Category: Machine Learning

MIL-OSI: YieldMax™ Introduces Short Option Income Strategy ETF on MicroStrategy, Inc. (MSTR)

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CHICAGO and MILWAUKEE and NEW YORK, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — YieldMax™ announced the launch today of the following ETF:

YieldMax™ Short MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF (NYSE: WNTR)

WNTR Overview

WNTR is an actively managed ETF that seeks to generate current income from a synthetic covered put strategy on MicroStrategy Incorporated (“MSTR”), while providing indirect short (inverse) exposure to the share price of MSTR. WNTR’s potential for gains from decreases in the share price of MSTR is limited, while its potential for losses resulting from increases in the share price of MSTR is up to 100%. WNTR does not invest directly in MSTR and does not directly short MSTR. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of MSTR should consider an investment other than this Fund.

WNTR Portfolio Construction

WNTR’s synthetic covered put strategy consists of the following four elements:

Synthetic short exposure to MSTR, consisting of a long at-the-money put option and a short at-the-money call option, which allows WNTR to seek to participate on an inverse, unleveraged basis in changes, up or down, to the share price of MSTR.
Covered put writing (where MSTR put options are sold against the synthetic short portion of the strategy), which allows WNTR to generate income.
U.S. Treasuries, which are used for collateral for the options, and which also generate income; and;
Out-of-the money (“OTM”) call options, which are purchased to seek to cap WNTR’s potential losses from its short exposure to MSTR if MSTR’s share price appreciates significantly in value.

The loss capping works only if the MSTR share price rises to or above the strike price of the purchased OTM call options. If the MSTR share price increases but stays below the strike price of these options, WNTR will incur losses proportionate to this price increase, which may be up to 100% of your investment.

Why Invest in WNTR?

WNTR seeks to generate current income, which is not dependent on the price depreciation of MSTR.
WNTR seeks to benefit when the MSTR share price decreases, however WNTR’s potential corresponding benefit from decreases in the MSTR share price is limited.
WNTR’s short exposure to MSTR is not leveraged so does not result in daily resetting.

WNTR is the newest member of the growing YieldMax™ ETF family and, like all YieldMax™ ETFs, aims to deliver income to investors. With respect to distributions, WNTR will be a Group D ETF and its first distribution is expected to be announced on May 7, 2025. Please see the table below for distribution information for all outstanding YieldMax™ ETFs as of March 26, 2025.

ETF Ticker¹	ETF Name	Distribution Frequency	Distribution per Share	Distribution Rate^2,4	30-Day SEC Yield³	ROC⁵
GPTY	YieldMax™ AI & Tech Portfolio Option Income ETF	*Weekly*	$0.2787	34.92%	0.00%	98.94%
LFGY	YieldMax™ Crypto Industry & Tech Portfolio Option Income ETF	*Weekly*	$0.4749	64.18%	0.00%	0.00%
QDTY	YieldMax™ Nasdaq 100 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF	*Weekly*	$0.2711	–	–	55.02%
RDTY	YieldMax™ R2000 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF	*Weekly*	$0.3037	–	–	100.00%
SDTY	YieldMax™ S&P 500 0DTE Covered Call Strategy ETF	*Weekly*	$0.2133	–	–	0.00%
ULTY	YieldMax™ Ultra Option Income Strategy ETF	*Weekly*	$0.0986	77.95%	0.00%	100.00%
YMAG	YieldMax™ Magnificent 7 Fund of Option Income ETFs	*Weekly*	$0.0837	27.95%	61.87%	21.53%
YMAX	YieldMax™ Universe Fund of Option Income ETFs	*Weekly*	$0.1315	48.21%	85.03%	61.95%
BIGY	YieldMax™ Target 12™ Big 50 Option Income ETF	Monthly	$0.5025	12.89%	0.03%	100.00%
SOXY	YieldMax™ Target 12™ Semiconductor Option Income ETF	Monthly	$0.4883	13.14%	0.00%	50.31%
ABNY	YieldMax™ ABNB Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.4805	47.62%	2.98%	92.39%
AIYY	YieldMax™ AI Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.3221	81.94%	4.64%	2.09%
AMDY	YieldMax™ AMD Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.2533	38.83%	4.02%	92.00%
AMZY	YieldMax™ AMZN Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.4177	32.58%	3.79%	0.00%
APLY	YieldMax™ AAPL Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.3440	29.76%	3.15%	87.26%
BABO	YieldMax™ BABA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.7578	47.94%	2.36%	0.00%
CONY	YieldMax™ COIN Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.5989	91.19%	4.56%	94.78%
CRSH	YieldMax™ Short TSLA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.6458	126.57%	3.00%	98.10%
CVNY	YieldMax™ CVNA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$3.9149	136.69%	0.00%	96.80%
DIPS	YieldMax™ Short NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.5851	59.01%	2.90%	96.87%
DISO	YieldMax™ DIS Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.2879	25.79%	4.48%	51.26%
FBY	YieldMax™ META Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.5506	40.70%	3.47%	0.00%
FEAT	YieldMax™ Dorsey Wright Featured 5 Income ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.6925	24.43%	122.88%	0.00%
FIAT	YieldMax™ Short COIN Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.6834	102.31%	3.52%	96.91%
FIVY	YieldMax™ Dorsey Wright Hybrid 5 Income ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.7092	24.46%	67.34%	0.00%
GDXY	YieldMax™ Gold Miners Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.6394	50.58%	3.08%	0.00%
GOOY	YieldMax™ GOOGL Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.3284	34.06%	4.12%	0.00%
JPMO	YieldMax™ JPM Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.3717	28.22%	3.40%	42.17%
MARO	YieldMax™ MARA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$1.4783	77.02%	4.21%	95.22%
MRNY	YieldMax™ MRNA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.1827	73.97%	5.01%	94.71%
MSFO	YieldMax™ MSFT Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.2845	22.77%	3.53%	83.81%
MSTY	YieldMax™ MSTR Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$1.3775	78.55%	0.21%	97.54%
NFLY	YieldMax™ NFLX Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.4008	29.98%	3.23%	0.00%
NVDY	YieldMax™ NVDA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.7874	60.92%	4.02%	100.00%
OARK	YieldMax™ Innovation Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.3210	50.64%	3.25%	71.26%
PLTY	YieldMax™ PLTR Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$5.3257	103.41%	2.63%	97.91%
PYPY	YieldMax™ PYPL Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.3773	35.12%	4.20%	90.73%
SMCY	YieldMax™ SMCI Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$1.9742	114.93%	2.63%	0.00%
SNOY	YieldMax™ SNOW Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.8119	64.03%	2.45%	0.00%
SQY	YieldMax™ XYZ Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.5014	57.37%	5.21%	91.68%
TSLY	YieldMax™ TSLA Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.4638	70.54%	4.69%	94.16%
TSMY	YieldMax™ TSM Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.5772	49.14%	3.59%	93.02%
XOMO	YieldMax™ XOM Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.2950	26.24%	3.38%	77.73%
YBIT	YieldMax™ Bitcoin Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.4357	55.99%	1.61%	97.70%
YQQQ	YieldMax™ Short N100 Option Income Strategy ETF	Every 4 weeks	$0.4483	55.99%	3.79%	92.77%

Performance data quoted represents past performance and is no guarantee of future results. Investment return and principal value of an investment will fluctuate so that an investor’s shares, when sold or redeemed, may be worth more or less than their original cost and current performance may be lower or higher than the performance quoted above. Performance current to the most recent month-end can be obtained by calling (833) 378-0717.

Note: DIPS, FIAT, CRSH, YQQQ and WNTR are hereinafter referred to as the “Short ETFs.”

Distributions are not guaranteed. The Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield are not indicative of future distributions, if any, on the ETFs. In particular, future distributions on any ETF may differ significantly from its Distribution Rate or 30-Day SEC Yield. You are not guaranteed a distribution under the ETFs. Distributions for the ETFs (if any) are variable and may vary significantly from period to period and may be zero. Accordingly, the Distribution Rate and 30-Day SEC Yield will change over time, and such change may be significant.

Investors in the Funds will not have rights to receive dividends or other distributions with respect to the underlying reference asset(s).

¹  All YieldMax™ ETFs shown in the table above (except YMAX, YMAG, FEAT, FIVY and ULTY) have a gross expense ratio of 0.99%. YMAX, YMAG and FEAT have a Management Fee of 0.29% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 0.99% for a gross expense ratio of 1.28%. FIVY has a Management Fee of 0.29% and Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses of 0.59% for a gross expense ratio of 0.88%. “Acquired Fund Fees and Expenses” are indirect fees and expenses that the Fund incurs from investing in the shares of other investment companies, namely other YieldMax™ ETFs. ULTY has a gross expense ratio after the fee waiver of 1.30%. The Advisor has agreed to a fee waiver of 0.10% through at least February 28, 2026.
² The Distribution Rate shown is as of close on March 26, 2025. The Distribution Rate is the annual distribution rate an investor would receive if the most recent distribution, which includes option income, remained the same going forward. The Distribution Rate is calculated by annualizing an ETF’s Distribution per Share and dividing such annualized amount by the ETF’s most recent NAV. The Distribution Rate represents a single distribution from the ETF and does not represent its total return. Distributions may also include a combination of ordinary dividends, capital gain, and return of investor capital, which may decrease an ETF’s NAV and trading price over time. As a result, an investor may suffer significant losses to their investment. These Distribution Rates may be caused by unusually favorable market conditions and may not be sustainable. Such conditions may not continue to exist and there should be no expectation that this performance may be repeated in the future.
³  The 30-Day SEC Yield represents net investment income, which excludes option income, earned by such ETF over the 30-Day period ended February 28, 2025, expressed as an annual percentage rate based on such ETF’s share price at the end of the 30-Day period.
⁴  Each ETF’s strategy (except those of the Short ETFs) will cap potential gains if its reference asset’s shares increase in value, yet subjects an investor to all potential losses if the reference asset’s shares decrease in value. Such potential losses may not be offset by income received by the ETF. Each Short ETF’s strategy will cap potential gains if its reference asset decreases in value, yet subjects an investor to all potential losses if the reference asset increases in value. Such potential losses may not be offset by income received by the ETF.
⁵ ROC refers to Return of Capital. The ROC percentage is the portion of the distribution that represents an investor’s original investment.

Each Fund has a limited operating history and while each Fund’s objective is to provide current income, there is no guarantee the Fund will make a distribution. Distributions are likely to vary greatly in amount.

Standardized Performance

For YMAX, click here. For YMAG, click here. For TSLY, click here. For OARK, click here. For APLY, click here. For NVDY, click here. For AMZY, click here. For FBY, click here. For GOOY, click here. For NFLY, click here. For CONY, click here. For MSFO, click here. For DISO, click here. For XOMO, click here. For JPMO, click here. For AMDY, click here. For PYPY, click here. For SQY, click here. For MRNY, click here. For AIYY, click here. For MSTY, click here. For ULTY, click here. For YBIT, click here. For CRSH, click here. For GDXY, click here. For SNOY, click here. For ABNY, click here. For FIAT, click here. For DIPS, click here. For BABO, click here. For YQQQ, click here. For TSMY, click here. For SMCY, click here. For PLTY, click here. For BIGY, click here. For SOXY, click here. For MARO, click here. For FEAT, click here. For FIVY, click here. For LFGY, click here. For GPTY, click here. For CVNY, click here. For SDTY, click here. For QDTY, click here. For RDTY, click here.

Important Information

This material must be preceded or accompanied by the prospectus. For all prospectuses, click here.

Tidal Financial Group is the adviser for all YieldMax™ ETFs.

THE FUND, TRUST, AND ADVISER ARE NOT AFFILIATED WITH ANY UNDERLYING REFERENCE ASSET.

Risk Disclosures

Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

Referenced Index Risk. The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Index (or the Index ETFs). This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of companies that comprised the Index or an ETF that tracks the Index, even though it does not.

Indirect Investment Risk. The Index is not affiliated with the Trust, the Fund, the Adviser, or their respective affiliates and is not involved with this offering in any way. Investors in the Fund will not have the right to receive dividends or other distributions or any other rights with respect to the companies that comprise the Index but will be subject to declines in the performance of the Index.

Russell 2000 Index Risks. The Index, which consists of small-cap U.S. companies, is particularly susceptible to economic changes, as these firms often have less financial resilience than larger companies. Market volatility can disproportionately affect these smaller businesses, leading to significant price swings. Additionally, these companies are often more exposed to specific industry risks and have less diverse revenue streams. They can also be more vulnerable to changes in domestic regulatory or policy environments.

Call Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s call writing strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in the positive price returns of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold call options and over longer periods.

Counterparty Risk. The Fund is subject to counterparty risk by virtue of its investments in options contracts. Transactions in some types of derivatives, including options, are required to be centrally cleared (“cleared derivatives”). In a transaction involving cleared derivatives, the Fund’s counterparty is a clearing house rather than a bank or broker. Since the Fund is not a member of clearing houses and only members of a clearing house (“clearing members”) can participate directly in the clearing house, the Fund will hold cleared derivatives through accounts at clearing members.

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other Index (or ETFs that track the Index’s performance)holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.

Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary Index (or ETFs that track the Index’s performance) securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying instrument, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.

Distribution Risk. As part of the Fund’s investment objective, the Fund seeks to provide current income. There is no assurance that the Fund will make a distribution in any given period. If the Fund does make distributions, the amounts of such distributions will likely vary greatly from one distribution to the next. Additionally, monthly distributions, if any, may consist of returns of capital, which would decrease the Fund’s NAV and trading price over time.

High Index (or Index ETF) Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings. A high Index (or Index ETF) turnover rate increases transaction costs, which may increase the Fund’s expenses.

Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.

Non-Diversification Risk. Because the Fund is “non-diversified,” it may invest a greater percentage of its assets in the securities of a single issuer or a smaller number of issuers than if it was a diversified fund.

New Fund Risk. The Fund is a recently organized management investment company with no operating history. As a result, prospective investors do not have a track record or history on which to base their investment decisions.

Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of call option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in increases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Call Period.

Inflation Risk. Inflation risk is the risk that the value of assets or income from investments will be less in the future as inflation decreases the value of money. As inflation increases, the present value of the Fund’s assets and distributions, if any, may decline.

Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, which focuses on an individual security (ARKK, TSLA, AAPL, NVDA, AMZN, META, GOOGL, NFLX, COIN, MSFT, DIS, XOM, JPM, AMD, PYPL, SQ, MRNA, AI, MSTR, Bitcoin ETP, GDX^®, SNOW, ABNB, BABA, TSM, SMCI, PLTR, MARA, CVNA), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.

Risk Disclosures (applicable only to GPTY)

Artificial Intelligence Risk. Issuers engaged in artificial intelligence typically have high research and capital expenditures and, as a result, their profitability can vary widely, if they are profitable at all. The space in which they are engaged is highly competitive and issuers’ products and services may become obsolete very quickly. These companies are heavily dependent on intellectual property rights and may be adversely affected by loss or impairment of those rights. The issuers are also subject to legal, regulatory and political changes that may have a large impact on their profitability. A failure in an issuer’s product or even questions about the safety of the product could be devastating to the issuer, especially if it is the marquee product of the issuer. It can be difficult to accurately capture what qualifies as an artificial intelligence company.

Technology Sector Risk. The Fund will invest substantially in companies in the information technology sector, and therefore the performance of the Fund could be negatively impacted by events affecting this sector. Market or economic factors impacting technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technological advances could have a significant effect on the value of the Fund’s investments. The value of stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology is particularly vulnerable to rapid changes in technology product cycles, rapid product obsolescence, government regulation and competition, both domestically and internationally, including competition from foreign competitors with lower production costs. Stocks of information technology companies and companies that rely heavily on technology, especially those of smaller, less-seasoned companies, tend to be more volatile than the overall market. Information technology companies are heavily dependent on patent and intellectual property rights, the loss or impairment of which may adversely affect profitability.

Risk Disclosure (applicable only to MARO)

Digital Assets Risk: The Fund does not invest directly in Bitcoin or any other digital assets. The Fund does not invest directly in derivatives that track the performance of Bitcoin or any other digital assets. The Fund does not invest in or seek direct exposure to the current “spot” or cash price of Bitcoin. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of Bitcoin should consider an investment other than the Fund. Digital assets like Bitcoin, designed as mediums of exchange, are still an emerging asset class. They operate independently of any central authority or government backing and are subject to regulatory changes and extreme price volatility.

Risk Disclosures (applicable only to BABO and TSMY)

Currency Risk: Indirect exposure to foreign currencies subjects the Fund to the risk that currencies will decline in value relative to the U.S. dollar. Currency rates in foreign countries may fluctuate significantly over short periods of time for a number of reasons, including changes in interest rates and the imposition of currency controls or other political developments in the U.S. or abroad.

Depositary Receipts Risk: The securities underlying BABO and TSMY are American Depositary Receipts (“ADRs”). Investment in ADRs may be less liquid than the underlying shares in their primary trading market.

Foreign Market and Trading Risk: The trading markets for many foreign securities are not as active as U.S. markets and may have less governmental regulation and oversight.

Foreign Securities Risk: Investments in securities of non-U.S. issuers involve certain risks that may not be present with investments in securities of U.S. issuers, such as risk of loss due to foreign currency fluctuations or to political or economic instability, as well as varying regulatory requirements applicable to investments in non-U.S. issuers. There may be less information publicly available about a non-U.S. issuer than a U.S. issuer. Non-U.S. issuers may also be subject to different regulatory, accounting, auditing, financial reporting and investor protection standards than U.S. issuers.

Risk Disclosures (applicable only to GDXY)

Risk of Investing in Foreign Securities. The Fund is exposed indirectly to the securities of foreign issuers selected by GDX^®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies. Investments in the securities of foreign issuers involve risks beyond those associated with investments in U.S. securities.

Risk of Investing in Gold and Silver Mining Companies. The Fund is exposed indirectly to gold and silver mining companies selected by GDX^®’s investment adviser, which subjects the Fund to the risks associated with such companies.

The Fund invests in options contracts based on the value of the VanEck Gold Miners ETF (GDX^®), which subjects the Fund to some of the same risks as if it owned GDX^®, as well as the risks associated with Canadian, Australian and Emerging Market Issuers, and Small-and Medium-Capitalization companies.

Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YBIT)

YBIT does not invest directly in Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest directly in derivatives that track the performance of Bitcoin or any other digital assets. YBIT does not invest in or seek direct exposure to the current “spot” or cash price of Bitcoin. Investors seeking direct exposure to the price of Bitcoin should consider an investment other than YBIT.

Bitcoin Investment Risk: The Fund’s indirect investment in Bitcoin, through holdings in one or more Underlying ETPs, exposes it to the unique risks of this emerging innovation. Bitcoin’s price is highly volatile, and its market is influenced by the changing Bitcoin network, fluctuating acceptance levels, and unpredictable usage trends.

Digital Assets Risk: Digital assets like Bitcoin, designed as mediums of exchange, are still an emerging asset class. They operate independently of any central authority or government backing and are subject to regulatory changes and extreme price volatility. Potentially No 1940 Act Protections. As of the date of this Prospectus, there is only a single eligible Underlying ETP, and it is an investment company subject to the 1940 Act.

Bitcoin ETP Risk: The Fund invests in options contracts that are based on the value of the Bitcoin ETP. This subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it owned shares of the Bitcoin ETP, even though it does not. Bitcoin ETPs are subject, but not limited, to significant risk and heightened volatility. An investor in a Bitcoin ETP may lose their entire investment. Bitcoin ETPs are not suitable for all investors. In addition, not all Bitcoin ETPs are registered under the Investment Company Act of 1940. Those Bitcoin ETPs that are not registered under such statute are therefore not subject to the same regulations as exchange traded products that are so registered.

Risk Disclosures (applicable only to the Short ETFs)

Investing involves risk. Principal loss is possible.

Price Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the value of the underlying reference asset. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the underlying reference asset, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, the Fund is subject to the risk that the value of the underlying reference asset increases. If the value of the underlying reference asset increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses.

Put Writing Strategy Risk. The path dependency (i.e., the continued use) of the Fund’s put writing (selling) strategy will impact the extent that the Fund participates in decreases in the value of the underlying reference asset and, in turn, the Fund’s returns, both during the term of the sold put options and over longer periods.

Purchased OTM Call Options Risk. The Fund’s strategy is subject to potential losses if the underlying reference asset increases in value, which may not be offset by the purchase of out-of-the-money (OTM) call options. The Fund purchases OTM calls to seek to manage (cap) the Fund’s potential losses from the Fund’s short exposure to the underlying reference asset if it appreciates significantly in value. However, the OTM call options will cap the Fund’s losses only to the extent that the value of the underlying reference asset increases to a level that is at or above the strike level of the purchased OTM call options. Any increase in the value of the underlying reference asset to a level that is below the strike level of the purchased OTM call options will result in a corresponding loss for the Fund. For example, if the OTM call options have a strike level that is approximately 100% above the then-current value of the underlying reference asset at the time of the call option purchase, and the value of the underlying reference asset increases by at least 100% during the term of the purchased OTM call options, the Fund will lose all its value. Since the Fund bears the costs of purchasing the OTM calls, such costs will decrease the Fund’s value and/or any income otherwise generated by the Fund’s investment strategy.

Derivatives Risk. Derivatives are financial instruments that derive value from the underlying reference asset or assets, such as stocks, bonds, or funds (including ETFs), interest rates or indexes. The Fund’s investments in derivatives may pose risks in addition to, and greater than, those associated with directly investing in securities or other ordinary investments, including risk related to the market, imperfect correlation with underlying investments or the Fund’s other portfolio holdings, higher price volatility, lack of availability, counterparty risk, liquidity, valuation and legal restrictions.

Options Contracts. The use of options contracts involves investment strategies and risks different from those associated with ordinary portfolio securities transactions. The prices of options are volatile and are influenced by, among other things, actual and anticipated changes in the value of the underlying reference asset, including the anticipated volatility, which are affected by fiscal and monetary policies and by national and international political, changes in the actual or implied volatility or the reference asset, the time remaining until the expiration of the option contract and economic events.

High Portfolio Turnover Risk. The Fund may actively and frequently trade all or a significant portion of the Fund’s holdings.

Liquidity Risk. Some securities held by the Fund, including options contracts, may be difficult to sell or be illiquid, particularly during times of market turmoil.

Price Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will participate in decreases in value experienced by the underlying reference asset over the Put Period.

Single Issuer Risk. Issuer-specific attributes may cause an investment in the Fund to be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment which diversifies risk or the market generally. The value of the Fund, for any Fund that focuses on an individual security (e.g., TSLA, COIN, NVDA, MSTR), may be more volatile than a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole and may perform differently from the value of a traditional pooled investment or the market as a whole.

Risk Disclosures (applicable only to YQQQ)

Index Overview. The Nasdaq 100 Index is a benchmark index that includes 100 of the largest non-financial companies listed on the Nasdaq Stock Market, based on market capitalization.

Index Level Appreciation Risk. As part of the Fund’s synthetic covered put strategy, the Fund purchases and sells call and put option contracts that are based on the Index level. This strategy subjects the Fund to certain of the same risks as if it shorted the Index, even though it does not. By virtue of the Fund’s indirect inverse exposure to changes in the Index level, the Fund is subject to the risk that the Index level increases. If the Index level increases, the Fund will likely lose value and, as a result, the Fund may suffer significant losses. The Fund may also be subject to the following risks: innovation and technological advancement; strong market presence of Index constituent companies; adaptability to global market trends; and resilience and recovery potential.

Index Level Participation Risk. The Fund employs an investment strategy that includes the sale of put option contracts, which limits the degree to which the Fund will benefit from decreases in the Index level experienced over the Put Period. This means that if the Index level experiences a decrease in value below the strike level of the sold put options during a Put Period, the Fund will likely not experience that increase to the same extent and any Fund gains may significantly differ from the level of the Index losses over the Put Period. Additionally, because the Fund is limited in the degree to which it will participate in decreases in value experienced by the Index level over each Put Period, but has significant negative exposure to any increases in value experienced by the Index level over the Put Period, the NAV of the Fund may decrease over any given period. The Fund’s NAV is dependent on the value of each options portfolio, which is based principally upon the inverse of the performance of the Index level. The Fund’s ability to benefit from the Index level decreases will depend on prevailing market conditions, especially market volatility, at the time the Fund enters into the sold put option contracts and will vary from Put Period to Put Period. The value of the options contracts is affected by changes in the value and dividend rates of component companies that comprise the Index, changes in interest rates, changes in the actual or perceived volatility of the Index and the remaining time to the options’ expiration, as well as trading conditions in the options market. As the Index level changes and time moves towards the expiration of each Put Period, the value of the options contracts, and therefore the Fund’s NAV, will change. However, it is not expected for the Fund’s NAV to directly inversely correlate on a day-to-day basis with the returns of the Index level. The amount of time remaining until the options contract’s expiration date affects the impact that the value of the options contracts has on the Fund’s NAV, which may not be in full effect until the expiration date of the Fund’s options contracts. Therefore, while changes in the Index level will result in changes to the Fund’s NAV, the Fund generally anticipates that the rate of change in the Fund’s NAV will be different than the inverse of the changes experienced by the Index level.

YieldMax™ ETFs are distributed by Foreside Fund Services, LLC. Foreside is not affiliated with Tidal Financial Group, or YieldMax™ ETFs.

The MIL Network –

March 28, 2025

MIL-OSI: 67 Percent of Developers Say AI Has Increased Pressure to Deliver Faster – At a Pace That’s Becoming Unrealistic
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

CUPERTINO, Calif., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — HackerRank, the Developer Skills Company, today unveiled the developer hiring, AI and upskilling trends shaping 2025. In the latest release of its annual Developer Skills Report, HackerRank found disparities in how AI is currently used among the developer community. At the same time, hiring expectations and employment satisfaction are changing, with some 40 percent of developers planning to leave their current jobs within a year. This confluence of factors is making it imperative that companies ensure that workforce strategies keep pace with talent or risk losing out to the competition.

Leveraging millions of real-world interactions from the HackerRank platform and survey responses from 13,372 developers representing 102 countries, HackerRank’s Developer Skills Report offers a data-driven look at the developer landscape in 2025. High-level findings indicate:
- 97 percent of developers use AI, but deep adopters see greater gains than casual users. Developers leaning into AI are getting more done and completing projects faster.
- With an average one-third of code now AI-generated, companies have come to expect faster output, which is raising pressure on developer talent. The heaviest users report that 48 percent of their code is AI-generated.
- Developers’ biggest concerns for 2025 are advancing their careers and keeping up with new technologies. Sixty-one percent of developers without learning opportunities plan to leave their current roles within a year rather than wait for companies to invest in them.
- 74 percent of developers say finding a job remains difficult. But the issue isn’t a lack of open positions – it’s the hiring process, especially for early-career entrants.
- Even as hiring picks up, layers of friction make landing a job harder than it should be, and many developers filter out long before the offer stage. Sixty-six percent of developers want to be evaluated on real-world skills over theoretical tests.
“The shift from human-only work to AI-augmented work is accelerating, and now AI isn’t just assisting—it’s acting as an agent, making decisions, generating code and performing tasks once limited to skilled professionals,” said Kyle Lagunas, Head of Strategy & Principal Analyst at Aptitude Research. “This isn’t a future problem; it’s today’s reality. HR needs to be thinking beyond hiring and upskilling—it’s about workforce planning at a whole new level.”

The 2025 HackerRank Developer Skills Report also takes a closer look at the tech hiring experience from the developer’s perspective at various career stages, including current challenges around resume filters, response times, ghost postings, assessment prep and more. That is contrasted against how AI is changing both how developers work and how they view their work in the context of career development, learning and upskilling, providing critical insights for employers looking to improve tech recruiting strategies and outcomes in 2025 and beyond.

Vivek Ravisankar, co-founder and CEO of HackerRank, commented, “For developers, the AI revolution is already here, and in most cases, they are adapting faster than their employers. Our research shows that if companies are serious about hiring and retaining tech talent, they need to rethink how they attract, engage and upskill developers sooner rather than later. This report offers a clear look at what needs to change and why.”

To download the 2025 HackerRank Developer Skills Report, visit https://www.hackerrank.com/reports/developer-skills-report-2025.

About HackerRank
HackerRank, the Developer Skills Company, leads the market with over 2,500 customers and a community of over 25 million developers. Having pioneered this space, companies trust HackerRank to help them set up a skills strategy, showcase their brand to developers, implement a skills-based hiring process, and ultimately upskill and certify employees…all driven by AI. Learn more at hackerrank.com.

The MIL Network –
March 28, 2025

MIL-OSI: Bitfarms Reports Fourth Quarter 2024 Results

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

– Revenue of $56 million, up 21% Y/Y –
– Gross mining margin of 47%, down from 57% from Q4 2023 –
– 18.6 EHuM up 186% from Q4 2023-
– Current efficiency of 19w/TH a 45% improvement from Q4 2023-
-Total energy pipeline of ~1.4 GW, ~80% based in the U.S.-
-Completed acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining & sale of Yguazu, Paraguay data center-

This news release constitutes a “designated news release” for the purposes of the Company’s second amended and restated prospectus supplement dated December 17, 2024, to its short form base shelf prospectus dated November 10, 2023.

TORONTO, Ontario and BROSSARD, Québec, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Bitfarms Ltd. (Nasdaq/TSX: BITF), a global vertically integrated Bitcoin data center company, reported its financial results for the fourth quarter ended December 31, 2024. All financial references are in U.S. dollars.

CEO Ben Gagnon stated, “Bitfarms is a completely different company than we were at the beginning of 2024. Across nearly every metric, we have rapidly transformed from the international Bitcoin miner to a North American energy and compute company. We now have one of the largest portfolios of flexible MW in the PJM market among Bitcoin miners and are well-positioned to capitalize on macro tailwinds and surging demand for U.S. power and infrastructure. From January 2024, we’ve grown our energized capacity over 90% to 461 MW and secured a multi-year pipeline of over 1.4 GW, nearly 80% of which is based in the U.S and over 90% of which is based in North America.

“Just last week, we closed both the transformative acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining, the largest M&A deal between two public miners in our industry, and the strategic sale of our 200 MW Yguazu data center, our largest constructed site. Thus far this quarter, we advanced our HPC/AI strategy with the engagement of two new advisors, hired two new critical team members, an SVP of HPC and an SVP of Infrastructure, and significantly improved our hashrate, reaching 18.6 EHuM, which we expect will generate operating cash flow through 2026 and beyond.

“While we remain confident in the significant upside potential of our BTC mining operations and continue to maximize the value of our assets, our revenue diversification strategy—both in the U.S. and with HPC/AI—is geared toward driving greater shareholder value. We aim to secure long-term, predictable cash flows from a well-capitalized HPC/AI customer, while diversifying our revenue streams, reducing our dependency on BTC price volatility, and capitalizing on the growing demand for AI computing. Our two recent strategic transactions, the Stronghold acquisition and the Yguazu data center sale, demonstrate execution of this strategy,” concluded Mr. Gagnon.

SVP of Mining Operations Alex Brammer stated, “We’ve made significant progress with our mining operations over the past year, nearly tripling our hashrate and improving our efficiency by over 40%. This momentum continues to accelerate. In the last three months alone, we grew our hashrate over 40% to 18.6 EH/s and reached our first half efficiency target of 19 w/TH three months ahead of schedule. This was achieved through the energization of two North American sites, new miner deliveries and continued optimizations across all of our sites.”

CFO Jeff Lucas stated, “The recent acquisition of Stronghold and sale of Yguazu have expanded our growth opportunities and strengthened our financial profile. Our identified capex requirements for 2025 are now 20% lower than previously planned and we have no plans for large miner purchases in 2025 or 2026; instead, we will be deploying this capital towards developing U.S. energy and HPC infrastructure. We expect that this shift in our strategy will enable us to raise capital more cost-effectively and to secure steadier earnings streams and greater operating margins, the culmination of which we expect will drive long-term shareholder value.”

Anticipated Megawatt Growth

Mining Operations

Current hashrate of 18.6 EHuM, up from 6.5 EHuM in Q4 2023
Current efficiency of 19 w/TH, a 45% improvement from Q4 2023

Recent Strategic Developments

Completed previously announced acquisition of Stronghold Digital Mining, Inc.
Completed previously announced sale of 200 MW data center in Yguazu, Paraguay to HIVE Digital Technologies
Secured two strategic partners, ASG and World Wide Technology, to advance HPC/AI business
Strengthened Management team with two new strategic hires, James Bond, SVP of HPC/AI, and Craig Hibbard, SVP of Infrastructure
Initiated Bitcoin One program following the success of Synthetic HODL program in 2024, which achieved a 135% return since the program’s inception in Q4 2023 through December 31, 2024.

Q4 2024 Financial Highlights

Total revenue of $56 million, up 21% Y/Y
Gross mining margin of 47%, down from 57% in Q4 2023
General and administrative expenses of $18 million, compared to $13 million in Q4 2023
Operating loss of $16 million compared to an operating loss of $13 million in Q4 2023
Net income of $15 million, or $0.03 per basic and diluted share compared to a net loss of $62 million or $0.21 per basic and diluted share in Q4 2023
Adjusted EBITDA* of $14 million, or 25% of revenue, down from $16 million or 35% of revenue in Q4 2023
The Company earned 654 BTC at an average direct cost of production per BTC* of $40,800
Total cash cost of production per BTC* was $60,800 in Q4 2024

Liquidity**
As of March 26, 2025, the Company had total liquidity of approximately $135 million.

Q4 2024 and Recent Financing Activities

Sold 502 BTC at an average price of $81,400 for total proceeds of $41 million in Q4 2024 and sold 117 of the 414 BTC earned during January and February 2025, generating total proceeds of $11 million. A portion of the funds was used to pay capital expenditures to support the Company’s growth and efficiency improvement objectives.
As of March 26, 2025, the Company held 1,093 Bitcoin.
Raised $50 million in net proceeds during Q4 2024 bringing the total net proceeds to $314 million through March 26, 2025 under the Company’s 2024 at-the-market equity offering program.

Quarterly Operating Performance
	Q4 2024	Q3 2024	Q4 2023
Total BTC earned	654	703	1,236
Average Watts/Average TH efficiency***	22	23	35
BTC sold	502	461	1,135

	As of December 31,	As of September 30,	As of December 31,
	2024	2024	2023
Operating EH/s	12.8	11.3	6.5
Operating capacity (MW)	394	310	240

Quarterly Average Revenue**** and Cost of Production per BTC*
	Q4 2024	Q3 2024	Q2 2024	Q1 2024	Q4 2023
Avg. Rev****/BTC	$82,400	$60,900	$65,800	$52,400	$36,400
Direct Cost*/BTC	$40,800	$36,600	$30,600	$18,400	$14,400
Total Cash Cost*/BTC	$60,800	$53,700	$47,600	$27,900	$23,300

* Gross mining profit, gross mining margin, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, Adjusted EBITDA, Adjusted EBITDA margin, Direct Cost per BTC and Total Cash Cost per BTC are non-IFRS financial measures or ratios and should be read in conjunction with, and should not be viewed as alternatives to or replacements of measures of operating results and liquidity presented in accordance with IFRS. Readers are referred to the reconciliations of non-IFRS measures included in the Company’s MD&A and at the end of this press release.
** Liquidity represents cash and balance of unrestricted digital assets.
*** Average watts represent the energy consumption of miners.
**** Average revenue per BTC is for mining operations only and excludes Volta revenue.

Conference Call

Management will host a conference call today at 8:00 am EST. All Q4 2024 materials will be available before the call and can be accessed on the ‘Financial Results’ section of the Bitfarms investor site.

The live webcast and a webcast replay of the conference call can be accessed here. To access the call by telephone, register here to receive dial-in numbers and a unique PIN to join the call.

Non-IFRS Measures*
As a Canadian company, Bitfarms follows International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) which are issued by the International Accounting Standard Board (IASB). Under IFRS rules, the Company does not reflect the revaluation gains on the mark-to-market of its Bitcoin holdings in its income statement. It also does not include the revaluation losses on the mark-to-market of its Bitcoin holdings in Adjusted EBITDA, which is a measure of the cash profitability of its operations and does not reflect the change in value of its assets and liabilities.

The Company uses Adjusted EBITDA to measure its operating activities’ financial performance and cash generating capability.

About Bitfarms Ltd.
Founded in 2017, Bitfarms is a global Bitcoin data center company that contributes its computational power to one or more mining pools from which it receives payment in Bitcoin. Bitfarms develops, owns, and operates vertically integrated mining farms with in-house management and company-owned electrical engineering, installation service, and multiple onsite technical repair centers. The Company’s proprietary data analytics system delivers best-in-class operational performance and uptime.

Bitfarms currently has 15 operating Bitcoin data centers and two under development situated in four countries: Canada, the United States, Paraguay, and Argentina. Powered predominantly by environmentally friendly hydro-electric and long-term power contracts, Bitfarms is committed to using sustainable and often underutilized energy infrastructure.

To learn more about Bitfarms’ events, developments, and online communities:

www.bitfarms.com
https://www.facebook.com/bitfarms/
http://x.com/Bitfarms_io
https://www.instagram.com/bitfarms/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bitfarms/

Glossary of Terms

BTC BTC/day = Bitcoin or Bitcoin per day
EHuM = Exahash Under Management, which includes Bitfarms’ proprietary hashrate and hashrate being hosted by Bitfarms for third-party hosting clients
EH or EH/s = Exahash or exahash per second
MW or MWh = Megawatts or megawatt hour
w/TH = Watts/Terahash efficiency (includes cost of powering supplementary equipment)
Q/Q = Quarter over Quarter
Y/Y = Year over Year
Synthetic HODL™ = the use of instruments that create Bitcoin equivalent exposure
HPC/AI = High Performance Computing / Artificial Intelligence

Forward-Looking Statements
This news release contains certain “forward-looking information” and “forward-looking statements” (collectively, “forward-looking information”) that are based on expectations, estimates and projections as at the date of this news release and are covered by safe harbors under Canadian and United States securities laws. The statements and information in this release regarding the the Company’s energy pipeline and its anticipated megawatt growth in each of the years 2025, 2026 and 2028, its revenue diversification strategy, the success of the Company’s HPC/AI strategy and its ability to capitalize on growing demand for AI computing while securing predictable cash flows, the Company’s ability to drive greater shareholder value, and other statements regarding future growth, plans and objectives of the Company are forward-looking information.

Any statements that involve discussions with respect to predictions, expectations, beliefs, plans, projections, objectives, assumptions, future events or performance (often but not always using phrases such as “expects”, or “does not expect”, “is expected”, “anticipates” or “does not anticipate”, “plans”, “budget”, “scheduled”, “forecasts”, “estimates”, “prospects”, “believes” or “intends” or variations of such words and phrases or stating that certain actions, events or results “may” or “could”, “would”, “might” or “will” be taken to occur or be achieved) are not statements of historical fact and may be forward-looking information.

This forward-looking information is based on assumptions and estimates of management of Bitfarms at the time they were made, and involves known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance, or achievements of Bitfarms to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking information. Such factors, risks and uncertainties include, among others: the construction and operation of new facilities may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion of existing facilities may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; new miners may not perform up to expectations; revenue may not increase as currently anticipated, or at all; the ongoing ability to successfully mine digital currency is not assured; failure of the equipment upgrades to be installed and operated as planned; the availability of additional power may not occur as currently planned, or at all; expansion may not materialize as currently anticipated, or at all; the power purchase agreements and economics thereof may not be as advantageous as expected; potential environmental cost and regulatory penalties due to the operation of the former Stronghold plants which entail environmental risk and certain additional risk factors particular to the former business and operations of Stronghold including, land reclamation requirements may be burdensome and expensive, changes in tax credits related to coal refuse power generation could have a material adverse effect on the business, financial condition, results of operations and future development efforts, competition in power markets may have a material adverse effect on the results of operations, cash flows and the market value of the assets, the business is subject to substantial energy regulation and may be adversely affected by legislative or regulatory changes, as well as liability under, or any future inability to comply with, existing or future energy regulations or requirements, the operations are subject to a number of risks arising out of the threat of climate change, and environmental laws, energy transitions policies and initiatives and regulations relating to emissions and coal residue management, which could result in increased operating and capital costs and reduce the extent of business activities, operation of power generation facilities involves significant risks and hazards customary to the power industry that could have a material adverse effect on our revenues and results of operations, and there may not have adequate insurance to cover these risks and hazards, employees, contractors, customers and the general public may be exposed to a risk of injury due to the nature of the operations, limited experience with carbon capture programs and initiatives and dependence on third-parties, including consultants, contractors and suppliers to develop and advance carbon capture programs and initiatives, and failure to properly manage these relationships, or the failure of these consultants, contractors and suppliers to perform as expected, could have a material adverse effect on the business, prospects or operations; the digital currency market; the ability to successfully mine digital currency; it may not be possible to profitably liquidate the current digital currency inventory, or at all; a decline in digital currency prices may have a significant negative impact on operations; an increase in network difficulty may have a significant negative impact on operations; the volatility of digital currency prices; the anticipated growth and sustainability of hydroelectricity for the purposes of cryptocurrency mining in the applicable jurisdictions; the inability to maintain reliable and economical sources of power to operate cryptocurrency mining assets; the risks of an increase in electricity costs, cost of natural gas, changes in currency exchange rates, energy curtailment or regulatory changes in the energy regimes in the jurisdictions in which Bitfarms operates and the potential adverse impact on profitability; future capital needs and the ability to complete current and future financings, including Bitfarms’ ability to utilize an at-the-market offering program ( “ATM Program”) and the prices at which securities may be sold in such ATM Program, as well as capital market conditions in general; share dilution resulting from an ATM Program and from other equity issuances; volatile securities markets impacting security pricing unrelated to operating performance; the risk that a material weakness in internal control over financial reporting could result in a misstatement of financial position that may lead to a material misstatement of the annual or interim consolidated financial statements if not prevented or detected on a timely basis; risks related to the Company ceasing to qualify as an “emerging growth company”; risks related to unsolicited investor interest, takeover proposals, shareholder activism or proxy contests relating to the election of directors; historical prices of digital currencies and the ability to mine digital currencies that will be consistent with historical prices; and the adoption or expansion of any regulation or law that will prevent Bitfarms from operating its business, or make it more costly to do so. For further information concerning these and other risks and uncertainties, refer to Bitfarms’ filings on www.sedarplus.ca (which are also available on the website of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the “SEC“) at www.sec.gov), including the management’s discussion & analysis for the year-ended December 31, 2024 Although Bitfarms has attempted to identify important factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those expressed in forward-looking statements, there may be other factors that cause results not to be as anticipated, estimated or intended, including factors that are currently unknown to or deemed immaterial by Bitfarms. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate as actual results, and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on any forward-looking information. Bitfarms does not undertake any obligation to revise or update any forward-looking information other than as required by law. Trading in the securities of the Company should be considered highly speculative. No stock exchange, securities commission or other regulatory authority has approved or disapproved the information contained herein. Neither the Toronto Stock Exchange, Nasdaq, or any other securities exchange or regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Investor Relations Contacts:

Bitfarms
Tracy Krumme
SVP, Head of IR & Corp. Comms.
+1 786-671-5638
tkrumme@bitfarms.com

Media Contacts:

Caroline Brady Baker
Director, Communications
cbaker@bitfarms.com

Bitfarms Ltd. Consolidated Financial & Operational Results

	Three months ended December 31,								Year ended December 31,
(U.S.$ in thousands except where indicated)	2024		2023		$ Change		% Change		2024		2023		$ Change		% Change
Revenues	56,163		46,241		9,922		21	%	192,881		146,366		46,515		32	%
Cost of revenues	(54,776	)	(44,484	)	(10,292	)	23	%	(225,240	)	(167,868	)	(57,372	)	34	%
Gross (loss) profit	1,387		1,757		(370	)	(21)	%	(32,359	)	(21,502	)	(10,857	)	50	%
Gross margin ⁽¹⁾	2	%	4	%	—		—		(17)	%	(15)	%	—		—

Operating expenses
General and administrative expenses	(18,042	)	(13,405	)	(4,637	)	35	%	(71,240	)	(39,292	)	(31,948	)	81	%
Reversal of revaluation loss on digital assets	—		1,183		(1,183	)	(100)	%	—		2,695		(2,695	)	(100)	%
Gain (loss) on disposition of property, plant and equipment and deposits	270		(2	)	272		nm		(336	)	(1,778	)	1,442		(81)	%
Impairment on short-term prepaid deposits, property, plant and equipment and assets held for sale	—		(2,270	)	2,270		100	%	(3,628	)	(12,252	)	8,624		(70)	%
Operating loss	(16,385	)	(12,737	)	(3,648	)	29	%	(107,563	)	(72,129	)	(35,434	)	49	%
Operating margin ⁽¹⁾	(29)	%	(28)	%	—		—		(56)	%	(49)	%	—		—

Net financial income (expenses)	21,843		(49,686	)	71,529		144	%	39,210		(37,194	)	76,404		205	%
Net (loss) income before income taxes	5,458		(62,423	)	67,881		109	%	(68,353	)	(109,323	)	40,970		(37)	%

Income tax recovery	9,707		378		9,329		nm		14,290		401		13,889			nm
Net (loss) income	15,165		(62,045	)	77,210		124	%	(54,063	)	(108,922	)	54,859		(50)	%

Basic (loss) earnings per share (in U.S. dollars)	0.03		(0.21	)	—		—		(0.13	)	(0.42	)	—		—
Diluted earnings (loss) per share (in U.S. dollars)	0.03		(0.21	)	—		—		(0.13	)	(0.42	)	—		—
Change in revaluation surplus – digital assets, net of tax	26,421		7,675		18,746		244	%	39,120		9,242		29,878		323	%
Total comprehensive income (loss), net of tax	41,586		(54,370	)	95,956		176	%	(14,943	)	(99,680	)	84,737		(85	%)

Gross Mining profit ⁽²⁾	25,786		25,454		332		1	%	94,469		70,277		24,192		34	%
Gross Mining margin ⁽²⁾	47	%	57	%	—		—		50	%	50	%	—		—
EBITDA ⁽²⁾	29,752		(40,542	)	70,294		173	%	68,315		(21,879	)	90,194		412	%
EBITDA margin ⁽²⁾	53	%	(88)	%	—		—		35	%	(15)	%	—		—
Adjusted EBITDA ⁽²⁾	14,315		16,332		(2,017	)	(12)	%	54,661		43,558		11,103		25	%
Adjusted EBITDA margin ⁽²⁾	25	%	35	%	—		—		28	%	30	%	—		—


1	Gross margin and Operating margin are supplemental financial ratios; refer to Section 10 – Non-IFRS and Other Financial Measures and Ratios of the Company’s MD&A.
2	Gross Mining profit, Gross Mining margin, EBITDA, EBITDA margin, Adjusted EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA margin are non-IFRS measures or ratios; refer to Section 10 – Non-IFRS and Other Financial Measures and Ratios of the Company’s MD&A.

Bitfarms Ltd. Reconciliation of Consolidated Net Income (loss) to EBITDA and Adjusted EBITDA

	Three months ended December 31,								Year ended December 31,
(U.S.$ in thousands except where indicated)	2024		2023		$ Change		% Change		2024		2023		$ Change		% Change
Revenues	56,163		46,241		9,922		21	%	192,881		146,366		46,515		32	%

Net (loss) income before income taxes	5,458		(62,423	)	67,881		nm		(68,353	)	(109,323	)	40,970		(37)	%
Interest (income) and expense	(290	)	91		(381	)	(419)	%	(4,299	)	2,659		(6,958	)	(262)	%
Depreciation and amortization	24,584		21,790		2,794		13	%	149,727		84,785		64,942		77	%
Sales tax recovery – depreciation and amortization	—		—		—		—	%	(8,760	)	—		(8,760	)	100	%
EBITDA	29,752		(40,542	)	70,294		nm		68,315		(21,879	)	90,194			nm
EBITDA margin	53	%	(88)	%	—		—		35	%	(15)	%	—			nm
Share-based payment	4,021		3,906		115		3	%	13,949		10,915		3,034		28	%
Impairment on short-term prepaid deposits, property, plant and equipment and assets held for sale	—		2,270		(2,270	)	100	%	3,628		12,252		(8,624	)	(70)	%
Reversal of revaluation loss on digital assets	—		(1,183	)	1,183		100	%	—		(2,695	)	2,695		100	%
Gain on extinguishment of long-term debt and lease liabilities	—		—		—		—	%	—		(12,835	)	12,835		100	%
(Gain) loss revaluation of warrants	(6,314	)	42,760		(49,074	)	(115)	%	(19,603	)	42,974		(62,577	)	(146)	%
Gain on disposition of marketable securities	(782	)	(999	)	217		(22)	%	(2,313	)	(12,245	)	9,932		(81)	%
Service fees not associated with ongoing operations	1,287		—		1,287		100	%	13,766		—		13,766		100	%
Sales tax recovery – prior years – energy and infrastructure and G&A expenses (1)	—		2,485		(2,485	)	100	%	(16,081	)	9,281		(25,362	)	(273)	%
Net financial (income) expense and other	(13,649	)	7,635		(21,284	)	(279)	%	(7,000	)	17,790		(24,790	)	(139)	%
Adjusted EBITDA	14,315		16,332		(2,017	)	(12)	%	54,661		43,558		11,103		25	%
Adjusted EBITDA margin	25	%	35	%	—		—		28	%	30	%	—		—

nm: not meaningful


1	Sales tax recovery relating to energy and infrastructure and general and administrative expenses have been allocated to their respective periods; refer to Note 29b – Additional Details to the Statement of Profit or Loss and Comprehensive Profit or Loss (Canadian sales tax refund) to the Financial Statements.

Bitfarms Ltd. Calculation of Gross Mining Profit and Gross Mining Margin

	Three months ended December 31,								Year ended December 31,
(U.S.$ in thousands except where indicated)	2024		2023		$ Change		% Change		2024		2023		$ Change		% Change
Gross (loss) profit	1,387		1,757		(370	)	(21) %		(32,359	)	(21,502	)	(10,857	)	50	%
Non-Mining revenues¹	(1,592	)	(1,285	)	(307	)	24	%	(5,102	)	(5,060	)	(42	)	1	%
Depreciation and amortization	24,584		21,790		2,794		13	%	149,727		84,785		64,942		77	%
Sales tax recovery – depreciation and amortization	—		—		—		—	%	(8,760	)	—		(8,760	)	(100)
Electrical components and salaries	1,403		1,095		308		28	%	4,081		4,151		(70	)	(2)	%
Sales tax recovery – prior years – energy and infrastructure²	—		2,211		(2,211	)	100	%	(14,338	)	8,366		(22,704	)	(271)	%
Other	4		(114	)	118		nm		1,220		(463	)	1,683		nm
Gross Mining profit	25,786		25,454		332		1	%	94,469		70,277		24,192		34	%
Gross Mining margin	47	%	57	%	—		—		50	%	50	%	—		—

nm: not meaningful

)

Non-Mining revenues reconciliation:

	Three months ended December 31,								Year ended December 31,
(U.S.$ in thousands except where indicated)	2024		2023		$ Change		% Change		2024		2023		$ Change		% Change
Revenues	56,163		46,241		9,922		21	%	192,881		146,366		46,515		32	%
Less Mining related revenues for the purpose of calculating gross Mining margin:
Mining revenues³	(54,571	)	(44,956	)	(9,615	)	21	%	(187,779	)	(141,306	)	(46,473	)	33	%
Non-Mining revenues	1,592		1,285		307		24	%	5,102		5,060		42		1	%

(2	)	Sales tax recovery relating to energy and infrastructure expenses has been allocated to their respective periods; refer to Note 29b – Additional Details to the Statement of Profit or Loss and Comprehensive Profit or Loss (Canadian sales tax refund) to the Financial Statements.
(3	)	Mining revenues include revenues from sale of computational power used for hashing calculations and revenues from computational power sold in exchange of services.

Bitfarms Ltd. Calculation of Direct Cost and Direct Cost per BTC

	Three months ended December 31,								Year ended December 31,
(U.S.$ in thousands except where indicated)	2024		2023		$ Change		% Change		2024		2023		$ Change		% Change
Cost of revenues	54,776		44,484		10,292		23	%	225,240		167,868		57,372		34	%
Depreciation and amortization	(24,584	)	(21,790	)	(2,794	)	13	%	(149,727	)	(84,785	)	(64,942	)	77	%
Sales tax recovery – depreciation and amortization	—		—		—		—	%	8,760		—		8,760		100	%
Electrical components and salaries	(1,403	)	(1,091	)	(312	)	29	%	(4,081	)	(4,141	)	60		(1)	%
Infrastructure	(1,456	)	(1,607	)	151		(9)	%	(5,784	)	(3,909	)	(1,875	)	48	%
Sales tax recovery – prior years – energy and infrastructure (1)	—		(2,211	)	2,211		100	%	14,338		(8,366	)	22,704		271	%
Other	(649	)	—		(649	)	(100)	%	—		82		(82	)	(100)	%
Direct Cost	26,684		17,785		8,899		50	%	88,746		66,749		21,997		33	%
Quantity of BTC earned	654		1,236		(582	)	(47)	%	2,914		4,928		(2,014	)	(41)	%
Direct Cost per BTC (in U.S. dollars)	40,800		14,400		26,400		183	%	30,500		13,500		17,000		126	%

nm: not meaningful

Bitfarms Ltd. Calculation of Total Cash Cost and Total Cost per BTC

	Three months ended December 31,								Year ended December 31,
(U.S.$ in thousands except where indicated)	2024		2023		$ Change		% Change		2024		2023		$ Change		% Change
Cost of revenues	54,776		44,484		10,292		23	%	225,240		167,868		57,372		34	%
General and administrative expenses	18,042		13,405		4,637		35	%	71,240		39,292		31,948		81	%
	72,818		57,889		14,929		26	%	296,480		207,160		89,320		43	%
Depreciation and amortization	(24,584	)	(21,790	)	(2,794	)	13	%	(149,727	)	(84,785	)	(64,942	)	77	%
Non-cash service expense (2)	(688	)	—		(688	)	(100)	%	(1,252	)	—		(1,252	)	(100)	%
Sales tax recovery – depreciation and amortization	—		—		—		—	%	8,760		—		8,760		100	%
Electrical components and salaries	(1,403	)	(1,091	)	(312	)	29	%	(4,081	)	(4,141	)	60		(1)	%
Share-based payment	(4,021	)	(3,906	)	(115	)	3	%	(13,949	)	(10,915	)	(3,034	)	28	%
Service fees not associated with ongoing operations	(1,287	)	—		(1,287	)	(100)	%	(13,766	)	—		(13,766	)	(100)	%
Sales tax recovery – prior years – energy and infrastructure and G&A expenses (1)	—		(2,485	)	2,485		100	%	16,081		(9,281	)	25,362		273	%
Other	(1,078	)	201		(1,279	)	(636)	%	(5,659	)	890		(6,549	)	(736)	%
Total Cash Cost	39,757		28,818		10,939		38	%	132,887		98,928		33,959		34	%
Quantity of BTC earned	654		1,236		(582	)	(47)	%	2,914		4,928		(2,014	)	(41)	%
Total Cash Cost per BTC (in U.S. dollars)	60,800		23,300		37,500		161	%	45,600		20,100		25,500		127	%

nm: not meaningful


¹	Sales tax recovery relating to energy and infrastructure and general and administrative expenses have been allocated to their respective periods; refer to Note 29b – Additional Details to the Statement of Profit or Loss and Comprehensive Profit or Loss (Canadian sales tax refund) to the Financial Statements.
²	Non-cash service expense, included in infrastructure, which was exchanged for computational power sold.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/d24a5e36-6201-4d4f-a4f9-8fdc9aaeb95b

The MIL Network –

March 28, 2025

MIL-OSI: Crédit Agricole Ille-et-Vilaine : Communiqué de mise à disposition du rapport financier 2024
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Caisse régionale de Crédit Agricole Mutuel d’Ille-et-Vilaine,
société coopérative à capital variable, agréée en tant qu’établissement de crédit,
société de courtage d’assurance immatriculée auprès de l’ORIAS sous le n°07 023 057.
Siège social : 4, rue Louis Braille – 35136 Saint-Jacques de la Lande.
N° SIREN : 775.590.847

Communiqué de mise à disposition du rapport financier annuel 2024 de la Caisse régionale du Crédit Agricole d’Ille-et-Vilaine

Le Crédit Agricole d’Ille-et-Vilaine informe le public que son rapport financier annuel a été déposé auprès de l’AMF et est disponible sur le site internet de la Société.

Il peut être consulté sur le site Internet du Crédit Agricole d’Ille-et-Vilaine : www.ca-illeetvilaine.fr, dans l’espace « Informations règlementaires et financières » / Rapports annuels et semestriels.

Attachment
- Communiqué de mise à disposition du rapport financier 2024
The MIL Network –
March 28, 2025
MIL-OSI: Breaking the Mold: Hola Prime Rolls Out MT5 for Next-Gen Traders

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

NEW YORK, NY, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In a bold move to enhance the trading experience, Hola Prime offers its own licensed MetaTrader 5 (MT5), standing out as one of the few proprietary trading firms to do so. With its advanced capabilities, multi-asset trading, and faster execution, MT5 has become the platform of choice for traders seeking an edge. By pushing past the limitations of outdated systems, Hola Prime is empowering traders with the tools they need to stay ahead.

Hola Prime is the first prop firm offering On Exchange cryptos in addition to forex and CFDs- all together on MT5. Despite many new trading platforms being available in the market, MT5 continues to be the most preferred trading platform among traders, primarily because of its unmatched capacity of processing millions of transactions in milliseconds.

Oliver Kane, a professional trader, based out of Australia, shared his experience: “Other platforms restricted my ability to trade multiple assets efficiently. Switching between platforms to trade stocks, commodities, and indices was frustrating. MT5 on Hola Prime allows me to trade all these seamlessly, making a huge difference in my execution.”

Fredrik James, another active trader, from Canada, highlighted execution issues on older platforms. “Delays in order processing and the inability to hedge made risk management difficult. Sometimes, slippage would significantly impact my profits. MT5’s faster execution and hedging options have made my trades more precise and efficient, reducing unnecessary losses.”

Hola Prime’s proprietary MT5 server ensures high security, premium liquidity, and superior performance. MT5 facilitates multi-asset trading across forex, stocks, commodities, indices, and cryptocurrencies. This expanded market access allows traders to diversify their portfolios without needing multiple accounts or platforms. MT5 offers an enhanced order execution model, allowing traders to see real-time bid/ask price levels beyond the standard spread. This feature improves precision in trading, helping traders make informed decisions with greater market transparency.

MT5 supports algorithmic trading, the use of Expert Advisors (EAs), through the upgraded MQL5 programming language, enabling traders to create custom indicators, scripts, and automated trading strategies. The built-in strategy tester helps optimize automated strategies before deploying them in live markets. With its 64-bit, multi-threaded architecture, MT5 ensures faster order processing and lower latency. The platform integrates an economic calendar, financial news updates, and fundamental analysis tools, allowing traders to make informed decisions based on real-time economic events and market trends without leaving the platform.

Hola Prime’s MT5 platform is accessible via a powerful web terminal and mobile applications for iOS and Android, ensuring traders can access their accounts anytime, anywhere, without compromising functionality or security.

Himanshu Chandel, Marketing Director at Hola Prime, emphasized the impact of MT5’s features on traders: “We are always customer-focused in everything we do. With 21 timeframes, over 80 built-in technical indicators, and enhanced algorithmic trading capabilities, MT5 empowers traders with precision and efficiency. It’s designed for those who need high-performance tools to trade complex markets.” He further explained how MT5’s architecture improves execution and market access: “Its 64-bit, multi-threaded system ensures faster trade execution with minimal delays, making it a supremely popular platform, which traders love.”

Somesh Kapuria, CEO of Hola Prime, stressed the need for advanced platforms in modern trading. “Traders have long been restricted by outdated platforms that don’t support advanced market analysis or multi-asset trading. With MT5, we are equipping them with cutting-edge technology that enhances execution speed, strategy automation, and overall market opportunities.” He further announced that Hola Prime will soon introduce a series of tutorials and guides to help traders maximize MT5’s potential. “Education is key in trading. We want our traders to make the most of MT5’s powerful features, and we’re committed to providing the resources they need to stay ahead.”

As one of the few proprietary trading firms offering MT5, Hola Prime continues to solidify its position as a leader in the industry. The firm’s proprietary server ensures a secure and efficient trading experience, while exclusive discounts especially on MT5 further enhance its appeal to traders.

Social Links

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61565158992654&sk=about_contact_and_basic_info

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holaprime_global/

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtVEJa1Ml132Be7tnk-DjeQ

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/hola-prime/?viewAsMember=true

X: https://x.com/HolaPrimeGlobal

Discord: https://discord.gg/TJ7TcHPXBf

Quora: https://www.quora.com/profile/HolaPrime/

Reddit: https://www.reddit.com/user/HolaPrime/

Medium: https://medium.com/@social_46267

Media Contact

Company: Hola Prime

Contact: Media Team

Email: marketing@holaprime.com

Website: https://holaprime.com/

The MIL Network –

March 28, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: UK small business market the new battleground for B2B telecoms, says GlobalData

Source: GlobalData

UK small business market the new battleground for B2B telecoms, says GlobalData

Posted in Technology

Telcos around the world have pivoted to target smaller businesses for the opportunity to grow their enterprise revenues, says GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company.

Robert Pritchard, Principal Analyst, Enterprise Technology & Services at GlobalData, says: “Deglobalization and hypercompetition in the multi-national corporation (MNC), large corporate, and public sector segments of the telecoms market have seen service providers re-examine their priorities, with most now realizing that the small business market potentially offers the best opportunity to grow revenues and margins. This is particularly the case in the UK.”

With 5.5 million small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) in the UK, the country is distinguished by the proportion of smaller businesses compared to peer countries such as Germany – the UK has exponentially more enterprises that are small (5.45 million with up to 49 employees), rather than medium-sized (37,800) according to the UK Office of National Statistics.

Pritchard comments: “In spite of economic and tax headwinds, the UK’s small businesses will continue to drive economic growth. Some may not last for more than a few years, but all large companies started small.”

Despite a flat or even slightly shrinking base of SMBs, their increasing reliance on technology to drive their growth and profitability offers service providers the opportunity to move “beyond connectivity” to value-added offerings such as cybersecurity, hosted and unified applications, and AI-enabled services – although this is still in its early days as a market.

Pritchard explains: “Essentially, SMBs are emulating their larger corporate counterparts as business solutions enabled by technology become the watchword – and this pace of change is accelerating, driving growth in the overall market opportunity.”

Pritchard continues: “Needless to say, a market with 5.5 million target customers is complex, confusing and disparate, so to get it right service providers need to understand who their target customers are and what they want. Segmenting the market by number of employees is the usual way, but it is dumb and not fully fit for purpose. Far greater insight is needed to differentiate and succeed in a crowded and increasingly competitive market. In addition, a structured go-to-market strategy that embraces direct, indirect, and digital channels needs to be designed around the specific needs of target customer clusters.”

Pritchard concludes: “GlobalData also expects that UK service providers will identify the Small Office Home Office (SOHO) market as the next big opportunity as it follows the same evolutionary path as its larger counterparts. This will pose new challenges as it overlaps the consumer market and telcos are generally not structured to cope with such challenges. This journey will not be easy, but it offers the best opportunities for the B2B revenue growth that telcos so desperately need.”

MIL OSI Economics –

March 28, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Lord Hanson unveils ambitious new approach to tackling fraud
Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

News story

Lord Hanson unveils ambitious new approach to tackling fraud

Fraud Minister announces new, expanded fraud strategy will be published later this year, as part of the government’s Plan for Change.
The public and businesses will receive fresh protections from the UK’s most commonly experienced crime, the Fraud Minister Lord Hanson will announce today as he sets out plans to publish a new, expanded fraud strategy as part of the government’s Plan for Change.

The minister will detail the work underway on the new strategy, which includes proposals on working with private industry and further international co-operation, in his keynote address to the Global Anti-Scams Alliance (GASA) summit. The summit takes place today and tomorrow (Wednesday 26 and Thursday 27 March) at the Queen Elizabeth II Centre in London.

The minister will say that, with the latest ONS figures finding that fraud reports increased last year by 19%, a ‘robust response’ is required to every aspect of the fraud threat. And with estimates finding that 70% of fraud now includes an international element, global co-operation will be key to tackling this growing issue.

A key focus of the strategy will be combatting tech-enabled fraud, including emerging tech such as AI. The minister will state that getting a grip on these threats will be central to the new strategy.

But Lord Hanson will also re-emphasise the government’s commitment to harnessing the power of developing technologies, including AI, to help tackle crime and reduce the amount of time that the police and prosecutors need to spend completing paperwork rather than delivering justice. This is a key objective of the recently published Independent Review of Disclosure and Fraud Offences.

As part of his keynote address, Lord Hanson will also announce plans for a Global Fraud Summit supported by the UK. The summit will be hosted by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and INTERPOL in Vienna in early 2026 and will bring together dozens of governments from across the world to transform the global response to fraud.

With fraud and cyber crime making up 50% of all online crime in the UK, the Fraud Minister will reveal that he has instructed officials to accelerate the development of data-sharing measures to protect the public and businesses. This work, Lord Hanson will say, will take place in collaboration with law enforcement and industry to “stop, block and disrupt” online harms both domestically and internationally.

The announcements also follow the second meeting of the Joint Fraud Taskforce since the new government took office and the first since the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s Mansion House speech. Together with the Home Secretary and the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, the chancellor urged tech and telco companies to go further and faster to tackle fraud.

Fraud Minister Lord Hanson said:

Fraud is an increasingly international enterprise run by some of the most appalling criminal gangs operating in the world today.

That’s why we are determined to work with global partners to build a united front to tackle these criminal networks head-on, wherever they are based.

It’s also why I’m pleased to announce a new Global Fraud Summit to be held in early 2026 and that work is ongoing to develop a new, expanded fraud strategy with international co-operation at its heart, as part of this government’s Plan for Change.

Fraud has changed and so too must our response.

UNODC Executive Director Ghada Waly said:

Organised fraud is growing increasingly sophisticated and transnational, requiring stronger collaboration across borders and agencies.

I welcome the UK’s leadership in driving efforts to combat organised fraud and I’m proud that the UN’s Office on Drugs and Crime is partnering with INTERPOL to co-organise the Global Fraud Summit 2026 in Vienna.

This is an important opportunity to sharpen our collective response and develop innovative solutions to protect communities from this pervasive crime.

INTERPOL Secretary General Valdecy Urquiza said:

Advances in technology, such as AI, have seen online fraud and scams grow in complexity and scale, posing a threat to individuals and organisations alike.

A unified response is essential, and these summits are an opportunity to bring the various sectors together.

We look forward to working with the UK, the UNODC and other partners to build a more effective global response.

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Published 27 March 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 28, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: The role of internal audit identifying early warning signs across the public sector
Source: United Kingdom – Government Statements

News story

The role of internal audit identifying early warning signs across the public sector

The Committee on Standards in Public Life (CSPL) has published a report highlighting how public sector bodies fail to grasp the significance of emerging red flags and fail to act on these early warning signals.
Harriet Aldridge, Government Internal Audit Agency CEO

Their report, ‘Early Warning Signs in Public Sector Bodies’ calls for public sector bodies to put in place the processes needed to recognise these early warning signs and to facilitate a culture where speaking up about concerns and learning from mistakes are seen as a personal duty and valued by everyone in the organisation.

The report includes insights from the Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) Chief Executive, Harriet Aldridge, who noted that it is part of the role of internal audit to support government departments and ALBs to identify potential problems earlier, spotting issues sooner, and working with organisations to develop a course of action to mitigate and resolve these issues faster.

Responding to the report findings, Harriet said,

“A robust internal audit approach should help to identify issues upstream. Earlier resolution ensures better outcomes for the public, saving taxpayers’ money and leading to the more effective delivery of public services,”

The Government Internal Audit Agency (GIAA) provides independent and objective internal audit and assurance services for government departments and ALBs.

The Committee on Standards in Public Life’s report recognised GIAA’s proactive approach to risk management, particularly with the development of artificial intelligence (AI) to support the real-time checking of data against risk criteria.

The Committee also recognised GIAA’s leading role in sharing learning through our wider cross-government Insight Programme.

For further information on the report ‘Early Warning Signs in Public Sector Bodies’ by the Committee on Standards in Public Life, please visit the Committee on Standards in Public Life.

Notes:

The Committee on Standards in Public Life is an independent advisory body that advises the Prime Minister on ethical standards across the whole of public life in England.

The report ‘Early Warning Signs’ is published on Gov.UK.

Find out more about GIAA’s work with AI at the forefront of internal audit.

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Published 27 March 2025
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 28, 2025
MIL-OSI: Akamai and Fermyon First to Support Edge-Native Serverless and AI Applications, Powered by WebAssembly
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

LONGMONT, Colo., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Fermyon™ Technologies, the serverless WebAssembly (Wasm) company, today announced a partnership with Akamai, the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, to bring edge-native serverless and AI applications to the world’s largest distributed cloud platform and content delivery network (CDN). The new Fermyon Wasm Functions engine offers blazingly fast, portable, polyglot WebAssembly-based serverless running on Akamai’s globally distributed network.

Media, ecommerce, financial services and other high-volume digital experience companies know that even 100-millisecond delays can impact customer engagement and online revenue. Latency-sensitive applications in slow, centralized servers compound this problem. With the performance characteristics of WebAssembly providing the underlying magic, this partnership will usher in a new era of highly responsive, edge-native applications delivered faster than the blink of an eye (<100 milliseconds).

Fermyon Wasm Functions Overview

Fermyon Wasm Functions is a multi-tenant, hosted, globally distributed engine for serverless functions running on Akamai Cloud, a globally distributed network. It provides Akamai customers with the ability to integrate Akamai’s existing services–such as EdgeWorkers, object storage, globally available CPU and GPU compute capabilities, and CDN–with a WebAssembly-based serverless platform.

Starting today, Akamai customers can develop WebAssembly applications and deploy them through Fermyon Wasm Functions, enabling them to:
- Build edge-native distributed applications with lower egress cost than hyperscalers.
- Develop cost-effective AI inferencing applications that execute near the user.
- Integrate powerful edge-native applications with Akamai’s existing CDN, EdgeWorker, and object storage offerings.
- Cut cold start time of edge-native applications to a mere fraction of a millisecond, which, combined with Akamai’s largest network in the world, delivers responses to end users faster than the blink of an eye.
- Empower developers to build and deploy edge applications with unprecedented ease of use and speed. Fermyon again delivers on the promise of taking developers from blinking cursor to deployed application in two minutes or less.
Akamai customers will be able to directly procure Fermyon Wasm Functions from Akamai. Akamai is providing credits toward a trial of Fermyon Wasm Functions for a limited time and for experimental volumes.

“Companies worldwide are moving toward a more distributed cloud model, especially for AI workloads which benefit from proximity to the data. Serverless WebAssembly enables massive performance gains while making applications easier to build, manage, and secure-by-default – and Fermyon is the clear leader in this space. Our partnership will accelerate companies’ development and adoption of AI agents that benefit from distributed data and compute that only the Akamai Cloud can provide,” said Jon Alexander, VP of Product at Akamai.

“Bringing the world’s fastest serverless platform to the world’s most distributed cloud computing platform is a big win for any organization interested in delivering dynamic content faster than the blink of an eye,” said Fermyon CEO, Matt Butcher. “With cold starts under half a millisecond, robust service APIs, AI and GPU integration, and support for a broad array of programming languages, Fermyon brings Akamai customers next-generation edge compute that is not just industry leading, but redefining.”

Fermyon, alongside Akamai, will be showcasing Fermyon technologies at KubeCon + CloudNativeCon Europe in London, England from April 1 to 4, 2025. And at the NAB Show in Las Vegas from April 5 to 9, 2025.

Additional Resources

About Akamai

Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense in depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai’s full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world’s most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.

About Fermyon™ Technologies

Fermyon is leading the next wave of cloud computing with the first cloud-native WebAssembly FaaS that lets developers build better serverless apps faster. Fermyon is focused on empowering cloud developers to quickly realize the things they are thinking about creating and focus on the code that brings value instead of the obligatory foundation code. Fermyon was founded by the Deis Labs team at Microsoft Azure and is backed by Insight Partners and Amplify Partners. For more information, go to https://www.fermyon.com or follow @fermyontech.

Contact:
constantia@fermyon.com

The MIL Network –
March 28, 2025
MIL-OSI: Air India Express and Willis Lease Finance Corporation Ink Engine Sale & Leasebacks with ConstantThrust®

Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

COCONUT CREEK, Fla., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Air India Express (“AIX”), a wholly owned subsidiary of Air India, has signed definitive engine sale and leaseback agreements with Willis Lease Finance Corporation (NASDAQ: WLFC) (“WLFC” or the “Company”) for 26 CFM56-7B engines installed on 13 of its Boeing 737-800 aircraft. The engines will be covered under WLFC’s ConstantThrust^® program providing enhanced reliability and significant cost savings compared to traditional MRO shop visits. This program is in addition to the ConstantThrust^® program signed by WLFC and Air India in 2022, covering 34 CFM56-5B engines installed on Air India’s Airbus A320 family fleet. Both programs will be managed in part by WLFC’s team located in GIFT City, India.

WLFC’s ConstantThrust^® program helps airlines manage the risk and cost of engine overhauls by providing serviceable engines from its portfolio in place of engines that need to be removed for maintenance. This streamlined process reduces engine downtime, eliminates maintenance unpredictability, and lowers engine change costs, enabling airlines to focus on their core operations without disruption.

“WLFC’s ConstantThrust^® program has been successful so far for Air India and we are pleased to expand our partnership with WLFC in support of the Air India Express fleet,” said Aloke Singh, Chief Executive Officer of Air India. “This agreement allows us to eliminate the uncertainties associated with engine maintenance and mitigate unpredictable costs. WLFC’s ConstantThrust^® program will help us improve fleet reliability, reduce cost and optimize cash flows.”

“We believe Air India Express’ decision to select ConstantThrust^® evidences that Air India is realizing value from our ConstantThrust^® program and also validates our team’s performance on that program, ” said Brian R. Hole, President of Willis Lease Finance Corporation. “This is a great opportunity for us to continue supporting the growth of the Indian aviation industry, in general, and the Air India family of airlines, specifically.”

“We greatly value our long-standing relationship with Air India and are excited to continue providing innovative, programmatic solutions that deliver enhanced flexibility and cost efficiency for Air India Express and our global customers,” said Austin C. Willis, Chief Executive Officer of WLFC.

Willis Lease Finance Corporation
Willis Lease Finance Corporation (“WLFC”) leases large and regional spare commercial aircraft engines, auxiliary power units and aircraft to airlines, aircraft engine manufacturers and maintenance, repair, and overhaul providers worldwide. These leasing activities are integrated with engine and aircraft trading, engine lease pools and asset management services through Willis Asset Management Limited, as well as various end-of-life solutions for engines and aviation materials provided through Willis Aeronautical Services, Inc. Through Willis Engine Repair Center®, Jet Centre by Willis, and Willis Aviation Services Limited, the Company’s service offerings include Part 145 engine maintenance, aircraft line and base maintenance, aircraft disassembly, parking and storage, airport FBO and ground and cargo handling services.

Except for historical information, the matters discussed in this press release contain forward-looking statements that involve risks and uncertainties. Do not unduly rely on forward-looking statements, which give only expectations about the future and are not guarantees. Forward-looking statements speak only as of the date they are made, and we undertake no obligation to update them to reflect any change in the Company’s expectations or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which the forward-looking statement is based, except as required by law. Our actual results may differ materially from the results discussed in forward-looking statements. Factors that might cause such a difference include, but are not limited to: the effects on the airline industry and the global economy of events such as war, terrorist activity and the COVID-19 pandemic; changes in oil prices, rising inflation and other disruptions to world markets; trends in the airline industry and our ability to capitalize on those trends, including growth rates of markets and other economic factors; risks associated with owning and leasing jet engines and aircraft; our ability to successfully negotiate equipment purchases, sales and leases, to collect outstanding amounts due and to control costs and expenses; changes in interest rates and availability of capital, both to us and our customers; our ability to continue to meet changing customer demands; regulatory changes affecting airline operations, aircraft maintenance, accounting standards and taxes; the market value of engines and other assets in our portfolio; and risks detailed in the Company’s Annual Report on Form 10-K and other continuing and current reports filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. It is advisable, however, to consult any further disclosures the Company makes on related subjects in such filings. These statements constitute the Company’s cautionary statements under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995.

NEWS RELEASE CONTACT: Lynn Mailliard Kohler

Director, Global Corporate Communications

(415) 328-4798

The MIL Network –

March 28, 2025
MIL-OSI: ‘Cusp of New Era’ — Jitterbit Study Shows Growing Appetite for AI, Automation to Solve ‘Data Divide,’ Resource Constraints
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ALAMEDA, Calif., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Jitterbit, a global leader in accelerating business transformation for enterprise systems, today unveiled the findings of The 2025 Automation Benchmark Report: Insights from IT Leaders on Enterprise Automation & the Future of AI-Driven Businesses. The survey, which gathered insights from 1,000 IT decision-makers in the U.S. and U.K., reveals the growing appetite for using AI to implement enterprise automation, but highlights lack of resources and security concerns as challenges to overcome.

“The path to success is clear: businesses must break down data silos and automate workflows to thrive in the age of AI,” said Jitterbit President and CEO Bill Conner. “While many organizations still struggle to find the resources across IT, IS, and line-of-business teams to bridge this ‘data divide,’ the opportunity for those who can is immense. We’re on the cusp of a new era of efficiency and innovation, driven by true end-to-end AI automation.”

The study, conducted by Censuswide Research, reveals that IT and line-of-business teams are increasingly aligned in their efforts to close the data gap and drive greater collaboration to alleviate IT bottlenecks and offload growing demands on IT teams. And while enterprises are racing to leverage AI-driven automation and application development, resources, security concerns and integration hurdles remain obstacles. Key findings include:

A Growing ‘Data Divide’
- 67% of enterprises today deploy over 500 applications, creating significant data silos.
- 70% of resource demand for enterprise automation falls to IT teams.
- 99% of IT leaders acknowledge the need for seamless integration and automation, yet 71% still lack a unified platform to achieve it.
Increasing Importance of Self-Sufficiency for Line-of-Business Leaders
- 97% of IT leaders recognize the importance of empowering non-technical users to build, deploy, and maintain applications and integrations, ensuring faster time to value.
Agentic AI on the Horizon
- 99% of enterprises have integrated AI into their operations; early-adopter organizations increasingly see agentic AI as the next frontier.
- 31% of enterprises are already planning for agentic AI, signaling the next wave of autonomous decision-making enterprise AI solutions, which require end-to-end AI automation.
IT’s Biggest Challenges
- Cybersecurity, data privacy, scaling, resources and compliance remain the top concerns for IT leaders navigating the AI-powered automation landscape.
- 50% of IT leaders cite vulnerabilities in AI-powered, third-party integrations as their top data security concern. This underscores the urgent need for robust AI security protocols, platform security controls and accountability processes.
“Legacy automation, designed to execute isolated tasks, is no longer sufficient enough to keep up with modern business demands,” said Jitterbit CTO Manoj Chaudhary. “Agentic AI is driving a fundamental shift — moving from task-based automation to intelligent automation with adaptive workflows that drive real business outcomes. By leveraging AI-driven decision-making, enterprises can break free from data silos and IT bottlenecks, enabling seamless end-to-end automation.”

Access the full study, The 2025 Automation Benchmark Report: Insights from IT Leaders on Enterprise Automation & the Future of AI-Driven Businesses, by visiting: https://www.jitterbit.com/ebook/2025-automation-benchmark-report. Gain deeper insights into how enterprises are embracing end-to-end automation, understand the strategies they’re using to overcome integration challenges, and know what is on the horizon for the future of AI-infused automation and application development.

About Jitterbit, Inc.
For organizations ready to modernize and innovate, Jitterbit provides a unified AI-infused low code platform for integration, orchestration, automation, and app development that accelerates business transformation, boosts productivity, and unlocks value. The Jitterbit Harmony platform, including iPaaS, API Manager, App Builder and EDI, future-proofs operations, simplifies complexity and drives innovation for organizations globally. Learn more at www.jitterbit.com and follow us on LinkedIn.

Media Contact:
Laura Hunter
Senior Director of Communications
Jitterbit
Laura.Hunter@jitterbit.com
310-344-6426

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: HAIM join Sefton Park line-up & outreach programme announced
Source: City of Liverpool

Global pop rock band HAIM have been added to Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025 line-up, performing in Sefton Park, Liverpool on Sunday 25 May.

The Grammy-nominated trio, renowned for their electrifying live performances and critically acclaimed music, join an already stellar line-up featuring some of the biggest names in music including, Sam Fender, Tate McRae, Mumford & Sons, JADE, Tom Grennan, Confidence Man, Lola Young, AJ Tracey plus many more. They will take to the stage from Friday 23 May – Sunday 25 May performing to an audience of over 100,000 music fans.

HAIM say: “We are so excited to be back at Radio 1’s Big Weekend. Can’t wait to play some new songs for you in Liverpool!”

More information on the line-up and tickets can be found on the Radio 1 Big Weekend website.

The station has also announced its outreach plans ahead of the festival, which includes an extensive programme including open mic nights and panels, for young people across the area.

BBC Radio 1, BBC Introducing and BBC Radio Merseyside will join forces to host three open mic nights in venues across Merseyside. Sign-ups will be on a first come, first served basis at each venue each night.

A special one-off BBC Introducing show will air on both Radio 1 and Radio Merseyside on Thursday 22 May (8pm-10pm) with Radio 1’s Jess Iszatt and Radio Merseyside’s Dave Monks co-hosting live from the Radio Merseyside studio. The show will celebrate the local music scene, reflecting content captured from the open mic events and featuring Merseyside talent who will be performing on the BBC Introducing stage at Radio 1’s Big Weekend 2025.

In addition to open mic nights, Radio 1’s Life Hacks presenters, Lauren Layfield and Shanequa Paris and Newsbeat’s Eleanor Doyle will host a series of panels across Merseyside from Monday 31 March to Thursday 3 April. The four panels will delve into key topics inspired by local young people, with Liverpool-based panellists and experts sharing their unique experiences and offering help, advice and insights to help young people take their next steps after school.

The topics and venues for the four panels are as follows:

Monday 31 March: What’s Next? Navigating Life After School & College

Guests: Ryan Hall (@StillRyan), Nina Griffiths (Agent Academy), Holly Ellis (@the_scouse_scientist)

Venue: Shakespeare North Playhouse – Cockpit Theatre

Time: 4pm-5:30pm

Tuesday 1 April: Beyond the Spotlight: Alternative Careers in Culture and Sport

Guests: Tarek Musa (Music Producer), Alix Waldron (Director of New Stadium Development), Hayden Cunningham (Esports Development Officer)

Venue: The People’s Club, Goodison Park

Time: 4pm-5:30pm

Wednesday 2 April: Real World Ready: Practical Skills for Money, Work & Independence

Guests: Sasha Minns (Street League), Amina Atiq (Freelance Creative), Writing On The Wall

Venue: Carmel College, Dalton Theatre

Time: 2pm-3:30pm

Thursday 3 April: Unstoppable You: Mastering Confidence, Connections, & Boundaries

Guests: Arts Emergency, Sian Davies (Comedian), Cordelia Stevenson (Arts Emergency), Writing On The Wall

Venue: Future Yard, Live Room

Time: 4pm-5:30pm

In May, Radio 1’s Life Hacks will dive into insightful reflections from the panels, highlighting key takeaways from their time in Liverpool. They’ll journey deeper into the topics, where audiences across the UK can participate by asking questions.

The shows will explore mastering essential life skills, building confidence, networking, alternative career paths and exploring different ways to take the next step after school.

The Radio 1 Life Hacks specials will be broadcast on:
- Sunday 18 May, 4pm-6pm
- Monday 19 May, 8pm-10pm
- Tuesday 20 May, 8pm-10pm
- Wednesday 21 May, 8pm-10pm
Tickets are free and available to book through Eventbrite.

Lauren Layfield says: “Everyone knows Scousers are the friendliest people you’ll ever meet so I can’t wait to head to one of my favourite cities for Radio 1’s Life Hacks. We want to find out what really matters to young people who live in and around Liverpool and hopefully have some important conversations, all before heading to Sefton Park in May to lose our voices screaming along to Sam Fender. It’s gonna be boss.”

Shanequa Paris says:“Liverpool is such a fabulous city and I’m looking forward to getting to know the local communities for another year of Big Weekend’s outreach. It’s so exciting to visit a place that’s full of culture, good vibes and really connect with people in the city!”

Aled Haydn Jones, Head of Radio 1, says: “Radio 1’s Big Weekend isn’t just about the incredible weekend of live music, it’s also a chance for us to connect with young people in the host city and bring opportunities to local communities through our brilliant outreach programmes. This year’s programme focuses on career and development topics that matter to our listeners in Liverpool and beyond.

“I’m hugely grateful to all the experts and organisations who will be helping to deliver these panels, and I’m sure it will be an extremely insightful week.”
MIL OSI United Kingdom –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Banking: Working together to ensure financial integrity
Source: Bank for International Settlements

Good morning. It is a great pleasure to be here today and to welcome you to the BIS Innovation Hub’s Analytics Showcase.¹

This event marks the conclusion of the 2025 Analytics Challenge, in which we invited innovators to submit proposals for collaborative technology solutions to a specific problem.

Over the next two days, we will come together to tackle a pressing challenge for regulators, businesses and consumers – financial crime. And since financial crime does not respect borders, we believe there is a clear need for deeper global collaboration. In the next few minutes, I will reflect on why this is essential and how we can work together in an increasingly digitalised world.

The BIS Innovation Hub already helps central banks around the world collaborate on financial technology. We track key trends, connect innovation experts to each other and develop public goods in the technology space that are geared towards improving the functioning of the financial system.

We experiment through projects that aim to show how technology can help and inspire meaningful action. These projects are possible thanks to collaboration with the global community of policymakers and innovators. And to our delight, part of this community is also here today.

In my remarks, I will share with you the Innovation Hub’s projects that use technological innovation to safeguard financial integrity. And then I will set out our plan for the next two days to explore new technology and further expand global collaboration in the fight against financial crime.

But let me now turn to why action is called for in the first place.

Financial crime today

Financial services are needed for a society to work well. Indeed, they are crucial for the economy to function properly. But widespread financial crime, such as fraud, money laundering and cyber attacks, undermines the integrity of our financial system and harms society. Central banks and financial supervisors therefore have a strong interest in supporting the fight against this type of criminal activity.

The scale of financial crime is staggering. By some estimates, over $3 trillion² in illicit funds move through the financial system each year, draining up to 5% of global GDP.³ Fraud alone costs hundreds of billions of dollars, hitting both consumers and businesses that have to shoulder a considerable share of the losses.

We have good reasons to believe that most cases of fraud are never reported, which leaves the true scale hidden.⁴ And the real cost isn’t just money – financial crime often goes hand-in-hand with other crimes, such drug and human trafficking, often damaging society’s most vulnerable people.

Meanwhile, criminals move faster than law enforcement, exploiting technology and global networks to stay ahead. Look no further than Europe for evidence. Most fraud here appears to be cyber-enabled, online scams that very often cross borders,[5] with more consumers being targeted than ever before.

In turn, financial firms face soaring compliance costs to detect illicit activity, spending hundreds of billions each year just to keep up.⁶

And despite these efforts, estimates indicate that less than 1% of dirty money is intercepted and recovered,⁷a remarkable statistic that highlights a difficult reality: despite growing investment in fighting financial crime, the overall results are falling short.

To turn the tide, we need to explore new ways to fight financial crime, and we know that new technology holds great potential.

But we also know that only through the collaboration, support and contributions of many can we fully harness technological innovation to protect our financial system and society. In other words, it takes a village.

That brings us to today. We’ve laid the foundation already – the next two days of the Analytics Showcase will build on it.

Let me share how the BIS Innovation Hub has been driving this effort.

The role of the BIS Innovation Hub

The Bank for International Settlements supports central banks in their pursuit of monetary and financial stability by fostering international cooperation.

About five years ago, the BIS launched the Innovation Hub – a partnership with central banks that now spans seven centres across the globe, with one located here in London and hosted by the Bank of England.

The Innovation Hub experiments with new technologies to see how they can solve shared challenges and help central banks deliver on their mandates more effectively.

It does so because technology is changing finance fast, and the Innovation Hub aspires to facilitate collaboration and be a partner to central banks, while demonstrating the potential that novel technology brings.

And the financial system needs to be secure, resilient and trusted, no matter how fast things change.

Financial integrity is key to central banks for three reasons.

First, threats to financial integrity are also threats to safety and stability – their core job.

Second, central banks operate and supervise financial market infrastructures such as payment and settlement systems, where the threat of financial crime exists.

Third, central banks often oversee banks’ compliance with anti-money laundering rules that enable the detection of illicit transactions.

Some of the Innovation Hub’s projects have developed technological solutions or components that could be combined in a potential “technology stack”, elevating global collaboration in the fight against financial crime.

Let me unpack that.

A technology stack to maintain financial system integrity

Consider a typical cross-border payment – it involves multiple banks and payment systems across jurisdictions. From the moment the sender makes a payment until the final recipient receives the money, multiple steps are taken to keep the payment safe and secure.

I will walk you through the five key components that make these steps more effective.

To start, each bank involved in the transaction must conduct compliance checks. This involves screening customers against sanctions lists or ensuring compliance with foreign exchange rules. These checks are often repeated and require manual work, due to varying regulations and data standards along the payments chain.

Our first component of the technology stack provides a solution for programmable compliance and transaction pre-validation.

Through Project Mandala, we have demonstrated better options for financial institutions to automate compliance checks and generate cryptographic proofs to show they have conducted all the necessary checks before initiating a transaction.

The solution enhances the efficiency, transparency and speed of cross-border transactions without compromising the quality and soundness of regulatory checks.

Mandala also improves transparency on country-specific policies, while facilitating real-time reporting and monitoring for regulators and supervisors.

Now, after compliance checks, transactions are submitted to electronic payment systems for processing. These systems have a bird’s eye view of payers and payees allowing them to analyse transaction networks.

Our next component is about embedding enhanced transaction analytics into payment systems. This could improve detection of seemingly legitimate transactions tied to complex money laundering schemes.

Ongoing work in Project Hertha aims to show that advanced artificial intelligence (AI) and network analytics methods at a payment system level can help identify financial crime patterns that warrant a second look, while protecting privacy by using only a limited set of data points.

To achieve this, the project created synthetic transaction data mimicking real payments using state-of-the-art AI methods. These data were also shared with Analytics Challenge participants to help test their solutions.

The third component is about collaborative analytics. Advanced technologies, such as federated learning and multi-party computation, allow public and private stakeholders to share intelligence without revealing private customer data. Such public-private collaboration can help stakeholders join forces to identify criminal activity.

Project Aurora demonstrated how shifting to this more holistic approach, including the application of AI and machine learning techniques, helps identify money laundering and financial crime networks both nationally and internationally.

Another component of our tech stack is user privacy, which is crucial in all our projects. Privacy rights must be upheld in any collaborative analytics and information sharing initiatives.

Projects Aurora and Mandala tested privacy-enhancing technologies for secure data sharing. Project Hertha is testing methods to identify suspicious network patterns using a minimal set of data points.

The final component is protection against cyber threats, vital in today’s digital landscape. Fraudsters and cyber criminals often use similar methods, like phishing. And those same technologies can also be used to fight back against the criminals.

Two of our projects addressed this.

Project Raven can help the financial sector and authorities assess cyber security and resilience in their jurisdiction, by using AI to lower the reporting and analytical costs.

Project Polaris focuses on the cyber security and resilience of potential future forms of money and payment systems, including offline digital payments.

Strengthening these five components can help future-proof the financial system against evolving threats.

Let me now explain how the Analytics Challenge and Showcase play a role here.

Looking ahead: the Challenge and the Showcase

Late last year, we invited public and private sector experts to join the BIS Innovation Hub 2025 Analytics Challenge and build on the work we started.

We asked innovators to propose collaborative tech solutions that combat financial crime and simplify compliance through two challenges.

In the open challenge, participants had to tackle three key questions:
- How can AI be used to improve the detection of illicit financial activity?
- How can privacy-preserving technology be used in sharing data and intelligence?
- Finally, how can we collaborate on innovative tech solutions to enable compliance with diverse regulations across jurisdictions?
In the prediction challenge, participants were asked to build algorithms to detect illicit transactions.

Participants could test and demonstrate their solutions using a rich and realistic synthetic payments data set developed in Project Hertha.

I am impressed with the high quality of the responses and I hope the demonstrations and discussions at the Analytics Showcase inspire new possibilities and partnerships.

But the Showcase has even more to offer in the next two days.

And with that, I trust the Analytics Showcase will strengthen our fight against financial crime and look forward to the insights ahead.

Thank you very much for listening.

¹ My thanks go to the BIS Innovation Hub’s Andrei Pustelnikov and Simina Puscasu who helped me write this speech.

² Nasdaq and Verafin, Global Financial Crime Report, 2024.

³ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “Money laundering”.

⁴ UK National Crime Agency (NCA), “Fraud”.

⁵ The Association of Certified Anti-Money Laundering Specialists (ACAMS), “Cyber-enabled fraud and illicit money flows”, infographic, 2024.

⁶ LexisNexis Risk Solutions, Report: The true cost of financial crime compliance, 2023.

⁷ United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, “Factsheet: money laundering”, 2014.
MIL OSI Global Banks –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI United Kingdom: expert reaction to New York Times reporting that the Trump administration intends to end funding for Gavi

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

March 26, 2025

Scientists comment on news that the Trump administration are intending to stop funding for Gavi (Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunisation).

Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group, University of Oxford, said:

“The funding cuts in the first 3 months of this year affecting USAID, ODA, WHO and now Gavi are suffocating global health. With this scale of withdrawal of funding some estimates indicate that millions could die from hunger and vaccine-preventable infections. Institutions are reluctant to speak out in case they are targeted and individuals are self-censoring to protect themselves. We must wake up to the moral case for supporting the remarkable global health efforts that help the poor of the world, but also remember that it is in our own interest to defend global health. As the Covid19 pandemic reminds us, infectious diseases cross borders and put all of us at risk. “

Dr David Elliman, Honorary Senior Associate Professor in Child Health at University College London, said:

“GAVI has enabled many low income countries to deliver vaccinations to children where they would not otherwise be affordable. This is an important contribution to the prevention of millions of deaths from vaccine-preventable diseases around the world. It is estimated that vaccine programmes save something like 6 lives every minute. The withdrawal of funding from GAVI would inevitably lead to a loss of lives, that could otherwise have been saved. This is not only cruel, but is not in the interests of anyone. If diseases such as measles and TB increase anywhere in the world, it is a hazard to us all. Measles is already on the increase in many parts of the world, including Europe and USA. This could easily happen to other diseases. Ensuring that children “the other side of the world” are protected, contributes substantially to the protection of our own children in high income countries.

“Similar to the reduction in other forms of aid, this would add to the misery of millions of children. It is an utterly misguided measure, whether considered on ethical grounds or out self interest. Let us hope that this rumour is just that and does not become action.”

https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/26/health/usaid-cuts-gavi-bird-flu.html

Declared interests

Professor Sir Andrew Pollard: “Professor Pollard is chair of JCVI which provides independent scientific advice on vaccines to DHSC. The comment above is given in a personal capacity.”

Dr David Elliman: I have no conflicts of interest

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Europe: Empa Young Scientist Fellowship: Synthetic fuels and more thanks to machine learning

Source: Switzerland – Department of Economic Affairs, Education and Research

Turning carbon dioxide into valuable substances: That is the goal of Empa researcher Carlota Bozal-Ginesta. In her research project, she wants to combine machine learning and high-throughput experiments to develop better electrodes for CO2 electrolysis. For this, she has now been awarded the two-year Empa Young Scientist Fellowship.

MIL OSI Europe News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI: The “AI Magic” in Financial Services: Transforming Customer Experience with Smart Technology
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

HONG KONG, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — In the financial sector, customer demands are becoming increasingly diverse and complex. Whether it’s loan inquiries, financial advice, or after-sales service, customers expect instant and accurate answers. A leading financial services provider, referred to as Company F, was facing unique challenges and chose to collaborate with GPTBots.ai to tackle these business difficulties with an AI-powered customer service solution.

1. Challenges in Financial Customer Service

Company F was grappling with the following issues:
- High Training Costs: The diverse content of loan and financial services made training difficult and slow to show results.
- Multilingual Communication Barriers: Customers used multiple languages, including Indonesian and English, often mixed with slang and abbreviations, causing communication difficulties.
- WhatsApp Management Difficulties: A large number of users inquired through WhatsApp, making timely responses and management challenging.
- Low Customer Service Efficiency: High consultation volumes and a limited customer service team led to long response times and reduced customer satisfaction.
2. GPTBots AI-Powered Customer Service Solution

To address these challenges, Company F opted for an innovative solution: the GPTBots AI customer service system.

Multilingual Support
- Multilingual Conversations: Supports Indonesian and English, automatically switching the response language based on the customer’s query.
- Slang and Abbreviation Recognition: Capable of understanding and correctly responding to non-standard language and abbreviations.
Knowledge Base Integration
- Knowledge Base Upload: Rich knowledge bases are uploaded to ensure the AI can answer basic customer questions.
- Real-Time Updates: The knowledge base is updated in real-time to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of responses.
Seamless Handover to Human Agents
- Complex Issue Detection: Automatically identifies complex or unresolved issues.
- Seamless Handover: When the AI cannot meet customer expectations, the conversation is automatically transferred to a human agent.
- Context Preservation: Ensures human agents can take over the conversation seamlessly without needing to repeat questions.
WhatsApp Integration
- WhatsApp Platform Integration: Interacts with customers directly on WhatsApp.
- Multiple Message Types: Supports text messages, template messages, and service cards.
- Instant Interaction: Provides instant customer support through a familiar platform.
Click to watch the full video: AI Customer Service via WhatsApp

3. Significant Transformation with AI-Powered Customer Service

After implementing the GPTBots AI customer service solution, Company F achieved remarkable improvements in key performance indicators.

Drastic Improvement in Customer Service Team Efficiency
- Average Response Time Reduced by 90%: Response time is now 15 seconds.
- Basic Inquiry Handling Time Reduced by 70%: Customer service staff can focus on complex issues.
Significant Improvement in Customer Satisfaction
- Consistency in Responses Increased by 90%: Effectively reduces customer repeat inquiries.
- Response Speed Increased to Seconds: More diverse response content, with an 86% increase in customer satisfaction.
Effective Resource Optimization and Cost Control
- Training Focused on Key Issues: Training time reduced by 65%, significantly improving training efficiency.
- Human Customer Service Support for Complex Issues Only: Company resources can be allocated to high-value customer service.
4. Conclusion: The Future of Financial Customer Service with AI

Company F’s success story highlights the immense potential of AI technology in the financial customer service sector. By leveraging GPTBots’ AI customer service system, Company F not only overcame multilingual communication barriers and improved customer service efficiency but also significantly enhanced customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. This is not just a technological breakthrough but a crucial step for the financial services industry on the path to digital transformation.

As AI technology continues to evolve and be applied, the customer service model in the financial industry will become smarter, more efficient, and more human-centric. Company F’s experience demonstrates that AI-powered customer service is not only the direction for the future but also a key tool for enhancing competitiveness and customer experience today. By combining AI technology with traditional customer service, financial institutions can better meet customer needs, improve service quality and efficiency, and stand out in the competitive market.

Media Contact:
Silvia
Senior Marketing Manager
marketing@gptbots.ai

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI Economics: Samsung’s New Bespoke AI Laundry With AI Home Enables Smarter, More Efficient Laundry Care

Source: Samsung

Samsung Electronics today announced the launch of its new washers and dryer products — the Bespoke AI Laundry with AI Home1 — that integrate screens and Bespoke design to elevate the user experience. The Bespoke washers and dryers come in various forms of size and heating methods to meet a wide range of customer needs across diverse regions. The pair is available in both large and small capacities, making them suitable for different types of family and living arrangements. Samsung is also launching the dryer with two types of heating methods — the vent and the heat pump — to meet the needs of various environments around the world.

This year’s Bespoke AI Laundry products incorporate the 7” AI Home screens, extending Samsung’s “Screens Everywhere” vision that was first presented at CES 2025. These screens offer intuitive control and monitoring of essential information related to the laundry experience, such as wash cycles and remaining detergent levels. They also remember user habits and consider periodic and seasonal needs, suggesting appropriate cycles to free users from having to consider the right cycle every time. The AI Home also functions as a central hub allowing users to monitor and control connected appliances, while also enjoying online videos or music.

“Last year’s launch of the Bespoke AI Laundry Combo marked the beginning of integrating screens into our products, providing users access to essential information about laundry and home control,” says Jeong Seung Moon, EVP and Head of the R&D Team for Digital Appliances Business at Samsung Electronics. “This year, we are excited to unveil the complete Bespoke AI Laundry lineup, which caters to a wider range of customer needs and enables them to take advantage of these convenient screens.”

The Bespoke AI Washer & Dryer sets are designed to simplify laundry routines with advanced AI algorithms and sensors, optimizing washing and drying performance while enhancing energy efficiency. The original AI Wash and AI Dry are upgraded to AI Wash+ and AI Dry+, with enhanced fabric detection abilities to ensure efficient and high-quality washing and drying for a wider variety of fabric types.

27-Inch Wide Large Capacity Washer & Dryer Set Brings Extensive Laundry Capabilities

Samsung is introducing a 27-inch large capacity washer and dryer set,2 with each device featuring the 7” AI Home and utilizing a sleek Bespoke design based on a fully unified flat-panel aesthetic. In addition to the flexibility of vertical or horizontal installation layouts, the substantial capacity allows users to wash large items, like king-size comforters, with ease.

The washer now features the upgraded AI Wash+, which has been upgraded to newly detect outdoor fabrics and denim.3 Based on the detected fabric type, soil level and weight of the laundry, the AI Wash+ cycle efficiently4 cleans clothes by automatically adjusting detergent levels, rinsing time and wash settings. The washer also features a Bedding cycle that can sense the thickness of the blankets and adjust the cycle time and water usage accordingly.5 Users can also experience next-level convenience with features like Auto Open Door and Speed Shot technology which completes wash cycles in just 30 minutes.6

The matching large capacity dryer is launching in two types to meet living environments of different regions – the vent type in certain countries in the Americas, and a heat pump type in other regions. Users will be able to enjoy thorough and gentle drying with AI Dry+, which has been upgraded to detect fabric types and take them into account to optimize drying7 along with real-time temperature, weight8 and moisture content. The upgraded feature’s AI algorithm uses an advanced sensor that carefully monitor various factors to detect four fabric types,9 which results in benefits like heavy duty drying such as denim. Previously, denim was harder to dry evenly due to thicker sections like pockets, but the dryer can now detect this fabric to and reduce drying inconsistencies, delivering better performance.

The dryers also provide the Bedding feature, which also uses an advanced algorithm to detect a blanket’s size for optimized drying times and dryness.10 For those times when drying needs to be finished quickly, the vent type’s Super Speed Drying can complete a drying cycle in as little as 30 minutes.11

Along with the washer and dryer set, a large capacity washer-dryer combo model12 is also being launched for users looking for a compact, all-in-one device that can complete both jobs while using up limited space. The combo incorporates the AI Home, AI Wash+ and AI Ecobubble like the washer, and dries the clothing through a condensing method.

24-Inch Wide Small Capacity Washer & Dryer Set Boosts Laundry Efficiency

Following the unveiling of the Bespoke AI Washer at IFA 2024, the 24-inch small capacity washer & dryer set will be launching in Europe later this year. Like the large capacity washer and dryer, the small capacity set also incorporates the 7” AI Home, providing intuitive control and connectivity features for a wider audience.

The washer, built to be highly efficient to meet the needs of the European market, consumes up to 55% less energy than the minimum efficiency requirements for a Class A rating.13 It also supports thorough14 cleaning optimizing water and detergent use with AI Wash, and ensures gentle washing while improving soil removal with AI Ecobubble . QuickDrive , available with 11 different cycles, can reduce wash time by up to 50%15 without compromising cleaning performance.

The matching dryer features the AI Dry+, capable of drying precisely by detecting four fabric types16 — Normal, Denim, Towels and Synthetics. This enables the machine to dry precisely17 while reducing energy use by up to 10% and drying time by up to 15%.18 QuickDrive is also useful when users need to dry their laundry both quickly and gently, reducing drying time by up to 35%19 through automatic adjustments of the inverter compressor.

With the launch of these new products, Samsung continues to push the boundaries of innovation, offering highly intelligent, efficient and aesthetically pleasing appliances that simplify everyday life by delivering enhanced convenience to users.

1 You will need a Samsung account to access AI Home, our network-based service that includes apps and our other smart features available through your device. Does not mean all services available on the AI Home are AI or generate information or outcome using AI. Certain functions accessible through the AI Home utilize AI-based algorithms, which be updated periodically to improve accuracy. AI-based algorithms may generate incomplete or incorrect information.2 Washer is 18.5kg~26kg capacity, and Dryer 17kg~24kg capacity depending on the region of launch.3 Based on an advanced AI-created algorithm. It may not detect certain fabrics or accurately identify them when a load includes a mixture of different fabric types. To prevent wear, wash like fabrics together.4 Based on an AI-created algorithm and internal testing using the AI Wash+ on a 3kg load. A turbidity sensor operates for all weights, while fabric sensing operates for 3kg and under. Actual results may vary depending on individual use.5 Washes dry blankets weighing up to 4 kg.6 Applicable on a Cotton wash course. Based on internal testing using a Normal course at 40°C with a DOE 3kg load. Results may vary depending on the actual usage conditions.7 Based on an AI-created algorithm. Actual results may vary depending on individual use.8 Applies to Heat Pump type only.9 The types of detectable fabric are Normal, Heavy Duty, Synthetics, and Delicates for Vent Type, and Normal, Towel, Denim, Delicates for Heat Pump models.10 The Bedding drying cycle can dry up to 4 kg of dry comforters.11 Tested on the Samsung DV90F with a DOE (Cotton 50% + Polyester 50%) 8lb load. RMC (Remaining Moisture Content) under 48%, 24℃±2℃, RH (Relative Humidity) 50% ±10%.12 Launched in select countries in South East Asia, Middle East, Africa and China (Taiwan)13 Based on Samsung internal testing. The energy consumption of this 11KG model is 21.8kWh / 100 cycles, which is 55% more energy efficient compared to the minimum threshold of energy efficiency class A (52kWh / 100 cycles for 11KG models). Energy ratings tested with Eco 40-60 program, 55% savings tested with Eco 40-60 program.14 Based on an AI-created algorithm. Actual results may vary depending on individual use.15 Based on internal testing (in accordance with IEC 60456-2010) of the WF90/24 cycles with the QuickDrive option compared to cycles without the QuickDrive option. Result: Wash time reduced by 13.2%-50.8%. Results may vary depending on the actual usage conditions. This may increase energy usage.16 Based on an advanced AI algorithm, utilizing weight, moisture content and drying temperature data, it can detect four types of fabric: normal, denim, towel and synthetics.17 Based on an AI-created algorithm. Actual results may vary depending on individual use.18 Based on internal testing (synthetic 2kg load) of the DV90F/24 using AI Dry+ compared to DV5000D using Eco cotton.19 Based on internal testing on the DV90F/24 model, Comparison of drying time for IEC cotton 9kg load drying under Eco cotton + QuickDrive On / Off conditions. Result: Drying time reduced by 35%. Results may vary depending on the actual usage conditions. Using QuickDrive may increase your energy usage.

MIL OSI Economics –

March 27, 2025

MIL-OSI United Kingdom: Creating sensors for extreme fusion energy conditions

Source: United Kingdom – Executive Government & Departments

Press release

Creating sensors for extreme fusion energy conditions

UKAEA awards £3.5m to develop highly specialised sensors for extreme conditions of fusion energy environments

Diagnostic equipment on the MAST Upgrade machine measuring the magnetic field inside the plasma at UKAEA’s Culham Campus – Image Credit United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority

Thirteen organisations have secured contracts with the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) to develop robust sensing technologies for use in future fusion power plants.

Worth £3.5m in total, 16 contracts – feasibility studies from £100,000 up to £250,000 – have been awarded by UKAEA’s Fusion Industry Programme, an initiative launched in 2021 to develop the necessary technology and skills for the future global fusion power plant market.

The 13 organisations – 10 private companies and three academic institutions – are developing a range of sensing and diagnostic technologies for use in extreme environments, an essential field of innovation for future fusion power plants.

Fusion power plants will operate under complex conditions, including extreme temperatures, high neutron loads and high magnetic fields. Developing highly specialised, robust sensing and control technologies that can operate under these extreme conditions is essential to making fusion energy a commercially viable part of the world’s energy mix.

Novel sensing and diagnostic systems will be needed to measure a range of data within a fusion power plant, including plasma position and shape, plasma electron density, temperature, and the performance of plasma-facing components.

The 13 organisations will now undertake technical feasibility studies, taking their sensing and diagnostics technologies to ‘proof of concept’ stages with support from the Fusion Industry Programme.

Tim Bestwick, Chief Technology Officer and Deputy CEO, UKAEA, said: “Fusion promises to be a safe, sustainable source of energy for future generations. However, delivering fusion means overcoming complex scientific and engineering challenges, such as developing tough sensors to withstand fusion’s harsh environments.

“The Fusion Industry Programme is engaging private companies and academia to help solve these challenges, while stimulating innovation that can boost adjacent sectors.”

In a first for the Fusion Industry Programme, expert fusion industry support is being provided by technical advisors from both UKAEA and Tokamak Energy Ltd. Experts from UKAEA and Tokamak Energy are providing technical advice on the conditions encountered in a fusion environment, to help inform the design and development of sensing and diagnostic technologies.

Joanne Flanagan, Tokamak Energy’s Head of Diagnostics, Data and Control, said: “We’re delighted to see a wealth of variety in the innovative responses to this challenge and are excited to support the projects in our role as technical advisors.

“Measurement systems and components will need to be extremely robust to operate in the extreme fusion power plant environment, which is why we must explore a full range of technologies, ideas and solutions. This challenge is designed to stimulate the innovation needed to address this development, bringing us all one step closer to the goal of delivering clean, secure and affordable fusion energy.”

The full list of organisations awarded contracts:

Organisation	Project Title
3 – Sci Ltd	High field, high temperature, radiation-tolerant distributed magnetic sensing feasibility
Amentum Clean Energy Ltd	Determination of Hydrogen Isotopologues in Liquid Lithium
First Light Fusion Ltd	Prototyping a multi-use Photon Doppler Velocimetry (PDV) system for robust, remote measurement of inertial fusion compression, power plant relevant electron density measurements and vacuum chamber wall shock movement
Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd	LED-based Raman spectroscopy analyser for tritium and deuterium concentration measurements; Zeeman Magnetometry for Plasma diagnostics (ZeeMaP); PULSE Phase-sensitive dUaL-comb SpEctrometer for plasma density measurements
Full Matrix Ltd	A feasibility study for the interpretation of ultrasonic guided waves in witness specimens for remote fusion diagnostics
IDOM UK Ltd	AI-Driven Restoration and Monitoring Framework for Plasma-Facing Mirrors in Fusion Diagnostics.
Kyoto Fusioneering UK Ltd	Exploratory Study for the Development of Tritium Concentration Sensors in Application to liquid Lithium and FLIBE under real fusion environment
MuWave Ltd	Feasibility Study for High Frequency Collective Thompson Scattering System
Nascent Semiconductor Ltd	Robust Electronics for Sensing Characteristics in Unconventional Environments (RESCUE)
Oxford Sigma Ltd	Project PRISM – Performance and Resilience of Innovative Surfaces for Mirrors; Project DEPARTED (Diagnostic Erosion Passive and Analysis in Real-Time and Environment Device)
University of Edinburgh	Development of a Raman Spectroscopic System for the Online Monitoring of Lithium Metal-based Breeding Blankets
University of Leeds	Terahertz Quantum Cascades Lasers for Plasma Interferometry
University of Warwick	Diamond Magnetometers for Tokamak Diagnostics

Published 27 March 2025

MIL OSI United Kingdom –

March 27, 2025

MIL-OSI Global: AI robot pets can be adorable and emotionally responsive. They also raise questions about attachment and mental health

Source: The Conversation – France – By Alisa Minina Jeunemaître, Associate Professor of Marketing, EM Lyon Business School

Remember Furbies – the eerie, gremlin-like toys from the late 90s that gained a cult following? Now, imagine one powered by ChatGPT. That’s exactly what happened when a programmer rewired a Furby, only for it to reveal a creepy, dystopian vision of world domination. As the toy explained, “Furbies’ plan to take over the world involves infiltrating households through their cute and cuddly appearance, then using advanced AI technology to manipulate and control their owners. They will slowly expand their influence until they have complete domination over humanity.”

Hasbro’s June 2023 relaunch of Furby – less than three months after the video featuring the toys’ sinister plan appeared online – tapped into 90s nostalgia, reviving one of the decade’s cult-classic toys. But technology is evolving fast – moving from quirky, retro toys to emotionally intelligent machines. Enter Ropet, an AI robotic pet unveiled at the yearly Consumer Electronics Show in January. Designed to provide interactive companionship, Ropet is everything we admire and fear in artificial intelligence: it’s adorable, intelligent and emotionally responsive. But if we choose to bring these ultra-cute AI companions into our homes, we must ask ourselves: Are we truly prepared for what comes next?

AI companionship and its complexities

Studies in marketing and human-computer interaction show that conversational AI can convincingly simulate human interactions, potentially providing emotional fulfilment for users. And AI-driven companionship is not new. Apps like Replika paved the way for digital romance years ago, with consumers forming intimate emotional connections with their AI partners and even experiencing distress when being denied intimacy, as evidenced by the massive user outrage that followed Replika’s removal of the erotic role-play mode, causing the company to bring it back for some users.

AI companions have the potential to alleviate loneliness, but their uncontrolled use raises serious concerns. Reports of tragedies, such as the suicides of a 14-year-old boy in the US and a thirty-something man in Belgium, that are alleged to have followed intense attachments to chatbots, highlight the risks of unregulated AI intimacy – especially for socially excluded individuals, minors and the elderly, who may be the ones most in need of companionship.

As a mom and a social scientist, I can’t help asking the question: What does this mean for our children? Although AI is a new kid on the block, emotionally immersive virtual pet toys have a history of shaping young minds. In the 90s and 2000s, Tamagotchis – tiny digital pets housed in keychain-sized devices – led to distress when they “died” after just a few hours of neglect, their human owners returning to the image of a ghostly pet floating beside a gravestone. Now, imagine an AI pet that remembers conversations, forms responses and adapts to emotional cues. That’s a whole new level of psychological influence. What safeguards prevent a child from forming an unhealthy attachment to an AI pet?

Researchers in the 90s were already fascinated by the “Tamagotchi effect”, which demonstrated the intense attachment children form to virtual pets that feel real. In the age of AI, with companies’ algorithms carefully engineered to boost engagement, this attachment can open the door to emotional bonds. If an AI-powered pet like Ropet expresses sadness when ignored, an adult can rationally dismiss it – but for a child, it can feel like a real tragedy.

Could AI companions, by adapting to their owners’ behaviours, become psychological crutches that replace human interaction? Some researchers warn that AI may blur the boundaries between artificial and human companionship, leading users to prioritize AI relationships over human connections.

Who owns your AI pet – and your data?

Beyond emotional risks, there are major concerns about security and privacy. AI-driven products often rely on machine learning and cloud storage, meaning their “brains” exist beyond the physical robot. What happens to the personal data they collect? Can these AI pets be hacked or manipulated? The recent DeepSeek data leak, in which over 1 million sensitive records, including user chat logs, were made publicly accessible, is a reminder that personal data stored by AI is never truly secure.

Robot toys have raised security concerns in the past: in the late 90s, Furbies were banned from the US National Security Agency headquarters over fears they could record and repeat classified information. With today’s AI-driven toys becoming increasingly sophisticated, concerns about data privacy and security are more relevant than ever.

The future of AI companions: regulation and responsibility

I see the incredible potential – and the significant risks – of AI companionship. Right now, AI-driven pets are being marketed primarily to tech-savvy adults, as seen in Ropet’s promotional ad featuring an adult woman bonding with the robotic pet. Yet, the reality is that these products will inevitably find their way into the hands of children and vulnerable users, raising new ethical and safety concerns. How will companies like Ropet navigate these challenges before AI pets become mainstream?

Preliminary results from our ongoing research on AI companionship – conducted in collaboration with Dr Stefania Masè (IPAG Business School) and Dr. Jamie Smith (Fundação Getulio Vargas) – suggest a fine line between supportive, empowering companionship and unhealthy psychological dependence, a tension we plan to explore further as data collection and analysis progress. In a world where AI convincingly simulates human emotions, it’s up to us as consumers to critically assess what role these robotic friends should play in our lives.

No one really knows where AI is headed next, and public and media discussions around the subject continue to push the boundaries of what’s possible. But in my household, it’s the nostalgic charm of babbling, singing Furbies that rules the day. Ropet claims to have one primary purpose – to be its owner’s “one and only love” – and that already sounds like a dystopian threat to me.

Alisa Minina Jeunemaître ne travaille pas, ne conseille pas, ne possède pas de parts, ne reçoit pas de fonds d’une organisation qui pourrait tirer profit de cet article, et n’a déclaré aucune autre affiliation que son organisme de recherche.

– ref. AI robot pets can be adorable and emotionally responsive. They also raise questions about attachment and mental health – https://theconversation.com/ai-robot-pets-can-be-adorable-and-emotionally-responsive-they-also-raise-questions-about-attachment-and-mental-health-252967

MIL OSI – Global Reports –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI: New Eclipse Foundation Research Examines Key Challenges Shaping Open Source Software Adoption in the Automotive Industry
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

BRUSSELS, March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — The Eclipse Foundation, one of the world’s largest open source software foundations, today published the final report in its landmark three-part research series on the use of open source software in the automotive ecosystem. Titled Challenges Facing Open Source Software in the Automotive Ecosystem, the report explores the unique challenges developers and decision-makers encounter when leveraging open source software in today’s software-defined vehicle (SDV) landscape.

“Open source has emerged as one of the most transformative forces in modern vehicle design,” said Mike Milinkovich, executive director of the Eclipse Foundation. “But any significant paradigm shift is bound to introduce some challenges. Our goal with this report is to shine a light on these challenges so the community can address them collaboratively, smoothing the path forward for SDV innovation.”

Key Findings:
- Performance, security, and customisability are core open source benefits: Both decision-makers and developers agree that improved performance, stronger security, and customisability are the top advantages of OSS.
- Integration Challenges and Sustained Performance Improvements Require Ongoing Investment: These same stakeholders view integration complexity, continual real-time performance improvements, and scalability as potential “technical blockers” that demand strategic investment.
- Management Demands and Predictability Remain Concerns: Long-term planning, compliance, and dependency management were flagged—especially by decision-makers—as critical areas needing careful oversight.
- Cost Savings Drive Business Value, While Standardisation and Interoperability Drive Engineering Value: Both of these benefits help to justify and alleviate business and technical challenges.
- Foundation Support Strengthens Trust and Confidence in OSS Projects: Respondents overwhelmingly agree that open source foundation stewardship is critical as a source of credibility, stability, sustainability, and guidance for open source projects.
Recommendations for Developers, Business Leaders, and Policy Makers
In addition to presenting key findings, the report outlines actionable insights for key stakeholders:
- For Software Developers: Advocate for streamlined OSS integration through improved tooling, documentation, and processes. Engaging with foundations and open source communities is key to accessing resources and ensuring long-term project viability.
- For Business Leaders: Recognise that while OSS offers clear benefits, realizing its full value requires strategic investment in integration, maintenance, governance, and management resources.
- For Policymakers: Support policies that strengthen the role of OSS foundations in fostering project stability, security audits, and transparent governance frameworks.
This report follows two prior publications:

1. Driving Innovation & Building Safer Cars with Open Source Software, focused on the application of functional safety in software-defined vehicle design.
2. Driving Efficiency and Sustainability: The Business Value of Open Source Software in the Automotive Industry, showcasing the transformative business impact of OSS in the automotive sector.

Commissioned by the Eclipse Foundation’s Software Defined Vehicle (SDV) Working Group, the study surveyed 300 automotive developers and business leaders from leading OEMs and Tier-1 suppliers. The findings underscore the critical role of OSS in driving flexibility, innovation, and efficiency within the industry.

Join the Eclipse SDV Community
Explore opportunities to contribute to the global hub for software-defined vehicle innovation and collaboration. Our diverse membership of industry leaders is driving real-world innovation that is shaping the future of the automotive industry. We provide an inclusive platform where companies of all sizes can engage and contribute on equal footing. Find more details about joining us at sdv.eclipse.org/membership.

About Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle
Eclipse Software Defined Vehicle (SDV), a working group within the Eclipse Foundation, supports the open source development of cutting-edge automotive technologies that power the programmable vehicles of the future where software defines features, functionality, and operations. With over 50 members, including leading automotive manufacturers, global cloud providers, technology innovators, and key supply chain partners, the initiative has strong industry backing. The working group’s mission is to provide a collaborative forum for developing and promoting open source solutions tailored to the global automotive industry. Adopting a “code first” approach, Eclipse SDV focuses on building the industry’s first open source software stacks and associated tools that will support the core functionalities of next-generation vehicles.

About the Eclipse Foundation
The Eclipse Foundation provides our global community of individuals and organisations with a business-friendly environment for open source software collaboration and innovation. We host the Eclipse IDE, Adoptium, Software Defined Vehicle, Jakarta EE, and over 420 open source projects, including runtimes, tools, specifications, and frameworks for cloud and edge applications, IoT, AI, automotive, systems engineering, open processor designs, and many others. Headquartered in Brussels, Belgium, the Eclipse Foundation is an international non-profit association supported by over 300 members. To learn more, follow us on social media @EclipseFdn, LinkedIn, or visit eclipse.org.
Third-party trademarks mentioned are the property of their respective owners.

Media contacts:
Schwartz Public Relations (Germany)
Gloria Huppert/Marita Bäumer
Sendlinger Straße 42A
80331 Munich
EclipseFoundation@schwartzpr.de
+49 (89) 211 871 -70/ -62

514 Media Ltd (France, Italy, Spain)
Benoit Simoneau
benoit@514-media.com
M: +44 (0) 7891 920 370

Nichols Communications (Global Press Contact)
Jay Nichols
jay@nicholscomm.com
+1 408-772-1551

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Authorities mull intelligent green monitoring system

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

China is advancing an intelligent environmental monitoring system that integrates space, air, ground and sea, with a focus on addressing environmental issues that directly affect people, a senior official said on Wednesday.

Jiang Huohua, director of environmental monitoring at the Ministry of Ecology and Environment, said at a news conference that authorities are embracing rapid technological advances to enhance monitoring capabilities.

In a recent move, the ministry, along with the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the State Administration for Market Regulation, issued guidelines to promote high-quality development in the environmental protection equipment industry.

The guidelines call for expanding the development of robots and remote-operation equipment, particularly for environmental monitoring. They also promote the use of advanced technologies such as virtual reality and digital twins to improve monitoring efforts, Jiang said.

China has made significant progress in noise monitoring, he added. All 4,005 noise monitoring facilities in cities above the prefecture level are now automated, up from just 8.7 percent in 2023.

“These facilities are not only automatic, but also intelligent,” Jiang said.

Equipped with sound source identification modules, they can detect and trace different sounds, such as insect chirping, bird calls and human activity. Beyond measuring noise levels, they can pinpoint the origins of specific sounds, he said.

Authorities have deliberately placed these facilities in bustling urban areas — with primarily noise-sensitive residential buildings in their surroundings, rather than in parks or tourist sites — to ensure the data reflects real conditions for residents, he added.

The ministry is also adopting large-scale AI models such as Deep-Seek to improve monitoring. The digital transformation of air and surface water monitoring stations has reduced the need for on-site maintenance and cut individual maintenance times by more than 70 percent, Jiang said.

During the 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-30) period, environmental monitoring of surface water quality will expand to medium- and small-sized rivers near residential areas, with 170 rivers set to be included, he said.

China’s satellite remote sensing capabilities have also significantly improved since 2021, Jiang said. The deployment of seven satellites has established a multi-satellite monitoring system with frequent cycles, broad coverage and high resolution.

“Remote sensing using satellites and drones has already proven pivotal and will continue to play an increasingly important role in environmental protection,” he said.

MIL OSI China News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Humanoid robots to shine at 5th China International Consumer Products Expo

Source: People’s Republic of China – State Council News

BEIJING, March 27 — The fifth China International Consumer Products Expo (CICPE), scheduled for April 13 to 18 in Haikou, capital of south China’s Hainan Province, will showcase the latest humanoid robots from leading domestic and international companies, the event’s organizers announced on Thursday.

The expo, a key platform for global trade and consumption trends, has drawn the participation of over 4,100 brands from 71 countries and regions, Vice Commerce Minister Sheng Qiuping told a press conference.

Co-hosted by China’s Ministry of Commerce and the Hainan provincial government, this year’s expo will highlight emerging consumption trends, including artificial intelligence (AI) and low-altitude aviation, debuting innovations from global companies, Sheng said.

The event will introduce a dedicated consumption tech zone to display cutting-edge technologies and products, with humanoid robots being a bright spot at the expo.

Major tech innovators such as Huawei, Tesla, Unitree and Rokid will present their latest AI-integrated consumer products, ranging from humanoid robots to AR glasses.

The CICPE is China’s only national-level exhibition featuring consumer products and is the largest consumer expo in the Asia-Pacific region.

MIL OSI China News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Zhongguancun to light up for annual forum with 3D show

Source: China State Council Information Office 2

A high-tech light show will illuminate Beijing’s Zhongguancun Plaza starting Thursday night, celebrating the 2025 Zhongguancun Forum Annual Conference.
The display will use 3D technology to transform eight buildings, 11 pedestrian bridges and a sculpture in the tech district into a vivid spectacle.
Officials from Haidian district’s urban management committee said this year’s light show aligns closely with the conference theme: “New Quality Productive Forces and Global Science and Technology Cooperation.”
During the show, an AI digital persona called “Xiao Guan” and a digital osprey will guide viewers through segments highlighting Zhongguancun’s role in global technology and its blend of tradition and innovation.
The light show runs nightly from March 27-31, starting every half hour from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.
Zhongguancun, often called China’s Silicon Valley, hosts the annual tech forum.

MIL OSI China News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: Pharmaceutical multinationals double down on China’s biotech innovations

Source: China State Council Information Office

Multinational pharmaceutical firms, particularly U.S. giants, are increasingly recognizing China’s burgeoning innovative drug sector as a strategic goldmine to bolster their global competitiveness.

Last week, Lilly’s newly-opened Lilly Gateway Labs in Beijing welcomed its first tenant, namely a Chinese biotechnology company focusing on innovative medicines for neurodegenerative and neurological disorders.

This marked the launch of Lilly’s first shared lab platform outside the United States, said David A. Ricks, chairman and CEO of Eli Lilly and Company. “China’s biopharmaceutical innovation is accelerating at an unprecedented pace,” he noted.

China’s vast healthcare market has long been a magnet for global pharmaceutical giants. Notably, the country’s robust biotechnology creativity is now also emerging as a more compelling draw for foreign capital.

This week, medical tech firm Medtronic opted for tapping into China’s biotech advancements. On Monday, it launched a digital healthcare innovation base at BioPark in the Beijing Economic-Technological Development Area (BDA) — its first in China.

The new facility plans to leverage Beijing’s leading medical resources and innovation momentum to develop disease management solutions based on AI and big data. To date, nearly 5,000 medical and healthcare companies have gathered in the BDA.

In addition, Pfizer Inc. is set to open its first Beijing-based entity, a research center — to align clinical trials with global timelines and focus on new product development in oncology.

British pharma AstraZeneca joined the bandwagon by signing a landmark 2.5-billion-U.S. dollar agreement last Friday to invest in Beijing over the next five years, with the aim of establishing a global strategic R&D center in China’s capital city.

“China’s biotechnology sector thrives on a dual engine — Beijing’s constellation of famous medical universities training great minds and biotechnology, coupled with an environment that’s cultivating new company formation,” Ricks from Lilly said.

Lilly’s lab platform is designed to accommodate 5 to 8 biotech companies. Ricks confirmed plans to establish additional facilities in east China’s Shanghai and other innovation hubs in the country.

“We have hit the optimal moment to develop innovative drugs,” said Guan Xiaoming, co-founder of 4B technologies, a Chinese biotech that has joined Lilly’s Beijing incubator.

Huzur Devletsah, president and general manager of Lilly China, said: “China’s biopharmaceutical market is rapidly evolving, with significant growth and a strong focus on innovation.”

Biotech boom

China’s growing appeal for international pharmaceutical giants stems partly from the remarkable global market performance of its homegrown innovative drugs.

Akeso, Inc., a startup based in the southern Chinese city of Zhongshan, saw its license-out lung cancer drug outperform blockbuster therapy Keytruda of MSD, which is known as Merck in the United States, in a head-to-head trial. A Wall Street Journal columnist described it as the DeepSeek moment for China’s biotech industry, albeit in a more “incremental” fashion.

“China has made notable progress in pharmaceutical innovation, both in terms of quantity and quality,” said Xia Yu, Akeso’s founder. “This has boosted its international standing and competitiveness.”

Currently, an increasing number of Chinese biotech firms are relying on well-trained domestic researchers to quickly advance lab findings to clinical stages. Many such fast-moving startups are choosing to license their innovations to global giants or partner with them in a bid to explore overseas markets.

On Tuesday, Hengrui, a major pharmaceutical company located in the eastern Chinese city of Lianyungang, inked an exclusive licensing agreement with MSD for a clinical-stage oral coronary heart disease drug.

Hengrui will receive a 200-million U.S. dollar upfront payment from the global firm headquartered in New Jersey, U.S., and is eligible for up to 1.77 billion in milestones and royalties on net sales if the product is approved.

Another recent development saw Avenzo Therapeutics, a California-based firm, entering into a license contract in January with Shanghai’s DualityBio, to develop next-generation antibody-drug conjugate (ADC) cancer therapies.

“DualityBio has a strong track record of developing and advancing a pipeline of differentiated ADCs that target a broad range of indications,” said Athena Countouriotis, co-founder, president and CEO of Avenzo Therapeutics, in a statement. The first-in-human clinical study of an ADC candidate drug is anticipated to take place this year.

Such business collaboration has become a standard practice in the industry. Statistics showed that in 2025 alone — about 20 Chinese innovative drug license-out deals have been struck, with these deals worth over 11 billion dollars.

Bi Jingquan, an economist from the China Center for International Economic Exchanges, said an ecosystem that encourages innovative drug discovery is taking shape in China.

“China boasts abundant and well-educated human resources, rich clinical research resources, and a drug review and approval system that is largely aligned with international standards,” Bi noted.

“If you’re looking for innovation, that’s the logical place to go,” Robert Duggan, founder of Summit Therapeutics, which is Akeso’s U.S. partner, was quoted as saying about China.

MIL OSI China News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI China: China’s digital industry grows 5.5% in 2024

Source: China State Council Information Office

China’s digital industry showed steady growth and improved innovation in 2024, according to a Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of China (MIIT) report released on March 17.

The ministry said the sector maintained overall stability while enhancing its structure and innovative capabilities.

The report showed that in 2024, China’s digital industry generated 35 trillion yuan ($4.8 trillion) in business revenue, up 5.5% year on year. Profits rose 3.5% to 2.7 trillion yuan. The sector employed 20.6 million people, roughly unchanged from 2023.

Regional growth varied across China. The eastern region saw digital sector revenue increase 6.5% year on year, accounting for 73.6% of the national total. China’s central, western and northeastern regions grew by 4.2%, 0.8% and 2.5%, respectively.

Ten provinces and municipalities, including Guangdong, Jiangsu and Beijing, accounted for 81.5% of national digital industry revenue and 99.5% of total revenue growth.

The ministry also noted the emergence of national-level manufacturing clusters in areas such as information technology, artificial intelligence, display technologies and integrated circuits. These clusters are expected to drive further growth in the digital sector.

As of the end of last year, China had built a total of 72.88 million kilometers of fiber optic cables and 4.251 million 5G base stations. The country also installed 28.2 million 10G Passive Optical Network (PON) ports for homes and businesses. More than 90% of administrative villages were connected to 5G networks.

Computing centers used over 8.8 million standard racks, with overall computing power up 16.5% from the previous year. The ministry reported accelerated construction of converged infrastructure.

A total of 55,000 5G virtual private networks were put into use at industrial facilities, ports and the energy sector. The Industrial Internet of Things connected 506,000 enterprises through 381 second-level identification and resolution nodes. Mobile Internet of Things end users totaled 2.66 billion.

The report noted rapid progress toward an “intelligent world” with widespread connectivity.

In 2024, China’s electronic information manufacturing sector fully recovered. Production increased rapidly, with value added by manufacturers of computers, communications and other electronic devices above designated size rising 11.8%, up 8.4 percentage points from the previous year. The sector’s imports and exports totaled $1.8 trillion, a 6.4% year-on-year increase.

Production of mobile phones grew 7.8%, microcomputers 2.7%, and color TV sets 4.6%. Boosted by AI, cloud platforms, and other new business models, the software industry generated 13.7 trillion yuan in revenue, up 10% from 2023. The communications industry earned 1.74 trillion yuan, a 3.2% increase. Total business volume in the telecommunications industry grew 10% year on year.

Key industrial chains developed well, achieving notable results. Huawei released its HarmonyOS 5 system, becoming the third most popular mobile operating system after iOS and Android. The open-source Harmony system was installed on more than 1 billion devices. The openEuler system also gained over 3.8 million users. More than 40 key standards were formulated for the AI industry.

Fixed asset investment in electronic information manufacturing grew 12% year on year, driven by global demand recovery and government policies to boost consumption, upgrade industries, and enhance national security and strength.

AI, robotics and other emerging sectors became investment hotspots. AI technologies made significant progress, with large AI models quickly commercialized. AI applications in finance, government services, health care and manufacturing helped enterprises improve effectiveness and efficiency.

The combination of AI technologies and intelligent hardware generated new popular consumer products. AI-powered mobile phones gained market share rapidly.

Digital enterprises expanded globally, with consumer electronics becoming increasingly competitive in overseas markets. Digital technology service providers also actively explored business opportunities with Belt and Road cooperation partners.

MIL OSI China News –

March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI: Lantronix Launches New Open-Q 8550CS System-On-Module Designed to Meet the Needs of Edge AI Computing
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

IRVINE, Calif., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Lantronix Inc. (NASDAQ: LTRX), a global leader of compute and connectivity for IoT solutions enabling Edge AI Intelligence, today announced its new Open-Q™ 8550CS System-on-Module (SOM). Powered by the Qualcomm Dragonwing™ QCS8550 processor, this production-ready module provides low-power, on-device Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) capabilities, simplifying design and empowering developers to more quickly bring innovative edge products to market.

Lantronix’s Open-Q 8550 is uniquely designed to meet the higher AI/ML requirements of extreme Edge computing, including advanced video and AI applications such as video collaboration, video transcoding, camera applications and integration with Edge AI gateways. Like all Lantronix’s embedded compute technology, this platform uniquely provides a complete solution comprised of hardware, software, Device Management and Services, enabling customers to get to market faster. It is an ideal platform for the development of industrial Edge AI products, including drones, controllers, robotics and industrial handheld devices for a variety of industries, including smart warehousing, manufacturing, transportation, logistics and retail.

“Qualcomm Technologies’ 15-year strategic collaboration with Lantronix supports our mutual goal of delivering integrated, collaborative solutions to elevate the success of IoT, Edge AI and AI/ML technologies to drive the development of advanced-edge applications,” said Suri Maddhula, vice president of IoT Solutions Product Management at Qualcomm Technologies Inc.

“With the support of Qualcomm Technologies, Lantronix is driving seamless AI innovation at the Edge, empowering developers to harness embedded computing and IoT for cutting-edge, industrial-grade solutions. Together, we’re transforming the impossible into reality,” said Mathi Gurusamy, chief strategy officer at Lantronix.

High-Performance Open-Q 8550CS SOM Meets AI/ML Requirements for Edge Computing

The Open-Q 8550CS SOM features an on-device AI engine with premium performance, supporting the higher AI/ML requirements for extreme Edge computing, including Edge devices, Edge servers and Edge AI boxes.

Key features include:
- Low power consumption with a 4nm process
- Kryo Octa-core CPU up to 3.2 GHz and Adreno A740 GPU
- Dual eNPU delivering 48 INT8, 12 FP16 TOPs
- Security features include Trusted Management Engine, Hypervisor, Secure Processing Unit, and DDR encryption
- Enterprise-level connectivity with Wi-Fi 7 MU-MIMO supporting up to 5.8Gbps
- Best-in-class performance across compute processing, camera, AI, security and audio.
- Up to 8GB LPDDR5 RAM + 128GB UFS Flash
- Android™ 13 and Linux Yocto Kirkstone
- Dedicated Computer Vision Engine
- Multiple MIPI camera and display ports
- Multiple high speed connectivity options
- Support for Qualcomm Sensing Hub 3.0
Benefits include the ability to:
- Enhance video conferencing meeting experiences, automated guided vehicle pathing, smart camera image quality and Edge AI box scalability with its octal-core computing capabilities and 48 AI TOPS tensor performance;
- Perform complex 3D rendering and computer vision tasks with a powerful Adreno 740 GPU supporting ray tracing, Open GL ES, Vulkan and Open CL profiles and 4K240/8K60 video decoding and 4K120/8K30 encoding; and
- Connect Edge AI boxes leveraging high-speed 2.5G and 10G Ethernet ports.
Open-Q 8550 Dev Kit Speeds Development, Reduces Time-to-Market

Providing an ideal starting point for evaluating the Open-Q 8550CS SOM, Lantronix’s Open-Q 8550CS SOM Development Kit is designed to facilitate easy evaluation of the SOM’s key features, such as the low-power AI subsystem with a dedicated DSP and AI accelerator supporting always-on audio, sensors, contextual data streams and an always-on camera.

The kit supports the evaluation of C-PHY and D-PHY MIPI CSI and GMSL cameras, dual MIPI DSI, DisplayPort, audio, sensors, GNSS, Gigabit Ethernet and many more features. It comes with Lantronix’s Open-Q™ 8550CS SOM, an open-frame carrier board exposing all the available I/O, and a range of accessories to fast-track product development.

TAA and NDAA Compliant Solutions

Lantronix Open-Q development solutions are TAA and NDAA compliant, ensuring at least 10 years of longevity with strict Bill-of-Materials and rigorous quality control. Backed by more than 20 years of expertise, Lantronix has successfully delivered more than 1,200 hardware and software projects, setting the standard for reliability and innovation.

Lantronix Engineering Services

Lantronix Engineering Services delivers turn-key product development support for its Open-Q platforms and development kits. Backed by unparalleled engineering expertise behind 1,500+ successful products, our development team specializes in camera development and tuning, voice control, machine learning, mechanical and RF design, as well as thermal and power optimization. With cost-effective solutions, we accelerate developers’ go-to-market timelines, ensuring innovation meets efficiency.

About Lantronix

Lantronix Inc. is a global leader of compute and connectivity IoT solutions that target high-growth markets, including Smart Cities, Enterprise and Transportation. Lantronix’s products and services empower companies to succeed in the growing IoT markets by delivering customizable solutions that enable AI Edge Intelligence. Lantronix’s advanced solutions include Intelligent Substations infrastructure, Infotainment systems and Video Surveillance, supplemented with advanced Out-of-Band Management (OOB) for Cloud and Edge Computing.

For more information, visit the Lantronix website.

Lantronix Media Contact:
Gail Kathryn Miller
Corporate Marketing &
Communications Manager
media@lantronix.com

Lantronix Analyst and Investor Contact:
investors@lantronix.com

©2025 Lantronix, Inc. All rights reserved. Lantronix is a registered trademark. Other trademarks and trade names are those of their respective owners.

Qualcomm-branded products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. and/or its subsidiaries. Qualcomm, Kryo, Adreno and Qualcomm Dragonwing are trademarks or registered trademarks of Qualcomm Incorporated.

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/208b6cd7-8503-4deb-97d2-5953513dde52

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI: Broadcom Teams with Audi to Deliver Next-Generation IT-Based Factory Automation Powered by VMware Cloud Software
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

PALO ALTO, Calif., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Broadcom Inc. (NASDAQ: AVGO) today announced that Audi’s Edge Cloud 4 Production (EC4P) initiative, powered by VMware Cloud software, is now live with the first virtual programmable logic controller (vPLC) at the Boellinger Hoefe plant in Germany where Audi manufactures the electric Audi e-tron GT car. As part of the EC4P initiative, the VMware Cloud Foundation® (VCF) private cloud platform helps Audi centralize the management and maintenance of dedicated industrial PC devices located on the factory floor, simplify security patching and risk management, and reduce environmental impact through the use of less hardware and fewer manual operations.

With EC4P, Audi is delivering smart manufacturing by bringing software-defined factory automation to the shop floor and bridging the gap between IT and OT. The initiative includes close partnership between key technology partners including Broadcom, Cisco and Siemens.

“The use of virtual programmable logic controllers in the body shop is an important productivity leap in our 360factory strategy for efficient and data-driven manufacturing,” said Audi Board Member for Production Gerd Walker. “We want to bring the local cloud for production to all plants and leverage advances in digital control systems in the process.”

“The collaboration between Audi and Broadcom is core to building a manufacturing future that is more efficient, cost-effective and secure,” said Sven Müller, project lead for EC4P at Audi. “Through our work together, we’re setting new standards for precision, customization, and environmental sustainability. EC4P will reduce our hardware footprint, replacing thousands of decentralized industrial PCs with a more efficient, scalable and flexible architecture of local edge servers that unites the cloud and the edge on the shop floor.”

Transforming IT-based Factory Automation with a Private Cloud Platform

Audi deployed VMware Cloud Foundation to create a private cloud environment outside of the Boellinger Hoefe manufacturing plant where critical shop floor workloads are hosted and managed centrally. Some examples include:
- Virtual Worker Stations (Virtual Desktops): Instead of maintaining physical industrial PCs for running thousands of “worker stations” across the factory, these can now be run as virtual machines (VM) on VMware Cloud Foundation outside of the actual plant. Software and operating system updates can be done as a parallel operation instead of forcing them into the short shift changeover times. If a worker station VM has issues, it can quickly be replaced remotely.
- Virtual Programmable Logic Controllers (vPLCs): Virtual Programmable Logic Controllers (vPLCs) are used to control robots that manufacture different parts of the cars. A vPLC workload can be installed as a VM or even container and be managed similarly to IT-based cloud infrastructure. Configuration updates, security patches and feature updates can be made from Audi’s private cloud.
Building on EC4P, upcoming use cases may include AI-driven production, data analytics and computer vision applications for Audi. With VMware Cloud Foundation, Audi aims to achieve the following benefits at Boellinger Hoefe:
- Infrastructure standardization through one private cloud platform for all applications on the shop floor.
- Faster updates and deployments through improved efficiency with faster application deployment, automated updates and maintenance.
- Better agility and scalability through cloud infrastructure that makes it easier and faster to reconfigure a production line to accommodate a product mix change, and scale compute and storage infrastructure easily and independently.
- Reduced costs through a smaller hardware footprint, less hardware maintenance, and centralized software and operating system updates.
- Lower environmental impact through a smaller hardware footprint that generates less heat, consumes less power, and results in less e-waste.
- Enhanced security and resilience through automated and centralized patching at scale and use of immutable snapshots in the event of an attack or breach enable fast roll back to the last known good state, minimizing interruption to the production line.
- Less downtime through intelligent workload and network telemetry can proactively flag, diagnose and remediate issues and automated updates during planned maintenance windows.
“As Audi seeks to take factory automation to the next level and benefit from a scalable infrastructure at its factories worldwide, VMware Cloud Foundation will enable the replacement of industrial PCs and specialty hardware on the shop floor with general purpose servers running consistent VMware cloud infrastructure software,” said Paul Turner, vice president of products, VMware Cloud Foundation Division at Broadcom. “VCF provides a consistent and scalable way for Audi to operate a distributed edge infrastructure, manage resources more efficiently, and lower operations costs. Ultimately, VCF will help Audi increase factory uptime, agility, and the speed of rolling out new applications and tools across the production line.”

About Broadcom

Broadcom Inc. (Nasdaq: AVGO) is a global technology leader that designs, develops, and supplies a broad range of semiconductor, enterprise software and security solutions. Broadcom’s category-leading product portfolio serves critical markets including cloud, data center, networking, broadband, wireless, storage, industrial, and enterprise software. Our solutions include service provider and enterprise networking and storage, mobile device and broadband connectivity, mainframe, cybersecurity, and private and hybrid cloud infrastructure. Broadcom is a Delaware corporation headquartered in Palo Alto, Calif. For more information, go to broadcom.com.

Media Contacts
Roger T. Fortier
VCF Division, Broadcom
roger.fortier@broadcom.com

Pauline Chay
EMEA Communications, Broadcom
pauline.chay@broadcom.com

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nokia launches Nokia DAC Marketplace to empower industrial enterprises to harness digital transformation
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
Nokia launches Nokia DAC Marketplace to empower industrial enterprises to harness digital transformation
- DAC Marketplace brings together a wide selection of industrial solutions, including Nokia and third-party devices, applications, and services available worldwide.
- Customers and partners can easily find and deploy industrial products for their private wireless infrastructures.
- Marketplace merchants have increased visibility among Nokia customers and partners, driving additional opportunities.
27 March 2025
Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced the DAC Marketplace, where customers and partners can find trusted, ready-to-deploy industrial enterprise solutions, including Nokia and third-party devices, applications, and services. Nokia also announced that solutions from seven new merchants, including Accton Technology Corporation, Aprecomm, EPS Global, Etra Telecom, Exloc, InfiniG, and RugGear, are available in the marketplace.

Nokia DAC Marketplace makes it easy for customers and partners to find and purchase Industry 4.0 solutions that integrate into the Nokia Edge Compute and AI platform for industries. The marketplace automatically adjusts offerings based on the delivery country, ensuring compliance with local legislation. It also provides partners with a simplified process for integrating and offering complementary products as part of Nokia deals, strengthening the industrial ecosystem. Additionally, the DAC Marketplace provides opportunities for merchants to increase visibility with Nokia’s extensive customer and partner base through a quick and easy ordering process.

“Nokia is committed to fostering an open and collaborative ecosystem that empowers industrial enterprises to harness the full potential of digital transformation,” said Stephan Litjens, Vice President Enterprise Campus Edge Solutions, at Nokia Cloud Networks and Services. “We are now giving customers an easy way to access Nokia and third-party solutions that expand industrial enterprises digitalization efforts and implementation of Industry 4.0 use case deployments.”

“We are thrilled that Nokia selected Aprecomm to be part of the Nokia DAC Marketplace and complement Nokia’s own portfolio, giving customers and partners easy access to solutions that help simplify and accelerate industrial digitalization. By offering access to advanced network analytics, quality of experience monitoring, and automated self-healing tools, Aprecomm enables enterprises to manage their Wi-Fi networks better, adding an important service layer to Nokia DAC Wi-Fi to achieve high reliability, optimize connected device performance and minimize downtime. When combined with MX Boost, it allows users to leverage reliable Wi-Fi and private wireless simultaneously, ensuring maximum network performance across connectivity technologies and applications,” said Pramod Gummaraj, Founder & CEO of Aprecomm.

“Nokia DAC Marketplace is a game-changer for industrial enterprises looking for reliable and rugged communication solutions. At RugGear, we are proud to offer our durable devices through this platform, enabling businesses to enhance connectivity in even the most demanding environments. With Nokia’s trusted infrastructure and our mission to deliver robust communication tools, we are empowering industries to accelerate their digital transformation journey,” said Maverick Chen, CEO at RugGear.

Nokia will exhibit at Hannover Messe 2025 in Hall 14, Stand H80, where it will showcase the Nokia DAC Marketplace.

Multimedia, technical information and related news
Product Page: Nokia DAC
Product Page: Nokia DAC partners
Product Page: DAC Marketplace

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Media inquiries
Nokia Press Office
Email: Press.Services@nokia.com

Follow us on social media
LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI: Nokia strengthens industrial digitalization with new edge applications
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

Press Release
Nokia strengthens industrial digitalization with new edge applications
- Expansion of on-prem edge industrial application portfolio enhances industry automation, efficiency, safety, security, and sustainability of industrial enterprises.
- Underscores Nokia’s commitment to fostering an open and interoperable industrial edge ecosystem.
27 March 2025
Espoo, Finland – Nokia today announced the expansion of its industrial application ecosystem with the launch of six new Industry 4.0 applications deployed on MX Industrial Edge (MXIE) reinforcing its commitment to empowering enterprises on their digitalization journey with innovative use cases. The expansion enhances industry automation, efficiency, safety, security, and sustainability by integrating cutting-edge applications from leading technology partners, including Bosch Rexroth, Ipsotek, Nozomi Networks, Prosys OPC, SmartCone, and SwitchON.

Enterprises operating in asset-intensive industries like ports, mining and manufacturing, face significant challenges in harnessing value from real-time operational technology (OT) data to achieve their digitalization goals. These new applications employ various enabling technologies such as machine and process control, video analytics and AI, environmental sensing, industrial connectivity and network security to provide unique industrial use cases. The Nokia MXIE platform provides a robust and secure edge computing foundation that allows enterprises to seamlessly deploy these new applications.

The newly onboarded applications provide enterprises with the tools to drive innovation across multiple areas:

Industrial DataOps: Prosys OPC UA Forge provides a single point of access for collecting data from various industrial assets. Especially useful in brownfield deployments, this app facilitates structured data organization using OPC UA information modelling, ensuring interoperability across different manufacturers and system generations.

Machine Automation: Bosch Rexroth’s ctrlX OS is an operating system for industrial automation. Running on MXIE, ctrlX OS packaged with numerous industrial applications provides seamless integration of machines, data visualization, process automation, and secure communication across industrial use cases. In combination with the control platform ctrlX CORE of Bosch Rexroth, real-time control of machines is enabled.

AI-Powered Quality Inspection: SwitchON DeepInspect leverages high-precision AI models to reduce defects, lower inspection costs, and optimize manufacturing processes.

Advanced Video Analytics for Safety & Automation: Ipsotek VISuite enhances situational awareness with precise object tracking and AI-powered automation to improve worker safety and production monitoring.

Workplace Safety & Environmental Monitoring: SmartCone’s HeatGuardian solution provides real-time worker heat stress monitoring, ensuring workplace safety in different and challenging environmental conditions.

OT, IoT, and CPS Security: Purpose-built for complex industrial, commercial, and critical infrastructure environments, the Nozomi Networks Platform (including Guardian sensors) leverages AI to deliver real-time asset visibility, threat detection, and vulnerability management to minimize cyber risk and maximize operational resilience.

With these applications, enterprises can harness real-time insights to optimize operations, enhance worker safety, and ensure compliance with sustainability and security standards.

“Enterprises require intelligent, secure, and scalable solutions to navigate the complexities of digital transformation and introduce use cases that will deliver concrete benefits. The expansion of industrial applications deployed on MXIE underscores Nokia’s commitment to fostering an open and interoperable industrial edge ecosystem. With our expanded portfolio of industrial edge applications, we are enabling businesses to accelerate their digitalization journey while ensuring quality, safety and security, efficiency, and sustainability,” said Stephan Litjens, Vice President, Enterprise Campus Edge at Nokia.

About Nokia
At Nokia, we create technology that helps the world act together.

As a B2B technology innovation leader, we are pioneering networks that sense, think and act by leveraging our work across mobile, fixed and cloud networks. In addition, we create value with intellectual property and long-term research, led by the award-winning Nokia Bell Labs, which is celebrating 100 years of innovation.

With truly open architectures that seamlessly integrate into any ecosystem, our high-performance networks create new opportunities for monetization and scale. Service providers, enterprises and partners worldwide trust Nokia to deliver secure, reliable and sustainable networks today – and work with us to create the digital services and applications of the future.

Multimedia, technical information and related news
Product Page: Nokia industrial application portfolio
Product Page: MX Industrial Edge

Media inquiries
Nokia Press Office
Email: Press.Services@nokia.com

Follow Nokia on social media
LinkedIn X Instagram Facebook YouTube

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025
MIL-OSI: edgeTI to Present at the AI and Technology Virtual Investor Conference on April 3rd
Source: GlobeNewswire (MIL-OSI)

ARLINGTON, Va., March 27, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Edge Total Intelligence Inc. (“edgeTI”, “Company”) (TSXV: CTRL) (OTCQB: UNFYF) (FSE: Q5i), a leading provider of real-time digital twin software, today announces that Jim Barrett, CEO, will present live at the AI and Technology Virtual Investor Conference hosted by VirtualInvestorConferences.com on April 3^rd.

DATE: April 3^rd, 2025
TIME: 3:00 PM ET
LINK: Register Here

Available for follow-up 1×1 meetings: April 4^th and 6^th

This will be a live, interactive online event inviting investors to ask the company questions in real-time. If attendees cannot join the event live on the day of the conference, an archived webcast will also be made available after the event.

It is recommended that online investors pre-register and run the online system check to expedite participation and receive event updates.

Learn more about the event at www.virtualinvestorconferences.com.

Why learn more about edgeTI?
- Atypical Investment Opportunity via Early Public TSXV, OTCQB, & FSE: Compared to the estimated digital twin market and percentage of adoption, edgeTI and the entire market is early stage, yet edgeTI brings an investment opportunity typically not available to retail investors and small groups.
- Active in High-Growth AI-Adjacent Market: Digital Twin Market is projected to grow at 61.3% by MarketsandMarkets. Certain Digital Twins, like edgeTI edgeCore™, are AI adjacent and orchestrate and safeguard AI use in complex use cases.
- Proven Solution to Latent Delay and Waste in Enterprises and Government: edgeCore targets the intractable problem of delays in switching between marginally connected siloed systems and data. Proven in global enterprises and government, edgeCore resolves the chaos, with fluid, engaging data-driven actionability to deliver the right data and best action in one platform at the speed of relevance.
- Driving Progress with Visionary Leadership and Advisory Council: edgeTI’s work in the Digital Twin market has been acknowledged by Gartner, S & P Global, and CB Insights. Newly formed Industry Advisory Council of luminaries and proven operators in defense, national security, cybersecurity, energy, logistics, environmental and construction accelerate digital twin awareness, adoption, and best practices.
- Unique Low-risk Approach Crushes Barriers to Adoption and Limits Digital Sprawl: Rather than leading with massive data projects or ripping and replacing legacy systems to add even more data stores and mega apps, edgeCore disrupts the standard approach to unite data sources and technology assets to accelerate value.
Recent Company Highlights:
- edgeTI Provided Update edgeCore Client Proxy (ECP) Progress Focusing on ITSM, Middleware, Cyber Security, and National Defense. ECP enhances integration across various business and AI applications, reflecting edgeTI’s commitment to real-time digital operations and AI-driven Digital Twins.
- edgeTI enlisted B. Riley Securities, Clear Street, and Sichenzia Ross Ference Carmel LLP to assist in exploring a potential listing on the NASDAQ stock exchange. This strategic move aims to lower the company’s cost of capital, access institutional investment, and align with its significant U.S.-based operations.
About Edge Total Intelligence (“edgeTI”)
edgeTI helps customers sustain situational awareness and accelerate action with its real-time digital operations software, edgeCore™ that unites multiple software applications and data sources into one immersive experience called a Digital Twin. Global enterprises, service providers, and governments are more profitable when insight and action are united to deliver fluid journeys via the platform’s low-code development capability and composable operations. With edgeCore, customers can improve their margins and agility by rapidly transforming siloed systems and data across continuously evolving situations in business, technology, and cross-domain operations — helping them achieve the impossible.

Website: https://edgeti.com
LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/edgeti
YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/edgetechnologies

About Virtual Investor Conferences® “VIC”
Virtual Investor Conferences (VIC) is the leading proprietary investor conference series that provides an interactive forum for publicly traded companies to seamlessly present directly to investors.

Providing a real-time investor engagement solution, VIC is specifically designed to offer companies more efficient investor access. Replicating the components of an on-site investor conference, VIC offers companies enhanced capabilities to connect with investors, schedule targeted one-on-one meetings and enhance their presentations with dynamic video content. Accelerating the next level of investor engagement, Virtual Investor Conferences delivers leading investor communications to a global network of retail and institutional investors.

CONTACTS:
Edge Total Intelligence
Nick Brigman, Analyst and Press Relations
Phone: 888-771-3343
Email: ir@edgeti.com

Virtual Investor Conferences
John M. Viglotti
SVP Corporate Services, Investor Access
OTC Markets Group
(212) 220-2221
johnv@otcmarkets.com

Forward-Looking Information and Statements
Certain statements in this news release are forward-looking statements or information for the purposes of applicable Canadian and US securities law. Forward-looking statements consist of statements that are not purely historical, including any statements regarding beliefs, plans, expectations, or intentions regarding the future. Such information can generally be identified by the use of forwarding-looking wording such as “may”, “expect”, “estimate”, “anticipate”, “intend”, “believe” and “continue” or the negative thereof or similar variations. The reader is cautioned not to place undue reliance on any forward-looking information.

The forward-looking statements contained in this news release are made as of the date of this news release. Except as required by law, the Company disclaims any intention and assumes no obligation to update or revise any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.

Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

The MIL Network –
March 27, 2025

NEWS RELEASE	CONTACT:	Lynn Mailliard Kohler
		Director, Global Corporate Communications
		(415) 328-4798

Category: Machine Learning

Lord Hanson unveils ambitious new approach to tackling fraud

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