India: C2S Accelerates Semiconductor Talent Development
India’s Chips to Startups (C2S) initiative, part of the India Semiconductor Mission, has equipped 315 academic institutions with world‑class Electronic Design Automation tools, logging over 18.5 million hours of usage. The programme offers students end‑to‑end chip design experience, from concept to fabrication at Mohali’s Semiconductor Laboratory. It aims to train 85,000 engineers in semiconductor design over the next decade and will expand to 500 institutions under the upcoming Semicon 2.0 phase. This effort aligns with a global market projected to reach $2 trillion, creating demand for millions of skilled professionals.
Hong Kong: AI-Enhanced Ultrasound for Faster, Safer Diagnostics
University of Hong Kong researchers unveiled SonoMeta, an AI‑powered ultrasound system that uses engineered metamaterials to steer sound waves around rib bones. The meta‑lens design improves imaging depth, allowing clear visualization of cardiac valves up to 10 cm behind the ribcage...
The Philippines: Building a Safer Digital World for Children
Government agencies, NGOs, and local officials in the Philippines are intensifying efforts to protect children from online sexual abuse, including AI‑generated explicit content. The Lingap Pangkabataan and World Vision groups, under the CLEAR‑CAR project, are promoting digital literacy and parental...
Singapore Strengthens Technology and Innovation Leadership
At the 2026 Committee of Supply, Singapore pledged SG$800 million to launch a semiconductor RIE Flagship, SG$60 million for a National Semiconductor Translation and Innovation Centre, and another SG$800 million for a Decarbonisation Grand Challenge. A*STAR will spearhead these programmes alongside the Economic...
The Philippines: Building Responsible Digital Citizenship in Bulacan
Students from Bulacan Agricultural State College joined the Kilos Kabataan: Unite for a Digital Safe Future virtual forum, organized by the Philippine Information Agency and DICT Central Luzon. The event addressed misinformation, cyberbullying, scams and other online threats, emphasizing fact‑checking,...
Malaysia: AI Sensors Improve Pedestrian Safety in Subang Jaya
The Subang Jaya City Council has launched SENSA, an AI‑driven pedestrian safety system, at a school crossing in the city. The solution combines analytical cameras, sensors, audio warnings and blue LED lights to alert drivers and pedestrians in real time....
Vietnam: Digital Infrastructure Powers Transparent Elections
Vietnam is embedding digital technology across every stage of its upcoming 2026‑2031 elections, linking voter data, candidate registration, and public communications to a unified online platform. The National Resident Database now fuels accurate voter lists, while QR codes, digital maps...
Australia: Real-Time Bridge Monitoring for Safer Victoria Roads
A 12‑month trial of Bridge Weigh‑In‑Motion (BWIM) technology was completed on Victoria’s Western Freeway, installing sensors beneath a bridge to capture real‑time axle loads of heavy vehicles. The system recorded detailed load patterns without disrupting traffic and proved portable for...
The Philippines: Digital Platform Boosts National Health Systems
SeeYouDoc, a Filipino health‑tech startup founded in 2018, has become a leading digital healthcare platform linking patients, clinicians, hospitals and local government units via web and mobile apps. The solution delivers telemedicine, digital prescriptions, electronic health records, appointment scheduling and...
Vietnam’s 5G Expansion Fuels Digital Economy Growth
Vietnam’s rapid 5G rollout is reshaping both urban and rural economies, with tens of thousands of base stations enabling real‑time data, AI‑driven traffic and flood management, and new digital services. Smart city pilots in Hanoi illustrate how low‑latency connectivity powers...
New Zealand: Expanding AI Tools Across Healthcare
New Zealand has rolled out an artificial‑intelligence scribe tool across every emergency department, giving more than 1,250 clinicians automated note‑taking support. The pilot showed doctors could see an extra patient per shift, and post‑deployment surveys reported 80% of staff noting productivity...
Vietnam: Developing a Skilled High-Technology Workforce
Vietnam is accelerating a nation‑wide push to create a high‑quality science and technology workforce under Politburo Resolution 57‑NQ/TW, yet persistent talent gaps threaten its strategic goals. The country’s researcher density sits at roughly 1,300 per million people, far below regional...
Singapore and Norway Activate EFTA Digital Economy Agreement
The European Free Trade Association‑Singapore Digital Economy Agreement (ESDEA) has entered into force for Singapore and Norway, following its signing in September 2025. The pact establishes binding rules for cross‑border data flows, electronic payments, and paperless trade, while prohibiting data‑localisation...
Vietnam: Digital Leap Set to Transform the Real Estate Market
Vietnam will assign a unique identification code to every land plot, apartment, house and land‑attached asset starting March 1, 2026, integrating them into a single national land database. The digital platform will consolidate rights, planning data, transaction history, mortgage status and tax...
The Philippines: PhilTower MIDC Aligns Digital Infrastructure, Workforce
PhilTower MIDC became the first independent tower company in the Philippines to join the People Management Association of the Philippines (PMAP). The move ties its aggressive rollout of built‑to‑suit towers to a formal workforce development framework, supporting the national “Build...
Australia: New Implementer Hub Advances Digital Health Integration
The Australian Digital Health Agency has launched the Digital Health Implementer Hub, replacing its Developer Portal to simplify how health services, software developers and system providers connect to national digital health infrastructure. The hub adds a personalized case‑management system, dynamic...
Indonesia: Regulation, Support Platforms Strengthen Child Online Safety
Indonesia is rolling out a two‑pronged strategy to protect minors online, beginning with the enforcement of Government Regulation No. 17 (PP Tunas) in March 2026. The law obliges digital platforms to implement age verification, content filtering and other safety controls. Complementing the regulation,...
Hong Kong: AI Partnership Targets Regional Digital Growth
Hong Kong and the Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region have signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create a structured AI partnership. The MoU outlines joint efforts in AI research, data infrastructure, governance standards, and talent development. Both jurisdictions aim to accelerate...
Singapore: InvoiceNow for Smarter, Faster and More Efficient Business
Singapore’s government announced that all GST‑registered businesses must adopt the InvoiceNow e‑invoicing network by April 2031. Built on the international Peppol framework, InvoiceNow lets firms exchange invoices digitally, cutting manual entry, errors and payment cycles. The scheme includes up to SG$5,000...
Vietnam: Hanoi Drives Digital Transformation, Creative Industries
Hanoi has launched the Hanoi Innovation Centre (HIC), a joint‑stock company designed to accelerate digital transformation and nurture creative industries. The centre will serve as a hub linking data, technology, policy and culture, offering experimental spaces for AI, big data,...
Australia: Victoria Expands AI-Ready Data Centre Infrastructure
Victoria has opened a new data centre campus in Brooklyn, featuring two advanced facilities designed to meet growing AI and high‑performance computing demand. The state plans a third building on the site and a separate campus at Laverton North, expanding...
Malaysia: Driving AI Adoption for SMEs and Industry Growth
Malaysia is accelerating AI adoption by directing more government contracts to domestic technology firms, especially SMEs. Deputy Minister Sim Tze Tzin emphasized expanding local participation in AI projects to build expertise and boost productivity across manufacturing, logistics, services and digital...
Exclusive! Visibility That Pays: Unlocking the Full Value of Cloud Investment
Leaders at the OpenGov Breakfast in Singapore warned that cloud migration alone fails to deliver value without end‑to‑end observability. They emphasized that real‑time visibility across infrastructure, data pipelines, and workflows enables proactive, insight‑driven decisions, reduces risk, and fuels trustworthy AI...
Vietnam: Building a Regulated Digital Asset Market: Vietnam
Vietnam is set to launch its first pilot crypto‑asset exchange before 28 February 2026, following the government’s five‑year pilot programme and new licensing rules issued in January 2026. The Ministry of Finance’s detailed procedures codify market entry criteria, capital thresholds, and supervisory safeguards,...
India: Cybersecurity Guidelines to Safeguard Space Systems
India has issued comprehensive cybersecurity guidelines for space systems, jointly crafted by the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT‑In) and the Space and IT Association‑India (SIA‑India). The advisory framework targets satellite operators, ground‑station managers, manufacturers and emerging private space firms,...
Malaysia Leads ASEAN in Cross-Border Cloud Governance
Malaysia, through the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation, has secured ASEAN endorsement for a Regional Framework on Cross‑Border Cloud Computing. The framework, unveiled at the 6th ASEAN Digital Ministers’ Meeting, introduces shared governance principles and "Trusted Data Corridors" to ensure secure...
The Philippines: Building a Responsible AI Workforce
The Department of Science and Technology in Central Visayas (DOST‑7) launched a four‑day AI training for about 30 government employees, covering prompt engineering, generative AI tools, and core ethical principles. The program emphasized responsible use, data privacy, and the “co‑intelligence”...
Singapore’s Approach to Building a Resilient Digital Future
Singapore is bolstering its cybersecurity ecosystem through a multi‑pronged strategy that includes large‑scale cyber‑drills, senior leadership training, and youth programmes to grow a skilled talent pipeline. The Cyber Security Agency and the Ministry of Digital Development coordinate rapid response to...
Vietnam: AI and Data Economy Key to 2026 Development Goals
Prime Minister Pham Minh Chinh urged a decisive breakthrough in Vietnam’s digital economy, positioning data and artificial intelligence as core growth pillars for the 2026 development agenda. He highlighted chronic delays in database integration, insufficient digital infrastructure, and a shortage...
Hong Kong: 2026–27 Budget Accelerates AI and Innovation Leadership
Hong Kong’s 2026‑27 Budget places artificial intelligence at the core of its economic strategy, pledging multibillion‑dollar subsidies for AI research and a new Committee on AI and Industry Development Strategy. The plan expands computing capacity with a large‑scale data centre...
The Philippines: Enabling Direct Digital Payouts for TESDA Scholars
Landbank and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have signed a memorandum of agreement to digitise scholarship payouts for more than 335,000 scholars across the Philippines. The partnership uses Landbank’s ATM Payroll Facility to credit allowances directly into...
Australia: Embedding Digital Health in Tertiary Healthcare Degrees
Australia has launched the Digital Health Train the Trainer Toolkit, a national resource designed to help tertiary educators embed digital health competencies into health‑related degree programmes. Developed by the Australian Digital Health Agency with the Australian Council of Senior Academic...
Singapore: Advancing Applied AI with New Centre of Excellence
Singapore launched the Singtel Digital InfraCo – NVIDIA Centre of Excellence for Applied AI, reinforcing the nation’s shift from building large frontier models to deploying AI that solves real‑world problems. The centre joins more than 60 AI CoEs established since the 2023...
Thailand: Smart Innovation for a Future-Ready Industrial Ecosystem
Thailand’s Industrial Estate Authority (IEAT) and the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA) have signed an MOU to accelerate AI, IoT and robotics adoption across industrial estates, turning SMEs into Smart Factories. The partnership will launch pilot projects in...
India Expands Digital Health Impact Domestically and Globally
India reaffirmed its commitment to digital health at the IGSTC Strategic Conclave 2026, spotlighting telemedicine advancements for the Armed Forces and the broader public. The event announced expanded collaboration with Germany and highlighted the integration of telehealth into the Ayushman...
The Philippines: Ramping Up Local and Global Digital Services
The Philippines is accelerating digital transformation in both domestic and overseas services. Quezon City’s QCitizen ID program surpassed 1.5 million registrations, offering a QR‑enabled, four‑category identity card that streamlines health, education, and welfare access. Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers signed...
Malaysia: Tech-Driven Diplomacy in 2026–2030 Strategic Plan
Malaysia’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs unveiled a 2026‑2030 strategic plan that places digital capability, science and innovation at the core of its diplomatic agenda. The eight‑thrust framework embeds technology cooperation into bilateral and multilateral engagements, targeting the digital economy, renewable...
Hong Kong: PolyU Advances Intelligent Transport Solutions
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University secured HK$18.6 million from the Smart Traffic Fund to launch three AI‑driven transport projects. One develops an end‑to‑end intelligent driving system for logistics using multi‑modal sensor fusion and a 360° bird’s‑eye view framework. A second creates...
The Philippines: Digital Banking Empowers Northern Negros Students
Land Bank of the Philippines (LANDBANK) launched its Cash‑Lite Campus Programme at the State University of Northern Negros, bringing digital banking to more than 2,000 students and campus partners. The initiative offers no‑deposit PISO Plus accounts, QR‑enabled person‑to‑merchant payments, and...
Singapore: Science-Policy Integration in Global AI Governance
Minister Josephine Teo highlighted Singapore’s strategy to shape global AI governance through science, multilateral cooperation, and substantial funding. The city‑state has pledged S$1 billion to a National AI R&D Plan and created a Digital Trust Centre, AI Safety Institute, and an...
Indonesia and Vietnam Explore Digital Payment Collaboration
Indonesia and Vietnam are initiating talks to cooperate on digital payment technologies, targeting greater transparency, efficiency, and financial inclusion. The discussions, held in Hanoi, focus on leveraging Vietnam’s real‑time monitoring capabilities to help Indonesian MSMEs maintain accurate records and access...
Hong Kong Fortifies Cybersecurity Training in the AI Era
Hong Kong released its Cybersecurity Outlook 2026, revealing that nearly 30% of local firms lack dedicated security staff and only 26% of SMEs have such roles compared with 59% of large enterprises. To address the talent gap, the government, HKPC...
Thailand: Using Technology and Data to Restore Coastal Ecosystems
Thailand’s National Science and Technology Development Agency and the Department of Marine and Coastal Resources have signed a five‑year memorandum of understanding to apply data‑driven science, digital monitoring and genomic research to coastal and marine ecosystem management. The partnership will...
Singapore: Expanding Community Support for Digital-Age Parents
Minister of State Rahayu Mahzam opened Phase 2 of the First Device Campaign, a new effort by TOUCH Cyber Wellness to provide community‑based support for parents navigating children’s digital lives. The initiative moves beyond online guides, offering hands‑on workshops and peer‑learning...