Technology

Government of Canada Launches Strengthened Heat Pump Program with PEI

Published

2 years ago

July 16, 2024

CHARLOTTETOWN, PE, July 16, 2024 /CNW/ – Making the switch from home heating oil to a heat pump will save Canadians thousands of dollars each year on their energy bills. By driving down both energy bills and harmful pollution, the benefits of switching to a heat pump are clear, and the Government of Canada has been bringing these benefits to Canadians through the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability (OHPA) program.

Today, the Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence, and Bobby Morrissey, Member of Parliament for Egmont, on behalf of the Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources, and the Honourable Steven Myers, Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, Government of Prince Edward Island (PEI), announced that Canada and PEI are fully co-delivering the strengthened OHPA program.

Low- to median-income households in PEI that heat with oil can apply to receive a free heat pump, which will heat and cool their entire home. The Government of Canada’s OHPA investment of up to $15,000 per eligible homeowner will not only provide thousands more dollars to Prince Edward Islanders to switch to a heat pump but will also allow for additional measures such as switching to electric water heaters, supplemental electric resistance heaters, electrical upgrades, and the safe removal of oil tanks.

Eligible applicants also receive an upfront, one-time payment of $250 from the federal government. As of July 5, a total of 7,403 heat pumps have been installed under the plan nationally and 10,568 Canadian households have received upfront payments.

The federal government currently has co-delivery arrangements in place with Nova Scotia, Newfoundland and Labrador and British Columbia and looks forward to co-delivering the program with other provinces and territories soon.

In jurisdictions without federal-provincial/territorial co-delivery arrangements, oil-heated households have been and will continue to be able to apply for up to $10,000 in federal OHPA funding through the national portal managed by Natural Resources Canada. The Government of Canada is currently working with other provinces and territories to deliver new, strengthened OHPA co-delivery agreements to make heat pumps even more affordable for even more Canadians across the country.

In addition to the OHPA program, in June 2023, Environment and Climate Change Canada announced up to $16.8 million from Canada’s Low Carbon Economy Fund to support low-income homeowners’ transition from home heating oil to more-affordable low-emitting heating technologies, like electric heat pumps in Prince Edward Island. The Governments of Canada and PEI are working closely together to finalize the delivery of this funding.

Quotes

“Making the switch to more energy-efficient heating systems can help Canadians save thousands on their energy bills, reduce their energy use, and decrease their carbon footprint. That’s why we are strengthening the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program and ensuring that families are supported in making the switch from heating oil to an efficient heat pump.”

The Honourable Jonathan Wilkinson
Minister of Energy and Natural Resources

“Installing a heat pump in your home is one of the best ways to save on your monthly energy bills while reducing emissions. This announcement builds on the success we are already seeing across Atlantic Canada, making life more affordable while protecting our environment and growing our economy.”

The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor
Minister of Veterans Affairs, and Associate Minister of National Defence

“Canadians should be able to save on energy bills by heating and cooling their homes more efficiently. This is especially true in Atlantic Canada, where many are facing high energy costs. That’s why this federal government is helping Canadians switch from expensive home heating oil to lower-cost and lower-emission heat pumps through the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability program. This next step in the Program is a win-win: it will provide even more support for low-to-medium-income Islanders who are looking to reduce their energy bills while also reducing pollution.”

Bobby Morrissey
Member of Parliament for Egmont, P.E.I.

“With over 12,500 free heat pumps installed through the Government of Prince Edward Island’s free heat pump program, we know Islanders are on board to do what’s right for the environment. We appreciate efforts by the Government of Canada to assist our provincial government in making life more affordable for Islanders while we work towards our province’s net zero goals.”

The Honourable Steven Myers
Minister of Environment, Energy and Climate Action, Government of Prince Edward Island

Quick Facts

Heat pumps are two to three times more efficient than oil furnaces. The fact that heat pumps simply move heat, rather than generate it, is a large part of why they are more efficient and less costly than alternatives.

The average Canadian home that uses heating oil spends $2,000 to $5,500 on energy bills per year, depending on the province or territory — making it the most expensive heating option. Homeowners who switch from an oil furnace to a cold-climate heat pump could save approximately $1,500 to $4,500 per year on their home energy bills.

Oil furnaces and boilers in Canada’s homes generate around three million tonnes of carbon dioxide (CO2) every year — the equivalent generated from approximately 920,000 cars. Oil combustion in heating systems also generates nitrogen oxide, sulphur dioxide and fine particles that can be harmful to human health and the environment.

OHPA has already issued 5,000 grants to PEI applicants.

Related Information

Net Zero Free Heat Pump Program Enhancements to the Oil to Heat Pump Affordability Program Canada Greener Homes Initiative Delivering support for Canadians on energy bills The Canada Green Buildings Strategy: Transforming Canada’s buildings sector for a net-zero and resilient future

SOURCE Natural Resources Canada

Technology

From China Mobile’s Call Upgrade to the Commercial Launch of “Calling + AI” by Leading Operators: AI Is Reshaping the Value of Native Calling

Published

49 minutes ago

July 25, 2026

BEIJING, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On June 15, 2026, China Mobile announced a comprehensive upgrade to its traditional calling services, ushering in a next-generation calling experience defined by HD, intelligence, and security. This milestone not only marks a major leap in telecommunication innovation but also reflects a global, inevitable shift: the transformation of basic communication into intelligent, inclusive services.

Breaking Experience Barriers and Redefining the Paradigm of Basic Calling

Overcoming the limitations of traditional, voice-only interactions, China Mobile has leveraged its mature VoLTE/VoNR network foundation to deeply integrate AI models with HD audio and video capabilities. Without requiring users to change their phones or SIM cards, seven core AI functions are now seamlessly embedded into the native dialer interface.

These upgrades include Live Captions bridge communication gaps for the elderly and hearing-impaired; HD video calls and AI noise reduction create a crystal-clear, immersive calling experience; AI anti-fraud intercepts high-risk calls in real time to safeguard users’ assets. Furthermore, the introduction of Data Channel (DC) technology and visual call menus transforms standard calls into agile, interactive service windows, enabling multi-party collaboration and seamless business transactions directly within the call. Through this initiative, China Mobile has successfully evolved traditional calls from a mere voice pipeline into a secure, integrated information hub.

“Calling + AI” Becomes a Strategic Consensus Among Global Leading Operators

From a global perspective, China Mobile’s call upgrade is not an isolated milestone, but a microcosm of the global telecommunications industry’s broader transformation. Throughout 2026, major operators worldwide are accelerating the commercial deployment of “Calling + AI” solutions:

Deutsche Telekom launched Magenta AI, leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance calling across all scenarios;T-Mobile US introduced a network-side, real-time translation service covering over 80 languages, effectively breaking down cross-border communication barriers;Saudi stc rolled out English-Arabic bilingual simultaneous interpretation, which has now entered large-scale commercial trials;South Korea’s LG U+ launched its ixi-O intelligent calling assistant, shifting the user experience from passive responses to proactive smart interactions and earning three prestigious GLOMO industry awards.

The synchronized efforts of these global leaders confirm that basic calling services have officially entered a new era of AI integration. Deeply empowered by artificial intelligence, “Calling + AI” has become the definitive blueprint for the intelligent transformation of the global telecommunications industry. As operators continue to refine these native capabilities, the traditional voice network is poised to reclaim its position as the most secure, ubiquitous, and valuable entry point in the AI era.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/from-china-mobiles-call-upgrade-to-the-commercial-launch-of-calling–ai-by-leading-operators-ai-is-reshaping-the-value-of-native-calling-302834622.html

SOURCE China Mobile

Technology

Trip.com Group Sincerely Accepts Administrative Penalty Decision Issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China

Published

4 hours ago

July 25, 2026

SINGAPORE, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Trip.com Group Limited (Nasdaq: TCOM; HKEX: 9961) today announced that it has received the administrative penalty decision issued by the State Administration for Market Regulation of the People’s Republic of China.

Trip.com Group sincerely accepts the decision and will adopt rectification measures in accordance with applicable laws and regulations to implement the decision’s requirements. The Company will strengthen its long-term governance mechanisms and strive to contribute to the sustainable development of the travel industry.

Trip.com Group’s management team will host a conference call at 8:00 AM U.S. Eastern Time on July 27, 2026 (or 8:00 PM Hong Kong Time on July 27, 2026).

The conference call will be available on Webcast live at: http://investors.trip.com.

All participants must pre-register to join this conference call using the participant registration link below:
https://register-conf.media-server.com/register/BIb78e08d8f18340c4882a7e4ab961906b.

Upon registration, each participant will receive details for this conference call, including dial-in numbers and a unique access PIN. To join the conference, please dial the number provided, enter your PIN, and you will join the conference instantly.

For further information, please contact:
Investor Relations
Trip.com Group Limited
Email: iremail@trip.com

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/tripcom-group-sincerely-accepts-administrative-penalty-decision-issued-by-the-state-administration-for-market-regulation-of-the-peoples-republic-of-china-302834599.html

SOURCE Trip.com Group Limited

Technology

NAVER Partners with Brookfield and NVIDIA to Expand Korea’s National AI Factory Infrastructure Buildout

Published

6 hours ago

July 25, 2026

SAN FRANCISCO, July 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — NAVER, Brookfield and NVIDIA announced an expansion of Korea’s sovereign AI factory infrastructure. New investments will increase the initial NVIDIA DSX™ AI factory deployment from 55 megawatts to 200 megawatts.

Announced during Korea President Jae Myung Lee’s AI Summit visit to San Francisco, the planned 200-megawatt expansion will be built with the NVIDIA DSX platform at NAVER’s GAK Sejong hyperscale data center in Sejong, South Korea. The expanded infrastructure will provide Korea- and U.S.- based AI innovators with access to production-scale AI compute for building next-generation models, agents and AI-powered services.

Under the terms of the agreements, Brookfield will fund up to $9 billion as the exclusive capital partner, NVIDIA will invest $1 billion and NAVER will fund the remaining amount to finance the $10 billion project.

This builds on NAVER’s June announcement to extend its GAK Sejong data center with NVIDIA DSX, with a long-term path to gigawatt-scale sovereign AI infrastructure serving Korea’s enterprises, industries, government organizations and global AI cloud customers. Combining Brookfield’s capital with NVIDIA’s computing platform, the investment supports NAVER’s AI factory deployment.

“NVIDIA’s strategic investment and our infrastructure supply agreement with Brookfield have propelled NAVER’s vision for the AI Factory business into a robust execution phase,” said Haejin Lee, Founder and Chairman of NAVER. “Leveraging the solid partnerships with our global partners, we will drive technological innovation, foster a sovereign AI ecosystem, and spearhead efforts to strengthen South Korea’s AI competitiveness.”

AI Factory Expansion and Open Model Collaboration to Fuel AI Innovators

NAVER, as an NVIDIA Cloud Partner, provides deep expertise in operating hyperscale infrastructure powered by the full-stack NVIDIA AI platform. The 200-megawatt AI factory, featuring NVIDIA Vera Rubin and Blackwell platforms, will establish a dedicated resource pool for emerging AI companies, providing the compute, software and support needed to develop and deploy competitive AI models and applications at scale.

This expanded infrastructure also builds on NAVER and NVIDIA’s collaboration on open model development for agentic and physical AI. NAVER is advancing its HyperCLOVA X models to be based on NVIDIA Nemotron™ 3 Ultra open models with its proprietary data and training expertise. NAVER is also the first Korean company to join the NVIDIA Nemotron Coalition, contributing to open model development across pretraining, post-training and reinforcement learning.

NAVER plans to launch an AI agent platform in Korea in the second half of the year, powered by NVIDIA Agent Toolkit software including NVIDIA NemoClaw™ blueprints. NAVER is also developing a Seoul World Model using proprietary urban street-view and spatial modeling data, built on NVIDIA Cosmos™ world foundation models.

About NAVER

Founded in 1999, NAVER is Korea’s largest Internet company and one of the world’s top tech companies. Leading cutting-edge technologies, NAVER operates the No.1 search engine in Korea and holds various business portfolios encompassing commerce, fintech, cloud, AI and robotics.

NAVER recorded sales of KRW 12.04 trillion (USD 8.18 billion) in 2025. TEAM NAVER continues to enhance its business portfolio and expand its global presence across Japan, North America, and Europe, while pursuing innovation through continuous research and development in future technologies.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/naver-partners-with-brookfield-and-nvidia-to-expand-koreas-national-ai-factory-infrastructure-buildout-302834577.html

SOURCE NAVER