The launch took place at the Huawei Thailand Digital & AI Summit 2026, held from July 23–24, 2026, at the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center under the theme “Advancing All Intelligence Thailand.” The event brought together more than 3,000 participants, including government representatives, telecom operators, enterprise customers, and industry partners. Discussions covered AI infrastructure, trustworthy AI, energy for data centers, and AI applications across multiple industries.

Thailand Builds Its AI Roadmap Around Infrastructure, Trust, and People

Chaichanok Chidchob, Minister of Digital Economy and Society, outlined Thailand’s AI development strategy through three key pillars: Infrastructure, Trust, and People.

One of the country’s priorities is to position Thailand as a real-world AI Governance Sandbox, where businesses, researchers, and regulators can collaborate to translate international AI principles into practical frameworks suited to the Thai context.

The government is also focusing on AI that supports the Thai language, understands local culture and context, and enables Thai people to participate beyond adoption. The goal is to allow local businesses, developers, and researchers to build, adapt, and lead with AI, while strengthening safeguards against online scams, deepfakes, and AI-enabled fraud.

Five Bottlenecks Holding Back Enterprise AI Adoption in Thailand

Austin Zheng, Deputy Managing Director of Huawei Thailand, said Thailand has strong potential to become a regional AI hub, but local organizations continue to face five major barriers:

1. High computing costs and unclear returns on investment
2. Fragmented or low-quality data
3. General-purpose models that do not fully understand Thai language and industry contexts
4. Concerns over regulation, privacy, and data control
5. A lack of structured collaboration between business and technology teams

Huawei recommends that enterprises begin with high-value use cases that can generate measurable business outcomes. Organizations can then use industry-specific data to customize foundation models and develop internal talent capable of working across both business operations and AI technologies.

Huawei also announced a goal to train 40,000 AI developers in Thailand over the coming years, supporting the expansion of the local talent pool and helping organizations of different sizes access AI capabilities.

Thailand AI Ecosystem Initiative Connects Infrastructure, Industry, and Talent

The Thailand AI Ecosystem Initiative brings together Huawei, the Artificial Intelligence Association of Thailand, telecommunications operators, local AI model developers, businesses, and universities.

The initiative is designed to create an open and connected AI ecosystem that combines resources and expertise from multiple sectors. It seeks to balance innovation with trustworthy governance while developing local digital talent and accelerating AI adoption across industries.

The initiative also arrives as Thailand continues to attract investment in digital infrastructure, including data centers and AI-related projects. This growing foundation could support the country’s ambition to serve as a regional base for AI development and industrial deployment.

Huawei Cloud Brings Agentic Infrastructure to Thailand

Huawei Cloud also announced that Huawei Cloud Agentic Infrastructure is now available in Thailand, providing a foundation for enterprises to develop and deploy AI agents. The company also launched Huawei Cloud CodeArts Agent Open Beta Testing, giving Thai developers and organizations early access to its AI-powered software development platform.

Agentic Infrastructure is designed specifically for AI agents. It supports efficient token generation, unified scheduling of general-purpose and AI computing resources, long-term memory management, continuous learning, and secure autonomous operations.

Its four main components include:

• AICS, an AI cluster service designed to improve token-generation efficiency
• AMS, a PB-scale memory storage service supporting long-horizon tasks and continuous learning
• AgentSphere, a secure runtime environment for autonomous AI agents
• CCE VolcanoNext, which manages and schedules general-purpose and AI computing resources

CodeArts Agent Supports Project-Level Software Development

CodeArts Agent combines development tools, coding models, and autonomous software development capabilities.

The platform supports project-level code generation, code completion, research and development knowledge Q&A, and unit-test generation. It also uses Specification-Driven Development to help teams maintain software quality from the requirements stage through final delivery.

Another key feature is Agent Team Mode, which allows multiple AI agents to divide tasks and work simultaneously. This can reduce repetitive work and help development teams bring digital products and services to market faster.

Security and Data Control Remain Critical for Enterprise AI

Huawei Cloud said its enterprise AI security framework covers infrastructure, training data, model inference, and AI agent applications.

For organizations concerned about data sovereignty and privacy, Huawei Cloud provides dedicated security zones that allow customers to manage their own encryption keys. Its Data Capsule technology also restricts data use to authorized environments and automatically invalidates data if it is moved outside a designated security zone.

From AI Infrastructure to Real-World Value

The launch of the Thailand AI Ecosystem Initiative reflects how national AI development requires more than investment in cloud platforms or data centers. It also depends on connecting infrastructure, data, models, security, talent, and collaboration across government, businesses, and academic institutions.

Thailand’s next challenge is to turn these foundations into AI applications that solve real problems and create measurable value for public services, enterprises, and key industries.

Huawei, which has operated in Thailand for 27 years, said it will continue working with customers and partners to strengthen AI infrastructure, industrial applications, and talent development under its “In Thailand, For Thailand” commitment, supporting Thailand’s ambition to become a leading AI hub in ASEAN.

Behind these new products lies Huawei's long-term commitment to research and development (R&D). In 2025, the company invested CNY 192.3 billion in R&D, representing 21.8% of its annual revenue—the highest proportion in Huawei's history. Over the past decade, Huawei's cumulative R&D investment has exceeded CNY 1.382 trillion, while the company now holds more than 165,000 active granted patents worldwide.

Pura 90s Series Elevates Mobile Photography with AI and a 200MP Camera

The highlight of the event was the HUAWEI Pura 90s Series, Huawei's latest flagship smartphone lineup that continues the Pura family's strong focus on mobile imaging.

The HUAWEI Pura 90s Pro Max features a 200MP Ultra Large Sensor Telephoto Camera, delivering enhanced long-range zoom performance, alongside the True-to-Colour Camera 2.0 for more accurate color reproduction. The system is designed to perform consistently across telephoto, macro, and challenging lighting conditions.

One of the biggest upgrades is the deeper integration of AI throughout the photography workflow. Instead of only assisting with post-processing, AI now supports users before, during, and after taking a photo. Features such as AI Composition provide real-time framing suggestions, AI De-glare removes reflections from glass surfaces, while AI Move allows users to move or duplicate objects within an image and intelligently reconstruct the background. Together, these features simplify photo editing and make professional-looking results more accessible to everyday users.

Beyond photography, the Pura 90s Series also introduces Huawei's AI assistant Celia, offering knowledge-based Q&A, content drafting, navigation through Petal Maps, local search, and ride-hailing support, further extending AI into daily productivity and lifestyle scenarios.

FreeClip 2 S: When Comfort Becomes as Important as Sound Quality

Another product drawing significant attention at the launch was the HUAWEI FreeClip 2 S, an open-ear earbud designed around the growing demand for all-day comfort rather than sound quality alone.

The FreeClip 2 S adopts Huawei's Luminous Aesthetics design philosophy and introduces two new colors—Deepsea Blue and Space Silver. Its redesigned charging case offers 20% more usable internal space, while the upgraded Airy C-Bridge combines skin-friendly silicone with a metallic finish to deliver a softer, more comfortable fit without compromising style. The open-ear design also allows users to enjoy music or calls while remaining aware of their surroundings.

Huawei also revealed that the FreeClip Series is backed by an extensive patent portfolio dedicated to clip-on earbuds. This includes both design patents covering its signature Comfort Bean–C-Bridge–Acoustic Ball form factor and invention and utility model patents supporting technologies such as Auto Left-Right Recognition, enabling users to wear either earbud in either ear without manual adjustment.

MatePad Air Focuses on Productivity and Creativity

Huawei also introduced the HUAWEI MatePad Air, a lightweight tablet measuring just 5.3 mm thick.

Equipped with a 12-inch 2.8K OLED PaperMatte Display with a 144Hz refresh rate, the tablet minimizes glare while delivering a paper-like writing experience, making it suitable for reading, note-taking, sketching, and creative work.

On the software side, Huawei continues to strengthen PC-level productivity through applications such as HUAWEI Notes, GoPaint, and WPS Office. Together with support for the HUAWEI M-Pencil Pro and Smart Magnetic Keyboard, the MatePad Air is designed to support studying, office work, and content creation within a single device.

Building an AI Ecosystem Beyond Individual Devices

Although the Pura 90s Series, FreeClip 2 S, and MatePad Air belong to different product categories, they all reflect Huawei's broader strategy of creating a connected AI-powered ecosystem.

The Pura 90s Series focuses on AI-enhanced photography, the FreeClip 2 S emphasizes comfortable all-day wearable experiences, and the MatePad Air is designed to improve productivity and creativity. 

Together, these products demonstrate Huawei's vision of going beyond standalone hardware to build an integrated ecosystem where photography, communication, productivity, and AI work seamlessly together, making intelligent experiences a natural part of everyday life.

In a world shaped by geopolitical volatility, pressure on global trade and AI changing the way business is done at a faster pace, APEC may appear to be a policy-level forum far removed from the daily realities of small entrepreneurs. Yet for Eduardo Pedrosa, Executive Director of the APEC Secretariat, what happens around these meeting tables is a negotiation over the future of cross-border markets across 21 economies.

On 6 July 2026, Techsauce had an exclusive interview with Eduardo Pedrosa during ABAC3 in Bangkok to discuss the role of APEC at a time when trade, AI and trust have become one shared challenge for the region.

At ABAC3 in Bangkok, business representatives from 21 economies are finalizing recommendations to be delivered to APEC leaders in Shenzhen later this year. ABAC, or the APEC Business Advisory Council, usually produces around 100 recommendations covering areas from trade, connectivity, the digital economy and education to human resource development.

Even though all parties are on the business side, that does not mean they all see the same path forward. Pedrosa explained that government-to-government work is difficult, and business-to-business work is no less difficult. Different business groups face different challenges, want different policy recommendations and move at different speeds of growth.

That is what makes ABAC3 more than one meeting among many this year. It is the final stretch where the business community must sharpen its priorities before turning the voices heard in Bangkok's meeting rooms into recommendations that economic leaders will read at the end-of-year forum.

Trust is how a region with different views keeps moving

Pedrosa previously wrote on the APEC blog that trust is Asia-Pacific's strongest currency. In this interview, he did not describe trust as an idealistic concept. He spoke about trust as the outcome of continuous conversation.

The word cooperation in APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) really is the pathway towards greater trust

That sentence reflects the nature of APEC clearly. APEC does not operate through binding rules in the way a conventional free trade agreement does. It works through conversations, experimentation and the search for common ground among economies that differ widely in levels of development, political systems, industrial structures and technological readiness.

Pedrosa pointed out that without a space where different sides can ask one another directly why things are being done in a certain way, what businesses need in order to grow or what direction governments are taking in policy design, trust is almost impossible to build.

This matters greatly in a year when the world is debating supply chains, trade restrictions and technological competition. The region's risk is not only a lack of technology. It is also a lack of predictable rules. If businesses do not know how far data can flow across borders, what form AI rules will take or whether energy systems can support AI usage, large-scale investment becomes harder to make.

FTAAP 2040 and the question of what a new-generation free trade area should look like

One issue Pedrosa emphasized was FTAAP, or the Free Trade Area of the Asia-Pacific. In 2026, the idea reaches its 20th anniversary. FTAAP was originally discussed as a future vision for free trade in Asia-Pacific, but today's question has moved much further.

Pedrosa asked in return that everyone already knows what a traditional free trade agreement looks like, but what should a free trade agreement of 2040 look like?

The question matters because trade over the next 10 to 20 years will not involve only tariffs, customs or market access for goods. It will also involve labour, the environment, state-owned enterprises, digital services, data, energy and AI. Each of these areas touches different sensitivities across economies.

Seen this way, the new Services Roadmap endorsed by trade ministers in 2026 is significant because it adds innovation to the services agenda. Pedrosa gave an example that when people talk about services in the new era, they may immediately think of Software-as-a-Service, or SaaS. In policy terms, however, the issue is much broader because services have become a channel for innovation across the entire economy.

Services are no longer just one sector of GDP. They are the connecting layer between technology, businesses and consumers, from cloud, fintech, logistics and e-commerce to AI platforms that small businesses use to reduce the cost of entering new markets.

AI can grow when the rules can talk to one another

When the conversation turned to AI, the word Pedrosa used was interoperability, or the ability of different systems and rules to work together. He sees APEC as focused on promoting innovation and making systems interoperable, while the details of governance must still respect the differences among economies. All 21 economies have different state structures, responsible agencies and levels of readiness.

Those differences, however, must not become permanent walls. The internet and the digital economy are cross-border by nature. If each economy sets its own rules without talking to others, businesses serving multiple countries will face ever-rising hidden costs.

A clear example is AI and intellectual property. Pedrosa explained that much of AI works by mining and processing existing information. The question, then, is not only what AI can do. It is also where standards on data rights and intellectual property should go so that creators, businesses and users can operate within the same system.

For SMEs, this issue matters even more than it does for large organizations because regulatory compliance costs always weigh more heavily on smaller players. Pedrosa sees AI as a tool that can help entrepreneurs identify which rules apply in a particular country, which documents they should start with or which official sources they should consult.

But he gave a clear warning that entrepreneurs should not trust every answer from AI. What AI can do well is point users toward more accurate sources of information. That does not mean the first answer it gives is the final fact.

APEC's AI agenda is therefore not limited to large technology companies. If digital rules become more interoperable, SMEs will be able to use AI as a tool to cross information and regulatory barriers more effectively. If rules fragment, AI will become another cost that smaller players have to carry.

Thailand's role beyond hosting

For Thailand, hosting ABAC3 in Bangkok is a good moment to position itself within APEC. But Pedrosa pointed out that the area where Thailand can show a role beyond event hosting is the 2026 APEC BCG Award, which builds on the Bio-Circular-Green Economy concept.

BCG matters as a policy idea because it tries to make the circular economy not only a sustainability cost, but a business opportunity that can generate real income. Pedrosa gave the example of plastic waste that can re-enter the economy as new products if the right entrepreneurs and business models exist.

The 2026 APEC BCG Award does not focus mainly on large organizations. It emphasizes small entrepreneurs creating innovation in their own spaces. That means Thailand's role in APEC is not only about opening meeting rooms or hosting ceremonies. It is about showing that sustainable growth needs room for smaller players to be seen, to learn from one another and to scale in practical ways.

At a time when AI requires enormous energy input, supply chains need to become more resilient and the digital economy depends on more interoperable rules, the role of a mid-sized economy such as Thailand may not lie in owning the most advanced technology. It may lie in creating practical examples for the region to see how major policy agendas can reach real entrepreneurs.

Trust as the infrastructure for the region's next step

Pedrosa closed the conversation with a vision of an Asia-Pacific region that is open, peaceful, dynamic and resilient. But the path toward that vision will not come from one end-of-year declaration alone. It will come from working-level meetings, letters to ministers, reports to leaders, follow-ups on recommendations and repeated conversations among governments, businesses and stakeholders.

In a world where AI and trade are changing faster than before, trust is not a polished word on an international stage. It is the infrastructure that gives businesses the confidence to invest, gives SMEs the confidence to enter new markets and allows a region with different views to keep moving forward together.

The model is being applied across cultural heritage preservation, digital intellectual property development, travel planning, AI photography, and commercial short-video production, demonstrating how AI can create new visitor experiences while unlocking the economic value of cultural assets.

Huawei and SCG describe BoGuan as the world’s first commercial multimodal large language model dedicated to cultural tourism. Officially unveiled in September 2025, the model is now being deployed across tourism services and attractions in Xi’an.

More Than 1.2 PB of Cultural Data Helps AI Recreate History More Accurately

At the foundation of BoGuan is a cultural tourism dataset exceeding 1.2 petabytes, comprising 31 million images, 4.4 million minutes of video, 2.18 million minutes of audio, 510 three-dimensional models, and 960 million pieces of structured text.

The data is used to train the model to understand specialized cultural details, including historical artifacts, architecture, clothing from different dynasties, local traditions, and intangible cultural heritage.

This industry-specific knowledge helps reduce historical inaccuracies that can occur when general-purpose AI models generate cultural content. For example, BoGuan can distinguish between clothing styles from different historical periods and recreate cultural scenes with greater fidelity.

Jin Yan, Chairman of SCG’s Digital and Intelligent Culture Technology Group, said the model is built around two “highs” and one “low”: high-quality cultural data, high-fidelity content generation, and low barriers to adoption.

Businesses can access image generation, video creation, and AI agent tools through the platform without having to build their own models or algorithms.

From Traditional Craftsmanship to Digital Cultural IP

BoGuan is already being used to preserve and commercialize cultural heritage in several forms.

One example involves helping traditional dough sculpture artists design and simulate their creations before beginning physical production. According to dough sculpture artisan Zhang Beiyuan, work that previously required two or three months can now be completed in less than a week with support from the model.

The platform has also supported the creation of Tang Biaobiao, a digital character inspired by local cultural elements and the stone carvings of the Six Steeds of Zhao Mausoleum.

Digital collectibles and creative products related to the character have generated more than CNY2 million in sales.

SCG has also developed an AI-powered video production platform that brings together ideation, scene generation, images, audio, music, and editing within a single workflow.

Users can enter a simple sentence to generate advertisements, short dramas, or social media content, reducing the technical knowledge and production resources normally required.

Jin Yan said that, with the same team size, revenue from the company’s traditional marketing-related business increased by approximately 30% to 40% from the previous year to June 2026.

AI Travel Companion Made Available to More Than Four Million Users

For travelers, BoGuan powers AI travel companion services available through public-facing platforms such as the GO-SHAANXI app and the Visit Shaanxi mini program.

Travelers can enter details such as the duration of their trip, the number of people traveling, their budget, and personal interests. The system then creates a customized itinerary and recommends attractions, hotels, restaurants, cultural performances, and nearby services.

It can also connect users with booking platforms, reducing the number of separate applications and steps required to plan a journey.

After testing began in October 2025, the AI travel companion had been made available to more than four million users by March 2026. The service has also been introduced at major locations including the Xi’an City Wall, Grand Tang Mall, and The Longest Day in Chang’an Theme Park.

At the theme park, visitors can also experience AI-powered smart glasses that display maps, provide location-based explanations, and support voice interaction.

After users take a photograph, the glasses can recognize the location and present relevant historical stories, creating a more interactive alternative to traditional audio guides.

Another BoGuan-powered application allows travelers to combine their photographs with AI-generated historical costumes and scenes. Visitors can virtually step into the Tang Dynasty and save or print the resulting images as souvenirs.

5G-A Network Supports 23,000 Simultaneous Users

Alongside its AI applications, China Telecom Shaanxi and Huawei have deployed a 5G-Advanced, or 5G-A, network at Grand Tang Mall using three-component carrier aggregation technology.

The network delivers peak upload speeds of 600 Mbps and peak download speeds of 3.5 Gbps, approximately 10 times faster than conventional 5G networks, according to Huawei.

During China’s 2026 May Day holiday, the network supported simultaneous access for approximately 23,000 users, allowing visitors to watch videos, livestream, and post content on social media more smoothly.

High-definition livestreaming supported by the 5G-A network has also become a way for the attraction to reach potential visitors online.

Public data cited by Huawei shows that the average viewing time for these livestreams nearly doubled, while the average transaction value increased by 62%.

Preparing to Expand the Model Beyond Xi’an

Huawei and SCG plan to replicate the approach in other cities and markets according to local demand.

Rather than applying the same system everywhere, the model, datasets, languages, and services would be adapted to local cultural contexts, regulations, user behaviors, and tourism scenarios.

SCG plans to launch inbound tourism-specific channels within 2026, followed by the official rollout of English-language services ahead of the 2027 Spring Festival.

The services are expected to be available through both online platforms and physical locations such as airports, transport hubs, and major attractions.

Edric Chu, General Manager of Huawei’s Shaanxi Representative Office, said AI has become an important enabler for activating thousands of years of cultural heritage, reshaping travel experiences, and generating new momentum for the industry.

Huawei said it will continue working with its partners to strengthen cultural heritage preservation through digital and intelligent technologies while supporting the growth of the cultural tourism economy.

This was Mirek Dušek's answer when Techsauce asked what global business leaders are most concerned about right now.

Dušek is Managing Director, Chief Business Officer and Head of Global Programming at the World Economic Forum (WEF). He oversees the overall programming of the Annual Meeting of the New Champions (AMNC), better known as Summer Davos. The 17th edition was held in Dalian, China, from 23 to 25 June 2026 under the theme Innovating at Scale. Techsauce travelled to Dalian to attend the meeting and spoke with him in depth.

The Faster the World Changes, the More Leaders Need to Think Long Term

Over the past six months, the world has gone through a series of geopolitical, economic and technological shifts. The question that follows is how WEF decides the central theme of each meeting when everything is changing this quickly.

Dušek explained that WEF's philosophy is to help leaders from all walks of life come together to think about the long term. The faster the system changes, the more urgent it becomes to do more long-term thinking and long-term building. "Amid what is a very fast-changing situation, there is this acute urgency to actually do more long-term thinking and more long-term building," he said.

That idea is reflected in the scale of the meeting itself. This year in Dalian, more than 1,700 leaders from around the world gathered, including participants from China, Asia and other regions. The main Davos meeting in Switzerland brings together more than 3,000 leaders. At this scale, WEF uses convening power to bring people who do not usually sit in the same conversations into the same room, at the same time, to think about the same issues.

The Knowledge Leaders Need Is No Longer Easy to Find

Dušek pointed out that with change moving this quickly, much of the knowledge leaders need to make decisions, whether on investment or other issues, is not readily available. That makes the chance to exchange views with the right people, in a trusted environment, more important than ever.

Compared with 10 years ago, he has seen CEOs of large companies, startup leaders and even policymakers become far more open and curious. They are listening more carefully, taking notes in sessions and working together to figure out how to deal with these risks while also capturing the huge opportunities they see in the world economy.

Put simply, a meeting like AMNC is not only a stage for announcing visions. It also responds to a knowledge gap that no single organization can solve on its own anymore.

The Intersection of Opportunity and Risk

AI is the clearest example of this intersection. The question leaders have to answer is how to invest at the right time while also managing the risk that some assets may lose value in the future. In this context, stranded assets refer to assets or infrastructure that have already been invested in but become obsolete or unusable faster than expected.

In an environment changing this quickly, Dušek said organizations need to be constructively paranoid, meaning they need to watch risks carefully and rationally, rather than become directionless or fearful. Organizations that were never competitors in the past could quickly become competitors in the near future.

Yet the question he emphasized most is who to partner with. Sometimes organizations need to partner with policymakers to understand the broader infrastructure build-out around AI. At other times, it is about partnerships between unicorn startups and incumbent players. Dušek sees this as one of the most important questions on leaders' minds right now.

He did not dismiss geopolitical risk. Many leaders are clearly grappling with it. But he said WEF is more interested in the long-term imperatives facing business leaders.

Trust Is the Most Expensive Currency

When the conversation turned to trust, which many now see as one of the most valuable currencies of this moment, Techsauce asked how trust can be built among key stakeholders, including policymakers, business leaders and society.

Dušek answered, "It's a very good question," before explaining that there is a lot of science around trust. Ultimately, he said, it comes down to showing up and engaging in a sustainable way. It is very difficult to build trust on the first occasion. Trust requires showing results, doing so in a predictable way, continuing to show up, engaging, showing interest and listening. He sees this as the key ingredient in building trust.

He acknowledged that the world now operates in a more contested and fragmented landscape, particularly geopolitically. That makes every occasion to show up and engage an important step in building trust. This is also the role WEF chooses to play in this equation.

The short conversation with Dušek shows that Summer Davos is not merely an annual conference. It is an attempt to answer one of the hardest questions for leaders today: how to invest in time, manage risk and build trust at the same time, in a world that does not wait for anyone to think slowly.

In this article, Techsauce had the opportunity to speak with Eric Tse, the son of Tse Ping, who has fully taken over as Chairman of CTTQ and CEO of SBP Group. The conversation explores his vision for leading the company, the direction of China's pharmaceutical industry as it disrupts the global market, and, most importantly, how "Thailand" can play a role and capture opportunities within this equation.

The Company's More Than 30-Year Journey in China's Pharmaceutical Arena

Eric Tse defines the company's identity as pioneer innovation, or being an innovation pioneer rather than a follower.

He began by explaining that the company's origins are deeply connected to Thailand. It is part of Charoen Pokphand Group, Thailand's largest conglomerate, whose name is recorded as the first foreign investor willing to cross the wall and invest in China as early as 1978. The pharmaceutical business then began in earnest in the 1990s. From a small starting point that few paid attention to, the company gradually accumulated knowledge and grew steadily until it became one of the leading players in China's pharmaceutical industry today.

But that was only the beginning. The next goal Eric is pushing the organization toward is to move beyond the image of being a domestic player and elevate its capabilities to become a full-fledged global player. The transition is from a company that grew in China into a Chinese innovative pharmaceutical company with a significant role on the international stage.

Before reaching that point, Eric took us back through the company's path in China's pharmaceutical arena, which covers treatments ranging from oncology, hepatitis, respiratory diseases, surgery, pain medication, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolism, to a new piece of the puzzle it is now moving into: immunology.

The real highlight of this conversation, however, is a business decision that outsiders might look at and wonder how the company dared to make it.

Originally, pharmaceutical companies had something like a gold mine that could be mined continuously: generic drugs. This business model generated money comfortably, came with low costs, delivered reliable profits, and did not require companies to shoulder the risk of pouring research budgets into work that could take more than a decade. Instead of holding on to this safe zone, Eric chose to walk away from that gold mine and put the company's full force behind self-developed innovative drugs. It is a game that is more expensive and riskier, but if successful, it can reshape the industry permanently.

Eric illustrated this organizational transformation with numbers that immediately reveal the scale of change.

1. A transformed revenue mix: In 2019, only 10% of the company's sales came from innovative drugs. By the time of our conversation, that figure had surged to 50%.
2. Fueling the future: The research and development (R&D) budget expanded from 2 billion yuan to 6 billion yuan per year.
3. The future is in hand: More than 90% of the company's current drug development pipeline has already become innovative drugs.

What amazes him most, and what he is most proud of, is that amid this historic transformation, the company's total revenue did not stumble at all. It has continued to maintain double-digit growth every year, with revenue up about 50% compared with 2019.

US$130 Billion as the World Turns to Chinese Research

One of the questions we asked Eric was about the value of licensing deals from China, which surged past US$130 billion over the past year. What does this enormous figure signal about the global pharmaceutical industry?

For Eric, this is more than an exciting success figure. It is a "strategic turning point" that reflects the world's official recognition of the quality and speed of research coming from China.

He explained that, in the past, global multinational pharmaceutical companies may have seen China only as a low-cost production base. Today, that current has completely changed direction. Those companies have become the ones that need to accelerate in order to keep up with Chinese innovation, and many have chosen to reduce risk by quickly entering partnerships with pharmaceutical companies in China before they miss this important train.

What Eric emphasized firmly is that the success visible today did not happen overnight.

He sees it as the result of relentless investment accumulated over more than 20 years. Today is simply the period of harvesting the results of what was patiently sown. This is perhaps the most important lesson for every developing country that wants to elevate its own pharmaceutical and public health capabilities.

When AI Compresses 10 Years into 2 Years, Where Is the New Wall in Pharma?

When we brought up AI, most people might expect a striking answer about discovering new drugs. Eric Tse instead took us into a perspective that challenges familiar assumptions. He pointed out that AI today is not yet a large language model (LLM) that can immediately understand everything in the pharmaceutical universe. It is a precise tool, highly capable of solving specific problems. This is the point that completely changes the rules of competition.

Eric showed how AI has broken down the difficulty barrier in drug discovery, compressing a process that used to take a decade into just two years or less. When discovery is no longer as difficult or time-consuming as in the past, the real wall moves to clinical development, a battlefield that consumes both enormous capital and long timelines. This is the point that determines who will win in the market. At this stage, speed and quality are the core requirements, and Eric is confident that China has a stronger advantage than anyone else.

The 3 Layers of AI That Are Changing the Industry

To make the picture clearer, Eric divided AI's role into three layers that help accelerate organizational efficiency.

• Early Research Layer: Uses AI to deepen early-stage research, improve accuracy, and shorten the time needed to screen drug molecules.
• Clinical Development Layer: Uses AI to manage data and clinical trial processes, which are among the most complex and capital-intensive stages.
• Management Layer: The management layer already used across many industries, where AI reduces repetitive work, improves operational excellence, and turns organizational knowledge management into a valuable asset.

Before ending this point, Eric left a statement that reflects adaptation in the AI era:

AI will not replace humans, but people who know how to use AI will replace those who do not.

Recommendations for Thailand's Ambition to Become a Regional Medical Hub

When the conversation arrived at a key milestone, Thailand's ambition to become a medical hub and a regional center for clinical trials, Eric Tse proposed that the Thai and Chinese Ministries of Public Health work together to build a mutual recognition system, or a mechanism through which the two countries can mutually recognize clinical data.

Eric believes that if countries and regions along the Belt and Road Initiative collaborate to recognize one another's clinical trial data from Phase 1 to Phase 3, it would become a powerful business shortcut. Once a drug is approved by one member country, another country could then approve it for distribution immediately.

This is a major opportunity for Thai startups and pharmaceutical companies. It means that innovative drugs developed and approved in Thailand, even if they have not yet gone through the lengthy process of the US FDA, could use this system and Chinese recognition to scale immediately into China's massive market, before using it as a springboard to expand into Western markets in the future.

But this deal comes with important conditions from Eric:

1. Strategic Selection: Thailand must choose hospitals and clinical trial centers wisely.
2. Data Quality: The country must control the standards of data collection and patient sample groups to an international level, ensuring that the data quality is credible at the same standard.

If this ecosystem truly emerges, the bottleneck in treatment development will disappear. Innovative drugs will be pushed into the market at a much faster pace, not only in China. Thailand's public health system will also benefit directly through access to new treatments that answer the needs of patients with unmet medical needs, or diseases that still do not have definitive cures.

Source: Interview with Eric Tse, son of Tse Ping, who has taken over as Chairman of CTTQ and CEO of SBP Group.

Over the next three days, more than 25,000 attendees, alongside more than 340 speakers, 450 exhibitors, 300 startups and 600 investors representing more than US$6.5 trillion total assets under management, will come together to explore topics spanning artificial intelligence, technology diplomacy, cross-border investment and digital innovation.

LEAP East is poised to reinforce Hong Kong’s growing position as a key gateway for technology, investment and innovation between Asia and the Middle East.

The event was officially opened by H.E. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology of Saudi Arabia, alongside the Hon. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong SAR Government, Prof. Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the Hong Kong SAR Government, and Faisal Bin Saud Al Khamisi, Co-Chairman of the Board of Tahaluf, underscoring the growing importance both governments place on strengthening technology cooperation, innovation and cross-border investment between Asia and the Gulf.

(From left to right) Mr. Muteb Alqani, CEO of SAFCSP, Mr. Ivan Lee, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr. Faisal Alkhamisi, Co-Chairman of the Board, Tahaluf, ⁠Prof. Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, H.E. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, Honorable Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, Ms. Lillian Cheong, Under Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, Ms. Annabelle Mander, Executive Vice President of Tahaluf, Mr. Michael Champion, CEO of Tahaluf, Ms. Alpha Lau, Director-General of Investment Promotion of InvestHK

In his opening keynote, H.E. Abdullah Alswaha highlighted Asia’s growing influence in the global technology economy, pointing to its US$34 trillion in economic activity, a third of the global economy and the world’s largest digital and AI economy, and 82 per cent of global AI patents.

The Hon. Paul Chan and Prof. Sun Dong set out Hong Kong’s role in strengthening technology and investment ties between Asia and the Gulf, underpinned by the city’s international capital markets, growing innovation ecosystem and position as a strategic gateway connecting Asia with global markets.

“Both of us are gateways to our respective regions. There is enormous potential for Hong Kong and Saudi Arabia to do more together, connecting ideas, capital and opportunities across regions and cultures,” said the Hon. Paul Chan.

Prof. Sun Dong also detailed the HKSAR Government’s continued investment in innovation and technology, including three HK$10 billion funding initiatives – equivalent to more than US$3.8 billion in support. Hong Kong’s startup ecosystem has grown by nearly 40 per cent since 2021, exceeding 5,200 startups in 2025.

“Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 has opened extraordinary opportunities for technological development, digital transformation, and new industries. This international gathering reflects the rising global momentum in innovation and technology, and Hong Kong is well-positioned to serve as a super- connector and facilitator for international exchange, " he said.

Following the opening ceremony, senior Saudi Arabian and Hong Kong delegations joined organisers for an official tour of the exhibition, visiting technology showcases and pavilions from the Hong Kong Innovation, Technology and Industry Bureau (ITIB), Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks (HKSTP), Cyberport, Hong Kong-Shenzhen Innovation and Technology Park (HSITP), Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT), Aramco Digital, Elm and Saudi Exports.

H.E. Abdullah Alswaha, Minister of Communications and Information Technology, alongside the Hon. Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the HKSAR Government, and Prof. Sun Dong, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry of the HKSAR Government, joined an exhibition tour and met with exhibitors to learn about the latest developments in their technologies.

Faisal Bin Saud Al Khamisi, Co-Chairman of the Board of Tahaluf, said the launch of LEAP East marks an important milestone in LEAP’s international expansion. This is a homegrown Saudi IP and the first of its kind to go global.

“LEAP began as an event, but it has grown into a movement built on human connection. And now, it is going international. We could not have chosen a more fitting home for this moment than Hong Kong, the gateway to Asia” he said.

Over the next three days, discussions at LEAP East will explore how artificial intelligence, digital infrastructure, entrepreneurship and technology diplomacy are shaping economic growth, investment and new partnerships between Asia and the Gulf.

Mike Champion, CEO of Tahaluf, said the scale of the inaugural LEAP East demonstrates the strength of demand for deeper connections between the technology ecosystems of Asia and the Gulf. 

“Tens of thousands of attendees will come together for the first LEAP East, making it more than five times the scale typically seen for a new event launch in Hong Kong. That response tells us there is real demand for stronger connections between Asia and the Gulf,” he said. “Capital, technology and talent are already moving between the two regions, and LEAP East is here to turn that momentum into innovation, investment and long-term partnerships.”

Although these solutions address different parts of the network, they all point to the same direction: the telecom industry is moving beyond selling “connectivity” toward delivering “experience” designed around real-world use cases.

Here are five key signals from Huawei that show how AI-era networks are changing.

1. AI-era mobile networks will need to prioritize uplink

In the past, many users judged internet quality mainly by download speed. But in the Mobile AI era, uploading data back to the cloud will become increasingly important, whether for AI glasses, smart wearables, video content, video calls, or AI agents that need to interact in real time.

Barbara Pareglio, Senior Technical Director at GSMA, said Mobile AI is reshaping mobile network traffic from a downlink-focused model toward one that requires a better balance between uplink and downlink. Uplink enhancement, latency assurance, and deeper collaboration between devices, networks, and the cloud will become key directions for future network development.

Huawei introduced its GigaUplink Solution to help operators improve uplink capabilities. The solution combines multi-antenna upgrades with algorithms for spectrum collaboration, device-network collaboration, and network collaboration. According to Huawei, it can increase uplink capacity by five times and improve coverage by 10 dB.

2. 5G-A will become a scenario-based service, not just a faster network

Another highlight was the launch of the 5G-A High-Speed Railway Network Acceleration Service by GSMA, China Mobile, and Huawei, which is scheduled for commercial rollout in China in August 2026.

The service is designed under a “1+3+5” framework: one special identity through a VIP logo displayed on smartphones, three core technologies including 5G-A high bandwidth, dedicated high-speed railway networks, and an AI-native core network, as well as five use cases: livestreaming, video conferencing, online gaming, AI Calling, and AI Office.

This shows that 5G-A may not be positioned only as a faster network. Instead, it can be packaged as a scenario-specific experience, such as working on a high-speed train, joining online meetings while traveling, or using AI Office in an environment that requires highly stable connectivity.

3. Home broadband will shift from selling speed to delivering intelligent experiences

For home broadband, Huawei introduced its AI-FAN Solution to upgrade home broadband from a connectivity-based model to C³: Connectivity + Committed + Content.

This means selling more than internet speed. It includes guaranteed experiences and network-enabled services or content, such as smart elderly care, cloud gaming, and 3D movie viewing.

Huawei said next-generation home broadband networks will rely on Wi-Fi 7, 50G PON, FTTR, Wi-Fi optimization, and home AI agents to deliver more stable user experiences, rather than simply offering higher Mbps numbers.

4. Enterprise networks will need to combine connectivity with computing

For enterprise customers, Huawei introduced its AI-OTN Solution to upgrade private line services from C: Connectivity to C²: Connectivity + Computing.

Huawei said private lines in the AI era should not compete only on bandwidth. They need to evolve into systems that address multiple dimensions, including latency, reliability, and security, supported by technologies such as Optical Cross-Connect, or OXC, Automatically Switched Optical Network, or ASON, and quantum encryption.

Huawei also proposed that operators redesign network strategies around AI data centers, with latency targets of 1 ms within cities, 5 ms within provinces, and 20 ms nationwide, along with 99.9999% reliability and security supported by QKD quantum encryption.

This reflects how enterprise networks in the AI era will no longer be just data transmission routes. They will become part of the computing system that must connect efficiently with data centers, cloud platforms, models, and applications.

5. AI agents will become a new type of network user

Another interesting development was the launch of Connection Agent by China Mobile Research Institute, Huawei, and GSMA Intelligence. It is designed as a gateway to connect and coordinate multiple AI agents, while providing dedicated network services for different types of agents.

Huawei said this reflects a shift from rule-based services toward agentic service orchestration, which could become a key foundation for the next generation of intelligent connectivity.

This suggests that future networks may need to support not only people and devices, but also large numbers of AI agents working on behalf of users or organizations. These agents may require different levels of network quality depending on their context and tasks.

From infrastructure to experience platforms

Huawei’s announcements at MWC Shanghai 2026 reflect a new phase of competition in the telecom industry.

Speed, coverage, and price will remain important foundations of networks. But the next challenge goes deeper: designing services that fit the real-world contexts in which people and organizations use connectivity.

Mobile AI, work on high-speed railways, intelligent home broadband, enterprise networks connected to computing power, and the rise of AI agents are expanding the role of telecom networks. Networks are moving from background systems that transmit data to critical infrastructure for new forms of digital experience.

In the future, telecom services may be measured by how well operators can turn networks into experiences that users can truly feel in everyday life. This could also become a new opportunity for operators to create value beyond traditional connectivity.

Igloo acquires Eazy Digital to strengthen regional insurance operating system and accelerate Thailand expansion

Igloo, Southeast Asia's full-stack insurtech company building the operating system for insurance, today announced the acquisition of Eazy Digital, a Singapore-headquartered insurtech company with operations across Thailand and Asia. Under the transaction, Eazy Digital's client base and Thailand team will be brought under Igloo. Harprem Doowa, Founder of Eazy Digital, will take on the role of Country Head of Igloo Thailand and Head of Tech Solutions APAC.

The acquisition is Igloo's second major transaction in Thailand within 12 months, following the 2025 joint venture with JMT Network Services, a subsidiary of the Jaymart Group, to build Thailand's first true digital insurer. 

Together, the two moves establish Thailand as one of Igloo's priority growth markets and extend the company's insurance operating system into a market where both embedded distribution and insurer-facing technology are needed at scale.

Expanding Igloo’s operating system for insurance in Southeast Asia

Igloo operates across six Southeast Asian markets and has facilitated over 1.6 billion policies to date, processing over 100 million policies every month through partnerships with more than 100 partners, including Chubb and MSIG. The company has raised more than US$100 million from investors including Eurazeo, Openspace Ventures, Cathay Innovation, and BlueOrchard to bring their AI-native operating system to insurers and platforms across the region.

Eazy Digital brings deep Asian market presence and helps insurers and brokers digitise agent management, streamline operations, and improve sales productivity through a unified digital platform. The startup’s technology stack directly complements Igloo Tech Solutions—Igloo’s suite of solutions covering the full insurance value chain—in enabling the digitalisation and distribution of insurance.

Established in 2022, the company counts Marsh Taiwan, Bangkok Insurance, Falcon Insurance, Gallagher, Chubb, and Tokio Marine Safety Insurance (Thailand) among its customers. Eazy Digital was also named the Most Disruptive InsurTech in Thailand at the InsuranceAsia News Country Awards for Excellence in 2024 and 2025.

Addressing Thailand's protection gap 

Thailand's insurance sector is entering a defining period of reform, with the 5th Insurance Development Plan (2026–2030) positioning insurance as a pillar of national economic resilience. While closing the country's persistent protection gaps requires insurers to reach underserved populations with affordable, relevant products at speed, most Thai insurers and intermediaries still run distribution, product configuration, and claims on legacy systems that take three to six months to launch a single product. 

Igloo Tech Solutions compresses those launch cycles from months to days. Its core platform uses AI to automate product configuration, underwriting rules, and claims adjudication, while distribution modules allow insurers to scale reach without building out new tech. 

“Thailand is one of Southeast Asia's most dynamic insurance markets, and we have been deliberate about building a meaningful footprint here,” said Raunak Mehta, Co-Founder and CEO of Igloo. “Eazy Digital has built real traction with insurers and intermediaries in Asia, led by the strength of Harprem and his team. Acquiring the company gives partners across Asia immediate access to the full Igloo stack, and gives us the local presence, team, and leadership to serve this market at scale.”

“This is an opportunity for Eazy to take our platform’s success and amplify it with the resources, technology, and reach of one of Southeast Asia’s largest insurtechs. Igloo’s existing ambitions for growth in Tech Solutions completely align with what we believe the future of insurance in Thailand requires,” said Harprem Doowa, Country Head of Igloo Thailand and Head of Tech Solutions APAC. 

Amity Robotics, a physical AI and robotics company, today announced the close of a US$7 million seed round combining equity and debt financing. The equity portion was led by East Ventures with participation from 500 Global, and the debt portion was led by AlteriQ Global. The capital will fund Amity Robotics’ mission to build a globally competitive physical AI and robotics company from Thailand.

At the center of the company’s platform is ARC Base, a static physical AI kiosk that acts as an AI concierge for the properties it serves. ARC Base is now live across more than 30 properties in Singapore, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Thailand, Malaysia, and Indonesia, with the company’s first European customer deployment coming in July. ARC Base is deployed with leading mall operators including Pavilion KL, Siam Piwat, The Mall Group, Pacific Place Jakarta, and across hotels operated by global groups including IHG, Accor, and Shangri La.

Amity Robotics assembles its own solutions and develops a proprietary “Robotic Operating System” that powers that powers its voice conversations and movements, maximizing customer experiences. It is also pioneering and developing Edge AI technology for it’s robots. The company will soon launch ARC Move, its first mobile robot, extending its physical AI platform beyond static kiosks. The ARC Move will be able to approach, help, and guide customers around stores and large properties. Amity Robotics is a sister company to the AI group, Amity, which recently closed a US$100 million Series D.

“We believe a world-class physical AI company can be built from Thailand and Southeast Asia. This round is a strong endorsement of that ambition, and of a future where AI steps into the physical world to serve people directly,” said Korawad Chearavanont, Chairman of Amity Robotics.

"We are thrilled to double down on our support for Korawad and the team by backing Amity Robotics as they build the future of physical AI from Southeast Asia. They have already proven their exceptional execution capabilities with this new venture, capturing immediate commercial viability through ARC Base deployments across major hotel brands and premier malls in seven markets. We look forward to supporting them as they build a world-class robotics powerhouse from Thailand and scale globally," said Willson Cuaca, Co-Founder and Managing Partner at East Ventures.

“The momentum behind ARC Base across malls and hotels in seven markets shows that physical AI is ready for real commercial deployment, not just pilots. This funding lets us deepen our integrations, scale operations, and bring Arc Move to market,” said Lionel Chin, Chief Operating Officer of Amity Robotics.

“The opportunity to be able to feed the AI to grow and evolve as well as the fast response time from ARC, made the implementation of the 2 units and the impact on our guests a worthy partnership.” Said Greg Gubiani, General Manager of the Crowne Plaza