FPT and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Partner to Elevate AI Research and Education

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FPT and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS Partner to Elevate AI Research and Education

2024-12-02 12:00 Last Updated At：12:20

HANOI, Vietnam--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Dec 1, 2024--

Global technology corporation FPT and the Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP), a premier technical institution in Malaysia, recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to advance Malaysia’s technology education and digital transformation landscape, with a focus on artificial intelligence (AI) research and education.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20241201096059/en/

As part of the partnership, UTP has received a software donation valued at USD 2 million from FPT and will gain access to FPT’s TADA (Total Augmented Data Analytics) solution, an AI-driven unified data management platform currently adopted by 20 energy companies. Designed to efficiently collect, process, analyze, and visualize large-scale data up to 100 times faster than traditional methods, TADA will enable students and faculties to enhance their analytical skills, boosting productivity by 50% with more actionable insights for real-world applications across sectors. Combined with FPT’s training and technical support, UTP staff and students will be well-equipped to maximize the platform’s potential for educational outcomes.

Leveraging FPT’s global network and industry expertise, this strategic collaboration will encompass other areas, including knowledge exchange, internships, and collaborative research projects that align with Malaysian critical sectors such as healthcare, energy, autonomous systems, and sustainability. It will also enable FPT to meet rising client demands and solidify its presence in East Malaysia and the Brunei region.

Pham Minh Tuan, FPT Executive Vice President and FPT Software Chief Executive Officer, said: “FPT has been a long-term trusted IT partner of Petronas, playing a key role in several digital transformation initiatives. Our collaboration extends beyond technology to include workforce development. By bringing our AI expertise and advanced tools and promoting student exchanges between FPT University and Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS, we aim to empower the next generation of IT talent in both countries with the skills and knowledge needed to drive innovation and growth.”

Prof. Dato' Ir Ts Dr Mohamed Ibrahim Abdul Mutalib, Vice-Chancellor of UTP, shared: “We are delighted to partner with FPT to advance our technological capabilities and provide our students with state-of-the-art tools and resources. This collaboration underscores our commitment to an advanced curriculum, equipped with cutting-edge software resources and fosters a strong research and innovation culture.”

“By partnering with industry leaders like FPT, we aim to prepare our students for the demands of the digital age and position UTP as a pioneer in integrating real-world tech partnerships into our academic environment. We look forward to a long-lasting collaboration that will benefit both institutions,” he added.

First entering Malaysia in 2006, FPT has grown into a fully-fledged tech firm with Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) status, a designation granted by the Malaysian government to companies demonstrating significant contributions to the country’s digital economy. The company has a substantial foothold with over 1,300 onsite and offshore professionals dedicated to the market. It boasts a comprehensive host of digital solutions and consulting services, notably in AI, managed services, and Cloud, catering to high-growth industries in Malaysia and the region, including BFSI, energy and utilities, healthcare, and the public sector.

Following the recent new office opening in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, FPT targets scaling up its workforce with an additional 300-500 experts and establishing another Global Delivery Center in Kuching, Sarawak over the next five years.

About FPT

FPT Corporation (FPT) is a globally leading technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam. FPT operates in three core sectors: Technology, Telecommunications, and Education. During over three decades of development, FPT has constantly provided practical and effective products to millions of people and tens of thousands of business and non-business organizations worldwide, establishing Vietnam’s position on the global tech map. Keeping up with the latest market trends and emerging technologies, FPT has developed the Made-by-FPT ecosystem of services, products, solutions, and platforms, which enables sustainable growth for organizations and businesses and offers distinctive experiences to customers. In 2023, FPT recorded a total revenue of USD 2.17 billion and 48,000+ employees. For more information about global IT services, please visit https://fptsoftware.com/

About Universiti Teknologi PETRONAS (UTP)

Established in 1997, UTP is a leading private university in Malaysia, offering industry-relevant engineering, science, and technology programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate levels. It aims to produce well-rounded graduates with strong leadership and communication skills.

With over 22,000 graduates from more than 60 countries, UTP is a major talent provider in the region. The university has over 800 foundation students, 4,000 undergraduates, and 1,000 postgraduates from more than 50 countries.

UTP engages in extensive research collaborations with PETRONAS and other institutions, focusing on areas like self-sustainable building, transport infrastructure, health analytics, hydrocarbon recovery, contaminant management, and autonomous systems. Visit www.utp.edu.my for more information.

UN halts aid shipments through Gaza's main crossing after looting. It blames the crisis on Israel

2024-12-02 12:04 Last Updated At：12:11

DEIR AL-BALAH, Gaza Strip (AP) — The U.N. agency for Palestinian refugees said Sunday it is halting aid deliveries through the main cargo crossing into the war-ravaged Gaza Strip because of the threat of armed gangs who have looted convoys. It blamed the breakdown of law and order in large part on Israeli policies.

In Israel, a former defense minister and fierce critic of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu — and a hard-liner on the Palestinians — accused the government of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, where a military offensive continues.

The U.N. agency's decision could worsen Gaza's humanitarian crisis as a second cold, rainy winter sets in, with hundreds of thousands of Palestinians in squalid tent camps and reliant on international aid. Experts already warned of famine in the north, which Israeli forces have almost completely isolated since early October.

Philippe Lazzarini, the head of UNRWA, the main aid provider in Gaza, said the route leading to the Kerem Shalom crossing is too dangerous on the Gaza side. Armed men looted nearly 100 trucks on the route in mid-November.

Kerem Shalom is the only crossing between Israel and Gaza that is designed for cargo shipments and has been the main artery for aid since the Rafah crossing with Egypt was shut in May. Last month, nearly two-thirds of aid entering Gaza came through Kerem Shalom, and in previous months it accounted for even more, according to Israeli figures.

In an X post, Lazzarini largely blamed Israel for the breakdown of humanitarian operations in Gaza, citing “political decisions to restrict the amounts of aid,” lack of safety on routes and Israel's targeting of the Hamas-run police force, which previously provided public security.

“Yesterday we had assurances aid would be fine. We tried to move five trucks and they were all taken,” Scott Anderson, director of UNRWA affairs in Gaza, told The Associated Press. “So we’ve kind of reached a point where it makes no sense to continue to try to move aid if it’s just gonna be looted.” When asked whether UNRWA has seen evidence supporting Israeli claims that Hamas has been behind aid looting, he emphasized that there's no systemic diversion of aid in Gaza.

A spokesman for UNICEF, Ammar Ammar, confirmed the security situation was “unacceptable” and said it was evaluating its operations at the crossing.

The Israeli military body in charge of humanitarian aid to Gaza said on X that it will continue to work with the international community to increase aid into Gaza through Kerem Shalom and other crossings, and said UNRWA coordinated less than 10% of the aid that entered Gaza in November.

The Israeli military accuses UNRWA of having allowed Hamas to infiltrate its ranks — allegations the agency denies — and passed legislation to sever ties with it last month.

Israeli strikes in Gaza killed at least six people overnight, including two children, ages 6 and 8, in their family's tent, medical officials said Sunday.

The strike in the Muwasi area, a sprawling coastal camp housing hundreds of thousands of displaced people, also wounded their mother and 8-month-old sister, according to nearby Nasser Hospital. An Associated Press reporter saw the bodies, which were buried in the sand.

A separate strike in the southern city of Rafah, on the border with Egypt, killed four men, according to hospital records.

The Israeli military said it was not aware of strikes in either location. Israel says it only targets militants and tries to avoid harming civilians, but its daily strikes across Gaza often kill women and children.

A former top Israeli general and defense minister accused the government of ethnic cleansing in northern Gaza, where the army has sealed off the towns of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahiya and the Jabaliya refugee camp and allowed almost no humanitarian aid to enter.

Moshe Yaalon, who served as defense minister under Netanyahu before quitting in 2016, said the current far-right government is determined to “occupy, to annex, to ethnically cleanse.”

Pressed by a local news outlet on Saturday, Yaalon said: “(They) are actually cleaning the territory of Arabs.”

He added Sunday in an interview with Israeli radio: “My issue is not with the soldiers of the Israeli army. On the contrary: I’m speaking on behalf of commanders who are active in northern Gaza and turned to me because they are troubled by what is happening there. They are being placed in life-threatening situations; they are being thrust into moral dilemmas.”

Netanyahu’s Likud party criticized his earlier remarks, accusing him of making “false statements” that are “a prize for the International Criminal Court and the camp of Israel haters.”

The ICC has issued arrest warrants against Netanyahu, another former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, and a Hamas commander, accusing them of crimes against humanity. The International Court of Justice is investigating allegations of genocide against Israel.

Israel rejects the allegations and says both courts are biased against it.

The war in Gaza began when Hamas-led militants stormed into southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing some 1,200 people, mostly civilians, and taking around 250 hostage. Some 100 captives are still held inside Gaza, around two-thirds believed to be alive.

Israel's retaliatory offensive has killed at least 44,429 Palestinians, more than half of them women and children, according to Gaza's Health Ministry, which does not say how many of the dead were combatants. Israel says it has killed over 17,000 militants, without providing evidence.

The war has destroyed vast areas of the coastal enclave and displaced 90% of the population of 2.3 million, often multiple times.

Israel reached a ceasefire with Lebanon's Hezbollah militants last week that has largely held, but that agreement did not address the war in Gaza.

Gaza ceasefire efforts have stalled as Israel rejected Hamas' demand for a complete withdrawal from the territory. The Biden administration has said it will make another push for a deal.

“There are negotiations taking place behind the scenes, and it can be done,” Israel's mostly ceremonial president, Isaac Herzog, said Sunday after meeting with the mother of Israeli-American hostage Edan Alexander, who appeared in a video released Saturday by Hamas.

Magdy reported from Cairo and Goldenberg from Tel Aviv, Israel.

Follow AP’s war coverage at https://apnews.com/hub/israel-hamas-war