In late February, I wrote an article that suggested that Comcast (NASDAQ:CMCS.A) -- parent to NBCUniversal and ultimate owner of new streaming service called Peacock -- was in a league of its own in terms of next-generation advertising technology. It didn't look like any other streaming media name would be able to catch up.

I may have been wrong. Just within the past few days, Roku (NASDAQ:ROKU), Tubi, and Walt Disney (NYSE:DIS) division Hulu all unveiled new technologies that will make the most of their ad-supported streaming platforms.

Beyond the threat to Comcast, though, the arrival of these three much-needed tools suggests we're nearing the pivot point for streaming video as a mainstream advertising platform.

Image source: Getty Images

It's not a dynamic that needs much in the way of explaining. Advertising via conventional cable may be one-directional and scattershot in its impact, but the industry has had decades to refine the model. Conversely, despite the detailed, digital consumer profiles each streaming platform should be able to develop about their subscribers, which will allow them to deliver highly targeted ads, the process is still mostly a mess. For example, Conviva's State of Streaming report for the first quarter of this year indicated that 46.3% of all ads that were supposed to air during streaming videos failed to play, up sharply from Q4's 36.5% failure rate.

It looked as if NBCUniversal's One Platform was going to become the yardstick by which all other streaming advertising platforms would be measured. Unveiled in February, the Comcast-owned company's ad-buying platform not only provides more granular data about the consumers watching its programs, it integrates with data-collection tools created by TV-ratings veteran Nielsen (NYSE:NLSN) as well. Given that NBCUniversal also owns a cable-like streaming service in Peacock, Comcast was my odds-on favorite to take the lead in this new segment of the television advertising market.

Perhaps I spoke too soon.

The event was Interactive Advertising Bureau's NewFronts 2020 conference, meant to showcase all the latest and greatest developments within the world of digital marketing. Some powerhouses within the business came prepared to please.

Roku's highlight was its new OneView ad-buying service that lets marketers reach around 4 out of every 5 U.S. households one way or another. Roku Reserve allows advertisers to plug into just the top 1% of ad-supported channels, limiting their spending to the best of the best, most proven, and most understood audiences.

Tubi, now part of Fox Corp. (NASDAQ:FOX) (NASDAQ:FOXA), revealed a tool that limits how many times a particular consumer will see a particular ad. As the company's official announcement explained, "Tubi's advanced technology scans every piece of creative that comes in from various demand sources to identify and compare the brand and campaign in order to make a determination for delivery," going on to say "[ad] buyers gain confidence that their intended exposure is never duplicated from their media buys with aggregators and ad networks."

Perhaps the coolest tech to be showcased at this year's NewFronts event, however, came from Walt Disney's Hulu. Called GatewayGo, it displays on-screen QR codes that send viewers to e-commerce pages using the smartphones they're likely holding in their hands while they watch television.

Most of these new tools also play nicely with Nielsen.

In short, advertisers now have lots more measurable, savvy alternatives to Comcast's One Platform when it comes to getting the most known bang for their television media bucks.

As for which company is going to become (or remain) the top dog in this space, my money's still on Comcast. It's got huge cable and broadband customer bases, access to the content libraries of NBC and Universal, and Peacock certainly looks like the ad-subsidized cheap alternative to full-blown cable that consumers have been waiting for. As it turns out, people don't mind a few ads now and then. A Deloitte study conducted last year found that, on average, TV watchers were OK with around 7 to 8 minutes worth of TV commercials per hour of viewing. Much of the work the industry has done of late has simply focused on getting the most out of those 8 minutes.

The technology that makes that happen, however, isn't quite the point any longer. The big takeaway for investors is the creation and convergence of all these technologies at a time when ad-supported video on demand (AVOD) is starting to become mainstream. Investors would be wise to keep their fingers on the pulse of this paradigm shift. Up for grabs is the roughly $70 billion advertisers spend every year in the United States alone, most of which is still directed toward conventional cable.

Read this article:

How Roku and Other Advertising Technology Companies Are Upending Traditional TV - Motley Fool

University selfie for fall 2020

If the very thought of higher educations fall semester leaves you gasping into a paper bag, take a deep breath. While there may be more differences than similarities when comparing the first day of classes this fall over last, the education delivered will remain solid, future-focused and more dependent on technology than ever before.

As always, there is fear in the unknown. Traditional spaces, primarily for health considerations, promise slightly-to-significantly different experiences for the upcoming semester. Removing the mystery should soothe weary parent and student souls.

Much will remain the same. Students will be taught, they will discuss, they will self-reflect, they will experience and consider new ideas. One difference in learning involves location tolerance. At least 30% of universities are planning for an online or online-option experience. While for some students that might feel different, Covid-19 has proven the importance of survivability within a remote environment.

On-campus students will be in typical classrooms or choosing to learn from campus housing. Students will need to be prepared to learn in a hybrid environment where students learn and teachers teach from disparate locations. This fluidity relies on the standard tech trifecta of strong wifi, seamless network connectivity and access to modern personal computing devices.

Information technology teams need to be strengthening campus connectivity while students need to be identifying what technology tools they need in their toolkit. Both are integral today in supporting student success.

Current statistics show that 80% of universities are looking to provide some form of on-campus classroom experience. While physically classrooms will look the same, many will now include a socially-distanced layout boasting an increased use of technology to accommodate hybrid learning offerings.

Universities are creating new designations within current room scheduling solutions (ex. Ad Astra, EMS and 25Live) to automatically assign classrooms at a socially-distanced capacity. Much like restaurants placing do not sit signs on every other table, classrooms will stagger seating and feature floor stickers to ensure safe travel flow is maintained.

In addition to distancing, classroom technology may include increased video and audio devices to ensure an equitable experience for those learning or teaching from remote locations. Many classes, if not all, will be recorded and more interactive than ever. These classroom technologies dont need to be fancy; they need to be consistent, simple to use and integrative with all other campus systems.

If large dining halls are open, they will be socially-distanced. Individual dining options, often located in the student union, need to be accessible, consistent and touch-less. Mobile ordering is on the uptick for college campuses, large and small, to better accommodate contactless, grab-and-go food experiences. The mobile options tie directly into student accounts and dining plans, eliminating complexity and providing a seamless transaction. 73% of students place importance on mobile ordering and 30% of students will choose off-campus options if mobility technologies are not in place.

Where will students eat? In dorms, in dining areas and on beautiful green spaces in the fresh air. Prepare for a bevy of socially-distanced picnics. If green spaces are not wifi-enabled, technology teams need to place that on the roadmap.

Each university offering an on-premise, residential experience will be unique in their planning. Nothing is off the table. Universities that are equipped to accommodate singles in doubles may start there. Standardizing card access and touch-less door entry technologies follow. Rules and standards for health safety will be established and enforced. If not already, hand-washing, mask-wearing, social-distancing and temperature checks will become routine. These safeguards encourage healthy social interaction, not isolation, and many rely on apps for self-disclosure, measurement and reporting.

For the expected on-campus Covid-related illnesses, areas will be identified and procedures will be in place for the housing of and services to those quarantined on campus. As much of this requires contactless care, technology will serve as the foundation for most pre- and post-cautionary health standards.

In a sea of unknowns, the need for consistent communication is critical for success. Students, parents, faculty, staff and the community need to be comprehensively knowledge-secure. One unsung hero of our current pandemic is the implemented suite of collaboration tools. Video town halls, instant chats, document sharing, interactive learning sessions, social groups and automated business processes all rely on a solid foundation of communication technologies. With silence and uncertainly comes fear. Connectedness and belonging solidify security.

If there were a university award for outstanding players of 2020, the Covid-19 pandemic would win the blue ribbon for the swiftest unearthing and identification of technology gaps on campuses. While the past few months have been spent filling in gaps, higher education technology is the midst of preparation for unprecedented delivery methodologies slated to commence within the next sixty days.

Technology remains a facilitator. Technology is not a replacement for or provider of teaching and learning. Technology connects, communicates and delivers. The substance remains within the education. Technology teams today are preparing to ensure that tomorrows leaders and innovators are able to receive the knowledge they need to sustain our world, almost as if our lives depend on it. Technology is honored to play that supporting role.

This is a follow-up entry to a previous post focused on resetting expectations for fall 2020.

More here:

The Demystification Of Higher Education For Fall 2020 And Technologys Supporting Role - Forbes

LAS VEGAS, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -Passport Technology ("Passport"), the leading provider of casino cash access services internationally,announced today the signing of 16 additional Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited ("GCEL") locations in British Columbia and Alberta, in addition to12 GCEL locations already supported by Passport in Ontario.

This multi-year exclusive agreement represents a significant milestone for Passport in expanding services to British Columbia with the introduction of CashValet, CashlessValetand ActiveDataRT. Passport Technology's self-service platform provides convenience to patrons, operational efficiencies, and social responsibility tools to the casino, as well as social distancing optionality within COVID-19 safety guidelines.

"We're excited to expand our long-term relationship with GCEL across three Canadian Provinces. Passport's solutions are secure, robust, promote industry leading regulatory compliance, and deliver maximum funds to the casino floor," states Kurt Sullivan, President of Passport Technology. "We look forward to contributing towards the overall success of GCEL as they plan to re-open post COVID-19 closures, providing guests in the region with the best possible experience. Passport has accelerated growth in 2020 and based on executed long term agreements in Canada, UK and Europe, we expect to achieve $12M USD in revenue in 2021 with $4M USD in operating income, understanding COVID-19 does represent some uncertainty to the global casino industry."

On June 25, Passport announced an agreement to be acquired by Australis Capital Inc. (CSE: AUSA) (OTC: AUSAF), leveraging Passport's international footprint in brick and mortar casinos with Australis' Cocoon Technology serving cannabis dispensaries in North America and Australis' Paytron Merchant Services. The full announcement is available at: https://ausa-corp.com/news/australis-capital-announces-expansion-of-fintech-platform-to-include-gaming-through-proposed-acquisition-of-passport-technology-and-private-placement-of-units/.

Passport Technology's CashValet PCI-DSS Level 1, P2PE-certified solution, and cloud-based application not only facilitates approval authorization and quick cash access, it provides operators real-time management of the transaction cycle tailored to the casino requirements, patrons and VIP guests with an enhanced experience dedicated to providing quick and easy transactions, and both with the leading internationally recognized customer support. Custom-built with the latest peripherals to meet the demands of the high-traffic casino environment, while deploying a best-in-class user interface and several kiosk and terminal form factors allowing for additional and improved points of interaction.

About Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited

Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited is one of the largest and most diversified gaming and entertainment companies in Canada with 25 gaming properties in British Columbia and Ontario and two additional properties in Edmonton, Alberta. Across its entire portfolio, Gateway currently employs over 8,200 people and features approximately 423 table games (including 48 poker tables), 14,076 slots, 82 food and beverage outlets and 561 hotel rooms. A multi-pronged growth strategy has seen GCEL diversify and expand its product offering, including developing proprietary casino and restaurant brands, dramatically improving the gaming customer experience while attracting new customers. Some of GCEL's proprietary brands include Match Eatery & Public House, Atlas Steak + Fish and the new Halley's Club. In 2017, GCEL celebrated 25 years in the business of gaming and entertainment in Canada.

About Passport Technology, Inc.

Passport Technology, Inc.is a leading developer of technology-based products and services for the highly regulated payments, gaming, and financial services markets. The company's portfolio includes attended payment kiosks, cash access systems, server and web-based analytic technology, agnostic application management systems, and interactive content and services in over 50 casino properties internationally.

Passport partners with casino operators to increase gaming revenue by delivering funds to the casino floor through cash and cashless payment portals including CashValet, CashlessValet, POSpod, and ACMowl. Passport's proactive approach with customers and regulatory authorities in solution development has proven successful and a cornerstone of the business highlighted by responsible gambling features including self-exclusion, VIP alerts, dynamic pricing, free-play, and the industry's most robust real-time back-end reporting tools. Since inception, Passport has responsibly delivered over $2 billion in funds in over 50 casinos internationally.

Passport Technology is recognized as the winner of the Global Regulatory Awards 2018 and 2019 Compliance Payment Service or Solution Provider of the Year.

For more information, please visitPassportTechnology.com

SOURCE Passport Technology, Inc.

Read the rest here:

Passport Technology Expands Gateway Casinos & Entertainment Limited Relationship Adding Sixteen Casinos in British Columbia and Alberta -...

Brajesh Lal during a previous SVS ONLINE session

Boston-based medical technology company Elucid Bio, maker of the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-cleared and CE-marked vascuCAP software, announced Wednesday, July 1, that its novel artificial intelligence (AI) technology demonstrated a more than 70% improvement in accuracy of stroke prediction as compared to stenosis-based guidelines over a six-year time period.

The interim results of the CRISP trial are set to be presented on Thursday, July 2, during Scientific Session 9 at SVS ONLINE, the digital replacement for the Society for Vascular Surgerys Vascular Annual Meeting.

The study, led by Brajesh Lal, MD, director of both the University of Marylands Center for Vascular Diagnostics and the NIH Vascular Imaging Core Facility, with participation by the Cleveland Clinic, Weill-Cornell and Case Western, sought to improve prediction of major adverse neurological events by applying AI to traditional carotid imaging using the Elucid Bio vascuCAP software.

The software analyzes routinely-available CT angiograms to characterize plaque tissues in a manner that could previously only be done with a tissue specimen, Elucid Bio said.

Stroke remains the leading cause of disability in the United States and is the 5thleading cause of death. Current risk assessment for patients with carotid atherosclerosis relies primarily on assessing the degree of stenosis. More reliable risk stratification has the potential to improve patient selection for more aggressive treatment for MANE by incorporating a combination of carotid plaque geometry, plaque tissue composition, patient demographics and clinical insights.

These study results demonstrate that the vascuCAPs artificial intelligence algorithms for risk stratification in carotid atherosclerosis are a better predictor of stroke than stenosis assessment alone, stated Lal. Implementing this predictive model on asymptomatic patients in the clinical setting could help identify and inform treatment for those at high-risk for future major adverse neurological events.

The Elucid Bio technology is currently in clinical use and may have applications for informing risk for COVID-19 patients who have been experiencing strokes at a significantly higher rate, the medical technology company said. The software can identify endothelial damagea subtle, but potentially deadly effect of COVID-19 that can cause blood clotting that leads to stroke, the company added.

Continue reading here:

Study shows novel AI technology is better predictor of stroke than traditional methods - NeuroNews International

Employing Ripple Maker PM devices and malt-based pods for printing on beer, the pilot included customized designs for each of the venues, as well as trending images and messages from Ripples' dynamic content feed. Patrons were also invited to submit user-generated content through the new customer-facing Ripples Web App.

"We have been using Ripples to engage consumers and increase on-trade sales for over two years," says Sharon Sambira, super premium beers brand manager at Carlsberg IBBL, distributor of Guinness in Israel. "We were the first brand to use this innovative tool globally and have seen great results, so it wasn't surprising for us to see the results of the latest pilot." The previous study measured the use of personalized beverage tech in attracting first-time Guinness drinkers, and resulted in a 20% increase.

Yossi Meshulam, CEO of Ripples, explains: "Following global trends in beer consumption, the local Israeli beer market is characterized by a strong shift toward premiumization, with total sales by volume showing stagnation and total sales by revenue showing moderate growth. Since completing this pilot study in March 2020, the local and global market for beer brands and the on-trade venues they supply has turned upside down. These results highlight the crucial role that digital media and new technologies can play in boosting consumer engagement post COVID-19."

The five participating venues also report increased social media exposure. "Ripples is an incredible marketing tool that allows constant communication with our customer base," says Moshe Nahum, owner of Hanasi Pub. "Beyond raising a lot of interest at the pub itself, it also creates significant buzz for our business on social media. Our Instagram posts and stories get especially high rates of engagement and our followers have increased dramatically!"

O'Sullivan's, an existing Ripples customer and the venue that saw the highest increase in Guinness sales, adopted the use of point of sale material as well as the Ripples Web App, which proved pivotal in their results. Owner Asaf Shaibi says: "Our Guinness sales increased by a full 52% during our pilot period with Ripples, compared to total beer sales which increased by only 12%." Another participating venue, Mike's Place, saw a 26% increase in Guinness sales, despite a 19% drop in total year-over-year beer sales.

Sambira concludes: "People enjoy interacting with their favorite beer brand and the numbers prove it. We will definitely continue engaging our consumers using Ripples in other campaigns and have increased the amount of Ripple Makers in Israel to support that."

Click to view additional details and data from Ripples Bar Pilot Study.

About Ripples

Ripples is the pioneer of bev-top media, an innovative platform that offers creative solutions for increasing sales and engagement in the Hospitality, Food & Beverage, Event, and Media industries. Businesses serving foam-topped drinks such as draft beer, cocktails, and lattes can create drink designs and messages that are customized in real-time to support promotional activities, as well as location-based social media shares, and long-term brand awareness. Ripples platform features a dynamic content feed and big data analytics tools to measure the impact of bev-top media on bottom-line business results. http://www.drinkripples.com

Trademarks

Ripples Ltd is currently either pending registration or already registered in Australia, Canada, China, the EU, India, Russia, South Korea, Turkey, UK, USA and Japan. Unauthorized use of our Ripples trademark by third parties is prohibited, except within limited lawful circumstances, such as using the trademark to refer to us and our products. Please contact us if you have any questions about using the Ripples trademark in any context.

Photo: https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/1199625/Ripples_Guinness.jpg

SOURCE Ripples

Originally posted here:

Guinness Sales Increase by 26% Following use of Innovative on-trade Technology - PRNewswire

This year has seen a dramatic shift in the world of work, with companies large and small alike having to rapidly make the move to working remotely.

For a major financial services group like Nedbank, with over 30 000 employees and operations that span the African continent, making that move with minimal disruption presented a challenge but the organisation was able to achieve that aim through technology adoption at speed and scale.

This adoption and uptake took the form of a full end-to-end suite of Microsoft 365 services that enable and accelerate remote work and drive business continuity with minimised impact to client and service delivery through tools like Teams and Skype for Business, says Fred Swanepoel, Chief Information Officer at Nedbank.

Nedbank began its adoption journey by first deploying Office with Microsoft Skype for Business in 2017 and then adapting to the change to Microsoft Teams. Teams is the technology companys integrated collaboration platform incorporating chat, video and audio meetings, file storage, shared files, calendars and apps as well as collaborative editing.

The banks migration to Microsoft 365 was completed in November 2019, with Skype for Business on-prem as its telephony platform of choice. However, the need to move to working remotely prompted Nedbank to fast-track its use of Teams and quickly adapt to using the platform for meetings, conference calls and live events, all culminating in the banks annual general meeting (AGM) in May.

Changing the way companies work through seamless collaboration

Teams changed the way we worked in a matter of weeks. Massive adoption of the platform has allowed thousands of employees to collaborate with each other simultaneously and seamlessly by bringing together all conversations, files and tools into a single workspace, says Swanepoel.

It meant that productivity was maintained and even improved as staff were able to meet with their colleagues through virtual meeting rooms and conference calls. The number of conference calls jumped from 2 000 before the move to working remotely to approximately 13 000 every day since the bank moved beyond the office environment.

There has also been great success with live events and the AGM, helping to bring together thousands of people from around Africa no matter their bandwidth or connectivity. It is helping foster a sense of collaboration and togetherness, even though we are apart, says Swanepoel.

Staff have widely embraced the technology by exploring it and learning at their own pace after the initial training and change management was done. Champions within divisions also help drive uptake of the platform by providing on-the-ground support and getting staff comfortable with using the different capabilities of the tool. Feedback has been extremely positive, and the tool has proven to be valuable from a user experience point of view, says Swanepoel.

Adoption of the platform forms an important part of Nedbanks digital transformation strategy to position it for the future, to improve both client experience and efficiency, as well as to become more of a disruptor in financial services.

Nedbank selected Microsoft as its digital transformation partner because of the synergy between the two organisations. Transformation is a complex journey, so it is essential to choose partners with a cultural fit, which Nedbank and Microsoft enjoy. Nedbank believes financial services providers that get digital right will be more successful at traversing an uncertain future, Swanepoel says.

Microsoft is very proud of our ongoing partnership with Nedbank in its digital transformation journey. We are committed to supporting the bank by enabling remote working and business continuity through optimised and streamlined operations underpinned by collaborative capabilities, says Amr Kamel, Commercial Director at Microsoft South Africa.

See the rest here:

Enabling business continuity and collaboration through the right technology tools - Middle East & Africa News Center - Microsoft

The restrictions imposed in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic is pushing people to rely on technology to go about their business while staying indoors.

Be it education, healthcare or other services, technology-driven solutions are coming handy to beat the lockdown blues.

The use of technology is catching up fast among the educational institutions. Considered as an education hub, Tirupati has many institutions of national repute such as the IIT and the IISER, apart from half a dozen of universities.

The trend face-to-face lessons is losing ground as all educational institutions have been closed since months, and the online education has taken it place. No only the big institutions, even schools have taken to the technology route to continue classes.

Many schools are using digital platforms in both offline and online modelive classes or recorded lessons which help the students to learn from the comforts of their homes. The schools are opting for online or offline modes, depending on various factors such as mobility of teachers and internet bandwidth at students location.

However, the online education has its own challenges. Even as online education is inevitable amid the pandemic, concentrating on lessons in this format is difficult for primary level students. The methodology needs to be reinvented to suit the need of the students, says N. Satyanarayana Raju, Director of Bharatiya Vidya Bhavans Sri Venkateswara Vidyalaya.

Parental support, he says, would go a long way in retaining childrens attention on classes in online mode. Even some organisations offering private tuitions have started online classes. The colleges and universities are preferring webinars to seminars.

The healthcare sector is also relying on technology more than before. As the denizens are hesitant to see doctors in the out-patient wings owing to the fears of contracting the infection, doctors are reaching out to patients in the virtual mode.

The technology is playing a vital role in creating awareness on various ailments and preacautionary measures.

Senior physician P. Krishna Prasanthi, who regularly conducts diabetes awareness programmes, has now started live sessions.

Our recent webinar on diabetes self-care evoked a good response. I am now inspired to conduct more such programmes online, says Dr. Prasanthi, who is the former president of IMA, Tirupati.

As a religious centre, Tirupati is also witnessing social and religious organisations conducting online sessions on Bhagavad Gita, Divya Prabandham and slokas.

You have reached your limit for free articles this month.

To get full access, please subscribe.

Already have an account ? Sign in

Show Less Plan

Find mobile-friendly version of articles from the day's newspaper in one easy-to-read list.

Move smoothly between articles as our pages load instantly.

Enjoy reading as many articles as you wish without any limitations.

A one-stop-shop for seeing the latest updates, and managing your preferences.

A select list of articles that match your interests and tastes.

We brief you on the latest and most important developments, three times a day.

*Our Digital Subscription plans do not currently include the e-paper ,crossword, iPhone, iPad mobile applications and print. Our plans enhance your reading experience.

Read this article:

Technology comes in handy to beat lockdown blues - The Hindu

Austin Brown is only 21 years old, but knows the changing landscape of the farming and agricultural industry.

During Covid-19, Brown has been working on Clay-Nob Farms, who he owns with his family.

One of the new aspects Brown has been weaving into sales has been selling product online.

Weve been focusing more on social media platforms and some more internet sales, Brown said.

But its not just the pandemic that is allowing Brown to be creative. He believes the new USMCA agreement will allow for technology to be further incorporated into farms.

This kind of technology has been around for generations, Brown says. Being able to educate others about how we can use this its critical to advancing production.

The USMCA also could be a big help to areas such as Erie, that lie in the northern area of the United States.

We think its farmers in your particular area that are best suited to be able to tap in to the new agreement, says Shawna Morris, Vice President of the National Milk Producers Federation.

For Brown, the hope is to take his knowledge of technology and spread it to other young farmers around the country. He has already been overseas to China to present to local colleges, and will be heading to Nebraska on Tuesday to take part in research initiatives as well.

The story was supported by the Economic Hardship Reporting Project.

Originally posted here:

Local Farmer Hoping Technology, New Agreement Will Advance Agriculture in Erie. - erienewsnow.com

Semiconductor player, Qorvo (QRVO) has seen its share of challenges in 2020. With revenues majorly exposed to the struggling smartphone market, the company was forced to reduce its fourth-quarter guidance in March 2020. Qorvo landed up reducing fourth-quarter revenue outlook from $800-840 million to $770 million.

But investors were up for a treat when the actual fourth-quarter revenue performance reported was $787.77 million, 15.70% YoY growth, and ahead of the consensus by $18.39 million. The company's fourth-quarter non-GAAP EPS of $1.57 also managed to beat the consensus by $0.21. Although the overall demand for smartphones has declined, the company seems to be benefitting from the 5G rollout and associated increase of data content. The company is also seeing strength in its infrastructure business with increasing adoption of GaN technology in the defense sector. Subsequently, the company has guided for first-quarter revenues in the range of $710-750 million. Although YoY decline of 6% at the midpoint, this guidance is ahead of the consensus estimate of $710 million.

Despite the ongoing recession, the tech sector has seen one of the most spectacular rallies ever. However, Qorvo has not kept pace and is currently down by 6.86% YTD. While the company's PE multiple of 38.51x does not seem too low, its forward PE multiple of 15.41x and PS multiple of 3.88x make it an attractive pick in this otherwise overheated sector.

In the fourth quarter, Qorvo's mobile product revenues were around $556 million or 70% of the company's total revenues. Qorvo has estimated a 10% YoY decline in overall smartphone demand for the calendar year 2020. This will definitely impact the company's sale of RF solutions to various handset manufacturers.

However, Qorvo remains confident about demand for 5G smartphones especially since it supplies RF solutions to Samsung (OTC:SSNLF), Xiaomi (XI), and Vivo, the leading smartphone players in the world. Qorvo also noted a robust increase in design wins in the fourth quarter, which implies that more manufacturers may start using its solutions for their 5G products.

Besides, the company also expects demand for LTE (long-term evolution), a 4G technology, to continue in the coming quarters. These trends are expected to drive the demand for Qorvo's highly integrated and high-performance 5G and LTE-Advanced Pro Solutions including mid-high-band and ultra-high-band 5G solutions, WiFi front-end module, switches, and tuners.

The company is also benefitting from the increasing dollar content of semiconductors across all types of mobile devices, be it 5G or advanced 4G smartphones. Qorvo is seeing a $5-7 increase in dollar content gains, which, in turn, is expanding the total addressable market. 5G smartphones are associated with higher content gains, thanks to stricter filtering requirements, additional frequency bands, and dual connect scenarios for simultaneous 4G and 5G compatibility.

Qorvo also expects to benefit from its broad presence in the cellular IoT (Internet of things) segment, as demand for services such as data analytics, remote management, and system-level optimization continues to grow. The company offers a broad portfolio of RF solutions and has partnered with Nordic Semi to cater to high-volume businesses such as Cat-M and narrowband IoT applications. Finally, increasing adoption of Context-Aware Applications in smartphones, IoT devices, and the automotive sector has also led to a rising demand for Qorvo's solutions in areas such as proximity awareness and wireless security.

Qorvo further bolstered its capabilities by acquiring Decawave in February 2020. This deal added the latter's industry-leading ultra-wide-band solutions for mobile, automotive, and IoT applications. Finally, Qorvo also expects WiFi 6 chip-on-board market to emerge as a major opportunity in the coming years.

Although the U.S.-China trade war remains a major concern for Qorvo, we need to remember that the company is one of the five key global players in the RFFE (Radio Frequency Front-End) semiconductor market which together accounts for 85% of the total content. The remaining four include Broadcom (NASDAQ:AVGO), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), Skyworks (NASDAQ:SWKS), and Murata (OTCPK:MRAAF), with the first three again being U.S.-based companies. While Huawei-branded RF solutions may start grabbing market share in China from Qorvo, it may take quite some time. Huawei will have to come abreast of the knowledge level of these suppliers, which is earned over many years. Further, Huawei will also require to invest heavily in fabrication and designing capabilities, which is no small feat.

In the fourth quarter, Qorvo's IDP (infrastructure and defense products) business accounted for 30% of the company's total revenues. According to ResearchAndMarkets, the global 5G Infrastructure market is estimated to grow at a CAGR of 28.97% from $12.6 billion in 2020 to $44.9 billion in 2025. Despite the 2025 projection being reduced by 22.79% as compared to the previous estimates to account for the impact of the pandemic, the market nevertheless remains a very attractive opportunity for semiconductor players.

Increasing adoption of GaN (Gallium Nitride) technology instead of LDMOS (laterally-diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology for base stations in 5G and sub-6 gigahertz space is a big growth driver for Qorvo. Currently, the company is ramping up the supply of GaN technology and small-signal components to various Chinese customers who are involved in the deployment of over 0.5 million base stations in the country.

The release of WiFi 6 standards for faster connectivity has also helped drive demand for Qorvo's compatible front-end modules and BAW (Bulk Acoustic Wave) filters. The demand has been especially pronounced on the retail side, thanks to the rapid proliferation of the work-from-home economy. Increasingly, service providers are also adopting WiFi 6 and distributed technology. The company further expects WiFi 6E to emerge as another major demand driver for the company's products in the coming years.

The calendar year 2020 has proved challenging for the semiconductor industry and Qorvo has not been an exception. The pandemic disrupted the company's supply chain. However, the company has managed to bring back much of its operations to a normal level.

While this problem is mostly resolved, the disruption of economic activity and a decline in smartphone sales remain a grim challenge. According to Strategy Analytics, smartphone sales declined 17% YoY from 330.4 million units in Q1 2019 to 274.8 million in Q1 2020.

A much bigger problem for the semiconductor industry has been posed by the escalating U.S.-China trade tensions. Federal Communications Commission has labeled Chinese telecom players, Huawei and ZTE, as national security threats for the U.S. communications network. Subsequently, telecom providers in the country will not have access to the $8.3 billion Universal Service Fund for purchasing equipment from these companies.

Although Qorvo had a revenue exposure of around 15% to Huawei in fiscal 2019, it was reduced to 10% in fiscal 2020 and below 5% in the fourth quarter of fiscal 2020. The company had already projected this revenue exposure to be less than 5% for fiscal 2021. Most of these revenues are earned from the mobile products business, while there has been hardly any exposure in the infrastructure business. Hence, although not a favorable turn of affairs, the company's revenues will remain mostly unscathed in case of a complete loss of Huawei business. Further, a disrupted supply chain is also expected to cause Huawei to lose some market share to other handset manufacturers such as Vivo, Oppo, Apple (AAPL), Xiaomi, and Samsung. Qorvo expects some traction from these manufacturers in the coming quarters.

Going beyond Huawei, Qorvo may face challenges related to shipping products to other Chinese customers. The possibility Chinese customers having built up huge inventories of supplies in the last year can also impact Qorvo's revenues in fiscal 2021. Finally, Chinese customers may also start looking out for Asian suppliers to reduce reliance on the U.S. semiconductor players. There also remains a chance of retaliation from the Chinese government, which can severely curtail Qorvo's role in the 5G infrastructure deployment in China.

Japanese semiconductor player, Murata, poses a big competitive threat to Qorvo, as it has both capabilities and scale to serve Chinese smartphone manufacturers.

Qorvo also faces significant business concentration risk and credit risk, considering that it earns over 30% of revenues from Apple. The significant decline in the sale of smartphones coupled with the delay in the launch of Apple's 5G products can prove to be a headwind for the company.

According to finviz, the 12-month consensus target price for the company is $119.26. I believe that the company's current valuation is low considering the 5G opportunity, anticipated improvement in smartphone demand in the second half of 2020, and limited exposure to Huawei. I believe that the target price of $130 is a better reflection of this semiconductor player's potential in the next 12 months.

At end of March 28, 2020, Qorvo had cash and an untapped revolver worth $750 million on its balance sheet. The company's free cash flow in the fourth quarter was $179 million, while that for the whole fiscal year 2020 was $780 million or 24% of the annual sales. There are no near-term debt maturities, while the weighted average maturity of outstanding debt is June 2027.

Recently, many analysts have turned optimistic about the company. On June 16, Morgan Stanley analyst Craig Hettenbach upgraded the company's rating to Overweight from Equal Weight and raised target price to $130 from $91. On June 15, Cowen analyst Karl Ackerman raised the target price to $120 from $115 and reiterated an Outperform rating. On May 8, Craig-Hallum analyst Anthony Stoss raised target price to $120 from $100 and reiterated a Buy rating.

While the COVID-19 pandemic and escalating U.S.-China tensions present challenges for Qorvo, the company is definitely positioned to benefit from the ongoing ramp-up of 5G and WiFi 6 in the long run. Investing in Qorvo, however, requires patience. Hence, the stock can prove to be an attractive pick for retail investors with above-average risk appetite and investment horizon of at least a year.

Disclosure: I/we have no positions in any stocks mentioned, and no plans to initiate any positions within the next 72 hours. I wrote this article myself, and it expresses my own opinions. I am not receiving compensation for it (other than from Seeking Alpha). I have no business relationship with any company whose stock is mentioned in this article.

Go here to read the rest:

Qorvo: An Attractive Semiconductor Pick In The Overheated Technology Sector - Seeking Alpha

Business continuity was put to the test with the pandemic-triggered lockdown. Workspaces were disrupted without much prior notice and tech-enabled collaboration tools became the lifeblood of businesses of all sizes, across the spectrum of industries.

Beyond deploying novel solutions to facilitate collaboration, corporates have begun to seek innovative ways to fuel employee productivity, expand sales and capacities, manage and secure data, among other core functions. Within this new normal, the priority for business leaders still remains ensuring business viability in the long run.

To explore the future of work and the new normal and how technology adoption can shape up the modern workplace and help it meet the cultural shift of the workforce, using new age collaboration tools, CNBC-TV18, in partnership with Cisco Systems, set up a unique Tweetathon, themed Future Of Work: Managing the Millennials with Collaboration Technology.

Moderated by Mridu Bhandari of CNBC-TV18, the panel included Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Manipal Global Education; Nithin Kamath, CEO, Zerodha; Dr. Sayed Peerzade, Group CIO, Reliance Entertainment Group; Dr. Tanvi Gautam, MD leadershift Inc & HR influencer; Sudhir Nayar, Managing Director - Commercial Sales, Cisco India & SAARC; N Jayantha Prabhu, CIO, Essar Group and CP Gurnani, CEO & MD, Tech Mahindra, which was held on 26th June 2020 at 4pm, tweeted on the subject kept flowing at #CiscoFutureOfWork, with the panel and other participants raising relevant and thought-provoking issues revolving around the theme, while sharing their insights and experiences.

The event kicked-off with discussions on the how critical virtual collaboration technology tools were for managing workforces during the onset of the pandemic, which culminated in employees working from home and the challenges that still existed.

While most panellists shared that the transition went through fairly smoothly, their current challenges included maintaining the culture and morale of teams as they worked from home, dealing with stress levels and hiring virtually. Dr Tanvi Gautam pointed out that while tech has gotten businesses through round one, trust, morale and leadership would be the key to success in round two.

Sharing experiences of how disruptive tech could shape the workplace and workforce of the future, Jayantha Prabhu observed that cultural change would transform flexible working from a temporary fix to the new default way of working in the post-Covid19 scenario, especially since Millennials were digital natives and expected technology to be a part of their work culture. Dr Sayed Peerzade affirmed that the role of technology was becoming more important to connect the millennial workforce to a cause, allow them to complete meaningful work, while offering flexibility, open communication, progressiveness and most importantly, enabling them to witnessing leaders in action.

The discussions moved on to cover the benefits of technology and virtual collaboration on the gig economy, promoting diverse workforces, employee productivity and cost savings. It also touched upon security issues that could arise when work goes virtual and how these could be circumvented.

Addressing concerns about training leaders in a virtual world, CP Gurnani explained that in his company, training was always virtual and appified. We have a self-driven training programme and associates are encouraged to choose from a bouquet of offerings from our #NewAgeDelivery platform, he tweeted.

Another leading concern was regarding creating enriching and engaging employee attraction and retention experiences in a digital first organisation. Mohandas Pai assured that by engaging employees in areas of their interest outside routine work and connecting them to business leaders these issues could be addressed. Tools help in interaction, but human connect virtually is the key, as Millennials need a more open culture, with greater interactions, he opined.

Sudhir Nayar endorsed that thought by tweeting, Secure collaboration tools such as Webex can help you do pretty much anything you did otherwise from celebrations to meetings to learning.

The panellists did, however, finally concede that in this 'new normal' of a virtual world, they did miss some physical interactions like spending time chatting with colleagues in the cafeteria or lawns over a cup of tea and grabbing delectable lunches with clients!

Original post:

Future of Work: Managing the Millennials with Collaboration Technology - CNBCTV18

Australis Capital revealed that it was acquiring Passport to complement its existing fintech assets.

Passport Technology Inc, a provider of cash access services to casinos, announced Thursday that it had expanded its services, by adding 16 casinos in British Columbia and Alberta to its platform.

This is on top ofits 12 Gateway Casinos & Entertainment (GCEL) locations already supported by Passport in the state of Ontario.

"Were excited to expand our long-term relationship with GCEL across three Canadian Provinces," said Kurt Sullivan,the president of Passport.

"Passport has accelerated growth in 2020 and based on executed long term agreements in Canada, UK, and Europe, we expect to achieve US$12M in revenue in 2021 with $4 millionin operating income, understanding COVID-19 does represent some uncertainty to the global casino industry," he added.

On June 25 this year, (CSE: AUSA) (OTC: AUSAF) revealed that it was acquiring Passport to complement its existing fintech assets.

It willleverage Passports international footprint in brick and mortar casinos with Australis Cocoon technology serving cannabis dispensaries in North America and Australis Paytron Merchant Services.

Link:

Passport Technology expands its casino relationship adding 16 more sites in BC and Alberta - Proactive Investors USA & Canada

ATLANTA, Ga. (CW69 News at 10)

PRESS RELEASE:

The Metropolitan Atlanta Rapid Transit Authority (MARTA) has improved the efficiency of its vehicle and facility cleaning as it prepares for an increase in service frequency and ridership. Delta Air Lines has provided MARTA with 50 electrostatic sprayers to more easily and effectively clean MARTA buses, trains, and rail stations. The electrostatic sprayers disperse disinfectant in a fine mist that clings to and sanitizes surfaces without leaving a residue. The 30 handheld and 20 backpack sprayers are being used by trained MARTA maintenance crews to disinfect vehicles and facilities in a fraction of the time needed for a typical wipe down cleaning.

Deltas willingness to share best practices allowed us to bypass a lengthy procurement process and gain access to this innovative cleaning technology immediately, said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. We are grateful to our friends at Delta for this state-of-the-art equipment as we work to protect the health of our customers and employees for the duration of the pandemic and beyond.

MARTA is an important partner and essential service for our community as thousands of employees and customers regularly utilize its services, said Mike Medeiros, VP Global Cleanliness for Delta Air Lines. Thats why were proud to work with the MARTA team to share what weve learned about keeping customers and employees safe during travel, including sanitizing surfaces onboard aircraft before every flight and in common areas using electrostatic spraying.

MARTA cleans and sanitizes its entire fleet of approximately 500 buses every evening and disinfects high touch surfaces on 200 buses throughout the day. The electrostatic sprayers accelerate this daily cleaning regimen, allowing bus maintenance crews to complete a 5-minute job in under a minute, resulting in more buses being cleaned during their dwell times in rail station bus loops. The disinfectant mist is attracted evenly to all surfaces inside the bus and dries almost instantly so customers may board immediately after a cleaning.

The backpack sprayers are especially useful in cleaning MARTAs fleet of rail cars every evening as the wearable two-and-a-half gallon tanks eliminate the need for constant refills of disinfectant. This enables rail car cleaners to sanitize a 450 foot, 6-car train in under 20 minutes. Currently rail cars are lightly cleaned while in-service; trash collected, spills cleaned up, and operator cabs wiped down, and the goal is to incorporate mid-day sanitizing with the electrostatic sprayers as rail and cleaning staff schedules allow.

MARTAs 38 rail stations are undergoing deep cleaning that consists of pressure washing, floor scrubbing, and disinfecting. The handheld and backpack sprayers make more frequent daily sanitizing of high touch areas in rail stations such as Breeze machines, handrails, and elevator buttons, easier and more efficient than the standard wipe down method.

At its lowest point during the pandemic, MARTA rail ridership was down by approximately 80 percent and bus ridership down by 40 percent, resulting in reduced service and more opportunities to clean. As people return to work and recreational activities resume, MARTA anticipates ridership will increase and having the ability to quickly disinfect vehicles and facilities will be paramount to protecting customers and employees. In addition to the electrostatic sprayers, MARTA is exploring the use of other cleaning technology such as using UV light, HVAC filters, and robotic cleaning machines.

Read more:

Marta Using State-Of-The-Art Technology Electrostatic Sprayers Improve Cleaning Process As Authority Prepares For Increase In Service, Ridership - CBS...

The technology was highlighted as one of the leading thermal body temperature scanners that will help countries manage the spread of coronavirus

Internet of Things Inc () (OTCMKTS:INOTF) announced Thursday that its fever detection system ThermalPass was featured on Reuters TV.

The Toronto-based companys technology was highlighted as one of the leading thermal body temperature scanners that will help economies around the world to manage the spread of coronavirus.

ThermalPass is a medical-grade touchless sensor body temperature device thatscans the body 20-times per second looking for a temperature threshold level typically above 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit.

The story, titled Demand for thermal devices skyrockets in coronavirus times, was featured on Reuters, which is seen by over 1 billion viewers a day with more than 33 million unique monthly visitors, according to Internet of Things.

"ThermalPass is an innovation inspired out of necessity to help get this crippled economy back to normal, to get people out of their houses, to get people in malls, to get people back in the office in a post-COVID world," said Michael Lende, CEO of Internet of Things.

"Unlike camera solutions, our touchless medical-grade sensor-based ThermalPass does not breech privacy nor social distancing, as it does not require human intervention, and is more accurate with 400 temperature readings per second. People do not have to slow down as they go through ThermalPass."

According to research firm Markets and Markets, the global thermal imaging sector is forecasted to reach US$4.6 billion by 2025, up from $3.4 billion in 2020.

ThermalPass is a wholly owned subsidiary of Internet of Things.

Contact Angela at [emailprotected]

Follow her on Twitter @AHarmantas

View original post here:

Internet of Things fever detection technology ThermalPass featured on Reuters TV - Proactive Investors USA & Canada

Without a major acceleration in clean energy innovation, it is unlikely that the world will meet its 2050 net zero carbon climate goals the International Energy Agency (IEA) has said.

In a new report, the IEAoutlines how the world can quickly shift towards clean energy infrastructure while analysing the market readiness of more than 400 clean energy technologies.

With the cost of technologies like solar and offshore wind plummeting in recent years, fossil fuel plants are becoming increasingly uneconomical in comparison.

However, the need for baseload electricity supply to pick up the slack when atmospheric conditions arent suitable for renewable generation - in addition to significant lobbying from the fossil fuel sector - has meant that many countries are failing to transition quickly enough to meet carbon targets.

There is a stark disconnect today between the climate goals that governments and companies have set for themselves and the current state of affordable and reliable energy technologies that can realise these goals, said Dr Fatih Birol, the IEA's executive director.

This report examines how quickly energy innovation would have to move forward to bring all parts of the economy - including challenging sectors like long-distance transport and heavy industry - to net-zero emissions by 2050 without drastic changes to how we go about our lives.

This analysis shows that getting there would hinge on technologies that have not yet even reached the market today. The message is very clear: in the absence of much faster clean energy innovation, achieving net-zero goals in 2050 will be all but impossible.

A significant part of the challenge comes from major sectors where there are currently few technologies available for reducing emissions to zero, such as shipping, trucking, aviation and heavy industries such assteel, cement and chemicals.

The IEA said that decarbonisation in these sectors will rely on the development of new technologies, a potentially long-winded process that needs to be undertaken now in the hope that solutions can be found within the required timeline.

Ifcertain key technologies can be developed by 2030, they could be implemented during the next round of plant refurbishments in heavy industry, saving a potential 60 gigatons of carbon emissions, the report found.

It added that the four most critical clean technologies needing innovation are battery technologies, carbon capture and storage, bioenergy and low-carbon hydrogen, which are currently mostly in the development phase and/or costly.

Global CO2 emissions are expected to be 8 per cent lower this year than in 2019 - their lowest level since 2010 - as energy demand has slumped due to the coronavirus pandemic, but they are likely to rebound as economies recover unless action is taken.

The IEA previously detailed a $3tn green recovery plan designed to generate millions of jobs through measures such as mass retrofitting of buildings to improve energy efficiency and pouring money into renewable energy generation.

Sign up to the E&T News e-mail to get great stories like this delivered to your inbox every day.

Read the rest here:

Rapid innovation in clean energy technology needed to meet 2050 carbon goals - E&T Magazine

As economies emerge from hibernation, employers are rushing to make workplaces safe with rudimentary tools such as hand sanitiser, face masks and the use of stairs rather than lifts.But engineers are developing more radical technologies to keep the virus out of offices.

The big challenges posed by the virus indoors are the collection of particles on surfaces and the flow of air between individuals. Pandemics like this can provide fertile ground for creative minds to think about how to do things differently, said Shaun Fitzgerald, visiting professor at the University of Cambridge.

Many of the innovations, however, will not come cheap. Here are some of the emerging options:

Viruses and bacteria can survive for a long time on surfaces and can be stubbornly resistant to cleaning. On plastics and steel, for example, the novel coronavirus can live for up to 72 hours.

Silver and copper, by contrast, are known to kill viruses and bacteria within four hours. But the timeframe we need is seconds to minutes, and it needs to be built into the materials, says Felicity de Cogan, research fellow at the University of Birmingham.

She is also founder of NitroPep, a company that is developing layers of material with tiny spikelike particles that puncture and kill viruses within minutes.

NitroPeps spikes are tiny antimicrobial agents that can be added to desks, walls and other surfaces and rupture anything with a membrane that lands on them.

It doesnt require a change in behaviour, it just sits there and kills whatever lands on it, said Ms de Cogan. The spikes cannot be felt by anyone running their hand across the surface.

The technology is untested for coronavirus, but when it was piloted for a year on a Royal Navy ship it removed more than 95 per cent of bacteria such as E.coli and MRSA, which is resistant to many forms of antibiotics. How effective the technology is at killing viruses such as Sars-Cov-2, which causes Covid-19, remains to be seen.

If deemed to be effective for the novel coronavirus, Ms de Cogan says she will look to apply the microscopic spikes to handles and seating on public transport and use them for self-cleaning protective equipment.

Although exact pricing has not been determined, the technology has been designed to be very economical so that it can be used as widely as possible, Ms de Cogan said.

Some experts have reservations. Were not going to be able to cover every product and material we touch with self-cleaning surfaces, said Joseph Gardner Allen, assistant professor at the Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health.

Coronavirus has brought a new lease of life to a decades-old technology known as germicidal ultraviolet beams of UV light that kill micro-organisms by mangling RNA in viruses and DNA in bacteria and fungi.

It already has a track record: during a series of drug-resistant tuberculosis outbreaks in the 1980s researchers found that placing UV lamps on the ceiling of large rooms effectively stopped transmission of the disease.

It is particularly recommended in crowded and poorly ventilated environments such as food manufacturing facilities, warehouses and airports.

Coronavirus has even turbocharged demand for UV disinfecting robots. Danish company UVD Robots was the first company to invent these machines, which travel around buildings emitting UV light that leaves bacteria and viruses too damaged to function. The robots, which sell for roughly 60,000, can already be found at hospitals, hotels, offices and airports around the world, including Londons Heathrow.

However, there are real concerns about UV radiation causing skin and eye damage to humans. That means it has to be placed high up and encased in light fixtures or air conditioning systems, while the robots are programmed to operate only at night when no one is around.

Real-time environmental monitors that check the pulse of a building already exist to assess things like CO2 levels and could be retuned to focus on the virus.

Some researchers in Switzerland are trying to develop sensors that detect the virus itself. Researchers at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Zurich) and Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technology (Empa)have developed a sensor set inside a chamber that emits a light signal if it comes into contact with the viruss RNA.

Testing in real life environments including hospitals, train stations and shopping malls will start in the next few months.

While high tech solutions may show promise, some engineers argue that the cost of implementation and speed of delivery mean that the focus now should be on simpler upgrades to existing systems. Chief among them are heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems

They can play a key role in preventing the accumulation of tiny airborne microdroplets known as aerosols, but in many cases there is room for improvement. The minimum ventilation flow rate is typically 5-10 litres of fresh air per person per second, but some buildings can have just 1 litre per person per second.

Many ventilation systems also circulate air from one indoor space to another, increasing the risk of airborne infection. Instead, each room needs to be pumped full of 100 per cent outdoor air wherever possible, engineers say.

You always want the air to move from clean to dirty and then out. In the bathroom, you want it to move from indoor, to bathroom and then out through the exhaust, said Mr Allen.

Wirth Research, based in Oxford and set up by Nick Wirth, a former Formula One technical director, is developing a system to destroy airborne particles from some of the least ventilated spaces notably passenger lifts and aeroplanes.

Cool indoor air is circulated out of the space into a viral furnace where it is heated to more than 95C to kill any pathogens and then cooled and filtered back in. Mr Wirth estimates that installing the system in a small space such as a lift would cost several thousand pounds.

The process of heating and then cooling air is fairly energy intensive but Mr Wirth argues that it will be essential to ensure the safety of some of the most stagnant environments.

Read the original post:

The radical technologies to keep offices clear of coronavirus | Free to read - Financial Times

Leading universities and major technology companies agreed on Tuesday to back a new project intended to give academics and other scientists access to the computing resources now available mainly to a few tech giants.

The initiative, the National Research Cloud, has received bipartisan support in both the House and the Senate. Lawmakers in both houses have proposed bills that would create a task force of government science leaders, academics and industry representatives to outline a plan to create and fund a national research cloud.

This program would give academic scientists access to the cloud data centers of the tech giants, and to public data sets for research.

Several universities, including Stanford, Carnegie Mellon and Ohio State, and tech companies including Google, Amazon and IBM backed the idea as well on Tuesday. The organizations declared their support for the creation of a research cloud and their willingness to participate in the project.

The research cloud, though a conceptual blueprint at this stage, is another sign of the largely effective campaign by universities and tech companies to persuade the American government to increase government backing for research into artificial intelligence. The Trump administration, while cutting research elsewhere, has proposed doubling federal spending on A.I. research by 2022.

Fueling the increased government backing is the recognition that A.I. technology is essential to national security and economic competitiveness. The national cloud legislation will be proposed as an amendment to this years defense budget authorization.

We have a real challenge in our country from China in terms of what they are doing with A.I., said Representative Anna G. Eshoo, Democrat of California, a sponsor of the bill.

Funding for the project, the terms for paying the cloud providers and what data might be available would be up to the task force and Congress.

This is a logical first step, said Senator Rob Portman, Republican of Ohio, another sponsor of the proposed law. The task force is going to have to grapple with how you pay for it and how you govern it. But you shouldnt have to work at Google to have access to this technology.

The national research cloud would address a problem that is a byproduct of impressive progress in recent years. The striking gains made in tasks like language understanding, computer vision, game playing and common-sense reasoning have been attained thanks to a branch of A.I. called deep learning.

That technology increasingly requires immense computing firepower. A report last year from the Allen Institute for Artificial Intelligence, working with data from OpenAI, another artificial intelligence lab, observed that the volume of calculations needed to be a leader in advanced A.I. had soared an estimated 300,000 times in the previous six years. The cost of training deep learning models, cycling endlessly through troves of data, can be millions of dollars.

The cost and need for vast computing resources are putting some cutting-edge A.I. research beyond the reach of academics. Only the tech giants like Google, Amazon and Microsoft can spend billions a year on data centers that are often the size of a football field, housing rack upon rack with hundreds of thousands of computers.

So there has been a brain drain of computer scientists from universities to the big tech companies, lured by access to their cloud data centers as well as lucrative pay packages. The worry is that academic research the seed corn of future breakthroughs is being shortchanged.

Academic work can be crucial particularly in areas where profits are not on the immediate horizon. That was the story with deep learning, which dates to the 1980s. A small band of academics nurtured the field for years. Only since 2012, with enough computing power and data, did deep learning really take off.

There have been smaller efforts for university research to tap into the big tech clouds. But the current concept of an ambitious public-private partnership for a National Research Cloud came in March from John Etchemendy and Fei-Fei Li, co-directors of the Stanford Institute for Human-Centered Artificial Intelligence.

They posted their idea online and sought support from other universities. The academics then promoted the idea to their political representatives and industry contacts.

The federal government has long backed major research projects like particle accelerators for high-energy physics in the 1960s and supercomputing centers in the 1980s.

But in the past, the government built the labs and facilities. The research cloud would use the cloud factories of the tech companies. Academic scientists would be government-subsidized customers of the tech giants, perhaps at rates below those charged to their business customers.

Many university researchers say that buying rather than building is the only sensible path, given the daunting cost of hyper-scale data centers.

We need to get scientific research on the public cloud, said Ed Lazowska, a professor at the University of Washington. We have to hitch ourselves to that wagon. Its the only way to keep up.

Read more:

Universities and Tech Giants Back National Cloud Computing Project - The New York Times

IDologys multi-layered ExpectID identity verification and anti-fraud technology has been integrated with Microsoft Azure Active Directory (Azure AD) External Identities for a seamless user experience during the onboarding process, the company announced.

Were pleased to enable our customers to utilizeIDologys ExpectID solutionswithMicrosoft Azure Active Directory, SueBohn, Partner Director of Program Experience, Microsoft Identity Division, at Microsoft Corp. said in a prepared statement. Our B2B and B2C customers can obtain the power of a multi-layered solution that rapidly detects fraud and provides identity verification, while not compromising on end-user experience.

Identity verification in a secure and fast manner is a key product feature which ensures frictionless onboarding and helps meet consumer demands for a frictionless experience, according to the announcement. IDologys Second Annual Consumer Digital Identity Study found that 83 million Americans do not proceed with the account signup process if they experience friction.

In todays threat-heavy environment, detecting and preventing fraud require more than basic identity matching, Christina Luttrell, COO of IDology, said in a prepared statement. ExpectID accesses thousands of data sources and analyzes multiple layers of identity attributes that seamlessly work together to instantly verify identities and detect fraud so that Azure AD External Identities customers can quickly greenlight legitimate individuals with confidence or dynamically escalate to other methods if needed.

ExpectID performs data analysis and helps companies build trust, ensure security and prevent revenue loss by identifying third-party contractors, guests, customers and other third parties. Azure AD customers can now install the identity verification and management product across all external identities for seamless verification, convenience and security.

biometrics | fraud prevention | identity management | identity verification | IDology

Read this article:

IDology's ID verification, anti-fraud technology added to Microsoft Azure AD for frictionless onboarding - Biometric Update

The BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition (BTYSTE) is going virtual for 2021 because of continued health and safety concerns around Covid-19.

The move means that for the first time in the exhibitions 56 years it will not be staged physically. Instead it will be transformed into a spectacular virtual showcase for January 2021, according to BT Ireland. The measure is an indication of how the Covid-19 pandemic is likely to affect staging of public events extending into next year.

Europes longest-running science event is scheduled go ahead from January 6th to 9th with students exhibiting virtually and judging taking place across digital platforms.

A total of 1,800 projects were entered into the 2020 contest, while 550 finalists from 244 schools showcased their entries in January. Some 50,000 people viewed the exhibition at the RDS, which has hosted it since 1966 its second year.

Members of the public in Ireland, and globally, will be able to visit the exhibition online and enjoy a full calendar of events including special acts, the Primary Science Fair, business events and the exhibits, BT Ireland confirmed.

The exhibition is retaining its 200 prizes with 7,500 going to the overall winner and an opportunity to represent Ireland at the EU Contest for Young Scientists in Salamanca, Spain, in September 2021.

BT Ireland managing director Shay Walsh said: With the unprecedented global events of the past few months, we have seen first hand the important role that science and technology is playing in finding solutions to this global pandemic.

He said they had looked at the exhibition with a new lens and wanted to ensure it remained firmly on the educational calendar.

Mr Walsh said he wanted to encourage students, teachers and schools to get involved in the virtual event and be part of something truly special in January.

Exhibition head Mari Cahalane said: People who have experienced the exhibition over the past 56 years understand it is about much more than a science competition. Its about imagining an idea and then bringing that idea to life through research and development. Were going to emphasise that in its truest form by bringing the BTYSTE virtual for 2021.

While the exhibition inspires thousands of young people each year to explore near-endless possibilities in science, technology, engineering and maths, the exhibition team sought this year to do something new in light of current circumstances, she added.

We will be holding information sessions online for students and teachers over the comings months and our website is the best source http://www.btyoungscientist.com for up-to-date information for students looking to get started on their entries.

The online entry process remains the same as previous years, but project entry fees have been waived. To enter, an individual or group must submit a one-page proposal outlining their project idea ahead of the closing date of September 22nd. There are four categories: technology; social and behavioural science; biological and ecological science and chemical, physical and mathematical science.

The Primary Science Fair is open to primary-level students from 3rd to 6th class and will run alongside the main exhibition online.

See more here:

BT Young Scientist & Technology Exhibition to go virtual in 2021 - The Irish Times

Three days after banning the use of 59 Chinese apps in India, New Delhi on Thursday said that it would continue to welcome foreign investments in the area of internet technology, but foreign entities would have to abide by the laws of the land.

While we will continue to welcome foreign investments in India, including in the area of internet technologies, this will have to be in accordance with the rules and regulatory framework established by the Government, Anurag Srivastava, the spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), said.

Beijing on Tuesday firmly opposed Indias move to ban the use of 59 apps linked to China, stating that New Delhi abused the national security exception to the rules of the World Trade Organization (WTO).New Delhi dismissed the allegation by Beijing. India has one of the most open regimes in the world for attracting Foreign Direct Investment (FDI). In the last few years, the Government has taken a host of measures for creating a more investor-friendly regime. Similarly in the area of digital technology and the internet, India has adopted a very open regime, said the MEA spokesperson.

He noted that India was today one of the worlds largest markets for digital and internet technologies with more than 680 million subscribers. The worlds largest software and internet applications companies are present in India. Naturally while operating in India they have to abide by our rules and regulations issued by the relevant ministries and departments, including those pertaining to data security and privacy of individual data, he added.

The Embassy of the Peoples Republic of China (PRC) in New Delhi expressed serious concerns over the ban imposed by the Government of India. It stated that the ban selectively and discriminatorily targeted the apps developed by the companies based in the communist country on ambiguous and far-fetched grounds.

New Delhis move to ban the apps came amid continuing military stand-off along the disputed India-China boundary in eastern Ladakh. Prime Minister Narendra Modis government stated that the apps had been used in activities prejudicial to sovereignty and integrity of India, defence of India, security of the state and public order.

Read more:

India welcomes FDI in internet technology, but foreign entities will have to abide by law of land - Deccan Herald

BEIJING, July 2, 2020 /PRNewswire/ --Color Star Technology Co., Ltd. (Nasdaq CM: HHT) (the "Company", "we" or "HHT") is pleased to announce that Color China Entertainment Limited ("Color China"), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Color Star Technology, has just signed a cooperation agreement with a renowned guitarist, Zhengyan You (a.k.a. Masa). Masa will take on the role of a Star Teacher of the "Color World" online education platform, created by Color Star.

Masa, who is widely known as a "Guitar Guru" in Asian pop music, has participated in the production of thousands of albums since he entered the entertainment industry in 1974. His albums include top pop music stars in Chinese music, such as Wenzheng Liu, Dayou Luo, Qin Cai, Rui Su, Qin Qi, Xiang Fei, Jie Wang and so on. Multiple record labels and fellow artists have also been known to reach out to Masa for cooperation. His music has influenced musicians throughout the ages, solidifying Masa as a representative of guitar performance in Asian pop music.

No matter the genre, classical, pop or rock, Masa's performances were widely praised. Many producers, guitarists and entertainers of Chinese pop music are honored to be able to learn from Masa.

On June 26, 2020, we have invited Masa to join Color World as a teacher, as we believe that there will be a great demand for his teachings in the Asian market. The addition of Masa allows our students, regardless of whether they are ordinary music lovers or professional practitioners, to be able to learn and improve with the best, as is the original intention of Color World. We hope that more entertainment enthusiasts will be able to learn what they are truly interested in, and that they can also improve their skills professionally. The signing of this contract with Masa also marks the beginning of Color World's development of its reach into the Asian market. Sean Liu, the CEO of Color Star, said, "In the future, we will cooperate with more top artists and producers in Asia, including music, film, television, animation, dance and other industries. We believe that Color World has the potential to bring richer content to our students." In the future, Color China will continue to sign contracts with top artists from China, South Korea, Japan, Thailand and other countries. We believe that their additions will greatly improve Color World's competitiveness in facing the Asian market of over 2 billion consumers.

About Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.

Color Star Technology, is a holding company whose primary business is offering both online and offline innovative education services. Its business operations are conducted through its wholly-owned subsidiaries Color China Entertainment Ltd. and CACM Group NY, Inc. The Company also anticipates providing an after-school tutoring program in New York via its joint venture entity Baytao LLC, and providing online music education via a platform branded "Color World."

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements made herein are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the "safe harbor" provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Forward-looking statements may be identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "believe", "expect", "estimate", "plan", "outlook", and "project" and other similar expressions that predict or indicate future events or trends or that are not statements of historical matters. Such forward-looking statements include the business plans, objectives, expectations and intentions of the parties following the completion of the acquisition, and HHT's estimated and future results of operations, business strategies, competitive position, industry environment and potential growth opportunities. These forward-looking statements reflect the current analysis of existing information and are subject to various risks and uncertainties. As a result, caution must be exercised in relying on forward-looking statements. Due to known and unknown risks, our actual results may differ materially from our expectations or projections. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by these factors. Other than as required under the securities laws, the Company does not assume a duty to update these forward-looking statements. The following factors, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: there is uncertainty about the spread of the COVID-19 virus and the impact it will have on HHT's operations, the demand for the HHT's products and services, global supply chains and economic activity in general. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in the other public filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") by HHT. Additional information concerning these and other factors that may impact our expectations and projections will be found in our periodic filings with the SEC, including our Annual Report on Form 20-F for the fiscal year ended June 30, 2019. HHT's SEC filings are available publicly on the SEC's website at http://www.sec.gov.HHT disclaims any obligation to update the forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

For investor and media inquiries, please contact:

Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.Contact: Investor RelationsFinancialBuzzIR[emailprotected] Tele: +1-877-601-1879

SOURCE Color Star Technology Co., Ltd.

Continued here:

Color Star Technology Announces that Masa, Asia's "Guitar Guru," has Joined its Education Platform - PRNewswire