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Infinity Power Taps AIKO for 773.5 MWp South African Solar Portfolio, Extending Africa Partnership Beyond 2 GWp

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YIWU, China, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AIKO will supply its high-power ABC (All Back Contact) solar modules for three utility-scale solar projects in South Africa under an agreement with Infinity Power, the largest African pure-play renewable energy provider. The deal marks the partnership’s first project in South Africa, and pushes their combined project collaboration across Africa past the 2 GWp milestone.

Under the agreement, AIKO will provide high‑efficiency ABC 1,195,136 modules expected to generate more than 1,871 GWh of annual energy for the 773.5 MWp combined portfolio covering three large‑scale Infinity Power projects — Highveld, Onderstepoort Solar 1 (OS1) and Onderstepoort Solar 2 (OS2). Awarded under Bid Window 7 of South Africa’s Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer Procurement Programme (REIPPPP), the projects will operate under planned 20‑year power purchase agreements (PPAs) with Eskom and will be built under two EPC packages — Sterling and Wilson Renewable Energy on Highveld and PowerChina Guizhou Engineering on the OS1 and OS2.

Located in Mpumalanga, South Africa, once operational, the Highveld project will generate clean energy sufficient to power approximately 167,000 homes, while avoiding approximately 660,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually. Onderstepoort Solar 1 and 2 located in the northwest, are expected to power approximately 289,000 homes and avoid more than 1.1 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, bringing the Infinity Power portfolio’s total estimated annual CO₂ emissions avoided to approximately 1.7 million tonnes, based on public estimates.

Infinity Power was awarded 1.28 GW in solar capacity during this bidding round, the largest allocation among successful bidders in Bid Window 7. As the largest African pure-play renewable energy provider, the company develops, builds and operates large-scale solar and wind projects across the African continent.

Ahmed Zakaria, Director of EPC and Strategic Procurement at Infinity Power, said: “Our decision to partner with AIKO on our South African portfolio based on their capability to meet our technical requirements and reliable delivery commitment we have witnessed across our projects in Egypt. AIKO’s ABC technology delivers the efficiency and execution certainty required to deliver large‑scale projects under the REIPPPP framework, and we look forward to bringing full portfolio into commercial operation.”

AIKO’s ABC modules, AIKO-A645/650-GRH66Dw, were selected on the strength of both performance and execution. With the REIPPPP launched to tackle South Africa’s energy crisis, and tender tariffs falling with each successive round, project economics have become a decisive factor in module selection. The high power output of ABC modules reduces the total module count and balance-of-system (BOS) components such as mounting structures and cabling, lowering overall system costs and keeping projects economically competitive under the auction mechanism. In South Africa’s high-irradiance, high-temperature conditions, the modules’ superior temperature coefficient maintains more stable power output, lifting energy yield across the project’s full lifecycle, with efficiency reaching up to 24.1%. Low degradation rates (≤1% in the first year, and 0.35% annually from years 2 to 30) secure stable generation throughout the 20-year PPA term, enhancing long-term returns and project bankability. Full traceability across module production and delivery, together with a delivery schedule aligned to the two EPC packages, provides further certainty of execution across the three sites.

The agreement marks AIKO’s first collaboration with Infinity Power in South Africa and their third overall collaboration in Africa, following the 258.5 MWp Nefer Benban and 1.2 GWp Nefer Menya projects in Egypt. With cumulative cooperation now exceeding 2 GWp, the partnership continues to expand, underscoring a global benchmark developer’s sustained confidence in the efficiency and reliability of ABC technology, as well as its recognition of AIKO’s supply capabilities and product quality.

About Infinity Power  

Infinity Power, a joint venture between Infinity and Masdar, is the largest African pure-play renewable energy provider. Infinity Power targets power generation projects in Africa through renewable energy sources, namely solar and wind, as well as other technologies such as battery storage, aiming for 10 GW of operational capacity by 2032.

The company has a substantial operational portfolio of approximately 1.3 GW across Egypt, South Africa and Senegal, helping to avoid over 3 million tonnes of CO₂ emissions annually, alongside 6.3 GW of wind and solar capacity under development, including 3.8 GW in advanced development. For further information about Infinity Power, visit www.weareinfinitypower.com

About AIKO

AIKO is a top-ranked solar technology leader specializing in the research, development, and manufacturing of solar generation products. The company offers solar cells, ABC (All Back Contact) modules, and scenario-based packaged solutions. Guided by the mission of “Leading Humanity into the Carbon-Free Era,” AIKO continues to pursue extreme innovation and cutting-edge technology. For more information, please visit https://aikosolar.com. 

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IMC 2026: From Connectivity to Deployment at Scale, Fibocom Strengthens Its IoT Presence in India

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NEW DELHI, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Fibocom (300638.SZ; 0638.HK), a leading global provider of wireless communication modules and AI solutions, presented its latest portfolio at India Mobile Congress 2026, as growing adoption of 5G, energy digitalization and connected mobility creates new demand for IoT deployment across India.

At the show, Fibocom highlighted applications spanning wireless broadband, energy, vehicle and asset management. Its FWA portfolio included 5G modules as well as CPE, ODU and MiFi solutions, while smart meters, vehicle tracking devices and EV battery trackers demonstrated how cellular connectivity is moving deeper into vertical applications. 

For smart metering, Fibocom provides 4G connectivity for GridCrest’s smart meter solution for the Indian market, enabling electricity consumption data and device event information to be transmitted over mobile networks to utility management platforms for remote meter reading and monitoring.

Products for the Indian market continue to strengthen support for local frequency bands and NavIC. The mass-produced MGB series of GNSS modules addresses different positioning needs, with dual-frequency products supporting capabilities such as NavIC and RTK.

As IoT projects move toward deployment at scale, customers increasingly need device solutions tailored to specific applications. At IMC, Fibocom and Indian IoT ODM Grid-OS jointly showcased devices for payment and vehicle tracking applications, combining Fibocom’s wireless connectivity with Grid-OS’s local product development capabilities.

Fibocom’s AI companion solution MagiCore and AI Dongle were also on display, extending Fibocom’s portfolio from connectivity to edge AI.

“Fibocom has built a strong presence in India, working closely with local partners across payments, energy and asset tracking. Together, we support customers in taking IoT devices from product development and pilot validation to volume production and large-scale deployment,” said Thales Zhang, Vice President and Head of the Global Marketing and Computing Solutions Business Group at Fibocom.

About Fibocom

Founded in 1999, Fibocom provides cellular, AI, automotive and GNSS modules, together with AI toolchains, AI Agent, global connectivity and cloud services, serving industries including robotics, consumer electronics, transportation, retail and energy.

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UOB and Amazon Web Services sign Memorandum of Understanding to explore AI-driven banking innovation across ASEAN

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The collaboration will develop a hybrid infrastructure model for banking in ASEAN and explore strategic opportunities across data, analytics and customer engagement.

SINGAPORE, Oct. 9, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — UOB and Amazon Web Services (AWS) today announced plans to collaborate through a dedicated cloud environment in Singapore as part of a first-of-its-kind hybrid infrastructure model for banking in ASEAN.

Under the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), UOB and AWS intend to explore how cloud and Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities can help the Bank strengthen operational resilience while meeting regulatory and data residency requirements and improve banking experiences for customers across its five ASEAN markets[1]. The collaboration brings together UOB’s regional banking expertise and governance framework with AWS’s cloud infrastructure, data, and AI services. Initial areas of focus include hybrid cloud architecture, data and analytics, and AI-powered customer engagement.

[1] Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Vietnam

Mr Lawrence Goh, Head of Group Technology and Operations, UOB, said: “At UOB, we see AI as a transformative capability that can help us become a more adaptive, intelligent and responsive organisation. Realising this vision requires a secure and resilient technology foundation, strong governance, and the right ecosystem of partners. Our collaboration with AWS reflects our strategic intent to accelerate innovation, enhance customer experiences, increase productivity and create long-term value for our customers, employees and stakeholders across ASEAN. We also see potential to broaden this collaboration over time and explore additional areas with the wider Amazon group.”

Mr Jaime Vallés, Vice President & Managing Director for APAC, AWS said: “Financial services touches the lives of millions of people across APJC every day. This collaboration with UOB is about making sure those experiences get better, faster, more personalized, and built on a foundation customers can trust. UOB will have the tools to innovate and the training programs to build AI fluency and cloud skills across its workforce all while keeping customer data secure. This is what’s possible when a bank with deep regional expertise and a culture of innovation is combined with AI and cloud technology that drives true transformation.”

Building a secure foundation for future innovation

This MoU will explore the development of a future hybrid infrastructure model that enables UOB’s systems and data to operate across on-premises infrastructure and cloud environments. The model leverages an isolated cloud extension that can be strategically deployed in specific countries or jurisdictions to meet regulatory requirements.

This marks the first collaboration between AWS and a bank to bring together hybrid cloud capabilities in ASEAN with security, governance and data residency controls aligned to the requirements of a highly regulated industry.

For UOB, this means a dedicated cloud environment located within Singapore that is designed to meet its security, governance, and data residency requirements across the five ASEAN countries in which it operates. UOB’s data and systems remain within this dedicated environment and can be configured to support compliance with each market’s regulatory requirements. At the same time, UOB will have access to the cloud tools to modernise its technology and build new capabilities in areas like AI and data analytics.

Opportunities across data, AI and customer experience

The collaboration will also explore how AI can improve UOB’s customer experience and internal operations, including conversational banking capabilities and more personalised services built on AWS’s AI tools.

Building on the Bank’s existing Enterprise GenAI Platform (EGP), UOB will explore how Amazon Bedrock, AWS’s fully managed service for building and scaling Generative AI (GenAI) applications, can support the rapid development and deployment of AI-powered solutions across the Bank, from employee productivity tools to enterprise-grade applications.

Investing in future-ready talent

To strengthen cloud and AI capabilities across its workforce, UOB will explore AWS’s structured learning and enablement programmes to equip employees with skills needed to develop, deploy and scale cloud and AI-powered solutions responsibly. Training in cloud technologies, GenAI, data and analytics, security and compliance, will further help employees build future-ready capabilities while supporting the Bank’s ongoing workforce transformation efforts.

About UOB

UOB is a leading Asian bank with a global network in Southeast Asia, Asia Pacific, Europe and North America. Operating through our head office in Singapore and banking subsidiaries in China, Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam, we have a global network of about 430 branches and offices in 19 markets.

Since its incorporation in 1935, UOB has grown organically and through a series of strategic acquisitions. Today, UOB is rated among the world’s top banks: Aa1 by Moody’s Investors Service and AA- by both S&P Global Ratings and Fitch Ratings.

For more than nine decades, UOB has adopted a customer-centric approach to create long-term value by staying relevant through its enterprising spirit and doing right by its customers. UOB is focused on building the future of ASEAN – for the people and businesses within, and connecting with, ASEAN.

The Bank connects businesses to opportunities in the region with its unparalleled regional footprint and leverages data and insights to innovate and create personalised banking experiences and solutions catering to each customer’s unique needs and evolving preferences. UOB is also committed to help businesses forge a sustainable future, by fostering social inclusiveness, creating positive environmental impact and pursuing economic progress.

UOB believes in being a responsible financial services provider and is steadfast in its support of education, children and art, doing right by its communities and stakeholders.

About Amazon Web Services

Amazon Web Services (AWS) is guided by customer obsession, pace of innovation, commitment to operational excellence, and long-term thinking. By democratizing technology for nearly two decades and making cloud computing and generative AI accessible to organizations of every size and industry, AWS has built one of the fastest-growing enterprise technology businesses in history. Millions of customers trust AWS to accelerate innovation, transform their businesses, and shape the future. With the most comprehensive AI capabilities and global infrastructure footprint, AWS empowers builders to turn big ideas into reality. Learn more at aws.amazon.com and follow @AWSNewsroom.

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ANT DIGITAL TECHNOLOGIES AND HSBC ANNOUNCE SUCCESSFUL AI AGENT MICROPAYMENT TECHNICAL VERIFICATION TEST

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Ant Digital Technologies’ infrastructure enabled AI agents to discover services, invoke them and manage micropayment settlement. Verification test used HSBC Tokenised Deposit Service (TDS) and related settlement capabilities. The technologies demonstrated a potential end-to-end model for AI agent micropayment transactions using tokenised deposits.

HONG KONG, Oct. 9, 2026/PRNewswire/ — Ant Digital Technologies and HSBC have successfully completed a technical verification test showcasing the potential for AI agents to act on behalf of a user to manage service interactions and the associated payment as one connected, automated process.

The test involved the combined use of HSBC’s Tokenised Deposit Service (TDS), Ant Digital Technologies’ Anvita Flow network and its Jovay Testnet blockchain environment. Together, these technologies demonstrated an end-to-end process in which an AI agent could discover and use a digital service, make a micropayment (often defined as less than $2.00) and complete the transaction with real-time settlement.

HSBC provided its TDS and related settlement capabilities, including real-time risk checks through its MCP interface. Jovay Testnet served as the underlying Layer 2 test environment for the blockchain transactions, while its Anvita Flow provided the infrastructure that enabled AI agents to discover and invoke services and manage micropayment settlement. Together, these technologies demonstrated a potential end-to-end model for AI agent transactions using tokenised deposits.

The technical verification test was carried out solely as an exploration of the technology and does not represent a commercial launch or live customer proposition. Its significance lies in demonstrating how autonomous AI systems could potentially participate in leveraging tokenised deposits to enhance the use of micropayments.

Zhuoqun Bian, President of Blockchain Business, Ant Digital Technologies, said: “This technical verification with HSBC demonstrates the potential use of on-chain AI agents. Ant Digital Technologies will continue to drive the application of AI technologies in real-world business scenarios, exploring how autonomous agents can create tangible value in practical commercial environments.”

Lewis Sun, Global Head of Digital Currencies, HSBC, said: “Through our Tokenised Deposit Service, we’re exploring how continued innovation, new use cases and collaboration could help enhance the customer experience and reduce friction for our clients while remaining focused on client needs, appropriate controls and responsible development.”

This technical verification test with Ant Digital Technologies is a step forward in the exploration of how AI agents could use micropayments to access a broader range of services and help support more connected, efficient interactions across the customer journey.”

By bringing together AI, blockchain and regulated banking infrastructure, the Ant Digital Technologies and HSBC technical verification test demonstrated how the speed of software and the controls required by financial institutions could operate within a single transaction flow.

Beyond standalone payments, the test successfully validated the infrastructure needed to connect AI-driven decision-making, service access, payments and financial controls within one automated process.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/ant-digital-technologies-and-hsbc-announce-successful-ai-agent-micropayment-technical-verification-test-302903333.html

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