Nvidia CEO Huang Says UK in 'Goldilocks' Position for AI
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang said the UK is in a "Goldilocks circumstance" as the country has "one of the richest communities anywhere on the planet," with "the deepest thinkers, the best universities," but needs more infrastructure to unlock its potential. "This is the largest AI ecosystem in the world without its own infrastructure," Huang said at London Tech Week. (Source: London Tech Week)
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Harvard Business Review
35 minutes ago
- Harvard Business Review
How Mastercard Helped Blenheim Palace Cut Costs with Reusable Cups
In an era when organizations are discovering that circular economy models can reduce costs and create new revenue streams, forward-thinking businesses are capitalizing on the shift from wasteful linear systems to more profitable circular alternatives. The transition from take-make-dispose models to circular systems represents one of the most profound operational shifts of the 21st century. Those who embrace it may discover competitive advantages. And when implemented thoughtfully, circular economy initiatives can create multiple layers of value that extend far beyond environmental benefits. Circular Innovation Blenheim Palace, a UNESCO World Heritage site in Oxfordshire, England, demonstrates how businesses can implement circular economy initiatives while improving operational efficiency, enhancing visitor experiences, and cutting costs. Two years ago, Blenheim Palace faced a common costly problem; it was spending over $100,000 annually on single-use cups that added to the many single-use cups reaching a landfill or an incinerator every day. Today it's achieved a notable 50% reduction in beverage packaging costs by implementing a deposit return scheme (DRS) with reusable cups, like other reusable cup deposit return schemes, such as in Denmark. 'The transition wasn't merely about sustainability metrics,' says David Green, head of innovation at Blenheim Palace. 'Our reusable cup scheme has significantly cut costs and fundamentally transformed our operations,' reimbursing customers rapidly and conveniently for returning their cups. 'The transition wasn't merely about sustainability metrics,' says David Green, head of innovation at Blenheim Palace. 'Our reusable cup scheme has significantly cut costs and fundamentally transformed our operations,' reimbursing customers rapidly and conveniently for returning their cups. The Mechanics of Circular Success Blenheim Palace's approach is elegant in its simplicity. Visitors pay $2.70 deposits to rent RFID-enabled reusable cups they will later return to reverse-vending machines. Circularity solutions provider re-universe assigns each cup a digital identity for data tracking and tracing throughout its usage. Blenheim Palace collects, washes, and reintroduces the cups into circulation—and visitors get secure, near-instantaneous refunds to their payment cards. 'With return machines streamlining the process,' Green says, 'we're achieving remarkable results that prove sustainable operations can be financially viable, too.' In a 12-month period, Blenheim Palace has cut 1,150 kg of carbon emissions and kept 320,000 single-use cups out of landfills. The Business Case for Circularity 'For circular initiatives to scale, the consumer experience must be seamless,' says Pratik Khowala, Mastercard's global head of transfer solutions. 'Our payments technology enables Blenheim Palace to offer near-instant deposit returns without requiring visitors to download apps or share additional banking information—a critical factor in achieving high participation rates, especially among international visitors.' Beyond environmental benefits, the financial case for this circular system is compelling. Blenheim Palace reports a 50% cost savings during the second year of implementation, including reduced waste management expenses and increased operational efficiencies. Each $2 reusable cup needs only four uses for its cost to break even, versus the $0.35 to $0.67 it spent for each single-use cup. The system also provides valuable data insights that allow continuous optimization—information that was absent from the previous model. 'The metrics we now track go well beyond basic environmental indicators,' Green says. 'We're measuring operational efficiency, visitor satisfaction, and return rates by location. This data allows us to continually refine the system for maximum impact and is leading us to invest more in the program. We're starting with hot cups, but we are planning to expand into cold cups and other packaging soon.' The Visitor Experience 'Visitor feedback has been overwhelmingly positive,' Green says. 'Guests specifically mention the reusable cup program in visitor surveys, noting how it aligns with their own values around environmental stewardship.' This alignment with consumer values represents an increasingly important competitive advantage for organizations across sectors. Retailers, manufacturers, hospitality providers, and service organizations across numerous industries and product categories can adapt these circular economy principles to their specific contexts. 'The technology behind the Blenheim experience can be applied to numerous circular economy initiatives beyond cups—from deposit-based redemption for reusable packaging to product buyback and peer-to-peer resale,' says Khowala. 6 Keys to Successful Implementation Blenheim Palace's initiative reveals six critical factors organizations should consider when they implement their own circular economy programs: 1. Consumer education: Clear communication about the process and its benefits drives participation. 2. Staff training and engagement: Frontline employees must understand the system to support it and encourage consumers to participate. 3. Frictionless user experience: Simplicity in participation—making deposits and returns as easy as possible—is nonnegotiable for high adoption. 4. Inclusivity: Systems must accommodate diverse user needs, including those of international visitors. 5. Optimized incentive structure: Deposit fees must balance motivation for returns without deterring participation. 6. Data-driven management: Real-time data visibility enables continuous improvement and optimization. 5 Strategic Implications for Leaders For executives considering circular economy initiatives, the Blenheim Palace case offers several clear takeaways: 1. Start with high-visibility waste streams: Focus initial circular economy efforts on visible, high-volume waste that resonates with stakeholders. 2. Design for user experience: Prioritize simplicity and convenience in circular systems to drive adoption. 3. Use technology appropriately: Digital tools should reduce friction, not add complexity. 4. Measure multidimensional value: Track environmental, financial, operational, and customer experience metrics. 5. Communicate authentically: Share transparent progress and insights with stakeholders. Organizations that approach circular economy initiatives as strategic opportunities rather than compliance requirements stand to gain significant advantages in operational efficiency, cost reduction, brand perception, and environmental impact. Circularity is not a new idea, but as organizations course-correct away from linear models, the circular economy is presenting new opportunities for businesses. As Blenheim Palace's experience demonstrates, organizations that embrace this transition thoughtfully can achieve positive results across the triple bottom line of people, planet, and profit. 'The most surprising aspect of our journey has been discovering that circular systems often outperform linear ones on pure business metrics,' Green says. 'Sustainability is no longer a trade-off against profitability—increasingly, it's becoming a driver of it.'
Yahoo
35 minutes ago
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INTC Plunges 35% in the Past Year: Should You Dump the Stock?
Intel Corporation INTC has plunged 35.1% over the past year against the industry's growth of 12.3%, lagging its peers Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. AMD and NVIDIA Corporation NVDA. While NVIDIA stock is up 16.4%, Advanced Micro has declined 27.5% over this period. Much of Intel's underperformance is attributable to the severe financial difficulties and operational challenges as it plays a catch-up game with its rivals. One-Year INTC Stock Price Performance Image Source: Zacks Investment Research While most of the competitors evolved with the changing demand patterns, Intel fell behind others as it hung on to its legacy products. For example, despite making significant inroads in AI (artificial intelligence) chips, Intel lagged NVIDIA on the innovation front with the latter's H100 and Blackwell graphics processing units (GPUs) being runaway successes. This offered a competitive advantage to NVIDIA, with leading technology companies reportedly piling up NVIDIA's GPUs to build clusters of computers for their AI work. Moreover, Intel has been facing challenges due to the disruptive rise of over-the-top service providers in this dynamic industry. Price-sensitive competition for customer retention in the core business is expected to intensify in the coming days. Aggressive competition is likely to limit the ability to attract and retain customers and affect operating and financial results. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research An accelerated ramp-up of AI PCs has significantly affected Intel's short-term margins, as it shifted production to its high-volume facility in Ireland, where wafer costs are typically higher. Margins were also adversely impacted by higher charges related to non-core businesses, charges associated with unused capacity and an unfavorable product mix. 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Earnings estimates for Intel for 2025 have moved down 40.8% to 29 cents over the past year, while the same for 2026 has declined 31.2% to 77 cents. The negative estimate revision depicts bearish sentiments for the stock. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research Intel is investing to expand its manufacturing capacity to accelerate its IDM 2.0 (Integrated Device Manufacturing) strategy. Interim management is committed to keeping the core strategy unchanged despite efforts to drive operational efficiency and agility. The company is emphasizing the diligent execution of operational goals to establish itself as a leading foundry. Its latest Xeon 6 processors with Performance-cores (P-Cores) can support large AI workloads across diverse sectors. With industry-leading capabilities in AI processing, the Xeon 6 family delivers the industry's best CPU for AI at a lower total cost of ownership. 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The Drive
43 minutes ago
- The Drive
Porsche Secretly Entered the 2027 Cayenne EV in a Hill Climb, and It Set a Record
The latest car news, reviews, and features. The upcoming electric Porsche Cayenne doesn't exist yet, but Porsche just ran it up a public hill climb. On Sunday, Porsche entered the electric Cayenne in prototype form at the 2025 UK British Championship Hillclimb at Shelley Walsh. It's hard to miss what this thing is because the 'camo' wrap has Porsche Cayenne written all over it in neon purple and blue letters. Hilariously, the prototype also had a roof rack installed. Porsche slid the prototype into the Road Cars Series Production Electric category of the event. The automaker's Formula E factor test driver Gabriela Jilkova piloted the prototype through the course. The event announcers commented how the EV rocketed off the line thanks to the instant torque and it only took 1.94 seconds to hit 60 feet. The action all takes place at the 2:36:42 mark in the video stream. 'For a big car that is scuttering up the hill something special,' the announcers said. The prototype, which it's unclear if this was a production-spec vehicle, ran the course in 31.28 seconds, smashing the SUV record up Shelsley Walsh by over four seconds. The camo-wrapped Cayenne EV prototype looks like a Porsche Cayenne with a slightly evolutionary design. The headlights include the now trademark quad LED daytime running light dots, and the rear features horizontal LED taillights. The greenhouse feels familiar, but the window line in the C-pillar is specific to the EV compared to the gas-powered Cayenne. Large wheels, maybe 22s or 23s, fill the wells. Active aero both up front and possibly in the rear can be seen working throughout the blazing run up the hill. Off the line it sounds like the Cayenne EV is making noise, presumably from a speaker, and during certain points up the climb it sounds as if there are noises coming from the electric SUV. Those sounds seem like they are coming during hard acceleration, but it's all quick and hard to be sure. The next-generation Cayenne was set to be electric, but now Porsche has backtracked and will keep a gas-powered version alive past 2030. With the electric Cayenne running up the hill climb in prototype form with only a mild camo wrap, it seems as if it's only a matter of time before the automaker reveals or starts talking about the upcoming EV. Got a tip? Send us a note: tips@
