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Nintendo is facing an unverified data-extortion claim after a threat actor alleged it obtained nearly 859MB of employee-linked corporate records and demanded $2 million to prevent publication. The claim, attributed to an online actor using the handle SHADOWBYT3$, centres on data allegedly connected to TINYpulse, an employee engagement and feedback platform associated with WebMD Health Services. The material is said to include workforce survey records, corporate email […]

XRP held near $1.22 on Tuesday, stabilising after a bruising sell-off as extreme bearish commentary around the token began drawing attention from traders looking for a contrarian rebound. The token’s sideways move followed a modest recovery of about 4 per cent over the past week, a gain that stood out against a cautious wider cryptocurrency market. Bitcoin and Ether also traded firmer, but investor conviction remained fragile […]

A China-nexus hacking group maintained covert access to a segregated critical-infrastructure network for nearly a decade by tampering with Linux authentication tools that administrators rely on to control access. The operation, tracked as Velvet Ant and labelled Operation Highland by investigators, exposed a high-risk tactic in cyber espionage: rather than relying only on conventional malware, the intruders replaced trusted OpenSSH binaries and Pluggable Authentication Modules with altered […]

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Red Sea Global has opened Four Seasons Resort and Residences AMAALA at Triple Bay, bringing the developer’s second flagship destination into operation and adding a major luxury wellness asset to Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea tourism corridor. The arrival of the first guests at the northwestern coastal property marks the operational start of AMAALA, a planned high-end wellness and lifestyle destination built around Triple […]

Shoppers can stand to win S$10,000 daily exclusively on foodpanda when ordering from Sheng Siong, while enjoying islandwide delivery within an hour

SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 June 2026 – foodpanda, Singapore’s leading food and grocery delivery platform, today announced a partnership with Sheng Siong, bringing one of the nation’s largest supermarket chains exclusively onto its platform for on-demand grocery delivery.

(From left) Peter Tan, Senior System Architect, Sheng Siong Group; Lin Zi Kai, Director of Customer and Operations, Sheng Siong Group; Lin Ruiwen, Executive Director, Sheng Siong Group; Bhavani Mishra, Managing Director, foodpanda Singapore; Ricky Davda, Head of Marketplace, foodpanda Singapore; and Yingchun Li, Head of Marketing & Growth, foodpanda Singapore, at the launch of foodpanda's partnership with Sheng Siong
(From left) Peter Tan, Senior System Architect, Sheng Siong Group; Lin Zi Kai, Director of Customer and Operations, Sheng Siong Group; Lin Ruiwen, Executive Director, Sheng Siong Group; Bhavani Mishra, Managing Director, foodpanda Singapore; Ricky Davda, Head of Marketplace, foodpanda Singapore; and Yingchun Li, Head of Marketing & Growth, foodpanda Singapore, at the launch of foodpanda’s partnership with Sheng Siong

From 22 June 2026, consumers can order more than 12,000 grocery products and household essentials from 43 Sheng Siong outlets islandwide, with plans to progressively onboard more outlets. Orders can be delivered in an hour, bringing Sheng Siong’s signature value and budget-friendly savings straight to the doorstep.

“As grocery delivery becomes part of everyday life for more Singapore households, consumers are looking for trusted brands, competitive prices and the convenience of shopping on their own terms,” said Bhavani Mishra, Managing Director of foodpanda Singapore. “Sheng Siong has earned the trust of generations of Singaporeans, and we are excited to welcome this beloved household brand onto foodpanda. By bringing together Sheng Siong’s trusted value with foodpanda’s convenience, we are making everyday grocery shopping even more accessible for consumers across Singapore.”

The partnership comes as demand for quick-commerce continues to grow in Singapore. foodpanda has seen grocery order frequency increase by 7% since 2023, while the average number of items per order has risen by 8%. This points to a broader shift in shopping habits, with more consumers relying on on-demand delivery not just for last-minute top-ups, but for their regular weekly grocery runs.

Strengthening foodpanda’s grocery ecosystem

Complementing foodpanda’s network of pandamart stores and existing grocery partners, Sheng Siong further strengthens the platform’s grocery offering and expands access to affordable options for Singapore households.

As grocery baskets continue to grow, foodpanda is also investing in fulfilment capabilities to support larger and bulkier orders. This includes a three-wheeler delivery fleet with increased carrying capacity to improve fulfilment efficiency, helping customers receive their weekly essentials quickly and reliably.

Through the partnership, consumers can look forward to:

  • Access to over 12,000 grocery and household products from Sheng Siong
  • On-demand doorstep delivery in an hour
  • Additional perks for pandapro subscribers, including free delivery on applicable orders

Lin Ruiwen, Executive Director, Sheng Siong Group, said,”At Sheng Siong, our focus has always been on providing quality products at competitive prices for Singapore households. As more consumers embrace the convenience of online grocery shopping, partnering with foodpanda allows us to extend that value proposition beyond our physical stores and better serve our consumer’s needs.”

Celebrating the launch with daily S$10,000 giveaways and exclusive savings

To celebrate the partnership, foodpanda and Sheng Siong are rolling out one of foodpanda’s biggest grocery campaigns to date, with S$280,000 total in cash prizes to be won.

From 22 June to 19 July 2026, customers who order from Sheng Siong on foodpanda will stand a chance to win S$10,000 in cash awarded to one winner each day throughout the campaign (terms and conditions apply).

Shoppers can also enjoy exclusive launch discounts on foodpanda, including:

  • Up to 40% off selected Sheng Siong products
  • Additional rewards and promotions throughout the campaign period

Hashtag: #foodpanda #grocery #shengsiong #partnership #singapore

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

About foodpanda Singapore

foodpanda is a leading on-demand delivery platform in Asia dedicated to bringing consumers a wide range of food, groceries and more, quickly and conveniently. Powered by technology and operational excellence, foodpanda is spearheading the growth of quick-commerce (q-commerce) across the region with its network of retail partners, as well as pandamart cloud stores to provide more on-demand options beyond the millions of food delivery options. foodpanda operates across 10 markets in Asia Pacific – Singapore, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Pakistan, Taiwan, Philippines, Bangladesh, Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar. foodpanda is a subsidiary of Delivery Hero, a global leader of the food delivery industry. For more information, visit .

Rise vGPU + ModelHub Power China’s AI into the Heterogeneous Orchestration Era

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 15 June 2026 – Frost & Sullivan, a globally renowned growth consulting firm, has released its “2026 AI Infrastructure Orchestration Platform White Paper”. The report recognizes Phancy Group’s Rise vGPU as a Tier 1 Leading Platform, the highest maturity tier in heterogeneous GPU orchestration. Phancy’s ModelHub also achieved the highest Overall Score in the enterprise-grade model management platform evaluation. This marks a significant endorsement of Phancy’s technological capability in heterogeneous AI infrastructure.

According to the white paper, as large model applications scale rapidly, China’s AI industry is facing structural challenges stemming from multi-chip coexistence. These include hardware heterogeneity, fragmented software stacks, persistently low GPU utilization (generally below 30%), and rising model adaptation complexity — all of which have become major bottlenecks for enterprise-scale AI deployment.

The report highlights a fundamental shift in AI infrastructure competitiveness – moving away from “single-chip performance” toward “cluster-scale system coordination.” At this critical juncture, Phancy has positioned itself as a leader in advanced orchestration through its full-stack AI infrastructure platform, offering a proven solution to heterogeneous compute challenges and helping drive China’s AI industry from “compute accumulation” into a new era of “compute orchestration.”

Phancy Rise vGPU: Tier 1 Leading Platform

In its assessment of mainstream AI infrastructure platforms, Frost & Sullivan defined Tier 1 criteria across three core dimensions: heterogeneous support, fine-grained control, and production-grade execution. Phancy Rise vGPU meets all three standards and has been recognized as a Tier 1 Leading Platform.

Rise vGPU transforms AI infrastructure from fragmented, low-efficiency device-level management to a unified software-defined control plane. Its key technology breakthroughs include:

  • Comprehensive Heterogeneous Management: Unified onboarding and management across more than 10 mainstream GPU/NPU vendors, including NVIDIA, Ascend, Cambricon, Hygon, and others.
  • Ultra-Fine Resource Partitioning: Industry-leading sub-GPU level compute and MB-level memory granularity slicing.
  • Significant Utilization Improvement: Through safe oversubscription and time/space multiplexing, GPU utilization is increased from industry averages below 30% to 70%-90%.
  • Intelligent Precision Scheduling: Multi-dimensional scheduling algorithms based on priority, topology, load, and resource awareness to achieve optimal compute allocation.
  • Production-Grade SLA Assurance: The Deterministic Execution Layer delivers committed and auditable SLA guarantees for critical inference workloads.
  • Full Lifecycle Operability: Comprehensive monitoring, metering, and cost allocation capabilities that turn GPU resources into truly operable digital assets.

Model Hub: Highest Overall Score in Model Management Platform Evaluation

Beyond compute orchestration, the report underscores the strategic importance of enterprise-grade model management platforms. As a powerful complement to Rise vGPU, Phancy ModelHub enables enterprises to build a complete full-stack AI infrastructure — from compute to models and from resource scheduling to business delivery.

The white paper notes that Phancy ModelHub delivers leading performance in key areas such as Model & Chip Compatibility, Execution Stability & Performance, and Model-GPU Coordination & Scheduling, achieving the highest Overall Score. Through its unified model management and execution platform, ModelHub creates a seamless closed-loop process covering model onboarding, deployment optimization, inference services, and version governance — significantly lowering the barrier to model deployment and accelerating AI innovation.

Dr. Dai Wenyuan, Founder & CEO of Phancy, said: “The Frost & Sullivan white paper accurately captures the inflection point in AI infrastructure development. The recognition of Rise vGPU as a Tier 1 Leading Platform and ModelHub’s top Overall Score provide important authoritative validation of Phancy’s technology strategy and product strength. As a full-stack AI cloud service platform, Phancy believes the next wave of competitiveness in the AI industry will come from systematic improvements in compute orchestration efficiency. We will continue to focus on heterogeneous compute unified scheduling and model ecosystem operations, working closely with customers and industry partners to advance China’s AI industry from ‘compute accumulation’ to a true ‘compute orchestration’ era.”

Hashtag: #PhancyGroup

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

About Phancy Group

Phancy Group (6682.HK) is a leading full-stack AI cloud services platform, providing comprehensive solutions for the AI 2.0 era. Our offerings include Rise vGPU, ModelHub and SageAIOS, delivering efficient and scalable AI infrastructure with end-to-end capabilities. We provide a complete solution from heterogeneous compute resource management and optimization to the deployment of intelligent agent models. These solutions empower digital transformation across a wide range of industries, supporting our vision of building a large-scale and efficient “Token Factory.”

Guided by the mission of “AI for Everyone” and positioned as the “Navigator of AI,” Phancy Group is committed to becoming a global leader in Artificial General Intelligence.

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai DMCC has rolled out a business acceleration package aimed at lowering costs, freeing cash flow and giving companies in its 26,000-plus member ecosystem more room to expand as competition for global trade and investment intensifies. The initiative offers licence renewal incentives, penalty waivers, administrative flexibility and set-up discounts for new entrants, positioning the Dubai business district to support established firms and companies weighing […]

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Arabian Post Staff -Dubai Dubai has created a federal authority to steer artificial intelligence, public data and digital government policy under one national framework, marking a new phase in the country’s plan to embed autonomous systems across state services. HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, approved the establishment of the Artificial Intelligence and Data Authority […]

Africa’s top disease control agency has warned that the true scale of the Ebola outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo cannot be established because response teams have not located thousands of people exposed to confirmed patients. The Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention said contact tracing in Ituri, the outbreak’s epicentre, remains far below the level needed to break chains of transmission. Dr Jean Kaseya, […]

OpenAI has shut down two China-linked ChatGPT account clusters that it says tried to manipulate US debates over artificial intelligence infrastructure, tariffs and technology policy, with one campaign generating posts and cartoons that blamed data centres for higher electricity bills. The San Francisco-based company said the accounts were used to produce social media comments, comic strips, slogans and political cartoons for apparent covert influence operations. The activity […]

The Linux Foundation has launched OpenSharing, a vendor-neutral protocol aimed at standardising how companies exchange AI agents, models and data across platforms, marking a fresh attempt to curb fragmentation as enterprises move from pilot projects to production-scale agentic AI. The project, contributed by Databricks and now hosted under Linux Foundation governance, extends the Delta Sharing protocol beyond structured data into AI-era assets such as agent skills, machine-learning […]

Russian military-linked hackers tracked as APT28 have shifted cyber operations into compromised internet routers, using the MooBot botnet and vulnerable edge devices to harvest credentials, route traffic and host malicious tools across dispersed global infrastructure. The technique marks an operational evolution for the group, also known as Fancy Bear, Sofacy, Forest Blizzard and Pawn Storm. Long associated with intelligence collection against NATO governments, Ukraine, defence contractors, political […]

Mistral AI is in talks to raise about €3 billion at a valuation of roughly €20 billion, a potential deal that would sharply lift the Paris-based artificial intelligence company’s standing among Europe’s most valuable private technology groups. The discussions remain fluid and may still change in size, timing or investor composition. If completed near the terms being discussed, the financing would mark another significant jump for a […]

Arabian Post Staff -Dubai L’Oréal Middle East has signed the UAE Climate-Responsible Companies Pledge, placing the beauty group’s regional operations under a national framework that asks private companies to measure emissions, set reduction plans and align business decisions with the UAE’s Net Zero by 2050 pathway. The pledge was announced at the third L’Oréal For the Future Summit in Dubai, where the company positioned climate action, refillable […]

New Delhi has moved into crisis-management mode as the war in Iran raises fuel costs, strains the rupee and forces the Centre to balance energy security against its deficit-reduction pledge.

The latest response includes curbs on bulk diesel purchases at retail outlets, a willingness to let the fiscal deficit widen beyond the Budget target, and measures to pull in overseas capital as policymakers try to contain pressure on inflation, subsidies and the balance of payments. The measures mark a sharp shift from the calmer macroeconomic backdrop at the start of the financial year, when lower inflation and steady growth had given authorities room to focus on consolidation.

Retail fuel outlets run by public sector oil marketing companies have been told to cap high-speed diesel sales at 200 litres per customer or vehicle per day. The restriction, planned for up to 90 days, is aimed at preventing hoarding and stopping commercial users from shifting large purchases to retail pumps, where prices are lower than bulk supply rates. Diesel bought from retail outlets cannot be resold, and dealers have been asked to ensure that sales go directly into vehicle tanks or approved containers.

The decision followed a surge in purchases from retail pumps after the conflict in West Asia widened the gap between retail and bulk diesel prices. Trucking firms, contractors and other commercial users have sought cheaper supplies, adding pressure on state-run fuel retailers that already carry most of the retail burden. Diesel accounts for a large share of transport and farm fuel demand, making any disruption politically sensitive as the kharif sowing season approaches.

The fiscal impact is becoming harder to ignore. The Budget had set the fiscal deficit target for 2026-27 at 4.3% of gross domestic product, after 4.4% in the revised estimate for 2025-26. Officials are now prepared to tolerate a higher deficit, potentially around 4.8% of GDP, if subsidy costs and energy-related spending rise further. Fertiliser subsidies are also expected to climb as global input costs move up, while fuel-related tax and pricing decisions could reduce revenue flexibility.

Spending cuts across ministries are being examined, though the Centre is likely to avoid sharp reductions in capital expenditure unless market conditions deteriorate further. Infrastructure spending has been one of the main pillars of growth in the past few years, and cutting it too deeply would risk weakening private investment at a time when companies are already facing higher transport and raw material costs.

The rupee has become the other pressure point. It strengthened on Friday after Brent crude fell below $90 a barrel on hopes of a diplomatic breakthrough, but the currency remains vulnerable to oil spikes because India depends heavily on imported crude. The Reserve Bank of India has introduced measures to attract dollar inflows, including support for foreign currency deposits and lower-cost hedging routes for overseas borrowing by state-run companies. Large lenders are preparing dollar bond issues, and banks expect a stronger push to tap non-resident deposits over the coming months.

Inflation has also started to reflect the shock. Retail inflation rose to 3.93% in May from 3.48% in April, with food and fuel costs moving higher. The reading remains close to the central bank’s 4% target, but the risk is that higher diesel prices feed into freight, farm operations and food distribution. Any weak monsoon spell linked to El Niño conditions would add another layer of pressure.

The Persian Gulf Strait Authority has said the Strait of Hormuz will be “completely closed” to transit traffic, escalating fears of a wider maritime disruption at the world’s most sensitive energy chokepoint as tensions involving US military operations intensify. The notice, issued through a post on X, cited “aggressive US forces” and an announcement by the IR Armed Forces as grounds for the planned closure. It told […]

Launches VocSageX Agent Development Platform to Accelerate Commercial Adoption of Trustworthy AI

HONG KONG SAR – Media OutReach Newswire – 12 June 2026 – Voicecomm Technology Co., Ltd. (“Voicecomm Technology” or the “Company“, Stock Code: 2495.HK), a core technology provider and ecosystem operator of trustworthy conversational AI in China, announces that it has officially signed an ecosystem cooperation agreement with Huawei Cloud during the 2026 Huawei Cloud INSPIRE. The two parties will engage in in-depth collaboration across trustworthy artificial intelligence, industry AI agents, cloud computing infrastructure, and ecosystem development, with the shared goal of accelerating the large-scale deployment of enterprise AI applications.

At the conference, Voicecomm Technology also officially unveiled its next-generation enterprise AI product, the VocSageX Agent Development Platform, further strengthening the Company’s product portfolio in the trustworthy interactive intelligence sector.

Deepening Collaboration with Huawei Cloud to Build a Trustworthy AI Ecosystem
Under the agreement, both parties will leverage their respective strengths in artificial intelligence technologies, industry applications, and cloud infrastructure to jointly drive innovation in enterprise AI solutions. Together, they will explore integrated solutions centered on large language models (LLMs), the VocSageX Agent Platform, and the Company’s proprietary “Intelligent Graph” system across both domestic and international markets.

Going forward, the two companies will continue to deepen cooperation in technology, computing power, market expansion, and ecosystem development. The partnership will accelerate the nationwide rollout and overseas deployment of mature solutions in areas such as smart cities and digital government, while fostering business growth for both organizations.

This collaboration marks a natural progression of an already established relationship built on long-term mutual trust. In January 2026, Voicecomm’s self-developed “Intelligent Graph” system officially passed the technical certification of Huawei’s Ascend AI basic software and hardware platform, completing preliminary validation in platform compatibility and algorithm integration.

Launch of VocSageX: A Trustworthy Foundation for Enterprise AI
Speaking at the conference, Mr. Zheng Bo, Vice General Manager of Voicecomm Technology, noted that enterprises commonly face several challenges when deploying AI, including insufficient trustworthiness, high deployment costs, fragmented systems, and hallucination issues associated with large language models.

To address these challenges, Voicecomm launched the VocSageX Agent Development Platform, a comprehensive lifecycle management system covering agent design, training, deployment, orchestration, operations, maintenance, and asset management. The platform is built around five core capabilities: Trustworthy, Dedicated, Controllable, Collaborative, and Evolvable. It enables enterprises to rapidly develop customized industry-specific AI agents and realize multi-agent collaboration at scale.

Mr. Zheng added: “VocSageX is more than a development tool—it is a comprehensive AI agent operations platform designed for medium and large enterprises. Trustworthy AI that everyone can use is the true driver of productivity.”

Demonstrating Industry AI Applications Across Multiple Sectors
In addition to the platform launch, Voicecomm showcased a range of industry AI agent applications at the conference, covering smart government services, smart elderly care, intelligent manufacturing, customer service, and enterprise digital transformation.

To date, the Company’s trustworthy AI agents have been widely deployed across sectors including city management and administration, automotive and transportation, telecommunications, finance, healthcare, and energy management.

Dr. Tang Jinghua, Chairman of Voicecomm Technology, said: “The AI industry is transitioning from the era of large language models to the era of AI agents. Enterprise demand for trustworthy, secure, and sustainable AI capabilities will continue to grow. Leveraging our proprietary trustworthy intelligence technology framework and strategic partnerships with leading ecosystem players such as Huawei Cloud, Voicecomm Technology is well positioned to capture the opportunities emerging in the enterprise AI market and accelerate the commercialization and value creation of AI technologies across a broader range of industries.”Hashtag: #VoicecommTechnology

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

About Voicecomm Technology Co., Ltd.

Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Wuhan, Voicecomm Technology is one of the leading core technology providers and ecosystem operators of trustworthy conversational AI listed on the Main Board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, and obtained the qualification as National-level SRDI, Technology Little Giant and High-Tech Enterprise. Leveraging its proprietary trustworthy Agent,the Company overcomes pain points in the commercialization of large language models, such as hallucinations and compliance issues, ensuring AI is usable, manageable, and controllable in enterprise environments. For enterprise-level customers, the Company provides AI services covering the entire process of “communication –decision – execution”. Its trustworthy Agent solutions have been widely deployed across multiple scenarios, including City management and administration, Automotive and transportation, Telecommunications, Finance, Healthcare, and Energy management, and it is dedicated to empowering the intelligent transformation of diverse industries.

Wall Street’s AI trade came under pressure as investors reassessed stretched technology valuations before SpaceX’s planned market debut, with Alphabet, Microsoft, Meta Platforms and Oracle losing more than $200 billion in combined market value during the session. The sell-off hit some of the largest companies tied to artificial intelligence spending, cloud infrastructure and data-centre expansion. Alphabet fell about 2.5 per cent, Microsoft lost nearly 2.7 per cent, […]

Cybercriminals are using counterfeit AI learning material and developer guides to lure professionals into opening files that trigger a multi-stage malware chain ending in AsyncRAT, a remote access trojan capable of surveillance, data theft and covert system control. The campaign targets Windows users with archives and documents framed as useful resources for artificial intelligence adoption, coding and marketing. One lure was presented as a developer guide for […]

Advanced Micro Devices is extending its x86 challenge beyond data centres and personal computers, using its Ryzen AI Embedded processor portfolio to target cars, robots, medical systems and industrial machines as edge devices demand more local artificial intelligence computing. The move puts AMD more directly against Arm-based suppliers that have built strong positions in embedded and automotive systems through power-efficient designs, licensing flexibility and broad developer ecosystems. […]

Shin-Etsu Chemical plans to build a new rare-earth refining facility in Fukui Prefecture as Japan accelerates efforts to protect critical mineral supply chains from disruption caused by China’s export controls.

The project marks the company’s first new rare-earth refining facility since 2008 and comes as demand for high-performance magnets rises across electric vehicles, hard disk drives, robotics, wind power systems, defence equipment and advanced electronics. The investment is expected to exceed ¥35 billion, with ¥17.5 billion to be covered by government subsidy support, although the final cost and production schedule have not yet been fixed.

The new facility is intended to reinforce supplies for Shin-Etsu’s rare-earth magnet business and strengthen access to raw materials used in neodymium-based magnets. Heavy rare earths such as dysprosium, terbium and yttrium are particularly important because they improve magnet performance in high-temperature and high-stress applications, including vehicle motors and precision industrial systems.

Shin-Etsu already operates rare-earth refining facilities in Japan and has long been one of the country’s most important producers in the sector. Its rare-earth operations are centred in Fukui Prefecture, where it smelts materials and manufactures magnets at its plant in Echizen. The company says it works from raw materials through production to provide stable quality and supply, while also pursuing recycling and resource diversification.

The planned expansion reflects a broader shift in Japan’s industrial policy after months of tightening access to critical minerals. Chinese shipments of several heavy rare earths and gallium to Japan have been severely restricted since late 2025, heightening concerns among manufacturers that depend on these materials for magnets, semiconductors and other precision components. China continues to dominate mining, separation and refining capacity across the rare-earth value chain, giving Beijing considerable leverage over downstream industries.

Japan remains the largest rare-earth magnet producer outside China, but its manufacturers are still exposed to bottlenecks in the supply of heavy rare earths. The country has built stockpiles, backed overseas projects and encouraged recycling since the 2010 rare-earth shock, when diplomatic tensions with China exposed the risk of overdependence on one supplier. Those measures have improved resilience, but they have not removed the vulnerability.

The latest project is significant because it targets refining and processing rather than simply raw-material procurement. Mining deposits alone do not solve the supply challenge; rare earths require complex separation, purification and alloy processing before they can be turned into magnets. China’s advantage lies not only in reserves but also in decades of accumulated processing capacity, cost efficiency and industrial integration.

Shin-Etsu’s move also fits into a wider network of partnerships being pursued by Japan with Australia, France and the United States. Tokyo has backed alternative producers, supported offtake arrangements and encouraged private-sector investment in midstream processing. Australia-based Lynas has become a key non-China supplier, but output of heavy rare earths remains far below the volumes needed to replace Chinese supply in full.

The pressure is not limited to Japan. Manufacturers in the United States and Europe have faced similar supply uncertainty as export licensing delays affect rare earths used in aerospace, defence, clean energy and electronics. Companies exposed to the restrictions are searching for alternative suppliers, but industry executives warn that rebuilding a fully independent supply chain will take years.

For Shin-Etsu, the business case rests on both security and demand. Permanent magnets are central to electrification and digital infrastructure. Electric vehicles require compact, powerful motors; data centres and hard disk drives depend on precision magnetic components; wind turbines need high-strength magnets to improve efficiency. Demand growth has made the magnet supply chain a strategic concern for governments as well as manufacturers.

The company’s project is unlikely to eliminate Japan’s reliance on imported feedstock, especially for heavy rare earths where global non-China supply remains thin. It could, however, give domestic manufacturers greater control over processing, quality assurance and emergency production planning. That matters for customers in sectors where delivery delays can disrupt production lines and where material specifications are tightly controlled.

The government subsidy underscores how rare earths have moved from a specialist materials issue to a national industrial priority. Public support reduces the financial burden on companies undertaking technically demanding projects with long payback periods. It also signals that Tokyo is prepared to use industrial policy to keep strategic capabilities onshore.

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 June 2026 – AIVA, an AI-native mobility brand, was officially unveiled in Beijing on 9 June 2026.

AIVA will collaborate with Volcano Engine, ByteDance’s cloud and AI platform, to jointly define, design, and develop a new generation of AI vehicles. Volcano Engine will provide AIVA with advanced capabilities, including the Doubao AI Foundation Model and intelligent cockpit, enabling smarter in-vehicle interactions.

At the launch event, AIVA unveiled its brand name and logo, introducing a development philosophy centered on “AI-first vehicle creation”—where AI comes before the car itself. It is believed that AI-native vehicles will fundamentally redefine the relationship between people and automobiles. AIVA also showcased the AIVA Origin Concept, while AIVA ME7, its first mass-production model, is scheduled to debut in 2026. The AIVA lineup will target the mainstream market segment priced above RMB 200,000.

AIVA, short for Artificial Intelligence Voyage Ahead, reflects the brand’s vision of AI accompanying users on every journey toward the future. Built around AI-native mobility, AIVA aims to create embodied AI companions powered by advanced intelligence, transforming vehicles from mere transportation tools into trusted partners that understand, accompany, and serve their users.

When AI is deeply integrated into the vehicle, users no longer need to navigate complex menus. Instead, AI operates around human intent, making the interaction intuitive and direct. By understanding real-time context and user preferences, it can proactively anticipate needs and coordinate vehicle capabilities, delivering a more natural, personalized mobility experience.

As an independently operated company backed by a powerful alliance of strategic shareholders, AIVA will oversee brand development, product strategy, and business operations. SERES Group, as a key shareholder and industrial partner, will provide expertise in vehicle manufacturing and supply chain management. CATL will contribute comprehensive battery solutions. Shaci Zhiyuan, a strategic institutional investor, will provide industrial resource support.

Looking ahead, AIVA will broaden its product lineup through rapid innovation and iteration. By focusing on AI-powered interaction, intelligent experiences, emotional companionship, and safety-centered care, AIVA is committed to creating vehicles that not only move people, but understand them, unlocking a new era of intelligent mobility.
Hashtag: #AIVA

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

AHS Properties has acquired the Shangri-La Dubai hotel on Sheikh Zayed Road for Dh1.1 billion, deepening the luxury developer’s hold on one of the city’s most tightly held real estate corridors and signalling renewed confidence in prime mixed-use assets. The deal places a long-established hospitality landmark under the control of Abbas Sajwani’s company at a time when Dubai’s luxury property market continues to draw large-ticket capital into […]

Abu Dhabi’s L’IMAD Holding has deepened its grip on TAQA after its subsidiary Abu Dhabi Power Corporation bought a further 8.09 per cent stake in the listed power and water utility, lifting its holding to 98.12 per cent. The transaction, disclosed on Wednesday, involved the acquisition of 9.1 billion TAQA shares from Two Point Zero Group. Based on TAQA’s closing share price that day, the stake was […]

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