Connect with us

Business

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

Published

on

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.”

Business

African Energy Week (AEW) 2026 Technical Sessions Put Technology Behind Africa’s Next Energy Projects in Focus

Published

on

Day 2 technical sessions at African Energy Week 2026 will examine frontier exploration, major gas developments, project economics and the technologies supporting Africa’s expanding oil, gas and LNG sectors

CAPE TOWN, South Africa, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –African Energy Week (AEW) 2026’s Day 2 Technical Stages will put the technology and technical expertise behind Africa’s next wave of energy projects in focus, with sessions covering subsurface interpretation, deepwater exploration, gas development, project economics, digitalization, offshore operations and infrastructure.

 




  

The program will unfold across two exhibition-hall stages, with the Drill Room focusing on practical applications across exploration, gas development, offshore operations and LNG, while the Innovation Hub will examine frontier exploration, energy markets, digital technologies and infrastructure. Together, the sessions connect project-level technologies with the wider investment and development challenges facing Africa’s energy industry.

The day opens with GeoEnergy Petroleum Director Maged Fahim, who will examine how legacy and newly acquired subsurface datasets can be integrated with modern technologies to identify additional upstream opportunities. TGS Principal Exploration Advisor Felicia Winter will then focus on Angola’s deepwater basins, examining how modern seismic acquisition and imaging can be used to reinterpret existing data and evaluate frontier plays.

The discussions come as Angola seeks to build on renewed offshore activity. TotalEnergies announced in September that it plans to invest $10 billion in Angola over the next five years, including in exploration, while advancing its $6 billion Kaminho deepwater development.

Gas development will take center stage through two presentations by TotalEnergies. Alexandre Depiesse, GPI Venus, will address appraisal strategies and commercial viability for Orange Basin discoveries, while Mozambique LNG Operations and Project Director Nicolas Cambefort will examine development and optimisation of the Rovuma Basin gas resources. Mozambique LNG, a 13.1-million-ton-per-year project in Area 1 led by TotalEnergies, resumed activities in January 2026 following the lifting of force majeure, putting development of Mozambique’s major offshore gas resources back into focus.

AEW 2026 reflects the practical challenges facing Africa’s energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production

The Republic of Congo National Showcase will provide another perspective on Africa’s expanding LNG industry. The country’s Congo LNG project reached a new stage in February 2026 with the start of commercial production from its second phase. The addition of the Nguya FLNG unit brought total liquefaction capacity to 3 million tons per year, expanding Congo’s ability to monetize its offshore gas resources.

The program will then broaden from individual projects to the continent-wide investment outlook with the launch of The State of African Energy 2027. AEC Senior Vice President Verner Ayukegba and S&P Global Energy Executive Director Max Pietzsch will present the outlook, covering upstream oil and gas, LNG, downstream markets, power, renewables and critical minerals against changing demand, trade flows and energy security requirements.

Project decision-making will remain under examination as S&P Global Energy Technical Research Analyst Tasnika Goorhoo presents “From Limited Data to Better Decisions: How Benchmarking Strengthens Upstream Project Outcomes.” The session will examine how comparative project data can help operators assess performance, costs and development outcomes.

NOV Vice President Mats Anderson will address offshore optimization through high-speed downhole connectivity and real-time distributed measurements, examining how faster access to downhole information can improve operational visibility and decision-making.

Infrastructure will also feature prominently, with Kenyon International West Africa CEO Victor Ekpenyong examining asset integrity and pipeline infrastructure through the company’s CACTUS and FlexSteel technologies. Honeywell Technologies Africa will close the technology-focused sessions with its end-to-end LNG offering, while SLB, InSwitch, the Petroleum Directorate of Sierra Leone and PETROSEN will bring additional perspectives on technology, digitalization and energy services.

“AEW 2026 reflects the practical challenges facing Africa’s energy industry as projects move from resource potential toward development and production,” said NJ Ayuk, Executive Chairman of the AEC. “From subsurface interpretation and deepwater exploration to LNG development, project benchmarking, digitalization and infrastructure, these technical sessions highlight the expertise and technologies needed to develop Africa’s resources efficiently and create lasting value across the energy value chain.”

AEW 2026 takes place from October 12–16 in Cape Town, bringing together governments, investors, operators and technology providers to discuss investment, project development and the future of Africa’s energy sector.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of African Energy Chamber.

 




 

Continue Reading

Business

Rising power costs put energy strategy at the centre of industrial competitiveness

Published

on

C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg to focus on the procurement, cost and investment decisions facing South Africa’s large energy users

JOHANNESBURG, South Africa, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –The cost of electricity is no longer only an energy issue for South African businesses. It is increasingly a question of competitiveness, investment and long-term operational resilience.

Recent figures show the pressure on large power users. Business Day reported on 7 September that South Africa’s mining and industrial majors paid Eskom R115 billion for electricity in the 2025/26 financial year. According to Eskom’s annual report, industrial electricity demand fell by more than 22% over the same period as high power costs weighed on energy-intensive operations.

 




  

At the same time, major businesses are moving to alternative supply. Reuters reported on 26 August that South African mining companies are accelerating investment in renewable energy to cut costs, diversify supply and meet decarbonisation targets.

For commercial and industrial energy users, the question is no longer simply how to secure power. It is how to buy it, what to invest in, and which energy strategy makes the strongest commercial sense.

Energy procurement is becoming more complex

Businesses are now weighing several procurement options at once. Should they sign a long-term PPA? Buy through an electricity trader? Wheel renewable power across the grid? Invest in behind-the-meter generation? Add battery storage? Each option carries different implications for cost, risk, contracting and long-term flexibility.

These decisions will take centre stage at the C&I Energy + Storage Summit Johannesburg, taking place on 28–29 October 2026 at The Maslow Hotel, Sandton. The programme is built around the practical challenges facing energy buyers today, with a focus on real projects, commercial models and implementation rather than technology in isolation.

A programme built around the buyer’s decisions

The summit closes with the C&I Decision Clinic: Ask the Experts, a masterclass where attendees submit real project challenges in advance and receive practical, anonymised responses from experts. Questions on the table include whether to build onsite PV or sign a wheeled PPA, how much battery storage makes commercial sense, what a bankable project preparation pack should contain, and what financiers require before term sheet stage.

It follows The C&I Energy Playbook: Five decisions business leaders need to make now, a closing panel in which the moderators of key summit sessions distil the programme into the priorities C&I businesses should act on.

Other sessions address the questions buyers are asking now:

  • Energy storage beyond backup power: unlocking commercial value examines peak shaving, demand charge management, energy arbitrage and hybrid PV-plus-storage business models, along with the operational realities of dispatch, degradation and warranties.
  • Making public-private engagement work for you unpacks how wheeling agreements are structured in practice, where interface risks arise, and how businesses can engage utilities and municipalities early.
  • Reducing energy costs without building new generation is a case-study-led workshop on energy efficiency, operational optimisation, demand response and digital energy management.
  • Projects Spotlight gives energy users the floor to share the strategies they have implemented, the lessons learned and the outcomes achieved.

The programme opens with the keynote panel Threats and opportunities in South Africa’s industrial future, bringing together policymakers, industrial leaders, financiers, and energy and water experts.

Bringing energy buyers into the conversation

The summit’s Hosted Buyer Programme is designed for qualified end-user energy buyers across sectors including mining, manufacturing, property, agriculture and other energy-intensive industries. Hosted buyers take part in the full programme and receive curated engagement with solution providers across energy procurement, storage deployment and project development.

Four events, one venue

The summit is co-located with the EIUG Conference, Water Security Africa and the Data Centre Summit, bringing the energy, water and digital infrastructure communities together in Sandton. It is brought to you by Enlit Africa, with ESI Africa as host media, and is accredited by the SAIEE.

Qualified commercial and industrial energy users can apply for the Hosted Buyer Programme at https://apo-opa.co/4yPnXOg, and bring their project questions to the Decision Clinic.

Full programme: https://apo-opa.co/4xK2ANv

 

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

Continue Reading

Events

Beyond the carbon credit: Who sets the terms for Africa’s carbon markets?

Published

on

From project ownership and verification to pricing and benefit-sharing, CMAS 2026 will bring African market leaders and global decision-makers together to examine who creates and captures value

KIGALI, Rwanda, September 22, 2026/APO Group/ –A carbon credit may be traded as a single unit, but its value is shaped long before it reaches a buyer. Decisions about project ownership, finance, data, verification and benefit-sharing determine who participates, who carries the risk and who ultimately benefits. As new regulations and international partnerships expand market access, these questions are becoming increasingly important across Africa.

 




 
 

They will be central to the Carbon Markets Africa Summit (CMAS) 2026, taking place from 13 to 15 October at the Kigali Convention Centre in Rwanda. The summit will convene African governments, project developers, investors, buyers and technical experts involved in decisions across the carbon-market value chain.

Countries are approaching these decisions from different regulatory, economic and environmental positions. While recent developments in East Africa demonstrate growing market activity, questions concerning international requirements, technical capacity, investment and benefit-sharing are relevant across Africa.

Ousmane Fall SARR, Coordinator of the West African Alliance on Carbon Markets and Climate Finance, says:

“African countries are developing carbon markets from different starting points. Stronger African expertise and regional cooperation will be important if the continent is to contribute to the standards and market practices that determine how its projects compete, attract investment and create value.”

Against this continental backdrop, East Africa provides a timely example of how the market is developing. In January 2026, Rwanda and Singapore invited applications for carbon-credit projects under their bilateral Implementation Agreement, aligned with Article 6 of the Paris Agreement. Credits from authorised projects may be used by eligible Singapore-based carbon tax-liable companies to offset up to 5% of their taxable emissions, subject to both governments’ requirements.

African countries are developing carbon markets from different starting points

Across the continent, carbon market frameworks are rapidly taking shape. Kenya and Uganda are strengthening regulatory oversight, regional partnerships are helping governments build market capacity and infrastructure, and South Africa is advancing reforms to modernise its carbon-credit ecosystem and attract investment. Together, these developments are bringing greater focus to questions of authorisation, project ownership, verification, pricing and access to international buyers, while also raising expectations that carbon finance should deliver sustainable economic and development value beyond the credit itself.

Emmanuelle Nicholls, Portfolio Director for CMAS, says:

“A carbon credit may be the final product, but behind it are decisions about ownership, data, risk, pricing and who ultimately benefits. The conversations in Kigali will examine what credible participation looks like across the full carbon-market value chain.”

These decisions have consequences beyond individual transactions. Carbon finance is increasingly connected to conservation, agriculture, soil restoration, food security, clean energy and waste management. Its success will therefore also be judged by whether projects produce credible environmental outcomes and lasting benefits for African economies and communities.

A practical example comes from the Chinko Conservation Area in the Central African Republic, where revenue from the Chinko Carbon Project is channelled through a community fund that supports locally selected initiatives, including the expansion of a medical centre in Agoumar. At CMAS 2026, African Parks and Welthungerhilfe, both Bronze Sponsors, will share perspectives on how carbon finance can support conservation, climate resilience, food systems and community development, while highlighting broader questions around project governance, impact and the distribution of value.

From project-level impact to market-wide structures, these questions will underpin discussions at CMAS 2026. The programme will address government authorisation, buyer requirements, pricing and offtake, investment risk, early-stage finance, registries and African measurement, reporting and verification capacity. It will connect the question of who sets the terms with the practical requirements for building credible, investment-ready projects and transactions.

CMAS 2026 is hosted by the Ministry of Environment of Rwanda, with UNDP and the African Development Bank as host organisations, the Development Bank of Southern Africa as host partner and AUDA-NEPAD as strategic institutional partner.

Taking place ahead of COP31, CMAS will focus attention on the decisions behind every carbon credit and what they mean for African governments, projects, investors and communities.

Distributed by APO Group on behalf of VUKA Group.

 




 

Continue Reading

Trending

Exit mobile version