Asian Tech Roundup: Pressure grows in US-China trade war

Plus: Google 'accidentally' deletes pension fund's cloud account

Google accidentally deleted a Google Cloud account belonging to AUD$125 billion pension fund UniSuper. The company has apologised, but called it an "isolated" incident. Source
Meta's independent oversight board upheld a decision to remove two Facebook posts calling for Australians to vote multiple times in a recent referendum. The decision comes as Australia plans to introduce penalties for platforms that fail to act on misinformation and disinformation. Source
Financial services provider Firstmac has warned customers about a data breach after an extortion group called Embargo leaked 500 GB of stolen personal data. Source

Microsoft is asking 700 to 800 staff involved in machine learning and cloud in China to consider relocating, according to reports. Source
Search engine giant Baidu's Q1 revenues beat analysts' expectations thanks to demand for its AI-powered cloud services. Source
Chinese officials have met with US counterparts in Geneva to discuss the rising challenge of AI technology. Source
Chinese chipmakers are in the early stages of producing high bandwidth memory (HBM) semiconductors used in AI chipsets, representing a significant step in reducing its dependence on foreign suppliers. Source
Huawei's Pura 70 Pro high-end smartphone features a higher proportion of Chinese-made components than previous devices, including a new NAND flash memory storage chip and an improved processor. Source
Softbank has sold its remaining stake in Alibaba - a stock that made up almost half its investment portfolio four years ago. The sale is part of Softbank's move to focus on AI. Source
President Biden is set to levy a 100% tariff on certain Chinese products, including electric vehicles, as the trade war between the countries heats up. Source
Tencent has posted a 6% YoY rise in Q1 revenue to 159.5 billion yuan ($22.04 billion), slightly above analyst estimates. Ad sales rose strongly but gaming, which represents nearly half of Tencent's profits, performed more weakly. Source

Fintech company Groww is the latest Indian tech firm to move its headquarters from the US back to India. Source
IT minister Rajeev Chandrasekhar expects Apple to manufacture a quarter of all iPhones in India by 2028. Source
Software vendor Zoho is asking the Indian government to invest US$700 million to help it manufacture compound semiconductors. Source
Google has made its Wallet app available to smartphone users in India for the first time, partnering with 20 major local brands. Source
Indians are cancelling pre-orders for Tesla cars placed as far as back as 2016, after Elon Musk again cancelled a visit to the country. The company opened pre-orders eight years ago but still doesn't sell cars in India. Source

Toshiba is to cut up to 4,000 jobs in Japan in a restructuring after going private. Source
Honda has signed a deal with IBM to develop neuromorphic and chiplet technologies for software-defined vehicles. Source
Intel is to partner with 14 Japanese companies to develop technology to automate chipmaking processes like packaging, as Japan and the US seek to lower the risk of supplies being cut off by geopolitical tensions. Source
SoftBank announced a 328.9 billion yen ($2.1 billion) quarterly profit, even as its Vision Fund arm made a loss. Its ownership of chipmaker Arm was behind the improved financial outlook. Source
KDDI Corp has said it will deploy drones at 1,000 locations across Japan, as part of a disaster relief network. Source

US lawmakers are considering a $40 million annual fund over three consecutive years to support countries that have strong links with Taiwan, and are being subjected to "coercion or pressure" by China. Source
TSMC plans to begin construction of a chip plant in Europe in Q4 this year. The plant, known as European Semiconductor Manufacturing Co, will be located in Dresden in Germany and is currently set to begin production in 2027. Source

Malaysia has complained to Meta about a post it removed concerning the meeting of prime minister Anwar Ibrahim with Hamas leaders. "I condemn Meta's actions of removing posts, especially since they were in relation to the prime minister's official visit to Qatar," a spokesperson said. Meta has since reinstated the post. Source
Writers and other creatives are pushing back against plans by the Singapore government to train a local large language model on their work. Source
South Korea is preparing plans for a support package for chip investments and research worth more than 10 trillion won ($7.3 billion). The package targets chip materials, equipment makers and fabless companies throughout the semiconductor supply chain, said finance minister Choi Sang-mok. Source
Vietnam plans to attract chipmakers and other tech firms through tax breaks, research spending and infrastructure investments. It is competing with other Southeast Asian firms as chip-making moves out of Taiwan. Source
SpaceX boss Elon Musk plans to visit Indonesia to launch the company's Starlink satellite unit, according to reports. Source