Innovation

Asana has been named a Leader in Forrester’s Collaborative Work Management (CWM) Tools, Q2 2025 report. The company received its highest score in the Strategy category, excelling in Vision, Innovation, and Roadmap. Asana’s vision focuses on human and AI collaboration, offering features like AI Studio and Smart Workflow Gallery to enhance productivity and streamline workflows. The platform aims to connect work with core objectives and provide transparency, supporting businesses navigating an AI-driven landscape.

Richard Yu, Huawei’s automotive executive, criticized underperformance within China’s EV sector. He argued against allowing the “lowest common denominator” to dictate industry standards, likening it to a school where the weakest student hinders progress. Yu advocates for prioritizing innovation and celebrating excellence to avoid complacency and ensure user safety and overall advancement.

Amidst China’s EV price war, automaker executives debate the price-value relationship. GAC emphasizes customer experience and lifecycle cost. BJEV’s chairman stresses profitability challenges, warning against prioritizing short-term gains over quality, safety, and long-term sustainable growth. He critiques unsustainable practices, advocating for innovation, high-end markets, and ethical business conduct, emphasizing customer trust as vital for the industry’s future.

Chinese media and government bodies are urging a halt to the EV price wars due to sustainability concerns. They emphasize the need for innovation over price cuts, citing the rising demand for high-tech EVs. The focus shifts towards value-driven competition, encouraging manufacturers to prioritize long-term success through technological and management advancements. This shift aims to create a sustainable market and foster overseas expansion, avoiding the pitfalls of solely price-focused strategies.

At the 2025 Future Automotive Pioneers Conference, Huawei’s Richard Yu outlined the company’s automotive vision. Key takeaways include Huawei’s strong brand appeal, leading autonomous driving tech, premium AITO brand positioning, and advances in smart cockpits. Yu also emphasized Huawei’s compliance with national standards, cautioned against flawed industry practices, and criticized relying on the lowest performing benchmarks. He highlighted the need for true innovation over hype.

Leapmotor’s CEO Zhu Jiangming was awarded the 2025 Zhejiang Province Science Entrepreneur, the only automotive leader recognized. The award acknowledges his contributions to EV technology, particularly CTC battery integration and central electronic architecture, enhancing China’s EV competitiveness. The Zhejiang Science Entrepreneurship Program, launched in 2024, aims to cultivate innovative entrepreneurial leaders.

The 2025 Future Automotive Pioneers Conference in Shenzhen highlighted NIO’s advancements. CEO William Li unveiled the unified brand presence of NIO, ONVO, and Firefly, cleverly referencing “Willing to Win” in Chinese. He also emphasized NIO’s commitment to Shenzhen’s innovative spirit and its extensive charging network utilized by 90% of non-NIO vehicle drivers, solidifying NIO’s infrastructure investment in China.

At Design Shanghai 2025, ASKO, a century-old appliance brand, will unveil its latest collection, emphasizing the blend of technology and aesthetics. The “Breathing with Nature” themed exhibition, inspired by Scandinavian design, showcases sustainable practices and innovative solutions. The display includes an art installation by Chen Min, and forums exploring sustainable living. ASKO’s commitment to environmentally friendly design, evident in its dishwashers and washing machines, will be highlighted along with its accolades, including the Red Dot Design Award.

A young Chinese student sparked a viral sensation by using a printed QR code to pay for street food, demonstrating ingenuity in circumventing digital wallets. This highlights how digital payment methods, particularly QR codes, are integrated into daily life in China. QR codes’ efficiency and cost-effectiveness have revolutionized sectors like food service and tourism, streamlining transactions and improving consumer experiences.

The Linux Foundation and Meta highlight open-source AI’s (OSAI) pivotal role in driving innovation and enterprise adoption, with 94% of surveyed organizations using AI tools—89% leveraging open-source solutions. Cost efficiency fuels adoption: two-thirds of enterprises report lower deployment expenses versus proprietary systems, while omitting OSAI could triple corporate costs. OSAI enables over 50% operational cost reductions and sector-specific gains, including $290B in manufacturing and $260B in healthcare. Meta’s PyTorch exemplifies decentralized innovation, shifting governance to a nonprofit model and spurring external collaboration. The study projects 20% wage premiums for AI-skilled workers, positioning OSAI as critical infrastructure for economic resilience and competitive diversity across industries.