<div>
  <p>
  </p>
  <ul>
    <li>
      <p>
        Braskem Netherlands, a leading producer of polyolefins and biopolymers, has partnered with Shell Chemicals, 
        <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/95781">
          Shell's
        </a>
         petrochemical arm, to produce circular polypropylene from mixed plastic waste.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        Under the agreement, Shell will process pyrolysis oils into circular feedstocks at Shell Chemicals Park Moerdijk in the Netherlands, and Braskem will then convert these feedstocks into circular polypropylene at its plant in Wesseling, Germany.
      </p>
    </li>
    <li>
      <p>
        The circular polypropylene will be commercialized under the brand &ldquo;
        <a href="https://www.braskem.com/wenew/home-en">
          Wenew
        </a>
        .&rdquo;
      </p>
    </li>
  </ul>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


<div>
  <p>
    <a href="https://www.braskem.com.br/europe/news-detail/braskem-and-shell-join-forces-to-produce-circular-polypropylene-from-mixed-plastic-waste">
      Press release
    </a>
  </p>
  <p>
  </p>
</div>


Waste Recovery & Management Tech

INCUMBENTS_PRESENT

PROMINENT_CATEGORY

<div>
 
 <p>Braskem Netherlands, a top polyolefins and biopolymers producer, has paired up with Shell Chemicals, <a href="https://sp-edge.com/companies/95781"> Shell's </a> petrochemical division, to manufacture circular polypropylene from mixed plastic waste. Under this partnership, Shell will transform pyrolysis oils into circular feedstocks at its park in the Netherlands. Then, Braskem would convert these feedstocks into circular polypropylene at its German plant. The commercialization will be undertaken under the "<a href="https://www.braskem.com/wenew/home-en"> Wenew </a>" brand.</p>
 
</div>

Braskem partner with Shell to produce circular polypropylene from mixed plastic waste

Technologies bringing about a new reality

Extended Reality

ANALYST_QUICK_TAKE

Meta extends NBA partnership to bring live VR basketball games to Quest users

The toolkit to build machine learning applications at scale

Machine Learning Infrastructure

<div>
 <p>Kneron, an AI chip manufacturer, aims to raise USD 300 million in its latest funding round, potentially bringing its evaluation to USD 1 billion. The company has received investments from Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital China (now HongShan), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., and Horizons Ventures in the past.<p>
  
<p>With this new funding, Kneron plans to fuel product innovation and expansion plans that include establishing a regional office and an R&D lab in Saudi Arabia. The round is likely to be its last before the company's expected public listing in 2025.</p>
 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The surging demand for AI chips has helped Kneron to raise significantly more funding than its USD 49 million Series B funding raised in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/22177"> September 2023 </a> . Additionally, funding proceeds from last year helped the company launch its new KNEO 330 AI chip for on-premise AI applications in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30098"> June 2024 </a> .</p>

AI chip maker Kneron seeks USD 300 million in funding from investors

Empowering Tomorrow's Innovations with Generative AI Infrastructure

Generative AI Infrastructure

<div>
 <p>AI chip manufacturer Kneron is reportedly seeking to raise approximately USD 300 million in a new funding round. This significant investment would place the value of the Taiwanese-American company at an estimated USD 1 billion. In the previous funding rounds, Kneron received support from renowned investors such as Qualcomm Ventures, Sequoia Capital China (now known as HongShan), Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., and Horizons Ventures.</p>
 <p>Kneron plans on allocating the funds towards the advancement of product innovation and company expansion. One of the company's more specific objectives include the creation of a regional office and a research &amp; development lab located in Saudi Arabia. This fundraising is projected to be the final private round for Kneron, as it plans to pursue a public listing in 2025.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The surging demand for AI chips has helped Kneron to raise significantly more funding than its USD 49 million Series B funding raised in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/22177"> September 2023 </a> . Additionally, funding proceeds from last year helped the company launch its new KNEO 330 AI chip for on-premise AI applications in <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/30098"> June 2024 </a> .</p>

<div>
 <p>The Information reports that Apple may halt the production of its luxury product, the Vision Pro, by year end. Formerly, the production was 2,000 units daily, but it has now decreased to approximately 1,000 units. It is speculated that suppliers have manufactured components for around 500,000 to 600,000 headsets.</p>
 <p>Apple reportedly has ample Vision Pro devices to cover market demand. By the conclusion of 2025, the company is predicted to manufacture 4 million units of a less expensive replacement model, internally called the N109.</p>
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
</b> The news adds weight to Apple <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/34750"> reportedly </a> struggling to attract developers for its Vision Pro headset, with the number of apps released for the headset slowing down as of late. Meanwhile, the <a href="https:<br>
//sp-edge.com/updates/34749"> cheaper </a> Vision Pro model (USD 2,000) is expected to use cheaper materials and a less powerful processor and would not include the EyeSight feature that displays a user's eyes on the device's exterior.</p>

Apple rumored to discontinue Vision Pro production by year-end

<div>
 <p>HTC VIVE, in collaboration with European XR enterprise software provider Virtualware, aims to extend the adoption of XR enterprise solutions in the Americas. HTC VIVE will serve as the official distributor of VIROO Enterprise XR software platform in North America, both directly and through its reseller network.</p>
 <p>This partnership will support larger organizations in providing secure and cost-effective enhancements to multi-user collaboration, training, and digital twin capabilities. VIROO, an enterprise XR platform, delivers secure and immersive technology via public or private clouds, as well as on-site servers. It features ready-made applications and tools, facilitating the creation and management of customized multi-user XR simulations.</p>
</div>

HTC VIVE partners with Virtualware to advance enterprise XR solutions in the Americas

Clear the air on carbon capture, reuse, and storage

Carbon Capture, Utilization & Storage (CCUS)

<div>
 <p>Swiss direct air capture company, Climeworks, has joined forces with CO2 sequestration firm, CapturePoint Solutions. The partnership will involve the transport and storage of CO2 from Climeworks' Project Cypress DAC hub in Louisiana.</p>
 <p>CapturePoint is set to carry the captured CO2 from Climeworks' facility in Calcasieu Parish to its CENLA Hub in Vernon and Rapides Parishes for permanent underground storage. The CENLA Hub is among the largest onshore carbon storage developments in the US.</p>
 <p>The development of the Project Cypress DAC Hub will occur in two stages, starting with an initial capacity of 300,000 tons of CO2 per year, which can be upscaled to one million tons. The project has landed USD 50 million from the Department of Energy's OCED program, supplemented by an additional USD 51 million in private funds.</p>
</div>

Climeworks partners with CapturePoint Solutions for Project Cypress CO2 storage

Metaverse Experience Platforms

<div>
 <p>Roblox is set to launch new parental controls termed "Roblox accounts with parent privileges". They enable parents to supervise and control their children's activities on the platform.</p>
 <p>Features of this system include being able to modify controls, monitor screen time, and view who the child interacts with on the platform. Enhanced content maturity settings will categorise experiences by content type for parents to comprehend what their child can access. Default settings for underage users will necessitate parental consent for accessing chat features and certain content types.</p>
 
</div>

Roblox launches parental controls and insights for children's accounts

<div>
 <p>Minecraft's Mojang Studios will stop supporting PC VR versions of their game by 2025. This will affect the Bedrock Edition where the VR/MR experience will be discontinued after the last update in March 2025. However, the game will still receive standard updates.</p>
 <p>While VR/MR options cease, players' Marketplace purchases and Minecoins remain functional on non-VR/MR devices. This decision ensures players maintain access to in-game resources and can continue their Minecraft world building.</p> 
</div> <p><b>Analyst QuickTake:<br>
 </b> Mojang Studios is ending support for PC VR versions of Minecraft by March 2025, citing declining user demand and a strategic shift toward the Bedrock Edition. This decision reflects a broader trend at Microsoft, which has reduced its involvement in the VR/AR market, including the discontinuation of <a href="https:<br>
//forums.flightsimulator.com/t/microsoft-is-discontinuing-windows-mixed-reality-wmr/622334"> Windows Mixed Reality. </a> Mojang Studios is prioritizing resources for more widely used platforms to better engage its player base.</p>

Mojang Studios plans to discontinue PC VR support for Minecraft in 2025

Automation to improve business efficiency

Workflow Automation Platforms

<div>
 <p>ServiceNow, a business transformation AI platform, has named Amit Zavery its president, chief product officer (CPO), and chief operating officer (COO), effective from October 28, 2024.</p>
 <p>Zavery's responsibilities will encompass ServiceNow's platform, products, engineering, cloud infrastructure, user experience, and operations throughout the enterprise. He will pay particular attention to the integration of advanced technologies, such as GenAI. </p>
 <p>With over thirty years in enterprise technology, Zavery's past roles include VP/GM and head of platform at Google Cloud for almost six years, and 25 years at Oracle. At Oracle, he began as a software engineer before eventually becoming the executive vice president of product development. In this role, he oversaw cloud platform initiatives and managed a 4,500-strong team.</p>
</div>

ServiceNow appoints Amit Zavery as president, CPO, and COO

<div>
 <p>ServiceNow, an AI-powered business transformation platform, announced partnerships with NVIDIA, Rimini Street, Databricks, and Snowflake, aimed at enhancing AI and data automation features. The strategic partnership with NVIDIA will utilize NVIDIA's AI infrastructure to develop advanced AI agents within the ServiceNow platform. These agents will understand context and break down complex outcomes into prioritized tasks, additionally incorporating governance levels through NVIDIA NeMo Guardrails software.</p>
 <p>Another partnership involves Rimini Street, an enterprise software support solutions provider, for overhauling ERP systems utilizing ServiceNow's AI platform, Rimini Support for software maintenance, and Rimini Manage for application management, eliminating the need for expensive migrations.</p>
 <p>A partnership with Databricks and Snowflake will implement zero copy integration for improved machine learning and AI capabilities. The collaboration allows for bi-directional data exchange between ServiceNow's RaptorDB database and Databricks and Snowflake's platforms, enabling data and insight access for workflow triggers.</p>
 
</div>

All Updates

Braskem partner with Shell to produce circular polypropylene from mixed plastic waste

Meta extends NBA partnership to bring live VR basketball games to Quest users

AI chip maker Kneron seeks USD 300 million in funding from investors

AI chip maker Kneron seeks USD 300 million in funding from investors

Apple rumored to discontinue Vision Pro production by year-end

HTC VIVE partners with Virtualware to advance enterprise XR solutions in the Americas

Climeworks partners with CapturePoint Solutions for Project Cypress CO2 storage

Roblox launches parental controls and insights for children's accounts

Mojang Studios plans to discontinue PC VR support for Minecraft in 2025

ServiceNow appoints Amit Zavery as president, CPO, and COO

ServiceNow partners with NVIDIA to develop enterprise AI agents using NIM blueprints

Waste Recovery & Management Tech

Braskem partner with Shell to produce circular polypropylene from mixed plastic waste

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