Category: Technology

Pakistan (NUT DESK)

10Pearls, a leading end-to-end digital services company, hosted AI Summit 2023, Pakistan’s pioneering conference on Artificial Intelligence, at the Pak-China Friendship Center, Islamabad. The event was a massive success, with more than 1500 registrations, comprising professionals, students, enthusiasts and entrepreneurs.

The AI Summit, first launched in 2019, aims to ‘explore the transformative world of AI’ – share the latest developments in AI, recognize innovations by emerging AI entrepreneurs, power conversations with leading international and local AI experts, and provide hands-on knowledge about various AI tools, technologies, and techniques.

The 2023 edition of AI Summit, held at the ITCN Asia, featured 30-plus eminent speakers who conducted enlightening tech talks, stimulating panel discussions, and engaging fireside chats. The Summit also hosted hands-on workshops and showcased demos of new innovations by emerging AI startups.

 According to Syeda Sana Hussain, Senior Director, People & Programs, 10Pearls, “The AI Summit 2023 was a huge success! It garnered massive footfall; both the conference track and workshops were fully packed with super-charged and enthusiastic audience.All the emerging AI startups who showcased their products received phenomenal response, attracting the interest of potential investors and the public alike. This incredible success of AI Summit 2023 shows the transformative role AI can play in addressing the complex challenges of today’s world, and 10Pearls is thrilled to be at the forefront of leading in innovation.”

Engaging Tech Talks

The event featured various Tech Talks conducted by distinguished AI professionals, including a session on “Cybersecurity Gets Smart” by Peter Hesse (EVP and CSO, 10Pearls); “AI & National Governance” by Tariq Malik (Former Chief Technology Officer, GHQ); “Tech Innovation and AI” by Syed Meesum Raza (Vice President, Afiniti); “Impact of AI in the Fintech Space” by Ammar Karim (Head of BI and Data Science, Telenor Easypaisa); and “Optimization of BizOps through AI” by Muhammad Awais Ejaz (Consulting Director, TenX).

Invigorating Panel Discussions and Fireside

Chats The Summit also featured three Panel Discussions. The first panel, “AI Disruption in the Startup Ecosystem”, included panelists Aiman Khan (CEO, SLOSH AI Solutions), Muhammad Usman (CEO, RevolveAI and Edge Store), Umer Sufiyan (CEO, DiveDeep AI) and Kaleem Khan (Co[1]founder and CEO, Adlytic AI). The session was moderated by Isra Khalid, Project Manager, Neurog.ai.

 The second Panel, “Explainable AI & Healthcare 5.0”, moderated by Samar Hasan (Founder & CEO, Epiphany) featured top names including Dr Nimra Qureshi (Founder & CEO, SeeVitals Solutions); Shahrukh Babar (Co-Founder, Xylexa Inc.), and Shan Ul Haq (Founder & CTO, XpertFlow).

The third Panel, “GPT-3: Navigating the Crossroads of Technology and Humanity”, was moderated by Sumayya Shaheen (Associate Director, Software Services, 10Pearls). It featured leading professionals, including Muhammad Aamir Yaqub (Director Engineering, 10Pearls); Aqsa Kausar, (Head of AI, RedBuffer); and Shakeel Raja (Director Data Science, TechGenies).

Apart from Tech Talks and Panel Discussions, an engaging Fireside Chat was also held on “The Intersection of AI and Big Data: Opportunities and Challenges” by Aamer Ejaz, Chief Digital Officer, Jazz. The session was moderated by Salman Ahmad Khan, Senior Project Manager, 10Pearls.

Hands-on Workshops

 In parallel to the Conference track, the AI Summit 2023 also hosted three workshops on top AI tools, technologies and techniques. All the workshops received overwhelming response, and were attended by more 350 professionals and students. The workshops included sessions on “Introduction to Kaggle and Progression System” by Adnan Zaidi, Ambassador, Kaggle; “Unpacking Facial Recognition technology” by Shehrooz Sattar, Principal Software Engineer, 10Pearls; and “Creating Interactive AI Applications” by Ahmad Anis, Machine Learning Engineer, RedBuffer.

Innovate Product Demos

The AI Summit 2023 also showcased product and prototype demos by emerging AI startups. Out of 40+ entries received from across Pakistan, six startups were shortlisted to showcase their work at the AI Summit 2023. These included Autilent, VisionRD, Deutics Global, Adlytic AI, AI Care, and SINGE Network. The platform of AI Summit provided an excellent opportunity for these promising AI startups to connect with established professionals and investors.

Endorsed by Leading Companies and Communities

As the AI event of the year, AI Summit 2023 was endorsed by top names in technology and other industries. Our strategic partners were ITCN Asia, RedBuffer and Bentley Systems. Other partners included renowned names such as MLSA Islamabad, Bytewise, Daftar khwan, Kaggle, and Epiphany.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

TCL, one of the dominant players in the global TV industry and a leading consumer electronics brand, announced its latest ranking of Global Top 2 TV Brand according to OMDIA’s Global TV sets report 2022, the data of which also suggests that TCL large size TVs have received significant growing momentum over the past year and remained No.1 in global 98-inch TV market share.

TCL has been the pioneer in Mini LED TVs and started off 2023 by exhibiting its latest display and smart innovations at CES 2023. TCL was also honoured to have won two CES® 2023 Innovation Awards for its TCL Mini LED 4K TV C935 and C835. Previously, TCL was ranked first as the No.1 Android OS Smart TV brand in 2021 with a steady market share of 20.7%, according to OMDIA – a leading market research firm.

In 2023, TCL’s new Mini LED Series will be available in XL screen sizes which allow much bigger number of Mini LEDs applied on a TV with thousand-level local dimming zones, bringing million-level high contrast, stunning peak brightness in the imagery as well as prominent detail performance by TCL’s exquisite light control algorithm, which all help to reveal every detail in very bright areas, such as sunlight or darkness of caves.

TCL’s much-anticipated 2023 Mini LED and QLED TV series will be available to global markets starting from the first quarter. Please stay-tuned and contact your nearest TCL office or visit our social media channels for latest information.

TCL established its operations in Pakistan in 2013 and has maintained its position as the No.1 LED TV brand in the country in 2022.  TCL is also maintaining its leading position in industry leading segments like Mini LED TV and QLED TVs in the country. Due to its innovative and high-quality products and keen attention to the customer needs, sales volumes have consistently grown year on year.

• A new range of 10 radios led by triple-band Radio 4485, which is 53 percent lighter than comparable products. Also launching new mobile transport and software solutions.
• Industry-first, 600MHz Massive MIMO radio with Ericsson-unique Interference Sensing software that adds up to 40 percent more capacity with portfolio-wide hardware support.
• A quad-carrier microwave transport radio with four times more capacity plus Radio Deep Sleep support across the MINI-LINK portfolio.

Ericsson’s (NASDAQ: ERIC) leadership in supporting service providers’ Net Zero ambitions, while meeting market demands for higher 5G capacity and revenue growth, has taken a major step forward with the launch of an enhanced RAN and Transport portfolio. Set to be showcased at Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2023 Barcelona, more than 10 new Ericsson solutions will cut carbon emissions and site footprint, increase energy performance and boost network capacity.

The full range of new remote radios for 4G and 5G capacity is led by the triple-band Radio 4485 for FDD (frequency-division duplexing), which is 53 percent lighter and consumes about 22 percent less energy than comparable products. New dual and single-band radios have also been launched.

Ericsson has also introduced a new range of wideband Massive MIMO radios – spearheaded by the industry-first, ultra-wideband AIR 6476 – which provides 600MHz instantaneous bandwidth that doubles capacity without additional antenna footprint and enhances user experience.

Software is in the spotlight as well with new features such as Interference Sensing, which optimizes mid-band Massive MIMO performance by minimizing inter-cell interference and increasing network capacity by up to 40 percent.

The updated portfolio includes new mobile transport offerings. The new quad microwave radio MINI-LINK 6321, with 4.8 Gbps capacity, is aimed at making RAN evolution options easier for service providers. The offering has around 50 percent smaller site footprint and energy consumption than the previous alternative for building a four-carrier MINI-LINK hop.

David Hammarwall, Head of Product Area Networks, Ericsson, says: “Capacity expansions, energy savings, and sustainability are central to service providers’ RAN evolution plans. Ericsson’s enhanced portfolio fulfills the key needs of service providers and is leading the industry towards Net Zero while capturing opportunities of data traffic growth. We expect these topics will be the center of attention in our discussions with customers at MWC Barcelona 2023 and beyond.”

Portfolio additions include:

• Intelligent Cell Shaping: Ericsson-unique software with intelligent automation that improves coverage and boosts downlink speed at the cell edge by up to 35 percent
• Booster Carrier Sleep: energy-efficiency software feature that allows carriers to be switched on and off depending on the traffic load
• Energy efficiency features in mobile transport with MINI-LINK Radio Deep Sleep, which lowers radio energy consumption by up to 25 percent by hibernating radios in multi-carrier solutions when the capacity is not needed
• New cell site router, Router 6676: with high density of 25GE interfaces and is three-times more energy-efficient than the previous generation of routers. It supports Ericsson’s new remote radios and Massive MIMO radios with 25Gbps interfaces

Underpinning the solutions is an Ericsson hardware and software co-design that allows the network to slash power consumption by up to 94 percent during low traffic compared to peak consumption.

Ericsson is also reducing its own carbon emissions in the production of new radios, using the embodied carbon* metric, which gauges the amount of greenhouse gases released before the product is deployed. Radio 4485 has 50 percent lower embodied carbon emissions than comparable products.

The new solutions will be on show in Ericsson’s booth in Hall 2 at the Fira Gran Via during MWC Barcelona 2023 from February 27 to March 2. The portfolio additions will be commercially available during 2023 and Q1 2024.

Ed Gubbins, Principal Analyst at Global Data, says: “Ericsson’s latest RAN and transport solutions address not only a key pain point of service providers – how to grow capacity to further monetize 5G while keeping costs down – but also a top concern, which is energy efficiency or reducing their carbon footprint. The ‘more with less’ theme is spot-on with the new radios and software features – compact yet more powerful with higher capacity and energy efficiency. Also worth noting is Ericsson’s unique hardware and software co-design that enhances overall network performance.”

Achieving Net Zero green gas emissions is one of the most crucial and essential challenges the world is facing. Concerted efforts are underway across the telecoms sector by many players to achieve Net Zero emissions by 2050 or earlier.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

realme, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand, is leading the industry with a 240W smartphone charging device offering fast charging solutions for all. Based on the newest report from Counterpoint, realme is holding true to the ‘Dare to leap’ motto, as being the first in fast-charging innovations. As a young brand, realme is able to push the boundaries further and become the first brand to introduce a 240W-capable smartphone, offering the fastest-charging power under Type-C standard.

Leap from a Popularizer to an Industry Leader

Established with a mission of empowering young consumers with a leap-forward technology and design, realme continues to realize and commercialize innovation in fast-charging technology for their smartphones. For example, realme succeeded in providing 65W charging technology to realme X7 in 2020, making the fast charging experience more accessible to everyone. Followed by an innovative breakthrough with the world’s fastest 150W charging technology to realme GT Neo3 in 2022, this year realme is concocting a 240W charging technology through realme GT3.

Despite a younger brand, realme plays a key role in producing fast charging solutions available to all. Smartphone industry has been demanding higher wattages from time to time in a bid to reduce charging time less than an hour. This leads to realme’s innovation of providing fast charging technology in all price segments.

For the first-time, realme is introducing its fast charging capabilities in smartphone devices and is able to grab a market-leading 85% sales penetration portfolio and features fast charging capability in the year 2022. realme was also the first OEM to launch a 65W capable smartphone, the realme Narzo 20 Pro in 2020. This follows realme’s long-standing history of introducing the latest technologies for low-price segments, impelling smartphone industry to adopt this technology at a mass level.

During this time, realme ranked second in the mid-high to entry level premium segments for 65W capable smartphones in 2022. This means realme is also offering market-leading technology at higher price bands.

240W: Industry Highest Charging Standard

The 240W figure represents the highest standards of fast charging technology in the industry these days. The innovation that realme will present is also the fastest 240W charging technology globally that uses a standard USB Type-C interface.

Innovation in Fast-Charging technology has a great impact on the overall smartphone industry. Advances in technology, especially in the smartphone industry, has become a top priority since smartphones are now able to syndicate sundry devices having different functions that previously were available separately. With budding functions in a smartphone, the usage of such devices is becoming more intense, resulting in an additional usage of a battery. The presence of a charging technology innovation, such as what realme endures will settle these issues.

Consumers are now much more concerned about saving their time while charging their smartphone batteries. Previously, it was normal for them to plugged their devices for couple of hours and wait for a 100% charge. But now, there is a rise in content consumption and consumers also prefer being connected without long downtimes caused by charging their phones. The increase in power-delivering capabilities has reduced the charging time significantly, with more than 100W capable charging technology that can achieve full battery charge in 20-25 minutes. realme’s latest industry-first 240W power output is taking fast charging to the next level.

 

• His Excellency Haytham Al Ohali, Vice Minister in the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, graced the event, held in the Kingdom for the first time.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) Huawei held its 2023 Middle East and Central Asia (ME&CA) Annual Meeting Awards Giving Ceremony in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Saturday 18 February, bringing together Huawei representatives from 21 countries. His Excellency Haytham Al Ohali, Vice Minister in the Ministry of Communications & Information Technology, graced the event, held in the Kingdom for the first time.

Huawei used the meeting to align on 2023 objectives while recognizing staff for excellence in driving business objectives and differentiated customer experiences. Executives, led by Steven Yi, Huawei President for Middle East and Central Asia, led discussions on business development for the year ahead.

Haytham Al Ohali said: “We realize the benefits of working with the private sector to enhance our ICT capabilities in support of Saudi Vision 2030. This partnership marks another important phase in our ongoing collaboration with Huawei, whose outcome will elevate the Kingdom’s competitiveness and help to nurture the country’s digital economy.”  

 Steven Yi said: “This is a significant milestone for the first time in our history, in Riyadh, where Huawei CEOs and regional management teams from 21 countries gathered in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Huawei will continue to invest in Saudi Arabia and support the growth of local Saudis. At the same time, we will perform more and more regional management functions in Saudi Arabia and comply with the laws and regulations of the Saudi government.This event was, therefore, an ideal opportunity to celebrate these individual and collective triumphs while formulating another fruitful year ahead. In 2023 and beyond, we remain committed to helping build a connected, intelligent world while inspiring our partners to deliver differentiated services to their customers.”

The ME&CA Annual Meeting and Awards Giving Ceremony is the culmination of another highly successful year for Huawei in the region.

In February last year, Huawei announced it would build a cloud region in Saudi Arabia during the inaugural LEAP event, a boost for local businesses and governments’ ability to access more robust and secure cloud services. Later in the year, the Kingdom signed an MoU with Huawei on advancing cloud computing and building smart cities. In June last year, Huawei, in partnership with the Saudi Space Commission, unveiled ‘Future Space’, its first technology experience center in Saudi Arabia. Then in December 2022, The Saudi Ministry of Communications and Information Technology (MCIT) and Huawei signed an MoU to enhance cooperation in ICT on the sidelines of the historic visit of His Excellency President of China Xi Jinping to the Kingdom. MCIT and Huawei pledged to collaborate to realize a ’10Gbps Society’, seeking to build a superfast broadband infrastructure to support the digital transformation goals of Saudi Vision 2030.

Pakistan (Nut Desk)

This week NIC Peshawar, with support from The Asia Foundation, hosted the second round of the Net Zero Tech Camp Challenge. The event, curated by Code for Pakistan featured mentoring and project development workshops facilitated by NIC Peshawar. Spanning over 3-days, it was designed to empower tech students from five of KP’s universities to pursue projects that have the potential to achieve zero environmental footprint. A total of 40 undergraduate students from University of Swabi, UET Peshawar, Institute of Management Sciences, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University and Pak-Austria Fachhochschule were selected for both rounds of the challenge. 20 students, in groups of 5, participated in the second round that ended yesterday.

The event comprised of multiple speaker sessions delivered by professionals within the Sustainability and Climate Change field. After presenting their initial pitches for sustainable solutions like up cycling and “green bricks” (among others), the participants received a “speed mentoring” session from the expert speakers. Towards the end of the event, participating students got the opportunity to demo their projects and are expected to receive a grant of 2000 USD from The Asia Foundation and US Consulate Peshawar to pursue their projects.

 “We hope to address all broad and deep challenges impacting our nation and communities. Of course, we will not achieve absolute success immediately, but our roadmap forward is based upon a clear vision, thoughtful strategy and flawless execution.

Events like the Net Zero Tech Camp are an opportunity for us to empower our communities to use their skills and make a difference. We are so happy to be collaborating with NIC Peshawar and contributing to climate action initiatives.” – Mahwish Khan Arbab, Director Community and Partnerships at Code for Pakistan.

Code for Pakistan is a nonprofit that works on bridging the digital divide between Pakistani citizens and the government. By partnering with various governmental and private sector organizations, Code for Pakistan develops user-centered, practical digital solutions that improve the lives of community members.

Learn more about Code for Pakistan’s work at: https://codeforpakistan.org/ or follow @CodeforPakistan on Twitter for more information.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) Pakistan’s leading selling smartphone brand, Infinix, has stepped up to give fans a chance to watch PSL matches for free.  All that is required to do is to correctly predict the winners of ongoing PSL matches onto Infinix Facebook page and increasing their chances of winning PSL tickets via lucky drawer taking place on Infinix Facebook page as well.

As PSL 8 is heating up with nail-biting competitions, Infinix brings fans a unique opportunity to be a part of this legacy. Starting from today, in this out of the box contest, fans have to simply guess and comment the winner of the ongoing matches of PSL 8 on the Facebook page of Infinix. Those who guessed the right winner will enter the Lucky Draw. The winner(s) of the exciting Lucky Draw will get to witness the live cricketing clash of PSL 8 final playoffs and finale as well.

CEO Infinix, Mr. Joe Hu, urged the fans not to miss out on the opportunity of winning exclusive tickets to PSL 8 matches: ” Infinix also aims to provide fans with innovative experiences & cherish able memories. This time around, we’re thrilled to offer a chance to watch the best teams in action at PSL 8. We’re eager to see who comes out on top in our lucky drawer.”

Stay tuned to Infinix’s Facebook page and find out more about this lucky drawer. In addition to this, there will be more surprises and gifts to make this cricket season worth remembering.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir)

realme, the world’s fastest-growing smartphone brand, confirmed that it will unveil realme GT3 – its next-gen flagship device during Mobile World Congress 2023.

The MWC ‘23 is slated to kick-off on Monday, February 27 in Barcelona, Spain, where realme will reveal its GT3 smartphone with an offline launch event on Tuesday, February 28, 2023.

The all-new realme GT3 device marks another milestone for realme’s leap-forward journey as it is equipped with the first-ever 240W world’s fastest charging power. realme believes that pushing the boundaries is not about reaching towards an end but opening up new possibilities for a start.

Join us for the greatest leap ever in the GT journey.

People can catch the launch live on YouTube: https://youtube.com/live/zAHrL8M4ttY

Social Champ Launches the Champ AI Suite, Streamlining Social Media Management with Advanced AI Technology.

Pakistan (Muhammad Yasir) As the world gears up for technological disruption, social media is increasingly becoming vital for businesses and individuals to build their online presence and engage with their audience. With ChatGPT disrupting the internet and AI-Powered tools challenging modern-day technology, Social Champ, a leading MarTech platform hailing from Pakistan, is now proud to enhance its powerful suite by introducing AI-powered tools to simplify social media management.

Champ AI Suite, an advanced suite of AI tools designed to revolutionize social media management, is integrated with Open AI’s ChatGPT, the Suite offers a personalized approach to social media management, making it easier for businesses and individuals to create high-quality content, schedule posts, and respond to comments and messages all from one centralized dashboard.

The Suite includes three powerful tools to help users maximize their social media presence. The AI Imaginator converts text descriptions into high-quality images, making it easier to create engaging visual content. The AI Content Wizard generates meaningful content in seconds, making it easy to produce high-quality posts quickly. And the advanced AI bot in the Sentiment Analysis tool offers users the ability to understand the context and sentiments of their audience, making it easier to engage and build strong relationships.

“The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into Social Champ is imperative as technology progresses. Our AI Suite offers small to mid-sized businesses, agencies, and influencers the ability to produce high-quality content and designs using Predictive AI, Generative AI, and Diffusion AI models”, said Sameer Ahmed, CEO of Social Champ. 

The Suite is also designed to simplify and streamline social media management, making it easier for businesses and individuals to focus on creating high-quality content, engaging with their audience, and achieving their marketing goals. With advanced AI technology at its core, the Champ AI Suite is the ultimate tool for businesses and individuals who want to take their social media presence to the next level.

“The Suite also includes a sentiment analysis feature, enabling users to gauge their audience’s emotions,” added Sameer Ahmed. ” Our AI Suite was designed to alleviate the workload of businesses, allowing them to concentrate on their operations while enabling them to achieve their social media objectives efficiently with the help of AI.”

The brand looks to empower marketers by offering this plan initially for Free. As businesses are still exploring the possibilities of AI integration, Social Champ looks to make advanced social media management more accessible to businesses and individuals of all sizes. Whether you’re a small business owner, a freelancer or an individual looking to build your online presence, the Champ AI Suite has everything you need to succeed on social media.

Lahore (Muhammad Yasir) TCL No.1 LED TV Brand in Pakistan, announced, that it will be partnering with Peshawar Zalmi for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 8. This year, Pakistan’s star cricketer, Babar Azam will lead Peshawar Zalmi as its captain, the addition is likely to augment team’s thrilling performance with an equal chance of winning the PSL title. And that’s just the beginning! Get ready for an array of thrilling activities, from the team’s official anthem collaboration to the biggest fun-filled event of the season, The Met Carnival! On 4th February 2023, Saturday, Kingswood Gardens Lahore will host the biggest fun packed event for young generation featuring all of their favorite young artists, Abdul Hanan, Danyal Zafar, Faris Shafi and more, who will take the stage for a night of unforgettable performances. With state-of-the-art sound and lighting products, the experience will be elevated to new heights. But that’s not all! Get ready for exciting games, delectable food stalls, and unique merchandise vendors, offering a complete and immersive experience for all participants.

TCL and Peshawar Zalmi are also gearing up for the unveiling of their official anthem for the electrifying Pakistan Super League 8 (PSL 8), produced by none other than the renowned music producer, Naughty Boy, and featuring young, talented artists from across the nation. TCL and Zalmi continue to demonstrate their unwavering support for the youth by providing opportunities to showcase their abilities and ignite their passion.

Majid Khan Niazi, TCL’s Head of Marketing, said, “Our partnership with Peshawar Zalmi has been nothing short of a triumph for our brand, providing us with a golden opportunity to delve into the realm of sports marketing. We are thrilled to continue our relationship with the most successful franchise in the PSL for sixth year in a row. With PSL 2023 approaching, we look forward to the endless possibilities it will bring for us to connect with the passionate Pakistani audience in an even bigger and better way.”

Javed Afridi, Chairman of Peshawar Zalmi, said, “We are ecstatic to welcome back TCL as our official partner and we’re ready to take our partnership to the next level! We’ve always been committed to giving our partners the ultimate platform to showcase their brand and establish a powerful presence in every aspect of the game.”

TCL has maintained its position as the No.1 LED TV brand in Pakistan and global No.2. With a presence in over 160 countries, TCL specializes in the research, development, and manufacturing of consumer electronics products ranging from TVs to audio, and smart home appliances.