TAIPEI, Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Star Trade, an international power services operator under HDRE Group, announced today that its first overseas energy storage project, the Helios 50MW BESS in Hokkaido developed by Manoa Energy, has entered commercial operation. The project has begun trading in JEPX wholesale market and will subsequently join the EPRX balancing market and Japan’s capacity market. By the end of its first full trading year in 2026, it is expected to generate up to JPY 2 billion revenue in power trading, marking a major milestone for HDRE Group’s capacity development and wholesale market strategy. Over the next three years, HDRE Group plans to advance 3.26 GW of storage capacity in Japan, all operated and traded by Star Trade, establishing a storage-centered market participation model.

Following commissioning, Helios started day-ahead and intraday trading on JEPX (Japan Electric Power Exchange), completing 48 transactions per day. Leveraging the Star Trade power trading platform, the team carries out price forecasting, formulates bidding strategies, and plans charge–discharge schedules to optimize revenue.

Helios will enter the balancing market via EPRX (Electric Power Reserve Exchange) in the second quarter of 2026, providing grid-balancing and reserve services while enhancing overall project returns. Given EPRX’s strict requirements for response time, duration, and availability, Star Trade will continue refining its decision models through its proprietary platform.

Looking further ahead, the project aims to enter Japan’s capacity market by 2028, securing stable, revenue streams and establishing a comprehensive commercial model for energy storage that strengthens both profitability and cash flow resilience.

HDRE Group holds a 90% controlling stake in Helios. HDRE Japan oversees asset management, while Star Trade serves as the project owner and trading decision-maker, showcasing the Group’s integrated cross-border capabilities. HDRE Group expects to reach 191 MW of construction volume in Japan by 2026, with cumulative operational storage capacity exceeding 1 GW by 2028. All projects will be operated and traded by Star Trade, strengthening HDRE’s presence in Japan’s storage market and supporting renewable integration and grid stability.

SINGAPORE, Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — This festive season, Suntec City is set to transform into Singapore’s most exciting holiday adventure destination, as the world of Pokémon springs from consoles into a digital-led festive adventure at the mall. From 6 November to 28 December, Suntec City’s Atrium (Tower 1 & 2) will transform into a hub of joyous festive cheer where shoppers can immerse themselves in interactive quests, enjoy high energy dance parades and browse holiday edition merchandise.

STRIKE A POSE WITH PIKACHU AND FRIENDS

Every weekend, a rotating lineup of Pokémon from Pikachu, Eevee, Snorlax to the starter trio Sprigatito, Fuecoco and Quaxly excitedly await to greet families and fans for picture-perfect moments at the Atrium (Tower 1 & 2)’s Dance Patio.

For an extra dash of festive cheer, the space will come alive even more on select days with a spirited holiday performance, as Pikachu and friends light up the stage with joyful tunes and cheerful choreography. Outside of the Dance Parade, visitors can still delight in inflatable installations of Tepig, Chikorita, Totodile and Poké Balls – providing an immersive Pokémon experience that visitors and fans alike can enjoy, explore, and photograph throughout the day.

EXPLORE LIKE A TRAINER IN A DIGITAL SNOWSTORM QUEST   

Step into the Holiday Cabin, where an interactive snowy landscape comes to life, complete with rustic wooden finishes and a festive red rooftop. Here, playful elements invite families, Pokémon fans, and the young at heart to engage with the magic of the season. Swept into a wintry tale where an avalanche has blanketed the landscape, groups of up to 15 players must put their Trainer’s observation skills to the test and race against the clock to uncover beloved Pokémon such as Pikachu, Snorlax and Eevee – perfect for a holiday adventure full of fun, teamwork, and festive cheer.

POWER UP YOUR PLAY WITH POKÉMON

Pokémon fans of all ages are also invited to gather at the Pokémon Trading Card Game Zone; a hub designed for both new and seasoned Trainers. This season, The Pokémon Company unveils the New Trainer Journey, an initiative designed to welcome beginners into the world of the Pokémon Trading Card Game. Here, new players are to collect their physical tickets, which assigns them a same-day timeslot for their training session, with limited slots available daily.

Upon completing the 30-minute session, each participant will receive a starter kit to kick off their adventures – comprising a Deck Case, a Deck Shield, a Demo Deck (30 cards), a Playmat Flyer, and a Voucher.

Beyond training, this zone also doubles as a space for community play, where seasoned Trainers are welcome to gather for casual matches with a lead up to the two-day Master Ball League at Suntec Singapore Convention & Exhibition Centre, blending competitive play with the in-mall festive experience.

Pokémon fans can also look forward to exploring the Pokémon Retail Pop-Up featuring merchandise ranging from trading cards to collectibles, perfect for seasonal gifting. To level up the fun, visitors can step into an all-new battle experience within the world of Pokémon Legends: Z-A on the Nintendo Switch 2 and discover the thrill of next-gen Pokémon adventure like never before.

That’s not all – there are prizes up for grabs as Suntec City rolls out “Who’s That Pokémon?” 50 Days of Winners from 6 November to 25 December. Daily fun puzzles will be unveiled on the 3-metre Advent Christmas Tree at the Atrium (Tower 1 & 2), with the lucky winners announced on the following day. Fans can enter by submitting their answers via Suntec City’s Instagram page (@sunteccity) for a chance to win.

Finally, for Trainers craving to meet more Pokémon, the play experience extends to Pokémon GO with Event PokéStops & Gym and Timed Research tasks to explore all around the mall. 

Explore Like A Trainer event will be open from 11am to 9pm daily at Suntec City’s Atrium (Tower 1 & 2). Each session in the Holiday Cabin runs for 10 minutes, with complimentary entry for Suntec+ App members. No minimum age required. Further information is available in the Appendix.

UNWRAP POKÉMON SURPRISES AND MOMENTS AT SUNTEC CITY

No Pokémon Trainer’s holiday adventure is complete without gifts, and Suntec City ensures shoppers are rewarded at every turn. Shoppers can look forward to redeeming a charming series of Holiday Edition Pokémon Rugs in four unique collectible designs, available from 1 December as blind boxes. More seasonal treats, including Pokémon-themed Gift Bag Sets (2-piece), will also be up for grabs throughout the campaign period, further adding to the holiday excitement.

Full details on redemption tiers and tenant offers are available in the Appendix.

Beyond redemptions, the holiday cheer extends into the mall with Instagram-worthy spots – from a 6-metre Pikachu inflatable at Esplanade MRT entrance, welcoming visitors on their way into the mall, to a towering 12-metre Christmas Tree and a Snowfall Show that brings wintry magic to Suntec Plaza. Fans can also explore more festive-themed photo zones at Level 1 (outside BYD) and Level 2 (outside Bed Bath N’ Table), each paired with scannable QR codes unlocking playful AR filters for a fun, sharable holiday adventure. 

From exciting interactive experiences and lively dance performances to holiday edition merchandise, Suntec City is bringing the Pokémon World to life this Christmas, creating fun and fuzzy memories that go far beyond the screen.

For hi-res images, please download from this link.

For the latest updates, visit:
https://sunteccity.com.sg/catch_the_holiday_magic

About Suntec City

Suntec City is one of Singapore’s largest integrated developments, comprising a shopping mall, five Grade A office towers, and a world-class convention and exhibition centre. Nestled in the heart of the bustling Marina Central precinct, the entire development is well connected by street-level plazas and underground walkways.

With close to one million of retail space and over 100 different Food & Beverage offerings, Suntec City Mall offers a one-stop shopping, dining, lifestyle and entertainment experience that caters to the needs of our shoppers, the office community and visitors. 

Suntec City is also home to The Fountain of Wealth, an icon of Singapore that embodies vibrancy in bringing people together for the celebration of wealth and good health. The City is easily accessible as it is connected to 2 Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations, the Esplanade and Promenade MRT stations, and has over 3,000 parking lots across 2 basement carparks.

Appendix

Programming at Suntec City Atrium (Tower 1 & 2)

Programming across Suntec City 

Spending Rewards (Tenant-Exclusive)

Spending Reward Tiers (6 November – 28 December)

Kindly note that spending at the Pokémon Retail Pop-Up is excluded from spend and redeem tiers. 

*The following e-Vouchers will be credited directly into Suntec+ App wallets for members:

• Retailer’s e-Voucher
• $5 Suntec City e-Voucher
• $80 Suntec City e-Voucher

**The following redemptions are to be completed at Customer Service Counters:

• Carpark Dollars
• Holiday Edition Pokémon Gift Bag Set (2-pc)
• Holiday Edition Pokémon Rug (Available from 1 Dec onwards)
• HSBC Cards Exclusive: $10 Suntec City e-Voucher

HONG KONG, Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Tencent Cloud, the cloud business of global leading technology company Tencent, today announced a strategic partnership with Cartesia, a San Francisco startup company that raised over US$100 million building a state-of-the-art Voice AI platform. This collaboration integrates Cartesia’s cutting-edge Sonic-3 model with Tencent RTC (TRTC)’s enterprise-grade global real-time communication infrastructure to deliver faster, more natural, and reliable voice interactions worldwide, empowering enterprises and developers to build next-generation conversational AI applications at scale.

Strategic Collaboration for Global Impact

Cartesia is advancing speech synthesis by pioneering the State Space Model architecture and applying it to real time voice. Its new Sonic 3 model, delivers low-latency, human-like expressiveness, and scalable concurrency. The 40+ languages supported plus emotion tags, accent localization, and custom pronunciations provide full control over personalized Voice AI experiences across the globe in real-time.

By integrating Tencent RTC technology, this partnership gains access to an enterprise-grade real-time communication backbone featuring more than 3,200 global nodes, sub-300ms worldwide latency, and advanced capabilities such as AI noise suppression and weak-network resilience, ensuring conversational AI applications run seamlessly even in diverse and challenging regions like Southeast Asia and Africa.

As part of their strategic partnership, Tencent Cloud and Cartesia have jointly launched a Conversational AI Demo, showcasing the seamless integration of Cartesia’s Sonic 3 with Tencent RTC’s real-time communication infrastructure. The demo highlights lifelike, low-latency voice interactions suitable for customer support, fintech, education, and entertainment scenarios. Interested developers and enterprises can experience the demo here: TRTC Conversational AI Demo. This collaboration is designed to make it easier for developers worldwide to build Voice AI applications across a wide range of use cases.

Wison Xie, Head of Product, Tencent RTC, said, “Leveraging our real-time communication expertise, we are excited to support Cartesia in redefining real-time voice AI experiences for enterprises and developers worldwide. Together, we are transforming conversational AI from a remarkable research achievement into a practical, real-world technology. This collaboration underscores our commitment to driving innovation, delivering operational excellence, and creating meaningful impact for customers across industries and markets.”

Aaron Melgar, GTM Lead at Cartesia, said, “Our partnership with Tencent RTC represents a major milestone in advancing real-time Voice AI for production applications. By integrating Cartesia’s Sonic 3 with Tencent RTC’s enterprise-grade global communication infrastructure, this collaboration delivers lifelike voice interactions with lightning-fast response times—powering mission-critical conversations and setting a new benchmark for the future of communication. We are thrilled to showcase these capabilities through the new Conversational AI Demo and look forward to deepening our partnership to shape the next generation of real-time voice AI experiences.”

About Tencent Cloud: 
Tencent Cloud, one of the world’s leading cloud companies, is committed to creating innovative solutions to resolve real-world issues and enabling digital transformation for smart industries. Through our extensive global infrastructure, Tencent Cloud provides businesses across the globe with stable and secure industry-leading cloud products and services, leveraging technological advancements such as cloud computing, Big Data analytics, AI, IoT, and network security. It is our constant mission to meet the needs of industries across the board, including gaming, media and entertainment, finance, healthcare, property, retail, travel, and transportation.

About Tencent RTC: 
Tencent RTC provides real-time communication solutions, including audio/video calling, live streaming, and in-game voice. With enterprise-grade security, AI-powered enhancements, and a global network of over 3,200 nodes, Tencent RTC powers mission-critical communication for customers worldwide.

About Cartesia: 
Cartesia is a Frontier AI Foundation Model Research Lab specializing in Voice AI. The founding team developed the State Space Model architecture during their time together at Stanford University before founding the company in 2024. Cartesia’s latest Sonic 3 model delivers ultra-low latency, human-like expressiveness, and enterprise-grade reliability for next-generation voice applications. Headquartered in the U.S., Cartesia has raised over $100M from leading investors and serves thousands of global customers.

WANNING, China, Nov. 25, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — China Tourism Group unveiled Riyue Bay Surf Resort, the country’s first surfing-themed resort on November 11, in a vibrant ceremony blending athletic spectacle, artistic performance, and next-gen surfing culture at Riyue Bay in Wanning, Hainan province.

A Grand Opening: Where Art Meets Professional Surfing

The ceremony kicked off with “Ocean Breeze in Blue,” a performance by the Hainan Provincial Song and Dance.

During the event, top surfers from China, Brazil, and Australia took on the custom 6MCFLY aerial wave, performing high-flying rotations and technical maneuvers to experience the power and precision of the cutting-edge surf technology.

Engineered Waves: A New Professional Destination

Positioned as the “spiritual home for wave riders,” Riyue Bay Surf Resort caters to all skill levels—from first-time surfers to elite professionals—through its signature Four Wave Levels featuring Large, Medium, Small, and Micro wave profiles.

The resort offers China’s first Olympic-grade surf lagoon, powered by advanced pneumatic wave technology. The system generates 23 dialed-in, pro-ready wave settings, enabling consistent, year-round surfing unaffected by weather or tides. The Four Wave Levels offer ideal conditions for learning, practice, and high-performance surfing.

A New Kind of Escape: Redefining Coastal Lifestyle

Moving beyond conventional tourism models, the resort integrates sport, hospitality, retail, and culture into a seamless coastal lifestyle experience.

Accommodation options include the creatively designed and the UECHAO Hotel, which UECHAO Hotel inspiration from the surrounding landscape, from the reef rock formations to the movement of the ocean. Together, they offer 132 uniquely styled guest rooms, allowing visitors to immerse themselves in a stay shaped by waves, rhythm, and coastal energy.

The resort’s lifestyle retail district X-Livin High Street, developed in collaboration with young entrepreneurs, serves as a social and retail hub. It brings together the live-music stage LIVEHOUSE, beach club, BISTRO, specialty coffee outlets, Southeast Asian cuisine, and outdoor lifestyle brands—creating a dynamic environment where sport, art, and contemporary culture converge.

The resort has curated a series of cultural and lifestyle events: an island life festival and market, group fitness runs, skateboarding sessions, a drone light show over the sea, floating cinema screenings, and fire dance performances.

Looking ahead, Riyue Bay Surf Resort aims to turn the philosophy of “creating waves, not just waiting for them” into a new kind of coastal getaway for surfing enthusiasts and modern travelers, while setting a new benchmark for style-driven, surf-centric oceanfront living.