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NCS unveils innovative suite of AI and digital resilience solutions critical to successful AI adoption

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NCS

Initiatives and new collaborations allow organisations to deploy AI securely and at scale, supported by an NCS AI talent base of 3,000 AI practitioners and 300 AI experts
SINGAPORE – Media OutReach Newswire – 11 July 2024 – Leading technology services firm NCS has launched a suite of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and digital resilience (DR) solutions for organisations looking to re-invent themselves in the AI era. These include frameworks, solutions and accelerators that governments and enterprises in Asia Pacific (APAC) can easily tap to use AI securely and at scale to drive sustainable game-changing innovation.

The launch took place at its annual Impact forum today where NCS CEO, Ng Kuo Pin, addressed over 1,000 leaders and technology practitioners from the region, and shared NCS’ AI-led plans for changing the game. He highlighted two key success factors for organisations – AI adoption and digital resilience – to fully harness the benefits of technology in a world redefined by economic uncertainty, geopolitical tensions and technological challenges.

Ng Kuo Pin, CEO, NCS said, “Across the world, AI is top of mind now, but organisations must not overlook the importance of digital resilience as they embrace AI’s transformational potential. To build a safer and more sustainable future, it is crucial that organisations invest to build a foundation in cybersecurity, data governance and technology that will allow AI to flourish. We believe organisations that master both AI and digital resilience will be the ones that will thrive in this increasingly complex global environment.”

Navigating the AI Journey

NCS’ new suite of solutions include the AI-Digital Resilience (AI+DR) Matrix which enables organisations to build a strategic roadmap that enhances both AI and digital resilience concurrently. Serving as an essential starting point for any organisation embarking on its AI journey, the innovative framework categorises organisations into four quadrants of AI Dust, Missed Opportunity, House of Cards, and Game Changer (see Figure 1), based on their maturity levels of AI adoption and digital resilience. This allows organisations to assess their AI and digital resilience readiness and calibrate key developmental steps as they move down the AI pathway.

Kuo Pin added, “AI will be a game changer and companies must learn the new game – the earlier, the better. Given the speed at which AI evolves and the implications of AI for businesses, working with the right technology partners to help navigate the AI landscape and plug into the right ecosystem is fundamental. Having primed our workforce for the intelligence revolution, NCS is AI-ready and well-positioned to help organisations avoid the pitfalls of AI adoption while unlocking its game-changing value. We will lead with AI inside and outside.”

AI and Digital Resilience Solutions and Accelerators

NCS also introduced Polaris DR, a solution for organisations to assess their digital resilience across five key areas – cybersecurity, data governance, infrastructure scalability, application robustness and operational responsiveness. Leveraging NCS’ expertise in large-scale implementations and operations, Polaris DR will enable them to lay the strong foundation needed for enterprise-wide growth and AI adoption by providing a customised improvement plan to address vulnerabilities in systems, technology infrastructure and IT operations.

To empower clients to deploy AI more securely and efficiently, NCS announced five innovative and repeatable Industry Business Solutions (IBS) embedded with NCS AI Accelerators. The solutions are both standardised and customisable, enabling organisations to accelerate AI deployments in three key areas – customer / citizen experience, workforce productivity, and software engineering – while ensuring consistency and scalability. The solutions not only leverage NCS’ track record in partnering governments and enterprises on their technology journeys, it also taps NCS’ deep industry knowledge and methodologies honed over time, regional AI talent pool, and extensive partnerships with global players in AI technology.

Strategic Partnerships with Global Players

NCS announced several strategic partnerships with industry leaders to further facilitate AI adoption and digital resilience. NCS is partnering Amazon Web Services (AWS) to launch its inaugural Generative AI Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Public Good with AWS’s Generative AI Innovation Centre (GAIIC)[1]. Customised for the APAC public sector, the CoE will leverage AWS’s team of strategists, applied scientists, engineers, and solutions architects through the GAIIC’s Partner Innovation Alliance programme to envision, scope, and accelerate public sector solutions using AWS. The collaboration combines NCS’ end-to-end capabilities and industry experience with AWS’s Generative AI services and global expertise.

Elsie Tan, Country Manager, Worldwide Public Sector, Singapore, AWS said, “We’re excited to collaborate with NCS to establish its inaugural CoE for Public Good that will accelerate the delivery of innovative citizen services. At AWS, we help customers move Generative AI from theory into practice by providing purpose-built services and expert guidance. Through this collaboration, we’ll empower NCS to bring Generative AI workloads to life and help public sector agencies drive impactful outcomes for the people they serve.”

NCS is collaborating with Dell Technologies to leverage Dell AI Factory with NVIDIA, as an early adopter in APAC and Japan to further accelerate adoption of Generative AI solutions by enterprises in the region. With their combined expertise in Generative AI and breadth of industry experience, NCS and Dell are committed to simplifying clients’ AI adoption journeys and enhancing proof of concept efforts. This collaboration allows clients to explore customised and pre-validated solutions to turbocharge their Generative AI projects in a modular manner.

NCS also signed an MOU with Schneider Electric, the global leader in the digital transformation of energy management and automation, as the first-in-Asia partner under Schneider’s Sustainability Partner Program to provide clients end-to-end sustainability offerings and AI-enabled solutions. The partnership additionally leverages the deep expertise of both companies to better address higher density computing demands from Generative AI workloads and meet emissions compliance requirements, through innovations in sustainable and energy-efficient cooling systems for GPUs and CPUs. Clients will also benefit from a holistic suite of green offerings including education, consulting, solutions and services, tailored to better reduce their carbon footprints and progress towards Singapore Green Plan 2030 and Net Zero.

Yoon Young Kim, Cluster President, Singapore and Brunei, Schneider Electric said, “Our partnership with NCS represents a critical step towards setting a new standard in sustainability for data centres. The urgency to decarbonise the energy-intensive data centre sector cannot be overstated, even as Singapore and the rest of the world double down on cutting down greenhouse gas emissions from our operations. By leveraging our respective expertise, we aim to enable clients to achieve new operational efficiencies, reduce their data centre carbon footprints, and realise significant energy cost savings.”

NCS is collaborating with Income Insurance to extend location-based, hourly travel insurance for travellers in Singapore through the innovative Breeze mobile app. With this new offering, Breeze users will soon be able to receive location-based recommendations for FlexiTravel Hourly Insurance that offer pay-per-hour travel insurance for short trips when travelling to nearby countries. Additionally, Income’s motor insurance policy holders can use Breeze to access an in-app module for accident reporting and to contact Income Orange Force for assistance. The partnership lays the foundation for the future use of data and AI to enhance insurance services, such as providing supplementary data for accidents using mobile device sensor analytics.

Peter Tay, Chief Digital Officer, Income Insurance said, “We are constantly looking to work with like-minded partners in closing protection gaps. Through this collaboration with NCS, we are able to leverage smart, real-time data to extend insurance protection to motorists and travellers. With valuable insights and data via Breeze, we can better co-create customer-centric insurance innovations to meet modern lifestyle needs.”

Building the AI Talent Pipeline

As NCS becomes intelligence-led, the company has been infusing AI across the organisation and building a pipeline of future AI talent. It has equipped its 13,000-strong workforce located across APAC with AI-powered services and solutions to enhance productivity and transform how NCS operates and delivers its services. NCS will also create a 3,000-strong AI-certified practitioner base to accelerate implementation and deployment of clients’ AI projects. Over 300 of them will serve as AI experts with deep AI expertise to lead cutting-edge AI innovations. NCS will work with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to achieve these ambitions through the TechSkills Accelerator (TeSA) initiative as well as upskill and reskill their workforce to become confident AI users through courses offered by the Information & Communications (I&C) Jobs Transformation Map Training Partners.

Kiren Kumar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, IMDA said, “In support of Singapore’s National AI Strategy, IMDA is committed to working with companies to build a strong AI talent ecosystem in Singapore. We will continue to support NCS to upskill their workforce, developing AI practitioners and specialists to build and deploy AI-enabled system.”

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SLB commissions new fluids systems plant in Pemba to support Mozambique’s offshore energy development

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October 9, 2026

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Mozambique

New facility expands in-country drilling and completion fluids capability, advancing the next phase of SLB’s growth in Mozambique

PEMBA, Mozambique, October 9, 2026/APO Group/ –SLB (NYSE: SLB) (www.SLB.com) announced the opening of a new fluids systems plant in Pemba, Mozambique. The new facility strengthens in-country capacity to prepare, store and deliver drilling and completion fluids for offshore operations, reinforcing the infrastructure needed as Mozambique’s offshore activity grows and its role as a strategic energy hub for East Africa continues to expand.

The commissioning of the plant, also known as a liquid mud plant, coincides with SLB marking 70 years of operations in Mozambique. It reflects the company’s long-term commitment to investing in people, infrastructure and capability that support the country’s long-term offshore energy development plans.

 




  

With an initial storage capacity of 21,000 barrels, the liquid mud plant provides a scalable platform for future growth, supporting multiple customers and rising offshore activity while improving logistics and enhancing operational flexibility.

As SLB marks 70 years in Mozambique, this investment reflects our confidence in the country’s future and our commitment to supporting its energy ambitions

“As SLB marks 70 years in Mozambique, this investment reflects our confidence in the country’s future and our commitment to supporting its energy ambitions,” said Miguel Baptista, Central, East and Southern Africa, Managing Director, SLB. The new liquid mud plant strengthens local energy infrastructure, expands opportunities for local content development, and enhances our ability to support customers as they deliver some of Africa’s most significant offshore energy resources.”

The liquid mud plant project was delivered with strong local participation and that momentum is expected to continue into operations. During project delivery, more than 100 jobs were created in Pemba with nationals representing 80% of the workforce, reflecting a focus on building local capability.

The project was delivered with a strong focus on safety, operational integrity, and quality, achieving more than 67,000 hours worked without a recordable safety incident.

This key infrastructure strengthens SLB’s ability to support consistent service quality and enhance supply chain readiness for increasing offshore activity across Mozambique, supporting customers execute safely and efficiently while developing local skills and expertise.

Key Points:

  • SLB has commissioned a new fluids system plant in Pemba, expanding in-country drilling and completion fluids capability for offshore operations.
  • With an initial storage capacity of 21,000 barrels, the facility provides a scalable platform to support growing offshore activity in Mozambique.
  • The investment marks the next phase of SLB’s growth in Mozambique, strengthening local capability and supporting long-term offshore energy development.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of SLB.

 

 




 

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South African Energy Storage Association (SAESA) welcomes 4,600 MW battery storage prioritisation and calls for integrated energy planning

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October 9, 2026

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Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are becoming critical system infrastructure, supporting flexibility, reducing avoidable curtailment, shifting energy into periods of demand and strengthening security of supply

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, October 9, 2026/APO Group/ –The South African Energy Storage Association (SAESA) (www.SAESA.org.za) welcomes the prioritisation of 4,600 MW of battery energy storage under the first Integrated Resource Plan (IRP) 2025 Section 34 determination.

 




  

The timing is significant. Recent Integrated Energy Plan (IEP) modelling and assumptions discussions highlighted a fundamental shift that South Africa’s energy planning now needs to capture: we cannot plan the future power system by counting megawatts of generation alone.

We must plan for when energy is available, where it is available, how it moves through a constrained grid and how it is stored and dispatched when the system needs it most.

The announcement reinforces that shift. Battery energy storage systems (BESS) are becoming critical system infrastructure, supporting flexibility, reducing avoidable curtailment, shifting energy into periods of demand and strengthening security of supply.

For SAESA, the message for the IEP is clear: storage, flexibility and system services must be modelled as integral components of South Africa’s future electricity architecture, with their contribution considered from the outset of generation planning.

“The IEP must plan the power system we are becoming, not simply model the power system we have inherited,” says SAESA.

The IEP must plan the power system we are becoming, not simply model the power system we have inherited

Partnership with C&I Energy + Storage Summit

SAESA is an association partner of the C&I Energy + Storage Summit, created by VUKA Group, taking place on 28–29 October 2026 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton, Johannesburg.

The summit brings together commercial and industrial energy users, project developers, financiers, regulators and solution providers to explore practical approaches to energy security, procurement and storage deployment.

For businesses assessing how storage can support their operations, the event offers an opportunity to meet SAESA and engage with the wider energy community on the decisions shaping South Africa’s evolving electricity system.

Commercial and industrial energy decision-makers are invited to apply to attend as hosted buyers. Qualifying buyers receive complimentary summit access and curated opportunities to engage with industry partners.

 

Meet SAESA at C&I Energy + Storage Summit: Join the Hosted Buyer Programme

The Hosted Buyer Programme connects commercial and industrial energy decision-makers with solution providers shaping South Africa’s evolving private energy market.

Qualified energy buyers receive complimentary access to the summit and curated engagement with industry partners exploring energy procurement, storage deployment and project development.

Apply for the Hosted Buyer Programme (https://apo-opa.co/4ehLijJ)

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

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Afreximbank welcomes launch of Africa Credit Rating Agency as an important step in strengthening Africa’s financial architecture

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3 days ago

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October 9, 2026

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Expanding credible rating coverage can improve the information available to investors and support the development of deeper domestic and regional capital markets

PORT LOUIS, Mauritius, October 8, 2026/APO Group/ –African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) (www.Afreximbank.com) welcomes today’s launch of the Africa Credit Rating Agency (AfCRA), an important milestone in strengthening Africa’s financial architecture and expanding the continent’s capacity to generate credible, independent analysis of African credit risk.

 




 
 

Credit ratings play an important role in determining access to capital, influencing investor perceptions and shaping the cost at which governments, institutions and businesses can finance development. It is therefore essential that assessments of African credit risk are independent, rigorous and evidence-based, while reflecting a complete understanding of the structures, institutions and economic realities being assessed.

The establishment of AfCRA adds an important African-led source of credit opinion to the market. Its value will not be measured by whether it produces more favourable ratings, but by the credibility of its analysis, the quality of its data and transparency of its methodology, and its ability to deepen understanding of African sovereigns, sub-sovereigns and corporate credit.

This is particularly important given that many African issuers remain unrated, while local-currency and sub-sovereign markets continue to have limited rating coverage. Expanding credible rating coverage can improve the information available to investors and support the development of deeper domestic and regional capital markets.

AfCRA must set a new benchmark for the continent, maintain its independence, and remain wholly owned and controlled by Africans

Alongside fellow members of the Alliance of African Multilateral Financial Institutions (AAMFI), Afreximbank has consistently maintained that African Multilateral Financial Institutions should be assessed on the basis of their fundamentals, performance, legal frameworks, mandates and operating models. Ensuring that these institutional characteristics are properly understood is essential to achieving informed, balanced and credible assessments of African risk.

Commenting on the uniqueness of the African market, and need for AfCRA’s rating methodology to reflect this, Mr Denys Denya, Senior Executive Vice President, Afreximbank, said: “The rating methodology AfCRA develops must recognise the uniqueness of our environment and its institutional structures. The Agency must set its own standards and not follow those set elsewhere — it must build a unique identity that conforms to an ‘African best practice.”

Highlighting the need for the autonomy of the Africa Credit Rating agency as it takes off, Mr Denya added: “Most importantly, AfCRA must set a new benchmark for the continent, maintain its independence, and remain wholly owned and controlled by Africans. We must all use it, and in return expect a complete assessment of where we (Africa) stand: the strengths the market has ignored, and the weaknesses we still need to fix.”

AfCRA should therefore be seen as complementary to existing international and regional rating agencies, broadening the range of credible analysis available to investors and issuers while strengthening competition, transparency and analytical capacity within Africa’s credit markets.

As Africa seeks to mobilise the scale of capital required for industrialisation, trade, infrastructure and economic transformation, credible African institutions that improve information, strengthen market confidence and deepen the continent’s financial markets will become increasingly important.

Afreximbank congratulates the African Union, the African Peer Review Mechanism (APRM) and all those involved in bringing AfCRA from concept to launch, and looks forward to the contribution the Agency will make to deeper, more transparent and more efficient African capital markets.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of Afreximbank.

 




 

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