Nissan Formula E Team has unveiled its updated livery for the 2024/25 ABB FIA Formula E World Championship, with the team being prepared for the first campaign under the new GEN3 Evo regulations.

For the upcoming season, Nissan Formula E Team states it has opted to continue with its cherry blossom livery, which has been a fan-favourite ever since it debuted at the start of Season 9.

The pattern is meaningful for the outfit, both as a hint to its Japanese DNA and new beginnings, as well as now being part of Nissan’s identity in Formula E. The Japanese team will be looking to build on a strong Season 10, which saw it finish fourth in the Teams’ and Drivers’ Championship, as well as third in the newly-established Manufacturers’ Championship.

Nissan Formula E Team has opted to refresh its driver line-up, with the experienced Norman Nato returning after a season away. Together with Oliver Rowland, who took two victories and five further podiums in an excellent Season 10, the squad now boasts two Formula E race winners. Both drivers possess the knowledge of how to get the most out of their machinery and have a proven track record of helping teams develop their cars. Nato will continue to sport the #17 on his Nissan e-4ORCE 05, while Rowland switches to Nissan’s traditional #23.

The new factory is also fully operational ahead of the 2024/25 campaign. The Nissan Formula E Team dedicated facility stretches over 2,600 square meters and features a workshop area, simulator, engineering and management offices, as well as display, meeting and multipurpose areas. Located south of Paris, the headquarters is based close to other Nissan sites and its Alliance partners, ensuring synergies and access to talent, equipment and facilities available within Nissan and the group.

Rowland and Nato will be on track for the first time in an official capacity as team mates at pre-season testing on 4-7 November in Valencia, while Season 11 kicks off on December 7 at the Sao Paulo E-Prix.

Tommaso Volpe, MD and team principal, Nissan Formula E Team said: “We’re excited for the new season and have been working hard, getting to grips with the GEN3 Evo car. Everything has been running smoothly so far and we’re looking forward to getting out on track in Valencia. Our new workshop is fully operational now, which is making a huge difference - we’ve been able to take full advantage of the facilities, allowing us to maximise the potential of the team. In terms of drivers, Norman has settled in very quickly, he knew most of the crew already so that made things easier than normal. Together with Oli, we’re confident that we have a strong line-up ready to fight for wins and podiums throughout the upcoming campaign. On top of that, we’ve got great companies supporting us, with Electromin extending and increasing its collaboration with the team to become our main partner, alongside existing relationships with Coral and Coral Eyewear, who we are delighted to be working with. We’re fully focused on improving at every step and continuing where we left off a few months ago, as we aim to challenge at the top in Season 11.”

Oliver Rowland: “It’s been good to re-charge after a busy year, but I’ve still been preparing for Season 11, making sure I’m in good shape both physically and mentally. It’s great to have the new workshop fully in action, I’ve been really impressed by the facilities. The location is ideal and it sets a high bar for ourselves, showing our ambition to continue improving and fighting at the front. There are a few areas to get on top of with the GEN3 Evo, including the all-wheel drive technology, but we’ll look to iron everything out and be ready to take up the fight from the first race.”

Norman Nato: “I’m delighted to be back with team and I already feel comfortable straight away with the car, simulator and staff. The biggest change has been the excellent new workshop, allowing us to prepare and debrief from races in amazing conditions, with the highest level equipment available to us. The updated livery is really cool, keeping our Japanese identity and the fans love it, making us so recognisable on- track. I can’t wait to start this GEN3 Evo era in Valencia testing, before heading out to Brazil for the season opener!”

The Japanese team acknowledged the role of its partners including, Electromin which increased its involvement with the team, becoming innovation partner. A leading mobility solutions provider in the Middle East, Electromin is a subsidiary of Petromin Corporation, one of Nissan’s official importers in Saudi Arabia. 

Kalyana Sivagnanam, Group CEO, Petromin Corporation said: “We are immensely proud to enter this strategic partnership with Nissan Formula E Team as its official global sponsor for the next four years, with Electromin leading the charge in the first year. As the pioneers of electric mobility in Saudi Arabia through Electromin, we see this partnership as a key step in accelerating the adoption of EV technology across the region.”

Coral remains on board as the squad’s sustainability partner, specialising in offsetting carbon emissions. Coral helps the team assess, monitor and reduce its carbon footprint. 

Daniele Sileri, Founder and Head of Strategy, Coral said: "Nissan Formula E Team has been the perfect launch partner for Coral. We are delighted to show the tangible results of our partnership in a matter of weeks, whereby we can help the team offset its carbon footprint."

Coral Eyewear also continues its relationship with the team for a second season. The sustainable fashion start-up supplies the outfit with its distinctive product range, which are crafted using recycled plastic and plant-based materials. 

George Bailey, Co- Founder, Coral Eyewear said: "We're immensely proud to be partnering with Nissan Formula E Team. It's exciting to see developments in electric technology moving from the track into road vehicles, and the team are clearly making efforts to choose sustainable options.”

Michelin India has announced the winners of its Michelin AI Challenge competition out of the 106 entries it received from all over India. 
Launched in collaboration with the Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT) and Startup India, the competition – designed to foster innovation and entrepreneurship in the Indian AI startup ecosystem while exposing the participants to global best practices – recognised Kogo.ai, Prophecy, and Zangoh.ai for their innovative contributions and for their learning opportunities to co-build on strategic projects as well as to receive mentorship. 
They were among of the top 10 participants – startups – that pitched their ideas. The winners were selected through a careful evaluation by a team of Michelin’s AI data scientists, business leaders, product managers and developers. 
With 60 percent of the 106 entries found to have come from tier 1 and tier 2 cities, highlighting diverse, innovative AI solutions that cut through the geographical barriers and speak about the nation’s talent, the competition ran for 12 weeks. It encompassed stages like outreach, applications, shortlisting and mentorship. 
The winners were selected from a round of top ten contenders who presented projects at the demo day (in September 2024) at IIT Delhi. They were awarded in the presence of Petros Sourmelis, Minister-Counsellor, Delegation of EU to India and Bhutan; Marie Khater, Deputy Head of the Regional Economic Department for India and South Asia, Embassy of France; Dr Ambica Rajagopal, Michelin Group's Chief Data and AI Officer, and Shantanu Deshpande, Managing Director of Michelin India.
The three winning teams were awarded paid pilot projects from Michelin with funding of up to INR 500,000 each. The three winning teams will be given access to global contracts and incubation support from Michelin leadership.

JSW MG Motor India, in collaboration with Google Cloud India, has introduced two AI chatbots - Avira and Vir.

Created using Google Cloud’sAI capabilities with Riafy, a company that develops AI apps, these digital assistants or Chatbots, the company states are designed to elevate and enrich customer interactions and service.

This makes JSW MG Motor India the first car company in the country to use the innovative digital technology for customer engagement. The chatbots are based on Google Cloud’s PaLM 2 technology, a large language model (LLM) developed by Google, will be accessible across multiple platforms, including the MG website, WhatsApp, EVPEDIA website, and EVPEDIA WhatsApp.

As part of JSW MG Motor India’s broader initiative to leverage AI for increased customer satisfaction, introduction of these digital employees will enhance operational efficiency, improve customer experiences, drive sales, and most importantly, provide insights into customer interactions.  This is made possible by the chatbot’s functionality which tailors responses based on customer preferences and history, facilitating personalised interactions with real-time support thus enhancing customer satisfaction and trust. These chatbots, with multilingual capabilities, are designed to offer natural, dynamic conversations, learning and adapting from customer interactions, to progressively become more intuitive and effective over time.

Satinder Singh Bajwa, Chief Commercial Officer, JSW MG Motor India said, “We continue to leverage technology to redefine customer engagement and operational excellence. In collaboration with Google Cloud, the launch of Avira and Vir marks a significant milestone in our journey to enhance consumer experience.”

Bikram Singh Bedi, Vice President and Country MD, Google Cloud India said, “We are excited about this collaboration with JSW MG Motor India as they embark on a journey to innovate and reimagine their consumer experience by leveraging our AI platform.”

The chatbot Avira is designed to enhance the car-buying experience by providing customers with a highly interactive and personalised buying journey. It can be accessed via text and voice on the JSW MG Motor India website and WhatsApp, it assists with inquiries about JSW MG cars, resolving customer queries efficiently. Utilising advanced generative AI, Avira ensures human-like interactions that create a seamless and engaging experience for potential car buyers.

On the other hand, Vir focuses on empowering users with comprehensive information about electric vehicles. Available through the EVPEDIA website and WhatsApp, Vir serves as an expert guide on electric cars by educating customers and making them aware about the latest in the EV landscape. By providing detailed insights and easy access to vital information, Vir helps customers make informed decisions about electric vehicles.

MG's consumer centric approach is aided through tech-first initiatives like MG Xpert, MG Epay, MG VPhy NFT and MGVerse. The rise in smartphone usage and AI integration has driven JSW MG to introduce innovations like ChatBots and MG Metaverse to highlight MG's commitment to innovation and customer needs, ultimately fostering stronger relationships

Tata Technologies, a global leader in engineering and digital services, has launched its new brand campaign, #EngineeringASoftwareDefinedFuture, aimed at empowering manufacturing companies accelerate their journey toward software-led intelligent products.

With the introduction of this new campaign, the company is also reaffirming its dedication to advancing the transformation of the automotive, industrial heavy machines (IHM) and aerospace industries via the use of software and digital technologies. With software and digital-led mechatronics solutions that cover the whole product value chain, from turnkey Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) to AI-powered smart manufacturing and intelligent software-defined enterprises, Tata Technologies is enabling industries to transition to software-differentiated products.

This new brand strategy, which was unveiled at ELIV 2024 in Bonn, Germany, highlights Tata Technologies' commitment to providing clients with software-led mobility solutions throughout the entire value chain. The company is assisting in modernising operations, increasing efficiency and delivering competitive, sustainable products that transform customer experiences from concept to service. Its leadership in turnkey product development and more than 30 years of manufacturing domain knowledge are combined with digital technologies. Over the next few years, Tata Technologies plans to dramatically increase its software and embedded work revenue as part of its growth strategy. This will demonstrate the company's dedication to providing cutting-edge, software- and digital engineering-led solutions that satisfy the changing demands of the market.

Warren Harris, CEO, Tata Technologies, said: “The #EngineeringASoftwareDefinedFuture campaign reflects the evolution of Tata Technologies as a leader in the software-driven transformation of industries in the AI era. We are empowering our clients with intelligent, connected solutions that redefine mobility and manufacturing IT systems needed by software-defined enterprises. Our strategic joint venture with BMW that we announced recently is a testament to this commitment, as we collaborate to develop next-generation Software-Defined Vehicles (SDVs) and Business IT solutions that push the boundaries of innovation and sustainability. Together, we are not just engineering better products – we are engineering a smarter, more sustainable future.”

Santosh Singh, EVP & Global Head – Marketing and Business Excellence, Tata Technologies, said, “Our new campaign, #EngineeringASoftwareDefinedFuture, represents our commitment to driving the future of smart, connected and sustainable products. By blending software-led digital engineering with our turnkey product development capabilities, we’re empowering the next generation of engineers to develop intelligent products and systems that redefine industries and make them future-ready. Together, we’re shaping a world where engineering solves humanity’s greatest challenges and transforms the way we move and connect.”

Ansys Software Private Limited, a leading engineering simulation software company, has opened its newest high-performance computing (HPC) data centre, DC-3, at its Pune office. With this launch, Ansys Pune now operates three on-premises data centres equipped with advanced HPC cluster facilities.

The inauguration was done by Neeraj Mathur and Ulkesh Desai, President and Vice President of Space Society of Mechanical Engineers (SSME), SAC-ISRO. This facility is expected to enable advanced technical simulations, boost Ansys' computing capabilities and spur innovation while advancing India's technological development and Ansys' worldwide operations. It will also be crucial in bolstering the business's capacity to cater to clients in industries like healthcare, aerospace and automobiles.

Ansys' newest data centre, DC-3, expands its HPC infrastructure by complementing the existing DC-2 and DC-2, which are now running at full capacity with over 8,000 cores. It is designed to accommodate over 10,000 cores. An initial expenditure of over INR 200 million has been undertaken to install 1,700 cores. Future goals include increasing GPU capability to accommodate GPU simulations, which aligns with Ansys' intentional move of Fluent, their CFD program, to native GPU technology. The business has installed around 70 GPU cores to facilitate GPU simulations, with plans to extend this capability in future phases.

Neeraj Mathur, President, Space Society of Mechanical Engineers (SSME), SAC-ISRO, said, "HPC is at the core of present-day innovations, particularly in areas like aerospace and simulation-driven engineering. It is promising to see Ansys’ sustained investment in India’s HPC infrastructure, and it will play an important role in empowering engineers and researchers of the country to solve today’s increasingly complex engineering challenges. In addition, this will also enhance the country's technological advancement."

Ulkesh Desai, Vice President, Space Society of Mechanical Engineers (SSME), SAC-ISRO, said, "Focused on GPU technology, DC-3 is poised to push innovation while staying ahead of emerging technology trends. It will play a significant role in both driving groundbreaking innovation and aligning with today’s changing landscape of emerging technologies. This launch by Ansys also emphasises how the company is creating a platform for future exploration and discovery.

Mike Yeager, Area Vice President, India and Japan, Ansys, said, "The launch of DC-3 in Pune further highlights Ansys’ commitment to cultivating innovation through advanced, state-of-the-art technology. This expansion is not just about increasing computational power, but it is also about enabling Ansys’ teams and customers to push the boundaries of the possibilities in engineering simulation. We are also very excited to see how DC-3 will accelerate simulations, particularly with the integration of GPU technology, and empower our engineers to explore new frontiers in product development."

Murali Pullela, Director of Sales, Ansys, added, "Over the years, Ansys has always been dedicated to empowering our customers with cutting-edge simulation technology. The DC-3 launch in Pune will further this by leveraging the immense capabilities of GPU technology as it will enable faster, more accurate simulations. This launch highlights Ansys’ pledge to deliver the best-in-class solutions.”