Premier League, StarHub unite to combat piracy in Singapore

Source: Premier League. Premier League stars are helping to raise awareness of the dangers of illegal streams in the Boot Out Piracy campaign. Becker of Liverpool.

With the Premier League 2024/25 season under way, the Premier League, in collaboration with its local broadcast partner StarHub, is continuing its action to educate consumers about the dangers of accessing pirated content and to combat illegal streaming in Singapore. 

The League’s Boot Out Piracy campaign for this season brings together some of the biggest names in football — Alisson Becker (Liverpool FC), Alejandro Garnacho (Manchester United), Jean-Philippe Mateta (Crystal Palace), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves), and Bukayo Saka (Arsenal) — to address the dangers of illegal streaming. 

Through a series of videos distributed across digital platforms, these players speak directly to Singaporean fans, warning them of the significant risks associated with accessing Premier League content through unauthorised channels. This campaign follows a recent study by cybersecurity expert Professor Paul -Watters, which highlights the serious risks associated with illegal sports streaming - cybercriminals are exploiting illicit sports streaming sites, putting Singaporean consumers at risk of identity theft and fraud through browser hijacking, malware and misleading ads. 

The August 2024 research examined 25 popular illicit sports streaming sites in Singapore, and found that almost two thirds (65.6%) of advertisements on these platforms are classified as “high-risk”, which significantly increases the likelihood of exposure to malware or fraudulent scams. The risk of encountering malicious activity on these platforms is 44%. 

Premier League General Counsel Kevin Plumb said: “We know how passionate our fans are in Singapore and across Asia, staying up late to follow the latest Premier League action. We also know the risks and dangers of watching matches through illegal streams and want supporters to enjoy Premier League content in the best quality and safest way through authorised sources. 

“As well as promoting important messaging, we are working harder than ever with Singapore’s law enforcement authorities and our partners at StarHub to enforce legal measures and take action against piracy. This includes collaborating with StarHub to identify and shut down piracy syndicates and working together with local authorities to address the distribution of illegal streaming devices. 

“We encourage fans to protect their online safety and to enjoy Premier League matches via authorised platforms, which will provide the best viewing experience.” 

Professor Watters remarked: “The research findings underscore the urgent need for online users to stay vigilant and avoid platforms that stream pirated content. Users may be under the impression that these sites are harmless, but cybercriminals are always planning to launch cyberattacks such as data breaches, ransomware and malware, putting users at significant risks. The Premier League’s Boot Out Piracy campaign helps make these risks clear to fans in Singapore.” 

As the exclusive broadcaster of the Premier League in Singapore, StarHub has a pivotal role in the Boot Out Piracy campaign. “As the Home of Sports, StarHub is dedicated to providing fans with the best possible viewing experience. We firmly believe in the importance of protecting our content from piracy,” said Johan Buse, Chief of Consumer Business Group, StarHub. 

“Piracy undermines our industry and threatens the future of sports content. By prioritising content protection, we ensure that fans can enjoy their favourite sport in a safe, secure environment. StarHub is proud to support Premier League's Boot Out Piracy campaign, and we are committed to fostering a vibrant sports community where every moment is valued and celebrated. Together, we urge fans to enjoy the game through legitimate channels, safeguarding the future of football for everyone." 

The Premier League has been working closely with local law enforcement to crack down on illegal streaming services in Singapore. Most recently a man who sold illegal streaming devices at Sim Lim Square in Singapore was sentenced to 10 months’ jail, following investigation carried out in collaboration between the Premier League, the Singapore Attorney-General Chambers, and the Intellectual Property Rights Branch of the Singapore Police Force. 

As part of its broader strategy to protect its content and safeguard the intellectual property rights of local broadcasters, the Premier League has been conducting site-blocking efforts aimed at identifying and blocking access to websites that stream football matches illegally. A total of over 560 domains in Singapore have been blocked by the Premier League. The Boot Out Piracy campaign will be showcased across broadcast channels and social media platforms in Hong Kong, Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam in the upcoming months.

Le Petit Chef comes to Changi Experience Studio

Source: Changi Airport Group. The world’s smallest chef comes to Changi Airport and brings to life playful culinary explorations via 3D animation.

Experience an immersive culinary adventure at Changi Experience Studio from 29 November 2024 to 30 April 2025 in a collaboration with Le Petit Chef.

For the first time, Le Petit Chef's multi-sensory dining concept will incorporate a travel theme, and guests will enjoy their meal at an attraction.

With 3D mapping technology, animations are projected onto plates and the dining table, led by the world’s tiniest chef. Diners will be transported to different destinations worldwide, experiencing the flavours and cultures associated with each location.

The show's narrative will begin from Changi Airport. From the process of checking in to taking off, guests are part of a journey full of surprises.

Before or after the show, guests can explore Changi Experience Studio, an airport-themed digital attraction that offers a wide range of interactive experiences. From immersive shows and digital exhibits to interactive games, the studio provides a fun and engaging complement to the Le Petit Chef dinner show.

Diners can choose from lunch, tea-time, or dinner shows. Seasonal menus will also be offered during festive periods such as Christmas and Chinese New Year.

Explore

Get menus, pricing, and reservations information at https://lepetitchef.com/changiairport

Singapore Media Festival returns from 28 November 2024

Source: IMDA. From left: Nizar Salman, Head of Events at NAS Summit; Rurusama, Singapore cosplayer and content creator; Veronica Yong, Director, Business Development and Marketing at IMDA; Yvonne Tang, Cluster Director for Media Industry Cluster at IMDA; Phillson Rajan, Head of Labs, Beach House Pictures; Sylvia Chan, travel content creator; Joyce Chua, Senior Project Manager, Asia TV and Forum & Market; Jeremy Chua, GM, Singapore International Film Festival; Paul Hendricks, Content and Marketing Manager, Singapore Comic Con.

The 11th Singapore Media Festival (SMF) will run from 28 November - 8 December 2024 with films and collaborations across its partner events: the Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF), Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), Singapore Comic Con (SGCC), and Nas Summit Asia. Over 55,000 media professionals, leaders, talents, and consumers are expected to gather in Singapore to experience media innovations, forge deals, and present Singapore’s content.

Hosted by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), the festival unites the best of Singapore’s film, TV and our new media talent. More than 100 captivating films from 45 countries featuring fresh voices and emerging themes will be screened during SGIFF, along with a special celebration of talent from Singapore and around the globe. Building on the S$3.04 B worth of deals and partnerships generated from the festival since its inception, Singapore has been and continues to be Asia’s anchor platform to discover meaningful collaborations and expert insights with industry giants. 

In recent years, the festival has provided opportunities for new media content creators and creative professionals to learn and also present their work. At Nas Summit Asia, content creators can attend over 20 sessions by creatives and Asia-based personalities like Malaysian actor and comedian Jaspers Lai and Singaporean photographer Smile with Jeryl. 

Pop culture enthusiasts will also get to interact with more than 30 comic book artists, toy creators, entertainers and more at SGCC, such as Clio Award-winning illustrator Yuko Shimizu and Singaporean cosplayer Rurusama. 

Yvonne Tang, Cluster Director, Media Industry Cluster, IMDA, said: “Asia’s, and Singapore’s media industry in particular, have been taking the world stage by storm - staying relevant and even thrive in the fast-changing landscape. The Singapore Media Festival is a great platform for Asia’s creative talent to congregate, mingle and forge new partnerships and deals. 

"As the world continues to be excited by Asian storytelling and stories, we are here to provide the spark for people to come together to collaborate and innovate. This annual festival also highlights Singapore’s strength as a hub for world-class content and impactful collaborations, shaping the future of Asia’s media industry for a global audience.” 

This year, attendees can look forward to: 

SGIFF: Fresh voices and emerging narratives

The 35th SGIFF returns from 28 November to 8 December with over 100 films across 45 countries. SGIFF will present over 25 Singaporean and made-with-Singapore films, including Spirit World by Eric Khoo starring Catherine Deneuve, Yutaka Takenouchi and Masaaki Sakai, the award-winning Don’t’ Cry, Butterfly and historical drama-meets-monster film, Orang Ikan. 

The festival will open with psychological thriller Stranger Eyes, by Singaporean filmmaker Yeo Siew Hua. Taiwanese actor Lee Kang-sheng, who plays the protagonist in the film, will receive the SGIFF Cinema Icon Award, which recognises an Asian actor who has made an indelible mark as a creative force in film. 

“SGIFF has always been a beacon for diverse narratives and a home for uniquely Asian perspectives, all while engaging with the global film community. As we mark our 35th anniversary this year, we are dedicated to expanding that legacy, further cementing the festival’s role as a key platform for creatives, while continuing to champion voices from Singapore and around the region,” said Thong Kay Wee, Programme Director of SGIFF. 

SGCC: A blend of pop culture and cutting-edge technology

Asian and Western pop culture will assemble to turn imagination into reality at SGCC on 7 to 8 December. Pop culture enthusiasts can meet award-winning creatives like Hong Kong manhua (cartoon) artist Khoo Fuk-lung and Japan's Shimizu. Other highlights include: 

○ SGCC’s new ambassador, local cosplayer Rurusama will present a fan experience powered by 3D, augmented reality and artificial intelligence technology in collaboration with True Blue Production. 

○ Toy collectors can also look forward to the global premiere of exclusive merchandise such as: 

■  Mighty Jaxx’s exclusive Luffy XXRAY One Piece Luffy Wanted Series Treasure Gold Edition merchandise 

■ The Life Saving Figurines, a limited-edition series created in partnership with the Singapore Civil Defence Force and Accenture. 

○ There will be special food and beverage (F&B) offerings from Brewerkz, Playmade, and Beardpapa. 

○ Four new made-with-Singapore games will make their debut showcase at SGCC. These IMDA-supported titles, developed by local studios, offer uniquely Singaporean gameplay. They are: 

- A Stitch in Time by Crimson Forge

- Commonwealth by Lambdamu Games

- Find Lah! by The Doodle People, and 

- Roachman by Andas Productions. 

Additionally, gamers can look forward to a Mobile Legends community challenge organised by Mediacorp. 

"It's always exciting to bring SGCC and Creators Con to the fans. With all the content, exclusives, brands, artists and guests this year, it's the biggest SGCC yet," said Michelle Lim, CEO and Founder Generation Experience.

ATF: Discussions and pitches

Celebrating its 25th edition this year, the ATF will be held from 3 to 6 December 2024. The forum gathers industry leaders from media giants like Warner Bros. Discovery, TVING, Youku, Tencent, IMAX, and more to share their insights on the industry’s future challenges and opportunities at the ATF Leaders Dialogue and conference tracks. 

Six in-development pitches, the highest number ever at ATF, will also take place as aspiring productions vie for a chance to develop content focused on Asian-centric storytelling, revolutionary business models, and more. 

"If it’s Asia, it’s ATF – ATF is a proven trade market and conference with a curated array of networking events, content showcases, and global partnership programmes to facilitate opportunities for the next killer content. With Asia playing a bigger role on the global stage of entertainment, we look forward to connecting business executives and creators across the ecosystem to celebrate and discover the best of storytelling,” said Yeow Hui Leng, Group Project Director, Asia TV Forum & Market (ATF), RX Global (Singapore).

Nas Summit Asia: Expand new media storytelling skills

The Nas Summit Asia is back on 30 November to 1 December as one of Asia’s biggest creator events, with over 1,000 attendees and 150 companies expected to attend. Asian content creators Lai, Smile with Jeryl, and Darshen K will be speaking. Session formats include quick-fire networking or “speed dating”, as well as the “roast”, where creators workshop content with candid but humorous feedback.

Intel enables enthusiast desktop AI PCs

Source: Intel video screen capture at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W3evkF909lc . Introducing the Intel Core Ultra 200S series of processors.

Intel has launched the Core Ultra 200S series processor family, designed to scale AI PC capabilities and usher in the first enthusiast desktop AI PCs.

Led by the Intel Core Ultra 9 processor 285K, the latest generation of enthusiast desktop processors includes five unlocked desktop processors equipped with up to eight next-gen Performance-cores (P-cores), the fastest cores available for desktop PCs1. The processors also support up to 16 next-gen Efficient-cores (E-cores). These cores result in up to 14% more in combined performance for multithreaded workloads compared to the previous generation2. 

The new family are the first NPU-enabled desktop processors for enthusiasts3 and come with a built-in Xe GPU with state-of-the-art media support.

“The new Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors deliver on our goals to significantly cut power usage while retaining outstanding gaming performance and delivering leadership compute. The result is a cooler and quieter user experience elevated by new AI gaming and creation capabilities enabled by the NPU, and leadership media performance that leverages our growing graphics portfolio,” said Robert Hallock, VP and GM of AI and Technical Marketing, Client Computing Group at Intel.

The new desktop processors deliver a landmark reduction in power usage. Intel said users can expect up to 58% lower package power in everyday applications4 and up to 165W lower system power5 while gaming. The new processor family further delivers up to 6% faster single-threaded6 and up to 14% faster multithreaded performance2 over the previous generation.

With up to 36 platform TOPS, the new Intel Core Ultra 200S series processor is Intel’s 1st and ​best desktop processor ​for AI PCs​. When it comes to AI, the Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors deliver up to 50% faster performance in AI-enabled creator applications against competing flagship processors7. 

The newly-available NPU enables offloading of AI functions. Examples include freeing up discrete GPUs to increase gaming frame rates, significantly reducing power usage in AI workloads, and enabling accessibility use cases such as face- and gesture-tracking in games while minimising performance impact.

According to Intel, Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors offer excellent performance in AI and content creation, and power an immersive gaming experience, with up to 28% gaming performance uplift compared to competing flagship processors8.

- The Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors’ new Intel 800 Series chipset extends platform compatibility with up to 24 PCIe 4.0 lanes, up to eight SATA 3.0 ports, and up to 10 USB 3.2 ports.

- Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors bring new overclocking functionality with fine-grain controls, with top turbo frequency in 16.6 MHz steps for P-cores and E-cores. 

- A new memory controller supports fast, new XMP and CUDIMM DDR5 memory up to 48 GB per DIMM for up to 192 GB in total, and the Intel Extreme Tuning Utility now includes one-click overclocking enhancements.

- Connectivity: Intel Core Ultra 200S processors come equipped with 20 CPU PCIe 5.0 lanes, 4 CPU PCIe 4.0 lanes, support for 2 integrated Thunderbolt 4 ports, Wi-Fi 6E​ and Bluetooth 5.3​. Intel Killer Wi-Fi delivers supercharged wireless performance and enables seamless, immersive online gameplay through application priority auto-detection, bandwidth analysis and management, and smart access point (AP) selection and switching.

- Multi-engine security: Intel Silicon Security Engine helps preserve data confidentiality and code integrity while maintaining high performance for demanding AI workloads.

Details

The Intel Core Ultra 200S series processors will be available at retail online and in stores, and via OEM partner systems starting October 24, 2024.

1 Among x86 desktop processors targeting ~125W TDP, based on single thread/core performance benchmarks as compared against prior generation and competition processors, as of October 2024. See intel.com/PerformanceIndex for details. Results may vary.

2 As measured by SPECrate 2017_int_base (n-copies) performance estimates on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs. Intel Core i9 processor 14900K. SPEC, SPECrate and SPEC CPU are registered trademarks of the Standard Performance Evaluation Corporation. See http://www.spec.org/spec/trademarks.html for more information

3 Among desktop processors targeting ~125W TDP, as of October 2024. AI features may require additional purchase or specific compatibility requirements. See intel.com/performanceindex for details.

4 As measured by processor power during a 1x1 Zoom call with background blur on NPU on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs. Intel Core i9 processor 14900K. Individual system results may vary as power and performance are affected by use, configuration and other factors.

5 As measured by average system power while playing Warhammer: Space Marines 2 on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs Intel Core i9 processor 14900K. Individual system results may vary as power and performance are affected by use, configuration and other factors.

6 As measured by SPECrate 2017_int_base (1-copy) performance estimates on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs. Intel Core i9 processor 14900K.

7 As measured by the Adobe After Effects AI Scene Edit Detection feature on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs. AMD Ryzen 9 9950X.

8 As measured by Total War: Warhammer III - Mirrors of Madness Benchmark on an Intel Core Ultra 9 285K vs. AMD Ryzen 9 9950X.

*AI features may require software purchase, subscription or enablement by a software or platform provider, or may have specific configuration or compatibility requirements. Details at intel.com/AIPC. Results may vary.

Altering clock frequency or voltage may void any product warranties and reduce stability, security, performance, and life of the processor and other components. Check with system and component manufacturers for details.

Performance varies by use, configuration and other factors. Learn more at intel.com/PerformanceIndex.

Performance results are based on testing as of dates shown in configurations and may not reflect all publicly available updates. See backup for configuration details. No product or component can be absolutely secure.

Your costs and results may vary.

Intel technologies may require enabled hardware, software or service activation.

Zoom's new AI-first platform innovations

Zoom Video Communications has unveiled new AI-first work platform innovations for Zoom Workplace and Zoom Business Services that will transform team communication, collaboration, and productivity and help customers get more done.

The announcements include the Zoom AI Companion 2.0, a new add-on option to customise and personalise AI Companion, Zoom Tasks to help users take action across Zoom Workplace, and enhanced employee and customer experience innovations underpinned by AI.

“At Zoom, we’re not just reimagining communication—we’re revolutionising the entire work experience. Our vision is to create an AI-first work platform for human connection that empowers teams to achieve more than ever,” said Eric S. Yuan, founder and CEO of Zoom. 

“With AI Companion already enhancing productivity, we are helping our customers transform the way they work. This is more than an evolution; it’s a complete overhaul of how we get things done in the digital age.”

Zoom AI Companion 2.0

Source: Zoom. Zoom AI Companion 2.0 at work.

New capabilities include:

Persistence: Users can now engage with AI Companion via a convenient, persistent side panel, with seamless availability throughout Zoom Workplace, delivering an AI-first user interface (UI) that seamlessly integrates graphical and conversation UIs to allow for better information flow across workplace-wide.

More context: AI Companion gains advanced contextual understanding based on what the user is looking at in the Zoom Workplace app and on previous conversations to provide intelligent suggestions and responses that come with citations.

Better synthesis: AI Companion can pull in interactions from across Zoom Workplace, and, when connected, information from Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, and uploaded files from Microsoft Office and Google Docs to help users summarise content and interactions and get caught up fast.

Connected: AI Companion will be able to answer user questions and look up information from the web in real time.

Taking action: AI Companion will be able to detect, track, and complete actions across different workloads in Zoom Workplace to help users get more done.

For example, users can:

- Use prompt suggestions and generate answers from AI Companion via a convenient side panel across Zoom Workplace, including Zoom Meetings, Zoom Team Chat, Zoom Docs, Zoom Calendar, and Zoom Mail.

- Expand the context of information with data from across Zoom Workplace and, when connected, information from Microsoft Outlook, Gmail, Google Calendar, and uploaded files from Microsoft Office and Google Docs. AI Companion will remember previous conversations you’ve had within the side panel and interactions from across Zoom Workplace.

- Generate next steps from a meeting summary and AI Companion can automatically turn those next steps into Zoom Tasks to help keep teams aligned and on track to deliver projects on time. Zoom Tasks is planned to be available in December 2024.

- Summarise unread messages within a Zoom Team Chat channel. Within the new home tab, AI Companion will be able to provide users with a list of updates based on unread chats and emails.

AI Companion 2.0 will be available in the coming weeks at no additional cost with paid services in Zoom Workplace accounts.

Custom add-on for AI Companion

A new optional add-on that allows for a customised and personalised AI Companion experience for individual customers will allow customisation with company glossaries, offer enhanced search capabilities, and take action on the user’s behalf. With expanded data access to apps beyond Microsoft and Google email and calendar services and additional company data sources to expand its knowledge, the add-on will provide a new level of performance to the experience. Key components of the new add-on include:

Customised experience with AI Studio: Organisations can tailor the AI Companion experience with custom dictionaries, meeting summaries, and knowledge collections, in addition to helping improve response accuracy by connecting to company data sources.

Connected third-party apps: An option to connect third-party data sources that integrate with Zoom's AI capabilities will allow AI Companion to get answers and orchestrate actions across third-party apps like Atlassian (Jira & Confluence), Glean, Workday, Zendesk, ServiceNow, Box, Asana, Hubspot, and more.

Personalisation: With the custom AI Companion add-on, individuals can also grow their skills with personal coaching capabilities and save time and production costs with custom avatars for Zoom Clips. Users can avoid multiple takes by using a personalised, AI-generated avatar to create clips with a user-provided script.

Custom AI Companion add-on will be available for US$12 per user per month and is planned to launch in 1H25.

Zoom Workplace advancements

New Zoom Workplace innovations include an AI-first product, Zoom Tasks, which will use AI Companion to help detect, recommend, and complete tasks for a user based on conversations from across Zoom Workplace; Zoom Phone AI-first enhancements, including real-time queries, which will provide summaries of Zoom Phone calls as they happen and automated Zoom Phone voicemail greetings from the user's voiceprint that are tailored to the user’s calendar events to avoid manual voicemail greeting updates.

Zoom Workplace users will be able to have more productive meetings and collaborate more effectively with AI Companion producing meeting agendas and real-time meeting summaries. A library of pre-selected avatars in Zoom Clips can help them generate professional video content from text; while Zoom Docs will offer new organisation and permission options for finer control, new Data Table views and columns for collaboration on projects, APIs and workflow automation, plus new AI Companion skills to generate content tailored for writing scenarios and additional data sources.

These Zoom Workplace enhancements are included at no added cost with the paid services in Zoom Workplace accounts.

In-person experiences

Zoom further announced AI Companion for in-person meetings, which provides meeting summaries and action items via the Zoom Workplace app on a mobile device. For in-office meetings, AI Companion is expanding within Workspace Reservation to recommend what days employees should go into the office based on when their teammates are there, and recommend rooms based on location and size.

Employee engagement

New AI-first employee engagement solutions that help foster connection include AI Companion for Workvivo, which helps keep employees informed, engaged, and connected by creating content faster, and Workvivo Employee Insights, which helps measure employee engagement, happiness, and performance.

Zoom Customer Experience

Zoom introduced enhancements to self-service solutions and improved agent and management support features to help provide world-class customer experiences.

Zoom’s self-service chatbot, Zoom Virtual Agent, now includes multi-intent detection to handle more complex customer issues. It can process several problems within a single engagement and automatically update customer intents based on learnings from active trends or common queries. Zoom is also launching an AI virtual voice agent to bring Zoom Virtual Agent’s capabilities into self-service voice calls.

The new Auto Quality Management allows supervisors to gain comprehensive insights into agent performance, automatically scoring customer interactions.

New AI Expert Assist capabilities include dynamic agent guides—AI Expert Assist analyses the conversation context, notices which steps the agent has already taken, and then guides them to the relevant next step.

Asean has two top-30 universities in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2025

Asean has two world top-30 universities for the first time ever in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2025. The National University of Singapore (NUS) moved up to 17th place, up from 19th last year, while Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) is 30th, up two places from last year.

Other highlights include:

- Universiti Teknologi Petronas is Malaysia’s highest ranked institution and joins the top 250 for the 1st time in band 201–250, up from band 301-350 last year.

- Chulalongkorn University and Mahidol University are Thailand’s highest-ranked universities, both in band 601–800 (unchanged from last year). Maejo University debuted this year in band 1201-1500 – ahead of eight Thai universities.

- The University of Indonesia, has remained in band 801-1000 since last year and retained its No. 1 position in Indonesia.

- Ateneo de Manila University is the highest-ranked university in the Philippines in band 1001–1200, and is also the country’s highest-ranked university since joining the rankings in 2023.

- Vietnam’s UEH University debuted in band 501–600 while Universiti Brunei Darussalam in Brunei Darussalam is the country’s highest-ranked institution, in the same band.

- Australia’s top five universities have all slipped down the rankings.

Asean universities in the top 800 of the THE World University Rankings 2025

University	Country	Rank 2025	Rank 2024
National University of Singapore	Singapore	17	19
Nanyang Technological University, Singapore	Singapore	30	32
Universiti Teknologi Petronas	Malaysia	201–250	301–350
University of Malaya	Malaysia	251–300	251–300
Sunway University	Malaysia	401–500	601–800
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia	Malaysia	401–500	401–500
Universiti Sains Malaysia	Malaysia	401–500	401–500
Universiti Teknologi Malaysia	Malaysia	401–500	401–500
Universiti Utara Malaysia	Malaysia	401–500	401–500
UEH University	Vietnam	501–600	NR
Universiti Brunei Darussalam	Brunei Darussalam	501–600	401–500
Chulalongkorn University	Thailand	601–800	601–800
Duy Tan University	Vietnam	601–800	601–800
Mahidol University	Thailand	601–800	601–800
Ton Duc Thang University	Vietnam	601–800	601–800
Universiti Malaysia Pahang Al-Sultan Abdullah (UMPSA)	Malaysia	601–800	601–800
Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris	Malaysia	601–800	601–800
Universiti Putra Malaysia	Malaysia	601–800	501–600
Universiti Tenaga Nasional (UNITEN)	Malaysia	601–800	601–800

Source: Times Higher Education World University Rankings. See the full list at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/latest/world-ranking

Three new countries have joined the top 200, including KSA and the UAE, bringing the total to 30 countries.

A record 93 Asean universities were ranked this year, up from 80 last year. Indonesia boasts the most newcomers with seven new universities ranked; the highest-ranked is Universitas Muhammadiyah Surakarta in band 1201-1500.

Indonesia also has the most-ranked universities from Asean, with 31 institutions represented. Malaysia has the second-most ranked institutions with 23 in Asean, and Thailand is third with 20.

Of Malaysia’s 23 universities, four rose in the rankings, with Sunway University in Malaysia jumping forward to join the top 500 in band 401-500, up from band 601–800 last year. Meanwhile, newcomer Management & Science University (MSU) joined the rankings in band 801-1000. Elsewhere in Malaysia, three universities had lower rankings, and 15 stayed in the same position.

The number of Thai universities increased from 19 last year to 20 this year, with Maejo University debuting strongly in band 1201-1500 – higher than eight other Thai universities.

The Philippines had six universities ranked this year, up from five last year.

The rankings assess research-intensive universities across 18 performance indicators, which are divided into five pillars, covering the core missions of teaching, research, knowledge transfer and internationalisation. Pillarwise, Malaysia scored well in the research excellence and research influence metrics, and it is particularly successful in the international metrics.

The industry pillar, which measures the exchange between academia and industry, was Thailand’s strongest pillar, however, this has been declining over time relative to the rest of the world. Conversely, its research quality and research environment pillars have been improving since 2019.

While three out of the 31 Indonesian universities fell in the rankings, none improved their position. There were seven new entrants this year, and 21 remained in the same band.

Compared with last year, Indonesian universities, on average, improved by 0.6 points, most of which is driven by research influence and research excellence. Compared with the Asian average, Indonesian universities underperformed in all metrics except two – studying abroad and international staff. Its worst metrics were patents, research strength and research excellence.

Philippine universities underperformed against the Asian average across most metrics except student-staff ratio, studying abroad and international co-authorship. Its worst-performing metric compared with the Asian average was research strength.

The industry pillars have been growing significantly in Singapore, as have research quality and research environment. However, the international pillar has been declining in the last five years relative to the rest of the world.

Across most of Asean a lack of qualified effective academics, who are equipped to lead universities there, has contributed to holding back higher education in those countries. Phil Baty, Times Higher Education Chief Global Affairs Officer, said: 

Singapore

“Singapore’s status as a world-class hub for higher education, research and innovation talent is well and truly established, with Times Higher Education’s data now showing that the dynamic city state has two world top-30 universities for the first time ever. It is a remarkable achievement and testament to strong support for universities and R&D as fundamental to the success of the nation and the centring of human talent as Singapore’s greatest resource.”

Malaysia

“Transformations are taking place in Malaysian higher education, including attracting more international students as part of its efforts to globally promote its universities as well as growing research strength, which is paying dividends as a university breaks into the top 250 of the THE World University Rankings 2025. As Malaysia emerges as a strengthening global education hub, we expect to see further success in the world’s most comprehensive and rigorous university rankings in the years to come.”

Thailand

The Thai government is supporting its universities to deliver maximum social and economic impact, and they are emerging as world leaders on the sustainable development goals, which bodes well for their international partnerships and their global academic standing. However, concerns have been raised about a ‘publish or perish’ mindset in Thai research, with too much focus on the quantity of research outputs over their quality. Our rankings methodology values quality over quantity, so we look forward to supporting the sector with data insights and practical support to strengthen the research base."

Indonesia

"It is fantastic to see the participation of Indonesia who have 31 institutions represented, the most in the Asean region and who boast the most newcomers with seven new universities ranked."

The world’s highest-ranked higher education institution is the UK’s University of Oxford, which has maintained the top spot for a record nine years in a row. Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US is the second highest ranked university in the world and in third place is Harvard University.

The THE World University Rankings started with 200 universities. The 21st edition of the rankings has 2,092 universities ranked – up from 1,907 last year – from 115 countries and regions.

This year 2,860 institutions submitted data, up 6.9% from last year, representing 133 countries and territories. The remaining 768 institutions gained “reporter” status, which means, although they submitted data, they did not meet THE’s eligibility criteria to receive a ranking.

Explore

View the full World University Rankings 2025 results at https://www.timeshighereducation.com/world-university-rankings/latest/world-ranking