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Cyprus Courts Foreign Investors With Stability, Reform And A Broader Global Reach

Cyprus is seeking to turn economic resilience, political stability and expanding international ties into stronger foreign investment, President Nikos Christodoulides said as seven companies were recognised at the 14th Invest Cyprus International Investment Awards.

The ceremony, held at the Hilton Nicosia, honoured Hartmann Group, Accor, Kraken, a Payward company, SayGames, Reconiq Software Ltd, a member of the Plath Group, Coral S.A. – Coral Cyprus and Premium Access Cyprus.

Stability As An Investment Proposition

Addressing investors, Christodoulides said Cyprus is positioning itself around “stability, perspective, development and security,” arguing that investment decisions depend on confidence in a country’s institutions, people and long-term prospects. He said the government’s newly launched national promotion strategy presents Cyprus as “a stable European state with a global orientation” and a European business hub with international reach.

The president highlighted stronger economic growth, solid public finances, lower public debt and Cyprus’ return to an “A” investment-grade rating for the first time since 2011. He also pointed to full employment for the first time since 2008. Christodoulides said Cyprus must continue modernising the public sector, simplifying procedures and accelerating digital transformation.

Foreign Policy As An Economic Tool

The president also linked the country’s investment agenda to foreign policy. Following his state visit to India, he said opportunities were emerging in technology, financial services, shipping, education, energy, tourism, supply chains and trade.

He described Cyprus as “a reliable European gateway for Indian businesses,” providing access to the European Union as well as the Eastern Mediterranean, the Gulf and North Africa.

Christodoulides added that relations with Kazakhstan were expanding and that a visit to the United States is planned later this year to strengthen economic ties and attract additional investment.

He also highlighted the Minds in Cyprus initiative as part of efforts to attract skilled talent and support a knowledge-based economy.

Business Leaders Call For Continued Reform

Invest Cyprus chairman Evgenios Evgeniou said the companies recognised at the ceremony had contributed to employment, innovation, sector development and Cyprus’ international connectivity.

He said foreign direct investment had helped make technology one of the country’s key growth sectors, while urging continued reforms, including faster digitalisation, judicial reform, less bureaucracy and further investment in infrastructure.

PwC Cyprus chief executive Andreas Yiasemides said Cyprus should prioritise long-term, sustainable and innovative investment rather than focusing solely on volume. He added that continued progress would depend on cooperation between the government, regulators, businesses and the professional services sector.

Apple Ties Its Mac Strategy To The AI Boom With New Mac Mini And Mac Studio Models

Apple has updated its Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktops with new processors and higher AI performance as developers increasingly use Macs for local AI workloads. The new models are scheduled to ship on Sept. 22, weeks before the company is expected to introduce its next iPhone generation.

Macs Target Local AI Development

Developers and researchers are increasingly using Apple computers to run AI models locally, reducing reliance on cloud infrastructure. Mac Mini systems can support AI agent software, while Mac Studio machines are designed for more demanding model training and deployment workloads.

Apple said its processors combine Neural Engines for machine learning with unified memory architecture designed to reduce performance bottlenecks. The company says the combination allows users to run and fine-tune larger AI models directly on their devices.

Mac Mini Gets First M6 Generation Chip

The updated Mac Mini can be configured with Apple’s M6 and M5 Pro processors, making it the company’s first computer with an M6-generation chip. The M6 is manufactured by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) using a 2-nanometer process.

The previous Mac Mini lineup offered M4, M4 Pro and M4 Max processors. Apple said the M5 Pro version of the new model can process large language model prompts 8.5 times faster than earlier Mac Mini Pro configurations.

Pricing has also increased. The new Mac Mini starts at $899, $100 more than the previous model, after Apple raised the price from $599 earlier this summer, citing higher memory costs.

Mac Studio Targets Larger AI Workloads

Mac Studio remains Apple’s highest-performance desktop without an integrated display, following the discontinuation of the Mac Pro earlier this year. New configurations include the M5 Max, which Apple says can run large language models nearly four times faster than the previous generation.

The M5 Ultra is available for users with heavier computing requirements. Apple says multiple Mac Studio systems using the Ultra chip can be connected to pool memory and run models with up to a trillion parameters.

Mac Studio with the M5 Max starts at $2,499, unchanged from the previous generation. The M5 Ultra configuration starts at $5,499, compared with at least $5,299 for the previous model using the M3 Ultra.

Apple Expands Its Local AI Hardware

The new desktops give developers and researchers more computing capacity for running AI models locally. Apple is also increasing the role of its custom processors and unified memory architecture in handling AI workloads without relying entirely on cloud-based computing.

Both Mac Mini and Mac Studio models are available for presale and are scheduled to begin shipping on Sept. 22.

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