• High- performance AI chips announced at Apsara Conference
• Next-generation Qwen 4 Model in training with future model’s scale to 10 trillion parameters

HANGZHOU, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Alibaba today announced comprehensive updates with a roadmap for its full-stack AI strategy to fully unleash the value of AI at scale to customers through its latest innovations.

At this year’s Apsara Conference, Alibaba Cloud’s annual flagship technology conference, the technology innovator announced a series of updates featuring Qwen foundation models and multimodal models, new proprietary AI chips, a purpose-built agentic cloud, and an AI agent platform for mobile phones reinforcing Alibaba Cloud’s leading global position in the new AI era.

“The theme of this year’s Apsara Conference is ‘Intelligence Goes Beyond’. Over the past few years, AI has continuously expanded our imagination of technological capabilities. AI possesses vast potential for development–it can be deployed and scaled in real-world scenarios, boosting productivity across thousands of industries,” said Joe Tsai, Chairman of Alibaba Group. “This is the true meaning of ‘Intelligence Goes Beyond’: guiding AI from technological breakthroughs toward value creation.”

“Today, the total volume of Machine Thinking is less than 3% of all Human Thinking. If that volume eventually scales to 1,000x human capacity, the simple math tells us: Machine Thinking still has an enormous growth runway. As machines are becoming the primary force behind Thinking, turning intelligence into a commodity supplied at scale, the truly groundbreaking products of the Machine Intelligence era have not yet arrived,” said Eddie Wu, CEO of Alibaba Group. “With this in mind, our target is that by 2032, the global data center capacity operated by Alibaba Cloud will surpass 20GW, fueling the industry’s exponentially rising demand for AI.”

Qwen 4 in training

At the conference, Alibaba revealed that its next-generation model, Qwen 4, is currently in training. The company further announced its roadmap for the upcoming Qwen 4.5 and Qwen 5 model series, projected to scale up to 5 to 10 trillion parameters.

Alibaba has revealed progress in RSI (Recursive Self-Improvement) driven by empirical feedback. Over a month of fully automated runs – spanning pipeline design, data validation, iterative experimentation, and error diagnosis – Qwen3.8-Max completed 33 iterative cycles. Through autonomous training optimisation and post-training techniques, the updated Qwen3.8-Max boosted its Artificial Analysis score from 40 to 45.

In a chip design experiment, the model underwent over 60 hours of self-improvement across the entire design lifecycle, making more than 10,000 EDA tool calls to produce production-grade chip bus modules. This reduced chip area by 42% with zero compromise in performance.

Multimodal Model Family Upgrades

Alibaba introduced multimodal model updates spanning speech, audio, and vision.

The company debuted Qwen3.8-LiveTranslate, a simultaneous interpretation model that enhances translation fidelity, fluency, and brevity, reduces latency (LAAL) nearly 20% from 2.8 to 2.3 seconds for a smoother, more responsive real-time translation experience.

It also unveiled Qwen-Audio-3.1-TTS-Next, a next-generation audio generation model capable of creating complete cinematic soundscapes by blending dialogue and ambient sounds all at once from a text script, designed for professional creative needs such as audiobooks, film and television, podcasts and games.

The updated speech suite also includes Qwen-Audio-3.1-ASR (Automatic Speech Recognition), Qwen-Audio-3.1-TTS (Text-to-Speech), and Qwen-Audio-3.1-Realtime, offering enhanced voice AI capabilities for understanding, generation, and real-time interaction.

Qwen-Image 3.1, an image-generation model optimized for creative design and e-commerce marketing, is set to launch later this year. It cuts visual design turnaround from hours to seconds while offering advanced generative tools, including native transparent-background generation and versatile image-editing capabilities.

To standardize world model evaluation, Alibaba Token Hub, alongside leading academic and industry partners, has introduced a six-tier capability framework and launched Happyworld Arena benchmarking platform, spanning video generation, embodied AI, and spatial reconstruction.

Bringing the models closer to general users, Alibaba has launched Qwen Intelligence, a business-facing full-stack agentic solution optimized for smartphones. It provides phone makers with access to a Qwen-powered agent platform to support next-generation AI phones that can handle complex, cross-app tasks reliably.

T-Head Unveils Zhenwu V900 and Yitian CPU Roadmap

T-Head, Alibaba’s chip design unit, has unveiled the Zhenwu V900, its latest AI training and inference processor featuring high-capacity memory and robust inter-chip bandwidth.

The Zhenwu V900 delivers three times the performance of its predecessor, the Zhenwu M890 (released in May). Featuring 216 GB of GPU memory and 1,200 GB/s of inter-chip bandwidth, the new accelerator is built to power demanding AI workloads with native support across multiple data precisions, including FP8 and FP4. By significantly reducing inference costs while increasing compute density, it seamlessly handles both high-precision model training and ultra-low-precision inference. It is scheduled for mass production and commercial release in Q1 2027.

T-Head’s Zhenwu AI chips have been serving over 650 customers across different industries including automobile, finance, large language models, embodied intelligence, energy, and manufacturing.

Alibaba also unveiled its upgraded supernode server, which integrates the Zhenwu V900 processor, ICN Switch, Panmai SmartNIC, and Zhenyue SSD controller chip. Optimized for full-stack system-level synergy across compute, storage, and networking, the server can support a supernode cluster comprising up to 500,000 cards.

Additionally, Alibaba unveiled its roadmap for next-generation proprietary CPUs tailored for agentic AI tasks, scheduled for launch in 2027. The Yitian 720 features enhanced single-core performance, higher core density, and increased energy efficiency compared to its predecessor, the Yitian 710; The Yitian 730, the first CPU built on T-Head’s proprietary microarchitecture, boasts up to a 40% increase in SPECint2017/GHz performance over Yitian 710’s.

Agentic Cloud

Alibaba Cloud unveiled a comprehensive suite of upgrades centered on its agentic cloud strategy, built around three core scenarios — model, harness and context. The upgrades span three corresponding layers: AI Native Cloud for model, powering large-scale model training and inference; Agent Native Cloud for harness, enabling enterprise-grade agent deployment, operation and security; and Context Engine for context, providing real-time data and long-term memory, helping customers create real-world value with AI at scale.

AI Native Cloud

• Alibaba Cloud’s Platform for AI (PAI) has integrated synergistic optimizations integrating inferencing, caching, sample replay and training services. In real-world post-training of Qwen models, PAI completed state-of-the-art model training in just five days, advancing from pre-training toward Agentic RL.
• Cloud Parallel File Storage (CPFS) system is a new-generation system optimized to better support AI model training, delivering hundred-terabyte-per-second throughput and hundred-million input/output operations per second (IOPS), helping cut enterprise AI storage costs by 69%.
• HPN 8.0 Pro, Alibaba Cloud’s latest proprietary AI networking architecture, delivers 100 petabits bandwidth with ultra-low latency. A single cluster can support over 130,000 network ports at 800G speeds, with built-in redundancy ensuring that neither optical transceiver nor link failures cause service interruptions, while reducing the impact of network upgrades and failures from 50% to 25% compared to previous generation.

Agent Native Cloud

• AgentCore, is a new enterprise platform to build, run and manage AI agents throughout their entire lifecycle. It enables businesses to easily build and run their AI tools, safely control human-agent collaboration, and monitor performance for continuous improvements. With enterprise-grade security embedded at the operating layer, AgentCore provides organizations with a single, controlled foundation to deploy diverse AI agents and seamlessly integrate them into critical business systems at scale.
• The Agent Security Center delivers full-lifecycle security and compliance management for enterprise AI agent applications. The platform provides a multi-layered defense system powered by real-time threat detection, ensuring agents operate securely within controllable boundaries at scale.

Context Engine

• Agent Context is an enterprise-grade context data service that gives AI agents real-time context and long-term memory. By connecting a company’s documents, business systems, chat records and multimodal data into a single foundation, it enables agents to remember past tasks, share knowledge across teams, and learn continuously. In knowledge-intensive scenarios such as customer service, AI coding and data analytics, it cuts token usage by up to 67%.
• OpenLake has been upgraded into a unified, multi-modality data lakehouse, where a single copy of data—structured, semi-structured, unstructured, vector, and streaming formats—serves multiple compute engines for processing, search, analysis, and model training. Compared with traditional architectures, OpenLake reduces total costs by 38% and cuts query response times by 40%.

Hashtag: #Alibaba

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

About Alibaba Group

Alibaba Group is a global technology company focused on AI + Cloud and commerce. We empower consumers and enterprises with our full-stack AI capabilities and services, from applications to compute infrastructure. Our AI technology based on the Qwen family of large language and multimodal models powers the intelligence behind our services across enterprise solutions and consumer platforms. Our commerce business puts consumers first and provides the technology and marketing reach to help merchants, brands, retailers and small businesses to engage with customers and operate efficiently.

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong has introduced a refreshed online health insurance experience that makes it easier for customers to research, compare, apply for, and pay for coverage. The enhanced experience combines intuitive digital tools with real-time support from Cigna Healthcare professionals, helping customers understand their options, identify coverage that best fits their individual needs, and complete their insurance applications with confidence.

More customers are starting their insurance journey online

More customers are beginning their search for health insurance online, looking for ways to compare options, understand coverage, and make informed decisions. Visits to Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong’s online insurance application platforms increased 38% year over year, reflecting growing demand for digital experiences that are both simple and trustworthy.

Making Health Insurance Easier to Navigate

The refreshed online customer journey addresses some of the most common challenges customers face when choosing health insurance. It is designed to simplify every step of the process, from understanding individual coverage needs and evaluating insurance options to accessing support through both online and offline channels and completing applications conveniently.

• Explore with confidence. Choosing the right health insurance can be overwhelming given the wide range of plans and coverage options available. By answering a few simple questions in the “Choose Your Insurance” section on the Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong website, customers can receive tailored plan recommendations. They can also compare plan features, premiums, and coverage side by side, helping them make more informed decisions based on their individual needs.
• Complete application with ease and support. Customers can obtain instant premium quotations, add family members to a single application, and submit their application online. For those who prefer additional guidance, dedicated Cigna representatives are available through WhatsApp Live Chat and hotline, for real-time support throughout the process.
• Apply at your own pace. A flexible application experience allows customers to save their progress and resume applications whenever it is convenient, offering greater flexibility for those who wish to consider their options before making a decision.
• Choose the payment option that works best for you. Customers can complete the recurring premium payments through email payment links or QR codes, and select from a range of secure payment options including FPS, PayMe, UnionPay, debit cards and credit cards for greater flexibility and convenience.

Michael Khan, Chief Executive Officer at Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong, said: ” As more customers begin their health insurance journey online, we’re making it easier for them to understand their options and find coverage that fits their individual needs. By combining personalized digital guidance with expert support, we’re helping customers make informed health coverage decisions with greater confidence.”

The refreshed experience is part of Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong’s ongoing efforts to make health insurance easier to navigate. Beyond simplifying online applications, the company continues to enhance key customer touchpoints across the insurance journey, giving customers greater flexibility to engage in the way that works best for them, whether through digital tools, personalized guidance, or support from dedicated representatives.

To explore the refreshed online health insurance journey, please visit Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong website to explore the personalized health insurance recommendation: https://go.cigna.blog/jyqy3i and compare health insurance solutions: https://go.cigna.blog/7fb95d

Hashtag: #CignaHealthcareHongKong

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

About Cigna Healthcare Hong Kong

Cigna Healthcare is a health benefits provider that advocates for better health through every stage of life. We guide our customers through the health care system, empowering them with the information and insight they need to make the best choices for improving their health and vitality.

Founded in 1933, our Hong Kong business provides comprehensive health and wellness solutions to employers, employees and individual customers. Leveraging on our extensive global healthcare network, we offer global group medical benefits that provide comprehensive and tailored coverage for a wide range of organizations. For individual customers, we also offer a full suite of health insurance plans to cater for their diverse needs. For more details, please visit www.cigna.com.hk.

Customers can enjoy benefits ranging from global eSIM data to complimentary protection and cashback

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Etiqa Insurance Singapore has launched Travel Pass, a first-of-its-kind travel insurance rewards experience that allows customers to earn rewards through their Tiq Travel Insurance purchases and unlock benefits across four membership levels. This initiative introduces a new way for customers to get more value from their travel insurance beyond individual trips.

After accumulating S$100 in eligible premium spend, customers are rewarded with Bronze membership and can progress to Silver, Gold and Platinum as their spending increases. Benefits vary by tier and include global eSIM data, Etiqa Rewards Points multipliers, transport vouchers and partner privileges. Gold and Platinum members also receive complimentary Personal Accident and Lifestyle Protection, while Platinum members are eligible for No Claims Cashback.

Reward tiers at a glance:

Tier	Unlock with	Key perks
Bronze	S$100 minimum spend	1GB free global eSIM · 1.5x Etiqa Rewards Points · Partner deals
Silver	S$200 minimum spend	2GB free global eSIM · 1.8x Etiqa Rewards Points · Partner deals
Gold	S$500 minimum spend	3GB free global eSIM · 2x Etiqa Rewards Points · S$10 transport vouchers · Partner deals · Free Personal Accident Plan
Platinum	S$1,000 minimum spend	5GB free global eSIM · 2.5x Etiqa Rewards Points · S$60 transport vouchers · Partner deals · Free Personal Accident Plan · No Claims Cashback

Through these benefits, Etiqa Insurance Singapore is shifting travel insurance beyond traditional protection, creating a more holistic travel experience that delivers both peace of mind and practical value for today’s travellers.

“Travel insurance should be more than a product customers purchase for a single trip. As people travel more frequently, protection needs to evolve and become a continuous part of how they travel with confidence. With Etiqa’s Travel Pass, we reward customers each time they choose Tiq by Etiqa, creating greater value as they continue to protect their journeys with us,” said Claudia Soh, Chief Executive Officer of Etiqa Insurance Singapore.

Tracking rewards through the Etiqa+ SG app

Travel Pass is available through the Etiqa+ SG mobile app, where customers can view their accumulated eligible spending, membership tier and available rewards. For Single Trip policies, the spending and rewards are reflected after the policy ends, subject to Travel Pass eligibility criteria.

Tiq Travel Insurance

Tiq Travel Insurance provides automatic claims payouts for eligible flight delays of three consecutive hours or more. Customers may also add optional benefits, including cover for sports equipment protection and pre-existing medical conditions.

From now until 28 December 2026, customers can enjoy 55% off Tiq Travel Insurance Single Trip plans and 30% off Annual Multi-Trip plans. Customers new to Etiqa will receive an additional S$30 discount, further enhancing the value and affordability of their travel protection.

To learn more about Travel Pass and Tiq Travel Insurance, please visit tiq.com.sg.

Terms and Conditions Apply
This policy is underwritten by Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd. (Company Reg. No. 201331905K), a member of Maybank Group. This content is for reference only and is not a contract of insurance. Full details of the policy terms and conditions can be found in the policy contract. Protected up to specified limits by SDIC.

Hashtag: #Etiqa

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

About Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd. (Etiqa Insurance Singapore)

Protecting customers since 1961, Etiqa Insurance Pte. Ltd. (EIPL) is a life and general insurance company licensed and regulated by the Monetary Authority of Singapore and governed by the Insurance Act 1966. Having protected customers in Singapore since 1961 under the name United General Insurance Co. Sdn. Bhd., the company transitioned into the Singapore branch of Etiqa Insurance Berhad in 2009. Today, EIPL in Singapore stands as the pivotal operating entity of Etiqa Insurance Group, a leading insurance and takaful provider in ASEAN.

EIPL offers a comprehensive range of life and general insurance products accessible through its diverse distribution channels, including bancassurance, agents, brokers, financial advisers, partnerships, direct and online sales via Tiq by Etiqa. Etiqa is rated ‘A’ by credit rating agency Fitch for the group’s ‘Favorable’ business profile. The company is a member of the Maybank Group.

Clear Robotics and ReSustainability deploy a 100% electric vessel on the Pandan River, eliminating diesel emissions and transforming a three-person manual job into a safe, single-upskilled operator tech role.

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 22 September 2026 – Addressing maritime labor shortages and decarbonization demands, environmental leader ReSustainability has partnered with Singapore’s homegrown startup Clear Robotics to deploy a 100% electric, semi-autonomous vessel on the Pandan River. This daily commercial operation proves zero-emission tech can solve manpower bottlenecks while improving worker safety.

The Pandan River Project: Safer, Smarter Operations

The Clearbot Class 2 replaces diesel workboats to intercept floating debris autonomously before reaching open waters. By reducing a four-person crew to a single operator stationed safely on a dock, ReSustainability and Clearbot optimize workforce efficiency while AI post-processing classifies collected trash for automated ESG reporting.

“The autonomous vessel enhances workplace safety by reducing exposure to operational risks, while equipping our workforce with opportunities to take on technology-enabled roles. This allows us to deliver smarter, cleaner and more sustainable waterway management.” — Re Sustainability.

“Clear Robotics exemplifies how homegrown startups can transition from innovation hubs into commercial deployment, driving the maritime industry’s shift toward decarbonization and smart port operations,” said Joshua Foong, Acting Head, PIER71™.

Addressing the region’s labor crunch and climate goals requires actionable deep-tech. Beyond automation, generating automated, real-time data on collected waste provides asset owners with the ESG transparency needed for modern environmental governance. This is what Clear Robotics is doing today with each deployment.

A Global Fleet for Diverse Marine Challenges

“The future of marine management is about replacing fuel-heavy, single-purpose boats with a versatile fleet of zero-emission assets tailored to any challenge,” said Utkarsh Goel, Founder & CTO of Clear Robotics. “Whether it’s waste recovery, water quality surveys, or weed clearing, we offer a proven commercial platform that solves the labor shortage, protects workers, and eliminates carbon emissions.”

Backed by SGInnovate and other strategic investors, Clear Robotics provides a plug-and-play “Robots-as-a-Service” (RaaS) model. Request a site assessment at www.clearbot.org.

Hashtag: #ClearRobotics

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

About Clear Robotics

Headquartered in Singapore, Clear Robotics builds a fleet of 100% electric semi-autonomous and autonomous boats for marine waste recovery, surveying, and infrastructure management. Learn more at www.clearbot.org.