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Embracing the AI Era for a Win-Win Future of Memory Industry: The GMIF2024 Innovation Summit Successfully Held in Shenzhen

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SHENZHEN, China, Sept. 30, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — In the golden glow of autumn, Shenzhen brings all together to convene a grand celebration. On September 27, the Third GMIF2024 Innovation Summit (Global Memory Innovation Forum) has been successfully concluded in Shenzhen. The event was hosted by the Semiconductor Investment Alliance and the Shenzhen Memory Industry Association, co-organized by the Guangdong Integrated Circuit Industry Association and the Shenzhen Semiconductor Industry Association, and organized by JW Insights Consulting (Xiamen) Co., Ltd. and Haitong Securities Co., Ltd.

With the theme of “AI Leads Memory’s New Momentum”, this year’s summit has brought together leading enterprises from various segments of the memory industry chain, including major wafer manufacturers, memory controller suppliers, module producers, packaging and testing enterprises, equipment and materials manufacturers, and terminal manufacturers, as well as representatives from investment institutions. The event centered around all aspects of key topics such as product innovation, technological evolution, and the collaborative development of the industrial chain, all with the aim of advancing industry cooperation and creating a shared future of success.

Accelerating Deployment of AI Applications to Unlock New Growth in the Storage Industry

The explosive growth of AI in the new era is reshaping the global semiconductor landscape. The widespread application of AI is driving demand for high-performance, high-computing-power chips, while also creating significant growth opportunities for high-bandwidth, large-capacity, and low-power storage chips.

The GMIF2024 Innovation Summit officially kicked off with the welcoming remarks from Mr. Rixin Sun, President of the Shenzhen Memory Industry Association (SMIA). Over the recent years, the exponential growth of AI, 5G, Big Data and Internet has seen a brand-new revolutionizing period in global storage industry. Mr. Sun addressed that the GMIF2024 Innovation Summit turns special attention to the entire upstream and downstream storage value chain that goes beyond just the storage and memory itself. In particular, it unfolds critical areas across the industry, consisting of storage media, solutions, system platforms, testing equipment and more. Mr. Sun affirmed that only through collaboration across the entire industry chain can we continuously drive the advancement of the sector and maintain a leading position in global competition.

Xiaofei Zhang, Chief Analyst for Electronics Industry from Haitong Securities, stated that, from the perspective of overall storage market, the HBM3e has exerted impacts on the production schedule of DDR5, and the decline in DRAM prices remains restricted. In the NAND sector, the inventory adjustments at server terminals are entering the final stages; coupled with AI driving demand for high-capacity storage products, prices have continued to rise in Q2. Although the recent increase in NAND prices has slowed, it still exceeds market concerns. Looking ahead, the penetration of AI terminal applications is accelerating, leading to a sustained increase in demand for computing and storage solutions.

Yimao Cai, Dean of the School of Integrated Circuits at Peking University, expressed that semiconductor storage, considered as one of the largest segment of the integrated circuit industry, has encountered considerable challenges after stepping into the post-Moore and AI era. On one hand, traditional memory technologies have posed significant limits on the integration density and reliability below 28nm, and there is an urgent need for breakthroughs in underlying technologies. On the other hand, the traditional computing chips are insufficient to satisfy the high-efficiency demands for intelligent equipment, catalyzed by the surging growth in AI computing needs, as the traditional chip hardware incurs high costs and energy consumption. It can be observed that innovations in foundational units and process integration are crucial to the progress of memory technology, and new forms of storage technology are becoming increasingly mature.

Prasad Alluri, VP and GM for Client Storage, SBU from Micron Technology, emphasized that “AI is everywhere and AI applications have entered every corner of people’s daily lives in all kinds of forms. For instance, smartphone manufacturers have introduced AI capabilities in high-end phones, and the storage capacity of LPDDR 5 has been increased to between 12GB and 16GB to accommodate ever-increasing datasets. In addition, storage technology has evolved to UFS 4.0, which more than doubles power efficiency compared to the previous generation. In the realm of edge devices, autonomous driving will be elevated from Level 0 to Level 5 supported by the enhanced AI technology. Industry experts predict that the bit density required for automotive memory will increase by approximately 30 times, while the non-collision bits in power systems will grow nearly 100 times. None of the enhancements, whether in data centers, edge devices, or memory and storage environments, would be possible without the technological progress we’ve achieved generation after generation.”

Yan Li, Vice President of Advanced Technology at Western Digital, pointed out that the 3D NAND flash market is highly competitive and constantly evolving. The number of NAND cells stacked has experienced substantial growth, from 48 layers in 2017 to 64 and 96 layers. Up to date, Western Digital has completed mass production of its 218-layer products; while Micron Technology has already mass-produced its 280-layer products as stated in its keynote. Dr. Yan Li shared her insights that the continuous increase of layers might not be considered as an ideal strategy because large amounts of capitals are required for new equipment as complexity of the products rises. Should the market fail to accommodate these new products and prices start to decline, it could lead to a vicious cycle.

Dr. Yan Li then moved on to make some explanations of the trade-offs involved in 3D NAND scaling technology. There are four main vectors to scaling: vertical scaling, lateral scaling, architecture scaling, and logical scaling. Taking its product PC SN5000S NVMe SSD as an example, Dr. Li noted that this model is equipped with cost-effective BiCS6 NAND technology and DRAM-less QLC PCIe Gen4 SSD, and its internal controller and firmware provide a perfectly optimized solution which can be introduced to the market within a shorter time and allowed for quality control. Compared to the previous generation, it offers a 51% improvement in memory density and a 12% increase in layer density. In relation to the mainstream TLC SSD, QLC SSD features enhanced performance and its major metrics are matched with TLC SSD. In consumer and commercial sectors, QLC SSDs are now being widely adopted by PC OEMs.

Wallace C. Kou, President & CEO of Silicon Motion, claimed that AI will be the ever-lasting energy and vitality that propel continuous growth in the global market. Storage is regarded as one of the key areas in the artificial intelligence ecosystem, and the market requires more relevant software and applications to make AI edge devices more meaningful and appealing to consumers.

Benny Ni, GAR Sales VP at Solidigm, remarked that the company currently possesses leading innovative technologies in the fields of TLC and QLC, enabling it to offer a powerful portfolio of data center storage products and storage solutions that optimize AI storage efficiency.

Zhinong Liu, Executive Vice President of UNISOC, signified that in the all-scenario AI computing system, software serves as the “engine”, chips as the “foundation”, the ecosystem as the “link”, and products as the “carrier”. The company will continue to strengthen its advanced semiconductor manufacturing platform based on strategy and capability centers, maintain supply chain security, ensure efficient and stable product delivery, and enhance customer satisfaction.

Haibing Xie, Director of Application Design in Center, Intel China, mentioned that AI PCs are the best carriers for edge-side AI and will lead the next explosion in the PC industry. The Intel Core Ultra is equipped with powerful AI capabilities, enabling the deployment of “generative AI” on PCs. At present, the company’s AI PC chips have shipped 20 million units, and it is expected to reach 40 million units by the end of the year, with projected shipments of 100 million units in 2024-2025.

Haiqing Huang, R&D Vice General Manager at Victory Giant Technology, revealed that the AI investment landscape among global tech companies is currently marked by an unparalleled enthusiasm, and the three main application markets, namely the smartphones, PCs, and servers, are bound to experience a welcome upswing brought by the development of AI applications. As of now, there is a constant increase in memory bandwidth, and Victory Giant has been accelerating its product R&D investments to meet the demands of high-performance computing, data centers, AI training, and inference scenarios. The fifth-generation high-performance memory (DDR5) is already in mass production, while the development of the sixth generation (DDR6) and seventh generation (DDR7) products is underway.

Sam Sun, Chairman of BIWIN Storage, voiced that the evolving storage industry has brought a bright spot and prominent attention to the testing and packaging sector. This is particularly true as advanced packaging moves towards miniaturization and integration, and technical barriers are progressively becoming higher. The company is deepening its research and development efforts in the integrated packaging and testing layout to enhance its competitive edge. It is anticipated that the Integrated R&D and Packaging 2.0 Strategy will transform the company from a storage product supplier into a comprehensive partner offering wafer-level advanced packaging and testing services. This will provide industry partners with higher-quality in-depth solutions and promote a comprehensive enhancement of customer value.

Rui Ding, General Manager, Product Department, Consumer Cloud Platform Business Group at iFLYTEK, declared that the development of large models has transitioned AI from a “tool” to an “assistant”, capable of performing a wider range of tasks through more natural conversational forms. In the future, iFLYTEK hopes to collaborate with various industry stakeholders to promote the development of AI technology.

Chloe Ma, VP of China GTM for IoT Line of Business at Arm, claimed that the wave of AI is sweeping across various sectors. Generative AI is not only being deployed in the cloud but is also rapidly making its way to the edge, where storage plays a crucial role in AI computing from the cloud to the edge. In response to the innovative demands of the new era of edge AI, Arm is committed to advancing in three major areas: hardware, software, and ecosystem development.

Feng Chen, Senior Vice President of Rockchip, mentioned that an increasing number of industries and applications are integrating AI with IoT, making AIoT the optimal pathway for the intelligent transformation of traditional sectors and a key direction for the future development of the IoT. The rapid expansion of the AIoT market is creating opportunities for AIoT chips while also driving greater demands for data transmission, storage, and computing, which poses challenges for chip processing power. Rockchip continues to release new chips to support AIoT applications.

Jie Chen, Co-founder and VP of Data Storage Technology at InnoGrit, highlighted that in the AI era, as well as the data age, higher challenges have been presented for storage technologies. Faster and more efficient SSD interfaces will contribute to breaking through storage limitations. The collaborative optimization between InnoGrit’s memory controller chips and domestically produced flash memory will enhance the read/write performance and QOS competitiveness of storage products, jointly shaping the future of China’s storage industry.

Vic Huang, Vice General Manager of QUANXING Technology, noted that the computing architecture of solutions provided by QUANXING is not constrained by the size of large models, which contributes to a significant reduction in the cost of local deployment. The company is focused on a full range of high-end domestic storage products, aiming to complete the “last mile” of AI and striving to become a leader in the era of AI for everyone.

Zheng Qiu, Technical Marketing Manager at Montage Technology, remarked that the rapid development of AI has generated immense demand for both computing power and storage capacity. The high-speed and stable data transfer between high-performance processors and large-capacity memory is of utmost importance. In response, “transmission chips” surfaced as a timely solution.

Don Hu, Vice President of Marketing at Allwinner Technology, shared insights on the company’s industrial layout, technological direction, and industry applications. Mr. Hu introduced Allwinner’s exploration in areas such as general-purpose computing power, dedicated computing power, computational expansion, and multi-modal sensing. He also explained how Allwinner gives a full play to the fundamental role played by computing power to provide high-quality chips and services for industries like smart living, smart cities, and smart industries.

Lei Hu, Director of Business Management at Applied Materials (AMAT), conducted an in-depth analysis of the technologies involved in high-bandwidth memory, including DRAM chips, logic controllers, and HBM stacks, as well as the additional material engineering processes. He further added that AMAT is capable of providing clients with cutting-edge packaging equipment to empower the elevation of customer value by taking advantage of its strong R&D capabilities to facilitate the advancement of high-bandwidth memory technology.

Lee Chee Ping, Senior Director of LAM Research, commented that the AI chip market is flourishing with rapid growth, and the enhancement of AI chip performance requires the essential support of advanced packaging. Moreover, advanced packaging and heterogeneous integration are also the primary methods in the semiconductor industry for optimizing performance, power, form factor, and cost.

Youngsuk Kim, Director of DISCO, remarked that from 2023 to 2029, the advanced packaging market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate of 11%, making 2.5D/3D packaging equipment increasingly important. DISCO has extensive experience in mass production and has closely collaborated with customers during the R&D phase, providing solutions for thinning and cutting HBM and 2.5D-PKG. Mr. Kim then introduced the performance and advantages of various equipment, including DFD6860HS, DGP8761HC, DGP8761, DFL7262, DFL7362, and DFD6362/6363.

Focusing on Frontline Technologies to Foster a New and Autonomous Ecosystem

The summit also established a dedicated forum, dubbed “Memory Industry Chain Ecosystem Forum”, for enterprises across the memory industry chain to further decode memory future trends. An array of leading companies, including Skyverse, Loongson, Like Automation Equipment, Micro-Nano (HongKong), OKN Technology, Maxwell, Attach Point Intelligent Equipment, Tytantest, Maxio, Silergy and Heyan Technology, had gathered to share their insights. Discussions focused on cutting-edge trends, industry pain points, and solutions related to wafer testing, memory packaging, aging testing, product and technology innovation, terminal applications, yield improvement, and cost reduction.

Song Zhang, Executive Vice President of Skyverse, observed that it has become the industry trend to identify defects by machines through AI decision-making, aimed at helping customers to locate defects more effectively and further enhance production yield and efficiency. In practical applications, it can be noted that system inspection has demonstrated better results in efficiency and accuracy than manual inspection, which aids to significantly improve production efficiency for the clients. Skyverse will remain dedicated to driving innovation in AI products to provide high-quality solutions for domestic customers in the future.

Shan Jiang, General Manager of Guangdong Loongson Electronic Technology, affirmed that Loongson has gained more innovative space for the industry and market through self-reliance and independence. Autonomy has granted Loongson greater freedom, enhanced cost-effectiveness, and a more secure supply chain. Committed to becoming both a contributor and a maintainer of the international upstream community, Loongson aims to achieve independence and compatibility on the global stage at the same time, rather than decoupling or breaking the chain.

Simon Ye, General Manager of Like Automation Equipment, expressed that the company’s next-generation innovative technology of 2.5D/3D large-size packaging bumping is currently being validated through product development with domestic clients.

Steve Pei, CEO of Micro-Nano (Hong Kong) Technology, mentioned that as a professional manufacturer of wafer thickness measurement systems, Micro-Nano now mainly provides the SemDex M1 semi-automatic system and the SemDex A fully automatic system, with over 1,000 units installed globally, placing the company at the forefront of the industry.

Ming Zhao, General Manager of OKN Technology, observed that the company has initiated the R&D for PCIe GEN6 based on the GEN5 SSD testing system. With intense competition in the industry, OKN sees this as an opportunity to enhance its internal drive, strengthen its R&D capabilities, and foster product innovation, continuously providing better solutions for its customers.

Kuilin Jin, Vice General Manager of Sales at Maxwell Technologies, pointed out that independent R&D is crucial. Through technological innovation, Maxwell aims to achieve the import substitution of key core components, break the foreign technology monopoly and ensure supply chain security.

Xiaolong Ouyang, R&D VP at Attach Point Intelligent Equipment (APIE), shared his insights that APIE’s one-stop solution has achieved AI Inside applications, supporting the packaging of mature storage chips required for AI, as well as advanced packaging solutions for AI storage chips, including HBM, 2.5D, TCB, and HB.

Aaron Xu, CTO of Tytantest, highlighted that through its efforts on forward R&D, domestic manufacturing of complete machines, and validation on self-owned production lines, Tytantest strives to achieve fully automated and self-controllable processes, enabling to develop solutions that better meet customer needs.

Huan Ren, Marketing Director at Maxio Technology, confirmed that the company continues to maintain a high level of investment in research and development. Its R&D expenditures have increased from 155 million yuan in 2021 to 380 million yuan in 2023, which have already been translated into several mass-produced products. Among these, the MAP1102 main control chip has exceeded 50 million units shipped. Compared to similar products on the market, Maxio’s offerings demonstrate a leading advantage in I/O speed and energy efficiency, as well as a deep understanding and proactive layout in the integration of hardware and software.

Leo Cao, Senior Sales Director at Silergy, said that in the storage industry chain, the company possesses several advantages, including highly efficient product integration, extensive experience collaborating with top-tier clients, a wide range of product coverage, supply chain security, and global collaborative research and development. Silergy has achieved a global layout in R&D and service, and stayed true to its mission to prioritize customer needs.

Kent Wang, Business Development Manager at Heyan Technology, introduced that the company has gone through three development stages: the basic products of 6-inch dicing machines, upgraded products of 8-inch/12-inch dicing machines, and high-end products such as cutting and sorting machines and de-bonding machines. With rich technological accumulation and industrial experience, the company is capable of providing reliable and stable consistency assurance for customers, supporting customized solutions for different processes, and offering process-related technological innovations to meet advanced packaging demands.

After a day of intense intellectual exchanges, the guests gathered for a grand dinner where the GMIF 2024 Annual Awards were presented. Following a rigorous selection process, many companies, including Intel, Micron, GigaDevice, Arm, UNISOC, SIXUNITED, Victory Giant, BIWIN Storage, Solidigm, Western Digital, Rockchip, Allwinner Technology, Weibu Information, Heyan Technology, OKN Technology, Attach Point Intelligent Equipment, iWISEETEC, Tytantest, Hemei Jingyi, Silicon Motion, Maxio, QUANXING, MICROFROM, Konsemi, Silergy, LKAUTO, Maxwell, Skyverse, RORZE, ExTripod Electronics, EPS, InnoGrit, POWEV, KingSpec and more, had been honored with the 2024 Annual Awards, receiving unanimous recognition from the expert judges.

In summary, as a grand feast in the global storage field, the GMIF Innovation Summit has successfully held three consecutive sessions and received commendation from the industry. It has now become one of the most influential high-end summits in the domestic storage sector. In the future, the GMIF Innovation Summit will strive for deeper market service and innovative formats, creating a higher-level platform for communication and collaboration. The summit aims to explore more impactful industry events, analyze industry trends and opportunities with an international perspective, and promote mutual benefits within the industry. We look forward to seeing you again next year!

About GMIF

GMIF (Global Memory Innovation Forum) is the most important annual event of Shenzhen Memory Industry Association (SMIA). The forum aims to build a globally-focused, professional platform for the storage industry to collectively explore new technologies, applications, collaborations, and emerging opportunities. The Third GMIF2024 Innovation Summit is scheduled to be held on September 27, 2024 at Renaissance Shenzhen Bay Hotel. Under the theme of “AI Leads Memory’s New Momentum”, the summit aims to foster communication and interaction among both upstream and downstream enterprises in the storage industry. By promoting collaboration and complementary growth among industry partners, the GMIF seeks to help participating companies expand their product and brand reach and contribute to a thriving, win-win ecosystem in the global storage sector.

For more information about GMIF, please visit https://www.gmif.com.cn/.

Media Contact:
Ms. Gu, 15064010336, wenjing.gu@gmif.com.cn 

 

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SOURCE Shenzhen Memory Industry Association

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Black Lake Technologies Shortlisted as SAIL Award TOP30 Finalist and Selected as Global Industrial AI Flagship Case, Showcasing Latest Industrial Agent at WAIC 2026

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July 18, 2026

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SHANGHAI, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) opened in Shanghai on July 17. Shanghai Blacklake Technologies Co., Ltd. (“Black Lake”), an industrial AI company, is showcasing a portfolio of industrial AI agents at the conference. The company has also been named to the Top 30 shortlist for the 2026 WAIC Super AI Leader (SAIL) Award and selected as a Trusted Partner under the Global Call for Trusted Partners for Industrial AI in the Global South.

The accreditations highlight Black Lake’s latest progress in bringing AI into critical manufacturing decision-making workflows and deploying industrial AI capabilities on the shop floor around the world.

This year’s conference attracted over 1,100 exhibiting companies and showcased more than 3,000 exhibits, setting a new record for exhibition scale. The conference delivered a clear signal: as artificial intelligence becomes a common priority across global industries, attention is moving beyond model capabilities toward practical applications in real-world operating environments.

Manufacturing provides a particularly demanding test for this transition. Factory operations are governed by multiple constraints, including process specifications, equipment capabilities, material availability, production capacity, delivery schedules and quality requirements. Therefore, AI has to do so much more than simply comprehend information input. It must make reliable judgments within clearly defined business rules and operational constraints.

Black Lake has focused on industrial digitalization and industrial AI for years, developing and deploying AI applications in a range of factory environments.

At WAIC 2026, the company is presenting industrial AI agents covering order splitting and process planning, quotation and pricing, procurement, production scheduling, quality inspection, and order tracking. These applications are designed to move AI beyond an auxiliary role and into critical manufacturing decision-making workflows.

Traditional industrial software is primarily responsible for data recording, digital workflows, and worker coordination. However, critical decisions such as how to split an order, determine pricing, schedule production, and assess quality risks still depend heavily on the experience of engineers and frontline workers.

Industrial AI agents are intended to convert fragmented industrial knowledge and production experience into decision-making capabilities that can be invoked, reused and continuously refined by software systems.

Order decomposition and process planning are representative examples. After receiving an engineering drawing, a factory typically relies on experienced engineers to identify components, materials and dimensions, define the required manufacturing processes and technical specifications, and establish a basis for subsequent quotation and quality inspection.

The process is highly dependent on individual expertise and represents one of the first critical decision points after an order is received.

Black Lake Technologies’ CAD-to-Process Agent can understand product drawings and, taking into account the factory’s equipment capabilities, process requirements, and production practices, rapidly generate process steps along with the corresponding technical requirements. Drawing analysis that once took hours can now be completed in approximately one minute, achieving an accuracy rate of over 95% in real deployment and providing engineers with stable, efficient decision support. Currently, the industrial agents developed by the company cover core processes including design, scheduling, production, and quality inspection, and have entered the stage of large-scale deployment.

Founded in 2016, Black Lake serves nearly 40,000 factories worldwide. Its customers span more than 30 industries, including food and beverage, automotive components and equipment manufacturing.

By working across factory order management, production and fulfillment workflows, Black Lake has accumulated the technical capabilities and industry knowledge required to support decision-making in complex industrial environments.

In April 2026, Black Lake completed a Series D funding round of nearly RMB 1 billion. The company said the proceeds would primarily be used to accelerate the deployment of its industrial AI products and support its international expansion.

AI-related products are becoming a new source of growth for the company. In a recent interview, Black Lake founder and CEO Zhou Yuxiang said that the company had recorded significant growth in AI-related revenue since the beginning of 2026. He also said that manufacturing customers were taking less time to make purchasing decisions for industrial AI agents.

Zhou expects AI adoption among Chinese factories to increase substantially over the next three to four years.

Unlike consumer-facing AI, which is primarily associated with content generation and personal productivity, industrial AI agents can directly affect production costs, capacity utilization, delivery performance, and product quality. Their commercial value therefore depends largely on whether they can perform specific tasks reliably in complex production environments.

During WAIC 2026, Black Lake was named to the Top 30 shortlist for the 2026 Super AI Leader (SAIL) Award. The SAIL Award is one of WAIC’s major awards and recognizes achievements in technological breakthroughs, application innovation, and industrial value.

Black Lake was also selected as a Trusted Partner under UNIDO’s Global Call for Trusted Partners for Industrial AI in the Global South.

The Global Call was launched under the guidance of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, and in connection with the work of UNIDO AIM Global and its Shanghai-based Centre of Excellence.

The initiative aims to build a curated pool of leading partners to co-develop scalable industrial AI solutions and public goods for the Global South.

For Black Lake, the two accreditations underscore the growing importance of reliability, explainability, and scalability in the evaluation of industrial AI, in addition to the capabilities of AI models.

Global expansion will be a major priority in the company’s next phase of development. Black Lake is currently focusing on Southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, adapting its industrial AI agents to the industrial structures, production processes and management requirements of different markets.

Although manufacturing operations vary across countries and regions, manufacturers share similar concerns about efficiency, quality, delivery reliability and production flexibility.

Black Lake is transforming industrial AI capabilities that have been validated in complex factory environments into configurable and deployable products. Through these products, the company aims to work with manufacturers worldwide to explore more efficient, flexible and intelligent approaches to production.

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SOURCE Black Lake

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76% of Coupon Codes Work at Checkout, but Most Failures Trace Back to Terms Shoppers Never Read, CouponDopa Study Finds

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July 18, 2026

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Study Finds 76% of Coupon Codes Work at Checkout

NEW YORK, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ — Multi-country research across 11 regions finds that most coupon code failures were not due to expired codes, but to terms and conditions shoppers did not check before checkout.

Our research shows that most coupon code failures are caused by overlooked terms and conditions not expired codes. Understanding the offer requirements can significantly improve checkout success.” — Anderson Joe, CMO, CouponDopa

A new study testing 1,000 coupon codes across 11 countries found that three in four online discount codes applied successfully at checkout, while the remaining failures were tied more often to unmet terms than to expired or invalid codes.

The research was conducted by CouponDopa, a multi-regional coupon platform operating in 11 countries. Codes were tested across multiple retail categories in July 2026 to measure real checkout success rates.

KEY FINDINGS

Overall success rate: 76%. Overall failure rate: 24%. Highest-performing country: Netherlands, 81%. Lowest-performing countries: Poland and Italy, tied at 70%. Highest-performing category: Electronics. Lowest-performing category: Travel. Desktop success rate: 78%. Mobile success rate: 74%.

The study’s most significant finding was not the failure rate itself, but the reasons behind it.

“The assumption most shoppers make is that a coupon code doesn’t work because it’s expired,” said Anderson Joe, CMO at CouponDopa. “Our testing found that expiry was rarely the primary issue. In most failed attempts, the code was still active, but the shopper’s cart did not meet a listed condition, such as a minimum spend or a region restriction.”

WHY COUPON CODES ACTUALLY FAIL

Minimum spend not met: the most common reason for failure across all 11 regions, since many codes require a basket value above a set threshold.Region-specific restrictions: codes valid in one country frequently failed in another.Unread terms and conditions: codes were applied to excluded categories, sale items, or specific product ranges without checking eligibility first.Delivery and shipping thresholds: free shipping codes requiring a minimum order value were sometimes mistaken for blanket offers.

No exact percentage breakdown of failure causes is available. Minimum spend is confirmed as the single most common cause; the other three were not ranked against each other.

“In our view, a code that fails because of an unmet minimum spend is not necessarily a broken code,” said Anderson. “It may simply be a condition the shopper did not see before checkout.”

REGIONAL FINDINGS — NETHERLANDS LEADS

Country Success Rate

Netherlands 81%

Germany 79%

United States 77%

Canada 77%

United Kingdom 76%

Australia 75%

New Zealand 74%

France 73%

Spain 72%

Poland 70%

Italy 70%

Netherlands recorded the highest success rate of the 11 regions tested. Germany followed closely. The United Kingdom matched the overall study average, and Canada and the United States recorded the same rate. Poland and Italy recorded the lowest rates in the study, tied at 70%.

ELECTRONICS OUTPERFORMS TRAVEL

Electronics recorded the highest coupon code success rate of any category tested, at 80%, while travel recorded the lowest, at 69%.

“Electronics codes in our sample tended to carry fewer conditions,” noted Anderson Joe. “Travel codes more often included conditions tied to dates, destinations, or booking windows, which may explain the difference.”

MOBILE SHOPPERS RECORD LOWER SUCCESS RATES

Desktop checkouts recorded a 78% success rate compared with 74% for mobile, a 4-point gap. Researchers said the difference may relate to how terms are displayed on smaller screens, though this was not directly tested.

“We saw a consistent gap between desktop and mobile across our markets,” said Anderson Joe. “We can’t say precisely why from this data alone, but it’s a pattern worth further study.”

ABOUT THE STUDY

CouponDopa tested 1,000 coupon codes across 11 countries during July 2026, across electronics, fashion, food delivery, travel, beauty, and home categories. Codes were manually tested at real checkouts on desktop and mobile. A code counted as successful only when the discount appeared in the checkout total. Failed codes were categorized by reason. Read the complete methodology available at CouponDopa tested 1000 coupon codes in 11 regions.

ABOUT COUPONDOPA

CouponDopa is a multi-regional coupon and discount platform operating across 11 countries. CouponDopa verifies coupon codes across hundreds of brands before publishing, providing shoppers with discount information across major retail categories, including verified codes available on CouponDopa’s store pages.

MEDIA CONTACT

Organization: Coupondopa

Contact Person Name: Anderson Joe

Website: https://www.coupondopa.com/

Email: info@coupondopa.com

Contact Number: +1 (530) 269-6377

Address: 165 ithaca Bayshore NY, 11706 USA

City: Bay Shore

State: NY

Country: United States

Media Contact

Anderson Joe, Coupondopa, 1 631 404-9968, coupondopa@gmail.com, https://www.coupondopa.com/

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Global Times: Head-of-state diplomacy shines at WAIC, fostering ties and advancing global governance consensus

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July 18, 2026

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BEIJING, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday held a series of high-level meetings on the sidelines of the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance in Shanghai, sitting down successively with Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet, and UN Secretary-General António Guterres. The bustling diplomatic activity transformed the WAIC from a premier showcase of AI technologies and industrial breakthroughs into a vibrant platform for head-of-state diplomacy and global governance coordination.

Analysts said hosting intensive head-of-state diplomatic events in Shanghai, a core hub of reform, opening-up and technological innovation, carries profound meaning. In addition, Friday’s high-level meetings embody the innovative model of “technology builds the stage while diplomacy takes the leading role.” It not only deepens China’s bilateral relations with ASEAN members, but also helps advance inclusive global AI governance centered on the UN mechanism.

Strategic guidance

According to the two separate official releases by Xinhua, during his meetings with the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia, President Xi spoke of the long-standing friendship China shares with both nations. He called on China and Thailand, as well as China and Cambodia, to join hands to advance the development of their respective communities with a shared future.

Furthermore, the Chinese leader stressed the need for China to expand pragmatic cooperation with Thailand and Cambodia respectively across traditional and emerging sectors, and work with each country to jointly crack down on cross-border crimes such as online gambling and telecom fraud, according to Xinhua.

He called for the proper handling of border frictions between Thailand and Cambodia and called on the two sides to resolve disputes through dialogue and consultation, with China standing ready to continue playing a constructive role in this regard, per Xinhua.

During their respective meetings with the Chinese leader, the prime ministers of Thailand and Cambodia both expressed willingness to deepen multi-field cooperation with China and spoke highly of China’s positive efforts to facilitate the peaceful settlement of the Thailand-Cambodia border conflicts.

Xu Liping, Director of the Center for Southeast Asian Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, told the Global Times that head-of-state diplomacy has charted the fundamental course for the advancement of China’s ties with both Cambodia and Thailand.

WAIC exemplifies the innovative model of “technology builds the platform, while diplomacy takes the leading role,” said Xu, “In addition, AI cooperation is also expected to serve as a vital entry point to further deepen and substantiate China’s ties with Thailand and Cambodia going forward.”

Furthermore, addressing the sensitive and thorny Thailand-Cambodia border dispute amid the relatively relaxed atmosphere of a tech summit enables all relevant parties to handle differences in a rational and pragmatic manner, which embodies Eastern wisdom and an Asian approach to resolving issues, said Xu.

The year 2026 marks the fifth anniversary of the establishment of the China-ASEAN comprehensive strategic partnership, witnessing the official rollout of the new Plan of Action on the China-ASEAN Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (2026-2030). It also kicks off the implementation of China’s 15th Five-Year Plan.

The critical juncture offers a perfect window to align China’s development plans closely with the national development strategies of Global South countries and ASEAN members, said Xu. “Thailand and Cambodia’s willingness to ramp up cooperation with China mirrors the aspiration of the majority of ASEAN members to leverage China’s development dividends and pursue win-win outcomes and common prosperity in the region.”

Firm support for UN

In his meeting with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday, Xi reiterated China’s firm support for the UN.

Noting that this year marks the 55th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People’s Republic of China at the UN, the Chinese leader said China has since been committed to building world peace, contributing to global development, defending international order, and firmly supporting the UN, Xinhua reported.

Xi added that he proposed the vision of building a community with a shared future for humanity and the four global initiatives with one important consideration in mind – to uphold the status and authority of the UN.

Currently, the international landscape is marked by more pronounced changes and turbulence, making it all the more necessary to practice true multilateralism and reinvigorate the status and role of the UN, he said.

Guterres commended China for its steadfast support for multilateralism, the cause of the UN, and international cooperation, saying that China has set an example for the world.

Guterres said the UN will continue to strengthen cooperation with China, oppose unilateralism, protectionism, and hegemonic bullying, safeguard the UN Charter and international law, as well as advance the process toward a multipolar world.

At this pivotal juncture where talks on AI development and UN multilateral governance converge, China, leveraging head-of-state diplomacy as a top-tier platform, has elaborated in a systematic manner its vision for global governance in the AI era, Wang Yiwei, a professor at the School of International Studies, Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

He added that China’s emphasis on the UN-centered global governance architecture will further strengthen the UN’s authority and operational capacity.

Before the official opening of the WAIC, on Thursday, representatives from 29 countries, including Kazakhstan, Laos, Pakistan, Russia and Indonesia, signed an agreement on establishing the World Artificial Intelligence Cooperation Organization (WAICO) in Shanghai. UN chief Guterres was among representatives from countries and international organizations present at the signing ceremony.

According to the agreement, WAICO will be an independent intergovernmental international organization, which aims to promote international cooperation and global governance on AI, ensuring that AI is beneficial, safe and fair, thereby promoting its healthy and orderly development to benefit all humanity.

President Xi on Friday also announced that in the next five years, China will provide developing countries with 5,000 opportunities in AI training and seminar programs. China will also develop international AI application cooperation centers with the ASEAN, the League of Arab States, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS.

However, some international media, including Reuters and Nikkei, used the term “AI diplomacy” describing the grand gathering in Shanghai, claiming that Beijing seeks a new global AI order, challenging US dominance.

In rebuttal, Wang pointed out that China advocates open, inclusive technology that lets AI benefit all humanity under the vision of “AI for All”. In contrast, the US adheres to a mindset of “All for AI”, weaponizing AI for geopolitical rivalry and aiming to outpace China in technological competition. Driven by the “America First” doctrine and capital-centric priorities, Washington’s approach forms a sharp contrast with China’s.

Meanwhile, China’s resolute commitment to upholding the UN system underscores that for China and a wide array of Global South countries, the sensible path lies in reforming and improving the existing global governance architecture rather than discarding it to build parallel institutions from scratch, the expert added.

This article first appeared on Global Times

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SOURCE Global Times

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