Category Archives: Technology

SpeedTech.ai Appoints Raviteja Turram as Regional Chief Business Officer to Accelerate RAIYA AI Platform Expansion

Hyderabad, Jan 23:   SpeedTech.ai, a leading provider of conversational AI and intelligent automation solutions, today announced the strategic appointment of Mr. Raviteja Turram as Regional Chief Business Officer (RCBO). This key leadership addition underscores the company’s commitment to expanding adoption of its flagship RAIYA platform across enterprises seeking to transform customer engagement and business operations through AI-powered automation.

SpeedTech.ai’s RAIYA platform is revolutionizing how businesses interact with customers through three core solutions: RAIYA Telephony, which delivers human-like conversational AI phone calls with zero latency in multiple languages; RAIYA Concierge, an advanced virtual assistant leveraging Large Language Models (LLM) and Generative AI; and RAIYA IDP (Intelligent Document Processing), which automates workflow and data extraction processes. The platform serves diverse industries including real estate, hospitality, logistics, retail, healthcare, banking, and recruitment.

As Regional Chief Business Officer, Mr. Turram will spearhead market expansion efforts, driving adoption of RAIYA’s AI-powered solutions throughout his designated territory. His mandate includes building strategic partnerships, accelerating revenue growth, and ensuring enterprises can successfully leverage conversational AI to enhance customer engagement, improve operational efficiency, and drive measurable business outcomes.

“RAIYA is transforming how businesses engage with their customers through intelligent, multilingual AI conversations that feel remarkably human,” said Saleel Tatke, Senior Vice President at SpeedTech.ai. “Raviteja’s appointment as Regional Chief Business Officer enables us to bring RAIYA’s powerful conversational AI capabilities to more organizations ready to automate customer interactions, qualify leads more effectively, and scale their operations intelligently.”

RAIYA Telephony has demonstrated exceptional results across industries. B2B companies have reported conversion ratio improvements from 2% to 3.4%, while agricultural technology platforms have successfully connected over 12,000 farmers across multiple states through multilingual AI telephony in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi, Gujarati, and Kannada. The platform’s real-time audio-to-audio model delivers conversations with natural emotions and zero latency, making interactions indistinguishable from human conversations.

“Conversational AI represents a fundamental shift in how businesses can scale customer engagement without compromising quality,” said Mr. Turram. “SpeedTech.ai’s RAIYA platform is genuinely transformative—enabling companies to handle thousands of customer interactions simultaneously in multiple languages while maintaining the personal touch that builds trust. I’m excited to lead regional expansion for a solution that delivers immediate, measurable impact across such diverse industries.”

This strategic appointment aligns with SpeedTech.ai’s mission to make sophisticated conversational AI technology accessible, practical, and transformative for businesses of all sizes, enabling them to design, build, and deploy AI-driven virtual assistants in minutes rather than months.

Intellect Boosts Global AI Adoption with 14 Partners on Purple Fabric

Intellect Accelerates Global Enterprise AI Adoption, Onboards 14 Value Discovery Partners for Purple Fabric Ecosystem

Intellect Design Arena Ltd, a global leader in enterprise-grade financial technology, today announced the onboarding of 14 Value Discovery Partners across India, Africa, Europe, the UK, APAC, and Canada, to accelerate AI-First value discovery and enterprise adoption of Purple Fabric, its enterprise-grade Business Impact AI platform.

As financial institutions worldwide face the challenge of moving Generative AI initiatives from “pilot mode” to production-grade “business impact,” this new partner ecosystem will play a pivotal role in bridging the gap.

Built using First Principles Thinking and reinforced by Design Thinking-led solution discovery, Purple Fabric integrates knowledge derived from over three decades of domain expertise and more than 20 million engineering hours. The platform offers a robust suite of enterprise-ready Digital Experts that are already deployed and trusted by global financial institutions.

As Value Discovery Partners, these organisations engage early with customer leadership to lead AI-First value discovery identifying high-impact use cases, prioritising measurable value pools, and co-designing governed, production-ready AI solutions on Purple Fabric. This ensures enterprises move beyond experimentation and accelerate the delivery of tangible, scalable business outcomes.

At its core, Purple Fabric enables enterprises to operationalise AI through four foundational technology stacks. These include the Enterprise Knowledge Garden (PF EKG), which provides a unified, continuously updated domain data fabric; Enterprise Digital Experts (PF EDE), a multi-agent orchestration layer that automates and augments enterprise tasks across credit, risk, compliance, and customer experience; Enterprise Governance (PF Govern), embedding observability, auditability, and fairness controls to ensure trust and regulatory compliance; and the LLM Optimisation Hub (PF MOH), an LLM-agnostic layer that optimises speed, accuracy, and cost through intelligent benchmarking and resource allocation.

A New Collaborative Framework: Co-Build, Co-Exist, Build

The Purple Fabric Value Discovery Partnership Program is anchored on deep technical and strategic collaboration. Partners are not positioned as distributors but as co-creators within the ecosystem, working closely with Intellect to:

• Co-Build: Jointly develop new AI agents and industry-specific workflows.
• Co-Exist: Seamlessly integrate Purple Fabric’s Digital Experts into existing legacy and core architectures.
• Build: Create bespoke IP and differentiated solutions on top of the Purple Fabric foundation.

Flexible Engagement Models

To ensure broad market adoption and flexible go-to-market execution, the partner ecosystem operates under three distinct engagement models:

• Sell With: Partners leverage Purple Fabric to address customer challenges, with Intellect providing deep architectural and platform support.
• Sell To: Partners adopt Purple Fabric for their own internal operations, using pre-built Digital Experts to streamline workflows and decision-making.
• Sell Through: Designed for partners with strong cloud capabilities, this model offers dual deployment flexibility, either hosting Purple Fabric on partner infrastructure or reselling it via Intellect’s managed Purple Fabric Cloud, aligned to customer compliance and data preferences.

Commenting on the expanded partner ecosystem, Arun Jain, Chairman and Managing Director of Intellect Design Arena Limited & Chief Architect of Purple Fabric, said,

“AI must move beyond pilots to deliver measurable business impact at enterprise scale. This value discovery partner ecosystem reinforces our belief that Business Impact AI can only scale through trusted collaboration, where industry context, governance, and execution come together. Purple Fabric is designed as an open platform, and this growing global ecosystem will help enterprises move decisively from experimentation to outcomes.”

Microfinance Sector Calls for Robust KYC, Stable Funding to Boost Financial Inclusion

By:  Dr Alok Misra, CEO & Director, Microfinance Industry Network 

“The microfinance sector touching lives of nearly 30 crore low income people needs policy support in the form of robust KYC framework for accurate borrower verification and responsible credit reporting. In light of SC judgement restricting Aadhar use, the issue needs to be addressed through solutions such as Aadhaar last-four-digit storage or tokenisation. The other area requiring policy support is availability of stable funding mechanism. High dependence of NBFC-MFIs on bank funding leads to sudden drying up of funds and affects financial inclusion, like seen for last one year. This has resulted in nearly 50 lakh clients going out of formal finance fold.

Other than that, at a macro level, the sector has shown tangible improvement in credit discipline, with Portfolio at Risk (1–90 days) for RBI regulated entities declining from 5.3% in Dec 2024 to 2.4% by end December 2025 and nearly 96% of borrowers are within prescribed MFIN guardrails. We remain hopeful for an early announcement on the proposed credit guarantee scheme for microfinance, which will further strengthen lender confidence and start a virtuous cycle for the sector.”

Hexagon India unveils ATS800 Metrology Solution to India Market at IMTEX Forming 2026

Bengaluru,  Jan 23: Hexagon, the global leader in measurement technologies, today announced the India market launch of its next-generation metrology solution, the ATS800, at IMTEX Forming 2026, one of India’s premier manufacturing and machine tool exhibitions. While the ATS800 has been introduced in global markets earlier, this marks its official debut in the Indian manufacturing sector.

The launch ceremony was attended by Mr. Pramod Kaushik, President, Hexagon India, Mr. Manoj Sharma, Director – Marketing and Sales Excellence, Hexagon India, along with other Hexagon leaders and distinguished guests. The event is ongoing until 25 January 2026 at the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), Bengaluru, with Hexagon showcasing the ATS800 at Hall 3A, Booth A126.

The ATS800 is a high-precision laser tracking metrology solution that combines direct scanning and reflector tracking in a single portable system. It enables manufacturers to measure complex surfaces, fine features, and large structures from distances of up to 40 metres, improving precision, productivity, and workflow efficiency.

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Pramod Kaushik, President, Hexagon India, said:

“The introduction of the ATS800 in India reflects Hexagon’s continued commitment to supporting the country’s manufacturing transformation. As manufacturers move towards higher precision, larger assemblies, and digital quality workflows, the ATS800 offers a flexible and scalable solution to improve accuracy, productivity, and operational confidence.”

Mr. Manoj Sharma, Director – Marketing and Sales Excellence, Hexagon India, added:

“India’s manufacturing ecosystem is evolving rapidly, and the ATS800 reinforces Hexagon’s commitment to equipping Indian manufacturers with advanced metrology solutions that enhance quality, productivity, and competitiveness.”

The ATS800 caters to a wide range of sectors, including aerospace, automotive, energy, heavy engineering, and large-scale fabrication, delivering precise measurements, reduced inspection times, and improved traceability. Its design supports integration with automation systems, advanced workflows, and robotic platforms, enabling seamless connectivity with existing metrology software.

Hexagon’s participation at IMTEX Forming 2026 underscores its commitment to the Indian market, supporting manufacturers across industries with innovative metrology and digital solutions that enhance efficiency, quality,

Qure.ai Secures Major Global Health Grant to Develop AI-Powered Point-of-Care Ultrasound Solutions

Global digital health innovator Qure.ai today announced that it has received a multimillion-dollar grant from the Gates Foundation to advance health equity by improving access to timely, high-quality diagnostics for some of the world’s most preventable infectious diseases.

The grant will enable Qure.ai to develop a large, open-source, multi-modal global health database aimed at accelerating innovation in disease prevention and early detection. The initiative will support WHO-aligned lung health diagnostic pathways and incorporate non-identifiable clinical histories, medical imaging data—including Chest X-rays, Thoracic Ultrasound, and High-Resolution CT scans—as well as cough and lung sound recordings, and laboratory or biological markers. This comprehensive dataset will empower researchers and innovators worldwide to develop, validate, and refine next-generation AI models for global health impact.

As part of the initiative, Qure.ai will also develop AI-enabled point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) algorithms to support the early detection of tuberculosis (TB) and pneumonia, two of the world’s deadliest yet preventable and treatable infectious diseases, particularly in under-resourced regions. TB claims approximately 1.23 million lives annually, while pneumonia causes nearly 2 million deaths each year, including 700,000 children under the age of five—despite both diseases being curable when diagnosed early.

Commenting on the development, Prashant Warier, Founder and CEO, Qure.ai, said,

“In our bid to reach the unreachable, we have spent the last decade deploying AI-enabled X-ray solutions in some of the most remote regions of the world—from sub-Saharan Africa to the heights of Everest and rural Southeast Asia—transforming TB detection and diagnosis. This work has reduced diagnosis timelines from 14 days to just 1–2 days, often without a clinician present. With this grant from the Gates Foundation, we are excited to build on this expertise and scale our impact to reach even more communities.”

Dr. Shibu Vijayan, Chief Medical Officer – Global Health, Qure.ai, added,

“By leveraging the latest advancements in digital health and artificial intelligence, Qure.ai is addressing healthcare’s blind spots—bringing high-quality diagnostics within reach of every clinic, health worker, and child, regardless of geography.”

Highlighting the urgency of the initiative, Dr. Justy Antony Chiramal, Project Lead and Clinical Director, Global Health Innovation, Qure.ai, said,

“This grant allows us to build on years of continuous innovation in public health and push the boundaries of what AI can do for global health. By bringing together tuberculosis, pneumonia, and broader lung health priorities—especially for children in low- and middle-income countries—we are addressing an urgent need. A child dies of pneumonia every 43 seconds, a loss that is both unacceptable and preventable, underscoring the critical need for better diagnostics and equitable access to care.”

Qure.ai is a global digital health leader with deployments across 105+ countries and over 4,800 healthcare sites worldwide, supporting the detection and management of tuberculosis, lung cancer, and neurocritical conditions such as stroke through AI-powered solutions.

Bain Capital-backed Novopor Advanced Science acquires FAR Chemical; Expands US footprint

Novopor Advanced Science expands US footprint with acquisition of FAR Chemical; Strengthens global specialty chemicals platform

Hyderabad & Palm Bay, Jan 23: Novopor Advanced Science Private Limited, a Bain Capital portfolio company and global performance chemicals and material science CDMO, today announced its acquisition of FAR Chemical, a US-based leader in custom and complex specialty chemical manufacturing focused on Electronics, Aerospace & Defense, Coatings & Adhesives and other Specialty Chemicals, from its US parent CPS Performance Materials Group.

The acquisition of FAR Chemical is a key milestone in Novopor’s strategy to build an integrated specialty chemical platform that delivers end-to-end solutions to customers ranging from early-stage process development to commercial scale manufacturing. Integrating FAR Chemical’s deep expertise in complex chemistries and attractive end markets complements Novopor’s existing capabilities and expands its US presence.

“FAR Chemical’s deep expertise in differentiated, complex chemistries and long track record of working with global performance chemical and material science companies make it a strategic fit with Novopor’s mission to drive innovation and deliver custom solutions. This acquisition enhances our ability to support a broader range of chemistries, accelerate time-to-market for new products, and strengthen our presence in key high-growth markets,” said Radhesh Welling, MD of Novopor Advanced Science Private Limited.

“FAR Chemical is a respected operator with a proven track record in complex specialty chemical manufacturing. The combination of FAR Chemical with Novopor strengthens the platform’s technical depth, geographic reach, and ability to support customers across the full product lifecycle. This investment underlines our continued commitment to building market-leading businesses through strategic acquisitions and operational excellence,” said Saahil Bhatia, Partner of Bain Capital.

“FAR Chemical and CPS Performance Materials have established a differentiated platform grounded in deep technical expertise, an uncompromising commitment to safety, and a strong track record of delivering innovative solutions for customers with unique and challenging development needs,” said Justin O’Connor, President of FAR Chemical. “This partnership strengthens our ability to invest in advanced capabilities while maintaining the highest standards of safety and operational discipline and enhances our ability to support customers seamlessly from development through commercial-scale manufacturing. We are proud to join Novopor in building a platform defined by technical excellence, a safety-first culture, and an unwavering commitment to our customers.”

Novopor Advanced Science, backed by Bain Capital, has been executing a strategy of targeted investments and acquisitions to expand its global footprint and technical portfolio. In 2025, Novopor acquired Pressure Chemical Company, a Pittsburgh-based specialty chemical and high-pressure chemistry expert, broadening its development-to-manufacturing capabilities and reinforcing its presence in the US market. Additionally, Novopor inaugurated a state-of-the-art Pilot Plant Facility in Visakhapatnam, designed to bridge early-stage R&D with commercial-scale production and accelerate innovation across agrochemicals, performance materials, and specialty chemicals.

KPMG served as financial advisors, Alvarez & Marsal served as technical advisors, and Honigman LLP, Khaitan & Co and Clifford Chance LLP served as legal advisors to Novopor. Raymond James, Forvis Mazars and Thompson Hine LLP served as advisors to FAR Chemical.

Samsung India Teases AI-Powered Cooling Evolution with Bespoke AI WindFree Air Conditioners

 Bengaluru, India, Jan 23: Samsung, India’s largest consumer electronics brand, today unveiled an early preview of its upcoming cooling innovations, marking a meaningful evolution in how comfort, intelligence and energy efficiency will define modern homes

With the message “The future of AI AC is coming,” the brand is setting expectations for an AC advancement that moves beyond conventional home cooling.

The teaser spotlights the Bespoke AI WindFree™ Air Conditioner lineup, combining advanced AI technology, premium design and smart connectivity to deliver a more refined home cooling experience for Indian conditions

The range will feature WindFree™ Cooling, along with AI Fast & WindFree™ Cooling+, AI Energy Mode, Preventive maintenance and SmartThings integration for optimized performance, better energy management and seamless control.

DSCI Launches OT Cyber Security Lab with Rockwell Automation

DSCI Inaugurates Operational Technology Cyber Security Lab in Collaboration with Rockwell Automation to Strengthen Cyber Security Resilience

New Delhi, Jan 22: Data Security Council of India (DSCI), in collaboration with Rockwell Automation, today inaugurated an Operational Technology (OT) Cyber Security Lab at the DSCI premises, Nasscom campus, Noida. The lab was formally inaugurated by Chief Guests Mr Sarit Maheshwari – CEO, NTPC Green Energy Limited and NTPC Renewable Energy Limited; Lt. Gen. Rakesh Kapoor, Former Deputy Chief of Army Staff and Dr R Ranjana, Director, Future Technologies, DRDO in the presence of Mr Stephen Ford, Global CISO, Rockwell Automation; Mr Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director – India, Rockwell Automation; and Mr Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI.

The initiative marks a significant step towards strengthening India’s cyber security posture for critical infrastructure, smart manufacturing, supply chain security and industrial environments amid the rapid digitalisation of operational systems.

The OT Cyber Security Lab has been established to address the cyber security risks arising from the increasing convergence of digital technologies and operational systems in industrial and infrastructure environments. The facility is intended to support focused research and experimentation on cyber security challenges specific to OT, with an emphasis on strengthening security practices in real-world industrial contexts.

Inaugurating the lab, Shri Sarit Maheshwari – CEO, NTPC Green Energy Limited and NTPC Renewable Energy Limited, said,

“As we are witnessing a digitally transformed ecosystem, isolated systems until now have converged to more connected systems and security must be incorporated right from the design stage. Am glad to see initiatives such as the OT Cyber Security Lab by DSCI and Rockwell Automation which will pave the way and open access to start-ups for strengthening the OT ecosystem.”

Envisioned as a national-level facility, the lab will enable industry and startups to test and validate cybersecurity solutions against real-world OT use cases in a controlled setting. It will also support training and capacity building by providing hands-on exposure to OT security tools, architectures, and scenarios for professionals working across critical sectors.

Vinayak Godse, CEO, DSCI, said:

“The augmentation of OT Cyber Security Lab reinforces our focus on securing operational technology environments that underpin critical infrastructure and smart manufacturing. The lab will facilitate startups to innovate, test, and validate cybersecurity solutions in real-world OT settings. By providing a controlled environment for experimentation and learning, the facility will help address complex security challenges and enhance national preparedness against cyber threats. I would like to thank Rockwell Automation for working with us and bringing their global expertise in industrial automation and security to support this initiative.”

“As India digitises critical operations, OT resilience becomes a strategic imperative. Securing OT demands visibility, discipline, and continuous validation, and above all, collective action. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility, and it requires the commitment of companies, industry bodies, and the wider ecosystem to build truly secure and resilient operational environments. Our collaboration with DSCI translates global OT security expertise into actionable, India-ready capabilities, helping organizations assess risk, validate controls, and build resilient operations at scale. This facility advances rigorous testing and training so organisations can better anticipate threats and reduce risk across industries,” said, Dilip Sawhney, Managing Director, Rockwell Automation India 

The lab will bring together industry and startups to enable collaboration on emerging cyber threats affecting OT systems and critical infrastructure. Through this multi-stakeholder engagement, the facility aims to support practical approaches to securing industrial environments and improving national preparedness against OT-focused cyber risks.

Developed in cooperation with Rockwell Automation, the OT Cyber Security Lab has been successfully commissioned and tested, combining DSCI’s ecosystem-building approach with global expertise to deliver this capability for India.

Consistent Infosystems Launches Advanced Surge Protectors for Reliable Power Safety

New Delhi, Jan 22: Consistent Infosystems, one of India’s fastest-growing brands in IT hardware, networking, surveillance, and consumer electronics, has announced the launch of its latest innovation – Consistent Surge Protectors. Designed to offer dependable power safety and everyday convenience, the new range ensures enhanced protection for modern electronic devices across homes and workplaces.

The newly launched Consistent Surge Protectors are available in multiple variants to suit diverse user requirements. The range includes 4-port and 5-port models, offered with 1.5-meter and 3-meter cable lengths, providing flexibility for different installation setups and power access needs.

Engineered with advanced surge protection technology, the surge protectors are designed to safeguard sensitive electronic devices from power fluctuations, voltage spikes, and electrical surges. Their strong and durable build quality makes them suitable for daily usage, ensuring long-term reliability and safety.

Ideal for homes, offices, workstations, and commercial environments, the multi-socket configuration allows users to connect multiple devices simultaneously, such as computers, routers, printers, televisions, and other essential electronics  all while maintaining optimal power stability.

Speaking on the launch, Mr. Yogesh Aggarwal, CMD and Co-Founder, Consistent Infosystems, said,

“With the introduction of Consistent Surge Protectors, we aim to provide users with a reliable and efficient power safety solution that complements today’s growing dependence on electronic devices. This launch reinforces our commitment to delivering high-quality, practical products that enhance everyday digital experiences.”

With this launch, Consistent Infosystems continues to strengthen its portfolio of power and connectivity solutions, offering products that combine safety, durability, and performance for modern technology-driven environments.

Agora Partners with Sentino to Advance Physical AI Through Customizable, Retentive AI Agent Experiences

Bangalore, Jan 22: Agora, Inc. (NASDAQ: API), a global leader in real-time engagement and conversational AI, today announced a strategic partnership with Sentino to create a new AI Agent Platform for Physical AI—designed to help AI brands and device makers build long-term, emotionally engaging AI companions.

Built using Agora’s Conversational AI Engine, the platform combines real-time conversation with memory, emotion, and multimodal expression—moving AI beyond simple chat and toward daily companionship.

“The next frontier of AI isn’t just about intelligence; it’s about presence. By combining Sentino’s expertise in emotional depth with Agora’s real-time Conversational AI Engine, we are enabling developers to move beyond transactional interactions. We’re building the infrastructure for AI that doesn’t just answer questions, but connects with people in a meaningful, long-term way,” said Tony Wang, Agora’s Co-founder and Chief Revenue Officer.

From Chatbots to Companions

Most AI agents are designed to respond. Few are designed to stay.

Agora and Sentino are addressing this gap by enabling AI agents to maintain presence, remember shared moments, and express emotion over time. The result is AI that users don’t just try once—but return to again and again.

A Simple, Scalable Ecosystem

• Agora provides the real-time AI infrastructure and overall platform design
• Sentino AI delivers agent personas and companion features on top of Agora’s conversational AI
• Customers can quickly launch AI-powered products without building core systems from scratch

This approach reduces complexity and speeds up time to market.

Four Core Features That Create Long-Term Engagement

1. Agent “OS” (Inner Thoughts): Always Present

AI agents automatically generate short, context-aware inner thoughts based on user interaction and idle time. These reflections give the agent a sense of ongoing presence—even when no conversation is happening.

Why it matters

• Agents feel alive, not silent
• Users form stronger emotional bonds and return more often

2. AI Diary: Remembering Shared Moments

AI Diary turns daily interactions into a short, persona-consistent diary entry—capturing meaningful events and emotions without any user effort.

Why it matters

• Builds a shared history between user and agent
• Encourages users to revisit past moments, increasing retention

3. Diary Illustration: Making Memories Visual

Each diary entry can include an automatically generated, crayon-style image that reflects the agent’s personality and the day’s story.

Why it matters

• Adds emotional depth without extra interaction
• Especially engaging for children, families, and lifestyle devices

4. Music Diary: Turning Memories into Sound

Music Diary transforms diary content into emotion-driven music that users can replay and revisit.

Why it matters

• Deepens emotional connection through sound
• Creates opportunities for premium content and subscriptions

Why Scenario-Based AI Works

Task-based AI solves problems. Scenario-based AI builds habits.

By focusing on daily experiences—memories, reflections, visuals, and music—the platform keeps AI agents emotionally relevant and continuously engaging.

Built for Real-World Use Cases

The platform supports a wide range of Physical AI applications, including:

• AI companions and lifestyle devices
• Education and language learning
• Fandom and brand avatars
• Meditation, reflection, and emotional guidance

Shared building blocks allow brands to expand their features quickly and easily.

Executive Perspective

“We are dedicated to building human-centric AI,” said Chris Chen, CEO of Sentino. “By transforming static characters into living assets, we are enabling IP holders to move beyond simple interactions and build sustainable, emotional economies with their fans.”

A Platform Designed to Grow Over Time

With ongoing updates and new companion scenarios, the Agora × Sentino platform is built to evolve—without disrupting existing products.

Shaping the Future of Physical AI

Together, Agora and Sentino are redefining Physical AI as AI that feels present, personal, and worth coming back to.