Day: May 2, 2023

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KYT Launches Designer Bags for Diabetics

KYT redefining diabetes by designing an innovative bag range that merges medicine and fashion.

WELLINGTON, NEW ZEALAND / ACCESSWIRE / May 2, 2023 / Diabetics now have their own designer bags to streamline their daily treatment. KYT, which stands for Keeping You Together, has revealed three new contemporary, premium bags purpose-built for the everyday needs of people with diabetes – a chronic condition that the World Health Organization (WHO) says affects 422 million people worldwide.

Crafted with the insights of hundreds of diabetics from around the world, the bags have innovative features, smart layouts, premium materials like gold-rated Italian leather and solid brass hardware, and ethical craftsmanship. A contemporary exterior discreetly hides diabetes supplies like a testing kit, pump consumables, and insulin pens. The bags now available for global pre-order are:

SideKYT: a contemporary crossbody bag that streamlines users’ essential diabetes supplies. The bag splits in two: life essentials up front and diabetes equipment out back. A testing station allows blood glucose levels to be tested straight from the bag.

SideKYT+: a larger crossbody built for pump users or those who want to take more equipment or spares.

StarterKYT: a compact case that lets users take their supplies on the sly. The size of a sunglasses case, it smartly locks together with magnets, unfolds completely flat to create a testing station, and then folds back together in a snap.

KYT is also committed to ethical production and materials, and a donation from every bag sold helps diabetes charities get crucial supplies to those in need.

At age 20, Designer & KYT Founder Bridget Scanlan was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes. As her pancreas stopped producing insulin, she had to learn to manage multiple blood glucose tests and insulin injections every day. Along with all the equipment that came with it.

“From talking to diabetics around the world, I got universal insights into the daily diabetes struggle,” Scanlan says. “It sparked a thought: could smarter design empower people to feel better about dealing with daily treatment? I wanted to redesign diabetes so we could all redefine it.”

Combining her background in fashion design and entrepreneurship, Scanlan was inspired to channel her chronic condition to help empower other diabetics by creating designer bags specifically for diabetics.

“Every zip, every angle, every equipment detail has been influenced by the insights gathered from the hundreds of incredible diabetics who have opened up and shared their diabetes stories (and gripes) with me,” Scanlan says.

According to WHO, globally 8.5% of adults aged 18 and older have diabetes, making it one of the most prevalent chronic conditions worldwide.

Stanford University research estimates that people managing diabetes make around 180 extra health-related decisions every day to keep themselves safe.

Here is some of the feedback from diabetics using KYT’s original Crossbody bag:

“I’ve been waiting 50 years for a bag like this….it is so easy to ‘keep me together.’ Pick it up and off I go, and no one knows what I am having to carry around.” – Joy, New Zealand Diabetic

“I am loving my KYT for travel! It’s such a great bag, I now take it with me whenever I go away.” – Megan, London Diabetic

“Cannot be more excited for this amazing bag designed for diabetics. Fully functional & more importantly so stylish!” – Kyoko, Tokyo Diabetic

For more information, please visit https://kytbags.com/. Photos can be downloaded from KYT’s media kit.

About KYT Diabetes Bags

KYT stands for KEEPING YOU TOGETHER. We’re redefining diabetes by redesigning it. With look-good, feel-good, do-good bags designed to help you feel great about doing diabetes on the daily.

Contact Information:

Bridget Scanlan
Designer & KYT Founder
bridget@kytbags.com

JP Twaalfhoven
Creative Director
jp@kytbags.com

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Registration for GMAT™ Focus Edition to Open in August 2023

Free prep materials available two months prior to propel candidates to success on their business school journey

RESTON, Va., May 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Graduate Management Admission Council™ (GMAC), a global association representing leading business schools, today announced that registration for the GMAT™ Focus Edition, an updated version of the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam, will open on August 29, 2023 for testing in the fourth quarter this year. In addition, official GMAT Focus prep materials will be available on mba.com on June 6, 2023, with a free study planner of only six weeks to help test takers stick to a schedule, inform prep activities, and track progress, as well as a free GMAT Focus Official Starter Kit that comes with a sampler of 70 real GMAT questions and two full-length practice exams to help candidates establish performance baseline.

Earlier this year, GMAC introduced GMAT Focus Edition after extensive research efforts involving hundreds of school professionals and an in-depth concept testing with thousands of students globally. The GMAT, the most widely used business school admissions exam in the past seven decades, was redesigned with improved test taking experience and flexible new features to better support candidates of graduate business education. Schools will benefit from it as an improved element in their holistic admissions process.

“We want to encourage people with a broad set of qualifications, undergraduate backgrounds and lived experiences to understand the richness of their choice and take that leap forward on their business school journey,” said Joy Jones, CEO of GMAC. “It is our belief that GMAT Focus Edition will allow candidates to optimize their preparation for graduate business education while helping schools attract a global pool of qualified and diverse applicants.”

“This is an important evolution of the test,” said Bruce DelMonico, Assistant Dean for Admissions at Yale School of Management and a board member of GMAC. “In terms of the relevance and usefulness of the test, this is definitely a positive step that will be beneficial both to business schools and to candidates.”

More efficient, more flexible, and more insightful, in an all-new testing experience

The GMAT Focus Edition will feature three 45-minute sections: Quantitative Reasoning, which examines problem solving skills; Verbal Reasoning, which evaluates critical reasoning and reading comprehension but no longer incorporates sentence correction; and the newly developed Data Insights section, which measures candidates’ data literacy skills and ability to analyze and interpret data and apply it to real-world business scenarios. With these changes and the removal of the Analytical Writing Assessment (AWA), it is nearly one hour shorter than the current version of the GMAT and therefore requires less content to prepare. Besides new features that allow test takers to bookmark as many questions as they want, review questions within the remaining section time and change up to three answers per section, and to complete the three sections in any order, the enhanced Official Score Report now offers detailed performance insights that helps them assess strengths and identify focus areas at no additional cost.

“I think the redesign of the GMAT exam is testament to GMAC’s commitment to continuous improvement. Changes to the exam address the growing importance of certain competencies and the future of work – for example with the addition of Data Insight,” said Arnold Longboy, Executive Director, Recruitment & Admissions at London Business School.

New score scale and concordance to help assess candidate competitiveness

The GMAT Focus Edition’s Total Score, ranging from 205 to 805, is based on test taker performance on all three sections of the exam, with each section, ranging from 60 to 90, weighted equally. This change has been made to ensure that test takers and schools can easily distinguish from a GMAT Focus Edition score to the currently available GMAT Exam score, which ranges from 200 to 800. To understand a test taker’s relative competitiveness, one can use the concordance tables available on mba.com that link score distributions between the two versions of the exam by percentile. With the GMAT Focus Edition’s new score scale, percentile rankings deserve the primary attention from test takers and schools when looking to understand the results.

“When comparing scores of GMAT Focus Edition to the current version of the GMAT Exam, we encourage test takers and schools to compare percentile rankings rather than comparing total scores,” stressed Manish Dharia, director of product development at GMAC. “Because the Total Score scale and the score scale distribution have both changed, comparing total scores or section scores from the current version of the exam to the GMAT Focus Edition is not appropriate, accurate, or a meaningful comparison of performance. Scores of 600 and 605 may look similar, but they represent very different performance levels on different skills.”

Additional efforts to facilitate smooth transition and swift adoption

As GMAT Focus Edition rolls out for the remainder of 2023, the current version of the GMAT exam will continue to be available to candidates until early next year to facilitate their in-progress preparation and applications for business school. Also, to that end, the GMAT Focus Edition fees will remain the same as the current GMAT exam.

“Keep in mind, all GMAT exam scores – whether they are of the current GMAT or GMAT Focus Edition – continue to be valid for 5 years,” said Ashish Bhardwaj, senior vice president and head of market development at GMAC. “With the advance announcement of the new edition, we encourage candidates to proceed with registering and taking the GMAT exam in ways that best enable their pursuit of graduate management education.”

About GMAC

The Graduate Management Admission Council (GMAC) is a mission-driven association of leading graduate business schools worldwide. GMAC provides world-class research, industry conferences, recruiting tools, and assessments for the graduate management education industry as well as resources, events, and services that help guide candidates through their higher education journey. Owned and administered by GMAC, the Graduate Management Admission Test™ (GMAT™) exam is the most widely used graduate business school assessment.

More than 12 million prospective students a year trust GMAC’s websites, including mba.com, to learn about MBA and business master’s programs, connect with schools around the world, prepare and register for exams and get advice on successfully applying to MBA and business master’s programs. BusinessBecause and GMAC Tours are subsidiaries of GMAC, a global organization with offices in China, India, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

To learn more about our work, please visit www.gmac.com

Media Contact:

Teresa Hsu
Sr. Manager, Media Relations
Mobile: 202-390-4180
thsu@gmac.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8829077

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Amii welcomes over 2000 of the world’s brightest minds in AI to annual Upper Bound event

Four days of events include keynotes, panels, demos and socials from world-leading AI researchers and innovative business leaders

EDMONTON, Alberta, May 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Amii (Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute) welcomes the world AI community to Edmonton, Alberta, Canada for Upper Bound, May 23-26. All are invited to attend the multi-day event, with diverse programming catered for AI researchers, industry leaders, pop culture enthusiasts and anyone who has ever been curious about artificial intelligence.

In-person and virtual tickets start at $0. Registration and schedules are available at upperbound.ai 

A celebration of AI excellence in Alberta and beyond, Upper Bound will take over Edmonton with a full event schedule and more than 100 events taking place in the downtown core. Upper Bound is pleased to welcome our 2023 keynote speakers including:

  • Richard S. Sutton, trailblazing AI researcher and Amii Chief Scientific Advisor, considered by many as the pioneer of reinforcement learning | Ticket Access: Community Pass, Upper Bound Pass, Talent Bursary All Access and Online Pass 
  • Cam Linke, CEO, Amii | Ticket Access: Upper Bound Pass, Talent Bursary All Access and Online Pass
  • Peter Stone, Executive Director of Sony AI America | Ticket Access: Academic Symposium and Upper Bound Pass (limited)
  • Marlos Machado, Amii Fellow & Canada CIFAR AI Chair | Ticket Access: Academic Symposium 

“AI is the most important tool of our time, and it continues to dominate global conversation,” says Cam Linke, CEO of Amii. “Upper Bound puts a spotlight on Alberta’s AI leadership and legacy and is a celebration of AI that welcomes everybody to learn, network, discuss and join in on the conversation. This is an invitation for the world’s AI community to experience the best of what Amii and Canada has to offer in scientific excellence, start-up creation and industry application — so they can leave inspired by the connections they’ve made, the information learned, and their ambitious ideas realized.”

Upper Bound is an AI event for everyone and includes sessions, demos, networking events and socials open for a range of ages and familiarity with AI. Scheduled events include:

  • An Academic Symposium, showcasing leading research and organized by Amii Fellows from the University of Alberta, one of the world’s top academic institutions for AI research.
  • Panels on AI in industry, including discussions on innovative applications of AI in industry; the demand for AI talent; advancing cellular agriculture; ventures and start-ups; and more.
  • AI & Culture, high-energy and fun events for all AI enthusiasts.
  • Social and networking opportunities with daily coffee catch up, beers with peers and the hottest ticket in town, the official Upper Bound Party.

Last year more than 2,000 attendees from 38 countries attended the inaugural event. Amii awarded Talent Bursaries to over 500 recipients from around the world to cover travel and accommodation costs with over 69% of recipients self-identified as members of underrepresented groups in STEM.

This year, Amii has awarded over $500,000 in Talent Bursaries to support 700 recipients from 22 countries to Upper Bound in person. An additional 612 global Talent Bursary applicants received Online Pass access for live-streamed content and full immersion in the Upper Bound app.

Upper Bound is proudly presented by Amii. One of Canada’s three centres of AI excellence as part of the Pan-Canadian AI strategy, Amii is an Alberta-based, non-profit institute that supports world-leading research in artificial intelligence and machine learning and translates scientific advancement into industry adoption. Learn more at amii.ca.

Media Contact

Lynda Vang, Communications Specialist

E: lynda.vang@amii.ca

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8829558

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Student Researchers Use UAE-Developed Generative AI Technology to Find New Brain Tumor Drug Targets

Abu Dhabi, May 02, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Three high school students – Andrea Olsen from Oslo, Norway; Zachary Harpaz from Boca Raton, Florida; and Chris Ren from Shanghai, China – co-authored a paper using a generative artificial intelligence (AI) engine for target discovery from Insilico Medicine (“Insilico”) called PandaOmics to identify new therapeutic targets for glioblastoma multiforme (GBM). GBM is the most aggressive and common malignant brain tumor, accounting for 16% of all primary brain tumors. The findings were published on April 26 in the journal Aging.

Much of the technology behind PandaOmics is being developed in Insilico’s Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Center in Abu Dhabi, the region’s largest AI-powered biotechnology research center.

Olsen, a student at Sevenoaks School in Kent, UK, began interning at Insilico Medicine in 2021, after discovering her interest in neurobiology and technology. For the current paper, the fifth scientific paper she has co-authored before turning eighteen, she and other researchers used PandaOmics to screen datasets from the Gene Expression Omnibus repository maintained by the National Center for Biotechnology Information and found new therapeutic targets implicated for treating both aging and glioblastoma multiforme.

Ren, a student at Shanghai High School International Division, has an interest in biology and biomarkers and joined them in the summer of 2022.

While there would seem to be a clear connection between aging and cancer, Olsen says their findings were more nuanced. “Sometimes, instead of aging, the body switches to cancer mechanisms, which was really interesting to discover.” She hypothesized that “the body is trying to preserve itself in a way that it is switching back to embryonic processes of cell division.” GBM is caused by a genetic mutation that leads to uncontrolled growth of glial cells, or cells that surround neurons in the brain. Even with existing therapies, the median survival for GBM patients is only 15 months.

Harpaz, a student at Pine Crest School in Ft. Lauderdale, had an early interest in computer science and AI and soon developed a passion for biology as well. “I wanted to combine my two favorite topics, computer science and biology, into what I think is the most interesting field of biology – aging research,” Harpaz says. He discovered generative AI drug discovery company Insilico Medicine whose founder and CEO, Alex Zhavoronkov, PhD, connected him with Olsen. The two young researchers began collaborating on the glioblastoma project and ultimately presented findings at the Aging Research and Drug Discovery (ARDD) conference in Copenhagen, where they together launched the Youth Longevity Association (TYLA).

In this latest paper, the three teens used PandaOmics to analyze the genes and identified three that were strongly correlated with both aging and glioblastoma and could serve as potential therapeutic targets for new drugs.

“We selected the genes that were overlapped to be highly correlated in 11 of the 12 datasets, and we split our data into young, middle aged, and senior groups,” said Harpaz. “We mapped this to the importance of the gene expression to survival.” After identifying two genetic targets for glioblastoma and aging – CNGA3 and GLUD1 – they cross-referenced their findings with earlier findings from Insilico around genes strongly correlated with aging and identified a third target – SIRT1.

“I learned a lot about conducting a research project,” said Ren, who helped review the three targets. “The PandaOmics platform really made the project accessible to me. As a high school sophomore, I did not have sufficient experience for advanced research and analysis, however, I was still able to navigate the PandaOmics platform after a brief period of training to process and compare datasets of glioblastoma.”

The students say they are eager to continue their studies in AI and biology into college and to move the GBM research forward from target discovery to drug development.

“The best way to take this research further is going to be using Insilico’s Chemistry42 software, where we can take the targets we identified through PandaOmics and generate small molecules, potential drugs, with these targets that have the potential to treat glioblastoma and aging at the same time,” says Harpaz.

Prior to her internship at Insilico, Olsen says: “I never knew that AI could be so helpful in finding completely new therapeutic targets. For me, that was an incredible opportunity to dive into the field of research, aging, longevity, and neuroscience. It really kick-started my entire career.”

“I am truly impressed by the commitment of these young researchers,” says Zhavoronkov. “I hope their work will inspire other young people excited about science and technology to look at how they can use AI tools to discover new targets and treatments for both aging and disease.”

 

About Insilico Medicine

Insilico Medicine, a clinical-stage generative artificial intelligence (AI)-driven drug discovery company, is connecting biology, chemistry, and clinical trials analysis using next-generation AI systems. The company has developed AI platforms that utilize deep generative models, reinforcement learning, transformers, and other modern machine learning techniques for novel target discovery and the generation of novel molecular structures with desired properties. Insilico Medicine is developing breakthrough solutions to discover and develop innovative drugs for cancer, fibrosis, immunity, central nervous system diseases, infectious diseases, autoimmune diseases, and aging-related diseases. In early 2023, the Company opened the Insilico Medicine Generative Artificial Intelligence and Quantum Computing Research and Development Centre in Abu Dhabi, the region’s largest AI-powered biotechnology research center. The R&D hub brings together global talent in artificial intelligence and software development to expand the capabilities of Insilico’s end-to-end AI-driven drug discovery platform, Pharma.AI, explore aging research and sustainable chemistry, and support the digital transformation of healthcare in the region.

For more information, visit www.insilico.com

Attachment

Jamila Alhammadi 
Insilico Medicine
475-225-0843
j.alhammadi@insilicomedicine.com

GlobeNewswire Distribution ID 8829593

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Photonis Supplies Key Instrumentation for Detecting Successful Laser Fusion Ignition

Photonis, a leading electro-optic manufacturer, has supplied key instrumentation that has aided in the achievement of laser fusion ignition.

STURBRIDGE, MA / ACCESSWIRE / May 2, 2023 / Photonis, a leading electro-optic manufacturer, has supplied key instrumentation that has aided in the achievement of laser fusion ignition. On December 13th, 2022, The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA) announced the first-ever, controlled laser fusion reaction to produce scientific energy breakeven, achieved at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory’s (LLNL) National Ignition Facility (NIF). This major scientific breakthrough, decades in the making, provides unprecedented capability to support NIF’s national security mission and invaluable insights into the prospects of clean fusion energy. This monumental achievement is the first step to a possible future of a net-zero carbon footprint.

Successful detection of the reaction was made possible with key instrumentation supplied by Photonis. The instruments: Stripline Microchannel Plates (SL-MCPs) and Streak Tubes, were integrated into various diagnostic systems installed within the fusion reactor to detect both x-rays and visible light that were emitted from the reaction. The detection of these signals contributes to determining the resulting energy yield.

Stripline MCPs used in the Diagnostic System are equipped with electrode strips to allow the propagation of high frequency electrical fields along the strips. The electrode strips provide the ability to sequentially turn on each microchannel as fast as the electrical charge can permeate the surface, producing high speed sequential images.

Streak Tubes are unique devices for capturing and measuring ultra-fast light phenomena. Photonis Streak tubes can be applied in streak, framing, or synchroscan-modes, with a wide range of available photocathodes for detection from low energy X-ray to near infrared. The high sensitivity, low-noise photocathodes provide high uniformity, excellent signal-to-noise ratio, and a high shutter ratio, while bilamellar electro-optics support (sub) pico-second temporal and extremely high spatial resolution. These characteristics are ideal for capturing low-level light signals such as the ones emitted by the fusion reaction.

Photonis is proud to be part of this exciting achievement. With its high level of expertise, Photonis’ engineers will continue to contribute to overcoming the limits of science and work towards getting tomorrow’s clean fusion energy running!

Learn More about LLNL’s Fusion Ignition Success Here: National Ignition Facility achieves fusion ignition | Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory (llnl.gov)

About Photonis

Photonis is a market-leading provider of electro-optic solutions used in the detection and amplification of photons, ions, electrons, and neutrons. We innovate and engineer quality technologies for integration into a wide-variety of applications, such as night vision optics, digital cameras, mass spectrometry, nuclear instrumentation, life-science and physics research, space exploration, and many others. With over 80 years of experience of partnering with our customers to provide the world’s leading detection systems, Photonis has the experience to meet the specific challenges of the many markets we serve.

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Contact Information

Dr. Emile Schyns
Director of Innovation
e.schyns@photonis.com

SOURCE: Photonis Scientific, Inc.

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BluWave-ai and Dubai Taxi Sign Partnership to Decarbonize Fleet With Electric Vehicles Managed by Artificial Intelligence

BluWave-ai EV Fleet Orchestrator Will Increase Miles and Revenue With Electric Taxi Fleet Displacing Carbon-Emitting Miles

OTTAWA, ON / ACCESSWIRE / May 2, 2023 / Dubai Taxi Corporation (DTC), a division of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) of Dubai UAE, signed an agreement with BluWave-ai to partner with its built-in-Canada AI platform to further enhance energy efficiency. The signing ceremony took place in the DTC headquarters in Dubai, co-chaired by Mansour Rahma Alfalasi, CEO of Dubai Taxi, and Devashish Paul, CEO of BluWave-ai, with the presence of a number of officials from both parties. The Canadian company is represented by Al Usul Company in the United Arab Emirates.Caption: BluWave-ai and Dubai Taxi

The agreement will bring the BluWave-ai specialized artificial intelligence solutions into the fields of renewable energy and transport electrification to develop optimization models in EV energy management and revenue maximization for DTC’s fleet, which is projected to grow to over 2000 EVs. DTC is accelerating the partnership with multiple years of historical and live data from real-world operations that will allow BluWave-ai to develop operating models for the electrical vehicles that combine elements such as charging durations, levels, vehicle on-road activity, weather and holiday impacts, events, and revenue concentration vs. charging time opportunity costs. During the project, the offline models will be taken to live deployment to be continuously retrained and enhanced. The agreement includes the appointment of a joint committee from both sides to follow up with the operational plan and mission objectives, and study performance outputs to exchange the best practices in innovation and collaboration.

This agreement was announced in unison with DTC’s plans to transform 100% of its fleet to low-carbon footprint vehicles by 2027. This encompasses hybrid, hydrogen fuel cell, and electrical vehicles. The plan has been approved by the RTA to further the corporate strategy to provide innovative and sustainable transportation services in accordance with the highest international standards for which an AI platform is instrumental.

“The new cooperation agreement between Canada’s BluWave-ai and Dubai Taxi Corporation will support UAE’s net zero by 2050 and electrify the transportation sector,” said Jean-Philippe Linteau, Consul General of Canada in Dubai and the Northern Emirates. He also added, “This agreement will help bring environment-friendly vehicles to Dubai as an example of a Canada-UAE climate change partnership milestone ahead of COP28.”

The BluWave-ai EV Fleet Orchestrator software product uses AI to assist fleet operators in integrating electric vehicles into their fleets. The solution offers features such as intelligent EV charging, route and schedule optimization, and depot and BESS management to optimize the use of EVs. The product uses AI and machine learning algorithms to help fleet operators make informed decisions, thus reducing costs and increasing efficiency. The overall goal of the product is to help fleet operators overcome the challenges of adopting EVs, which will ultimately lead to a reduction in their carbon footprint.

“The Dubai Taxi Corporation is keen to provide safe and sustainable digital transportation solutions using the latest technologies by consolidating the foundations of strategic partnership with a globally experienced company,” said Mansour Rahma Alfalasi, the CEO of Dubai Taxi. “This agreement comes in line with the Dubai government strategy towards comprehensive environmental sustainability by implementing targets to reduce carbon emissions in the taxi sector, as per the requirements of the Dubai Supreme Council of Energy, and the transition towards a green economy. This partnership is enhancing the exchange of expertise and experiences to improve services that contribute to achieving its vision of leadership in providing safe and sustainable digital transportation services.”

“This partnership with Dubai Taxi is laying the foundation to show real-world AI-enabled decarbonization in the lead-up to COP28,” said Devashish Paul, CEO of BluWave-ai. “We are thrilled to implement the strategic directions of the Dubai government aimed at offering green vehicles for a more sustainable environment, praising the advanced and reliable transport services provided by the company to its customers. This emphasizes the commitment to achieve the full outputs of the agreement through cooperation and ensuring the integration of the efforts of both sides, based on working in a team spirit to achieve our shared goals.”

To purchase BluWave-ai’s EV Fleet Orchestrator™ and EV Everywhere products or to participate with BluWave-ai’s interoperability testing, please contact info@bluwave-ai.com.

Contact Information:

Brandon Paul
Senior Corporate Marketing Manager
brandon.paul@bluwave-ai.com

SOURCE: BluWave-ai