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Tech Morning Brief 1021: Apple reportedly secures TSMC 1.4nm capacity...
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- DeepHorus
On October 21, several important developments in the technology sector were disclosed in a concentrated manner, covering semiconductors, smart cars, children's smart hardware, and AI governance. Apple was reported to have locked in TSMC's 1.4nm capacity; the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology sought public comments on automotive exterior lighting; the social threshold of children's smartwatches sparked heated discussion; and BYD's second-generation Seagull launched. Multiple events show that industrial chain competition and regulatory standardization are advancing in parallel.
JPMorgan's latest research report shows that Apple plans to spend heavily to lock in the first batch of TSMC's 1.4nm capacity in advance, and the 2028 iPhone is expected to be the first model to carry A-series chips made with this process. The news moves the capacity battle for Apple's next-generation advanced process forward to 2028. For leading terminal manufacturers, securing advanced-process capacity in advance is crucial to chip performance and supply security.
On October 20, the First Department of Equipment Industry of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology issued the 'Installation Requirements for Exterior Lighting and Light-Signaling Devices of Motor Vehicles and Trailers (Draft for Comments)', explicitly prohibiting vehicles without L3-level or higher autonomous driving systems from installing ADS marker lights. This means the 'little blue light' for L2-level intelligent driving has been officially banned. The document also proposes that, except for the illuminated logo function, each function of the lamp must not display text, and adds a requirement for a dedicated blue-green light color for ADS marker lights. Several automakers had received relevant information successively in July.
On October 20, the topic of children's smartwatch brands becoming a social threshold for primary school students trended on social media. Some parents complained that Xiaotiancai cannot add friends across brands, and only children who also use Xiaotiancai can add friends by tapping devices. However, the mandatory national standard 'Safety Technical Requirements for Children's Smartwatches' will take effect on January 1, 2027, explicitly requiring watches of different brands to be able to exchange phone numbers and nicknames. The standard is expected to break closed social barriers and push children's smart hardware back toward safety and openness.
BYD's second-generation Seagull model has officially launched, with a starting price of 65,900 yuan. The new car's dimensions have increased significantly; the seating has been upgraded from four seats to five; a front trunk has been added; the powertrain has been changed to rear-mounted rear-wheel drive; the suspension has been upgraded; and two range versions are offered. Higher-trim models support fast charging and can also be optioned with intelligent driving features. This upgrade covers multiple dimensions including space, drive, and energy replenishment, adding another key model to the A0-segment pure electric market.
In the field of AI and automotive cooperation, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on October 20, in response to the U.S. government requiring agencies to stop using DeepSeek, that China has consistently opposed overgeneralizing the concept of national security and politicizing scientific, technological, and economic trade issues, and will resolutely safeguard the lawful rights and interests of Chinese enterprises. On the same day, reports said that AITO's overseas models will adopt a 'BOSCH Inside' cooperation model, jointly developed with Bosch, and that the overseas versions of the AITO M6, M7, M8, and M9 will be equipped with Bosch's full set of intelligent solutions. DeepSeek announced that it will fully open-source its internal inference framework DeepInfer, with the goal of making large models accessible to all.
In terms of industry data, the 1 millionth Geely Xingyuan rolled off the line; it reached one million units about two years after launch, going from 600,000 to 1 million units in only about seven months, with the last 200,000 units taking about two months, and the company says one is sold every minute. NetEase Cloud Music's HarmonyOS version has completed full adaptation for mainstream terminals such as phones, foldable screens, tablets, sports watches, computers, and Huawei HiCar, and supports seamless cross-device playback. As semiconductors, intelligent driving regulation, children's hardware, and the open AI ecosystem continue to evolve, relevant companies will seek a new balance between compliance and innovation.
