BEIJING, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Quhuo Limited (OTC: QHUOD, formerly QHUOY) (“Quhuo” or the “Company”) today announced that Beijing Quhuo Technology Co., Ltd., the variable interest entity controlled by the Company (the “VIE”), entered into a strategic cooperation framework agreement with Wanshiyun (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd. (“Wons”), an artificial intelligence data services provider. The two parties will establish joint venture companies in China, Vietnam, Germany, and the U.S. to serve as research and development and sales and production centers for the artificial intelligence data service business of the parties.

In recent years, as large-scale AI models have entered a phase of widespread application, data has become a critical foundational resource driving technological advancement. In particular, with the rapid development of applications such as embodied intelligence and autonomous driving, demand for high-quality, multi-modal data has increased significantly. The ability to achieve large-scale, stable data production and delivery has become a key competitive factor in the industry.

As a leading provider of gig economy workforce and local services operational solutions in China, Quhuo has established mature workforce organization capabilities and refined operational systems, accumulating extensive experience in multi-city, multi-project management and large-scale workforce deployment, supported by standardized digital management systems.

Founded in 2021, Wons is a leading AI data services provider in China, with strong capabilities in project delivery, data processing, and quality management across large model training data, autonomous driving, content moderation, and multi-modal data services.

Leveraging their respective strengths, the two parties will carry out practical and scalable cooperation in the field of AI data services. Specifically, Wons will provide data annotation standards, project workflow design, and quality management systems, while Quhuo will utilize its nationwide workforce organization capabilities to support large-scale recruitment, allocation, and daily management of data production personnel. The two sides will collaborate on data collection, annotation, cleaning, and quality inspection across multiple data types, including image, audio, text, and point cloud data, improving consistency and efficiency through standardized processes.

During project execution, the two companies will also explore more efficient team organization models. For example, dedicated data teams may be rapidly assembled based on specific project needs, with Wons responsible for technical and quality control, and Quhuo responsible for workforce operations and project support. This approach is expected to shorten project ramp-up time and enhance delivery capacity. As cooperation deepens, the two parties plan to develop replicable project models that can be applied across different clients and industry scenarios.

Looking ahead, the partnership also includes plans to expand geographically, with a focus on Southeast Asia to build data production capabilities that can support international clients’ AI training data needs. Taking advantage of local labor cost efficiencies and growing demand for data services, the two parties plan to explore establishing data production and delivery centers in countries such as Vietnam, forming localized delivery capabilities for overseas markets.

At the same time, both parties will actively pursue international client expansion, engaging with global AI companies as well as clients in autonomous driving, robotics, and related sectors. This is expected to gradually enhance their participation in the global AI data services market. As the business scales, the two companies will also explore establishing front-end customer service and business development capabilities in Europe and North America to support cross-regional project delivery and long-term collaboration.

This partnership marks Quhuo’s further expansion into the AI data services sector and is expected to strengthen the Company’s ability to serve customers in emerging AI-related business scenarios. By combining Quhuo’s strengths in workforce organization and operational management with Wons’ AI data service capabilities, the Company aims to broaden its service offerings, support business diversification, and accelerate its international expansion through potential overseas delivery capabilities and global client development opportunities, creating new avenues for long-term growth.

Leslie Yu, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Quhuo, stated: “The development of artificial intelligence relies heavily on high-quality data support. This partnership enables us to combine our established workforce organization capabilities with growing AI data demands, forming new service capabilities. We look forward to creating new growth opportunities on top of our existing business.”

Wons also commented: “As AI applications continue to evolve, the scale and quality requirements for data services are increasing. Through our partnership with Quhuo, we can more efficiently organize large-scale data production capabilities and further enhance project delivery efficiency. This collaboration will help accelerate the implementation of data services across more industry scenarios.”

About Quhuo Limited

Quhuo Limited (OTC: QHUOD, formerly QHUOY) (“Quhuo” or the “Company”) is a leading gig economy platform focusing on local life services in China. Leveraging Quhuo+, its proprietary technology infrastructure, Quhuo is dedicated to empowering and linking workers and local life service providers and providing end-to-end operation solutions for the life service market. The Company currently provides multiple industry-tailored operational solutions, primarily including on-demand delivery solutions, mobility service solutions, housekeeping and accommodation solutions, and other services, meeting the living needs of hundreds of millions of families in the communities.

With the vision of promoting employment, stabilizing income and empowering entrepreneurship, Quhuo explores multiple scenarios to promote employment of workers, provides, among others, safety and security and vocational training to protect workers, and helps workers plan their career development paths to realize their self-worth.

About Wons

Wons (Beijing) Technology Co., Ltd.(“Wons”) is an AI data services provider in China focused on delivering data solutions for artificial intelligence applications. Founded in 2021, the company has served more than 100 enterprise clients, including ByteDance, Tencent, Baidu, iFlytek, SAIC Motor, and BAIC Group. Wons provides services across large model training data, autonomous driving data processing, content moderation, and multi-modal data projects, supporting clients with data collection, annotation, processing, and delivery.

Safe Harbor Statements

This press release contains “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended and the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. All statements other than statements of historical or current fact included in this press release are forward-looking statements, including but not limited to statements regarding Quhuo’s business development, financial outlook, beliefs and expectations. Forward-looking statements include statements containing words such as “expect,” “anticipate,” “believe,” “project,” “will” and similar expressions intended to identify forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements are based on Quhuo’s current expectations and involve risks and uncertainties. Quhuo’s actual results and the timing of events could differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements as a result of these risks and uncertainties, which include, without limitation, risks and uncertainties related to Quhuo’s abilities to (1) manage its growth and expand its operations, (2) address any or all of the risks and challenges in the future in light of its limited operating history and evolving business portfolios, (3) establish in its competitive position in the on-demand food delivery market or further diversify its solution offerings and customer portfolio, (4) maintain relationships with major customers and to find replacement customers on commercially desirable terms or in a timely manner or at all, (5) maintain relationships with existing industry customers or attract new customers, (6) attract, retain and manage workers on its platform, and (7) maintain its market shares in relation to competitors in existing markets and its success in expansion into new markets. Other risks and uncertainties are included under the caption “Risk Factors” and elsewhere in the Company’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including, without limitation, the Company’s latest annual report on Form 20-F. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release. All forward-looking statements are qualified in their entirety by this cautionary statement, and Quhuo undertakes no obligation to revise or update any forward-looking statements to reflect events or circumstances after the date hereof.

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SOURCE Quhuo Limited

WASHINGTON, April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Ammonia Energy Association (AEA) has partnered with MiQ to launch the AEA Ammonia Certification System, a global certification system designed to facilitate the transparent, trusted international trade of low-emission ammonia.

The AEA Ammonia Certification System is a voluntary system open to all entities in the ammonia value chain. It supports alignment across regions and sectors, allowing producers, traders, and consumers to demonstrate key environmental attributes – namely carbon footprint and origin – using independently verified data.

The system entered its pilot phase in October 2025, with the publication of documentation (available online at ammoniaenergy.org/certification) and the launch of a global registry to manage the generation, transfer, and retirement of certificates. Early pilot participants are now preparing their initial audits, before the first certificates can be generated. The pilot remains open to additional participants.

The AEA Ammonia Registry, built and operated by MiQ, provides participants with a digital infrastructure that enables secure data transfer, transparency, and traceability across the ammonia supply chain at scale. Building on MiQ’s market-proven global leadership in methane emissions certification, this collaboration reflects MiQ’s broader mission to accelerate rapid reductions in methane emissions from the oil and gas sector, while supporting the AEA to help shape the future of ammonia as a clean energy solution. This collaboration marks the first time MiQ’s independently verified data and certification registry model has been applied beyond natural gas.

Georges Tijbosch, MiQ CEO, said “Today’s announcement demonstrates the power of independent, third-party certification to deliver real emissions reductions across the supply chain. MiQ certification is market proven – and we are delighted to partner with the AEA to bring our trusted data and registry expertise to low-emission ammonia trade worldwide.”

Vibeke Rasmussen, AEA President and SVP Product Management & Certification, Yara Clean Ammonia, said “In keeping with the AEA’s vision that ‘Clean ammonia energizes the future,’ how do you convince the end-users of clean ammonia that the molecules are truly clean? The AEA’s certification system provides proof that the environmental attributes of the ammonia produced are transparent, reliable, and trusted. Certification is key to the growth of the clean ammonia market.”

The pilot phase of the Ammonia Certification System encompasses:

Pre-certification of facilities that have not yet been built. Pre-certification provides project developers with a credible evaluation of the environmental attributes of future production, to support offtake and financing discussions.Certification of ammonia produced at facilities that are already operational. This enables full disclosure to the consumer of the environmental attributes of ammonia and supports demonstration of compliance with regional or global requirements for emission reductions.A global ammonia registry to enable the secure transfer of certificates across the value chain, from generation, through trading, to retirement. The pilot supports three distinct chain of custody models — Segregated, Mass Balance, and Book & Claim.

Nicholas Cook, AEA Technical Committee Chair and Product Stewardship Manager, CF Industries, said “Ammonia customers need to be able to trust the claims of those producing and trading low-carbon product. AEA’s Ammonia Certification System and MiQ’s central registry provide quality data, with a fully formed chain of custody model, that allows for global certification.”

Trevor Brown, AEA Executive Director, said “To scale up and speed up the adoption of clean ammonia, market participants need high quality and credible data – rigorous accounting of actual carbon footprints – but we also need interoperability with different systems, to help align the requirements of voluntary and compliance markets across multiple sectors and countries. Our pilot participants will be demonstrating this in the year ahead, including participating plants in the Americas, Europe, and Asia-Pacific, which will be using various pathways, including electrolysis, natural gas with CCS, and other technologies to supply certified ammonia to consumers in multiple sectors.”

To join the pilot of the Ammonia Certification System, interested parties are invited to review the documentation at ammoniaenergy.org/certification or contact the AEA at certification@ammoniaenergy.org.  

Interested parties that are not directly participating in the ammonia value chain but seek to understand the AEA’s Ammonia Certification System and its potential alignment with other voluntary or regulatory frameworks are also welcome to inquire about joining the pilot as an observer.

AEA and MiQ presented the system and registry on Tuesday, March 24, at a Lyceum Lab session during CERA Week, in Houston, Texas. The AEA’s Ammonia Certification System will also be presented at the following global events in the coming months:

World Hydrogen 2026 Summit, Rotterdam, Netherlands, May 19-21Ammonia Energy APAC 2026, Brisbane, Australia, June 15-175th Symposium on Ammonia Energy, Santiago, Chile, September 28-30AEA Annual Conference 2026, Houston, USA, November 9-11

About the Ammonia Energy Association (AEA):
The AEA was founded in 2004 with a mission to accelerate the responsible adoption of clean ammonia by promoting cross-sectoral collaboration, knowledge sharing, global standards, and supportive policies. This mission supports both the decarbonization of ammonia production and the use of low-emission ammonia as a fuel and energy carrier. The AEA is a global trade association whose 200+ members represent the full value chain of ammonia across multiple sectors. For more information visit https://ammoniaenergy.org/.

About MiQ:
MiQ is a global leader in methane emissions certification and data. Our mission is to accelerate the transition to lower emissions gas by providing a credible and transparent certification system that drives regulatory compliance, incentivizes continuous improvement, and ensures methane accountability in the oil and gas sector throughout the entire supply chain. For more information visit https://miq.org/

Note to editors:

Ammonia is one of the most abundant molecules on earth and is both naturally occurring and man-made. It is a vital product, already applied as a nitrogen fertilizer and leveraged in various industrial and consumer applications. It is quickly emerging as a zero-carbon fuel and energy carrier.

To support the adoption of ammonia in energy applications, the AEA has been working since 2021 to develop the AEA Ammonia Certification System, which aims to enable differentiation in the marketplace for low-emission ammonia, enhance credibility throughout the supply chain, facilitate cross-border trade, and support alignment between multiple certification schemes, standards, and regulations.

The key design principles of the AEA Ammonia Certification System include:

Technology neutral, inclusive of all production pathways (fossil, renewable, bio, etc.).Absolute GHG emissions, site-specific, measured not modelled.Well-to-gate boundary, including upstream emissions.Tradeable, facilitating transfers of low-emission ammonia certificates.Regular audits by independent, accredited certification bodies provide assurance.

For more information on the Ammonia Certification System, to view AEA’s webinar “Unpacking the AEA’s Ammonia Certification System,” to view MiQ’s video walkthrough of the AEA Ammonia Registry, or to learn how to join the pilot, please visit ammoniaenergy.org/certification or contact the AEA at certification@ammoniaenergy.org.  

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SOURCE MiQ; AEA

New Coupa research highlights a widening gap between industry leaders and laggards, underscoring the urgent need to modernize direct procurement using AI

FOSTER CITY, Calif., April 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The recently released report, State of Direct Spend 2026, from Coupa, the leading platform for autonomous spend management, reveals that direct procurement-related disruptions cost organizations an average of $16 million annually – with nearly every respondent experiencing significant supply disruptions within the last 24 months.

These staggering costs arrive as direct procurement reaches a critical inflection point. While 39% of organizations still view the function as a basic operational necessity, 72% expect it to evolve into a strategic contributor or a competitive advantage within three years. However, alleviating potential costs and maintaining agility requires overcoming massive internal hurdles. Respondents cited legacy systems (58%), data quality and fragmentation (51%), and integration complexity (42%) as the primary barriers to modernization.

The research identified a severe and widening capability gap between procurement “Leaders” and “Laggards”, with Leaders demonstrating early adoption of AI-driven technologies in helping to solve issues:

60% of Leaders can detect supplier reliability and price risk early, compared to just 26% of Laggards.Laggards are 2.4x more likely to lose revenue due to fulfillment failures.53% of Leaders are piloting, scaling, or running AI in procurement, whereas 64% of Laggards are still just exploring use cases or have not started at all.

By industry sector, the Industrial Machinery sector is seeing the highest operational risk, with 63% experiencing unplanned production shutdowns. Yet it is also the least prepared for cascade failures, with only 32% conducting quarterly scenario modeling or continuous optimization with AI digital twins. In contrast, the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) sector leads in sourcing sophistication – with over half of respondents operating at a Level 3 sourcing maturity or above. The Freight & Logistics sector is operationally the most resilient, but structurally constrained by legacy systems – 60% cite legacy systems as their #1 modernization barrier, more than any other sector surveyed.

“The survey data is clear – better management of direct spend and its processes can either significantly contribute to, or hinder, corporate growth. The good news is that Coupa is helping many customers address this issue by unifying direct and indirect spend data, and embedding intelligence into continuous decision-making workflows, transforming procurement from a tactical cost-center into a proactive driver of strategic enterprise growth,” said Vikram Pathak, Coupa Chief Product Officer, Direct Spend. “Coupa helps organizations unify and align their supply chain, finance, and procurement operations from design to payments, enabling them to build more adaptive supply chains, intelligently manage total spend and supply, and protect and grow their margins.”

Download the full State of Direct Spend report here.

Methodology
Incisiv surveyed 133 senior leaders across the CPG, Freight & Logistics, and Industrial Machinery sectors in North America and EMEA.

About Coupa
Coupa is the leading platform for autonomous spend management. Using its trusted, community-generated, $9.5 trillion dataset, Coupa brings evidence-based intelligence and autonomous AI agents to a network of 10M+ buyers and suppliers on a unified platform. Coupa seamlessly automates the purchasing and transaction process for buyers and suppliers alike, powering the #1 business trade network. With Coupa, you’ll make margins multiply™. Learn more at coupa.com and follow us on LinkedIn and X (Twitter).

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SOURCE Coupa Software