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Canadian startups brace for U.S. tariff fallout, survey shows

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A new survey from MaRS Discovery District and Communitech finds Canadian startups facing revenue risks and exploring alternative markets as U.S. trade uncertainty grows. 

TORONTO, March 31, 2025 /CNW/ – A new survey conducted by MaRS Discovery District and Communitech reveals that Canadian startups are preparing for significant disruption if U.S. tariffs are imposed. More than three-quarters of respondents expect direct or indirect impacts on their businesses, with potential implications for revenue, investment and hiring.

The survey, conducted between February 10 and March 10, 2025, gathered responses from more than 175 startups across healthtech, cleantech and advanced manufacturing. The findings underscore Canadian startups’ reliance on U.S. markets and the urgent need for ventures to diversify their revenue streams and secure alternate growth pathways.

Key survey insights:

70% of startups generated U.S. revenue in 2024, reflecting an overarching reliance  on cross-border trade.41% foresee a direct hit to 2025 revenue if proposed tariffs are imposed, with some companies already exploring new markets.58% raised concerns about cross-border sourcing, voicing  worries about supply chain stability.64% of companies are not planning to reduce headcount, affirming  a strong commitment to retaining talent in the face of  uncertainty.26% of ventures are reassessing international expansion plans with a renewed focus on the U.K., EU and Asia. 

“The threat of U.S. tariffs is forcing Canadian founders to rethink growth strategies and explore alternative markets,” says Grace Lee Reynolds, CEO of MaRS Discovery District. “This is a critical moment for Canada to strengthen its innovation ecosystem and create new pathways for global growth.”

Read the full analysis on the MaRS website: Bracing for impact: Volatile trade relations with the U.S. could have devastating effects on Canada’s innovation ecosystem 

About MaRS
MaRS Discovery District is a charitable organization and North America’s largest urban innovation hub, dedicated to helping Canadian technology companies succeed. With a focus on climate, health sciences and other emerging technologies, MaRS supports startups tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues.

MaRS spans more than 1.5 million square feet of cutting-edge office, lab, meeting and event space in downtown Toronto across two locations — the MaRS Centre and MaRS Waterfront. Since 2010, MaRS has helped ventures generate $11.5 billion in cumulative revenue, raise $19 billion in funding, and create and maintain more than 33,000 jobs. The MaRS platform also includes MaRS IAF, one of Canada’s top seed-stage venture funds. Through its world-class facilities, strategic programs and partnerships, MaRS accelerates the adoption of groundbreaking Canadian technology and bolsters a globally competitive innovation ecosystem.

SOURCE MaRS Discovery District

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MDT Introduces TMR1370 Ultra-Low-Power Magnetic Switch IC Enabling More Than Two Years of Standby Operation in CGM Devices

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— Next-Generation TMR Magnetic Switch with Ultra-Low 50nA Maximum Supply Current Expands MDT’s Proven CGM Sensor Portfolio

ZHANGJIAGANG, China, July 18, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — MultiDimension Technology Co., Ltd. (MDT), a leading supplier of magnetic sensors and a pioneer in Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) technology, today introduced the TMR1370 ultra-low-power magnetic switch IC, the newest addition to MDT’s magnetic sensing portfolio for continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) devices. Building on the proven TMR1367, TMR1368, and TMR1369 family, the TMR1370 delivers significantly lower power consumption, enhanced voltage compatibility, and a smaller package to enable next-generation CGM systems with ultra-long standby life.

Optimized for battery-powered CGM devices, the TMR1370 features a maximum supply current of only 50nA, with approximately 30nA typical at a 3V supply. When combined with the magnetic wake-up mechanism widely adopted in CGM devices, the TMR1370 enables more than two years of standby operation, helping extend product shelf life while preserving battery capacity for continuous glucose monitoring after activation.

The TMR1370’s exceptional power efficiency is enabled by MDT’s proprietary TMR technology platform, which combines advanced magnetic sensor design, optimized device architecture, and proprietary wafer process technology to achieve high magnetic sensitivity together with ultra-low power consumption. Complementing MDT’s existing X-axis and Z-axis CGM magnetic switch portfolio, the TMR1370 gives system designers greater flexibility to optimize sensor orientation and mechanical layout for a wide variety of CGM architectures while enabling easy migration from previous-generation devices.

Key Features

Enables more than two years of standby operation in battery-powered CGM devices.50nA maximum supply current, approximately 30nA typical at 3V.Wide 1.8V to 4.0V operating-voltage range.Maximum operating point below 40 Gauss for reliable magnetic wake-up detection.X-axis magnetic sensing optimized for compact CGM designs.Miniature DFN5L package (1.6×1.6×0.5mm) for thinner and lighter wearable medical devices.Complements MDT’s proven X-axis and Z-axis CGM magnetic switch portfolio for flexible system design and simplified migration.

Samples of the TMR1370 are available through DigiKey and MDT’s online store at www.tmr-sensors.com. For volume pricing, delivery information, and technical specifications, contact MDT Global Sales at sales@dowayusa.com.

About MDT
MultiDimension Technology was founded in 2010 in Zhangjiagang, Jiangsu Province, China, with branch offices in Shenzhen, Chengdu, and Ningbo in China, Singapore, Tokyo, Japan, and San Jose, Calif., USA. MDT has developed a unique intellectual property portfolio, and its self-owned state-of-the-art TMR manufacturing facilities that can support volume production of high-performance, low-cost TMR magnetic sensors to satisfy the most demanding application needs. Led by its core management team of elite experts and veterans in magnetic sensor technology and engineering services, MDT is committed to creating added value for its customers and ensuring their success. For more information about MDT please visit http://www.multidimensiontech.com.

Media Contacts
MDT sales department, sales@dowayusa.com, sales@dowaytech.com
Tel: +1-650-275-2318 (US), +86-189-3612-1156 (China)

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SOURCE MultiDimension Technology Co., Ltd.

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Academy Software Foundation Welcomes CIQ, Evercast, and Rochester Institute of Technology as New Members

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New Academy Software Foundation (ASWF) members join ahead of Open Source Days, July 19-20, strengthening collaboration and advancing open source technologies for the motion picture and media industries

Summary

ASWF new members are CIQ as a Premier Member, Evercast as a General Member and Rochester Institute of Technology as an Associate MemberOpen Source Days is July 19–20, 2026 at the J.W. Marriott L.A. Live in Los Angeles, held alongside SIGGRAPH 2026Bill Ballew, CTO of DreamWorks Animation, to keynote Open Source Days and talk about MoonRay’s development from DreamWorks’ Dragons to ASWF

LOS ANGELES, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Academy Software Foundation (ASWF), the leading open source foundation for advancing open source software in motion pictures, visual effects, and animation, today announced three new member organizations ahead of its annual Open Source Days event, taking place July 19–20, 2026 in Los Angeles. CIQ has joined as a Premier Member, Evercast as a General Member and Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as an Associate Member.

“We are pleased to welcome CIQ, Evercast and Rochester Institute of Technology to the Academy Software Foundation,” said David Morin, executive director of the Academy Software Foundation. “Each organization brings valuable expertise that will strengthen our community – infrastructure that scales render farms, real-time review tools that keep artists collaborating across studios, and the academic programs training the next generation on OpenColorIO, ACES, and other open source tools before they ever set foot on a production floor.”

As members of the Academy Software Foundation, CIQ, Evercast, and Rochester Institute of Technology will have opportunities to contribute engineering expertise, participate in technical working groups, collaborate on open source projects and help shape the technical direction of the ASWF. Their participation will expand the community, bringing together technology providers, studios, software vendors and academic institutions to advance the open source tools and standards foundational to modern content creation.

Hosted annually by the Academy Software Foundation, Open Source Days is the leading event dedicated to open source software for visual effects, animation, and digital content creation. This year’s event will take place in Los Angeles on July 19-20, 2026, coinciding with the SIGGRAPH 2026 Conference, and features a keynote address by DreamWorks Animation CTO Bill Ballew on “How to Train Your Renderer: MoonRay’s Journey from DreamWorks’ Dragons to the ASWF.” Space is limited; register here to attend.

Supporting Quotes

“Open source has always been the backbone of production pipelines in film and visual effects, and as AI transforms what those pipelines can do, that foundation matters more than ever. CIQ is proud to join the Academy Software Foundation as a Premier Member and to help the creative industry build on infrastructure that is open, resilient, and built for the scale of what comes next.”
– Bjorn Hovland, President, CIQ

“We’re thrilled to join the Academy Software Foundation. At Evercast, we build high-quality, real-time review solutions that enable creative teams to share content and collaborate within the third-party tools they already use. This software-agnostic approach reflects our belief that open codebases, shared standards, and diverse teams are the best way for software to serve content creators worldwide. We look forward to collaborating with this amazing community at such a unique moment in our industry.”
– Jose Aguerre, VP of Engineering, Evercast

“RIT is pleased to join the Academy Software Foundation and participate in advancing creation and adoption of open source tools for the entertainment industry. Through a long partnership with Linux Foundation and establishment of our own free and open-source center of excellence on campus, we have encouraged students, faculty, and alumni to contribute to important open source projects. The motion picture science, film and animation, and games communities from RIT, in particular, have already been active with ACES, OpenColorIO, O3DE, and other ASWF projects and we are excited to provide our support going forward to this important work.”
– David Long, Director and Professor, RIT MAGIC Center | MAGIC Spell Studios, Rochester Institute of Technology

About the Academy Software Foundation
Developed in partnership by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and the Linux Foundation, the Academy Software Foundation provides a world-class home for open source software developers in the motion picture and broader media industries to share resources and collaborate on technologies for image creation, visual effects, animation and sound. The Academy Software Foundation is home to 22 projects including ACES, MaterialX, OpenEXR, OpenColorI, and OpenVDB. For more information about the Academy Software Foundation, visit https://www.aswf.io/.

Media Contact
Emily Olin, The Linux Foundation/Academy Software Foundation
pr@aswf.io

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SOURCE The Linux Foundation

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Joyson Electronics Unveils Embodied AI Core Component Portfolio, Including Dexterous Robotic Hand and Solid-Liquid Hybrid Battery, at WAIC 2026

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SHANGHAI, July 17, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Joyson Electronics (600699.SH/0699.HK) announced at the 2026 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC) a suite of robotic component solutions, including a dexterous robotic hand, solid-liquid hybrid battery, third-generation AI head assembly, electronic skin, and an embodied AI brain – alongside its latest achievements in industrial settings training and application. In addition, the company’s robot controller products are already in volume production and being delivered to leading robotics firms.

Dexterous Robotic Hand Integrates Multiple Industry-Exclusive Technologies; AI Head Assembly Ready for Rapid Mass Production

The dexterous robotic hand is often regarded as the “crown jewel” of robotics – owing to its high level of integration across a broad range of frontier disciplines, among them bionics, flexible sensing, MEMS, and advanced materials – and its significant commercial value.

At WAIC, Joyson Electronics introduced its first fully in-house developed “TeleHand” series of dexterous hand solutions. The TeleHand Professional Edition features an industry-exclusive “in-palm integration + hybrid actuation” architecture, directly addressing key challenges such as standalone integrity, tactile sensing, compliant manipulation, and fine motion control.

With 20 degrees of freedom, the TeleHand integrates three actuation modes – direct drive, tendon-driven, and linkage – within the palm. This design not only combines the precision of direct drive with the compliance of tendon-driven mechanisms, but also delivers higher transmission efficiency and lighter weight, enabling easy adaptation to various robotic platforms.

The TeleHand is equipped with Joyson Electronics’ in-house developed actuators and force-tactile sensing technologies, including:

Ultra-compact, high-torque-density miniature frameless actuators, which reduce volume by nearly 50% and weight by approximately 30% compared to conventional models, while delivering 2–3 times higher torque density than industry-standard hollow-cup motors of the same diameter.In-house developed force and tactile sensing technology (electronic skin), featuring industry-exclusive natively decoupled three-dimensional force sensing, achieving resolution beyond human tactile limits, with high sensitivity, proximity detection, ultra-thin form factor, and flexibility – suitable for diverse dexterous hand and embodied intelligence applications.

The TeleHand PHINO platform’s native unified multimodal fusion architecture minimizes information loss and offers strong generalization capabilities, enabling the TeleHand to perform precision industrial operations while seamlessly supporting service-oriented interactive scenarios. In addition to the Professional Edition, Joyson Electronics also launched a cost-effective Basic Edition, which offers industrial-grade reliability and real-world deployment advantages through in-house factory batch deployment.

Meanwhile, Joyson Electronics unveiled its third-generation AI head assembly, which integrates perception, motion, and system-level capabilities to deliver more natural head movements and emotional expression. Designed with a production-ready mechatronic architecture, it enables rapid support from concept design and prototype validation to mass production. Its modular and platform-based design further allows for agile product customization and iteration to meet diverse customer requirements.

Joyson Electronics Debuts Embodied AI Brain; Controllers Already Shipping to Leading Customers

In the robotics “brain” domain (cerebrum and cerebellum), Joyson Electronics’ automotive-grade edge-side physical AI platform – its robot controller products – has already achieved commercial deployment and is now in volume production for leading robotics customers.

Furthermore, Joyson Electronics unveiled its embodied AI brain solution (EAOS + EAPC) – a unified, software-hardware-integrated platform designed for cross-form-factor and cross-scenario adaptability. The solution aims to make robots “easier to use, truly productive, and capable of autonomous evolution.”

The Embodied AI PC (EAPC) adopts an external form-factor design, built on a fused cerebrum-cerebellum controller architecture, with computing power ranging from 40 TOPS to 2070 TFLOPS, meeting diverse requirements from entry-level to flagship embodied AI systems. The product features a modular, integrated design with a compact footprint and superior thermal efficiency, enabling cross-platform and cross-environment adaptability. Leveraging Joyson Electronics’ automotive supply chain and manufacturing capabilities, the solution also offers significant cost competitiveness.

On the software side, the Embodied AI Operating System (EAOS) comprises three core subsystems:

World Model – responsible for “understanding”, encoding multimodal signals into unified state representations and using dynamic predictors to simulate and preview scenarios within the system.Agentic OS – responsible for “action”, formulating high-level strategies, decomposing complex tasks, dynamically orchestrating sub-agents, invoking skill libraries and tools, and translating decisions into precise motions across dexterous hands, robotic arms, and mobile chassis.Memory System – responsible for “evolution,” managing working memory for real-time context, episodic memory for past experiences, and skill memory for accumulated learned capabilities.

The EAOS enables robots to execute long-horizon, complex tasks and achieve autonomous evolution – translating into tangible productivity gains. To date, Joyson Electronics’ embodied AI brain has been deployed in real-world settings, including select industrial scenarios and automated charging.

Solid-Liquid Hybrid Battery: The Optimal Power Solution for Embodied Intelligence

Conventional energy solutions for embodied intelligence face multiple challenges – limited endurance, large footprint, long recharging times, and insufficient power capacity to support instantaneous high-current discharge. Battery safety also remains a critical factor for widespread adoption. The industry requires a fundamental breakthrough that simultaneously balances energy density, power density, and safety.

Solid-liquid hybrid batteries (semi-solid-state batteries) offer the optimal power solution for embodied intelligence and represent the only technological pathway capable of addressing all the above energy challenges at the current stage. At WAIC, Joyson Electronics introduced its “Crystal Energy” multi-form solid-liquid hybrid battery solution, delivering high performance and reliability:

Energy density significantly increased to 380 Wh/kgOverall endurance improved by approximately 60%Cycle life exceeding 2,000 cyclesWide operating temperature range from -20°C to 60°CSupports both wired and wireless charging, reaching 80% capacity in just 30 minutes

Complementing this is the Crystal Energy Ultra-Control BMS, which operates across a wide temperature range of -40°C to 105°C, featuring real-time cell monitoring, automotive-grade safety protection, and full-lifecycle health management – comprehensively enhancing the safety, durability, and energy efficiency of robotic power systems. Additionally, Joyson Electronics unveiled its first gallium nitride (GaN) motor driver, achieving conversion efficiency exceeding 95% while reducing size by 40% – positioning it at the forefront of the industry.

With robotics standing on the cusp of large-scale commercialization, Joyson Electronics is advancing its “self-development + investment” dual-drive strategy, expanding its presence in embodied intelligence, and accelerating breakthroughs in key technologies. Looking ahead, Joyson Electronics will leverage its global R&D, manufacturing capabilities, and industrial settings to drive the reliable, scalable, and cost-effective commercialization of robotic core components, helping accelerate the industry’s transition to mass adoption.

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SOURCE Joyson Electronics

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