TIGERGRAPH'S GRAPH + AI SUMMIT 2021 TO FEATURE 40+ SESSIONS, LIVE WORKSHOPS AND SPEAKERS FROM JPMORGAN CHASE, NEWDAY, PINTEREST, JAGUAR LAND ROVER AND MORE

More than 6,000 Attendees Expected at April 21-23 Event; TigerGraph Finalizes Speakers, Sessions and Workshops Focused on Accelerating Analytics, AI and Machine Learning with Graph

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., April 12 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- TigerGraph, provider of the leading graph analytics platform, today unveiled the complete agenda for Graph + AI Summit 2021, the industry’s only open conference devoted to democratizing and accelerating analytics, AI and machine learning with graph algorithms. The roster includes confirmed speakers from JPMorgan Chase, Intuit, NewDay, Jaguar Land Rover, Pinterest, Stanford University, Forrester Research, Accenture, Capgemini, KPMG, Intel, Dell, and Xilinx, as well as many innovative startups including John Snow Labs, Fintell, SaH Solutions and Sayari Labs. The virtual conference, set for April 21-23, offers keynotes, speakers, real-world customer case studies and hands-on workshops for data, analytics and AI professionals.

“The combination of analytics, AI, machine learning and graph is a powerful one that offers many ‘human benefits’ — and forward-looking companies in all industries have taken note,” said Dr. Yu Xu, founder and CEO of TigerGraph. “Graph + AI Summit is again bringing together industry luminaries, technical experts and business leaders from the world’s largest banks, fintechs, tech giants and manufacturers to share implementation best practices, lessons learned and more. We’re pleased to welcome back speakers from Jaguar Land Rover and Intuit, and welcome new participants from an impressive list of today’s top innovators driving the adoption of graph. Our goal is to make graph accessible, applicable and understandable for all, as more people grasp how graph-related technologies can improve our lives.”

Graph + AI Summit returns after a successful Graph + AI 2020; the inaugural event attracted more than 3,000 attendees from 56 countries, and welcomed data scientists, data engineers, architects and business and IT executives from 115 of the Fortune 500 companies. The latest conference will host over 6,000 attendees this year and again focus on accelerating analytics, AI and machine learning with graph algorithms — timely technologies that are on the minds of today’s business leaders. After 2020 accelerated enterprises’ shift to the cloud, businesses are realizing graph technologies are key to connecting, analyzing and helping glean insights from data.

Graph + AI Summit 2021 includes keynote presentations, executive roundtables, technical breakout sessions, industry tracks (“banking, insurance and fintech,” “healthcare, life sciences and government”) and live workshops for advanced analytics and machine learning.


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EIG, ARAMCO INK US$12.4 BILLION INFRASTRUCTURE DEAL

KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 (Bernama) -- EIG, a leading institutional investor to the global energy sector and one of the world’s leading infrastructure investors, has announced entering into a lease and lease-back agreement with Saudi Arabian Oil Co (Aramco).

Under this agreement, a consortium of investors led by EIG will acquire a 49 per cent equity stake in Aramco Oil Pipelines Company (Aramco Oil Pipelines), a newly-formed entity with rights to a 25-year tariff payments for oil transported through Aramco’s stabilised crude oil pipeline network.

The transaction is valued at approximately US$12.4 billion with Aramco holding the remaining 51 per cent stake in the new entity, indicating a total equity value of Aramco Oil Pipelines of approximately US$25.3 billion. (US$1 = RM4.133)

The pipeline network, which includes all of Aramco’s existing and future stabilised crude pipelines in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, connects oilfields to downstream networks.

According to a statement, the pipeline network transports 100 per cent of Aramco’s crude oil produced in the Kingdom under its Concession Agreement.

As part of the transaction, Aramco will lease the usage rights in its stabilised crude oil pipelines network to Aramco Oil Pipelines, and Aramco Oil Pipelines will grant back to Aramco the exclusive right to use, transport through, operate and maintain the pipeline network during the 25-year period in exchange for a quarterly, volume-based tariff, payable by Aramco.

The tariff will be backed by minimum volume commitments. Aramco will at all times retain title to, and operational control of, the pipeline network and will assume all operating and capital expense risk. 

“This is an extraordinary opportunity for EIG’s investors, and we are proud to partner with Aramco in this marquee global infrastructure asset,” said EIG Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, R. Blair Thomas, adding the transaction aligned perfectly with EIG’s philosophy of investing in high-quality assets with contracted cash flows in critical infrastructure.

More details at www.eigpartners.com.

-- BERNAMA

AKWEL RECORDS STRONG IMPROVEMENT IN 2020 PROFITABILITY

KUALA LUMPUR, April 9 (Bernama) -- AKWEL, an automotive and HGV equipment and systems manufacturer specialising in fluid management and mechanisms, has posted its 2020 annual results.

Due to the upturn in activity during the last four-month period, the annual fall in turnover was -14.9 per cent and -10.9 per cent, at a constant exchange rate and comparable perimeter.

The EBITDA increased by 34.6 per cent, caused by the group quickly adapting to its cost structure under crisis conditions, work focusing on profitability and levels of operational maturity of new sites.

The group’s self-financing capacity of €154.4 million, improvement in working capital requirements down by €7.7 million, and management of investment budgets (€34 million) resulted in free cash flow generation of €128.2 million. (€1 = RM4.923)

With a positive net cash position of €60.6 million, AKWEL enjoys a particularly solid financial situation enabling it to come through this crisis. 

According to a statement, the payment of a dividend of €0.45 per share will be proposed for the 2020 financial year.

AKWEL is forecasting an increase in activity over the financial year underway but at this stage is not anticipating a level of profitability and cash generation comparable to that seen during the 2020 financial year.

 The outlook for new mobility solutions - and particularly the development of hydrogen - and increasing demands in the Corporate Social Responsibility field will be key areas to be focused this year.

-- BERNAMA

GUPSHUP TO CATALYSE CONVERSATIONAL MESSAGING VIA US$100 MILLION LATEST FUNDING

 Following rapid, profitable growth, the investment values Gupshup at $1.4 billion, validating its leadership position in Conversational Messaging

SAN FRANCISCO, April 9 (Bernama-BUSINESS WIRE) -- Gupshup, the leader in conversational messaging, today announced it has raised $100 million in funding from Tiger Global Management, propelling the company’s valuation to $1.4 billion. This funding will be followed by a second close with significant additional funds raised from more investors, to be announced later. This latest round follows years of profitable growth, product innovation, and customer adoption that saw Gupshup emerge as the global leader in conversational messaging. Gupshup’s API enables over 100,000 developers and businesses to build messaging and conversational experiences delivering over 6 billion messages per month across 30+ messaging channels. Gupshup will use this investment to rapidly scale product and go-to-market initiatives worldwide in order to accelerate the transformation of business-to-consumer interactions with conversational experiences delivered over messaging channels.

“The growth in business use of messaging and conversational experiences, transforming virtually every customer touchpoint, is an exciting secular trend,” said John Curtius, Partner at Tiger Global Management. He added, “Gupshup is uniquely positioned to win in this market with a differentiated product, a clear and sustainable moat, and an experienced team with a proven track record. In addition to its market leadership, Gupshup’s unique combination of scale, growth and profitability attracted us.”

Gupshup has long been the incumbent leader in business messaging in India. Most major brands in India across industries use Gupshup API for customer engagement across multiple channels, especially SMS. Over the last few years, business messaging has become more conversational as SMS messages include hyperlinks along with the rise of newer IP-based messaging channels, such as WhatsApp, RCS, and the Gupshup IP (GIP) messaging channel. Gupshup has been a pioneer and first-mover driving this industry transition to conversational messaging. Unlike the telco-based SMS ecosystem that is fragmented by country, IP messaging works exactly the same way globally thereby accelerating Gupshup’s global expansion. Gupshup’s technology, optimized for a mobile-first economy like India, is seeing great traction in emerging markets with similar dynamics. With a focus on automated, self-serve, developer-centric, partner-friendly APIs and solutions, Gupshup is making it easier and quicker for businesses, large and small, to leverage IP messaging and build conversational experiences for their customers. Gupshup offers a comprehensive suite of solutions including messaging APIs, bot platform, bot building tools, scripting engine, omni-channel inbox, conversational AI, client-side software and more.

The ubiquity of smartphones and dominance of messaging apps is forcing businesses to go where the consumers are: in their favorite messaging apps. Just like websites during the prior wave of technology-driven transformation, conversational experiences are enabling businesses to better engage, interact with and sell to their customers. Conversations are the new digital storefront for businesses – virtually every business will have to build it. This digital transformation has been further accelerated by the pandemic.

“Customers expect to converse with businesses the way they do with friends. They expect the conversation to be simple, easy, quick, contextual, and personalized,” explained Beerud Sheth, Gupshup Cofounder and CEO. “Gupshup’s mission is to build the tools that help businesses better engage customers through mobile messaging and conversational experiences. As we work towards our mission, we are delighted with this investment from Tiger Global, given its incredible track record of making big, bold, successful bets on innovative, category-defining companies worldwide.”

Gupshup’s last funding round was in 2011. Gupshup grew rapidly over the last few years, exiting 2020 with annual revenue run rate of approximately 150 million dollars.

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4-DAY VIRTUAL E3 2021 ENGAGES VIDEO GAME FANS WORLDWIDE THIS JUNE

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (Bernama) -- It’s a ‘Game On’ for E3 as the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) officially unveils plans for a reimagined, all-virtual four-day E3 2021, beginning June 12.

Engaging video game fans everywhere, developers will be showcasing their latest news and games directly to fans worldwide.

According to a statement, the ESA will be working with media partners globally to help amplify and make this content available to everyone, for free.

Video game industry showcase returns with confirmed partners being Nintendo, Xbox, Capcom, Konami, Ubisoft, Take-Two Interactive, Warner Bros. Games and Koch Media.

“For more than two decades, E3 has been the premier venue to showcase the best that the video game industry has to offer, while uniting the world through games,” said the ESA President and Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Pierre-Louis.

“We are evolving this year’s E3 into a more inclusive event, but will still look to excite the fans with major reveals and insider opportunities that make this event the indispensable centre stage for video games.”

While maintaining E3’s longstanding position as a central destination for industry networking -- where new partnerships and connections between video game publishers, developers and media are made -- the digital format for E3 2021 means more people than ever can participate.

The ESA looks forward to coming back together to celebrate E3 2022 in person. 

-- BERNAMA

YAYASAN PETRONAS EQUIPS 136 STEM TEACHERS FOR HYBRID TEACHING

KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 (Bernama) -- Yayasan PETRONAS, through its Program Duta Guru (PDG) initiative, has successfully equipped  its first cohort of 136 Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) teachers for hybrid teaching via classroom and virtual modes across 113 school districts in Malaysia.

Over the past months, each teacher received an online teaching kit which includes a mini green screen kit, a pedagogical book Pembelajaran Abad-21 and school stationery to help make online lessons effective, fun and interactive. They also received guidance on how to innovate and apply these items to create more engaging virtual lessons for their students.

With public secondary schools reopening this week, over 180,000 school teachers are expected to transition back to regular teaching duties in Malaysia. Despite this, teachers would still need to continue with the online delivery of lessons as and when needed.

“Our teachers are critical to the nation’s progress – they play such a huge role in the success of our students. Together with our partners, we are supporting the teachers’ professional development so they may better help students navigate the new normal and enhance their Higher Order Thinking Skills (HOTS) through the STEM subjects,” said Yayasan PETRONAS Chief Executive Officer Nelly Francis Shariah.

Initiated in 2019, PDG is a collaboration between Yayasan PETRONAS and the Ministry of Education’s Pusat STEM Negara, with Teach For Malaysia as the implementation partner. It aims to strengthen the teachers’ capability and continuously improve their teaching quality through training and coaching, curated content and by providing infrastructure.

PDG was rolled out through a series of three virtual sessions last year, where teachers gained insights from successful innovators in STEM education, discussed trends and challenges in the field – including how to effectively manage online classrooms and improve student learning outcomes.

Chief Executive Officer of Teach For Malaysia, Chan Soon Seng said, “Along with the rest of the world, the future of educators is one fused with technology. Teachers will need to become savvy users of digital tools, as well as creators of online content and knowledge. They need to help their students foster these skills for the future workforce as well.”

Since the delivery of the online teaching kits in December, many teachers have taken the opportunity to prepare ahead for their lessons this year.

“This programme is very beneficial to me. It has impacted how I apply integrated STEM teaching into delivering online lessons. It also helped in boosting my confidence to be a STEM leader in school,” said Zulfadzli Mahamad @ Muhamad, a teacher from SMK Trusan, Sarawak who is part of PDG’s Cohort 1.

Another PDG inductee from Labuan, Angela Joseph went a step further to collaborate with Yayasan PETRONAS in creating videos on the practice of good personal hygiene for primary school students. The collaboration was part of Yayasan PETRONAS’ Back To School programme, where 21,000 underprivileged primary school students received school supplies and personal hygiene kits.

“PDG taught me how to engage with students virtually and share these key takeaways with our teacher community groups. Through the collaboration with Yayasan PETRONAS, I am glad that students nationwide can also benefit from science to help them remember to follow the SOPs and stay safe,” said Angela.

Senior Principal Assistant Director of the National STEM Centre, Dr. Ihsan Ismail said, “With STEM teachers so consequential to the future of our students, we must address their needs as they face new challenges in their work. We hope to see more organisations stepping forward to collaborate with us in improving the quality of teaching in Malaysia.”

By 2030, PDG aims to have empowered 4,500 teachers to be highly capable STEM educators serving as role models in enhancing students’ interest and competency in STEM education and higher order thinking skills.

Each teacher cohort will undergo a two-year training comprising workshops, online training, industry visits, and participate in projects that address issues hindering the progress of STEM in their student communities. PDG’s Cohort 2 is set to be inducted through a virtual session this month.

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Shell investment to boost LanzaJet's leading technology global commercialisation

 KUALA LUMPUR, April 7 -- LanzaJet Inc, a leading sustainable fuel technology company and sustainable fuel producer, announced that Shell has joined as an investor in the company to advance LanzaJet’s global growth, accelerate commercialisation of its technology, and scale the production of Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).  

According to a statement, Shell joins founding investors in LanzaJet, including LanzaTech, Suncor Energy Inc, Mitsui & Co Ltd, and more recently, British Airways, as well as participation from All Nippon Airways.  

This innovative phased investment approach significantly accelerates commercial deployment at a time when reducing emissions, especially of aviation, is increasingly important and demonstrates a joint commitment to creating a resilient, low carbon future.  

With the right policies to support the uptake and production of SAF, aviation can achieve net-zero emissions.  

The investment comes as LanzaJet continues its work to build the first Alcohol-to-Jet facility of its kind globally, a commercial-scale plant (10 million gallons per year capacity) in Soperton, Georgia, USA. Freedom Pines Fuels, as it's called, continues on schedule with operations beginning in 2022.  

LanzaJet was launched in June last year following nearly a decade of technology development and commercial scale-up through a partnership by LanzaJet’s founder, LanzaTech, with the US Department of Energy’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory. 

The LanzaJet process can use any source of sustainable ethanol for jet fuel production, including, but not limited to, ethanol made from recycled pollution, the core application of LanzaTech’s carbon recycling platform.  

LanzaJet’s technology is uniquely able to produce up to 90 per cent of its fuels as SAF, with the remaining 10 per cent as renewable diesel. The SAF will be blended with conventional fossil jet fuel and be supplied to airports through the existing supply routes.  

The versatility in ethanol, and a focus on low-carbon, waste-based, and non-food /non-feed sources, along with ethanol’s global availability, make LanzaJet’s technology a relevant and enduring solution for SAF.  

-- BERNAMA