KSA’s King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology (KACST) is looking to manufacture microchips with help from China, the Saudi Press Agency reports. KACST inked an MoU with the China Electric Power and Equipment Company and the Beijing Smartchip Microelectronics Technology Company to jointly develop a microchip designing and manufacturing facility in the country in a bid to support the kingdom’s smart cities, smart grid, and energy digitization projects.

Why is this important? Microchips are the foundation of a range of electronic devices, including computers. They are also important parts of electric vehicles and are essential for the conversion of power generated from renewables projects and in the transmission of energy to power grids.

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Egypt’s SCZone gets E-Tadweer: Waste management platform E-Tadweer has been launched at the Suez Canal Economic Zone (SCZone) to help manage waste from industrial plants at the zone, according to a statement. The online platform will allow for registering types of waste and splitting them depending on their type, and enable the SCZone to monitor the amount of waste generated from each factory. It will also allow investors to benefit from industrial waste that can be utilized in other industries as raw materials, according to the statement.

About E-Tadweer: Launched in 2021 in collaboration with Egypt’s Environment Ministry, E-Tadweer aims to promote the recycling of old electrical and electronic devices in the country to achieve benefits for both consumers and the environment, according to its website.

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A recycled PET market in the UAE? Japan’s Jeplan and Abu-Dhabi based recycling plastic trading platform Rebound signed a letter of intent to set up a recycled PET market in the UAE, according to a statement. Under the agreement, both firms will conduct a joint study on the PET chemical recycling plant in the UAE in a bid to build a demonstration project ahead of COP28. The joint study will be conducted in several stages, with Jeplan focused on quality surveys of used PET bottles in the country, verification of recycling costs and the plant’s manufacturing operations.

OTHER STORIES WORTH KNOWING ABOUT THIS MORNING-

• GE Grid Solution — a renewables arm of General Electric — has been selected as the supplier of three 380 kV T155 gas-insulated substations needed for Neom’s USD 8.4 bn green hydrogen plant in KSA. (Statement)
• The Sharjah Electricity, Water, and Gas Authority met with a delegation from the US Consulate General in the UAE to explore potential partnerships with US companies in sustainable development. (Wam)
• Fitch Solutions predicts a passenger EV penetration rate of 20.4% by 2032 in Qatar as the government steps up efforts on EVs. (Report)