Applied Digital is expanding in North Dakota with Polaris Forge 2, a $3 billion AI factory breaking ground in September 2025. The Harwood site will add 280 megawatts of capacity by 2027, cementing the state’s role in US AI infrastructure.
The project reflects demand and Applied Digital’s push to deliver high-performance compute power at scale. CEO Wes Cummins confirmed strong partner interest, including discussions with a US hyperscaler, and stated that the development will enhance growth and community value.
North Dakota has become a key destination for data centres, with abundant power, land, and a business-friendly climate. Polaris Forge 2 builds on the success of the Ellendale campus, with over 900 acres contracted and energy secured from Cass County Electric Cooperative.
The campus will employ more than 200 staff and contractors upon completion of operations. Governor Kelly Armstrong welcomed the investment, praising Applied Digital’s housing and workforce initiatives in Ellendale as a model for rural innovation and economic resilience.
Commerce Commissioner Chris Schilken said the Harwood site extends that success, reinforcing North Dakota as a hub for sustainable AI infrastructure. Applied Digital sees Polaris Forge 2 as advancing its mission to deliver innovation while driving local development and long-term growth.
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Pakistan’s Ministry of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives has launched a national innovation competition to drive the development of AI solutions in priority sectors. The initiative aims to attract top talent to develop impactful health, education, agriculture, industry, and governance projects.
Minister Ahsan Iqbal said AI is no longer a distant prospect but a present reality that is already transforming economies. He described the competition as a milestone in Pakistan’s digital history and urged the nation to embrace AI’s global momentum.
Iqbal stressed that algorithms now shape decisions more than traditional markets, warning that technological dependence must be avoided. Pakistan, he argued, must actively participate in the AI revolution or risk being left behind by more advanced economies.
He highlighted AI’s potential to predict crop diseases, aid doctors in diagnosis, and deliver quality education to every child nationwide. He said Pakistan will not be a bystander but an emerging leader in shaping the digital future.
The government has begun integrating AI into curricula and expanding capacity-building initiatives. Officials expect the competition to unlock new opportunities for innovation, empowering youth and driving sustainable development across the country.
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Japanese technology giant SoftBank has announced plans to buy a $2 billion stake in Intel, signalling a stronger push into the American semiconductor industry.
The investment comes as Washington debates greater government involvement in the sector, with reports suggesting President Donald Trump is weighing a US government stake in the chipmaker.
SoftBank will purchase Intel’s common stock at $23 per share. Its chairman, Masayoshi Son, said semiconductors remain the backbone of every industry and expressed confidence that advanced chip manufacturing will expand in the US, with Intel playing a central role.
The move follows SoftBank’s increasing investments in the US, including its role in the $500 billion ‘Stargate’ AI project announced earlier this year.
Once a dominant force in Silicon Valley, Intel has struggled against rivals such as Nvidia and AMD. Under new CEO Lip-Bu Tan, the company is cutting 15% of its workforce and reducing costs to stabilise operations.
After a private meeting, Trump recently criticised Tan’s leadership but later softened his stance.
Shares in both companies slipped following the announcement, with SoftBank down 2.2% in Tokyo and Intel falling 3.7% in New York.
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A new report from the National School Public Relations Association (NSPRA) and ThoughtExchange highlights the growing role of AI in K-12 communications, offering detailed guidance for ethical integration and effective school engagement.
Drawing on insights from 200 professionals across 37 states, the study reveals how AI tools boost efficiency while underscoring the need for stronger policies, transparency, and ongoing training.
Barbara M Hunter, APR, NSPRA executive director, explained that AI can enhance communication work but will never replace strategy, human judgement, relationships, and authentic school voices.
Key findings show that 91 percent of respondents already use AI, yet most districts still lack clear policies or disclosure practices for employee use.
The report recommends strengthening AI education, accelerating policy development, expanding the scope to cover staff, and building proactive strategies supported by human oversight and trust.
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The African Development Bank has strengthened Africa’s digital journey by backing a landmark AI training initiative linked to Agenda 2063. The effort aims to accelerate the continent’s long-term strategy, ‘The Africa We Want,’ by equipping states with practical expertise.
Through its Joint Secretariat Support Office, the Bank gave both technical and financial backing to the 5th Annual Training Workshop. The event focused on applying AI to monitoring, evaluation, and reporting under the Second Ten-Year Plan of Agenda 2063.
The Lusaka workshop, co-hosted by the African Union Commission and the African Capacity Building Foundation, featured sessions with Ailyse, ChatGPT, Google AI Studio, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. Delegates explored embedding AI insights into analytics for stronger policymaking and accountability.
By investing in institutional capacity, the AfDB and partners aim to advance AI-enabled solutions that improve policy interventions, resource allocation, and national priorities. The initiative reflects a broader effort to integrate digital tools into Africa’s governance structures.
The workshop also fostered peer learning, allowing delegates to share best practices in digital monitoring frameworks. By driving AI adoption in planning and results delivery, the AfDB underlines its role as a partner in Africa’s transformation.
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Tredence has launched Milky Way, a multi-agent, multi-turn system that uses autonomous AI agents to accelerate enterprise decision-making. The platform introduces specialised agents that collaborate like digital co-workers, combining reasoning and execution to deliver outcomes at scale.
The system addresses a common challenge: converting enterprise data into timely and actionable insights. The Milky Way incorporates over 15 prebuilt agents across key business roles and more than 50 specialised agents trained on real-world enterprise scenarios.
Agents span critical functions, from marketing analysts optimising campaigns to supply chain analysts anticipating disruptions. Technical agents, such as anomaly detection and Text-to-SQL, complement them by handling operational complexity with accuracy and transparency.
Early trials have shown striking results, with companies reporting up to five times faster insights and 50% lower analytics costs. Global retailers cut manual effort by 60%, while healthcare providers streamlined patient data aggregation and triage, supporting speedier diagnosis.
Designed for enterprise-grade use, Milky Way integrates seamlessly with existing data systems, offering role-based access, full audit trails, and domain expertise. Tredence positions it as a step towards AI agents that deliver context-aware, scalable business outcomes.
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Moving like this empowers enterprises to build AI agents tailored for multimodal understanding, software development, workflow automation and research.
The rollout extends beyond the initial model. Oracle plans to integrate the entire Gemini suite, including video, image, speech, and music generation, as well as vertically specialised models like MedLM for healthcare.
For customers, Oracle simplifies adoption: Gemini access is billed via Oracle Universal Credits, and no new contracts are required. Behind the scenes, OCI’s bare-metal GPU instances ensure optimised compute performance for demanding AI workflows.
This integration further strengthens Oracle’s position in enterprise AI, offering partners and clients a curated, model-agnostic environment that combines AI innovation with operational reliability.
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Singapore has launched a $27 billion initiative to boost AI readiness and protect jobs, as global tensions and automation reshape the workforce.
Prime Minister Lawrence Wong stressed that securing employment is key to national stability, particularly as geopolitical shifts and AI adoption accelerate.
IMF research warns Singapore’s skilled workers, especially women and youth, are among the most exposed to job disruption from AI technologies.
To address this, the government is expanding its SkillsFuture programme and rolling out local initiatives to connect citizens with evolving job markets.
The tech investment includes $5 billion for AI development and positions Singapore as a leader in digital transformation across Southeast Asia.
Social challenges remain, however, with rising inequality and risks to foreign workers highlighting the need for broader support systems and inclusive policy.
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Malaysia has intensified its push to build an AI-ready workforce, with Huawei pledging to train 30,000 local professionals under a new initiative. The plan aligns with Malaysia’s National Cloud Computing Policy, balancing sovereignty and digital economy competitiveness.
Digital Minister Gobind Singh Deo stressed that AI adoption must benefit all Malaysians, highlighting applications from small business platforms to AI-assisted diagnostics in remote clinics. He urged collaboration across industries to ensure inclusivity as the country pursues its digital future.
Huawei’s Gartner recognition for container management highlights its cloud-native strength. Its Pangu models and container products will support Malaysia’s AI goals in manufacturing, healthcare, transport, and ASEAN industries.
The programme will target students, officials, industry leaders, and associations while supporting 200 local AI partners. Huawei’s network of availability zones in ASEAN provides low-latency infrastructure, with AI-native innovations designed to accelerate training, inference, and industrial upgrades.
The government of Malaysia views AI as crucial to achieving its 2030 goals, which aim to balance infrastructure, security, and governance. With Huawei’s backing and a new policy framework, the country seeks to establish itself as a regional hub for AI expertise.
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Priorities include deploying 4G networks in remote regions, expanding public internet services, and reinforcing the Palapa Ring broadband infrastructure.
On the talent front, the government launched a Digital Talent Scholarship and AI Talent Factory to nurture AI skills, from beginners to specialists, setting the stage for future AI innovation domestically.
In parallel, digital protection measures have been bolstered: over 1.2 million pieces of harmful content have been blocked, while new regulations under the Personal Data Protection Law, age-verification, content monitoring, and reporting systems have been introduced to enhance child safety online.
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