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GLOBAL PURCHASING ACTIVITY CONTRACTING AT STRONGEST PACE SINCE DECEMBER 2023 AS MANUFACTURERS WORLDWIDE RETRENCH: GEP GLOBAL SUPPLY CHAIN VOLATILITY INDEX

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North American suppliers report strong rise in excess capacity and the softest demand in eight months, with flagging factory conditions in the U.S.Asian suppliers, who experienced growth in the first half of 2024, report spare capacity as Chinese procurement declinesEurope’s manufacturing recession deepened in August, with Germany and France driving the continent’s downturnIn contrast to the EU, UK manufacturers close to full utilizationCLARK, N.J., Sept. 11, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index — a leading indicator tracking demand conditions, shortages, transportation costs, inventories and backlogs based on a monthly survey of 27,000 businesses — fell to -0.37 in August. This is its lowest level year-to-date (vs. -0.22 in July), signaling the highest level of spare capacity at global suppliers in 2024. This marked two successive months of underutilized capacity across the world’s supply chains, and the lowest level of input demand in eight months, as global economic conditions deteriorate.

Suppliers in all parts of the globe experienced a slowdown in activity during August. Conditions in North America were the weakest — in fact, vendors used by manufacturers in the region recorded the greatest level of unused capacity since June 2023. Factories in all three of the continent’s economies, but especially the U.S., recorded lower purchasing activity in August, as a result of months of below-average demand, highlighting a diminished near-term outlook.
For the first time since March, our data shows spare capacity across Asian supply chains. Procurement activity in China weakened, which was a key driver of August’s downturn in vendor activity, offsetting strength in India.
Europe’s manufacturing recession continued to dampen supply chains and even worsened further, with the continent’s big-two economies, Germany and France, spearheading manufacturing weakness. In contrast to the continent, U.K. manufacturers are close to full utilization.
“What is most concerning in our August data is that manufacturers are aggressively drawing down their inventory suggesting they’re preparing for a sustained soft patch,” explained Neha Shah, president, GEP. “To head off a material slowdown in the second half of the year, manufacturers need to see interest rates lowered, and for the U.S., China and the EU to avoid raising tariffs and trade barriers.” 
AUGUST 2024 KEY FINDINGS
DEMAND: Global demand for raw materials, commodities and other necessary components like semiconductors shrank in August at an accelerated pace that was the strongest in the year-to-date. The globe’s two economic powerhouses, the U.S. and China, both reported lower procurement activity, as well as other major manufacturing hubs like Germany.INVENTORIES: Safety stockpiling was reduced to the greatest extent since March. Reports from global businesses of inventories rising because of supply or price concerns were well below historically typical levels as firms targeted cost savings and lean inventory management amid softening economic conditions.MATERIAL SHORTAGES: Reports of item shortages fell for a second successive month and were their lowest since January 2020 as weaker demand had clearly boosted vendor stock levels.LABOR SHORTAGES: Reports of manufacturers’ backlogs because of insufficient staffing capacity were muted in August, holding close to their long-term trend level. This indicates that labor supply is generally capable of meeting demand.TRANSPORTATION: After having risen in recent months and reaching the highest level since October 2022 in June and July, global transportation costs cooled slightly in August. They were still slightly greater than their long-term average, however.REGIONAL SUPPLY CHAIN VOLATILITY
NORTH AMERICA: Index fell sharply to -0.62, from -0.11, signaling the highest level of vendor spare capacity since June 2023. Procurement activity in the U.S. was the weakest across the region during August.EUROPE: Index decreased to -0.53, from -0.49 as the continent’s industrial recession intensified. Factory demand in Germany and France was deteriorating rapidly.U.K.: Index slipped back into negative territory, falling from 0.11 to -0.14, signaling slack in U.K. supply chains for first time since April.ASIA: Index fell to -0.07, from 0.07, indicating underutilized capacity at suppliers to Asia for first time in five months. Although factory activity remains robust in India, procurement managers in China reported cutbacks.For more information, visit www.gep.com/volatility.
Note: Full historical data dating back to January 2005 is available for subscription. Please contact [email protected].
The next release of the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index will be 8 a.m. ET, October 10, 2024.
About the GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index
The GEP Global Supply Chain Volatility Index is produced by S&P Global and GEP. It is derived from S&P Global’s PMI® surveys, sent to companies in over 40 countries, totaling around 27,000 companies. The headline figure is a weighted sum of six sub-indices derived from PMI data, PMI Comments Trackers and PMI Commodity Price & Supply Indicators compiled by S&P Global.
A value above 0 indicates that supply chain capacity is being stretched and supply chain volatility is increasing. The further above 0, the greater the extent to which capacity is being stretched.A value below 0 indicates that supply chain capacity is being underutilized, reducing supply chain volatility. The further below 0, the greater the extent to which capacity is being underutilized.About GEP
GEP® delivers AI-powered procurement and supply chain solutions that help global enterprises become more agile and resilient, operate more efficiently and effectively, gain competitive advantage, boost profitability and increase shareholder value. Fresh thinking, innovative products, unrivaled domain expertise, smart, passionate people — this is how GEP SOFTWARE™, GEP STRATEGY™ and GEP MANAGED SERVICES™ together deliver procurement and supply chain solutions of unprecedented scale, power and effectiveness. Our customers are the world’s best companies, including more than 1,000 Fortune 500 and Global 2000 industry leaders who rely on GEP to meet ambitious strategic, financial and operational goals. A leader in multiple Gartner Magic Quadrants, GEP’s cloud-native software and digital business platforms consistently win awards and recognition from industry analysts, research firms and media outlets, including Gartner, Forrester, IDC, ISG, and Spend Matters. GEP is also regularly ranked a top procurement and supply chain consulting and strategy firm, and a leading managed services provider by ALM, Everest Group, NelsonHall, IDC, ISG and HFS, among others. Headquartered in Clark, New Jersey, GEP has offices and operations centers across Europe, Asia, Africa and the Americas. To learn more, visit www.gep.com.
About S&P Global
S&P Global (NYSE: SPGI) S&P Global provides essential intelligence. We enable governments, businesses and individuals with the right data, expertise and connected technology so that they can make decisions with conviction. From helping our customers assess new investments to guiding them through ESG and energy transition across supply chains, we unlock new opportunities, solve challenges and accelerate progress for the world. We are widely sought after by many of the world’s leading organizations to provide credit ratings, benchmarks, analytics and workflow solutions in the global capital, commodity and automotive markets. With every one of our offerings, we help the world’s leading organizations plan for tomorrow, today.
Media Contacts
Derek Creevey 
Joe Hayes
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Director, Public Relations
Principal Economist
Email: [email protected]
GEP
S&P Global Market Intelligence
Phone: +1 646-276-4579
Phone: +44-1344-328-099
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NewPhotonics Introduces NPG102 Transmitter-on-Chip for DSP-based Optical Modules Serving 1.6 Tbps AI-era Data Center Interconnect

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Optical head transmitter with integrated lasers enables all-optics transceiver innovation in network and compute infrastructure
TEL AVIV, Israel, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — NewPhotonics Ltd., a leader in advanced integrated photonics technologies, today introduced its NPG102 PIC transmitter on chip (TOC) at1.6Tbps for DSP-based optical transceiver modules.  The NPG102 TOC delivers low latency data communications at low power consumption and reduced channel loss to meet the increasing AI-cluster processing demands on data center infrastructure.

The optimized flip-chip integrates octal channel, auto-tunable lasers and 224Gbps PAM4 modulation featuring aggregated bandwidth at 1.6Tbps with electrical to optical transmission. Internal ADC/DAC supports channel control and monitoring in a package with on-chip temperature monitoring at low 2.9W power consumption.
Integrated Lasers Improve Module Time to Market
Designed for pluggable OSFP modules, the monolithically integrated lasers and modulators improve system integration with wafer-level laser alignment and integrated direct modulation. This additional advantage of all-optics innovation in the transceiver chip design results in accelerated OEM manufacturing yield maturity and time to market for transceiver module delivery.
“As data centers worldwide strive to accelerate infrastructure improvements that enhance AI workload performance, the entire value chain is seeking progressive solutions that deliver faster and more energy efficient data processing.” said Doron Tal, senior vice president and general manager of Optical Connectivity. “Our all-optics innovation roadmap for the NPG102 for 1.6Tbps DSP-based modules puts data centers on a path in this decade to deliver higher capacity, low power optical connectivity.”
The NewPhotonics NPG102 PIC transmitter-on-chip for DSP-based transceiver module sampling will be available in Q2 2025.
About NewPhotonics
NewPhotonics is a fabless semiconductor designs, develops and manufactures photonic integrated circuit (PIC) solutions for AI-era data center optical communications. Our integrated NPG102 PIC transmitter on chip family delivers low latency, reduced power in optical transceiver modules for all-optics connectivity. The company’s silicon photonics innovations breakthrough speed, energy and distance barriers in optical I/O in a new all-optics paradigm. NewPhotonics, based in Tel Aviv, Israel, is privately held and funded. For more information visit www.newphotonics.com 
Press Contact:
Corporate [email protected]+972 3 614-3147
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Royal Meteorological Society’s Public Vote opens for 2024 ‘Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year’ Award

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LONDON, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The public vote for the Standard Chartered Weather Photographer of the Year 2024 is now open. From 19 September to 17 October, individuals can vote for their favourite image from a shortlist showcasing the world’s most striking weather and climate photography.

Now in its ninth year, the competition, organised by the UK’s Royal Meteorological Society, serves as an international platform to raise awareness of the environmental issues putting our planet at risk—including heatwaves, cyclones, and extreme flooding—while also depicting the awe-inspiring beauty and power of the weather.
With the introduction of the Standard Chartered Climate Award in 2024, the competition attracted thousands of entries from photographers of all ages and skill levels worldwide. Many participants were eager to document the human impacts of extreme weather events such as floods, droughts, and wildfires.
The shortlist gallery for the public vote is available on the Royal Meteorological Society’s website, featuring 25 outstanding weather and climate photographs.
Highlights include a Saharan dust storm; an ice halo, rare red sprite lightning; and sublime landscapes blanketed in hoarfrost. The shortlist gallery also provides insights into the science behind the weather phenomena and the stories behind the images—as well as the photographers’ adventures and the techniques used to capture them.
View the shortlist and vote for your favourite.
Competition Timeline
Public Vote Open: 19 September (07:00 BST) – 17 October (23:59 BST)
Winners’ Announcement: 30 October 2024
Professor Liz Bentley, Chief Executive of the Royal Meteorological Society, commented:
“In my nine years judging this competition, I always see something new and astonishing. This year’s entrants have highlighted those regions of the world facing the worst impacts of climate change, but they also bring home the message that climate change is affecting the weather patterns of the more temperate climates and the most comfortable of societies too. We need to galvanise and act now to make change happen.”
Marisa Drew, Chief Sustainability Officer at Standard Chartered, commented: 
“In the second year of our sponsorship, I am once again struck by the photography surfaced in the shortlist, which showcases the impacts of our changing climate on communities and our natural environment. With winners announced next month, I look forward to seeing which photograph wins our new Climate Award, introduced this year to bring greater awareness to the importance of climate mitigation and adaptation. Good luck to everyone on the shortlist.”
Read Notes to Editors
Download high-res or low-res images, captions and image copyright attribution here.
 
 

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XRP Healthcare Magazine Unveils Groundbreaking AI Development in 4th Issue, Featuring Elon Musk

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DUBAI, UAE, Sept. 19, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — The highly anticipated fourth edition of XRP Healthcare Magazine has arrived, featuring an exciting and innovative update on XRP Healthcare’s rapid progress in artificial intelligence (AI). Despite being less than two years old, the company continues to make incredible strides in healthcare innovation. This issue highlights the launch of the XRPH AI chatbot—a multi-lingual digital assistant designed to deliver personalized health advice that spans traditional, holistic, and conventional treatments. Available at www.xrph.ai, the chatbot offers country and region-specific insights, tailored to users’ unique medical needs.

 
 
The XRPH AI chatbot stands out for its ability to generate custom personal training programs based on users’ weight, height, ethnicity, injuries, and diet preferences. It also provides advice on meditation techniques, nutrition, and cutting-edge treatments for terminal illnesses, such as cancer. XRP Healthcare has a dedicated AI development team continuously working to evolve the chatbot, with more innovations planned for release later this quarter.
Chairman Whitney Lynn commented, “The XRPH AI chatbot is a significant breakthrough in personalized healthcare. We’re blending modern AI technology with holistic medical wisdom to create an intuitive tool that is accessible to users around the globe.”
As part of the magazine’s main feature, it also explores Elon Musk’s game-changing investments in AI, which are revolutionizing healthcare through projects like Neuralink. Musk’s advancements are pushing the boundaries of medical diagnostics and treatment, fostering healthy competition in the AI sector and driving the next golden age of innovation.
CEO Kain Roomes added, “The incredible progress we’ve made since inception is a testament to our vision and dedication. Our AI chatbot is just the beginning, and with our dedicated team, we are constantly looking for new ways to improve healthcare experiences.”
Keith Errey, CTO of XRP Healthcare and founder of Isansys Lifecare, also plays a key role in the company’s AI-driven approach. His previous work at Isansys Lifecare involved a groundbreaking partnership with The Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust, where they deployed the Patient Status Engine—a state-of-the-art monitoring platform that detects early signs of patient deterioration, enabling faster and more effective care. Speaking at the Thames Valley Chamber of Commerce International Technology Conference earlier this year, Keith emphasized the pivotal role of AI in healthcare: “The big win in AI will be organizational efficiency. That for the NHS has to be the way forward.” His expertise continues to shape XRP Healthcare’s AI innovations.
The fourth issue of XRP Healthcare Magazine also features Chantelle Gosling-Udonwa, founder of a revolutionary, eco-friendly children’s toy company, and Sam Desalu, founder of the Cornerstone Foundation, which is rekindling hope in Africa through grassroots healthcare initiatives. Additionally, the magazine celebrates the Top 10 female CEOs in Africa and explores Donald Trump’s political future and its potential impact on healthcare and cryptocurrency.
Free physical copies of the magazine can be ordered from www.xrphealthcare.ai (postage costs apply) or downloaded from ISSUU here. With XRP Healthcare’s rapid progress and exciting updates expected later this quarter, this issue is a must-read for anyone interested in the future of AI and healthcare.
About XRP Healthcare:XRP Healthcare is revolutionizing global healthcare with blockchain & AI. As the first Pharma and Healthcare platform built on the XRP Ledger, our Prescription Savings Card in the USA enhances accessibility and affordability. Meanwhile, our mergers and acquisitions in Africa are broadening healthcare access across the continent.
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