Government representatives at both a national and local level are collaborating with entrepreneurs and the University of Adelaide as part of a collective effort to transform Adelaide into a 'smart city'. The initiative is part of an overall program launched by the new Australian Smart Cities Consortium.

Chinese firm YITU Technology (YITU) which is a leader in Artificial Intelligence (AI) research and innovation has officially launched a new office in Singapore. The new facility will serve as the company’s regional hub in order to help YITU accelerate its award-winning and renowned AI and facial recognition solutions to whole series of new customers, partners and markets in regions such as Southeast Asia, Hong Kong, Macau and Oceania.

The government of India has voiced its plans to develop five new smart cities.

Japanese car manufacturing giant Nissan and its software gaming partner DeNA has announced that it plans to commence the public pilot of its self-driving ride-sharing service in Japan early next year. The disclosure represents the latest collaboration between a global car manufacturer and a technology firm that is leveraging automated driving technology into new mobility solutions.

A recent survey conducted on the topic of 'smart cities' in the UK - has unearthed some surprising results. Over 67% of those surveyed felt that the implementation of 'smart cities' was a bad use of public finances - and also expressed concerns over the privacy implications of 'smart cities'.

IBM has formally announced the launch of its Innovation and Industry Client Center in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Inaugurated under the patronage of the Abu Dhabi Government, the center aims to fast track the digital transformation of both public and private organizations through advanced technologies in artificial intelligence (AI), cloud, blockchain, security, analytics, Internet of Things and quantum computing.