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A Vision Built on Innovation

The event opened with a keynote by Eric Wang, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) of CUKTECH, who shared the brand’s global vision and product roadmap for Southeast Asia, with Vietnam identified as one of its key strategic markets.

Eric Wang highlighted CUKTECH’s continuous investment in research and development (R&D) to solve the everyday challenges faced by modern consumers, including slow charging speeds, limited product innovation, and the increasing need for reliable, high-performance charging solutions that support multiple devices simultaneously. By combining advanced charging technologies with user-focused design, CUKTECH aims to deliver a faster, safer, and more intelligent charging experience.

Real-World Experience from Technology Reviewer Hung Khuc

One of the event’s highlights was a sharing session by Hung Khuc, one of Vietnam’s leading technology reviewers, who discussed his hands-on experience using CUKTECH products in his daily work.

“As a content creator who frequently shoots outdoors, I need charging devices that are both powerful and reliable. What impressed me most about CUKTECH’s power banks and chargers is their real-world performance. They can simultaneously fast charge my MacBook Pro, smartphone, and camera at full speed without power drops or interruptions.”

To promote transparency and foster closer engagement with the local technology community, the event concluded with an extensive media Q&A session. Eric Wang, together with CUKTECH’s product research and quality management teams, addressed questions on product localization, international safety standards, the brand’s one-for-one warranty policy, and future product development plans.

More than a product launch, Charge & Connect represents CUKTECH’s official step toward establishing a lasting presence in Vietnam. By combining cutting-edge charging technology, award-winning design, and a strong focus on user experience, CUKTECH is committed to delivering premium charging solutions that meet the evolving needs of modern consumers.

As the brand continues to expand its product ecosystem, CUKTECH aims to become a trusted technology partner for Vietnamese users while helping shape the future of premium charging accessories in the market.

Hashtag: #CUKTECH

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

The commitments, unveiled at a government-backed industrial development event in Asan, place Chungcheong at the centre of a broader strategy to spread high-technology manufacturing beyond the Seoul metropolitan area and existing semiconductor clusters. President Lee Jae Myung praised the companies’ “bold decision” and called for faster execution of major industrial projects, warning that global competition in semiconductors and artificial intelligence will reward countries that move with speed on permits, power, water and land.

Samsung plans to invest 140 trillion won, or about $90 billion, across the central region. The programme covers display panels, high-bandwidth memory-related capacity, semiconductor packaging substrates, batteries and other core materials. The group’s plan is expected to reinforce manufacturing links between Samsung Electronics, Samsung Display, Samsung SDI and Samsung Electro-Mechanics, whose operations span chips, OLED screens, batteries and electronic components.

SK hynix said it would invest 100 trillion won, or about $64 billion to $72 billion depending on exchange-rate calculations, in Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province. The plan includes the M17 NAND flash memory fabrication plant and P&T7, an advanced packaging and test facility. M17 is scheduled to break ground in 2026 and begin operations in the first half of 2029, while P&T7 is targeted for completion by the end of 2027.

The Cheongju expansion is intended to strengthen SK hynix’s NAND business and add back-end capacity at a time when artificial intelligence systems are raising demand for both high-performance memory and storage. While high-bandwidth memory has received the strongest investor attention because of its role in AI accelerators, large-scale data centres also require more NAND-based storage as models, user data and enterprise workloads expand.

The Chungcheong plan follows a wider national push in which Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are expected to invest hundreds of billions of dollars in new chipmaking hubs over the next decade. The government has framed the initiative as a “triple axis” strategy built around semiconductors, physical AI and data centres, with the aim of building industrial strength outside the traditional capital-area manufacturing corridor.

For Samsung, the Chungcheong investment gives the group a regional base for several linked supply chains. OLED production in Asan and surrounding areas can support premium smartphones, tablets, monitors and automotive displays. Battery investment strengthens Samsung SDI’s role in electric mobility and energy storage, while semiconductor materials and packaging substrates address one of the key bottlenecks in AI hardware production.

For SK hynix, Cheongju already has semiconductor infrastructure, making it a faster route for expansion than a greenfield project. The company has been one of the largest beneficiaries of the AI memory boom, helped by demand for high-bandwidth memory used with Nvidia graphics processors. Its latest investment signals that the company is also preparing for broader memory demand, including NAND and advanced packaging.

The scale of the commitments underlines the strategic importance of memory chips to South Korea’s economy. Samsung Electronics and SK hynix are the world’s two largest memory chipmakers, with dominant positions in DRAM and a major presence in NAND. Their investment decisions affect global supply, pricing expectations and the pace at which cloud companies can build AI infrastructure.

The programme also carries risks. Semiconductor investment cycles have often produced periods of oversupply after large capacity expansions. Investors have shown caution over whether the current AI-driven boom can absorb the output planned by the industry, especially if data-centre spending slows or if memory pricing weakens before new factories reach full capacity.

Infrastructure remains another challenge. Advanced chip plants require stable electricity, ultra-pure water, skilled engineers and rapid permitting. Lee’s comments on execution reflect concern that delays could undermine the industrial strategy. Local governments are expected to face pressure to accelerate utility connections, transport links and land-use approvals while managing environmental and community concerns.

Regional development is a central political theme of the initiative. By placing more advanced manufacturing in Chungcheong and other areas outside Seoul’s orbit, the administration is seeking to reduce economic concentration and create high-value jobs in provincial cities. That ambition will depend on whether new factories attract suppliers, research teams and service industries rather than functioning as isolated production sites.

The training, announced on July 6, brings together the King Abdulaziz and His Companions Foundation for Giftedness and Creativity, known as Mawhiba, and Huawei as Saudi Arabia expands its pipeline of students capable of working across artificial intelligence, cloud computing, big data and telecommunications. The initiative forms part of a wider partnership that aims to train 500 beneficiaries in advanced technology fields.

Participants are being exposed to a mix of theoretical instruction and practical exercises, with the programme structured around real-world AI applications, global technology practices and workplace-based learning. The Shenzhen placement gives students direct access to one of Huawei’s main innovation centres, where they are expected to study how artificial intelligence tools are developed, deployed and integrated into digital infrastructure.

The programme covers core areas including AI fundamentals, machine learning, deep learning, foundation models and AI development tools. Its practical component is intended to help students move beyond classroom-level understanding into applied problem-solving, particularly in fields where AI systems are increasingly tied to business operations, public services and industrial automation.

Mawhiba’s role reflects its long-standing mandate to identify and support gifted students, while Huawei’s participation gives the programme an international industry dimension. The partnership is aimed at matching academic talent with technologies that are shaping labour-market demand, especially as Saudi Arabia increases investment in data centres, digital government, smart cities and automation.

The Shenzhen cohort follows the launch of the first joint Mawhiba-Huawei training track for Saudi university students in China. The programme is being presented as both a skills initiative and an international exposure opportunity, giving participants familiarity with advanced technology ecosystems outside the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has placed AI capacity-building at the centre of its digital transformation agenda. The Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority has been expanding training schemes for students, professionals and government leaders as part of efforts to create a national workforce capable of supporting data-driven economic diversification.

A separate programme at the authority’s headquarters in Riyadh began with 215 male and female students from 28 universities, giving participants training in data, artificial intelligence and advanced technologies. That initiative was designed to connect academic knowledge with practical experience in computer science, data science and AI, while aligning university outcomes with labour-market needs.

The scale of national AI training has grown sharply. More than 779,000 citizens have been trained through data and AI initiatives, including 9,775 specialists and 260 scientists and experts. More than 80 government leaders have also received training focused on the design and implementation of data and AI strategies.

The Mawhiba-Huawei programme adds a private-sector and cross-border layer to that domestic training push. For students, the China placement offers exposure to applied AI in a corporate setting. For policymakers, it supports an effort to create a wider base of young specialists who can work with global platforms while contributing to local technology goals.

Saudi Arabia’s AI strategy has increasingly focused on building human capital alongside infrastructure. The country has moved to strengthen data governance, support Arabic AI models, expand cloud capacity and encourage the adoption of emerging technologies across education, healthcare, finance, energy and government services.

The emphasis on training also reflects a growing recognition that AI adoption depends on more than hardware and software. Surveys and academic studies on generative AI use in Saudi Arabia show strong public engagement with AI tools, but also uneven technical understanding and concerns over privacy, misinformation, trust and responsible use. Structured training is therefore being treated as a way to improve both competence and confidence.

For universities, the programme underlines the pressure to update curricula as AI changes entry-level skill expectations. Employers in technology, finance, logistics and energy are increasingly looking for graduates who understand data handling, model behaviour, automation workflows and ethical safeguards. Programmes that combine classroom instruction with industry exposure are seen as a route to narrowing that gap.

The facility, announced on 7 July, is one of DXC’s largest global delivery hubs and brings together customer collaboration areas, an AI Hub, cybersecurity facilities, forensics labs, a Security Operations Centre and a Network Operations Centre. The centre is designed to help clients identify high-value AI use cases, test prototypes, integrate them with legacy platforms and operate them at scale.

The move comes as large companies are under pressure to modernise complex technology estates without disrupting core systems that run banking, insurance, manufacturing, public sector services, travel and healthcare operations. For global IT services firms, the most valuable opportunity now lies not only in building new AI tools, but in attaching them safely to ageing systems of record, cloud platforms, data pipelines and cybersecurity controls.

DXC said the Bengaluru site includes immersive Customer Experience Zones, Fluid Collaboration Hubs, Ideation Studios, Co-Creation Labs and Partner Experience Zones. The structure signals a shift in IT outsourcing from back-office delivery to co-engineering, where clients, consultants and technology partners work together on proof-of-value projects before wider deployment.

Ramnath Venkataraman, president of consulting and engineering services at DXC Technology, said the centre would bring engineering talent closer to customers and partners. He said the objective was to “co-create, engineer, and scale AI-powered solutions” that address complex business challenges and move clients faster from ideas to outcomes.

Rob Le Busque, DXC’s president for Asia Pacific and Japan, described the centre as a base for AI innovation, engineering and customer collaboration. He said DXC was aiming to help customers build connected enterprises where people work alongside AI agents to engineer and run systems of record.

The investment reflects Bengaluru’s continuing pull as a global technology hub. The city hosts a dense base of engineering talent, multinational technology development centres, enterprise software teams and start-up ecosystems. DXC already employs about 38,000 people in the country, making the new facility a strategic addition rather than a symbolic office expansion.

For DXC, the centre also arrives at a critical phase in its own turnaround. The company reported revenue of $12.64bn for fiscal 2026, down 1.8 per cent year on year, while adjusted EBIT stood at $970m. Fourth-quarter revenue was $3.13bn, down 1.2 per cent year on year, though bookings reached $3.3bn and the book-to-bill ratio stood at 1.07 times. Those figures underline both the pressure on legacy IT services revenue and the importance of higher-value modernisation work.

The enterprise AI market has moved beyond experimental chatbots and isolated productivity pilots. Large organisations are now seeking systems that can automate service operations, assist software engineering, improve fraud detection, support call-centre workflows, optimise supply chains and strengthen cyber response. The challenge is that many of these functions depend on decades-old enterprise platforms, heavily customised databases and compliance-heavy workflows.

That is where Bengaluru’s new DXC centre is positioned. Its AI Hub is intended to support hands-on development and testing, while the cyber and operations facilities allow clients to evaluate whether AI tools can be monitored, secured and maintained after deployment. This full-lifecycle approach is becoming central to enterprise modernisation, especially in sectors where downtime, data leakage or flawed automation can carry heavy financial and regulatory consequences.

The facility also strengthens DXC’s partner-led model. Its Partner Experience Zones are expected to support work with software, cloud, cybersecurity and platform companies. For IT services providers, alliances with hyperscalers and enterprise software vendors have become essential as clients seek hybrid solutions rather than single-vendor transformation programmes.

The Public Prosecution Service suspects the company of multiple criminal offences, including deliberately and unlawfully releasing harmful substances into the air with possible adverse consequences for public health. The case also covers alleged breaches of the company’s duty of care, insufficient maintenance, operating without the required permits and failure to report several incidents involving raw coke, a by-product linked to the steelmaking process.

A first procedural hearing has been scheduled for 20 November 2026 at the Amsterdam District Court, where prosecutors are expected to set out the precise charges. The investigation began after a criminal complaint filed on behalf of more than 800 residents and campaigners, who have for years linked emissions from the IJmuiden complex to health risks, nuisance and damage to quality of life.

The steelworks, located west of Amsterdam in Velsen, is among the Netherlands’ biggest industrial sites and one of its largest greenhouse gas emitters. Its blast furnaces, coke ovens and associated facilities have made it a strategic employer and export asset, but also a central target for environmental enforcement. Local concern intensified after pollution incidents, odour complaints and measurements showing deposits of metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in nearby communities.

Prosecutors say the criminal investigation examined the steel production process and the operation of Tata Steel’s coke gas factories. The inquiry was carried out with input from environmental inspection and police units, including the investigative arm of the Human Environment and Transport Inspectorate and regional environmental enforcement agencies.

The company has rejected the accusations, saying it disagrees with the decision to prosecute and has already made major improvements to reduce emissions. Tata Steel Nederland has described the case as unnecessary, arguing that it relates to a limited number of incidents where corrective action had already been taken. The company maintains that its emissions comply with legal limits and that planned investments will cut pollution further.

The prosecution has not ruled out possible action against individuals. A separate part of the investigation is examining whether people in management roles could be held personally criminally liable. Prosecutors said that part of the inquiry may take more time, while the company summons has been issued now to keep the criminal case moving.

The summons comes against a broader legal and regulatory backdrop. Residents living near the plant and environmental groups have pursued civil and criminal routes to force faster reductions in pollution. A collective claim filed in the Netherlands seeks about €1.4 billion in compensation from Tata Steel’s Dutch subsidiaries, alleging health damage, stress, loss of enjoyment of life and property-related losses across the region. Tata Steel has dismissed those claims as speculative and unsupported.

Regulatory pressure has also mounted over the coke ovens, one of the most contentious parts of the IJmuiden operation. Authorities have previously warned that permits could be at risk if breaches continue, and financial penalties have been imposed over emissions violations. The coke-making process is crucial to conventional blast-furnace steel production, but it is also associated with pollutants that have drawn sustained scrutiny from residents and health experts.

Public health studies commissioned by Dutch authorities have strengthened demands for action. Research has identified the Tata Steel site as a significant source of metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons in the IJmond area, while health assessments have pointed to higher exposure risks for communities around the plant. Campaigners argue that enforcement has been too slow, given the scale of the plant and the duration of residents’ complaints.

Tata Steel is attempting to balance the legal fight with negotiations over a cleaner production model. The company, the Dutch government and the province of North Holland signed a non-binding framework in 2025 aimed at cutting carbon emissions and improving the living environment around IJmuiden. The plan includes a shift towards lower-carbon steelmaking, with public support of up to €2 billion under discussion and additional funding sought from European programmes.