ByteDance locks $29.6B loan for AI as Huawei and Xiaomi launch flagship devices

APPSO · wechat · 2026-09-08

A tech news roundup covering:

Huawei HarmonyOS 7 launch: device count passed 85M, Mate XT2 tri-fold from ¥19,999 with Kirin 9050 Pro, Pura X View from ¥5,999; Celia assistant gains proactive, cross-app capabilities.
Xiaomi fall launch: Pengcheng EREV SUV from ¥209,900 (1,705km CLTC), Xiaomi 18Fold from ¥10,999; both phones and tablet debut the XuanRing O3 chip.
Apple reshuffle: Phil Schiller steps back from App Store and launch events; Ternus and Cue want higher App Store margins ($30B/year revenue).
ByteDance: $29.6B loan from 30 banks (Citi, JPMorgan coordinating) to fund AI development and infrastructure — Asia's second-largest dollar loan this year.
UBS now requires AI proficiency in junior investment banking interviews, a first among major banks.
Data points: OmniVision passed Samsung in global CIS share (13.4% vs 13.2%); Q2 DRAM revenue rose 59.5% QoQ to $154.73B; foldables to top 100M cumulative units this year.
Also: Volcano Engine beta-tests an AI IP licensing platform (signed Stephen Chow's IPs); BYD says flash-charging cars constrained by battery capacity; a New Yorker piece argues the AI jobs shock hasn't materialized yet; WorkOS launches AgentAuth to cap AI agent permissions.

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