Technology
KLA Corporation Reports Fiscal 2024 Fourth Quarter Results and Full Year Results
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2 years agoon
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For the quarter, total revenues were $2.569 billion, at the upper end of the guidance range of $2.5 billion +/- $125 million;For the quarter, GAAP diluted EPS attributable to KLA was $6.18 and non-GAAP diluted EPS attributable to KLA was $6.60, each finishing above the midpoints of the respective guidance ranges;Cash flow from operating activities for the quarter and fiscal year was $892.6 million and $3.31 billion, respectively, and free cash flow was $831.9 million and $3.03 billion, respectively; andCapital returns for the quarter and fiscal year were $667.8 million and $2.51 billion, respectively.
MILPITAS, Calif., July 24, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — KLA Corporation (NASDAQ: KLAC) today announced financial and operating results for its fourth quarter and fiscal year ended June 30, 2024. KLA reported GAAP net income attributable to KLA of $836.4 million and GAAP diluted earnings per share (“EPS”) attributable to KLA of $6.18 on total revenues of $2.57 billion for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2024. For the fiscal year ended June 30, 2024, KLA reported GAAP net income attributable to KLA of $2.76 billion and GAAP diluted EPS attributable to KLA of $20.28 on total revenues of $9.81 billion.
“KLA’s June quarter results exceeded expectations, including revenue, gross margin and EPS, which were all above their respective guidance midpoints, demonstrating the enduring power and differentiation of the KLA portfolio,” said Rick Wallace, President and CEO, KLA Corporation. “We are encouraged by the early signs of a strengthening market environment for our customers at the leading edge and are increasingly confident in our plan for steady improvement throughout the remainder of this calendar year and into 2025.”
GAAP Results
Q4 FY 2024
Q3 FY 2024
Q4 FY 2023
Total Revenues
$2,569 million
$2,360 million
$2,355 million
Net Income Attributable to KLA
$836 million
$602 million
$685 million
Net Income per Diluted Share Attributable to KLA
$6.18
$4.43
$4.97
Non-GAAP Results
Q4 FY 2024
Q3 FY 2024
Q4 FY 2023
Net Income Attributable to KLA
$893 million
$715 million
$743 million
Net Income per Diluted Share Attributable to KLA
$6.60
$5.26
$5.40
A reconciliation between GAAP operating results and non-GAAP operating results is provided following the financial statements included in this release. KLA will discuss the results for its fiscal year 2024 fourth quarter and full year, along with its outlook, on a conference call today beginning at 2 p.m. PT. A webcast of the call will be available at: www.kla.com.
First Quarter Fiscal 2025 Guidance
The following details our guidance for the first quarter of fiscal 2025 ending in Sept.:
Total revenues is expected to be in a range of $2.75 billion +/- $150 millionGAAP gross margin is expected to be in a range of 59.9% +/- 1.0%Non-GAAP gross margin is expected to be in a range of 61.5% +/- 1.0%GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in a range of $6.69 +/- $0.60Non-GAAP diluted EPS is expected to be in a range of $7.00 +/- $0.60
For additional details and assumptions underlying our guidance metrics, please see the company’s published Letter to Shareholders, Earnings Slide Presentation and Earnings Infographic on the KLA investor relations website. Such Letter to Shareholders, Earnings Slide Presentation and Earnings Infographic are not incorporated by reference into this earnings release.
About KLA:
KLA Corporation (“KLA”) develops industry-leading equipment and services that enable innovation throughout the electronics industry. We provide advanced process control and process-enabling solutions for manufacturing wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging and printed circuit boards. In close collaboration with leading customers across the globe, our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers design solutions that move the world forward. Investors and others should note that KLA announces material financial information including SEC filings, press releases, public earnings calls and conference webcasts using an investor relations website (ir.kla.com). Additional information may be found at: www.kla.com.
Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements:
Statements in this press release other than historical facts, such as statements pertaining to total revenues, GAAP and non-GAAP gross margin and GAAP and non-GAAP diluted EPS for the quarter ending Sept. 30, 2024, are forward-looking statements and are subject to the Safe Harbor provisions created by the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. These forward-looking statements are based on current information and expectations and involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those projected in such statements due to various factors, including, but not limited to: our vulnerability to a weakening in the condition of the financial markets and the global economy; risks related to our international operations; evolving Bureau of Industry and Security of the U.S. Department of Commerce rules and regulations and their impact on our ability to sell products to and provide services to certain customers in China; costly intellectual property disputes that could result in our inability to sell or use the challenged technology; risks related to the legal, regulatory and tax environments in which we conduct our business; increasing attention to ESG matters and the resulting costs, risks and impact on our business; unexpected delays, difficulties and expenses in executing against our environmental, climate, diversity and inclusion or other ESG targets, goals and commitments; our ability to attract, retain and motivate key personnel; our vulnerability to disruptions and delays at our third party service providers; cybersecurity threats, cyber incidents affecting our and our business partners’ systems and networks; our inability to access critical information in a timely manner due to system failures; our ability to identify suitable acquisition targets and successfully integrate and manage acquired businesses; climate change, earthquake, flood or other natural catastrophic events, public health crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic or terrorism and the adverse impact on our business operations; the war between Ukraine and Russia, and the war between Israel and Hamas, and the significant military activity in that region; lack of insurance for losses and interruptions caused by terrorists and acts of war, and our self-insurance of certain risks including earthquake risk; risks related to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates; risks related to fluctuations in interest rates and the market values of our portfolio investments; risks related to tax and regulatory compliance audits; any change in taxation rules or practices and our effective tax rate; compliance costs with federal securities laws, rules, regulations, NASDAQ requirements, and evolving accounting standards and practices; ongoing changes in the technology industry, and the semiconductor industry in particular, including future growth rates, pricing trends in end-markets, or changes in customer capital spending patterns; our vulnerability to a highly concentrated customer base; the cyclicality of the industries in which we operate; our ability to timely develop new technologies and products that successfully address changes in the industry; risks related to artificial intelligence; our ability to maintain our technology advantage and protect proprietary rights; our ability to compete in the industry; availability and cost of the materials and parts used in the production of our products; our ability to operate our business in accordance with our business plan; risks related to our debt and leveraged capital structure; we may not be able to declare cash dividends at all or in any particular amount; liability to our customers under indemnification provisions if our products fail to operate properly or contain defects or our customers are sued by third parties due to our products; our government funding for R&D is subject to audit, and potential termination or penalties; we may incur significant restructuring charges or other asset impairment charges or inventory write offs; risks related to receivables factoring arrangements and compliance risk of certain settlement agreements with the government; and risks related to the Court of Chancery of the State of Delaware being the sole and exclusive forum for certain actions and proceedings. For other factors that may cause actual results to differ materially from those projected and anticipated in forward-looking statements in this press release, please refer to KLA’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended June 30, 2023, and other subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission (including, but not limited to, the risk factors described therein). KLA assumes no obligation to, and does not currently intend to, update these forward-looking statements.
KLA Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Balance Sheets
(In thousands)
June 30, 2024
June 30, 2023
ASSETS
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents
$ 1,977,129
$ 1,927,865
Marketable securities
2,526,866
1,315,294
Accounts receivable, net
1,833,041
1,753,361
Inventories
3,034,781
2,876,784
Other current assets
659,327
498,728
Total current assets
10,031,144
8,372,032
Land, property and equipment, net
1,109,968
1,031,841
Goodwill, net
2,015,726
2,278,820
Deferred income taxes
915,241
816,899
Purchased intangibles, net
668,764
935,303
Other non-current assets
692,723
637,462
Total assets
$ 15,433,566
$ 14,072,357
LIABILITIES AND STOCKHOLDERS’ EQUITY
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable
$ 359,487
$ 371,026
Deferred system revenue
985,856
651,720
Deferred service revenue
501,926
416,606
Current portion of long-term debt
749,936
—
Other current liabilities
2,063,569
2,303,490
Total current liabilities
4,660,774
3,742,842
Long-term debt
5,880,199
5,890,736
Deferred tax liabilities
486,690
529,287
Deferred service revenue
294,460
176,681
Other non-current liabilities
743,115
813,058
Total liabilities
12,065,238
11,152,604
Stockholders’ equity:
Common stock and capital in excess of par value
2,280,133
2,107,663
Retained earnings
1,137,270
848,431
Accumulated other comprehensive loss
(49,075)
(36,341)
Total stockholders’ equity
3,368,328
2,919,753
Total liabilities and stockholders’ equity
$ 15,433,566
$ 14,072,357
KLA Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Statements of Operations
Three Months Ended June 30,
Twelve Months Ended June 30,
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenues:
Product
$ 1,954,837
$ 1,816,524
$ 7,482,679
$ 8,379,025
Service
613,898
538,613
2,329,568
2,117,031
Total revenues
2,568,735
2,355,137
9,812,247
10,496,056
Costs and expenses:
Costs of revenues
1,010,551
962,949
3,928,073
4,218,307
Research and development
325,759
317,110
1,278,981
1,296,727
Selling, general and administrative
255,106
250,857
969,509
986,326
Impairment of goodwill and purchased intangible assets
—
—
289,474
—
Interest expense
82,836
73,491
311,253
296,940
Loss on extinguishment of debt
—
—
—
13,286
Other expense (income), net
(50,560)
(24,776)
(155,075)
(104,720)
Income before income taxes
945,043
775,506
3,190,032
3,789,190
Provision for income taxes
108,597
90,852
428,136
401,839
Net income
836,446
684,654
2,761,896
3,387,351
Less: Net income attributable to non-controlling interest
—
—
—
74
Net income attributable to KLA
$ 836,446
$ 684,654
$ 2,761,896
$ 3,387,277
Net income per share attributable to KLA:
Basic
$ 6.22
$ 5.00
$ 20.41
$ 24.28
Diluted
$ 6.18
$ 4.97
$ 20.28
$ 24.15
Weighted-average number of shares:
Basic
134,462
136,873
135,345
139,483
Diluted
135,342
137,654
136,187
140,235
KLA Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Statements of Cash Flows
Three Months Ended June 30,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
Cash flows from operating activities:
Net income
$ 836,446
$ 684,654
Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operating activities:
Depreciation and amortization
101,001
104,813
Unrealized foreign exchange loss and other
4,214
17,602
Asset impairment charges
11,307
—
Stock-based compensation expense
58,621
49,907
Deferred income taxes
(30,634)
23,567
Changes in assets and liabilities, net of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in business acquisitions:
Accounts receivable
(221,958)
105,096
Inventories
(32,843)
(144,654)
Other assets
(65,884)
(90,591)
Accounts payable
24,177
(105,844)
Deferred system revenue
(8,613)
117,928
Deferred service revenue
74,096
52,672
Other liabilities
142,685
143,965
Net cash provided by operating activities
892,615
959,115
Cash flows from investing activities:
Capital expenditures
(60,745)
(78,683)
Purchases of available-for-sale securities
(602,081)
(481,096)
Proceeds from sale of available-for-sale securities
36,816
50,079
Proceeds from maturity of available-for-sale securities
488,779
434,819
Purchases of trading securities
(21,635)
(18,852)
Proceeds from sale of trading securities
18,644
19,249
Proceeds from other investments
1,430
—
Net cash used in investing activities
(138,792)
(74,484)
Cash flows from financing activities:
Issuance of common stock
96,501
90,939
Common stock repurchases
(470,266)
(388,825)
Payment of dividends to stockholders
(197,521)
(179,510)
Tax withholding payments related to vested and released restricted stock units
(47,508)
(21,102)
Payment of contingent consideration payable
(67)
(12,823)
Net cash used in financing activities
(618,861)
(511,321)
Effect of exchange rate changes on cash and cash equivalents
(6,000)
(13,958)
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents
128,962
359,352
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period
1,848,167
1,568,513
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period
$ 1,977,129
$ 1,927,865
Supplemental cash flow disclosures:
Income taxes paid, net
$ 65,553
$ 43,858
Interest paid
$ 25,171
$ 25,049
Non-cash activities:
Contingent consideration payable – financing activities
$ —
$ (29)
Dividends payable – financing activities
$ 1,953
$ 2,047
Unsettled common stock repurchase – financing activities
$ 5,500
$ 11,000
Accrued purchase of land, property and equipment – investing activities
$ 13,849
$ 18,445
KLA Corporation
Segment Information (Unaudited)
The following is a summary of results for each of our three reportable segments and reconciliation to total revenues for the indicated periods:
Three Months Ended June 30,
Twelve Months Ended June 30,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Revenues:
Semiconductor Process Control
$ 2,307,994
$ 2,097,479
$ 8,733,556
$ 9,324,190
Specialty Semiconductor Process
121,268
129,008
528,701
543,398
PCB and Component Inspection
140,017
128,977
552,491
631,604
Total revenues for reportable segments
2,569,279
2,355,464
9,814,748
10,499,192
Corporate allocations and effects of changes in foreign exchange rates
(544)
(327)
(2,501)
(3,136)
Total revenues
$ 2,568,735
$ 2,355,137
$ 9,812,247
$ 10,496,056
KLA Corporation
Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Supplemental Information
Reconciliation of GAAP Net Income to Non-GAAP Net Income
Three Months Ended
Twelve Months Ended
(In thousands, except per share amounts)
June 30, 2024
March 31, 2024
June 30, 2023
June 30, 2024
June 30, 2023
GAAP net income attributable to KLA
$ 836,446
$ 601,541
$ 684,654
$ 2,761,896
$ 3,387,277
Adjustments to reconcile GAAP net income to non-GAAP net income:
Acquisition-related charges
a
58,777
58,573
64,564
239,901
271,563
Restructuring, severance and other charges
b
17,721
2,042
8,135
21,033
22,035
Impairment of goodwill and purchased intangible assets
c
—
70,474
—
289,474
—
Loss on extinguishment of debt
d
—
—
—
—
13,286
Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments
e
(23,227)
(19,879)
(20,892)
(86,311)
(90,409)
Discrete tax items
f
3,092
2,386
6,203
7,630
(46,074)
Non-GAAP net income attributable to KLA
$ 892,809
$ 715,137
$ 742,664
$ 3,233,623
$ 3,557,678
GAAP net income per diluted share attributable to KLA
$ 6.18
$ 4.43
$ 4.97
$ 20.28
$ 24.15
Non-GAAP net income per diluted share attributable to KLA
$ 6.60
$ 5.26
$ 5.40
$ 23.74
$ 25.37
Shares used in diluted net income per share calculation
135,342
135,856
137,654
136,187
140,235
Pre-tax Impact of GAAP to Non-GAAP Adjustments Included in Condensed Consolidated Unaudited Statements of Operations
(In thousands)
Acquisition-Related
Charges
Restructuring,
Severance and
Other Charges
Goodwill
Impairment
Total Pre-tax GAAP to
Non-GAAP
Adjustments
Three Months Ended June 30, 2024
Costs of revenues
$ 45,937
$ 2,240
$ —
$ 48,177
Research and development
—
2,230
—
2,230
Selling, general and administrative
12,840
13,251
—
26,091
Total in three months ended June 30, 2024
$ 58,777
$ 17,721
$ —
$ 76,498
Three Months Ended March 31, 2024
Costs of revenues
$ 44,839
$ 805
$ —
$ 45,644
Research and development
867
922
—
1,789
Selling, general and administrative
12,867
315
—
13,182
Impairment of goodwill
—
—
70,474
70,474
Total in three months ended March 31, 2024
$ 58,573
$ 2,042
$ 70,474
$ 131,089
Three Months Ended June 30, 2023
Costs of revenues
$ 45,437
$ 2,570
$ —
$ 48,007
Research and development
—
2,727
—
2,727
Selling, general and administrative
19,127
2,838
—
21,965
Total in three months ended June 30, 2023
$ 64,564
$ 8,135
$ —
$ 72,699
Free Cash Flow Reconciliation
Three Months Ended June 30,
Twelve Months Ended June 30,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Net cash provided by operating activities
$ 892,615
$ 959,115
$ 3,308,575
$ 3,669,805
Capital expenditures
(60,745)
(78,683)
(277,384)
(341,591)
Free cash flow
$ 831,870
$ 880,432
$ 3,031,191
$ 3,328,214
Capital Returns Calculation
Three Months Ended June 30,
Twelve Months Ended June 30,
(In thousands)
2024
2023
2024
2023
Payments of dividends to stockholders
$ 197,521
$ 179,510
$ 773,041
$ 732,556
Common stock repurchases
470,266
388,825
1,735,746
1,311,864
Capital returns
$ 667,787
$ 568,335
$ 2,508,787
$ 2,044,420
First Quarter Fiscal 2025 Guidance
Reconciliation of GAAP Diluted EPS to Non-GAAP Diluted EPS
Three Months Ending Sept. 30, 2024
(In millions, except per share amounts)
Low
High
GAAP net income per diluted share
$6.09
$7.29
Acquisition-related charges
a
0.40
0.40
Restructuring, severance and other charges
b
0.05
0.05
Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments
e
(0.14)
(0.14)
Non-GAAP net income per diluted share
$6.40
$7.60
Shares used in net income per diluted share calculation
135.0
135.0
Reconciliation of GAAP Gross Margin to Non-GAAP Gross Margin
Three Months Ending Sept. 30, 2024
Low
High
GAAP gross margin
58.9 %
60.9 %
Acquisition-related charges
a
1.5 %
1.5 %
Restructuring, severance and other charges
b
0.1 %
0.1 %
Non-GAAP gross margin
60.5 %
62.5 %
The non-GAAP and supplemental information provided in this press release is a supplement to, and not a substitute for, KLA’s financial results presented in accordance with United States GAAP.
To supplement our Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements presented in accordance with GAAP, we provide certain non-GAAP financial information, which is adjusted from results based on GAAP to exclude certain gains, costs and expenses, as well as other supplemental information. The non-GAAP and supplemental information is provided to enhance the user’s overall understanding of our operating performance and our prospects in the future. Specifically, we believe that the non-GAAP information, including non-GAAP net income attributable to KLA, non-GAAP net income per diluted share attributable to KLA, non-GAAP gross margin and free cash flow, provides useful measures to both management and investors regarding financial and business trends relating to our financial performance by excluding certain costs and expenses that we believe are not indicative of our core operating results to help investors compare our operating performances with our results in prior periods as well as with the performance of other companies. The non-GAAP information is among the budgeting and planning tools that management uses for future forecasting. However, because there are no standardized or generally accepted definitions for most non-GAAP financial metrics, definitions of non-GAAP financial metrics are inherently subject to significant discretion (for example, determining which costs and expenses to exclude when calculating such a metric). As a result, non-GAAP financial metrics may be defined very differently from company to company, or even from period to period within the same company, which can potentially limit the usefulness of such information to an investor. The presentation of non-GAAP and supplemental information is not meant to be considered in isolation or as a substitute for results prepared and presented in accordance with United States GAAP. The following are descriptions of the adjustments made to reconcile GAAP net income attributable to KLA to non-GAAP net income attributable to KLA:
a.
Acquisition-related charges primarily include amortization of intangible assets, transaction costs associated with our acquisitions and dispositions, as well as intangible asset impairment charges. Although we exclude the effect of amortization of all acquired intangible assets from these non-GAAP financial measures, management believes that it is important for investors to understand that such intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase price accounting arising from acquisitions, and such amortization of intangible assets related to past acquisitions will recur in future periods until such intangible assets have been fully amortized. Investors should note that the use of these intangible assets contributed to our revenues earned during the periods presented and are expected to contribute to our future period revenues as well.
b.
Restructuring, severance and other charges primarily include costs associated with employee severance including associated acceleration of recognition of certain stock-based and other compensation expenses, gains and losses from exiting non-core businesses, write downs of certain right of use assets and fixed assets that were abandoned and adjustments related to non-controlling interest. Restructuring, severance and other charges in the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 include a gain on the sale of Orbograph, Ltd. (“Orbograph”), which was sold in the first quarter of fiscal 2023, partially offset by certain transaction bonuses triggered by the sale of Orbograph.
c.
Impairment of goodwill and purchased intangible assets included non-cash expense recognized in the three months ended March 31, 2024 and Dec. 31, 2023, following the downward revision of financial outlook for the PCB and Display reporting units in the second quarter of fiscal 2024 and the subsequent decision to exit the Company’s Display business that was based on many factors, including the cancellation of a significant new technology project by a major customer, in the third quarter of fiscal 2024. Management believes that it is appropriate to exclude these impairment charges as they are not indicative of ongoing operating results and therefore limit comparability. Management also believes excluding this item helps investors compare our operating performance with our results in prior periods as well as with the performance of other companies.
d.
Loss on extinguishment of debt during the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 included a pre-tax loss on early extinguishment of the $500 million 4.650% Senior Notes due in Nov. 2024.
e.
Income tax effect of non-GAAP adjustments includes the income tax effects of the excluded items noted above.
f.
Discrete tax items in the twelve months ended June 30, 2024 included a one-time tax benefit resulting from changes made to our international structure to better align ownership of certain intellectual property rights with how our business operates. Discrete tax items in all periods presented included a tax impact relating to the amortization of the aforementioned tax benefit or similar tax benefits recorded in other periods. Discrete tax items in the twelve months ended June 30, 2023 also include the following: an adjustment of the net benefit of the Orbotech Ltd. 2012 to 2018 Israel tax audit settlement, for which the net benefit includes the liability on the audit settlement less reductions in unrecognized tax positions and deferred tax assets and liabilities; a tax expense of $19.8 million from an internal restructuring; and a tax impact from the sale of Orbograph.
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SOURCE KLA Corporation
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Partnership focuses on co-innovating industry-specific solutions, enhancing customer intelligence, and accelerating operational innovation
HONG KONG, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — AXA Hong Kong and Macau (“AXA”) announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (“MOU”) with BytePlus Pte. Ltd. (BytePlus), a leading enterprise-grade technology solutions provider. The partnership marks a major milestone in integrating BytePlus’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Large Language Models (LLM) solutions into AXA’s operations, accelerating digital transformation and responsible AI adoption across the insurance value chain.
The MOU outlines a co-innovation framework focused on three key areas:
Insurance Innovation and Future Capabilities: AXA and BytePlus will combine their respective domain expertise to research, design, and co-innovate pioneering, insurance-specific AI models and applications, intelligent agents, and decision-intelligence solutions. The collaboration aims to explore future-oriented solutions to transform end-to-end operational workflows across the insurance value chain – spanning knowledge management, underwriting support, claims processing, and multi-channel distribution.Customer Intelligence for Personalised Engagement: AXA will leverage BytePlus’s advanced predictive data analytics, consumer persona modelling, and AI-driven decision support, to deepen customer insights to enhance end-to-end customer journey and experience. AI-Powered Creativity and Marketing Enablement: AXA will harness BytePlus’s advanced multimodal capabilities and generative AI technology solutions to establish a dynamic “creativity hub”. This will transform content creation and optimise time-to-market efficiency, enabling highly interactive, personalised customer engagement at scale.
David Ng, Deputy Chief Executive Officer, AXA Hong Kong & Macau, said: “This partnership represents a major milestone for our AI roadmap. Access to BytePlus’s cutting-edge AI capabilities like consumer persona modelling and predictive analytics directly elevates how we understand, anticipate, and serve our customers’ needs across every touchpoint. Looking ahead, by exchanging our deep insurance knowledge with BytePlus’s technology expertise and talent, we aim to co-innovate specialised, insurance-specific AI models that drive industry-wide transformation and further strengthen AXA as a regional centre of excellence for trusted digital innovation. As we continue to scale AI across our enterprise, we maintain the highest standards of Responsible AI – ensuring strong governance and customer protection at every step of our innovation journey.”
Elsa Wang, General Manager, BytePlus Hong Kong & Macau, said: “Hong Kong is a vital international gateway for enterprise technology deployment. Partnering with AXA—a global leader with extensive insurance expertise and an expansive footprint—provides the ideal platform to co-innovate high-impact, industry-specific solutions. Insurance is one of the most dynamic sectors for AI adoption, and AXA’s forward-looking strategy makes them an exceptional partner. Together, we look forward to combining BytePlus’s advanced AI solutions with AXA’s deep knowledge to set new standards for AI innovation in the regional and global insurance market.”
About AXA Hong Kong and Macau
AXA Hong Kong and Macau is a member of the AXA Group, a leading global insurer with presence in 52 markets and serving 92 million customers worldwide. Our purpose is to act for human progress by protecting what matters.
As one of the most diversified insurers in Hong Kong, we offer integrated solutions across Life, Health and General Insurance. We are the largest General Insurance provider and a major Health and Employee Benefits provider. Our aim is to not only be the insurer to provide comprehensive protection to our customers, but also a holistic partner to the individuals, businesses and community we serve. At the core of our service commitment is continuous product & service innovation and customer experience enrichment, which is achieved through actively listening to our customers’ needs and leveraging and investing in technology and digital transformation.
We embrace our responsibility to be a driving force against climate change and a force for good to create shared value for our community. Our overall Sustainability Strategy, with emphasis on nature protection, inclusive protection and social resilience, provides a foundation for integrating environmental, social and governance considerations across our business. We are proud to be the first insurer to address the importance of mental health through different products and services and thought leading iconic research. Committed to shaping a sustainable future, we contribute in diverse ways through three distinct roles – as an investor, an insurer and an exemplary company.
THIS PRESS RELEASE IS AVAILABLE ON AXA’S WEBSITE: AXA.COM.HK
IMPORTANT LEGAL INFORMATION AND CAUTIONARY STATEMENTS CONCERNING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS
Certain statements contained herein may be forward-looking statements including, but not limited to, statements that are predictions of or indicate future events, trends, plans or objectives. Undue reliance should not be placed on such statements because, by their nature, they are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties and can be affected by other factors that could cause AXA’s actual results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in the forward-looking statements. Please refer to Part 4 – “Risk factors and risk management” of AXA’s Universal Registration Document for the year ended December 31, 2019, for a description of certain important factors, risks and uncertainties that may affect AXA’s business, and/or results of operations. AXA undertakes no obligation to publicly update or revise any of these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events or circumstances or otherwise, except as part of applicable regulatory or legal obligations.
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SOURCE AXA Hong Kong and Macau
Technology
TP Receives Frost & Sullivan’s 2026 Asia-Pacific Customer Experience Management Services Company of the Year Recognition for AI-Led Customer Experience Transformation
Published
17 minutes agoon
September 10, 2026By
TP is recognized for combining AI orchestration, operational excellence, regional scale, and customer-centric innovation to transform customer experience management services across the region.
SAN ANTONIO, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Frost & Sullivan is pleased to announce that TP has received the 2026 Asia-Pacific Customer Experience Management Services Company of the Year Recognition for its achievements in AI-led transformation, operational excellence, customer impact, and regional growth. The recognition highlights TP’s ability to evolve beyond traditional customer experience (CX) outsourcing by combining intelligent automation, human expertise, responsible AI, and outcome-focused delivery.
Frost & Sullivan evaluates companies through a rigorous benchmarking process across two core dimensions: visionary innovation and performance, and customer impact. TP excelled in both, demonstrating its ability to align its strategy with evolving enterprise demand while executing with scale, consistency, and market responsiveness.
“TP is helping shape the next phase of CX management by moving AI from experimentation into governed and measurable operations at scale. Its combination of AI orchestration, regional delivery depth, and operational discipline gives enterprises a practical path to transform CX while preserving the human judgment and empathy that remain essential,” said Krishna Baidya, Vice President, ICT Practice at Frost & Sullivan.
Guided by a strategy centered on AI orchestration, responsible innovation, regional expansion, and customer outcomes, TP has strengthened its position across the rapidly evolving Asia-Pacific CX management services landscape. TP.ai, the company’s AI framework, orchestrates the hybrid and agentic workforce, bringing together multiple technologies including chatbots, agent assist, analytics, knowledge management, workflow automation, with data services, industry-specific applications and global TP Experts.
Innovation remains central to TP’s approach. Its pre-built modular capabilities, including TP.ai Connect, TP.ai Assist, TP.ai Growth, TP.ai Collect, and TP.ai Data Services, enable enterprises to integrate AI into customer care and back-office operations while supporting flexibility across technologies, models, and hyperscaler ecosystems. The approach helps clients improve CX including speed and accuracy of support, productivity, automation, compliance, and program agility and success. TP’s responsible AI approach also incorporates governance controls, configurable guardrails, safety thresholds, escalation protocols, and risk monitoring.
“AI is changing the economics of customer experience, but the technology itself was never the point. The opportunity is in how enterprises rewire workflows, decisions and operating models around AI, data and human expertise — that’s the shift we talk about as Opportunity AI, and it’s where the measurable value sits. At TP, that’s the work we’re doing with clients across Asia-Pacific every day. This recognition from Frost & Sullivan is a credit to our teams for turning that opportunity into real impact,” said David Rizzo, President and CEO – APAC at TP.
Across the region, TP combines offshore, nearshore, onshore, hybrid, and work-from-home delivery models to address diverse language, regulatory, cultural, and cost requirements. Its regional footprint supports growth in Japan, South Korea, Australia, India, China, Singapore, and the Philippines, while its local leadership model enables closer engagement with enterprise customers and market-specific needs.
Frost & Sullivan commends TP for establishing a high standard in competitive strategy, execution, innovation, and market responsiveness. The ability to combine global scale with local execution, AI-enabled transformation, and measurable customer outcomes positions TP at the forefront of the evolving CX management services industry.
Each year, Frost & Sullivan presents the Company of the Year Recognition to an organization that demonstrates excellence in strategy development and implementation, resulting in measurable improvements in competitive positioning, customer impact, and market performance.
Frost & Sullivan Best Practices Recognition
Frost & Sullivan’s Best Practices Recognitions honor companies across regional and global markets that exhibit exceptional achievement and consistent excellence in areas such as leadership, technological innovation, customer experience, and strategic product development. Each recognition is the result of a rigorous analytical process in which Frost & Sullivan industry experts benchmark performance through comprehensive interviews, deep-dive analysis, and extensive secondary research. The goal is to identify true best-in-class organizations that are driving transformative growth and setting new industry standards.
Contact us: Start the discussion.
Contact:
Tarini Singh
E: Tarini.Singh@frost.com
SOURCE Frost & Sullivan
Technology
SMiT unveils UWB-enabled CI+ 2.0 dongle and Presence-Aware TV platform at IBC2026
Published
1 hour agoon
September 10, 2026By
Joint solution combines SMiT secure TV-access hardware, TrueSense UWB technology, The Hashgraph Group’s BrandBoost product and Sofia Digital’s TV application expertise.
AMSTERDAM, Sept. 10, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — SMiT, a global provider of secure TV-access hardware and solutions, will unveil its Presence-Aware TV platform anchored by a CI+ 2.0 USB dongle integrating Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology at IBC2026, which will be held from September 11 for September 14. The solution is designed for Free-TV and Pay-TV operators and broadcasters seeking privacy-conscious audience awareness, richer viewer engagement and measurable advertising opportunities on the main screen.
The platform brings together SMiT’s secure and deployable TV-access hardware, the TrueSense UWB integration layer for precise identity association and precise relative positioning, The Hashgraph Group’s BrandBoost TV Awareness product, and Sofia Digital’s TV application and user-interface capabilities.
As viewing and advertising budgets increasingly move toward digital platforms, Pay-TV operators need a reliable and consent-based way to understand engagement at the shared television screen. SMiT’s proposition turns the television from a reach-only device into an interactive and measurable surface while keeping the operator at the center of the customer relationship.
How it works
The UWB-enabled CI+ 2.0 dongle connects directly to a compatible iDTV without requiring a separate set-top box. Using TrueSense UWB technology, the system can securely associate an opted-in registered viewer’s smartphone or tag with the television and determine the device’s proximity and relative position with high precision. This enables the TV, the operator application and cloud services to coordinate personalized and interactive experiences.
SMiT pairs its hardware with BrandBoost, The Hashgraph Group’s TV Awareness product. BrandBoost combines privacy-conscious viewer awareness, gamification, targeted engagement and reward workflows. Developed around the UWB layer, allowing the platform to link an authorized digital identity to the viewer’s precise proximity and position relative to the television.
Sofia Digital provides the TV application, operator user experience and integration capabilities required to bring these services to screen.
Demonstrated use cases include:
Live sports ‘Guess & Glory’: prediction and polling experiences with rewards for correct answers.Ad Trivia: interactive overlays during commercial breaks, with credits, vouchers or other operator-defined rewards.Presence-aware personalization: content, menus and offers adapted to an opted-in registered viewer.Location-based authentication: an additional proximity signal supporting account security and password-sharing controls.
Where required by the operator, engagement and reward events can be recorded using Hedera DLT, supporting transparent campaign measurement and tokenized reward models. The combined platform is designed to help operators progress from broad audience estimates toward permission-based, outcome-oriented engagement and advertising metrics.
Live at IBC2026
Visitors to SMiT Stand 2.C36 will be able to experience a live demonstration in which an enabled smartphone approaching the television is associated with the TV session through UWB. The demonstration will show the combined hardware, viewer onboarding, TV interaction, gamification and operator cloud-management experience.
The architecture is extensible to personalized operator interfaces, live sports interaction, targeted advertising, loyalty programs and other presence-aware services. SMiT positions the dongle as a practical add-on for existing Pay-TV operators and conditional-access providers, supporting new services without requiring a complete replacement of the installed TV platform.
More information: www.smit.com.cn/engr/
View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/smit-unveils-uwb-enabled-ci-2-0-dongle-and-presence-aware-tv-platform-at-ibc2026–302874587.html
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SMiT unveils UWB-enabled CI+ 2.0 dongle and Presence-Aware TV platform at IBC2026
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