TOSHIBA STARTS MASS PRODUCTION OF 12 NEW DEVICES IN M4K GROUP FOR MOTOR CONTROL

KUALA LUMPUR, July 29 (Bernama) -- Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (Toshiba) announced it has started the mass production of 12 new devices in the M4K group for motor control as the first products of the TXZ+™ family advanced class.

It will start mass production of another 10 products in the M4M group in August this year, according to a statement.

Both the M4K and M4M groups of microcontrollers will be manufactured in a 40nm process, and belong to the TXZ4A+ series.

These products use Arm Cortex-M4 core with FPU, running up to 160MHz, and integrating motor control circuit A-PMD (advance-programmable motor driver), 32-bit encoder A-ENC (advanced-encoder) and vector engine A-VE+ (advanced vector engine plus).

These devices provide suitable solutions for AC motor, brushless DC motor and various inverter controls with a maximum of three units of high-speed and high-resolution 12-bit analog/digital converters.

Devices in the M4K group have UART, SPI and I²C integrated as general communication interfaces, and the M4M group additionally has a CAN communication interface.

Both groups achieve low current consumption and high functionality while maintaining good compatibility with existing TXZ™ family M4K(2) group.

Documentations, sample software with example of actual usage, evaluation boards and driver software which control interfaces for each peripheral are provided together with parts shipment. 

A development environment is also provided to support various needs in cooperation with global Arm ecosystem partners.

More details at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/top.html.

-- BERNAMA

Uniphore to Acquire Jacada to Transform Customer Experience with Advanced AI and Low Code/No Code Automation

Uniphore + Jacada will become the only low code/no code automation provider with multimodal AI and RPA

PALO ALTO, Calif. & ATLANTA, Ga. & HERZILYA, Israel, July 28 (BUSINESS WIRE) --

Uniphore, a leader in Conversational Service Automation (CSA), today announced its agreement to acquire Jacada, a customer experience pioneer with the industry’s leading low code/no code platform for contact center automation. Jacada’s advanced automation software brings a proven track record of solving complex contact center challenges and empowering the design and implementation of transformational customer experiences quickly and easily.

Combined with Jacada’s innovative low code/no code platform, Uniphore’s industry-leading conversational automation platform will empower businesses to easily automate key interactions across self-service and agent-assisted customer engagements. With this comprehensive platform, business users can realize state-of-the-art digital transformation, resulting in significant ROI.

When integrated with Uniphore’s conversational AI and automation solutions, along with Jacada’s deep experience spanning decades focused on contact centers, the joint solution will deliver significant benefits to customers, including:

• Business user-friendly interface with a low code/no code platform that empowers business users to generate interaction flows for increased automation and fast, easy implementation.
• Optimized and customizable AI models for different industry verticals.
• Workflow and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) for both multi-modal self-service and agent assisted interactions.
• Fully scripted and AI-enabled next-best action to guide both the customer and the agent.
• Enhanced knowledge-base guidance for increased agent efficiency and accuracy.
• Highly automated agent after-call work (ACW) summaries and call disposition
• Automatic logging of promises made during agent interaction and managing the fulfillment post call.
• End-to-end post interaction analytics and insights.

The acquisition comes at a time when enterprises are having more conversations with their customers over multiple mediums and modes of communications. Currently, the market is heavily fragmented with point solutions across self-service, agent-assist, analytics, security, front-office, back office and RPA products.

Upon closing the acquisition of Jacada, and with Uniphore's January 2021 acquisition of Emotion Research Labs , Uniphore will be the only vendor to provide proven low code/no code capabilities along with best-of-breed voice and video AI, including self-service, intelligent in-call agent assist, complete natural language after-call work summaries, trusted agent solutions and post interaction analytics. Now, customers can truly deliver front office and back-office automation across every customer and agent interaction, truly optimizing every conversation, in a simplified, business-friendly UX environment and desktop.

“Today, I welcome the Jacada team and celebrate the announcement that will ultimately bring cutting-edge low code/no code technology to our portfolio along with a very talented team of professionals who will supercharge the Uniphore innovation engine,” said Umesh Sachdev, CEO and Co-founder of Uniphore. “I am very excited to have the Jacada team join us as we work together to bring our customers new ways to quickly and easily build and deliver transformative customer experiences.”

"Our customers rely on us to bring them the latest and greatest solutions to help them grow their business,” said Yochai Rozenblat, CEO of Jacada. “We are stoked about joining forces with a team who is both experienced and passionate about contact centers, customer experience, and intelligent automation. Looking at what Uniphore has developed across such a wide range of applications and areas, we know that together, we will truly lead the industry in new and exciting ways, combining advanced automation and AI capabilities to deliver solutions that create lasting value and differentiation for our customers.”

Subject to completing customary closing conditions, the Jacada team, its intellectual property, and products will become part of Uniphore, enabling Uniphore to continue to deliver industry-leading products and services for their global joint customer base. Specific financial terms and other details of the deal are not being disclosed.

About Jacada

Jacada is the leading provider of contact center automation software, recognized for its unified intelligent virtual agent and robotic process automation capabilities. Contact center and customer experience leaders at Fortune 1000 companies trust Jacada with assisting customers and customer service employees during moments that matter. Business analysts and developers use our low code automation platform to build and launch real-time assistance solutions leveraging AI and RPA in weeks and realize return on investment in months.

About Uniphore

Uniphore is the global leader in Conversational Service Automation. The Company’s vision is to disrupt an outdated customer service model by bridging the gap between human and machine using voice, AI and automation to ensure that every voice, on every call, is truly heard. Uniphore enables businesses globally to deliver transformational customer service by providing an automation platform where digital agents take over transactional conversations from humans, coach agents during calls, and accurately predict language, emotion and intent. All in real-time. With Conversational Service Automation, enterprises can now engage their customers to effectively build loyalty, improve customer experience and realize operational efficiencies.

For more information on the news and additional assets, please visit: www.uniphore.com/jacada

Follow our blog and connect with us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210727005553/en/

Contact

MEDIA CONTACTS:
North America
Marjaneh Ravai, Uniphore
Mobile: 650.346.3756
marjaneh.ravai@uniphore.com

India / Asia Pacific:
Cynanda Noronha, Uniphore
+91 9008026309
Cynanda@uniphore.com

Source : Uniphore

ISW Holdings, Bitmain seal cryptocurrency mining hosting agreement

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 -- ISW Holdings Inc (ISW Holdings or the Company), a global brand management holdings company, announced the signing of a cryptocurrency mining hosting agreement (the Agreement) with Bitmain Technologies (Bitmain).

Bitmain is the world’s leading producer of cryptocurrency mining hardware and a leading global cryptocurrency mining firm.

“Bitmain is probably the most recognisable name in the mining space, and we are excited that they will be a major piece of our success in Georgia,” said ISW Holdings president and chairman, Alonzo Pierce in a statement.

“Once our 200 MW power tranche is fully utilised, we anticipate annualised revenues of over US$200 million, but that will only close the first phase of our vision. (US$1 = RM4.232)

“We look forward to discussing our next phases in due course. If we are able to execute according to our full vision, we have the potential to drive exponential revenue growth ahead.”

Meanwhile, Antminer BD Director NCSA Region, Bitmain, Irene Gao said: "We are excited to have signed this new pioneering project to begin cooperation with ISWHoldings, a new milestone for the industry for creating hosting facilities overseas.”

The Agreement will form the backbone of the Company’s Phase One launch of its cryptocurrency hosting and mining operation in Georgia, with further details related to this Agreement to be discussed in the near future.

More details at www.iswholdings.com.

--BERNAMA

ACCELERATE UNVEILS DIGITAL PLATFORM LAUNCH

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Accelerate has entered the global health ecosystem as a purpose-built digital platform driving 365 healthcare transformation by connecting health professionals to insights from peers and thought leaders, professional development tools, networking opportunities and curated content — anytime, anywhere.

Accelerate's initial development has come from HIMSS, the global adviser and thought leader supporting transformation of the health ecosystem through information and technology, according to a statement.

Accelerate is a natural extension of HIMSS's origins and foundation as a member-driven society, and is an innovative solution aimed to support members, partners and the global health ecosystem 365 days a year.

“With unparalleled relationships among healthcare providers, industry executives, and public entities, Accelerate will be a digital platform that convenes a variety of health stakeholders,” said HIMSS president and chief executive officer, Hal Wolf.

With Accelerate, professionals from all parts of the healthcare ecosystem have access to a highly personalised platform tailored to their unique needs.

Organisations benefit from radically improved ways of managing, supporting, and developing their staff and members, while suppliers enjoy unmatched access to market insights, as well as innovative ways to engage with customers.

Additionally, Accelerate will seamlessly integrate with curated 3rd party offerings — thereby empowering industry-leading partners to distribute their digital products and services through the platform 365 days a year.

Accelerate is available to all HIMSS members, individual users, as well as enterprises, organisations, and associations interested in getting access for their members.

More details at www.youraccelerate.com.

-- BERNAMA

BLACK & VEATCH GUIDES POINT-OF-USE HYDROGEN PRODUCTION FOR VEHICLE FUEL STUDY

 Viability of distributed green hydrogen production’s potential in fleet decarbonization key to future of transportation


OVERLAND PARK, Kan., July 29 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Artificial Intelligence business Empati has commissioned Black & Veatch to deliver a study into the feasibility of using distributed production of green hydrogen to fuel vehicle fleets. Black & Veatch will provide an economic, logistical and technical assessment of onsite, on-demand hydrogen production’s potential as a fuel for fleet operators seeking to decarbonize.

Hydrogen is a proven vehicle fuel. Green hydrogen, produced using renewable energy, offers fleet operators a route to achieving decarbonization targets. The convention is for centralized hydrogen production, then transportation for storage at fleet depots or filling stations. Black & Veatch’s study will seek to confirm that small-scale distributed hydrogen production at the point of use offers a viable alternative in achieving competitive price points.

“We will establish the technical requirements and the economic model for distributed renewable generation to power small-scale on-site hydrogen production,” said Jonathan Cristiani, Advanced Power Fuels Engineer, Black & Veatch. “Because commercial viability requires a supply chain capable of supporting a network of distributed green hydrogen facilities, our study addresses the entire ‘hydrogen ecosystem,’ not just the technology.”

The study, undertaken by Black & Veatch’s Hydrogen Technology Group, will build upon the company’s experience in developing hydrogen vehicle fuel infrastructure and distributed hydrogen power assets, as well as project experience that establishes hydrogen as a viable piece of the future of decarbonization. The study will be carried out along with a collaborative project to integrate Empati’s AI platform with Black & Veatch’s Asset 360 platform.

“We see green hydrogen as a digital fuel that is a perfect fit for a decentralized set-up such as networks of filling stations or fleet depots. We look to deploy our technology globally, partnering with the most innovative companies across the hydrogen supply chain,” said Gopal Ramchurn, Co-CEO, Empati. “As a technology agnostic partner with real-world experience in hydrogen - and every point in the lifecycle of distributed power and alternative vehicle fuel infrastructure - Black & Veatch is ideally placed to help us do that.”

To support decarbonization initiatives, and the use of hydrogen as a part of decarbonization strategies, Black & Veatch in 2021 joined the Hydrogen Council and was appointed advisor to the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Advisory Committee. This year also saw the publication of the company’s Fleet Decarbonization ebook, and Hydrogen 2021: A Roadmap to NetZero guide.

About Black & Veatch

Black & Veatch is an employee-owned global engineering, procurement, consulting and construction company with a more than 100-year track record of innovation in sustainable infrastructure. Since 1915, we have helped our clients improve the lives of people around the world by addressing the resilience and reliability of our most important infrastructure assets. Our revenues in 2020 exceeded US$3.0 billion. Follow us on www.bv.com and on social media.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210728005001/en/


Contact

MALCOLM HALLSWORTH | +44 1483 319287 p | +44 7920 701764 m | HallsworthM@BV.com
24-HOUR MEDIA HOTLINE | +1 866 496 9149

Source : Black & Veatch

RIPPLE, SBI REMIT START ON-DEMAND LIQUIDITY, ACCELERATING JAPAN'S CROSS-BORDER PAYMENTS

KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 (Bernama) -- Ripple, the leading provider of enterprise blockchain and cryptocurrency solutions for global payments, has announced the launch of RippleNet’s first live On-Demand Liquidity (ODL) service implementation in Japan.

This is in collaboration with SBI Remit Co Ltd, the largest money transfer provider in Japan, and one of the leading mobile wallet services in the Philippines, Coins.ph.

This expanded partnership will see SBI Remit connect with Coins.ph and digital asset exchange platform SBI VC Trade on RippleNet for faster and more affordable cross-border payments from Japan to the Philippines.

With ODL now available in Japan, RippleNet customers can leverage the digital asset XRP to eliminate pre-funding and reduce operational costs, unlocking capital and fuel the expansion of their payment businesses.

“The expansion of our relationship with SBI Remit to kickstart RippleNet’s ODL service in Japan marks a major milestone in one of our largest markets. SBI Remit has been a leader when it comes to embracing new technology to deliver the best customer experience,” said Asheesh Birla, General Manager of RippleNet at Ripple, in a statement.

Driven by long-term growth trends of foreign workers and cross-border e-commerce in Japan, there is an expected increase in low-value, high-frequency remittances.

The Filipino diaspora is currently the third largest in Japan – in 2020, remittance flows from Japan to the Philippines sent by overseas Filipino workers totalled approximately US$1.8 billion. (US$1 = RM4.232)

“We see tremendous potential in leveraging blockchain technology to transform not only the way payment transactions are made but in how we manage our business by unlocking trapped capital,” said SBI Remit Representative Director, Nobuo Ando.

Asia Pacific is one of the fastest growing regions for Ripple with transactions growing 130 per cent year-over-year.

-- BERNAMA

Barco expands hybrid meetings portfolio with ClickShare Present range addition

KUALA LUMPUR, July 26 -- Barco, a global leader in meeting room technology, is about to expand the highly praised and awarded ClickShare family, enabling businesses to prepare for a smooth return to the office and step into the new reality of the hybrid workplace.

Completing the recent wireless conferencing range with two new models of ClickShare Present, its wireless presentation & collaboration solution, the company offers customers worldwide the freedom to equip hybrid meeting rooms according to their own requirements, existing ecosystems, and company IT policies.

“There’s no going back to the way we worked before. We’re no longer prepared to slog to every meeting in person. And the virtual meeting has its shortcomings too,” said Barco Senior VP and GM Enterprise, George Stromeyer in a statement.

“Instead, we are going for something better than both, which we call hybrid, a seamless blend of the physical and the virtual, of in-office and remote.”

Mixed working and collaboration solutions like ClickShare take centre stage in this new era. ClickShare enables seamless, highly engaged collaboration no matter where employees are working, putting the employee at the heart and fosters both engagement and connectivity.

With the introduction of ClickShare Present to the meeting room ecosystem, the company now offers a solution for any customer wanting to turn existing conference rooms into fully equipped hybrid collaboration rooms.

On the other hand, the fully agnostic ClickShare Conference models, launched successfully last year at ISE in Amsterdam, unleash the power of BYOM (Bring Your Own Meeting) by bridging to remote participants through their video service of choice.

ClickShare Conference gives users the freedom to organise hybrid meetings the way they want and where they want. They host calls from their laptop, use their preferred UC&C platform, and wirelessly connect to the meeting room display and AV peripherals.

In addition, ClickShare offers IT managers the freedom to choose between plug & play collaboration with the ClickShare Button or powerful workflow optimisation with the ClickShare Desktop App. Both empower hybrid meetings through the same, simple, intuitive experience.

As an ISO 27001 certified product, the company’s focus is entirely on security and central management, which is essential for IT compatibility.

-- BERNAMA

CLOUDFLARE LAUNCHES PROJECT PANGEA TO HELP UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES EXPAND ACCESS TO THE INTERNET, FOR FREE

 

New initiative will offer Cloudflare’s global edge network and security services at no cost to help connect local communities to the Internet


SAN FRANCISCO, July 27 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET), the security, performance, and reliability company helping to build a better Internet, today announced a new initiative to improve Internet access for underserved communities around the world. Through Project Pangea, eligible local communities can use Cloudflare’s performance and security services–for free–to more reliably and securely connect to the global Internet without paying the high costs of bandwidth. By providing its security and network services, Cloudflare is helping local groups or nonprofits that build their own telecom infrastructure find a free and sustainable way to connect people who rely on the Internet for everything from communication to education and economic development.

Nearly half of the world’s population has no access to the Internet, with many more limited to poor, expensive, and unreliable connectivity. Many communities rely on non-profits or form local groups to build their own networks by erecting Wi-Fi antennas or laying fiber optic cables. This allows them to build a network in a town that connects homes and businesses together, but it remains very expensive to connect that network to the Internet. Bandwidth is either unavailable or unaffordable because existing providers don't have the economies of scale to provide it, or because regional policies and regulations favor urban markets. The problem is not limited to developing nations and exists across the globe. In the United States for example, 21 million people have no high-speed connection despite large levels of public investment and private infrastructure. Now, Cloudflare is offering a chance for communities to get the Internet experience they deserve–performant, reliable, and secure.

“Safe, reliable, and sustainable Internet access is a basic human right,” said Matthew Prince, co-founder & CEO of Cloudflare. “Unfortunately many communities are building their own infrastructure only to be blocked by high bandwidth costs. We want to help where we can–if they’ve already built the connecting roads, we want to offer our network as the safe, accessible highway to the global Internet.”

Cloudflare’s global network spans more than 200 cities in over 100 countries, and interconnects with over 9,500 networks globally, including major ISPs, cloud services, and enterprises. This allows Cloudflare to offer a secure, affordable way to expand access to the Internet that can grow with, and contribute to, the sustainability of these networks, as well as be ready for any new networks that launch. To participate in this initiative, network organizers can visit the Project Pangea website to view the technical requirements and to register interest.

With Project Pangea, community network organizers will be able to:

• Find a free on-ramp to the Internet: Eligible communities can sign up for Project Pangea to get free, reliable, and high-quality connectivity without being left behind or overcharged by traditional ISPs.
• Operate secure and performant networks for everyone: Not only does Project Pangea provide connectivity to communities, but also Cloudflare’s security tools to make networks resilient in the face of cyberattacks. With access to Cloudflare Network Interconnect, Magic Transit, and Magic Firewall, networks will be able to stay online and protect users while giving them a fast Internet experience.
• Take advantage of Cloudflare’s global infrastructure footprint: Cloudflare’s global network spans more than 200 cities in over 100 countries, and interconnects with over 9,500 networks globally. This makes it one of the most reachable networks in the world, with communities able to connect to the data center that is closest to them, resulting in a faster and more stable connection.

Project Pangea Participants

"As a community-owned wireless ISP based in rural South Africa, we advocate for digital equity and for Internet that is truly affordable," said Sol Luca de Tena, Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Zenzeleni Networks NPC. "To do this, we work with a range of partners to help make Community Networks become mechanisms for positive change. With Cloudflare's Project Pangea, we see an opportunity to further improve how communities can gain affordable and secure connectivity to the Internet."

“HUBS is a cooperative of community networks in Scotland with a goal of enabling reliable, fast Internet through affordable technical solutions. By connecting rural areas with Internet infrastructure and services, we can give people in those communities access to and representation on the Internet,” said Gordon Hughes, Executive Director of HUBS CIC. "Cloudflare’s Project Pangea will help make it easy for networks to ensure affordability and reliability for the community while also feeling at ease that they’re secure and protected.”

"As a group of activists for free community networks in Argentina, AlterMundi strives to help solve connectivity problems in populations neglected by the market," said Nicolás Echániz, founder of AlterMundi. "Low costs and high performance are necessary for networks to help their communities thrive– which is one of the reasons we're intrigued by the potential of Project Pangea could bring to bridging the connectivity divide that many areas face."

"As the largest community network in the US, working with New Yorkers to close the digital divide, NYC Mesh is looking forward to collaborating with Cloudflare to better serve the communities we connect," said Zachary Giles, Volunteer Network Admin at NYC Mesh.

"At guifi.net, we welcome the contribution of a leading company such as Cloudflare to the community networks ecosystem. Project Pangea addresses the recurrent blocking factor of Internet access in a meaningful manner (free for the small, at cost for the larger) from a privileged position,” said Ramon Roca, President of the Guifi.net Foundation. “Thus, we are convinced that this project can become a milestone in the history of community networks."

Industry Support

“Communities need connectivity to thrive and to connect to schools, to jobs, to opportunity, and to each other,” said Jane R. Coffin, Senior Vice President of Internet Growth at Internet Society, a global nonprofit organization that promotes the development and use of the Internet. “Since 2010, we’ve been working with partners around the world to scale community networks and to empower the people who need the Internet to also build it. This is why we’re excited to see how Cloudflare's Project Pangea can help make these networks more secure and efficient–and ultimately contribute to a more open, globally connected, and secure Internet.”

“Access to the Internet is a fundamental requirement of life, and trustworthy and secure internet services are a vital pillar of Digital Trust,” said Daniel Dobrygowski, Head of Governance and Trust at the World Economic Forum. “From our work on the Internet for All initiative all the way through the new Edison Alliance, the World Economic Forum has expanded access to the Internet and spurred global cooperation on the public goods of cybersecurity, digital trust, and good governance of technology. We welcome Cloudflare’s Project Pangea as a valued contributor to a more equal, accessible, and trustworthy global Internet.”

"Access to the Internet should be open, accessible and affordable to all. Mozilla has long been committed to supporting communities across the world, particularly in rural areas, to bring people online,” said Alice Munyua, Director Africa Mradi at Mozilla. “Today, we are excited to see the launch of Cloudflare's Project Pangea for the approach it is taking to help communities benefit from more affordable access to the global Internet backbone."

"At the Association for Progressive Communications, we focus on creating an enabling environment for community networks, supporting those unconnected who want to connect themselves," said Carlos Rey-Moreno, Co-Lead of the Local Networks initiative at APC. "One of the challenges the community network movement faces is the high costs for secure and reliable Internet–a roadblock that we believe Cloudflare is well positioned to help overcome."

Resources

• Project Pangea Overview
• Blog: Helping Underserved Communities Expand Access to the Internet For Free

About Cloudflare

Cloudflare, Inc. (www.cloudflare.com / @cloudflare) is on a mission to help build a better Internet. Cloudflare’s suite of products protect and accelerate any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare have all web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures 2018 list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company in 2019. Headquartered in San Francisco, CA, Cloudflare has offices in Austin, TX, Champaign, IL, New York, NY, San Jose, CA, Seattle, WA, Washington, D.C., Toronto, Lisbon, London, Munich, Paris, Beijing, Singapore, Sydney, and Tokyo.

© 2021 Cloudflare, Inc. All rights reserved. Cloudflare, the Cloudflare logo, and Project Pangea are trademarks and/or registered trademarks of Cloudflare, Inc. in the U.S. and other jurisdictions. All other marks and names mentioned herein may be trademarks of their respective companies.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210726005137/en/

Contact

Daniella Vallurupalli
press@cloudflare.com

Source : Cloudflare, Inc.

FPT SOFTWARE INVESTS IN INTERTEC INTERNATIONAL, BOLSTERING NEARSHORE DELIVERY CAPABILITIES IN THE AMERICAS

 

^{The access to Intertec’s facilities in Costa Rica and Colombia is expected to help FPT Software strengthen its nearshore delivery capabilities (Photo: Envato Elements)}


HANOI, Vietnam, July 26 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Vietnam’s leading tech firm, FPT Software, today announces its investment in global IT services provider Intertec International (Intertec), aiming to strengthen its North American nearshore delivery capabilities.

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210725005021/en/

 

With this strategic investment, FPT Software and especially its North America subsidiary, FPT USA Corp., can secure access to Intertec’s nearshore technology delivery centres in Costa Rica and Colombia and tap into Intertec’s wealth of operational experience in Latin America (LATAM). This deal enables FPT Software to address its clients’ increasing demand for Agile software engineering and bridge the time zone differences between its IT professionals and customers.

The investment enables Intertec to leverage FPT Software's resources, including its innovative digital products and services and its network of delivery centres worldwide, to take on larger projects from a global approach.

“We have known FPT Software, its people and its management for quite some time now and have worked on a number of successful joint engagements. The FPT Software investment will help us accelerate our growth and build out our infrastructure, technical capabilities and proprietary tools. We’re excited to be aligned with an organization that shares our ideals of providing exceptional customer value and proactive engagement.” said Intertec International CEO Rickard Hedeby.

“This deal represents a strong commitment to our customers. Though the US is our focused market, investing in nearby destinations like Costa Rica and Colombia offers up to 30 percent cost savings while still ensuring time-zone, language, and cultural alignment. We will also be gaining access to a highly-skilled IT workforce.”, said FPT Americas Chief Executive Officer Dang Tran Phuong.

“Costa Rica and Colombia are attractive service hubs and renowned outsourcing destinations in the LATAM region, so I believe there are huge potentials for us to tap into. With the combination of the region’s geographical advantages, business-friendly government policies, our digital solutions and both companies’ technical know-how, we aim to assist more customers at an accelerated speed while saving costs.”, he added.

The investment in Intertec International aligns with FPT Software’s strategy to optimise its mix of offshore, nearshore and onsite delivery models to support customers 24/7. Before this move, FPT Software has established 22 development centres spanning the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific to improve its responsiveness and help its customers realise their speed-to-market goals.

After two decades of leading Southeast Asia in IT outsourcing, FPT Software shifted its strategic focus onto digital transformation in 2019. The company aims to become a billion-dollar IT and digital transformation services provider by 2024.

About FPT Software

FPT Software is a global technology and IT services provider headquartered in Vietnam, with more than USD 513 million in revenue and 18,000 employees in 26 countries. As a pioneer in digital transformation, the company delivers world-class services in Smart factory, Digital platforms, RPA, AI, IoT, Cloud, AR/VR, BPO, and more. It has served 700+ customers worldwide, a hundred of which are Fortune Global 500 companies in the industries of Automotive, Banking and Finance, Logistics & Transportation, Utilities, and more. For more information, please visit www.fpt-software.com.

About Intertec International

Intertec International is an IT & Technical Services company founded in 2002, headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona, with offices across the US, UK, and Nearshore Technology Centers in Costa Rica and Colombia. Intertec International provides technology solutions and services to Fortune 500 and mid-size companies in a variety of vertical markets. Managing challenging industry- specific IT programs is one of Intertec’s core competencies. Its organizational flexibility also allows it to offer customized solutions to new industries to our portfolio by using proven methodologies for initiating and implementing programs. Intertec’s experience and subject matter expertise include industries such as banking, financial services, insurance, CPG, logistics, technology, and aerospace.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210725005021/en/ 

Contact

Media
Trinh Sao Mai (Ms.)
Head of Global Marketing & Communications
Email: MCP.PR@fsoft.com.vn

Source : FPT Software

INSTEP WINS BTEC'S SILVER AWARD FOR INTERNATIONAL INSTITUTION OF THE YEAR

 Accolade recognises INSTEP’s outstanding achievements during unprecedented times
 
 
KUALA NERUS, July 23 (Bernama) -- Institut Teknologi Petroleum PETRONAS (INSTEP) was recently presented with the Business and Technology Education Council (BTEC) Silver Award for International Institution of the Year 2021.
 
BTEC, which is based in the United Kingdom, is an international accreditation body which focuses on upskilling nearly million global learners over the past year with technical expertise. The annual BTEC Awards recognises individuals and institutions that have achieved great things during these unprecedented times.
 
Since 2014, INSTEP has been playing a vital role as an internationally recognised technical learning institution in designing and delivering BTEC Self-Regulated Framework (SRF) qualifications to meet the Oil & Gas industry learners' needs. To date, INSTEP has certified 1,438 BTEC Level 2 learners and 2,357 BTEC Level 3 learners under its Bridging Programmes: Technical Energy Enrichment Programme (TEP) for PETRONAS as well as customised TEP for international clients such as Oil Search Limited (OSL), Papua New Guinea, and Production Operation Training (POT), Iraq.
 
Commenting on INSTEP’s achievement, PETRONAS Senior Vice President of Group Human Resource Management Farehana Hanapiah, who is also the Board Chairperson of PETRONAS Technical Training Sdn Bhd said, “PETRONAS continuously advocates for education and human capital development, aligned with our Purpose as ‘a progressive energy and solutions partner enriching lives for a sustainable future’.
 
“I am immensely proud of INSTEP’s achievement as the Silver Award recipient for International Institution of the Year 2021. This is INSTEP’s very first win and we are honoured to receive this award. Winning this award substantiates INSTEP’s relentless efforts in progressively delivering BTEC qualifications since 2014, and PETRONAS’ strong commitment to human capital investments, despite the challenges faced during these unprecedented times.”
 
The Skills Specialist at the UK Government’s Department for International Trade, Jonathan Ledger, said, “I must emphasise the importance of BTEC as a career-focused type of qualification and that for me is key. This is all about delivering the right skills to the right people at the right time in the right way, and BTEC qualifications do just that. BTEC qualifications are a game changer. They change lives and help people improve and contribute to businesses and society in a big way.”
 
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, INSTEP swiftly adjusted to the new norm and embraced the opportunity to provide digital learning solutions via Virtual Instructor-Led Training (VILT) to upskill technical workforce virtually to ensure competency in managing day-to-day operations. To date, a total of 886 programmes were successfully delivered via VILT, upskilling more than 10,000 learners.
 
 
About INSTEP
 
Established in 1981, INSTEP accelerates human capital development in the energy industry and has produced more than 130,000 competent technical workforces globally. The year 2021 marks INSTEP’s 40 years of contribution to building technical competencies and commitment in enriching the energy workforce towards a sustainable future.
 
About Pearson
 
Learning is the most powerful force for change in the world. More than 20,000 Pearson employees deliver our products and services in nearly 200 countries, all working towards a common purpose – to help everyone achieve their potential through learning. We do that by providing high-quality, digital content and learning experiences, as well as assessments and qualifications that help people build their skills and grow with the world around them. We are the world’s leading learning company. Learn more at pearson.com/uk.
 
Website: https://www.instep.my/Pages/default.aspx
FB: https://www.facebook.com/instep.MY/  
IG: https://www.instagram.com/instep.my/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/instep-my/mycompany/
 
 
Issued by:
Media Engagement
Group Strategic Communications 
PETRONAS
 
 
SOURCE : PETRONAS

LEADING FINANCIAL SERVICES, TECHNOLOGY INSIGHT FIRMS MERGE FORMING AITE-NOVARICA GROUP

KUALA LUMPUR, July 22 (Bernama) -- Aite Group LLC and Novarica Inc have joined forces to create the leading advisory firm, Aite-Novarica Group.

The firm focuses on helping executives from banks, payment providers, insurers, securities firms and their respective service providers respond to important technology, market, operations, and regulatory changes, according to a statement.

“We have a tremendous opportunity to leverage our subject-matter experts’ hundreds of years of collective industry experience to advise financial services executives on their most critical decisions,” said a former Corporate Executive Board (CEB) executive who is the new Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the combined company, Kurt Reisenberg.

Meanwhile, former CEO of Novarica and head of Research Councils for Aite-Novarica Group, Matthew Josefowicz said: “Our entire team is looking forward to bringing additional insights from adjacent financial services verticals and specialised areas such as fraud, anti-money laundering, and cybersecurity to our insurer CIO clients.”

“We are excited about providing new depths of technology leadership experience and advisory capabilities to all of our clients, and about having more impact on decision-makers in the insurance industry,” said former managing partner of Aite Group and head of Products and Strategy for Aite-Novarica Group, Sang Lee.

The combined company offers over 70 analysts and industry practitioners based in North America and Europe with extensive expertise across all subsectors of the financial services industry.

It also offers a library of more than 3,000 reports covering the last 16 years of financial services technology innovations, and insights drawn from deep relationships with hundreds of banks, payments providers, insurers, and securities firms.

In addition, an executive advisory business based on deep relationships with hundreds of Chief Information and Technology Officers, and detailed analysis of leading vendors across nearly every financial services vertical are also offered.

The respective firms will continue to maintain their own separate web presences and research libraries through the end of 2021 at https://aitegroup.com and https://novarica.com.

More details about Aite-Novarica Group at https://aite-novarica.com.

-- BERNAMA

CSOP ANNOUNCES CSOP CHINA HEALTHCARE DISRUPTION INDEX ETF LISTING ON THE HKEX

KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Bernama) -- CSOP Asset Management Limited (CSOP) has announced the listing of CSOP China Healthcare Disruption Index ETF (stock ticker: 3174.HK) on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange (the HKEX).

According to a statement, 3174.HK will track the performance of the Solactive China Healthcare Disruption Index (the Index).

With listing price at around HKD 7.8 per unit, trading lot of 100 shares and annual management fee of 0.99 per cent, CSOP China Healthcare Disruption Index ETF will start to trade on July 21. (HKD 100 = RM54.56)

Upon inception, 3174.HK has received around HKD 103 million initial investment.

Managing Director, Head of Business Development and Product Strategy & Solutions, Melody He said: “We are delighted to bring another future-themed ETF to our investors. The launch of 3174.HK enables investors to grasp the investment opportunities by pursuing a healthier life more easily and transparently.”

In 2020, the healthcare sector in the Hong Kong stock market showed strong growth momentum and received significant market interest with 23 newly-listed healthcare companies raising a total of HKD 98 billion.

To replicate the robust performance of the fast-growing healthcare industry in Greater China, the Solactive China Healthcare Disruption Index comprehensively invests in up to 35 most representative Hong Kong-listed companies with business operations in mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macau.

Based on historical back-testing data, the Index achieves a return of 36.6 per cent over the prior 12 months.

Primarily adopting a physical representative sampling strategy to replicate the index, 3174.HK enables worldwide investors to grasp the investment opportunities of healthcare industry in an easy and transparent way.

As the pioneer ETF issuer in Hong Kong, CSOP has always been dedicated to providing ETFs/ETPs that not only serve the demands of asset allocation, but also present the prospects of investments, with 3174.HK being one of the important members of CSOP future-defining thematic ETFs.

-- BERNAMA

THREE AMINVEST FIXED INCOME FUNDS PICKED AS FSMONE RECOMMENDED UNIT TRUSTS

 KUALA LUMPUR, July 21 (Bernama) -- Three AmInvest fixed income funds have been selected at this year’s FSMOne Recommended Unit Trusts Awards 2021/22 (“Awards”)¹ in recognition of consistent outperformance amongst peers within their respective categories.
 
AmIncome Plus was listed as the recommended unit trust fund under the Core Fixed Income-Malaysia (Short Duration) category for the eighth year, whereas AmDynamic^# Bond topped the Fixed Income-Malaysia with Foreign Exposure category for the sixth year running.¹ In addition, AmTactical Bond was singled out as the recommended unit trust fund under the Fixed Income-Asia category this year.¹ AmInvest is the fund management brand under AmInvestment Bank.
 
The Awards assist investors to shortlist consistently performing unit trust funds amongst their peers. FSMOne is an online investment platform that distributes unit trusts, stocks, exchange traded funds, insurance, bonds and managed portfolios.
 
For the Awards, unit trust funds with at least three years of track record (as at end March 2021) were rigorously assessed amongst peers in the same category. The methodology for fund assessment was based on a combination of quantitative and qualitative factors. The quantitative factors taken into account were historical performance, risk and expense ratio. Meanwhile, additional qualitative factors such as fund house’s investment philosophy and consistency in its investment approach were also considered to determine the winners in each category.
 
Ms. Goh Wee Peng, Chief Executive of AmInvest, said, “With our stringent credit processes and superior credit selection by our in-house proprietary credit research unit spanning over four decades, we offer investors the opportunity to optimise returns with lower risk assets, within acceptable risk boundaries. Throughout the years, we have received various awards for our expertise in managing fixed income investments, including Best Bond Fund Family Group Over Three Years for the second year at the Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards Malaysia 2021.³ Last year, we adopted dynamic asset allocation investment strategies for our AmDynamic^# Bond and AmTactical Bond funds which provided the flexibility to switch between aggressive and defensive stances to capitalise on market conditions.”
 
AmIncome Plus is suitable for investors with a short to medium-term investment horizon who want to invest the cash portion of their investment portfolio for the potential to reap regular income and to preserve capital. For a one-year period (as at March 2021), the fund posted a total return (a measure of the fund’s performance comprising income distribution and capital gains) of around 3.2% and 12.0% over a three-year period.²
 
AmDynamic^# Bond seeks to optimise risk-adjusted returns for investors including interest rate expectations, currency movements and diversification opportunities through its exposure to both local as well as foreign bonds. This medium to long-term bond fund employs an active management investment strategy that seeks to increase returns by capitalising on market views and timing decisions, as opposed to a buy-and-hold strategy. The fund achieved a one-year total return of 4.4% and 20.7% over three years up to end March 2021.²
 
AmTactical Bond aims to provide income and to a lesser extent capital appreciation by investing primarily in local and foreign bonds. It is also a medium to long-term bond fund that is actively managed in which its trading activities will depend on investment opportunities. Over one-year and three-year periods (as at March 2021), the fund has registered total return of 7.0% and 20.0% respectively.²
 
About AmInvest
AmInvest is the brand name for the funds management business of AmFunds Management Berhad and AmIslamic Funds Management Sdn Bhd, both of which are wholly owned subsidiaries of AmInvestment Bank Berhad. We are a multiple award-winning fund manager based in Malaysia with 40 years of investing experience managing unit trust funds, wholesale funds, institutional mandates, Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) and Private Retirement Scheme (PRS); encompassing both conventional and Shariah-compliant funds.
 
Sources and Notes:
# The word “Dynamic” in the context refers to the fund’s investment strategy which is active management, not buy-and-hold strategy.
 
¹ iFAST Capital Sdn Bhd, July 2021.
² Based on performance data for AmIncome Plus, AmDynamic^# Bond and AmTactical Bond B MYR compiled by Lipper, Refinitiv, as at 31 March 2021. Performance is shown in Malaysian Ringgit on a NAV price basis with income distribution reinvested. Performance figures are calculated net of all fees, charges and expenses, except entry charge and exit penalty (if any). Past performance is not indicative of future performance.
³ Refinitiv Lipper Fund Awards Malaysia 2021, March 2021.


SOURCE : AmBank Group

THE LARGEST SINGAPORE ICT EXHIBITION IN ASIA 'CONNECTECHASIA' ENDED SUCCESSFULLY WITH PARTICIPATION OF DIGITAL CONTENT COMPANIES IN KOREA, THE DIGITAL POWERHOUSE

- Korean digital content companies showed off various companies’ promotion content and received positive feedback from the participants

- CTA supported Korean companies with a special hall for Korea and non-contact export consultation

- Non-contact export consultation recorded 156 cases with 20 Korean companies and 37 overseas companies

SINGAPORE, July 19 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- The Singapore ICT exhibition, ‘CommunicAsia 2021-ConnecTechAsia’ (hosted by IMDA & Informa Tech/sponsored by Informa Tech) that drew attention with the participation of digital content companies of Korea, the world’s well-known 'digital powerhouse,' ended with a big success.

Korean companies’ participation in CTA online exhibition from July 14 to 16 was to promote the Korean companies' entry into ASEAN countries by the close support of MOIBA, introducing various content based on excellent technology and bringing a strong interest.

CTA is the largest ICT event with Asian Digital Content-related agencies, companies, and VCs, and according to the business agreement with IMDA in Singapore, it was held under the name of 'Asia Tech x Singapore 2021 (AT x SG)' this year. About 329 global companies and over 8,200 attendees participated.

The host was very supportive of Korean companies participating in this online exhibition by Opening of ‘Korea Pavilion-MOIBA special hall’ on the website; Introducing participant companies’ products through demo session; Holding AI Summit and webinar session to provide panel discussion and presentation to interchange and share insight for information such as Industry 4.0, 5G technology, IoT, Quantum, etc.; Biz-matching through non-contact export consultation and recruiting buyer in the exhibition; IR pitching session (Elevating Founders) based on 6 topics such as Health Tech, Climate/Agri Tech, Future of Work, Ed Tech, Fintech, Smart Cities, etc.

In particular, 20 Korean companies and 37 overseas global companies participated in the non-contact export consultation performed as a prior program for 5 days from July 5 (Mon.) to 9 (Fri.), conducting 156 consultation cases in total.

An official of this event said, “The participation of Korean digital content companies getting its spotlight in its industry has brought success to this event. We expect strengthened interaction with the Korean digital content companies through this exhibition.”

For more details related to CTA, visit its official website (https://www.connectechasia.com). 

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ALPHA INNOMED-​CHINA RESOURCES PARTNERSHIP TO BRING MED-TECH INNOVATIONS TO CHINESE MARKET

KUALA LUMPUR, July 15 (Bernama) -- Alpha Innomed Pte Ltd and China Resources (Shanghai) Medical Technology Co Ltd have signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperating in the facilitation of technological, clinical, corporate and business development partnerships for international med-tech companies in China.

According to a statement, it is a key challenge for med-tech companies to bring their new and innovative products to the markets, in particular to those wide and distant markets, especially China.

The strategic partnership of China Resources (Shanghai) Medical Technology Co Ltd and Alpha Innomed Pte Ltd offers a strong platform for the med-tech companies to bring their innovative products to China.

It encloses a deep insight into the needs of Chinese healthcare system and a path to identify the novel medical technologies which match those needs.

It further incubates the selected products and leads them effectively and efficiently through the Chinese National Medical Products Administration certification process.

Ultimately, the products will access the market, through the powerful medical device distribution network under the roof of China Resources to reach a full and fast sales success.

Alpha Innomed Pte Ltd, a Singapore and Switzerland dual-headquartered organisation, devotes itself for accelerating the market reach for med-tech innovators through business digitalisation and applicable intelligence.

Meanwhile, China Resources (Shanghai) Medical Technology Co Ltd, a company under China Resources Pharmaceutical Commercial Group Medical Devices Co Ltd, focuses on incubating and commercialising new medical devices on the Chinese Market.

More details at https://alpha-innomed.com.

-- BERNAMA

POLYPLASTICS DEVELOPS TESTING METHOD IDENTIFYING GAS FORMATION DURING INJECTION MOLDING

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) -- Polyplastics Co Ltd, a leading global supplier of engineering thermoplastics, has developed a testing method that identifies gas formation during the injection molding process and helps reduce mold deposits.

The company's Gas Investigation Method in Injection Molding (GIMIM) facilitates continuous molding and improves production efficiency, according to a statement.

During the injection molding process, harsh conditions (high temperature, high speed) and deterioration of plastic additives can release high volumes of decomposition gases.

Mold deposits, gas burns, and short shots caused by pyrolysis gas can lead to quality problems, including undesirable effects on the dimensions and appearance of products, resulting in a higher defect rate.

Polyplastics' proprietary method captures and evaluates the gases formed during molding and identifies the mechanism by which pyrolysis gas forms during injection molding.

This simple system configuration is divided into the three stages of plasticisation, metering, and injection, and each unit is fitted with gas traps to seclude the gases that form within each part of the process.

GIMIM can reflect the actual circumstances during molding by directly trapping and analysing the gases formed during molding. GIMIM makes it possible to measure high-molecular-weight substances that can cause mold deposits.

Since this method directly analyses gases that are formed inside the mold during filling, the company believes it yields results that are closest to real-world conditions.

In further research, Polyplastics plans to examine other problems caused by pyrolysis gas such as short shots and gas burn defects, as well as mold deposits.

-- BERNAMA

VORTEXA LAUNCHES ENERGY ANALYTICS PLATFORM ON THE BLOOMBERG APP PORTAL

Vortexa Energy Analytics App, now available on The Bloomberg App Portal (Graphic: Business Wire)

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) -- Vortexa has launched its energy analytics platform, combining AI and deep energy industry expertise to provide the most complete real-time data and analytics tools for waterborne energy on the Bloomberg App Portal at APPS VTXA ‹GO›.

Energy traders and analysts using Vortexa App on The Bloomberg App Portal will have access to past, present and future global energy flows of Crude, LNG, Biofuels, Gasoline, Diesel, Fuel Oil, Jet, Naphtha and many others - powerful leading indicators of price movements and key for identifying trading opportunities.

Fabio Kuhn, Vortexa’s Chief Executive Officer said: "We are very excited to bring the Vortexa App to The Bloomberg Terminal, making it easier for clients to use Vortexa’s energy data and analytics in their Terminal workflows together with Bloomberg’s functionality and market data, including prices.”

According to a statement, Vortexa processes a vast amount of data coming from satellites, brokers, port agents, customs and many others, using state-of-the-art AI technology closely overseen by in-house industry experts in order to produce the most complete and accurate data of its kind - at the edge of what’s possible today in the energy markets.

APPS VTXA ‹GO› provides Bloomberg Terminal subscribers with real-time market intelligence and valuable trading insights, streamlining and accelerating their analysis and trading workflows by using Vortexa’s forward-looking and point-in-time information of changing market conditions.

The Bloomberg App Portal gives Bloomberg Terminal subscribers access to a diverse library of financial tools provided by software developers from worldwide. These include tools for news and social sentiment analysis, technical charting analysis, and data visualisation, among others.

Vortexa’s highly intuitive web-based app and programmatic API/SDK interfaces help traders, analysts and charterers make high-value trading decisions with confidence, when it matters most.

-- BERNAMA

ZOHO ADVANCES BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE, ANALYTICS MARKET WITH NEW SELF-SERVICE PLATFORM

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) -- Zoho Corporation, a leading global technology company, has announced its new Business Intelligence (BI) Platform — an AI-driven data analytics solution empowering businesses to surface precise and actionable insights through self-service data preparation and augmented analytics.

Combining newly launched Zoho DataPrep with an enhanced version of Zoho Analytics, Zoho's end-to-end self-service BI Platform enables organisations to cleanse, unify, and analyse cross-departmental data, obtain an encyclopedic view of the company, and ultimately move toward a more competitive business strategy based on real-time insights.

Zoho's BI Platform brings together pre-built, visual dashboards, comprehensive data integrations, data preparation, augmented and embedded BI, security and privacy capabilities, flexible deployment models (cloud or on-premise), and scalability.

There are four standout pillars of the platform, which allow businesses to perform better and remain competitive in their industries, namely Augmented Data Prep and Management; Data Stories; Augmented Analytics; and, Marketplace.

The new Zoho BI Platform is built for scale and is extensible to more than 250 data sources — including Zendesk, HubSpot, Microsoft, Mailchimp, Stripe and Google — allowing businesses to integrate and analyse data sourced from diverse third-party systems.

The BI platform gives users on-demand insight into operational data to inform critical business decisions with the support of Zia, Zoho's AI tool, according to a statement.

Zia augments data preparation and visualisation by using natural language querying and generation, text narration of key insights from reports and dashboards, and cognitive and advanced analytics.

With more than 50,000 organisations already using it, Zoho Analytics has consistently been one of the company's fastest growing products. Zoho BI Platform, which includes Zoho Analytics and Zoho DataPrep, is available immediately in two versions, cloud and on-premise.

More details at https://www.zoho.com/analytics/

-- BERNAMA

MARTIN BERNSTEIN JOINS SYNCHRONOSS BOARD OF DIRECTORS

B. Riley Executive Brings Strong Financial Acumen to the Board

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., July 13 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Synchronoss Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: SNCR), a global leader and innovator of cloud, messaging and digital solutions, is pleased to announce that Martin Bernstein has joined its Board of Directors, effective immediately.

Bernstein was appointed to the Board in connection with the recent recapitalization of Synchronoss, and serves as a representative of B. Riley Financial, Inc. (NASDAQ: RILY) (B. Riley), the company’s largest shareholder.

“On behalf of our entire Board, I am pleased to welcome Marty to our team,” said Stephen Waldis, Founder and Executive Chairman of the Synchronoss Board of Directors. “Marty’s extensive experience in capital allocation strategies, corporate governance and financing will serve our organization well. I have no doubt that his impressive knowledge and extraordinary track record will not only benefit our already strong board, but I fully expect his impact will be key to helping Synchronoss achieve its strategic growth objectives.”

Bernstein represents B. Riley Principal Investments, an affiliate of B. Riley that makes direct investments in companies with proven platform technologies with significant near-term growth potential. He currently serves as Head of Private Investments at B. Riley and is responsible for sourcing, underwriting and managing company investments in addition to leading distribution to the firm's syndication partners. Bernstein has extensive experience leading investments across technology, transportation, automotive, aerospace, manufacturing, power, infrastructure, and other sectors.

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OPENED: THE INTERNATIONAL URBAN DESIGN COMPETITION OF GUANGDONG-HONG KONG-MACAO INNOVATION COOPERATION DEMONSTRATION ZONE

 

KUALA LUMPUR, July 14 (Bernama) -- The International Urban Design Competition of Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone was recently announced by Guangzhou Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau and Nansha District People's Government of Guangzhou City.

The competition is aimed at collecting forward-looking, innovative urban designs worldwide, and establishing the city image of Nansha as the southernmost sea-land portal of Guangzhou.

The registration time of the competition is from July 13 to Aug 3, according to a statement.

The design area of the competition, Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Innovation Cooperation Demonstration Zone, is the intersection of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong and Guangzhou-Zhuhai-Macao Science and Technology Innovation Corridors.

It is also the strategic hinge connecting the inner circle development belt around the Greater Bay Area in the southern expansion urban spatial development strategy of Guangzhou.

The scope of the competition is divided into two levels: overall conceptual design and detailed design. The scope of the overall conceptual design covers an area of about 71 square kilometres, while the scope of the detailed design covers an area of about eight square kilometres.

The competition will finally select the first six design institutions as the participating institutions and vote the three winning schemes from them. One participating institution will be determined to win the right of integrating and optimising the competition results.

-- BERNAMA

Kyalio launches Asia’s maiden Day-to-Day Endo-Laparoscopic VR Surgical Library

KUALA LUMPUR, July 9 -- Kyalio and the Endoscopic and Laparoscopic Surgeons of Asia (ELSA), a leading surgical association with over 2,600 members, jointly launched the Day-to-Day Endo-Laparoscopic Virtual Reality Surgical Library recently.

A first in Asia, the multi-platform VR Surgical Library, which utilises real-scene Virtual Reality, addresses the importance of continuous surgical training and enables cross-border surgical education to be sustained even in the face of COVID-19.

The library also supports long distance surgical training for young surgeons in developing countries and remote areas, according to a statement.

“The VR Surgical Library is major step forward in using technology to make surgical education accessible for surgeons around the world,” explained Prof Davide Lomanto, who is leading the digital education programme at ELSA.

“Continuous learning helps members to become more effective in their own surgical practice. Our partnership with Kyalio amplifies our global surgical education efforts in an affordable and accessible way."

VR technology allows learners from worldwide to gain exposure to a wide range of cases by placing them beside leading experts in the operating theatres, enhancing their knowledge and skills to improve surgical outcomes in their own practices.

More than half a million young surgeons in Asia stand to benefit from this technology.

Headquartered in Singapore, Kyalio was established in 2019 with the mission of creating affordable yet advanced technologies for large scale surgical education.

More details at www.kyalio.com.

-- BERNAMA

CHINA-CANADA COLLABORATION ON CO2 CAPTURE FOR CEMENT

REGINA, Saskatchewan, July 9 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A new collaboration between the China Building Materials Academy, (CBMA) and Canadian based, International CCS Knowledge Centre (Knowledge Centre) will see simultaneous advancements in understanding and knowledge sharing of carbon capture technology designed specifically to see substantial emission reductions from the global cement industry.

The first initiative under the agreement, Carbon Capture Use Piloting with Cement Kiln Project will aid CBMA in applying the Knowledge Centre’s model and Front End Engineering Design (FEED) of a test platform - which has a carbon dioxide (CO₂) capture capacity of approximately 155 kg CO₂/per day. The project will be built and piloted on a carbon capture system that utilizes the post combustion flue gas from a producing cement kiln.

The Knowledge Centre will have an observer role to learn and gain insight on the characteristics of a cement kiln operation and its integration with a post combustion carbon capture system. The agreement grants the Knowledge Centre access to the operational data, such as further design, testing, data based on the modelling, emission-related information, and any improvements made to the CO₂ capture test platform.

This collaboration agreement is part of a bilateral science and technology cooperation between Canada and China, the China-Canada Science & Technology Cooperative Action Plan. The agreement also syncs with goals of the Chinese government to achieve carbon peaking before 2030 and carbon neutrality before 2060 with efforts of the cement industry in China to accelerate innovation in low carbon technologies.

Through the carbon capture pilot platform, the CBMA is expected to adapt the application for potential scale-up to commercial demonstration with know-how that could be applied across the sizable fleet of China National Building Materials Ltd. (CNBM), the world’s largest cement producer and the parent of CBMA.

The Knowledge Centre is currently completing a feasibility study on a full-scaled post-combustion carbon capture system on Lehigh’s Cement plant in Edmonton, Canada by applying the same model based on large-scale CCS experiences from the commercial coal-fired power plant, at the famed Canadian based Boundary Dam 3 CCS Facility.

Quotes

“The International Knowledge Centre is proud to be a partner in assisting the CBMA on its CCS development and deployment journey to help China realize its ambitious goals of carbon peaking and carbon neutrality, which is positive for the world.”

- Conway Nelson, VP Strategy & Stakeholder Relations, International CCS Knowledge Centre

“The cement industry could only achieve carbon neutrality by carbon capture approaches. Deep GHG emission reduction objectives can only be achieved by adhering to the decarbonization technology route, by applying CCS technologies to capture the carbon dioxide emissions from various aspects of the production process.”
中国建材集团 周育先董事长：水泥行业要实现碳中和必然通过碳捕捉的方式，只有坚持脱碳技术路线，利用CCS技术尽可能吸收生产过程中各环节排放的二氧化碳，才有可能实现深度减排目标。

- Chairman Zhou Yuxian, Chairman of China Building Materials Group (CNBM)

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