T-Head's Self-Developed AI Chips Gain Traction in Auto Industry, Deployed on Alibaba Cloud

Market data showed that in Q1 2026, China's consumer-grade XR market formed a dual-track development pattern with AR sustaining growth and VR undergoing structural adjustment, with total sales of 190,000 units, up 63% YoY. Among them, the AR market grew 111% YoY, while the VR market continued to decline. The market expects that in H2 2026, with the popularization of optical waveguide technology, breakthroughs in MicroLED mass production, and deep integration of AI large models, the AR industry will usher in multi-technology convergence and application scenario expansion, accelerating penetration into the mass consumer market and driving the industry into a new phase of full-scenario intelligent interaction.

Global demand for new-type energy storage surged, driving sustained strong orders for energy storage battery cells and a tightening supply-demand pattern for battery cells. Amid the robust momentum of operating at nearly full capacity, top-tier battery enterprises and second-tier producers ramped up investment, as the industry shifted from earlier cautious wait-and-see approaches to proactive capacity expansion. Wang Pengcheng, co-founder and president of Hithium, which ranked second globally in energy storage battery cell shipments, recently stated that the company's orders had been booked through 2027. More precisely, "by the end of 2027, all orders have been locked in ahead of schedule." He also candidly pointed out a phenomenon within the industry: although the capacity utilization rate of top-tier players already exceeded 95%, the reality was that there was overcapacity in outdated capacity while advanced capacity was severely insufficient. He emphasized that the industry should be vigilant against low-level redundant construction at this stage. When discussing Hithium's own expansion considerations, Wang Pengcheng declared, "All capacity going forward must be advanced capacity only. We will not build redundant capacity, and we will not expand unless we are leading.

Russian producer Seligdar released its Q1 2026 production results, with tin concentrates production up 10% YoY to 921 mt. More than half of the tin concentrates production came from the Solnechny Production Complex, whose production was up 8% compared to the same period in 2025. Although tin ore mining volume declined 10% to 264,000 mt in Q1, ore processing volume (including pre-concentration through XRT sorting) remained flat compared to the previous period at 279,000 mt.