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Rice launches AI venture accelerator to fuel industry innovation in collaboration with Google Public Sector

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HOUSTON, April 1, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Today Rice University announced the launch of the Rice AI Venture Accelerator (RAVA), designed to drive early stage artificial intelligence (AI) innovation and commercialization. In collaboration with Google Public Sector, RAVA is powered by Google Cloud technology and services and aims to connect AI-focused startups with large companies and public sector organizations to solve critical business and industry challenges through AI.

“We are creating an ecosystem where industry leaders can access the next generation of AI-driven solutions.”

“We are thrilled to announce the launch of the Rice AI Venture Accelerator in partnership with Google Public Sector,” Rice President Reginald DesRoches said. “This collaboration builds on Rice’s decades-long history of innovation and aligns perfectly with our mission to transform breakthrough research into real-world impact. Through RAVA, we are creating an ecosystem where industry leaders can access the next generation of AI-driven solutions.”

The AI accelerator is led by Rice Nexus, the university’s innovation hub located in Houston’s Ion District. RAVA partners will have exclusive access to Google Public Sector’s leadership in AI and machine learning research, cloud computing and AI-focused sandbox services.

Google Cloud will provide the necessary technology to help AI startups build minimum viable products rapidly and scale those solutions for deployment across industries. This will include leading-industry technology around cybersecurity, AI-optimized infrastructure and valuable datasets. In addition, partners will benefit from Rice’s top AI researchers, who bring expertise from the Ken Kennedy Institute and the Houston innovation ecosystem.

“Google Public Sector is proud to partner with a leading institution like Rice University to launch the Rice AI Venture Accelerator,” said Reymund Dumlao, director of state and local government and education at Google Public Sector. “By providing access to Google Cloud’s cutting-edge AI, secure cloud infrastructure and expertise, we’re enabling the next generation of AI pioneers to develop solutions that address critical challenges across industries and within the public sector. This unique partnership between education and industry will give participants access to cutting-edge research, leading technologists, specialized resources and a collaborative academic ecosystem, fostering an environment for rapid innovation and growth.”

RAVA will also collaborate with non sibi ventures, a venture capital firm that specializes in identifying and selecting high-potential early stage startups to further enhance the program’s value.

While Rice Nexus — a state-of-the-art 10,000-square-foot innovation hub — will serve as the physical hub, RAVA will extend its support to AI startups from across the U.S., enabling them to develop solutions for industry and public sector challenges. This aligns with Rice’s broader strategic plan, Momentous, which prioritizes leadership in responsible AI, computing and disruptive technologies.

“By leveraging the vast resources and leadership of Google Public Public Sector from AI research, cloud service and the AI-focused Rapid Innovation Team, we will provide RAVA partners access to unparalleled technology,” said Paul Cherukuri, vice president for innovation at Rice. “This partnership is poised to accelerate the commercialization and real-world impact of AI solutions in ways that were previously unimaginable.”

Under the leadership of Sanjoy Paul, an AI expert and entrepreneur, the Nexus aims to be a key driver for innovation across multiple industries including biotech, energy, climate and health care.

“This hub enables AI startups to go beyond building minimum viable products that meet industry privacy standards by utilizing the latest AI technologies from Google Cloud,” said Sanjoy Paul, executive director of Rice Nexus. “Our goal is to maximize the return on investment for our corporate partners, driving meaningful innovation that will have lasting impact on their industries.”

RAVA represents the next step in Rice’s commitment to innovation, advancing AI research and supporting the growth of the Houston innovation ecosystem. The program will provide crucial resources to ensure that AI solutions are not only developed but also deployed at scale, changing industries and advancing technology globally, university officials said.

For more information about RAVA, please visit https://nexus.rice.edu/rava.

About Rice University
Located on a 300-acre forested campus in Houston, Texas, Rice University is consistently ranked among the nation’s top 20 universities by U.S. News & World Report. Rice has highly respected schools of architecture, business, continuing studies, engineering and computing, humanities, music, natural sciences and social sciences and is home to the Baker Institute for Public Policy. Internationally, the university maintains the Rice Global Paris Center, a hub for innovative collaboration, research and inspired teaching located in the heart of Paris, and Rice Global India in Bengaluru. With 4,776 undergraduates and 4,104 graduate students, Rice’s undergraduate student-to-faculty ratio is just under 6-to-1. Its residential college system builds close-knit communities and lifelong friendships, just one reason why Rice is ranked No. 1 for lots of race/class interaction and No. 7 for best-run colleges by the Princeton Review. 

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Linktel Technologies Highlights Breakthrough 1.6T LPO Performance & Strong Market Pull at OCP 2026

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SAN JOSE, Calif., Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — At the recent 2026 OCP Global Summit, Linktel Technologies showcased its cutting-edge optical interconnect portfolios engineered specifically for next-generation AI computing networks. Among the heavy lineup, Linktel’s 1.6T Linear Pluggable Optics (LPO) solutions commanded immense industry attention, drawing heavy customer interest for their unprecedented energy efficiency, ultra-low latency, and supply-chain resilience.

Spotlight: 1.6T LPO Performance & High Customer Traction

AI data centers face immense scaling pressures, demanding higher bandwidth densities with tighter thermal and power budgets. Linktel’s 1.6T LPO solutions—highlighted by the 1.6T LPO 2DR4—delivered standout performance metrics that captured the spotlight at the summit:

Ultra-Low Power Consumption: Operates with power consumption as low as an impressive 10W, drastically mitigating data center cooling and power loads.Minimal Latency: Features a linear optics architecture that cuts down signal processing delays, making it a critical asset for high-performance AI scale-out fabrics.Enhanced Supply-Chain Resilience: Eliminating the optical DSP mitigates component choke points, ensuring robust scalability for mass deployments.Proven Interoperability: Following its breakthrough performance and multi-switch platform interoperability at the early September 2026 1.6T LPO-MSA Plugfest, Linktel has laid a solid foundation for the 200G-per-wavelength ecosystem.

Surging Market Interest

Throughout OCP 2026, Linktel’s live demonstrations of its 1.6T LPO, LRO, and FRO modules drew crowds of data center architects and industry partners. With volume production already in place, Linktel is fully equipped to meet the exploding market demand for energy-efficient, high-density 1.6T connectivity.

Overview of Other Innovations at OCP 2026

In addition to the heavily requested 1.6T LPO lineup, Linktel showcased two other major high-speed architectural pillars:

12.8T Liquid-Cooled XPO:Featured a live thermal demonstration integrating advanced liquid cooling to guarantee stable operations in high-density AI nodes.As a founding member of the XPO MSA, Linktel is actively scaling XPO series with FRO, LRO, and LPO variants for comprehensive scale-up, scale-out, and scale-across frameworks.6.4T/7.2T NPO Modules:Displayed with covers removed to reveal internal architectural designs supporting both ELS and ILS configurations.Combines compact high density with low power and low latency, backed by an established 6.4T/7.2T NPO roadmap.DMD Technology & Executive Presentation:Linktel Engineer Director Dr. Grace Zhang hosted a heavily attended Executive Session titled “Dispersion Managed Transceiver for Next-Gen AI Fabrics,” detailing cost-effective 800G (20km) and 1.6T (10km) solutions for OCS SuperPOD architectures, as well as the feasibility of 400G per lambda (3km).With its DMD product line already in volume production, Linktel actively calls upon ecosystem partners to join forces in collaborative development. To drive ecosystem maturity, Linktel is open to sharing its U.S.-filed patents, paving the way for industry-wide adoption and advancements in next-gen AI fabrics.

About Linktel Technologies

Linktel Technologies is a global leader in optical transceiver development and manufacturing, supplying high-speed optical I/O connectivity—including pluggable transceivers, optical engines, and ODM/JDM services.

For more information, visit www.linktel.com or follow Linktel Technologies on LinkedIn.

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Advanced Manufacturing in Focus: Smart Life and Robotics Take the Spotlight at 140th Canton Fair

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GUANGZHOU, China, Oct. 18, 2026 /CNW/ — Phase 1 of the 140th Canton Fair, themed “Advanced Manufacturing,” opened on October 15 and will run through October 19. As one of the event’s most closely watched sections, the Consumer Electronics and Information Products zone once again serves as a showcase for the latest achievements in China’s manufacturing and technology industries.

Smart Life Solutions Address an Aging and Globalized Market

A highlight of this section is the focus on smart living, which brings together smart solutions designed to support healthier, safer, and more independent lifestyles.

For example, wearable devices and continuous glucose monitoring systems enable convenient tracking of key health indicators such as heart rate and blood glucose levels. Meanwhile, wearable exoskeletons and other AI-powered devices support mobility training and functional recovery. For home and elderly care, companion robots, electric nursing beds and home-use hyperbaric oxygen chambers, offer a combination of daily care, wellness support and lifestyle assistance. All these solutions highlight a growing shift toward technology-enabled living, where health management, personal care, and independent living are becoming more accessible and connected.

Service Robots Demonstrate Expanding Real-World Applications

The Service Robot Zone remains one of the fair’s most popular attractions in this edition.

Among the crowd favorites is a humanoid robot standing roughly 70–80 centimeters tall. With its expressive movements and playful appearance, the robot draws constant attention as it dances, approaches visitors and occasionally performs flips to the delight of onlookers. Behind the product is a company that has overcome key challenges in compact joint modules and modular humanoid robot development. Its independently developed high-power-density joints deliver remarkable agility and explosive movement, while modular architecture provides flexibility for a wide range of future applications.

More broadly, the Service Robot Zone features exhibits spanning a wide range of application areas, including embodied intelligence, specialized operations, urban services, and smart living. Full-size humanoid robots, dexterous hands with multimodal sensing capabilities and wheeled robots highlight the latest advances in artificial intelligence, perception technologies and motion control. For demanding industrial and emergency environments, exhibitors are presenting robotic inspection systems, live-line maintenance robots and underwater propulsion robots designed to improve safety and operational efficiency.

The commercial services sector is also well represented through reception robots, façade-cleaning robots and fully automated coffee kiosks, while everyday life applications include wearable exoskeletons, robotic lawn mowers and educational robots for home use. Together, these exhibits demonstrate how China’s robotics industry is accelerating its transition from technological innovation to large-scale commercialization.

As the 140th Canton Fair gets underway, the showcased innovations highlight China’s growing strength in advanced manufacturing, turning cutting-edge technologies into practical, market-ready solutions for global customers.

For more convenient attendance, please click here for pre-registration:
https://buyer.cantonfair.org.cn/register/buyer/email?source_type=16

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October 2026 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows Phase II Opens Today

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Asia’s first dedicated B2B Pre-Owned Mobile Devices focus pavilion 
Tencent Brings AI Ecosystem Products to the Show

HONG KONG, Oct. 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Phase II of the October 2026 Global Sources Hong Kong Shows opened today at AsiaWorld-Expo, running from October 18 to 21. The four-day event focuses on four core tracks — mobile electronics, smart home security and appliances, lifestyle electronics, and sports and outdoor — bringing together more than 2,100 quality Asian suppliers across more than 4,000 booths, showcasing approximately 160,000 new products including mobile devices, smart wearables, AR/VR, smart home, energy storage and charging, personal health care, pet products, and sports and outdoor equipment.

John Kao, Vice President of Hong Kong Shows & Overseas Shows at Global Sources, said: “Hong Kong possesses a regulatory framework aligned with international standards, efficient intellectual property protection, and proximity to the Greater Bay Area’s manufacturing heartland — enabling it to meet buyers’ dual demands for compliance and efficiency. Buyers no longer need to travel to multiple locations: right here in Hong Kong, they can assess Asian manufacturing supply, complete compliance reviews, and place orders — all in a single visit. The trust established between buyers and sellers on site is often difficult to achieve through months of email exchanges. We aim to continuously strengthen Hong Kong’s role as an international trade hub, enabling genuinely capable suppliers and serious buyers to connect efficiently on this platform.”

Asia’s First B2B Phone Trade Focus Pavilion Officially Debuts

Hong Kong has long been an important transit hub for the global second-hand phone trade. According to IDC data, global used smartphone shipments reached 225.7 million units in 2024 and are projected to maintain a compound annual growth rate of 4.9% through 2029. While the market continues to expand, compliant distribution capability remains the key threshold for entering this space.

For the first time, the show has partnered with the Hong Kong International Communications Electronic Chamber (HKICEC) to unveil the “HKICEC Global Mobile Exchange Pavilion,” Asia’s first dedicated B2B pavilion for Pre-Owned Mobile Devices. The pavilion brings together nearly 60 leading companies from Chinese Mainland, Hong Kong SAR, India, Japan, the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the United Kingdom, and beyond — including Zhuan Zhuan, ATRenew, US Mobile Phones Inc., Belong Inc., and ecoATM LLC — exhibits and services span new mobile devices, professionally tested and data-sanitized refurbished smart devices compliant with EU WEEE standards, intelligent testing technologies, recycling solutions, and compliant export services. The pavilion offers buyers from Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia a trusted and comprehensive sourcing platform, creating a green trade corridor that connects Chinese Mainland’s manufacturing strengths, Hong Kong SAR’s international platform, and global markets.

Tencent AI Makes Show Debut; AI Mass Production Enters the Delivery Phase

The product selection logic for AI products has undergone a marked shift in the second half of the year. The focus has moved entirely from “What new AI products are available?” to deployment capability and delivery efficiency — no longer chasing feature gimmicks alone, buyers place greater emphasis on whether products can effectively address real needs and ship reliably on schedule. Suppliers’ overall fulfillment capability has surpassed mere product highlights to become the primary assessment criterion in sourcing decisions. The Phase II “AI+ Theme Zone” features over 1,200 booths spanning seven segments: AI terminal devices, AI wearables, AI glasses, AI toys, AI pet products, AI personal health devices, and AI-integrated products, showcasing suppliers’ proven ability to move from concept to mass production. The zone also extends to lifestyle electronics including wearable electronics, smart pet products, personal care and beauty tech, sports, outdoor and fitness tech, gifts, and smart living, covering a wide range of real-world application scenarios.

Tencent joins forces with its ecosystem partners to exhibit under the theme “AI-Empowered Business Growth,” showcasing Tencent’s AI office assistant WorkBuddy alongside enterprise-grade AI solutions from ecosystem partners, including the AI-powered business growth tool Buda.im and Busabase. Running concurrently with the fair, the “AI Agent Summit” brings together over 100 industry, investment and technology leaders to explore how AI Agents are moving beyond demos into real-world deployment and revenue generation, with in-depth discussions on commercialisation pathways, industry standardisation and emerging opportunities across the AI Agent ecosystem. In addition, the show has partnered with the Taiwan Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers’ Association (TEEMA) to launch a Taiwan AI Supply Chain Theme Pavilion, showcasing the region’s established industrial cluster strengths in AI modules, components, and contract manufacturing.

Vietnamese Manufacturing and Mobile Accessories Take Center Stage; Diverse Sourcing Zones Debut

Phase II features a dedicated “Vietnam Sourcing Fair” zone, bringing together approximately 50 Vietnamese manufacturers with mature export capabilities, covering three product categories: fashion products and apparel, home and kitchenware, and gifts and packaging. For buyers seeking to diversify sourcing risks, the zone enables them to simultaneously access China’s main supply chain and Vietnam’s emerging production capacity at the same show, and negotiate directly face-to-face with Vietnamese factories.

With new-generation flagship smartphones from major brands hitting the market, demand for compatible mobile accessories is ramping up. The show floor features over 2,000 mobile-accessory booths showcasing new offerings including phone cases, charging gear, stands, and data cables, providing global buyers with an extensive range of options. The event also hosts the “Global Buyer’s Top Picks” creative phone-case contest to identify case designs with strong market potential.

The concurrent Hong Kong Security Tech Show, supported by the China Chamber of Commerce for Import and Export of Machinery and Electronic Products (CCCME), showcases products and solutions spanning security surveillance, smart access control, and cybersecurity.

Best of Innovation Awards Recognize Outstanding Products; Global New Product Launches Converge in Hong Kong

The Phase II Best of Innovation Awards focus on products across mobile electronics, smart home, security and appliances, lifestyle electronics, and sports and outdoor categories, with judging criteria emphasizing practicality, cost-effectiveness, technological maturity, and market relevance — identifying innovative products with genuine commercial deployment potential. Phase II also introduces a dedicated “AI Innovation Award” to recognize exhibits with outstanding applications of AI technology. The awards program continues its partnership with the internationally renowned European Product Design Award (EPDA)™ to present the “Best Product Design Award,” honoring products that combine innovative thinking with exceptional design. The show also serves as the preferred launch platform for multiple exhibitors’ annual new products, featuring heavyweight global and Asia premieres that further consolidate Hong Kong’s position as the world’s premier stage for consumer electronics product debuts.

About Global Sources

Global Sources is an internationally recognized multi-channel trade platform, connecting Asia with the world for 55 years. The company has been dedicated to facilitating global trade by connecting verified suppliers with qualified buyers worldwide. To date, it has successfully served more than 14 million registered buyers and users globally, providing efficient and convenient trade solutions.

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