plus, Australian police suffer major data breach

Personal information of Australian federal police officers has appeared on the dark web after law firm HWL Ebsworth, which works with the federal police, was hacked by the Blackcat ransomware gang. There are fears that many other organisations could also be affected. Source
MSP Logicalis has launched a service to help CIOs with what it describes as Australia's "haywire" IT talent shortage. Source
Pizza Hut Australia has suffered a data breach, leaking the name, delivery address, email address and phone numbers of around 190,000 people. Source

European Commission president Ursula von der Leyen has said the EU is considering tariffs against Chinese EV makers, which are themselves supported by state subsidies. Such a move could risk a trade war with China. Source
Tencent's QQ platform has been ordered to close for a month by the Chinese authorities after children were exposed to porn. Source
The Chinese government has denied media reports that it has banned iPhone use in local government. Source
Apple has delayed shipping its iPhone 15 in China due to strong demand. Buyers of the 15 Pro Max will need to wait 4-5 weeks, and 2-3 weeks for the 15 Pro. The regular model will begin shipping today, 22nd September. Source
The Australian Strategic Policy Institute says China leads advanced technological research in 80% of critical fields, including hypersonics and underwater drones. The USA leads the other 20%. Source
A Shanghai-based recruiting firm, ManGo Associates, says China is facing a critical shortage of AI talent. Source
Daniel Zhang has resigned as head of Alibaba's cloud unit. Source

Commerce minister Piyush Goyal has said Tesla plans to almost double its spend on component sourcing from India this year, to between $1.7 billion and $1.9 billion. Source
India's government may do away with longstanding safe harbour protections in its Digital India Bill, and may give itself powers to issue safe harbour 'licence-like certifications'. If so, the move would give the government more control over speech online. Source
WhatsApp users in India will soon be able to pay for products and services through the chat app. Source
Chinese smartphone brand Honor has returned to India after a three-year break, releasing its Honor 90 in the country. Source
Troubled Indian edtech company Byju transferred $533 million to Camshaft Capital, a Florida-based hedge fund with the registered address of a pancake restaurant, the company's angry creditors allege. Source
The non-profit Future Crime Research Foundation has published a report naming Indian tech hubs like Bangalore, Bengaluru and Gurgaon as cybercrime hotspots. Source

Japan is aiming to roll out dedicated priority lanes for autonomous vehicles in Hitachi, north of Tokyo, apparently as a trial for a nationwide scheme. Source
Toyota has a solid state battery that can charge in 10 minutes due for production in 2027, with a higher performance bipolar lithium iron phosphate battery that can charge in 20 minutes planned for 2025, the automotive giant says. Source

Researchers at Singapore's Nanyang Technological University have developed a simple method to recover high-quality silicon from expired solar panels for use as anodes in lithium-ion batteries. Source
Singapore is looking to protect banks from having to compensate victims of scams by splitting liability between the banks and the scammed. Source

French security company Thales is looking to expand cooperation with South Korea in the fields of cybersecurity, military and satellite communications. Source
South Korean battery parts manufacturer SCK is investing in US semiconductor packaging startup Chipletz. Source
South Korea's Fair Trade Commission has suggested it could fine Broadcom 19.1 billion won ($14.24 million) for forcing Samsung Electronics into a long-term, disadvantageous supply deal. Source

Taiwanese chipmakers TSMC and UMC say sales dropped by up to 25% in August dues to a delayed 3nm manufacturing process and global economic conditions . Source
Taiwan's TSMC has formed an alliance with Nvidia and Broadcom to target AI in the datacentre, according to reports. Source

Indonesia plans to ban the sale of goods via social media, deputy trade minister Jerry Sambuaga has said, over concerns about predatory pricing. Source
Data belonging to 2.2 million Pakistani citizens has been compromised and posted online, after hackers breached a database used by more than 250 restaurants. Source
Vietnam has been brought into the US CHIPS Act with major semiconductor investments by Synopsys and Marvell for chip design centres and by Amkor for assembly facilities in the country. Source