6. Japan’s NEC is rumored to be planning to sell data centers for US$500 million

Bloomberg News on March 14: Japan's NEC Corp. is considering selling its data centers as it seeks to streamline its portfolio and raise funds by selling non-core assets, according to people familiar with the matter. NEC is seeking to hire financial advisers to help prepare for a sale of the business, which could be worth $400 million to $500 million. Other data center operators and infrastructure funds have shown preliminary interest in these assets.

Negotiations are still in preliminary stages and the formal sale process may not start until later this year, people familiar with the matter said. NEC may also decide to retain a minority stake in the business or retain the assets even longer.

Japan's NEC was founded in 1899 and focuses on information technology and network communications, biometrics, Internet of Things and artificial intelligence (AI) technology. NEC shares have more than doubled in the past 12 months, valuing the company at about $20 billion. NEC Corp has been selling non-core assets, including its stake in chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp, under pressure from activist investors. In February this year, NEC sold part of its shares in Japan Avionics Industries Co., Ltd., reducing its shareholding ratio from 50.8% to 34%. Oasis Management had sought an injunction to stop share buybacks, but the request was later dismissed in court.

7. During the shutdown of Tesla’s Berlin Gigafactory, employee wages will not be affected.

NetEase Technology reported on March 14 that Tesla’s Giga Berlin-Brandenburg factory in Greenheide, Germany, has resumed production after a suspected arson attack and is currently producing Tesla’s best-selling model, Model Y. Tesla also reportedly paid full wages to factory employees during the shutdown.

8. Ministry of Industry and Information Technology: my country’s automobile production and sales increased year-on-year from January to February this year, and exports increased by 30.5%

The Ministry of Industry and Information Technology announced the operation of my country's automobile industry on March 14. Statistics show that from January to February 2024, my country's automobile production and sales completed 3.919 million units and 4.026 million units respectively, a year-on-year increase of 8.1% and 11.1% respectively; the export of complete automobiles was 822,000 units. , a year-on-year increase of 30.5%. Exports of new energy vehicles reached 182,000 units, a year-on-year increase of 7.5%.

In February, my country's automobile production and sales completed 1.506 million units and 1.584 million units respectively, a year-on-year decrease of 25.9% and 19.9% ​​respectively. In the field of passenger vehicles, production and sales were 1.273 million and 1.333 million units respectively, a year-on-year decrease of 25.8% and 19.4% respectively; in the field of commercial vehicles, production and sales were 233,000 and 251,000 units respectively, a year-on-year decrease of more than 20%.

In terms of new energy vehicles, my country's production and sales in February were 464,000 and 477,000 respectively, down 16% and 9.2% respectively year-on-year. According to statistics from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, the production and sales of new energy vehicles from January to February were 1.252 million and 1.207 million respectively, a year-on-year increase of 28.2% and 29.4% respectively. The sales of new energy vehicles accounted for 30.1% of the total sales of new automobiles.

9. Xiaomi SU7 is about to be launched: employees of certain "Lei Jun" companies will be given priority to purchase and take delivery of their cars.

Sina Technology reported on March 14 that Lei Jun posted on his personal Weibo that Xiaomi SU7 will be released on March 28, and the number of people who made reservations for the store increased by more than 100,000 in one day. According to the report, in addition to Xiaomi’s internal employees having the right of first refusal, individual “Lei Jun” companies have also secured the right of first refusal to purchase the first batch of Xiaomi SU7 cars.

A Xiaomi employee said that Xiaomi will most likely conduct an intention survey for "Lei Jun-type" companies. A person close to Huanju Group told Sina Technology that Huanju Group has been registering its intention to purchase cars with priority this week, and the number of places is limited. In this person's view, having the right of first refusal means being able to get priority delivery. "The early production capacity is definitely insufficient. There are many channels for paying deposits later, but how long it will take to deliver is the question." As for the much-anticipated Xiaomi SU7 As for the price, the person said, "There is no more information other than the registration of intention. There is currently no internal price list. In the end, the information at the press conference will prevail."

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