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Absa Collaborates with UnionPay International to Expand Contactless Payments in South Africa

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SHANGHAI, April 10, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Absa, in partnership with UnionPay International (UPI), is launching contactless payments to UnionPay cardholders across South Africa, thereby strengthening its commitment to offering a seamless and secure payments experience. The collaboration ensures that customers with UnionPay cards can enjoy an even faster and more convenient checkout experience at thousands of retail stores nationwide.

With digital payments becoming increasingly popular, shoppers expect quick and hassle-free ways to pay. By enabling contactless technology, Absa ensures that customers can simply tap and go—whether they are grabbing a coffee, shopping for groceries, or making fashion purchases. The functionality eliminates the need for cash or a PIN entry for qualifying transactions.

“As Africa’s biggest merchant acquirer, we are always looking for ways to improve the payment experience for consumers,” said Chris Wood, Managing Executive for Product at Absa Business Banking. “Our collaboration with UnionPay International aligns with the growing consumer preference for contactless payments and will empower clients to transact in a fast and secure way. It will also enable Absa merchants to offer contactless payment options to more customers.”

As part of this initiative, more than 44,000 payment devices across South Africa will now accept UnionPay contactless payments, including major retail chains, supermarkets, restaurants, and independent stores. This extensive acceptance network ensures that both local and international UnionPay cardholders can experience seamless transactions at their favorite shopping destinations.

“We are thrilled to partner with Absa Bank to bring the power of contactless payments to South Africa, marking a significant milestone in our commitment to digital innovation. This collaboration enhances the payment experience for both domestic and international cardholders, offering seamless, secure, and fast transactions. By expanding contactless acceptance, UnionPay is not only improving convenience but also empowering consumers to experience the future of payments today. As we continue to innovate, we are excited about the future of digital payments in South Africa and beyond, and we remain dedicated to providing solutions that benefit both businesses and consumers, fostering a more connected and efficient global payment ecosystem.”

This collaboration reinforces Absa’s commitment to providing world-class financial solutions and supporting the growing demand for digital payments in South Africa. Customers can use their UnionPay contactless cards at participating retailers.

About Absa

Absa Group Limited (‘Absa Group’) is listed on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange and is one of Africa’s largest diversified financial services groups.

Absa Group offers an integrated set of products and services across personal and business banking, corporate and investment banking, wealth and investment management and insurance. 

Absa Group owns majority stakes in banks in Botswana, Ghana, Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Seychelles, South Africa, Tanzania (Absa Bank Tanzania and National Bank of Commerce), Uganda and Zambia and has insurance operations in Botswana, Kenya, Mozambique, South Africa and Zambia. Absa also has offices in China,  Namibia, Nigeria and the United States, as well as securities entities in the United Kingdom and the United States, along with technology support colleagues in the Czech Republic.

For further information about Absa Group Limited, visit www.absa.africa

About UnionPay International

UnionPay International (UPI) is focused on the growth and support of UnionPay’s global business. In partnership with more than 2600 institutions worldwide, UnionPay International has enabled card acceptance in 183 countries and regions with issuance in 84 countries and regions. UnionPay International provides high quality, cost effective and secure cross-border payment services to the world’s largest cardholder base and ensures convenient local services to a growing number of global UnionPay cardholders and merchants.

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.co.uk/news-releases/absa-collaborates-with-unionpay-international-to-expand-contactless-payments-in-south-africa-302425481.html

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M31 Collaborates with TSMC to Advance 2nm eUSB2 IP Innovation

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HSINCHU, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — M31 Technology Corporation (M31), a global provider of silicon intellectual property (IP), today announced that its eUSB2 PHY IP has achieved silicon-proven status on TSMC’s 3nm process and has successfully completed tape-out on TSMC’s 2nm process. As a member of TSMC Open Innovation Platform® (OIP) IP Alliance since 2012, M31 has been honored with TSMC OIP Partner of the Year Award for seven consecutive years. In 2020, M31 pioneered its eUSB2 IP solution on the TSMC 7nm process node, further solidifying its leadership in advanced interface IP development. Since then, M31 has steadily expanded its eUSB2 IP portfolio across TSMC’s 5nm, 3nm, and most recently, 2nm process technologies—closely aligning with TSMC’s cutting-edge roadmap to accelerate the adoption of AI-enabled smart devices. Looking ahead, M31 is actively developing the next-generation eUSB2 Version 2.0 (eUSB2V2) PHY IP, with ongoing efforts focused on both TSMC’s 3nm and 2nm process nodes.

Reinforcing its robustness and reliability on advanced nodes, M31’s eUSB2 IP solutions have been widely adopted by leading global companies in high-end smartphone chipsets and AI-driven image processing applications. Building on this success, M31 is currently advancing the development of eUSB2V2 IP on TSMC’s N3 and N2 process technologies – expanding its comprehensive eUSB2 portfolio to include eUSB2 V1, V2 PHY, and eUSB2 Repeater solutions. Leveraging the eUSB2 standard, eUSB2V2 enhances data transfer rates while maintaining a low-voltage interface and leveraging asymmetric bandwidth technology—allowing TX and RX to operate at different data rates. This significantly improves transmission efficiency, making it ideal for embedded applications such as AI edge computing, smart surveillance, and image processing chips. To accommodate diverse design needs, eUSB2V2 leverages and enhances the I/O architecture based on the eUSB2 standard, supporting data transfer speeds from 480 Mbps up to 4.8 Gbps. The solution delivers a comprehensive eUSB2 platform for high-end SoCs—optimizing power efficiency, performance and design flexibility, while maintaining full compatibility with legacy USB 2.0 devices.

At the 2025 TSMC North America Technology Symposium, Scott Chang, CEO of M31, stated: “With a strong track record of successful USB PHY IP development and a long-term commitment to innovation with TSMC, M31’s eUSB2 IP has demonstrated proven silicon success across TSMC’s leading-edge process technologies. M31 is pleased to collaborate closely with TSMC to advance eUSB2 IP innovation, empowering customers to adopt the latest interface protocols for next-generation chip design and accelerated time-to-market.”

“We are pleased to collaborate with M31 in driving IP advancements to enable future products,” said Lipen Yuan, Senior Director of Advanced Technology Business Development at TSMC. “We look forward to strengthening our collaboration with OIP partners like M31 by joining forces to fuel innovation in next-generation AI and high-performance computing applications with TSMC’s industry-leading process technologies.”

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/m31-collaborates-with-tsmc-to-advance-2nm-eusb2-ip-innovation-302437210.html

SOURCE M31 Technology Corporation

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Towards new trends, gathering new trends and innovating: China Changan makes its debut at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show

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SHANGHAI, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — China Changan makes its debut at the 2025 Shanghai Auto Show with the theme of “Towards New Trends, Gathering New Trends, and Innovative Power”, bringing 88 products to showcase its innovative technologies and product portfolio.

Towards new trends, creating core technology driving force

China Changan has built a “1255+” technological innovation system and transformed into an innovative technology group. At the auto show, Chenzhi Technology releases a new generation of intelligent chassis sports integrated solutions, covering EMB full-wire control brake and other technologies, with multiple power combinations, system-level redundancy and other features, and its performance indicators are leading the world. Chongqing Qingshan launches the “GI-Drive2.0” intelligent electric drive platform, which contains 293 invention patents and uses EDS4 distributed electric drive assembly with an efficiency of 96.5%. It demonstrates scenes such as turning around on the spot and shows precise control capabilities.

Gathering new trends and building a smart travel ecosystem

China Changan participates in the exhibition with a “3+2+N” business layout:

Powertrain and electric drive: Dongan Power displays the M15NTDE engine and other products with leading thermal efficiency; Chongqing Qingshan exhibits the all-in-one electric drive assembly; Huachuan Denso brings products such as extended-range generators.

Intelligent chassis: Chenzhi Technology demonstrates its full-stack capabilities including wire-controlled braking and steering; Sichuan Jianan’s third-generation electric drive axle is about to be mass-produced.

Thermal management: The Innovation Research Institute exhibits super-integrated thermal management modules; Southern Inter displays multi-zone air-conditioning boxes and other products.

Electronics, appliances and parts: The Electronics and Appliances Division brings products such as power domain controllers; Hunan Tianyan displays transformation results such as superchargers.

Changan Minsheng Logistics presents full-process digital logistics solutions and intelligent equipment.

Innovation brings together new momentum for the industry

China Changan adheres to the brand connotation of “innovation-led”, provides customized cooperation models, introduces intelligent manufacturing and digital management, and strictly controls quality. At the same time, it promotes green supply chains, deploys battery recycling, explores cutting-edge fields with industry chain partners, and promotes high-quality development of the automobile industry.

 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/apac/news-releases/towards-new-trends-gathering-new-trends-and-innovating-china-changan-makes-its-debut-at-the-2025-shanghai-auto-show-302437149.html

SOURCE China Changan

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X-PHY Inc Unveils Real-Time Deepfake Detection Tool Ahead of RSA Conference 2025

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Expanding its AI-powered security suite, X-PHY takes aim at the rising threat of AI-generated deception

SAN FRANCISCO, April 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — X-PHY Inc, a leading innovator in embedded cybersecurity technology, has announced the launch of its latest solution ahead of RSA Conference (RSAC) 2025 – Deepfake Detector – a real-time deepfake detection tool that empowers users to verify the authenticity of videos, audio, and images directly on their devices, without relying on the cloud. Live demonstrations will be held for the first time during RSAC.

The growth of deepfakes has been exponential – deepfake content on social media alone grew 550% between 2019 and 2023, and the World Economic Forum states it is a key global risk. X-PHY’s innovation is designed to combat AI-generated deception, enabling users to verify the authenticity of digital media – including videos, images, and audio – with up to 90% accuracy, in real-time. This marks X-PHY’s expansion into AI-driven content integrity solutions, bridging data protection with digital trust.

“At X-PHY, we are committed to extending our ethos of Security by Design beyond data protection,” said Camellia Chan, CEO and Co-Founder of X-PHY Inc. “The X-PHY Deepfake Detector strengthens our vision of a Community Root of Trust, where every layer – from hardware to data to content – serves as a checkpoint for authenticity and security. By combining deepfake detection with our existing hardware-embedded defences, we’re ensuring every endpoint not only protects data, but actively discerns and verifies the trustworthiness of the information flowing through it.”

On-Demand Deepfake Detection

Upon activation, the X-PHY Deepfake Detector uses multi-modal AI to analyze video, image, and audio streams in real time. By examining facial micro-expressions, voice fingerprints, and Generative Adversarial Network (GAN)-generated artifacts, it flags signs of manipulation – even across multiple video windows. Detection is performed entirely on-device, preserving privacy and functioning even without an internet connection.

This is achieved through the Deepfake Detector’s use of advanced temporal and spatial AI analysis, powered by pre-trained neural networks. These models are capable of identifying subtle inconsistencies across facial movements, audio waveforms, and image artifacts – common signs of AI-generated content.

When combined with X-PHY’s patented hardware-based protections, this forms a seamless security ecosystem, protecting both stored data and the integrity of digital communications.

Flexible Deployment, Fuss-Free Integration

Designed for seamless adoption, the Deepfake Detector offers flexible deployment options to suit varying enterprise needs. It can be installed as a lightweight software agent on personal computers and laptops running on Windows operating systems or packaged with the X-PHY Cybersecure SSD – creating a unified defense layer that spans data protection, ransomware prevention, and deepfake detection.

The solution is application-agnostic, compatible with leading platforms like Teams, Zoom, Webex, Chrome, YouTube, and Meta. Users can activate it with a single click when joining a meeting, where it runs autonomously for a preset duration and can be re-engaged as needed.

Built on Zero Trust principles, the solution adds an additional layer of authentication and verification at the device level, helping organizations strengthen their cyber resilience against AI-powered deception and reducing reliance on external validation systems that often introduce unnecessary operational complexity.

X-PHY Deepfake Detector is now available for purchase through the official X-PHY website and from authorized global channel partners. For enterprise enquiries or bulk deployments, please contact our sales team at info@x-phy.com

Experience live demonstrations at X-PHY Inc’s Booth #5368, located in the North Expo Hall of the Moscone Center, from April 28 to May 1 during RSA Conference 2025.

About X-PHY Inc

X-PHY Inc is a pioneering cybersecurity company dedicated to hardware-based cybersecurity solutions that protect data at its core. Built on the principle of Security by Design, X-PHY embeds protection directly at the physical layer for proactive, autonomous, and real-time defense against evolving cyber threats. Headquartered in California, USA, X-PHY Inc was established in 2021 and has since developed a growing portfolio of 43 patents, reinforcing its commitment to innovative AI-embedded security at the hardware level. The company’s patented solutions safeguard endpoints, servers, and data centers, ensuring zero-trust resilience across industries.

X-PHY Inc is part of the Flexxon Group, a leader in hardware engineering and memory solutions, leveraging its legacy of innovation and expertise in secure storage to build cutting-edge cybersecurity technologies for the digital world.

For more information, please visit:
X-PHY: x-phy.com
Flexxon: flexxon.com 

View original content:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/x-phy-inc-unveils-real-time-deepfake-detection-tool-ahead-of-rsa-conference-2025-302435625.html

SOURCE X-PHY Inc

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