Technology

MERLIN SOLAR APPOINTS KENDALL COMBS AS CEO AND IAN VANREEPINGHEN AS CFO

Published

1 year ago

April 14, 2025

—Combs & VanReepinghen are poised to drive the company’s next phase of growth and innovation—

SAN JOSE, Calif., April 14, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Merlin Solar, a leader in revolutionizing solar renewable energy for mobile environments and rooftops, today announced the appointment of Kendall Combs as Chief Executive Officer and Ian VanReepinghen as Chief Financial Officer. This leadership comes at a time of significant momentum for the company, having nearly doubled its revenue the past two years and achieving 75% YoY growth in the transportation segment. In 2024, Merlin Solar launched its Microgrid Solutions Offering, expanding beyond solar panels to deliver full power systems. With a robust pipeline poised to double Merlin Solar’s size in coming years — demand is stronger than ever.

“I’ve had the rare privilege of experiencing Merlin Solar’s success from multiple vantage points, first as a customer, then as an investor, later as a board member, and now as CEO,” said Combs. “What first drew me to the company was its product: innovative, elegant, and unmatched in performance. Then, it was the people: a dynamic, passionate team whose energy and commitment are infectious. Finally, it was the opportunity. With the right product and team in place, the path to unlocking our full potential is all about the execution. I am honored to lead Merlin into this next phase of transformative growth.”

Combs steps into the role of CEO at Merlin Solar after a distinguished 13 years at Saint-Gobain, the global leader in light and sustainable construction, and both an investor in and a customer of Merlin Solar. Most recently, he served as Vice President of Strategic Business Development, driving growth as well as innovation initiatives. Prior to Saint-Gobain, Combs spent six years spearheading business development at White Peak Real Estate Investment, a Swedish-backed private equity firm focused on third-tier real estate and manufacturing investments within China. He brings extensive experience in P&L management, overseeing businesses with annual revenues that ranged from $10M to $600M. Combs has led strategic initiatives and M&As that exceeded $5B in value. He holds his MBA from Wharton, a Master’s from University of Pennsylvania as well as a Bachelor’s from University of Texas.

As CEO of Merlin Solar, Combs is focused on accelerating growth, ensuring operational excellence, and enabling seamless execution. He leads the company’s overall strategy for employees, customers, and stakeholders, ensuring the right systems and controls are in place to deliver a consistent brand experience. By optimizing execution, Combs empowers the team to expand revenue and profitability, while allowing the founders to concentrate on technology, manufacturing strategy and its customers.

As CFO of Merlin Solar, VanReepinghen brings nearly 25 years of finance, investment, and strategic planning experience across Fortune 500, middle market growth companies, as well as startups. Most recently, he had served as Director of Finance for Lundberg Family Farms, the $150M regenerative organic agriculture and food manufacturing powerhouse. Prior to that, he was the Head of Finance for Thrilling, the Series A vintage and secondhand apparel marketplace. He brings a unique set of experiences in capital intensive industries including Real Estate, Consumer and Retail, Agriculture & Manufacturing at companies including Rodan + Fields, Tory Burch, Estoril Consulting Group, LLC, MasterCard, Peet’s Coffee & Tea, Gap Inc., and others. VanReepinghen brings an extensive US and global network and capabilities within managing heavy financial detail, analysis, and micro-level work.

“From the moment that I spoke with Merlin Solar’s Founder, Murali—who gave me a deep dive into the product and shared his genuine enthusiasm and authenticity—I was an instant believer in the company’s mission,” shared VanReepinghen. “I was equally impressed by our premier backers—including Fifth Wall and Saint-Gobain—who bring immense credibility to the company. It has quickly become clear to me that Merlin’s product is not just innovative — it delivers real value, driving significant reductions in energy and resource usage, while easily integrating into existing customer operations. I’m thrilled to support Kendall in scaling the company’s products across various channels and expanding its impact.”

VanReepinghen will focus on driving Merlin Solar’s sustained, profitable and scalable growth. He will guide the team in allocating resources for the highest ROI and act as a strategic advisor to Combs and the rest of the company’s management team, ensuring informed financial decisions that minimize risk and maximize reward. He will streamline their reporting, improve processes, and remove barriers to growth, while reinforcing the culture of innovation and collaboration across teams. His expertise will ensure that the company meets its financial goals and positions itself for near- and long-term success.

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SOURCE Merlin Solar

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

7 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.

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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

3 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

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SOURCE Trip.com Group Limited

Technology

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

Published

5 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.

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SOURCE NAVER