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AstraZeneca Signs $5.3 Billion AI Research Deal with China’s CSPC to Develop Chronic Disease Therapies

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AstraZeneca has entered into a significant AI-driven research partnership with China’s CSPC Pharmaceutical Group worth up to $5.3 billion. The agreement aims to advance the development of therapies targeting chronic diseases, reinforcing AstraZeneca’s commitment to innovation in its second-largest market.

Under the collaboration, CSPC will conduct AI-led research in Shijiazhuang City to discover and develop pre-clinical candidates, including a small molecule oral therapy for immunological diseases. AstraZeneca will pay CSPC an initial upfront fee of $110 million and can receive up to $1.62 billion in development milestone payments, plus an additional $3.6 billion tied to sales milestones.

This partnership follows AstraZeneca’s broader efforts to strengthen its presence in China, including a $2.5 billion investment in a new R&D hub in Beijing announced earlier this year. It also builds on recent collaborations with AI-focused companies like Immunai, Qure.ai, and Tempus AI.

The deal also grants AstraZeneca rights to exclusive licenses for drug candidates identified through the joint research. This adds to a previous licensing deal signed in October, where AstraZeneca agreed to pay up to $1.92 billion to CSPC to enhance its cardiovascular drug pipeline.

CSPC, which derives about 80% of its revenue from finished drugs, is currently exploring additional licensing and collaboration opportunities, according to Morningstar analysts.

Sharon Barr, AstraZeneca executive, highlighted the collaboration as part of the company’s commitment to tackling chronic diseases affecting over two billion people worldwide.

Qualcomm Opens AI Research and Development Centre in Vietnam

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Qualcomm, the U.S.-based chipmaker, announced on Tuesday the launch of a new artificial intelligence (AI) research and development centre in Vietnam.

The centre will focus on advancing generative and agentic AI technologies across a variety of fields including smartphones, personal computers, extended reality (XR), automotive, and Internet of Things (IoT) applications.

This initiative aligns with Vietnam’s national strategies on AI, semiconductors, and digital transformation. Qualcomm plans to emphasize technology transfer, ecosystem collaboration, and capacity building as part of its operations.

During a meeting in Hanoi, Alex Rogers, Qualcomm’s President of Global Affairs, met with Vietnam’s top leader, To Lam. To Lam encouraged Qualcomm to continue expanding its presence in Vietnam, especially in semiconductor manufacturing and digital infrastructure sectors.

Meta’s Zuckerberg Forms New AGI-Focused AI Team Amid Scale AI Investment

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Meta Platforms CEO Mark Zuckerberg is assembling a new artificial intelligence team with a mission to pursue artificial general intelligence (AGI) — AI systems capable of matching or exceeding human-level intelligence — according to a report by Bloomberg News on Tuesday. The move signals Meta’s ambition to compete at the highest level of AI development, alongside rivals like OpenAI.

Zuckerberg is reportedly leading the recruitment of about 50 AI experts to form the AGI group, including searching for a new head of AI research. The effort comes amid Meta’s planned investment of over $10 billion in Scale AI, with Scale AI’s founder Alexandr Wang expected to join Meta’s AGI team once the deal is finalized, Bloomberg reported, citing unnamed sources.

Meta has not yet publicly confirmed the formation of this team. Reuters noted that Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

The creation of the AGI team follows internal dissatisfaction with the performance and reception of Meta’s most recent large language model, Llama 4, according to Bloomberg. Compounding these challenges, the Wall Street Journal previously reported that Meta delayed the release of its flagship “Behemoth” AI model last month due to concerns about its readiness and capabilities.

While Meta continues to build out its Llama series of models and expand AI integration across its platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp, the pivot toward AGI suggests Zuckerberg is positioning Meta to remain competitive as global tech giants race to develop the next generation of AI technology.

Competitors such as OpenAI are also actively seeking additional investment to fuel their AGI research. The AGI race has attracted massive financial commitments, talent acquisitions, and escalating debates about both the promise and risks of creating human-level AI.