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NextPlay Reports Fiscal Q2 2022 Record Revenue of $2.6 Million

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SUNRISE, FL, Oct. 20, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — via NewMediaWire — NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: NXTP), a digital business ecosystem for consumers, digital advertisers, video gamers and travelers, reported results for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 ended August 31, 2021.  

Financial Highlights

●        Revenue totaled a record $2.6 million compared to none in the same year-ago quarter, which was attributed to acquisitions completed approximately mid-quarter only contributing about 60% of their revenue on aggregate. The contribution will rise to 100% in the current fiscal third quarter.

●        Gross profit totaled $1.4 million, with consolidated gross margin at 51.9%.

●        Assets totaled $103.8 million

●        Cash and cash equivalents and restricted cash totaled $8.9 million.

Operational Highlights

●        Completed merger with in-game advertising technology provider, HotPlay Enterprise, and changed the company name to NextPlay Technologies.

●        Acquired majority interest in Zappware, an award-winning connected TV service provider that delivers a personalized entertainment experience across tens of millions of set-top boxes, connected TVs, smartphones, tablets and PCs.

●        Acquired International Finance Enterprise Bank (IFEB). Under the new name of NextBank International, the bank will offer a full range of global fintech products and solutions, both direct to consumers and businesses as well as through other NextPlay divisions.   

●        Reorganized the company’s operations and technologies under three new divisions: Interactive Digital Media (NextMedia); Fintech (NextFin) products and solutions; and Travel (NextTravel) for travel technology and services.

●        Partnered with Mediakeys, an international media and advertising agency, to accelerate the company’s global expansion of NextPlay’s in-game advertising platform.

●        Strengthened NextPlay’s executive team with the appointments of in-game tech industry leader and former CEO of HotPlay, Nithinan (Jessie) Boonyawattanapisut, as co-CEO; award-winning digital media executive, Andrew Greaves, as chief operating officer; and industry leader in video game development, Mark Vange, as chief technology officer. Subsequent to the quarter, industry fintech leader, Jorge E. Miró Hernández, was appointed president and chief operating officer of NextBank International.

●        Entered definitive agreement to acquire two complementary technology companies: Token IQ, a leading innovator in digital asset management that provides cryptocurrency owners a solution to replace lost or inaccessible assets; and Make It Games™, the AI-powered video game development platform of Fighter Base Publishing.

Management Commentary

“Our second quarter of fiscal 2022 was a major inflection point for NextPlay, as we transformed our business through several highly-synergistic acquisitions, and laid the foundation for future growth and expansion,” commented NextPlay co-CEO, Bill Kerby. “This resulted in record revenues of $2.6 million, which we expect to more than double in the current quarter as all of these acquisitions contribute fully. We also anticipate gross margin expansion above the record 51.9% in Q2 as we develop synergies between our divisions.

“This M&A activity included establishing a new Interactive Digital Media division with the acquisitions of the HotPlay in-game advertising platform at the beginning of the quarter and then Zappware’s Connected TV platform about mid-quarter. 

“Zappware’s award-wining entertainment media platform reaches tens of millions of devices across Europe, with this expanding into Latin America, Asia and other parts of the world. HotPlay plugs directly into casual games on set-top boxes, connected TVs, smartphones, tablets and PCs. It seamlessly integrates digital ads into video games without disrupting gameplay, which empowers video game publishers to monetize their IP without compromising game integrity. 

“We are working on the integration of Zappware with HotPlay, which would enable digital advertisers and brands using HotPlay to reach a vast global Pay TV consumer base like never before. We expect the addition of Make It Games to further enhance the HotPlay platform with AI-powered video game development technology and thereby provide a further competitive edge.

“We also acquired mid-quarter IFEB bank, which we now call NextBank International, that allows us to offer asset banking and management, mobile payments and insurance, as well as provide consumers and businesses with access to cryptocurrency exchanges and digital wallets. NextBank International will additionally support and enhance our other divisions with integrated fintech services and capabilities.”

NextPlay’s Fintech division is also working on several initial coin offerings through the Longroot ICO portal. This includes the previously announced Magnolia “Forestias” real estate coin offering and a tokenized fund for medical facility related investments, such as facilities serving medical tourism. 

These ICOs are advancing towards IPO underwritings by Longroot, NextPlay’s majority owned Longroot Limited, which controls Thai SEC-authorized Initial Coin Offering portal Longroot (Thailand) Company Limited. Longroot is authorized and regulated under global-leading Thai Digital Asset Business Law and licensed by the Thai Securities & Exchange Commission. 

Concurrently, NextPlay’s Fintech division is building relationships with Crypto Trading Exchanges and selling groups it believes are necessary for successful initial coin offerings. To that end, NextPlay’s Fintech team has been in advanced discussions with several well-established digital asset listing and trading exchanges in Asia and North America to be in step and in-place with the proposed ICOs.

“We see the addition of Token IQ technology becoming core to all our products and services, from our Longroot asset-based cryptocurrencies and HotPlay in-game tokens, to future NextBank fintech services and NextTrip medical tourism offerings,” continued Kerby. “Token IQ also brings valuable technology and software development talent to support the technology integration between our platforms and our partners, as well as further our IP development.

“Altogether, we believe the integration of these acquisitions will enable us to seamlessly engage consumers across the physical and digital worlds like no other company in the market today. They have been key to our vision of building a dynamic digital ecosystem that reaches consumers, gamers and travelers worldwide for the benefit of digital advertisers and brands. 

“As we begin the second half of fiscal 2022, we are now exceptionally well positioned for growth across our three divisions of interactive digital media, fintech and travel. In addition to the planned Zappware/HotPlay integration, we see near-term revenue growth and margin expansion through anticipated HotPlay deployments and Longroot cryptocurrency offerings, and with this accelerating us toward strong cashflow and profitability.” 

NextPlay’s co-CEO Nithinan ‘Jessie’ Boonyawattanapisut added, “Each of our new divisions are led by highly accomplished and capable management who are experts in their fields, and who have assembled equally capable teams. They are leading growth plans for each of these divisions, which includes many opportunities for cross-leveraging and cross-pollinating their respective technologies, customer bases, and market channels to generate robust returns and increasing shareholder value over the long term.”

Q2 Fiscal 2022 Financial Summary

Due to the reverse merger with HotPlay, the year-ago results for the second quarter of fiscal 2021 and at February 28, 2021 incorporate only HotPlay’s financials.

Revenue for the second quarter of fiscal 2022 totaled $2.6 million, as compared to no revenue in the same year-ago quarter. The improvement was primarily the result of the acquisitions of HotPlay, Zappware (via acquisition of Reinhart TV), and IFEB Bank (now NextBank International).

The Digital Interactive Media revenue was primarily due to the contribution of Zappware product deployments, services and service license agreements. The fintech revenue was attributed to interest income and loan fees, as generated by NextBank. The increase in travel revenue was due to travel reservations booked by the company’s NextTrip units. 

Consolidated gross profit totaled $1.4 million or 51.9% of revenue, as compared to none in the year-ago period. 

Total operating expenses totaled $6.2 million, compared to $422,000 in the same year-ago period. The majority increase was primarily due to one-time acquisition-related expenses, and the consolidation of expenses from business combinations of HotPlay, Reinhart/Zappware, and IFEB. 

Net loss was $9.7 million or $(0.11) per basic and fully diluted share, as compared to a net loss of $411,000 or $(5.06) per basic and fully diluted share in same year-ago period.

Cash and cash equivalents at August 31, 2021 totaled $8.9 million, compared to $445,000 at February 28, 2021.

The Company’s Q2, 2022 Financial Report, and other reports the Company files with the SEC, including reports on Forms 10-Q, 10-K and 8-K, can be accessed at sec.gov and on NextPlay’s website in the IR section.

About NextPlay Technologies

NextPlay Technologies, Inc. (Nasdaq: NXTP) is a technology solutions company offering games, in-game advertising, crypto-banking, connected TV and travel booking services to consumers and corporations within a growing worldwide digital ecosystem. NextPlay’s engaging products and services utilize innovative AdTech, Artificial Intelligence and Fintech solutions to leverage the strengths and channels of its existing and acquired technologies. To learn more about NextPlay, visit NextPlayTechnologies.com, and follow us on Twitter @NextPlayTech and LinkedIn.

Important Cautions Regarding Forward-Looking Statements and Disclaimers

This press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of, and within the safe harbor provided by the Safe Harbor Provisions of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. Forward-looking statements give our current expectations, opinions, belief or forecasts of future events and performance. A statement identified by the use of forward-looking words including “will,” “may,” “expects,” “projects,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “estimate,” “should,” and certain of the other foregoing statements may be deemed forward-looking statements. Although the Company believes that the expectations reflected in such forward-looking statements are reasonable, these statements involve risks and uncertainties that may cause actual future activities and results to be materially different from those suggested or described in this news release.

Factors that may cause such a difference include risks and uncertainties related to our need for additional capital which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all, which raises questions about our ability to continue as a going concern; the fact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had, and is expected to continue to have, a significant material adverse impact on the travel industry and our business, operating results and liquidity; amounts owed to us by third parties which may not be paid timely, if at all; certain amounts we owe under outstanding indebtedness which are secured by substantially all of our assets and penalties we may incur in connection therewith; the fact that we have significant indebtedness, which could adversely affect our business and financial condition; uncertainty and illiquidity in credit and capital markets which may impair our ability to obtain credit and financing on acceptable terms and may adversely affect the financial strength of our business partners; the officers and directors of the Company have the ability to exercise significant influence over the Company; stockholders may be diluted significantly through our efforts to obtain financing, satisfy obligations and complete acquisitions through the issuance of additional shares of our common or preferred stock; if we are unable to adapt to changes in technology, our business could be harmed; if we do not adequately protect our intellectual property, our ability to compete could be impaired; our long-term travel business success depends, in part, on our ability to expand our property owner, manager and traveler bases outside of the United States and, as a result, our travel business is susceptible to risks associated with international operations; unfavorable changes in, or interpretations of, government regulations or taxation of the evolving ALR, Internet and e-commerce industries which could harm our operating results; risks associated with the operations of, the business of, and the regulation of, Longroot and NextBank (formerly IFEB ); the market in which we participate being highly competitive, and because of that we may be unable to compete successfully with our current or future competitors; our potential inability to adapt to changes in technology, which could harm our business; the volatility of our stock price; risks associated with the integration of the operations of HotPlay Enterprise Limited, which acquisition we recently competed; the fact that we may be subject to liability for the activities of our property owners and managers, which could harm our reputation and increase our operating costs; and that we have incurred significant losses to date and require additional capital which may not be available on commercially acceptable terms, if at all. More information about the risks and uncertainties faced by the Company are detailed from time to time in the Company’s periodic reports filed with the SEC, including its most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q, under the headings “Risk Factors”. These reports are available at www.sec.gov. Other unknown or unpredictable factors also could have material adverse effects on the Company’s future results and/or could cause our actual results and financial condition to differ materially from those indicated in the forward-looking statements. Investors are cautioned that any forward-looking statements are not guarantees of future performance and actual results or developments may differ materially from those projected. The forward-looking statements in this press release are made only as of the date hereof. The Company takes no obligation to update or correct its own forward-looking statements, except as required by law, or those prepared by third parties that are not paid for by the Company. If we update one or more forward-looking statements, no inference should be drawn that we will make additional updates with respect to those or other forward-looking statements.

None of the tokens contemplated in this release (collectively, the “Securities) have been registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended (the “Securities Act”), in reliance upon the exemption provided by Regulation S thereunder. The Securities referenced herein are not for distribution, directly or indirectly, in or into the United States or to any U.S. person as defined in Regulation S. This announcement is not an offer of Securities for sale into the United States. The Securities have not been registered under the Securities Act and may not be offered or sold in the United States or to, or for the account or benefit of, U.S. persons (as such term is defined in Regulation S) unless they are registered under the Securities Act or they are exempt from registration under the Securities Act. Hedging transactions involving these Securities may not be conducted unless in compliance with the Securities Act.

Source: NextPlay Technologies, Inc.

Company Contact:

NextPlay Technologies, Inc

Richard Marshall

Director of Corporate Development

Tel (954) 888-9779

[email protected]

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Artificial Intelligence

IBM, Government of Canada, Government of Quebec Sign Agreements to Strengthen Canada’s Semiconductor Industry

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Up to $187M CAD to be invested to progress expansion of chip packaging capacity and capabilities and to strengthen R&D at IBM Canada’s Bromont plant
BROMONT, QC, April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — IBM (NYSE: IBM), the Government of Canada, and the Government of Quebec today announced agreements that will strengthen Canada’s semiconductor industry, and further develop the assembly, testing and packaging (ATP) capabilities for semiconductor modules to be used across a wide range of applications including telecommunications, high performance computing, automotive, aerospace & defence, computer networks, and generative AI, at IBM Canada’s plant in Bromont, Quebec. The agreements reflect a combined investment valued at approximately $187M CAD.

“Today’s announcement is a massive win for Canada and our dynamic tech sector. It will create high-paying jobs, invest in innovation, strengthen supply chains, and help make sure the most advanced technologies are Canadian-made. Semiconductors power the world, and we’re putting Canada at the forefront of that opportunity,” said the Right Honourable Justin Trudeau, Prime Minister of Canada
In addition to the advancement of packaging capabilities, IBM will be conducting R&D to develop methods for scalable manufacturing and other advanced assembly processes to support the packaging of different chip technologies, to further Canada’s role in the North American semiconductor supply chain and expand and anchor Canada’s capabilities in advanced packaging.
The agreements also allow for collaborations with small and medium-sized Canadian-based enterprises with the intent of fostering the development of a semiconductor ecosystem, now and into the future.
“IBM has long been a leader in semiconductor research and development, pioneering breakthroughs to meet tomorrow’s challenges. With the demand for compute surging in the age of AI, advanced packaging and chiplet technology is becoming critical for the acceleration of AI workloads,” said Darío Gil, IBM Senior Vice President and Director of Research. “As one of the largest chip assembly and testing facilities in North America, IBM’s Bromont facility will play a central role in this future. We are proud to be working with the governments of Canada and Quebec toward those goals and to build a stronger and more balanced semiconductor ecosystem in North America and beyond.”
IBM Canada’s Bromont plant is one of North America’s largest chip assembly and testing facilities, having operated in the region for 52 years. Today, the facility transforms advanced semiconductor components into state-of-the-art microelectronic solutions, playing a key role in IBM’s semiconductor R&D leadership alongside IBM’s facilities at the Albany NanoTech Complex and throughout New York’s Hudson Valley. These agreements will help to further establish a corridor of semiconductor innovation from New York to Bromont. 
“Advanced packaging is a crucial component of the semiconductor industry, and IBM Canada’s Bromont plant has led the world in this process for decades,” said Deb Pimentel, president of IBM Canada. “Building upon IBM’s 107-year legacy of technology innovation and R&D in Canada, the Canadian semiconductor industry will now become even stronger, allowing for robust supply chains and giving Canadians steady access to even more innovative technologies and products. This announcement represents just one more example of IBM’s leadership and commitment to the country’s technology and business landscape.”
Chip packaging, the process of connecting integrated circuits on a chip or circuit board, has become more complex as electronic devices have shrunk and the components of chips themselves get smaller and smaller. IBM announced the world’s first 2 nanometer chip technology in 2021 and, as the semiconductor industry moves towards new methods of chip construction, advances in packaging will grow in importance. 
“Semiconductors are part of our everyday life. They are in our phones, our cars, and our appliances. Through this investment, we are supporting Canadian innovators, creating good jobs, and solidifying Canada’s semiconductor industry to build a stronger economy. Canada is set to play a larger role in the global semiconductor industry thanks to projects like the one we are announcing today. Because, when we invest in semiconductor and quantum technologies, we invest in economic security.”  — The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“This investment by IBM in Bromont will ensure that Quebec continues to stand out in the field of microelectronics. An increase in production capacity will solidify Quebec’s position in the strategic microelectronics sector in North America.” — The Honourable Pierre Fitzgibbon, Minister of Economy, Innovation and Energy, Minister responsible for Regional Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Metropolis and the Montreal region
About IBMIBM is a leading provider of global hybrid cloud and AI, and consulting expertise. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. More than 4,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in semiconductors, AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and consulting deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service. Visit www.ibm.com for more information. 
Media ContactLorraine BaldwinIBM [email protected] 
Willa HahnIBM [email protected]
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Artificial Intelligence

HITACHI ACQUIRES MA MICRO AUTOMATION OF GERMANY IN EFFORT TO ACCELERATE GLOBAL EXPANSION OF ROBOTIC SI BUSINESS IN THE MEDICAL AND OTHER FIELDS

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HOLLAND, Mich., April 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Hitachi Ltd. (TSE: 6501, “Hitachi”) has signed a stock purchase agreement on April 26 to acquire all shares of MA micro automation GmbH (“MA micro automation”, headquartered in St. Leon-Rot, Germany) from MAX Management GmbH (a subsidiary of MAX Automation SE). MA micro automation is a leading provider of robotic and automation technology (robotic SI) including high-speed linear handling systems, high-precision assembly lines, and high-speed vision inspection technology for Europe, North America, and Southeast Asia, for EUR 71.5M million. The transaction is expected to close in the second half of 2024, pending completion of the customary regulatory filings. After the acquisition is completed, MA micro automation will join JR Automation Technologies, LLC (“JR Automation”), a market leader in providing advanced automation solutions and digital technologies in the robotic system integration business for North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia as a continued effort to expand the company’s global presence.

MA micro automation is a technology leader for automation solutions within micro-assembly. Through its state-of-the-art proprietary high-speed and high-precision automation know-how, combined with unique optical image inspection capabilities, MA micro automation serves high-growth med-tech automation end-markets, covering the production, assembly, and testing medical and optical components including contact lenses, IVD and diabetes diagnostics consumables, and injection molding for medical use. The company was established in 2003 through a carve-out from Siemens*1 and since 2013 has been part of the MAX Automation group. 
JR Automation is a leading provider of intelligent automated manufacturing technology solutions, serving customers across the globe in a variety of industries including automotive, life sciences, e-mobility, consumer and industrial products. With over 20 locations between North America, Europe, and Southeast Asia, the leading integrator offers nearly 2 million square feet (185,806 sq. m) of available build and engineering floorspace. This acquisition allows JR Automation to further grow and strengthen both the company’s geographical footprint and their continued commitment on expanding support capabilities within the European region and medical market vertical.
“MA micro automation provides engineering, build and support expertise with established capabilities in complex vision applications, high-speed and high-precision automation technologies. When integrated with JR Automation’s uniform global process and digital technologies, this partnership will further enhance our ability to deliver added value and support to all of our customers worldwide and continue to grow our capabilities in the medical market,” says Dave DeGraaf, CEO of JR Automation. “As we integrate this new dimension, impressive talents and abilities of the MA micro automation team we further enhance our ability to serve our customers, creating a more robust and globally balanced offering.”
With this acquisition, Hitachi aims to further enhance its ability to provide a “Total Seamless Solution*2” to connect manufacturer’s factory floors seamlessly and digitally with their front office data, allowing them to achieve total optimization and bringing Industry 4.0 to life. This “Total Seamless Solution” strategy links organizations’ operational activities such as engineering, supply chain, and purchasing to the plant floor and allows for real time, data-driven decision-making that improves the overall business value for customers.
Kazunobu Morita, Vice President and Executive Officer, CEO of Industrial Digital Business Unit, Hitachi, Ltd. says, “We are very pleased to welcome MA micro automation to the Hitachi Group. The team is based in Europe, providing robotic SI to global medical device manufacturing customers with its high technological capabilities and will join forces with JR Automation and Hitachi Automation to strengthen our global competitiveness. Hitachi aims to enhance its ability to provide value to customers and grow alongside them by leveraging its strengths in both OT, IT, including robotic SI, and “Total Seamless Solution” through Lumada*3’s customer co-creation framework.”
Joachim Hardt, CEO MA micro automation GmbH says, “Following the successful establishment and growth of MA micro automation within the attractive automation market for medical technology products, we are now opening a new chapter. Our partnership with Hitachi will not only strengthen our global competitive position, but we will also benefit from joint technological synergies and a global market presence.  We look forward to a synergistic partnership with Hitachi and JR Automation.”
Outline of MA micro automation    
Name
MA micro automation GmbH
Head Office
St. Leon-Rot, Germany
Representative
Joachim Hardt (CEO)
Outline of Business
Automation solutions within micro-assembly
Total no. of Employees:
Approx. 200 (As of April 2024)
Founded
2003
Revenues (2023)
€ 46.5 million
Website

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*1
“Siemens” is a registered trademark or trademark of Siemens Trademark GmbH & Co. KG in the U.S. and other countries.
*2
“Total Seamless Solution” is a registered trademark of Hitachi, Ltd. in the U.S. and Japan.
*3
Lumada: A collective term for solutions, services and technologies based on Hitachi’s advanced digital technologies for creating value from customers’ data accelerating digital innovation. https://www.hitachi.com/products/it/lumada/global/en/index.html
About JR AutomationEstablished in 1980, JR Automation is a leading provider of intelligent automated manufacturing technology solutions that solve customers’ key operational and productivity challenges. JR Automation serves customers across the globe in a variety of industries, including automotive, life sciences, aerospace, and more.  
In 2019, JR Automation was acquired by Hitachi, Ltd. In a strategic effort towards offering a seamless connection between the physical and cyber space for industrial manufacturers and distributers worldwide. With this partnership, JR Automation provides customers a unique, single-source solution for complete integration of their physical assets and data information, offering greater speed, flexibility, and efficiencies towards achieving their Industry 4.0 visions. JR Automation employs over 2,000 people at 21 manufacturing facilities in North America, Europe, and Asia.  For more information, please visit www.jrautomation.com.   
About Hitachi, Ltd.Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society through the use of data and technology. We solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products. Hitachi operates under the 3 business sectors of “Digital Systems & Services” – supporting our customers’ digital transformation; “Green Energy & Mobility” – contributing to a decarbonized society through energy and railway systems, and “Connective Industries” – connecting products through digital technology to provide solutions in various industries. Driven by Digital, Green, and Innovation, we aim for growth through co-creation with our customers. The company’s revenues as 3 sectors for fiscal year 2023 (ended March 31, 2024) totaled 8,564.3 billion yen, with 573 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 270,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.
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$10 million Artificial Intelligence Mathematical Olympiad Prize appoints further advisory committee members

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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.
 

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