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Axtria Ignite 2026: 450+ Life Sciences Leaders Convene With a Contrarian Message — Fix the Foundation Before You Scale AI

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More than 450 executives from 100+ leading life sciences organizations gathered in Princeton, NJ to move agentic AI past the proof-of-concept stageFounder and CEO Jaswinder “Jassi” Chadha challenged the industry with a counterintuitive mandate: before you build more agents, fix the foundation firstThe Ignite Leadership Awards honored transformation leaders from Bristol Myers Squibb, GSK, and Biogen; the Axtria Bedrock Honor recognized a 15-year partnership with Quest Diagnostics

BERKELEY HEIGHTS, N.J., June 25, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Axtria Inc., a global leader in AI-first data & analytics solutions and platforms for the life sciences industry, hosted Axtria Ignite 2026 on June 10 and 11 at the Princeton Marriott at Forrestal under the theme “Industrializing Intelligence: The Agentic Enterprise.” More than 450 executives from over 100 leading life sciences, MedTech, and biotech organizations gathered to work through the harder question of 2026: what must be true before an enterprise can trust AI to run at machine speed.

Day 1 of the by-invitation-only event drew more than 200 attendees to product workshops on practical applications of AI, analytics, and commercial excellence. It included real-world success stories and value delivered from agents and hands-on experience with live agents. Day 2 featured four mainstage sessions and 16 panels across four tracks: industrialized data and the agentic backbone, agentic AI for business insights, high-performance customer engagement, and the shift from software to agentic ecosystems. Now in its fourth year, Axtria Ignite has become a regular fixture on the calendars of senior commercial and data leaders in life sciences.

The foundation is the strategy
In his keynote address, Axtria founder and CEO Jaswinder “Jassi” Chadha argued that the foundation determines whether AI in pharma scales. Drawing on three decades in the industry, he pointed to the persistent gap between ambition and execution: roughly 73% of biopharma still reports significant data issues, as many as 89% of AI pilots never reach production, and trust in AI systems has slipped from 61% in 2019 to 53% today, even as the industry races toward a projected 100,000-plus AI agents.

Against a pharma accuracy bar of 99.5%, Chadha laid out four things the foundation must carry: an AI-ready data supply chain, a semantic layer for agent accuracy, software guardrails for deterministic precision where stakes are highest, and a governance framework for digital workers at scale. Agents, in his framing, are new hires who must earn trust through validation and audit, not receive it on day one.

“Before you build the agent, fix the foundation first. The companies that will lead the agentic era are not the ones who moved fastest; they are the ones who built them with trust,” Jaswinder “Jassi” Chadha, Founder and CEO, Axtria.

Proving CFO-certifiable business value
Co-founder and CTO Navdeep “Navi” Chadha led a mainstage session with senior leaders from Thermo Fisher Scientific and Quest Diagnostics. The discussion moved past future potential to candid accounts of what has worked and what has not, from CFO-certifiable value reporting and integrated risk management to the discipline of defining exit criteria before a proof of concept begins. A recurring lesson surfaced across panelists: change management is the work, not a footnote.

“Change management and adoption cannot be the 45th slide in a 30-page deck at the business case approval,” Senior Digital Leader, speaking on a mainstage panel.

The conversations attendees took home
Across tracks, the discussions reached a level of candor that does not show up in industry research reports. A senior leader at a major pharma company described her team’s unlock: making clear that AI was here to elevate marketers rather than replace them. By her account, adoption now stands at over 90%.

“This is not an AI revolution. It’s a people revolution,” VP of Commercial AI at a top pharma company, closing mainstage session.

Ignite Leadership Awards
Axtria presented its annual Ignite Leadership Awards, recognizing leaders doing the hard work of transformation inside their organizations. These leaders were recognized for driving enterprise-wide AI transformations and genuinely bringing multiple disciplines together to truly make a difference to the foundation of AI to realize the true value. The 2026 honorees were:

Anvita Karara, Vice President, Commercialization AI Strategy & Analytics, Bristol Myers SquibbJeremy Pincus, Vice President, Medical Affairs IT, GSKBharti Rai, Senior Vice President, Biogen

Axtria Bedrock Honor
The Axtria Bedrock Honor recognized Quest Diagnostics for a 15-year partnership and the recent implementation of an Axtria SalesIQ™ sales force alignment solution across 34 role types and a ~1,300-person field organization, among the most complex sales force alignments in healthcare. The honor was accepted by John Liffert, Vice President, Commercial Operations, alongside Samantha Barnes-Weaver, Director, National Deployment and Alignments, and Marc Cangemi, Senior Director, Commercial Excellence, Compensation, and Deployment.

“Those of you who know the Quest business know it’s probably the most complex sales force alignment in healthcare. Because we were able to solve that, you made us better. You made our product better. Thank you for being our partners in this journey,” Jassi Chadha, Founder and CEO, Axtria.

About the event
Ignite 2026 featured 45+ speakers across panels and presentations, plus hands-on workshops with Axtria’s agentic products, including Axtria HIQ, Axtria SalesIQ™, Axtria MarketingIQ™, and Axtria DataMAx™. The agenda also included an Executive Incentive Compensation Roundtable and networking receptions on both evenings.

About Axtria
Axtria helps life sciences companies harness the potential of data science and software to improve patient outcomes by connecting the right therapies to the right patients at the right time. A leading global provider of award-winning cloud software and data analytics, Axtria delivers proven solutions that help pharmaceutical, medical device, and diagnostics companies complete their journey from data to insights to action. As a participant in the United Nations Global Compact, Axtria is committed to aligning its strategies and operations with universal principles on human rights, labor, environment, and anti-corruption. For more information, visit www.axtria.com.

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DUVA Introduces DUVA ONE at IFA 2026: Personalized Sleep Earbuds That Respond in Real Time

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The Sleep System That Understands You Best.

BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — DUVA, created by Fitnexa, is introducing DUVA ONE at IFA Berlin 2026. This intelligent in-ear sleep system is designed to sense changes in the user and the bedroom, then personalize audio, noise control, and device behavior throughout the night.

Most sleep wearables explain what happened after users wake up. DUVA ONE is designed to help while the night is still happening. Its low-profile earbuds, environment-sensing charging case, and app work together to determine when and how to respond.

A user might start the night with a podcast over Bluetooth. After they fall asleep, DUVA ONE can introduce locally stored sleep audio and optimize power use. If a partner begins snoring or traffic grows louder, it can adjust ANC or add sound masking. In the morning, a private offline alarm wakes only the wearer, without requiring an active phone connection.

In-ear PPG and motion sensors estimate sleep stages and track heart rate, HRV, sleep position, and movement, while the case monitors noise, light, temperature, and humidity. The AI Agent interprets these signals alongside playback status and personal preferences to select an appropriate response. Users control sleep audio, playback duration, ANC strategy, and nighttime interventions in the DUVA App.

“Sleep does not happen in a static environment, so sleep technology should not remain static either,” said Diego, Founder of Fitnexa. “DUVA ONE is designed to respond while sleep is still happening.”

Key Highlights

Layered noise relief: Passive isolation, Hybrid ANC, and sleep audio provide noise reduction of up to 42 dB, with Transparency Mode and adaptive ANC calibration.Personalized AI sleep guidance: The AI analyzes the user’s real-time sleep state and generates personalized audio guidance to help them gradually fall asleep.Side-sleeping comfort: Each fitted earbud weighs approximately 3.3 grams and has an approximately 9.9 mm low-profile design. Two ear-tip shapes and multiple tip and stabilizing-wing sizes provide more than 40 fit configurations.All-night battery: Up to 16 hours in the most power-efficient configuration, including 13 hours of local audio with ANC off and 9.5 hours with ANC on. The USB-C and wireless charging case provides up to five additional recharges.Private offline alarm: Alarms gradually increase in volume and offer 5, 10, or 15-minute snooze options through the earbud controls.Privacy-first sensing: DUVA ONE does not record conversations, store ambient audio, or upload raw environmental audio. Users can disable individual sensors and delete historical data.

DUVA ONE is planned for release in October 2026 at a target retail price of US$349.99, with target markets including the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, the European Union, and Australia.

Media Contact: essie@duva.com
Learn more: duva.com

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SOURCE DUVA

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China Xplained | The China Squeeze, or the China Opportunity?

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GUANGZHOU, China, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — This is a news report from South: 

Is China’s manufacturing rise squeezing out or creating opportunities for other economies?

Ahead of the 2026 APEC Economic Leaders’ Meeting in China this November, journalists and experts from around the world gathered in Guangdong for the Asia-Pacific Media Forum (APMF) 2026.

The forum opened in Shenzhen on September 5, bringing together more than 400 representatives from across the Asia-Pacific region, as well as from international organizations.

Before the opening of the forum, participants travelled across Guangdong to see China’s industries and development first-hand.

In this episode of China Xplained, we look at the numbers, supply chains, investment and voices from across the developing world—to ask a bigger question: Is China squeezing out room for other economies?

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SOURCE South

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PUDU D7 Named Honoree in IFA Innovation Awards for Best in IFA Next & Emerging Technologies

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BERLIN, Sept. 6, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — Pudu Robotics, a global leader in commercial service robotics, today announced that its PUDU D7 Semi-humanoid Intelligent Robot has been named an Honoree in the Best in IFA Next & Emerging Technologies category of the IFA Innovation Awards. The recognition highlights PUDU D7’s ability to combine mobile navigation, dexterous manipulation and intelligent sensing to perform a range of tasks in real-world industrial and commercial environments.

The IFA Innovation Awards recognize outstanding innovations across the global technology landscape. Entries are evaluated by an independent international jury based on criteria including technology and functionality, innovation and originality, and the potential to create tangible value for users and the market. The recognition places PUDU D7 among emerging technologies demonstrating new possibilities for the future of robotics.

From Industrial Operations to Guest Interaction

PUDU D7 is designed for industrial, warehouse, retail and hospitality environments, where it can move through human-oriented spaces and perform tasks that require both mobility and dexterous manipulation.

In industrial and warehouse settings, D7 can handle materials, pick items from shelves, replenish inventory, transport goods between work areas and push carts. With a payload capacity of up to 20 kg (44.1 pounds) and an operating height of up to 2 meters (6.6 feet), it can work with a range of storage systems and materials.

In retail, D7 can support shelf replenishment, item handling and store organization, moving products between storage areas and shelves and helping maintain product displays.

In hotels and hospitality, PUDU D7 can take on the role of an intelligent front-desk host, welcoming guests, preparing and serving coffee, interacting with visitors and providing engaging experiences. Its semi-humanoid form and dual-arm capabilities allow it to combine practical service tasks with natural human-robot interaction, bringing a more personable and engaging presence to the guest experience.

Designed for Adaptable Performance

PUDU D7 combines a dual-arm manipulation system, tactile sensing and a 360-degree perception system to support these applications. Front- and rear-facing LiDAR and other sensors enable navigation around people and obstacles, while tactile sensing provides precise control when handling objects.

The robot also features autonomous battery swapping, allowing it to independently replace its battery and reduce downtime during extended operation.

Together, these capabilities enable D7 to support different tasks across a range of environments without being limited to a single application.

PUDU D7 Makes Its European Debut at IFA

IFA 2026 marks the first time PUDU D7 is being showcased in Europe. At the Pudu Robotics booth, visitors can experience live demonstrations highlighting the robot’s capabilities and its potential for human-robot interaction.

D7 interacts directly with visitors through demonstrations including waving, making heart gestures and picking up objects. These demonstrations showcase the robot’s ability to combine movement, manipulation and interaction in a human-oriented environment.

Advancing the Next Generation of Intelligent Robotics

The IFA Innovation Awards recognition marks another step in Pudu Robotics’ expansion from service delivery, commercial cleaning and industrial delivery into embodied intelligent robotics.

PUDU D7 is part of Pudu Robotics’ broader strategy to develop a portfolio of specialized, semi-humanoid and humanoid robots, building on its capabilities in embodied navigation, manipulation and interaction. This approach enables the company to address a broader range of applications across commercial and industrial environments.

Pudu Robotics will continue working with customers and partners worldwide to explore new applications for embodied intelligence and bring increasingly capable robots into real-world environments.

About Pudu Robotics

Pudu Robotics is a global leader in commercial service robotics and the industry’s first company to offer a full portfolio spanning specialized, semi-humanoid, and humanoid robots. According to Frost & Sullivan’s latest market report, Pudu Robotics ranks No. 1 globally in commercial service robotics by both revenue and shipment volume. Built on its One Brain, Multiple Embodiments architecture, Pudu offers robots for service delivery, commercial cleaning, industrial delivery, and general embodied AI applications across hospitality, retail, healthcare, manufacturing, education, public services, and more. To date, Pudu Robotics has shipped over 130,000 robots to customers across 85+ countries and regions.

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SOURCE Pudu Robotics

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