Category: Technology

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Foresight in volatility: APAC executives’ early pivot to regional trade provides critical buffer against global shocks

Source: Media Outreach

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 March 2026 – Months before the current geopolitical crisis hit global markets, Asia Pacific (APAC) executives had begun shielding their businesses by shortening supply chains and focusing on regional trade. Forvis Mazars’ C-suite barometer 2026: Adapting in uncertainty shows this proactive approach, alongside with efficiency-driving AI investments, is now key to navigating today’s global challenges.

While the number of APAC leaders expecting revenue growth had dropped to 67% (down from 80% in 2025) ahead of this year, underlying business confidence had notably strengthened to 41% (up from 30% in 2025). This contrast, lower growth expectations yet stronger confidence, highlights a resilience paradox: leaders are separating financial outlook from global turmoil, actively reinventing their operations to endure anticipated shocks rather than waiting for conditions to improve.

Key findings for APAC:

  • Measured confidence amidst geopolitical volatility: Amidst ongoing geopolitical volatility, APAC leaders remain acutely aware of the shifting landscape. Notably, 29% cite geopolitical instability and social unrest as a top trend impacting their organisation over the next 12 months, outpacing the global average of 26% and tying with regulatory pressures. Consequently, growth expectations are tempered: while 83% still anticipate positive growth in 2026, this trails the global average of 92% and marks a decline from 84% in 2025.
  • Expansion turns inward: Driven by geopolitical and tariff risks, expansion plans have shifted to regional neighbours, with China (36%), Australia (29%) and Hong Kong (29%) as the top destinations.
  • AI is a net job creator: Defying global displacement fears, 43% of APAC leaders say AI has created new roles in their organisation, significantly outpacing the 28% who say it replaced them.
  • The sustainability gap: While 91% are confident in meeting reporting compliance, only 73% feel prepared to manage the actual physical impacts of climate change.

The APAC resilience paradox: Building structural resilience despite lower revenue expectations

The anticipated dip in revenue expectations was primarily driven by converging pressures that have only intensified: economic uncertainty, political instability and intensifying competition. Yet, this foresight did not dampen investment. In a clear sign that businesses are fortifying their foundations, investment in human capital remains strong across the region, with 63% of APAC respondents plan to increase spending on acquiring new talent and 68% intend to upskill their workforce.

APAC’s underlying optimism is supported by a high level of operational readiness. Even as geopolitical instability remains a top concern, 76% of executives express confidence in their organisation’s preparedness to manage it. This sentiment extends to navigating supply chain challenges (85%) and new regulatory requirements (91%), showing that leaders are turning global disruptors into manageable areas of control.

Rick Chan, Managing Partner Singapore, Head of Audit & Assurance APAC and Member of Group Governing Board, Forvis Mazars, observed, “Asia Pacific has always had to move fast. The region’s businesses are built on agility – on reading the market, adjusting quickly and staying close to customers. That DNA is proving invaluable right now. The data shows leaders are transitioning from short-term firefighting to building lasting resilience. By investing in localised supply chains and AI, they are taking highly practical steps to insulate their operations against escalating geopolitical risks and secure long-term growth.”

The strategic pivot: strengthening intra-regional trade

The barometer reveals a fundamental change in how APAC firms plan to grow. Rather than facing global trade barriers head-on, executives are pivoting to markets closer to home. The top three expansion destinationsareChina (36%), Australia (29%) and Hong Kong (29%).

This inward shift is a direct, data-driven response to rising global tensions. A striking 67% of APAC leaders who revised their expansion plans this year cited geopolitical instability as the primary driver, making it the top catalyst for changing global strategies. Furthermore, 42% cite costs and operational issues due to tariffs as their biggest challenge when entering new markets. Facing these dual threats, APAC businesses have pragmatically shortened their supply chains to secure growth in neighbouring markets where geopolitical and tariff risks are more manageable.

The growth engine: AI as a workforce catalyst

In an environment where operational margins are under pressure, AI has become a critical tool for efficiency. Notably, the data indicate that AI is a net job creator in the region. 43% of APAC C-suite leaders report that AI has already prompted the creation of new roles, compared to 28% who report job replacements.

While 47% of executives rank AI as their top technology priority, their approach is disciplined. APAC leaders are prioritising high-impact applications such as forecasting (65%), knowledge acquisition, banking and retrieval (61%), client services, recommendations, relationships (61%), and operational efficiency, including automation (60%). Interestingly, they are achieving these gains with leaner investment; 41% (versus 35% globally) allocate less than 10% of their budget to AI, suggesting a focus on cost-effective, high-return AI adoption.

The blind spot: the sustainability gap – compliance versus operational resilience

While the report highlights strategic maturity in technology and trade, it reveals a critical disconnect in sustainability. Although 91% of APAC executives express confidence in meeting sustainability reporting compliance, only 73% feel prepared to manage the actual physical and operational impacts of climate change. This disparity indicates that while they are confident in meeting regulatory expectations, the priority now is to bridge the gap between compliance and reality, specifically by strengthening supply chains and building physical resilience against tangible climate risks.

Chester Liew, Partner, Head of Risk Consulting & Sustainability, Forvis Mazars in Singapore, said, “High confidence in reporting compliance is an encouraging baseline, but paperwork does not protect operations. The foresight APAC leaders are demonstrating in navigating geopolitical risks must now be urgently applied to climate risks. With regulatory timelines providing some breathing room, the prudent next step is to pivot resources from disclosure to physical defence – ensuring that supply chains and physical assets can actually withstand extreme weather and emerging environmental shocks.”

Forvis Mazars’ 2026 C-suite barometer survey captures insights from 3,012 senior executives worldwide prior to the US-Israeli war with Iran in February 2026. This independent research was conducted in October and November 2025 and captures the views of C-suite leaders at for-profit organisations with annual revenues of over US$1 million across 40 countries, including 260 respondents from seven markets in the Asia-Pacific region: Australia, China, Hong Kong, India, Japan, Singapore and South Korea. Findings reflect executive sentiments at the time of fieldwork.

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Hashtag: #ForvisMazars #ForvisMazarsSingapore #APACBusiness #BusinessOutlook2026 #ExecutiveInsights #LeadershipTrends #AIAdoption #DigitalTransformation #Sustainability #ClimateResilience

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/16/foresight-in-volatility-apac-executives-early-pivot-to-regional-trade-provides-critical-buffer-against-global-shocks/

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Universities – Video helps parents of fussy eaters – UoA

Source: University of Auckland – UoA

Parents are better equipped to teach picky eaters how to eat healthily, thanks to a video developed by University of Auckland researchers.

A short evidence-based video helps parents of fussy eaters steer their kids towards healthy eating, new research shows.

The video, which includes a story, the acronym HEART and an analogy, was developed by Dr Sam Marsh, a senior research fellow in the Department of General Practice and Primary Care at Waipapa Taumata Rau, University of Auckland. See the video:

“We tried to align with parents’ value of wanting to raise healthy children and offer some simple tools,” Marsh says. “We know it’s hard having young children, so we didn’t want to make parents feel guilty.”

The video uses a story that helps parents put themselves in their child’s shoes at mealtimes, as well as an analogy and a mnemonic.

“We got parents to imagine coming home from a hard day at work, sitting down at the table, and then somebody throwing all these questions at them about what foods they want, and then dumping a massive plate of food in front of them, foods they are not familiar with, and demanding they eat it.

“Then we painted another picture where you come home, your partner takes care of everything. They put a nice plate, with not too much food, in front of you, and you have a pleasant conversation during the meal. How much more relaxed will you feel?”

The acronym, HEART, reminds parents of the strategies they can use.

– H is for ‘helping’, getting children to help prepare food: they are much more likely to eat food if they are engaged in putting it together.

– E is for ‘environment’, for example, eating as a family at the table with no screens or other distractions.

– A is for leading with your ‘ace’ by starting with healthy foods, creatively prepared.

– R is for ‘rules’, such as at least 90 minutes between a snack and a meal. Rules for parents include never using food as a reward or punishment. “If you do not eat your broccoli, you won’t get dessert,” reinforces the value of dessert and that there’s something wrong with broccoli.

– T is for ‘trust’: “We know children need to feel emotionally safe and relaxed to eat and try new foods. So, connecting with your child before dinner, even in a small way can be very helpful.”

The analogy was teaching a teenager to drive a car, making the point that children need to learn how to eat and it is a process.

“They are in control of driving the car, just like children are in control of what they eat,” says Marsh.

“You can’t force a child to chew their food and swallow, but the things we can control are when they eat, where they eat, and what they eat. That is our job as parents.”

In written feedback, parents were overwhelmingly positive about the video resource.

Comments included, ‘Practical tips, handled a sensitive topic well, wasn’t judgmental.’

Results from the pilot trial, involving almost 100 parents and their children aged three to six years, show those who used the video made positive changes and enjoyed the process. See Appetite (March 2026).

“Research shows that positive parental feeding behaviours are associated with better appetite self-regulation in kids,” says Marsh.

“A child who knows when they are hungry and stops eating when they are full will tend to have a healthier bodyweight and a better relationship with food when they get older.”

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/16/universities-video-helps-parents-of-fussy-eaters-uoa/

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EIT Tairāwhiti valedictorian inspired by whanau, driven by purpose

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology

12 minutes ago

Four years ago, Ami Hokianga set out to complete her Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) at EIT Tairāwhiti as a commitment to herself, her tamariki, and her future.

This week, she will fulfil that commitment, graduating with honours and taking the stage as this year’s Valedictorian.

EIT Tairāwhiti valedictorian Ami Hokianga will graduate with a Bachelor of Social Work (Honours) at the War Memorial Theatre in Gisborne on March 20.

She will be among a cohort of students at the graduation ceremony at the War Memorial Theatre in Gisborne on Friday (March 20).

Ami (Rongowhakaata, Ngāti Porou, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi) says being named Valedictorian came as a surprise.

“I honestly thought they had confused me with someone else. It didn’t even cross my mind that I would be considered. I was just excited to finally graduate.”

“My interest in social work was shaped by lived and personal experiences navigating the family court and justice systems. It made me want to better understand how systems and policy decisions affect whānau.”

After a number of years working across the legal, health and horticultural sectors, Ami says studying at EIT Tairāwhiti meant she could grow professionally while still staying close to her whānau and serving the region. “It was also about proving to myself that anything is possible.”

“EIT Tairāwhiti gave me the opportunity to connect academic learning with practical experience, building my confidence while keeping me grounded in the realities of the communities and whānau closest to me.”

During her degree, Ami completed two placements: one at Oranga Tamariki and the other at Tairāwhiti Hospital. The latter, she says, highlighted both the complexity of the profession and the importance of strong advocacy.

“Social work is not practised in perfect conditions and in placement, I saw firsthand the strength required to navigate complex systems. When whānau voices were unheard, social workers carried them forward.”

It also reshaped how she understands the profession and the respect it deserves.

“I don’t just see social workers. I see practitioners. It takes four years of commitment, and we graduate as registered professionals. That recognition matters.”

Ami hopes to build on her experience in governance and Māori health, using her social work qualification and frontline insight to contribute to stronger policy, practice, and decision-making that better reflects the realities of whānau and communities across Aotearoa.

She has no hesitation recommending EIT Tairāwhiti to others, saying it offers students the opportunity to pursue tertiary study close to home in a grounded and supportive environment.

“With strong student support, great peers, and flexible degree and qualification pathways, EIT helps students build their futures close to home.”

Ami is grateful for the friendships she formed with fellow social work students in Tairāwhiti, particularly Natalya Williams and Nathanael Elliott, who began the degree with her.

“There were seasons of uncertainty, but through them we became certain of our own capability.”

She also received a study grant from her grandfather’s iwi on her mother’s side, Te Āti Haunui-a-Pāpārangi, affirming that her journey was supported by whakapapa and whānau beyond Tairāwhiti.

At the heart of her journey were her close friends, parents, and tamariki, whose love, support, and unwavering belief carried her to this moment.

“This honour belongs to them as much as it does to me.”

Tairāwhiti Campus Executive Director Tracey Tangihaere says: “Ami was a dedicated student who balanced parental responsibilities, work and academic studies”.

“Ami supported her fellow students along the way with maturity. Ami was selected because she displayed empathy for others and she was a passionate learner. Congratulations to all our graduates.”

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/16/eit-tairawhiti-valedictorian-inspired-by-whanau-driven-by-purpose/

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‘AI illiterate’: NZ at risk of being left behind as data centre plans move forward

Source: Radio New Zealand

Artist’s impression of how the data centre is to look. Datagrid / supplied

A new $3.5 billion data centre that will be built near Invercargill is being touted as the country’s first “artificial intelligence factory”, but a tech expert says New Zealand is currently “AI illiterate” and without urgent action, the country’s economic growth is at stake.

Datagrid New Zealand has received resource consent for the 78,000 square-metre data centre, which will be built in Makarewa, north of Invercargill. The company was founded by Rémi Galasso and Malcolm Dick in 2021.

“This approval is the result of years of dedication and collaboration, and we are excited about the transformative impact this project will have on Southland and New Zealand as a whole,” Galasso said.

The centre will have a dedicated substation and consume 280 megawatts of power, making it the country’s second-biggest electricity user after the Tiwai Point aluminium smelter, consuming around 6 percent of New Zealand’s total annual electricity demand.

Energy-hungry data centres are a boom industry in New Zealand, with international companies keen to reduce their climate impact by using the county’s renewable electricity.

Technology expert Mark Laurence said the term “AI factory” was coined by Jensen Huang, the chief executive of American technology company NVIDIA. It describes a data centre that was built to serve AI technology, through training and inference.

AI training involved teaching a model by feeding it datasets to learn patterns, while AI inference was the application of that knowledge.

“Take ChatGPT, for example – whenever OpenAI decides to train their next version of ChatGPT, they essentially take mountains of data, give it all to their algorithms, throw it all into a data centre and that data is processed for months and months by the AI algorithm to create the next version of ChatGPT,” Laurence said.

“Every time we use one of these AI tools, like ChatGPT or Copilot, every time we type in something and press enter, that is called inference,” he said.

ChatGPT sparked the recent artificial intelligence hype on its release in 2022. Koen van Weel / ANP MAG / ANP via AFP

Laurence runs Ten Past Tomorrow, a strategic advisory and AI training company with the aim of increasing AI literacy and capability in New Zealand.

He said demand for training and inference was increasing as more people used AI tools, with New Zealand well-positioned geographically and climatically to host data centres to do that work.

“Data centres use a lot of water and because the massive computers inside them generate so much heat, they need to be cooled down as well,” he said.

“In Invercargill, the average annual temperature is around 10C, which means they can simply cool those centres with the outside air.”

The Invercargill facility is not the first large scale data centre in New Zealand. Microsoft opened a data centre in Auckland in 2024, while Amazon Web Services (AWS) spent $7.5b building a cluster of data centres in the city.

He said to illustrate what the AI factory was capable of, once complete it would have the capacity to process around 960 million ChatGPT conversations per day, which was between 5 to 10 percent of the conversations processed by the AI chatbot globally each day.

Who benefits from the data created in these centres?

Laurence said Microsoft and AWS (Amazon) were supplying output from their centres to New Zealand organisations and the public service, but output from the Datagrid centre would instead be piped offshore through a subsea cable to serve overseas markets.

Datagrid has not said who its customers will be, or how the information its centre produces will be used.

Laurence said he wanted to see a government commitment that New Zealand was able to use and benefit from the technology that centres like the Datagrid’s AI factory were powering.

Laurence said the country was at risk of becoming “AI illiterate”, and statistics showed New Zealanders were not being trained at the rate or the capability that most developed nations around the world were in terms of being able to use AI tools, which meant the country was falling behind in its ability to keep pace with the international market.

“We’re still a nation that’s using AI to change the tone of an email and summarise long documents, while the rest of the world is pulling ahead in terms of redesigning whole workflows and injecting agentic AI at the full edge of its capability.

“It’s exciting to have the infrastructure being built, particularly when it contributes to our economy but what needs to go hand-in-hand with that is national capability training programs so that we can actually harness the outputs of this infrastructure and use it to the benefit of our people, our companies, our organisations, and ultimately our economy.”

A project years in the making

Southland Business Chamber CEO Sheree Casey said the new data centre provided an opportunity for the region to broaden its economic horizons.

“Once operational, Datagrid estimates it could generate hundreds of millions annually in data service exports and add approximately $60 million to GDP each year.”

The construction phase alone was expected to create more than 1200 skilled jobs and inject around $4b into the economy.

She said Southland had a strong foundation in traditional industries, and adding a “weightless export” sector, where the region delivers digital services globally-could be a natural complement.

The proposed Tasman Ring Network. Datagrid / supplied

Transpower said it was confident the national grid could meet the energy needs of the new data centre.

Executive general manager of grid development Matt Webb said while the centre required a big load, there was a lot of new electricity generation emerging and Transpower was responsible for facilitating a balance between the two.

He said the national grid operator had been in serious discussions with Datagrid for a year or more and a formal connection application process was now underway.

Webb said there were a number of significant Southland wind projects going through the consenting process, along with solar projects.

Transpower expected 1300MW of new projects (generation and battery storage systems) to be commissioned in 2026, increasing capacity by around 13 percent.

Webb said having a confirmed electricity load of that size gave investors confidence in renewable energy investments.

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– Published by EveningReport.nz and AsiaPacificReport.nz, see: MIL OSI in partnership with Radio New Zealand

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/15/ai-illiterate-nz-at-risk-of-being-left-behind-as-data-centre-plans-move-forward/

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The CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 Arrives in the UK—Engineered Globally, Tuned Locally

Source: Media Outreach

  • Long range, premium comfort, and five-star safety—the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 delivers a high-tech electric driving experience.
  • Cutting-edge EV technology that brings together global design, engineering, and manufacturing.

BIRMINGHAM, UK – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 March 2026 – Changan UK has launched the all-electric CHANGAN DEEPAL S05, a compact C-SUV blending premium design, intelligent technology, and everyday practicality.

“The CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 is designed for people who want an electric SUV that fits effortlessly into everyday life,” Nic Thomas, Managing Director of Changan UK, said, “It delivers reassuring performance, thoughtful comfort, and technology that simply works—all without the premium price tag. “

The CHANGAN DEEPAL S05: Range, Comfort, Safety

Powered by a 68.8kWh LFP battery, the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 delivers WLTP ranges of up to 303 miles (RWD) and 278 miles (AWD). Inside, the aircraft-inspired cockpit features vegan leather heated and ventilated front seats, including a full-recline zero gravity passenger seat. A 15.4-inch rotating touchscreen, AR-HUD, 14-speaker audio system, and wireless smartphone connectivity complete the high-tech cabin.

Safety is central to the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05, earning it a five-star Euro NCAP rating. It comes standard with 17 intelligent driver assistance systems, enabling L2 autonomous driving through a network of cameras, radars, and ultrasonic sensors—including a 540-degree surround-view camera system.

More Than a Model: How the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 Embodies a Global Vision

Changan is now present in 16 European markets, with launches in Italy, Spain, and Poland coming soon. The UK anchors this footprint as a strategic hub for local development. Leading this momentum is the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05, a model built on a truly global foundation. Designed at Changan Design Center Europe in Turin and calibrated at the Changan UK R&D Centre in Birmingham, it has been meticulously tuned for local roads.

For the UK market, the CHANGAN DEEPAL S05 is produced at Changan Rayong Factory in Thailand—established in 2023 as a dedicated hub for global right-hand drive markets. With approximately 60% local sourcing, the facility ensures consistent quality, testing, and supply, while its strategic location enables worldwide logistics. More than a new model, the S05 stands as a testament to Changan’s global ambitions—integrating design, engineering, and production across continents to deliver a truly international electric vehicle.

Hashtag: #Changan

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/15/the-changan-deepal-s05-arrives-in-the-uk-engineered-globally-tuned-locally/

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The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers 50th Anniversary “Together we RISE” Carnival Opens

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 March 2026 – To celebrate its 50th Anniversary, The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers (hereafter “the HKIE”) has organised “The HKIE ‘Together we RISE’ Carnival” (hereafter “the Carnival”) at High Lawn, Art Park, WestK. The opening ceremony took place today, officiated by Ms Bernadette LINN Hon Ho, JP, Secretary for Development of the HKSAR Government; Mr YE Shuiqiu, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region; Ir Ricky LAU Chun Kit, JP, Permanent Secretary for Development (Works); and Ir The Hon Aaron BOK Kwok Ming, Legislative Council Member (Functional Constituency – Engineering) cum Past President of the HKIE. They were joined by Ir Alice CHOW, President of the HKIE; Ir Prof Frank CHAN Fan, GBS, JP, Senior Vice President of the HKIE; Ir Rupert LEUNG Kwok Yiu, Vice President of the HKIE; Ir William LUK Wai Lam, Vice President of the HKIE and Ir Prof Alfred SIT Wing Hang, GBS, JP, Chief Executive and Secretary of the HKIE to kick off this two-day event.

Group Photo of officiating guests at the Opening Ceremony, including Ms Bernadette LINN Hon Ho, JP, Secretary for Development(4th right); Mr YE Shuiqiu, Deputy Director-General of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region(4th left); Ir Ricky LAU Chun Kit, JP, Permanent Secretary for Development (Works) (3rd left); Ir The Hon Aaron BOK Kwok Ming, Legislative Council Member (Functional Constituency – Engineering) cum Past President of the HKIE(3rd right); Ir Alice CHOW, President of the HKIE(middle); Ir Prof Frank CHAN Fan, GBS, JP, Senior Vice President of the HKIE (2nd left); Ir Rupert LEUNG Kwok Yiu, Vice President of the HKIE(2nd right); Ir William LUK Wai Lam, Vice President of the HKIE(1st right); and Ir Prof Alfred SIT Wing Hang, GBS, JP, Chief Executive and Secretary of the HKIE(1st left).

With the theme “Together we RISE”, the Carnival aims to highlight the engineering profession’s outstanding contributions to social progress, technological innovation, and sustainable development. Running from 14-15 March, the Carnival features over 40 interactive booths and game zones designed by various organisations and HKIE divisions. The booths showcase exciting innovations including robot and robot dog demonstrations, model displays, VR experiences, UAV flight simulators, a water pumping robot, and more, offering enjoyable, hands-on exploration of the diversity and fun of engineering for the whole family over the weekend.

The Carnival also features a travelling exhibition, “Engineering Legacy: 50 Years of Excellence”, celebrating 19 excellent engineering projects honoured with The HKIE 50th Anniversary Legacy Award. The exhibition highlights the remarkable achievements and milestones that have shaped Hong Kong’s engineering landscape over the past five decades. In addition, the winning entries from the “Together we RISE” school competition held by the HKIE earlier will be showcased, reflecting the creativity and imagination of the younger generation in building sustainable and innovative cities.

Ir Alice CHOW, President of The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, remarked, “The Hong Kong Institution of Engineers has grown alongside Hong Kong over the past 50 years, witnessing and contributing to many of the city’s landmark infrastructure and urban development projects. Through the Carnival, we hope the public can gain a deeper understanding of the vital role engineers play in society, while inspiring the younger generation’s interest and creativity in the engineering profession. ‘Together we RISE’ is not just a theme; it also expresses our commitment to fostering innovation, uniting the industry, and building the future, leveraging Hong Kong’s unique advantages of being ‘backed by our motherland and connected to the world’!”

The HKIE 50th Anniversary “Together we RISE” Carnival

Date and time: 14 March 2026 (Sat) 10am-6pm

15 March 2026 (Sun) 10am-6pm
Location: High Lawn, Art Park, WestK
Fee: Free of charge

Hashtag: #HKIE

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/14/the-hong-kong-institution-of-engineers-50th-anniversary-together-we-rise-carnival-opens/

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AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre Opens at AIA Central

Source: Media Outreach

Elevating the High-Net-Worth and Ultra-High Net-Worth Experience through Orchestrated Wealth and Legacy Advisory

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 14 March 2026 – AIA Hong Kong announced the opening of the AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre at AIA Central, marking a significant milestone in the evolution of AIA Alta, its exclusive proposition for High‑Net‑Worth (HNW)1 and Ultra‑High‑Net‑Worth (UHNW) customers2. Purpose‑built in Central, the Centre is housed within AIA Central—a landmark commercial building wholly owned by AIA Group—at the heart of the city’s financial district. The Centre is designed to serve customers with increasingly complex, multi‑market wealth, health and legacy planning needs through a highly integrated and personalised advisory experience.

Mr Lee Yuan Siong, AIA Group Chief Executive and President (fourth from left); Mr Jacky Chan, AIA Regional Chief Executive and Group Chief Distribution Officer (fourth from right); Mr Alger Fung, Chief Executive Officer, AIA Hong Kong & Macau (third from left); Ms Alice Liang, Chief Proposition & Healthcare Officer, AIA Hong Kong & Macau (third from right); Ms Amy Chan, Chief Agency Officer, AIA Hong Kong & Macau (second from left); Ms Myra Lee, Chief Financial Officer, AIA Hong Kong & Macau (second from right); Ms Melissa Wong, Chief Customer & Marketing Officer, AIA Hong Kong & Macau (first from left); and Ms Carol Li, Chief Life Officer (first from right), AIA Hong Kong & Macau, celebrated the opening of the AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre.

Alice Liang, Chief Proposition & Healthcare Officer of AIA Hong Kong & Macau, said: “Since 2023, we have continued to strengthen our HNW proposition and see strong growth potential in this segment. In an increasingly dynamic global environment, enduring wealth, health and legacy planning have become more critical than ever.

Ms Alice Liang, Chief Proposition & Healthcare Officer of AIA Hong Kong & Macau, said that AIA Alta is extending its proposition to the UHNW segment, with the opening of the AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre marking a pivotal step in this journey.

We are elevating the HNW experience and expanding into the UHNW market as these customers seek more than insurance—looking for coordinated wealth and legacy advisory from a long-term partner who can guide them through complexity with clarity and confidence. The opening of the AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre is a pivotal step, supported by our HNW Dedicated Team and international partners, to help customers achieve an optimal balance of health and wealth.”

At the Heart of Hong Kong’s Financial District

Formerly known as the AIA Alta Wealth Management Centre in Causeway Bay, the Centre was established as the first# of its kind within Hong Kong’s insurance industry to provide professional wealth management services. Now housed within AIA Central, the AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre& offers unparalleled proximity to the city’s financial ecosystem. This strategic location enables seamless connection with private banks, professional firms and international institutions that play a critical role in multi‑market wealth structuring and legacy planning.

The AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre is designed to serve HNW and UHNW customers with increasingly complex, multi market wealth, health and legacy planning needs through a highly integrated and personalised advisory experience.

A Refined Advisory Experience

The Centre has been purpose‑designed to deliver a more orchestrated and holistic advisory experience. Supported by AIA’s HNW Dedicated Team and a network of international organisations, HNW customers can access advisory services on trust, legacy, tax, legal and family office matters within a single private setting. By bringing these capabilities together across every stage of the wealth and legacy planning journey, the Centre reduces fragmentation and empowers customers to make more confident, informed decisions.

A distinctive feature of the Centre is its bespoke hospitality offering, with dining prepared by AIA’s own corporate dining team. Thoughtfully curated food and beverage selections complement advisory engagements within a calm and private environment. Visitors may also explore the History Wall, which traces AIA Group’s century‑long legacy in Asia and its enduring commitment to customers across generations, while enjoying panoramic views of Victoria Harbour, taking in Hong Kong’s iconic skyline and landmarks such as the Hong Kong Observation Wheel.

Guests can enjoy panoramic views of Victoria Harbour, taking in Hong Kong’s iconic skyline and landmarks.

Purpose‑Led Design

Guided by AIA’s commitment to sustainability, the Centre’s design reflects ESG‑informed principles through material storytelling. Reclaimed elements—from ocean‑recovered fragments to repurposed glass, metal and wood—are thoughtfully re‑crafted to symbolise restoration, renewal and continuity, expressing AIA Alta’s belief that sustainability is a lived philosophy that preserves value, honours origins and supports enduring legacies across generations.

The Centre’s design reflects ESG informed principles through material storytelling.

A Trusted Proposition for HNW Families

The strength of the AIA Alta proposition is underpinned by strong customer recognition. For years, AIA has been recognised as Hong Kong’s most popular insurance brand among HNW individuals%, reflecting sustained trust in its ability to support HNW families. Looking ahead, AIA Alta will continue to support customers through its integrated pillars of Wealth and Health, complemented by meaningful experiences and curated privileges offered through AIA Alta Club—empowering customers to truly live Healthier, Longer, Better Lives.

Visitors may also explore the History Wall, which traces AIA Group’s century long legacy in Asia and its enduring commitment to customers across generations.

Remarks:

1 High‑Net‑Worth customer means a customer with investable wealth of US$1 million to US$30 million.

2 Ultra‑High‑Net‑Worth customer means a customer with investable wealth of more than US$30 million.

# As of 1 March 2023, compared with similar services offered by major Hong Kong insurance companies.

& AIA Alta Prestige Wealth Centre is available by invitation only.

% According to YouGov, an international research and data analytics company, Hong Kong BrandIndex 2022-2025, AIA has been the Most Considered Insurance Brand and is Most Likely to Be Purchased among the High-Net-Worth customers in Hong Kong (individuals with total investable assets exceeding US$ 1 million) for four consecutive years (from 2022 to 2025).

Important Information:

  • The above information provided herein shall not be construed as providing, selling, or soliciting the purchase of any insurance products or services outside Hong Kong and/or Macau, nor does it constitute any sales advice, product recommendation, or any form of service offer. Where the offering or sale of insurance products is prohibited under the laws of any jurisdiction outside Hong Kong and/or Macau, AIA shall not engage in such activities within that jurisdiction. AIA does not provide or sell insurance products or services in any territory other than Hong Kong and/or Macau. The above information is for reference purposes only and does not include detailed terms, conditions, or risk disclosures associated with the relevant products.
  • AIA reserves the right to amend, suspend or terminate the Services, any part thereof, service provider(s) or change any terms and conditions relating thereto at any time without prior notice at its absolute discretion.


Hashtag: #AIA

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/14/aia-alta-prestige-wealth-centre-opens-at-aia-central/

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ACE ROBOTICS Open-Sources Real-Time Generative World Model Kairos 3.0-4B

Source: Media Outreach

  • A native world model built from the ground up for embodied intelligence, Kairos 3.0-4B delivers exceptional physics-consistent deep understanding and cross-embodiment generalization, enabling a single “brain” to drive robots of multiple form factors.
  • Kairos 3.0-4B leverages a unified “multi-modal understanding-generation-prediction” architecture for physical-level deep understanding, long-horizon dynamic interaction, precise action control, and long-horizon interaction — 7-minute coherent interaction videos set a new industry benchmark.
  • As a lightweight 4B-parameter model, Kairos 3.0-4B outperforms mainstream embodied world models while delivering industry-leading inference efficiency. It achieves real-time edge generation on the THOR platform with a1:1.5 ratio of generation time to video duration, leading performance across both cloud and edge environments.
  • Kairos 3.0-4B achieves top-ranking accuracy across multiple authoritative benchmarks. Furthermore, leveraging model capabilities and inference tooling, its inference speed is 72 times faster than Cosmos 2.5, setting a new global performance record for embodied world models.

SHANGHAI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – ACE ROBOTICS announced the open-source release of Kairos 3.0-4B, the industry’s first native world model for embodied intelligence to realize unified “multi-modal understanding-generation-prediction” within a single architecture. As the technical cornerstone of the company’s “Human-Centric” ACE Embodied Intelligence R&D Paradigm, Kairos 3.0-4B is designed from the ground up for real-world robotic operation — integrating physical laws, human behavior, and real robot actions to deliver physics-consistent deep understanding of the real world.

The prevailing approach to embodied world models has largely involved retrofitting general-purpose large language or vision models with motion interfaces. Kairos 3.0-4B takes a fundamentally different path. Rather than appending motion capabilities onto existing model architectures, it is built from the architectural level around the fundamental physical and causal laws that govern real-world environments, constructing a unified world-understanding framework capable of cross-embodiment generalization. By embedding causal reasoning chains directly into its decision-making process, the model transcends behavioral imitation and achieves what ACE ROBOTICS defines as physical-level deep understanding — enabling robots to not only know what to do, but to understand why. Its core breakthrough lies in the deep integration of three categories of data: real robot interaction data, structured human behavioral data, and chain-of-thought reasoning data, effectively breaking down multi-source data barriers and significantly improving the reuse efficiency of real-world data.

A landmark achievement of this release is Kairos 3.0-4B’s real-time edge deployment capability. Deployed on the NVIDIA Jetson Thor T5000 platform at 517 TFLOPs, it is the world’s first embodied world model to achieve real-time generation on edge hardware — achieving a 1.5x faster-than-real-time generation speed on the THOR platform — and the first capable of directly driving physical robot bodies for real-world task execution through native edge deployment. The model issues full-body control commands spanning upper limbs, fingers, and lower limbs without intermediate control layers, enabling robots to move from “capable of performing” to genuinely “capable of working.”

Kairos 3.0-4B also delivers a breakthrough in long-horizon interaction. By combining its unified architecture with Agent-based hierarchical planning and a self-reflective iterative optimization mechanism, the model generates coherent future-state predictions up to 7 minutes in length while maintaining full scene coherence and physical fidelity throughout — setting a new industry benchmark for long-horizon embodied interaction and opening new pathways for embodied intelligence training and deployment.

On the A800 GPU benchmark, Kairos 3.0-4B’s inference speed surpasses NVIDIA Cosmos 2.5 by 72 times, setting a new global performance record for embodied world models. This performance is delivered with a lightweight footprint of just 4B parameters and 23.5GB of VRAM — a fraction of Cosmos 2.5’s 70.2GB requirement — demonstrating that efficiency and capability need not be in tension and fundamentally challenging the assumption that larger parameters are a prerequisite for superior performance. The model has also achieved top rankings across three authoritative global benchmarks: PAI-Bench-robot, co-developed by Georgia Tech and CMU; WorldModelBench-robot TI2V, introduced at CVPR 2025; and NVIDIA GEAR Lab’s DreamGen Bench, outperforming all evaluated models on physical consistency and instruction-following metrics.

In A800 GPU benchmarks, Kairos 3.0-4B achieves order-of-magnitude breakthroughs in compute efficiency and inference speed

Supporting seamless cross-embodiment deployment across single-arm, dual-arm, and dexterous hand configurations with no additional per-embodiment training required, Kairos 3.0-4B is compatible with major hardware platforms including Agilex PIPER, Unitree G1, and Galaxy G1. Kairos 3.0-4B is now available on Github (https://github.com/kairos-agi/kairos-sensenova) and Hugging Face (https://huggingface.co/kairos-agi/kairos-sensenova-common).

https://www.linkedin.com/company/acerobotics/posts/?feedView=all&viewAsMember=true｜
https://x.com/ace_robotics

Hashtag: #ACEROBOTICS

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/14/ace-robotics-open-sources-real-time-generative-world-model-kairos-3-0-4b/

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OPPO and Google Partner to Redefine Productivity for Foldable Devices with Next-Gen AI Stylus Experience

Source: Media Outreach

SHENZHEN, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – OPPO, a leading global smart device brand, is deepening its collaboration with Google Cloud to reimagine AI-powered productivity on its upcoming Find N6 foldable flagship with the new OPPO AI Pen.

Kai Tang, President of Software Engineering at OPPO, said: “OPPO’s close collaboration with partners like Google Cloud enables us to bring the latest and most advanced AI experiences to our users. Featuring powerful AI capabilities, we have evolved the traditional stylus into the innovative OPPO AI Pen, marking a significant leap in efficiency for the foldable smartphone experience.”

AI Chart and AI Image: Next-Level Productivity with OPPO AI Pen

The upcoming Find N6 will launch together with the OPPO AI Pen, featuring exclusive AI Chart and AI Image functions built with Google Cloud’s cutting-edge AI capabilities.

While taking notes or sketching ideas with a stylus helps capture inspiration quickly, translating handwritten drafts into polished, professional formats has always been a challenge. With AI Chart built with Gemini Pro, users can press the dedicated side button on the OPPO AI Pen and simply circle their handwritten notes to instantly generate a clean, editable digital table, allowing for faster information organization in meetings, planning sessions, and daily work.

Beyond text and charts, the AI Image feature is built with Nano Banana, and further expands creative possibilities by transforming simple doodles into refined artwork. Users can even provide specific text prompts to guide the AI, reimagining their drawings in any style, from classic oil painting textures to modern digital art.

Enhanced Cross-Ecosystem Sharing

OPPO is also collaborating with Google to bring AndroidTM Quick Share compatibility with Apple devices to Find N6. In the coming weeks, users will be able to send photos, videos, and files directly to Apple devices—with no additional apps required, advancing cross-ecosystem connection.

Next-Level Productivity on Find N6

These advanced productivity-enhancing features of ColorOS 16 will be fully integrated into the upcoming OPPO Find N6, delivering a high-performance and seamless experience from the very first touch. By combining OPPO’s advanced hardware with Google’s AI capabilities, Find N6 is set to turn the foldable device into a true mobile workstation, empowering users to create, collaborate, and communicate like never before.

Disclaimer: AI Chart is built with Gemini 2.5 Pro, while AI Image is built with Nano Banana (Gemini 2.5 Flash Image).

*Google, Android and Quick Share are trademarks of Google LLC.

Hashtag: #OPPO

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/14/oppo-and-google-partner-to-redefine-productivity-for-foldable-devices-with-next-gen-ai-stylus-experience/

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“Created for Ease”: ECOVACS Brand Campaign Honors Caregivers Across the APAC Region

Source: Media Outreach

For the past 20 years, ECOVACS has been driven by a fearless spirit of innovation to solve complex challenges and continuously advance the user experience. The pioneering intelligent technologies in the ECOVACS DEEBOT robotic vacuums and WINBOT robotic window cleaners, such as the OMNI Station, OZMO ROLLER technology, and PowerBoost technology have set new industry benchmarks and become the hidden heroes for every home, designed to help users clean every corner of their home with minimal effort.

Now ECOVACS is bringing this same innovation spirit to help ease the burdens faced by caregivers in the APAC region. As part of its brand campaign, ECOVACS is planning to cooperate with select like-minded local partners across the region, such as Enabling Village in Singapore. Enabling Village is an integrated community space that aims to empower caregivers for people with disabilities by providing them with resources to manage their responsibilities and enhance their quality of life. ECOVACS will provide Enabling Village caregivers with DEEBOT robotic vacuum cleaners to help ease their burdens and enable them to spend more time on themselves.

“Caring for a child with special needs requires lots of time and patience. And it can be challenging to find moments when I can focus on myself,” says Yvette Wang. “I’m grateful to ECOVACS and their efforts to assist caregivers. With their DEEBOT robotic vacuum I now have one less thing to manage, as I can leave DEEBOT to take care of our floors, and itself.”

To commemorate their partnership, ECOVACS and Enabling Village have invited Yvette’s son, artist @Eli_lailai, to specially design some exclusive merchandise. This collaboration was made possible through I’mable Collective, an initiative by SG Enable that supports and empowers persons with disabilities by providing training and employment opportunities within the creative sector.

An Ecosystem that Empowers Ease

ECOVACS’ efforts to continually strengthen its leadership in service robotics are rooted in its deep understanding of users’ needs. Its regionally tailored brand idea “Created for Ease – Always in Your Corner” reflects the brand’s desire to tailor its mission of ‘Robotics for All’ to shape a better future for users in the APAC region with robots that can seamlessly serve every home, everywhere.

The industry-leading cleaning technologies pioneered by ECOVACS demonstrate its dedication to reducing human effort while maximizing cleaning precision and efficiency, all with the aim of offering dependable cleaning experiences tailored to the needs of today’s households. ECOVACS’ service robots offer users more ease by bringing efficient, effortless cleaning to every corner of their household.

“Always in Your Corner” reflects how ECOVACS’ home service robotics ecosystem is designed for users in the APAC region – to support their full-home scenarios, from floors to windows. The ECOVACS DEEBOT robotic vacuums and WINBOT robotic window cleaners are built to handle what must be done — quietly, consistently, and intelligently. They don’t just clean, they leave users with less to manage.

Amplifying a Message of Care

ECOVACS will extend the impact of this brand campaign across multiple touchpoints in key APAC markets, including Singapore, Australia, Vietnam, India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. Through localized partnerships, integrated brand storytelling, and community engagement, ECOVACS aims to honor caregivers as well as those across the region who are seeking a less stressful and more balanced life.

Intelligent. Innovative. Intuitive.

From its DEEBOT family of robotic vacuum cleaners to its WINBOT family of robotic window cleaners, all of ECOVACS’ innovations are backed by its well-established vertically integrated supply chain and independently developed technologies spanning batteries, AI, motors, transmission components and more.

Today, ECOVACS serves over 38 million households across nearly 180 markets worldwide. Its mission — “Robotics for All” — reflects a long-term commitment to making intelligent service robotics accessible, reliable, and seamlessly integrated into everyday life.

“Created for Ease” is not only about cleaning better. It’s about living lighter and reducing what needs your attention – so that you can focus on what truly matters. And in doing so, ECOVACS is always in your corner.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/created-for-ease-ecovacs-brand-campaign-honors-caregivers-across-the-apac-region/

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Minister visits EIT Tairāwhiti to see workforce training and innovation

Source: Eastern Institute of Technology

7 minutes ago

Minister for Vocational Education Penny Simmonds visited EIT’s Tairāwhiti campus today to see how the newly independent institute is helping build the region’s future workforce.

During the visit, the Minister, along with East Coast MP Dana Kirkpatrick, toured several facilities including the Drone Research Lab, Electrical Lab, Hospitality Kitchens and the Trades Training Centre.

Minister for Vocational Education Penny Simmonds with EIT Senior Lecturer Dr Anastasia Mozhaeva at the Tairāwhiti campus.

EIT Chief Executive Lucy Laitinen said the visit was an opportunity to highlight how the institute is supporting regional economic development.

“The Tairāwhiti Economic Plan is clear that building local capability and investing in our people is fundamental to the region’s future. Now that EIT has regained its independence, we are refocusing squarely on the needs of our region,” she said.

“That means responding to industry, whether that’s pioneering new drone technology with partners like the Port, or creating trades pathways for rangatahi through our Trades Academy. We’re committed to strengthening the regional economy by developing the workforce of both today and tomorrow.”

EIT returned to independence on January 1 following amendments in late 2025 to the Education and Training Act 2020, enabling the institute to sharpen its regional focus and strengthen collaboration with industry.

EIT Executive Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Technology John West said the institute was delighted to welcome Hon Penny Simmonds to the Tairāwhiti campus.

“During her visit, the Minister was interested in the organisation’s 2026 enrolment picture, which continues to show a return toward education across our communities with strong enrolments.”

As part of her visit, the Minister learned more about EIT’s emerging drone technology research, led by Dr Anastasia Mozhaeva and developed through a dedicated research lab supported by Trust Tairāwhiti.

John said the work explores how drone technology can be applied to business and industry while helping develop specialist skills in the region.

“Drone technology is a specialised and emerging field, and it’s an area where we see real potential for Tairāwhiti,” he said.

EIT Executive Dean of the Faculty of Commerce and Technology John West with Minister for Vocational Education Penny Simmonds EIT’s Tairāwhiti campus.

“While visiting the EIT Drone Research Lab, the Minister shared her observations around the need to connect strongly with industry. She was impressed with what EIT had achieved in an emerging technology area and encouraged us to think broadly around the technology’s application.”

The Minister also met students participating in EIT’s Trades Academy programmes, where secondary school students gain hands-on experience across a range of vocational pathways including automotive, engineering, carpentry, hospitality and electrical trades.

John said demand from local schools for Trades Academy places was strong, with enrolment numbers exceeding funded levels.

“We’ve seen incredibly strong demand from local high schools for students to participate in these programmes, which is great,” he said.
Tairāwhiti Campus Executive Director Tracey Tangihaere said the visit was an opportunity to showcase the work being done in the region.

“It was great to have the Minister here to meet some of our students, staff and community partners and to see the programmes we’re delivering in Tairāwhiti. Students and staff enjoyed talking to Minister Simmonds and sharing their passion and aspirations,” she said.

Workforce development remains a key priority in the Tairāwhiti Economic Plan, with employers continuing to face skills shortages across a range of sectors.

Hon Penny Simmonds said she enjoyed visiting EIT, and it was fantastic to see students, tutors and industry partners in action at the Tairāwhiti campus.

“Touring the Drone Research Lab, Electrical Lab, Hospitality Kitchens and the Trades Training Centre gave me a real sense of the practical learning taking place. It was also great to meet secondary school students taking part in Trades Academy programmes and getting a taste of trades training, which shows the strong relationships EIT has with local schools.

“It’s exciting to see the institute preparing students for today’s jobs while fostering innovation, and it really shows the difference a regionally governed, community-focused polytechnic can make in preparing the workforce of tomorrow.”

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/minister-visits-eit-tairawhiti-to-see-workforce-training-and-innovation/

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Hong Kong Exporters’ Association Leads Greater Bay Area Technology Companies to “Go Global” at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva

Source: Media Outreach

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – The Hong Kong Innovation and Invention (HKII), one of the flagship projects organised by the Hong Kong Exporters’ Association (HKEA), leads 48 inventions from the Guangdong–Hong Kong–Macao Greater Bay Area(GBA) to showcase at the International Exhibition of Inventions Geneva (IEIG), taking place from 11 to 15 March (Central European Time).

(From Left to right: Ms. Helena Chiu, Chairman of the Hong Kong Exporters Association; Ir. Andrew Young Honorary Advisor, The Hong Kong Exporters’ Association; and Ms. Alice Lai, Vice Chairman of the Hong Kong Exporters Association and Project Convenor, Hong Kong Innovation & Invention)

Hosted by HKEA and sponsored by the Innovation and Technology Commission (ITC) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, HKII is committed to providing free international exchange opportunities for Hong Kong’s innovation and technology community. The initiative brings Hong Kong’s unique technological inventions onto world‑class exhibition platforms, connecting GBA innovators with global enterprises and users, and showcasing Hong Kong’s innovation story to the world.

Exhibited inventions have undergone rigorous evaluation by a distinguished panel of industry professionals. The shortlisting process will be conducted based on novelty, level of innovation and invention, technical utility, and symbolic significance. All exhibits are original inventions and launched in the market with patent protection or are under patent filing.

“‘Created in Hong Kong’ has long been recognised worldwide, yet the global visibility of our SMEs and start‑ups still has room to grow,” said Helena Chiu, Chairman of HKEA. “Through HKII, we enable Hong Kong’s innovation and technology brands to participate in top‑tier international exhibitions at no cost and connect directly with the global business community. This year, we are also bringing leading innovators from the Greater Bay Area to join Hong Kong enterprises as we venture overseas together and capture new opportunities around the world.”

MEET International, a multi-functional engineering inspection company, exhibits at IEIG for the first time. “With a supply chain anchored in the Greater Bay Area and more than 30 years of global market experience, we have been committed to strengthening ties with overseas clients and building a world‑recognised brand,” said K.S. Chou, Director of MEET International. “IEIG offers valuable access to engineers from European construction firms and research organisations, enabling us to present our product capabilities directly and substantially enhance our opportunities for international orders.”

“Intellectual property built on core technologies is essential for Hong Kong enterprises to upgrade their businesses,” said Marco Li, Managing Director of Propagate Intellectual Property, an invention commercialisation platform. “We are committed to nurturing academic innovations into patented technologies, developing products tailored for different scenarios for global customers. By exhibiting with other Greater Bay Area enterprises at Generva, our intellectual properties could become more attractive to European buyers. On top of greater revenue to companies and inventors, it also strengthens the branding of ‘Created in Hong Kong’ among the global, high‑end, industrial value chain.”

48 innovations and inventions are being showcased at the exhibition through HKII for free. The inventions span a wide spectrum of categories, including:

  1. Smart City,
  2. Smart Home & Lifestyle,
  3. Health Technologies and Medicine, and
  4. Smart Industry,

alongside a dedicated Youth Category for inventors aged 18 or below. The showcased innovation and technology products from the Greater Bay Area include:

Smart City: MEET International, a multi-functional engineering inspection company, developed a “7‑in‑1 Building Leakage Tracing Device,” breaking through the technical limitations of traditional single‑function inspection tools and redefining the standards for leakage detection. By continuously capturing and comparing highly precise data readings, the device pinpoints the source of leakage, ensuring that concealed problem areas are accurately exposed.

The device features synchronized “AC leakage” and “water leakage” dual detection, enabling early identification of hidden risks and precise localisation of the source to mitigate both seepage and electrical hazards. It also incorporates an innovative all‑scenario adaptability design, allowing it to operate effectively across different building materials and leakage environments. Applications include building maintenance, renovation inspection, and property management.
Smart Home & Lifestyle: Researchers at Sun Yat‑sen University developed a patented “Composite Heating Material” that integrates advanced graphene and nano-carbon tube composite heating films, replacing traditional heating tubes. The invention delivers precise, rapid and efficient heating with uniform heat distribution, while reducing energy loss.

Propagate Intellectual Property has commercialised the invention into more than 40 intellectual property assets, applying it to products such as electric teppanyaki, food‑warming mats and beauty eye masks, as well as in building and industrial settings, providing an efficient and flexible heating solution across diverse applications.
Health Technologies and Medicine: Health‑tech start‑up Kin Technology launched Kindo & App, a homecare solution redefining homecare and wellness. Integrating automation, IoT connectivity, and advanced AI, Kindo & App can automatically sort and dispense up to 10 types of medication with a single click. Equipped with smart reminders, a child‑safety lock, and built‑in humidity and temperature sensors, the solution ensures medication safety, accuracy, and convenience.

Paired with the Kin App and Web Platform, users can track their dosage history, set reminders, and receive low-medication alerts. The platform also supports remote dispensing, enabling caregivers to manage prescriptions and dispense medications from anywhere. Families and caregivers gain real-time access to adherence data and remote management tools, while healthcare providers can monitor patients, manage prescriptions, and access analytics to enhance outcomes.
Smart Industry: URS AI developed URS AI MATE, a holographic interactive AI agent. Integrating holographic projection technology, proprietary LLM, and multimodal interaction algorithms, URS AI MATE has successfully built a full closed‑loop of perception, cognition, decision‑making, and execution that enables continuous self‑evolution. This strengthens its ability to adapt in different scenarios and understand users, creating an AI agent uniquely tailored to each individual.

Hashtag: #HongKongExporters’Association #HKEA #HongKongInnovation&Invention #HKII

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/hong-kong-exporters-association-leads-greater-bay-area-technology-companies-to-go-global-at-the-international-exhibition-of-inventions-geneva/

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APAS Debuts at The Battery Show Asia Showcasing Eight Innovative Battery Technology Solutions

Source: Media Outreach

Hosting New Energy Summit to Connect Global Experts Insights on New Energy Landscape

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – Centre of Advanced Power and Autonomous Systems (APAS), under the Hong Kong Productivity Council (HKPC),made its debut at The Battery Show Asia held from 10 to 12 March. During the exhibition, APAS set up a dedicated showcase area to present eight innovative battery technology solutions featuring high safety standards and intelligent capabilities for the first time. In parallel, APAS hosted the second edition of the New Energy Summit during the exhibition. The summit brought together five industry experts and scholars from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, India and Switzerland to deliver speeches on various topics related to new energy and energy storage. Speakers shared the latest industry developments and application trends, fostering international technology exchange and collaboration.

During the exhibition, APAS hosted the second New Energy Summit, inviting industry experts and scholars from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, India and Switzerland to speak and share the latest technological developments and application trends in the fields of new energy and advanced materials.

Mr Yonghai DU, Chief Innovation Officer of HKPC and General Manager of APAS, said, “In line with the strategic priorities set out in the outline of the 15th Five-Year Plan for emerging and future industries such as new energy, advanced energy storage and hydrogen energy, energy technologies are entering an unprecedented period of growth. The outline also emphasise the pursuit of smart, green, and integrated development of industry, injecting long-term momentum for the new energy development. For many years, HKPC has been committed to market-led technology R&D. APAS focuses on areas including new energy technologies, green transportation, smart mobility, intelligent systems and emerging applications, actively translating research outcomes into market-ready solutions to help industries enhance technological capabilities and industrial value.”

He added, “Through this international platform, we hope to strengthen our collaboration with enterprises and research institutions from around the world. Hong Kong can play a more proactive role as a connector between Chinese Mainland and the global market in the development of innovation, international standards and the practical application of new energy technologies, thereby enhancing the city’s global competitiveness in the new energy industry. Looking ahead, APAS will continue to focus on research and practical applications in new energy and intelligent systems, while advancing technological innovation and cross-regional collaboration to support both the nation and Hong Kong in fostering emerging industries and future industries.”

First Participation in The Battery Show Asia, Highlighting Battery Technology Achievements

The Battery Show Asia brings together more than 20,000 industry representatives from Chinese Mainland, Japan, Korea, Southeast Asia, India, Europe and the United States, including policymakers, technology innovators, engineers, manufacturers and industry experts. Covering battery manufacturing, energy storage solutions and new energy transportation industries, the exhibition serves as an international platform integrating technology showcase, industry exchange and business collaboration.

In its first participation in the exhibition, APAS showcased its research strengths in new energy technologies and emerging applications by presenting a range of innovative battery technology solutions. The showcase aims to contribute to the development of the battery industry while providing an important platform for Hong Kong to connect with global technologies and markets, facilitating cross-regional exchange and collaboration.

APAS set up a dedicated exhibition area to present several research outcomes developed in collaboration with industry partners, including:

  • Battery Cell Technologies:
    • High-performance Sodium-ion Battery: Using stable poly-anionic phosphate cathode, the battery enables rapid storage and release of sodium-ions while offering high safety and cost efficiency. It is suitable for applications such as low-speed electric vehicles, power batteries and large-scale energy storage. Looking ahead, APAS will collaborate with industry partners to establish large-scale production capabilities for high-performance sodium-ion battery, further optimising its performance and cost-effectiveness while exploring deployment in low-speed electric vehicles and utility-scale energy storage systems.
  • Battery Systems and Solutions:
    • Explosion-Proof High-Energy Battery Systems:This solution features proprietary safety technology that prevents thermal runaway, delivering reliable power in the most challenging environments, engineered for demanding marine and portable power applications. APAS will assist partners in optimising battery module design and thermal management systems to enhance product performance and align R&D processes with industry standards. This will support partners in establishing manufacturing facilities in Hong Kong and expanding into overseas markets.
    • Yacht Battery System: The system integrates advanced solid-state battery technology with an intelligent Battery Management System (BMS) to eliminate risks associated with traditional liquid electrolytes, including leakage, corrosion and thermal runaway. It is specifically designed to withstand the high-humidity, high-vibration and salt-spray conditions inherent to open-water yacht operations. APAS is currently supporting partners in obtaining international battery standard certifications to facilitate entry into the global market.

These solutions feature high safety standards, intelligent capabilities, and flexible applications. They support a wide range of sectors, including electric transportation and smart mobility, marine and industrial applications, specialised equipment, aerospace and high-end manufacturing, medical devices, consumer electronics, home assistive equipment and portable energy storage for travel.

Hosting New Energy Summit to Jointly Build a Sustainable Future

During the exhibition, APAS also hosted the second New Energy Summit, which brought together industry leaders and academic experts from Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, India and Switzerland. The summit focused on key topics related to new energy development and applications, providing a platform for speakers to share insights and engage in discussions with industry professionals in attendance.

The summit focused on two key themes — new energy and advanced materials — bringing together global experts to explore technological development and industrial applications. In the new energy sector, a representative from The Hong Kong and China Gas Company Limited introduced innovative hydrogen energy technologies and their potential applications in promoting clean energy development in Hong Kong. Representatives from energy technology companies and alliances in Switzerland, India and Thailand shared the latest trends and practical applications in energy storage technologies, as well as the integration of renewable energy with smart infrastructure. In the field of advanced materials, a scholar from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at the National University of Singapore highlighted the critical role of nanotechnology in energy and sustainable development, offering insights into the future landscape of sustainable new energy.

Through this cross-regional and cross-industry platform, APAS aims to promote international technology exchange and collaboration, accelerate the application of new energy technologies and drive industry transformation, contributing to a more resilient and sustainable future energy ecosystem.

Advancing Technologies onto the Global Stage, Reinforcing Hong Kong’s Connectivity Advantages

HKPC actively participates in various international exhibitions and industry exchange activities to showcase innovative solutions co-developed with industry partners. Leveraging Hong Kong as a platform, HKPC supports enterprises in expanding into international markets and advancing cutting-edge technologies and standards worldwide.

Through international exhibitions and collaboration initiatives, HKPC further strengthens Hong Kong’s role as an important connector between Chinese Mainland and the world. In line with the Government’s 2026-27 Budget to attract large-scale international exhibitions to Hong Kong and promote the city’s exhibition brand globally, HKPC will continue to participate in international exhibitions and foster industry exchanges to drive innovation showcase and collaboration.

Hashtag: #APAS

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/apas-debuts-at-the-battery-show-asia-showcasing-eight-innovative-battery-technology-solutions/

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Alibaba Cloud Accelerates Worldwide AI Innovation and Adoption Across Industries

Source: Media Outreach

AI+Cloud strategy continues to empower businesses towards greater efficiency and new growth opportunities

HANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – Alibaba Cloud, the digital and intelligence backbone of Alibaba Group, presents a series of customer success stories from 2025, showcasing how its full-stack AI and Cloud capabilities are powering innovation for enterprises worldwide.

Alibaba Cloud’s comprehensive AI offering – spanning infrastructure, its Qwen and Wan model families and development platforms – met significantly growing demand as enterprises scale their AI applications across industries. These AI deployments have in turn fueled higher usage of core cloud services, contributing to sustained growth and underscoring the company’s role as a trusted digital partner for enterprises worldwide.​

Dr. Feifei Li, President of International Businessfor Alibaba Cloud Intelligence Group, said: “In 2025, we witnessed enterprises deepening and broadening their use of AI. Businesses around the world are utilizing our AI capabilities, built on a secure, scalable cloud foundation, to reimagine their industries, from AI-driven sustainable mobility to intelligent healthcare and generative content creation. Alibaba Cloud remains committed to delivering full-stack AI solutions, open-source initiatives and AI-optimized cloud infrastructure that empower customers to innovate at pace.”

Accelerating EV innovation in Malaysia

In Malaysia, Alibaba Cloud has been supporting mobility technology company PRO-NET from its inception, enabling the company to adopt a cloud first and data driven approach through a fully integrated end to end data pipeline. This foundation has played a key role as PRO-NET drives the development of Malaysia’s new energy ecosystem and accelerates the nation’s transition towards intelligent, sustainable mobility.

Building on this foundation, PRO-NET is advancing its AI capabilities using Alibaba Cloud’s Model Studio to develop its internal chatbot, which will later expand to customer-facing applications and vehicle infotainment systems. This collaboration strengthens PRO-NET’s capabilities in intelligent mobility, predictive analytics, and customer experience, supporting Malaysia’s broader EV transformation.

“Alibaba Cloud has been a key partner to PRO-NET, and their support in building our cloud-first and data-driven foundation has been instrumental as we advance Malaysia’s new energy mobility ecosystem. As we move into the next phase with AI, this impactful collaboration will empower us to unlock deeper insights, elevate customer experiences, and accelerate our vision of shaping a smarter, more connected future of mobility for Malaysia,” said Zhang Qiang, Chief Executive Officer of PRO-NET.

Powering multilingual AI in Singapore

In Singapore, Alibaba Cloud supports the release of Qwen-SEA-LION-v4, the latest version of a large language model developed by AI Singapore (AISG), to address the linguistic, cultural, and commercial needs of Southeast Asia. Built on Alibaba’s Qwen3-32B foundation model, the launch represents a significant step in AISG’s efforts to deliver increasingly capable and accessible AI solutions for the region.

Qwen-SEA-LION-v4 delivers significant improvement in multilingual accuracy and cultural contextual understanding while being efficient enough to run on a consumer-grade laptop with 32GB of RAM. It currently ranks first on the leaderboard for Southeast Asian Holistic Evaluation of Language Models (SEA-HELM) among open-source models under 200B parameters, thanks to its advanced reasoning, multilingual support, and long-context understanding tailored for Southeast Asian languages.

The base Qwen3-32B model has been further trained on over 100 billion Southeast Asian language tokens to enhance its ability to interpret local expressions, conversational nuances and regional knowledge domains.

“Our collaboration with Alibaba on Qwen-SEA-LION-v4 is an important milestone in advancing AI inclusivity and to make it more representative of Southeast Asia,” said Dr Leslie Teo, Senior Director of AI Products, AI Singapore. “It embodies our shared vision of accelerating AI innovation across the region and ensuring that developers, enterprises, and public institutions have access to AI that is open, affordable, and locally relevant, and is designed to truly understand the languages, cultures, and communities of this region.”

Modernizing healthcare with AI in Hong Kong

In Hong Kong,Leading Hong Kong-based Chinese medicine company PuraPharm Corporation Limited (PuraPharm) and clinical traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) intelligence software solutions company HerbMiners Informatics Limited (HerbMiners) have used Alibaba’s Qwen3 model to enhance the pioneering Traditional Chinese Medicine Advisor (TCMA) platform, a clinical management platform designed to modernize and globalize TCM practices. Powered by Qwen3 model, the platform now uses advanced natural language processing (NLP) and deep learning capabilities to help analyze unstructured clinical data, such as doctors’ notes and herbal prescriptions, supporting personalized treatment decisions and enhancing AI-driven patient engagement, clinical operations, security and compliance.

Dr. Wilfred W.K. Lin, Co-founder and Chief Data Analytics Director, HerbMiners Informatics Limited, said, “Our pioneering TCMA platform sheds lights on how modern tools can unleash the value of traditional wisdom, creating smarter, more responsive, and globally scalable healthcare systems. The platform is poised to redefine the future of TCM, not only in Hong Kong, but on a global scale.”

Enabling smarter, greener cities

Alibaba Cloud also supported global industry leaders to utilize Qwen to transform their operations, from accelerating product innovation to building smarter, more sustainable cities.

Signify, the world leader in lighting headquartered in the Netherlands, has launched the industry’s first GenAI agent in China powered by Alibaba’s self-developed large language model Qwen. By harnessing Qwen’s advanced capability to effectively handle complex tasks, the GenAI agent has been integrated into Signify’s connected street lighting system Interact City Flex that monitors, controls and manages street lighting, to further reduce energy consumption while boosting maintenance efficiency. Powered by Qwen, the upgraded system simplifies operation by allowing users to generate and deploy AI-driven dimming strategies through natural language commends. It also flags anomalies and provides solutions to improve efficiency on facility management and maintenance.

“Digital transformation in urban environments relies on intelligent systems that make city management smarter and more sustainable,” said Hans Nikol, Head of Open Innovation of Signify. “By making use of Alibaba’s Qwen model in our GenAI Agent, we’re empowering cities to proactively reduce energy consumption and lower operational costs. This collaboration marks an important step in intelligent city management and underlines our commitment to innovation and our vision for greener, brighter cities.”

Reinventing digital content creation in Japan

In Japan, Alibaba Cloud has established a strategic partnership with Tokyo-based digital manga developer and factory to drive AI adoption and innovation within Japan’s manga industry. Under the partnership, and factory becomes Alibaba Cloud’s official “Manga Partner,” contributing industry expertise and experience in digital manga platform development. Alibaba Cloud will provide advanced cloud infrastructure and AI technologies to support this digital transformation.

Together, the companies will co-develop AI-powered tools designed to boost efficiency and creativity in manag production, such as automated background illustration, intelligent storyboard creation, auto-coloring, animation conversion, and automatic translation. These solutions will empower creators, publishers, and distributors, expanding manga’s global reach.

With an expanding ecosystem of partners and customers, Alibaba Cloud remains focused on delivering secure, high-performance and accessible AI capabilities that help businesses of all sizes unlock new value and accelerate digital transformation in 2026 and beyond.

Hashtag: #AlibabaCloud

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/alibaba-cloud-accelerates-worldwide-ai-innovation-and-adoption-across-industries/

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Fly Direct from Korea to Hualien – Incentives of Up to KRW 180,000 Per Tourist for Travel Agencies

Source: Media Outreach

HUALIEN, TAIWAN – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – Travelers looking to reach Eastern Taiwan with ease and without transfers can soon enjoy the refreshing Pacific sea breeze and the breathtaking scenery of mountains and ocean up close. South Korea’s Aero K Airlines has launched a direct route between Incheon and Hualien, operating twice weekly on Thursdays and Sundays with round-trip flights departing from Incheon, Korea.

Hualien, Taiwan – Where mountains meet the sea. Fly direct from Incheon and see you in Hualien!

From now until November 30, 2026, the Hualien County Government has launched two incentive programs for travelers arriving via direct flights to Hualien: the “Flight + Hotel Package Incentive Program” and the “Inbound Group Tour Incentive Program.” The initiatives encourage travel agencies to design one-stop travel packages that combine airfare and accommodation, making it easier for visitors to start their journey in Hualien.

Korean travel agencies may participate by partnering with legally registered travel agencies in Taiwan, with the Taiwanese partner responsible for applying for the incentives. For group tours staying in Hualien, agencies will receive an incentive of NTD 2,000 per traveler (approximately KRW 90,000) for a two-night stay, and up to NTD 4,000 per traveler (approximately KRW 180,000) for a maximum stay of four nights.

Earlier this year, Korean influencer Virbro (비르보) traveled to Hualien on a direct flight to experience the destination firsthand. He recently visited many of Hualien’s highlights—from the stunning Qixingtan Beach, just 10 minutes from the airport, to the historic Jiang Jun Fu, the vibrant Dongdaemun Night Market, and the peaceful Liyu Lake—capturing it all along the way. Check out his social media to see how easy it is to enjoy a quick and beautiful getaway in Hualien!

Hualien offers a vibrant range of activities, from seasonal marathons and flower festivals to whale watching and water sports. While Taroko National Park is currently undergoing restoration, several areas have reopened in stages, allowing visitors to still witness its iconic gorge landscapes and natural majesty. With the convenience of new direct flights, you can skip the long transfers from Taipei and fly straight to the heart of Eastern Taiwan to experience Hualien’s breathtaking charm.

For more event information, please visit the official Explore Hualien Sustainably 2026 Travel Agency Incentive Program website.(https://hltrip.tw/agency/)or( https://hualien.travel/ai-service/ )

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/fly-direct-from-korea-to-hualien-incentives-of-up-to-krw-180000-per-tourist-for-travel-agencies/

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Asia Pacific strengthens its position as a global trade anchor as Singapore ranks #1 worldwide – DHL Global Connectedness Report 2026

Source: Media Outreach

  • Globalization holds firm at a record level while trade flows in Asia expand and diversify
  • Despite geopolitical tensions and rising uncertainty, countries largely maintain trade and investment ties with their traditional partner countries
  • Record-long trade distances, AI-driven commerce, and resilient cross‑border flows paint a surprisingly robust picture of globalization
  • U.S.–China trade fell to 2.0% of global trade, down from 2.7% in 2024

SINGAPORE / HANOI, VIETNAM / NEW YORK, US – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – Globalization remains at a historically high level at 25% in 2025 – despite escalating geopolitical tensions, rising U.S. tariffs, and uncertainty about future trade policies. Equally, the Asia Pacific region features prominently in this year’s DHL Global Connectedness Report, with Singapore ranked #1 globally. A broad swath of regional economies in the Asia Pacific region has also strengthened its position on cross-border flows. The DHL Global Connectedness Report 2026 is produced with New York University’s Stern School of Business. It examines four ‘pillars’ measuring the depth and breadth of trade, capital, information, and people flows.

DHL Global Connectedness Report 2026

Asia Pacific remains a global anchor in cross-border trade

The Asia Pacific region is one of the world’s strongest pillars of global connectedness with several markets continuing to post strong breadth and depth of international ties. In fact, broad-based gains were observed across the Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia, and Oceania regions. The report shows East Asia & Pacific’s share of world trade has climbed from 24% (2001) to 32% (2025), underscoring the region’s long-run momentum. Several other economies in Asia Pacific also advanced sharply in the global connectedness ranking: Malaysia (#16; +13 ranks), Thailand (#27; +7), Korea (#31; +6), Taiwan (#32; +4), and Vietnam (#36; +3).

Intra-Asia trade has also strengthened since 2023. The report’s country profiles show that Asia-Pacific economies are deeply networked within the region, with most major trade and investment flows anchored in Asian partner markets. At the same time, China’s redirected exports to ASEAN markets—up 13% (+USD 79 billion) in 2025 — further cement ASEAN’s position as a fast growing trade corridor.

Singapore leads the country ranking

Singapore has retained the top position among 180 economies – reflecting exceptional depth in trade and capital flows. The country is ranked first on the trade pillar (out of 180 countries) and second on the capital pillar (out of 158 countries). Particularly on trade flows, Singapore ranks first on ‘depth’ (up one place from 2019), with the largest international flows relative to its domestic economy. Additionally, the city-state stands out most for the breadth of its inward foreign domestic investment (FDI) stocks (ranked first worldwide).

“Asia Pacific continues to demonstrate extraordinary resilience and adaptability,” said Ken Lee, CEO of DHL Express Asia Pacific. “The DHL Global Connectedness Report shows that countries across our region – from Singapore to Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam and beyond – are deepening their global ties and attracting new trade flows. Even as global patterns shift, Asia remains a central engine of global trade. This is why we continue to invest in and enhance our Asia Pacific network, particularly in the eight fast-growing markets that DHL Group has identified. Our priority is to support businesses to stay connected and diversify their markets.”

AI boom and race to beat tariff hikes fueled trade in 2025

Global trade grew faster in 2025 than in any year since 2017, excluding the volatile Covid-19 period. U.S. importers accelerated shipments early in the year ahead of tariff increases. U.S. imports dropped below prior-year levels, but rising Chinese exports to non-U.S. markets helped sustain global trade volumes.

Trade in AI-related goods surged as countries and companies raced to build AI infrastructure. AI-related products drove 42% of goods trade growth in the first three quarters of 2025, according to WTO figures. In fact, AI hardware and data infrastructure are amplifying Asia Pacific’s trade. Notably, Taiwan, Korea, Singapore and Malaysia’s tech supply chains are benefitting from the surge in demand for AI chips, servers and data center buildouts. In answer, DHL Express has added significant payload capacity for flights out of Hanoi to support Vietnam’s rapidly expanding tech manufacturing sector.

Trade outlook: growth continues, even with higher tariffs

Looking ahead, recent U.S. tariff increases are expected to modestly slow trade growth in 2026 – but not stop it. Global goods trade is projected to expand by an average of 2.6% per year through 2029, in line with the past decade.

One reason trade can keep growing despite U.S. tariff hikes is that most trade does not involve the U.S. In 2025, 13% of imports went to the U.S., and 9% of exports came from the U.S. In addition, many countries are pursuing new trade agreements to secure access to alternative markets, such as the recently minted India-EU free trade agreement.

Information flows face barriers, people flows reach new highs

The report notes that people flows – travel, migration, and student mobility – have fully recovered and reached record highs. This trend is especially pronounced in Asia Pacific, where highly connected hubs such as Singapore and Hong Kong continue to attract substantial cross‑border movement.

Many of the region’s most connected markets, such as Hong Kong SAR, Japan, and Korea – remain deeply tied to global data and digital exchanges as these have risen in ranks in the information pillar since 2019. Capital flows remain resilient overall in the region, where there is no broad shift of investment from foreign to domestic markets.

U.S.–China tensions affect only small share of global flows

The report also finds that ties between the world’s two largest economies – the U.S. and China – continue to weaken. However, these ties are surprisingly small in a global perspective. For example, trade between the U.S. and China accounted for 3.6% of world trade at its peak in 2015, before falling to 2.7% in 2024 and to only 2.0% during the first three quarters of 2025. The U.S.–China share of international business investment is even smaller – less than 1% in 2025.

No global split into rival blocs

Even as the U.S. and China decouple, most countries – including those in Asia – continue to engage with their longstanding partners. Over the past decade, only 4–6% of global goods trade, greenfield FDI, and cross-border M&A have shifted away from geopolitical rivals. Of these flows, most have not moved to close allies but to countries with flexible geopolitical positions, such as India and Vietnam. Overall, the world economy remains far from a broad split into rival blocs.

“The politics and policy surrounding globalization are much more volatile than the actual flows between countries,” said Prof. Steven A. Altman, Director of the DHL Initiative on Globalization at NYU Stern’s Center for the Future of Management. “In Asia Pacific, as in the rest of the world, the data shows that cross‑border flows have remained remarkably resilient despite heightened geopolitical tensions. Sound decision‑making in this region requires a calibrated view of how much global business ties are really changing. The risks to globalization are real, but so is the resilience of global flows, and Asia Pacific continues to play a pivotal role in sustaining that connectivity.”

The DHL Global Connectedness Report

Published regularly since 2011, the DHL Global Connectedness Report provides reliable insights on globalization by analyzing 14 types of international trade, capital, information, and people flows. The 2026 edition is based on more than 9 million data points. It ranks the connectedness of 180 countries, accounting for 99.6 percent of global gross domestic product and 99.0 percent of the world’s population. A set of 180 one-page country profiles summarizes each country’s pattern of globalization.

The report was commissioned by DHL and authored by Steven A. Altman and Caroline R. Bastian of New York University Stern School of Business.

Note to editors:

  • The report and further resources are available at dhl.com/gcr.
  • DHL Group’s “GT20 Initiative” refers to 20 markets worldwide that the Group has identified to benefit strongest from Geographic Tailwind. Eight of them are in Asia Pacific including China, India, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Hashtag: #DHL

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/asia-pacific-strengthens-its-position-as-a-global-trade-anchor-as-singapore-ranks-1-worldwide-dhl-global-connectedness-report-2026/

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i-Sprint Corporation Announces Successful Completion of Management Buy-Out in Partnership with KV Asia Capital

Source: Media Outreach

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 13 March 2026 – i-Sprint Corporation today announced the successful completion of a management buy-out (MBO) of all its operating companies, and marks a pivotal milestone as the company celebrated its 25th anniversary last year. The transaction was led by the company’s existing management team in strategic partnership with KV Asia Capital.

This landmark transaction ranks among the significant Identity and Access Management acquisitions in Asia. It underscores i-Sprint’s strategic importance in the region’s cybersecurity landscape as AI-driven threats, machine identity proliferation, and tightening regulatory requirements reshape cybersecurity across the region. The deal positions i-Sprint for its next phase of innovation and global expansion, as it continues to invest in next-generation capabilities, while expanding its footprint across the region.

This milestone firmly establishes i‑Sprint as one of the region’s largest independent IAM, Quantum Safe and Mobile cybersecurity provider.

Dutch Ng, Chief Executive Officer of i-Sprint, commented:
“This Management Buy-Out is a defining moment for i-Sprint and a testament to the strength of the business we have built and our deep belief in its future. Partnering with KV Asia Capital provides us with the strategic tools and capital to accelerate growth while preserving the entrepreneurial spirit and customer focus that define i-Sprint. We are grateful for the trust and support of our clients, partners, and team—and excited about the future we’re building together.”

KV Asia Capital has a proven track record of scaling growth-stage companies across Asia. Their expertise and financial backing will enable i-Sprint to enhance product offerings, invest in cutting-edge R&D, and pursue new market opportunities with greater agility.

Lee Gan Ping, Managing Director, at KV Asia Capital, said:
“We are thrilled to partner with i-Sprint’s founders and management team, whose deep domain expertise and track record has earned the trust of Asia’s leading financial and government institutions. As identity and authentication become increasingly complex and relevant, we look forward to supporting the team in their next chapter of growth. Together, we will scale i-Sprint’s global footprint through accelerated R&D investments and strategic M&A.”

The existing management team will continue to lead the company, ensuring seamless operations and a continued focus on delivering innovative and superior products and services.

Hashtag: #iSprint

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/i-sprint-corporation-announces-successful-completion-of-management-buy-out-in-partnership-with-kv-asia-capital/

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Launching predator-free pilot in the Chatham Islands

Source: NZ Department of Conservation

On the Chatham Islands, 800 kilometres east of mainland Aotearoa, New Zealand, a group of locals are mobilising to protect hundreds of endangered species, including eight types of albatross.  

Chatham Islands albatross/toroa/popo. Photo by Dave Boyle.

Taking action for all living beings

The Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust has launched the first phase of its Predator Free Chathams project. This includes targeting introduced predators across an initial 7500-hectare area in the northeast of Rēkohu/Wharekauri/main Chatham.

“Predator Free Chathams is a big step in something larger, for all our communities – human, plant, animal, everything that’s part of our ecosystems,” says Hamish Chisholm, the Trust’s Project Lead and a sixth-generation islander.

Success in this area will show what’s possible for the biggest island in the archipelago, Rēkohu/Wharekauri, and further activate the local movement, he says.

“We’re currently building a network of AT220 automated traps targeting possums and rats in the operational area, and we are working with the Hokotehi Moriori Trust to remove feral cats.

“We’re treating this phase like a pilot – what we learn here will help inform how we approach the rest of the island. We want to build greater opportunities for community involvement and support as we are quite a small organisation with two staff, our trustees, and some dedicated volunteers we couldn’t do without.”

Project lead, Hamish Chisholm, amongst the bracken at Te Whanga Lagoon.

Stories of native species revival

The Chatham Islands community has a proud history of bringing species back from the brink of extinction.

This includes the parea, a wood pigeon much like kererū on mainland Aotearoa, whose population has risen from about 40 birds to around 600.

Another example is the Chatham Island tāiko which was once one of the world’s rarest seabirds before sustained predator control and species recovery work started.

“Tāiko are being carefully monitored and protected in the south of main Chatham by another local conservation group, the Chatham Island Taiko Trust, with 52 known breeding pairs returning to their burrows in the 2024/25 season,” Hamish says.

The parea/Chatham Island pigeon is closely related to the slightly smaller kererū on mainland Aotearoa, New Zealand. Photo by Jess MacKenzie

The project has many stories to draw upon, including the rescue of the kakaruia/karure/black robin which helped put Aotearoa on the international conservation stage in the 1980s.

“Dropping to just five individual birds, DOC teamed up with locals to help bring this species back from the brink, and it now exists on the two nature reserve islands, Mangere/Maung’Re and Rangatiara/Hokorereoro,” Hamish says.

“These islands are now reaching their population capacity, highlighting the real need for safer habitat to be created in other areas of the archipelago.”

“One of the highlights from last year was translocating some hakoakoa/tītī to revive an old seabird site in the area, as part of a project led by the Hokotehi Moriori Trust,” Hamish says.

“These chicks all fledged successfully, and the second translocation of chicks is due to happen at the end of March.”

Image: Hakoakoa/tītī translocation into the northeast project area led by the Hokotehi Moriori Trust.

Creating a sustainable future for the Chatham Island community

The livelihood of the local community is also the heart of the vision for Predator Free Chathams, Hamish says.

“Our mahi isn’t just about endangered species, although we do have 326 of those living across the archipelago. By rewilding and restoring whole ecosystems in the archipelago, we can mitigate against climate change and help create a sustainable future for the 700 or so people who live on these remote islands.”

This includes creating environmental career pathways for young people on the island so they can stay if they choose and help restore their home while building valuable skills.

“Our gardens and agriculture will also benefit a lot, with opportunities for alternative land use or new approaches to farming. With the incredible number of seabirds, and unique species out here, there are also great possibilities for well-managed ecotourism.”

Chatham Island albatross with chick on nest

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Chatham Island albatross with chick on nest

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Chatham Islands albatross/toroa/popo on its nest with a chick. Photo by Dave Boyle.

Hamish says there are important opportunities to learn in the Chathams that could benefit the wider predator-free movement and conservation efforts across the country, particularly if a project to remove feral cats from Pitt Island can find funding to go ahead.

“From approaches to targeting feral cats to insight on eradicating predators on inhabited islands, we’re keen to be part of that big picture, working towards a Predator Free Aotearoa where nature, including the people who live in it, is thriving.”

[embedded content]

The Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust and Predator Free Chathams has been supported by a range of organisations along the way, including WWF, Wellington Zoo, Predator Free NZ Ltd, Pacific Development Fund, private donors, Chatham Islands Council, and more recently through two operational grants from the Department of Conservation.

You can find more information about the project and the species they are trying to protect by watching the video above or visiting the Chatham Islands Landscape Restoration Trust website.

Follow the team’s progress on Facebook and Instagram, or sign up to their quarterly newsletter.

Hebe bakeri at Nikau Bush, Chatham Island. Photo by Jess MacKenzie

MIL OSI

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/13/launching-predator-free-pilot-in-the-chatham-islands/

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VinFast and the Rise of a New Gulf Lifestyle

Source: Media Outreach

As Gulf cities hardwire sustainability into daily life, VinFast is shaping an electric lifestyle that feels like a smart, seamless routine, with its climate-ready design, long-term warranty confidence and software-driven convenience woven into everyday driving.

DUBAI, UAE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 March 2026 – Over the past five years, GCC countries have made EV adoption a clear priority. Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030, the UAE’s Net Zero 2050 strategy and Qatar’s National Vision 2030 have moved from policy language to pavement. Master-planned districts in Riyadh are wired for electric charging from day one. Residential towers in Dubai and Abu Dhabi market EV-ready parking as a premium amenity. In Doha and Manama, public chargers now stand in mall basements and along waterfront boulevards, quietly normalizing a different way to refuel.

With that, a new lifestyle is taking shape. The clearest sign is how refueling is moving into the home, often happening quietly overnight. In the not-so-distant future, some drivers may struggle to recall the last time they stood beside a pump in the heat, watching the numbers climb under fluorescent lights.

Into this transition steps VinFast, a young global brand intent on making those new habits stick. Its focus is to make the interactions around them feel at least as convenient as traditional ownership, if not more so. In other words, to make EV living workable at scale, for everyone.

The VF 8 sits at the center of that effort. Fine-tuned for Gulf conditions, it pairs vegan leather seating with ventilation and heating functions suited to dramatic seasonal swings. Dual-zone climate control integrates air-quality management and ionization, a practical feature in cities where dust storms are not rare events. The cabin is anchored by a large 15.6-inch infotainment display, sized generously enough that drivers are not left squinting at navigation prompts or climate settings mid-traffic.

More subtly, the VF 8 encourages new expectations around what a car should do. Over-the-air update capability allows the vehicle’s software to improve over time. Driver profiles synchronize settings and climate preferences, useful in households where one vehicle rotates between work commutes, school runs and weekend trips. Smart modes such as pet mode and camp mode extend the car’s role beyond transport, accommodating both urban density and the region’s fondness for desert getaways.

VinFast has also worked to address the psychological side of the green transition. An expectation-surpassing element of the VinFast ownership experience is its warranty package: a 10-year or 200,000-kilometer vehicle warranty, a 10-year unlimited battery warranty and five years of free maintenance up to 100,000 kilometers, all structured to make durability and cost predictability part of the standard equation rather than an added extra. A recently signed Memorandum of Understanding with PlusX Electric in the UAE focuses on portable charging pods, on-demand mobile charging and emergency roadside support.

Taken together, these elements frame sustainability as simply another way of moving through the world, rather than an act of sacrifice, and arguably a more efficient one at that. Fewer service visits. Predictable maintenance costs. Charging woven into the domestic routine.

Across the Gulf, greener living is unfolding in just that manner. The progress can be gradual, almost mundane, yet it is unmistakably forward. VinFast’s role is to ensure that when a driver chooses electric mobility, the surrounding experience feels stable, supported and suited to regional realities.

Hashtag: #Vinfast

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/vinfast-and-the-rise-of-a-new-gulf-lifestyle/

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Bridge Data Centres Plans Major Investment with Global Partners to Strengthen Singapore’s Position as Asia Pacific’s Leading AI Hub

Source: Media Outreach

  • Strategic Investment of S$3-5 billion in Singapore to advance AI-ready data centre developments, supporting over 2 GW of AI-ready capacity globally, and driving technological innovation with international ecosystem partners.
  • First-mover advantage as one of Asia Pacific’s top three hyperscale data centre developers, with proven track record delivering large-scale campus developments in Malaysia, Thailand and India, supporting regional AI and cloud demand.
  • Pioneering sustainable energy solutions, including Singapore’s first floating hydrogen power generation model leveraging the nation’s strengths in maritime transport, port infrastructure and global energy supply chains and research into nuclear energy as a future clean power source for data centres.
  • Building an integrated innovation ecosystem in Singapore through partnerships with universities, research institutions and global technology companies, while supporting job creation and talent development initiatives for around 3,000 students and professionals.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 March 2026 – Bridge Data Centres (BDC), a Singapore-headquartered digital infrastructure platform backed by Bain Capital, has announced ambitious plans to invest S$3-5 billion in Singapore to advance next-generation digital infrastructure and strengthen the country’s position as a leading AI and cloud hub in Asia Pacific.

BDC had announced its new strategic brand identity in early 2026 that reflects the Company’s position of being a leading hyperscale and AI-infrastructure builder with a growing network of mega-campus developments in Asia Pacific. With close to a decade of experience developing high quality data centres, BDC’s new brand identity reflects BDC’s reputation as platform built on disciplined execution, certainty of delivery, and the ability to scale with customers.

As AI and high-density workloads accelerate across Asia Pacific, customers are looking for partners who can offer world-class capabilities and local agility, provide bespoke solutions at scale, and deliver and operate with a proven track record.

With Singapore serving as its global headquarters, BDC is uniquely positioned to support hyperscale customers and global technology companies seeking high-performance, sustainable and scalable data centre platforms across Asia Pacific, while enabling global technology companies to establish and expand their presence in Singapore as they develop AI and digital capabilities in the region.

Over the past decade, BDC has established itself as one of Asia Pacific’s leading digital infrastructure developers and operators. The Company currently operates and develops hyperscale campuses across Malaysia, Thailand and India.

Building on strong relationships with global hyperscale customers and ecosystem partners, BDC is on track to expand its regional capacity to approximately 2 GW by 2030.

By deepening its investments in Singapore, BDC aims to support customers seeking world-class digital infrastructure expertise, strong technology partnerships and integrated energy solutions that enable the sustainable growth of AI workloads.

First-mover advantage

BDC is among the first data centre developers to foray into Malaysia, where the Company has several large-scale data centre campuses – both operational and under development.

BDC’s flagship MY06 campus is the Company’s first project in Johor, as well as the state’s first hyperscale data centre development. In addition, BDC is the first data centre developer in Southeast Asia to adopt a build-to-suit (BTS) model for hyperscale data centre construction. BDC was also among the first hyperscale operators in the region to deploy advanced liquid cooling technologies at scale, including cold plate liquid cooling, to support high-density and AI-driven workloads. BDC’s suite of sustainability initiatives at MY06 enabled the facility to achieve an annualised Power Usage Effectiveness (PUE) of below 1.2.

BDC is also the first in Southeast Asia to incorporate Prefabricated, Prefinished Volumetric Construction (PPVC) construction, an innovative method that assembles large building sections off site. This enabled BDC to complete MY06 within eight months, which is 40 per cent faster than traditional methods, while reducing on-site dust, waste and noise. This strategy is one of BDC’s key competitive advantages to support the growing needs of hyperscale customers in the region, including Singapore, who need to rapidly scale to meet increasing demand for more capacity to power AI-workloads.

BDC has built Malaysia’s first large-scale Water Treatment Plant (WTP) to treat effluent and convert it into high grade effluent water to cool its upcoming 400MW campus in Ulu Tiram, Johor. The WTP applies advanced Membrane Bioreactor (MBR) and Reverse Osmosis (RO) technologies to deliver superior water recovery and quality. Since commencing operations in 2025, the WTP has been significantly reducing reliance on potable water. It further strengthens the long-term resilience of BDC’s operations and supports Johor’s broader environmental agenda.

The WTP has also attracted interest from regional public agencies. In 2025, BDC hosted a technical visit by representatives from PUB, Singapore’s National Water Agency, who were presented with an overview of the plant’s design and its use of advanced membrane technologies for sustainable water reuse in data centre operations.

BDC’s MY-06 Campus (Building 1) has achieved Singapore’s BCA Green Mark Platinum Award granted under the BCA-IMDA Green Mark International for Data Centres 2024 (GMDC: 2024) framework. The BCA Green Mark Award recognises developers, building owners and individuals who have made outstanding achievements in environmental sustainability in the built environment. BDC is the first data centre operator to achieve this recognition for a facility based outside of Singapore. Beyond project certification, BDC has also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with BCA International (BCAI) to support the international adoption of Singapore’s Green Mark standards in global data centre developments. Through this partnership, BDC will promote Singapore’s sustainable building standards globally while reinforcing the country’s position as a leading AI and green digital infrastructure hub in the region.

These capabilities are aligned with Singapore’s Green Data Centre (DC) Roadmap, which emphasises energy efficiency, sustainable resource use and the integration of green energy to support the growth of digital infrastructure. BDC’s experience in delivering high-efficiency campuses positions it well to contribute to these objectives through practical, deployable solutions.

Pioneering energy solutions

As AI workloads drive the rapid expansion of digital infrastructure, energy resilience, data security and sustainability are becoming increasingly important. BDC is advancing a range of initiatives to explore alternative energy pathways and strengthen long-term power strategies.

A key collaboration is with Concord New Energy (CNE), where the partners are jointly developing Singapore’s first floating hydrogen power generation solution tailored for next-generation AI digital infrastructure, marking a significant milestone in advancing low-carbon energy pathways for the data centre sector.

BDC and CNE will also collaborate with Nanyang Technological University (NTU) to support the development of Singapore’s hydrogen ecosystem, accelerating research, engineering and the deployment of scalable clean energy technologies for digital infrastructure applications.

In addition, BDC is working with Singapore’s Agency for Science, Technology and Research Institute of High Performance Computing (A*STAR IHPC) and HY to evaluate the potential of nuclear energy as a long-term clean power source for data centres.

BDC’s alliance with A*STAR IHPC and HY will leverage advanced modelling and engineering expertise to explore innovative low-carbon energy pathways that will support Singapore’s sustainable digital growth while reinforcing the nation’s position as a trusted global technology hub.

BDC has also established partnerships with global leaders in energy and energy storage technologies, including CATL, EcoCeres, SK Innovation. Through these collaborations, the partners will jointly explore the establishment of innovation and research platforms to advance the development and pilot deployment of clean energy solutions such as hydrogen and biomass energy, as well as next-generation energy storage technologies designed for tropical climates. These initiatives aim to enhance thermal management, improve safety performance and increase the power density of data centre energy storage systems.

These collaborations and pilot initiatives will also contribute to talent development and workforce capability building in Singapore’s digital infrastructure and energy sectors. Through joint research programmes, technology pilots and knowledge exchange with universities, research institutions and industry partners, BDC aims to support the development of specialised expertise in areas such as advanced energy systems, sustainable data centre design, and next-generation cooling and energy storage technologies.

The initiatives are also expected to create high-value job opportunities in Singapore, spanning engineering, energy systems research, digital infrastructure operations and advanced technology development. By nurturing local talent and strengthening cross-disciplinary capabilities, these efforts will help build a robust talent pipeline to support Singapore’s growing AI and digital infrastructure ecosystem.

These partnerships represent a strategic step in BDC’s long-term roadmap to diversify power sourcing pathways, enhance energy security, and future-proof its Singapore data centre portfolio amid evolving grid constraints and decarbonisation dynamics. They also reinforce Singapore’s position as a regional hub for AI-ready digital infrastructure, while supporting the nation’s broader ambitions in sustainable energy innovation and green economic growth. Furthermore, these advancements accelerate Singapore’s ambition to achieve its net zero emissions goal by 2050.

Advancing technology and ecosystem growth

BDC is also pushing the envelope in innovative and sustainable cooling solutions through collaborations with ecosystem technology partners such as Vertiv, Terahop and Teracule, which are subsidiaries of Zhongji Innolight, as well as Delta Electronics and Supermicro.

Many of these partners are established leaders in data centre cooling, power systems and high-performance computing infrastructure, and are active participants in the broader AI infrastructure ecosystem, working closely with leading chipmakers to support next-generation compute environments.

Through its collaboration with Teracule and Terahop, the subsidiaries of Zhongji Innolight, BDC is exploring opportunities to jointly develop next-generation liquid cooling modules and high-performance optical connectivity solutions tailored for AI data centre environments. By combining Innolight’s expertise in optical modules and high-speed interconnect technologies with BDC’s experience in hyperscale data centre design and operations, the partners aim to advance integrated solutions that enhance thermal efficiency, data transmission performance and system reliability for high-density AI workloads.

The collaboration will also explore the establishment of joint research and development initiatives in Singapore, bringing together industry, academia and research institutions to support innovation in AI infrastructure technologies. Through this industry–academia-research collaboration model, the partners aim to accelerate the development and commercialisation of advanced cooling and connectivity technologies while contributing to Singapore’s broader push to strengthen research, talent development and innovation within the digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Together, these alliances focus on the development of advanced liquid cooling architectures, high-density GPU cooling solutions, and energy-optimised HVAC systems designed to support increasingly compute-intensive workloads. These technologies are critical in enabling the efficient operation of AI infrastructure, particularly as rack densities and thermal loads continue to rise in next-generation data centre environments.

Driving regional connectivity

As a Singapore-headquartered digital infrastructure platform, BDC continues to strengthen Singapore’s position as a regional hub for digital infrastructure and AI-driven innovation. With its highly developed connectivity ecosystem, robust regulatory environment and strong international network links, Singapore plays a central role in enabling the growth of the digital economy across Asia Pacific.

In this context, Singapore serves as one of the primary regional hubs, supporting high-value and latency-sensitive digital services such as edge computing deployments, international data traffic management and regional digital service platforms.

To support the burgeoning demand for AI and cloud computing across the region, complementary infrastructure resources across Asia Pacific can help provide additional capacity for compute-intensive workloads, including AI inference, machine learning and large-scale data processing. This cross-border model enables Singapore to remain the connectivity and innovation anchor of the ASEAN digital ecosystem, while regional infrastructure supports the scaling of digital capacity.

BDC’s collaborations with ecosystem partners, including major telecommunications companies and global technology firms, also help expand connectivity networks beyond Asia Pacific, further reinforcing Singapore’s role as a key regional interconnection hub.

One such ecosystem partner is Zenlayer, a leading global edge cloud and connectivity provider with a well-established customer base across Asia Pacific, North America and Europe. Through this partnership, BDC continues to strengthen its regional and international network connectivity anchored in Singapore.

This expanded network reach supports low-latency cross-border digital infrastructure integration, enabling hyperscalers to scale efficiently across markets while leveraging Singapore as one of the core regional gateways for digital services.

Catalysing Singapore’s AI-driven digital growth

Looking ahead, BDC will continue to leverage its operating model as a glocal platform, combining regional scale with deep local execution capabilities to expand across Asia Pacific. The Company’s strategy focuses on connecting key economic corridors, developing high-density, utility-integrated campuses, and working with ecosystem partners to align digital infrastructure growth with evolving energy pathways.

Anchored in Singapore as its strategic regional hub, BDC’s investments and partnerships contribute to the development of a robust digital infrastructure ecosystem that supports AI-driven workloads and cross-border connectivity.

BDC is also adopting an industry–academia–research collaboration mode， bringing together industry partners, universities and research institutes to accelerate innovation in AI infrastructure, advanced cooling technologies and sustainable energy systems. This integrated approach supports the development of new technologies while nurturing local talent and strengthening Singapore’s innovation ecosystem.

BDC’s initiatives in hydrogen, low-carbon power solutions and energy storage further contribute to the growth of Singapore’s green economy, catalysing investment in sustainable energy infrastructure and support the transition towards lower-carbon digital operations.

BDC’s efforts support the creation of high-value jobs and the development of specialised technical expertise in Singapore, spanning engineering, digital infrastructure and advanced energy systems. In addition, BDC will work with universities, research institutes and industry partners to support talent development initiatives, including internships, training programmes and collaborative research opportunities, contributing to the development of a strong local talent pipeline for Singapore’s AI and digital infrastructure ecosystem.

Collectively, these contributions reinforce Singapore’s position as a leading AI and digital infrastructure hub in Asia Pacific, underpinned by resilient, efficient and sustainable infrastructure.

Hashtag: #BridgeDataCentres #Singapore

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

– Published and distributed with permission of Media-Outreach.com.

LiveNews: https://livenews.co.nz/2026/03/12/bridge-data-centres-plans-major-investment-with-global-partners-to-strengthen-singapores-position-as-asia-pacifics-leading-ai-hub/