Category Archives: Technology

Global AR Smart Glasses Shipments Double in 2025: Report

New Delhi, Apr 13 (BNP): Global shipments of augmented reality (AR) smart glasses witnessed a significant surge in 2025, doubling compared to the previous year, according to a recent industry report.

 The growth reflects rising demand for wearable technologies that integrate digital information with real-world environments. Improved device design, better processing capabilities, and expanding use cases across sectors such as enterprise, healthcare, and logistics have contributed to the momentum.

The report highlights that companies are increasingly investing in AR-enabled devices as they move toward more immersive and hands-free digital experiences. This trend is also being supported by advancements in display technology and artificial intelligence integration.

Industry analysts suggest that the sharp rise in shipments signals a broader shift toward wearable computing, with AR smart glasses expected to play a more prominent role in both professional and consumer applications in the coming years.

Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Set to Raise the Bar for Foldable Phones

Apr 13 (BNP): Samsung appears ready to take another big step in the foldable smartphone space with the expected launch of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in July 2026. After setting high expectations with the previous generation, the company is now looking to refine and upgrade the experience further.

The upcoming device is likely to focus on addressing key user demands. Early reports suggest improvements such as a larger battery for better endurance, a more advanced ultrawide camera, and enhanced processing power to fully utilise the large foldable display.

If these upgrades materialise, the new model could deliver a more balanced and powerful performance, making foldable devices more practical for everyday use.

With growing competition in the premium smartphone segment, Samsung’s next foldable could play a crucial role in shaping buyer expectations and pushing the category forward.

AvenuesAI Enters Turnkey AI Market with PrivateGPT On Premise Platform

New Delhi, Apr 13 (BNP): AvenuesAI has announced its entry into the turnkey artificial intelligence solutions segment, targeting corporate and institutional clients with secure, enterprise-ready AI tools.

The company is focusing on its new PrivateGPT platform, an on-premise small language model (SLM) solution designed to run within an organisation’s internal systems. The platform aims to help businesses use advanced AI capabilities while ensuring full control over their data.

According to the company, the solution is built for enterprises that prefer local deployment over cloud-based systems, offering enhanced data security, privacy, and compliance.

With this initiative, AvenuesAI is looking to tap into the growing demand for customised and private AI systems as organisations increasingly integrate AI into their operations, automation, and decision-making processes.

Mobile Makers Push for Extension of PLI Scheme to Sustain Growth

New Delhi, Apr 13 (BNP): India’s mobile phone manufacturing sector is expanding at a fast pace, with the country now accounting for nearly 15% of global mobile phone production, according to industry estimates.

The growth has been significantly driven by the Production-Linked Incentive (PLI) scheme, which was introduced during the COVID-19 pandemic to boost domestic manufacturing and attract global electronics companies.

However, the scheme officially ended on March 31, prompting mobile phone manufacturers to seek an extension until 2031 to sustain the current growth momentum. Industry representatives have held discussions with the Ministry of Electronics and IT regarding the proposal.

Stakeholders believe that extending the PLI programme could help India increase its share in global mobile production to 30–35% in the coming years. They also project that total mobile phone manufacturing in the country could rise to $110–130 billion, with exports expected to reach $55–70 billion.

Currently, India’s mobile phone production is valued at around $64 billion annually, positioning the country as a key global manufacturing hub in the electronics sector.

Experts say continued policy support will be crucial for maintaining investment inflows and strengthening India’s position in global supply chains.

AI-Powered Research at Iowa State Advances Next-Generation Livestock Vaccines

Researchers at Iowa State University are leveraging artificial intelligence to combat rapidly evolving livestock viruses, paving the way for next-generation vaccines designed to stay effective against mutating pathogens.

Led by Ratul Chowdhury, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, the research focuses on tackling the highly adaptive Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome (PRRS) virus—one of the most economically damaging swine diseases globally, costing the pork industry over $1 billion annually.

The PRRS virus is known for its rapid mutation rate, allowing it to evade immune defenses and making traditional vaccines less effective. “The virus shape shifts,” said Chowdhury. “It constantly alters its structure to escape detection, making it extremely challenging to control.”

To address this, Chowdhury’s team uses AI-driven simulations to analyze viral-host interactions and predict how viruses may evolve. This approach enables researchers to identify critical viral components, known as epitopes, that can be targeted to create more resilient vaccines capable of protecting against multiple variants.

The research is supported by the Nanovaccine Institute at Iowa State and utilizes extensive animal health data from the university’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory—one of the largest livestock diagnostic centers in the United States.

Using advanced computational modeling, the team has screened millions of potential protein structures, significantly accelerating vaccine design. In one study, researchers identified 75 epitopes and developed 56 potential immunogens for PRRS, while parallel research on infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) in poultry led to the creation of multi-epitope vaccine candidates.

“This technology allows us to read the virus like a blueprint,” Chowdhury explained. “We can identify which parts remain stable and which enable infection, helping us design vaccines that stay effective even as the virus evolves.”

The research has already attracted interest from multiple animal health companies, with plans underway for real-world testing, including a PRRS vaccine trial at an Iowa State swine facility later this year.

Industry collaboration plays a key role in advancing the work. Mike Roof, Chief Technology Officer for vaccines and immunotherapies at Iowa State, brings extensive industry experience to guide the research toward commercial viability.

“This is a novel and cost-effective approach to identifying vaccine targets,” said Roof. “It has the potential to significantly accelerate development timelines and improve outcomes across the animal health sector.”

Looking ahead, the team aims to expand its AI-driven platforms to support vaccine development for a wide range of livestock diseases, including avian influenza and other emerging threats. The goal is to create scalable, adaptable tools that can be used by industry partners to respond quickly to evolving pathogens.

With strong institutional support, rich data resources, and growing industry collaboration, Iowa State’s research is positioned to play a critical role in advancing animal health and strengthening global food security.

UP Sets Sights on Deep Tech Leadership with Time Bound Innovation Push

LUCKNOW, Apr 11 (BNP): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has outlined an ambitious roadmap to position the state as India’s leading deep-tech hub, calling for time-bound execution of key initiatives.

At a high-level meeting, he emphasized the need to accelerate development in advanced technology sectors such as artificial intelligence, quantum computing, drones, green hydrogen, cybersecurity, and medical technology. These areas, he noted, are crucial for driving long-term economic growth and creating skilled employment opportunities.

 Pic Credit: Pexel

A major priority highlighted during the discussion was strengthening collaboration between industry and research institutions to ensure innovations move beyond labs and into large-scale applications. This approach is expected to help build a robust ecosystem capable of supporting cutting-edge startups and attracting global investment.

The strategy reflects the state’s broader vision of fostering innovation locally while scaling solutions for global markets. With a focused push and coordinated efforts, Uttar Pradesh aims to emerge as a key player in India’s next wave of technological advancement.

AI and Industry Collaboration Drive BIMTECH’s Future-Ready Education Push

The Birla Institute of Management Technology (BIMTECH) is positioning itself as a future-focused business school by combining global exposure, industry partnerships, and technology-driven learning to prepare students for evolving management careers.

At the centre of this transformation is the leadership vision of Dr. Prabina Rajib, Director of BIMTECH, who has emphasised building an institution rooted in innovation, industry integration, student development, and global engagement.

A key milestone in this journey is BIMTECH being recognised as a 2026 AACSB Global Impact Award winner for its “AI-Enabled Interview Mastery” initiative. The project, honoured in the Teaching & Learning Excellence category, uses AI-powered interview simulations to provide students with real-time feedback, helping them improve communication skills and professional readiness.

Beyond digital learning tools, the institute is expanding its global footprint through international academic collaborations, including programmes with Singapore Management University. It has also strengthened ties with industry leaders such as Swiss Re and UNIQLO, offering students direct exposure to real-world business environments.

BIMTECH has further enhanced experiential learning through facilities like the Bloomberg Financial Markets Lab and a Centre of Excellence established with Hexalog Technologies. These platforms allow students to work with industry-standard tools and engage in applied, hands-on problem-solving.

Officials said these initiatives are helping the institute strengthen key academic performance areas, including teaching quality, research output, industry engagement, and graduate outcomes. Over time, this approach is expected to improve BIMTECH’s national rankings and global academic reputation, positioning it as a modern benchmark in management education.

CasaDigi Launches Indore Centre Focused on Immersive Smart Home Technology

Indore, Apr 10 (BNP): CasaDigi, a global player in luxury residential intelligence, in partnership with DigiValet, has inaugurated its flagship Experience Centre in Indore, marking a major step in showcasing advanced integrated automation across residential, hospitality, healthcare, and commercial spaces.

Designed by reD Architects, the new centre introduces an immersive concept titled “Maestro of Immersive Design,” aimed at redefining how smart environments are experienced and understood.

Unlike a conventional showroom filled with screens and interfaces, the Indore Experience Centre has been developed as a fully functional interactive space. It demonstrates how intelligent systems can operate seamlessly in the background, enabling a more intuitive and fluid user experience.

The company said the philosophy behind the centre is to shift from reactive automation to proactive intelligence, where technology anticipates user needs rather than simply responding to commands.

Visitors to the centre can experience real-time applications of smart automation in living spaces, highlighting how integrated systems can enhance comfort, efficiency, and convenience.

CasaDigi noted that the launch represents a significant milestone in its vision to transform modern living through intelligent, design-driven technology solutions.

SK Telecom Signs MOU with Arm and Rebellions for Next-Generation AI Infrastructure Innovation

Seoul, Korea, Apr 10 – SK Telecom (NYSE: SKM, hereinafter referred to as “SKT”) announced that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Arm and Rebellions to drive innovation in next-generation AI infrastructure.

Through this agreement, the three companies will jointly develop a solution that combines Arm’s newly launched AGI CPU and Rebellions’ upcoming RebelCard™, scheduled for release in the third quarter of this year, to enhance AI inference performance. The solution will be tested and verified in SK Telecom’s AI data centers.

Arm AGI CPU is optimized for high-density inference environments and large-scale AI deployment. Rebellions’ ‘RebelCard™’ is an AI accelerator chip specialized for large-scale AI inference. Recently, heterogeneous computing architectures that combine CPUs and AI accelerator chips are gaining significant attention in the AI server market. In this structure, the CPU handles general-purpose computing such as data processing and system operation, while the AI accelerator chip is dedicated to AI inference computation.

Compared to GPU-based servers, this architecture offers higher power efficiency and processing efficiency for AI inference tasks, as well as reduced operating costs. As a result, it is recognized as an efficient server architecture for data centers running large-scale AI services.

SKT plans to deploy servers equipped with this solution in its AI data centers to validate performance and stability. In particular, the company is reviewing the possibility of operating its sovereign AI foundation model, A.X K1, on these servers. Through this collaboration, SKT aims to secure low-power, high-efficiency AI inference infrastructure and further strengthen its competitiveness in the AI data center business.

Arm is a leading AI compute platform powering the world’s most advanced technologies. While Arm has traditionally focused on chip design, the company on March 24 announced the launch of its first Arm-designed silicon, Arm AGI CPU — a data center CPU optimized for high-density inference environments and large-scale AI deployment.

In March, at the “Arm Everywhere” event, Arm and Rebellions combined their respective chips to deliver a live demonstration of an agentic AI service based on OpenAI’s GPT OSS 120B, highlighting the potential applicability of this heterogeneous CPU–accelerator architecture to large-scale data center workloads.

Lee Jae-shin, Head of AI Business Development at SK Telecom, said, “By offering a full package that combines infrastructure optimized for inference with our sovereign AI foundation model A.X K1, we will further enhance the competitiveness of our AI data centers.”

Eddie Ramirez, Vice President of Go-to-Market, Cloud AI Business Unit, Arm, said, “The rapid growth of AI inference is driving demand for new data center infrastructure designed for large-scale deployments. Partners like SK Telecom and Rebellions played an important role in helping us build the Arm AGI CPU and modernize AI inference infrastructure.”

Oh Jin-wook, CTO of Rebellions, said, “By providing our ‘RebelCard’—which offers overwhelming performance and power efficiency—alongside our full-stack software, Rebellions has become a core pillar supporting next-generation AI data centers. We expect this ‘one-team’ collaboration of experts to serve as a significant precedent in the industry for building AI-specialized infrastructure.”

Aviation Safety Concerns Slow 5G Deployment Near Indian Airports

New Delhi, Apr 9 (BNP): The deployment of 5G networks in India is encountering challenges due to potential interference with older aircraft radio altimeters, which are critical for safe landings. Some legacy altimeters are not compatible with 5G signals and could also face issues with future 6G networks operating in the upper C-band (4.4–4.8 GHz).

Bharat Bhatia, president of the ITU-APT Foundation of India, which collaborates with the government and industry on telecom policies, said that replacing these older altimeters is the only long-term solution. However, the process could take time due to similar replacement demands in other developing countries.

Currently, regulatory rules in India restrict 5G operations near airports: within 2.1 km of runway ends and 910 metres of the runway centerline, covering the terminal areas of most Indian airports. These measures aim to prevent interference and ensure aviation safety while 5G networks continue to expand.

Officials emphasized that coordinated efforts between telecom providers and aviation authorities are essential to maintain both technological growth and flight safety. Upgrading aircraft altimeters will be a gradual process, balancing the country’s push for faster networks with aviation requirements.