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New digital strategy positions Uzbekistan as emerging AI hub

Uzbekistan has outlined an extensive plan to accelerate digital development by introducing new measures at major AI forums in Tashkent.

The leadership detailed a national effort to strengthen the domestic AI ecosystem, supported by a supercomputer cluster built with Nvidia and a National Transfer Office established in Silicon Valley.

AI-focused curricula will be introduced across regional Future Centres to broaden access to advanced training.

A strong emphasis has been placed on nurturing young talent. An annual interschool competition will identify promising AI startup ideas. At the same time, a presidential contest will select one hundred young participants each year for internships in leading technology companies in the US, the UAE and Europe.

November will be marked as ‘AI month for youth’, and the Silk Road AI Forum will become a recurring event.

A central part of the strategy is the ‘five million AI leaders’ project, which aims to train millions of students, along with teachers and public servants, by 2030. The programme will integrate AI education across schools, vocational institutions and universities instead of limiting it to specialist groups.

The government highlighted the country’s growing appeal for technology investment. Nearly two billion dollars have already been secured for AI and digital projects, IT service exports have risen sharply, and startup activity has expanded significantly.

Work has begun on a central green data centre, developed in collaboration with a Saudi partner, as Uzbekistan seeks to strengthen its position in regional digital innovation.

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South Korea’s Hopae boosts EU presence with €5 million investment

Hopae is expanding into Europe with a €5M investment as the region prepares for mandatory EUDI Wallet adoption. The company aims to help businesses navigate multiple electronic identity systems before new requirements take effect in 2026 and 2027.

The firm plans to offer an intermediary platform that unifies eIDs and wallet-based verification. It says the model can ease compliance for regulated sectors and Very Large Online Platforms, which will need to accept EUDI Wallets under the EU rules.

Hopae has already signed a partnership with Luxembourg’s INCERT, becoming the first officially registered intermediary service. It secured OIDC certification and opened a Luxembourg office, naming Bertrand Bouteloup to lead its European expansion and trust-service ambitions.

The company says its system already integrates more than 50 eIDs and wallets, to reach 100 by mid-2026. CEO Ace Jaehoon Shim says demand for secure, wallet-based identity verification will require further investment across the continent.

Founded in 2022, Hopae previously developed the national vaccination pass in South Korea and has expanded into the United States. It is now contributing to the Korean Architecture Reference Framework while operating offices in Seoul, San Francisco, Paris, and Luxembourg.

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Huawei and ZTE expand 5G foothold in Vietnam amid US concern

Vietnam has moved to expand its use of Chinese 5G technology, awarding Huawei and ZTE a series of new contracts. Under recent deals, the two companies will supply advanced 5G radio equipment to strengthen network coverage, while European vendors remain responsible for core systems.

Vietnam, which borders China, Laos, and Cambodia, previously echoed allies’ warnings that Chinese-made 5G gear posed an unacceptable security risk. Recent tariff frictions with the United States and shifting economic priorities have since pushed officials to reconsider that stance.

According to local reports, Huawei and ZTE have together secured contracts worth about 43 million dollars for non-core 5G equipment. Ericsson and Nokia are expected to continue supplying the 5G core, with Chinese vendors focused on antennas and related infrastructure at the network edge.

In April, a consortium including Huawei won a 23 million dollar deal to provide 5G gear, shortly after new US tariffs on Vietnamese exports came into force. Analysts say those measures have strained ties between Hanoi and Washington while nudging Vietnam to deepen economic and technological links with Beijing.

Vietnamese supply chain specialist Nguyen Hung says Hanoi is prioritising its own strategic interests, seeing closer ties with Chinese vendors as a route to deeper regional integration. US officials warn the deals could damage network trust and limit access to advanced American technology.

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Brain’s reusable thinking blocks give humans a flexibility advantage over AI

Researchers have uncovered why the human brain remains far more adaptable than AI. A new Princeton study finds that the brain repurposes shared cognitive components to manage varied tasks, enabling quick adaptation to new challenges without relearning from scratch.

Experiments with rhesus macaques showed that the prefrontal cortex uses shared ‘cognitive blocks’ that combine and recombine based on the task, such as judging colour or shape. The monkeys completed related categorisation tasks, allowing scientists to observe how neural patterns were reused across activities.

The findings suggest that humans excel at flexible learning because the brain builds new behaviours from existing mental components. By activating only the necessary blocks and quieting others, the prefrontal cortex avoids overload and keeps learning efficient.

Researchers say the insight could help artificial intelligence move beyond its tendency to forget past skills when learning new ones. It may also support clinical advances for conditions where cognitive flexibility is impaired, including schizophrenia and certain brain injuries.

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SAP expands sovereign cloud vision with EU AI Cloud

SAP introduced the EU AI Cloud as part of a unified plan that aims to support Europe’s digital sovereignty goals.

The offering consolidates SAP’s existing sovereign cloud work under one structure and provides organisations with a way to meet strict regulatory and operational needs, ensuring full EU data residency.

Customers can select deployment options that match their level of required control, ranging from SAP’s European data centres to on-site infrastructure.

SAP is also expanding its partnership with Cohere to integrate advanced multimodal and agentic AI features through Cohere North.

Incorporation into SAP Business Technology Platform enables enterprises with data residency constraints to apply AI within core processes without undermining compliance or performance.

A collaboration that is intended to improve insight generation and decision support across a wide range of industries.

EU AI Cloud is backed by a broad ecosystem that includes Cohere, Mistral AI, OpenAI and other partners whose models and applications can be accessed through SAP BTP.

European enterprises and public bodies gain access to routes for developing and deploying AI tools while maintaining flexibility and sovereignty.

The range of options includes SAP Sovereign Cloud, customer-operated on-site deployments and, where chosen, commercial services on selected hyperscalers with sovereignty controls. The approach also includes Delos Cloud for organisations in Germany that require dedicated public sector safeguards.

SAP positions the initiative as a means to advance AI adoption in Europe, aligning with regional standards on data protection and operational independence.

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Scarcity gives Europe an edge in the AI race

Europe’s constrained energy supply and strict regulations are emerging as unlikely strengths in the global race to expand AI infrastructure. Limited power access and careful planning are encouraging more resilient, future-ready data-centre designs that appeal to long-term investors.

Countries such as the Nordics, Spain and Italy are drawing interest due to stronger renewable capacity and shorter grid-connection times, while the UK, Germany and the Netherlands face greater congestion.

Shifting to a ‘first ready, first connected’ model aims to curb speculation and speed up delivery of viable projects.

Europe’s biggest opportunity lies in cloud-focused facilities and AI inference, which analysts expect to account for most AI demand and must often remain within regional borders.

Tighter rules may slow construction, yet they reduce the risk of stranded assets and support sustainable sites that strengthen Europe’s investment case.

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South Korea accelerates AI adoption as NVIDIA strengthens national ecosystem

NVIDIA AI Day Seoul drew more than 1,000 visitors who gathered to explore sovereign AI and the rapid progress shaping South Korea’s digital landscape.

Attendees joined workshops, technical sessions and startup showcases designed to highlight the country’s expanding ecosystem instead of focusing only on theoretical advances.

Five finalists from the Inception Grand Challenge also presented their work, reflecting the growing strength of South Korea’s startup community.

Speakers outlined how AI now supports robotics, industrial production, entertainment and public administration.

Conglomerates from South Korea, such as Samsung, SK Group, Hyundai Motor Group and NAVER Cloud, have intensified their investment in AI, while government agencies rely on accelerated computing to process documents and policy information at scale.

South Korea’s ecosystem continues to expand with hundreds of Inception startups, sovereign LLM initiatives and major supercomputing deployments.

Developers engaged directly with NVIDIA engineers through workshops and a Q&A area covering AI infrastructure, LLMs, robotics and automotive technologies. Plenary sessions examined agentic AI, reasoning models and the evolution of AI factories.

Partners presented advances in training efficiency, agentic systems and large-scale AI infrastructure built with NVIDIA’s platforms instead of legacy hardware.

South Korea’s next phase of development will be supported by access to 260,000 GPUs announced during the APEC Summit. Officials expect the infrastructure to accelerate startup growth, stimulate national AI priorities and attract new collaboration across research and industry.

The Seoul event marks another step in the country’s effort to reinforce its digital foundation while expanding its role in global AI innovation.

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Coinbase Ventures reveals top areas to watch in 2026

Coinbase Ventures has shared the ideas its team is most excited about for 2026, highlighting areas with high potential for innovation in crypto and blockchain. Key sectors include asset tokenisation, specialised exchanges, next-generation DeFi, and AI-driven robotics.

The firm is actively seeking teams to invest in these emerging opportunities.

Perpetual contracts on real-world assets are set to expand, enabling synthetic exposure to private companies, commodities, and macroeconomic data. Specialised exchanges and trading terminals aim to consolidate liquidity, protect market makers, and improve the prediction market user experience.

Next-gen DeFi will expand with composable perpetual markets, unsecured lending, and privacy-focused applications. These developments could redefine capital efficiency, financial infrastructure, and user confidentiality across the ecosystem.

AI and robotics are also a focus, with projects targeting advanced robotic data collection, proof-of-humanity solutions, and AI-driven innovative contract development. Coinbase Ventures emphasises the potential for these technologies to accelerate on-chain adoption and innovation.

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EU prepares tougher oversight for crypto operators

EU regulators are preparing for a significant shift in crypto oversight as new rules take effect on 1 January 2026. Crypto providers must report all customer transactions and holdings in a uniform digital format, giving tax authorities broader visibility across the bloc.

The DAC8 framework brings mandatory cross-border data sharing, a centralised operator register and unique ID numbers for each reporting entity. These measures aim to streamline supervision and enhance transparency, even though data on delisted firms must be preserved for up to twelve months.

Privacy concerns are rising as the new rules expand the travel rule for transfers above €1,000 and introduce possible ownership checks on private wallets. Combined with MiCA and upcoming AML rules, regulators gain deeper insight into user behaviour, wallet flows and platform operations.

Plans for ESMA to oversee major exchanges are facing pushback from smaller financial hubs, which are concerned about higher compliance costs and reduced competitiveness. Supporters argue that unified supervision is necessary to prevent regulatory gaps and reinforce market integrity across the EU.

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Fragmented rules complicate South Africa green tech transfer

South Africa is betting on green technology to drive development while cutting emissions. Overlapping laws and strategies create a complex, sometimes conflicting environment for investors and innovators. Analysts warn that fragmentation slows both climate action and the just transition.

Flagship measures, such as the Climate Change Act and the Just Energy Transition Investment Plan, anchor long-term goals. The government aims to mobilise around R1.5 trillion, including an initial R8.5 billion in catalytic finance.

Funding targets power generation, new energy vehicles and green hydrogen, with private capital expected to follow. Renewable Energy Independent Power Producer projects showcase successful public-private partnerships that attracted significant foreign and domestic investment.

Localisation rules, special economic zones and tariff tweaks seek to build manufacturing capacity and transfer skills. Critics argue that strict content quotas and data localisation can delay projects and deter prospective investors.

Observers say harmonised policies, clearer incentives and stronger coordination across sectors are essential for effective green technology transfer. Greater collaboration between the South African government, businesses, and universities could translate promising pilots into climate-resilient industries.

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