Capgemini and Unity, the world’s leading platform for creating and growing real-time 3D (RT3D) content, today announced an expansion of their strategic alliance that will see Capgemini take on Unity’s Digital Twin Professional Services arm. Per the agreement, Unity’s Digital Twin Professional Services team will join and embed within Capgemini, forming one of the largest pools of Unity enterprise developers in the world. The transaction will accelerate the iteration and implementation of the market leading real-time 3D (RT3D) visualization software for the industrial application of digital twins. It will allow end users to envision, understand, and interact with physical systems - a key enabler for intelligent industry. The deal is expected to close in the second quarter of 2024.

Unity’s Digital Twin Professional Services team has worked with many companies over the past five years to develop real-time 3D solutions to drive business results. As more and more enterprises seek to combine the physical and digital worlds, clients are looking for the RT3D software capabilities coupled with business transformation, design, and engineering expertise to realize value from the industrial application of digital twins at scale. Today’s agreement will extend the reach and scale of Unity’s software through Capgemini, allowing more organizations to further push the boundaries of this technology through the acceleration, adoption, and application of RT3D to build and scale immersive experiences.

“Unity’s real-time 3D technology is the unequivocal industry standard for visualization across platforms and devices. As such, it is a key component that will impact the value-chain of intelligent products - from R&D to manufacturing, operations, and services,” comments William Rozé, CEO of Capgemini Engineering and Group Executive Board member. “This new agreement with Unity will allow Capgemini to embed 3D visualization software capabilities into our end-to-end business transformation services, to help clients realize the immediate and longer-term benefits of intelligent industry.”

“Unity has reached a point in its growth where the opportunity for us in the enterprise market has outpaced our ability to scale fast enough to meet client demand,” explains Jim Whitehurst, CEO, Unity. “With its scale and breadth of services – from design and engineering to business transformation and data expertise, Capgemini is well placed to unleash the full potential of Unity technology for enterprise clients across industries with specific use cases.”

As part of this agreement Capgemini plans to scale a range of sector-specific solutions that are currently in high demand. Particularly relevant for automotive, consumer products & retail, energy & utilities, aerospace & defense, healthcare & life sciences, and industrial products/manufacturing, tailored offerings are expected to include:

• Simulation: A digital representation of an asset, facility or product that emulates its real-world counterpart through advanced modeling to provide real-time insights and simulate future scenarios.
• Human Machine Interfaces: Interactive experiences for in-vehicle infotainment (IVI), meters (gauge clusters), and additional screens.
• Immersive Training: Engaging training experiences in interactive 3D or augmented or virtual reality (AR and VR) to enable better knowledge transfer and safer workplaces.

Connectria, a global leader in IBM Power Systems cloud services and AWS Premier Tier Services Partner, has announced the upcoming opening of two new data centers in Singapore with under 2-millisecond low-latency connectivity to the Amazon Web Services (AWS) Asia Pacific region (ap-southeast-1). The facilities are designed to bolster cloud adoption and modernization for IBM i and AIX systems throughout the region, offering a seamless integration of public cloud with traditional IT environments. The two Connectria data centers will also enable inner region Disaster Recovery-as-a-Service (DRaaS) with connectivity to all AWS Availability Zones (AZs).

Accelerating IBM i and AIX Cloud Modernization 

Connectria's new data centers use a proven architecture designed to meet the rising demand for infrastructure modernization and hybrid cloud adoption. Drawing on nearly three decades as one of the world's largest providers of IBM i and AIX hosting, Connectria's Asia Pacific data centers deliver a state-of-the-art IBM Power infrastructure built on the latest IBM hardware with < 2 milliseconds of latency to AWS.

"This investment in Singapore builds on our recent Strategic Collaboration Agreement (SCA) with AWS. The demand for having a solution in Singapore like we have in the United States and Europe has exceeded our expectations and creates a tremendous opportunity for Connectria and its partners to deliver this unique offering to companies throughout the entire Asia Pacific region." Troy Mitchell, VP Channel & Alliances

The seamless integration between IBM Power and AWS enabled by Connectria can help customers accelerate data center exits to pursue cloud-first IT strategies more effectively and supports the rising need for modern infrastructure and hybrid cloud solutions for IBM Power. By connecting IBM Power workloads to AWS, customers can augment mission critical applications with native AWS services for advanced data analytics, AI/ML, IoT, and more to add new capabilities, improve resilience, and accelerate cloud innovation.

To help customers ensure quick and successful deployments, Connectria can provide migration services and IBM Power hybrid cloud resources in an infrastructure as a service (IaaS) model, or fully managed with support for both IBM Power and AWS. For customers in highly regulated industries like financial services, Connectria's data centers and managed services are compliant with critical frameworks such as PCI DSS; SOC 1, 2, and 3; and HITRUST.

Embracing Hybrid and Multi-Cloud Infrastructures

Ryan Pelerin, Chief Revenue Officer at Connectria, reflected on the strategic significance of the new data centers, stating, "The Singapore data centers signifies a major advancement in our mission to empower organizations throughout the Asia Pacific region. By offering direct AWS connectivity for IBM i and AIX systems, we're not just delivering cloud hosting—we're providing a pathway to modernization that combines the reliability of IBM Power with the agility of AWS."

The data centers leverage the latest IBM Power10 hardware and are strategically equipped to enable businesses to harness the full spectrum of benefits offered by both AWS and IBM Power. These new data centers can deploy not only scale-out systems but also provide support for larger enterprise-class Power systems hardware to allow organizations the greatest flexibility when choosing an infrastructure provider.

Available Summer of 2024

Starting in Q3, companies operating in the Asia Pacific region will be able to deploy IBM Power Systems workloads in Connectria's new data centers with low-latency connectivity to AWS.

To encourage initial adoption in the Asia Pacific region, Connectria is also introducing an Early Adopter Acceleration Program that provides AWS and Connectria funding to subsidize proof-of-concept deployments and reduce overall migration and first-year operating costs for new customers. This program is designed to ease the transition to Connectria's hybrid cloud architecture by removing some of the financial barriers.

Enterprise Customer Growth, EU Footprint Expansion, and Product Innovation Drive the Company’s Success

Iterable, the AI-powered customer communication platform, today celebrated a banner fiscal year of growth and innovation. In addition to eclipsing $200 million in annual recurring revenue, Iterable set the bar for AI product development, with 37 new features released last year, including AI-Powered Predictive Goals, Copy Assist, Explainable AI and Automatic Frequency Optimization, making it the most robust AI offering in the marketing automation space. The company’s momentum is fueled by its ongoing global expansion and the steady growth of its customer base, which includes marquee brands such as Fabletics, GitLab, SeatGeek, Airtable, and PGA of America. 

With a fast-growing customer base of over 1200 brands from 54 countries globally, Iterable stands out as a driving force of innovation in the marketing automation space. Marketers leveraged Iterable to deliver over 200 billion cross-channel messages and execute nearly 3 million campaigns last year alone. This extensive outreach targeted a diverse user base surpassing 8 billion customer profiles across the globe. Impressively, Iterable activated over 1.8 petabytes of data, and orchestrated over 1.5 trillion API calls last fiscal year, underscoring its unparalleled capacity and top-tier performance in the ever-evolving landscape of customer engagement.

The recent expansion of Iterable’s business to Lisbon, Portugal, coupled with the inauguration of their European Data Center in Dublin, Ireland, highlights strategic moves that position Iterable for enhanced operations and accelerated growth in the European market.

“Iterable’s disruptive and innovative approach to customer communications is driven by our ambition to both solve and simplify a critical problem for marketers and consumers alike,” said Andrew Boni, CEO and co-founder of Iterable. “As we forge ahead, our goal is to build a lasting and expanding company that positions itself on the frontier of marketing technology. We are dedicated to staying ahead of the curve, with our valued customers and partners forming the cornerstone of our innovative journey. Iterable is not just about providing solutions; it’s about creating an enduring impact in the dynamic landscape of customer engagement.”

The company’s success to date and its outlook ahead as the industry’s leader in AI and customer joy underscores its ability to shape the future of customer communication and loyalty.

“Iterable’s remarkable growth stands as a testament not only to the company’s creativity, innovative culture, and exceptional talent but also mirrors the evolving landscape where businesses seek fresh and inventive approaches to connect brands with their customers,” said Murat Bicer, Partner at CRV. “They stand out as leaders in the lucrative ($18B) and expanding CRM market. What sets them apart is their commitment to delivering robust, user-friendly AI solutions designed to help today’s biggest brands scale their growth. As one of Iterable’s earliest investors, we applaud their achievements not just over the past year, but across their impressive 11-year history, consistently providing substantial value to customers through an expanding range of inventive products. We are confident that even more history is yet to be written as they continue to fulfill their mission of delivering customer joy.”

According to a recent benchmark survey conducted by Wakefield Research, marketing professionals are rapidly embracing and experimenting with AI especially generative AI in their work. Of the 91% of marketers currently using AI in some capacity on the job, a large majority (67%) see it as more than just a tool for efficiency and productivity they consider it a transformative technological revolution. While most marketers acknowledge the opportunity AI presents, 84% feel ill-equipped with the best tools and are largely intimidated by the technology, along with the increased expectations it brings.

This important research highlights the numerous opportunities and challenges that AI presents areas where Iterable is actively investing to innovate and address. The features in Iterable’s expanding AI offering are designed to enhance efficiency and productivity for marketers, so they can have more time for strategic thinking, creativity, and building unique and personal customer experiences. Iterable’s differentiated approach to AI focuses on transparency and explainability, building trust and confidence among marketers by enabling users to comprehend the reasoning behind their AI solutions. By ensuring the responsible and judicious adoption of AI by marketers around the world, Iterable is playing a pivotal role in shaping the future landscape of AI and customer communications.

Steve Mastrocola, Senior Director of CRM at SeatGeek, the high-growth technology platform transforming the live event experience for fans, teams and venues, highlights SeatGeek’s confidence in foreseeing and adapting to changes with Iterable as their partner, ensuring ongoing meaningful customer connections.

“SeatGeek has been a loyal Iterable customer since 2016. Working with Iterable, we’ve successfully expanded our reach across multiple channels, driving impressive results in the process. Staying attuned to evolving customer trends and demands is paramount for SeatGeek’s success. Through cross-channel marketing and AI capabilities, the Iterable team ensures we stay ahead of the curve in this dynamic industry. We’re confident that with Iterable as our partner, we can anticipate and adapt to these changes, ensuring we continue to connect with our customers in meaningful ways, now and into the future.”

Fahad Zahid, Head of Brand & Digital Marketing at PGA of America, one of the world’s largest sports organizations, underscores the transformative impact of Iterable’s platform and team:

“As a long-standing Iterable customer, I can confidently attest that their customer communication capabilities have been a game-changer for our team, serving as a catalyst for our growth throughout the pandemic to today. Moreover, Iterable’s AI-driven features consistently deliver the efficiency, agility, and intelligence essential not only to reach our customers but also to foster long-term loyalty in today’s rapidly evolving landscape. Not to mention that their team and support are unparalleled. We envision a lasting partnership with Iterable, and are looking forward to leveraging their product offerings as we continue to scale our operations.”

Manifest Financial, Inc., has acquired Nerve Tech, Inc., an innovative banking platform serving the unique needs of creators and entrepreneurs. 

Nerve co-founders, John Waupsh and Ben Morrison drew upon their 20+ year backgrounds as consumer banking and fintech innovators to create a streamlined solution tailored to meet the financial service needs of creators and their platforms. Manifest will build on the foundation laid by Nerve with plans to introduce further enhancements later in 2024. The synergy between the Manifest and Nerve teams is founded on a mutual commitment to redefine financial services for today’s entrepreneurial sector.

Michael Cavallaro, CEO and Co-founder of Manifest, stated, “The acquisition of Nerve marks a significant phase in our commitment to address the unique banking needs and requirements of entrepreneurs, micro-businesses, and the platforms integral to their success. This move significantly accelerates our strategy for deploying these invaluable services to our partners.”

Echoing this sentiment, Waupsh stated, “The journey with Nerve has always been about charting a path towards financial autonomy for creators. This collaboration is a monumental stride towards equipping creators with a banking platform that is not just a tool, but a partner in their entrepreneurial journey.”

This strategic acquisition signals a new chapter in banking, where entrepreneurial needs take center stage, ensuring their voices are heard and needs are met with tailored solutions.

This transaction was facilitated by MJC Partners, LLC, who acted as the advisor to Manifest. Goodwin Procter LLP acted as legal counsel to Manifest.

The onset of AI and over-gamification has changed the approach B2B review sites need to take to ensure reviews remain genuine and trustworthy—a mission TrustRadius has been dedicated to since the beginning.

TrustRadius published its second annual Review Quality Report, bringing transparency to what goes on behind the scenes of review moderation and publications on TrustRadius.

This year's report titled, Fighting Fraud: Review Quality Report 2024, explores the growing use of AI-generated reviews and how those are putting demand on B2B review sites to be more diligent than ever to ensure only genuine reviews are published.

It was discovered that 60% of the 53,777 reviews started on TrustRadius in 2023 were returned to reviewers for more detail, not finished, or were rejected for a variety of reasons—the largest being suspicious users (36%). The remaining 40% (21,336 reviews) went on to be published for 2,217 products.

• Not only does the report cover how reviews are chosen for publication, return, or rejection, it also dives into:
• The proactive approach TrustRadius takes to curb the unethical use of AI in the industry
• How TrustRadius vets reviewers before publication to ensure reviews have unbiased, genuine feedback
• The erosion of confidence in the marketplace and how the trScore removes bias and cherry-picking
• The future of review generation and how TrustRadius has helped vendors gather 60% or more of their reviews for the year at in-person events

"Buying committees are continuing to grow, which means accurate, trustworthy product information that builds collective confidence, like user reviews, is critical," says Vinay Bhagat, Founder and CEO of TrustRadius. "It has always been our mission at TrustRadius to protect the voice of the customer and provide buyers researching tech solutions with unbiased feedback from real-world users. Our team will continue adjusting tactics to combat AI-generated and other fraudulent reviews."

TrustRadius will discuss this year's findings of challenges and the proactive measures TrustRadius takes in a LinkedIn Live on Thursday, March 7, 2024, at 12:00 pm ET. Speakers for the event, Fighting B2B Review Fraud Amidst AI and Over-Gamification, include TrustRadius' Research Operations Manager, Katie Marino-Kyle, and Research Manager, Katie Allison.

By partnering with Emplifi, Dine Brands cut the amount of time it took to manage guest inquiries on social channels from five minutes to sixty seconds or less

Emplifi, a leading customer engagement platform, today announced it has significantly improved guest recovery workflows across social channels and integrated Google Reviews for Dine Brands Global, Inc., the parent company of Applebee’s Neighborhood Grill + Bar^®, IHOP^®, and Fuzzy’s Taco Shop^® restaurants. After managing messages from guests directly in the Facebook app without the ability to respond, monitor, or measure guest interactions from a single dashboard – Dine Brands’ Guest Relations team required more streamlined and integrated guest recovery capabilities. 

Dine Brands was already using Emplifi Agent, a customer service engagement CRM, before they seamlessly integrated Emplifi’s social media management features into their workflow. Within a few weeks of deploying these features, Dine Brands saw immediate improvements across its social media guest recovery efforts. The Guest Relations team reduced the time spent handling social cases from five minutes to sixty seconds or less – an astounding 80% cut in time spent answering guest inquiries.

In addition to faster response times, Dine Brands was able to:

• Prioritize social media guest recovery cases every day of the week, exactly as they do for other case scenarios on email, phone support lines, and other communication channels.
• Curate and measure impactful data from their social recovery workflows by tracking guest data in real-time.
• Support the unique needs of their restaurants, ensuring guest feedback is heard and shared back to franchisees quickly.
• Integrate Google Reviews into their social media guest recovery processes, including the ability to respond to any guest reviews that come through the Google Review platform.

“From integrating Emplifi’s social media management features into our suite of tools to working with our wonderful Customer Success Manager, Emplifi has made life a lot easier,” said Alex Bresette, Director of Guest Relations at Dine Brands. “The technology has proven to be extremely valuable to our overarching guest recovery strategies.”

Research conducted by Harris Interactive and commissioned by Emplifi shows that more than 52% of consumers or, in Dine Brands’ case, guests expect brands to respond to customer inquiries within an hour, but 20% of customers say they typically have to wait 24 hours before getting a response. The gap in customer expectations and brand response times not only negatively impacts the customer experience, but can jeopardize critical outcomes, including customer loyalty efforts and revenue gains. Dine Brands is well-positioned to exceed their guests’ expectations and vastly improve the guest experience as well as internal processes and workflows.

“Today’s most successful brands are the ones that have been able to remove the silos between their marketing, customer care, and commerce efforts. Dine Brands is a perfect example of a company that understands this paradigm at an in-depth level,” said Zarnaz Arlia, CMO, Emplifi. “Brands need tools that easily integrate and come equipped with intuitive dashboards so that they can manage customer communications from a single platform without having to navigate between multiple social channels. Dine Brands has achieved this — faster response times combined with valuable guest insights making it clear just how important social media platforms are to customer service initiatives.”

Intel announces expanded process roadmap, customers and ecosystem partners to deliver on ambition to be the No. 2 foundry by 2030.

Company hosts Intel Foundry event featuring U.S. Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, Arm CEO Rene Haas and Open AI CEO Sam Altman and others.

NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

• Intel Foundry launches as the world’s first systems foundry for the AI era, delivering leadership in technology, resiliency and sustainability.

• Intel Foundry unveils new roadmap featuring Intel 14A process technology, specialized node evolutions and new Intel Foundry Advanced System Assembly and Test (ASAT) capabilities to help customers realize their AI ambitions.

• Intel Foundry announces design win: Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella shares that Microsoft has chosen a chip design it plans to produce on the Intel 18A process.

• Ecosystem partners including Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens and Ansys announce validated tools, design flows and intellectual property (IP) portfolios ready to enable customer designs.

Intel Corp. (INTC) today launched Intel Foundry as a more sustainable systems foundry business designed for the AI era and announced an expanded process roadmap designed to establish leadership into the latter part of this decade. The company also highlighted customer momentum and support from ecosystem partners – including Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens and Ansys – who outlined their readiness to accelerate Intel Foundry customers’ chip designs with tools, design flows and IP portfolios validated for Intel’s advanced packaging and Intel 18A process technologies. 

The announcements were made at Intel’s first foundry event, Intel Foundry Direct Connect, where the company gathered customers, ecosystem companies and leaders from across the industry. Among the participants and speakers were U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo, Arm CEO Rene Haas, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and others.

More: Intel Foundry Direct Connect (Press Kit)

“AI is profoundly transforming the world and how we think about technology and the silicon that powers it,” said Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger. “This is creating an unprecedented opportunity for the world’s most innovative chip designers and for Intel Foundry, the world’s first systems foundry for the AI era. Together, we can create new markets and revolutionize how the world uses technology to improve people’s lives.”

Process Roadmap Expands Beyond 5N4Y

Intel’s extended process technology roadmap adds Intel 14A to the company’s leading-edge node plan, in addition to several specialized node evolutions. Intel also affirmed that its ambitious five-nodes-in-four-years (5N4Y) process roadmap remains on track and will deliver the industry’s first backside power solution. Company leaders expect Intel will regain process leadership with Intel 18A in 2025.

The new roadmap includes evolutions for Intel 3, Intel 18A and Intel 14A process technologies. It includes Intel 3-T, which is optimized with through-silicon vias for 3D advanced packaging designs and will soon reach manufacturing readiness. Also highlighted are mature process nodes, including new 12 nanometer nodes expected through the joint development with UMC announced last month. These evolutions are designed to enable customers to develop and deliver products tailored to their specific needs. Intel Foundry plans a new node every two years and node evolutions along the way, giving customers a path to continuously evolve their offerings on Intel’s leading process technology.

Intel also announced the addition of Intel Foundry FCBGA 2D+ to its comprehensive suite of ASAT offerings, which already include FCBGA 2D, EMIB, Foveros and Foveros Direct.

Microsoft Design on Intel 18A Headlines Customer Momentum

Customers are supporting Intel’s long-term systems foundry approach. During Pat Gelsinger’s keynote, Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella stated that Microsoft has chosen a chip design it plans to produce on the Intel 18A process.

“We are in the midst of a very exciting platform shift that will fundamentally transform productivity for every individual organization and the entire industry,” Nadella said. “To achieve this vision, we need a reliable supply of the most advanced, high-performance and high-quality semiconductors. That’s why we are so excited to work with Intel Foundry, and why we have chosen a chip design that we plan to produce on Intel 18A process.”

Intel Foundry has design wins across foundry process generations, including Intel 18A, Intel 16 and Intel 3, along with significant customer volume on Intel Foundry ASAT capabilities, including advanced packaging.

In total, across wafer and advanced packaging, Intel Foundry’s expected lifetime deal value is greater than $15 billion.

IP and EDA Vendors Declare Readiness for Intel Process and Packaging Designs

Intellectual property and electronic design automation (EDA) partners Synopsys, Cadence, Siemens, Ansys, Lorentz and Keysight disclosed tool qualification and IP readiness to enable foundry customers to accelerate advanced chip designs on Intel 18A, which offers the foundry industry’s first backside power solution. These companies also affirmed EDA and IP enablement across Intel node families.

At the same time, several vendors announced plans to collaborate on assembly technology and design flows for Intel’s embedded multi-die interconnect bridge (EMIB) 2.5D packaging technology. These EDA solutions will ensure faster development and delivery of advanced packaging solutions for foundry customers.

Intel also unveiled an "Emerging Business Initiative" that showcases a collaboration with Arm to provide cutting-edge foundry services for Arm-based system-on-chips (SoCs). This initiative presents an important opportunity for Arm and Intel to support startups in developing Arm-based technology and offering essential IP, manufacturing support and financial assistance to foster innovation and growth.

Systems Approach Differentiates Intel Foundry in the AI Era

Intel’s systems foundry approach offers full-stack optimization from the factory network to software. Intel and its ecosystem empower customers to innovate across the entire system through continuous technology improvements, reference designs and new standards.

Stuart Pann, senior vice president of Intel Foundry at Intel said, “We are offering a world-class foundry, delivered from a resilient, more sustainable and secure source of supply, and complemented by unparalleled systems of chips capabilities. Bringing these strengths together gives customers everything they need to engineer and deliver solutions for the most demanding applications.”

Global, Resilient, More Sustainable and Trusted Systems Foundry

Resilient supply chains must also be increasingly sustainable, and today Intel shared its goal of becoming the industry’s most sustainable foundry. In 2023, preliminary estimates show that Intel used 99% renewable electricity in its factories worldwide. Today, the company redoubled its commitment to achieving 100% renewable electricity worldwide, net-positive water and zero waste to landfills by 2030. Intel also reinforced its commitment to net-zero Scope 1 and Scope 2 GHG emissions by 2040 and net-zero upstream Scope 3 emissions by 2050.

Forward-Looking Statements

This release contains forward-looking statements, including with respect to Intel’s:

• business plans and strategy;
• current and future technologies, including future process nodes and transistor, manufacturing, and packaging technologies;
• process and product roadmaps and schedules (including expected goals, timelines, ramps, progress, availability, and production);
• future product architectures;
• expectations regarding process performance, PPA gains, and other performance metrics;
• expectations regarding product and process leadership;
• plans and goals with respect to our foundry business, including with respect to anticipated customers, expected lifetime deal value, future manufacturing capacity, service, technology and IP offerings, third-party collaborations, ecosystem support and resilience;
• AI strategy and capabilities;
• future social and environmental performance goals, measures, strategies, and results;
• anticipated growth, future market share, and trends in our businesses and operations;
• projected growth and trends in markets relevant to our businesses; and
• other characterizations of future events or circumstances.

Such statements involve many risks and uncertainties that could cause our actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied, including those associated with:

• the high level of competition and rapid technological change in our industry;
• the significant long-term and inherently risky investments we are making in R&D and manufacturing facilities that may not realize a favorable return;
• the complexities and uncertainties in developing and implementing new semiconductor products and manufacturing process technologies;
• our ability to time and scale our capital investments appropriately and successfully secure favorable alternative financing arrangements and government grants;
• implementing new business strategies and investing in new businesses and technologies;
• changes in demand for our products;
• macroeconomic conditions and geopolitical tensions and conflicts, including geopolitical and trade tensions between the U.S. and China, the impacts of Russia's war on Ukraine, tensions and conflict affecting Israel, and rising tensions between mainland China and Taiwan;
• the evolving market for products with AI capabilities;
• our complex global supply chain, including from disruptions, delays, trade tensions and conflicts, or shortages;
• product defects, errata, and other product issues, particularly as we develop next-generation products and implement next-generation manufacturing process technologies;
• potential security vulnerabilities in our products; increasing and evolving cybersecurity threats and privacy risks;
• IP risks including related litigation and regulatory proceedings;
• the need to attract, retain, and motivate key talent;
• strategic transactions and investments;
• sales-related risks, including customer concentration and the use of distributors and other third parties;
• our significantly reduced return of capital in recent years;
• our debt obligations and our ability to access sources of capital;
• complex and evolving laws and regulations across many jurisdictions;
• fluctuations in currency exchange rates;
• changes in our effective tax rate;
• catastrophic events;
• environmental, health, safety, and product regulations;
• our initiatives and new legal requirements with respect to corporate responsibility matters; and
• other risks and uncertainties described in this release, our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and our other filings with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

All information in this press release reflects Intel management views as of the date hereof unless an earlier date is specified. Intel does not undertake, and expressly disclaims any duty, to update such statements, whether as a result of new information, new developments, or otherwise, except to the extent that disclosure may be required by law.

DRUID, a leader in the field of conversational AI technology and a pioneer of the Conversational Business Applications category, today announced a significant milestone, reporting 2.2X growth in Annual Recurring Revenue (ARR), reaching $13 million in 2023. 

After concluding its Series B funding round in 2023, DRUID AI is now valued at $100 million and re-established as a US-based company. 

DRUID aims to reach $24 million in ARR by the end of 2024 and strengthen its presence in the US market. The company plans to generate 50% of its new revenue through a robust network of resellers and delivery partners, focusing on connectivity with LLM providers and leveraging Generative AI to meet the needs of enterprises across all industries. 

2023 was a prolific year for DRUID, highlighted by significant ARR growth, strategic Series B funding, and several product developments, including the MegaBot, a conversational robot orchestrator that integrates the company's technology stack to act as a single point of interaction for all the digital operations, which has proven its efficiency by automating 80% of tasks.

DRUID's 40% client base growth highlights the trust in its conversational AI solutions, with notable clients like Georgia Southern University, Texas Children's Hospital, and White Castle. This trust comes from DRUID's commitment to integrating client feedback into product enhancements, tailoring solutions to specific needs, positively impacting their businesses by driving growth, reducing risks associated with the lack of access to critical and historical information, and focusing on cost optimization.

DRUID now serves 250 enterprises in industries like healthcare, banking, and higher education across 42 countries.

"Reflecting on 2023, it's truly humbling to see how far we've come with our growth as a pioneer in the conversational AI field," shared Liviu Dragan, CEO of DRUID. "As we venture into 2024, our commitment is to continue exploring the vast potential of AI, with a sincere hope to revolutionize how businesses interact and operate. It's a journey we're truly honored to be on."