CAMARILLO, CA, Mar 21, 2023 – Semtech Corp., a high-performance semiconductor, IoT systems and cloud connectivity service provider, announced the expansion of its market leading LoRa portfolio with a new transceiver for use in Internet of Things (IoT) end points that provides lower power consumption, global connectivity and long range.

As the IoT continues to expand, LoRa’s innovative solutions are continuing to see huge growth in their implementation. LoRa enables data communication over a long range while using very little power. LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard are flexible for everything from long distance rural to indoor use cases in a wide range of industries including smart cities, homes and buildings, communities, agriculture, metering and utilities, healthcare, environment and supply chain and logistics.

The new LoRa Connect LR1121 brings the best LoRa transceiver RF performance to date with the multi-band versatility permitting a single, low-power chip to be used anywhere in the world. It is pin compatible with the current LoRa Edge™ devices, allowing module makers such as Murata to have a single hardware design for a wide range of applications, with global connectivity. Likewise, Integrated Passive Devices such as Johanson Technology can readily be used alongside the LoRa Connect LR1121 to offer a smaller footprint, reduce time to market and minimize design iterations.

The highly integrated LoRa Connect LR1121 transceiver provides LoRaWAN connectivity for terrestrial low power wide area networks (LPWAN) operating at 470MHz, 868MHz and 915MHz; it also provides LoRa 2.4GHz and the S-band for direct connection to satellites.

“Semtech’s LoRa Connect is targeting the connectivity challenges faced by the industry today enabling widespread adoption and reinforcing LoRa’s position as the de-facto platform for IoT,” said Robert Comanescu, senior director of the IoT Chips Business at Semtech. “We continue to invest in improving LoRa technology and enriching our product portfolio with multi-band LoRa support and LoRa Cloud™ services that will provide best in class, sustainable, ubiquitous and global IoT connectivity.”

New modules and reference designs, developed in partnership with Johanson and Murata, are ready at launch and offer a smaller form factor, lower assembly costs and faster time to market.

Murata’s Type 2GT module, currently supporting the LoRa Edge LR1110 and LR1120 products, is also now supporting the LoRa Connect LR1121, offering a turnkey solution for lower cost assembly and faster time to market with a pre-certified LR1121 variant readily available.

“By collaborating with Semtech on this offering, we are leveraging both companies’ leadership and expertise to create the most needed solution in the IoT market which provides multi-band LoRa and long range – frequency hopping spread spectrum (LR-FHSS) communication over sub-GHz and 2.4GHz ISM bands as well as licensed S-Band for satellites,” said Sasaki Akira, general manager of Connectivity Module Marketing, Murata. “The new multi-band module allows designers to develop products with a faster time to market by minimizing BOM size, cost and complexity.”

Likewise, Johanson Technology’s IPD is also compatible with the LR1121 and replaces many RF passives, allowing a smaller form factor and lower assembly costs. A reference design is available now on the Semtech website to jumpstart chip down designs.

To learn more about the LoRa Connect platform, please visit https://www.semtech.com/products/wireless-rf/lora-connect/lr1121

About Semtech’s LoRa Platform

Semtech’s LoRa chip-to-Cloud platform is a globally adopted long range, low power solution for Internet of Things (IoT) applications, enabling the rapid development and deployment of long range, ultra-low power and cost efficient IoT networks, gateways, sensors, module products, and IoT services worldwide. Semtech’s LoRa technology provides the communication layer for the LoRaWAN standard, which is maintained by the LoRa Alliance, an open IoT alliance for Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) applications that has been used to deploy IoT networks in over 173 countries. Semtech is a founding member of the LoRa Alliance and produces the “The WAN Network Show” podcast to connect massive IoT end users to operators of LoRaWAN networks around the world. With the proliferation of LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN standard, the LoRa Developer Portal is a technical support platform for IoT innovators to learn, connect, collaborate, and find resources to help accelerate product development efforts and expedite time to market. To learn more about how LoRa enables IoT and creates a more sustainable and smarter planet, visit Semtech’s LoRa site.

About Semtech

Semtech Corp. is a high-performance semiconductor, IoT systems and cloud connectivity service provider dedicated to delivering high quality technology solutions that enable a smarter, more connected and sustainable planet. Their global teams are dedicated to empowering solution architects and application developers to develop breakthrough products for the infrastructure, industrial and consumer markets.

To learn more about Semtech technology, visit Semtech.com.

SCHAAN, Liechtenstein, Mar 14, 2023 – Hilti announces a strategic partnership with Canvas, a construction robotics company that has developed a robotic drywalling solution aiming to empower people to build in bold new ways.

The partnership marks the beginning of a significant new step in robotics innovation after Hilti had launched the Jaibot, the world’s first semi-autonomous ceiling drilling robot in 2020. This collaboration brings together leaders in intelligent jobsite robotics who share a common vision: that robotic tools will unlock vastly untapped potential and drive a new era of productivity and safety for skilled trade workers.

Canvas, headquartered in San Francisco and founded in 2017 by veterans of Boston Dynamics, MIT and Stanford, leverages advances in collaborative robotics and machine learning to build a new class of tools for skilled tradespeople that harness the power of AI and machine learning. To date, Canvas has focused on drywall finishing which, studies have shown, has among the highest prevalence of work-related musculoskeletal disorder cases, with as many as one in four workers experiencing such effects.

Canvas’ robot can apply both level 5 and level 4 drywall finishes in a fraction of the time, and at a higher level of safety and reliability, compared to similar traditional methods. In contrast to manual application, the robot applies a single consistent layer of joint compound over wet tape and telescopes to 15.5 feet to do the vast majority of the work at height. It reduces repetitive motion injuries and captures 99.9% of the dust produced by sanding.

As part of the partnership, Hilti will assume the manufacturing responsibilities for future Canvas systems based on the proven Jaibot platform, giving Canvas a reliable and scalable global supply to meet the huge demand for its finishing robots.

“At Hilti, our purpose is making construction better. We do this by focusing our resources on innovative hardware, software and services that help to increase contractor productivity, worker health & safety, and sustainability,” said Thomas Hillbrand, Member of Hilti’s Executive Board. “Our shared values bring Hilti and Canvas together—and we’re excited to support Canvas in reimagining better ways of working through the power of robotics and AI.”

“It’s extremely validating that the demand for our drywall finishing robot quickly outstretched our capacity to produce this year,” says Canvas’ CEO, Kevin Albert. “Contractors continue to struggle with rising costs and labor shortages. The demand we see is testament to the critical need for new tools in the industry to address these challenges and empower our skilled workforce. We’re excited to announce this partnership which continues to push the boundary of what is possible and positions Canvas to meet current and future demand for our machines globally.”

The Canvas-Hilti partnership positions the construction robotics company to scale globally in an industry that is ripe for change. The partnership will enable Canvas to help the drywall industry solve its chronic and growing labor problem, while also making the job site cleaner, safer and less strenuous for the people doing the work.

About Hilti Group

The Hilti Group supplies the worldwide construction and energy industries with technologically leading products, systems, software and services. With about 32,000 team members in over 120 countries, the company stands for direct customer relationships, quality and innovation. Hilti generated annual sales of more than CHF 6.3 billion in 2022. The headquarters of the Hilti Group have been located in Schaan, Liechtenstein, since its founding in 1941. The company is privately owned by the Martin Hilti Family Trust, which ensures its long-term continuity. The Hilti Group’s strategic orientation is based on a caring and performance-oriented culture and the goals of creating enthusiastic customers and building a better future.

About Canvas

Canvas is a construction robotics company whose mission is to enable people to build in bold new ways. The Canvas system provides a flexible approach to drywall finishing, combining the skills and expertise of trained workers with technology that, together, enable drywall finishing work to be done better, faster, safer, and more consistently. Canvas has been recognized by Forbes and Fortune on their top AI and start-up lists, respectively, and recently won the Pro Tools Innovation Award for Technology/Robotics.

For more information, visit www.canvas.build.

MORRISVILLE, NC, Mar 10, 2023 – Lenovo announced the launch of the ThinkStation PX, P7 and P5, delivering a new trio of the most technologically advanced desktop workstations the company has ever built. Redesigned from the ground up to exceed today’s most extreme, high-computing workloads across industries, these new workstations feature the latest processor technology from Intel ranging up to 120 cores and support for high-end NVIDIA RTX professional GPUs. Additionally, the new workstations boast all-new groundbreaking chassis designs and advanced thermals, as well as BMC capabilities¹ for streamlined remote system monitoring. From virtual reality and mixed reality experiences and virtual production, to machine learning, data science, CAE, reality capture and AI, these next-generation workstations meet the ever-increasing demands for more power, performance, and speed in a scalable and future-proofed way for this new hybrid-work world.

“These new desktop workstations have been meticulously designed with a customer-centric lens in order to meet desired business outcomes and deliver innovative new solutions that our customers can enjoy well into the future as workloads increase in complexity,” said Rob Herman, vice president of Lenovo’s Workstation and Client AI Business Unit. “We partnered closely with Intel, NVIDIA and Aston Martin to ensure these new systems offer the best of form and functionality by combining a premium chassis with ultra high-end graphics, memory and processing power.”

To bring this trio of workstations to life, Lenovo partnered with its customer Aston Martin, a renowned high-performance automotive manufacturer and leader in the ultra-luxury vehicle market, to co-design the new ThinkStation chassis. In line with Aston Martin’s design philosophy, the collaboration sought to reflect Lenovo’s iconic red design language, provide the highest possible performance, and enable enhanced levels of customization. Designers from Lenovo and Aston Martin worked collaboratively to craft the ultimate performance machines, allowing workstation users to amplify every single stage of their complex workflows. To do this, the teams conceived a new tool-less chassis design that allows extreme flexibility and enhanced ergonomics.

With a focus on achieving maximum performance, the chassis’ 3D grill is directly inspired by Aston Martin’s iconic DBS grand tourer, applying design insights from the high-performance automotive segment to a desktop workstation. Redesigned air baffles and larger 3D hex ventilation openings, along with Lenovo’s patented tri-channel cooling system, allow for unobstructed airflow – ensuring maximum cold air intake and hot air exhaust. As a result, the iconic chassis maximizes performance of CPUs, GPUs, memory, and storage. Additionally, all three of the new workstations boast an innovative, modular design with front access drives for easy serviceability and upgrade flexibility.

“The design collaboration of Lenovo’s new ThinkStation chassis has been an amazing three-year journey,” said Cathal Loughnane, director of Aston Martin Partnerships. “As Lenovo workstation customers ourselves this project was a unique opportunity to craft a high-performance system that we will use to design and develop our high-performance vehicles.”

Lenovo ThinkStation PX: For Ultimate Desktop to Data Center Flexibility

Lenovo’s highest-end, flagship workstation product offering, the Lenovo ThinkStation PX reaches extreme levels of power and performance with support for more cores and expandability than previous generations of Lenovo workstations. Rack-optimized, the ThinkStation PX offers the flexibility needed for both desktop and data center environments, enabling a seamless transition between the two. This versatile new workstation is powered by the latest 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors, which offers up to 120 CPU cores and boasts a 53% average performance gain over the prior generation². The ThinkStation PX also offers support for up to four dual-slot NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation GPUs, so users can manage and execute the most complex workflows found in today’s work environments including creative finishing and CAE simulation. The new desktop workstation, with up to 2TB of DDR5 memory and ultra-fast bandwidth through PCIe Gen 5 lanes provides flexibility for multi-user virtualization in hybrid workflow environments — whether in the data center or carpet clusters under the desktop. Finally, this workstation offers an efficient 1850W PSU and optional redundant power supplies.

Lenovo ThinkStation P7: Staggering, Single-Socket Power

The ThinkStation P7 features a breakthrough new compute architecture with the latest Intel Xeon W processors, supporting up to 56 cores in a single socket, for reimagined power needed to tackle compute-intensive, multithreaded tasks head-on. Designed to exceed the most rigorous performance and reliability challenges of workloads that typically relied on servers or cloud resources in the past, the ThinkStation P7 is also rack-optimized for use in a variety of desktop and data center environments in a 4U enclosure. With support for up to three dual-slot NVIDIA RTX 6000 Ada Generation GPUs, the ThinkStation P7 is ideal for content creators, architects, designers, engineers and data scientists who require unprecedented graphics, visualization, real-time rendering, CAE and AI performance. From automotive styling and computational fluid dynamics analysis to complex video production and rendering workflows, the ThinkStation P7 can take on the toughest challenges.

“We are excited to offer the new lineup of Xeon W processors, built on a breakthrough new compute architecture and packaging with significantly more cores to accelerate performance across the fastest growing workloads that businesses depend on today,” said Roger Chandler, vice president of CCG and general manager, Creator and Workstation Solution team at Intel. “These processors are built to ensure professional innovators, including creators, engineers and data scientists, have the power and stability needed to create the industry’s latest innovations.”

Lenovo ThinkStation P5: Future-Proofed for Versatility, Reliability and Performance

A workhorse of a desktop workstation, the ThinkStation P5 is engineered for a wide number of industry verticals and has been redesigned to satisfy users’ demand for higher levels of performance, IT expandability and ease of management in the enterprise. The next-generation workstation features a newly designed chassis, the latest Intel Xeon W processors, which offer up to 24 cores, and support for up to two NVIDIA RTX A6000 professional graphics cards. High-speed DDR5 memory and PCIe Gen 5 bandwidth deliver extreme configurability that caters to end-users’ unique needs. Optimized for architects, designers, engineers, and creatives alike, this workstation shines in solid modeling and compute-intensive tasks including BIM, complex 3D CAD, reality capture and geospatial visualization, visual effects, and edge deployments.

“NVIDIA offers the world’s most powerful visual computing GPUs for desktop workstations,” said Bob Pette, vice president of Professional Visualization at NVIDIA. “These are featured in all three of Lenovo’s new ThinkStation desktop systems, equipping data scientists, engineers and creative professionals with the high-performance technology they need to work with massive datasets, innovate faster, and elevate their AI and compute-intensive workflows of tomorrow.”

The ThinkStation PX, P7 and P5 workstations are designed to work within some of the most demanding professionally managed IT workplace environments and provide essential enterprise-grade features and security. Lenovo’s rigorous standards and testing, ThinkStation Diagnostics 2.0, ThinkShield support, upgrades to Premier Support and three-year warranty, deliver the peace of mind needed to work confidently and more securely.

The three new workstations will be available starting in May 2023³. To learn more about the latest additions to Lenovo’s workstation product portfolio, visit www.lenovo.com/thinkstations

About Lenovo

Lenovo is a US$70 billion revenue global technology powerhouse, ranked #171 in the Fortune Global 500, employing 82,000 people around the world, and serving millions of customers every day in 180 markets. Focused on a bold vision to deliver smarter technology for all, Lenovo has built on its success as the world’s largest PC company by further expanding into key growth areas including server, storage, mobile, solutions and services. This transformation together with Lenovo’s world-changing innovation is building a more inclusive, trustworthy, and sustainable digital society for everyone, everywhere. To find out more visit www.lenovo.com

^{1 This add in card will not be available until later in 2023.
2 See [G1] at intel.com/processorclaims: 4th Gen Intel Xeon Scalable processors. Results may vary.
3 Availability may vary by geography and products may only be available in select markets.}

CAMPBELL, CA, Mar 6, 2023 – Centric Software, the product lifecycle management (PLM) market leader, proudly announces its partnership with Cosmecca Korea Co Ltd., an industry leader in research & development (R&D) and manufacturing of skincare products based in South Korea. Centric Software provides the most innovative enterprise solutions to plan, design, develop, source and sell products such as apparel, footwear, sporting goods, furniture, home décor, consumer electronics, cosmetics, food & beverage and luxury to achieve strategic and operational digital transformation goals.

Cosmecca Korea believes in creating a beautiful life for everyone through its cosmetics original equipment manufacturer (OEM) /original design manufacturer (ODM) services for its global clients based on innovative and competitive R&D. With the goal of becoming a leader in the global beauty industry, Cosmecca Korea expanded its production in South Korea, China and the United States where it acquired Englewood Lab, headquartered in New Jersey. The company is known for being the first in South Korea to develop triple-functional BB cream.

Recognizing stiff competition and the importance of being first and best to market, Cosmecca Korea wanted a solution to create a competitive advantage and reduce its new product development lead time. Despite having enterprise resource planning as well as raw material and regulatory management systems in place, the company struggled to unify and track product development information and streamline communication due to manual processes and the lack of a single platform as a point of reference. As such, they decided to utilize PLM to reconcile existing systems and processes.

Cosmecca Korea’s representative, a senior manager of the PLM project shares, “We evaluated three PLM providers based on four factors: the solution, product scope, cost and implementation experience. Finally, Centric stood out with their expertise in implementing PLM solutions for cosmetics manufacturing companies.”

Given the powerful capabilities of Centric PLM, Cosmecca Korea is set to increase competitiveness and client satisfaction by accelerating time to market and providing transparency with progress reports. In addition, Cosmecca Korea will use Centric PLM to further streamline global compliance and monitor regulations across its product portfolio, improve visibility with flexible project management, simplify product formulation and packaging development with partners and easily compare suppliers’ quotes, among many other benefits.

“After the implementation in our South Korea R&D center, we plan to implement Centric PLM in China and with our US subsidiaries as well to improve the development capabilities in all of our company’s laboratories,” says the representative from Cosmecca Korea.

Chris Groves, president and CEO of Centric Software couldn’t be more delighted about this collaboration. He says, “We respect innovators and pioneers in all industries and always find it a welcome challenge to play a bigger part in empowering them to go further. This is what our partnership with Cosmecca Korea is all about and we are excited about the future innovations this partnership will produce.”

About Cosmecca Korea

Since established in 1999, Cosmecca Korea is the leading expert in cosmetic research and development, as well as in production and manufacturing, due to our unrelenting innovative spirit and our globally recognized research capacity and high quality standards. Our bestsellers of Cosmeceutical, Hair loss, Triple-function BB cream, Tone-up, Anti-Pollution, and Zeta potentials products are leading the global beauty industry by inspiring creativity. Currently, it operates Chinese and American subsidiaries, has an annual production capacity of 826 million units based on its global network, and has grown as reliable partner for our global clients, based on our cutting-edge systems and technology.

For more information, visit www.cosmecca.com.

About Centric Software

From its headquarters in Silicon Valley, Centric Software provides a product concept to launch platform for consumer goods such as fashion, retail, footwear, luxury, outdoor, consumer electronics, cosmetics & personal care and food & beverage. Centric Software’s flagship product lifecycle management (PLM) platform, Centric PLM, delivers enterprise-class merchandise planning, product development, sourcing, quality and product portfolio optimization innovations specifically for fast-moving consumer industries. Centric Visual Boards offer highly visual, touch-screen experiences for collaboration and decision-making. Centric Planning is an innovative, cloud-native, augmented-intelligence solution delivering end-to-end retail planning to maximize retail and wholesale business performance. Centric Pricing, powered by StyleSage, is an AI-driven market insight platform for data-informed decision-making on pricing and product assortments to maximize revenue and margins. Among many other market-driven innovations, Centric Software is widely known for its connectivity to dozens of other enterprise systems, including ERP, DAM, PIM, e-com and more, in addition to creative tools such as Adobe Illustrator, a host of 3D CAD connectors and sustainability tools, such as HIGG. Centric Software has the highest user adoption rate, customer satisfaction rate and fastest time to value in the industry.

Centric Software is a subsidiary of Dassault Systèmes, the world leader in 3D design software, 3D digital mock-up and PLM solutions.

Centric Software has received multiple industry awards and recognition, including being named by Red Herring to its Top 100 Global list several times. Centric Software also received five excellence awards from Frost & Sullivan over the past decade.

For more information, visit www.centricsoftware.com.

Flexxbotics has announced the official launch of FlexxTend, a turnkey automated machine tending solution for machine shops to automate their CNC machines.

Setting up a machine tending application takes time and effort especially when machine shops are busy trying to get parts out of the door. FlexxTend takes care of the whole process for you. Our team designs everything to your specification and can be onsite integrating, validating and training 6 weeks later.

FlexxTend helps to

• Ensure rapid design and integration so your cobots go into production quickly, increasing your machine utilization and accelerating time to ROI.
• Eliminate the headaches and inefficient time figuring out an optimal setup. Let our expert team handle everything, so you can focus on production.
• Maximize functionality out of your machine tending setup by leveraging all the automation features of your CNC, cobot, and online services to enable lights out manufacturing.
• Ensure robust operations and support by providing the tools to be able to run high mix low volume jobs.

Learn more about the FlexxTend Platform here.

India, Feb 28, 2023 – Infor, the industry cloud company, announced that NCC Limited, a leading infrastructure conglomerate has chosen Infor CloudSuite Engineering & Construction (E&C) to support its digital transformation journey. This project ties to NCC’s company strategy, and is aimed at increasing productivity, enhancing cross-functional collaboration, and delivering improved visibility across the business. The 10-year commitment is expected to go live this year.

NCC Limited was involved in the construction of the Agartala Airport.

NCC Limited is a billion-dollar infrastructure conglomerate with four decades of strong credentials in building world-class infrastructure for a resurgent India. With a diverse business portfolio spread across multiple geographies, NCC undertakes turnkey engineering, procurement & construction (EPC) contracts, and build-operate-transfer (BOT) projects on a public-private partnership basis in the sectors of roads (national and state highways), buildings & housing, electrical, water & environment, irrigation, railways, international and power. NCC’s commitment is to create significant value for its stakeholders, and the company has evolved to become a full-fledged infrastructure solutions provider developing landmark projects that demonstrate far-reaching impact beyond the realm of construction.

NCC Limited was involved in the construction of the Metro Rail Nagpur.

Infor will help further streamline NCC’s operational processes across functions throughout the organization, and enable enhanced collaboration within the organization and also with the wider business partnership ecosystem. Infor’s solution will also help provide a real-time view of business performance, aid in smarter decision-making, and rapidly enhance robust enterprise capabilities.

The NCC project is a momentous win for Infor. Murali Manohar, Infor managing director of India Subcontinent, says Infor has played an instrumental role in helping to accelerate the adoption of industry-specific applications across key growth verticals in the region. As a testimony of this momentum, the NCC win comes on the back of another key customer success with Campco, a major chocolate manufacturer in India.

“The quality and timely completion of numerous iconic infrastructure projects over the years is testimony to our commitment to building a better India. To leapfrog into the next wave of growth, we need to better manage uncertainties in construction projects in an extremely competitive marketplace. This requires resilient planning that is built on a modern dynamic IT infrastructure,” said Manoj R Penmetcha, projects director at NCC Limited. “We look forward to realizing the value proposition of Infor to help deliver predictable outcomes. With Infor CloudSuite Engineering & Construction, we are looking forward to achieving business outcomes that will help us deliver even greater value to the customer. As a full-fledged infrastructure solutions provider, we envision harnessing technology to help raise industry standards, and hopefully create far-reaching impacts beyond just the infrastructure construction sector.”

“The construction industry is the backbone of any national development and modernizing its complex value chain that involves on-site workers, office staff, and external contractors is critical to helping this industry deliver its full potential. Infor CloudSuite E&C unlocks the true value across the enterprise with purpose-built construction ERP software that provides industry-specific features and last-mile functionalities for business transformation,” Manohar said. “Infor is proud to be a strategic partner to NCC in their transformation journey, and be, in part, a catalyst to help contribute towards building the nation’s critical infrastructure.”

Learn more about Infor CloudSuite Engineering & Construction.

About Infor

Infor is a global leader in business cloud software products for companies in industry specific markets. Infor builds complete industry suites in the cloud and efficiently deploys technology that puts the user experience first, leverages data science, and integrates easily into existing systems.

Over 65,000 organizations worldwide rely on Infor to help overcome market disruptions and achieve business-wide digital transformation.

For more information, visit Infor website.

WASHINGTON, DC, Feb 23, 2023 – The American Institute of Architects is donating $500,000 to Habitat for Humanity Virginia to help launch a two-year project to install solar energy systems on up to 80 homes in Washington, DC, and Virginia.

The donation is the result of the association’s goal to offset the embodied carbon emissions resulting from the AIA Headquarters renewal project.

The AIA project is one of the first fully decarbonized major building renovations in the US, demonstrating a cost-effective and replicable approach to climate action in existing buildings. The renovations will exceed AIA 2030 Commitment standards for fossil-fuel use reduction by fully electrifying the building, reducing energy use by 58 percent, and serving the building through a 100 percent renewable energy mix.

“We are excited about AIA’s building renewal, and we appreciate Habitat for Humanity’s assistance to address the embodied carbon from the project,” said Lakisha Ann Woods, CAE, AIA EVP/chief executive officer. “All remaining embodied carbon from AIA’s building renewal will be offset through this innovative agreement with Habitat for Humanity, where AIA has donated $500,000 to purchase and install solar panels to make these homes much more sustainable.”

Habitat for Humanity affiliates operate across the US and worldwide, building quality, affordable houses and selling them to families who would otherwise not be able to afford the purchase of a home. All families served by Habitat for Humanity affiliates in Virginia earn less than 80% of Area Median Income (AMI); most earn 25-60% of AMI. “The AIA is helping us to greatly reduce the energy burden of hard-working Habitat households,” said Overton McGehee, executive director of Habitat for Humanity Virginia. “As a result of this gift, Habitat is building homes that will be more affordable to operate for the next 30 years.”

AIA’s donation will be combined with funding from other donors, a small investment from each family, and other sources to install solar systems at a fraction of the retail cost of solar.

“This project aims to make solar energy accessible to families that would otherwise not be able to afford it due to the upfront costs of solar,” says Jeff Heie, director of GiveSolar, the non-profit organization that is partnering with Habitat Virginia to implement the two-year project.

The two-year project will launch on March 1, 2023.  Solar systems will be installed on Habitat homes throughout Virginia, DC, and part of NE Tennessee.

More details of AIA’s building renewal can be found on AIA’s website.

About Habitat for Humanity Virginia

GiveSolar is a non-profit social impact organization that assists homeowners with low income and non-profit organizations in gaining access to solar energy through organizing community-based mutual aid.  GiveSolar launched a partnership with Habitat for Humanity in 2021 through a pilot project with Central Valley Habitat for Humanity in Bridgewater, VA.

About AIA

Founded in 1857, AIA consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through more than 200 international, state and local chapters, AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing.

AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing their communities, institutions, nation, and world. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards.

^{for Cloud-Based Simulation}

PITTSBURGH, PA, Feb 10, 2023 – Ansys is extending its long-term strategic collaboration with Microsoft to accelerate virtual product design through expanded cloud-based access to Ansys’ simulation solutions and CAE tools. As a next step, Ansys will develop a new offering that will enable customers to launch Ansys products using their Azure enrolment and connect third-party tools more easily.

Ansys advances availability of simulation solutions in the cloud with Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure

As an integral component of the collaboration, Ansys will expand its go-to-market strategy with Microsoft, including digital twins connected to the internet of things, autonomous driving and flying systems development, and the use of simulation data to train artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) systems. Mutual customers who migrate to the cloud can increase productivity, reduce in-house technology costs, and improve virtual collaboration.

Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure will be a new offering available on the Azure Marketplace that will provide an alternative to Ansys’ current managed cloud offering, Ansys Cloud Direct, which also runs on Azure. This new offering will enable customers to use their existing Ansys applications along with Azure services purchased directly from Microsoft to deliver cost-savings and improved data management as well as greater flexibility. The addition of Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure to Ansys’ current cloud offerings will allow customers to choose the most effective method to realize the benefits of cloud-based simulation for their organizations.

Beyond cloud collaboration, Ansys is also working to integrate Microsoft 365 capabilities into the context of its engineering simulation tools to aid in the highly collaborative process of product design.

“Ansys Access on Microsoft Azure will enhance the development and design processes of our mutual customers through increased productivity, sharper workflows, and greater access to cloud-based CAE tools,” said Shane Emswiler, senior vice president of products at Ansys. “By pairing Ansys’ industry-leading simulation solutions with Azure, customers can innovate at scale in a virtual environment without compromising design accuracy or product integrity.”

“Our continued collaboration connects the cloud computing capabilities of Microsoft Azure with Ansys’ advanced simulation solutions to better enable virtual design and innovation worldwide,” said Kurt Niebuhr, principal PDM manager at Microsoft. “In a time when digital solutions are needed more than ever, our collaboration enables us to provide engineers and innovators with cloud-based tools that meet and exceed their needs.”

About Ansys

When visionary companies need to know how their world-changing ideas will perform, they close the gap between design and reality with Ansys simulation. For more than 50 years, Ansys software has enabled innovators across industries to push boundaries by using the predictive power of simulation. From sustainable transportation to advanced semiconductors, from satellite systems to life-saving medical devices, the next great leaps in human advancement will be powered by Ansys.

For more information, visit www.ansys.com.

^{for Excellence in Public Architecture}

WASHINGTON, DC, Jan 25, 2023 – The American Institute of Architects (AIA) is honoring David M. Powell, FAIA, champion of Nashville’s built environment and owner and principal of HASTINGS Architecture, with the 2023 AIA Award for Excellence in Public Architecture.

The award recognizes architects, public officials, or other individuals who design distinguished public facilities and advocate for design excellence.

Powell arrived in Nashville in 1991, after receiving his Bachelor of Architecture from Oklahoma State University, with plans to simultaneously practice architecture and pursue his love of music. After juggling both careers for nearly a decade, he retired from music to establish his practice as a founding partner of polifio, inc.

Since 2008, Powell has been an owner and principal of HASTINGS Architecture, where he continues to employ a design process akin to songwriting. He clearly articulates his vision and uncovers “the hook,” ultimately developing an overarching structure that tells a complete story. This process has been integral in Nashville, where unprecedented growth and development have advanced the importance of public architecture and community spaces rooted in culture. All of Powell’s work tells a story, and each authentic design highlights the project’s role in its community.

Powell’s vision is clearly articulated in projects such as the Bellevue Library and the Ryman Auditorium. The LEED Gold-certified library serves as a new front porch for a community healing from a devastating 1,000-year flood in 2010. Its dynamic form is both welcoming and inspiring, a landmark informed by the collection contained within.

The Ryman Auditorium has long been considered the soul of Nashville and one of the most important landmarks in Tennessee. Originally built in 1892, the National Historic Landmark has been deemed “the mother church of country music,” serving as the Grand Ole Opry’s home for decades. The original building was saved from demolition in 1993, and Powell reimagined the patron experience in 2015 through an addition that balances the existing architecture and a contemporary glass pavilion that gives a new architectural form to Music City’s enduring creative legacy.

Powell is an engaged leader in his firm and his community, educating the public on the importance of design and working tirelessly to advance the practice of public architecture. He has been an AIA member since 1992 and was elevated to the College of Fellows in 2016. He has been deeply involved with the Committee on Design and with AIA Tennessee. In addition, he has stewarded Nashville’s design community and served on the city’s Civic Design Center Board of Directors from 2013 to 2021. In that role, he championed initiatives such as Design Your Neighborhood, a curriculum for middle school students, and Socially Conscious Design 101, a six-week public course that educates participants on the broader impacts of design.

Learn more about the AIA Award for Excellence in Public Architecture on AIA’s website.

About AIA

Founded in 1857, AIA consistently works to create more valuable, healthy, secure, and sustainable buildings, neighborhoods, and communities. Through more than 200 international, state and local chapters, AIA advocates for public policies that promote economic vitality and public wellbeing.

AIA provides members with tools and resources to assist them in their careers and business as well as engaging civic and government leaders and the public to find solutions to pressing issues facing our communities, institutions, nation, and world. Members adhere to a code of ethics and conduct to ensure the highest professional standards.

For more information, visit AIA website.