Technology
Samsung Officially Launches Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Fold8, Flip8, Watch Ultra2 and Watch9 in Australia
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2 hours agoon
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Galaxy Z Series and New Watches redefine foldable and wearable experiences, helping people explore, discover, and express their individuality
SYDNEY, Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has announced that Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip8, Galaxy Watch9, and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 are now available in Australia.
The local availability is live as Samsung Electronics Australia sets a new record – its most successful foldable pre-order to-date, with solid double-digit growth year on year. Attracting its highest number of new to Samsung switchers, with Galaxy Z Fold8 leading the mix. The latest Galaxy Z series have also seen an increase in younger Australians, influenced by the portability and pocketability of the foldable form factor. By colour, Graphite and Lavender were the most popular among Australians who opted for the Galaxy Z Fold8, while Violet Shadow and Graphite were preferred for the Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra. Pink and Graphite were the top colour picks for the Galaxy Z Flip8.
Eric Chou, Vice President of Mobile eXperience at Samsung Electronics Australia, said, “We are committed to delivering Australians a mobile experience that goes beyond the hardware – spanning security, service, software and Galaxy AI – reflected in our latest, most complete Galaxy foldable and wearable line-up yet. Our all-new Galaxy devices are anchored by AI that aims to make everyday life more convenient and meaningful, while paired with our strong privacy assurance via our Knox-defence grade security solution. Most importantly, Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip8, Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 each offer distinct experiences, designed for different Australian lifestyles, proudly reinforcing we invest in a holistic mobile experience that goes beyond the core use of a smartphone or smartwatch.”
Samsung Expands its Foldable Leadership with Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, and Galaxy Z Flip8
With eight generations of foldable innovation behind it, Samsung’s latest Galaxy Z Series offers devices designed for immersive entertainment, powerful productivity, and on-the-go creativity.
The all-new Galaxy Z Fold8 introduces a first-of-its-kind passport-inspired form factor that transforms how users consume content, seamlessly shifting between quick interactions and immersive viewing, reading and gaming. Lightweight and ready for everyday use, it combines Galaxy AI, powerful performance and an advanced dual 50MP camera system[1] in Samsung’s lightest Galaxy Z Fold device yet.[2]
For those seeking the ultimate foldable experience, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra delivers Samsung’s most advanced foldable yet. Featuring an expansive 8-inch display,[3] Ultra-grade camera capabilities, all-day battery life[4] and flagship performance, it is designed for Australians who want to create, multitask, and stay productive from anywhere.
Meanwhile, Galaxy Z Flip8 is Samsung’s slimmest and lightest flip phone ever,[5],[6] weighing just 180g[7], and it brings together style, convenience and self-expression in a compact design. With a reimagined AI-powered FlexWindow, enhanced camera capabilities, and Samsung’s signature Flex Mode[8] experience, Galaxy Z Flip8 makes it easier to capture and stay connected on the go.
Across the new Galaxy Z Series, Samsung continues to enhance content creation with Galaxy AI-powered tools and camera features, including My FanCam[9] making it easier to capture, edit, and share content. The lineup also benefits from Samsung’s new Flex Titanium technology, delivering slimmer, stronger, and a more refined foldable.[10]
“For almost a decade, we have proudly pioneered the foldable category, and are thrilled with Australians’ overwhelmingly positive response to our latest Galaxy Z series, especially our Galaxy Fold8,” said Nathan Rigger, Head of Product, Mobile eXperience at Samsung Australia. “Our record foldable pre-order performance solidifies our continued confidence in the category, and drive to meet Australians evolving needs. With Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra and Galaxy Z Flip8 we strive to transform the way Australians consume media, connect and express themselves, by setting new standards in performance and functionality.”
Galaxy Watch Ultra2 and Galaxy Watch9 Deliver Intelligent Health and Wellness Experiences
Samsung’s latest Galaxy Watch lineup offers Australians two distinct smartwatch options, designed to support everything from everyday wellbeing to high-performance training. Across both devices, Samsung’s latest AI-powered health features help users proactively manage key areas such as activity, recovery, cardiovascular health, and sleep.
Built for adventurers and high-performance athletes, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is Samsung’s most advanced smartwatch yet. Designed to perform in demanding environments, it combines specialised sports tracking, health and wellness monitoring, and Samsung’s brightest watch display ever with up to 5,000 nits of peak brightness.[11] With a larger battery, enhanced durability, and powerful performance, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is engineered to help users push further whether they’re training, exploring or tackling everyday challenges.
For those seeking an everyday wellness companion, Galaxy Watch9 delivers powerful insights in a lightweight and comfortable design. Featuring lasting battery, a bright display, and AI-powered health insights through Samsung Health[12] and Galaxy AI, Galaxy Watch9 helps users build better habits through effortless all-day tracking, and actionable insights.
“Health and wellness look different for everyone, which is why we’ve designed our latest Galaxy Watch line-up to support a broad range of Australian lifestyles, goals, and routines,” said Kylie Mason, Head of Wearables, Mobile eXperience, Samsung Electronics Australia. “Whether it’s pushing your limits outdoors with Galaxy Watch Ultra2 or building better everyday habits with Galaxy Watch9, these devices combine advanced health insights, AI-powered coaching, and all-day comfort to help Australians build better habits and stay on track.”
Australian Launch Events, Activations and Campaigns
To celebrate the Samsung collaboration with Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day”, Spider-Man recently paid a visit to two friendly neighbourhood Samsung Experience Stores in NSW and VIC.
At the Samsung Experience Store Chadstone on Saturday, 8 August, and the Samsung Experience Store Parramatta on Sunday, 9 August, fans had the opportunity to meet Spider-Man and capture the moment on the latest Galaxy Z Series devices.
Galaxy Experts were on hand to showcase why Samsung foldables are breakout stars, bringing the innovation and excitement of the Galaxy Z Series to life for customers.
See how Samsung flips into action for Sony Pictures’ “Spider-Man: Brand New Day” with a cinematic spot starring Jacob Batalon.
Samsung’s launch of the new Galaxy Z Series, Galaxy Watch9 and Galaxy Watch Ultra2 is supported by a national integrated marketing campaign expected to reach 96.7% of Australia’s Gen MZ audience.
The launch will feature landmark outdoor advertising across Melbourne and Sydney, including premium digital placements at Melbourne’s Emporium and Sydney’s Broadway & George precincts, complemented by more than 3,300 out-of-home panels nationwide spanning retail, transit and street furniture.
Samsung will also bring the Galaxy experience to consumers through a major retail presence at Melbourne’s Highpoint Shopping Centre, alongside content partnerships with leading creators and publishers across Twitch, ARN’s Footy & Friends and Mamamia’s The Spill, integrating Galaxy devices into entertainment, lifestyle and sporting conversations across Australia.
Availability
From August 14, Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra, Galaxy Z Flip8, Galaxy Watch9, Galaxy Watch Ultra2 are available to order in Australia, with pricing and colour options listed below:
Pricing
Model
RRP
Memory
Colour
Online Exclusive
Galaxy Z Fold8
$3599
16GB + 1TB
Cream
Graphite
Lavender
Pistachio
$2999
12GB + 512GB
$2699
12GB + 256GB
Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra
$3899
16GB + 1TB
Cream
Graphite
Violet Shadow
Green Shadow
$3299
12GB + 512GB
$2999
12GB + 256GB
Galaxy Z Flip8
$2249
12GB + 512GB
Cream
Graphite
Pink
Mint
$1949
12GB + 256GB
Model
RRP
Size
Colour
In-box Band
Galaxy
Watch Ultra2
$1299
47mm
Titanium Grey
Marine Band (Black)
Titanium Silver
Marine Band (Olive)
Galaxy Watch9
$649
Small 40mm BT
Graphite
Sports Band (Black)
Cream
Sports Band (Cream)
$699
Large 44mm BT
Graphite
Sports Band (Black)
Silver
Sports Band (Olive)
$749
Small 40mm LTE
Graphite
Sports Band (Black)
Cream
Sports Band (Cream)
$799
Large 44mm LTE
Graphite
Sports Band (Black)
Silver
Sports Band (Olive)
Launch Offers: T&CS apply, offer dates vary by channel
T&Cs apply on all offers
Channel
Offer
Samsung.com
(14 Aug, 2026 – 9 Sep, 2026)
Receive $120 bonus trade in credit OR $120 Eco Voucher when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Receive $120 bonus trade in credit OR $120 Eco Voucher when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Receive $80 bonus trade in credit OR $80 Eco Voucher when you purchase a Galaxy Z Flip8Receive a $50 eco-voucher to spend on Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Ring and Accessories when you purchase a Galaxy Watch9 Receive a $100 eco-voucher to spend on Galaxy Buds, Galaxy Ring and Accessories when you purchase a Galaxy Watch Ultra2
Telstra
(14 Aug, 2026 – 7 Sep, 2026)
Save $600 when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra on an eligible payment plan Save $500 when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 on an eligible payment plan Save $300 when you purchase a Galaxy Z Flip8 on a payment planSave $500 when you purchase a Galaxy Watch Ultra2 Save $200 when you purchase a Galaxy Watch9
Optus
(13 Aug, 2026 – 6 Sep, 2026)
Save $600 when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra on an eligible payment planSave $600 when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 on an eligible payment planSave $600 when you purchase a Galaxy Z Flip8 on an eligible payment plan
TPG (Vodafone)
(14 Aug, 2026 – 7 Sep, 2026)
Save $500 when you Purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra on an eligible payment plan Save $500 when you Purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 on an eligible payment plan Save $300 when you purchase a Galaxy Z Flip8 on an eligible payment plan Save $400 when you purchase a Galaxy Watch Ultra2 Save $100 when you purchase a Galaxy Watch9
Open Channel (participating retailers)
(14 Aug, 2026 – 26 Aug, 2026)
Receive a bonus $150 gift card when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra Receive a bonus $150 gift card when you purchase a Galaxy Z Fold8 Receive a bonus $150 gift card when you purchase a Galaxy Z Flip8
Additionally, New Galaxy Club in Australia – an upgrade and protection program – offers up to 50% of an eligible device’s recommended retail price back when customers move to an eligible next-generation Galaxy phone between 9 to 13 months after signing up. The program also includes Samsung Care+ for repairs and support, and it’s available with the Galaxy Z Series via Samsung.com/au on a monthly or one-year upfront plan.[13]
For more information about the Galaxy Z Series, Galaxy Watch Ultra2, and Galaxy Watch9, please visit: Samsung Australia Newsroom, and Samsung.com/au.
About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future with transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of TVs, smartphones, wearable devices, tablets, home appliances, network systems, and memory, system LSI, foundry and LED solutions, and delivering a seamless connected experience through its SmartThings ecosystem and open collaboration with partners. For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com/au.
About Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Brand New Day
It’s a BRAND NEW DAY for Peter Parker. Fighting crime full-time as Spider-Man in a world that doesn’t remember him and the pressure of seeing his old friends move on without him sparks a change in Peter he may not have the power to control. But that transformation might also be the only thing that can stop a shocking new threat to the city and those he loves – a powerful villain no one can even see.
The world may have forgotten Peter Parker, but he hasn’t forgotten them.
Directed by Destin Daniel Cretton, the film is written by Chris McKenna & Erik Sommers. Based on the MARVEL Comic Book by Stan Lee and Steve Ditko, serving as producers are Kevin Feige, p.g.a., Amy Pascal, p.g.a., Avi Arad, and Rachel O’Connor, p.g.a. Executive producers are Louis D’Esposito and David Cain. The film stars Tom Holland, Zendaya, Sadie Sink, Jacob Batalon, Jon Bernthal, Tramell Tillman, Michael Mando and Mark Ruffalo. Credits not final.
See Spider-Man: Brand New Day, in cinemas now.
[1] Results may vary depending on light condition and/or shooting conditions including multiple subjects, being out of focus or moving subjects.
[2] Weight may vary by country or region.
[3] Measured diagonally, Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra’s Cover Screen size is 6.5″ in the full rectangle and 6.5″ accounting for the rounded corners. The Main Screen size is 8.0″ in the full rectangle and 8.0″ accounting for the rounded corners; actual viewable area is smaller due to the rounded corners and camera hole.
[4] Actual battery life varies by network environment, features and apps used, frequency of calls and messages, the number of times charged, and many other factors.
[5] Compared to previous Galaxy Z Flip models. Galaxy Z Flip8 measures 13.1mm when folded and 6.1mm when unfolded. Thickness measured from top to bottom of the glass at the thinnest point. The Z Flip8 measures 180g in weight and the Z Flip7 measures 188g.
[6] Compared to previous models.
[7] Weight may vary by country or region.
[8] Flex Mode supported at angles between 75° and 115°. Some apps may not be supported in Flex Mode.
[9] Results may vary depending on shooting conditions and environment. Accuracy of results is not guaranteed.
[10] Compared to previous Galaxy Z Fold models.
[11] Based on market research of globally released smartwatches as of June 2026. The 5,000-nit specification refers to the localised peak brightness achieved under high ambient light and full-screen brightness may differ. Actual brightness may vary or be limited depending on environmental factors, device temperature and usage conditions.
[12] Samsung Health is not a medical/therapeutic device. It is solely intended for fitness and wellness purposes only and is not intended for use in the diagnosis of disease or other conditions; or in the cure, mitigation, treatment or prevention of disease; or for the prevention or control of conception or pregnancy. Samsung recommends that you consult with your doctor or physician before participating in any exercise program.
[13] The ability to purchase New Galaxy Club (generally) is available to consumers only via Samsung.com and through the Enhanced Partnership Program (excluding the Samsung Staff Portal). It is not available to customers shopping on Samsung Business Shop. New Galaxy Club and Samsung Care+ are not insurance products. Samsung Care+ coverage, service type and promotion details may vary by country/region and deductible (service fee) may apply. To be eligible for Samsung Care+ and New Galaxy Club promotion benefit, registration may be required. For detailed information, please visit https://www.samsung.com/au/new-galaxy-club/.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/samsung-officially-launches-galaxy-z-fold8-ultra-fold8-flip8-watch-ultra2-and-watch9-in-australia-302851654.html
SOURCE Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
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Technology
China advances global AI governance in a comprehensive manner
Published
59 minutes agoon
August 14, 2026By
BEIJING, Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A report from People’s Daily.
A recent commentary in The New York Times compared the development of advanced AI models to two distinct paths: “nuclear weapons” and “nuclear energy.” The former emphasizes destructive potential and calls for strict control, while the latter highlights manageable risks and advocates openness and sharing. These contrasting approaches reflect a fundamental question: Is AI a strategic tool for monopoly and competition, or a public good that benefits all of humanity?
China’s answer is clear and firm: AI should be people-centered and used for the benefit of all.
At the opening ceremony of the 2026 World AI Conference (WAIC) and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, Chinese President Xi Jinping called for joint efforts to build a just and equitable system for global AI governance. The proposal reflects a profound understanding of technological and historical trends, embodies the wisdom of governing AI for the common good, and points toward the long-term goal of building a community with a shared future for humanity.
China adheres to the principle of openness and win-win cooperation, boosting innovation-driven development, and enabling AI to benefit all sectors and businesses.
Recently, China’s next-generation large model Kimi K3 was officially released as an open-source model. With 2.8 trillion parameters, it has become the largest open-source model in the world in terms of parameter scale. China has emerged as one of the most active and fastest-growing sources of open-source large models globally, with cumulative downloads exceeding 10 billion. As Chinese large models continue to evolve rapidly, they are not only stimulating domestic demand through diverse applications but also making advanced technologies more accessible through their competitive cost-performance ratios. These models are increasingly becoming productivity tools favored by users worldwide.
Open source and openness are not just approaches to technological development; they also reflect a philosophy of collaboration and shared growth. China has proposed the AI+ International Cooperation Initiative and launched an action plan on AI cooperation and development, outlining actions in eight areas, including sharing open-source AI ecosystems and promoting the coordinated development of rules and standards. China also unveiled Fenghe, an open-source large language model.
Kazakh President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev said China’s leading role in open-source AI innovation, open platforms, and international scientific cooperation has created new development opportunities for countries worldwide.
China strengthens risk-awareness, ensuring that AI is secure, controllable, and a trusted tool for humanity.
As AI systems continue to grow exponentially in reasoning ability, scientific capability, and autonomy, policymakers around the world must follow the precautionary principle and prepare for possible scenarios and risks, Turing Award laureate Yoshua Bengio noted.
This view aligns with China’s belief that AI must always remain under human control. China has released the Global AI Governance Initiative, which includes proposals on risk assessment and classification, improving laws and regulations, and developing ethical guidelines. The initiative calls on all countries to jointly prevent risks and continuously enhance AI’s safety, reliability, controllability, and fairness.
China has also released versions 1.0 and 2.0 of its AI safety governance framework, integrating safety requirements throughout the processes of model development, deployment, and application. The country issued the Global AI Governance Action Plan, identifying safety and controllability as core principles. In addition, China released an action plan on international AI ethics governance, providing a framework that combines guiding principles with practical measures.
From setting directions to establishing pathways, China continues to provide international public goods, helping ensure that AI, like a powerful steed, can run both fast and steadily.
China encourages inclusiveness and promotes mutual learning among civilizations. It tends to the garden of civilizations with great care to ensure that the beauty of each civilization is appreciated and shared.
Unlike conventional dams that block and redirect water, the Dujiangyan irrigation system harnessed the natural flow of the Minjiang River through scientific diversion and adaptation, benefiting the Chengdu Plain for more than 2,000 years. The Chinese sage Confucius said, “The gentleman seeks harmony but not uniformity.” Different civilizations and systems each have their own characteristics. What matters is mutual respect, coexistence, and shared progress. Danil Kerimi, vice chairman of the Independent Oversight Advisory Committee of the World Intellectual Property Organization, drew on Eastern wisdom to shed light on China’s AI governance approach, which reflects a longstanding tradition of inclusiveness and mutual respect.
Today, this Eastern wisdom is being translated into concrete action. The “Cultural Interactions Engine” seeks to uncover deep connections among world cultural heritage sites and showcase the shared characteristics and diversity of human civilizations to users in more than 170 countries. At the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, the Qwen large language model became the first official AI model in Olympic history, creating a new intelligent experience for winter sports events.
Chinese and Malaysian companies have jointly set up an AI multilingual intelligent dubbing and translation center. The facility supports translation for over 130 languages and makes it possible to translate audiovisual content in just 30 minutes. Chinese AI technologies are now crossing borders, allowing civilizations to grow through inclusiveness and renew themselves through exchange.
China advocates solidarity, seeks to improve global governance, and works to prevent new historical injustice in the field of AI.
During the 2026 WAIC and High-Level Meeting on Global AI Governance, the World AI Cooperation Organization was established, with 38 countries becoming founding members. As the world’s first intergovernmental international organization dedicated to AI, it promotes inclusive development for the benefit of all. It follows the purposes and principles of the UN Charter and remains open to all countries, charting a new course for global AI governance in the intelligent era.
In recent years, China has hosted AI capacity-building workshops, launched the Belt and Road Special Cooperation Program on AI Science, Technology and Innovation, and developed the “Digital South” brand project under the framework of the Global Development Project Pool. Over the next five years, China will provide 5,000 AI training opportunities for developing countries and establish international AI application cooperation centers with ASEAN, the Arab League, the African Union, the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States, the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and BRICS countries. In addition, China will promote the application of the MAZU intelligent meteorological early warning solution in 30 countries. China has consistently believed and demonstrated that AI should become a symphony of global cooperation.
Looking back to the summer of 1956, when the concept of “artificial intelligence” was first introduced at the Dartmouth Summer Research Project on Artificial Intelligence in the U.S., the past 70 years have witnessed China’s technological journey from its early beginnings to steady progress. This journey has moved from following and catching up to competing alongside global leaders and gaining an edge in more fields.
Today, with high-level technological self-reliance laying a stronger foundation for innovation and “AI Plus” opening up global opportunities, China’s AI sector is entering a period of unprecedented development. This confidence stems from continuous breakthroughs in core technologies, a thriving innovation ecosystem, institutional safeguards that balance development and security, and a commitment to inclusiveness, mutual benefit, and win-win cooperation as a responsible major country.
Standing at a new historical starting point, China is ready to work with all parties with greater openness, more practical actions, and a longer-term vision. Together, they can seize the opportunities and address the challenges in AI development, and jointly create a better future for humanity.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/china-advances-global-ai-governance-in-a-comprehensive-manner-302851690.html
SOURCE People’s Daily
Technology
The First Year of World Models: When AI’s Supply-Side Revolution Moves from Generation to Understanding the Physical World
Published
59 minutes agoon
August 14, 2026By
BEIJING, Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Over the past two years, the core proposition of the AI industry has been “generation” — generating text, images, video, and music. But on July 19, 2026, at the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), Fang Han, Chairman and CEO of Kunlun Tech (Parent company of Skywork AI), formally declared 2026 as “the first year of world models,” marking a pivotal transition in which AI evolves from content generation toward understanding and interacting with the physical world. This is not a marketing slogan. It signals that the supply-side revolution has entered its second phase: AI is no longer merely producing content — it is beginning to comprehend the physical world.
I. The Camera Analogy, Continued
This transition also echoes the camera analogy proposed by Jiao Juan, Chief Analyst for Internet and Media and Head of AI Ethics Research at Founder Securities. In Jiao’s view, when photography was invented, it did not merely add a new medium to the arts — it first destroyed the economic foundation of realist painting, then drastically lowered the cost of visual representation, and finally, on the ruins of the old supply, gave birth to an entirely new art form: cinema. The history of technology suggests that genuine revolutions do not begin by creating abundance; they begin by destroying the existing supply structure. AI’s supply-side revolution is following precisely this trajectory.
II. From “Storing Frames” to “Storing Space”: The Deepening of the Supply-Side Revolution
At the WAIC forum, the technical breakthroughs announced by Skywork AI revealed the mechanics of this deepening. Consider the most stubborn problem in world models: long-term memory. Previous models “remembered” by storing entire frames — but when the camera moved and all object positions shifted, the model could no longer recognize them. Evaluation data showed that no mainstream world model achieved an object-reappearance score above 0.6 (out of 1.0). Skywork AI’s newly released interactive world model, Matrix-Game 3.5 adopted a fundamentally different approach: instead of storing whole “photographs,” it breaks each frame into countless small patches, each tagged with its precise three-dimensional coordinates — its distance from the camera, its position in space. This mechanism, called “Patch Memory,” represents an upgrade from “storing frames” to “storing space.” The model no longer remembers “what a certain frame looked like” but rather “what exists at a certain three-dimensional location.” As the technical report states, “the problem of ‘disappearing objects’ that has plagued the industry for so long has been solved in a true sense for the first time.”
This is not an incremental improvement — it is a paradigm shift in how AI relates to physical reality. Combined with the PRoPE geometric position encoding and Warped RoPE mechanism, the model’s positional encoding evolved from merely recording “which second on the timeline” and “which row and column in the frame” into a geometrically meaningful world coordinate system. The result: a 5B-parameter model achieving real-time streaming video generation at 720P resolution and approximately 20 FPS on a single GPU, with one-minute memory capability. As the report puts it, “20 FPS is not ‘playing a video’ — it is a ‘living world’: you operate, it responds, no stuttering, no memory loss, stable visuals, fast reactions.” The supply-side revolution has produced something qualitatively new: not a video generator, but an interactive, living world.
III. Data as the Foundation: Letting AI “Understand” Rather Than Merely “See”
Beneath the technical breakthroughs lies a more foundational insight. Training a world model requires not just video, but video endowed with physical information. As the technical team recognized, “letting AI understand the physical world requires giving it data that carries physical information.” They built a multi-agent system that operates 24 hours a day, automatically surveying thousands of games and scoring them on multiple dimensions. More critically, they constructed an automated annotation pipeline that performs 3D reconstruction on every video, estimating camera pose, metric depth, and camera intrinsics for each frame. The pipeline’s output: over 5 million high-quality video segments, more than 10,000 hours of effective training data, covering over 1,200 game scenes — each carrying precise camera pose, depth maps, and text descriptions. Jiao describes this as industrial-grade infrastructure for the supply-side revolution: an “oil refinery” that turns raw pixels into training fuel with physical scale.
IV. “Not Stacking Parameters, but Clever Architecture”: The Logic of the Entry Business
Perhaps the most counterintuitive decision was the team’s choice to “almost not add any new parameters at all.” Beyond the character Reference Adapter, all of Matrix-Game 3.5’s core interactive capabilities — PRoPE geometric encoding, Patch Memory long-term memory, camera control, and dynamic-static decoupling — were implemented on the existing model architecture without additional parameter burden. This reflects a deeper design philosophy: “modular, pluggable, and transferable.” The team built the interactive framework as a lightweight “plugin system” — each module works independently and can be quickly adapted to different video foundation models. The practical benefit: “the native open-ended content generation capability of the base video model is maximally preserved.” This “not stacking parameters, but relying on clever architecture” approach reveals the essential logic of the first layer of the AIGC framework. Foundational model companies are not competing on who can pile up the most parameters — they are competing on who can establish the entry position that the entire ecosystem must pass through. The real game is architectural ingenuity and ecosystem gravity, not brute-force scale.
The open-source strategy confirms this logic. The team behind DiT, NYU Assistant Professor Xie Saining, built Solaris — the world’s first multi-person video world model — on the open-source foundation of Matrix-Game 2.0. NVIDIA and Zhejiang University’s joint work, Light Interaction, was developed on Matrix-Game 3.0. Furthermore, NVIDIA’s SANA-WM and Adobe’s RELIC, among other international leading companies’ world model projects, all use Matrix-Game-related models as comparison benchmarks. When the world’s top researchers and companies choose your foundation as their base or benchmark, the gateway position is established. This is the “positioning” phase of the gateway business — the first stage of the iOS-like three-phase path: positioning, clearing, revenue sharing.
V. Three Layers of World Models and the Concept of “Learnware”
Academic depth complemented industrial breakthroughs. Academician Zhou Zhihua of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Professor and Vice President of Nanjing University, divided world models into a perception layer, an understanding layer, and a decision layer in his keynote speech, emphasizing that the decision layer has long faced two theoretical bottlenecks: “squared amplification of multi-step inference compound error” and “excessively high sample complexity.” He shared his team’s latest breakthrough: distribution-matching technology can compress inference error from squared to linear, while an innovative reverse application of the Bellman equation reduces the required sample size to one over the square root of T. More strikingly, he proposed the concept of “learnware” — composed of a model together with AI-automatically-generated “specifications,” allowing multiple heterogeneous models to be reused and assembled without disclosing their underlying data, opening a new path for world models to evolve from single-pipeline customization toward a growable, evolvable model ecosystem. This concept of learnware points toward a future where the supply-side revolution’s infrastructure becomes composable and reusable — models as building blocks, not monoliths.
VI. “Pores Are Acting”: The Inflection Point Signal
The most vivid signal that the supply-side revolution has crossed an inflection point came not from a technologist, but from an actor. Huang Xiaoming, Vice Chairman of the China Film Association, described seeing an AI-generated film: three months earlier, he could still discern AI traces, but upon the latest viewing, “even when told it was AI, I could no longer tell.” The detail had reached the point where “the spots and pores on the face, even the micro-expressions — the pores are acting,” which genuinely startled him. When a seasoned performer cannot distinguish AI-generated performance from the real thing, the supply-side revolution has crossed the threshold from “good enough for experiments” to “good enough to compete with traditional production.” This is the moment the camera, having destroyed realist painting, begins to give rise to cinema.
VII. Conclusion: The Supply-Side Revolution Deepens
For Skywork AI, the declaration of “the first year of world models” is not an endpoint but a starting point. As Fang Han’s three predictions suggest, world models will step out of the screen and into the physical world; the gaming industry will be the first to be transformed; and AI music and AI video tools will evolve from technical experiments into mass creation tools. The supply-side revolution is deepening: from generating content to understanding the physical world, from offline rendering to real-time interaction, from memoryless short clips to minute-level consistency.
Jiao’s camera analogy still holds: AI first disrupted the traditional supply of content production, then drastically lowered costs, and is now — through world models that understand physical reality — gestating entirely new forms. “In the next three to five years, world models will become the infrastructure of the gaming industry, and the way content is produced will be completely refreshed.” The supply-side revolution continues. What we are witnessing is not the end of one industry, but the beginning of the next.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-first-year-of-world-models-when-ais-supply-side-revolution-moves-from-generation-to-understanding-the-physical-world-302851691.html
SOURCE Kunlun Tech
Technology
Voxtome Announces Dedicated LitRPG Audiobook App Built with Gamified Progression, Author-First Economics, and Precision Listening Tech
Published
59 minutes agoon
August 14, 2026By
Launching in September on iOS and Android, Voxtome introduces statblock skipping, dynamic character stat sheets, avatar progression & customization, and subscription upgrades earned through listening.
PORTLAND, Ore., Aug. 14, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Voxtome today announced its upcoming LitRPG audiobook streaming platform for iOS and Android, projected to launch in September 2026. Built specifically for the unique structural and social demands of the LitRPG (Literary Role-Playing Game) genre, Voxtome merges purpose-built playback tools with a gamified user experience.
LitRPG has rapidly expanded into one of the most active sectors in publishing, defined by game-like progression, stat sheets, and high community engagement. Despite this growth, legacy audiobook platforms offer no features tailored to how LitRPG content is structured or consumed.
LitRPG Listening Experience Optimizations
A long-standing frustration for LitRPG listeners has been listening to narrators read repetitive, multi-minute lists of character stats and ability scores every few chapters. Voxtome solves this with genre-specific playback technology with features such as statblock-skipping which allows listeners to bypass stat blocks instantly. Users are also able to view the gamified stats of the main character based on where they are in the book.
RPG Progression and Subscription Mechanics
Voxtome applies LitRPG mechanics directly to the app itself. As users listen, their account levels up and earns Talent Points, which are spent on upgrades to their subscription, such as Endurance, adding extra listening time to a user’s monthly subscription. Users can also complete quests to obtain armor and weapons to customize their character.
Integrated Community and Discovery
Voxtome features multiple community features, such as a built in tier-list maker, enabling users to create and share custom tier lists, the LitRPG community’s primary method for ranking and discovering books. The book recommendations system also democratizes the recommendation process by integrating voting mechanics on community posts that let users upvote and react to book recommendations in real time.
Voxtome is scheduled to release on iOS and Android in September 2026. For more information, visit voxtome.app.
About Voxtome
Voxtome is a LitRPG-focused audiobook streaming platform for iOS and Android. Built to serve one of the fastest-growing communities in fiction, Voxtome combines precision listening features, gamified subscription progression, built-in social tools, and author-friendly monetization.
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/voxtome-announces-dedicated-litrpg-audiobook-app-built-with-gamified-progression-author-first-economics-and-precision-listening-tech-302851695.html
SOURCE Voxtome
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