KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Bernama) -- The Hong Kong Tourism Board (HKTB) is promoting Hong Kong’s position as the “Events Capital of Asia” by leveraging the 50th anniversary of the Cathay/HSBC Hong Kong Sevens under its “Hong Kong Mega 8” campaign.
In a statement, HKTB said the globally renowned rugby tournament serves as a key platform to attract international visitors, highlighting the city’s ability to host world-class events that combine sports, culture and innovation.
Adding a technological dimension to the celebrations, China-made robots previously featured on CCTV’s Spring Festival Gala performed at the opening ceremony, delivering a dynamic showcase alongside traditional elements such as a dragon dance and cheerleading routines.
HKTB Chairman, Dr Peter Lam said the Hong Kong Sevens has evolved into a major international sporting event over the past five decades, drawing global attention and reinforcing the city’s appeal as a premier destination for large-scale events.
Blending tradition with innovative elements, the opening performance of the 50th edition was packed with highlights. Following a dragon dance, 10 robots teamed up seamlessly with a cheerleading squad, kicking off the event with dynamic choreography and precise coordination.
After the cheerleading performance, lasers danced across the Main Stadium pitch and displayed the participating nations over the years, the names of legendary Sevens players, and the effect of twin dragons soaring over Hong Kong, celebrating 50 years of the Hong Kong Sevens development.
The closing ceremony also featured a spectacular pyrotechnic display launched from the stadium roof, bringing the three-day tournament to a dazzling finale.
Beyond the stadium, HKTB extended promotional efforts by featuring the robots at iconic locations including the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui and the East Coast Boardwalk in North Point, creating content to boost Hong Kong’s global visibility.
To further strengthen outreach, HKTB collaborated with Hong Kong China Rugby to host international key opinion leaders (KOLs), alongside representatives from the travel trade, MICE and cruise sectors, offering firsthand experience of the event and the city’s tourism offerings.
-- BERNAMA
Monday, April 20, 2026
POWERWELL CELEBRATES 40 YEARS OF EMPOWERING POSSIBILITIES, HONOURING PEOPLE AT THE HEART OF ITS GROWTH
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| Photo Caption (from left to right): • Mr. Tan Yee Sin, Chief Financial Officer; • Ms. Tee Joe Ee, Non-Independent Non-Executive Director; • Ms. Wong Yoke Yen, Managing Director; • Mr. Tang Yuen Kin, Independent Non-Executive Chairman; • Mr. Chong Guang Wei, Non-Independent Non-Executive Director; • Mr. Soh Wei Wei, Executive Director. |
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Sin, Chief Financial Officer (right), presenting the grand prize, a Proton e.MAS vehicle, to the lucky draw winner, a Powerwell employee, in a moment that perfectly captured the spirit of the evening and a fitting reminder that the heart of the company has always been its people.
KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Bernama) -- Leading homegrown power distribution specialist manufacturing low voltage (“LV”) and medium voltage electrical distribution equipment, Powerwell Holdings Berhad (“Powerwell” or the “Group”) (“ 佳 电 控 股 ”), has marked its 40th anniversary, also known as its Ruby Anniversary, with a celebratory event held on the evening of 17 April 2026, commemorating four decades of steady growth, industry relevance, and operational resilience.
Reaching its Ruby Anniversary is a meaningful milestone for Powerwell. Since its establishment, the Group has grown alongside Malaysia’s industrial development, building a strong presence across key sectors while adapting to evolving market dynamics. Today, Powerwell is well positioned within highgrowth segments such as data centres, renewable energy, semiconductors, and the infrastructure space, where demand for reliable and efficient power infrastructure continues to expand.
At the heart of this journey is the Group’s continued emphasis on people. Powerwell has increasingly placed importance on fostering a culture that recognises and rewards employees, while strengthening its ability to attract and retain talent in an increasingly competitive landscape. Initiatives such as its talent retention programmes and Employee Share Option Scheme (“ESOS”) support alignment with the Group’s long-term growth, while providing opportunities for meaningful participation in value creation.
Concurrently, Powerwell continues to build its pipeline of talent to support highvalue and high-tech industries. As the Group moves forward, it remains guided by its purpose of empowering possibilities for its customers, employees and partners. As Powerwell marks this milestone, the Group remains guided by its tagline of ‘Empowering Possibilities’, as the Group continues to build on its established foundation and capture the exciting opportunities ahead to deliver sustainable growth in the years to come.
The anniversary celebration brought together employees, management, customers, suppliers, and stakeholders in a night of appreciation and camaraderie. In a reflection of the Group’s shared pride and journey, a Proton e.MAS vehicle took centre stage as the grand prize of the night’s lucky draw. The choice of a homegrown brand mirrors Powerwell’s own journey as a Malaysian company that has grown and established itself over the decades.
SOURCE: Capital Front Plt
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Huan-Kind Khoo (Kai)
Capital Front Investor Relations
Tel: +6 (012) 3357148
Email : kai@capitalfront.biz
--BERNAMA
Reaching its Ruby Anniversary is a meaningful milestone for Powerwell. Since its establishment, the Group has grown alongside Malaysia’s industrial development, building a strong presence across key sectors while adapting to evolving market dynamics. Today, Powerwell is well positioned within highgrowth segments such as data centres, renewable energy, semiconductors, and the infrastructure space, where demand for reliable and efficient power infrastructure continues to expand.
At the heart of this journey is the Group’s continued emphasis on people. Powerwell has increasingly placed importance on fostering a culture that recognises and rewards employees, while strengthening its ability to attract and retain talent in an increasingly competitive landscape. Initiatives such as its talent retention programmes and Employee Share Option Scheme (“ESOS”) support alignment with the Group’s long-term growth, while providing opportunities for meaningful participation in value creation.
Concurrently, Powerwell continues to build its pipeline of talent to support highvalue and high-tech industries. As the Group moves forward, it remains guided by its purpose of empowering possibilities for its customers, employees and partners. As Powerwell marks this milestone, the Group remains guided by its tagline of ‘Empowering Possibilities’, as the Group continues to build on its established foundation and capture the exciting opportunities ahead to deliver sustainable growth in the years to come.
The anniversary celebration brought together employees, management, customers, suppliers, and stakeholders in a night of appreciation and camaraderie. In a reflection of the Group’s shared pride and journey, a Proton e.MAS vehicle took centre stage as the grand prize of the night’s lucky draw. The choice of a homegrown brand mirrors Powerwell’s own journey as a Malaysian company that has grown and established itself over the decades.
SOURCE: Capital Front Plt
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Huan-Kind Khoo (Kai)
Capital Front Investor Relations
Tel: +6 (012) 3357148
Email : kai@capitalfront.biz
--BERNAMA
MULTI-COLOR CORPORATION CONFIRMS REORGANISATION PLAN
KUALA LUMPUR, April 20 (Bernama) -- Multi-Color Corporation (MCC), a leader in prime label solutions, has confirmed its prepackaged plan of reorganisation and expects to emerge from prepackaged Chapter 11 in the coming weeks.
MCC President and Chief Executive Officer, Hassan Rmaile said with the support of financial stakeholders, MCC will emerge with a significantly deleveraged balance sheet and liquidity to support operations, invest in innovation, and continue delivering label solutions for its customers.
“I am grateful to our teammates, customers, and suppliers for their steadfast commitment and support throughout this process, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead,” he said in a statement.
Under the terms of the plan, MCC will complete a comprehensive restructuring transaction that significantly deleverages its balance sheet and recapitalises the business.
The restructuring reduces net debt by approximately US$3.8 billion, lowers annualised cash interest expense by more than US$330 million, and extends long-term debt maturities to 2033. (US$1 = RM3.95)
In addition, MCC will receive a US$889 million investment from CD&R and a group of existing secured lenders, and is expected to hold more than US$500 million in available liquidity post-emergence to support long-term growth and investment.
Plan confirmation follows a successful mediation and global settlement among all major constituencies in MCC’s prepackaged Chapter 11 cases, with more than 99 per cent of voting stakeholders approving the restructuring plan.
With approval from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, MCC expects to receive proceeds from the new equity investment and complete its financial restructuring in the coming weeks.
-- BERNAMA
MCC President and Chief Executive Officer, Hassan Rmaile said with the support of financial stakeholders, MCC will emerge with a significantly deleveraged balance sheet and liquidity to support operations, invest in innovation, and continue delivering label solutions for its customers.
“I am grateful to our teammates, customers, and suppliers for their steadfast commitment and support throughout this process, and we look forward to the opportunities ahead,” he said in a statement.
Under the terms of the plan, MCC will complete a comprehensive restructuring transaction that significantly deleverages its balance sheet and recapitalises the business.
The restructuring reduces net debt by approximately US$3.8 billion, lowers annualised cash interest expense by more than US$330 million, and extends long-term debt maturities to 2033. (US$1 = RM3.95)
In addition, MCC will receive a US$889 million investment from CD&R and a group of existing secured lenders, and is expected to hold more than US$500 million in available liquidity post-emergence to support long-term growth and investment.
Plan confirmation follows a successful mediation and global settlement among all major constituencies in MCC’s prepackaged Chapter 11 cases, with more than 99 per cent of voting stakeholders approving the restructuring plan.
With approval from the United States Bankruptcy Court for the District of New Jersey, MCC expects to receive proceeds from the new equity investment and complete its financial restructuring in the coming weeks.
-- BERNAMA
Thursday, April 16, 2026
Horizon Quantum and AQT to Advance Real-World Quantum Applications with Strategic Hardware–Software Collaboration
By integrating Horizon’s software infrastructure with AQT’s trapped-ion quantum computing systems, this collaboration helps accelerate progress towards real-world quantum applications.
SINGAPORE & INNSBRUCK, Austria, April 16 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Horizon Quantum Computing Pte. Ltd., the wholly-owned subsidiary of Horizon Quantum Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: HQ “Horizon Quantum”), a pioneer of software infrastructure for quantum applications, and AQT (Alpine Quantum Technologies), a leading European provider of trapped-ion quantum computers, today announced a strategic collaboration to advance the development of real-world quantum computing applications via increased hardware-software integration. By combining advanced hardware capabilities with scalable software infrastructure, the two companies aim to accelerate users’ ability to build real-world quantum applications.
The integration of Triple Alpha—Horizon Quantum's integrated development environment—with AQT's trapped-ion quantum processors—a leading modality known for high gate fidelity and low error rates—is intended to enable developers with and without specialised hardware expertise to harness the power of AQT’s systems at various levels of abstraction. Using Triple Alpha, developers can write, compile, and deploy quantum programs directly onto AQT’s processors, accessing the hardware via the cloud.
“AQT’s trapped ion systems provide low error rates and long coherence times, potentially increasing the scalability and reliability of quantum computing,” said Horizon Quantum CEO Dr Joe Fitzsimons. “Through this collaboration, Triple Alpha users will gain access to AQT’s processors, expanding their options for cutting-edge hardware designed to solve difficult computational problems.”
Horizon Quantum and AQT will engage customers as equals, working together to solve computational problems and achieve joint technical firsts in the fields of quantum computing and software development.
“The Triple Alpha software development environment navigates the diversity and complexity of today’s quantum stack, providing developers with access at multiple levels of abstraction to deliver both programming freedom and fine-grained precision,” said Dr Thomas Monz, CEO of AQT. “The collaboration with Horizon Quantum provides broad and easy access to AQT’s hardware and leverages synergies between the two companies, which share the common goal of advancing quantum computing in practice."
Horizon Quantum’s objective is to build the most capable hardware-agnostic software infrastructure. Horizon Quantum believes the collaboration with AQT is an important step towards further broadening the range of hardware architectures supported in Triple Alpha. To accelerate its research and development efforts and further advance Triple Alpha, Horizon Quantum recently listed on Nasdaq under the ticker HQ.
About Horizon Quantum
Horizon Quantum [NASDAQ: HQ] is on a mission to unlock broad quantum advantage by building the software infrastructure that empowers developers to use quantum computing to solve the world’s toughest computational problems.
Founded in 2018 by Dr Joe Fitzsimons, a leading researcher and former professor with more than two decades of experience in quantum computing, the company is bridging the gap between today’s hardware and tomorrow’s applications through the creation of advanced quantum software development tools. Its integrated development environment, Triple Alpha, enables developers to write sophisticated, hardware-agnostic quantum programs at different levels of abstraction. Learn more at www.horizonquantum.com.
About AQT
Building on decades of experience in experimental and theoretical quantum information processing in Innsbruck (Austria), AQT develops and builds quantum computers. The company offers ion trap-based quantum computers that fit seamlessly into conventional IT infrastructure and can be operated from any PC or laptop, regardless of location. AQT enables its customers to install quantum computers on site or to explore use-cases via a convenient cloud solution. Researchers and developers are supported by both quantum hardware components as well as complete systems that significantly accelerate the development of quantum solutions. Learn more at www.aqt.eu.
Note to Investors Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements. The expectations, estimates, and projections of the businesses of Horizon Quantum may differ from its actual results and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “potential,” “plan” “enable,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements and Horizon Quantum therefore cautions against placing undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are outside of the control of Horizon Quantum and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial, performance and operational metrics and projections of market opportunity; (2) references with respect to the anticipated benefits of the strategic collaboration with AQT; (3) the outcome of any efforts to integrate Horizon Quantum and AQT’s trapped-ion processor technology with Horizon Quantum’s software infrastructure; (4) Horizon Quantum’s ability to scale and grow its business, and the advantages and expected growth of Horizon Quantum; (5) the cash position of Horizon Quantum; (6) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the recently completed business combination with dMY Squared Technology Group, Inc., which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of Horizon Quantum to grow and manage growth profitably and source and retain its key employees; (7) costs, if any, related to the strategic collaboration with AQT; (8) changes in applicable laws and regulations or political and economic developments; (9) the possibility that Horizon Quantum may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; (10) Horizon Quantum’s estimates of expenses and profitability; (11) difficulties operating Horizon Quantum’s quantum processors and the possibility that the quantum processors do not provide the advantages that Horizon Quantum expects; (12) the ability of Horizon Quantum to integrate access to its quantum computing test bed, including AQT’s technology, within its Triple Alpha platform; (13) the ability of Horizon Quantum’s coding languages to provide additional abstraction when compared to other quantum computing solutions; (14) the ability to maintain the listing of Horizon Quantum’s Class A ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq; and (15) other risks and uncertainties included in the “Risk Factors” sections of the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed by Horizon Quantum in connection with the Business Combination, other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by Horizon Quantum. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. New risks emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risks, nor can management assess the impact of all factors on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Horizon Quantum does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.
View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260415917591/en/
Contact
Media Contact
Horizon Quantum media contact
Yanina Blaclard
media@horizonquantum.com
AQT media contact
Franz Domig
franz.domig@aqt.eu
Investor Contact
Horizon Quantum investor contact
Katherine Bailon
investors@horizonquantum.com
Source : Horizon Quantum Computing Pte. Ltd.
SINGAPORE & INNSBRUCK, Austria, April 16 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Horizon Quantum Computing Pte. Ltd., the wholly-owned subsidiary of Horizon Quantum Holdings Ltd. (Nasdaq: HQ “Horizon Quantum”), a pioneer of software infrastructure for quantum applications, and AQT (Alpine Quantum Technologies), a leading European provider of trapped-ion quantum computers, today announced a strategic collaboration to advance the development of real-world quantum computing applications via increased hardware-software integration. By combining advanced hardware capabilities with scalable software infrastructure, the two companies aim to accelerate users’ ability to build real-world quantum applications.
The integration of Triple Alpha—Horizon Quantum's integrated development environment—with AQT's trapped-ion quantum processors—a leading modality known for high gate fidelity and low error rates—is intended to enable developers with and without specialised hardware expertise to harness the power of AQT’s systems at various levels of abstraction. Using Triple Alpha, developers can write, compile, and deploy quantum programs directly onto AQT’s processors, accessing the hardware via the cloud.
“AQT’s trapped ion systems provide low error rates and long coherence times, potentially increasing the scalability and reliability of quantum computing,” said Horizon Quantum CEO Dr Joe Fitzsimons. “Through this collaboration, Triple Alpha users will gain access to AQT’s processors, expanding their options for cutting-edge hardware designed to solve difficult computational problems.”
Horizon Quantum and AQT will engage customers as equals, working together to solve computational problems and achieve joint technical firsts in the fields of quantum computing and software development.
“The Triple Alpha software development environment navigates the diversity and complexity of today’s quantum stack, providing developers with access at multiple levels of abstraction to deliver both programming freedom and fine-grained precision,” said Dr Thomas Monz, CEO of AQT. “The collaboration with Horizon Quantum provides broad and easy access to AQT’s hardware and leverages synergies between the two companies, which share the common goal of advancing quantum computing in practice."
Horizon Quantum’s objective is to build the most capable hardware-agnostic software infrastructure. Horizon Quantum believes the collaboration with AQT is an important step towards further broadening the range of hardware architectures supported in Triple Alpha. To accelerate its research and development efforts and further advance Triple Alpha, Horizon Quantum recently listed on Nasdaq under the ticker HQ.
About Horizon Quantum
Horizon Quantum [NASDAQ: HQ] is on a mission to unlock broad quantum advantage by building the software infrastructure that empowers developers to use quantum computing to solve the world’s toughest computational problems.
Founded in 2018 by Dr Joe Fitzsimons, a leading researcher and former professor with more than two decades of experience in quantum computing, the company is bridging the gap between today’s hardware and tomorrow’s applications through the creation of advanced quantum software development tools. Its integrated development environment, Triple Alpha, enables developers to write sophisticated, hardware-agnostic quantum programs at different levels of abstraction. Learn more at www.horizonquantum.com.
About AQT
Building on decades of experience in experimental and theoretical quantum information processing in Innsbruck (Austria), AQT develops and builds quantum computers. The company offers ion trap-based quantum computers that fit seamlessly into conventional IT infrastructure and can be operated from any PC or laptop, regardless of location. AQT enables its customers to install quantum computers on site or to explore use-cases via a convenient cloud solution. Researchers and developers are supported by both quantum hardware components as well as complete systems that significantly accelerate the development of quantum solutions. Learn more at www.aqt.eu.
Note to Investors Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements. The expectations, estimates, and projections of the businesses of Horizon Quantum may differ from its actual results and consequently, you should not rely on these forward-looking statements as predictions of future events. Words such as “expect,” “estimate,” “anticipate,” “intend,” “may,” “will,” “could,” “should,” “potential,” “plan” “enable,” and similar expressions are intended to identify such forward-looking statements. Actual results may differ materially and adversely from those expressed or implied in any forward-looking statements and Horizon Quantum therefore cautions against placing undue reliance on any of these forward-looking statements. Many of these factors are outside of the control of Horizon Quantum and are difficult to predict. Factors that may cause such differences include, but are not limited to: (1) statements regarding estimates and forecasts of other financial, performance and operational metrics and projections of market opportunity; (2) references with respect to the anticipated benefits of the strategic collaboration with AQT; (3) the outcome of any efforts to integrate Horizon Quantum and AQT’s trapped-ion processor technology with Horizon Quantum’s software infrastructure; (4) Horizon Quantum’s ability to scale and grow its business, and the advantages and expected growth of Horizon Quantum; (5) the cash position of Horizon Quantum; (6) the ability to recognize the anticipated benefits of the recently completed business combination with dMY Squared Technology Group, Inc., which may be affected by, among other things, competition, the ability of Horizon Quantum to grow and manage growth profitably and source and retain its key employees; (7) costs, if any, related to the strategic collaboration with AQT; (8) changes in applicable laws and regulations or political and economic developments; (9) the possibility that Horizon Quantum may be adversely affected by other economic, business and/or competitive factors; (10) Horizon Quantum’s estimates of expenses and profitability; (11) difficulties operating Horizon Quantum’s quantum processors and the possibility that the quantum processors do not provide the advantages that Horizon Quantum expects; (12) the ability of Horizon Quantum to integrate access to its quantum computing test bed, including AQT’s technology, within its Triple Alpha platform; (13) the ability of Horizon Quantum’s coding languages to provide additional abstraction when compared to other quantum computing solutions; (14) the ability to maintain the listing of Horizon Quantum’s Class A ordinary shares and warrants on Nasdaq; and (15) other risks and uncertainties included in the “Risk Factors” sections of the Registration Statement on Form F-4 filed by Horizon Quantum in connection with the Business Combination, other documents filed or to be filed with the SEC by Horizon Quantum. The foregoing list of factors is not exclusive. New risks emerge from time to time, and it is not possible for management to predict all risks, nor can management assess the impact of all factors on the business or the extent to which any factor, or combination of factors, may cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statements. You should not place undue reliance upon any forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date made. Horizon Quantum does not undertake or accept any obligation or undertaking to release publicly any updates or revisions to any forward-looking statements to reflect any change in their expectations or any change in events, conditions, or circumstances on which any such statement is based, except as required by law.
View source version on businesswire.com:
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260415917591/en/
Contact
Media Contact
Horizon Quantum media contact
Yanina Blaclard
media@horizonquantum.com
AQT media contact
Franz Domig
franz.domig@aqt.eu
Investor Contact
Horizon Quantum investor contact
Katherine Bailon
investors@horizonquantum.com
Source : Horizon Quantum Computing Pte. Ltd.
DENODO REPORT HIGHLIGHTS "TRUST GAP" IN AGENTIC AI ADOPTION
KUALA LUMPUR, April 16 (Bernama) -- Denodo, a leader in data management, has released The AI Trust Gap Report, a global study revealing that the next phase of artificial intelligence (AI)—agentic AI—is facing significant trust challenges driven by data-related issues.
“AI is rapidly shifting from systems that merely answer questions to systems that take autonomous action, and this transition changes the data requirement entirely,” said Denodo vice president of Product Marketing, Dominic Sartorio, noting that real-time, governed and contextually relevant data is critical for scaling agentic AI with confidence.
The report finds that 63 per cent of organisations struggle to locate relevant, context-specific data, while 66 per cent say real-time data access is essential for AI to be considered trustworthy.
At the same time, 67 per cent face difficulties maintaining consistent security and access controls, adding to the complexity of deploying autonomous AI systems safely, according to a statement.
Data scale is also a growing concern, with enterprise AI initiatives drawing from an average of over 400 data sources and 20 per cent of organisations managing more than 1,000 sources.
Nearly 60 per cent of respondents report performance challenges in handling the intensive workloads required for large-scale AI.
The report concludes that the "trust gap" stems not from AI models themselves, but from fragmented and outdated data architectures. Bridging this gap will be essential for organisations seeking to transition from experimental AI use cases to fully automated, enterprise-scale deployments.
-- BERNAMA
“AI is rapidly shifting from systems that merely answer questions to systems that take autonomous action, and this transition changes the data requirement entirely,” said Denodo vice president of Product Marketing, Dominic Sartorio, noting that real-time, governed and contextually relevant data is critical for scaling agentic AI with confidence.
The report finds that 63 per cent of organisations struggle to locate relevant, context-specific data, while 66 per cent say real-time data access is essential for AI to be considered trustworthy.
At the same time, 67 per cent face difficulties maintaining consistent security and access controls, adding to the complexity of deploying autonomous AI systems safely, according to a statement.
Data scale is also a growing concern, with enterprise AI initiatives drawing from an average of over 400 data sources and 20 per cent of organisations managing more than 1,000 sources.
Nearly 60 per cent of respondents report performance challenges in handling the intensive workloads required for large-scale AI.
The report concludes that the "trust gap" stems not from AI models themselves, but from fragmented and outdated data architectures. Bridging this gap will be essential for organisations seeking to transition from experimental AI use cases to fully automated, enterprise-scale deployments.
-- BERNAMA
Wednesday, April 15, 2026
MTDC UNVEILS SEMICONSTART MALAYSIA, A NATIONAL SEMICONDUCTOR INCUBATION PROGRAMME TO BUILD MALAYSIA’S IC DESIGN AND DEEP-TECH PIPELINE
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Bernama) -- Malaysia is strengthening its position in the global semiconductor value chain through SemiconStart Malaysia, a national semiconductor incubation programme led by the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC). The programme was unveiled today at a pre-launch event attended by stakeholders from government, industry, research institutions and universities, and is designed to support the development of globally competitive companies in areas such as integrated circuit (IC) design, photonics, Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS) and quantum technologies.
The initiative is developed and led by MTDC in collaboration with Silicon Catalyst UK, one of the world’s leading semiconductor incubators and accelerators, with a strong track record of supporting hundreds of chip companies in scaling and growth. The programme combines early-stage funding managed by MTDC with access to advanced design tools, global industry mentorship, strategic partners and international investor networks through Silicon Catalyst’s ecosystem.
“Malaysia’s global reputation in semiconductor manufacturing is firmly established. The next step is to build Malaysian companies that do not merely participate in the industry, but lead in innovation, technology development and value creation. SemiconStart Malaysia reflects MTDC’s role in building this pipeline, by translating technology into ventures, and ventures into globally competitive companies, while strengthening Malaysia’s long-term strategic position across semiconductor value chain,” said Ts. Hj. Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan, Group Chief Executive Officer of MTDC.
SemiconStart Malaysia is developed in alignment with Malaysia's National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) and Budget 2026 commitments, which earmarked RM7.9 billion to upskill the nation's electrical and electronics (E&E) workforce and build strategic depth in the sector. MTDC has been mandated to implement the SemiconStart Malaysia programme, including managing the selection process and disbursement of grants of up to RM1 million per company, as well as overseeing the programme in collaboration with Silicon Catalyst through a structured 260-day incubation track.
Apart from funding, companies will undergo rigorous technical and commercial assessments coordinated by Silicon Catalyst’s UK and US teams. Focus areas include IC design, sensor technologies, photonics, MEMS, quantum technologies and advanced semiconductor materials, all of which have been identified as strategic, highvalue segments under the NSS.
Companies will also be assessed based on their commitment to value creation in Malaysia, including the registration of intellectual property in Malaysia and the development of local technical talent. Foreign participation is allowed under the programme, subject to clear local capability-building and ecosystem contribution .
Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain realignment and intensifying competition for critical technologies, Malaysia must continue strengthening its own technology ecosystem to build greater resilience and reduce long-term dependence in strategic areas. This requires stronger domestic capabilities in semiconductor innovation, intellectual property, talent development and venture creation, enabling Malaysian companies to compete more effectively in higher-value segments of the industry. SemiconStart Malaysia is intended to support this shift and reinforce Malaysia’s long-term competitiveness in the global semiconductor value chain.
Silicon Catalyst brings to the partnership a global network of industry advisors, investors and technology partners, as well as experience from similar programmes such as ChipStart UK, a UK Government-backed semiconductor incubator programme. The initiative is led by Sean Redmond, a semiconductor veteran who previously held leadership roles at Cadence, ARM-affiliated Verisity Design, and ARC, together with Dr. Ross Addinall, who brings decades of IC design and EDA experience to Malaysia’s startup pipeline.
The full launch of SemiconStart Malaysia is expected to take place later this year, with applications opening in April. The programme represents a strategic step in strengthening Malaysia’s capabilities in semiconductor design and deep technology, and reflects the broader national effort to move Malaysia further up the global semiconductor value chain through innovation, talent development and technology commercialisation.
Prepared by:
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
15 April 2026
About Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC)
Established in March 1992, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (MTDC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad and an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). MTDC plays a strategic role in strengthening Malaysia’s deep technology ecosystem by supporting the progression of technology companies from development to adoption and scale.
As a technology investor and ecosystem enabler, MTDC provides developmental and growth funding through initiatives such as the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS), Halal Technology Development Fund (HTDF), Dana Uji Beli MySTI, Dana Mudahcara MySTI, Business Start-up Fund (BSF), Business Growth Fund (BGF) and the MTDC–Tradeview Quantum Fund, a public–private investment initiative to accelerate the growth of high-potential Malaysian technology companies.
MTDC also strengthens companies through capability development and technology adoption platforms including the Centre of 9 Pillars® (Co9P®), Technopreneur Training Academy (TENTRA), and the MySTI ecosystem, facilitating market access and technology adoption across both public and private sectors.
Over more than three decades, MTDC has supported Malaysian technology companies across key sectors including Electrical & Electronics and Semiconductor, Industry 4.0, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Food Security, Green Economy, and Aerospace and Mobility.
Issued by MTDC Corporate Communications Department
SOURCE: Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Munirah Abdullah Sani
Vice President, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +6019-2687887
Email: munirah@mtdc.com.my
--BERNAMA
The initiative is developed and led by MTDC in collaboration with Silicon Catalyst UK, one of the world’s leading semiconductor incubators and accelerators, with a strong track record of supporting hundreds of chip companies in scaling and growth. The programme combines early-stage funding managed by MTDC with access to advanced design tools, global industry mentorship, strategic partners and international investor networks through Silicon Catalyst’s ecosystem.
“Malaysia’s global reputation in semiconductor manufacturing is firmly established. The next step is to build Malaysian companies that do not merely participate in the industry, but lead in innovation, technology development and value creation. SemiconStart Malaysia reflects MTDC’s role in building this pipeline, by translating technology into ventures, and ventures into globally competitive companies, while strengthening Malaysia’s long-term strategic position across semiconductor value chain,” said Ts. Hj. Mohammad Hazani Hj. Hassan, Group Chief Executive Officer of MTDC.
SemiconStart Malaysia is developed in alignment with Malaysia's National Semiconductor Strategy (NSS) and Budget 2026 commitments, which earmarked RM7.9 billion to upskill the nation's electrical and electronics (E&E) workforce and build strategic depth in the sector. MTDC has been mandated to implement the SemiconStart Malaysia programme, including managing the selection process and disbursement of grants of up to RM1 million per company, as well as overseeing the programme in collaboration with Silicon Catalyst through a structured 260-day incubation track.
Apart from funding, companies will undergo rigorous technical and commercial assessments coordinated by Silicon Catalyst’s UK and US teams. Focus areas include IC design, sensor technologies, photonics, MEMS, quantum technologies and advanced semiconductor materials, all of which have been identified as strategic, highvalue segments under the NSS.
Companies will also be assessed based on their commitment to value creation in Malaysia, including the registration of intellectual property in Malaysia and the development of local technical talent. Foreign participation is allowed under the programme, subject to clear local capability-building and ecosystem contribution .
Against a backdrop of geopolitical uncertainty, supply chain realignment and intensifying competition for critical technologies, Malaysia must continue strengthening its own technology ecosystem to build greater resilience and reduce long-term dependence in strategic areas. This requires stronger domestic capabilities in semiconductor innovation, intellectual property, talent development and venture creation, enabling Malaysian companies to compete more effectively in higher-value segments of the industry. SemiconStart Malaysia is intended to support this shift and reinforce Malaysia’s long-term competitiveness in the global semiconductor value chain.
Silicon Catalyst brings to the partnership a global network of industry advisors, investors and technology partners, as well as experience from similar programmes such as ChipStart UK, a UK Government-backed semiconductor incubator programme. The initiative is led by Sean Redmond, a semiconductor veteran who previously held leadership roles at Cadence, ARM-affiliated Verisity Design, and ARC, together with Dr. Ross Addinall, who brings decades of IC design and EDA experience to Malaysia’s startup pipeline.
The full launch of SemiconStart Malaysia is expected to take place later this year, with applications opening in April. The programme represents a strategic step in strengthening Malaysia’s capabilities in semiconductor design and deep technology, and reflects the broader national effort to move Malaysia further up the global semiconductor value chain through innovation, talent development and technology commercialisation.
Prepared by:
MINISTRY OF SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION
15 April 2026
About Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC)
Established in March 1992, Malaysian Technology Development Corporation Sdn. Bhd. (MTDC) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Khazanah Nasional Berhad and an agency under the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation (MOSTI). MTDC plays a strategic role in strengthening Malaysia’s deep technology ecosystem by supporting the progression of technology companies from development to adoption and scale.
As a technology investor and ecosystem enabler, MTDC provides developmental and growth funding through initiatives such as the National Technology and Innovation Sandbox (NTIS), Halal Technology Development Fund (HTDF), Dana Uji Beli MySTI, Dana Mudahcara MySTI, Business Start-up Fund (BSF), Business Growth Fund (BGF) and the MTDC–Tradeview Quantum Fund, a public–private investment initiative to accelerate the growth of high-potential Malaysian technology companies.
MTDC also strengthens companies through capability development and technology adoption platforms including the Centre of 9 Pillars® (Co9P®), Technopreneur Training Academy (TENTRA), and the MySTI ecosystem, facilitating market access and technology adoption across both public and private sectors.
Over more than three decades, MTDC has supported Malaysian technology companies across key sectors including Electrical & Electronics and Semiconductor, Industry 4.0, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Food Security, Green Economy, and Aerospace and Mobility.
Issued by MTDC Corporate Communications Department
SOURCE: Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC)
FOR MORE INFORMATION, PLEASE CONTACT:
Name: Munirah Abdullah Sani
Vice President, Corporate Communications Department
Tel: +6019-2687887
Email: munirah@mtdc.com.my
--BERNAMA
ARLA FOODS INGREDIENTS TO SHOWCASE NUTRITION SOLUTIONS AT VITAFOODS EUROPE 2026
KUALA LUMPUR, April 15 (Bernama) -- Arla Foods Ingredients has announced it will showcase high-protein, nutrient-dense application concepts for users of GLP-1 anti-obesity medications at Vitafoods Europe, taking place in Barcelona from May 5 to 7.
Originally developed to treat diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists have reshaped the weight management market, the company said in a statement.
In 2025, 11 per cent of consumers globally and 18 per cent in the United States (US) who were actively trying to lose weight reported using them, with uptake expected to rise as availability expands, tablet formats emerge and prices fall.
However, GLP-1 use is associated with side effects. Lean muscle loss may account for up to 40 per cent of total weight lost, compared with around 25 per cent for traditional interventions, while up to 76 per cent of users report gastric discomfort and reduced appetite.
To help address these challenges, Arla Foods Ingredients has developed high-protein concepts using Nutrilac and Lacprodan BLG-100, delivering essential amino acids for muscle health in nutrient-dense formats, alongside probiotics and cultures from Novonesis to support digestive well-being.
Arla Foods Ingredients Chief Commercial Officer, Anne Widart said nutrition for GLP-1 users is a growing category, creating opportunities for dairy manufacturers.
“There is increasing demand for nutrient-dense, high-protein products in formats suited to smaller appetites. Our concepts are designed to help manufacturers respond to these evolving needs,” she added.
The company said the range includes formats tailored for reduced appetites, such as a fermented high-protein shot offering 10 grammes (g) of protein per 70 millilitres (ml) serving, which is low fat, lactose-reduced and contains no added sugar.
Other concepts include a fermented high-protein drinking yoghurt providing 20g of protein per 200ml serving, and a high-protein water-based shot for ambient storage delivering 21g of protein per 100ml serving.
Arla Foods Ingredients will also showcase two additional concepts at Vitafoods Europe, namely an aerated protein bar solution and ready-to-stir medical nutrition powder solutions.
-- BERNAMA
Originally developed to treat diabetes, GLP-1 receptor agonists have reshaped the weight management market, the company said in a statement.
In 2025, 11 per cent of consumers globally and 18 per cent in the United States (US) who were actively trying to lose weight reported using them, with uptake expected to rise as availability expands, tablet formats emerge and prices fall.
However, GLP-1 use is associated with side effects. Lean muscle loss may account for up to 40 per cent of total weight lost, compared with around 25 per cent for traditional interventions, while up to 76 per cent of users report gastric discomfort and reduced appetite.
To help address these challenges, Arla Foods Ingredients has developed high-protein concepts using Nutrilac and Lacprodan BLG-100, delivering essential amino acids for muscle health in nutrient-dense formats, alongside probiotics and cultures from Novonesis to support digestive well-being.
Arla Foods Ingredients Chief Commercial Officer, Anne Widart said nutrition for GLP-1 users is a growing category, creating opportunities for dairy manufacturers.
“There is increasing demand for nutrient-dense, high-protein products in formats suited to smaller appetites. Our concepts are designed to help manufacturers respond to these evolving needs,” she added.
The company said the range includes formats tailored for reduced appetites, such as a fermented high-protein shot offering 10 grammes (g) of protein per 70 millilitres (ml) serving, which is low fat, lactose-reduced and contains no added sugar.
Other concepts include a fermented high-protein drinking yoghurt providing 20g of protein per 200ml serving, and a high-protein water-based shot for ambient storage delivering 21g of protein per 100ml serving.
Arla Foods Ingredients will also showcase two additional concepts at Vitafoods Europe, namely an aerated protein bar solution and ready-to-stir medical nutrition powder solutions.
-- BERNAMA
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