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Saudi Arabia’s Ceer, KAUST Partner for Breakthroughs in Smart Mobility

Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle (EV) brand
Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle (EV) brand
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Saudi Arabia’s Ceer, KAUST Partner for Breakthroughs in Smart Mobility

Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle (EV) brand
Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle (EV) brand

Ceer, Saudi Arabia’s first electric vehicle (EV) brand, and King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST), a leading graduate research institution, are partnering to research, develop and innovate for breakthroughs in smart mobility.

The agreement covers a host of areas, including connectivity and autonomous driving, and is in line with KAUST’s new strategy to transform research into economically productive innovations in sectors such as sustainable energy.

By working together, Ceer’s technical experts and KAUST’s researchers will advance technologies and find groundbreaking solutions that can be implemented as global firsts in Saudi Arabia, with applications for Ceer’s electric vehicles.

Ceer and KAUST Innovation will work together to develop an automotive vertical in support of Saudi-based, technology-focused SMEs and the Kingdom’s growing automotive manufacturing industry; promote economic diversification; and create jobs.

As part of efforts to enhance cooperation and foster knowledge exchange, Ceer and KAUST will share facilities for the purpose of conducting seminars, conferences, research and development and other collaborative activities.

“Our strategy is built on our ambition to contribute to both Saudi Vision 2030 and the country’s research, development and innovation priorities,” said KAUST President Dr. Tony Chan. “We want to transform groundbreaking research in smart mobility into concepts that can be used by the electric vehicle industry and in Ceer’s own EVs. By joining with Ceer, we can co-develop new ideas and applications that will help reduce emissions, make our vehicles safer and smarter, and ultimately help diversify Saudi Arabia’s economy.”

“I am excited about the opportunity to partner with KAUST to co-create next-gen technologies for our made-in-Saudi electric vehicles,” said Ceer CEO James DeLuca. “Together, we will accelerate research in the automotive industry to create innovations here in the Kingdom while creating more high-value jobs for young nationals to further diversify the Saudi economy.”

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Technology

Epic Games to Cut More Than 1,000 Jobs as Fortnite Usage Falls

The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)
The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)
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Epic Games to Cut More Than 1,000 Jobs as Fortnite Usage Falls

The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)
The Epic Games logo, maker of the popular video game "Fortnite", is pictured on a screen in this picture illustration August 14, 2020. (Reuters)

Epic Games said on Tuesday it would cut more than 1,000 jobs after a drop in engagement for "Fortnite," its flagship title, the latest cuts in the video-game industry whose growth has stalled amid economic uncertainty.

The cuts, along with more than $500 million in savings from lower contracting and marketing spending and unfilled roles would put the company in "a more stable place," Chief ‌Executive Tim Sweeney said ‌in a note to employees.

The ‌cuts ⁠are the latest ⁠in the gaming sector, where companies have faced weaker growth as consumers have been sticking with proven titles amid economic uncertainty.

But even those, especially live services games, which depend on a steady stream of new content to ⁠keep players engaged, are now showing signs ‌of cracks.

"We've had ‌challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic," Sweeney said, adding "market conditions ‌today are the most extreme" since the early ‌days of the company founded in 1991.

"The layoffs aren't related to AI," Sweeney noted amid industry worries the technology could replace video-game developers.

The move marks ‌Epic's second major round of layoffs in three years. In September 2023, ⁠the company ⁠cut about 830 jobs, or roughly 16% of its workforce.

It was not immediately clear what percentage of staff would be impacted by Tuesday's announcement.

The gaming sector has faced mounting pressure. In September, Electronic Arts laid off hundreds of workers and canceled a Titanfall game that was in development at its Respawn Entertainment unit, according to media reports. Amazon's broader job cuts late last year also affected its gaming division.

Technology

Chinese Firms' Involvement in 5G Network May Deter Investors, EU Warns Vietnam

EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
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Chinese Firms' Involvement in 5G Network May Deter Investors, EU Warns Vietnam

EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)
EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela speaks during the EU-Vietnam business and investment forum in Hanoi on March 24, 2026. (Photo by Nhac NGUYEN / AFP)

The involvement of Chinese vendors in the rollout of Vietnam's 5G network may deter foreign companies from investing in the Southeast Asian nation, a top EU official said on Tuesday.

European telecom firms Ericsson and Nokia are developing Vietnam's core 5G network, but in recent months Vietnamese state-owned operators have awarded 5G contracts to Chinese rivals Huawei and ZTE.

That marks a notable shift following years of caution towards China, and the change has ⁠sparked concerns among ⁠Western officials.

"Be careful with dependencies in strategic areas," EU Commissioner for International Partnerships Jozef Sikela said when asked about the Chinese contracts.

"5G is the new battlefield," he told Reuters on the sidelines of an EU-Vietnam investment forum in Hanoi. "Through the network you can access a lot and you can control a lot, ⁠and you have to be always careful who is your trusted vendor."

"If investors have doubts about the security of their data, they might decide not to take the risk and not to invest," he said.

Vietnam's foreign ministry and the Chinese embassy in Hanoi did not immediately reply to emailed requests for comment.

Vietnam is a major industrial hub and hosts large manufacturing operations of big Western multinationals, including European firms Adidas and Lego. Its decades-long economic boom hinges on foreign investment.

The European Union and European states ⁠on Tuesday ⁠announced a new package of investment in Vietnam's transport and energy sector.

Sikela said risks to future investments from unsecure networks were at this stage theoretical, and noted that several European countries allowed Chinese telecom vendors in the past.

Huawei and ZTE are banned from the telecom networks of several European countries and in the United States, because they are seen as risks to national security.

The companies have criticized the restrictions as unfair, rejecting the concerns as baseless.

Vietnamese officials have said that Chinese telecom equipment is reliable and cheaper, while downplaying security risks. Additional contracts with Chinese firms are under discussion, Reuters reported earlier this month.

Technology

Alibaba Unveils Next-gen Chip for Agentic AI

FILE - The logo of Chinese technology firm Alibaba is seen at its office in Beijing, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FILE - The logo of Chinese technology firm Alibaba is seen at its office in Beijing, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
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Alibaba Unveils Next-gen Chip for Agentic AI

FILE - The logo of Chinese technology firm Alibaba is seen at its office in Beijing, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
FILE - The logo of Chinese technology firm Alibaba is seen at its office in Beijing, Aug. 10, 2021. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)

Alibaba on Tuesday revealed its next-generation XuanTie C950 5-nanometer processor at an internal conference, the company said in a blog post, as the Chinese tech giant gears up for the shift towards agentic AI.

The 3.2 GHz server chip, built using open-source RISC-V chip architecture, was billed as "the highest performing RISC-V CPU in the world" at a conference hosted by DAMO Academy, Alibaba's research arm, according to Chinese media reports.

The chip performs more than three times ⁠faster than its predecessor, ⁠the XuanTie C920, the reports said, according to Reuters.

The company did not reveal which fab manufactured the chip.

“RISC-V’s open-standard nature allows chip designers to customize instruction sets and accelerate specific AI workloads with no or low licensing fees. This is particularly important for the ⁠development of AI agents," the blog post said.

Alibaba is accelerating in-house chip development through its T-Head semiconductor arm, primarily focusing on the Zhenwu 810E chip series for AI training and inference, while the XuanTie series is focused on high-performance cloud systems and agentic AI.

The move comes after Alibaba last week launched Wukong, its enterprise platform optimized for AI agent workflows, as companies and institutions throughout China adopt OpenClaw.

⁠Its international ⁠equivalent, Accio Work, was launched on Monday. The agentic AI platform says it can autonomously run complex business operations for small and medium-sized enterprises.

The firm reorganized some of its AI-focused teams under the newly created Alibaba Token Hub earlier this month, which focuses on building AI work platforms for enterprises.

The business strategy shift comes as Alibaba finds new ways to ensure profitability as Chinese AI models' token prices have dropped dramatically amid fierce domestic competition.