Chinese businesses are adopting artificial intelligence to operate with far fewer staff, with one-person companies (OPCs) surpassing 16 million nationwide. The shift is reshaping solo entrepreneurs and larger firms, supported by new communities such as the WaytoAGI Moshu OPC Community in Beijing.
LG Philippines is positioning itself to tap into the growing HVAC market for local data centres, driven by AI expansion and rising data storage needs. The firm has opened an HVAC Academy and Business Innovation Center in Pasig to support this push.
Russia's Yandex said a drone attack disabled several modules at its data centre in the Kaluga region on Friday, the second such strike in two days. No injuries were reported, and some services may be disrupted.
ST Engineering has opened its fourth aircraft maintenance facility in Singapore, a S$170 million site at Changi Creek that will employ over 500 people and add 40 per cent capacity to its widebody MRO network. The facility uses drones, robots and AI to raise productivity.
AYER Holdings Bhd aims to hand over vacant possession of Bukit Puchong Boulevard Phase 1 in January 2027, about 10 months ahead of schedule, after all 54 freehold shop offices were fully taken up within 11 months of launch. Phase 2 has achieved 90% take-up since its October 2025 launch, and the grou
Turner & Townsend Malaysia says Budget 2027's focus on regional development and connectivity must be matched by effective project delivery to convert investment into growth. The firm cites RM431.1 billion in approved investments in 2025 and projects of 7.1% private and 6.8% public investment growth
OUE REIT said it is in exclusive talks with IOI Properties and CapitaLand Investment for the sale of One Raffles Place, a prime office complex in Singapore's CBD valued at S$2.3-2.4 billion. The 50-50 joint bid, if successful, would add to IOI Properties' string of Singapore office acquisitions this
OSK Group has unveiled a refreshed brand direction for its construction, property investment and property development arms, now collectively known as CID. The move includes a new brand purpose, a vibrant colourway dubbed OSKoral, and plans for RM1.34 billion in property launches in 2027.
Malaysia's Budget 2027 has highlighted Sime Darby Property's RM1.25 billion New Economy Venture Fund for data centres and logistics, alongside RM15 billion in grid investment by Tenaga Nasional Bhd. The fund, which secured full commitments at first close, targets built-to-suit data centres and indus
Kuala Lumpur City Hall will receive RM400 million to create 120 acres of green space, restore parks, and upgrade public housing. A 100-acre leasehold site in Bukit Kiara will be gazetted as a Federal Park, and 22km of covered walkways will connect key landmarks.
Cyberjaya Education Group Bhd has proposed acquiring three parcels of freehold vacant commercial land in Dengkil, Selangor for RM15 million. The land, spanning approximately 266,697 sq ft, is intended to support the University of Cyberjaya’s future expansion with potential uses including student acc
MIDA is pushing Malaysian companies to capture more of the country's renewable energy supply chain, which saw close to RM10 billion in approved investments from 2023 to 2025. The agency has named five local firms as inaugural Renewable Energy Local Champions under its MIDA Supply Chain Programme at
Anthropic has released two new tools for its Claude AI platform: Claude Dashboards for building live data dashboards from plain-language queries, and Claude Motion for creating editable animations. Both are in beta for paid plans, while Claude Docs, Slides and Design tools are now generally availabl
Taipei Mayor Chiang Wan-an has proposed relocating Taipei International Airport (Songshan airport) and redeveloping the 300-hectare site into an artificial intelligence park. The plan has drawn criticism from politicians across party lines, who cite concerns over transport links for outlying islands
Russian tech firm Yandex says it cannot yet determine if equipment at its Sasovo data centre, hit by a Ukrainian drone attack, can be restored. The facility, which houses tens of thousands of servers and two of three supercomputers used for AI development, remains suspended after a fire.
Siddharth Nawal, managing director at Blackstone’s real estate business in India, is set to become CEO of Nexus Select Trust, replacing Dalip Sehgal. The trust plans to grow its shopping centre portfolio from 19 to 30-35 malls by 2030 through acquisitions and partnerships.
Amazon has launched a new line of tablets called Alexa Tablets, the first to run on Google's Android OS and feature the Alexa+ voice assistant. Prices start at S$230 and go up to S$550, a significant increase from the Fire HD 10.
The World Bank has raised its 2026 GDP growth forecast for Vietnam to 7.4%, citing strong manufacturing and exports of high-tech and AI-related products. The upgrade positions Vietnam as one of the top performers in the East Asia and Pacific region, though inflation is projected to average 4.2%.
Singapore's Land Transport Authority has proposed merging car COE categories A and B into one, with a system of surcharges and rebates pegged to a car's open market value. The public consultation, which opened on 8 Oct, also seeks views on the future of the open Category E COE.
Philippine jewelry brand Jhaena Jewels has launched a new digital portal that consolidates live shopping, online transactions, order management, delivery tracking and customer support into one platform. The move marks the brand's sixth year in live selling and social commerce, with plans to expand i
Life Water Bhd plans to acquire an industrial property in Kota Kinabalu Industrial Park, Sabah, for RM15 million. The company's subsidiary signed a sale and purchase agreement on Oct 7, with the property to be used for warehouse space to support business expansion near existing manufacturing facilit
MKH Bhd has completed the purchase of 14.91 acres of freehold land in Bangi, Selangor, for RM42.205 million. The site, acquired via a wholly-owned subsidiary, is earmarked for a commercial development with an estimated gross development value of RM170 million.
A Reuters survey of 215 Japanese companies finds crude oil market volatility is the top earnings risk, cited by 37 per cent of respondents. Rising interest rates and foreign exchange fluctuations follow, with real estate managers warning that higher rates will slow property demand.
Datasonic Group has terminated its RM28.5 million purchase of an industrial property in Petaling Jaya after a fire safety approval condition was not met. The group's subsidiary issued the termination notice to vendor Pixio on Oct 7, with the RM2.85 million deposit to be refunded within 14 days.
Rising labour costs and recruitment competition in Metro Manila are driving BPO firms to expand into provincial cities in the Visayas and Mindanao, according to real estate consultancy PRIME Philippines. The shift is constrained by limited Grade A office supply and infrastructure gaps in smaller mar
Food and beverage tenants are expected to account for nearly 50 per cent of Metro Manila retail space absorption from 2026 to 2028, as mall vacancy eases and international brands expand. Colliers Philippines projects vacancy will fall to 10.2 per cent by end-2026 and below 10 per cent in the first h
Life sciences firm Danaher announced plans to launch its first AI-powered autonomous research lab in early 2027. The lab will combine AI, robotics and molecular technologies to accelerate drug discovery, aiming to make molecule discovery eight times faster.
Singapore's Parliament has passed the Digital Infrastructure Bill, introducing licensing regimes for data centres with a critical IT load of at least 3 megawatts. MPs backed the move but raised concerns about competitiveness, resource use and sustainability.
Blackstone-backed AirTrunk is investing an additional US$1 billion in its hyperscale data centre campus in Inzai, Japan, to deploy liquid-cooling technology for AI workloads. The campus, which previously supported cloud services, is expected to be the first in Japan to host large-scale AI workload d
Embassy Office Parks REIT will acquire an 8,048 sq ft commercial unit in First International Financial Centre, Bandra Kurla Complex, Mumbai, from Citigroup Global Markets India for ₹48.29 crore. The acquisition is expected to be completed by Q3 FY27.
Thai luxury retail giant Siam Piwat is developing ICONPHUKET, a hybrid retail and entertainment destination on Phuket island. The project is the commercial anchor of the broader 50 billion baht ($1.5 billion) Synthesis Ark Phuket smart city development by CV Group of Companies, with opening set for
Mycron Steel Bhd’s RM30 million acquisition of an industrial property in Shah Alam from its parent company, Melewar Industrial Group Bhd, has become unconditional. The property, which includes a factory and office on 232,178 sq ft of leasehold land, was valued at RM30.5 million and is currently occu
Business confidence among large Japanese manufacturers rose in October to its highest level in nearly five years, driven by robust chip demand. However, sentiment among non-manufacturers deteriorated sharply to its lowest since November 2024, as rising costs and weak consumer spending weighed on sec
Black Hills Corp has signed agreements to supply electricity to a proposed Google data centre in Cheyenne, Wyoming, and plans to invest US$1.8 billion from 2027 to 2029 on new generation capacity. The utility will build 564 MW of new capacity and manage a 2.7-GW resource mix, with power deliveries b
ETA Group Bhd has completed the RM16.5 million acquisition of a freehold industrial site in Bandar Sri Damansara, Selangor. The property includes a five-storey office/factory building with a net lettable area of about 21,794 sq ft, and the group plans to generate rental income from the asset.
Pahang Menteri Besar Wan Rosdy Wan Ismail says the state government is open to discussions with Berjaya Hills Resort Bhd over enforcement action at its Bukit Tinggi properties, but any talks must adhere to existing laws. The dispute centres on revised quit rent rates that jumped to RM33.7 million in
Forza Capital has sold the Epping Home & Life big-box retail centre in Melbourne's northern suburbs for A$117.7 million to a private investor, setting a Victorian record for large format retail. The deal, brokered by JLL, reflects a yield of about 6 per cent and is Australia's largest such transacti
US data centre developer CloudHQ has proposed rebuilding the BigHop Garden Mall in Inzai, Greater Tokyo, around two data centres, testing local restrictions on such facilities near commuter rail stations. The plan, presented to the Inzai City Council on 29 September, would shrink the retail space to
Megaworld Corp. President and CEO Lourdes T. Gutierrez-Alfonso ranked 87th in Fortune's 100 Most Powerful Women in Asia for 2026, up from 92nd last year. She was the only Philippine real estate executive on the list, which included three other Filipina leaders.
Savills Philippines reports the largest single industrial warehouse lease in the first half of 2026, a 22,000 sq.m. logistics facility in Laguna. The transaction was driven by rising e-commerce volumes and demand for faster last-mile delivery, with the Cavite-Laguna-Batangas corridor accounting for
Rising operating costs and tighter foreign labour restrictions in Western economies are prompting more companies to consider shifting jobs to the Philippines, with some international firms looking at operations involving 5,000 to 30,000 positions, according to Leechiu Property Consultants.
GlobalSource Partners has urged the Philippines to ensure it captures high-value parts of the supply chain under the Pax Silica initiative, rather than acting merely as a resource supplier. The warning comes ahead of a planned $10 billion semiconductor and manufacturing hub in New Clark City, Tarlac
Lesstics, a Philippine green technology startup, is producing Earth Board, a formaldehyde-free construction board made from discarded coconut husks. The company works with farmers in Davao and Lanao del Norte and is exploring partnerships in Europe after exhibiting in Berlin.
BDO UNIBANK has introduced a 24/7 self-service Currency Exchange Machine at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3. The machine converts US dollars, euros and Japanese yen into Philippine pesos, authenticates banknotes and dispenses both bills and coins.
Acting Minister for Manpower Jasmin Lau told parliament on 6 Oct that fresh graduates are taking longer to secure full-time jobs, while the six-month re-entry rate for retrenched residents dropped to 54.9% in Q2 2026. Degree holders now account for 66.4% of retrenched residents, up from 51% in 2021,
Puregold Price Club, Inc. marks its 28th anniversary with the Puregold Barangay Panalo programme, bringing community projects and activities to 16 locations across the Philippines from October to November 2026. The initiative, supported by brand partners, includes tangible improvements such as commu
The Energy Market Authority (EMA) has called a tender for a feasibility study on developing a 200ha energy infrastructure cluster on reclaimed land at Pulau Tekong. The site, about 40 per cent the size of Sentosa Island, could house hydrogen-ready natural gas-fired power plants, LNG terminals and ot
Transport Minister Jeffrey Siow said in parliament that businesses in HDB rental shops most affected by the two-year delay to the North-South Corridor will continue to receive rental rebates on a case-by-case basis. He also outlined a timeline for surface works, with major structural work expected t
Sunway Malls announced that its RM1 billion Sunway Ipoh Mall is 80% leased ahead of its scheduled opening in the fourth quarter of 2027. The group unveiled 25 key brands and concepts, including seven anchor tenants and nine brands making their Perak debut.
Converge ICT Solutions said its submarine cable investments helped reroute traffic after a cable cut between the Philippines and Singapore over the weekend. The company used its Bifrost and SEA-H2X cable systems to stabilise connectivity, resulting in minimal disruption for customers.
