CLOUDFLARE-HUGGING FACE PARTNERSHIP ENABLES DEVELOPERS DEPLOY AI MODELS

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 29 (Bernama) -- Cloudflare Inc, the connectivity cloud company has partnered with Hugging Face, the open platform for artificial intelligence (AI) builders, to make deploying the best open AI models more accessible and affordable to developers.

Cloudflare will be the first serverless graphics processing unit (GPU) preferred partner for deploying Hugging Face models, enabling developers to quickly and easily deploy AI globally, without managing infrastructure or paying for unused compute capacity.

“Hugging Face has made it possible for developers to find the models they need to build AI-driven experiences. Connecting developers to Workers AI is going to make it possible for them to deploy them, in just a few clicks,” said Cloudflare chief executive officer (CEO) and co-founder, Matthew Prince in a statement.

Meanwhile, Hugging Face CEO, Clem Delangue said Hugging Face and Cloudflare both share a deep focus on making the latest AI innovations as accessible and affordable as possible for AI builders.

“We are excited to offer serverless GPU services in partnership with Cloudflare to help developers scale their AI apps from zero to global, with no need to wrangle infrastructure or predict the future needs of their application, just pick your model and deploy,” he said.

Hugging Face’s leading model hub, combined with Cloudflare’s hyper-distributed edge network, will make it easier than ever for developers to build with AI affordably and at scale.

This partnership will enable developers to use the best Hugging Face models, optimised for Cloudflare; deploy Workers AI in one click from Hugging Face; and build AI without upfront costs.

-- BERNAMA

AVIA SOLUTIONS GROUP CHAIRMAN SHARES INSIGHTS ON AI IN AEROSPACE INDUSTRY

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Chairman of Avia Solutions Group, Gediminas Ziemelis has shared predictions regarding the areas where artificial intelligence (AI) in aviation will make a massive difference.

According to a statement, the use of AI in aviation goes beyond customer support chatbots and price comparison tools for travellers.

While these applications will definitely stay and become ubiquitous, the real disruption will come from optimising the “hard” areas of aviation, from revenue management to evaluating the likelihood of a strike.

An accomplished Lithuanian entrepreneur, Ziemelis said AI tools are able to unlock true dynamic pricing; maintaining engine health; planning the most efficient route; predicting strikes; improving workflows in-flight; helping pilots and crew maintain their mental health; and predicting the probability of Airworthiness Directives (AD), among others.

In the airline business, revenue management has never been an easy game, but the stakes are even higher in the post-COVID. AI can help improve the tough task of analysing historical data and calculating the right price, taking into account the client’s location and a myriad of other factors.

Predictive maintenance has been an integral part of maintenance, repair and operations (MRO) for quite some time now, with sensors helping airlines determine when and what needs to be fixed or replaced. AI can use both real-time sensor data and predictive historical fault patterns to reduce downtime and overall costs of maintenance.

With AI tools able to plan the most efficient route, AI-enabled platforms can accelerate decision-making for operators, helping them harness not just the power of historical data but also of predictive mechanisms that, together, generate an actionable and clear picture.

While strikes in aviation usually make headlines because of the disruption they have on travellers’ plans, the fact that airlines can lose tens if not hundreds of millions per strike is often overlooked.

AI can analyse not just technical but also sociological data, a model could be designed to help airlines predict a potential strike and be better prepared for potential negotiations.

Furthermore, AI can serve as a helper not just to the staff on the ground but also to the cabin crew. It is not just about making routine tasks easier, a properly trained tool can offer expert advice on managing the aircraft and making quick, informed decisions, especially when the pressure is on and quick decisions are vital.

-- BERNAMA

Quantexa Appoints Industry Luminaries to its Advisory Board to Accelerate Growth Plans

Former president of BlackRock, former CEO of NHSX, and former Director of GCHQ bring wealth of industry experience from finance, healthcare, and national security

LONDON, Sept 25 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Quantexa, the global leader in Decision Intelligence (DI) solutions for the private and public sectors, announced today that it has appointed three industry luminaries to its Advisory Board. These hires include Ralph Schlosstein, former CEO of Evercore and former President of BlackRock, Matthew Gould, former CEO of NHSX, and Sir Jeremy Fleming, Former Director of GCHQ. These distinguished leaders bring a wealth of expertise in finance, healthcare, and national security to Quantexa.

The expansion of Quantexa’s Advisory Board comes at a pivotal time for the organization, following the completion of a $129 million Series E funding round, led by GIC, where Quantexa joined an elite group of UK tech companies reaching breakout unicorn status. It was also announced this year that Quantexa will invest over $155M in the global AI industry over the next three years to help clients advance the use of AI to protect, optimize, and grow their organizations. By 2027, Quantexa’s total global investment in AI will reach more than $250M.

Ralph Schlosstein, former CEO of Evercore and former President of BlackRock, brings decades of experience in investment banking to Quantexa’s Advisory Board. His distinguished career includes playing a strategic role in helping the world’s largest asset management firm go public. Ralph’s financial acumen will play a pivotal role in shaping corporate strategy initiatives.

Matthew Gould, former CEO of NHSX, joins Quantexa’s Advisory Board, after serving as the British ambassador to Israel between 2010 and 2015, where Gould helped to launch the UK-Israel Technologies Hub – an initiative run in Tel Aviv to forge technology partnerships between UK and Israeli companies. More recently, Matthew leveraged his extensive background in healthcare to play a pivotal role in advising NHS on initiatives throughout the Covid-19 pandemic. At NHSX, Gould has been responsible for harnessing the power of data and technology to improve healthcare delivery. Matthew’s deep expertise will help Quantexa identify the economies and industries for strategic focus and make decisions on commercial strategy.

Sir Jeremy Fleming, Former Director of GCHQ, and former Deputy Head of MI5, joins the Advisory Board with more than 30 years of experience in intelligence and technology. His extensive background includes developing the National Cyber Security Centre, where he strived to make the UK the safest place to live and do business online. With a passion for making technology use in government more transparent, Sir Fleming will enhance Quantexa's capabilities in addressing emerging threats and opportunities.

"We are pleased to welcome Ralph Schlosstein, Matthew Gould, and Sir Jeremy Fleming to our Advisory Board," said Vishal Marria, CEO of Quantexa. "Their collective expertise in finance, healthcare, and national security will be invaluable as we continue to develop cutting-edge decision intelligence solutions that address the evolving needs of the market."

“Quantexa’s AI-enabled technology allows its customers to protect, optimize, and grow their organizations with efficiency and transparency,” said Ralph Schlosstein, former CEO of Evercore and former President of BlackRock. “I believe Quantexa is well-positioned to capture the opportunities ahead and increase its share of the emerging Decision Intelligence category. I am looking forward to supporting the executive team as they work to accelerate their organic and inorganic growth strategy.”

"It’s an exciting time for me to be joining Quantexa’s Advisory Board, at this critical stage of growth for the company," said Matthew Gould. "Quantexa's innovative approach to helping customers in the private and public sectors make data their most valuable utility is revolutionizing decision making across multiple industries. I look forward to working alongside the talented team at Quantexa to connect data and drive better outcomes for organizations.”

Sir Jeremy Fleming, Former Director of GCHQ commented “I’m thrilled to be part of a company at the forefront of AI innovation. I look forward to combining my experience with Quantexa’s impressive capabilities, which will continue to shape how their customers use data to protect businesses and citizens.”

With the help of its Advisory Board, Quantexa remains dedicated to empowering organizations to make trusted operational decisions through innovative Decision Intelligence solutions. For more on Quantexa’s Leadership team, visit here.

###

About Quantexa

Quantexa is a global data and analytics software company pioneering Decision Intelligence that empowers organizations to make trusted operational decisions by making data meaningful. Using the latest advancements in big data and AI, Quantexa’s Decision Intelligence platform uncovers hidden risk and new opportunities by providing a contextual, connected view of internal and external data in a single place. It solves major challenges across data management, KYC, customer intelligence, financial crime, risk, fraud, and security, throughout the customer lifecycle.

The Quantexa Decision Intelligence Platform enhances operational performance with over 90% more accuracy and 60 times faster analytical model resolution than traditional approaches. Founded in 2016, Quantexa now has more than 650 employees and thousands of users working with billions of transactions and data points across the world. The company has offices in London, Dublin, New York, Boston, Washington DC, Toronto, UAE, Malaga, Amsterdam, Luxembourg, Brussels, Melbourne, Sydney, and Singapore. For more information, follow us on LinkedIn.


Media Inquiries:
C: Stephanie Crisp, Associate Director and Media Strategist, Fight or Flight
E: Quantexa@fightflight.co.uk

C: Adam Jaffe, SVP of Corporate Marketing
T: +1 609 502 6889
E: adamjaffe@quantexa.com

Source: Quantexa Limited

Yili Wins "best Corporate Sustainability Film" At Odyssey 2023

 

Passion for a Sustainable Future 

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- A short film co-produced by Yili Group and The Economist Group in the UK titled "Passion for a Sustainable Future" had won "Best Corporate Sustainability Film" at Odyssey 2023 in Cambridge, an acknowledgment of the Asian dairy giant's commitment to global sustainability.

Now in its third edition, the Odyssey film festival celebrates "Global Sustainability" as its main theme this year, in response to the United Nations’ (UN) 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), according to a statement.

Integrating sustainability into its corporate culture, the company upholds a development philosophy that underscores the importance of green development, win-win cooperation and shared prosperity.

Yili launched China's first net-zero product series, covering milk, yoghurt, organic milk powder and ice cream, pioneering in the country’s food sector as one of the first companies to unveil its carbon reduction goal and commitment to achieving carbon neutrality by 2050 across the industry chain.

Adhering to the principles of altruism and creating long-term positive impact, it pools various resources to establish a global health ecosystem and promote shared prosperity, in the process of generating business value and social value.

Yili is China's first enterprise to sign the Business and Biodiversity Pledge of the Conference of Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the first to commit to and be approved to join the UN Water Action Agenda, and the sole dairy partner of the COP to be invited to the second session of the COP15.

With its dream of "World Integrally Sharing Health", Yili has also been expanding its environmental, social and governance (ESG) footprint across the continents.

This year, with its outstanding performance in the ESG field, it has achieved an A-level MSCI ESG rating, placing it at the top among A-share-listed dairy companies. Following its "New Vision for Value Creation", Yili is dedicated to uniting all forces to create value and contribute to the UN SDGs in the future.

-- BERNAMA

AM BEST AFFIRMS CREDIT RATINGS OF SOMPO JAPAN INSURANCE INC. AND ITS SUBSIDIARIES; AM BEST AFFIRMS ISSUER CREDIT RATING OF SOMPO INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LTD.

HONG KONG, Sept 22 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating (FSR) of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating (Long-Term ICR) of “aa-” (Superior) of Sompo Japan Insurance Inc. (SJ) (Japan) and its subsidiaries. The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. (See below for a detailed list of companies below).

Concurrently, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term ICR of “a-” (Excellent) of Sompo International Holdings Ltd. (SIH) (Pembroke, Bermuda). In addition, AM Best has affirmed the Long-Term Issue Credit Rating (Long-Term IR) of “a-” (Excellent) on $335 million 7% senior unsecured notes due by 2034 (which is guaranteed by SIH). The outlooks of these ratings are stable.

The ratings of SJ reflect its balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as strongest, as well as its strong operating performance, favourable business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM).

SJ’s balance sheet strength assessment reflects the company’s strongest level of risk-adjusted capitalisation, as measured by Best’s Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR). The company’s financial leverage remains conservative with adjusted debt leverage ratios below 25%, although it is higher compared to its domestic non-life peers in Japan.

SJ has a track record of strong operating performance, mainly supported by its consistent trend of growing premium income and a five-year average return-on-equity ratio of 7.3% (fiscal year 2018 – 2022) on a consolidated basis, as calculated by AM Best. Despite an increase in SJ’s combined ratio for its domestic business in fiscal year 2022 mainly due to natural catastrophe events, AM Best expects the prospective underwriting performance of domestic business to be impacted positively by various underwriting initiatives, including shortening the policy duration and rate increases in its fire line. SJ’s overseas business, managed by Sompo International Holdings Ltd., the intermediate holding company under SJ, continued to exhibit strong momentum in both net premium written (NPW) and adjusted profit in fiscal year 2022, driven by positive premium trends and robust investment income. AM Best expects that the overseas business will continue to support SJ’s consolidated results over the coming years, driven by improved rate environment in overseas markets and coupled with the strong U.S. dollar against the Japanese Yen that is expected to persist in the medium term.

SJ is the core operating unit of SOMPO Holdings, Inc., (SOMPO Holdings), its ultimate parent and one of the largest non-life insurance groups in Japan. The company maintains a leading market position with approximately a one-quarter share of Japan’s highly consolidated non-life insurance segment, in terms of NPW. In addition, the company has a growing book of overseas insurance business, which accounted for 38% of its NPW and 74% of its adjusted profits in fiscal year 2022.

The stable outlooks reflect AM Best’s expectation that SJ will maintain its overall balance sheet strength assessment, supported by risk-adjusted capitalisation at the strongest level, as measured by BCAR, while ongoing strategic initiatives will help maintain its strong and consistent operating performance over the intermediate term.

Negative rating actions could occur if there is material deterioration in risk-adjusted capitalisation caused by substantial investment losses or a large-scale natural catastrophe. Negative rating actions could occur if there is persistent and significant deterioration in operating performance stemming from weak underwriting and investment results. Negative rating actions could also occur if there is significant deterioration in SOMPO Holdings’ credit profile, including its risk-adjusted capitalisation, financial leverage or interest coverage levels. Positive rating actions could occur if the company demonstrates sustained improvement in its balance sheet strength metrics, including its risk-adjusted capitalisation, financial leverage and lower reliance on reinsurance.

The FSR of A+ (Superior) and the Long-Term ICRs of “aa-” (Superior) have been affirmed with a stable outlook for the following subsidiaries of Sompo Japan Insurance Inc.:

• Endurance Assurance Corporation
• Endurance Specialty Insurance Limited
• Endurance Worldwide Insurance Limited
• Endurance American Specialty Insurance Company
• Endurance American Insurance Company
• Endurance Risk Solutions Assurance Co.
• American Agri-Business Insurance Company
• Sompo America Insurance Company
• Sompo America Fire & Marine Insurance Company
• Lexon Insurance Company
• Bond Safeguard Insurance Company
• SI Insurance (Europe), SA

Ratings are communicated to rated entities prior to publication. Unless stated otherwise, the ratings were not amended subsequent to that communication.

This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best’s website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best’s Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best’s Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best’s Credit Ratings, Best’s Performance Assessments, Best’s Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best’s Ratings & Assessments.

AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specialising in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit www.ambest.com.

Copyright © 2023 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

View source version on businesswire.com: 
https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20230921523903/en/


Contact

Charles Chiang
Senior Financial Analyst
+852 2827 3427
charles.chiang@ambest.com

Christopher Sharkey
Associate Director, Public Relations
+1 908 882 2310
christopher.sharkey@ambest.com

Chanyoung Lee
Director, Analytics
+852 2827 3404
chanyoung.lee@ambest.com

Al Slavin
Senior Public Relations Specialist
+1 908 882 2318
al.slavin@ambest.com

Guilherme Monteiro Simoes, CFA
Senior Financial Analyst
+1 908 882 2317
guy.simoes@ambest.com

Source : AM Best

WILSONHCG IS TOP RPO PROVIDER IN HRO TODAY'S 2023 BAKER'S DOZEN LIST

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- WilsonHCG has been recognised as top Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) provider in HRO Today’s 2023 Baker’s Dozen List.

The longest-standing customer satisfaction survey in the RPO industry, HRO Today’s Baker’s Dozen List is designed to highlight the world’s top RPO providers and lends transparency into the RPO partnerships that are most impactful.

In a statement, WilsonHCG said providers are rated on a range of factors including breadth of solutions, quality of service and size of deal.

“This recognition means so much to us as a business because it’s solely driven by client feedback. It really is a testament to the commitment and care that our people place in our client relationships,” said WilsonHCG chief executive officer (CEO), John Wilson.

Meanwhile, HRO Today CEO, Elliot Clark said: “Remarkably, WilsonHCG’s service orientation has continued to improve as it has grown to one of the largest and most successful companies in the space and we congratulate it and its leadership team on ranking as the top provider on the HRO Today RPO Baker’s Dozen.”

With a global presence spanning more than 65 countries and six continents, WilsonHCG provides a full suite of configurable talent services including RPO, executive search, contingent talent solutions and talent consulting.

-- BERNAMA

LIVERAMP-CAROUSELL COLLABORATION ENHANCES FIRST PARTY DATA, CLOSED-LOOP REPORTING

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 21 (Bernama) -- LiveRamp, a data collaboration platform has announced its partnership with Carousell Media Group, a retail media network in Asia for first-party data and closed-loop reporting enhancement.

According to a statement, Carousell is integrating LiveRamp’s data collaboration platform, which includes LiveRamp’s Authenticated Traffic Solution (ATS), to safely and securely support Carousell’s retail media network.

ATS allows Carousell to enhance addressability with LiveRamp’s pseudonymous, people-based identifier, RampID, increasing the value of Carousell’s media inventory across all channels.

It creates addressable audiences without third-party cookies or mobile identifiers, enabling people-based marketing in Chrome, Safari, Firefox and other browsers, preparing marketers for the post-cookie future while providing immediate results.

“Carousell has built one of the strongest e-commerce brands in Southeast Asia, and we are excited to partner with them as we showcase the power of authenticated identity and data collaboration in building sustainable paths forward,” said LiveRamp Managing Director, APAC, Frederic Jouve.

Meanwhile, Carousell Managing Director, JJ Eastwood said: “Our exciting new partnership with LiveRamp is all about creating a direct and dependable link between our advertisers’ data and our own. This means we can personalise ads, optimise strategies, and measure outcomes more effectively across our marketplaces.”

LiveRamp’s data collaboration platform supports Carousell’s retail media efforts, allowing Carousell to responsibly collaborate with brands and their agencies, and enable them to build awareness, improve engagement, and drive purchase consideration to increase return-on-ad-spend (ROAS) without compromising consumer privacy.

It also enables Carousell’s advertisers to enrich data with its unmatched partner network, including connecting data to over 500 platforms across social, television, programmatic, display and search.

A groundbreaking leader in consumer privacy, data ethics, and foundational identity, LiveRamp offers complete flexibility to collaborate wherever data lives to support the widest range of data collaboration use cases within organisations, between brands, and across its premier global network of top-quality partners.

-- BERNAMA