SymphonyAI, a global leader in Vertical AI product platforms, has launched IRIS Forge, a new capability within its IRIS Foundry Industrial AI platform, designed to help manufacturing and process teams create, deploy, and scale AI-powered applications in just hours instead of months.

Built on IRIS Foundry’s unified industrial data foundation, Forge provides a secure, governed environment that connects assets, systems, and processes through a DataOps layer supporting OT protocols, SOC 2 compliance, and role-based access controls.

With IRIS Forge, engineers and operators can use natural-language prompts and contextualized industrial data to design, test, and deploy production-ready AI applications—without needing data science expertise. The platform simplifies the creation of use cases such as predictive maintenance, energy optimization, and quality monitoring, turning operational insights into scalable AI solutions.

Key features include:

• Industry-specific design: Purpose-built for manufacturing, energy, and utilities with pre-configured data models.

• No-code customization: Enables frontline teams to innovate rapidly.

• One-click deployment: Scales solutions from single sites to enterprise-wide rollouts.

• Integrated governance: Ensures consistency, security, and compliance through IRIS Foundry.

Global system integrators and partners can also leverage IRIS Forge to develop and deliver custom industrial AI applications across industries while maintaining Foundry’s governance standards.

The launch follows SymphonyAI’s recent recognition by Verdantix as a Leader in Industrial AI Analytics Software and Industrial Data Management Solutions for 2025, underscoring its leadership in accelerating AI adoption across operations.

“With IRIS Forge, every engineer and operator becomes an AI innovator,” said Prateek Kathpal, President of SymphonyAI Industrial. “It brings the power of enterprise AI to the shop floor—enabling teams to build, deploy, and scale secure industrial applications faster than ever.”

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SouthernCrossAI (SCX.ai) and SambaNova Systems have partnered to launch Australia’s first ASIC-based sovereign AI cloud, a platform designed to provide governments and enterprises with secure, high-performance, and energy-efficient onshore AI infrastructure. The collaboration marks a major step in Australia’s mission toward digital independence and sustainable technology leadership.

“For the first time, Australian organisations can run advanced AI entirely onshore — without compromising speed, security, or sovereignty,” said David Keane, CEO of SouthernCrossAI. “Our partnership with SambaNova ensures that every model, byte, and computation remains protected within Australia’s borders while improving efficiency and reducing energy use.”

Rodrigo Liang, CEO of SambaNova Systems, added: “Together with SCX, we’re ushering in a new era of sovereign AI — combining the most advanced hardware with a fully compliant national cloud that aligns technical excellence with strategic independence.”

Built for Sovereignty and Security

At the foundation of the SCX sovereign AI cloud are SambaNova’s SN40L chips, delivering enterprise-scale inferencing performance. All data, models, and logs are processed entirely within Australian jurisdiction, adhering to the nation’s highest standards for privacy, protection, and regulatory compliance.

This architecture ensures that Australia joins global leaders in secure, sovereign AI infrastructure.

Designed for Efficiency and Sustainability

Leveraging ASIC-based technology, the platform achieves up to 10× greater energy efficiency than traditional GPU clusters, supported by partnerships with renewable energy providers. The rollout will be backed by state initiatives, driving green innovation and high-tech job creation across Australia’s growing digital economy.

Enterprise-Ready AI at Scale

The SCX platform supports both commercial and open-source foundation models — including OpenAI, Meta’s Llama models, Google’s Gemma, and DeepSeek — alongside customer-owned, fine-tuned models hosted under full intellectual property control.

The first cloud node will launch in New South Wales by late 2025, followed by South Australia in 2026, enabling low-latency, nationwide connectivity for sectors such as healthcare, research, and public administration.

Platform Highlights:

• ASIC-Based Performance: ~3× higher inference throughput with lower power consumption than leading GPU clouds.

• Energy Efficiency: Targets ~10× reduction in energy cost per inference, supporting national sustainability goals.

• Model Flexibility: Supports top open-source and proprietary models, including SCX’s Project MAGPiE, a fine-tuned model built for Australian use cases.

• Nationwide Rollout: Initial NSW node (2025), SA node (1H26), with expansion to all states by end-2026. Deployments leverage existing datacenters to reduce capex and carbon footprint.

“With IRIS Forge, every engineer and operator becomes an AI innovator,” said Keane. “By combining world-class performance with national-level data assurance, SCX’s infrastructure will serve as the technology backbone of Australia’s AI future.”

SouthernCrossAI (SCX.ai) and SambaNova Systems have partnered to launch Australia’s first ASIC-based sovereign AI cloud, a platform designed to provide governments and enterprises with secure, high-performance, and energy-efficient onshore AI infrastructure. The collaboration marks a major step in Australia’s mission toward digital independence and sustainable technology leadership.

“For the first time, Australian organisations can run advanced AI entirely onshore — without compromising speed, security, or sovereignty,” said David Keane, CEO of SouthernCrossAI. “Our partnership with SambaNova ensures that every model, byte, and computation remains protected within Australia’s borders while improving efficiency and reducing energy use.”

Rodrigo Liang, CEO of SambaNova Systems, added: “Together with SCX, we’re ushering in a new era of sovereign AI — combining the most advanced hardware with a fully compliant national cloud that aligns technical excellence with strategic independence.”

Built for Sovereignty and Security

At the foundation of the SCX sovereign AI cloud are SambaNova’s SN40L chips, delivering enterprise-scale inferencing performance. All data, models, and logs are processed entirely within Australian jurisdiction, adhering to the nation’s highest standards for privacy, protection, and regulatory compliance.

This architecture ensures that Australia joins global leaders in secure, sovereign AI infrastructure.

Designed for Efficiency and Sustainability

Leveraging ASIC-based technology, the platform achieves up to 10× greater energy efficiency than traditional GPU clusters, supported by partnerships with renewable energy providers. The rollout will be backed by state initiatives, driving green innovation and high-tech job creation across Australia’s growing digital economy.

Enterprise-Ready AI at Scale

The SCX platform supports both commercial and open-source foundation models — including OpenAI, Meta’s Llama models, Google’s Gemma, and DeepSeek — alongside customer-owned, fine-tuned models hosted under full intellectual property control.

The first cloud node will launch in New South Wales by late 2025, followed by South Australia in 2026, enabling low-latency, nationwide connectivity for sectors such as healthcare, research, and public administration.

Platform Highlights:

• ASIC-Based Performance: ~3× higher inference throughput with lower power consumption than leading GPU clouds.

• Energy Efficiency: Targets ~10× reduction in energy cost per inference, supporting national sustainability goals.

• Model Flexibility: Supports top open-source and proprietary models, including SCX’s Project MAGPiE, a fine-tuned model built for Australian use cases.

• Nationwide Rollout: Initial NSW node (2025), SA node (1H26), with expansion to all states by end-2026. Deployments leverage existing datacenters to reduce capex and carbon footprint.

“With IRIS Forge, every engineer and operator becomes an AI innovator,” said Keane. “By combining world-class performance with national-level data assurance, SCX’s infrastructure will serve as the technology backbone of Australia’s AI future.”

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As enterprises race to turn data into real-time intelligence, Lumen Technologies (NYSE: LUMN) and Palantir Technologies Inc. (NASDAQ: PLTR) are forming a strategic alliance to overcome one of AI’s biggest challenges — connecting powerful intelligence platforms with the high-performance network infrastructure needed to power the next wave of digital transformation.

The companies announced a multi-year, multi-million-dollar partnership aimed at helping businesses across industries deploy AI faster, more securely, and at scale within complex multi-cloud environments. The partnership combines Palantir’s Foundry and Artificial Intelligence Platform (AIP) with Lumen’s Connectivity Fabric, a next-generation digital networking solution purpose-built for AI-driven operations.

“Palantir frees data, while Lumen moves it,” said Kate Johnson, CEO of Lumen Technologies. “Together, we’re uniquely positioned to help enterprises unlock their AI ambitions with unprecedented scale and speed. By bringing AI into real-world operations through a connected ecosystem, we’re empowering businesses to reinvent how they operate, compete, and grow.”

A Connected Ecosystem for the AI Era

This partnership is part of Lumen’s broader connected ecosystem strategy, which integrates its high-performance network and digital platforms with leading technology partners. By aligning Palantir’s AI capabilities with Lumen’s global infrastructure, the collaboration provides enterprises with a tested path to operationalize AI at scale.

Together, the companies will deliver AI-enabled network designs that allow organizations to:

• Move and manage data securely across multi-cloud and hybrid environments.

• Enhance AI applications with lower latency and reduced operational costs.

• Simplify IT complexity while enabling continuous learning and adaptation.

• Accelerate business transformation with built-in automation and intelligence.

“American companies need to unlock immediate value from AI,” said Alex Karp, co-founder and CEO of Palantir Technologies. “We’re proud to work with Lumen to enable the infrastructure and intelligence layers for our customers to become AI winners.”

Proven Collaboration

The partnership builds on existing collaboration between the two firms. In September, Lumen announced its adoption of Palantir Foundry and AIP to modernize its own operations — streamlining processes, improving service delivery, and accelerating innovation across its digital ecosystem.

By fusing Palantir’s AI intelligence layer with Lumen’s digital infrastructure, the companies are redefining how enterprises can move, manage, and act on data in real time — transforming AI from a concept into an operational reality.

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Iridio, backed by RRD’s global scale and marketing expertise, has debuted its digital solutions portfolio, designed to streamline marketing execution and deliver measurable results with speed, scale, and performance.

The platform unifies creative, media, and data analytics to eliminate fragmentation across the marketing lifecycle. By replacing disconnected vendors and tools with a single, connected system, Iridio enables marketers to activate campaigns seamlessly while maintaining compliance and performance tracking.

“Too often, there’s a disconnect between bold marketing ideas and how they show up in the real world,” said Paul Mandeville, Chief Product Officer at Iridio. “Our platform removes operational friction between strategy, creation, and delivery, transforming marketing functions into a single, automated, data-connected workflow.”

Key Solutions in Iridio’s Platform

Content Automation:
Patented technologies and automated systems streamline promotion planning, creative development, and compliance remediation. Complex data is transformed into actionable content quickly, reducing manual effort.

Data-Driven Targeting:
Access to 130M U.S. households and 1,300+ audience segments allows precise targeting. Tools like Consumer Graph℠ and Household Connect℠ connect digital engagement to real-world consumers, enabling marketers to reach relevant audiences without relying on third-party cookies.

Integrated Media Delivery:
Solutions such as Connected TV and nCountR℠ unify campaign planning, buying, and measurement across channels. Real-time tracking and strategy adjustments become seamless within a single platform.

Social Marketing:
Iridio consolidates influencer, paid, and creator-driven campaigns into one workflow. Powered by its data analytics engine, marketers can launch, measure, and optimize social content efficiently, proving ROI in real time.

By consolidating marketing strategy, creative development, data, and media execution, Iridio delivers end-to-end automation that reduces operational friction and enables marketers to execute campaigns faster and with measurable impact.

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Fractal a global AI solutions provider for Fortune 500® companies, has achieved the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Generative AI Consulting Services Competency. This recognition highlights Fractal’s expertise in guiding organizations through the entire generative AI lifecycle, from strategy to deployment.

The competency identifies AWS partners with proven technical proficiency and customer success in building, customizing, and maintaining generative AI applications and foundation models. Fractal joins a select group of consulting partners recognized for delivering measurable outcomes with generative AI.

“Achieving the AWS Generative AI Consulting Services Competency reflects our commitment to enabling clients to unlock the full potential of generative AI responsibly and effectively,” said Vikram Magon, Vice President – AWS Partnership, Fractal. “This recognition validates our ability to deliver end-to-end consulting services that help businesses innovate, accelerate adoption, and achieve measurable outcomes.”

Fractal’s Generative AI Expertise

Fractal provides comprehensive consulting services across the generative AI lifecycle:

• Strategic Advisory: Guiding organizations on AI adoption roadmaps and responsible AI principles.

• Model Development & Customization: Building and fine-tuning foundation models for industry-specific or cross-functional use cases.

• Deployment & Operations: Ensuring secure, scalable, and maintainable generative AI workloads.

• Governance & Risk Management: Implementing frameworks for compliance, security, and ethical AI practices.

With a proven track record across industries, Fractal helps clients enhance customer experiences, optimize operations, and drive innovation through AI.

Building on Existing AWS Expertise

This achievement builds on Fractal’s existing AWS competencies in Data & Analytics, DevOps, Consumer Goods, Retail, and Financial Services. It reinforces the company’s position as a trusted partner for AI-driven business transformation.

The AWS Competency Program connects customers with partners that have demonstrated technical expertise and verified customer success in specialized solution areas, helping organizations accelerate cloud adoption while following best practices.

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As AI reshapes marketing, Stagwell’s The Marketing Cloud is stepping in with a bold solution—Agent Cloud, a unified platform that brings the most advanced AI models and creative tools under one secure roof. The public launch marks a significant milestone for marketers seeking to balance innovation, security, and scalability in an increasingly agentic AI landscape.Z

A Central Hub for AI Innovation

Agent Cloud aims to simplify how brands and agencies access AI. Instead of juggling multiple tools and subscriptions, users can now tap into an integrated environment that connects leading models such as GPT-5, Gemini 2.5 Pro, Claude Sonnet 4, and Grok 4, along with image and video tools like Imagen and Veo3.

For marketers, this means instant access to multimodal AI without the operational friction that often slows enterprise adoption. The platform ensures data privacy and governance, with strict measures that prevent client data from being used to train external models.

Built for Marketers, Not Just Technologists

Agent Cloud isn’t just another AI dashboard—it’s a marketing operations hub. Teams across creative, media, communications, and research can build, deploy, and manage AI-powered workflows in a controlled environment.

Its standout feature? The ability to create and share custom AI assistants across organizations. These assistants can automate content creation, media optimization, and reporting, paving the way for agentic workflows, where AI and humans collaborate seamlessly.

“Agent Cloud unlocks the full range of what AI tools can do for modern marketers,” said Elspeth Rollert, CEO of The Marketing Cloud. “It removes the guesswork and lets teams focus on the impact. Heading into 2026, it gives organizations the foundation they need to compete in a world of increasingly agentic AI.”

Efficiency Meets Security

With a single billing structure, Agent Cloud simplifies financial operations for agencies overwhelmed by tool fragmentation. After an annual base fee, teams only pay for the AI tools they actively use.

This approach doesn’t just cut costs—it fosters a culture of responsible AI experimentation. Security remains at the core; none of the organization’s data inside the platform contributes to external model training, ensuring compliance with client privacy standards.

Industry Reactions: A Game-Changer for AI Adoption

Beta testers from major agencies are already applauding the platform’s impact.

“The Marketing Cloud has knocked it out of the park,” said Jim Stiefelmaier, Innovation Strategy Director at Yamamoto. “Having instant access to GPT-5 and Gemini 2.5 Pro in one secure platform has boosted productivity and accelerated AI adoption.”

Michael Lamp, Chief Digital & Social Officer at Hunter, added, “We couldn’t scale AI adoption at this pace without a product like Agent Cloud. It’s allowing us to bring world-class tools directly to our global teams.”

Positioning for an Agentic Future

The timing is strategic. As AI tools evolve toward autonomy, platforms like Agent Cloud provide a critical infrastructure for marketing teams preparing for the agentic era—where AI systems act as intelligent collaborators, not just assistants.

To mark the launch, The Marketing Cloud is presenting at the ANA Masters of Marketing conference in Orlando (October 21–24). The company is also releasing a thought leadership booklet, “The Robots Are Coming: A Guide for the Future of AI and Martech.”

The publication includes insights from Stagwell leaders, including Mark Penn (CEO and Chairman), John Kahan (Chief AI Officer), and Dan Gardner (Code and Theory CEO), offering a preview of what the 2026 AI landscape may look like.

With Agent Cloud, The Marketing Cloud is not just integrating AI tools—it’s redefining how marketing teams think, collaborate, and innovate in the age of intelligent automation.

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Allied Global Marketing has announced the appointment of Daniel Heale as Vice President, Client Solutions, marking a strategic move to strengthen its global brand experience and client growth strategy. Dividing his time between Los Angeles and London, Heale will help clients bridge markets and scale integrated campaigns that deliver measurable business impact.

A Cross-Continental Role for a Global Marketing Era

In his new position, Heale will collaborate closely with Clint Kendall, CEO; Adam Cunningham, Chief Strategy Officer; and Kelly Estrella, Chief of Marketing Operations. His mandate: identify and drive new business opportunities while expanding Allied’s suite of marketing, creative, and experiential solutions to a broader global audience.

“Daniel’s cross-market track record and ability to turn strategy into revenue make him the right leader for our next phase,” said Kendall. “With LA and London coverage, he’ll help clients connect audiences and partners across borders—and prove it with measurable results.”

Uniting Strategy, Creativity, and Scale

Heale brings more than two decades of leadership experience in strategy, business development, and digital marketing. His work has consistently focused on aligning creative storytelling with commercial outcomes—an increasingly vital capability as marketing organizations demand ROI-driven campaigns across markets.

Before joining Allied, Heale served as Global CEO and Chief Strategy Officer at Way To Blue, where he led brand transformation and global expansion initiatives. He also held senior positions at Vue Entertainment, Travelodge Hotels UK, Camelot Group, and Trinity Mirror Group.

Throughout his career, he has partnered with major entertainment and consumer brands including Disney, Prime Video, NBCUniversal, Paramount, Warner Bros., LAIKA, BET+, Mattel, InterContinental Hotels, and IMAX.

A Pragmatic Vision for Modern Marketing

“Working across London and Los Angeles gives you a pragmatic view of how campaigns really scale,” said Heale. “I’m excited to help Allied’s clients connect markets, teams, and platforms to deliver work that travels—and outcomes that stand up in the boardroom.”

Driving the Next Chapter of Allied’s Growth

Allied Global Marketing, known for its expertise in brand experience, entertainment, and media partnerships, continues to expand its global footprint. With Heale’s appointment, the company signals its focus on cross-border campaign integration, data-informed strategy, and measurable creative impact.

As marketers face growing pressure to unify global strategy with local resonance, Heale’s dual-market approach positions Allied to bridge creative insight with commercial execution—helping clients tell stories that scale and perform.

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DirectMail2.0, LLC has introduced the world’s first artificial intelligence platform designed exclusively for direct mail advertisers, signaling a major leap in how marketers plan, analyze, and optimize print-based campaigns. The public beta, available now at beta.dm20.ai and www.dm20.ai, was unveiled by CEO and Co-Founder Brad Kugler at the Printing United Alliance Convention in Orlando, Florida.

AI Meets Direct Mail: A Purpose-Built Solution

Unlike generic AI tools that cater to digital marketers, DirectMail2.0’s new platform is built specifically for the unique data and decision frameworks of the direct mail industry. It enables advertisers to analyze campaign performance through simple user inputs and benchmark results against thousands of comparable campaigns stored in the company’s proprietary database.

Powered by cutting-edge machine learning and explainable AI, the platform translates complex analytics into clear, actionable recommendations that even non-technical marketers can use to optimize campaign ROI.

“The future of business AI lies in vertical, industry-specific systems,” said Brad Kugler, CEO of DirectMail2.0. “With this launch, we’re giving direct mail advertisers intelligence and transparency—two elements critical for maximizing return on investment.”

Inside the Model: Advanced Architecture, Practical Output

The DirectMail2.0 AI platform is built on an ensemble modeling architecture that combines target normalization, feature engineering, and simulation techniques—ensuring both precision and interpretability.

By leveraging DirectMail2.0’s extensive database of campaign data, the AI generates predictive performance models using granular creative and campaign-level variables. It then applies Monte Carlo simulations to test multiple strategic outcomes before presenting the most effective recommendations in an easy-to-read format.

This design gives marketers a transparent look at why a campaign works—not just what to change—making it one of the first AI systems in advertising to emphasize explainable optimization over black-box automation.

Redefining the Future of Print Marketing

The launch event drew over 150 guests, including DirectMail2.0 team members, clients, and industry influencers. The introduction of the AI tool was hailed as a milestone for traditional marketing channels, merging the rigor of data science with the craft of direct mail.

“This marks a pivotal moment,” said one attendee. “Direct mail is stepping into the AI era—with the same sophistication and accountability as digital.”

Free Public Beta: A Collaborative Evolution

In a move to encourage innovation and community-driven development, DirectMail2.0 is keeping its AI application in open public beta, offering free access for several weeks. Users can experiment with campaign modeling, provide feedback, and help shape the final release.

The approach reflects the company’s long-term vision: to build an AI ecosystem informed not just by data—but by the collective expertise of the direct mail marketing community itself.

With this launch, DirectMail2.0 has effectively bridged the gap between print and predictive intelligence, giving advertisers new tools to compete in a world where data-driven storytelling matters as much in mailboxes as it does in inboxes.

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