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Analog Devices Reports Fiscal First Quarter 2025 Financial Results

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Revenue of more than $2.4 billion, with sequential growth in Industrial, Automotive, and Communications, and double-digit year-over-year growth in ConsumerOperating cash flow of $3.8 billion and free cash flow of $3.2 billion on a trailing twelve-month basisRaised quarterly dividend 8% to $0.99, marking twenty-one consecutive years of increasesIncreased share repurchase authorization by $10.0 billion, bringing total remaining authorization to approximately $11.5 billion

WILMINGTON, Mass., Feb. 19, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Analog Devices, Inc. (Nasdaq: ADI), a global semiconductor leader, today announced financial results for its fiscal first quarter 2025, which ended February 1, 2025.

“ADI delivered first quarter revenue, profitability, and earnings per share above the midpoint of our outlook, despite the challenging macro and geopolitical backdrop,” said Vincent Roche, CEO and Chair. “Our recovery is being propelled by improving cyclical dynamics and numerous new wins across our franchise converting to revenue. We remain firmly committed to delivering ever higher levels of value for customers through differentiated innovation and customer experience, coupled with an agile and resilient supply chain.”

“Bookings continued to show gradual improvement during the first quarter with strength in Industrial and Automotive positioning us to grow sequentially and year-over-year in our second fiscal quarter. We remain confident that fiscal 2025 represents a return to growth for ADI,” said Richard Puccio, CFO.

 Performance for the First Quarter of Fiscal 2025 

Results Summary(1)

(in millions, except per-share amounts and percentages)

Three Months Ended

Feb. 1, 2025

Feb. 3, 2024

Change

Revenue

$                    2,423

$                   2,513

(4) %

Gross margin

$                    1,430

$                   1,474

(3) %

Gross margin percentage

59.0 %

58.7 %

30 bps

Operating income

$                       491

$                       586

(16) %

Operating margin

20.3 %

23.3 %

(300 bps)

Diluted earnings per share

$                      0.78

$                      0.93

(16) %

Adjusted Results(2)

Adjusted gross margin

$                   1,668

$                   1,734

(4) %

Adjusted gross margin percentage

68.8 %

69.0 %

(20 bps)

Adjusted operating income

$                       981

$                    1,054

(7) %

Adjusted operating margin

40.5 %

42.0 %

(150 bps)

Adjusted diluted earnings per share

$                      1.63

$                      1.73

(6) %

Three Months
Ended

Trailing Twelve
Months

Cash Generation

Feb. 1, 2025

Feb. 1, 2025

Net cash provided by operating activities

$                   1,127

$                   3,841

% of revenue

47 %

41 %

Capital expenditures

$                      (149)

$                     (656)

Free cash flow(2)

$                       978

$                   3,184

% of revenue

40 %

34 %

Three Months
Ended

Trailing Twelve
Months

Cash Return

Feb. 1, 2025

Feb. 1, 2025

Dividend paid

$                     (456)

$                 (1,826)

Stock repurchases

(160)

(596)

Total cash returned

$                     (616)

$                 (2,421)

(1) The sum and/or computation of the individual amounts may not equal the total due to rounding.

(2) Reconciliations of non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are provided in the financial tables included in this press release. See also the “Non-GAAP Financial Information” section for additional information.

Outlook for the Second Quarter of Fiscal Year 2025

For the second quarter of fiscal 2025, we are forecasting revenue of $2.50 billion, +/- $100 million. At the midpoint of this revenue outlook, we expect reported operating margin of approximately 24.2%, +/-160 bps, and adjusted operating margin of approximately 40.5%, +/-100 bps. We are planning for reported EPS to be $0.97, +/-$0.10, and adjusted EPS to be $1.68, +/-$0.10.  

Our second quarter fiscal 2025 outlook is based on current expectations and actual results may differ materially as a result of, among other things, the important factors discussed at the end of this release. The statements about our second quarter fiscal 2025 outlook supersede all prior statements regarding our business outlook set forth in prior ADI news releases, and ADI disclaims any obligation to update these forward-looking statements.

The adjusted results and adjusted anticipated results above are financial measures presented on a non-GAAP basis. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are provided in the financial tables included in this release. See also the “Non-GAAP Financial Information” section for additional information.

Dividend Payment

The ADI Board of Directors has declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.99 per outstanding share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on March 17, 2025 to all shareholders of record at the close of business on March 4, 2025.

Conference Call Scheduled for Today, Wednesday, February 19, 2025 at 10:00 am ET

ADI will host a conference call to discuss our first quarter fiscal 2025 results and short-term outlook today, beginning at 10:00 am ET. Investors may join via webcast, accessible at investor.analog.com.

Non-GAAP Financial Information

This release includes non-GAAP financial measures that are not in accordance with, nor an alternative to, U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP) and may be different from non-GAAP measures presented by other companies. In addition, these non-GAAP measures are not based on any comprehensive set of accounting rules or principles. These non-GAAP measures have material limitations in that they do not reflect all of the amounts associated with the Company’s results of operations as determined in accordance with GAAP and should not be considered in isolation from, or as a substitute for, the Company’s financial results presented in accordance with GAAP. The Company’s use of non-GAAP measures, and the underlying methodology when including or excluding certain items, is not necessarily an indication of the results of operations that may be expected in the future, or that the Company will not, in fact, record such items in future periods. You are cautioned not to place undue reliance on these non-GAAP measures. Reconciliations of these non-GAAP financial measures to their most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are provided in the financial tables included in this release.

Management uses non-GAAP measures internally to evaluate the Company’s operating performance from continuing operations against past periods and to budget and allocate resources in future periods. These non-GAAP measures also assist management in evaluating the Company’s core business and trends across different reporting periods on a consistent basis. Management also uses these non-GAAP measures as primary performance measurements when communicating with analysts and investors regarding the Company’s earnings results and outlook and believes that the presentation of these non-GAAP measures is useful to investors because it provides investors with the operating results that management uses to manage the Company and enables investors and analysts to evaluate the Company’s core business. Management also believes that free cash flow, a non-GAAP liquidity measure, is useful both internally and to investors because it is indicative of the Company’s ability to pay dividends, purchase common stock, make investments and fund acquisitions and, in the absence of refinancings, to repay its debt obligations.  

The non-GAAP financial measures referenced by ADI in this release include: adjusted gross margin, adjusted gross margin percentage, adjusted operating expenses, adjusted operating expenses percentage, adjusted operating income, adjusted operating margin, adjusted nonoperating expense (income), adjusted income before income taxes, adjusted provision for income taxes, adjusted tax rate, adjusted diluted earnings per share (EPS), free cash flow, and free cash flow revenue percentage. 

Adjusted gross margin is defined as gross margin, determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding certain acquisition related expenses1, which are described further below. Adjusted gross margin percentage represents adjusted gross margin divided by revenue. 

Adjusted operating expenses is defined as operating expenses, determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding: certain acquisition related expenses1 and special charges, net2, which are described further below. Adjusted operating expenses percentage represents adjusted operating expenses divided by revenue.

Adjusted operating income is defined as operating income, determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding: acquisition related expenses1 and special charges, net2, which are described further below. Adjusted operating margin represents adjusted operating income divided by revenue. 

Adjusted nonoperating expense (income) is defined as nonoperating expense (income), determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding: certain acquisition related expenses1, which is described further below.   

Adjusted income before income taxes is defined as income before income taxes, determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding: acquisition related expenses1 and special charges, net2, which are described further below.   

Adjusted provision for income taxes is defined as provision for income taxes, determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding tax related items3, which are described further below. Adjusted tax rate represents adjusted provision for income taxes divided by adjusted income before income taxes. 

Adjusted diluted EPS is defined as diluted EPS, determined in accordance with GAAP, excluding: acquisition related expenses1, special charges, net2, and tax related items3, which are described further below.

Free cash flow is defined as net cash provided by operating activities, determined in accordance with GAAP, less additions to property, plant and equipment, net. Free cash flow revenue percentage represents free cash flow divided by revenue.  

1Acquisition Related Expenses: Expenses incurred as a result of current and prior period acquisitions and primarily include expenses associated with the fair value adjustments to debt, property, plant and equipment and amortization of acquisition related intangibles, which include acquired intangibles such as purchased technology and customer relationships. Expenses also include fair value adjustments associated with the replacement of share-based awards related to the Maxim Integrated Products, Inc. (Maxim) acquisition. We excluded these costs from our non-GAAP measures because they relate to specific transactions and are not reflective of our ongoing financial performance.

2Special Charges, net: Expenses, net, incurred as part of the integration of Maxim, in connection with facility closures, consolidation of manufacturing facilities, severance, other accelerated stock-based compensation expense and other cost reduction efforts or reorganizational initiatives. We excluded these expenses from our non-GAAP measures because apart from ongoing expense savings as a result of such items, these expenses have no direct correlation to the operation of our business in the future.

3Tax Related Items: Income tax effect of the non-GAAP items discussed above. We excluded the income tax effect of these tax related items from our non-GAAP measures because they are not associated with the tax expense on our current operating results.

About Analog Devices, Inc.
Analog Devices, Inc. (NASDAQ: ADI) is a global semiconductor leader that bridges the physical and digital worlds to enable breakthroughs at the Intelligent Edge. ADI combines analog, digital, and software technologies into solutions that help drive advancements in digitized factories, mobility, and digital healthcare, combat climate change, and reliably connect humans and the world. With revenue of more than $9 billion in FY24 and approximately 24,000 people globally, ADI ensures today’s innovators stay Ahead of What’s Possible. Learn more at www.analog.com and on LinkedIn and Twitter (X).

Forward-Looking Statements
This press release contains forward-looking statements, which address a variety of subjects including, for example, our statements regarding financial performance; economic uncertainty; macroeconomic, geopolitical, demand and other market conditions, business cycles, and supply chains; our capital allocation strategy, including future dividends, share repurchases, capital expenditures, investments, and free cash flow returns; expected revenue, operating margin, nonoperating expenses, tax rate, earnings per share, and other financial results; expected market and technology trends and acceleration of those trends; market size, market share gains, market position, and growth opportunities; expected product solutions, offerings, technologies, capabilities, and applications; the value and importance of, and other benefits related to, our product solutions, offerings, and technologies to our customers; and other future events. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs, plans and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Such statements are based on our current expectations and are subject to a number of factors and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements. The following important factors and uncertainties, among others, could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements: economic, political, legal and regulatory uncertainty or conflict, including actions taken or which may be taken by the presidential administration, executive offices of the U.S. government, or U.S. Congress, monetary policy, political, geopolitical, trade, or other issues in the United States or internationally, including increased tariffs or trade wars, and the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine and in Israel and the Middle East; changes in demand for semiconductor products; manufacturing delays, product and raw materials availability and supply chain disruptions; diversion of products from our authorized distribution channels; changes in export classifications, import and export regulations or duties and tariffs; our development of technologies and research and development investments; our future liquidity, capital needs and capital expenditures; our ability to compete successfully in the markets in which we operate; our ability to recruit and retain key personnel; risks related to acquisitions or other strategic transactions; security breaches or other cyber incidents; risks related to the use of artificial intelligence in our business operations, products, and services; adverse results in litigation matters; reputational damage; changes in our estimates of our expected tax rates based on current tax law; risks related to our indebtedness; the discretion of our Board of Directors to declare dividends and our ability to pay dividends in the future; factors impacting our ability to repurchase shares; and uncertainty as to the long-term value of our common stock. For additional information about factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements, please refer to our filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, including the risk factors contained in our most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Forward-looking statements represent management’s current expectations and are inherently uncertain. Except as required by law, we do not undertake any obligation to update forward-looking statements made by us to reflect subsequent events or circumstances.

Analog Devices and the Analog Devices logo are registered trademarks or trademarks of Analog Devices, Inc. All other trademarks mentioned in this document are the property of their respective owners.

ANALOG DEVICES, INC.

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

Three Months Ended

Feb. 1, 2025

Feb. 3, 2024

Revenue

$         2,423,174

$         2,512,704

Cost of sales

992,871

1,038,763

Gross margin

1,430,303

1,473,941

Operating expenses:

   Research and development

402,892

391,427

   Selling, marketing, general and administrative

284,796

290,078

   Amortization of intangibles

187,415

190,332

   Special charges, net

63,887

16,140

Total operating expenses

938,990

887,977

Operating income

491,313

585,964

Nonoperating expense (income):

   Interest expense

75,264

77,141

   Interest income

(23,487)

(9,169)

   Other, net

3,960

4,574

Total nonoperating expense (income)

55,737

72,546

Income before income taxes

435,576

513,418

Provision for income taxes

44,260

50,691

Net income

$            391,316

$            462,727

Shares used to compute earnings per common share – basic

496,116

495,765

Shares used to compute earnings per common share – diluted

498,668

498,741

Basic earnings per common share

$                   0.79

$                   0.93

Diluted earnings per common share

$                   0.78

$                   0.93

 

ANALOG DEVICES, INC. 

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except share and per share amounts)

Feb. 1, 2025

Nov. 2, 2024

ASSETS

Current Assets

Cash and cash equivalents

$               2,349,994

$               1,991,342

Short-term investments

371,460

371,822

Accounts receivable

1,192,442

1,336,331

Inventories

1,474,656

1,447,687

Prepaid expenses and other current assets

344,524

337,472

Total current assets

5,733,076

5,484,654

Non-current Assets

Net property, plant and equipment

3,355,240

3,415,550

Goodwill

26,945,180

26,909,775

Intangible assets, net

9,183,038

9,585,464

Deferred tax assets

2,032,676

2,083,752

Other assets

718,336

749,082

Total non-current assets

42,234,470

42,743,623

TOTAL ASSETS

$             47,967,546

$             48,228,277

LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

Current Liabilities

Accounts payable

$                  368,939

$                  487,457

Income taxes payable

487,456

447,379

Debt, current

399,855

399,636

Commercial paper notes

548,403

547,738

Accrued liabilities

1,166,343

1,106,070

Total current liabilities

2,970,996

2,988,280

Non-current Liabilities

Long-term debt

6,618,556

6,634,313

Deferred income taxes

2,514,866

2,624,392

Income taxes payable

261,564

260,486

Other non-current liabilities

531,029

544,489

Total non-current liabilities

9,926,015

10,063,680

Shareholders’ Equity

Preferred stock, $1.00 par value, 471,934 shares authorized, none outstanding

—

—

Common stock, $0.16 2/3 par value, 1,200,000,000 shares authorized, 495,976,483 shares
outstanding (496,296,854 on November 2, 2024)

82,664

82,718

Capital in excess of par value

25,041,250

25,082,243

Retained earnings

10,131,590

10,196,612

Accumulated other comprehensive loss

(184,969)

(185,256)

Total shareholders’ equity

35,070,535

35,176,317

TOTAL LIABILITIES AND SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY

$             47,967,546

$             48,228,277

 

ANALOG DEVICES, INC.

CONDENSED CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF CASH FLOWS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

Three Months Ended

Feb. 1, 2025

Feb. 3, 2024

Cash flows from operating activities:

  Net income

$           391,316

$           462,727

  Adjustments to reconcile net income to net cash provided by operations:

       Depreciation

98,447

84,348

       Amortization of intangibles

417,156

440,903

       Stock-based compensation expense

77,574

69,815

       Deferred income taxes

(59,454)

(102,149)

       Other

(799)

4,684

       Changes in operating assets and liabilities

202,569

178,504

   Total adjustments

735,493

676,105

Net cash provided by operating activities

1,126,809

1,138,832

Cash flows from investing activities:

  Additions to property, plant and equipment, net

(148,978)

(222,978)

  Payments for acquisitions, net of cash acquired

(45,652)

—

  Other

329

3,877

Net cash used for investing activities

(194,301)

(219,101)

Cash flows from financing activities:

  Proceeds from commercial paper notes

1,969,276

2,779,494

  Payments of commercial paper notes

(1,968,611)

(2,782,274)

  Repurchase of common stock

(160,368)

(180,351)

  Dividend payments to shareholders

(456,338)

(426,076)

  Proceeds from employee stock plans

41,747

49,819

  Other

438

(14,844)

Net cash used for financing activities

(573,856)

(574,232)

Net increase in cash and cash equivalents

358,652

345,499

Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period

1,991,342

958,061

Cash and cash equivalents at end of period

$        2,349,994

$        1,303,560

 

ANALOG DEVICES, INC. 

REVENUE TRENDS BY END MARKET

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

The categorization of revenue by end market is determined using a variety of data points including the technical characteristics of the product, the “sold to” customer information, the “ship to” customer information and the end customer product or application into which our product will be incorporated. As data systems for capturing and tracking this data and our methodology evolves and improves, the categorization of products by end market can vary over time. When this occurs, we reclassify revenue by end market for prior periods. Such reclassifications typically do not materially change the sizing of, or the underlying trends of results within, each end market.

Three Months Ended

February 1, 2025

February 3, 2024

Revenue

% of Revenue1

Y/Y%

Revenue

% of Revenue1

Industrial

$        1,077,900

44 %

(10) %

$        1,191,713

47 %

Automotive

732,513

30 %

(2) %

748,781

30 %

Consumer

322,900

13 %

19 %

270,211

11 %

Communications

289,861

12 %

(4) %

301,999

12 %

Total revenue

$        2,423,174

100 %

(4) %

$        2,512,704

100 %

1) The sum of the individual percentages may not equal the total due to rounding.

 

ANALOG DEVICES, INC. 

RECONCILIATION OF GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS

(Unaudited)

(In thousands, except per share amounts)

Three Months Ended

Feb. 1, 2025

Feb. 3, 2024

Gross margin

$         1,430,303

$         1,473,941

  Gross margin percentage

59.0 %

58.7 %

      Acquisition related expenses

237,832

259,884

Adjusted gross margin

$         1,668,135

$         1,733,825

  Adjusted gross margin percentage

68.8 %

69.0 %

Operating expenses

$            938,990

$            887,977

  Percent of revenue

38.8 %

35.3 %

      Acquisition related expenses

(188,015)

(192,422)

      Special charges, net

(63,887)

(16,140)

Adjusted operating expenses

$            687,088

$            679,415

  Adjusted operating expenses percentage

28.4 %

27.0 %

Operating income

$            491,313

$            585,964

  Operating margin

20.3 %

23.3 %

      Acquisition related expenses

425,847

452,306

      Special charges, net

63,887

16,140

Adjusted operating income

$            981,047

$         1,054,410

  Adjusted operating margin

40.5 %

42.0 %

Nonoperating expense (income)

$              55,737

$              72,546

      Acquisition related expenses

2,150

2,150

Adjusted nonoperating expense (income)

$              57,887

$              74,696

Income before income taxes

$            435,576

$            513,418

     Acquisition related expenses

423,697

450,156

     Special charges, net

63,887

16,140

Adjusted income before income taxes

$            923,160

$            979,714

Provision for (benefit from) income taxes

$              44,260

$              50,691

Effective income tax rate

10.2 %

9.9 %

     Tax related items

65,062

65,030

Adjusted provision for income taxes

$            109,322

$            115,721

Adjusted tax rate

11.8 %

11.8 %

Diluted EPS

$                   0.78

$                   0.93

      Acquisition related expenses

0.85

0.90

      Special charges, net

0.13

0.03

      Tax related items

(0.13)

(0.13)

Adjusted diluted EPS*

$                   1.63

$                   1.73

* The sum of the individual per share amounts may not equal the total due to rounding.

 

ANALOG DEVICES, INC. 

RECONCILIATION OF NET CASH PROVIDED BY OPERATING ACTIVITIES TO FREE CASH FLOW

(Unaudited)

(In thousands)

Trailing
Twelve
Months

Three Months Ended

Feb. 1, 2025

Feb. 1, 2025

Nov. 2, 2024

Aug. 3, 2024

May 4, 2024

Revenue

$  9,337,627

$ 2,423,174

$ 2,443,205

$ 2,312,209

$ 2,159,039

Net cash provided by operating activities

$  3,840,506

$ 1,126,809

$ 1,050,817

$     855,027

$     807,853

% of Revenue

41 %

47 %

43 %

37 %

37 %

Capital expenditures

$    (656,463)

$   (148,978)

$   (165,410)

$   (153,886)

$   (188,189)

Free cash flow

$  3,184,043

$     977,831

$     885,407

$     701,141

$     619,664

% of Revenue

34 %

40 %

36 %

30 %

29 %

 

ANALOG DEVICES, INC. 

RECONCILIATION OF PROJECTED GAAP TO NON-GAAP RESULTS

(Unaudited)

Three Months Ending May 3, 2025

Reported

Adjusted

Revenue

$2.5 Billion

$2.5 Billion

(+/- $100 Million)

(+/- $100 Million)

Operating margin

24.2 %

40.5 %(1)

(+/-160 bps)

(+/-100 bps)

Nonoperating expenses

~ $60 Million

~ $60 Million

Tax rate

11% – 13%

11% – 13% (2)

Earnings per share

$0.97

$1.68 (3)

(+/- $0.10)

(+/- $0.10)

(1)

Includes $406 million of adjustments related to acquisition related expenses as previously defined in the Non-GAAP Financial Information section of this press release. 

(2)

Includes $53 million of tax effects associated with the adjustment for acquisition related expenses noted above.

(3)

Includes $0.71 of adjustments related to the net impact of acquisition related expenses and the tax effects on those items.

For more information, please contact:

Michael Lucarelli
781-461-3282
Vice President, Investor Relations
investor.relations@analog.com

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SOURCE Analog Devices, Inc.

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Tata Communications to Build India’s AI Super Highway

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Planned USD 400 – 450 million investment to create 10,000 km of AI-ready connectivity infrastructure linking India’s key data center and AI hubs

NEW DELHI, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Tata Communications, a leading global communications technology player, today announced strategic investments of close to USD 450 million to build an AI super highway in India – a high-speed, low-latency network fabric connecting India’s key AI data-centre corridors. The company will build around 10,000 kilometers of the new long-haul fiber across India, creating one of the country’s largest AI-ready connectivity network. Integrated with Tata Communications’ global network backbone, the AI super highway will provide customers with a seamless, end-to-end connectivity fabric, supporting the performance, resilience and scale required for next-generation AI workloads.

India’s data centre industry is poised for significant growth in the near future, driven by accelerating cloud adoption, AI deployment, increasing data localisation requirements, and growing enterprise demand for resilient, high-capacity digital infrastructure. As data centre capacity expands rapidly across the country, connectivity is becoming as critical as compute power and energy availability in enabling the next generation of digital services.

Rupesh Chokshi, Chief Product and Technology Officer, Executive Vice President & Global Business Head – Network Services, Tata Communications, said, “The AI economy needs more than compute. It needs a network built for speed, scale and resilience. Tata Communications has long played a foundational role in enabling India’s digital economy, and our AI Network Fabric builds on that legacy. Our AI Network Fabric will give our global customers the ultra-low-latency, high-capacity and resilient connectivity they need to scale AI with confidence. By connecting India’s AI and data center hubs to the world, we are enabling our customers to grow and helping fuel India’s next chapter of economic growth.”

The investment aims to strengthen India’s emergence as a global AI and cloud connectivity gateway, intending to meet the unprecedented demand from hyperscale and neocloud providers, AI workloads, digital-native businesses, Global Capability Centres (GCCs), enterprises and emerging cloud platforms. It will enable global hyperscalers, digital platforms and multinational enterprises to scale their operations in India with confidence as the country enters its next phase of digital transformation.

The first phase of the program will focus on the Mumbai-Pune-Hyderabad-Chennai corridor, one of India’s most important AI and hyperscale growth routes. Subsequent phases will expand connectivity into emerging East Coast and Western India data centre ecosystems, including Vizag, Bhubaneswar, Jamnagar, GIFT City and other strategic locations. By linking the key AI corridors and data centre clusters with international cable landing stations, Tata Communications will enable seamless connectivity between India and major global AI hubs across, positioning India as a strategic gateway in the global digital infrastructure landscape.

In parallel, Tata Communications will continue to support existing enterprise and data centre connectivity requirements by scaling its current National Long Distance and metro network footprint, ensuring continued support for current growth while building capacity for future demand.

 

SOURCE Tata Communications

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Independent human factors evidence should shape design from day one — not just confirm it at the end.

BEIJING, Oct. 28, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — On October 17, 2026, TÜV Rheinland Greater China (“TÜV Rheinland”) attended the 2026 International Conference on Human Factors Engineering and Intelligent System Interaction (HFE & AI 2026) in its capacity as an independent third-party human factors research laboratory and delivered a featured talk. Centered on the theme “Collaborative Intelligence: Human Factors Engineering and the Future of Work,” the conference engaged in deep exchanges around fundamental research, key technologies, and major applications of human factors engineering in the AI era, focusing on human–computer interaction and the integration of humans with intelligent agents. Across 38 parallel sessions, the event supported the cultivation of new quality productive forces and high-quality economic development.

The conference’s smart home session, organized by Haier Innovation Design Center, also featured Huawei, Microsoft China, vivo and GoerTek. The lineup pointed to a wider industry move away from single-device performance and toward interaction that is natural, comfortable and trustworthy across devices, scenarios and intelligent systems.

Mia Xie, Ph.D., a human factors expert in TÜV Rheinland Greater China Electrical presented “From Parameters to Experience: How Human Factors Research Truly Enters Smart Product Development.” Her subject: how development teams can hear users earlier and more effectively when specifications alone no longer predict experience.

The competitive landscape for smart products is being reshaped. In the past, superior technical specifications—such as higher resolution, wider color gamuts, lower latency, or greater brightness—translated directly into a better user experience. Today, even when key parameters are nearly identical, the actual user experience can still differ markedly. User experience is the combined result of multiple interacting factors: product characteristics, specific tasks, usage environments, and individual differences.

TÜV Rheinland advocates that R&D decisions must move beyond “what technology can achieve” to focus on “what is worth achieving,” emphasizing that independent human factors research provides perceptible, measurable, and trustworthy objective evidence to support sound decision-making. In her presentation, Dr. Xie stressed that human factors research should not merely serve as “user testing” near product completion. By that stage, product architecture, technology routes, and core design solutions are typically locked in, leaving limited room for optimization. As an independent laboratory, TÜV Rheinland supports embedding human factors research earlier and more continuously throughout the development process:

Product definition, translating goals such as “a better experience” into specific, measurable human factors targetsTechnology selection, assessing whether competing technology routes deliver genuine user valueDesign and prototype iteration, comparing the experience gains, trade-offs and key influencing factors of alternative conceptsFinal verification, confirming the experience holds across users, scenarios and conditions of use

AI image enhancement shows why. Better algorithm scores do not guarantee a better picture to the viewer: processing traces, an unnatural look, artifacts or over-smoothing can cancel out the technical gain. The same applies to smart cockpits, augmented and virtual reality headsets, wearables and smart home devices. The commercial question is where users start to notice an improvement and where further investment stops paying for itself.

“As an independent, third-party laboratory, our role is not only to evaluate finished products, but to help industry build human factors research into development itself,” Xie said. “We want research findings to become reusable evidence — evidence that supports better products and, over time, better standards.”

When user experience is consistently measurable, clearly explainable, and reliably reproducible, research findings deliver value well beyond individual projects—evolving into reusable testing methodologies, product evaluation standards, and the groundwork for future certification. As smart products increasingly adapt in real time, the core industry question moves away from “what is the best setting” toward “what is the right setting for this user, at this moment, within this specific scenario.”

About TÜV Rheinland

TÜV Rheinland is a leading provider of testing, inspection and certification services worldwide. For over 150 years, the company has helped make the world a safer place. Today, more than 29,000 employees test, inspect and certify products, plants and processes, while also providing training for people in a wide range of professions. Operating from 500 locations in more than 50 countries, TÜV Rheinland helps safeguard key areas of business and everyday life. Headquartered in Cologne and generating annual revenue of close to €3 billion, the company plays a key role in quality assurance worldwide. TÜV Rheinland has been a member of the UN Global Compact since 2006, demonstrating its commitment to anti-corruption and sustainability.

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SOURCE TUV Rheinland Greater China

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Unleash Your Edge: ZHITAI Joins Forces with Phantom Blade Zero in Global Strategic Partnership

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BEIJING, Oct. 29, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — ZHITAI, the consumer memory brand of YMTC, announced a strategic partnership with Phantom Blade Zero, the highly anticipated AAA action game that has captured global attention. Under the theme “Unleash Your Edge,” the two brands have joined forces to introduce the ZHITAI × Phantom Blade Zero Collaboration Gift Box, combining high-performance memory technology with Eastern wuxia aesthetics to deliver an immersive experience in the Phantom World for gamers around the world.

With its distinctive Kungfu-punk aesthetic and intense, fast-paced combat, Phantom Blade Zero has emerged as one of the year’s most anticipated AAA action titles. The partnership’s theme, “Unleash Your Edge,” draws inspiration from the game’s protagonist, Soul, and his unwavering resolve in the face of adversity. This theme bridges the game’s lightning-fast combat with ZHITAI’s relentless pursuit of peak storage performance—reflecting both Soul’s unyielding conviction and ZHITAI’s dedication to continuous innovation and exploration.

As the official designated global memory partner of Phantom Blade Zero, ZHITAI is committed to providing professional, high-performance storage solutions. Drawing on years of technological expertise, ZHITAI aims to bring gamers worldwide a smooth, responsive storage experience that lets them fully immerse themselves in their martial arts adventures.

To further enhance the experience of exploring the Phantom World, the Collaboration Gift Box houses the ZHITAI TiPlus9100 SSD. Powered by next-gen YMTC Xtacking® 4.0 TLC NAND flash, the TiPlus9100 supports PCIe 5.0 and delivers sequential read speeds of up to 12,000 MB/s and sequential write speeds of up to 10,700 MB/s. Its DRAM-less architecture and single-sided PCB design offer versatile compatibility across gaming laptops, ultrabooks, and DIY desktops. For AAA games such as Phantom Blade Zero, where fast-paced combat and seamless scene transitions are essential to the gaming experience, the TiPlus9100 delivers stable performance under demanding workloads while helping reduce loading times and delays during scene transitions. This allows players to stay focused on every move and every moment of combat, fully immersed in the Phantom World.

Crafted for gamers, the ZHITAI × Phantom Blade Zero Collaboration Gift Box brings the Phantom World to life. Defined by a dark wuxia aesthetic, it offers an immersive unboxing experience—combining high-performance storage, custom setup accessories, and exclusive collectibles. The box houses five custom items adorned with co-branded artwork: a ZHITAI TiPlus9100 SSD with a themed sleeve, a storage box, a screwdriver, a metal sticker, and a lenticular card. By translating the Phantom Blade Zero universe into functional and collectible gear, ZHITAI seamlessly bridges high-performance hardware with the player’s personal gaming space.

From PC hardware to collectible accessories, this collaboration goes beyond bringing together high-performance memory technology and AAA action gaming. It reflects ZHITAI’s ongoing commitment to combining technological innovation with gaming culture. Through its partnership with Phantom Blade Zero, ZHITAI aims to further strengthen its presence among gamers worldwide, bringing advanced memory technology and high-quality products to a broader global audience. Looking ahead, ZHITAI will continue to explore new opportunities across international markets, delivering innovative memory solutions that meet the evolving needs of consumers around the world.

The ZHITAI × Phantom Blade Zero Collaboration Gift Box is coming soon, with further details on its launch date and availability to be announced. Stay tuned to ZHITAI’s official channels for the latest updates.

About ZHITAI

Founded on September 21, 2020, ZHITAI was launched as the flagship consumer brand of YMTC. Born from a passion for innovation and discovery, ZHITAI embodies our commitment to bringing trustworthy, cutting-edge experiences to users worldwide. Powered by a youthful energy and a deeply user-centric approach, we are defined by our long-term vision to constantly redefine what’s possible in memory technology.

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SOURCE ZHITAI

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