Home Blog Page 495

Zepp Health Corporation Files 2025 Annual Report on Form 20-F

By
Advertorial Desk
-

MILPITAS, Calif., April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Zepp Health Corporation (“Zepp Health” or the “Company”) (NYSE: ZEPP), a global leader in smart wearables and health technology, today announced that it has filed its annual report on Form 20-F for the full year ended December 31, 2025 with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC”).

The annual report can be accessed on the Company’s investor relations website at http://ir.zepp.com and on the SEC’s website at www.sec.gov. The Company will provide hardcopies of the annual report, free of charge, to its shareholders and ADS holders upon request. Requests should be submitted to ir@zepp.com.

About Zepp Health Corporation (NYSE: ZEPP)

Zepp Health Corporation (NYSE: ZEPP) is a global leader in smart wearables and health technology, empowering users to live their healthiest lives by optimizing their health, fitness, and wellness journeys through its leading consumer brands, Amazfit, Zepp Clarity, and Zepp Aura. Powered by its proprietary Zepp Digital Management Platform, which includes Zepp OS, AI chips, biometric sensors, and data algorithms, Zepp delivers cloud-based 24/7 actionable insights and guidance to help users attain their wellness goals. To date, Zepp has shipped over 200 million units and served more than 53 million users, and its products are available in more than 150 countries and regions. Zepp Health has team members and offices across the globe, especially in Europe and the United States.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Zepp Health Corporation
Grace Zhang
Email: ir@zepp.com

Piacente Financial Communications
Email: zepp@tpg-ir.com

Generative AI Leap: Insilico Medicine Nominates First Preclinical Candidate in the UAE

By
Advertorial Desk
-
  • For its 30th PCC anniversary, Insilico Medicine nominated ISM0387, the first UAE-based preclinical candidate, jointly announced with the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), with the support of local partners including Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO), the Department of Health Abu Dhabi (DoH) and other prominent ecosystem players.
  • ISM0387 is an MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor with AI-powered novel structure, showing improved in vitro activity and selectivity, enhanced brain penetrant properties, and robust, dose-dependent efficacy in disease models.
  • The discovery process of ISM0387 is local, and it signals that the UAE has evolved into a technology-driven powerhouse with a knowledge-based “Falcon Economy.”
  • Based on Chemistry42 and its 40+ models, Insilico’s team screened 90 AI-powered novel candidates, considering multiple parameters with a focus on CNS-specific traits, completing the lead discovery phase in just six months.

ABU DHABI, UAE, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Drug discovery is famously a “game for the brave”: a high-stakes pursuit that demands immense capital, decades of patience, and unwavering technical fortitude. According to research in Nature, bringing a single drug to market typically costs between $900 million and $2.6 billion, spanning over a decade. Even the early phase, from target identification to candidate nomination, can consume 4.5 years of thousands of molecular screening.

Historically, these barriers have limited pharmaceutical innovation to a handful of resource-rich nations. However, generative AI and foundation models are redrawing these boundaries today. On April 23, 2026, Insilico Medicine ( “Insilico”, HKEX:3696 ), a clinical-stage, generative AI–driven drug discovery company, announced a landmark milestone:  the nomination of the UAE’s first-ever developmental candidate. Discovered locally by Insilico’s UAE team using the company’s proprietary Pharma.AI platform, the program completed the early discovery workflow, from molecular design to optimization, within the region.

The nomination also represents Insilico’s 30th AI-supported preclinical candidate (PCC) to date. Witnessed and Supported by the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE), the Department of Health (DoH) – Abu Dhabi, the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) and other prominent ecosystem players, this milestone signals a major step forward in the UAE’s sovereign biotechnological capabilities and its rise as a global hub for pharmaceutical innovation.

H.E. Saeed bin Mubarak Al Hajeri, Minister of State and Chairman of the Emirates Drug Establishment, said this achievement will strengthen the UAE’s position in global biotech value chains, adding that the country is building knowledge-based capabilities that support its role as an active partner in developing pharmaceutical solutions and expanding its global impact. Al Hajeri added: “This progress demonstrates the maturity of a national model that brings together scientific research with regulatory and investment frameworks. It allows us to turn scientific discoveries into real-world applications faster and supports the development of a system that can compete in high-value sectors.”

For her part, H.E. Dr. Fatima Al Kaabi, Director General of the Emirates Drug Establishment, said, “this is not just a research achievement but a clear sign of the country’s growing ability to develop medicines locally, backed by advanced technologies that are improving how discoveries are made, turning data into faster and more accurate development decisions while reducing time and cost.” Her Excellency added that this milestone goes beyond creating new treatments. It reflects the ongoing efforts being made to build a strong national system that is redefining pharmaceutical security, moving from simply ensuring supply to having the capability to develop and sustain it locally, strengthening the healthcare system’s readiness to respond to future challenges.

From Vision to Breakthrough: Redefining Global Science in the UAE

In May 2025, Insilico launched an ambitious pilot program in the UAE to prove that generative AI could compress years of traditional research into months. The initiative targeted medium-novelty, genetically validated synthetic-lethality targets for solid tumors. To lead this cycle, Insilico deployed a specialized local team of four—comprising two computational chemists, one medicinal chemist, and one translational biologist—tasked with meeting aggressive benchmarks: target finalization by Q3 2025, hit series generation in under 30 days, and lead optimization in less than 6 months.

In less than a year, that vision has become a reality. Insilico has officially nominated ISM0387, an MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor as the developmental candidate for this program. Featuring a novel structure and exceptional CNS-penetrant abilities, ISM0387 offers a promising new treatment option for patients with Glioblastoma (GBM). Notably, the entire development journey, from molecular design, optimization to preclinical nomination, was conducted locally in the UAE. The program reached this critical milestone in under 12 months.

This milestone also serves as a powerful testament to the maturity of the local biotechnology ecosystem and research infrastructure., reflecting ADIO’s Health, Endurance, Longevity and Medicine (HELM) cluster’s role in attracting and supporting high-value life sciences investments, with a focus on localization, advanced pharmaceutical development and long-term manufacturing potential. Aligned with Abu Dhabi’s broader economic diversification agenda, it highlights the UAE’s strategic transition towards a diversified, technology-led powerhouse—with a knowledge-based “Falcon Economy.”

H.E. Badr Al-Olama, Director General, Abu Dhabi Investment Office, said: “This milestone signals a structural shift in Abu Dhabi’s life sciences ecosystem, from enabling research to delivering commercially viable, globally scalable pharmaceutical innovation. This is precisely the ambition behind launching HELM, and we will continue to enable Insilico and others to produce and export high-value therapeutics that benefit patients worldwide.”

“For decades, the UAE region has been recognized as a global trade hub; today, we are proving it has evolved into a global science hub,” said Alex Aliper, PhD, Co-founder and president of Insilico Medicine. “By delivering ISM0387 as a candidate compound, at world-class standards, in record time, we’re showing how generative AI shifts paradigms, industries, and even development logics. We aren’t just using AI to build models; we are using it to build the future of medicine, right here in Abu Dhabi.”

Solution from UAE: Revolution in PRMT5 Inhibition and Synthetic Lethality

The scientific foundation of ISM0387 lies in synthetic lethality, a specific relationship between two genes (known as a synthetic lethal pair) where a mutation or deficiency in either gene alone allows the cell to survive, but the loss of both genes simultaneously is fatal. As a result, the inhibition of Protein Arginine Methyltransferase 5 (PRMT5) enables targeted treatment against cancer cells with deletion of Methylthioadenosine phosphorylase (MTAP), which forms a synthetic lethal pair with PRMT5.

In early 2025, Insilico nominated ISM1745, its first MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitor with best-in-class potential, overcoming the selectivity and toxicity issue for the first generation of inhibitors known to shut down PRMT5 in both healthy and cancer cells. More importantly, the nomination of ISM1745 further validates the abilities of Pharma.AI to break complex real-world drug development challenges, and paves the way for MTA-cooperative PRMT5 inhibitors with broader applications in MTAP-deleted cancers, featuring brain-penetrant properties that are particularly suited for treating central nervous system (CNS) diseases, especially glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive brain tumor in adults.

With a recurrence rate exceeding 70%, GBM takes the lives of over 200,000 patients worldwide each year, and accounts for approximately 48% of all primary malignant brain tumors. Luckily, MTAP deletion is detected in up to 40–50% of cases, demonstrating potential of PRMT5 inhibition in this field primarily relying on chemotherapy and radiotherapy as standard of care (SOC).

Discovered at Insilico’s Generative AI and Quantum Computing R&D Center in Abu Dhabi, ISM0387 will potentially expand the “built-in-UAE” innovation to benefit patients all over the globe, demonstrating how HELM enables the translation of advanced research into scalable pharmaceutical innovation and positions Abu Dhabi as an emerging hub for advanced pharmaceutical manufacturing and life sciences exports.

AI-Powered CNS Engineering: Breaking the Blood-Brain Barrier via Chemistry42 in Record Time

The discovery and optimization process for ISM0387 was powered by Chemistry42, Insilico’s generative chemistry platform integrated with over 40 generative AI models. More specifically, the team utilized the co-crystal structures of known PRMT5 inhibitors, generating 90 compounds with novel scaffolds with AI, which were subsequently evaluated for a balance between binding affinity, synthetic accessibility, and ADMET properties.

To address the specific challenges of Glioblastoma, the AI prioritized CNS-specific engineering, optimizing core parameters such as molecular weight, topological polar surface area (TPSA), hydrogen bond donors, lipophilicity (LogP), and pKa, while simultaneously validating in vitro passive permeability and brain-to-plasma ratios to ensure exceptional blood-brain barrier penetration. The entire lead discovery phase was completed with high efficiency in just six months, identifying four lead compounds with good brain penetration and metabolic stability.

In multiple cancer cell lines, ISM0387 demonstrated improved in vitro activity and selectivity, as well as a promising in vitro safety profile. More importantly, enhanced blood-brain barrier (BBB) penetration properties were reported across animal species, leading to lower efficacious dose projected in humans, highlighting potential in future clinical development.

In orthotopic glioblastoma models, daily administration of ISM0387 at 30 mg/kg robustly suppressed tumor growth over 20 days, in stark contrast to marked tumor progression observed in the vehicle group.

A Foundation for Innovation: The Masdar City AI Hub

The milestone is the culmination of a strategic journey that began in January 2023 through a partnership with the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO). Through this partnership, ADIO has supported Insilico Medicine’s establishment and expansion in Abu Dhabi under the HELM cluster, enabling the development of advanced AI-driven drug discovery capabilities and laying the foundation for future pharmaceutical manufacturing and export-oriented growth. Located in Masdar City at the IRENA headquarters, the center hosts a world-class team of 40 specialists dedicated to advancing Insilico’s Pharma.AI platform, aging research, and sustainable chemistry.

Deeply integrated into the UAE’s academic fabric, Insilico has forged research alliances with MBZUAI, Khalifa University, and NYU Abu Dhabi to push the boundaries of generative AI since its UAE site was established. These efforts were honored with the 2024 Health Innovation Trailblazer Award. Further solidifying its local footprint. Started in 2026 Insilico began a strategic partnership with the Emirates Drug Establishment (EDE) to institutionalize pharmaceutical innovation locally. Dr. Sheikha Al Mazrouei, Director of Research and Laboratories Department at the Emirates Drug Establishment, said that the collaboration between the establishment and Insilico allows the use of generative models and reinforcement learning to analyse biological, chemical, and clinical data. This helps in developing drug compounds that are more precise in terms of effectiveness and safety.

With ISM0387 being the 30th PCC nomination, since 2021, Insilico has established a comprehensive portfolio of over 40 assets, with 12 candidates obtaining IND clearance, three reaching Phase II evaluation, among which one Phase IIa clinical trial completed with positive results for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). By integrating the technologies of AI and automation, Insilico has demonstrated significant efficiency boost compared to traditional drug discovery methods (often requiring an average of 4.5 years), as announced in the recent key timeline benchmarks for internal programs from 2021 to 2024: the average time to PCC is 12-18 months, with 60-200 molecules synthesized and tested per program.

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine is a pioneering global biotechnology company dedicated to integrating artificial intelligence and automation technologies to accelerate drug discovery, drive innovation in the life sciences, and extend healthy longevity to people on the planet. The company was listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange on December 30, 2025, under the stock code 03696.HK.

By integrating AI and automation technologies and deep in-house drug discovery capabilities, Insilico is delivering innovative drug solutions for unmet needs including fibrosis, oncology, immunology, pain, and obesity and metabolic disorders. Additionally, Insilico extends the reach of Pharma. AI across diverse industries, such as advanced materials, agriculture, nutritional products and veterinary medicine.

For more information, please visit www.insilico.com

About the Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO)

The Abu Dhabi Investment Office (ADIO) is the government vehicle responsible for accelerating Abu Dhabi’s growth and enabling the emirate’s economic transformation. Through comprehensive support services, ADIO enables both local and foreign investors to shape industries of the future set to transform liveability, technology, resources, and value-added services. Initiatives focused on regional tourism and retail development, as well as public-private partnerships, ensure that community well-being is at the centre of Abu Dhabi’s economic transformation. With a robust network of investors, strong collaboration with key stakeholders, and a global presence, ADIO is committed to empowering those who invest with Abu Dhabi to make a lasting global impact. For more information, visit: https://www.investinabudhabi.gov.ae.

Project Eleven Awards 1 BTC Q-Day Prize for Largest Quantum Attack on Elliptic Curve Cryptography to Date

By
Advertorial Desk
-

Researcher breaks 15-bit ECC key on publicly accessible quantum hardware in a 512x jump from the previous public demonstration.

NEW YORK, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Project Eleven today awarded the Q-Day Prize, a one Bitcoin bounty, to Giancarlo Lelli for breaking a 15-bit elliptic curve key on a publicly accessible quantum computer. The result is the largest public demonstration to date of the attack class that threatens Bitcoin, Ethereum, and over $2.5 trillion in ECC-secured digital assets.

“The resource requirements for this type of attack keep dropping, and the barrier to running it in practice is dropping with them,” said Alex Pruden, CEO of Project Eleven. “The winning submission came from an independent researcher working on cloud-accessible hardware. No national lab, no private chip. It shows that tangible progress is possible and highlights the urgency to migrate to post-quantum cryptography sooner rather than later. Google just committed to being quantum-secure by 2029. The window to get ahead of this is closing.”

Lelli derived a private key from its public key across a search space of 32,767 using a variant of Shor’s algorithm. Shor’s targets the Elliptic Curve Discrete Logarithm Problem (ECDLP), the math underlying the digital signature schemes securing Bitcoin, Ethereum, and most blockchains.

Quantum attacks on ECC have moved from theory to practice over the last seven months. Steve Tippeconnic’s 6-bit demonstration in September 2025 was the first public break on quantum hardware. Lelli’s 15-bit result extends it by a factor of 512.

Theoretical resource estimates for a full 256-bit attack, the scale Bitcoin operates at, have fallen sharply over the same period. Google’s April 2026 whitepaper put the requirement at under 500,000 physical qubits. A subsequent paper from Caltech and Oratomic brought that figure as low as 10,000 qubits in a neutral-atom architecture.

Lelli’s result is the practical counterpart to those optimizations. The distance from 15 bits to 256 bits is large, but the gap is increasingly viewed as an engineering problem and not a fundamental physics problem.

Roughly 6.9 million Bitcoin sit in wallets whose public keys are visible on-chain, exposing them to quantum attack. All blockchains using ECC share similar risks with vulnerable assets.

Project Eleven is developing its next challenge, focused on the intersection of frontier AI models and quantum cryptanalysis.

Alex Pruden is available for interview

About Project Eleven
Project Eleven builds resilient infrastructure and tooling for the post-quantum era. The company develops scalable solutions that strengthen security across a rapidly evolving quantum threat landscape. With deep expertise in cryptography, blockchain, and financial systems, Project Eleven bridges advanced post-quantum research with real-world implementations that prepare the digital asset ecosystem for the future. For more information, visit www.projecteleven.com.

Media Contacts
Aubrey Strobel / Elena Nisonoff, Halcyon Communications
projecteleven@halcyonpr.xyz

Dot Inc. Wins Gold at the 2026 Edison Awards

By
Advertorial Desk
-

Top Honor in Cultural Impact & Education for Dot Pad X

SEOUL, South Korea, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Dot Inc., a company that develops tactile display technology for people who are visually impaired, has won the Gold Prize at the 2026 Edison Awards for its “Dot Pad X.” The ceremony took place on April 16 in Florida, United States, where Dot received the top honor in the Cultural Impact & Education category.

A Dot Pad X shows a world map through dynamic raised pins, transforming visual information into touch.
A Dot Pad X shows a world map through dynamic raised pins, transforming visual information into touch.

The Edison Awards is a globally recognized program that has honored impactful innovations for nearly 40 years. It recognizes technologies that go beyond ideas and create real world impact, carrying forward the legacy of Thomas Edison.

Dot Pad X is a multi-line braille display and a next-generation tactile interface that expands beyond traditional braille devices. It delivers not only text, but also converts images, graphs, maps, and UI elements into tactile form. This enables access to visual information in areas where understanding has traditionally depended on sight, including math, science, and geography.

Eric Ju Yoon Kim, CEO of Dot, said, “This recognition shows how Dot Pad can help create a more inclusive society by expanding access to information. We will continue working toward a world where everyone can access information equally.”

Ki Kwang Sung, CBDO of Dot, said, “Dot Pad is more than a product. It moves tactile interfaces from assistive tools into core digital infrastructure by solving everyday challenges.”

This achievement highlights a shift in accessibility technology from assistive tools to core digital infrastructure. Dot Pad is already being used in classrooms to translate visual materials such as graphs, maps, and diagrams into touch, enabling more effective learning in subjects that rely heavily on visual understanding.

Beyond education, Dot’s tactile display is being deployed across public infrastructure, including kiosks that transform maps and information into touch. It is also expanding into AI-driven interactive applications, including tactile content creation, gaming, and entertainment experiences, enabling new ways to experience content through touch.

BingX TradFi Elevates with TradingView, Bringing Pro-Grade Analysis to Multi-Asset Trading

By
Advertorial Desk
-

PANAMA CITY, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — BingX, a leading cryptocurrency exchange and Web3-AI company, today announced the integration of TradingView with its BingX TradFi suite, marking a significant step in bridging professional-grade market analysis with a unified multi-asset trading experience.

The integration introduces TradingView’s industry-standard charting tools directly within BingX, enabling users to conduct advanced technical analysis without leaving the platform. By embedding institutional-level capabilities into its ecosystem, BingX is lowering the barrier for traders seeking deeper insights across both crypto and traditional markets.

The move strengthens the positioning of BingX TradFi, which offers access to over 100 traditional financial instruments, including commodities, forex, stocks, and indices. By combining these assets with AI-native tools and now TradingView’s advanced charting, BingX is accelerating the convergence of traditional finance and crypto into a unified, intelligent trading environment.

As user expectations continue to evolve toward efficiency and professional-grade execution, BingX’s latest integration underscores its strategy to deliver a more comprehensive, insight-driven trading ecosystem for global investors.

About BingX

Founded in 2018, BingX is a leading crypto exchange and Web3-AI company, serving over 40 million users worldwide. Ranked among the top five global crypto derivatives exchanges and a pioneer of crypto copy trading, BingX addresses the evolving needs of users across all experience levels.

Powered by a comprehensive suite of AI-driven products and services, including futures, spot, copy trading, and TradFi offerings, BingX empowers users with innovative tools designed to enhance performance, confidence, and efficiency.

BingX has been the principal partner of Chelsea FC since 2024, and became the first official crypto exchange partner of Scuderia Ferrari HP in 2026.

For more information, please visit: https://bingx.com/

PRESIDENT SAMIA RECEIVES COMMISSION OF INQUIRY REPORT; CALLS FOR NATIONAL HEALING, ACCOUNTABILITY AND REFORMS

By
Advertorial Desk
-

DAR ES SALAAM, Tanzania, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Her Excellency Dr. Samia Suluhu Hassan, President of the United Republic of Tanzania today received the Report of the Presidential Commission of Inquiry into the events of violence and breach of peace that occurred during and after the General Election of October 2025. The report marks a transition from national reflection to decisive action toward recovery, reform, and unity.

Her Excellency President of the Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, receives Commission of Inquiry report from Chairman of the Commission, former Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman.
Her Excellency President of the Republic of Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan, receives Commission of Inquiry report from Chairman of the Commission, former Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman.

In her remarks, the President acknowledged the scale of the impact, that resulted in approximately 518 deaths, more than 2,390 injuries, and destruction of property estimated at over TZS 125 billion. She emphasised that these losses have had deep and lasting consequences for families, communities, and the nation at large.

The President described the Commission’s work as a comprehensive national diagnosis, which according to the Commission’s chairman, evidence was gathered from over 1,300 witnesses, hundreds of sworn statements, and thousands of citizen submissions across 202 affected locations.

“The Commission has examined what affected us and has provided both treatment and guidance. Our task now is to apply that treatment effectively. At times, the remedy may be difficult, but if we are to heal, we must take it,” said President Samia, emphasizing that the nation must now act with discipline and responsibility to prevent recurrence.

The President reaffirmed that Tanzania’s future lies in the hands of its citizens and called for unity and collective responsibility in rebuilding the nation.

“The destiny of Tanzania is in the hands of Tanzanians themselves,” she said, while also calling on religious leaders to actively support national healing and reconciliation efforts.

Chairman of the Commission, former Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, noted that the report is the result of a 153-day nationwide inquiry covering 11 regions, 21 districts, and extensive stakeholder engagement.

“The report reflects the collective national intent to heal, ensure accountability where necessary, and, above all, to learn and move forward.”

He added that despite the pain expressed by many victims, there was a strong and consistent desire among citizens for reconciliation and unity.

“Those who engaged with the Commission made it clear that what happened does not reflect the true character of Tanzania,” he said.

On a personal note, the President reaffirmed her commitment to lead through this period with courage and vigilance while calling for collective effort.

“I will carry this responsibility with courage, confidence, and caution. But we must do this together. Do not leave this burden to me alone.”

She concluded by urging Tanzanians to learn from the experience and move forward with renewed unity and purpose.

EDITOR’S NOTE

This is the seventh Presidential Commission of Inquiry since Independence. Chaired by former Chief Justice Mohamed Chande Othman, the Commission was established on 18th November, 2025 and commenced work on 20th November, 2025.

The Commission conducted a nationwide, evidence-based investigation using both qualitative and quantitative methodologies to establish facts and recommend measures for national healing, accountability, and long-term stability.

HKUST and Times Higher Education Co-Host Asia Universities Summit 2026

By
Advertorial Desk
-

Global Leaders Converge to Shape the Future of Higher Education in Asia


HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 24 April 2026 – The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and Times Higher Education (THE) co-hosted the Asia Universities Summit 2026 from April 22 to 24. Under the theme “Igniting Global Transformation: Asia’s Leadership,” the three-day premier event explores Asia’s pivotal role in reshaping global innovation and addressing pressing societal challenges through higher education.

The Summit holds particular significance as it coincides with HKUST’s 35th anniversary and marks a decade of partnership between the University and THE since the inaugural summit. This year’s event has attracted over 600 university presidents, policymakers, and industry titans from 25 countries and regions, underscoring a collective commitment to advancing the academic landscape across the continent.

The Summit officially commenced on April 22 at HKUST’s Shaw Auditorium, with the opening ceremony officiated by Dr. SZE Chun-Fai, Jeff, Acting Secretary for Education of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) Government; Prof. Nancy IP, President of HKUST; Phil BATY, Chief Global Affairs Officer, and Mei Mei LIM, President, Asia Pacific, from THE.

In her opening remarks, President Ip underscored the need for cross-border collaboration and the evolving role of universities in a rapidly changing world. She said, “As HKUST celebrates its anniversary and a decade of partnership with Times Higher Education, we gather at a defining moment for our region. Asia is increasingly shaping the direction of global innovation, talent development, and societal transformation. In this era of rapid technological advancement and constant change—from artificial intelligence to climate resilience—the challenge of progress lies in anticipating needs and shaping solutions, which calls for a fundamental rethinking of how universities lead. At HKUST, we firmly believe that no single institution can address these global challenges alone; progress will come through openness, partnership, and shared responsibility.

Hong Kong is unique in being the only city in the world with five universities ranked among the global top 100, underscoring its role as a leading international hub for exchange and innovation. Building on this strength, HKUST has initiated dialogues with the world’s leading universities and invited them to Hong Kong to explore opportunities for a university town. This Summit reflects our long‑standing commitment to bringing institutions together to exchange ideas, build meaningful collaborations, and take collective action. By convening leaders from across Asia and beyond, we aim to turn thoughtful dialogue into real impact for our communities and for society at large.”

Dr. SZE Chun-Fai, Jeff, highlighted Hong Kong’s unique position as an international education hub, stating, “Universities today are not only centers of knowledge creation but also powerful drivers of innovation, resilience, and societal impact. In an era of rapid technological advancement, higher education must translate cutting-edge research into real-world solutions that address global challenges. HKUST exemplifies this excellence and achieves remarkable rankings, with its entrepreneurial story equally unmatched, demonstrating the worldwide impact of its research discoveries. Hong Kong has long served as the world’s super-connector and super-value adder, bridging East and West. Our highly internationalized and diversified post-secondary education system positions us ideally to facilitate this convergence between global academic networks and the opportunities of the Chinese Mainland and the wider region. Education, technology, and talent form a foundational triad for success. By fostering talent attraction, interdisciplinary education, industry-academic partnerships, and research collaborations with our counterparts elsewhere, we are building a vibrant ecosystem that strengthens Hong Kong’s innovation edge, contributing to Asia as well as national development.”

Phil Baty reaffirmed THE’s enduring partnership of trust with HKUST and celebrated Asia’s rising global influence, stating, “A decade ago, right here on this stunning campus, THE launched its first-ever Asia Universities Summit. Today, we are witnessing a tilt in the balance of power in global higher education and research from the West to the East. This extraordinary trajectory is driven by Asia’s booming research productivity and global ambitions. Hong Kong, with five universities now ranked among the world’s top 100, stands at the heart of this transformation—a city which we believe will remain the flagship atop the rising tide across Asia, cementing its position as a world-leading powerhouse. New knowledge creation is not a zero-sum game, as we all gain from the leapfrogging Asian university sector. This Summit is a celebration of your excellence and the glorious diversity of our academic community.”

Following the opening ceremony, President Ip joined Prof. Martin O. BERGÖ, Vice-President of Karolinska Institutet, in a keynote fireside chat on longevity science. The discussion explored how advances in biomedicine, neuroscience, and translational research can extend both lifespan and healthspan, while contributing to resilient and equitable societies. President Ip shared insights from her pioneering neuroscience research, including the University’s efforts to decode the biological basis of healthy aging. She said, “Healthy aging is not just about adding years to life, but adding life to our years. We need a paradigm shift from reactive to proactive care. At HKUST, we are focused on monitoring risks for any diseases early and implementing preventive measures. Longevity science is about extending the ‘healthspan’ and as a university, we have much to offer through our research and collaborations. We are uniquely positioned to contribute to this field.”

A spotlight on the first day was a fireside chat between Prof. Harry SHUM, Chairman of the HKUST Council, and Judson ALTHOFF, CEO of Microsoft’s Commercial Business. The dialogue delved into the transformative power of AI across both industry and academia, discussing how universities can collaborate with global technology leaders to prepare students for an AI‑pervasive world. Emphasis was placed not only on technological capability, but also on trust, critical thinking and mindset change within institutions.

Prof. Shum underscored the importance of embracing AI across disciplines, “For our university, at this time, the number one priority is really a mindset change—to focus on AI for science, engineering, business, humanities, and medicine. AI is already here. We do not have to be afraid of this technology. It is a powerful new tool for us and a wonderful thing that we must learn and master to drive growth and innovation.”

Throughout the Summit, President Ip participated in two leadership meetings with over 15 university presidents and senior leaders from institutions across Asia, engaging in candid, strategy‑focused exchanges on shared regional challenges. One session examined how Asia’s emerging innovation corridors—from the Greater Bay Area to other fast‑growing technology belts—can redefine global technology leadership, with discussions centered on governance models and cross‑border collaboration. Another session focused on shaping next‑generation cities, exploring how universities can align research, talent development and policy engagement to support sustainable urban transformation amid rapid technological and societal change. These high-level dialogues emphasized the need for strategic alignment between academic research and regional development, reinforcing the Summit’s mission to leverage Asian leadership for global transformation through collaborative institutional design and shared expertise.

Across a series of high‑level sessions, HKUST senior leadership played an active role in shaping discussions on inclusive leadership, trusted AI in higher education, research commercialization, climate resilience, and global research collaboration. The sessions examined how universities can strengthen governance frameworks to ensure the responsible and ethical use of AI, while cultivating innovation ecosystems that translate research outcomes into socio-economic impact.

The dialogue also addressed strategies for nurturing entrepreneurship, climate‑proofing rapidly growing cities through interdisciplinary engineering approaches, and sustaining borderless research collaboration amid rising geopolitical and regulatory pressures. Collectively, these contributions highlighted HKUST’s commitment to advancing responsible innovation, international partnership, and university leadership attuned to Asia’s evolving challenges and global responsibilities.

The three-day event concluded with a closing ceremony, cementing new strategic partnerships and a shared vision for the future of higher education in the region.

Download photos here: https://hkust.edu.hk/news/hkust-and-times-higher-education-co-host-asia-universities-summit-2026
Hashtag: #HKUST

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

Nota AI Wins Grand Prize at NVIDIA Nemotron Hackathon, Proving MoE Quantization Prowess with Synthetic Data Technology

By
Advertorial Desk
-
  • Took 1st place in Track C and Grand Prize among all 20 competing teams with synthetic data generation technology specialized for MoE quantization
  • Built a dataset using an agent based on Nemotron 3 Super120B, presenting a data-centric rather than algorithm-centric optimization approach

SEOUL, South Korea, April 24, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Nota AI, a leading AI model compression and optimization company, today announced that it took 1st place in Track C at the NVIDIA Nemotron Hackathon with its synthetic data generation technology specialized for Mixture of Experts (MoE) quantization, and was named Grand Prize winner among all 20 competing teams.

The Nota AI team that won the Grand Prize at the NVIDIA Nemotron Hackathon.
The Nota AI team that won the Grand Prize at the NVIDIA Nemotron Hackathon.

The hackathon was organized to share the latest research on NVIDIA’s newest open-source AI model, “Nemotron™”, and to give Korean developers hands-on experience with world-class AI technologies to strengthen their practical application capabilities. Participants competed across three tracks using NVIDIA technology: developing AI agents to solve real-world problems (Track A), advancing domain-specific Nemotron models through SFT and RL (Track B), and designing synthetic data pipelines to build high-quality datasets (Track C). Nota AI took 1st place in Track C, which focused on synthetic data pipelines for SDG, and received the highest overall evaluation among all competing teams to claim the Grand Prize.

In the competition, Nota AI used an agent based on NVIDIA’s Nemotron 3 super to build a quantization dataset specialized for the MoE architecture, and demonstrated a data-centric approach that minimizes performance loss in MoE models. While conventional quantization methods have primarily focused on formula- and algorithm-centric optimization, Nota AI differentiated itself by precisely engineering the structure, quality, and task-alignment of the dataset to unlock higher quantization performance.

This is also notable in that it demonstrates that the center of gravity in AI optimization is expanding beyond model compression algorithms themselves to encompass how data is designed and leveraged. Through this hackathon, Nota AI delivered tangible results aligned with this trend leveraging NVIDIA technology, and the achievement is expected to serve as a stepping stone to further expanding the two companies’ partnership. Nota AI is also continuing its technology collaboration with NVIDIA across vision AI applications by integrating NVIDIA’s video search and summarization tool “VSS Blueprint” into its vision-language model (VLM)-based real-time video analytics solution NVA (Nota Vision Agent), enabling real-time detection and summarization of anomalous situations and thereby reducing on-site response time.

Myungsu Chae, CEO of Nota AI, said, “This award demonstrates that AI optimization is not confined to algorithmic refinement alone — it shows that new possibilities can emerge depending on how we design and leverage purpose-fit data. Building on our partnership with NVIDIA, we will continue to advance data-centric AI optimization technologies and solutions that can be deployed directly to real-world industrial environments.”

1...494495496...6,491Page 495 of 6,491