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Lao, Chinese Energy Firms to Study Battery Storage System for Laos Power Grid

By
Phoudasack Vongsay
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A picture used for illustration purposes only.

On 11 September, Électricité du Laos (EDL) and Chinese energy company Shenzhen Yichu Smart Energy Group Co., Ltd. exchanged an agreement to study battery energy storage systems in Laos.

The agreement was one of three signed or exchanged at the Laos–Hong Kong Business Forum in Hong Kong, which brought together more than 120 business representatives from Laos, Hong Kong and neighboring Chinese provinces.

The feasibility study will examine how Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) could help Laos store electricity and manage its power supply as the country expands solar and wind generation.

BESS can store electricity when there is more power available than needed and release it when demand rises. The technology can also store electricity generated by solar and wind when production is high, allowing it to be used later.

According to state media, the study will assess how battery storage could be developed and used in Laos’ future electricity system. Details on potential locations, storage capacity, investment costs and construction timelines have not yet been disclosed.

Hydropower Energy

The study comes as Laos continues to rely heavily on hydropower, which accounts for about 70 percent of the country’s electricity output, according to the most recent publicly available data from 2024, according to the MInistry of Industry and Commerce. 

These concerns come as Laos seeks to expand variable renewable energy. The country’s power development strategy targets increasing solar and wind power to 11 percent of the energy mix by 2030. 

Laos Warns of Lasting Toll at Vientiane Meeting as Cluster Munition Use Rises Worldwide

By
Thongsavanh Souvannasane
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This photo is used for representational purpose only.

Laos is hosting the Convention on Cluster Munitions’ Third Review Conference 16 years after it hosted the First Meeting of States Parties in 2010, which produced the original Vientiane Declaration and Action Plan.

More than 800 delegates are attending the conference, which runs from 14 to 18 September and is expected to adopt the five-year Vientiane Action Plan for 2027–2031. The plan focuses on three priorities: faster survey, clearance and risk education; sustainable assistance for victims; and predictable international cooperation aligned with the development goals of affected countries.

Lao Prime Minister Sonexay Siphandone opened the conference, saying it marked a crucial milestone in turning commitments into measurable action. Speaking under the theme “Fulfilling the Promise of the Convention: Toward a World Free of Cluster Munitions,” he said Laos’ experience showed how the damage caused by these weapons can persist for decades after a war ends.

He described the Convention as a vital legal framework for one of the countries most heavily affected by cluster munitions and linked clearance efforts to Sustainable Development Goal 18, “Lives Safe from UXO.”

A Toll That Persists

The conference comes as Laos continues to record casualties from wartime contamination. 

Laos remains the most heavily bombed country per capita in history: between 1964 and 1973, during the Vietnam War, US forces dropped more than 2 million tons of ordnance on a country whose population numbered around three million at the time, including cluster bombs that scattered hundreds of smaller submunitions on impact. 

Roughly 30 percent failed to explode. Tens of thousands of Lao citizens have been killed or injured since, and the danger has not gone away, officials reported 15 accidents and 25 casualties in 2025, including six deaths, caused by decades-old bomblets rather than active use of the weapons.

Globally, cluster munitions killed or injured at least 1,063 people in 2025, the third-highest annual toll on record, according to the newly released Cluster Munition Monitor 2026.

Momentum Slipping Globally

International Committee of the Red Cross Vice President Jürg Lauber opened his remarks by crediting Laos with “powerful voice and strong moral authority” as host, given the country’s own history with the weapons. 

He cautioned, however, that global momentum toward universal adherence has stalled: States Parties grew from just 110 to 112 over five years, as three nations joined while Lithuania became the Convention’s first-ever withdrawal in March 2025. 

At the same time, countries outside the Convention continue to use and produce the weapons.

The Cluster Munition Monitor 2026 recorded use by Iran, Myanmar, Russia, Thailand and Ukraine during the reporting period. It also identified 18 countries that still produce cluster munitions or reserve the right to do so, none of which are party to the Convention.

The report found evidence of new production in China, India, Israel, Myanmar, North Korea, Poland, Romania, Russia and South Korea. It also reported evidence of transfers involving North Korea and Russia, as well as Israel and the United States.

Lauber urged countries to strengthen the international stigma against cluster munitions, work toward universal adherence to the Convention, and maintain funding for clearance and victim assistance.

Funding Remains a Concern

The pressure is not limited to the weapons themselves. The report also warns that declining humanitarian funding could undermine efforts to clear contaminated land and support survivors.

Around USD 116 million in international and national funding was provided to address cluster munition contamination in 2025. But the US foreign assistance freeze and subsequent grant cancellations disrupted clearance and victim assistance programs in several affected countries.

In Laos, the main multi-year project supporting victim assistance was forced to close following cuts to US funding, according to the report.

The Cluster Munition Coalition said the funding cuts are coming at a time when humanitarian needs are growing.

“This year’s findings show a convention that keeps delivering results to affected communities,” said Tamar Gabelnick, director of the Cluster Munition Coalition. “Yet the rising human toll, continued and new use, production, and transfers by states not party are stark warnings that these gains cannot be taken for granted.”

“And as humanitarian needs grow, funding cuts are stripping away the care survivors depend on.”

Despite these challenges, the amount of land released from cluster munition contamination by States Parties increased by 15 percent in 2025 compared with the previous year.

“The choice facing governments in Vientiane is not simply whether to reaffirm commitments made 16 years ago, but whether to dedicate the political leadership and resources needed to deliver on them,” Gabelnick said.

“For communities living with cluster munition contamination and for survivors requiring lifelong support, progress on paper must translate into meaningful change in their daily lives.”

AlphaPai Raises US$50 Million in Series B Funding as Financial AI Moves into the Depths of Professional Work

By
Advertorial Desk
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HONG KONG, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AlphaPai, an AI investment research assistant developed by the financial AI company Rabyte Technology for professional investors, today announced the completion of a Series B funding round of US$50 million. It is the company’s third consecutive round of financing in the past year.

The round brought together strategic investors from across the financial sector, including insurance capital, securities firms, mutual funds, industrial capital and leading investment institutions. Participants included China Insurance Investment, the national investment platform for China’s insurance industry, and GF Xinde Investment Management, the private equity arm of GF Securities. Qiming Venture Partners, Ambrum Capital, Next Capital, Trustar Capital and Eastern Bell Capital also participated, alongside existing shareholders. China Renaissance continued to serve as the exclusive financial advisor to the transaction.

AlphaPai will use the proceeds to increase R&D investment in models and products, expand its multi-asset client base, and deepen industry collaboration across the upstream and downstream supply chain, while deeply cultivating its home market and steadily advancing its overseas footprint.

Industrial Capital Extends the Boundaries of Financial Services

A company built natively on financial AI grows by continuously entering the actual workflows of different institutions and asset classes, refining products and delivering against demand on the ground. A broader and stronger shareholder base reaffirms AlphaPai’s long-term value contribution and strengthens its relationship with the financial industry, moving from partnership toward deeper co-creation.

The participation of China Insurance Investment provides a vital anchor for AlphaPai to establish a foothold in insurance research and asset allocation. Insurance funds span equities, fixed income, alternatives and other asset classes, and involve lengthy research chains, high professional thresholds and stringent compliance requirements. This partnership validates AlphaPai’s capabilities in insurance capital scenarios, while also unlocking its AI research capabilities across a broader multi-asset universe.

GF Xinde Investment Management, a wholly owned private equity subsidiary of GF Securities, maintains a long-term focus on empowering the financial sector with AI. According to public information, the Guanggu Investment Venture Capital Fund participating in this round was jointly established by GF Xinde Investment Management and several financial industry institutions. It focuses on companies across the advisory industry chain, including independent advisory teams, service providers and financial technology companies. The fund serves as an “industry incubator” for the clustered development of service providers across the advisory ecosystem.

New and existing shareholders across finance, technology, enterprise services and global expansion are pooling resources to enrich AlphaPai’s industry network and support its expansion into global financial services.

Setting Standards and Co-Building an Ecosystem for Financial AI

The continued backing of industrial capital is not incidental. It is earned through years of deep, sustained work in real financial scenarios, and it now stands on the scale of what AlphaPai has delivered.

AlphaPai, an AI investment research assistant, entered the market through high-frequency touchpoints such as meetings and information processing, then moved steadily into the core of professional work: investment research, analysis and institutional knowledge. Today it serves more than 120,000 professional users across over 8,000 financial institutions and asset managers, ranking among the global leaders in its category by website traffic.

In April 2026, AlphaPai launched PaiWork, the industry’s pioneering AI investment research workstation. It brings financial data, research tools, productivity software and knowledge bases into a single working environment, moving AI from isolated Q&A sessions into a complete investment research workflow. Since launch, AI interactions and token consumption on PaiWork have grown by tens of times, and institutional adoption has climbed steadily. A growing number of users now co-create research workflows and reuse skills, fostering an emerging user-generated content ecosystem.

In June 2026, AlphaPai introduced iRaB (Investment Research Agent Benchmark) into its ecosystem, an applied benchmark that tests how AI understands, analyzes and delivers professional results on real investment research tasks. The same period saw the launch of the ORE (Open Research Ecosystem) Investment Research Partner Program, partnering with more than 40 brokerage research institutes, data service providers and other industry players across data services, professional content and industry skills.

With PaiWork, iRaB and ORE now in the market, AlphaPai has taken financial AI beyond single-point tools and into a full ecosystem of workflows, professional standards and co-creation.

“In real-world production environments, AI resembles high-end manufacturing: a systematic engineering endeavor requiring long-term accumulation,” said Luodan Li, Founder and CEO of AlphaPai. “The competitiveness of future companies lies entirely beneath the surface. It comes from the compounding effect of many incremental 5% gains, which ultimately forms a systematic advantage that is difficult to replicate.” Over the past several years, AlphaPai’s sustained investment in users, data, evaluation and model capabilities has yielded results.

Rooted in China, Facing the World

AlphaPai grew out of China’s financial institutions, forged in real investment-research workflows and tempered by years of high-competition, high-density professional environments. That depth has given AlphaPai a systematic grasp of how professional financial work gets done: how institutional processes run, how products earn adoption. These capabilities, proven in a demanding home market, are the firmest foundation for going global.

“The value of financial AI is not confined to the financial industry itself,” said Li. “It is infrastructure with a multiplier effect: a connector between capital and the real economy. Gains in financial productivity ultimately flow into better resource allocation and industrial development.”

Rooted in China, facing the world. Backed by deeper technological accumulations and stronger user-and-industry synergy, AlphaPai is bringing financial AI to the core of global finance.

Note: Where an official English name is unavailable, the English translation of the relevant Chinese entity name is provided for identification purposes only.

About AlphaPai

AlphaPai is an AI-native research assistant built for professional investors and an early mover in bringing AI into investment meetings and core research workflows. At its center is PaiWork, an AI-powered research workstation launched in April 2026 that combines financial data, AI agents, research Skills and productivity tools in a unified workspace for complex research and institutional knowledge management.

AlphaPai helps institutional investors worldwide enhance research efficiency through AI agents, enabling professionals to focus more on investment insight, analysis and decision-making. To date, AlphaPai has served more than 120,000 professional users across over 8,000 financial institutions and asset managers.

 

The Iranian People Receive the 2026 Freedom Prize

By
Advertorial Desk
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The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom awards its Freedom Prize 2026 to the courageous people of Iran who are fighting for freedom, civil rights and democracy.

POTSDAM, GERMANY – Newsaktuell – 15 September 2026 -The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom honors the Iranian people with its Freedom Prize 2026 on 7 November 2026 at St. Paul’s Church in Frankfurt. Reza Pahlavi will accept the award in a fiduciary capacity. Bijan Djir-Sarai, foreign policy spokesperson the Free Democratic Party (FDP), will deliver the laudatory address.

Since 2006, the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom has awarded the Freedom Prize every two years in recognition of outstanding commitment to the development of a liberal civil society, thereby contributing to strengthening values and goals of freedom around the world.

Steffen Saebisch, Chairman of the Board of the Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom, comments: “The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom is deliberately awarding the Freedom Prize to the Iranian people rather than to an individual. We seek to honor the desire for freedom of the many hundreds of thousands of people who have risked their lives to overthrow the criminal mullah regime. We are pleased that Reza Pahlavi is accepting to receive the award in trust on behalf of the Iranian people until the day the prize can be presented to the freely elected representatives of Iran.”

The Friedrich Naumann Foundation for Freedom has asked Reza Pahlavi to receive the award in trust on behalf of the Iranian people, as he is the best-known personality of the Iranian opposition and is committed to the return to freedom and democracy in Iran. According to his own statements, he does not advocate one form of government over another, as long as it is democratic. He repeatedly emphasizes that the future political order of Iran must be decided by the Iranian people. According to many, he is currently also the most important political figure of identification for many Iranians (probably the majority) in Iran. In addition, Reza Pahlavi is committed to an end to Iranian-fueled conflicts in the Middle East, the normalization of Iran’s relations with its neighboring countries and, in particular, reconciliation with Israel.

The award goes to all those who stand up for their rights, for their own freedom and for a free and democratic society. It is dedicated in particular to those who lost their lives in the fight against a murderous regime and to those who were or are currently persecuted and imprisoned because of their commitment to freedom and democracy.

The award honors the courage of countless people who resist in their everyday lives: women who stand up for their right to self-determination; students who demand freedom of thought and learning; journalists who, despite intimidation and threats, stand up for press freedom; workers who fight for fair conditions and dignity; families who resist paternalism and the denial of individual choices in their conduct of life. Their strength lies not in individual actions, but in the perseverance of a society that refuses to be silenced.

For decades, the theocratic regime has ruled brutally and with great contempt for basic human rights. That is why it is all the more admirable that so many people in Iran are speaking out in various ways against the regime and in support of their freedom and fundamental rights, taking to the streets to make their voices heard. These extraordinarily courageous people deserve the full support of everyone for whom freedom, self-determination and democracy are the highest ideals.

By conferring the Freedom Prize on the Iranian people, the Foundation is deliberately drawing attention to the many unnamed people whose civic courage often remains unseen, but who form the basis of any peaceful change. The Freedom Prize is an expression of respect and solidarity – and at the same time an appeal to the international community to consistently protect the rights of all Iranians and to support their demands for freedom effectively.

The Iranian people stand for the hope that an open society can also emerge where freedom is suppressed. Their commitment reminds us: freedom is indivisible – and it begins with people who have the courage to stand up.

That is why our Foundation is committed to honoring freedom-loving people in Iran. By conferring the Freedom Prize on the Iranian people, the Foundation is sending a clear message to the public: The struggle for freedom and democracy has the full support of all liberals.

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

Inculab plus’ KidsTopia Earns ‘kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED’ Global Child Online Safety Seal

By
Advertorial Desk
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  • Strengthens child safety framework across chat, user reporting, and AI interactions
  • KidsTopia becomes one of the few Korea-based members to earn the designation
  • Enhances AI safeguards with AI character disclosure and break reminders

LOS ANGELES and SEOUL, South Korea, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Inculab plus, operator of the AI kids service KidsTopia, announced that it has earned the kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED Seal after completing the review under the global child online safety program, the kidSAFE Seal Program.

Inculab plus’ KidsTopia Earns ‘kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED’ Global Child Online Safety Seal
Inculab plus’ KidsTopia Earns ‘kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED’ Global Child Online Safety Seal

The kidSAFE Seal Program reviews online safety practices of digital services used by children, including websites and mobile apps. KidsTopia previously received the kidSAFE LISTED Seal and has now advanced to the kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED Seal following a review of its safety practices.

Spun off from LG U+, Inculab plus operates KidsTopia, an edutainment platform where children can play and learn, explore virtual spaces, interact with friends, and engage with AI characters. The service is available in 11 countries, including Korea, the United States, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Singapore.

As KidsTopia expands globally, Inculab plus has made child safety and privacy key priorities in building a trusted environment for children and parents.

During certification, KidsTopia strengthened its safety framework in line with kidSAFE guidance. Improvements include enhanced chat filters, automatic detection and masking of suspected personal information such as names and addresses, improved user reporting, and real-time delivery of filtering and reporting events to the moderation team.

KidsTopia also strengthened safeguards for AI interactions. The service informs children when they are interacting with an AI character to prevent confusion with a real person and provides break reminders after consecutive interactions to encourage safer AI use.

Mingu Kim, CEO of Inculab plus, said, “For KidsTopia to grow as a global service, it is important not only to provide engaging content but also to create a safe environment that children and parents can trust. We will continue to strengthen our child safety and privacy practices as we expand globally.”

“We were impressed by Inculab plus’ dedication to achieve certification and earn the kidSAFE SAFE CERTIFIED Seal,” said Shai Samet, Founder and President of kidSAFE. “KidsTopia became one of the few Korea-based members to ever hold this designation. The team strengthened its chat filtering, user reporting, and AI safeguards and demonstrated a strong commitment to child safety as the service expands globally.”

For media inquiries, please contact Jang Hoon (hoon.jang@inculabplus.com).

TrueFoundry Receives Frost & Sullivan’s 2026 Global Enterprise AI Control Plane Transformational Innovation Leadership Recognition for Enterprise AI Governance and Operational Excellence

By
Advertorial Desk
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The company is recognized for redefining enterprise AI operations through a unified control plane that enables secure, governed, observable, and scalable AI deployment.

SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce that TrueFoundry has received the 2026 Global Enterprise AI Control Plane Transformational Innovation Leadership Recognition in the enterprise AI control plane industry. The recognition highlights TrueFoundry’s differentiated approach to addressing fragmented enterprise AI ecosystems through a unified operational layer that brings together governance, security, observability, optimization, and agent lifecycle management, enabling organizations to operationalize AI with greater control, flexibility, and efficiency.

Frost & Sullivan evaluates companies through a rigorous benchmarking process across two core dimensions: Transformational Innovation and Customer Impact. After evaluating a number of vendors in the space, TrueFoundry emerged as the clear leader, demonstrating its ability to anticipate the evolving needs of enterprises ahead of existing solutions and translate its vision for a unified AI control plane into a scalable, enterprise-ready platform.

“The recognition highlights TrueFoundry’s differentiated approach to addressing fragmented enterprise AI ecosystems through a unified operational layer that spans an organization’s entire portfolio of AI agents and applications. By bringing together governance, security, observability, optimization, and agent lifecycle management, it enables organizations to operationalize AI with greater control, flexibility, and efficiency,” said Arun Prasath, Principal Consultant, at Frost & Sullivan.

TrueFoundry has established an early architectural advantage in the emerging enterprise AI control plane market by investing in governed agent infrastructure, enterprise-wide AI governance, and interoperable gateway capabilities. Its platform supports organizations across North America, Latin America, Europe, Australia, and Asia-Pacific, with enterprise deployments spanning telecommunications, healthcare, banking, semiconductors, and other industries. TrueFoundry is used in production-facing workflows at Fortune 500s and vertical leaders such as Automation Anywhere, NetApp and Cox Communications.

Innovation remains central to TrueFoundry’s approach. Its Enterprise AI Control Plane unifies governance across models, agents, and tools through the AI Gateway, incorporating an LLM Gateway, Model Context Protocol (MCP) Gateway, Agent Gateway, Agent Registry, and Skills Registry. Additionally, TrueForge by TrueFoundry is an open-source, vendor-neutral agent harness that lets users bring their own tools and models and build agents on their infrastructure. The platform’s Kubernetes-native foundation supports multi-cloud, hybrid, on-premises, and air-gapped environments while enabling consistent security, compliance, observability, AI FinOps, and operational control.

“Everyone’s focused on which model to use, but the harder problem is the layer underneath it, the one that decides whether you can govern it, afford it, and trust it in production. We built TrueFoundry as a centralized control plane for GenAI, one place where every model, agent, and tool call is governed. This recognition from Frost & Sullivan is validation about the importance of this control layer as enterprises scale their agentic AI use cases.” Said Nikunj Bajaj, Co-founder and CEO at TrueFoundry

TrueFoundry’s customer-centric approach further strengthens its market position. Structured proof-of-value engagements, rapid onboarding, dedicated enablement, engineering collaboration, training programs, and continuous product development help enterprises progress from initial AI experimentation to broader production adoption. Weekly feature releases and direct customer feedback enable the company to respond rapidly to evolving enterprise requirements. The company has also demonstrated measurable impact in production environments, including 3x faster time to value, 60% faster AI deployments, and 30% average cost optimization, all while operating at a scale of 1T+ tokens a day.

Frost & Sullivan commends TrueFoundry for establishing a strong standard in competitive strategy, technological innovation, execution, and market responsiveness. Its unified approach to AI governance, security, observability, sovereignty, and cost management is helping shape the emerging enterprise AI control plane category and enables organizations to scale AI responsibly.

Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents the Transformational Innovation Leadership Recognition to a company that demonstrates exceptional innovation and strategic execution, resulting in measurable improvements in customer value, competitive positioning, and market development. The recognition highlights forward-thinking organizations that are reshaping their industries through innovation and growth excellence.

Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Recognition

Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Recognitions honor companies across regional and global markets that exhibit exceptional achievement and consistent excellence in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer experience, and strategic product development. Each recognition is the result of a rigorous analytical process in which Frost & Sullivan industry experts benchmark performance through comprehensive interviews, deep-dive analysis, and extensive secondary research. The goal is to identify true best-in-class organizations that are driving transformative growth and setting new industry standards.

Contact us: Start the discussion.

Contact:
Tarini Singh
E: Tarini.Singh@frost.com 

About TrueFoundry

TrueFoundry provides an enterprise-grade AI Gateway that encompasses an LLM Gateway, MCP Gateway, and Agent Gateway, enabling enterprises to securely connect, observe, and govern access to models, tools, guardrails, and agents from a single control plane. The AI Gateway enables agentic workloads that are secure, efficient, and future-safe through unified and composable connections across providers. TrueFoundry also includes TrueForge, an open-source, vendor-neutral agent harness that lets teams bring any model and tools on their own infrastructure.

TrueFoundry ensures enterprise-grade compliance with SOC 2, HIPAA, and ITAR standards. It is available as SaaS, on-prem, or air-gapped deployments, empowering organizations to build, deploy, and govern AI systems securely, efficiently, and on a future-safe stack.

VEC and dmg events Announce Strategic Partnership, Opening a New Chapter for the Vietnam International Industrial Fair (VIIF)

By
Advertorial Desk
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VIIF 2027 will expand its exhibition space and add a programme of strategic conferences and technical seminars, networking opportunities for senior executives and business matching, with the aim of connecting the full manufacturing value chain.


HANOI, VIETNAM – Media OutReach Newswire – 15 September 2026 – At the opening ceremony of Vietnam Industry and Technology Week 2026 (VITW 2026), the Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC) and dmg events announced a partnership to organise the Vietnam International Industrial Fair 2027 (VIIF 2027).

Exhibition and business networking space at the Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC).
Exhibition and business networking space at the Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC).

The partnership opens a new chapter for one of Vietnam’s longest-established industrial exhibitions. It builds on VIIF’s 33-year legacy while extending the event’s international reach, broadening the range of participating industries and strengthening its role in supporting Vietnam’s manufacturing ambitions. The official theme of VIIF 2027 is “A 33-Year Legacy. A New Chapter for Industry”.

VIIF 2027 will take place from 8 to 10 September 2027 at the Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC) in Đông Anh, Hanoi, bringing together manufacturers, technology providers, investors, policymakers, buyers and industry leaders from Vietnam and around the world.

In recent years, Vietnam has established itself as one of Asia’s most dynamic manufacturing and export economies. In 2025, the Vietnamese economy is estimated to have grown by 8.02%, while value added in the manufacturing sector rose by 9.97% – the highest annual growth since 2019. Exports of manufactured products reached approximately US$421.47 billion, or 88.7% of the country’s total goods export value, underlining Vietnam’s growing importance in regional and global production networks.

As Vietnam moves towards high-value, technology-led manufacturing, VIIF 2027 will provide an international platform connecting investment and policy with technology, production, procurement and industrial supply chains. The event will support businesses seeking to enter the Vietnamese market or expand their operations in Vietnam, while helping domestic manufacturers access specialist expertise and technology, connect with buyers and develop international trade partnerships.

The partnership brings together VEC’s leading position in Vietnam’s exhibition and trade events sector, its extensive industry network and world-class exhibition infrastructure with dmg events’ international network, sector expertise and track record in organising large-scale exhibitions and conferences in high-growth markets.

The two partners have agreed on a shared approach to developing VIIF, expressed in the message: “Global expertise. Local leadership. One shared vision.”

Ms Phạm Thái Hà, Managing Director of VEC, said:

“VIIF has a strong legacy and a long-standing reputation within Vietnam’s manufacturing and industrial community. This partnership allows us to build on that foundation with the international expertise and global network of dmg events.

“Together we will create new opportunities for exhibitors, manufacturers, buyers and investors, while extending VIIF’s regional and international reach. Our shared ambition is to support Vietnam’s continuing industrial development and to build a platform that reflects the country’s growing role in global manufacturing.”

Mr Christopher Hudson, President of dmg events, said:

“Vietnam’s manufacturing growth and export performance demonstrate both the strength of its industrial base and the scale of the opportunity ahead. The country is moving into higher-value manufacturing, strengthening its industrial capabilities and playing an increasingly important role in regional and global value chains.

“Together, we have a rare opportunity to build on VIIF’s 33-year legacy and take the event into its next chapter. Our ambition is to broaden international participation, connect the full manufacturing value chain and create real opportunities for investment, innovation, technology exchange and long-term business growth.”

Alongside the partnership announcement, VEC and dmg events unveiled a new brand identity for VIIF 2027, marking a new stage in the fair’s development following 33 years of supporting Vietnam’s industrial sector. The new logo retains the three symbols – the globe, the gear and the star – familiar to thousands of manufacturers in Vietnam and abroad. Simplified lines give the mark a modern, confident look while preserving the hallmarks of the VIIF identity. Deep blue remains the primary colour, signalling trust and a commitment to sustainable development. The bold, clear VIIF wordmark gives the brand a consistent, instantly recognisable presence, in line with the event’s ambition to expand internationally and meet international standards.

For further details and stand bookings for VIIF 2027, visit: www.viifglobal.com
Hashtag: #Vingroup

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

About the Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC): https://vec.global/

The Vietnam Exposition Center (VEC) in Cổ Loa, Đông Anh, Hanoi, opened on 19 August 2025 and is a large-scale exhibition and convention complex in Vietnam. Guided by its mission, “Bringing Vietnam to the world and the world to Vietnam”, VEC partners with international organisers to develop a portfolio of annual trade exhibitions in industry, energy, healthcare and education.

About dmg events

Since 1989, dmg events has built the connections that drive growth, bringing together global industries, governments and innovators to foster collaboration, open up commercial opportunities and deliver real progress in the world’s most important markets. Through high-impact events and strategic partnerships, dmg events helps businesses and communities adapt to change, accelerate innovation and build lasting success.

With 13 offices worldwide, dmg events organises more than 30 energy and policy events each year. Spanning four continents, its flagship events, including ADIPEC and Gastech, bring together policymakers, industry leaders, investors and innovators to address the priorities shaping the future of global energy systems and markets.

Codepresso Successfully Concludes ‘Zero100 AI Builderthon’ in Singapore, Forging Strategic Ties with Top Universities

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Advertorial Desk
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  • 53 participants from 21 teams successfully developed working AI solutions to real-world business challenges within eight days.
  • Strategic MOU signed with Korean student associations of NUS, NTU, and SMU to establish regular hackathons and internship pipelines.

SINGAPORE, Sept. 15, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — To address the growing need for practical AI literacy among future talents, Codepresso, a leading AI competency assessment and training enterprise, announced the successful completion of the Zero100 AI Builderthon. Held from August 22 to 29 in Singapore, the event empowered local Korean university students to build functional AI solutions for real-world corporate challenges. To learn more about Codepresso’s innovative educational programs, visit [codepresso.io].

Uniting Singapore’s Top Talent

The event was led by Juhoeng Park, executive member of the Entrepreneurship Society at Singapore Management University (SMU), in collaboration with the Korean student associations at the National University of Singapore (NUS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU) and SMU. It was jointly planned with local venture builder Wilt Venture Builder. The program attracted 74 applicants, with 53 participants across 21 teams completing the eight-day program.

Juhoeng Park said: “We wanted this to be more than a ranking competition. The goal was for students to define a real problem, build a solution in a short period, and explain it directly to industry professionals for concrete feedback. Students from the three schools shared that experience for the first time, and we will carry the participants’ feedback and records into the next edition.”

Transforming Concepts into Working AI Solutions

Participants worked on bottlenecks in Codepresso’s workflows across two tracks: Judgement and Automation. Most participants were from non-technical academic backgrounds. 

Jihoon Kim, Chief AI Officer at Codepresso, led an intensive online workshop on vibe coding, an approach to building software using natural-language instructions and AI coding tools. Participants also received one-on-one project mentoring and joined an in-person roundtable discussion with industry experts from Amazon Web Services (AWS) and NetApp. The program also featured a talk by Heeduk Park, CEO of Translink Investment.

Rewarding Innovation and Business Potential

At the final presentations held at SMU on August 29, an eight-member judging panel evaluated the projects. Judges included Donghun Lee, CEO of Codepresso; Heeduk Park, CEO of Translink Investment; Daero Won, CEO of Wilt Venture Builder; Jungpil Hahn, a professor at NUS Computing; and Donghyuk Shin of AWS. Ten teams received awards across four categories: Beyond Brief, Business Potential, Builders Choice and 0→100. 

“The Builderthon showed us that students were more motivated by real-world problems and the opportunity to receive feedback on their solutions than by incentives,” said Donghun Lee, CEO of Codepresso. “The participants demonstrated that they were ready for more demanding challenges. Our agreement with the three student associations provides a foundation for making the Builderthon a recurring program.”

“We wanted this to be more than a competition focused on rankings,” said Juhoeng Park. “Our goal was for students to identify a real problem, build a solution in a short time and present it to industry professionals for specific feedback. This was the first time students from the three universities had shared this experience, and we will use participant feedback and documentation from the event to improve the next edition.”

Establishing a Sustainable AI Talent Pipeline

Solidifying its commitment to continuous education, Codepresso signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the three student associations. The agreement aims to host the Builderthon regularly, connect participants with internship and employment opportunities, and foster a sustainable ecosystem where graduates return as mentors. Looking ahead, Codepresso plans to hold a second edition in December 2026 and launch the ZERO100 Busan Builderthon in South Korea in September 2026.

About Codepresso

Founded in 2019, Codepresso is an AI competency assessment and training company whose vision is to standardize AI literacy. The company provides hands-on training and competency assessments in data science, cloud computing and AI for major South Korean conglomerates, universities and public institutions. Its offerings include SkillCertify, a platform for practical IT skills assessment, and AI Fluent, an AI skills assessment and training service. Through these services, Codepresso supports organizational AI transformation and the standardization of workforce competencies. Codepresso placed third in the GITEX AI ASIA Supernova Challenge in Singapore in April 2026. It also operates Women in Vibe Coding, a global vibe coding community for women, across four countries, including Singapore.

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