Asia

Google DeepMind, the AI arm of Google, has selected 16 startups, nonprofits and research teams across the Asia-Pacific for the first cohort of an accelerator supporting environmental projects that use AI.

Ping An Digital Bank has launched receivables-backed financing of up to $5 million for eligible cross-border e-commerce merchants.

Tencent has open-sourced Hy4 preview, a 770-billion-parameter model with 49 billion active parameters and a one-million-token context window.

Ngee Ann Polytechnic has launched SH1F+, a workforce transformation center working with EY on job redesign, capability building and workplace learning.

XTransfer has secured in-principle approval for a UAE retail payment services license, subject to completing the central bank's pre-issuance conditions.

Hitachi Vantara said Asia-Pacific revenue rose 32 percent in its first fiscal quarter, led by a 61 percent increase in regional storage revenue.

TDCX has opened its sixth China center in Foshan with about 100 positions and AI-assisted customer experience services for Greater Bay Area clients.

The X-DIGITAL@THAILAND showcase underscored that Korea’s technology story is no longer confined to its domestic market. For these startups, the opportunity lies in translating that innovation into solutions that can work — and scale — across the region.

The Asia-Pacific Data Center Association (APDCA) has launched a new white paper titled Data centers as catalysts for infrastructure modernization in APAC, highlighting how data centers are helping to strengthen the energy and water systems needed to support Asia-Pacific’s future development.

Medtronic plans an approximately $700 million investment in Hong Kong-based Cornerstone Robotics and will gain distribution rights for its Sentire surgical system in select approved markets.