A new category of AI hardware that combines frontier AI, app automation, and hardware-isolated privacy in a thumb-sized device

SAN FRANCISCO and HONG KONG, Aug. 12, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TrustKernel, a global pioneer in secure operating systems and privacy-preserving computing with over a decade of experience protecting more than 1 billion devices worldwide, today announced PlugClaw, a thumb-sized Private AI Computer designed to help people delegate real work to AI. 

As AI rapidly evolves from answering questions to taking actions, people are asking it to do far more than write text or generate ideas. They want AI to reply to messages, organize information, complete workflows, operate apps, and handle everyday tasks.

But today's phones and computers were designed for people, not autonomous AI. Running increasingly capable AI directly inside a personal device creates significant risks around privacy, permissions, and security. At the same time, relying entirely on local AI limits reasoning capability, while conventional cloud AI requires users to expose their highly sensitive credentials and personal data to remote servers.

TrustKernel believes autonomous AI deserves its own physically isolated, trusted workspace to get things done safely.

PlugClaw introduces a new category of device: the Private AI Computer. By simply plugging it into any smartphone, tablet, or computer, users gain a dedicated, hardware-secured AI workspace that can execute workflows and operate applications independently from the host device.

A Dedicated Computer Built For AI

PlugClaw is a complete computer in a thumb-sized USB-C device. It features its own processor, memory, encrypted storage, and the privacy-focused PlugOS - a secure Android operating system. The AI lives and works on the stick, not on your personal phone or computer.

Instead of demanding risky administrative permissions to access your primary device’s operating system and storage, PlugClaw remains physically isolated. When connected to a smartphone, tablet, or PC, the host device acts as a secure display and keyboard interface. The AI, applications, data, and execution environment all remain inside PlugClaw's own isolated operating system.

AI That Actually Gets Things Done

Unlike traditional chatbots, PlugClaw is designed to take action.

Inside PlugOS, the built-in AI agent can use tools and Android applications much like a person would - opening apps, reading information, replying to messages, organizing files, preparing presentations, browsing the web, and executing multi-step workflows automatically.

Users simply describe what they want in natural language. A user can say "Reply to all unread messages in my tone" or "Build a competitor analysis deck matching our brand style,” and PlugClaw gets to work. Instead of stopping with an answer, PlugClaw follows through until the task is complete.

Tasks can run immediately, be scheduled for later, or automatically start in response to predefined events, allowing AI to work proactively rather than waiting on every instruction.

Powerful AI Meets Privacy

Users no longer have to choose between powerful AI and privacy.

Applications, AI memory, workflows, and sensitive data remain inside PlugClaw's encrypted storage and isolated operating system. For frontier AI models, PlugClaw combines its local secure environment with confidential cloud computing, so user data is processed in a way that neither TrustKernel nor the underlying cloud provider can read.

"The AI that does your work should be the AI that keeps your data yours," said Dr. Wenhao Li, Founder and CEO of TrustKernel. "We believe the future of AI isn't in the cloud or on your phone—it's in your pocket, in a private AI computer that answers to no one but you."

One AI Workspace Across Every Device

PlugClaw works with Android phones, iPhones, tablets, Windows PCs, Macs, and Linux computers.

No matter which device users connect to, they carry the same AI workspace, applications, memories, skills, and workflows with them.

Powered by PlugOS and the on-device OpenClaw AI runtime, PlugClaw is designed to evolve continuously through new AI models, skills, workflows, and community-built capabilities.

Who PlugClaw Is For

PlugClaw is designed for people who want AI to do real work without risking their phone, computer, or personal data, including:

Everyday AI users: People who use AI for writing, searching, or brainstorming, and want it to actually finish tasks — reply to messages, organize files, run workflows. PlugClaw is plug-and-play, never touches data on your phone or PC, and costs a fraction of a dedicated AI phone.

Privacy-conscious professionals: People handling sensitive personal or business information who want frontier AI without exposing their devices, credentials, or private data. PlugClaw keeps that work inside its own hardware-isolated environment.

AI power users and developers: Professionals building or using AI agents for coding, research, content creation, and automation. PlugClaw gives them a portable, cross-platform AI workspace that runs OpenClaw natively — extended with GUI operation and Android-Use so agents can drive native mobile apps.

Pricing and Availability

PlugClaw is available worldwide starting at US$149.

Users purchase the hardware once and pay only for the cloud AI services they choose to use. There are no mandatory subscriptions.

Every PlugClaw includes at least US$15 in AI credits, allowing users to start completing real-world tasks immediately after activation.

For more information, visit https://www.plugos.net/plugclaw.

Fact Sheet

About TrustKernel

TrustKernel is a global trusted computing company specializing in secure operating systems, Trusted Execution Environment (TEE), confidential computing, and privacy-preserving technologies. For more than a decade, TrustKernel has provided the security foundation for smartphones, connected vehicles, IoT devices, and enterprise platforms, with its technologies protecting more than one billion devices worldwide.

TrustKernel's consumer hardware line began with PlugMate, a thumb-sized private computer for secure personal data and apps. PlugClaw extends that platform into the AI era, helping establish a new foundation for personal AI computing - where powerful AI and user privacy coexist by design.

Media contact: business@trustkernel.com
Product link: https://plugos.net/plugclaw

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Taipei is doubling down on efforts to cut consumption of single-use beverage cups, rolling out a city-backed discount that rewards customers for bringing their own containers to popular hand-shaken drink chains. From July 2 through Dec. 31, consumers who visit participating Taipei outlets of Milksha (迷客夏) and TEA TOP on Thursdays will receive a NT$10 discount per drink when they use a reusable cup, up from the standard NT$5 required by national rules.

The program, jointly launched by the Taipei Environmental Protection Department and the two chains, covers 46 Taipei stores and is capped at 50 discounted drinks per outlet each Thursday. The NT$10 reduction combines the existing NT$5 price difference that chains must offer under the "Restrictions on the Use of Disposable Beverage Cups" with an additional NT$5 subsidy from the city. The offer does not apply to prepaid or stored-value orders, and outlets in other municipalities continue to provide only the basic NT$5 discount.

Taipei officials say the initiative builds on a smaller 2023 pilot with five brands and 18 outlets that generated 4,385 instances of reusable-container use between Sept. 18 and Oct. 9. By expanding the scope and duration and partnering with high-traffic milk tea brands, the city estimates the latest round could spur about 50,000 drinks served in personal cups, cutting a similar number of disposable cups from the waste stream. Authorities argue that as more people adjust their daily purchasing habits, the cumulative impact on waste reduction, resource use and environmental pressure will become increasingly significant.

The city is also tying the push to its digital payments ecosystem. Consumers who register for the "Plastic Reduction EasyLife" (減塑EasyLife) campaign in the EasyCard Pay (悠遊付) app and link a mobile barcode can earn additional rewards when they buy drinks in reusable cups and opt for cloud invoices, on top of the price discount offered at the counter. Taipei officials frame the effort as a public–private partnership designed to make environmentally friendly behavior financially attractive, positioning the weekly rebate as both a way to trim beverage costs and a step toward a longer-term shift away from disposable cups in one of the world’s most beverage-focused urban markets.