Strategic Partnership Introduces Human-Robot Hybrid Workforce Model to Address Labor Shortages, Productivity Gaps, and Rising Compliance Costs Across Industrial Sectors

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, Jan. 28, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- VCI Global Limited (NASDAQ: VCIG) (“VCI Global” or the “Company”), a global technology and capital markets platform, today announced plans to launch a Robotics-Enabled Workforce Platform through a strategic term sheet agreement with Youlife Group Inc. (NASDAQ: YOUL) (“YOUL”).

The initiative represents a significant step in VCI Global’s expansion into robotics-as-infrastructure. The platform is intended to deliver guaranteed productivity through a hybrid human-robot workforce model, offered on a recurring, service-based subscription, rather than through traditional capital equipment sales.

Massive Market Opportunity Across ASEAN and Asia Pacific

The robotics and automation markets across ASEAN and the broader Asia Pacific region are expanding rapidly, driven by labor scarcity, rising wages, and accelerating Industry 4.0 adoption. According to Statista, the ASEAN robotics market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of approximately 9.37% from 2025 to 2029, reflecting increasing demand for automation and labor augmentation solutions in industrial applications. By 2029, the market is forecast to exceed US$2.1 billion, representing nearly double-digit growth.

At the global level, the service robots market is projected to grow at a CAGR of 16.5% between 2025 and 2031, reaching approximately US$112.5 billion by 2031, as enterprises increasingly deploy robots to address labor shortages and improve operational efficiency, according to Blue Weave Consulting.

These trends underscore a multi-billion-dollar addressable opportunity for scalable robotics and workforce solutions that enhance productivity, reduce labor risk, and support digital transformation across key industrial sectors.

Addressing Structural Labor Constraints Across ASEAN

ASEAN and emerging markets face persistent structural challenges, including labor shortages, rising minimum wages, increasing compliance costs, dependency on foreign workers, and productivity gaps in labor-intensive industries. The VCIG-YOUL platform addresses these issues by integrating AI-enabled robotics, automation systems, and human supervision into a single operational framework, enabling companies to scale output while maintaining regulatory compliance and workforce stability.

Human-Robot Hybrid Model for Sustainable Productivity

Rather than replacing workers, the platform is designed to elevate labor productivity by reallocating human workers into higher-value roles while automating repetitive tasks. Under the model, robots handle repetitive, hazardous, and precision tasks, while human workers are upskilled into supervisory, quality control, and technical positions. Clients subscribe to monthly productivity capacity, not hardware or headcount.

Phase One deployments will prioritize industries with urgent labor and productivity constraints, including food processing and packhouse operations, warehousing and logistics, light manufacturing and electronics assembly, and cold-chain and agricultural processing. Each deployment is structured under multi-year contracts, generating predictable recurring revenue while reducing operational risk for clients.

Introducing Workforce-as-a-Service (WaaS)

The platform establishes a new category, Workforce-as-a-Service (WaaS), offering enterprises:

• Guaranteed daily or monthly production capacity
• 24/7 operational capability
• AI-driven quality control and throughput optimization
• Centralized monitoring, maintenance, and performance analytics

This model converts robotics from a capital expenditure decision into a scalable operating solution, accelerating adoption among small and mid-sized enterprises. Under the collaboration:

• VCI Global provides capital allocation, regional expansion, governance, and market access
• YOUL leads system architecture, AI software, robotics integration, financing structures, and on-site operations

“By combining robotics with structured workforce transition, we are upgrading, not eliminating blue-collar roles,” said Dato’ Victor Hoo, Group Executive Chairman and CEO of VCI Global. “This model creates higher-quality jobs while solving real productivity constraints faced by employers.”

About VCI Global Limited

VCI Global Limited (NASDAQ: VCIG) is an AI-native operating platform designed to scale and optimize businesses through centralized intelligence, data, and capital discipline.

The Company operates a platform-based model in which subsidiaries, affiliates, and portfolio companies plug into VCI Global’s centralized AI, data, governance, and capital allocation systems, enabling faster execution, improved capital efficiency, and scalable growth across multiple industries.

VCI Global’s platform centralizes AI-enabled execution, standardized KPI frameworks, financial and governance controls, and strategic capital allocation, while operating businesses focus on revenue generation, customer relationships, and local execution.

The Company maintains exposure across advisory, AI, and digital infrastructure, digital assets, energy, automotive, and consumer sectors, and continuously evaluates opportunities to scale, spin off, divest, or discontinue businesses based on performance, scalability, and return on capital.

VCI Global’s platform-centric approach is designed to enhance productivity, improve IPO readiness, and unlock long-term value through disciplined growth and selective capital deployment.

For more information on the Company, please log on to https://v-capital.co/.

Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements

This press release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Such statements include statements regarding the Company’s ability to grow its business and other statements that are not historical facts, including statements which may be accompanied by the words “intends,” “may,” “will,” “plans,” “expects,” “anticipates,” “projects,” “predicts,” “estimates,” “aims,” “believes,” “hopes,” “potential” or similar words. These forward-looking statements are based only on our current beliefs, expectations, and other future conditions. Because forward-looking statements relate to the future, they are subject to inherent uncertainties, risks, and changes in circumstances that are difficult to predict and many of which are outside of our control. Therefore, you should not rely on any of these forward-looking statements. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including without limitation, the Company’s ability to achieve profitable operations, customer acceptance of new products, the effects of the spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) and future measures taken by authorities in the countries wherein the Company has supply chain partners, the demand for the Company’s products and the Company’s customers’ economic condition, the impact of competitive products and pricing, successfully managing and, general economic conditions and other risk factors detailed in the Company’s filings with the United States Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”). The forward-looking statements contained in this press release are made as of the date of this press release, and the Company does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release, except in accordance with applicable law.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

For media queries, please contact:

VCI GLOBAL LIMITED
enquiries@v-capital.co