HONG KONG, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- As artificial intelligence (AI) transforms the way products are designed, produced and used, City University of Hong Kong (CityUHK) and the University of Cambridge have established the Centre for Advanced and Smart Manufacturing (CASM) with the vision of positioning Hong Kong as a world-leading Industry 5.0 innovation hub where advanced technologies work alongside people to support more sustainable, resilient and responsible manufacturing.
Based in Hong Kong Science Park, CASM is one of the research centres under the InnoHK initiative of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative – SEAM@InnoHK. The Centre is co-led by Professor Lu Jian, Chair Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at CityUHK, and Professor Colm Durkan of the University of Cambridge.
CASM brings together researchers from Hong Kong and around the world to advance new materials, manufacturing methods and digital technologies for industries facing urgent challenges. These include addressing the cooling challenges of data centres, developing next-generation environmentally friendly refrigeration technologies, making new energy vehicles lighter and more sustainable, and developing better materials for electronics and everyday products.
The competitiveness of future industries will depend on how to accelerate the translation of research into real-world applications, allowing innovation to redefine manufacturing. Professor Lu believes that Hong Kong is entering a pivotal stage in its reindustrialisation journey.
"Hong Kong was once one of Asia's leading manufacturing centres. Looking ahead, our aim is to leverage advanced manufacturing to enable Hong Kong to once again play a key role in the global industrial value chain," said Professor Lu. "The vision of CASM is to establish Hong Kong as a world-leading Industry 5.0 manufacturing innovation hub."
While Industry 4.0 focused on connected systems, robotics and data-driven production, Industry 5.0 places greater emphasis on the integration of AI with sustainability, human expertise and social responsibility.
"AI is a key enabler, but environmental protection and social responsibility are equally important," said Professor Lu. "These are the defining principles of Industry 5.0."
One of the Centre's defining features is its use of additive manufacturing (3D printing) as its core technology platform, integrating materials design, digital engineering, manufacturing processes and end-use applications into a single research framework. This interdisciplinary approach enables researchers to design new materials and products with their final purpose in mind, simultaneously optimising performance, cost-effectiveness and sustainability.
The Centre's research focuses on four major application areas: next-generation refrigeration technologies, thermal management for data centres, green manufacturing for new energy vehicles, and innovative materials for consumer electronics.
Take data centres as an example. The rapid growth of AI is creating a global need for more efficient data centres. These facilities require significant amounts of energy, much of which is used to remove heat from computing equipment. CASM researchers are developing novel heat-exchange structures and high-performance metallic materials that could improve cooling efficiency while reducing energy consumption. More efficient cooling can help support the continued growth of AI and digital services in a more sustainable way.
The Centre is also exploring the use of recycled aluminium, also referred to as green aluminium, in the manufacturing of new energy vehicles. By combining AI-assisted design with additive manufacturing, researchers aim to reduce vehicle weight without compromising performance or safety. Since recycled aluminium requires substantially less energy to produce than primary aluminium, this approach also helps reduce carbon emissions, paving a pathway towards more sustainable manufacturing.
Beyond its research and technological innovation, CASM will serve as a training ground for the next generation of researchers, engineers and technology leaders. The Centre plans to recruit PhD students, postdoctoral researchers and undergraduate students to participate in research projects, internships and international collaborations. Young researchers will have opportunities to work across disciplines and gain exposure to world-leading scholars and industry partners. This talent development mission is central to Hong Kong's ambitions to strengthen its innovation and technology ecosystem and support the city's new industrialisation.
Looking ahead, Professor Lu believes that Hong Kong is well positioned to become a major hub for advanced and smart manufacturing because of its international outlook, strong research capabilities and close links with the industrial ecosystem of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
"Hong Kong is home to a platform that attracts talent from around the world, while also serving as a unique gateway connecting the Greater Bay Area with the international community," said Professor Lu. "Through CASM, we aim to bring more innovative technologies from the laboratory to industry, injecting fresh momentum into Hong Kong's new industrialisation and future economic development."
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CityUHK and University of Cambridge establish Centre for Advanced and Smart Manufacturing to shape Hong Kong's Industry 5.0 future
"Forging Forward Together" — Strategy combines on-demand staffing, AI-powered workforce technology, humanoid robots, Robotics-as-a-Service and smart facility management across hospitality, healthcare, logistics, retail and property operations
SINGAPORE, Sept. 22, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- YYForce Inc. (NASDAQ: YFOR) ("YYForce" or the "Company"), an AI-enabled workforce management platform and integrated facility management (IFM) provider operating across Asia and beyond, today announced its YYForce 2030 Vision, a long-term strategy to build an integrated workforce ecosystem connecting human workers, artificial intelligence ("AI"), humanoid robots and specialized service robotics.
Guided by its motto, "Forging Forward Together," YYForce envisions a future in which people and intelligent machines work alongside one another — combining human judgment, adaptability and service capabilities with the efficiency, scalability and automation potential of AI and robotics.
Under the strategy, YYForce intends to evolve from primarily providing workforce and facility services toward becoming a Future Workforce Solutions Provider, using technology to coordinate human and robotic resources across labor-intensive industries.
The Company's vision brings together three core capabilities: on-demand human staffing through YY Circle and Yolara AI; humanoid and specialized service robotics offered through leasing and Robotics-as-a-Service ("RaaS") models; and smart facility management through 24iFM, IoT devices, sensors, smart cameras and automation technologies.
YYForce believes these capabilities could ultimately enable hotels, healthcare facilities, warehouses, logistics operators, retailers, property owners and other service operators to access and manage human workers and robotic resources through an increasingly integrated technology ecosystem.
Human + AI + Robotics: The YYForce Future Workforce
YYForce believes the next generation of workforce solutions will move beyond traditional manpower deployment.
Instead, businesses will increasingly determine whether each operational task should be performed by a human worker, assisted by AI, supported by robotics, or completed through an automated system.
YYForce's 2030 strategy is designed around coordinating these resources within a unified operating ecosystem.
The Company refers to this model as Future Workforce Solutions.
Rather than seeking to replace people, YYForce intends to use AI and robotics to augment human capabilities, particularly in environments involving repetitive, physically demanding, standardized or continuously monitored tasks.
Human workers can therefore remain focused on activities requiring judgment, communication, problem-solving, adaptability and customer interaction.
This philosophy is reflected in YYForce's motto:
Forging Forward Together — Humans. AI. Robotics.
Layer One: On-Demand Human Workforce
YYForce's existing workforce technology provides the human workforce foundation for its 2030 strategy.
Through YY Circle and Yolara AI, the Company is developing technology designed to connect businesses with flexible and on-demand workforce resources while improving workforce matching, deployment and management.
This capability is intended to support industries characterized by fluctuating workforce requirements, distributed operations and significant frontline labor needs, including hospitality and hotels, healthcare and hospitals, warehousing and logistics, retail, commercial and residential properties, facility management and other service-intensive industries.
The long-term objective is to enable businesses to access workforce capacity more dynamically according to operational demand.
Layer Two: Humanoid Robots and Robotics-as-a-Service
YYForce intends to progressively explore the integration of humanoid robots and specialized service robotics into its workforce ecosystem.
Potential robotic applications could include cleaning, internal delivery, material movement, inspection, monitoring, logistics support and other repetitive or standardized operational activities.
Rather than requiring customers to purchase robotic equipment outright, YYForce's strategy includes evaluating leasing and Robotics-as-a-Service models.
Under this approach, service operators could potentially deploy robotics according to operational requirements while YYForce and its ecosystem partners provide deployment, integration and related services.
This model could create recurring revenue opportunities for YYForce while lowering the initial capital requirements for customers seeking to adopt automation.
Layer Three: 24iFM — Connecting People, Robotics and Physical Facilities
YYForce's integrated facility management strategy represents the third component of the ecosystem.
Through 24iFM, combined with IoT devices, sensors, smart cameras, robotics and automation technologies, YYForce aims to create an increasingly connected environment where property owners and facility operators can manage physical assets, service requests and operational resources through centralized systems.
The Company envisions a future where a facility operations team can oversee multiple ground activities from a centralized control room.
Data generated by connected buildings could help operations teams identify requirements in real time. Depending on the task, the system could then facilitate the deployment of an available human worker, specialized robot, humanoid robot or automated workflow.
For example, sensors could identify a facility requirement; 24iFM could surface the event to the operations team; the appropriate human or robotic resource could be assigned; and task completion could subsequently be monitored through the same operating environment.
This represents YYForce's longer-term transition from conventional facility management toward technology-enabled, data-driven facility orchestration.
One Ecosystem Across Multiple Industries
The YYForce 2030 Vision is designed to be applicable across multiple service-intensive industries.
In a hotel, human hospitality personnel could work alongside cleaning, delivery and service robots.
In a hospital or healthcare facility, human personnel could be supported by robots performing appropriate logistics, transportation or facility-related tasks.
In a warehouse, flexible human workers could operate alongside autonomous and robotic material-handling systems.
In retail, frontline employees could be supported by robotics and automated operational systems.
Across commercial and residential properties, facility operators could use 24iFM to coordinate people, equipment, service requests, IoT devices and robotic resources from a centralized operating environment.
From Workforce Provider to Workforce Orchestrator
The YYForce 2030 Vision represents a longer-term evolution of the Company's business model:
Human Workforce
YY Circle + Yolara AI
Artificial Intelligence
Workforce matching + operational intelligence + automation
Robotic Workforce
Humanoid robots + specialized service robotics + Robotics-as-a-Service
Smart Facilities
24iFM + IoT + sensors + smart cameras + automation
Together, these components are intended to create a connected ecosystem capable of coordinating people, machines and physical environments.
"The workforce of 2030 will not simply be human or robotic. We believe it will be human, AI and robotics working together," said Mike Fu, Chief Executive Officer of YYForce. "Our vision is for YYForce to become the technology and operating layer that connects these resources and enables businesses to deploy the right resource for the right task at the right time."
"Forging Forward Together represents what we believe the future of work should look like — people and technology advancing together. Our goal is not simply to introduce more automation, but to create an ecosystem where human talent, AI and robotics complement one another to deliver better operational outcomes."
Building Toward 2030
YYForce expects to pursue its 2030 strategy progressively through a combination of technology development, commercial partnerships, robotics collaborations, pilot programs and potential strategic investments.
The Company intends to evaluate opportunities based on customer requirements, technological maturity, economics and commercial scalability.
YYForce believes its existing presence across workforce solutions and integrated facility management provides a foundation from which the Company can progressively connect human workforce deployment, AI, robotics and smart facility infrastructure.
The long-term objective is to build an ecosystem where customers do not simply procure manpower, software or robots independently.
Instead, they can access a Future Workforce Solution designed around the operational outcome they need.
Investor Presentation
Additional information regarding the YYForce 2030 Vision, including the Company's strategic roadmap and operating framework, is available in the YYForce 2030 Investor Strategy Presentation on the Company's Investor Relations website at Investor Strategy Deck.
YYForce 2030
Human + AI + Robotics. One Workforce Ecosystem.
Forging Forward Together.
About YYForce Inc.
YYForce Inc. (Nasdaq: YFOR) is an AI-enabled workforce management platform and IFM provider, headquartered in Singapore and operating across Asia and beyond. The Company's intelligent workforce solutions platform, YY Circle, helps clients across hospitality, food and beverage, retail, and other service sectors predict, plan, and optimize workforce deployment. In YYForce's IFM business, its 24IFM software platform and comprehensive IFM subsidiary portfolio support clients across hospitality, transportation, banking, retail, and mixed-use facilities.
As both business lines scale, the Company is systematically embedding AI and automation capabilities – progressing from intelligent decision support toward increasingly autonomous workforce management – to improve service quality, reduce deployment costs, and drive long-term margin expansion. Listed on the Nasdaq Capital Market, YYForce is committed to infrastructure innovation, measurable client outcomes, and long-term value creation.
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. The Company bases these forward-looking statements on its expectations and projections about future events, which the Company derives from the information currently available to it. You can identify forward-looking statements by those that are not historical in nature, particularly those that use terminology such as "may," "should," "expects," "anticipates," "contemplates," "estimates," "believes," "plans," "projected," "predicts," "potential," or "hopes" or the negative of these or similar terms. Forward-looking statements involve inherent risks and uncertainties, and the forward-looking events discussed in this press release may not occur, and actual events and results may differ materially and are subject to risks, uncertainties, and assumptions about the Company and a number of factors. These factors include, but are not limited to, the Company's goals and strategies; the Company's future business development, financial condition and results of operations, including the introduction of new products and services, expected changes in the Company's revenues, costs and expenditures, anticipated customer growth, and demand for and market acceptance of the Company's products and services; and industry, market and regulatory conditions, including competition, government policies and regulations affecting the Company's industry, and other factors that may affect the Company's financial condition, liquidity and results of operations. For a more detailed discussion of risk factors, please refer to the Company's filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the "Risk Factors" section of the Company's most recent annual report on Form 20-F, as amended.
Investor Contact
Jason Zhi Yong Phua, Chief Financial Officer
YYForce Inc.
enquiries@yyforce.ai
Investor Relations Contact
Piacente Financial Communications
yfor@thepiacentegroup.com
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YYForce Unveils 2030 Vision to Build an Integrated Human, AI and Robotics Workforce Ecosystem
