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MIT Technology Review’s EmTech AI 2026: Leading in the Era of AI Integration

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MIT’s flagship AI conference returns April 21–23 on the MIT campus and online, exploring how leaders can move AI from experimentation into core business infrastructure.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — MIT Technology Review‘s flagship AI conference, EmTech AI 2026, will take place April 21–23 on the MIT campus, bringing together 400 senior executives, technologists, and researchers to examine one of the most important shifts in artificial intelligence: its transition from experimentation into core business infrastructure.

As organizations move beyond pilots and proofs of concept, this year’s event focuses on what MIT Technology Review calls “the Great Integration”—the challenge of embedding AI into the systems, workflows, and decision-making processes that define modern organizations.

Curated by MIT Technology Review‘s editorial team, the 2026 agenda delivers practical insight into how leading businesses are deploying AI at scale. Sessions will explore the evolving AI stack, data readiness, governance, agentic systems, and the growing role of AI in shaping strategy and operations.

The speaker lineup brings together leaders from across industry and research, including voices from Microsoft, OpenAI, Snowflake, ServiceNow, Walmart, and more, alongside MIT faculty and MIT Technology Review editors. Speakers include:

  • Donna Morris, Chief People Officer at Walmart, on integrating AI into the workforce and systems of America’s largest private employer
  • Sulman Choudhry, Head of Engineering, ChatGPT at OpenAI, on the rise of AI platforms and integrated architectures
  • Kellie Romack, Chief Digital Information Officer at ServiceNow, on building an agentic workforce across enterprise systems
  • Duncan Crabtree-Ireland, National Executive Director at SAG-AFTRA, on the future of human expression in an AI-first world
  • Ali Farhadi, recently appointed to Microsoft’s AI intelligence team, on the future of super-intelligent ecosystems and coordinated AI systems

Editorial perspectives will also play a central role, with MIT Technology Review editor in chief Mat Honan, executive editor Amy Nordrum, and senior AI editor Will Douglas Heaven leading discussions on the signals, trends, and tensions shaping AI’s next chapter.

Key themes across the agenda include:

  • Agentic AI: The shift from copilots to systems that can act, decide, and operate across workflows
  • The New AI Stack: How data, orchestration, and security must evolve as AI becomes embedded in core systems
  • AI and Trust: How discovery, credibility, and decision-making are changing in an AI-mediated world
  • Creativity and Control: The implications of AI for authorship, ownership, and human expression

In addition to the mainstage program, attendees will gain access to exclusive on-campus experiences, including MIT campus and museum tours, hands-on workshops, editorial-led roundtable discussions, and curated networking opportunities designed to foster meaningful, high-value connections.

With attendance intentionally limited to 400 participants, EmTech AI is designed to prioritize depth, access, and real dialogue between speakers and attendees.

Tickets and last-call pricing
Tickets are limited for this exclusive event. Secure your seat today with last-call pricing.

For the full agenda and to secure your spot, visit EmTech-AI.com.

Anchored by the editorial expertise of MIT Technology Review, EmTech AI’s in-person event will feature exclusive experiences, thought-provoking interviews and keynotes, and strategy-setting case studies. Attendees sit side by side with leaders and peers across all industries in interactive Q&A sessions and experience unparalleled networking opportunities, all in an intimate setting at the Media Lab on the iconic MIT campus.

The virtual experience will include an interactive event hub, featuring livestreamed sessions, videos on demand, live chat and Q&A, and additional networking opportunities.

Members of the media may obtain additional information and request press credentials by emailing press@technologyreview.com.

EmTech AI Partners
The EmTech AI Presenting Partners are HPE, a leader in essential enterprise technology; Ascendion, helping businesses innovate faster, smarter, and with greater impact with AI-powered software engineering; and GC Cybersecurity, pioneering the world’s first fully autonomous data protection and compliance platform. Additional partners and collaborators include Box, Samsung Next, Micron, MIT Professional Education, IDEO, and the MIT Museum. For additional partnership opportunities, contact Andrew Hendler at andrew.hendler@technologyreview.com.

About MIT Technology Review

MIT Technology Review is an independent media company owned by MIT. The print publication, established in 1899, was the first-ever technology magazine; today, MIT Technology Review publishes in multiple digital formats every day, including on our site, in email newsletters, and across all major social channels. We also produce a multi-award-winning bimonthly print magazine and run one of the industry’s most highly regarded events brands, EmTech.

Our goal is to become the destination for those seeking to understand how technology is shaping our world. Subscribe. Attend. Follow: LinkedIn, Reddit, Facebook, Instagram.

Media Contact:

MIT Technology Review
press@technologyreview.com

LG Reveals Next-Gen Multimodal AI ‘EXAONE 4.5’

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SEOUL, South Korea, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — LG AI Research today announced the release of EXAONE 4.5, its latest multimodal AI model capable of simultaneously understanding and reasoning across both text and images.

EXAONE 4.5 is a sophisticated Vision-Language Model (VLM) that integrates a proprietary vision encoder with a Large Language Model (LLM) into a unified architecture. This latest advancement builds on the deep technical expertise LG AI Research has accumulated since December 2021, when it developed EXAONE 1.0, Korea’s first-ever multimodal AI model.

The current model serves as a strategic stepping stone for the modality expansion of “K-EXAONE,” an ongoing project dedicated to developing a proprietary AI foundation model.

Following the successful completion of the project’s second phase this August, LG AI Research plans to accelerate its modality expansion efforts upon the confirmation of the third phase. The ultimate vision is to evolve EXAONE into a form of “Physical Intelligence”—an AI capable of understanding and making judgments within the physical world, transcending the boundaries of virtual environments.

  • EXAONE 4.5 Surpasses OpenAI’s GPT-5 mini and Alibaba’s Qwen-3-VL Across 13 Visual Assessment Benchmarks

EXAONE 4.5 excels in accurately reading and reasoning through complex documents encountered in real-world industrial settings, such as contracts, technical drawings, financial statements, and scanned documents.

LG AI Research demonstrated its competitive edge by unveiling the benchmark results for EXAONE 4.5, highlighting the multimodal model’s superior performance in visual processing and reasoning.

EXAONE 4.5 achieved an average score of 77.3 across five key STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) benchmarks, outperforming major global models including OpenAI’s GPT-5-mini (73.5), Anthropic’s Claude 4.5 Sonnet (74.6), and Alibaba’s Qwen-3 235B (77.0).

The model also demonstrated superior performance across 13 comprehensive benchmarks. These include three indicators for vision general-purpose and five indicators for document comprehension and reasoning—evaluating the ability to interpret complex information within professional literature and multimodal infographics. In these categories, EXAONE 4.5 consistently surpassed the average scores of GPT-5-mini, Claude 4.5 Sonnet, and Qwen-3-VL.

Notably, EXAONE 4.5 showcased its technical edge in coding by scoring 81.4 on LiveCodeBench v6, exceeding Google’s latest model, Gemma 4 (80.0). Furthermore, on ChartQA Pro, which assesses the ability to analyze and reason through complex charts, the model recorded a world-class score of 62.2, the highest among models in its class.

An official from LG AI Research explained, “Achieving high average scores in visual assessment indicators signifies that the AI has moved beyond simply recognizing text or unstructured data. It means the model now possesses the comprehensive reasoning capabilities to grasp context and provide accurate answers to complex questions.”

EXAONE 4.5 also delivered remarkable results in terms of operational efficiency.

Despite having 33 billion parameters (33B)—roughly one-seventh the size of the “K-EXAONE” model unveiled late last year—EXAONE 4.5 achieved comparable performance in text comprehension and reasoning. This breakthrough is the result of LG AI Research’s proprietary Hybrid Attention architecture and high-speed inference technology based on multi-token prediction.

Furthermore, LG AI Research has expanded its official language support beyond Korean and English to include Spanish, German, Japanese, and Vietnamese.

  • EXAONE 4.5 Open-Weights to Drive Ecosystem Growth and Mastering Korean Cultural Context

Following the decision to release EXAONE 3.0 as an open-weight model in August 2024—a first in Korea—LG AI Research has continued its efforts to expand the AI research ecosystem.

LG AI Research has released EXAONE 4.5 available on the global open-source platform Hugging Face, permitting its use for research, academic, and educational purposes.

Meanwhile, LG has also utilized EXAONE as an educational resource to enhance the AI development skills of young talents. Earlier this month, the company hosted the ‘LG Aimers’ Hackathon, a program dedicated to nurturing young AI experts, with a focus on developing lightweight versions of the EXAONE model.

“EXAONE 4.5 represents LG AI’s successful entry into the multimodal era, where AI understands not just text, but visual information as well,” said Jinsik Lee, Head of EXAONE Lab at LG AI Research. “Starting with this model, we will expand AI’s scope of understanding to include audio, video, and the physical environment, ultimately creating AI that can make practical judgments and take action within industrial settings.”

LG AI Research is continuing its development to make EXAONE the AI that best understands Korea’s history, culture, and social context.

To this end, LG AI Research trained EXAONE using data provided by the Northeast Asian History Foundation in January and is currently discussing collaborations with other domestic institutions holding high-quality data.

“The surge in AI models capable of speaking Korean does not equate to a true understanding of cultural sensitivity,” said Myoungshin Kim, Head of the AI Safety & Trust Office at LG AI Research. “With its built-in K-AUT(Korea-Augmented Universal Taxonomy), EXAONE is evolving to provide expressive depth alongside robust reliability, setting a new standard for culturally-aware AI.”

LG AI Research

Established in December 2020, LG AI Research serves as the AI think tank for LG Group. Its mission is to enhance the Group’s AI capabilities by solving business challenges, conducting cutting-edge AI research, and establishing and implementing ethical principles for AI technology.

Official website: https://www.lgresearch.ai/

CONTACT: CHAE Ok, ok.chae@lgresearch.ai 

Global Times: Feeling the city of the future: In Xiong’an, innovation is born and comes alive

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BEIJING, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At first glance, the streets of the Xiong’an New Area in North China’s Hebei Province look clean and new, yet not particularly remarkable. It is only when driving through them that one senses the pulse of what has been widely referred to in China as “the city of the future.” Here, drivers no longer “obey” green lights; the lights “obey” the traffic.

This is no illusion. Behind the so-called “green-wave traffic system” lie more than 20,000 roadside sensors that monitor traffic flow, queue lengths and vehicle types in real time. The data feed into an artificial intelligence (AI)-powered “city brain” that recalibrates signals in milliseconds. As a result, the average number of stops per vehicle has fallen by half, according to official figures.

This is just one example of the technological innovation that is being born — and coming alive — in the Xiong’an New Area. Established in 2017 under a grand national blueprint, the city has, in just nine years, made striking progress in smart-city construction and sci-tech innovation. More efforts have been urged to build the new area into an innovation hub in the new era and a model of promoting high-quality development.

Smart city 

During the Global Times’ recent trip to the new area, “new Xiong’an residents,” including sci-tech workers, speak eagerly of the smart features of their new home and express quiet pride in contributing to its development. On a national level, development of this city of the future holds great significance for China’s broader push toward high-quality development, an expert told the Global Times.

“Driving in Xiong’an, it’s no longer about cars watching the traffic lights — it’s the traffic lights that watch the cars,” Zhang Yan, who moved to Xiong’an about four years ago, told the Global Times, with a smile that suggested she’s seen more than a few jaws drop.

Zhang is not just any driver enjoying the smart traffic system in Xiong’an, she actually led a small but mighty team of about ten workers at Xiong’an-based China Telecom Digital City Technology Co that helped roll out the “green-wave traffic system” across the Rongdong district of Xiong’an.

The system doesn’t just collect real-time traffic flow and road conditions — it also automatically spots equipment failures, sends alerts, and generates maintenance orders before most drivers even notice a glitch, Bai Jiaxue, a representative also from China Telecom Digital City Technology Co, developer of the drone system, told the Global Times.

Meanwhile, with a single remote command, a square box mounted on a traffic signal pole along Jinhu Street in the Rongdong district slowly opens, releasing a drone that begins a fixed 1.27-kilometer patrol route. The entire mission takes around five minutes, during which the drone conducts traffic monitoring, illegal parking detection, and landscaping inspections.

Drones have become a common sight across the Xiong’an New Area. They patrol the city’s parks, monitoring water levels and issuing flood alerts. In certain work zones, they also ferry packages weighing up to five kilograms between buildings, according to Bai. 

The Xiong’an New Area’s embrace of smart-city technologies — including AI and drones — aligns with China’s broader push to not only develop cutting-edge technologies but also to apply them at scale, experts noted.

Unlike mature megacities such as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, and Shenzhen, Xiong’an started with high standards from the very beginning, Hu Qimu, deputy secretary-general of the Forum 50 for Digital-Real Economies Integration, told the Global Times on Tuesday, adding that with strong policy, financial, and resource support, Xiong’an is best positioned to become a model for smart city development.

“As a massive living laboratory, Xiong’an can be divided into key application scenarios such as smart transportation and public services. The solutions and models developed here are highly replicable and scalable, making them suitable for adoption across other cities,” Hu said.

Innovation hub

Behind Xiong’an’s smart development lies a rapidly emerging innovation ecosystem comprising universities, state-owned enterprises, global tech giants, and fast-growing private startups.

Over the past nine years, more than 400 branches of state-owned enterprises have set up operations in Xiong’an, alongside over 200 companies in fields such as aerospace information, AI, and digital technology, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Inside a factory at the pilot testing base of the Xiong’an Science and Innovation Center, the “Xiong’an-1” satellite is undergoing testing and calibration. Under the operation of technicians, its 20-meter-long flexible solar wings can fully deploy in just three minutes.

As the first satellite produced in the Xiong’an New Area, “Xiong’an-1” represents a landmark project in the city’s aerospace information industry. After its regulatory approval in the first quarter of 2025, the project completed R&D, design, production, and testing within eight months, successfully rolling off the production line on October 22 the same year.

It is currently undergoing fault simulation and flight condition testing, with a planned launch and in-orbit verification expected in the second quarter of 2026, Xiong’an-based Beijing LandSpace HongQing Technology Co, the satellite’s manufacturer, told the Global Times.

The aerospace information sector is one of Xiong’an’s pillar industries. As one of the first key enterprises to settle in the area, HongQing Technology achieved the remarkable feat of “registration, construction, production, and product rollout all within the same year” in 2025, showcasing the synchronized momentum of “Xiong’an speed” and corporate efficiency, according to the company.

Such rapid development is underpinned by strong government support and a robust innovation ecosystem. In February, the State Council approved the upgrade of the Xiong’an high-tech industrial development zone to a national-level zone, calling for deeper integration of sci-tech and industrial innovation while attracting high-end innovation resources from home and abroad, the Xinhua News Agency reported.

As one of multiple major sci-tech platforms, the Zhongguancun Science Park in Xiong’an, with a managed area of 207,000 square meters, focuses on cutting-edge sectors including AI, digital technology, biotechnology, and the low-altitude economy.

Its nine themed buildings follow a “one building, one industry, one ecosystem” model, housing 269 technology enterprises, including national high-tech firms, specialized SMEs, and “gazelle” companies. Also crucially, the park has attracted over 2,700 innovation talents from China and abroad, forming two prominent industrial clusters centered on AI and robotics, according to the science park.

One floor above the exhibition hall of the science park is the Xiong’an office of Mech-Mind Robotics, a global company with subsidiaries in Japan, South Korea, the US, and Germany, and business operations spanning more than 40 countries and regions. The company focuses on the three core modules of industrial robotics — “eyes, brain, and hands” — covering recognition, decision-making, and manipulation.

In September 2024, Mech-Mind relocated its global headquarters to Xiong’an. The area provides targeted policy support, facilitates upstream and downstream resource integration, and promotes industrial synergy through the science park where “upstairs neighbors are also supply chain partners,” Ma Xiaoqian, an employee from the company, told the Global Times.

With its positioning as a “city of the future,” Xiong’an aligns closely with the development needs of AI and robotics enterprises, while offering an efficient, business-friendly environment that ensures strong support for growth, Ma said.

 

GAC to Host European Premiere of the AION UT in Milan

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MILAN, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — GAC will unveil the European version of the AION UT at its European Premiere on April 13 in Milan, Italy — a city that stands for world-class design, creativity, and craftsmanship, and the natural home for a car that was designed here.


The compact electric hatchback is the second AION model to enter the European market, following the introduction of the AION V last year. With the AION UT, GAC is targeting the heart of the European market: urban customers who need a car that fits their city without compromising on what’s inside.

Expect More

The AION UT is built around a simple promise: Expect More. More design, more space, more range — in a footprint made for European cities. At just 4,300 mm in length, with a 2,750 mm wheelbase optimised for urban agility, AION UT delivers one of the biggest interiors in its segment, proving that compact on the outside doesn’t mean compromise on the inside.

Designed in Milan. Assembled in Austria.

The European version of AION UT was designed at GAC’s European Advanced Design Center in Milan, engineered through the company’s global R&D network spanning three countries and five regions, and is assembled locally at Magna International’s facility in Graz, Austria, where series production officially began on March 18, 2026.

Local assembly is central to GAC’s European strategy. Under the guiding principle “In Europe, for Europe,” the company has established manufacturing in Austria, a parts and logistics centre in Rotterdam, and commercial operations in Amsterdam.

The AION UT European Premiere will take place on April 13, 2026 in Milan.

AION UT

AION UT is an electric hatchback with a 2,750 mm wheelbase, offering one of the biggest interior spaces in the segment. With a range of up to 430 km (WLTP) and fast charging from 30–80% in just 24 minutes (DC charging), AION UT is designed for confident everyday use across Europe.

About GAC

Founded in 1997 and headquartered in Guangzhou, GAC Group has been listed in the Fortune Global 500 for 13 consecutive years. With comprehensive R&D and manufacturing capabilities, and brands including GAC, AION and HYPTEC, GAC Group is dedicated to intelligent, high-quality, and sustainable mobility.

For further information about GAC, please visit: https://www.gacgroup.com/en or follow us on social.

Aiper Celebrates Its Best-Selling Scuba S1 with New Upgrades Just in Time for Pool Season

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A proven favorite among 500,000+ pool owners gets even smarter, more efficient, and easier to use

ATLANTA, Ga., April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — As April marks the start of pool opening season, homeowners everywhere are stepping outside, pulling back pool covers, and getting ready for long, sun-filled days ahead. Aiper, the world’s No.1 smart robotic pool cleaner brand [1] and leader in smart yard innovation, is celebrating one of its most successful products, the award-winning Scuba S1, with new upgrades designed to make pool care even easier, more reliable, and more enjoyable.

Aiper Scuba S1: A Proven Best Seller
Aiper Scuba S1: A Proven Best Seller

Since its launch in 2024, the Scuba S1 has become a proven favorite, trusted by more than 500,000 pool owners worldwide and backed by over 10,000 top-rated reviews. For many, it has transformed pool maintenance from a time-consuming chore into something that runs effortlessly in the background. Now, with thoughtful enhancements, the Scuba S1 continues to deliver on Aiper’s promise of neat, reliable, and carefree living, all at an accessible price point that makes smart pool care more attainable.

For pool owners, opening the pool is often the biggest hurdle of the season. From clearing debris to balancing water and getting everything swim-ready, it can feel like a full-day project. Aiper recognizes that reality and offers simple, practical guidance to make the process smoother, including tips on removing buildup, checking systems, and ensuring water is ready for use. With the Scuba S1, that process becomes significantly easier, helping owners go from “opening day” to “first swim” faster. For more tips on How to Open a Pool visit the Aiper blog here: https://blogs.aiper.com/us/how-to-open-a-pool/.

The Scuba S1 effortlessly fits into everyday routines. With one-click activation, pool owners can simply drop it in and let it get to work, no messy cords or complicated setup required. Its lightweight design makes it easy to handle, while smart app control gives users the flexibility to manage cleaning on their own schedule, whether they are prepping for a weekend gathering or just maintaining a clean, ready-to-use pool throughout the season.

The latest OTA upgrades take that ease even further. A new weekly custom cleaning plan allows owners to set it and forget it, ensuring their pool stays consistently clean without constant attention. Enhanced Eco Mode extends runtime up to four hours, making it ideal for maintaining cleanliness with less energy use over time. Optimized Adaptive Path Planning improves how the cleaner navigates the pool, covering more ground efficiently so no area is missed, while expanded shallow-area cleaning ensures even hard-to-reach spaces get the attention they need. With MicroMesh™ multi-layer filtration, the Scuba S1 captures everything from large debris to fine particles, leaving water visibly clearer and more inviting.

“Scuba S1 has become a favorite for a reason. It’s a product our customers trust to deliver exactly what they want, which is a clean pool without the hassle,” said Richard Wang, CEO of Aiper. “What excites us most is how this product fits into real life. It gives people more time to enjoy their pool instead of maintaining it, and these new upgrades are all about making that experience even more seamless and reliable.”

“I’ve been using Aiper Scuba S1 for about a year now and I can honestly say it’s been one of my favorite purchases for my pool. It made my pool maintenance experience so much easier! No hose, no extra setup, just charge it and ready to go. It does a really good job cleaning and is easy to clean after use. Another reason I’m impressed was the customer service, which made the purchase feel even more worthwhile. I genuinely think Aiper Scuba S1 is worth the investment,” according to Nadine Wijaya, a Scuba S1 user from California.

A high-value, budget-friendly option within Aiper’s cordless robotic pool cleaner lineup, the Scuba S1 continues to stand out. Its combination of proven performance, thoughtful design, and strong customer trust reinforces its place as one of the most dependable choices for pool owners today.

As pool season begins, the upgraded Scuba S1 offers a simple promise: less time cleaning, more time enjoying, and is available at a discounted price of $579.99 on Aiper.com and Amazon.com.

For more information, visit Aiper.com or follow Aiper on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok and X.

About Aiper

Aiper is the No.1 smart robotic pool cleaner brand and a leader in reliable, intelligent solutions for the smart yard ecosystem. From crystal-clear pools to balanced water and smarter irrigation, Aiper’s ecosystem simplifies care across your entire yard. Trusted by more than 3 million users worldwide, Aiper is available in over 7,000 stores across 50+ countries and regions. Renowned for excellence, Aiper products have earned prestigious honors including the Red Dot Design Award, the iF Design Award, and editorial awards from USA Today and TWICE, and have been recognized as a CES Innovation Awards Honoree from 2023 through 2026. Driven by smart automation, adaptive AI, and sustainable design, Aiper delivers a truly carefree experience, giving you more time to enjoy life’s best moments.

[1]Euromonitor International Co., Ltd., in terms of 2025 manufacturer sales volume (units) in the world. Smart robotic pool cleaner is defined as: intelligent service robots integrating mechanical, electronic, software algorithm and sensor technologies. They autonomously or with minimal human intervention perform pool cleaning and maintenance tasks, typically featuring smart navigation, path planning, and multiple cleaning modes. Research completed in 2025/12.

Media Contact:
Eva Li
eva.li@aiper.com 

Host City Bids Open for The Games Of The Future 2028 to 2030

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Phygital International opens host city bidding, inviting cities to take a leading role in the future of sport as phygital competition continues to grow worldwide. 

Click here to watch the video

DUBAI, UAE, April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Phygital International (PI), the global promoter of phygital sports and rights holder of the Games of the Future, has officially opened the bidding process for host cities for the 2028, 2029 and 2030 editions of the Games of the Future, the world’s leading phygital sports event.

Phygital Football winners at GOTF 2025
Phygital Football winners at GOTF 2025

Blending immersive digital gameplay with real-world physical competition, the Games of the Future is a global platform designed to re-engage the digital generation with physical activity and sport. At its core, the event uses phygital disciplines to bridge the gap between virtual and traditional sport – motivating young audiences to move from screens into active participation, and fostering long-term engagement with healthy, active lifestyles.

For host cities, the Games represent a strategic tool to strengthen grassroots and elite sports ecosystems, increase youth participation in physical activity, and promote public health outcomes. At the same time, the event accelerates innovation agendas by integrating advanced technologies, digital platforms, and next-generation entertainment formats – positioning host cities as leaders at the intersection of sport, technology, and youth culture.

Interested cities and organizations are invited to participate in a competitive international process to host one of the fastest-growing global sporting events, with the first milestone requiring the submission of a Letter of Intent by 1 July 2026. Bidding cities must secure early endorsement from a relevant governmental or official authority, with further requirements and timelines to be shared as the process progresses.

The opening of the bidding process follows the recent success of the Games of the Future 2025 in Abu Dhabi, UAE, which brought together more than 40,000 spectators on-site and delivered significant global reach and engagement. According to an independent IPSOS report, the event generated 461 million broadcast views, with 137 million unique viewers and 59 million hours of watch time, alongside a further 388 million views across social media platforms.

This level of engagement positions the Games of the Future alongside established international competitions, underlining both the scale of its global audience and the accelerating momentum of the phygital movement. It also highlights the event’s strong appeal to a young and highly engaged demographic, with 90% of viewers aged between 18–34.

With momentum continuing into the Games of the Future 2026, set to be held in Astana, Kazakhstan, from 29 July to 9 August, and strong interest already demonstrated in the ongoing 2027 host city selection process – including bids from  Brazil, Serbia and Uzbekistan – the opening of bids for 2028–2030 further reinforces the rapid international expansion of phygital sport.

“Hosting the Games of the Future offers more than a global event; it provides a platform to drive youth engagement, accelerate digital transformation and strengthen international visibility through sport and technology,” said John Hewitt, International Marketing & Communications Director at Phygital International. “”Building on the success of Abu Dhabi and ahead of Astana this summer, we are inviting ambitious cities to help shape the next chapter of this global movement. We are seeking partner cities with the vision, infrastructure and commitment to deliver an edition of the Games that reflects local culture while contributing to the evolution of sport.”

Each edition brings together elite athletes across multiple phygital disciplines, combining physical sport and gaming within a single format. City-wide fan zones, innovation showcases and community activations extend the experience beyond traditional venues and audiences, delivering tangible benefits for host cities across tourism, investment and youth engagement.

Stephane Timpano, CEO of ASPIRE and member of the Local Organising Committee for the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025, said: “Hosting the Games of the Future Abu Dhabi 2025 showed that sport is no longer just physical competition, it is where digital capability and human performance converge. Bringing together around 850 competitors from more than 60 nations, the event accelerated youth engagement in high-growth sectors such as gaming, AI and robotics, while creating a global platform for industry collaboration. In doing so, it established Abu Dhabi as a credible benchmark for how future host cities can translate this format into economic impact and technological advancement.”

Host cities are selected through a competitive international bidding process, assessed against a comprehensive set of criteria including infrastructure readiness, delivery capability, digital innovation, legacy planning, community engagement and alignment with the values of phygital sport.

All bids are evaluated by an independent expert committee convened by Phygital International, bringing together specialists from sport, technology, event delivery and governance to ensure a transparent, robust and merit-based selection process.

For more information on hosting the Games of the Future from 2028 onwards, visit phygitalinternational.com or contact team@phygitalinternational.com.

Notes to Editors:

About Phygital International (PI):

Phygital International is the promoter of phygital sports globally and is focused on innovating and redefining sports. It is the custodian and rights holder of the Games of the Future and oversees the bidding process for each host city.

For further information please visit https://Phygitalinternational.com or contact us at: press@phygitalinternational.com

About the Games of the Future (GOTF):

The Games of the Future is an annual international event that fuses the worlds of physical and digital and is the pinnacle of phygital sport. The tournament brings together the next generation of phygital sporting heroes from all over the world to compete in a diverse range of phygital disciplines and challenges. The Games of the Future 2025 were held in Abu Dhabi while the Games of the Future 2026, will be held in Astana.

For more information please visit: https://gofuture.games/

 

MOBAMobile.MLBB winners at GOTF 2025
MOBAMobile.MLBB winners at GOTF 2025

 

Locksley Commences Diamond Drilling at El Campo REE Prospect Part of its Mojave Project in California

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SAN BERNARDINO, Calif., April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Locksley Resources (ASX: LKY; OTCQX: LKYRF/ADR: LKYLY; https://www.locksleyresources.com.au) is focused on critical minerals in the U.S. announced it has commenced diamond drilling at the El Campo Rare Earth (REE) Prospect, part of its Mojave Project in California. The drilling program represents Locksley’s first systematic drill testing of El Campo and is designed to evaluate the scale, continuity and geological characteristics of REE mineralization identified through historical work and recent surface sampling.

The maiden program comprises four initial diamond drill holes targeting sheared carbonatite-hosted REE mineralization and will test the depth and lateral continuity of mineralization along 900m of strike, where previous surface sampling returned results of up to 12.1% TREO.

El Campo is strategically located approximately four miles southeast of MP Materials’ Mountain Pass REE Mine, a globally significant REE producer. Additional details are available here: https://cdn-api.markitdigital.com/apiman-gateway/ASX/asx-research/1.0/file/2924-03076930-6A1319789&v=undefined.

“Our commencement of drilling at El Campo marks a significant step in advancing the broader rare earth potential of the Mojave Project,” said Ian Stockton, Locksley Resources Technical Director. “The grade of surface mineralization identified to date provides a strong foundation, and this program will deliver the first subsurface data to assess continuity and inform the project’s development potential.”

The company is actively advancing the Mojave Project in California, targeting rare earth elements (REEs) and antimony. Locksley is executing a mine-to-market strategy for antimony, aimed at reestablishing domestic supply chains for critical materials, underpinned by strategic downstream technology partnerships with leading U.S. research institutions and industry partners. This targeted approach, combined with resource development with innovative processing and separation technologies, positions Locksley to play a role in advancing U.S. critical materials independence.

Contact: Beverly Jedynak, beverly.jedynak@viriathus.com, 312-943-1123; 773-350-5793 (cell)

Devicie Appoints Alex Hesterberg as Chief Executive Officer to Accelerate U.S. Expansion and Global Growth

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Veteran enterprise software leader brings 25+ years of experience scaling high-growth infrastructure and security companies

TAMPA BAY, Fla., April 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ —  Devicie, a leader in automated device management for Microsoft environments, today announced the appointment of Alex Hesterberg as Chief Executive Officer. Based in the United States, Hesterberg will lead the company’s next phase of growth, with a focus on expanding Devicie’s presence in North America and scaling its go-to-market operations globally.

Alex Hesterberg Named New CEO at Devicie
Alex Hesterberg Named New CEO at Devicie

Hesterberg brings more than 25 years of experience across infrastructure, security and cloud technologies, with executive leadership roles spanning strategy, customer success, operations and sales. He most recently served as CEO of Superna and previously held senior leadership positions at Delphix, Turbonomic, Pure Storage, Riverbed, Symantec and Veritas. Hesterberg is also a Board Advisor for Beryllium InfoSec and serves on the Board of the Soi Dog Foundation.

“Devicie is addressing a complex reality for organizations trying to secure and manage distributed, heterogenous device environments,” said Hesterberg. “Devicie operates at the intersection of the three biggest challenge areas for device management teams today: Application Management, Security and Compliance.  The Devicie platform simplifies and automates thousands of tasks and operations across these functions, continuously.  As a result, our customers greatly reduce manual work, improve end user experience, close security gaps and gain better visibility across their environment. Devicie has built a strong foundation, and I am excited to help accelerate its next phase of growth.”

The appointment comes at a pivotal time for Devicie as organizations look for simpler, more scalable ways to manage modern endpoints across users, devices, applications and policies. Devicie helps organizations reduce manual effort and improve outcomes by automating the ongoing work required to keep Microsoft environments secure, compliant and running smoothly.

In 2025, Devicie was recognized as a finalist for the Microsoft for Startups Partner of the Year Award and as a Microsoft Security Excellence Awards finalist for Secure Access Trailblazer. These recognitions reflect the company’s continued momentum and close alignment with Microsoft technologies.

Hesterberg is Devicie’s first U.S.-based CEO, underscoring the company’s commitment to expanding its presence in one of its largest and fastest-growing markets. Under his leadership, Devicie will continue to invest in product innovation, partner ecosystem development and customer success to help organizations simplify device management at scale.

About Devicie

Device management that just works | across every platform | for every application | with simpler compliance

Devicie helps organizations simplify device management across Microsoft environments through automation, consistency, and visibility. By reducing manual effort across configuration, application management, compliance, and ongoing maintenance, Devicie helps IT teams improve security outcomes, support end-user productivity, and scale with greater confidence.

Learn more at www.devicie.com.

For more information, press only:

Miluse Vejdani, Head of Global Marketing, +1 (617) 640-3802, Miluse.vejdani@devicie.com

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