Energy & Technology

KUALA LUMPUR: Accenture (NYSE:ACN) announced new services and capabilities designed to reinvent business and cyber resilience through the power of gen AI, deepfake protection and quantum-safe data security solutions to help clients across industries become cyber-resilient organizations. Cybercriminals are increasingly using gen AI and dark large language models (LLMs) to launch new types of cyberattacks. In fact, Accenture’s cyber intelligence (ACI) researchers have observed a 223% surge in deepfake-related tool trading on dark web forums in the first quarter of 2024, compared to the same period in 2023. The ACI team expects a significant rise in AI-driven cyberattacks, a warning signal that organizations need to adopt advanced AI-based cybersecurity measures that detect, respond to, predict and prevent threats in real-time.   “Modern cybersecurity protects the entire business—from the digital core to the supply chain—using gen AI-powered and quantum-proof protections to counter advanced AI-driven threats,” said Vinod Shankar, Security Lead, Southeast Asia at Accenture. “In Southeast Asia, our new cybersecurity services and centers help clients safeguard critical assets, enhance resilience, and navigate the region’s complex digital landscape with confidence, accelerating innovation and value creation.”   “The cybersecurity landscape faces unprecedented challenges, from geopolitical tensions to supply chain vulnerabilities. In Malaysia, as a leading innovation hub and digital economy, these risks are heightened. Gen AI-powered cybersecurity solutions enable organizations to navigate complexities, enhance protection, and build resilience, ensuring they remain secure and competitive in a rapidly evolving environment,” said Loh Tee Cheu, Security Lead at Accenture in Malaysia.   New Cybersecurity Services According to Gartner®, concern about AI-enhanced malicious attacks again topped Gartner, Inc.’s emerging risk rankings in the second quarter of 2024. To help clients safely adopt emerging technologies while simultaneously tackling evolving threats, Accenture is introducing new services, which it also employs to protect its business operations. Some of these include: Secure AI Solutions establishes resilience throughout an organization’s entire AI program lifecycle, including best practices for developing frameworks; policies and processes to ensure secure AI practices; capabilities to assess and protect access, data, models, infrastructure and building trust-by-design in AI systems. It also incorporates red-teaming and adversarial simulations that help find vulnerabilities in AI systems, including LLMs and a Gen AI Security Diagnostic to detect and secure unauthorized AI deployments. · Deepfake Protection includes security testing, monitoring and detection of deepfakes powered by key partners’ technologies such as Reality Defender to stay ahead of evolving AI threats that are impacting customer contact centers, business videoconferences and other critical points of communication. · Business Cyber Crisis Recovery a cloud-based solution enables C-suite leaders across industries such as healthcare, telecommunications and oil & gas to quickly restore essential infrastructure and significantly reduce the downtime impacts associated with recovering from a cyberattack. As a result, essential operations can be restored in hours rather than weeks. · Quantum Security Suite of services for building robust strategies, discovering vulnerable encryption throughout an enterprise and replacing outdated technology by leveraging the latest quantum-safe algorithms recommended by the US National Institute of Standards and Technology and orchestrating their use securely and efficiently.   Core Cybersecurity Services – Newly Powered by Gen AI Many organizations (86%) are either actively or planning to consolidate their tools as a means to streamline their cybersecurity operations. In response, Accenture is powering its core cybersecurity offerings with the Accenture mySecurity a centralized suite of assets that integrates gen AI into all cyber-resilience services across supply chain, cloud, application, cyber resilience and identity and access management to drive speed, efficiency and help clients protect against AI-driven threats. These include: For example, Accenture is actively working to shield nations from cyberattacks and is helping the Kuwait Government Central Agency for Information Technology to strengthen their cybersecurity infrastructure through the establishment and management of a National Security Operations Center. This collaborative effort aims to enhance visibility, detection and remediation capabilities against evolving cyber threats. The project will be supported by Accenture’s global network of Cyber Future Centers supported by a 24/7 local team focused on protecting the nation’s most critical organizations leveraging the benefits of gen AI. New Cyber Future Centers Additionally, delivering these new cybersecurity services Accenture will expand its global network of advanced cybersecurity facilities with new Cyber Future Centers powered by emerging technologies. The new locations include a flagship gen AI Security studio in Brussels and a studio in Washington, D.C.; a Quantum Security Center and Lab and a Cyber Physical Security center in Bengaluru; and a Sovereignty Hub in Malaga. With these new centers powered by gen AI and quantum security solutions, Accenture’s cybersecurity facilities currently span more than 40 locations across 22 countries. In 2024, the number of Accenture’s cybersecurity professionals grew by more than 30% to more than 25,000 people. Since 2015, Accenture has made 19 security acquisitions, including most recently strengthening its managed security services capabilities in Europe and Mexico with the acquisition of Innotec Security and Mnemo Mexico, respectively. Additionally, Accenture has invested in 13 cybersecurity, space and quantum security companies, including SpiderOak and Aliro Quantum.

What’s New: At CES, Intel unveiled an expanded product portfolio and new partnerships designed to accelerate automakers’ transitions to electric and software-defined vehicles (SDVs). Intel now offers a whole-vehicle platform, including high-performance compute, discrete graphics, artificial intelligence (AI), power management and zonal controller solutions alongside the Intel® Automotive Virtual Design Environment (VDE) co-developed with Amazon Web Services (AWS). Intel’s approach addresses automakers’ cost and performance scalability challenges, enabling faster, more efficient and more profitable SDV development and deployment. “Intel automotive is bringing innovative solutions that reduce cost in the SDV revolution. Our whole-vehicle approach, combined with cloud integration, delivers a complete solution that drives down total cost of development and deployment while empowering automakers to build the future of mobility faster, more efficiently and more profitably.” –Jack Weast, Intel Fellow, vice president and general manager of Intel Automotive Why a Whole-Vehicle Platform Matters: Intel’s whole-vehicle platform reduces inefficiencies of traditional fragmented approaches to vehicle architectures. By optimizing the entire vehicle’s electrical/electronic architecture, Intel drives significant cost reductions and performance improvements. Supporting this platform, Intel introduced the availability of the Adaptive Control Unit (ACU), designed for electric vehicle (EV) power trains and zonal controller applications. About the Adaptive Control Unit: The ACU U310 is a new kind of processing unit that supports the consolidation of multiple real-time, safety-critical and cybersecure functions, applications and domains (X-in-1) into a single chip. Traditional time and sequential processing-based micro and zonal controllers struggle to handle multiple workloads due to limited deterministic processing capabilities. In contrast, Intel’s new family of ACU devices integrates a flexible logic area that offloads real-time control algorithms from the CPU cores, ensuring reliable performance, freedom from interference (FFI) and deterministic data delivery even when consolidating multiple microcontroller workloads into a single zonal MCU. This dual-brain approach enables greater workload consolidation, lowers cost, and enhances safety, cybersecurity and performance. When used in an electric vehicle power train, the ACU U310 supports advanced algorithmic solutions that reduce vehicle energy demand from the battery, automatically adapting high voltage and control frequencies to individual driver styles and road conditions. The ACU reduces cost per kilowatt and enhances energy efficiency, allowing the vehicle to reclaim up to 40 percent of the power train system energy losses, delivering a 3% to 5% efficiency boost during the Worldwide Harmonized Light Vehicles Test Procedure (WLTP). This translates to increased range, faster charging and a more responsive driving experience while significantly reducing per-vehicle bill of materials (BOM), electric motor size and battery costs compared to traditional approaches. Stellantis Motorsports selected Intel as a key technology partner and adopting the Adaptive Control technology into its next-generation inverter control for enhanced performance and efficiency in competitive racing environments. In this implementation, the Intel technology will control the electric motor and recover energy during braking phases. The inverter plays a crucial role during a Formula E race, where any gain in efficiency is transformed into a precious competitive advantage. Karma Automotive announced support for Intel’s ACU, showcasing an Intel co-branded inverter featuring Optimal Pulse Pattern control algorithms to improve efficiency and enable four unique driving profiles, including innovative features like Torque Ripple Reduction and Range Boost. The ACU’s programmability allows it to serve as a first-of-its-kind software-defined zonal controller, adapting to different vehicle topologies and applications. This flexibility streamlines the transition to software-defined vehicles, simplifies supply chains and reduces the complexity of the vehicle BOM.  How Next-Gen Architecture is Enhanced with AI Inside: Building on Intel’s first-generation AI-enhanced SDV system-on-chips (SoCs), Intel announced the upcoming second-generation Intel® Arc™ B-series Graphics for Automotive set for production by the end of 2025. This solution provides the high-performance compute needed for more advanced in-vehicle AI workloads, next-generation human-machine interface (HMI) engines, and immersive in-vehicle experiences and AAA PC gaming. Paired with an Intel AI-enhanced SDV SoC, it delivers scalable performance for complex AI tasks, supported by the vast Intel AI ecosystem. How Intel and AWS Revolutionize Automotive Software Development: Intel and AWS introduced the Intel Automotive Virtual Development Environment on AWS, a groundbreaking approach that ensures true hardware and software parity from cloud to car. This new offering addresses challenges throughout the vehicle development life cycle, enabling engineers to seamlessly switch between virtual and physical hardware setups. It integrates Intel® Xeon® processor-based Amazon EC2 instances and, for the first time, incorporates Intel’s Automotive SDV SoCs within the AWS environment, eliminating the need for expensive electronic control unit (ECU) simulators or developer boards. This collaboration provides a unified solution that accelerates innovation, reduces R&D costs and speeds time-to-market. About Intel’s System-Level Advantage: Intel’s whole-vehicle approach delivers numerous benefits to automakers, including cost reductions, enhanced vehicle performance, streamlined development, improved energy efficiency, seamless AI integration and faster time-to-market – all supported by Intel’s globally balanced supply chain. More: Intel at CES 2025 | Intel Auto Keynote Explores Software-Defined Future (Video)  

KUALA LUMPUR: More than half of Malaysians are questioning the content they’re served online more than before, and 67% (MY:67% APAC: 67% SEA: 70%) of people say that trust is an important factor to them when choosing to engage with a brand, according to Accenture’s (NYSE: ACN) 18th annual Life Trends report. People’s response to rapid technological advances is mixed. Influenced by the increased use of AI and generative AI, recent breakthroughs are impacting society’s digital experiences. While appreciating the convenience digital technology offers, people are increasingly needing to scrutinize what they see and what they believe as they seek to rebalance technology’s role in their lives. “As new technologies like generative AI continue to reshape lives, people are adapting their online interactions to maintain greater control over their digital experiences,” said Azwan Baharuddin, Country Managing Director, Malaysia at Accenture. “Online trust has become a critical concern across generations, driving a growing habit of carefully filtering what we see and believe. This shift in behaviour, seen across markets including Malaysia, is redefining how customers engage with businesses vying for their attention.” Insights crowdsourced from around the globe helped Accenture Song identify five macro-consumer trends forecasting the changing dynamic between technology and users, and the challenges and opportunities for brands as they adapt their strategies to meet evolving customer needs.  Cost of Hesitations: The trustworthiness of digital technology is under threat as a rise in scams blurs the lines between real and deceptive content. Generative AI is amplifying this confusion, challenging people’s trust in digital platforms. Accenture research shows over half of people now question online content’s authenticity. In Malaysia, 67% (MY:67% APAC: 67% SEA: 70%) of respondents indicated that trust is a crucial factor when engaging with brands, while 65% prioritize convenience (MY:65% APAC: 65% SEA: 69%). Trust erosion is impacting online shopping and brand interactions, with 37% (MY:37% APAC: 33% SEA: 38%) of people reporting deep-fake attacks or scams in the past year. Brands must reassure customers by creating beacons of trust in communications, commerce, and product. The Parent Trap: Parents face the challenge of helping the next generation build a healthy relationship with digital technology—potentially against their will. Unrestricted access to the internet and social media is influencing extreme behaviors and exposing young people to many different types of harm. Parents are seeing the effects and feeling the urgency, so they’re mobilizing to establish guardrails as governments work on top-down policy. Accenture findings reveal that in Malaysia, 63% (MY:63% APAC: 65% SEA: 69%) of young adults aged 18-24 believe social media significantly impacts their identity, compared to 33% (MY:33% APAC: 28% SEA: 39%) of those over 55. As young adults struggle with negative impacts, debate and action are needed to find the right balance and protective measures. Impatience Economy: Many cultures emphasize that education, hard work, and determination can shape a desired future. However, last year’s Decade of Deconstruction trend revealed that goals and priorities are increasingly shifting. Today, 77% (MY:77% APAC: 67% SEA: 78%) of individuals in Malaysia desire fast outcomes. Notably, influencers were once largely focused on style, travel and music but their remit has expanded to include life fundamentals like health, wealth and happiness. When companies fall short, consumers look to the digital crowd, pushing brands to keep up to maintain loyalty. The Dignity of Work: The dignity of work is increasingly being tested by business pressures, technological advances and shifting dynamics. As generative AI enters the workplace, dignity needs to be factored into new expectations around how people will work with the technology. The future of work in Malaysia is marked by uncertainty as employees increasingly prioritize work-life balance, salary and flexibility, with 62% (MY:62% APAC: 57% SEA: 58%) valuing a work-life balance, 61% (MY:61% APAC: 50% SEA: 55%) salary, and 41% (MY:41% APAC: 36% SEA: 35%) flexibility in job preferences. Despite these desires, Malaysia ranks poorly in work-life balance due to long hours and high workloads, with only 29% of employees trusting their leaders to prioritize their interests, indicating a significant cultural shift towards valuing personal well-being over traditional career advancement. Social Rewilding: People are increasingly seeking depth, authenticity, and sensory richness in their experiences, aiming to engage with the world in meaningful ways. Reflecting a renewed desire to reconnect with nature and each other, people are seeking balance between technology and moments of joy and well-being. We found that in Malaysia 38% (MY:38% APAC: 37% SEA: 40%) of people attributed their most enjoyable experience in the past week to something they did digitally. The shift presents organizations with opportunities to rethink their roles and align with people’s growing desire for more immersive and authentic experiences. “Brands today face the challenge of upholding the core values of human interaction, transparency, and trust,” added Azwan Baharuddin. “As generative AI muddles the lines between reality and deception, businesses must communicate meaning and emotions that resonate with and reassure consumers in an increasingly skeptical digital landscape.” To read this year’s Accenture Life Trends 2025 report, visit accenture.com/LifeTrends2025 or explore the findings in Accenture’s thought leadership app, Accenture Foresight.

SANTA CLARA: Hitachi Vantara, the data storage, infrastructure and hybrid cloud management subsidiary of Hitachi, Ltd. (TSE: 6501), today announced a collaboration with Virtana, a leader in AI-powered monitoring and observability for hybrid infrastructure environments. The partnership integrates the Virtana Platform suite with the Hitachi EverFlex infrastructure-as-a-service (IaaS) portfolio to deliver advanced consumption-based infrastructure solutions for workload management and hybrid cloud operations. As organizations adopt hybrid cloud architectures, they face challenges managing complex IT environments, which leads to rising costs and operational inefficiencies. According to Enterprise Strategy Group (ESG), 45% of organizations are increasing their adoption of IT automation and AIOps to accelerate and automate operations, while 45% are also boosting IT hiring to address the growing demands for accelerated operations. Traditional management often lacks the visibility and automation needed to address these issues effectively. By integrating AI-driven insights with IaaS capabilities, Hitachi Vantara with Virtana streamlines operations and reduces costs, helping businesses enhance their cloud efficiency and agility while optimizing resource utilization and mitigating inefficiencies. The next generation of the Hitachi EverFlex IaaS portfolio offers a comprehensive range of scalable and cost-efficient hybrid cloud solutions tailored to modern enterprises. A key capability of the advanced portfolio is EverFlex Control, which acts as a centralized software-as-a-service (SaaS) integration and management portal for comprehensive infrastructure management. The tool provides real-time data visibility and automates scaling, enabling organizations to optimize costs while managing their IT operations efficiently. By combining the capabilities of EverFlex Control with the Virtana Platform’s AI-powered insights, customers gain a holistic view of their hybrid infrastructure. The integration enables adaptive scaling and automation, allowing businesses to better navigate the complexities of their hybrid cloud environments. “The Virtana Platform is a perfect complement to our EverFlex Control offering,” said Jeb Horton, senior vice president of global services at Hitachi Vantara. “Their intelligent capabilities and deep infrastructure expertise provide the insights required to enhance and automate IT infrastructure, delivering exceptional value to our clients and partners.” The collaboration between Hitachi Vantara and Virtana offers customers a range of benefits: IT Infrastructure Efficiency and Cost Optimization: Leveraging AI-enabled data to identify inefficiencies, reduce costs, and maximize ROI. Advanced Observability: Providing extensive coverage of diverse infrastructure types, making it a comprehensive solution that meets a wide range of needs in the market. Accelerated Digital Initiatives: Streamlining hybrid cloud management to enable faster time-to-market for new applications and services. Improved Operational Efficiency: Automating routine tasks, allowing IT teams to focus on strategic initiatives. Increased Agility and Scalability: Quickly adapting to changing business needs while ensuring optimal performance and resource utilization. “We are thrilled to partner with Hitachi Vantara, a company that shares our commitment to delivering innovative solutions that help customers achieve their business objectives,” said Paul Appleby, CEO at Virtana. “This partnership delivers a compelling solution with the expertise to optimize hybrid cloud environments and accelerate digital transformation journeys.” “AI is changing the game for how companies manage their hybrid cloud infrastructures. As organizations face increasing complexity in optimizing, migrating, and monitoring application workloads across various cloud environments, leveraging AI-powered insights becomes essential,” said Scott Sinclair, practice director for cloud, infrastructure and DevOps at ESG. “This relationship empowers businesses to tackle these challenges more effectively and improve their overall operational efficiency.” The collaboration with Virtana significantly enhances the Hitachi EverFlex portfolio. Earlier this year, Hitachi Vantara launched a new generation of advanced IaaS solutions designed to streamline IT operations and reduce costs through AI-driven automation. The new iteration of Hitachi EverFlex is focused on providing enterprises with scalable, flexible, and cost-efficient hybrid cloud solutions to meet their evolving IT needs. Additionally, Hitachi Vantara established a partnership with Cisco to further strengthen the capabilities of the offering, ensuring organizations can seamlessly integrate, optimize, and secure their hybrid cloud environments with networking and compute solutions. To learn more about Hitachi Vantara’s storage solutions, go to: https://www.hitachivantara.com/en-us/products/storage-platforms.

BINTULU: Sulzer, the global leader in fluid engineering, announces the launch of its Bintulu Service Centre in East Malaysia, marking a major step forward in supporting the region’s expanding oil, gas, and power sectors. Providing state-of-the-art retrofit, repair, and service solutions for rotating equipment such as pumps, turbomachinery, and electromechanical equipment, the centre addresses the evolving needs of energy operators, maximising operational uptime and driving efficiency for energy intensive infrastructure across Malaysia and the wider Borneo region. The Sulzer Bintulu Service Centre offers a comprehensive range of services including specialised repair, overhaul, and field services for all types of rotating equipment, advanced capabilities such as reverse engineering, 3D scanning, and additive manufacturing for parts and coatings. These services are tailored to ensure the longevity, efficiency, and reliability of energy intensive oil, gas and power infrastructure. This news comes as Malaysia expands its crucial role in supporting ASEAN’s growing energy demand – set to triple by 2050. Largely driven by industrial and transport sectors, oil and gas will remain essential to meeting near-term demand, with estimations that the sector will surpass RM60 billion in GDP by 2030. Sulzer’s Bintulu Service Centre is strategically placed to support the region’s oil and gas infrastructure, ensuring maximised operations to bolster Malaysia’s energy efficiency and security. Wong Chin Hean, Head of Services for Southeast Asia said, “Sulzer has established a robust installed base in East Malaysia and Brunei, with hundreds of high-energy pumps serving critical oil, gas, and power installations across Sarawak, Sabah and Brunei. This strong presence, coupled with our comprehensive, OEM-agnostic services, uniquely positions Sulzer to cater to a diverse range of rotating equipment servicing needs in the region.   “By offering specialised maintenance and repair services for pumps and turbomachinery, and electro-mechanical equipment, Sulzer’s experts help customers overcome long lead times for spare parts and the limited repair and maintenance support in East Malaysia, streamlining maintenance processes and ensuring consistent, high-quality services.” The Bintulu Service Centre is set to play a crucial role in Sulzer’s regional expansion strategy, with its Malaysian national servicing capacity increasing by 80. The centre’s capacity not only aligns with demand for services from key industry players in the vicinity, but also prepares Sulzer to support the entire lifespan of new and existing infrastructure with specialised, locally accessible expertise. “Our Bintulu Service Centre’s launch reinforces Sulzer’s commitment to our customers. We know the demands and pressures they are under to deliver energy resilience for East Malaysia and beyond, and our support connects innovation and expertise to safeguard critical equipment.” Wong said. “With advanced technology and proximity to key regional clients, we aim to meet the unique demands of operators in this vital energy corridor.”  

BEIJING: China Unicom Beijing and Huawei held an event, “5G Capital on the Way – Lighting Up Beijing with 5G-Advanced,” to announce their deployment of the world’s first large-scale integrated 5G-Advanced intelligent network. The network supports a world-leading 5G-Advanced smart commercial complex, with high- and low-band integrated networking, at the Workers’ Stadium. Furthermore, a benchmark was set for the industry’s first large-scale 10-gigabit 5G-Advanced network featuring air-ground integrated communications at the Great Wall scenic area, establishing the low-altitude economy innovation base. These developments will bring a better user experience to users in Beijing. The ultra-large-scale commercial 3CC network covers over 10 million people, lighting up Beijing with 5G-Advanced. In pursuit of large-scale 5G-Advanced network benchmarks, China Unicom Beijing and Huawei have built an ultra-large-scale commercial 5G-Advanced three component carrier (3CC) network, covering stadiums, schools, scenic areas, metro stations, commercial areas, residential areas, and other types of facilities in Beijing. The network provides full 5G coverage and 85% 5G-Advanced coverage for the area within Beijing’s 4th Ring Road and the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center, effectively supporting services like immersive videos, UHD live streaming, and cloud gaming. In addition, China Unicom Beijing has renovated old phone booths and connected them to the 5G-Advanced 3CC network, making it possible for passersby to enjoy navigation and ride-hailing services or call emergency services with just one click, benefiting countless people across the city.   The world-leading high- and low-band integrated 5G-Advanced network supports a commercial complex at the Workers’ Stadium. China Unicom Beijing, Sinobo, GTVerse, and Huawei have created a world-leading integrated 5G-Advanced network at the Workers’ Stadium. A large number of 5G-Advanced 3CC sites have been deployed both inside and outside the stadium, enabling the 10-gigabit 5G-Advanced network to support the widest frequency range anywhere in the world. Field tests recorded a downlink peak rate of 11.2 Gbps, allowing a crowd of up to 68,000 people to simultaneously and smoothly watch 1080p videos. Meanwhile, the uplink peak rate reached 4 Gbps, sufficient to support services like UHD shallow compression. China Unicom Beijing has also developed innovative practices in terms of the Internet of Vehicles (IoV), Internet of Things (IoT), and extended reality (XR) split rendering, demonstrating 5G-Advanced’s potential to empower all industries. The 10-gigabit 5G-Advanced low-altitude economy innovation base drives low-altitude economic development in Yanqing At the Great Wall scenic area, the Beijing Yanqing District Government and China Unicom Beijing have jointly deployed 10-gigabit 5G-Advanced base stations at scale. This offers uninterrupted network coverage both on the ground and in low-altitude (below 300 meters) airspace. High- and low-band integrated spectrum use enables the network to provide deterministic, highly-reliable, and high-quality services. It also supports efforts to explore low-altitude operational scenarios in tourism, logistics, emergency rescue, and scenic area protection, boosting safety and the development of the low-altitude economy. End-to-end automation enables 5G-Advanced site provisioning within minutes and AI-driven intelligent optimization Based on its 5G intelligent operations platform, China Unicom Beijing has established an end-to-end self-provisioning process for 5G-Advanced sites in lightweight scenarios, shortening provisioning times from days to minutes. The provisioning process requires no manual intervention, significantly reducing cyber security risks. Furthermore, the company has realized end-to-end automatic optimization of 5G-Advanced base stations based on user service data, including AI-powered optimization of provisioning, services, iteration, and inspection. China Unicom Beijing is the world’s first carrier to implement network self-provisioning and self-optimization in lightweight scenarios. It has also deployed computing power at base stations to realize distributed, AI-driven management, helping build a digital and intelligent ecosystem powered by cloud-edge collaboration.   Yang Lifan, Deputy General Manager of China Unicom Beijing, said: “Large bandwidth can quickly improve user experience. Only by providing 10-gigabit network capabilities can we guarantee a gigabit experience for all users. This time, we’ve built a large-scale integrated 5G-Advanced intelligent network to bring a better experience to all China Unicom users across Beijing. We are confident that, based on Huawei’s advanced technologies and our smart operations capabilities, we will provide users in Beijing with an increasingly better network experience in the future.”   Li Jie, President of Huawei’s 5G&LTE TDD Domain, said: “As the 5G Capital project enters its fifth year, I am honored that Huawei’s new 5G-AA solutions have helped China Unicom Beijing maintain its global leadership in 5G-Advanced network construction, demonstrated by the large-scale 5G-Advanced network benchmark launched early this year, and today’s launch of the world’s first large-scale integrated 5G-Advanced intelligent network. Huawei will continue to innovate and support China Unicom Beijing in building inclusive and high-quality 5G-Advanced networks to seize more opportunities in the AI-powered mobile network era.”  

HONG KONG SAR: Guangdong OPPO Mobile Telecommunications Corp., Ltd. (OPPO) and The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) held a signing ceremony to further deepen their collaboration based on the agreement signed in 2022, contributing to the integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA). According to the renewal agreement, OPPO will collaborate with PolyU to increase funding and technology investment, upgrading the “PolyU-OPPO Joint Innovation Research Centre”, which marks a new chapter in the comprehensive partnership in AI imaging technology. The signing ceremony took place last Friday (1 November) at the PolyU campus, witnessed by Prof. Jin-Guang TENG, President of PolyU and Mr Jason LIAO, President of OPPO Research Institute. The agreement was signed by Prof. Christopher CHAO, Vice President (Research and Innovation) of PolyU and Mr Zheng QIN, Head of Industry-Academia Affairs of OPPO. Under the framework of the agreement, the “PolyU-OPPO Joint Innovation Lab” will be upgraded to the “Joint Innovation Research Centre.” Additionally, OPPO will provide no less than RMB 30 million over the next five years to expand the scale of co-trained PhD and postdoctoral researchers, promoting technical development and exploration in imaging algorithms while further deepening the collaborative efforts between OPPO and PolyU in AI imaging technology. “In the three years of collaboration between OPPO and PolyU, we have witnessed significant technological breakthroughs and notable achievements in talent cultivation through the Joint Lab,” said Jason LIAO. “Adhering to our mission of ‘Technology for Mankind, Kindness for the World’, OPPO is dedicated to deepening the integration of academia-industry cooperation in the field of AI through this renewal, bringing more innovative intelligent imaging experiences to global users.” Prof. TENG remarked, “To address the opportunities and challenges of the AI era, PolyU will officially establish the Faculty of Computer and Mathematical Sciences in January 2025. This is an important move to implement the University’s innovation development strategy, aiming to meet growing technological needs and support talent nurturing. The Department of Computing, which houses the Joint Innovation Research Centre will also join the new faculty. The new structure will effectively promote in-depth exchanges and collaboration among research teams, and create more impactful outcomes. We believe that this in-depth cooperation with OPPO will enable us to fully seize opportunities and actively promote technological innovation and knowledge transfer.” In 2022, to promote in-depth cooperation in GBA, OPPO and PolyU signed an agreement to establish the “PolyU-OPPO Joint Innovation Lab.” Within just three years, the Joint Lab has achieved a series of innovative milestones, successfully developing and implementing various leading imaging algorithms: the AI super-resolution technology has been applied to multiple OPPO products, significantly enhancing the image quality of telephoto photography; the deployment of HDR imaging algorithms enables users to capture high-quality photos under different lighting conditions, greatly enhancing the photography experience. Furthermore, the Joint Lab has actively explored cutting-edge technologies, including image restoration and detail enhancement based on generative models, as well as interactive image and video editing technologies. These efforts have improved the quality and stability of image generation and provide more possibilities for image and video post-processing. Additionally, the Joint Lab has made significant strides in talent cultivation, nurturing several PhD and postdoctoral researchers who are actively contributing to OPPO’s AI imaging technology, providing a strong driving force for continuous technological innovation. The evolving collaboration between OPPO and PolyU will propel the further development of AI imaging technology, providing new momentum for technological innovation and talent development in the GBA. Looking ahead, both parties will continue to strengthen the academia-industry cooperation, fully exploring and promoting innovative applications of AI imaging technology.

SINGAPORE: As businesses across the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region demand faster application development to keep pace with digitalization, AI-powered low-code solutions are enabling organizations to drive innovation and greater productivity. This is highlighted in a new IDC InfoBrief titled Mission-Critical Software, Delivered: Harnessing the Synergy of Low Code and GenAI, sponsored by OutSystems, a global leader transforming how companies innovate through software. The research shows that over 60% of applications in APAC are legacy systems, posing hurdles like rigid architectures and high maintenance costs. The skills shortage exacerbates these issues, and modernizing these systems remains a priority for enterprises. However, outdated frameworks and low developer productivity often hinder progress. To overcome these obstacles, 68% of APAC enterprises are turning to modern development tools—including low code, integrated development environments (IDEs), and DevOps. While low-code platforms can streamline software development by enabling faster application creation with minimal coding, AI-powered low-code solutions take this a step further by automating complex processes and delivering intelligent insights, which boost efficiency and spark innovation. As a result, 25% of APAC enterprises are now prioritizing the integration of generative AI (GenAI) into developer tools to drive more intelligent application development. This trend is consistent across the APAC region, with a notable uptake in Australia (25%), India (24%), Japan (26%), and Southeast Asia (23%). “We are witnessing unprecedented levels of productivity and innovation unlocked for businesses in APAC through the synergistic relationship between GenAI and low code,” said Mark Weaser, Vice President, APAC at OutSystems. “In today’s competitive landscape, OutSystems is proud to remain committed to empowering APAC enterprises to deliver mission-critical applications at scale and overcome challenges such as talent shortages and evolving market demands.”   AI and Low-Code: The Future of Intelligent App Development IDC forecasts that by 2026, 40% of net-new applications in APAC will be “intelligent apps,” which incorporate GenAI to elevate existing user experiences and unlock new use cases. Top impact areas of GenAI in software development and design include increased productivity (61%), high value dev tasks/creativity (50%), and accelerated developer velocity (40%). Additional findings reveal that AI and automation initiatives, along with application development platforms, are among the most resilient to budget cuts, even in uncertain economic climates. In fact, 30% of APAC enterprises are willing to pay a premium of 11-20% for GenAI features integrated into app development environments. “Our research shows that many businesses in the region are actively considering opportunities to layer GenAI with low-code technologies,” said Daniel-Zoe Jimenez, Vice President, Digital Innovation, Software, CX, SMB/DNB and Channels Research, IDC Asia/Pacific. “One of the main benefits of this integration is that it can help organizations accelerate their legacy modernization journeys. This approach can shorten the software development life cycle, while maintaining high application performance.”   Low-Code is Here to Stay for APAC Enterprises Low-code adoption continues to accelerate across APAC, with one-third (33%) of enterprises recognizing it as a critical tool for driving automation and future-proofing their businesses. This trend is not limited to the APAC region – IDC predicts that by 2025, more than 60% of enterprises globally will adopt low-code technologies to enable faster application delivery and improve operational efficiency.   By region, Southeast Asia and Hong Kong lead APAC respectively with 49% of enterprises prioritizing low code for automation solutions, followed by India (35%) and Australia (31%). These figures point to a continued recognition of low code’s strategic value in driving competitive advantage within a disruptive landscape, especially as businesses face demands to deliver apps and innovate more efficiently amidst economic uncertainty and a shortage of skilled developers.   “The integration of GenAI with low-code technologies is poised to meet the increasing demand for rapid application delivery and legacy modernization,” said Dhiraj Pramod Badgujar, Senior Research Manager, XOps Software Development and AI Developer Strategies Practice, IDC Asia/Pacific. “Our research reveals that organizations across the region are rapidly embracing this powerful combination to accelerate software release cycles and significantly enhance productivity.”