Telecommunications infrastructure

Qualcomm and HUMAIN power Saudi Arabia’s AI transformation

HUMAIN and Qualcomm Technologies have launched a collaboration to deploy advanced AI infrastructure in Saudi Arabia, aiming to position the Kingdom as a global hub for AI.

Announced ahead of the Future Investment Initiative conference, the project will deliver the world’s first fully optimised edge-to-cloud AI system, expanding Saudi Arabia’s regional and global inferencing services capabilities.

In 2026, HUMAIN plans to deploy 200 megawatts of Qualcomm’s AI200 and AI250 rack solutions to power large-scale AI inference services.

The partnership combines HUMAIN’s regional infrastructure and full AI stack with Qualcomm’s semiconductor expertise, creating a model for nations seeking to develop sovereign AI ecosystems.

However, the initiative will also integrate HUMAIN’s Saudi-developed ALLaM models with Qualcomm’s AI platforms, offering enterprise and government customers tailor-made solutions for industry-specific needs.

The collaboration supports Saudi Arabia’s strategy to drive economic growth through AI and semiconductor innovation, reinforcing its ambition to lead the next wave of global intelligent computing.

Qualcomm’s CEO Cristiano Amon said the partnership would help the Kingdom build a technology ecosystem to accelerate its AI ambitions.

HUMAIN CEO Tareq Amin added that combining local insight with Qualcomm’s product leadership will establish Saudi Arabia as a key player in global AI and semiconductor development.

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Australia demands answers from AI chatbot providers over child safety

Australia’s eSafety Commissioner has issued legal notices to four major AI companion platforms, requiring them to explain how they are protecting children from harmful or explicit content.

Character.ai, Nomi, Chai, and Chub.ai were all served under the country’s Online Safety Act and must demonstrate compliance with Australia’s Basic Online Safety Expectations.

The notices follow growing concern that AI companions, designed for friendship and emotional support, can expose minors to sexualised conversations, suicidal ideation, and other psychological risks.

eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant said the companies must show how their systems prevent such harms, not merely react to them, warning that failure to comply could lead to penalties of up to $825,000 per day.

AI companion chatbots have surged in popularity among young users, with Character.ai alone attracting nearly 160,000 monthly active users in Australia.

The Commissioner stressed that these services must integrate safety measures by design, as new enforceable codes now extend to AI platforms that previously operated with minimal oversight.

A move that comes amid wider efforts to regulate emerging AI technologies and ensure stronger child protection standards online.

Breaches of the new codes could result in civil penalties of up to $49.5 million, marking one of the toughest online safety enforcement regimes globally.

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Lawmakers urge EU to curb Huawei’s role in solar inverters over security risks

Lawmakers and security officials are increasingly worried that Huawei’s dominant role in solar inverters could create a new supply-chain vulnerability for Europe’s power grids. Two MEPs have written to the European Commission urging immediate steps to limit ‘high-risk’ vendors in energy systems.

Inverters are a technology that transforms solar energy into the electrical current fed into the power network; many are internet-connected so vendors can perform remote maintenance. Cyber experts warn that remote access to large numbers of inverters could be abused to shut devices down or change settings en masse, creating surges, drops or wider instability across the grid.

Chinese firms, led by Huawei and Sungrow, supply a large share of Europe’s installed inverter capacity. SolarPower Europe estimates Chinese companies account for roughly 65 per cent of the market. Some member states are already acting: Lithuania has restricted remote access to sizeable Chinese installations, while agencies in the Czech Republic and Germany have flagged specific Huawei components for further scrutiny.

The European Commission is preparing an ICT supply-chain toolbox to de-risk critical sectors, with solar inverters listed among priority areas. Suspicion of Chinese technology has surged in recent years. Beijing, under President Xi Jinping, requires domestic firms to comply with government requests for data sharing and to report software vulnerabilities, raising Western fears of potential surveillance.

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NVIDIA AI Day Sydney showcases Australia’s growing role in global AI innovation

Australia took centre stage in the global AI landscape last week as NVIDIA AI Day Sydney gathered over a thousand participants to explore the nation’s path toward sovereign AI.

The event, held at ICC Sydney Theatre, featured discussions on agentic and physical AI, robotics and AI factories, highlighting how the next generation of computing is driving transformation across sectors.

Industry leaders, including Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Canva and emerging startups, joined NVIDIA executives to discuss how advanced computing and AI are shaping innovation.

Brendan Hopper of the Commonwealth Bank praised NVIDIA’s role in expanding Australia’s AI ecosystem through infrastructure, partnerships and education.

Speakers such as Giuseppe Barca of QDX Technologies emphasised how AI, high-performance computing and quantum research are redefining scientific progress.

With over 600 NVIDIA Inception startups and more than 20 universities using NVIDIA technologies, Australia’s AI ecosystem is expanding rapidly. Partners like Firmus Technologies, ResetData and SHARON AI underscored how AI Day Sydney demonstrated the nation’s readiness to become a regional AI hub.

The event also hosted Australia’s first ‘Startup, VC and Partner Connect’, linking entrepreneurs, investors and government officials to accelerate collaboration.

Presentations from quantum and healthcare innovators, alongside hands-on NVIDIA Deep Learning Institute sessions, showcased real-world AI applications from generative design to medical transcription.

NVIDIA’s Sudarshan Ramachandran said Australia’s combination of high-performance computing heritage, visual effects expertise and emerging robotics sector positions it to lead in the AI era.

Through collaboration and infrastructure investment, he said, the country is building a thriving ecosystem that supports discovery, sustainability and economic growth.

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Airbus, Leonardo and Thales merge space units for 2027 launch

Three of Europe’s leading aerospace firms, Airbus, Leonardo and Thales, have agreed to merge their space businesses into a single joint venture to strengthen Europe’s global competitiveness.

A new company that will combine satellite and space service operations from the three groups, bringing together about 25,000 employees and generating around €6.5 billion in annual revenue.

The joint venture, expected to start operating in 2027 following regulatory approval, will integrate Airbus’s Space Systems and Space Digital units, Leonardo’s Space Division, and Thales’s stakes in Thales Alenia Space, Telespazio and optics company Thales SESO.

Airbus will hold a 35 per cent stake, while Leonardo and Thales will each own 32.5 per cent.

The companies said the partnership aims to accelerate innovation, unify Europe’s fragmented space sector, and enhance its autonomy in critical technologies.

Executives described the move as a milestone for Europe’s space ambitions, combining resources and research capacity to boost exports and technological leadership.

Project Bromo, as it was internally known, had been in development for more than a year. After months of valuation and governance talks, the agreement now paves the way for a new European space powerhouse capable of challenging US rivals and shaping the future of global space operations.

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South Korea moves to lead the AI era with OpenAI’s economic blueprint

Poised to become a global AI powerhouse, South Korea has the right foundations in place: advanced semiconductor production, robust digital infrastructure, and a highly skilled workforce.

OpenAI’s new Economic Blueprint for Korea sets out how the nation can turn those strengths into broad, inclusive growth through scaled and trusted AI adoption.

The blueprint builds on South Korea’s growing momentum in frontier technology.

Following OpenAI’s first Asia–Pacific country partnership, initiatives such as Stargate with Samsung and SK aim to expand advanced memory supply and explore next-generation AI data centres alongside the Ministry of Science and ICT.

A new OpenAI office in Seoul, along with collaboration with Seoul National University, further signals the country’s commitment to becoming an AI hub.

A strategy that rests on two complementary paths: building sovereign AI capabilities in infrastructure, data governance, and GPU supply, while also deepening cooperation with frontier developers like OpenAI.

The aim is to enhance operational maturity and cost efficiency across key industries, including semiconductors, shipbuilding, healthcare, and education.

By combining domestic expertise with global partnerships, South Korea could boost productivity, improve welfare services, and foster regional growth beyond Seoul. With decisive action, the nation stands ready to transform from a fast adopter into a global standard-setter for safe, scalable AI systems.

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Amelia brings heads-up guidance to Amazon couriers

Amazon unveiled ‘Amelia’ AI-powered smart glasses for delivery drivers with a built-in display and camera, paired to a vest with a photo button, now piloting with hundreds of drivers across more than a dozen partners.

Designed for last-mile efficiency, Amelia can auto-shut down when a vehicle moves to prevent distraction, includes a hardware kill switch for the camera and mic, and aims to save about 30 minutes per 8–10-hour shift by streamlining repetitive tasks.

Initial availability is planned for the US market and the rest of North America before global expansion, with Amazon emphasizing that Amelia is custom-built for drivers, though consumer versions aren’t ruled out. Pilots involve real routes and live deliveries to customers.

Amazon also showcased a warehouse robotic arm to sort parcels faster and more safely, as well as an AI orchestration system that ingests real-time and historical data to predict bottlenecks, propose fixes, and keep fulfillment operations running smoothly.

The move joins a broader push into wearables from Big Tech. Unlike Meta’s consumer-oriented Ray-Ban smart glasses, Amelia targets enterprise use, promising faster package location, fewer taps, and tighter integration with Amazon’s delivery workflow.

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Alibaba pushes unified AI with Quark Chat and wearables

Quark, Alibaba’s consumer AI app, has launched an AI Chat Assistant powered by Qwen3 models, merging real-time search with conversational reasoning so users can ask by text or voice, get answers, and trigger actions from a single interface.

On iOS and Android, you can tap ‘assistant’ in the AI Super Box or swipe right to open chat, then use prompts to summarise pages, draft replies, or pull sources, with results easily shared to friends, Stories, or outside the app.

Beyond Q&A, the assistant adds deep search, photo-based problem-solving, and AI writing, while supporting multimodal tasks like photo editing, AI camera, and phone calls. Forthcoming MCP integrations will expand agent execution across Alibaba services.

Quark AI Glasses opened pre-sale in China on October 24 via Tmall with a list price of 4,699 RMB before coupons or memberships, deliveries starting in phases from December, and 1 RMB reservations available on JD.com and Douyin.

Powered by Qwen for hands-free assistance, translation, and meeting transcription, the glasses emphasise lightweight ergonomics, long battery life, and quality imaging, with bundles, accessories, and prescription lens options to broaden fit and daily use.

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Kazakhstan to achieve full Internet access for all citizens by 2027

Kazakhstan aims to provide Internet access to its entire population by 2027 as part of the national ‘Affordable Internet’ project.

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of AI and Digital Development Zhaslan Madiyev outlined the country’s digital transformation goals during a government session, highlighting plans to eliminate digital inequality and expand broadband connectivity.

Over one trillion tenge has been invested in telecommunications in the past three years, bringing average Internet speeds to 94 Mbps. By 2027, Kazakhstan expects to achieve 100% Internet coverage, speeds above 100 Mbps, and fiber-optic access for 90% of rural settlements.

Currently, 84% of villages already have mobile Internet, and 2,606 are connected to main fibre-optic lines.

The plan includes 4G coverage for 92% of settlements, 5G deployment in 20 cities, and 4G connectivity across 40,000 km of highways. Satellite Internet will reach 504 remote villages by 2025.

Madiyev also noted Kazakhstan’s strategic role in global data transit, with projects such as the Caspian Sea undersea fibre-optic line aiming to raise its share of international traffic from 1.5% to 5% by 2027.

An initiative that supports Kazakhstan’s ambition to become a regional IT hub by 2030, with the number of IT racks set to grow from 4,000 to 20,000, and at least nine Tier III-IV data centres planned.

The country has also launched the National Supercomputer Center ‘alem.cloud’ and the ‘Al-Farabium’ tech cluster to strengthen its digital ecosystem.

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Europa chip by Axelera targets NVIDIA’s grip on AI accelerators

Axelera AI has introduced Europa, a new processor built to run modern AI apps on everything from small edge devices to full servers. It focuses on practical speed and low power use. The aim is to offer NVIDIA-rivaling performance without data centre-level budgets.

Inside are eight AI cores that do the heavy lifting, positioned to challenge NVIDIA’s lead in real-world inference. Helper processors handle setup and cleanup so the main system isn’t slowed down. A built-in video decoder offloads common media jobs.

Europa pairs fast on-chip memory with high-bandwidth external memory to cut common AI slowdowns. Axelera says this beats NVIDIA on speed per watt and per dollar in everyday inference. The payoff is cooler, smaller, more affordable deployments.

It ships as a tiny 35×35 mm module or as PCIe accelerator cards that scale up. That’s the same slot where NVIDIA cards often sit today. A built-in secure enclave protects sensitive data.

Research and industry partners are lining up pilots, casting Europa as a real NVIDIA rival. Early names include SURF, Cineca, Ultralytics, Advantech, SECO, Multiverse Computing, and E4. Axelera targets the first half of 2026 for chips and cards.

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