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The dollar rose about 0.2 per cent against the yen to around 157.20, with trading conditions thinner because Japanese markets were closed for a three-day holiday. The limited liquidity kept attention on whether authorities in Tokyo might act if volatility intensified.

The yen had come under pressure despite the Bank of Japan raising its policy rate on Friday to 1.25 per cent, the highest level in 31 years. Two policymakers dissented from the decision and the central bank stopped short of delivering the stronger guidance some investors had expected on the pace of further tightening.

The currency fell sharply after the decision before recovering part of its losses when Japanese officials were reported to have conducted rate checks with market participants. Such checks are closely watched because they can signal that authorities are assessing market conditions ahead of possible intervention.

Lee Hardman, senior currency analyst at MUFG, said the rate check should help restrain expectations over how far the yen might be allowed to weaken in the near term. Traders nevertheless continued to test the currency as they weighed the Bank of Japan’s policy stance against a comparatively hawkish Federal Reserve.

The dollar index, which measures the US currency against six major peers, was broadly steady at about 100.23 after gaining more than 1 per cent last week. The advance followed the Federal Reserve’s latest rate increase and indications that additional tightening could be needed if inflation pressures remain persistent.

Market pricing showed investors assigning about a 55 per cent probability to another Federal Reserve rate rise at its October meeting, compared with roughly 43 per cent a week earlier. The shift underscored how expectations for US monetary policy continued to support the dollar despite tightening moves elsewhere.

The European Central Bank has also raised rates this month and signalled that further action may be required to contain inflation pressures. Those moves, combined with the Federal Reserve’s stance, have reinforced expectations that borrowing costs in major economies may remain elevated for longer than investors had anticipated.

Against the euro, the dollar was little changed, with the single currency near $1.149. Sterling was also broadly flat at around $1.339, leaving the yen as the main focus in otherwise subdued foreign-exchange trading.

The yen had strengthened to a seven-month high earlier in September as investors positioned for faster Bank of Japan tightening and signs that Japanese investors were repatriating funds. Some of those gains have since unwound as traders reassessed how aggressively the central bank is prepared to raise rates.

US regulatory positioning data showed speculative net-long yen positions had climbed to about $9.7 billion in the week to September 15, the largest such exposure since July 2025. The build-up left the currency vulnerable to a sharper reversal when the Bank of Japan’s message failed to match the most hawkish market expectations.

Fred Neumann, chief Asia economist at HSBC, said the central bank faced a high bar in convincing investors that its policy stance had become decisively hawkish, particularly after the Federal Reserve delivered a unanimous rate increase.

Thomas Mathews, head of markets for Asia-Pacific at Capital Economics, said traders continued to regard the Federal Reserve as more hawkish than the Bank of Japan. He added that the yen might have to weaken further before intervention again became an immediate consideration.

Japan has already shown its willingness to enter currency markets when moves become disorderly. The yen fell to 163.99 per dollar in July, its weakest level in four decades, before coordinated action by Tokyo and Washington helped lift the currency.

South Korea and Taiwan led the regional gains, reflecting renewed buying in semiconductor companies tied to expanding demand for data centres, memory chips and advanced computing. South Korea’s Kospi rose about 1.4%, while Taiwan’s benchmark gained around 1% and reached a three-month high. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares outside Japan added roughly 0.9%.

Chinese blue-chip shares were also firmer, rising about 0.2%, while Japan’s cash market was closed for the Silver Week holiday. Nikkei futures nevertheless edged 0.2% higher. Trading across parts of the region was thinner than usual because Japanese markets will remain shut through Wednesday.

The strength in Asian technology shares followed continued investor focus on the capital spending required to support generative AI and cloud computing. Samsung Electronics rose sharply in Seoul, while Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co gained in Taipei, reinforcing the technology-heavy tone across major regional bourses.

US equity futures also pointed higher during Asian trading. S&P 500 futures gained about 0.4% and Nasdaq futures rose 0.6%, while European futures indicated a firmer opening, with EUROSTOXX 50 and German DAX contracts advancing.

Oil prices moved in the opposite direction. Brent crude fell about 1.7% to just above $102 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate dropped close to 2% to around $98.50. Both benchmarks had already weakened at the end of last week.

The decline reflected signs that more crude and other energy cargoes were moving through the Gulf despite continuing disruption linked to the conflict in the region. Data from Kpler showed Saudi Arabian crude exports recovering to just above 4 million barrels per day so far in September after dropping to about 2.4 million barrels per day in August.

Saudi shipments through the Strait of Hormuz have increased after disruption to the East-West pipeline and reduced flows through the Red Sea export hub of Yanbu. JPMorgan analysts estimated that total Middle East oil flows averaged 17.1 million barrels per day over the previous 10 days, suggesting that physical supply had proved more resilient than traders initially feared.

Energy markets were also monitoring the possibility of diplomatic engagement this week, which helped reduce part of the geopolitical risk premium built into crude prices. However, tensions remained high after further attacks involving Saudi targets, leaving traders cautious about assuming that supply risks had disappeared.

Bond markets remained another constraint on risk appetite. The US two-year Treasury yield was around 4.76%, after rising sharply over the previous two weeks. Futures markets were pricing a greater-than-even chance of another Federal Reserve rate increase in October following the central bank’s hawkish guidance last week.

Higher borrowing costs have complicated the outlook for equities even as technology stocks continue to attract capital. Investors are balancing the earnings potential created by AI-related investment against the prospect that restrictive monetary policy could persist as central banks attempt to contain inflation.

The US 10-year Treasury yield was close to 5%, keeping pressure on rate-sensitive assets and supporting the dollar. The currency was little changed around 157 yen, with investors alert to the possibility of intervention by Japan’s authorities during the holiday-thinned session.

The yen had strengthened sharply on Friday after Japanese authorities conducted rate checks in the foreign-exchange market. The euro was broadly steady near $1.148 after losing ground against the dollar over the previous week.

Gold prices were little changed to slightly lower as higher bond yields offset safe-haven demand generated by Middle East tensions. Copper, meanwhile, remained supported by signs of stronger demand from China and constrained inventories.

Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 was broadly flat, lagging the technology-led advances elsewhere in the region. India’s benchmark Sensex traded higher during the session, while Hong Kong shares also advanced as investors continued to favour large technology and internet companies.

Green Limo is the third four-wheel service launched by Green SM in the market, following Green Car and Green Premium, providing a mobility option specifically designed for families, larger groups, business travelers, passengers carrying more luggage, and customers who value greater space, comfort and a smooth ride throughout their journeys.

Featuring a modern exterior design and a spacious three-row cabin, the Limo Green offers the “3 Nos” advantages of an electric vehicle: no emissions, no fuel odors and no engine noise. The vehicle is also equipped with features including a multi-purpose phone charging cable, automatic air conditioning, dedicated air vents for the two rear rows, and an air filtration and deodorizing system, helping maintain a fresh, clean and comfortable cabin environment.

From September 19 to 29, 2026, Green SM will officially hand over the first batch of 500 Limo Green vehicles in Jakarta to pioneering Green SM drivers at the Green SM Kemayoran Depot. In addition to vehicle handovers to pioneer driver partners, the event features test drives, program consultations and application intake, allowing prospective partners to experience VinFast’s modern electric vehicles firsthand, learn more about the new vehicle rental program and receive valuable gifts when placing a deposit.

To celebrate the launch of the new service, Green SM is offering a special promotion for customers using Green Limo for the first time, with 20% off the trip fare, up to IDR 50,000. The promotion is valid for 15 days from September 19 through October 3, 2026, giving customers an opportunity to experience the premium 6-seat electric taxi service at a special introductory fare.

On the same day, Green SM announces its new vehicle rental program, “Rent a VinFast. Become a Green SM Driver. Be Your Own Boss,” for driver partners. With an initial payment starting from just IDR 2 million and rental fees starting from IDR 254,000 per day, the program offers a range of VinFast vehicle options to suit individual needs, including Limo Green, VF e34/Nerio Green, VF 5/Herio Green and VF 6.

Notably, to give driver partners greater confidence as they get started with Green SM, the program provides guaranteed daily earnings of up to IDR 400,000 during the first two months, depending on the applicable conditions, along with revenue sharing of up to 92%. Driver partners can also benefit from a range of incentives, including a sign-up bonus of IDR 1,000,000 per month, a brand bonus of IDR 676,000 per month, and an operating bonus of up to IDR 1,340,000 per month. In addition, driver partners receive free charging at V-Green charging stations, helping reduce operating costs and improve business efficiency.

Mr. Pham Nhat Minh Hoang, Global CEO of Green SM, said: “Green Limo not only adds a new model to Green SM’s fleet, but also offers a suitable option for journeys where space and comfort are priorities. Alongside the Green Limo service, the new vehicle rental program with flexible options gives driver partners an easier way to earn stable income with modern, cost-efficient VinFast electric vehicles. We expect the combination of suitable products, practical policies and Green SM’s 5-star service standards to deliver meaningful value to both driver partners and customers, thereby helping raise the standard of transportation services in Indonesia.”

Throughout its global development journey, Green SM has completed approximately 850 million rides covering nearly 6 billion kilometers, helping reduce more than 800,000 tons of CO₂ emissions, equivalent to the amount of carbon absorbed by approximately 36 million trees. In Indonesia, Green SM continues to expand its all-electric mobility options, increase its coverage and enhance service quality, in line with its “5 Green Promises” commitment, contributing to greener transportation and creating positive value for local communities, the environment and the local economy./.

Hashtag: #GreenSM

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

The Asian Technology Excellence Awards recognise groundbreaking technological projects and innovations across Asia. Presented by Asian Business Review, the programme selects one winner per technology category and industry in each market, with entries judged on uniqueness and innovation, effectiveness and impact, and dynamism.

For ANGEL, the KFC Indonesia project demonstrates a capability that matters across the food and beverage sector. The company begins with on-site water quality testing and assessment, then designs the configuration around actual inlet conditions. That approach is backed by a commercial portfolio that includes microfiltration and UV sterilization, and by local delivery and service teams. It is this combination—not a standard product alone—that allows ANGEL to serve restaurant chains operating across diverse markets.

Sustainability is built into that model in practical ways. ANGEL integrates with existing pre-filtration systems, reducing the need for equipment replacement, water supply modifications and installation waste. Treatment is selected according to actual water quality, so sites receive the configuration they need. The modular design also limits maintenance complexity and supports long-term operating efficiency. For KFC Indonesia, this meant upgrading water quality without interrupting daily operations, while keeping existing infrastructure in service.

The deployment itself follows the same logic. Restaurants with more complex water conditions receive the C11 Microfiltration System together with UV sterilization, while sites with relatively stable inlet water can use UV sterilization alone. This scenario-based approach helps KFC Indonesia maintain consistent water quality across different cities and islands, and reflects how ANGEL works with food and beverage customers more broadly.

Accepting the award, ANGEL’s Assistant Vice President Annie Guo said, “This award recognizes the work of our teams and local partners in turning technology into practical value for customers. It reinforces our approach to international growth: understand local needs, deliver the right solution, and support it properly over time. For ANGEL, the responsibility continues after installation.”

The KFC project reflects ANGEL’s broader commercial strategy. For its global food and beverage business, the project shows that water purification can move beyond a functional utility to become a strategic asset for operators. ANGEL has built a commercial portfolio spanning microfiltration, ultrafiltration, and reverse osmosis, enabling tailored solutions for local conditions and customer needs. In markets where complex water conditions could otherwise constrain expansion, these capabilities support safer operations, greater resource efficiency, and more sustainable growth.

Hashtag: #ANGELGroup

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

About ANGEL

Founded in 1987, ANGEL has become a global leader in water purification. For nearly four decades, the company has dedicated itself to improving drinking water quality through innovation, delivering safe, healthy, and stylish water solutions. ANGEL has earned 11 internationally recognized certifications, including NSF, UL, TUV, SGS, CSA, and HALAL, ensuring compliance with high standards of quality, safety, and environmental responsibility.

The Peerium Computing Architecture achieves strong scaling to the million-processor level through nested parallelism, unified memory addressing, and peer interconnect. It breaks through the Turing paradigm with the introduction of Nested BSP (Nested Bulk Synchronous Parallel), extends the von Neumann single-machine architecture, and overturns the master–slave architecture that has prevailed for decades, so that a million processors truly become one larger computer.

UnifiedBus (UB) is the key interconnect technology that makes the Peerium Computing Architecture possible. Built on a single open protocol, UB is a high-speed bus that scales without limit to connect CPUs, NPUs, memory, SSDs, network interface cards (NICs), and switches. With UB, peer interconnect is achieved across compute, storage, and networking.

The Atlas 950 SuperPoD and SuperPoD-based SuperClusters are the first-generation product built on the Peerium Computing Architecture. An Atlas 950 SuperCluster with 256,000 cards is already being deployed, and the Atlas 960 system based on near-packaged optics (NPO) is currently under testing.

Eric Xu, Huawei’s Rotating Chairman, said, “In the AI era, Huawei is drawing on the Peerium Computing Architecture we pioneered to continuously build the SuperPoDs and SuperPod-based SuperClusters that meet customer needs for training and inference, making computing power available everywhere and intelligence accessible to all.”

Hashtag: #Huawei

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The model supports multimodal inputs including text, images and video, and generates high-fidelity 1080p videos of 5 to 20 seconds with natively synchronized audio

BEIJING, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 17 September 2026 – HiDream.ai, an AI company specializing in foundation models and generative AI, announced the launch of HiDream-O1-Video-1.0, or HiDream V1, its native omnimodal video generation model.

Designed around a deeper understanding of creative intent and real-world physics, HiDream V1 supports multimodal inputs including text, images and video. It can generate high-fidelity 1080p videos ranging from 5 to 20 seconds, with enhanced narrative planning, character consistency, physical plausibility and audiovisual synchronization.

In its debut on two independent international benchmarks, HiDream V1 ranked No. 4 globally on the Artificial Analysis Image to Video Leaderboard (With Audio) and No. 8 on the Arena.ai Image-to-Video leaderboard, placing it among the world’s leading video generation models.

Artificial Analysis independently evaluates leading AI models through standardized and reproducible benchmark testing. Arena.ai uses anonymous head-to-head comparisons and user voting to assess model outputs. Together, the two platforms provide third-party perspectives on model performance based on both standardized testing and real-world user preferences.

HiDream V1’s results demonstrate its competitiveness across key dimensions including visual quality, prompt adherence, motion quality, narrative coherence and audiovisual coordination.

The global AI video generation market has become increasingly competitive, with models developed by Chinese teams—including Seedance and MiniMax H3—maintaining strong positions on international leaderboards. HiDream V1’s top-tier debut further expands China’s presence among the world’s leading video generation models.

“The next generation of video models will not be defined solely by higher resolution or longer duration,” said Yao Ting, Chief Technology Officer of HiDream.ai. “What matters is whether a model can genuinely understand a creator’s intent and how objects, actions and sounds interact in the real world. HiDream V1 was designed from the outset to represent text, video and audio within a unified framework. Our goal is to move video generation beyond simply looking sharp and moving smoothly toward understanding instructions, sustaining coherent performances and keeping sound aligned with visuals. Its performance on two independent international benchmarks provides encouraging validation of our native omnimodal approach.”

Upgrades in Visual Fidelity, Narrative Coherence and Character Consistency
HiDream V1 introduces broad improvements in high-fidelity rendering, narrative continuity and character consistency. Rather than optimizing only for the quality of individual frames, the model is designed to maintain coherence across an entire video sequence.

Once characters, emotions, motivations and physical rules are placed within a continuous sequence, each element can affect the others. HiDream therefore uses a technical framework built around three stages: planning first, followed by joint generation, and then alignment through multimodal reward signals.

Under this approach, the model first plans the narrative and character states at a global level. It then jointly constrains visuals, movement and semantics during generation, before using multimodal reward signals to align visual quality, continuity and physical plausibility.

Native Omnimodal Architecture for Better Intent and Physics Understanding
The central challenge in AI video generation is shifting from the quality of individual frames to a broader understanding of complex instructions, continuous motion and the rules governing the physical world.

User prompts often contain multiple layers of information, including characters, actions, settings, camera directions, dialogue and sound. To handle these requirements more effectively, HiDream V1 incorporates multimodal intent understanding and planning. Before generation begins, the model structures the user’s request across elements such as shot duration, setting, character state, movement, facial expression, composition, camera motion, dialogue and ambient sound.

Through this “understand, plan and generate” workflow, HiDream V1 plans narrative development and character states at a global level, while coordinating visuals, motion, semantics and audio during generation. This is designed to improve content completeness, character consistency and continuity between shots.

Physical reasoning is another core capability of HiDream V1. The model incorporates factors such as gravity, inertia, collisions, deformation, materials, lighting and spatial continuity into the generation process. As a result, object movement, character actions and environmental responses can more closely reflect the behavior of the real world.

This approach moves video generation beyond reproducing visual appearances and toward modeling how a dynamic world operates over time.

Content-Adaptive Video Duration
Most current video generation models require users to specify a fixed duration in advance, forcing the content to fit within a predetermined time window. This can lead to unnecessary pauses after an action has ended or the use of slow motion to fill the remaining time.

HiDream V1 instead incorporates duration into its narrative planning process. Within a range of 5 to 20 seconds, the model can determine an appropriate video length based on how an event unfolds, how long an action takes to complete and the pacing required by the content.

The capability is not simply a matter of adding or removing frames. It is designed to make duration serve the narrative, producing more natural pacing and more complete sequences. Users can focus on describing the event and intended outcome, while the model plans the corresponding temporal structure.

Conventional AI video generation systems often follow a staged workflow in which visuals are generated first and sound is added afterward. This can lead to mismatches between lip movements, physical actions, ambient sound and sound effects.

HiDream V1 uses a native omnimodal architecture to jointly model text, video and audio signals. The three modalities constrain and inform one another within a single generation process. Visual motion influences sound timing, dialogue and sound effects contribute to the emotional tone of a scene, and text conditions guide the generation process throughout.

This unified approach is designed to improve synchronization across character performance, environmental changes and physical actions.

During post-training, HiDream uses Diffusion Reinforcement Learning and a multimodal reward model aligned with human perception and aesthetic preferences. Generated content is evaluated across multiple dimensions, including visual quality, semantics, motion, physical plausibility and sound, helping improve overall consistency and realism.

Completing HiDream’s Native Omnimodal World Model Portfolio
HiDream V1 is not a standalone model. It is a core component of HiDream’s native omnimodal world model strategy.

Built on a unified UiT, or Unified Transformer, foundation, the company’s portfolio now comprises four major model families:

• HiDream-O1-Image, for image understanding and generation;
• HiDream-O1-Video, for dynamic content generation and temporal storytelling;
• HiDream-O1-World, for 3D environment simulation and real-time interaction; and
• HiDream-O1-Embodied, for spatial reasoning, action planning and feedback in embodied AI.

Rather than operating as four separate technology stacks, the models are designed to evolve from the same unified architecture. Together, they cover spatial understanding, temporal modeling, 3D interaction and embodied action, creating an integrated system for perceiving, understanding, generating, interacting with and acting upon the physical world.

HiDream’s models have previously achieved leading results on several independent benchmarks. HiDream-O1-Image 1.5, the commercial version of the company’s image model, ranked No. 2 globally and No. 1 among Chinese models on the Artificial Analysis text-to-image leaderboard, while its open-source edition also reached No. 2. HiDream-O1-World ranked No. 1 overall on WBench, a benchmark for interactive world models. HiDream-O1-Embodied achieved first-place results in the disturbance adaptation and spatial reasoning categories of RoboColiseum.

“We are not building four isolated model product lines,” said Dr. Mei Tao, founder and CEO of HiDream.ai. “We are building a native omnimodal system that shares a unified technical foundation and continues to evolve toward a deeper understanding of the real world. Competition among the next generation of foundation models will depend not only on improvements in individual capabilities, but also on whether different modalities can understand, generate and interact within a unified architecture.”

From understanding and generating the world to simulating and acting within it, the launch of HiDream V1 completes a key part of HiDream’s native omnimodal world model portfolio.

Alongside the launch of HiDream V1, HiDream announced the completion of a Series C+ financing round backed by New Micro Capital, Jiaozi Capital and ICBC Capital. The proceeds will support native omnimodal model research and development, product iteration, AI computing infrastructure and the expansion of industry applications.

New Micro Capital was jointly established by Shanghai New Micro Technology Group, Shanghai Science and Technology Venture Capital Group and its management team. The firm manages nearly RMB 10 billion in assets.

As the corporate venture capital arm of New Micro Technology Group, New Micro Capital is expanding its investments in artificial intelligence. Drawing on the group’s industrial capabilities in specialty integrated-circuit manufacturing, it seeks to advance collaboration across AI infrastructure, model technologies and end-user applications.

Jiaozi Capital is a wholly owned state-backed equity investment platform under Chengdu Jiaozi Financial Holding Group. The firm focuses on artificial intelligence and other strategic technology sectors, using long-term capital and industrial resources to accelerate technology commercialization and ecosystem development.

With the launch of HiDream V1, HiDream’s native omnimodal world model strategy is moving from a technical roadmap toward an integrated system supported by a unified foundation, a coordinated model portfolio and deployable product capabilities.

HiDream V1 is currently in internal testing and is expected to become available in the near future. Users can learn more at: https://hiharness.ai/

Hashtag: #HiDreamAI

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

About HiDream.ai

HiDream.ai is an artificial intelligence company focused on generative AI and native omnimodal world models. Built on its unified UiT architecture, the company’s model portfolio spans image generation, video generation, interactive world simulation and embodied intelligence. HiDream aims to develop AI systems capable of understanding, generating, simulating and acting upon the real world.

Leaderboard disclaimer: Rankings cited in this release reflect publicly available results at the time of publication and may change as participating models, evaluation data or platform methodologies are updated.