Technology
HOMEOWNER EQUITY TURNS BACK UPWARD ACROSS U.S. IN SECOND QUARTER OF 2024 AS HOME VALUES SURGE
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2 years agoon
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Half of Mortgaged Homeowners Once Again Equity-Rich; Portion of Owners Seriously Underwater Drops to Five-Year Low
IRVINE, Calif., Aug. 1, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — ATTOM, a leading curator of land, property, and real estate data, today released its second quarter 2024 U.S. Home Equity & Underwater Report, which shows that 49.2 percent of mortgaged residential properties in the United States were considered equity-rich in the second quarter, meaning that the combined estimated amount of loan balances secured by those properties was no more than half of their estimated market values.
The portion of mortgaged homeowners in equity-rich territory during the second quarter of 2024 rose from 45.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024, matching a high point reached in the Spring of last year. The increase reversed a series of three straight quarterly declines and marked one of the best gains in the past five years.
While equity-rich levels improved, the report also reveals that the portion of home mortgages that were seriously underwater in the U.S. declined to 2.4 percent during the second quarter, or just one in 42. That was down from 2.7 percent in the prior quarter to the lowest level since at least 2019. Seriously underwater mortgages are those with combined estimated balances of loans secured by properties that are at least 25 percent more than those properties’ estimated market values.
The second-quarter equity gains came as home prices spiked during the 2024 Spring buying season, with the median national price shooting up 9 percent quarterly to a new record of $365,000. Rising prices helped raise equity levels throughout most of the country by widening the gap between the estimated value of homes and the amounts homeowners owed on their loans.
“Homeowner wealth took a notable turn for the better during the second quarter as equity levels piggybacked on some of the biggest home-price spikes we’ve seen in recent years,” said Rob Barber, CEO for ATTOM. “After a period where equity seemed stagnant or even declining, this brought another boost of good news for homeowners from the enduring housing market boom. Supplies of homes for sale remain limited these days and buyer demand is typically elevated during the Summertime. So, it should be no surprise if home values go even higher and take equity along for the ride.”
The latest market pattern reflects a period when the housing market rebounded from several sluggish quarters of price gains and losses. Values surged amid a tight supply of homes combined with the usual Springtime increase in buyer demand. Additional help came from relatively stable home-mortgage rates that hovered back and forth around 7 percent for a 30-year fixed loan as well as a national unemployment rate that fell below 4 percent and investment markets that hit new highs.
Equity-rich shares of mortgages climb throughout U.S.
The portion of mortgages that were equity-rich increased in 48 of the 50 U.S. states from the first quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2024, commonly by more than two percentage points. Measured annually, equity-rich levels were up in 31 states as the nationwide figure of 49.2 percent equity-rich in the second quarter of this year matched the portion from the second quarter of 2023.
The biggest quarterly increases came in lower-priced markets, mainly across the South and Midwest regions, led by Kentucky (where the portion of mortgaged homes considered equity-rich increased from 28.7 percent in the first quarter of 2024 to 37.4 percent in the second quarter of 2024), Illinois (up from 28.3 percent to 36.1 percent), Missouri (up from 38.3 percent to 45.5 percent), Oklahoma (up from 28.1 percent to 34.5 percent) and Alabama (up from 35.7 percent to 41.9 percent).
At the other end of the scale, equity-rich levels remained the same in two states (staying at 54 percent in Utah and 51.5 percent in South Dakota). The smallest increases were in North Dakota (up from 31.5 percent to 32 percent), California (up from 58.6 percent to 59.4 percent) and Louisiana (up from 20.1 percent to 21 percent).
Seriously underwater mortgage levels also improve in most states
The portion of mortgaged homes considered seriously underwater declined nationwide during the second quarter of 2024 to one in 42. That was down from one in 37 in the first quarter of 2024 and one in 36 in the second quarter of last year – well below the ratio of one in 15 recorded in 2019. The rate decreased in 47 states quarterly and 37 states annually.
As with rising equity-rich levels, the biggest decreases in seriously underwater mortgages were clustered mainly in the South and Midwest. The largest quarterly decreases were in Wyoming (share of mortgaged homes that were seriously underwater down from 8.8 percent in the first quarter of 2024 to 2.5 percent in the second quarter of 2024), Kentucky (down from 8.3 percent to 6.3 percent), Illinois (down from 5.2 percent to 4 percent), Oklahoma (down from 6.1 percent to 5 percent) and Alabama (down from 3.6 percent to 2.8 percent).
On the flip side, two states saw slight increases in the percentage of seriously underwater homes from the first quarter to the second quarter of 2024. They were Utah (up from 2.1 percent to 2.2 percent) and South Dakota (up from 3 percent to 3.1 percent). The rate was unchanged in three states: New Mexico (2.6 percent), Kansas (2.9 percent) and Idaho (2.4 percent).
Largest levels of equity-rich homeowners still in higher-priced markets of Northeast and West
The 10 states with the highest levels of equity-rich mortgaged properties around the U.S. during the second quarter of 2024 again were in the Northeast or West regions. Those with the largest portions were Vermont (83.5 percent of mortgaged homes were equity-rich), Maine (61.5 percent), New Hampshire (61.1 percent), Montana (61.1 percent) and Rhode Island (60.2 percent).
Nine of the 10 states with the lowest percentages of equity-rich properties during the second quarter of 2024 were in the Midwest or South. The smallest portions were in Louisiana (21 percent of mortgaged homes were equity-rich), Alaska (31 percent), North Dakota (32 percent), West Virginia (33.6 percent) and Oklahoma (34.5 percent).
Among 107 metropolitan statistical areas around the nation with a population of at least 500,000, upscale markets where median home values topped $400,000 again dominated the list of places with the highest portion of mortgaged properties that were equity-rich during the second quarter. (See ATTOM’s latest Q2 2024 U.S. home sales report)
Those markets were led by San Jose, CA (70.4 percent equity-rich, with a second-quarter median home price of $1.6 million); Miami, FL (65.4 percent, with a median price of $485,000); San Diego, CA (65.4 percent, with a median price of $910,000); Los Angeles, CA (65.3 percent, with a median price of $963,500) and Portland, ME (65.1 percent, with a median price of $499,411).
The leader in the Midwest continued to be Grand Rapids, MI (57.2 percent equity-rich, with a median price of $325,000).
The metro areas with the lowest percentages of equity-rich properties in the second quarter of 2024 remained mostly in low-priced markets of the South and Midwest. The smallest levels were in Baton Rouge, LA (17.5 percent of mortgaged homes were equity-rich, with a second-quarter median home price of $235,000); New Orleans, LA (27.1 percent, with a median price of $255,000); Jackson, MS (29.2 percent, with a median price of $262,421); Virginia Beach, VA (30.3 percent, with a median price of $329,000) and Little Rock, AR (32.5 percent, with a median price of $224,268).
The portion of mortgaged homes considered equity rich increased from the first quarter of 2024 to the second quarter of 2024 in 99 of the 107 metro areas with sufficient data (93 percent), but was still down from the second quarter of 2023 to the same period of 2024 in 57 percent.
Top equity-rich counties again concentrated in Midwest, Northeast and West
Among 1,747 counties that had at least 2,500 homes with mortgages in the second quarter of 2024, the top 30 equity-rich locations were spread across the Midwest, Northeast or West regions, with Michigan and Vermont leading the way.
Counties with the highest share of equity-rich properties were Chittenden County (Burlington), VT (90.8 percent equity rich); Benzie County (Beulah), MI (89.2 percent); Manistee County, MI (86.6 percent); Washington County (Montpelier), VT (86.3 percent) and Marquette County, MI (85.4 percent).
Counties with populations of at least 500,000 and the highest equity-rich levels were Santa Clara County (San Jose), CA (71.4 percent equity-rich); Orange County, CA (outside Los Angeles) (69.9 percent); Palm Beach County (West Palm Beach), FL (68.2 percent); Miami-Dade County, FL (67.6 percent) and San Diego County, CA (65.4 percent).
Nineteen of the 20 counties with the smallest share of equity-rich homes in the second quarter of 2024 were in the South. The lowest were in Vernon Parish (Leesville), LA (5.4 percent equity rich); Long County, GA (south of Savannah) (9.2 percent); Ascension Parish, LA (outside Baton Rouge) (9.7 percent); Acadia Parish, LA (outside Lafayette) (10 percent) and Arkansas County, AR (east of Little Rock (10.7 percent).
Counties with populations of at least 500,000 and the smallest equity-rich portions were Cook County (Chicago), IL (34.8 percent equity-rich); Hennepin County (Minneapolis), MN (38.6 percent); Cuyahoga County (Cleveland), OH (39 percent); Philadelphia County, PA (40.6 percent) and New York County (Manhattan), NY (43.1 percent).
At least 50 percent of all mortgaged properties considered equity-rich in almost half of all U.S. zip codes
Among 9,120 U.S. zip codes that had at least 2,000 residential properties with mortgages in the second quarter of 2024, there were 4,263 (46.7 percent) where at least half the mortgaged properties were equity-rich.
Among the top 50 zip codes, 41 were in California, Florida or Texas, including five each in Santa Barbara, CA, and Irvine, CA. The largest shares were in zip codes 49855 in Marquette, MI (87.1 percent of mortgaged properties were equity-rich); 93110 in Santa Barbara, CA (86.2 percent); 92657 in Newport Coast, CA (85.9 percent); 57702 in Rapid City, SD (85.5 percent) and 76115 in Fort Worth, TX (85.4 percent).
Largest shares of seriously underwater mortgages continue in Midwest and South
The Midwest and South regions had 18 of the top 20 states with the highest shares of mortgages that were seriously underwater in the second quarter of this year. The top five were Louisiana (10.5 percent seriously underwater), Mississippi (6.8 percent), Kentucky (6.3 percent), Arkansas (5.4 percent) and Iowa (5.2 percent).
The smallest shares were in Vermont (0.7 percent seriously underwater), Rhode Island (0.9 percent), New Hampshire (1 percent), Massachusetts (1.1 percent) and California (1.2 percent).
Among 107 metropolitan statistical areas with a population greater than 500,000, those with the largest shares of mortgages that were seriously underwater in the second quarter of 2024 were Baton Rouge, LA (11 percent); New Orleans, LA (7.4 percent); Jackson, MS (6.1 percent); Little Rock, AR (4.7 percent) and Lexington, KY (4.7 percent).
More than 20 percent of residential mortgages seriously underwater in less than 1 percent zip codes
Among the 9,120 U.S. zip codes that had at least 2,000 homes with mortgages in the second quarter of 2024, there were only 19 locations where more than 20 percent of mortgaged properties were seriously underwater.
The top five zip codes with the largest shares of seriously underwater properties in the second quarter of 2024 were 39180 in Vicksburg, MI (38.8 percent of mortgaged homes were seriously underwater); 42445 in Princeton, KY (36 percent); 71446 in Leesville, LA (33.4 percent); 44108 in Cleveland, OH (32.7 percent) and 44112 in Cleveland, OH (30 percent).
Report methodology
The ATTOM U.S. Home Equity & Underwater report provides counts of properties based on several categories of equity — or loan to value (LTV) — at the state, metro, county and zip code level, along with the percentage of total properties with a mortgage that each equity category represents. The equity/LTV is calculated based on record-level loan model estimating position and amount of loans secured by a property and a record-level automated valuation model (AVM) derived from publicly recorded mortgage and deed of trust data collected and licensed by ATTOM nationwide for more than 155 million U.S. properties. The ATTOM Home Equity and Underwater report has been updated and modified to better reflect a housing market focused on the traditional home buying process. ATTOM found that markets where investors were more prominent, they would offset the loan to value ratio due to sales involving multiple properties with a single jumbo loan encompassing all of the properties. Therefore, going forward such activity is now excluded from the reports in order to provide traditional consumer home purchase and loan activity.
Definitions
Seriously underwater: Loan to value ratio of 125 percent or above, meaning the property owner owed at least 25 percent more than the estimated market value of the property.
Equity-rich: Loan to value ratio of 50 percent or lower, meaning the property owner had at least 50 percent equity.
About ATTOM
ATTOM provides premium property data to power products that improve transparency, innovation, efficiency, and disruption in a data-driven economy. ATTOM multi-sources property tax, deed, mortgage, foreclosure, environmental risk, natural hazard, and neighborhood data for more than 155 million U.S. residential and commercial properties covering 99 percent of the nation’s population. A rigorous data management process involving more than 20 steps validates, standardizes, and enhances the real estate data collected by ATTOM, assigning each property record with a persistent, unique ID — the ATTOM ID. The 30TB ATTOM Data Warehouse fuels innovation in many industries including mortgage, real estate, insurance, marketing, government and more through flexible data delivery solutions that include ATTOM Cloud, bulk file licenses, property data APIs, real estate market trends, property navigator and more. Also, introducing our newest innovative solution, making property data more readily accessible and optimized for AI applications– AI-Ready Solutions.
Media Contact:
Megan Hunt
megan.hunt@attomdata.com
Data and Report Licensing:
datareports@attomdata.com
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SOURCE ATTOM
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Technology
Samsung Selects Chandigarh University Student as ‘Punjab AI State Topper’
Published
10 minutes agoon
July 18, 2026By
CU Student Devesh Panwar Wins Rs 1 Lakh Award for Developing AI-Based Document Search System
CHANDIGARH, India, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) student of Chandigarh University, Devesh Panwar, has been named the “Punjab State Topper” in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) under the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program organised by Samsung in collaboration with Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) and training partner Focal Skill Development (Focalyt) to equip Indian youth with industry-relevant in-demand skills in AI, loT, Big Data, and Coding & Programming, preparing them for future careers.
A final-year student of Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) at University Institute of Computing (UIC) of Chandigarh University, Devesh Panwar also won a cash award of Rs 1 lakh along with a laptop, and exclusive Samsung rewards for achieving this remarkable milestone under the Samsung Innovation Campus AI Program.
“Being named ‘AI State Topper’ was a moment of profound pride and validation for me. Hard work, intense technical training and a passion for AI culminated in the immense honor of the Punjab State Topper title. Besides getting access to state-of-the-art tools to fuel my future research and development endeavor, I gained world-class knowledge during the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program. It helped me in gaining hands-on experience and applied AI to solve real-world challenges, especially in aeronautical and technical domains,”
During Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program, Devesh and his team worked on innovative AI capstone project which was presented before the jury panel as part of the final assessment.
“Our team developed the advanced AI-powered system AI Research Agent, a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) platform designed for intelligent querying of private document collections. Organizations, researchers, legal professionals, and HR teams often work with large collections of documents. Traditional search methods rely heavily on keyword matching and require significant manual effort to locate relevant information. The project was developed to address the limitations of traditional document search systems, which often struggle with contextual understanding, retrieval accuracy, learning adaptability, and response speed,” said Devesh.
“The developed system demonstrated significant improvements over traditional document retrieval approaches with faster response generation with integration of modern AI techniques, full-stack development, database systems, and intelligent automation into a single practical solution. By combining modern RAG architecture with innovative retrieval and reasoning mechanisms, this system provides a fast, intelligent, and user-friendly solution for knowledge discovery and resume evaluation. This project not only enhanced our technical expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Full-Stack Development but also strengthened our problem-solving, teamwork, and professional communication skills. It stands as a significant achievement of our Samsung Innovation Campus 2025 journey and reflects our commitment to building impactful AI solutions for real-world challenges,” he added.
Congratulating Devesh Panwar for being named “Punjab State Topper” AI under the Samsung Innovation Campus Samsung Innovation Program, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University, said, “Devesh’s achievement reflects Chandigarh University’s focus on experiential learning and industry-academia collaboration. Through the Samsung Innovation Campus AI Program, CU students gain practical exposure to AI and building solutions for real-world challenges. This accomplishment reflects not only Devesh’s commitment to excellence but also the growing culture of innovation and industry-oriented learning at Chandigarh University,”.
“Since its inception, Chandigarh University has set benchmarks for world-class education with its dynamic hands-on experiential learning model, industry-aligned programs, dynamic fraternity, state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities and impeccable placements. Samsung Innovation Program is also part of our initiatives to develop a future-ready talent pool equipped with advanced capabilities in AI, loT, Big Data, and Coding and Programming. By bridging the gap between theoretical learning and real-world application, this collaboration helps in providing CU’s computer science and computing students exposure to cutting-edge and emerging technologies. CU’s this partnership with Samsung is focused on building future-ready talent equipped with industry-relevant skills in AI and emerging technologies,” Sandhu said.
He said Chandigarh University’s Institute of Computing (UIC) prepares students for a successful career in computing, to create and disseminate computing knowledge and technology. “Chandigarh University carries a vision of crafting next-gen IT professionals who can take up industry challenges effectively and our Institute of Computing (UIC) prepares students for a successful career in computing, to create and disseminate computing knowledge and technology. UIC’s hands-on approach paves the way for a smooth transition to the workforce after graduation. Our students are equipped with the best knowledge, skills and passion to succeed in any number of computing careers. CU’s Institute of Computing renders cutting-edge education ranging from the expertise in traditional software development -to- modern computing technologies. Fully-equipped industry-sponsored labs, industry-aligned curriculum, and accreditations and validations by top companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Google Android, Red Hat etc. give our students an exclusive edge over others,” the Chandigarh University CMD said.
Sandhu said the latest edition of QS World University Rankings has yet again reaffirmed Chandigarh University global standing as a top educational institution. “Continuing its remarkable rise among the world’s leading higher education institutions, Chandigarh University (CU) has made impressive strides in the latest edition of prestigious QS World University Rankings 2027 by securing an overall world rank of 526, an increase of 49 ranks as compared to 575th rank in QS’ 2026 Rankings. This is for the fifth consecutive year that Chandigarh University’s global rankings have witnessed an impressive surge with CU’s world rank going up by an impressive 274 ranks — from the 800th rank in 2023 to 526th in 2027’s Rankings,”.
“As per the latest QS World University Rankings, with All India Rank of 13 among all universities in the country as compared to 16th rank in 2026’s rankings, Chandigarh University now ranks among the top 1% of universities in India and the top 2% of universities in the World, underscoring its growing reputation as a leading institution of higher learning, both in India and globally,” he added.
About Chandigarh University
Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.
Website address: https://www.cuchd.in/
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/samsung-selects-chandigarh-university-student-as-punjab-ai-state-topper-302828991.html
Technology
Samsung Selects Chandigarh University Student as ‘Punjab AI State Topper’
Published
10 minutes agoon
July 18, 2026By
CU Student Devesh Panwar Wins Rs 1 Lakh Award for Developing AI-Based Document Search System
CHANDIGARH, India, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — A Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) student of Chandigarh University, Devesh Panwar, has been named the “Punjab State Topper” in the Artificial Intelligence (AI) under the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program organised by Samsung in collaboration with Telecom Sector Skill Council (TSSC) and training partner Focal Skill Development (Focalyt) to equip Indian youth with industry-relevant in-demand skills in AI, loT, Big Data, and Coding & Programming, preparing them for future careers.
A final-year student of Bachelor of Computer Applications (BCA) at University Institute of Computing (UIC) of Chandigarh University, Devesh Panwar also won a cash award of Rs 1 lakh along with a laptop, and exclusive Samsung rewards for achieving this remarkable milestone under the Samsung Innovation Campus AI Program.
“Being named ‘AI State Topper’ was a moment of profound pride and validation for me. Hard work, intense technical training and a passion for AI culminated in the immense honor of the Punjab State Topper title. Besides getting access to state-of-the-art tools to fuel my future research and development endeavor, I gained world-class knowledge during the Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program. It helped me in gaining hands-on experience and applied AI to solve real-world challenges, especially in aeronautical and technical domains,”
During Samsung Innovation Campus (SIC) AI Program, Devesh and his team worked on innovative AI capstone project which was presented before the jury panel as part of the final assessment.
“Our team developed the advanced AI-powered system AI Research Agent, a Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG) platform designed for intelligent querying of private document collections. Organizations, researchers, legal professionals, and HR teams often work with large collections of documents. Traditional search methods rely heavily on keyword matching and require significant manual effort to locate relevant information. The project was developed to address the limitations of traditional document search systems, which often struggle with contextual understanding, retrieval accuracy, learning adaptability, and response speed,” said Devesh.
“The developed system demonstrated significant improvements over traditional document retrieval approaches with faster response generation with integration of modern AI techniques, full-stack development, database systems, and intelligent automation into a single practical solution. By combining modern RAG architecture with innovative retrieval and reasoning mechanisms, this system provides a fast, intelligent, and user-friendly solution for knowledge discovery and resume evaluation. This project not only enhanced our technical expertise in Artificial Intelligence and Full-Stack Development but also strengthened our problem-solving, teamwork, and professional communication skills. It stands as a significant achievement of our Samsung Innovation Campus 2025 journey and reflects our commitment to building impactful AI solutions for real-world challenges,” he added.
Congratulating Devesh Panwar for being named “Punjab State Topper” AI under the Samsung Innovation Campus Samsung Innovation Program, Deepinder Singh Sandhu, Senior Managing Director, Chandigarh University, said, “Devesh’s achievement reflects Chandigarh University’s focus on experiential learning and industry-academia collaboration. Through the Samsung Innovation Campus AI Program, CU students gain practical exposure to AI and building solutions for real-world challenges. This accomplishment reflects not only Devesh’s commitment to excellence but also the growing culture of innovation and industry-oriented learning at Chandigarh University,”.
“Since its inception, Chandigarh University has set benchmarks for world-class education with its dynamic hands-on experiential learning model, industry-aligned programs, dynamic fraternity, state-of-the-art infrastructure facilities and impeccable placements. Samsung Innovation Program is also part of our initiatives to develop a future-ready talent pool equipped with advanced capabilities in AI, loT, Big Data, and Coding and Programming. By bridging the gap between theoretical learning and real-world application, this collaboration helps in providing CU’s computer science and computing students exposure to cutting-edge and emerging technologies. CU’s this partnership with Samsung is focused on building future-ready talent equipped with industry-relevant skills in AI and emerging technologies,” Sandhu said.
He said Chandigarh University’s Institute of Computing (UIC) prepares students for a successful career in computing, to create and disseminate computing knowledge and technology. “Chandigarh University carries a vision of crafting next-gen IT professionals who can take up industry challenges effectively and our Institute of Computing (UIC) prepares students for a successful career in computing, to create and disseminate computing knowledge and technology. UIC’s hands-on approach paves the way for a smooth transition to the workforce after graduation. Our students are equipped with the best knowledge, skills and passion to succeed in any number of computing careers. CU’s Institute of Computing renders cutting-edge education ranging from the expertise in traditional software development -to- modern computing technologies. Fully-equipped industry-sponsored labs, industry-aligned curriculum, and accreditations and validations by top companies such as Intel, Microsoft, Google Android, Red Hat etc. give our students an exclusive edge over others,” the Chandigarh University CMD said.
Sandhu said the latest edition of QS World University Rankings has yet again reaffirmed Chandigarh University global standing as a top educational institution. “Continuing its remarkable rise among the world’s leading higher education institutions, Chandigarh University (CU) has made impressive strides in the latest edition of prestigious QS World University Rankings 2027 by securing an overall world rank of 526, an increase of 49 ranks as compared to 575th rank in QS’ 2026 Rankings. This is for the fifth consecutive year that Chandigarh University’s global rankings have witnessed an impressive surge with CU’s world rank going up by an impressive 274 ranks — from the 800th rank in 2023 to 526th in 2027’s Rankings,”.
“As per the latest QS World University Rankings, with All India Rank of 13 among all universities in the country as compared to 16th rank in 2026’s rankings, Chandigarh University now ranks among the top 1% of universities in India and the top 2% of universities in the World, underscoring its growing reputation as a leading institution of higher learning, both in India and globally,” he added.
About Chandigarh University
Chandigarh University is a NAAC A+ Grade University and QS World Ranked University. This autonomous educational institution is approved by UGC and is located near Chandigarh in the state of Punjab. It is the youngest university in India and the only private university in Punjab to be honoured with A+ Grade by NAAC (National Assessment and Accreditation Council). CU offers more than 109 UG and PG programs in the field of engineering, management, pharmacy, law, architecture, journalism, animation, hotel management, commerce, and others. It has been awarded as The University with Best Placements by WCRC.
Website address: https://www.cuchd.in/
View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/in/news-releases/samsung-selects-chandigarh-university-student-as-punjab-ai-state-topper-302828991.html
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Black Lake Technologies Shortlisted as SAIL Award TOP30 Finalist and Selected as Global Industrial AI Flagship Case, Showcasing Latest Industrial Agent at WAIC 2026
Published
1 hour agoon
July 18, 2026By
SHANGHAI, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) opened in Shanghai on July 17. Shanghai Blacklake Technologies Co., Ltd. (“Black Lake”), an industrial AI company, is showcasing a portfolio of industrial AI agents at the conference. The company has also been named to the Top 30 shortlist for the 2026 WAIC Super AI Leader (SAIL) Award and selected as a Trusted Partner under the Global Call for Trusted Partners for Industrial AI in the Global South.
The accreditations highlight Black Lake’s latest progress in bringing AI into critical manufacturing decision-making workflows and deploying industrial AI capabilities on the shop floor around the world.
This year’s conference attracted over 1,100 exhibiting companies and showcased more than 3,000 exhibits, setting a new record for exhibition scale. The conference delivered a clear signal: as artificial intelligence becomes a common priority across global industries, attention is moving beyond model capabilities toward practical applications in real-world operating environments.
Manufacturing provides a particularly demanding test for this transition. Factory operations are governed by multiple constraints, including process specifications, equipment capabilities, material availability, production capacity, delivery schedules and quality requirements. Therefore, AI has to do so much more than simply comprehend information input. It must make reliable judgments within clearly defined business rules and operational constraints.
Black Lake has focused on industrial digitalization and industrial AI for years, developing and deploying AI applications in a range of factory environments.
At WAIC 2026, the company is presenting industrial AI agents covering order splitting and process planning, quotation and pricing, procurement, production scheduling, quality inspection, and order tracking. These applications are designed to move AI beyond an auxiliary role and into critical manufacturing decision-making workflows.
Traditional industrial software is primarily responsible for data recording, digital workflows, and worker coordination. However, critical decisions such as how to split an order, determine pricing, schedule production, and assess quality risks still depend heavily on the experience of engineers and frontline workers.
Industrial AI agents are intended to convert fragmented industrial knowledge and production experience into decision-making capabilities that can be invoked, reused and continuously refined by software systems.
Order decomposition and process planning are representative examples. After receiving an engineering drawing, a factory typically relies on experienced engineers to identify components, materials and dimensions, define the required manufacturing processes and technical specifications, and establish a basis for subsequent quotation and quality inspection.
The process is highly dependent on individual expertise and represents one of the first critical decision points after an order is received.
Black Lake Technologies’ CAD-to-Process Agent can understand product drawings and, taking into account the factory’s equipment capabilities, process requirements, and production practices, rapidly generate process steps along with the corresponding technical requirements. Drawing analysis that once took hours can now be completed in approximately one minute, achieving an accuracy rate of over 95% in real deployment and providing engineers with stable, efficient decision support. Currently, the industrial agents developed by the company cover core processes including design, scheduling, production, and quality inspection, and have entered the stage of large-scale deployment.
Founded in 2016, Black Lake serves nearly 40,000 factories worldwide. Its customers span more than 30 industries, including food and beverage, automotive components and equipment manufacturing.
By working across factory order management, production and fulfillment workflows, Black Lake has accumulated the technical capabilities and industry knowledge required to support decision-making in complex industrial environments.
In April 2026, Black Lake completed a Series D funding round of nearly RMB 1 billion. The company said the proceeds would primarily be used to accelerate the deployment of its industrial AI products and support its international expansion.
AI-related products are becoming a new source of growth for the company. In a recent interview, Black Lake founder and CEO Zhou Yuxiang said that the company had recorded significant growth in AI-related revenue since the beginning of 2026. He also said that manufacturing customers were taking less time to make purchasing decisions for industrial AI agents.
Zhou expects AI adoption among Chinese factories to increase substantially over the next three to four years.
Unlike consumer-facing AI, which is primarily associated with content generation and personal productivity, industrial AI agents can directly affect production costs, capacity utilization, delivery performance, and product quality. Their commercial value therefore depends largely on whether they can perform specific tasks reliably in complex production environments.
During WAIC 2026, Black Lake was named to the Top 30 shortlist for the 2026 Super AI Leader (SAIL) Award. The SAIL Award is one of WAIC’s major awards and recognizes achievements in technological breakthroughs, application innovation, and industrial value.
Black Lake was also selected as a Trusted Partner under UNIDO’s Global Call for Trusted Partners for Industrial AI in the Global South.
The Global Call was launched under the guidance of the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), in partnership with the Shanghai Artificial Intelligence Research Institute, and in connection with the work of UNIDO AIM Global and its Shanghai-based Centre of Excellence.
The initiative aims to build a curated pool of leading partners to co-develop scalable industrial AI solutions and public goods for the Global South.
For Black Lake, the two accreditations underscore the growing importance of reliability, explainability, and scalability in the evaluation of industrial AI, in addition to the capabilities of AI models.
Global expansion will be a major priority in the company’s next phase of development. Black Lake is currently focusing on Southeast Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, adapting its industrial AI agents to the industrial structures, production processes and management requirements of different markets.
Although manufacturing operations vary across countries and regions, manufacturers share similar concerns about efficiency, quality, delivery reliability and production flexibility.
Black Lake is transforming industrial AI capabilities that have been validated in complex factory environments into configurable and deployable products. Through these products, the company aims to work with manufacturers worldwide to explore more efficient, flexible and intelligent approaches to production.
SOURCE Black Lake
Samsung Selects Chandigarh University Student as ‘Punjab AI State Topper’
Samsung Selects Chandigarh University Student as ‘Punjab AI State Topper’
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