For years, Southeast Asia has been an afterthought in the global robotics conversation, dwarfed by American innovation and Chinese manufacturing scale.

Key takeaways

• Singapore is establishing itself as Southeast Asia’s robotics hub, anchored by dConstruct’s $125 million raise and state-backed programs like RoboNexus.
• The region’s edge lies in commercialization and deployment rather than pure research or manufacturing, with government-built testbeds attracting partners like Nvidia, OpenAI, Grab, and DHL.
• Deal flow across Neptune Robotics, BeeX, Augmentus, and Amity shows momentum, but the open question is whether these startups can scale globally and deliver real exits.

But a string of recent funding rounds and acquisitions suggests the region is quietly building its own niche, and Singapore is emerging as its unmistakable center of gravity, according to reporting from Jon Russell’s Asia Tech Review newsletter.

A Record-Setting Raise

The clearest signal came last week when Singapore-based dConstruct closed a $125 million funding round, one of the largest robotics investments Southeast Asia has ever seen, and an unusually large Series A for a company at that stage. The five-year-old startup builds 3D mapping technology designed to give robots, drones and vehicles better spatial navigation.

dConstruct’s success also serves as an early proof point for RoboNexus, the venture-building accelerator run under Singapore’s National Robotics Programme; the company emerged from the accelerator’s very first cohort. It isn’t the only graduate turning heads. Spinoff Robotics, which builds drone-based tools for cleaning and inspecting industrial infrastructure, was recently acquired by Nanoveu, an Australia-listed AI and automation firm. The deal’s financial terms weren’t disclosed, but the acquisition is described as a meaningful milestone both for the accelerator and for Singapore’s broader push to become a robotics hub.

A Strategy Built on Deployment, Not Invention

Rather than competing head-on with US research labs or Chinese manufacturing might, Singapore appears to be carving out an edge in commercialization, taking existing robotics research and pushing it into real-world use. That strategy crystallized in May, when the government unveiled a national AI strategy alongside a new Nvidia robotics lab, an OpenAI-run AI lab, and a dedicated testbed for companies developing robotics applications in delivery, cleaning, and related industries. Early partners in that testbed include Grab, DHL, and Chinese robotics maker Unitree.

That same deployment-first mindset runs through the rest of the region’s recent deal flow. Neptune Robotics raised $52 million for its ship-hull-cleaning robots and is pouring fresh investment into a Singapore manufacturing base. BeeX secured $7.7 million for underwater inspection drones. Augmentus raised $11 million to simplify how robots are programmed for tasks like surface finishing and welding. And in Thailand, hospitality-robotics firm Amity closed a $7 million round for its concierge robots.

The Open Question

Taken together, the deals paint a picture of a region finding commercial traction by turning laboratory-stage robotics into deployable products, with Singapore’s state-backed programs doing much of the heavy lifting. What remains unresolved, per the report, is whether these companies can eventually deliver meaningful exits and scale beyond Southeast Asia, rather than simply continuing to attract a steady stream of early-stage capital.

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Curtin University has partnered with Octave Intelligence in an initiative to tackle the skills shortage in the construction sector, becoming the first institution to sign up to the program.

The Bentley-based university will integrate Octave’s OnSite Visualize software, which allows students to work with the same professional tools used in the industry, into some construction and built environment units.

Octave NextGen Builders Program aims to give students practical, hands-on experience through the full process of infrastructure projects, from design and construction to operation.

Curtin University will be the US-based software company’s first partner in rolling out the program, according to Octaves Asia-Pacific (APAC) principal industry consultant Jeff Sharp.

“We’ve had a really good relationship with Curtin for a fair while now,” he said.

“They use some of our products already, and this was seen as an opportunity to really grow that relationship and have Curtin as the first partner.

“We see Curtin as the inaugural partner in this NextGen Builders program, but we’re currently talking with other universities through APAC, and we’re quite keen to grow this because we think it’s quite an important initiative.”

Curtin University construction Management course coordinator Vasilios Papastamoulis and Associate School of Design and the Built Environment head Jeremy Wu are co-leading the integration of the program over the next few years.

“This partnership equips our students with in-demand digital skills and real-world experience, while highlighting the vital role careers in construction and infrastructure play in shaping Australia’s future,” Dr Papastamoulis said.

“Students participating in the program will learn how to transform complex Building Information Modelling (BIM) data into construction-ready work packages. 

“Using industry-standard software they will combine and review federated models to detect and resolve clashes, producing well-coordinated models that support improved project sequencing, coordination and efficiency.”

Octave APAC vice president Fabio Yada said the program responded to workforce shortages and the changing nature of modern infrastructure delivery.

“Critical industries are facing a dual challenge: a growing skills shortage and an ageing workforce, combined with the need to attract a new generation of digitally minded talent,” he said.

“The NextGen Builders Program is about making sure graduates are ready for the reality of modern projects, where decisions across design, construction and operations are increasingly interconnected, but also about demonstrating that careers in these industries are innovative, high-tech and genuinely exciting.”

Mr Sharp said the skill shortage issue was not only in construction but also affects the oil and gas and mining sector.

“What we’re seeing is young people coming in, replacing this generation with all this knowledge in their head who did things in an analog way,” he said.

“What we see this partnership is doing is training students to use digital tools, digital processes that they will see in the workplace, so they can come in more job ready with a better skill base.”

Only those shareholders who hold Goldiam International shares in their demat accounts as of Friday will be eligible to receive the bonus shares. Due to SEBI’s T+1 settlement norm, investors must purchase the company’s shares at least one trading day before the record date so they are credited to their demat accounts by that date and qualify for the corporate action. This effectively makes today the final day for investors to buy the shares to be eligible for the bonus issue.

All about Goldiam International’s bonus issue

While announcing its Q4 results back in May, Goldiam International said that its board of directors considered and approved a 1:3 bonus issue for shareholders. The company’s board approved the plan to issue one bonus share with a face value of Rs 2 each for every three shares of the same face value held in the company as on the record date.

Goldiam International will issue nearly 4 crore shares amounting to Rs 7.53 crore as part of the bonus issue, using its capital redemption reserves (CRR), securities premium account, free reserves, or retained earnings available as of March 31, 2026. On that date, the company’s CRR stood at Rs 5.67 crore, while the securities premium account balance stood at Rs 196 crore and free reserves at Rs 311 crore.

The bonus shares will be credited by July 25 this year. A bonus issue consists of free shares distributed by a company from its reserves and is often seen as a sign of strong financial health and growth prospects. While the issue of bonus shares increases the total number of outstanding shares, it does not change the company’s market capitalisation. However, it can improve liquidity and affordability, allowing more investors to add the company’s shares to their portfolios.

Notably, this is the first bonus issue announced by the diamond jewellery maker in around 21 years, according to data from Trendlyne.

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Also read: Bonus issue alert! Goldiam International announces 1:3 bonus reward for shareholders. Check details

Goldiam share price

Goldiam shares tumbled more than 5% in one week but gained around 3% in one month to close at Rs 425.05 apiece on Wednesday. The stock is overall up around 17% in 2026 so far.
In the longer term, the shares of the diamond jewellery maker and exporter have delivered 22% returns over one year and a whopping 227% returns over three years. The company currently has a market capitalisation of nearly Rs 4,784 crore.

Goldiam Q4 results

Goldiam reported a consolidated net profit of Rs 37 crore for the January-March quarter of FY26. This marks a 61% year-on-year (YoY) increase from the Rs 23 crore net profit reported in the corresponding quarter of the previous financial year. The firm’s revenue from operations grew over 18% YoY to Rs 235 crore during the quarter under review.The company said it delivered a superior performance in FY26 despite US tariffs and volatile gold prices.

Also read: Did this Ashish Kacholia-backed multibagger stock really crash 81% in one day? Here’s how the bonus math works

(Disclaimer: Recommendations, suggestions, views and opinions given by the experts are their own. These do not represent the views of The Economic Times)

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The artificial intelligence (AI) boom is causing a fierce bidding war for some luxury homes in the San Francisco Bay Area, with dozens of homes selling more than $1 million above asking price last month.

Mike Simonsen, chief economist at Compass International Holdings, noted in a post on X citing the firm’s analysis of MLS data, that there were 44 homes sold in San Francisco that closed at a price at least $1 million above the final asking price. It showed the 44 transactions from June totaled over $60 million in total sales.

The June total marked the continuation of a recent trend after April and May each had a little more than 30 sales that closed at least $1 million over the asking price and totaled over $40 million, while March had 20 such sales that totaled about $30 million.

By contrast, from February 2024 through February 2026, some months saw zero home sales that closed $1 million above the asking price, and no month saw more than nine such transactions, which illustrates the rapid intensification of bidding wars in the Bay Area luxury market.

CHATGPT BOOM FUELS A LUXURY HOUSING FRENZY IN BAY AREA

Dozens of San Francisco homes sold for more than $1 million over their final asking price, Simonsen said. (Tayfun Coskun/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Simonsen said in his post that the data was, “Absolutely BANANAS” and added that it “may be the most useful data in understanding the 2026 San Francisco housing market.”

Most of the homes sold at $1 million or more above their final asking price were sold in San Francisco’s 94114 zip code, which includes neighborhoods such as The Castro, Noe Valley and Dolores Heights.

San Francisco has long anchored the Bay Area’s tech economy, and Silicon Valley has surged amid the rapid rollout of AI software serving a wide range of consumer and business purposes. That has contributed to the uptick in demand for luxury homes in the city.

HOUSING AFFORDABILITY UNLIKELY TO RETURN TO MORE FAVORABLE LEVELS OF THE PAST, ECONOMIST SAYS

The AI boom has fueled a surge in demand for luxury homes in San Francisco. (Getty Images)

Joel Berner, senior economist at Realtor.com, told FOX Business that the overall housing market in San Francisco is a “seller’s market” with buyers “competing over a smaller pool of listings, and homes are selling 18% faster than they were last year at this time.”

Across the overall market, the median listing price has actually declined 4.9% from a year ago to $1.137 million, though Berner noted that’s likely due to smaller homes coming onto the market.

“The luxury tiers (95th and 99th price percentile) of the SF market are seeing stronger price growth than the median,” he added.

CALIFORNIA TECH LEADERS CHALLENGE PROGRESSIVE POLICIES AS BILLIONAIRES, BUSINESSES FLEE: REPORT

San Francisco’s housing market is constrained by scarce, expensive land and burdensome regulations. (Justin Sullivan/Getty Images)

“This kind of uptick in buyer activity is consistent with a cash infusion on the buyer side, which we know is occurring as part of the AI boom and the IPOs of several of these companies with presences in the Bay Area,” Berner explained. 

“Buyers have more money in their pockets, but they’re chasing after the same pool of homes as before as supply has not yet had the chance to meet demand.”

He added that because San Francisco is a “notoriously tough place to build new homes, with pricey and scarce land and high regulatory burdens for builders,” it is “unlikely that a new wave of construction comes to balance the market, so expect seller’s market conditions to continue and prices to start rising significantly.”

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Costco is quietly discontinuing two Kirkland Signature craft beers, including an award-winning brew fans have called “one of the best lagers on the market.”

The move will end sales of the highly prized Kirkland Signature Helles Lager and Kirkland Signature Vintage Ale, according to Craft Business Daily (CBD).

The beers were co-branded with Oregon-based craft brewery Deschutes Brewery. CEO Peter Skrbek announced the decision in an early July note to distributors, according to the outlet.

Production is slated to scale back as soon as this month, with the beers expected to disappear from most warehouse locations by September or October, according to VinePair. The wholesale warehouse will continue selling its already-brewed inventory until supplies run out, the outlet added.

COSTCO CEO SAYS 1 ITEM IS MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVERYTHING ELSE SOLD IN THE STORE

Cases of Kirkland Signature Helles-Style Lager are displayed at a Costco Wholesale store on May 15, 2026, in San Diego, California. (Kevin Carter / Getty Images)

No official reason was given for the end of the two-year partnership. The two Deschutes-brewed products are the only beers in Costco’s current private-label portfolio. 

According to VinePair, the beers were first launched in December 2024 and each sold in 12-packs for $13.99.  

WHY COSTCO HOT DOGS HAVE KEPT $1.50 PRICE TAG SINCE 1985

Cases of beer sit stacked on pallets at a Costco Wholesale Corp. store in San Antonio, Texas, U.S., on Wednesday, May 30, 2018.  (Callaghan O’Hare/Bloomberg / Getty Images)

Both products quickly became fan favorites, with shoppers praising their quality and low price point. 

The World Beer Cup, one of the most respected beer competitions in the world, awarded Kirkland Signature Helles Lager a silver medal in 2025 and a bronze medal in 2026. 

“This is one of the best lagers on the market, especially at the price and I’m going to miss it,” one Reddit user said on Monday. 

Shoppers enter and exit a Costco warehouse location during business hours. (Joe Raedle / Getty Images)

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According to VinePair, the Costco-Deschutes deal helped the brewery recover from an 11% decline in sales volume in 2023. After launching the partnership, Deschutes saw a 9% increase in volume.  

By 2025, Deschutes ranked as the 10th-largest craft brewery in the U.S., according to the Brewers Association.

Deschutes later fell within the top 25 grocery store vendors despite year-to-date dollar sales increasing 8.3% and volume rising 9.3% compared with last year, according to VinePair, citing Circana market data. 

FOX Business reached out to Costco and Deschutes Brewery for more information.