Kitchener using AI to catch parking violations
Kitchener Watch
Kitchener has turned to artificial intelligence to help bylaw officers spot parking violations on city streets. CTV's Krista Simpson explains.
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2 hours ago
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The Smartest Growth Stock to Buy With $10 Right Now
Buying and holding onto solid companies with disruptive potential can be a winning, long-term strategy for investors. Their potential to grow at a faster pace than their peers sets the stage for impressive stock market gains. SoundHound AI (NASDAQ: SOUN) is one such company. Its artificial intelligence (AI) voice solutions are changing how clients handle food ordering, e-commerce, customer service, healthcare, and other functions. Each share of SoundHound is trading below $10 as of this writing, so if you have $10 to spare, here's why you should tap into this promising growth stock. SoundHound is winning market share in a fast-growing industry SoundHound offers multiple voice AI products, allowing customers to build custom solutions for their businesses. The company's AI agents can speak, think, and act autonomously while interacting with customers, whether it's in the drive-thru lane of a restaurant or on a company's customer service line. Importantly, SoundHound is not just winning over new customers but also gaining more business from existing ones. In its first-quarter report, management detailed new integrations of its voice AI solutions across multiple industries, and it also announced expanded partnerships with existing clients. What's more, the company's Autonomics AI operations platform was named a leader in its segment by technology research and advisory firm ISG Research. The strength of SoundHound's offerings explains why the company has been able to quickly expand its customer base. Best of all, the market in which SoundHound operates is still in its early stages. Venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz estimates the voice AI market increased 25% last year to $5.4 billion. SoundHound's 2024 revenue growth of 85% is a clear sign the company is outpacing the market overall. And for 2025, Andreessen Horowitz is expecting a 61% spike in the voice AI market to $8.7 billion. Meanwhile, SoundHound is guiding for full-year revenue to double at the midpoint of its guidance range of $157 million to $177 million. The stock has terrific long-term growth potential Based on the above projections, SoundHound could end 2025 with a 2% market share, and the voice AI opportunity will continue to expand with one estimate calling for 32% compound annual growth through 2032, when it will be a $40 billion annual market. If SoundHound's market share jumps to 10% of that 2032 forecast, its annual revenue would reach $4 billion. This level of growth is likely in the ballpark of what investors expect for this AI stock, which explains its expensive valuation. SoundHound is trading at 35 times trailing revenue as of this writing. Following its recent slide, SoundHound can still be a solid pick for growth-hungry investors with a long-term mindset. However, anyone buying into the stock must be prepared to look past near-term volatility and give the company time to capitalize on its huge market opportunity. Should you invest $1,000 in SoundHound AI right now? Before you buy stock in SoundHound AI, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and SoundHound AI wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $668,538!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $869,841!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is789% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to172%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025
Globe and Mail
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The Nasdaq Bounces Back: 2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Stocks Worth Buying Right Now
Technology stocks are surging once again, especially artificial intelligence stocks. But don't think it's too late to buy in. The two AI stocks below have a very bright future. Despite their upfront premiums, rapid and sustained growth rates could deliver huge gains for patient shareholders. This is still the No. 1 artificial intelligence stock Every AI investor should own Nvidia (NASDAQ: NVDA). Nvidia's business model and savvy strategy have placed it at the center of the AI revolution, a position it will likely retain for many years to come. Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now. Continue » At the core of Nvidia's business model is its hardware for graphics processing units (GPUs). These GPUs power data centers around the world, which in turn power the training and execution of nearly every AI model. With a 90% market share for data center GPUs, it's safe to say that Nvidia dominates the market for GPUs related to AI applications. The market simply can't get enough of Nvidia's components. Just take a look at Nvidia's gross profits and customer demand. Nvidia currently enjoys industry-leading gross margins of around 70%. GPU makers like Intel (NASDAQ: INTC), meanwhile, have gross profit margins of around 30%. Nvidia's new Blackwell architecture quickly sold out for 12 months following its release. NVDA Revenue Growth Estimate for Current Fiscal Year data by YCharts Nvidia stock isn't cheap with a price-to-sales ratio of 23. However, the AI market is expected to grow by more than 30% per year through 2033. Due to its high profitability, shares trade at just 45 times trailing earnings and just 33 times forward earnings. That's still a premium price. But the upfront premium should be more than justified over a long holding period. There's huge growth potential for this GPU stock Compared to Nvidia, Intel has many flaws. The company made several ill-advised acquisitions over the past decade, and it failed to properly invest in both the hardware and software needs of the AI industry. The result is a stagnating business with relatively low levels of profitability. The trade-off for investors, however, is a rock-bottom valuation. If Intel can figure out how to turn things around in the long term, patient investors could make boatloads of money. Let's break down the current situation in a little more detail. While Nvidia has a roughly 90% market share for data center GPUs, most estimates peg Intel with somewhere around a 1% market share. Ouch. But here's the thing: Intel shares trade at just 1.6 times sales compared to Nvidia's premium valuation of 23 times sales. Intel's discounted valuation is warranted. It's less profitable, is posting significantly lower sales growth figures, and doesn't have a visible pathway to competing head-to-head with Nvidia over the next few years. But if you're willing to look far beyond the next few years, it's reasonable to expect Intel to make up some of the gap between itself and Nvidia. Right now, Nvidia certainly has an edge on GPU performance. But its biggest competitive advantage is arguably its CUDA software platform, which locks developers into its hardware-software ecosystem. Eventually, however, the AI market will grow large enough to accommodate several niches. Intel could compete in segments of the AI industry that Nvidia ignores due to its small size. Intel could also compete aggressively on price, especially since Nvidia's chips are priced at a premium and frequently face supply shortages. All in all, Intel faces a difficult road ahead. But with a rock-bottom valuation and minimal expectations, very patient investors can secure an attractive price for a speculative bet with plenty of risk, but also arguably more upside potential than Nvidia. Should you invest $1,000 in Nvidia right now? Before you buy stock in Nvidia, consider this: The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Nvidia wasn't one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years. Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $674,395!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you'd have $858,011!* Now, it's worth noting Stock Advisor 's total average return is997% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to172%for the S&P 500. Don't miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor. See the 10 stocks » *Stock Advisor returns as of June 2, 2025 Ryan Vanzo has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has positions in and recommends Intel and Nvidia. The Motley Fool recommends the following options: short August 2025 $24 calls on Intel. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
Globe and Mail
3 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Road lines fading faster after environmental rule, say local politicians – raising costs and safety concerns
Municipalities across the country say a government regulation that limits a group of chemicals used in painting road lines is hitting their budgets hard. Without the chemicals, they say, road lines fade more quickly, putting drivers at risk and forcing municipalities to repaint them more often. 'It seems like something small but it's actually something that affects every municipality across the country,' said Tim Tierney, vice-president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and an Ottawa city councillor. The federal regulations limit the allowable concentration of volatile organic compounds (VOCs) − chemicals in paint products used for road markings − to 150 grams per litre in those products from 450. VOCs are also found in nail polish and hairsprays. The lower limit is required only from May 1 to Oct. 15, when the weather is mild and air pollution is a concern. These are the months during which most municipalities paint their road lines. The regulations by Environment and Climate Change Canada were put forward because VOCs contribute to the formation of both particulate matter and ground-level ozone, which are the two main components of smog. 'Health impacts from smog include irritated eyes, nose and throat. Smog can worsen existing heart and lung problems or may cause lung cancer with regular long-term exposure,' spokesperson Brandon Clim said in a statement. Gary LeRoux, president of the Canadian Coatings Association, said a steep drop in VOC concentration results in 'inherent issues with adhesion and durability.' Councillors across the country say the regulations overlook safety concerns on roads. They say municipalities now require multiple rounds of repaints a year as fading road lines continue to put drivers, pedestrians and motorists' lives at risk. Clark Somerville, councillor for the Town of Halton Hills and the region of Halton, said the regulation is ultimately costing Canadian taxpayers more, with their money being spent 'unnecessarily.' 'As the road painting is disappearing quicker, we are now spending taxpayers dollars to go out and repaint the roads more than what we had to before,' Mr. Somerville said. Rural municipalities say it's particularly an issue for them because their roads are darker and more dangerous at night. 'Anyone that gets behind a vehicle knows how important and key it is to have those lines on the road,' said Kara Westerlund, president of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta and councillor for Brazeau County. 'Especially when you're in rural areas where we don't have [adequate] street lighting.' Ms. Westerlund, who represents 69 rural municipalities in Alberta, said it's not just councillors or elected officials who have been raising this issue. She said first responders, police services and volunteer firefighters are pointing to disappearing road markings to explain some road accidents. 'It's really tough because everyone wants to be a good steward to the environment, but I just think we have to pick and choose our battles,' said Mr. Tierney, the Ottawa councillor. 'And safety is a real one.' While councillors such as Mr. Somerville are calling for more funding to cover the cost of keeping up road lines, arguing that municipalities do not have the necessary 'wiggle room' in their budgets, Ms. Westerlund said more attention should be paid to the paint. 'Before throwing more funding at crews to paint the lines, let's get to the root of the issue and that is the paint itself,' Ms. Westerlund said. 'Let's find solutions there and move forward from there.' Mr. Clim, the Environment Canada spokesperson, said other factors also determine how long road markings last – traffic volume, weather conditions and how snow and ice are managed. The department 'has not received any technical information indicating that the VOC limits for traffic markings affect the product's performance,' Mr. Clim said. David Saucier, director of issues management at the Canadian Coatings Association, said the federal government should go back to the drawing board and consult industry experts. 'What are we compromising here?' Mr. Saucier said. 'If we're going to compromise health and safety for pedestrians and motorists, what are we saving?' Mr. Tierney said the regulation has had a positive impact when applied to products such as hairsprays or nail polish, 'even wall paint.' 'But when it comes to road painting specifically there doesn't seem to be a magic formula to make it work yet.'
