Wawasan Brunei 2035 is a developmental framework that was first formulated in 2004 by the country’s monarch, Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. Also identified as Brunei Vision 2035, this project aims to propel the country to greater heights on many fronts. When measured by the highest international standards, Wawasan Brunei 2035 looks to build a citizenry that is not only well-educated but highly-skilled.

Longstanding smartphone market leader in Southeast Asia, Samsung Electronics has been dethroned. According to latest data by the International Data Cooperation (IDC), Chinese smartphone manufacturers, Huawei, OPPO and Vivo have collectively edged out the Korean smartphone giant in 2017.Last year, Samsung shipped a total of 29.3 million smartphones, garnering a market share of around 29.1 percent.

As the only country across the globe that has the label ‘Smart Nation’ attached to it, Singapore is known for widespread integration of science and technology into its economic and social fabric. From planned self-driving buses to Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS), Singaporeans are generally proud to embrace the technological shift that they are now synonymous with.

Smart cities represent the future of urbanisation for the human race.With the advent of big data analytics and increasingly faster processing speeds of computers, urban life in the 21st century would be far more efficient and integrated. It’s a vision for the future that requires a fair degree of political will as much as technological knowhow to achieve. Within Southeast Asia, no other nation but Singapore possesses that will to drive such a vision.

e-Commerce is now in fashion. The Fourth Industrial Revolution has seen many sweeping changes take place in the tangible market, with Southeast Asia’s internet economy growing exponentially. In the region, e-Commerce transactions have leapt from US$5.5 billion in 2015 to US$7.9 billion in 2017. By 2025, the industry is projected to reach US$88.1 billion, attaining the status as the most valuable segment in the Southeast Asian internet economy.

Today, technology is widely associated with the digital realm - computers, the internet, mobile device, and smartphones, - just to name a few, which has seen the mushrooming of a myriad of tech startups. However, technological innovation may not translate to definite technological progress. For example, Uber-fication has seen similar applications based on the ride-sharing giant’s model in various other industries like hospitality, healthcare and personal services.

Against the backdrop of the Fourth Industrial Revolution, Southeast Asia is slowly but surely turning into a battleground for international tech companies to flex their financial muscles and impart their data-driven dominance. From Apple to Samsung, Alibaba to Uber, a plethora of other entities have made their mark in this highly robust region. It must be said that China’s influence in the area is second to none.

Indonesia’s Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti deals with some dangerous men in her role, but they don’t rattle her. She has an equally intimidating weapon on her side: Google.Partnering with the search engine firm, Pudjiastuti is catching illegal fishing activity in real time, after thousands of vessels’ locations were revealed online.

Ever since Uber sold its Southeast Asia-based businesses to rival Grab, social media has been abuzz with complaints against Grab. Complaints against the ride-hailing company were mostly about how fare prices have gone up since the merger. Many are saying that since Grab has now established a monopoly over ride-hailing in the region, it is engaging in price-gouging tactics.

Earlier this month, the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC) in India was tasked by the Indian government to build a technology data bank. This project will be overlooked by India’s Department of Science and Technology (DST) and will be a part of the ASEAN-India Innovation Platform. The proposed data bank will link existing data banks of available technologies in the ASEAN region.