DAVOS, Switzerland, Jan. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 2026 World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Dr. Giovanni Caforio, Chairman of the Board of Directors of Novartis, announced a major new partnership: the Novartis Foundation, the Ministry of Health of Brunei Darussalam, and EVYD Technology will jointly implement an AI- and data-enabled national cardiovascular disease prevention initiative under the global program: CARDIO4Cities.
Built on Brunei's national health platform, the program aims to harness population-scale data and artificial intelligence to enable early identification of high-risk individuals and deliver targeted interventions, ultimately reducing cardiovascular disease burden and strengthening national heart health outcomes.
This landmark collaboration, recognized for both its public health impact and innovation potential, has been prominently featured by the World Economic Forum.
Advancing Public Health Through AI and Cross-Sector Collaboration
The initiative was highlighted during the Davos session "Innovating for Social Impact at Scale Through Partnerships and Artificial Intelligence," co-hosted by the Novartis Foundation, Novo Nordisk and the World Heart Federation.
During the discussion, Mrs. Gong Yingying, Founder and Chairlady of Yidu Tech, joined Mr. Marnix van Ginneken, Chairman of the Philips Foundation, in a dialogue on digital health innovation and the future of resilient public health systems. The conversation was moderated by Dr. Ann Aerts, Head of the Novartis Foundation.
Mrs. Gong noted that advancing high-quality public health is fundamentally a systems-level endeavor — one that depends on whether technological innovation and cross-sector collaboration can be translated into scalable, self-reinforcing capabilities over time. She emphasized that the launch of CARDIO4Cities in Brunei represents a strategically significant national-level deployment.
Its ambition extends well beyond the implementation of a single program. Rather, it is designed to drive a structural transformation of the public health system: shifting from reactive response to proactive prediction, from fragmented services to integrated governance, and from experience-based approaches to precision management grounded in real-world data.
Addressing a Global Non-Communicable Disease Challenge
Cardiovascular disease and other non-communicable diseases remain the leading cause of death worldwide, accounting for more than 70% of global mortality. In Brunei, cardiovascular disease is also the primary cause of death, placing sustained pressure on the country's healthcare system.
Globally, many countries continue to face common structural barriers — including fragmented data infrastructure, limited monitoring capacity, and insufficient population-level risk stratification — making precise prevention difficult to implement at scale.
Through this partnership, Brunei will leverage to establish AI-driven cardiovascular risk tiering across the population and deliver differentiated intervention pathways, shifting prevention efforts upstream.
"A truly resilient system," said Mrs. Gong, "must act before risks fully emerge. This is the national value of data- and intelligence-driven health governance."
EVYD's Platform Foundation and Value for Life Sciences
The AI capabilities underpinning Brunei's CARDIO4Cities program are rooted in EVYD's broader technology foundation — designed to deliver population-scale intelligence while also enabling end-to-end value creation for pharmaceutical and life sciences partners globally.
Powered by EVYD's proprietary AI engine and extensive real-world evidence infrastructure, the platform supports drug developers across the R&D lifecycle, including:
- AI-enabled precision patient identification and recruitment
- intelligent clinical trial data quality monitoring
- accelerated execution with improved cost efficiency
- generation of high-quality real-world evidence to support regulatory submissions and payer access
BruHealth: From Pandemic Response to a National Digital Health Backbone
Mrs. Gong also highlighted the evolution of BruHealth, Brunei's national digital health platform.
Initially established to support infectious disease tracking and resource coordination during the pandemic, BruHealth has since grown into a comprehensive national infrastructure integrating:
- government oversight and policy execution
- physician-facing clinical workstations
- citizen-centered digital health services
Today, residents can access longitudinal health records, receive AI-generated personalized health guidance, schedule care appointments, and monitor key wellness indicators directly through the platform.
BruHealth now covers more than 85% of Brunei's population, serving as the digital backbone of the country's universal health ecosystem. EVYD will provide core data integration, analytics, and implementation support to ensure CARDIO4Cities is operationalized at national scale.
A Globally Scalable Model for Cardiometabolic Risk Reduction
Brunei becomes the first country to expand CARDIO4Cities at national scale across four major cardiovascular risk factors: hypertension, diabetes, obesity and hyperlipidemia.
Globally, CARDIO4Cities — initiated by the Novartis Foundation — has been deployed across more than 40 cities including São Paulo, Dakar and Ulaanbaatar. Results have shown that within 15–21 months, blood pressure control rates can improve by 3–6x, with stroke incidence reduced by up to 13% and heart attack rates reduced by up to 12%.
Setting a New Benchmark for National AI-Enabled Disease Prevention
This trilateral collaboration delivers a next-generation solution for cardiovascular disease prevention in Brunei, while also offering a scalable reference model for non-communicable disease control worldwide.
As the initiative advances, it is expected to further strengthen Brunei's public health capacity, reduce long-term disease burden, and contribute new momentum to the global transformation toward intelligent, prevention-oriented health systems.
** The press release content is from PR Newswire. Bastille Post is not involved in its creation. **
Davos Spotlight | EVYD, Ministry of Health Brunei Darussalam and Novartis Foundation Launch National AI-Powered Cardiovascular Disease Prevention Initiative
At Anker Day 2026, Anker Innovations marks its 15th anniversary by unveiling THUS™ - ANKER's first neural-net Compute-in-Memory AI audio chip - and a new generation of products across soundcore and eufy.
NEW YORK and Bellevue, Wash., May 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Anker Innovations is hosting Anker Day 2026: Where Ultimate Meets Possible, its annual brand event to showcase the newest product launches and technology break-throughs across its portfolio. Where Ultimate Meets Possible will bring together media, retail buyers and key influencers for an exclusive look at what's next in consumer electronics, spanning premium audio, home energy and the smart home appliances.
Where Ultimate Meets Possible will be held at STORIED in New York City, an invite-only experience featuring keynote presentations, hands-on product demonstrations and a deep dive into the company's latest innovations.
Anker Day 2026 debuted innovations across three brands: soundcore's Liberty 5 Pro and Pro Max — the first earbuds powered by Anker's new THUS™ AI chip — alongside VibeOS AI platform and Nebula SpaceFlow; Anker SOLIX's S2000, the world's longest-lasting 2kWh home backup power station; and eufy's EdgeAgent™, a local AI home security agent, plus new baby care products.
Started With Power
Anker was founded in 2011 and released its first product in the following year: a 4,500mAh ultra-slim power bank. It was a modest beginning, but behind it was an engineering conviction that would shape everything that followed. If technology is going to make a meaningful difference in people's lives, it has to be built to the highest possible standard.
2012 - The Beginning
Anker's first product: a 4,500mAh ultra-slim power bank - the start of a commitment to putting well-engineered, reliable power in people's hands.
2013 - PowerIQ™
Introduced PowerIQ™, enabling fast-charging compatibility across both iOS and Android - setting the standard for universal charging intelligence.
2018 - GaN from Aerospace
An early adopter of Gallium Nitride (GaN) from aerospace applications for consumer charging - delivering a 40% size reduction without sacrificing output.
2019 - World's Smallest 18W Charger
Delivered the world's smallest 18W charger at the time - proving that ultimate performance and ultra-compact form are not a trade-off.
2022 - GaNPrime™
Pioneered high-power multi-port chargers with dynamic power distribution - intelligently allocating power across multiple devices simultaneously.
2023 - 240W Wall Charger
Delivered the industry's highest-power 240W wall charger at the time - meeting the demands of the most power-hungry professional setups.
2024 - InstaCord™ & UltraDura™
In 2024, InstaCord™ became Anker's most advanced retractable‑cable technology and UltraDura™ achieved industry‑leading durability.
2025 - GaNPrime™ 2.0 • PowerIQ™ 5.0 • AnkerSense™ View • TurboBoost™
GaNPrime™ 2.0 (most advanced fast charging), PowerIQ™ 5.0 (smartest compatibility), AnkerSense™ View (intelligent display technology), and TurboBoost™ for ultra-fast power bank recharging. The pursuit never stops.
Fifteen years. Eight technology generations. Every breakthrough driven by one and only promise: seeking the ultimate innovation, not as an end in itself, but because technology built to its highest standard is how we put the possibilities people want in their lives within reach. Technology in service of people. That is what this pursuit has always meant.
Today's Milestone: Anker Thus™
For 80 years, chip design has followed the same logic established by John von Neumann in 1945: separate the processor from memory, and shuttle data between them one instruction at a time. For eight decades across mainframes, desktops, and data centers, this model worked. AI breaks that assumption. A neural network draws on millions of learned parameters all at once - and in a wearable device, moving that data between memory and processor consumes more than 90 percent of chip power, leaving almost nothing for actual computation.
THUS™ applies a different principle: embed computation directly inside NOR Flash memory cells, where the model already lives. The model parameters never have to move. The energy previously consumed by data movement is redirected entirely to computation.
The first THUS™ AI chip debuts in earbuds, delivering up to 150 times more AI computing power on the environmental noise cancellation task than Anker's previous-generation flagship earphones.
Clear Calls - the chip's first disclosed feature - runs a large neural network entirely on-device, anchored by eight MEMS microphones and two bone conduction sensors, for a significantly clear call in any environment. Additional AI-powered features including Signature Sound and Voice Control debuted at Anker Day.
"Every AI chip built until now stores the model on one side and does the computation on the other. To think, the device has to carry all those parameters across, many times per second, every single inference. THUS™ puts the computation where the model already lives. The model never has to move again."
- Steven Yang, Founder and CEO, Anker Innovations
THUS™ takes inspiration from "Thus have I heard", a Buddhist phrase that reflects direct transmission - knowledge conveyed as it was experienced, without distortion.
All performance figures are based on internal Anker lab tests. The 150× AI computing power figure applies specifically to the environmental noise cancellation task and reflects the architectural change from rule-based to neural-net AI processing. It is not a general performance claim and does not reflect a process node upgrade. The environmental noise cancellation workload referenced here runs as an on-device neural network model on the first THUS™ chip.
Anker soundcore Liberty 5 Pro: The First Product Powered by Anker Thus™
The soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and Liberty 5 Pro Max are the first two products to ship with the THUS™ chip. Their positioning is organized around three on-device intelligence layers the chip enables - understanding, adapting, and tuning - each representing a function earbuds could not credibly perform before neural-net AI became viable at this scale. Coming to the market soon.
15 Years, One Promise
From our first power bank to a proprietary AI chip in 2026 - the categories we build in keep expanding, and so does the scope of what technology can do for people's lives. Our promise has been one and only, seeking the ultimate innovation, with the conviction that technology built to its highest standard makes the possibilities people want in their lives the ones they can actually live. Fifteen years is long enough to know that trust is earned slowly. Fifteen years in. The pursuit continues.
About Anker Innovations
Anker Innovations is a global consumer technology company driven by ultimate innovation, creating products that help people power, create, connect, and live more freely. Founded in 2011, Anker Innovations serves more than 200 million consumers across 146 countries and regions. Learn more at anker.com.
DISCLAIMER
*Statements in this news release that are not statements of historical fact may include forward-looking statements regarding future events or the future financial performance of the company. We wish to caution you that such statements are just predictions and that actual events or results may differ materially. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties surrounding competitive and industry conditions, market acceptance for the company's products, risks of litigation, technological changes, developing industry standards and other factors related to the company's businesses. The actions referred to in this press release are not an admission or acknowledgement of any claim or allegation. The Company reserves all of its rights.
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15 Years of Seeking Ultimate Innovation: From Power Banks to Proprietary AI THUS™ Chip
15 Years of Seeking Ultimate Innovation: From Power Banks to Proprietary AI THUS™ Chip
15 Years of Seeking Ultimate Innovation: From Power Banks to Proprietary AI THUS™ Chip
