Connect with us

Technology

The King’s Foundation and FormationQ Launch “Harmonious Urban Growth” Programme to Help Cities Plan Sustainable Expansion Using Quantum Optimisation

Published

on

LONDON and AUSTIN, Texas, May 11, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The King’s Foundation and FormationQ today announced a new partnership to showcase how towns and cities across the Commonwealth can grow sustainably using quantum technology.

The partnership, entitled Harmonious Urban Growth: A Health-Optimised Expansion Framework Using Quantum Methods, is a three-year programme designed to help cities grow sustainably while improving the health of people and the planet. The initiative will incorporate advanced computational modelling, including quantum optimisation enabled by trapped-ion systems from IonQ, to explore new methods for planning complex urban systems and sustainable town planning.

Today, around 1.3 billion people live in unplanned settlements, and that number is expected to grow by well over one billion more in the next 30 years. When urban expansion occurs without planning frameworks, infrastructure and public services can struggle to keep up with population growth, creating long-term challenges for mobility, public health, and environmental resilience. Early planning helps cities become more livable, walkable and sustainable. In many of the places growing most rapidly, professional planning resources are limited, yet the need to organise urban expansion has never been greater.

The Harmonious Urban Growth programme builds on The King’s Foundation’s Rapid Planning Toolkit, a practical methodology developed with Commonwealth partners following the Declaration on Sustainable Urbanisation (CHOGM 2022). The Toolkit enables mayors, planning authorities and built-environment professionals to establish clear frameworks guiding responsible expansion before informal settlement patterns become difficult to reverse.

The Toolkit was piloted in Bo, Sierra Leone, where it helped local authorities and community stakeholders avoid development in flood-prone wetlands while identifying walkable areas and infrastructure corridors for future expansion.

The three-year programme will be supported by UK urban planning consultants Space Syntax, who will bring their knowledge on cities, mapping, and data to the initiative. Working alongside The King’s Foundation and FormationQ, they will apply digital modelling techniques to the toolkit process, harnessing the power of IonQ’s quantum technologies to develop new platforms that can support our understanding of the complexity of cities.

Ben Bolgar, Executive Director for Projects at The King’s Foundation, said:

“We are excited to partner with FormationQ to explore how our Rapid Planning Toolkit can help communities grow sustainably across the world. We hope that the work of the Projects Team at The King’s Foundation will impact more communities positively as a result.”

Through the partnership, FormationQ will contribute advanced computational and optimisation capabilities, leveraging the IonQ quantum platform, to allow planners to explore large numbers of potential spatial configurations across interconnected systems including water networks, ecological corridors, transportation infrastructure, neighbourhood centres and block structures.

Urban planning across these layers involves complex combinatorial decisions. Advanced optimisation techniques, including quantum approaches, can help analyse these interactions more efficiently and generate alternative spatial frameworks that balance walkability, environmental resilience, infrastructure efficiency and economic accessibility.

Nada Hosking, Founder and CEO of FormationQ, said:

“Rapid urbanisation is one of the most complex systems challenges of the 21st century. Cities must balance environmental resilience, infrastructure capacity, economic opportunity and human wellbeing simultaneously. Advances in computational modelling, including quantum optimisation techniques, offer new ways to explore these complex interactions and support better planning decisions.”

The computational modelling informs a participatory planning process in which planners, local authorities and community representatives review spatial options and shape a preferred framework. Proposed plans can then be tested directly on site, with streets, squares and public spaces physically marked on the ground and digitally mapped to guide early development.

By combining quantum computing, participatory planning and field testing, the Harmonious Urban Growth programme aims to create a scalable framework for guiding sustainable city expansion in rapidly urbanising regions. The collaboration between The King’s Foundation and FormationQ reflects a shared commitment to supporting resilient communities and responsible stewardship of the built environment.

Notes to Editors

About The King’s Foundation

The King’s Foundation was founded by King CHarles III and was first formed in 1990. The charity’s core mission is to build sustainable communities and transform lives.

Inspired by the values of His Majesty, the Foundation builds and supports communities where people, places and the planet can coexist in harmony. The Foundation’s Projects Team works both domestically and internationally across stakeholder and community engagement, masterplanning, and community regeneration. Over 35 years, the team has developed plans for hundreds of thousands of homes in walkable communities and revitalised a range of historic buildings. In addition to its UK presence, the Foundation delivers projects in over a dozen sites worldwide.

The King’s Foundation is headquartered at its flagship regeneration project, Dumfries House in Ayrshire, Scotland, and acts as custodian of other historic Royal sites including Highgrove Gardens and The Castle of Mey. The charity also manages educational programmes and cultural events in London at The King’s School for Traditional Arts, The Garrison Chapel and Trinity Buoy Wharf.

For more information, please visit www.kings-foundation.org / or email media@kings-foundation.org.

About FormationQ

FormationQ is the enablement layer for global quantum adoption. The company builds the institutional pathways and collaborative structures that allow quantum technologies to move from frontier research into real-world use. Working with leading institutions and technology partners, FormationQ operates and supports programmes that advance talent development, application formation, and ecosystem coordination in ways that can be governed, trusted, and sustained over time.

About IonQ

IonQ, Inc. [NYSE: IONQ] is the world’s leading quantum platform and merchant supplier – delivering integrated quantum solutions across computing, networking, sensing, and security. IonQ’s newest generation of quantum computers, the IonQ Tempo, is the latest in a line of cutting-edge systems that have been helping customers and partners including Amazon Web Services, NVIDIA, and Astrazeneca achieve 20x performance results and accelerate innovation in drug discovery, materials science, financial modeling, logistics, cybersecurity, and defense. In 2025, the company achieved 99.99% two-qubit gate fidelity, setting a world record in quantum computing performance.

Headquartered in College Park, Maryland, IonQ has operations in California, Colorado, Massachusetts, Tennessee, Washington, Italy, South Korea, Sweden, Switzerland, Canada, and the United Kingdom. Our quantum computing services are available through all major cloud providers, while we also meet the needs of networking and sensing customers across land, sea, air, and space. IonQ is making quantum platforms more accessible and impactful than ever before. Learn more at IonQ.com.

FormationQ Media Contacts
formationq@edelman.com

Matthew Strebe
FormationQ
matthew.strebe@formationq.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/the-kings-foundation-and-formationq-launch-harmonious-urban-growth-programme-to-help-cities-plan-sustainable-expansion-using-quantum-optimisation-302767462.html

SOURCE FormationQ

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Technology

SPECTRUM EXPANDS ITS COMMUNITY INVESTMENT AND OFFERS AMAZON PRIME MEMBERSHIP TO QUALIFYING LOW-INCOME SPECTRUM INTERNET CUSTOMERS

Published

on

By

Key Takeaways:

New and existing customers who currently qualify for Spectrum’s low-income Internet Assist can enjoy all the benefits of Prime, included with their Internet subscription, at no additional cost.Prime is now included for legacy Spectrum customers with the benefit coming soon for qualified legacy Cox customers.

STAMFORD, Conn., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Today, Spectrum announced it is bringing Amazon Prime benefits to eligible Spectrum Internet customers. Existing and new customers who currently qualify for Spectrum Internet Assist, affordable internet for low-income customers with speeds up to 50 Mbps, can receive Prime membership included with their Internet subscription – at no extra cost.

Qualified Spectrum Internet customers can now enjoy everything Prime has to offer, including exclusive grocery savings and convenience, delivery benefits that saved members an average of $550 in delivery fees last year, award-winning entertainment through Prime Video, and so much more. Valued at $14.99 per month or $139 per year, qualifying Spectrum Internet customers can sign up for Prime through Spectrum’s simplified onboarding experience to get started and enjoy instant savings.

“Our goal at Spectrum is to give customers more value from the services they already count on every day,” said Adam Ray, Executive Vice President, Chief Commercial Officer for Spectrum. “That value already includes the fastest mobile service at the lowest prices, and our inclusion of programming apps in our video services at no extra charge. And that value now extends to including Prime for low-income customers to help make everyday life a little easier while delivering incredible savings and entertainment – reflecting just a part of our ongoing investment to ensure the communities we serve can thrive.”

Qualified Spectrum Internet customers can now enjoy all of Prime’s savings, convenience, and entertainment. That includes everyday low prices and free delivery on 300 million items across 35 categories, tens of millions of which can be delivered the same or next day in eligible areas, including everyday essential grocery items like pantry staples, breakfast items, canned goods, baby foods, and more. Prime members also get free Same-Day Delivery on perishable grocery orders over $25 in most places, and members in more than 2,300 cities and towns can get fresh groceries, alongside electronics, books, pantry staples, snacks, and everyday household essentials like paper towels and toothpaste, delivered within hours. Plus, members enjoy exclusive deals every day and shopping events like Prime Day, fast, free delivery of prescription medications through Amazon Pharmacy, and exclusive savings on restaurant delivery and fuel.

Prime Video serves as an entertainment destination, offering unlimited streaming of movies and shows, plus access to must-see live sports including NBA, WNBA, NASCAR, and Thursday Night Football. Members also enjoy ad-free listening of 100 million songs and millions of podcast episodes with Amazon Music, cloud gaming with Amazon Luna, unlimited photo storage with Amazon Photos, and Alexa+, Amazon’s next-gen AI assistant that enhances the Prime experience, making it easy to shop, discover new entertainment, and manage photo content through natural conversation. With Amazon Family, members can also share a wide range of these benefits with one adult in their household, plus digital content with up to four children in their household.

More information is available at spectrum.com/AmazonPrime.

About Spectrum  
Spectrum is a suite of advanced communications services offered by Charter Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ:CHTR), the leading broadband and video company in the nation and the fastest growing mobile provider in its footprint, with services available to more than 70 million homes and small to large businesses across 45 states. Founded in 1993, Charter has evolved from providing cable TV to streaming, and from high-speed Internet to a converged broadband, WiFi and mobile experience. Over the Spectrum Fiber Broadband Network and supported by our 100% U.S.-based employees, the Company offers Seamless Connectivity and Entertainment with Spectrum Internet®, Mobile, TV and Voice products.

More information can be found at corporate.charter.com

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/spectrum-expands-its-community-investment-and-offers-amazon-prime-membership-to-qualifying-low-income-spectrum-internet-customers-302859437.html

SOURCE Charter Communications, Inc.

Continue Reading

Technology

Land id® Expands Product and AI Leadership with Senior Executive Hires

Published

on

By

Chris Omland joins as Senior Vice President of Product and Jeff Lutzenberger is named Vice President of AI Platform Strategy

BOZEMAN, Mont. and AUSTIN, Texas, Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Land id today announced the addition of Chris Omland as Senior Vice President of Product and Jeff Lutzenberger as Vice President of AI Platform Strategy. Omland will lead Land id’s product and engineering organization, while Lutzenberger will oversee the application of AI across Land id’s product and platform.

Two senior executive hires signal Land id’s acceleration into AI-powered property intelligence.

The hires come as Land id continues to expand its real estate and property intelligence platform, combining geospatial visualization, proprietary property data, and AI to help customers not just access information about a property, but understand what it means and act on it.

Lutzenberger brings deep experience in machine learning, large language models, and geospatial technology. He holds a PhD in Electrical Engineering and spent nearly a decade at onX, where he helped build the geospatial pipelines and 3D technologies underpinning the company’s growth to more than 10 million users.

“The combination of geospatial information, proprietary data, and AI creates an entirely new way to understand a property and make decisions around it,” Lutzenberger said. “The foundation is already in place at Land id, and I’m excited to build on it, surfacing relevant insights and automating real estate workflows for every person and every property.”

Omland brings more than two decades of experience building and scaling enterprise software products. He held product leadership roles at Bozeman-based RightNow Technologies, acquired by Oracle in 2011, and more recently led Workiva’s platform product team as the company grew from $220 million to more than $800 million in annual revenue.

“Real estate is the world’s largest asset class, yet the information people need to understand a property and make decisions about it is still incredibly fragmented and difficult to interpret,” Omland said. “Land id has the data, technology, and team to bring that information together in a much more intelligent way. That creates an opportunity for Land id to power workflows across every step of the real estate lifecycle. That’s what made this opportunity so compelling to me.”

“Chris and Jeff bring exactly the kind of experience and leadership we need for Land id’s next stage of growth,” said Chris Hamilton, Chief Operating Officer of Land id. “We’ve built a strong foundation in property data and geospatial technology. Chris brings a proven ability to scale product organizations, and Jeff brings deep technical experience at the intersection of data, geospatial technology, and AI. Together, they significantly expand what we are capable of building.”

Omland and Lutzenberger will work closely across product, engineering, data, and AI as Land id develops its next generation of property intelligence capabilities, while remaining focused on the needs of customers across real estate, land management, agriculture, insurance, appraisal, and other property-driven industries.

ABOUT LAND ID
Land id® combines data, intelligence, and outcomes to underpin every property decision for the world’s largest asset class. The company unifies scattered data sources into a single, intuitive visualization and analysis solution for both web and mobile environments, allowing every category of real estate stakeholder to make better decisions in less time. With case studies ranging from expansive Mountain West ranches to remote recreational lodges, Land id is solving knowledge-based challenges beyond the built world. Land id is based in Bozeman, MT and Austin, TX. Learn more about Land id at https://id.land/about

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/land-id-expands-product-and-ai-leadership-with-senior-executive-hires-302859466.html

SOURCE Land id, Inc.

Continue Reading

Technology

3CLogic Releases AI Agent Evaluator to Automate QA and Scoring of Voice AI Agents

Published

on

By

New capability scores 100% of AI interactions with plain-language reasoning, enabling accountability and rich insights into Voice AI engagements and performance.

ROCKVILLE, Md., Aug. 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — 3CLogic today announced the release of AI Agent Evaluator, a powerful automated quality assurance (QA) and scoring engine built natively into its Voice AI Hub. The new feature scores 100% of Voice AI agent interactions based on configurable metrics including resolution, goal completion, and quality, while providing plain-language reasoning behind each rating without the need for manual transcript review.

As enterprise service desks and contact centers accelerate the deployment of conversational AI, industry focus has heavily centered on the raw power and scalability of Voice AI agents, while largely ignoring how to continuously validate their performance in the field. While many organizations rely on manual auditing or exporting of bot transcripts into standalone QA tools intended for human agents, 3CLogic recognized the need for a solution purpose-built for AI-based interactions.

“Operational leaders are increasingly asking if the voice AI agents they deployed are doing what they were designed to address,” explains Anshuman Rawat, CTO at 3CLogic. “Deploying Voice AI agents is relatively easy, but knowing if they are actually resolving issues or deflecting a live call to the satisfaction of the caller is the real challenge. AI Agent Evaluator replaces the guesswork and black-box metrics with objective, auditable scores at scale.”

Natively integrated into its Voice AI Hub, 3CLogic’s AI Agent Evaluator allows organizations to hold AI agents to the same rigorous standards as live agents while identifying opportunities for continuous improvement. Designed to eliminate the blind spots of legacy QA processes, the solution delivers immediate business value through the following key features:

Comprehensive QA Coverage: eliminates the inherent scaling limitations of manual sampling by automatically scoring every single Voice AI conversation to quickly identify critical performance issues.

Role-specific agent evaluations: enables administrative users to create custom “yardsticks” for each specialized voice AI agent (e.g.: IT support, billing, etc.) to be scored accurately against what constitutes success for each of their unique roles.

Automated task validations: verifies that required system actions (e.g.: submitting a case, updating a ticket, etc.) are in fact executed rather than relying solely on the transcript for confirmation.

Actionable Insights: delivers visual insights into the performance of Voice AI agents over time with real-time dashboards.

The release marks the latest milestone in 3CLogic’s ongoing mission to transform the Voice AI and contact center landscape, following recent innovations, including Outbound AI agents. From global IT managed services providers to major multi-hospital systems modernizing their service operations, the organization continues to deliver significant competitive advantages for leading enterprises. AI Evaluations is now generally available to all Voice AI Hub customers.

For more information, visit 3CLogic.com.

About 3CLogic
3CLogic transforms customer and employee experiences with its patented and award-winning AI-powered cloud contact center solutions purpose-built to enhance today’s leading CRM and Customer Service Management platforms. Globally available and leveraged by the world’s leading brands, its offerings empower enterprise organizations with innovative capabilities, such as intelligent self-service, Generative AI, Conversational AI, agent automation & coaching, and AI-powered sentiment analytics — all designed to lower operational costs, maximize ROI, and deliver better, faster, and more personalized interactions for IT, employee, and customer service. For more information, please visit www.3clogic.com.

View original content to download multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/3clogic-releases-ai-agent-evaluator-to-automate-qa-and-scoring-of-voice-ai-agents-302858764.html

SOURCE 3CLogic

Continue Reading

Trending