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XPPen Strengthens Its Commitment to Animation with 2026 Annecy Festival Residency Partnership and MIFA Showcase

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ANNECY, FRANCE – Media OutReach Newswire – 5 July 2026 – XPPen, a global leading brand in digital art innovation, continues its support for the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2026 through its partnership with the Annecy Festival Residency, while showcasing its latest product lineup at MIFA 2026. Together, these initiatives reflect XPPen’s long-term commitment to empowering animation creators, from nurturing emerging talent to equipping professionals with tools for evolving production workflows.

Image credit: Emmanuel Nguyen

Supporting the Next Generation of Animation Storytellers

Building on its support for emerging animation talent through the inaugural XPPen Award for Graduation Films at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival in 2025, XPPen deepens its commitment to the animation community through the 2026 Annecy Festival Residency. The initiative provides selected animation feature film projects with studio space, tailor-made professional mentorship and opportunities to engage with the global animation community.

This year’s residency selected three animation projects from 52 submissions across 29 countries: All the Heaven’s Doors, Condenaditos, and Todo viene del agua. These projects boldly reflect on social issues, refuse fatalism, and revisit fragments of life and history with exceptional artistic courage and creative vision. As the residency’s official partner, XPPen provides its flagship Artist Pro 27 (Gen 2) drawing displays to support artists throughout the creative development process, from concept sketching and storyboarding to visual refinement.

“We contribute more than hardware, but also our deep respect for artistic souls who refuse to follow the crowd—those committed to using animation to probe the depths of human nature,” said Brian Huang, Marketing Director at XPPen. “We admire creators who challenge the world through storytelling, and we’re honored to walk alongside such creative spirits with tools they can trust throughout their journey.”

Featuring professional-grade color performance, a 27-inch 4K 120Hz display, and X-Touch technology, the Artist Pro 27 (Gen 2) enables artists to remain fully immersed in art creation. By seamlessly supporting technical demands, the tool fades into the background and becomes an extension of the creator, freeing artists to focus on what matters most: telling compelling stories.

Showcasing Professional Innovation at MIFA 2026

At MIFA 2026, the world’s leading animation industry marketplace held alongside the Annecy International Animation Film Festival, XPPen presented its latest creative product lineup, demonstrating how its expanding ecosystem supports creators at every stage of their creative journey.

The lineup spans entry-level standalone tablets for aspiring artists, the Magic Drawing Pad for everyday digital creation, the Artist 16 3rd portable pen display for professional creators, the flagship Artist Pro 27 (Gen 2) for high-end creative production, and the newly launched Pilot Pro, a productivity-focused editing console designed to streamline editing workflows, marking XPPen’s first foray into the professional editing console category.

Image credit: Quentin Le Page
Image credit: Quentin Le Page

Beyond product demonstrations, XPPen invited artists to share their creative process on site. Illustrator and animator Julie Roulet demonstrated how professional pen displays can support efficient animation workflows, while 2D/3D artist Benjamin Cerbai explored hybrid digital creation using the Magic Drawing Pad, giving visitors first-hand insight into how the device supports diverse creative scenarios.

By continuing its presence at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival and MIFA, XPPen reaffirms its long-term commitment to supporting creators through both technological innovation and meaningful engagement with the animation industry. Guided by its belief in empowering bold self-expression, XPPen is dedicated to developing tools that enable creators to turn ideas into reality. The company continues to build a creative ecosystem that supports artists at every stage of their journey, growing alongside them from their first ideas to professional creative production.

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

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CyCraft Named a Sample Provider in the Gartner® Latest AI Reasoning Models Report—The Only Taiwan-Based Cybersecurity Provider Listed

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN – Media OutReach Newswire – 16 July 2026 – CyCraft (Stock Code: 7823) has been recognized by the global business and technology insights organization Gartner in its latest report, “Emerging Tech: AI Vendor Race: Reasoning Models Reshape Providers’ Approaches to AI Pricing.” In this report focusing on AI Reasoning Models, CyCraft is named as a Sample Provider, making it the only Taiwan-based cybersecurity company included in the full list.

CyCraft’s XCockpit platform integrates comprehensive, quantified metrics for external exposure, internal attack surface management, and endpoint protection within a single unified interface.

Dr. Benson Wu, CEO and Co-Founder of CyCraft, stated: “We believe, being listed as a Sample Providerin the Gartner report demonstrates that the global market now views AI security as the next battlefield for AI commercialization. From day one, CyCraft has developed proprietary models, simultaneously deploying AI reasoning capabilities across three core pillars: cybersecurity defense, AI governance, and unmanned vehicle reconnaissance. Technical leadership is our starting point, not the destination. Our goal is to translate this leadership into rapid growth driven by strategic deployment and disciplined execution. Launched this year, our AI Red Teaming and AI Guardrail solutions have already been productized and commercially shipped, seeing active deployment in sectors like semiconductors and sovereign AI.”

AI Reasoning Models Drive Up Operating Costs, Restructuring Profit Logic

As AI transitions from “training models” to “reasoning models,” the industry officially moves from the research and development phase into commercial application. Reasoning models possess logical deduction, self-reflection, and complex problem-solving capabilities. However, these advanced capabilities have caused AI operational costs to skyrocket, forcing the tech industry to redefine its expectations of AI as a tool for massive cost reduction and profit maximization.

CyCraft’s XCockpit Threat Exposure Management Platform features built-in AI reasoning models that triage thousands of alerts in real time, automatically providing mitigation recommendations and effectively eliminating alert fatigue. From overall security posture scoring to specific actionable tickets for individual alerts, XCockpit transforms defensive benefits—which were historically difficult to define—into concrete, quantifiable technical metrics. This embodies CyCraft’s pragmatic philosophy: the value of defense must be visible, and it must be measurable.

Standing at the Frontier of AI Security, CyCraft Advances Commercial Implementation with Profound R&D Momentum

Deeply integrating AI with cybersecurity, CyCraft has launched XecGuard and XecART—two major AI security products deployable across both cloud and on-premises environments, both featured on the OWASP AI Security Map. These solutions directly address the core pain points of Agentic AI, LLM, and GenAI applications. XecART utilizes Agentic Red Teaming to run multi-round stress tests on models, identifying risks and generating compliance reports that adhere to international standards. Meanwhile, XecGuard acts as a real-time Guardrail for LLMs and AI Agents, intercepting anomalous inputs and outputs. One solves “how to stress-test AI,” while the other solves “how to protect AI,” providing the fundamental AI governance for enterprises.

CyCraft’s research achievements are equally outstanding. The CyCraft research team recently presented at the International Conference on Machine Learning (ICML), one of the world’s top three prestigious academic conferences for AI and machine learning. The research focused on Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) Data Poisoning. Utilizing their self-developed “Eyes-on-Me” attack framework, the team proved that attacks can simultaneously breach both the retrieval and generation phases. The end-to-end average attack success rate surged from 21.9% to 57.8%. This breakthrough exposed a long-neglected vulnerable attack surface existing between “attention focus” and “model output.”

In 2025, the CyCraft research team was also selected for NeurIPS, one of the most iconic academic sanctuaries in the AI field. The team proposed an innovative “unified supervision framework” that embeds verifiable checkers into synthesized instruction-conflict instances, enabling self-supervised learning without requiring oracle labels or reasoning traces. This framework not only applies to different models but also significantly enhances both safety robustness and instruction adherence.

CyCraft demonstrates outstanding R&D achievements, presenting at ICML—one of the world's top three elite conferences in AI and machine learning.
CyCraft demonstrates outstanding R&D achievements, presenting at ICML—one of the world’s top three elite conferences in AI and machine learning.

CyCraft believes that as AI moves from R&D to commercial deployment, the barrier for enterprises is no longer “whether they can use AI,” but “whether they can use AI responsibly.” Once Agentic AI enters financial transactions, government services, or critical infrastructure, every autonomous decision must leave a traceable path, accept auditing, and allow for real-time human intervention when necessary. This is true AI governance. It is not a compliance document, but a complete control chain stretching from pre-launch to runtime, and onto post-incident traceability.

CyCraft deconstructs this control chain into three actionable phases: XecART stress-tests model risks before deployment; XecGuard safeguards inputs and outputs during runtime; XCockpit quantifies the overall risk posture into traceable metrics. Interlocking these three components ensures that every step AI takes is visible, manageable, and auditable. CyCraft’s objective is clear: make AI behavior measurable before its value can be priced. Ultimate technical leadership must be converted into commercial resilience that is governable, auditable, and open to investor scrutiny.

The technological revolution of AI Reasoning Models and Agentic AI is an undeniable reality. The ultimate challenge lies in whether enterprises can implement “controllable, auditable, and highly transparent” AI governance within real-world commercial environments. From being recognized in international research reports to taking the stage at top-tier academic conferences, CyCraft continues to prove that from visionary R&D to product commercialization, Taiwan’s AI cybersecurity prowess helps herald the future of a secure, trusted, and prosperous AI era.

Reports
Gartner, Emerging Tech: AI Vendor Race: Reasoning Models Reshape Providers’ Approaches to AI Pricing, 5 June 2026.

Disclaimer
Gartner does not endorse any company, vendor, product or service depicted in its publications, and does not advise technology users to select only those vendors with the highest ratings or other designation. Gartner publications consist of the opinions of Gartner’s business and technology insights organization and should not be construed as statements of fact. Gartner disclaims all warranties, expressed or implied, with respect to this publication, including any warranties of merchantability or fitness for a particular purpose. GARTNER is a trademark of Gartner, Inc. and its affiliates.

Hashtag: #CyCraftTechnology

The issuer is solely responsible for the content of this announcement.

About CyCraft

CyCraft Technology (7823.TW) is a Taiwan-listed cybersecurity company, dedicated to automating cybersecurity with AI technology and safeguarding AI models. CyCraft’s product suite encompasses XecART, the AI Red Teaming, and XecGuard, the Guardrail API for LLMs and AI Agents. The XCockpit AI platform integrates EASM, IASM, and Endpoint protection, providing preemptive and real-time defense-in-depth. With a proven track record in the government, finance, and semiconductor sectors, and recognition from international institutions, CyCraft continues to safeguard enterprise digital resilience.

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Enshi Suobuya Stone Forest in China Launches Rich Cultural Experiences to Welcome Southeast Asian Tourists

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ENSHI, CHINA – Media OutReach Newswire – 15 July 2026 – With China’s inbound visa-free policies continuing to be optimized, the Suobuya Stone Forest Scenic Area, located in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province, is welcoming Southeast Asian tourists with a refreshed experience. Known as the “World’s First Ordovician Stone Forest,” this 460-million-year-old geological wonder has introduced a series of diverse cultural experiences and interactive programs in 2026, offering Southeast Asian visitors a journey through natural and cultural wonders spanning hundreds of millions of years.

Geological Wonder: Exploring an Ancient Underwater World from 460 Million Years Ago

Located in Taiyanghe Township in the northwest of Enshi City, Suobuya Stone Forest is approximately a one-hour drive from the city center. The scenic area was formed during the Ordovician Period 460 million years ago. Originally covered by an ancient ocean, it gradually evolved through geological transformations over hundreds of millions of years into the extraordinary stone forest landscape seen today. Covering a total area of 21 square kilometers, the area features towering stone peaks surrounded by lush greenery, resembling a vast “underwater labyrinth.” As a “crowned stone forest” with one of the highest vegetation coverage rates in China, the scenic area enjoys a cool and pleasant average summer temperature, making it an ideal destination for summer retreats and nature-based relaxation.

The four major scenic areas currently open to visitors each have their own unique appeal. Qinglongtai serves as the highest point of the scenic area, offering panoramic views of the entire stone forest from above. Lianhuazhai features the breathtaking “Xiniugou” secret landscape, where towering cliffs on both sides and changing light and shadows create a dreamlike atmosphere. Mozigou is rich in ancient biological fossils, allowing visitors to touch traces of life from the Ordovician Period with their own hands. Jiulonghui features circular rock walls and groups of waterfalls, with stone peaks rising dramatically from the ground to create a magnificent landscape. The scenic area also features the 5D theater “Shanhaijing,” where visitors can enjoy an immersive experience of the evolution of the Ordovician ocean world. With gentle walking trails and an easy travel route, the area is suitable for families and nature exploration enthusiasts.

Cultural Feast: Immersive Experiences of Tujia Folk Traditions

Suobuya Stone Forest is not only a treasure trove of geological wonders but also an important carrier of Tujia culture. The Tujia ethnic group is one of the major ethnic minorities in the Enshi region, with a long history and distinctive cultural traditions. The “Baishou Dance” is one of the most representative folk dances of the Tujia people and has been listed as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. The dance movements often imitate scenes such as hunting, farming, and warfare, featuring a lively rhythm. Visitors can personally participate in this cultural experience at the Tiejiazhai Square and Duigetai Stage.

The Tujia Girls’ Festival is one of Enshi’s most distinctive traditional folk festivals and has been held at Suobuya Stone Forest during the seventh month of the lunar calendar for many consecutive years. The festival is a traditional social activity where young Tujia men and women use songs as a medium for communication and dances to express emotions. It carries the unique marriage customs and collective memories of the Tujia people and has been recognized as a provincial-level intangible cultural heritage of Hubei Province and one of the “Top Ten Most Charming Festivals in China.” During the festival, the scenic area hosts a variety of activities, including matchmaking through folk songs, traditional cultural parades, and traditional handicraft exhibitions, allowing visitors to experience the rich ethnic culture amid the stone forests and mountain scenery. Suobuya Stone Forest has therefore also been recognized as the “Hometown of Chinese Folk Art” and the “Hometown of Mountain Folk Songs.”

Since 2026, the scenic area has continued to enhance its tourism products and cultural experiences. During the May Day holiday, it launched the “Exploring Wonders on Horseback · Fun in the Million-Year Stone Sea” folk culture series, featuring interactive programs such as folk song and dance flash mobs, the “Nature Guardians” activity where visitors exchange collected litter for cultural souvenirs, the immersive intangible cultural heritage experience “Stone Workers’ Chant,” and the outdoor role-playing game “Stone Forest Secret Order · Pursuing the Shadow of Rocks.” These activities allow visitors to explore the ancient stone sea while deeply engaging with Tujia cultural traditions.

Improved Transportation: Easier Access to Enshi for Southeast Asian Tourists

Since the opening of Enshi Xujiaping International Airport’s aviation port, the international flight network has continued to improve. In 2026, the Enshi–Hong Kong route achieved year-round regular operation, while flights between Enshi and Vietnam’s Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have resumed successively, creating a dual-route network connecting Vietnam’s two major cities in the north and south. According to the development plan of the Enshi aviation port, new routes to Singapore, Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, and other destinations will be steadily promoted in the future, further strengthening the Southeast Asian aviation network. Tourists from major Southeast Asian cities can fly directly to Enshi and reach this 460-million-year-old underwater world after only a one-hour drive. Hidden deep within the Wuling Mountains, this ancient stone forest wonderland is welcoming visitors from around the world with a more open and international approach.
Hashtag: #SuobuyaCulturalTourism

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When a Stay Goes Beyond Check-out: Amari Unveils “Ari Service” to Deepen Guest Connections with Every Destination

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BANGKOK, THAILAND – Media OutReach Newswire – 15 July 2026 – Amari, the upper-upscale hotel brand under ONYX Hospitality Group, invites travellers to discover stays that go beyond the beauty of a destination, creating meaningful moments that become lasting memories through authentic local experiences, genuine connections with people and culture, and the warmth of Thai hospitality.

Amari Bangkok

As ONYX Hospitality Group celebrates its 60th anniversary, the company is entering a new chapter of growth through the continued evolution of its brand portfolio. As part of this journey, Amari has been revitalised with a refreshed brand positioning centred on authentic local connections and warm Thai hospitality. Bringing this vision to life is the introduction of “Ari Service”, a new signature brand touchpoint designed to deepen the relationship between guests and the destinations they visit. Through thoughtful, locally inspired interactions and personalised service, Ari Service encourages guests to discover the character, culture and people of each location, creating meaningful experiences that extend well beyond check-out and reinforcing Amari’s promise of creating lasting memories.

As travel today is no longer simply about changing places, but about taking time for oneself, being with loved ones and creating meaningful moments, Amari believes that the best journeys continue long after check-out. Every stay is designed to leave guests with feelings and experiences they can carry home, from the first warm welcome upon arrival and a local dish that brings back memories of a destination, to moments shared with loved ones and thoughtful details that make guests feel truly understood and cared for.

Beyond thoughtful service, Amari connects guests with the unique character of each destination through locally inspired design, food and ingredients that reflect the identity of each place, and experiences that connect guests with local communities, culture and ways of life. From beachfront escapes surrounded by nature to vibrant city stays, every Amari destination reflects its own sense of place, offering experiences that are warm, lively and memorable.

At Amari Phuket, guests can experience a relaxing seaside escape along the Andaman coast, where the island’s natural beauty, local culture, cuisine and heritage come together. From unwinding at Breeze Spa, an open-air spa experience complemented by the sound of the waves, to discovering Phuket’s local flavours, historic Old Town and coastal lifestyle, every moment offers a deeper connection with the rhythm of the island.

Amari Vogue Krabi offers a tranquil retreat at Tubkaek Beach, one of Krabi’s most scenic coastal destinations. Surrounded by nature and overlooking the Andaman Sea, guests can enjoy peaceful moments by the beach, breathtaking sunsets and the simplicity of coastal life, making it an ideal destination to reconnect with themselves and loved ones away from the pace of everyday life.

For travellers seeking a more vibrant seaside escape, Amari Pattaya combines relaxation with the energy of one of Thailand’s most dynamic coastal cities. Guests can begin their day with moments of relaxation and holistic well-being at maai spa before exploring Pattaya’s cafés, restaurants, seaside activities and lifestyle experiences. With its balance of comfort and liveliness, Amari Pattaya offers a welcoming destination for families, couples and leisure travellers.

In the heart of Bangkok, Amari Bangkok combines the convenience of a city location with a warm and relaxing atmosphere where guests can unwind amidst the energy of the capital. With easy access to shopping, lifestyle destinations, cultural attractions, restaurants and key city landmarks, the hotel serves as both a gateway to discovering Bangkok from a new perspective and a welcoming place to return to for comfort and thoughtful care.

For Amari, a memorable journey does not end when guests leave the hotel. It continues through the feelings, connections and experiences they take home. By bringing each destination’s unique character to life through Ari Service, authentic local experiences and genuine Thai hospitality, Amari creates meaningful moments that become lasting memories. These are the “Endless Memories” that Amari strives to create at every destination, making every journey even more meaningful.

For more information on Amari please visit: www.amari.com

Hashtag: #ONYXHospitalityGroup

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About ONYX Hospitality Group

ONYX Hospitality Group, a reputable force in the Asia-Pacific hospitality industry, operates a collection of comprehensive yet complementary brands – Amari, OZO, Shama and Oriental Residence – catering to the distinctive needs of discerning business and leisure travellers across the region where it has deep expertise. In addition to its brand portfolio, ONYX Hospitality Group also operates additional hospitality services across spa and food & beverage. With six decades of management experience, the company extends its innovative solutions throughout the region, upholding internationally recognised standards and ensuring optimal operational manoeuvrability. By fostering enduring relationships with like-minded business partners, ONYX Hospitality Group delivers unparalleled experiences in a dynamic and competitive market, meeting the ever-evolving demands of travellers.

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