Latest news with #IntelCorp.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Byte-Sized AI: Intel Spinout Creates Components for Physical AI; Bonx Grabs $8M for Manufacturing ERPs
Byte-Sized AI is a bi-weekly column that covers all things artificial intelligence—from startup funding, to newly inked partnerships, to just-launched, AI-powered capabilities from major retailers, software providers and supply chain players. RealSense, a company that spun out of Intel Corp., announced Friday that it has secured $50 million in investment from Intel Capital and MediaTek Innovation Fund. More from Sourcing Journal Chain Reaction: Asendia's Hendrick Kummeling on Why Strategic Flexibility is the Best Defense Against the Uncontrollable Material World: Decathlon Runs with Rheon, Spiber Goes Dutch in Paris Is Warehouse Robotics' Future Shaped Like a Human? The company makes parts that better enable autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), humanoid robots and other physical AI systems. The company said its depth cameras, which help robots assess their surroundings and distance, are already deployed in 60 percent of the world's AMRs and humanoid robots. AMRs, humanoids and other examples of physical AI rely heavily on physical components that they leverage in combination with computer vision systems and other algorithms. Those systems help the robot reason and instruct it on what to do or where to go next. Roboticists typically work with third-party companies, like RealSense, to purchase the necessary components for the physical hardware their own companies make. RealSense boasts about 3,000 customers globally, and it has employees in China, Israel in the U.S. working to develop further technology to empower the growth of the global robotics industry. Nadav Orbach, the company's CEO, said that, in doing so, it hopes to power technologies that make human workers' lives better, safer and easier. 'Our mission is to enable the world to integrate robotics and AI in everyday life safely,' said Orbach. 'This technology is not about replacing human creativity or decision-making — but about removing danger and drudgery from human work. Our systems are built to amplify human potential by offloading these types of tasks to machines equipped with intelligent, secure and reliable vision systems.' Orbach and team plan to use the capital to expand into other markets, scale the manufacturing of the components embedded into customers' robotics solutions and increase headcount on the sales side. The company said the additional sales representatives are needed as companies' interest in AI-enabled robots and security continues to increase. Software as a service (SaaS) startup Bonx announced late last month it had secured an $8.6 million seed round, led by 9900 Capital with further participation from Kima Ventures, Purple, OSS Ventures and Dynamo Ventures. The French company uses AI to help replace antiquated, isolated factory operation systems with a one stop shop-style enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that can be integrated within several weeks. For the textile and apparel sectors, Bonx can help factories with real-time order tracking, updated inventory and value assessments, quality control and myriad other functions. The technology can integrate with factories' existing systems and is designed to help operators meet fluctuating regulatory requirements and higher order demand with greater ease. Alexandre Barroux, CEO and co-founder of Bonx, said the company plans to use the capital secured in the seed round to scale up its operations in its primary market: Europe. He noted that mid-sized factories in the EU need to up their technology game to meet emerging demand. 'Our mission remains clear: empower manufacturers to simplify and take control of their operations through technology that adapts to their precise needs,' Barroux said in a statement. 'This funding propels us into our next phase—becoming Europe's definitive ERP leader for mid-sized manufacturers, expanding our successful model from France into new key markets, while scaling in Italy and Spain.' In addition to scaling in Italy and Spain, Bonx plans to increase its headcount and further refine the technology underneath the hood. Juliette Sylvain, principal at 9900 Capital said now is the perfect time for meaningful, AI-based technologies to shake up the way digital infrastructure is handled for factories in the bloc. 'Bonx is redefining the ERP landscape by combining extraordinary implementation speeds with genuinely impactful AI-driven capabilities, driving enormous efficiencies within an industry plagued by legacy software,' Sylvain said in a statement. Debenhams Group, which includes a portfolio of brands like PrettyLittleThing, Debenhams, Boohoo and others, announced this month it has broadened its partnership with AWS, the technology giant arm of e-tail behemoth Amazon. The expanded partnership will see Debenhams Group's brands deploying several new types of generative AI-based systems. By upgrading the systems behind its product naming and sorting, search on the brands' sites will become more intuitive and easier for consumers. In addition, Debenhams will leverage AWS technologies that allow it to automate product descriptions, then translate those descriptions into the appropriate languages for various markets; according to the announcement, that function makes it about 20 times faster for the retailer to list products. While those functions are on the backend of Debenhams' business, they are likely to benefit consumers looking for items that match the trends of the moment. But the AWS integration will also offer a forward-facing experience upgrade for e-commerce, the companies noted. Debenhams has launched an AI-powered styling tool for home decor, which was developed alongside AWS. The system enables customers to upload a photo of their room, give some design inspiration then see suggestions tailored to their style to shop. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said the collaboration will enable the further success of the company and its brands. 'Collaborating with AWS is a key part of our long-term strategy to transform Debenhams Group into a modern, technology-led retailer. We've successfully replaced outdated legacy systems with scalable, cloud-first architecture that's adaptable, resilient and built to support innovation well into the Group's future,' Finley said in a statement. 'Our strategic investment in AI and emerging technologies will not only future proof the business, but create a faster, smarter and more personalized experience for our customers.' Boston-based startup Remark announced early this month that it has scored a $16 million Series A, led by Inspired Capital, with further participation from Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital and Visible Ventures. The company uses AI to help replicate the experience of speaking to an in-store associate about a product. Human experts help train the company's proprietary AI personas, which companies can leverage to personalize shoppers' experiences. To date, Remark has leveraged the expertise of more than 60,000 experts in training its models. The AI personas take on the tone of a human expert that would be fit for the moment—options include Olympic athletes, brand-new parents, stylists and more, the company said. It already operates in the fashion, beauty, outdoor and other sectors, but it plans to diversify its industry offerings with the funds it has secured. It will also aim to churn out AI personas faster than it has previously been able to, by amping up its training models and data. The Series A brings Remark's total capital raised to $27 million. Theo Satloff, Remark's co-founder and CEO, said the startup wants to help companies make their consumers feel valued and acknowledged, regardless of the channel they're shopping on. 'We believe AI should elevate the human experience, not replace it,' Satloff said in a statement. 'By working with real product experts to train AI personas, we're creating guidance that's trusted, helpful and deeply personal. Our goal is to make online shopping feel less like a transaction and more like being guided by someone who truly understands what you need.' Remark said shoppers that interact with an AI persona convert at a rate of 28 percent, which is far higher than standard e-commerce. Sign in to access your portfolio
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Byte-Sized AI: Intel Spinout Creates Components for Physical AI; Bonx Grabs $8M for Manufacturing ERPs
Byte-Sized AI is a bi-weekly column that covers all things artificial intelligence—from startup funding, to newly inked partnerships, to just-launched, AI-powered capabilities from major retailers, software providers and supply chain players. RealSense, a company that spun out of Intel Corp., announced Friday that it has secured $50 million in investment from Intel Capital and MediaTek Innovation Fund. More from Sourcing Journal Chain Reaction: Asendia's Hendrick Kummeling on Why Strategic Flexibility is the Best Defense Against the Uncontrollable Material World: Decathlon Runs with Rheon, Spiber Goes Dutch in Paris Is Warehouse Robotics' Future Shaped Like a Human? The company makes parts that better enable autonomous mobile robots (AMRs), humanoid robots and other physical AI systems. The company said its depth cameras, which help robots assess their surroundings and distance, are already deployed in 60 percent of the world's AMRs and humanoid robots. AMRs, humanoids and other examples of physical AI rely heavily on physical components that they leverage in combination with computer vision systems and other algorithms. Those systems help the robot reason and instruct it on what to do or where to go next. Roboticists typically work with third-party companies, like RealSense, to purchase the necessary components for the physical hardware their own companies make. RealSense boasts about 3,000 customers globally, and it has employees in China, Israel in the U.S. working to develop further technology to empower the growth of the global robotics industry. Nadav Orbach, the company's CEO, said that, in doing so, it hopes to power technologies that make human workers' lives better, safer and easier. 'Our mission is to enable the world to integrate robotics and AI in everyday life safely,' said Orbach. 'This technology is not about replacing human creativity or decision-making — but about removing danger and drudgery from human work. Our systems are built to amplify human potential by offloading these types of tasks to machines equipped with intelligent, secure and reliable vision systems.' Orbach and team plan to use the capital to expand into other markets, scale the manufacturing of the components embedded into customers' robotics solutions and increase headcount on the sales side. The company said the additional sales representatives are needed as companies' interest in AI-enabled robots and security continues to increase. Software as a service (SaaS) startup Bonx announced late last month it had secured an $8.6 million seed round, led by 9900 Capital with further participation from Kima Ventures, Purple, OSS Ventures and Dynamo Ventures. The French company uses AI to help replace antiquated, isolated factory operation systems with a one stop shop-style enterprise resource planning (ERP) system that can be integrated within several weeks. For the textile and apparel sectors, Bonx can help factories with real-time order tracking, updated inventory and value assessments, quality control and myriad other functions. The technology can integrate with factories' existing systems and is designed to help operators meet fluctuating regulatory requirements and higher order demand with greater ease. Alexandre Barroux, CEO and co-founder of Bonx, said the company plans to use the capital secured in the seed round to scale up its operations in its primary market: Europe. He noted that mid-sized factories in the EU need to up their technology game to meet emerging demand. 'Our mission remains clear: empower manufacturers to simplify and take control of their operations through technology that adapts to their precise needs,' Barroux said in a statement. 'This funding propels us into our next phase—becoming Europe's definitive ERP leader for mid-sized manufacturers, expanding our successful model from France into new key markets, while scaling in Italy and Spain.' In addition to scaling in Italy and Spain, Bonx plans to increase its headcount and further refine the technology underneath the hood. Juliette Sylvain, principal at 9900 Capital said now is the perfect time for meaningful, AI-based technologies to shake up the way digital infrastructure is handled for factories in the bloc. 'Bonx is redefining the ERP landscape by combining extraordinary implementation speeds with genuinely impactful AI-driven capabilities, driving enormous efficiencies within an industry plagued by legacy software,' Sylvain said in a statement. Debenhams Group, which includes a portfolio of brands like PrettyLittleThing, Debenhams, Boohoo and others, announced this month it has broadened its partnership with AWS, the technology giant arm of e-tail behemoth Amazon. The expanded partnership will see Debenhams Group's brands deploying several new types of generative AI-based systems. By upgrading the systems behind its product naming and sorting, search on the brands' sites will become more intuitive and easier for consumers. In addition, Debenhams will leverage AWS technologies that allow it to automate product descriptions, then translate those descriptions into the appropriate languages for various markets; according to the announcement, that function makes it about 20 times faster for the retailer to list products. While those functions are on the backend of Debenhams' business, they are likely to benefit consumers looking for items that match the trends of the moment. But the AWS integration will also offer a forward-facing experience upgrade for e-commerce, the companies noted. Debenhams has launched an AI-powered styling tool for home decor, which was developed alongside AWS. The system enables customers to upload a photo of their room, give some design inspiration then see suggestions tailored to their style to shop. Dan Finley, CEO of Debenhams Group, said the collaboration will enable the further success of the company and its brands. 'Collaborating with AWS is a key part of our long-term strategy to transform Debenhams Group into a modern, technology-led retailer. We've successfully replaced outdated legacy systems with scalable, cloud-first architecture that's adaptable, resilient and built to support innovation well into the Group's future,' Finley said in a statement. 'Our strategic investment in AI and emerging technologies will not only future proof the business, but create a faster, smarter and more personalized experience for our customers.' Boston-based startup Remark announced early this month that it has scored a $16 million Series A, led by Inspired Capital, with further participation from Stripe, Neo, Spero Ventures, Shine Capital and Visible Ventures. The company uses AI to help replicate the experience of speaking to an in-store associate about a product. Human experts help train the company's proprietary AI personas, which companies can leverage to personalize shoppers' experiences. To date, Remark has leveraged the expertise of more than 60,000 experts in training its models. The AI personas take on the tone of a human expert that would be fit for the moment—options include Olympic athletes, brand-new parents, stylists and more, the company said. It already operates in the fashion, beauty, outdoor and other sectors, but it plans to diversify its industry offerings with the funds it has secured. It will also aim to churn out AI personas faster than it has previously been able to, by amping up its training models and data. The Series A brings Remark's total capital raised to $27 million. Theo Satloff, Remark's co-founder and CEO, said the startup wants to help companies make their consumers feel valued and acknowledged, regardless of the channel they're shopping on. 'We believe AI should elevate the human experience, not replace it,' Satloff said in a statement. 'By working with real product experts to train AI personas, we're creating guidance that's trusted, helpful and deeply personal. Our goal is to make online shopping feel less like a transaction and more like being guided by someone who truly understands what you need.' Remark said shoppers that interact with an AI persona convert at a rate of 28 percent, which is far higher than standard e-commerce.
Yahoo
11-07-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Intel layoffs surpass 1,600 across US
This story was originally published on Manufacturing Dive. To receive daily news and insights, subscribe to our free daily Manufacturing Dive newsletter. Intel Corp. is laying off approximately 1,666 employees across four states this month as part of a company-wide restructuring effort to reduce costs and simplify operations. 'We are taking steps to become a leaner, faster and more efficient company,' Intel said in an email July 9. 'Removing organizational complexity and empowering our engineers will enable us to better serve the needs of our customers and strengthen our execution.' The job cuts, which begin to take effect July 11, will affect hundreds that work at or report to Intel in California, Oregon, Texas and Arizona, according to recent Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification filings. About half of those affected — roughly 855 — are based out of Intel's offices and facilities in Santa Clara and Folsom, California. The company is also cutting 529 employees across its four campuses in or near Hillsboro, Oregon, considered to be the heart of the company's research and development operations. Additionally, Intel has given recent layoff notices to 172 workers in Chandler, Arizona and 110 in Austin, Texas, according to WARN filings as of July 11. A spokesperson declined to elaborate on which departments or segments of the company will be affected. In late June, Intel said it will 'wind down' its automotive business within its client computing group. The chipmaker has also started sending layoff notices to hundreds of workers in Israel, where Intel employs roughly 4,000 at its Kiryat Gat campus, Israel-based news outlet Ynet reported. One of CEO Lip-Bu Tan's priorities since taking over in March has been to refocus Intel's core products for a new era of computing shaped by artificial intelligence and reasoning models. Intel, known for its personal computer processors, has lagged behind competitors AMD and Nvidia in the evolving semiconductor market. It reported a net loss of $18.8 billion for 2024, driven in part by its struggles to transition to smaller, more efficient chip designs. 'We are seen as too slow, too complex and too set in our ways — and we need to change,' Tan said in a company-wide letter April 24. He detailed plans to become a more engineering-focused company and remove layers of teams, which has created "unnecessary bureaucracy that slows us down.' Long-term, Tan said he also wants to refine Intel's AI strategy with a focus on emerging areas of interest and to build trust with foundry customers. 'There is no way around the fact that these critical changes will reduce the size of our workforce,' Tan wrote in April. 'This will begin in Q2 and we will move as quickly as possible over the next several months. More details of the changes are likely to come during Intel's upcoming investor call, which is scheduled for July 24. The changes will begin to take place July 11, affecting mostly workers in California and Oregon. Recommended Reading Intel plans to lay off more than 500 Oregon workers Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Star
11-07-2025
- Business
- The Star
Chip firms in Malaysia pause investment plans on tariff angst
Chip firms in Malaysia are holding back on investment and expansion as they await clarity on tariffs from the US, according to Malaysia Semiconductor Industry Association President Datuk Seri Wong Siew Hai. The companies are hoping that the US government would continue to exempt semiconductors from tariffs beyond Aug. 1, the deadline for higher levies announced by President Donald Trump, Wong said in an interview with Bloomberg TV's Haslinda Amin. "That situation, if it's clear, then I think investments will continue,' he said. "Everyone is waiting to see how it all plays out.' Trump has said he is weighing further tariffs on select industries, including semiconductors. On Monday he announced that Malaysia could see a 25% levy - "separate from sectoral tariffs' - on Aug. 1, unless it reaches an agreement with his administration. The nation was initially hit with a 24% levy in April before the US announced a 90-day pause, which moved the level to 10% on goods to facilitate talks. The US is Malaysia's third-largest market for semiconductor exports. Malaysia packages roughly a tenth of the world's semiconductors, while about two-fifths of exports are made up of electric and electronic products. Wong said the industry is already seeing a slight increase in the cost of doing business after Malaysia expanded its sales and service tax from July 1, with some firms seeing a bigger impact than others. While he was unable to quantify the impact, he said it was something that companies would have to live with. "Malaysian companies will have to double up on their productivity improvement through AI, through automation, robotics and become globally competitive,' he said. The Southeast Asian nation last year pledged at least 25 billion ringgit ($5.9 billion) to support its semiconductor industry, seeking to increase its role as tensions between the US and China shake up global supply chains. The industry aims to double its exports to 1.2 trillion ringgit by 2030, cementing its position as the sixth-largest chip exporter in the world. Malaysia hosts a number of chip-packaging facilities for Intel Corp., GlobalFoundries Inc. and Infineon Technologies AG, making it a key regional hub in the global supply chain. - Bloomberg
Time of India
09-07-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Intel cuts over 500 jobs in Oregon as part of layoff plan
Intel Corp. is cutting more than 500 positions in Oregon as part of a layoff plan that's ultimately expected to affect roughly 20% of the chipmaker's staff. The Oregon job reduction will hit facilities in Aloha and Hillsboro starting on July 15, Intel said in a regulatory filing. The layoffs are expected to eliminate about 529 employees on a permanent basis. The latest disclosure follows an announcement in California, where 107 employees were let go at Intel's Santa Clara headquarters. Under new Chief Executive Officer Lip-Bu Tan, Intel embarked on a plan in April to slash jobs and reduce operating expenses. The company hasn't given a total figure for the cuts, but a person familiar with the matter has put the amount at more than a fifth of staff. The Oregon announcement helped lift the stock as much as 6.9% in New York trading. Intel shares had climbed nearly 10% in 2025 before Tuesday's move, compared with an 11% gain for the Philadelphia Stock Exchange Semiconductor Index. Tan is trying to turn around the Silicon Valley pioneer after years of decline. The company lost its technological advantage to other manufacturers, and has missed out on the boom in artificial intelligence computing — a surge that greatly benefited Nvidia Corp. In a statement, Intel said it was making the Oregon cuts to become 'a leaner, faster and more efficient company.' 'Removing organizational complexity and empowering our engineers will enable us to better serve the needs of our customers and strengthen our execution,' the company said. 'We are making these decisions based on careful consideration of what's needed to position our business for the future, and we will treat people with care and respect as we complete this important work.' Hillsboro, a suburb of Portland, is home to some of Intel's biggest factories and research centers. The struggling chipmaker is the city's largest employer.
