Connect with us
MARE BALTICUM Gaming & TECH Summit 2024

Artificial Intelligence

Completion of the sale by Artefact’s main shareholders of a controlling block in Artefact to Ardian Expansion

Published

on

Completion of the sale by Artefact’s main shareholders of a controlling block in Artefact to Ardian Expansion

Reorganisation of Artefact’s governance following Ardian Expansion’s acquisition of control of Artefact

Paris, September 29, 2021 – Artefact (FR0000079683 – ALATF – eligible for PEA-PME equity savings plans), an expert in data transformation and data & digital marketing for major brands, announces the completion today of the transfer by its main shareholders, including Mr. François de la Villardière, Chairman of the Board of Directors, the co-founders and co-CEOs of Artefact, Mr. Vincent Luciani and Mr. Guillaume de Roquemaurel, as well as certain reference shareholders, including Fonds Nobel, Financière Arbevel, Truffle Capital and Otus, together with several managers and minority shareholders, of a controlling block in Artefact representing approximately 50.36% of the share capital and the voting rights of Artefact (the “Controlling Block”) to BidSky, a French simplified joint-stock company controlled by Ardian Expansion, for a price of 7.8 euros per ordinary share, in accordance with the securities purchase agreement relating to the sale of the Controlling Block entered into by the selling shareholders and BidSky on September 17, 2021 (the “SPA”). In accordance with the SPA, BidSky is expected to acquire approximately 1.84% of the share capital and voting rights of Artefact in the next few days, bringing its shareholding to approximately 52.20% of the share capital and voting rights of Artefact.

Pursuant to the SPA, certain selling shareholders also transferred to BidSky 20,000 share purchase options (bons de souscription dactions) representing all of the share purchase options issued by Artefact (the “SPO”), for a price of 1,190 euros per SPO.

The transfer of the Controlling Block and the SPO was subject to the approval of the German and Austrian competition authorities, which were obtained prior to the signing of the SPA.

In accordance with applicable French laws and regulations, BidSky will file within the month of October 2021 a mandatory simplified cash tender offer for the remaining share capital of Artefact at the same price of 7.8 euros per ordinary share (the “Offer”).

In the event that the threshold for a squeeze-out is reached by BidSky following the Offer, BidSky intends to request the implementation of a squeeze-out of the remaining not tendered Artefact securities pursuant to applicable French laws and regulations.

The price of the Offer at 7.8 euros per ordinary share reflects a premium of 42.34% compared to the last closing price before the announcement of the entry into exclusive negotiations (July 23, 2021), of 60.56% compared to the volume-weighted average closing price over the three-month period prior to such announcement, and of 85.95% compared to the volume-weighted average closing price over the six-month period prior to such announcement.

As a reminder, the Board of Directors of Artefact decided on July 25, 2021, upon recommendation of an ad hoc committee set up for this purpose, to appoint in accordance with the provisions of Article 261-1 I, 1°, 2°, 4° and II of the Autorité des marchés financiers (the “AMF”)’s General Regulation, Accuracy, represented by Mr. Henry Philippe, as independent expert mandated to produce a report on the financial conditions of the Offer and any squeeze-out and to present its conclusions in the form of a fairness opinion.

The Board of Directors of Artefact will issue its reasoned opinion on the benefits of the Offer and its consequences for Artefact, its shareholders and its employees, in particular in light of the conclusions of the independent expert’s report.

The independent expert’s report and the Board of Directors of Artefact’s opinion will be included in the draft offer response document prepared by Artefact and filed with the AMF for its approval pursuant to its General Regulation.

In the context of the completion of the sale of the Controlling Block, the Board of Directors of Artefact met on 27 September 2021 to:

  • take note of the resignation, with effect from the date of completion of the sale of the Controlling Block, represented by Mr. Philippe de Verdalle, from its position as director of Artefact;
  • take note of the resignation, with effect from the date of the opening of the Offer, of:
    • Mr. François de la Villardière from his position as director and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Artefact;
    • Ms. Marguerite de Tavernost and Mr. Olivier Duha from their positions as directors of Artefact; and
  • co-opt, subject to their ratification at the next general meeting of Artefact, Ardian France SA, represented by Ms. Marie Arnaud-Battandier, Mr. Stéphan Torra and Mr. Thomas Grétéré, as directors of Artefact, to take effect as from the resignation of respectively Fonds Nobel, represented by Mr. Philippe de Verdalle, Ms. Marguerite de Tavernost, and Mr. Olivier Duha, from their positions as directors of Artefact, Mr. François de la Villardière not being replaced.

In accordance with the rules applicable to the financial communication of listed companies, Artefact will keep the market informed of any significant development regarding the transaction.

About Artefact

Artefact is a new generation of end-to-end data services company, specialising in data consulting and data & digital marketing, dedicated to transforming data into business impact and tangible results across the entire value chain of organisations.

At the crossroads of consulting, marketing and data science, Artefact’s unique approach allows our clients to reach their business goals in a dedicated and efficient way. Our 800+ employees are focused on accelerating data and digital transformation thanks to a unique mix of company assets: cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence technologies, agile methodologies for fast delivery and efficient scalability, and teams of market-leading experts in data science and data & digital marketing, always working together and focusing on business innovation.

Covering Europe, Asia, North America, LATAM, Middle East and Africa, thanks to our 16 local offices, we partner with Global Tiers 1 brands such as Orange, Samsung, L’Oréal, or Sanofi all over the world.

About Ardian

Ardian is a world-leading private investment house with assets of US$112bn managed or advised in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The company is majority-owned by its employees. It keeps entrepreneurship at its heart and focuses on delivering excellent investment performance to its global investor base.

Through its commitment to shared outcomes for all stakeholders, Ardian’s activities fuel individual, corporate and economic growth around the world.

Holding close its core values of excellence, loyalty and entrepreneurship, Ardian maintains a truly global network, with more than 700 employees working from fifteen offices across Europe (Frankfurt, Jersey, London, Luxembourg, Madrid, Milan, Paris and Zurich), the Americas (New York, San Francisco and Santiago) and Asia (Beijing, Singapore, Tokyo and Seoul). It manages funds on behalf of more than 1,100 clients through five pillars of investment expertise: Fund of Funds, Direct Funds, Infrastructure, Real Estate and Private Debt.

Contacts

Artefact
Sophie Huss
VP of Marketing Artefact Group
[email protected]
NewCap
Louis-Victor Delouvrier / Quentin Massé
Investor Relations
Tél. : +33 1 44 71 98 53
[email protected]

Attachment

GlobeNewswire is one of the world's largest newswire distribution networks, specializing in the delivery of corporate press releases financial disclosures and multimedia content to the media, investment community, individual investors and the general public.

Artificial Intelligence

$10 million Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize appoints further advisory committee members

Published

on

$10-million-artificial-intelligence-mathematical-olympiad-prize-appoints-further-advisory-committee-members

D. Sculley, Kevin Buzzard, Leo de Moura, Lester Mackey and Peter J. Liu appointed to the advisory committee for the Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize.
LONDON, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — XTX Markets’ newly created Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize (‘AIMO Prize’) is a $10mn challenge fund designed to spur the creation of a publicly shared AI model capable of winning a gold medal in the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO).

XTX Markets is delighted to announce the appointment of five further advisory committee members. This group brings great expertise in machine learning, including D. Sculley, the CEO of Kaggle; Lester Mackey, a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research and a Macarthur Fellow; and Peter J. Liu, a research scientist at Google DeepMind.
Prolific mathematicians Kevin Buzzard, who achieved a perfect score in the International Mathematical Olympiad, and Leo De Moura who is the Chief Architect for Lean, the automated reasoning tool, also join the advisory group.
They join the existing advisory committee members Terence Tao and Timothy Gowers, both winners of the Fields Medal, as well as Dan Roberts, Geoff Smith and Po-Shen Loh.
The AIMO Advisory Committee will support the development of the AIMO Prize, including advising on appropriate protocols and technical aspects, and designing the various competitions and prizes.
Simon Coyle, Head of Philanthropy at XTX Markets, commented:
“We are thrilled to complete the AIMO Advisory Committee with the appointments of D., Kevin, Leo, Lester and Peter. Together, they have enormous experience in machine learning and automated reasoning and are already bringing expertise and wisdom to the AIMO Prize. We look forward to announcing the winners of the AIMO’s first Progress Prize soon, and then publicly sharing the AI models to support the open and collaborative development of AI.”
Further information on the AIMO Prize
There will be a grand prize of $5mn for the first publicly shared AI model to enter an AIMO approved competition and perform at a standard equivalent to a gold medal in the IMO. There will also be a series of progress prizes, totalling up to $5mn, for publicly shared AI models that achieve key milestones towards the grand prize.
The first AIMO approved competition opened to participants in April 2024 on the Kaggle competition platform. The first progress prize focuses on problems pitched at junior and high-school level maths competitions. There is a total prize pot of $1.048m for the first progress prize, of which at least $254k will be awarded in July 2024, There will be a presentation of progress held in Bath, England in July 2024, as part of the 65th IMO.
For more information on the AIMO Prize visit: https://aimoprize.com/ or the competition page on Kaggle: https://www.kaggle.com/competitions/ai-mathematical-olympiad-prize/
Advisory Committee member profiles:
D. Sculley
D. is the CEO at Kaggle. Prior to joining Kaggle, he was a director at Google Brain, leading research teams working on robust, responsible, reliable and efficient ML and AI. In his career in ML, he has worked on nearly every aspect of machine learning, and has led both product and research teams including those on some of the most challenging business problems. Some of his well-known work involves ML technical debt, ML education, ML robustness, production-critical ML, and ML for scientific applications such as protein design.
Kevin Buzzard
Kevin a professor of pure mathematics at Imperial College London, specialising in algebraic number theory. As well as his research and teaching, he has a wide range of interests, including being Deputy Head of Pure Mathematics, Co-Director of a CDT and the department’s outreach champion. He is currently focusing on formal proof verification, including being an active participant in the Lean community. From October 2024, he will be leading a project to formalise a 21st century proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem. Before joining Imperial, some 20 years ago, he was a Junior Research Fellow at the University of Cambridge, where he had previously been named ‘Senior Wrangler’ (the highest scoring undergraduate mathematician). He was also a participant in the International Mathematical Olympiad, winning gold with a perfect score in 1987. He has been a visitor at the IAS in Princeton, a visiting lecturer at Harvard, has won several prizes both for research and teaching, and has given lectures all over the world.
Leo de Moura
Leo is a Senior Principal Applied Scientist in the Automated Reasoning Group at AWS. In his spare time, he dedicates himself to serving as the Chief Architect of the Lean FRO, a non-profit organization that he proudly co-founded alongside Sebastian Ullrich. He is also honoured to hold a position on the Board of Directors at the Lean FRO, where he actively contributes to its growth and development. Before joining AWS in 2023, he was a Senior Principal Researcher in the RiSE group at Microsoft Research, where he worked for 17 years starting in 2006. Prior to that, he worked as a Computer Scientist at SRI International. His research areas are automated reasoning, theorem proving, decision procedures, SAT and SMT. He is the main architect of several automated reasoning tools: Lean, Z3, Yices 1.0 and SAL. Leo’s work in automated reasoning has been acknowledged with a series of prestigious awards, including the CAV, Haifa, and Herbrand awards, as well as the Programming Languages Software Award by the ACM. Leo’s work has also been reported in the New York Times and many popular science magazines such as Wired, Quanta, and Nature News.
Lester Mackey
Lester Mackey is a Principal Researcher at Microsoft Research, where he develops machine learning methods, models, and theory for large-scale learning tasks driven by applications from climate forecasting, healthcare, and the social good. Lester moved to Microsoft from Stanford University, where he was an assistant professor of Statistics and, by courtesy, of Computer Science. He earned his PhD in Computer Science and MA in Statistics from UC Berkeley and his BSE in Computer Science from Princeton University. He co-organized the second place team in the Netflix Prize competition for collaborative filtering; won the Prize4Life ALS disease progression prediction challenge; won prizes for temperature and precipitation forecasting in the yearlong real-time Subseasonal Climate Forecast Rodeo; and received best paper, outstanding paper, and best student paper awards from the ACM Conference on Programming Language Design and Implementation, the Conference on Neural Information Processing Systems, and the International Conference on Machine Learning. He is a 2023 MacArthur Fellow, a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematical Statistics, an elected member of the COPSS Leadership Academy, and the recipient of the 2023 Ethel Newbold Prize.
Peter J. Liu
Peter J. Liu is a Research Scientist at Google DeepMind in the San Francisco Bay area, doing machine learning research with a specialisation in language models since 2015 starting in the Google Brain team. He has published and served as area chair in top machine learning and NLP conferences such as ICLR, ICML, NEURIPS, ACL and EMNLP. He also has extensive production experience, including launching the first deep learning model for Gmail Anti-Spam, and using neural network models to detect financial fraud for top banks. He has degrees in Mathematics and Computer Science from the University of Toronto.
About XTX Markets:
XTX Markets is a leading financial technology firm which partners with counterparties, exchanges and e-trading venues globally to provide liquidity in the Equity, FX, Fixed Income and Commodity markets. XTX has over 200 employees based in London, Paris, New York, Mumbai, Yerevan and Singapore. XTX is consistently a top 5 liquidity provider globally in FX (Euromoney 2018-present) and is also the largest European equities (systematic internaliser) liquidity provider (Rosenblatt FY: 2020-2023).
The company’s corporate philanthropy focuses on STEM education and maximum impact giving (alongside an employee matching programme). Since 2017, XTX has donated over £100mn to charities and good causes, establishing it as a major donor in the UK and globally.
In a changing world XTX Markets is at the forefront of making financial markets fairer and more efficient for all.
 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/10-million-artificial-intelligence-mathematical-olympiad-prize-appoints-further-advisory-committee-members-302128542.html

Continue Reading

Artificial Intelligence

Hikvision redefines urban mobility with AIoT-powered solutions at Intertraffic 2024

Published

on

hikvision-redefines-urban-mobility-with-aiot-powered-solutions-at-intertraffic-2024

HANGZHOU, China, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hikvision made a significant appearance at Intertraffic Amsterdam, the leading global trade fair for mobility and traffic technology. At the trade event, Hikvision unveiled a suite of traffic, transport, and parking management solutions and products powered by Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) technology, which promised to improve urban mobility, road safety, and operational efficacy.

Elevating urban traffic intelligence with AIoT
One highlight of the Hikvision stand was its intelligent urban traffic solution, which leveraged the power of AIoT to deliver comprehensive real-time monitoring, incident detection, and traffic control. This solution intelligently reshapes traffic dynamics, offering a more responsive and data-driven approach to enhance situational awareness and traffic management. Key innovations in the solution included:
Hikvision’s radar-video fusion camerasThese combine the range perception of radar with the visual perception of video. The 4 MP Radar and Video Vehicle Detector, for example, helps to enhance road safety by providing early warning of potential hazards in challenging situations such as blind spots at intersections and obstacles outside the visual range.Hikvision’s All-In-One Traffic SpotterThis stands out with its multifaceted design incorporating video, radar, and lighting technologies for heightened traffic violation detection. Its streamlined column design facilitates effortless installation.Hikvision’s Radar-Linked PTZ Camera This ensures consistent performance in adverse weather and lightening conditions, and minimizes false alarms with advanced deep-learning algorithms.Innovating parking management
Hikvision also introduced its parking management solutions. These combine extremely precise license plate recognition and intelligent barrier controls incorporating highly accurate radar sensors. This comprehensive approach enhances security, reduces the need for manual intervention, and streamlines traffic flow across parking areas. The Global Shutter CMOS* (GMOS) ANPR camera was a new addition to the lineup. Designed to seamlessly blend in the environment, it is tailored for the task of discreetly capturing license plates at parking facilities that prioritize subtlety.
Advancing public transportation safety and efficiency
Attendees also had the opportunity to explore Hikvision’s latest public transport solutions, integrating AI-driven analytics with advanced video security, on-site voice broadcasting, and centralized management for enhanced onboard security, improved passenger experience, and operational efficiency for buses and taxis. This included the Four-way monitoring system and the Panoramic Auxiliary System, both designed to reduce blind spots and provide high-definition imaging to improve driving safety.
“As ever, we are continually expanding our suite of technologies to enhance traffic safety and efficiency,” said Nick Wu, Project Product Director at Hikvision Europe. “Our commitment lies in minimizing the need for extensive roadside installations by incorporating comprehensive perception and robust AI within unified device frameworks. These innovations automate and streamline every aspect of traffic management, from violation detection to traffic flow monitoring, driving safety, and parking management.”
To find out more about Hikvision’s urban mobility products and solutions, please explore its official website.
Note: CMOS stands for Complementary Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor.
Photo – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2398456/Hikvision_redefines_urban_mobility_AIoT_powered_solutions_Intertraffic_2024.jpgPhoto – https://mma.prnewswire.com/media/2398459/Hikvision_redefines_urban_mobility_AIoT_powered_solutions_Intertraffic_2024.jpg

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/hikvision-redefines-urban-mobility-with-aiot-powered-solutions-at-intertraffic-2024-302128527.html

Continue Reading

Artificial Intelligence

London Blockchain Conference Launches the No Future Campaign

Published

on

london-blockchain-conference-launches-the-no-future-campaign

LONDON, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The London Blockchain Conference is excited to announce the launch of its ground-breaking, ‘No Future Campaign’. This initiative aims to create a strong narrative surrounding blockchain technology by challenging perceptions and sparking conversations. By creating this platform, the campaign aims to instil a fear of missing out (FOMO) sensation among the audience, positioning the London Blockchain Conference as a gateway to securing a stake in the future and unlocking the potential of blockchain technology.

With a bold and evocative narrative theme, the campaign will initially confront the audience with a jarring reality check of “NO FUTURE” and then resolve the statement “WITHOUT BLOCKCHAIN” to spark curiosity and engagement with the optimistic revelation that blockchain holds the key to a prosperous future.
The ‘No Future Campaign’ started on 17 April 2024 with the London Blockchain Conference creating and executing content on/with media platforms and partnerships:
Wharf Life inserts (17/04/2024) – Print and a digital advert/editorial-sponsored pieces.Animations being released on paid and organic channels in a 3-week campaign.Alex Stein, Conference Director said, “The No Future Campaign is a call for individuals, enterprises, and governments to recognise the importance and role of blockchain in shaping the future. Through the London Blockchain Conference, we aim to educate and inspire attendees to understand and harness the potential of blockchain technology.”
The three-day London Blockchain Conference at the ExCel will bring together politicians, business leaders, and innovators. The conference will be running from 21 – 23 May 2024 and will focus on disruptive and real-world applications of blockchain technology and the impact it is having on politics, emerging technologies, and enterprises.
For more information about the ‘No Future campaign’, visit the London Blockchain Conference website.
About the London Blockchain Conference
NETWORK. LEARN. ENGAGE. 
 At the London Blockchain Conference, we show how Blockchain will change the world and help people see another way to manage data, build scalable on-chain solutions and achieve great things. We do this by creating valuable, insightful, and engaging events that educate and inform, allowing you to connect and network to build strong business relationships. Our conference is the best avenue to see blockchain innovations, ecosystem announcements, product launches, technology updates, keynote speeches, panels, and fireside chats from blockchain leaders. Join us and experience it for yourself. 
 
 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/london-blockchain-conference-launches-the-no-future-campaign-302128526.html

Continue Reading

Trending