Singapore's Keppel posted a 25 per cent rise in half-year profit on Thursday (July 30) on the back of stronger contributions from asset management and operating segment that include its infrastructure business.The asset manager's net profit, excluding the non-core portfolio for divestment, rose to $530 million for the six months ended June, compared with $431 million reported a year earlier.The infrastructure arm, Keppel's biggest contributor to earnings, recorded a 55 per cent increase in profit to $339 million, driven by robust performance in the integrated power business, outweighing softer spark spreads and the impact of the Middle East conflict on costs.Profit rose 54 per cent at the connectivity division, which operates Keppel's data centre business, cashing in on rising demand for AI and digital infrastructure. The segment commercialised all five of its Bifrost Cable System fibre pairs.Meanwhile, its real estate segment posted a net loss of $19 million, extending a decline from last quarter due to the absence of gains from a partial disposal of Saigon Centre last year. Read more