Samsung Opens Registration For Its New Vision AI Televisions In India

Samsung, India's largest consumer electronics brand, today announced that customers registering interest for its new range of Neo QLED, OLED and QLED AI televisions can avail INR 5000 discount, along with other launch offers. Samsung is likely to announce its new range of Vision AI televisions early next month.

Samsung Vision AI represents a paradigm shift in how consumers interact with televisions. By incorporating on-device AI capabilities, Vision AI enables televisions to become aware of their surroundings, adapt to user preferences, and act autonomously to enhance the viewing experience.

Samsung has been the global leader in the television market for 19 consecutive years, according to market research firm Omdia. This continued success is driven by the company’s commitment to premium and ultra-large screen innovation, as well as the introduction of cutting-edge, AI-powered televisions.

Consumers interested in purchasing Samsung’s new range of AI televisions should register themselves on Samsung.com. After registration, customers can avail INR 5000 discount and other launch offers, while purchasing the television.

Indian Startup Bud Ecosystem Pioneers GPU-Free Generative AI

In an effort to tackle the rising costs and sustainability challenges associated with generative AI, India-based GenAI research lab Bud Ecosystem has introduced an innovative new product, Bud Runtime. Designed to streamline the deployment of generative AI applications, Bud Runtime enables deployment on CPU-based infrastructure, offering a more affordable, scalable and sustainable option for organizations looking to harness the power of generative AI.

Since late 2023, Bud Ecosystem has been collaborating with companies like Intel, Microsoft, and Infosys to commoditize generative AI and make it easily accessible to organizations worldwide. Bud Runtime significantly reduces both capital and operational expenditures for organizations adopting generative AI, without compromising application performance. It enables developers, startups, companies, and research institutions to kickstart their generative AI initiatives at a cost as low as $200 per month.

In addition to supporting CPU-based inference, Bud Runtime also supports a broad range of hardware—including GPUs, HPUs, TPUs, and NPUs—from major vendors like Nvidia, Intel, AMD, and Huawei. One of the key innovations in Bud Runtime is its support for heterogeneous cluster parallelism, which allows organizations to utilize a mix of their existing hardware—including CPUs, GPUs, HPUs, and other architectures—for deploying generative AI workloads and easily scale as more compute resources become available. Enabling organizations to mitigate GPU shortages and lower operational costs of running generative AI applications. Bud Runtime is currently the only platform on the market offering this level of heterogeneous hardware parallelism and clustering.

“We began our GenAI journey in early 2023 and quickly encountered the high cost of GPUs. To tackle this, we built the first version of the Bud runtime to run smaller models on our existing infrastructure. Since then, we've evolved it to support mid-size models on CPUs and added compatibility with hardware from Nvidia, AMD, Intel, Huawei, and more—thereby reducing costs and addressing hardware scarcity. As we saw others facing similar barriers, we decided to productise the technology to help startups, enterprises, and researchers adopt GenAI more efficiently.” — Jithin V.G, CEO, Bud Ecosystem, said.

Bud Ecosystem focuses on fundamental AI research, particularly in efficient transformer architectures for low-resource scenarios, decentralized models, hybrid inference, and AI inference optimization. The company also has published multiple research papers and released over 20 open-source models to its credit. Bud is also the only startup from India to have topped the Hugging Face LLM leaderboard for building a large language model on par with GPT-3.5 at the time.

For the past 18 months, Bud Ecosystem has been working with Intel to make production-ready GenAI inference possible on CPUs, especially their Xeon lineup. This collaboration was later extended to support Intel Gaudi accelerators as well. In addition to this partnership, the research lab has also joined hands with global technology companies like Microsoft, LTIM, and Infosys to help organizations around the world adopt Generative AI in a cost-effective and scalable way.

“Our mission is to democratize GenAI at scale by commoditizing it. This is only possible if we can use commodity hardware for GenAI at scale. To achieve this, we need to further enhance inference technology and develop better model architectures that require less parallel compute and memory bandwidth. Most of our research and engineering efforts are focused on this mission. We also intend to make these products and research available to everyone through permissive open-source projects. We have an exciting new open-source project coming up early next month.”

It is a known fact that Generative AI has been making significant technological advancements of late. However, it remains very costly for companies to adopt. Only large companies are currently able to adopt and experiment with Generative AI. In addition, there is an ongoing scarcity of GPUs, which further limits accessibility. Only large companies are currently able to adopt and experiment with Generative AI. For those that do, projects often get stuck at the minimum viable product (MVP) stage and rarely progress to full production deployment.  It is in this context that Bud Runtime proves itself beneficial for enterprises, as they look to usher in cost-effectiveness in the adoption of Gen AI. 

Titan Company Ltd. Inaugurates Titan Vanam, Plants 2 lakh+ Saplings, Aims For 800 Tonnes Of CO2 Sequestration Annually Over 20 Years

* Unveils Titan Vanam at Thorapalli, Hosur in accordance with Earth Day, hosting 120+ native species, revives 45 acres of Degraded Tropical Thorn Forest 

Titan Company Ltd. inaugurated Titan Vanam, a cohesive afforestation initiative at Thorapalli in Hosur, Tamil Nadu; which has already transformed 45 acres of degraded grazing porambokku land into a budding forest with close to 120+ native species. Vanam, reflecting Titan’s sustained efforts towards improving green cover, was unveiled in the presence of Mr. C K Venkataraman, Managing Director - Titan, Mr. N E Sridhar, Chief Sustainability Officer – Titan, Tmt. V R Latha, Principal District & Sessions Judge, Krishnagiri, Mr. Dinesh Kumar, Collector, Krishnagiri District, Ms. R A Priyanga, Sub-Collector – Krishnagiri and Mr. Yashwant Ambulkar, Asst. Conservator of Forest - Tamil Nadu. The opening was also graced by representatives from Biotasoil Foundation, Medius Earth, local industry associations and community leaders.

Initiated in December 2024, the project began with immediate planting under the technical guidance of Medius Earth and the on-ground expertise of Biotasoil Foundation. To date, more than 208,000 saplings have been planted across two restoration sites at Thorapalli (33 acres) and Billanakuppam (12.5 acres). Baseline ecological surveys conducted identified 241 existing plant species, while targeted invasive species management has paved the way for healthy native growth in the region. This restoration was further supported by organic soil amendments, beneficial microbes, and carefully designed bio-fencing. With planting densities approaching 4000+ saplings per acre, Titan Vanam has the potential to emerge as India’s largest high-density polyculture afforestation project- sequestering an estimated 800 tonnes of CO? equivalent annually.

Beyond its carbon?neutrality objectives, Titan Vanam is engineered to recharge groundwater, reduce soil erosion, enhance air quality and restore the region’s historic elephant corridor ecosystem.

Sharing his views, Mr. C K Venkataraman, Managing Director, Titan Company Limited, said, “Vanam is more than a plantation project—it’s a living blueprint for how industry can drive large?scale ecosystem restoration. By integrating cutting?edge science and sustained stewardship over 45 acres, we’re not just planting trees; we’re cultivating a carbon?neutral future and a self?sustaining forest that will thrive for generations.”

The unveiling at Thorapalli featured the ceremonial planting of 30 saplings by the Collector, Titan leaders, and local representatives. The event also included the unveiling of Titan Vanam’s signboard and species list, along with a technical briefing on soil and water management, invasive species control, and long-term monitoring. Titan has committed to caring for Vanam for the next three years, installing bio-fences, and conducting quarterly growth checks to ensure that the forest thrives. About 10–15% of the area is set aside for endangered and protected species such as Acacia catechu, Tricalysia sphaerocarpa, and Suregada angustifolia, as well as rare plants like Gloriosa superba (Tamil Nadu’s state flower), Ceropegia juncea, and Celastrus paniculatus

Mr. N E Sridhar, Chief Sustainability Officer, Titan Company Limited, emphasized on the program's impact, stating, "From barren Porambokku lands to a biodiverse tropical thorn forest, Titan Vanam exemplifies our long?term vision for climate resilience. Over the next three years, we will rigorously monitor growth, expand community engagement and refine our species mix, scaling this model to other regions where environmental and social imperatives align."

Sharing his views, Mr. Dinesh Kumar, IAS, Collector, Krishnagiri District said, “This plantation of over 2 lakh trees is a shining example of what meaningful public-private partnerships can accomplish. I sincerely thank Titan Company for their commitment to sustainability and commend Biota Soil Foundation for their knowledge, passion, and scientific approach in restoring this landscape with diverse native species. Let this initiative stand as a model, encouraging us to identify and rejuvenate more such barren lands across Hosur and Krishnagiri district.”

Looking ahead, Titan Vanam will set an iconic example of corporate-led afforestation through data-driven management, annual scientific reviews, and community involvement. Titan Company Ltd. invites stakeholders, researchers, and local residents to join in nurturing this living laboratory for a greener, climate-resilient future.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor Reaffirms Long-Term Commitment To Road Safety Across India

In alignment with its vision of building a safer and more responsible mobility ecosystem, Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) reiterates its long-standing commitment to advancing road safety through structured initiatives across the country. TKM’s efforts span awareness, education, and innovation, positively impacting over 10 lakh individuals through its comprehensive road safety programs.

At the heart of Toyota’s safety commitment is the Toyota Safety Education Program (TSEP), a flagship initiative launched in 2007 to nurture road safety awareness and behavioural change among school children from 5th to 9th standard in government and private schools. Under the theme “Road Safety – My Right, My Responsibility,” the initiative empowers young minds through a proven ABC approach—Awareness, Behavioural Change, and Campaigns. Using engaging formats such as skits, poster-making, and Road Safety Clubs, awareness levels among participants have increased significantly, underscoring the program’s effectiveness in instilling critical road safety knowledge.

To date, TSEP has reached 9,29,288 students, supported by 1643 trained educators across 140 schools since FY23. It follows a sustained three-year intervention model:

Phase 1: Implemented in Bangalore during FY 2023–24, with the final leg concluding in FY 2025–26.

Phase 2: Currently ongoing across Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai in FY 2024–25.

Notably, the program adopts a child-to-community model, wherein each participating student becomes a road safety ambassador—spreading knowledge and safe practices within their homes, neighbourhoods, and peer groups. This ripple effect is instrumental in transforming community-level attitudes toward responsible road usage. The program’s momentum is maintained through annual engagements across Bangalore, Delhi, and Mumbai, with continued integration into school curricula for long-term behavioural impact, supported by active involvement from teachers and schools.

Complementing TSEP is the Toyota Hackathon, a youth-led innovation platform that nurtures creative thinking and solution-building among school students from 7th to 12th grade. Designed to solve real-world road safety challenges, this initiative has reached 77,200 students across regions. Conducted in Delhi, Mumbai, and Bangalore, the hackathon has generated over 350 innovative concepts covering school zone safety, IoT integration, inclusive infrastructure, and traffic flow management. Participants go through a five-phase journey—from ideation to incubation—with expert mentorship and continued engagement to develop implementable prototypes. The initiative aims to equip students not just as problem solvers but as "Change Agents" influencing broader societal behaviours and policy thinking.

To further amplify enforcement and community education, TKM has supported the setup of seven Traffic Parks across regions, creating simulated environments where school children can learn road safety rules and pedestrian behaviour in a practical and engaging manner.

Recognizing the critical role of commercial drivers, TKM’s Road Safety and Health Initiative in Mizoram has benefitted 800 drivers through structured awareness and health check-up drives, conducted in collaboration with local enforcement and medical teams. These sessions cover road discipline, vehicle maintenance, and mental well-being. Cumulatively, the program has benefitted 7,822 individuals.

To strengthen traffic monitoring infrastructure, 34 Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems and 20 CCTV cameras have been installed at key junctions across Mizoram, contributing to a reduction in violations and encouraging compliance. These interventions now benefit over 4 lakh road users.

Speaking on the company’s continued efforts, Mr. Vikram Gulati, Country Head and Executive Vice President - Corporate Affairs and Governance, said, “At Toyota Kirloskar Motor, road safety is a fundamental commitment deeply embedded in our vision of responsible mobility. Through structured educational programs, targeted innovation, and meaningful community collaboration, we strive to instill a culture of safety across diverse road users—from school children and youth innovators to drivers.  Our holistic approach is designed to drive lasting behavioral change with measurable impact. With every step, we are working towards our vision of zero road fatalities in India.”

Toyota’s road safety initiatives are anchored in its global 3-pillar approach—people, vehicles, and traffic environment—supported by a legacy of programs dating back to the 1960s. With a focus on sustained impact and collaboration, Toyota Kirloskar Motor remains committed to building a safer, smarter, and more responsible mobility future for every road user in India. 

HerKey Launches BEE: A Pioneering Marketing Solution To Engage The Aspirational Indian Woman

* A data-driven platform to help brands build authentic connections with India’s fastest-growing workforce segment: women professionals

HerKey, India’s largest AI-powered career engagement platform for women, today announced the launch of BEE – Brand Engage Experience — a first-of-its-kind comprehensive suite of marketing solutions tailored to enable brands in engaging implicitly with the modern, aspirational Indian woman.

HerKey’s BEE (Brand Engage Experience) provides a strategic solution designed to bridge this engagement gap. Backed by HerKey’s thriving community of over 5 million women professionals, 20,000+ companies, and 200,000+ mentors and experts, BEE marks a timely move to support brands in navigating a workplace revolution led by women charting their own financial and professional paths. As more women step into boardrooms, lead businesses, and influence major purchasing decisions, BEE endows brands to build not just visibility, but authentic trust and relevance.

Women are not only entering the workforce in record numbers but are also becoming key decision-makers—influencing over 85% of all household purchases. Brands today face a growing challenge in transcending transactional communication to build authentic, value driven connections with India’s rapidly evolving female workforce. BEE enables brands to engage with this powerful demographic in more authentic, impactful ways. It bridges the growing gap between what women expect and how brands communicate. BEE ensures personalized engagement for every woman’s unique journey—whether she’s a fresher, returnee, working mom, caregiver, or aspiring leader.

“Women are no longer just consumers—they’re culture-shapers, wealth-creators, and the backbone of India's workforce resurgence. They now control over 30% of global wealth, and this figure is projected to rise to 50% in just five years,” said Neha Bagaria, Founder & CEO of HerKey. “BEE is built to help brands not just market to this powerful demographic, but to meaningfully connect with them—through stories, experiences, and conversations that matter.”

“BEE (Brand Engage Experience) is a marketing ecosystem designed to drive real, measurable impact. By tapping into HerKey’s vast network of creators, consumers, candidates, brands, and experts, BEE allows companies to craft high-impact campaigns that resonate with India’s most influential consumer group — women. BEE amplifies brand presence through rich visual storytelling to aspirational women consumers via immersive experiences like fireside chats, master classes, and expert-led sessions.”, said Wasim Sayed, VP Growth & Marketing, HerKey.

Over 20,000 companies, from startups to large enterprises, have already partnered with HerKey to build general, contemporary brand identities. BEE will now serve as the strategic vehicle for brands to amplify these efforts, scale outreach, and build credibility in a rapidly evolving marketplace.

To learn more or partner with HerKey’s BEE marketing solutions, visit:

(https://www.linkedin.com/company/herkeyofficial/,   https://www.herkey.com/).

About HerKey:

HerKey is India’s largest AI-powered platform dedicated to unlocking women’s earning potential. Founded in 2015, HerKey (formerly JobsForHer) connects over 5 million women to opportunities at over 20,000 companies, learning from over 2 lakh experts and networking with each other. HerKey’s innovative technology platform offers a personalized career development experience tailored exclusively for women. Using AI and machine learning, it analyses user profiles, career goals, as well as life stages to provide customised sessions that connect women to job opportunities, expert guidance, inspiration, and a thriving community of her and for her. By fostering connections and providing targeted resources, HerKey enables women to overcome career barriers, take on leadership roles, and achieve their professional aspirations. With a vision to support 30 million women in India, HerKey continues to expand its impact. Recognised for its contributions to social transformation, HerKey was honoured with the prestigious BusinessLine Changemaker Award 2023. As India’s largest AI-powered platform dedicated to unlocking women’s earning potential, HerKey is committed to enabling women’s growth, opening doors to new opportunities, and fostering a supportive ecosystem. Through expert-led sessions and networking, women can enhance their careers, achieve financial independence, and strengthen their decision-making power—onwards and upwards.

Jaquar Group Redefines Workforce Excellence With SAP SuccessFactors To Drive HR Transformation

SAP, global leader in enterprise applications and business AI, today announced that Jaquar Group, a leading brand specializing in holistic bathroom and lighting solutions, is transforming its HR operations, driving organizational excellence and modernizing workforce management with SAP’s cloud-based Human Capital Management (HCM) offerings— SAP SuccessFactors. This curated portfolio of HCM offerings will cover core HR, talent management, employee experience, and HR analytics for the company’s 8000+ employees, including both white-collar and blue-collared workers.

As one of India's most trusted bathroom brands, Jaquar continues to elevate industry standards, empowering people and redefining modern living spaces. Using SAP’s intelligent HR solutions, Jaquar will offer employees self-service tools for leave, performance tracking, and updates, while automating HR processes that will fast-track onboarding, Performance and Goal Management (PMGM), trackability and reduced payroll cycle time. This will help HR teams to prioritize strategic goals and equip managers with AI-driven insights for faster, data-backed decisions, fostering a more efficient and engaging workplace.

Commenting on the announcement, Ranjeeka Sachdev, CHRO, Jaquar Group, said, “At Jaquar, our people are the driving force of company’s success and growth. We are excited to partner with SAP on our journey to use superior technology, as we transform our traditional HR practices to a dynamic, data-driven approach, enhancing transparency, efficiency, and real-time data insights, ensuring our workforce is supported with the best self-help tools. This will elevate the experience for our people, boosting engagement and productivity.”

On the path to be a global leader in Bath + Light solutions, Jaquar’s move towards HR transformation is shaping the future of workforce. Ninad Raje, CIO, Jaquar Group, remarked, “Our association with SAP emphasizes the growing role of digital HR solutions in prioritizing employee experience through automation and AI-driven insights and shaping the future of work. By using SAP’s intelligent enterprise solutions, we're not just streamlining our hire-to-retire process – we're redefining workforce excellence. This transformation elevates both our HR's strategic impact and employee experience, creating a blueprint for building more engaged, productive, and future-ready organizations across industries."

“Successful transformation of any business starts with people at its centre. And in a digital-first era, this transformation is accelerated by cloud and AI-enabled technology solutions. We are excited to support Jaquar’s evolving talent and performance management needs, while supporting to create a more connected and engaged workforce.  By prioritizing employee experience, we're helping businesses like Jaquar set a new standard in HR excellence and workplace transformation setting industry benchmarks, said, James Thomas, VP & Head - SAP SuccessFactors.

Step Into The World Of Wit With Pranav Sharma - Live At Phoenix Mall Of Asia, Bengaluru

This May, gear up for an evening of intelligent humour, observational insights, and laughter-filled storytelling as stand-up comedian Pranav Sharma takes the stage at Phoenix Mall of Asia, Bengaluru. The much-anticipated performance will take place on Saturday, 3rd May 2025, at Fan Park, 2nd Floor, with the show kicking off from 5:00 PM onwards.

Known for transforming everyday experiences into sharp, relatable comedy, Pranav brings his unique take on middle-class mindsets, career woes, and life’s unexpected ironies. His storytelling flows naturally from lived experiences, peppered with hilarious commentary and crowd interactions that breathe spontaneity into each performance. Drawing inspiration from the people around him, his travels, and life’s little absurdities, he creates material that resonates with audiences—thoughtful, relatable, and not intended to offend.

Catch this rising voice in Indian comedy live and in his element. Tickets are available now on BookMyShow — don’t miss your chance to be part of a memorable evening at Phoenix Mall of Asia.

Event Details

Event: Pranav Sharma Stand-Up Comedy Show

Date: Saturday, 3rd May 2025

Time: 5:00 PM Onwards

Venue: Fan Park, 2nd Floor, Phoenix Mall of Asia – Bangalore North

Entry: Tickets available on BookMyShow