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Akamai First to Offer VPUs in the Cloud

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Akamai launches new category of cloud-based compute powered by NETINT video processing units

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 27, 2025 /PRNewswire/ — Akamai (NASDAQ: AKAM), the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online, today launched Akamai Cloud Accelerated Compute Instances, a new compute category built on specialized computer chips designed to perform specific tasks more efficiently than general-purpose processors. The new instances are powered by NETINT video processing units (VPUs), NETINT’s proprietary hardware for media transcoding. Akamai is the first and only cloud provider to offer VPUs in the cloud.

NETINT VPUs are designed for workloads where minimizing the cost of delivering high-quality video streams is essential or where reducing energy consumption is a priority. Akamai’s accelerated instances are powered by Quadra T1U VPUs, a single-chip solution that supports encoding resolutions up to 8Kp60 in industry-standard formats including AV1, HEVC, and H.264 with 8/10 bit support, including HDR. As the highest-density hardware encoder available, the Quadra T1U can encode 32 live streams at 1080p30 broadcast quality, with the capacity scaling linearly for resolutions above or below HD.

The rise in live and on-demand video streaming, user-generated content, and video-driven social media has driven companies to look for optimized hardware and cloud solutions to improve application performance. However, transcoding-optimized cloud computing resources are rare. Previously, the only way to deploy NETINT’s VPU hardware has been to purchase it outright and run it on-premises or in a colocation facility. Akamai Accelerated Compute Instances are designed for media companies that are delivering video on demand and live streaming services, providing the scalability needed without inflating IT budgets.

“By bringing traditionally hardware-confined power to the cloud, we’re removing barriers that have held businesses back. Companies can now cut costs, scale seamlessly, and deliver better streaming experiences — solving a major industry challenge that’s been overlooked for too long,” said Jon Alexander, Vice President of Product Management at Akamai. “Being the first cloud provider to offer VPUs gives Akamai a new competitive edge to expand our long-existing relationships with our media partners.”

NETINT VPUs allow companies to reallocate their application’s CPUs by offloading compute-intensive video processing tasks to the VPU. A VPU architecture offers up to 20 times greater throughput than CPU-only solutions. This frees the CPU to do other things like dynamic packaging, de-interlacing, real-time speech-to-text captioning, software decoding for standards not supported in the VPU, and run popular applications like FFmpeg and GStreamer.

“VPUs are the ultimate cheat code for video streaming profitability,” said Randal Horne, Chief Revenue Officer, NETINT. “The expenses to deliver massive volumes of video content using traditional software encoders are crippling. NETINT is proud to be the VPU engine inside Akamai Accelerated Compute Instances, bringing up to 20 times the throughput at a tenth of the cost compared with traditional industry platforms. With Akamai Cloud, NETINT helps media companies reduce equipment investment and cut OPEX to meet their growth and profitability targets.”

Akamai is making a play to be the cloud for media and to capture areas of the market overlooked by hyperscalers. Akamai media services, trusted by all top 10 video streaming services, include solutions for contribution, transport, transcoding, packaging, digital rights management, ad insertion, and content security. With the first-time cloud availability of VPUs, transcoding-optimized NVIDIA GPUs, and industry-low egress costs, Akamai enables seamless performance at scale. Its cloud platform is open by design, giving customers control over every aspect of their workflow and access to a vibrant and growing third-party partner network. Media companies can choose from multiple software and partner options across each workflow step to transport, prepare, process, deliver, secure, and monetize digital content. The scale of Akamai’s massively distributed cloud gives it the unique ability to minimize egress fees and offer generous allowances, providing unmatched price-performance.

Akamai will show its range of cloud-based media delivery, computing, and security capabilities at the 2025 NAB Show in Las Vegas, April 6–9. Akamai will host visitors at the Akamai Lounge, located in the Las Vegas Convention Center on the second level of the West Hall, room W234LMR.

About Akamai
Akamai is the cybersecurity and cloud computing company that powers and protects business online. Our market-leading security solutions, superior threat intelligence, and global operations team provide defense in depth to safeguard enterprise data and applications everywhere. Akamai’s full-stack cloud computing solutions deliver performance and affordability on the world’s most distributed platform. Global enterprises trust Akamai to provide the industry-leading reliability, scale, and expertise they need to grow their business with confidence. Learn more at akamai.com and akamai.com/blog, or follow Akamai Technologies on X and LinkedIn.

About NETINT

NETINT is the creator of a new video processing solution called video processing unit, VPU, which is built on the company’s Codensity ASIC custom silicon. Designed to meet the needs of the most demanding video encoding workflows, the second-generation NETINT VPU, Quadra, received a Technical Emmy Award alongside Meta and Google in 2024 for its contribution to cloud video acceleration. Video engineers wanting to learn how VPUs can improve their platform, service efficiency, and cost are encouraged to visit netint.com.

Contacts
Akamai Media Relations
akamaipr@akamai.com

Akamai Investor Relations
invrel@akamai.com

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SOURCE Akamai Technologies, Inc.

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Gravity Game Unite (GGU) Successfully Concludes European User Meetup for PC MMORPG ‘Ragnarok Zero: Global’!

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50 minutes ago

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July 21, 2026

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KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Gravity Game Unite (GGU), the Malaysian subsidiary of global gaming company Gravity, successfully concluded the “Ragnarok Zero: Global European User Meetup” held in Germany.

Gravity Game Unite (GGU) hosted its first offline event for European users in Frankfurt, Germany, on July 18. The event was organized to demonstrate the company’s commitment to directly serving the European market and to build long-term relationships with the local community.

The event was attended by key Gravity Game Unite (GGU) executives, including CEO Yoshinori Kitamura, as well as members of the Ragnarok Zero: Global development team. Local users, influencers, and media representatives were also present, reflecting strong anticipation for the game. Europe was one of the regions where Ragnarok Zero: Global received particularly positive feedback during its OBT. CEO Yoshinori Kitamura’s attendance underscored the importance of the event and Gravity Game Unite (GGU)’s commitment to providing dedicated service to the European community.

The event began with welcoming remarks from the CEO of Gravity Game Unite (GGU), followed by an introduction to the title from the development team, a presentation on the service direction and roadmap for Europe, a developer talk featuring behind-the-scenes insights, a user Q&A session, and networking among users, developers, media representatives, and influencers. Attendees also received exclusive merchandise and enjoyed a variety of activities designed to create lasting memories.

Gravity Game Unite (GGU) stated that it plans to strengthen communication with users through the direct service of Ragnarok Zero: Global. During the event, the development team listened to user feedback and exchanged a wide range of views, while reaffirming its commitment to the game’s post-launch service direction and the growth of its community in Europe.

Harry Choi, President of Gravity Game Unite (GGU), said, “This event marked a significant milestone and laid a strong foundation for Gravity Game Unite (GGU)’s entry into the European market. We are making thorough preparations to repay the tremendous support and enthusiasm users showed during the OBT. We will continue to create opportunities to engage and communicate with our local community.”

Stay Connected

Players can follow the official Ragnarok Zero: Global channels for the latest news and updates.

Join OBT: https://roz.mygnjoy.com/en/event/obt
Pre-Register: https://roz.mygnjoy.com/event/prereservation?media=pr9
Discord: https://discord.gg/bFg77WjcHT
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ragnarokzeroglobal/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ragnarokzeroglobal/
YouTube: www.youtube.com/@RagnarokZeroGlobal
TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@ragnarokzeroglobal

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SOURCE Gravity Game Unite SDN. BHD.

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The 18th Annual Globee® Awards for Innovation Invite Local, Regional, and Global Workplace and Business Achievement Nominations Worldwide

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July 21, 2026

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Recognizing achievements across innovation, leadership, organizational advancement, products, services, and workplace excellence with worldwide participation

SAN FRANCISCO, July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — The Globee® Awards, organizers of merit-based, data-driven business awards programs with worldwide participation that recognize achievements across industries, announced that entries are currently being accepted for the 18th Annual Globee® Awards for Innovation (Golden Bridge Awards®), inviting organizations, professionals, business owners, teams, and departments worldwide to nominate their local, regional, and global workplace and business achievements for consideration.

Apply now: https://globeeawards.com/innovation/

Originally established as the Golden Bridge Awards®, the program is now in its 18th year and continues its tradition of recognizing achievements across innovation, leadership, business transformation, organizational advancement, products, services, and measurable impact across industries and markets worldwide.

The awards recognize achievements that improve how organizations operate, serve customers, develop products and services, strengthen workplaces, advance technologies, enhance communications, and create measurable value for businesses, communities, and industries.

The program welcomes nominations representing achievements in innovation, operational excellence, customer experience, digital transformation, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, healthcare, financial services, manufacturing, sustainability, workforce initiatives, brand, communications, creative, and other business and workplace environments.

Organizations of all sizes are invited to participate, including startups, small and medium businesses, large enterprises, public and private companies, government entities, educational institutions, research organizations, and non-profit organizations worldwide.

The Globee® Awards for Innovation recognize achievements across category groups including products and services, company and organization, individual and team, and brand, communication and creative. These recognitions are part of 10 awards programs that collectively reflect achievements across business and technology domains.

Nominations are welcomed for local, regional, and global achievements, recognizing that meaningful innovation and organizational progress can originate at every level and in every workplace.

Entries are evaluated through a merit-based, data-driven process involving participation from experienced professionals across multiple industries worldwide. Evaluations are conducted through a structured, consistent, and transparent framework based on defined scoring criteria.

Entries are open to organizations and professionals worldwide.

About the Globee® Awards

The Globee® Awards are organizers of merit-based, data-driven business awards programs with worldwide participation. Through 10 awards programs, the Globee® Awards recognize achievements across multiple industries and sectors. The programs use a structured evaluation approach involving participation from professionals across various industries.

Follow: @globeeawards

Hashtags: #GlobeeAwards #InnovationAwards #GoldenBridgeAwards #WorkplaceAchievements #BusinessAchievements #Innovation #Leadership #BusinessTransformation #GlobalRecognition #OrganizationalImpact

All trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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SOURCE Globee Awards

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Finatical Software: The Next Decade of Finance Will Be Built on a Structured Financial Data Layer

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July 21, 2026

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As AI transforms finance, trusted and structured financial data—not better prompts—will determine which organizations realize its full value.

DURHAM, N.C., July 21, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Finatical Software, creator of Flash Reports for QuickBooks Online, today announced its vision for what it believes will become the next essential layer of the modern finance technology stack: the Structured Financial Data Layer.

For decades, finance technology has evolved in response to changing business needs.

1995–2015

Finance needed better reporting.

2015–2025

Finance needed real-time reporting, dashboards, and automated KPIs.

2025–2035

Finance needs trusted data for AI-powered decisions.

While organizations are investing heavily in artificial intelligence, many finance teams are discovering that AI is only as effective as the financial data and business logic it receives. Without a single source of truth built on reconciled, complete, and accurate financial information, AI can produce inconsistent analyses, conflicting recommendations, and outputs that are difficult to validate or trust.

“Much of the conversation around AI has focused on choosing the right model or writing better prompts,” said Shaun Pendrigh, Chief Technical Officer of Finatical Software. “We believe the real competitive advantage will come from building trusted, structured financial workflows that AI can consistently understand. Before finance teams can trust AI’s recommendations, they first need confidence in the data, calculations, and business logic behind them.”

Finatical believes finance organizations need more than access to AI—they need a governed foundation that organizes financial information into consistent, reusable, and auditable structures before AI enters the workflow.

That foundation is what Finatical describes as the Structured Financial Data Layer.

Unlike disconnected spreadsheets or opaque AI workflows, the Structured Financial Data Layer creates a trusted financial foundation where data, calculations, reporting logic, and business rules are transparent, reusable, and reviewable. Finance professionals can trace recommendations back to their source, understand how conclusions were reached, and maintain confidence in the decisions supported by AI.

Rather than replacing finance professionals, the Structured Financial Data Layer enables them to work more effectively with AI by combining trusted financial data with human judgment. AI can accelerate analysis, identify patterns, and generate recommendations, while finance professionals retain the ability to review assumptions, validate results, and understand the reasoning behind important business decisions.

“Finance professionals should remain in control of financial judgment,” Pendrigh added. “AI should amplify that expertise—not replace it. But that only happens when AI operates within a trusted financial workflow where both the data and the underlying logic can be reviewed.”

Finatical’s Flash Reports platform is designed around this philosophy by connecting live QuickBooks Online data with Microsoft Excel to create governed, refreshable financial models that become a trusted source of truth for reporting, forecasting, analysis, and AI-assisted decision support. By preserving financial logic within structured Excel workflows, finance teams gain the flexibility of Excel while maintaining the governance and transparency required for trustworthy AI.

“Finance has always required trust,” Pendrigh said. “AI doesn’t change that—it raises the standard. Organizations won’t gain a competitive advantage simply by adopting AI. They’ll gain it by building financial data foundations that make AI trustworthy, explainable, and repeatable.”

“Reporting was the last generation of finance technology,” Pendrigh concluded. “Decision support will define the next. The organizations that build a trusted Structured Financial Data Layer today will be best positioned to unlock the full potential of AI tomorrow.”

About Finatical Software

Finatical Software helps finance professionals transform live QuickBooks Online data into structured, trusted financial information and workflows for reporting, analysis, and AI-assisted decision support. Its flagship solution, Flash Reports, connects Microsoft Excel directly to QuickBooks Online, enabling finance teams to build refreshable, governed financial models while preserving the flexibility of Excel. Finatical’s vision is to become the trusted Structured Financial Data Layer for finance professionals working in Excel with QuickBooks Online.

Media Contact:

melissa.neal@finaticalsoftware.com

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SOURCE Finatical Software

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