Latest news with #BlueYonder
Techday NZ
8 hours ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Snowflake to acquire Crunchy Data to enhance Postgres for AI
Snowflake has announced its intent to acquire Crunchy Data, a provider of open source Postgres technology and products, to bring a fully enterprise-ready PostgreSQL offering to its AI Data Cloud. The acquisition aims to deliver Snowflake Postgres, a database platform designed to enable developers with PostgreSQL compatibility while maintaining governance, security, and operational standards necessary for enterprise-grade and mission-critical AI applications. Businesses in a range of industries have shown growing demand for a secure, enterprise-ready PostgreSQL solution for their core applications. The proposed integration of Crunchy Data into Snowflake Postgres intends to address these needs, offering production-ready compatibility within environments such as those compliant with FedRAMP regulations. The popularity of PostgreSQL is reflected by its adoption rate, with 49% of developers reportedly using the database. Snowflake's new Postgres offering is expected to streamline how developers build, deploy, and scale AI agents and applications by leveraging Crunchy Data's existing technology, engineered for all stages of the enterprise workload lifecycle. Key features provided by Crunchy Data include access to essential performance metrics, scalable architecture, and a user-friendly interface, which Snowflake aims to bring to developers creating AI-driven enterprise applications within its platform. Organisations currently using PostgreSQL, including existing Snowflake partners such as Blue Yonder and LandingAI, are expected to benefit from accelerated development and operational efficiency as they adapt to the evolving use of AI agents in business processes. "Our vision is to deliver the world's most trusted and comprehensive data and AI platform to our customers. Today's announcement of our proposed acquisition of Crunchy Data represents another reason why Snowflake is the ultimate destination for all enterprise data and AI needs. We're tackling a massive USD $350 billion market opportunity and a real need for our customers to bring Postgres to the Snowflake AI Data Cloud," Vivek Raghunathan, Senior Vice President of Engineering at Snowflake, commented. "We built Crunchy Data with the vision to become a Postgres solution of choice for leading enterprise organizations. Our deep-rooted commitment to stringent security and comprehensive compliance has made us the trusted Postgres partner for organisations across regulated industries, including federal agencies, Fortune 500 financial institutions and high-scale SaaS companies. We're excited to join forces with Snowflake to provide their customers who already rely on Postgres the ability to run mission-critical regulated workloads with increased confidence and security on the Snowflake platform," Paul Laurence, Co-Founder at Crunchy Data, said. After the acquisition, Snowflake intends to maintain support for Crunchy Data's existing customer base and participate actively in the PostgreSQL community while integrating Crunchy Data's capabilities with its own products. Crunchy Data's expertise is seen as complementing Snowflake's Unistore, which combines transactional and analytical data handling, by providing a transactional solution that fully embraces PostgreSQL compatibility. "Snowflake's platform serves as the foundation for Blue Yonder's vast amount of supply chain data. Bringing PostgreSQL technology into the Snowflake ecosystem is an opportunity for our development teams to accelerate and simplify benefits for our customers," Blue Yonder's Senior Vice President of Generative AI, Chris Burchett, commented. "Access to a PostgreSQL database directly within Snowflake has the potential to be incredibly impactful for our team and our customers, as it would allow us to securely deploy our Snowflake Native App, LandingLens, into our customers' account. This integration is a key building block in making it simpler to build, deploy, and run AI applications directly on the Snowflake platform," Dan Maloney, Chief Executive Officer of LandingAI, highlighted. Snowflake Postgres will initially be launched in private preview. The closing of the acquisition is subject to regulatory approvals and standard closing conditions.
Trade Arabia
10 hours ago
- Business
- Trade Arabia
New technology, efficiency top priorities for supply chain leaders
Global supply chain leaders recognise technology as a performance enabler, with 61% investing between $1 million and $10 million in the next five years to build more resilient, efficient supply chains, says a report. Blue Yonder, a world leader in end-to-end digital supply chain transformation, today released the results of its inaugural 'Supply Chain Compass' report highlighting nearly 700 global supply chain leaders' key strategic priorities: implementing new technology (51%), improving efficiency and productivity (40%) and building more resilient supply chains (29%). The three-part report features responses from senior supply chain leaders in North America and Europe who work in manufacturing, retail and logistics. Achieving each strategic priority over the next three years will require specific actions, and respondents identified better demand planning (46%) and quickly obtaining and analyzing data on performance (46%) as two of the top actions they believe are essential to success. This was followed by investing in tracking and visibility solutions (45%), digital software transformation and innovation (41%) and managing supply chain costs (33%). In the current macroeconomic environment characterised by volatility and rapid change, focusing efforts on each of these actions will be critical. These priorities not only speak to immediate operational challenges but also position organisations to adapt swiftly to external pressures, ensuring resilience and competitiveness in an unpredictable landscape. 'A consistent theme among surveyed leaders was the adoption of innovative solutions that deliver true end-to-end visibility across the supply network and enable a more connected, intelligence-driven approach to demand and supply planning,' said Andrea Morgan-Vandome, Chief Innovation Officer, Blue Yonder. 'In the face of ongoing economic uncertainty, geopolitical instability, and inflationary pressures, supply chain leaders are prioritizing technologies that enhance speed and precision. The report highlights that, beyond mitigating risk, decision-makers are increasingly exploring next-generation AI agents to advance sustainability goals and build supply chains that are not only faster but also more efficient.' New Technology is Foundational Many leaders across industries are actively witnessing the transformative power that new technology can bring, with 74% agreeing that AI is already changing the way their business operates. A staggering 82% of leaders agree that outdated technology will hinder their supply chain's potential, and 51% state that implementing new technology is a top priority in the next three years. Supply chain leaders are willing to invest in technology, with 89% of decision-makers dedicating a specific budget to new supply chain technologies. For 61% of respondents, the budget for supply chain technology is between $1 million and $10 million across the next five years. With technology being a key enabler of supply chain performance, decision makers recognize they will need to prioritize new solutions and tools to respond to market challenges and growth opportunities. Barriers to AI Adoption Generative AI is currently under-implemented compared to traditional AI, which is largely used for prediction and automation. The majority of respondents (83%) are using (or are implementing) AI-powered automation, and 78% said the same of machine learning and predictive AI. By contrast, just 36% are using or implementing generative AI. However, there is a clear pathway of opportunity being explored. Generative AI is becoming more important to enhance reliability and address sustainability goals, with one in four companies indicating they are implementing the technology. Only 16% said they have no plans at all for implementing generative AI-based solutions. Understanding barriers to generative AI implementation is key for supply chain decision-makers: · Human Impact: Of those with no plans to implement generative AI, 51% said that their organization will prioritize a people-led approach over cutting-edge technology. · High Cost of Adoption: Organizations with an expected technology budget lower than $500,000 for the next one to five years are significantly less likely to consider implementing generative AI. · Different Priorities: Organizations not currently using generative AI aren't necessarily behind — they're prioritizing other strategic initiatives, such as automating inventory management to drive efficiency. Businesses that focus on transportation, order management and execution and fulfillment are significantly more likely to be investigating the implementation of generative AI (46%), while those in logistics (16%) are behind the adoption curve with no plans to implement. Intersection of Technology and Sustainability Achieving more sustainable supply chains is top of mind for today's leaders, with 'sustainable' being the number one word used to describe the future of their supply chains by respondents. This rang true for nearly two-thirds (68%) of leaders who agree there is an onus on supply chain operators to help solve problems like waste and climate change. Organizations that chose sustainability as a top three strategic priority are far more optimistic about their business performance. Overall, leaders are initially focusing on tangible efforts to impact sustainability, but many are not yet embracing technology solutions that can provide a combination of cost savings and sustainability benefits: · Top opportunities for sustainability in supply chains are tangible investments often bearing a cost: Sustainable packaging (37%), reducing waste across manufacturing (30%), recycling (28%), renewable energy resources/green fuels (28%) and lower emissions from warehouses and facilities (27%). · Fewer leaders have embraced technology-related sustainability opportunities: Data analytics for emissions tracking (22%), connected networks for efficient shipping (17%), reducing waste from expiration (13%) and better returns processing (12%). · Nevertheless, there is a recognized link between sustainability, technology, and efficiency among one cohort: 26% believe that forecasting technology can improve efficiency and, in turn, sustainability efforts. There is immense opportunity at the intersection of technology and sustainability. Respondents who named sustainability as a top three strategic priority are on the leading edge of technology and AI adoption: 94% say end-to-end data connectivity is fundamental to the success of their business (vs. 85% total), 80% say AI is already changing how they operate (vs. 74% total) and 61% say they are currently investigating generative AI.
Channel Post MEA
19 hours ago
- Business
- Channel Post MEA
Snowflake Acquires Crunchy Data
Snowflake has announced at its annual user conference, Snowflake Summit 2025, its intent to acquire Crunchy Data, a provider of trusted open source Postgres technology and products. This acquisition will bring Snowflake Postgres, the AI-ready, enterprise-grade and developer-friendly PostgreSQL database to the AI Data Cloud, enabling developers with the full power of Postgres while providing the uncompromising governance, security and operational standards essential for building and running mission-critical AI applications. Organizations across industries increasingly require an enterprise-grade and secure Postgres solution with full Postgres compatibility for their production apps. Snowflake Postgres will bring Crunchy Data's proven track record of enterprise readiness within FedRAMP compliant environments directly into Snowflake's AI Data Cloud. PostgreSQL continues to dominate as the most popular database amongst developers, with 49% of all developers reporting they use it. Snowflake Postgres significantly simplifies how developers build, deploy and scale production-ready AI agents and apps. It leverages Crunchy Data's technology, which has been engineered not just for quick experimentation, but for the entire lifecycle of building, deploying and operating the most important enterprise workloads. Crunchy Data's out-of-the-box access to essential performance metrics, built-in robust scaling capabilities and powerful interface help developers build amazing apps fast. With Snowflake Postgres, customers and partners such as Blue Yonder and LandingAI, who currently leverage PostgreSQL to power their applications' operational data, can ship faster, operate more efficiently and gain a competitive advantage in the rapidly evolving shift towards AI agents. 'Our vision is to deliver the world's most trusted and comprehensive data and AI platform to our customers. Today's announcement of our proposed acquisition of Crunchy Data represents another reason why Snowflake is the ultimate destination for all enterprise data and AI needs,' said Vivek Raghunathan, SVP of Engineering at Snowflake. 'We're tackling a massive $350 billion market opportunity and a real need for our customers to bring Postgres to the Snowflake AI Data Cloud.' 'We built Crunchy Data with the vision to become a Postgres solution of choice for leading enterprise organizations. Our deep-rooted commitment to stringent security and comprehensive compliance has made us the trusted Postgres partner for organizations across regulated industries, including federal agencies, Fortune 500 financial institutions and high-scale SaaS companies,' said Paul Laurence, Co-Founder at Crunchy Data. 'We're excited to join forces with Snowflake to provide their customers who already rely on Postgres the ability to run mission-critical regulated workloads with increased confidence and security on the Snowflake platform.' With the closing of this acquisition, Snowflake will make a strong commitment to the Postgres community as well as support existing Crunchy Data customers, while integrating Crunchy Data's capabilities into Snowflake Postgres. Snowflake Postgres represents a further advancement in Snowflake's journey to support transactional data that began with Unistore, which unifies transactional and analytical data within a single database in Snowflake. Snowflake Postgres complements Unistore by providing companies with an enterprise-ready solution for transactional applications that require PostgreSQL compatibility. Snowflake Postgres will be available soon in private preview. 0 0
Techday NZ
6 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Blue Yonder remains a leader in Gartner's supply chain report
Blue Yonder has been positioned as a Leader for the fourteenth consecutive time in the Gartner Magic Quadrant report for Warehouse Management Systems based on its ability to execute and completeness of vision. The assessment, conducted by research and advisory firm Gartner, evaluates warehouse management system providers from across the sector. Blue Yonder is among two companies to be recognised as a Leader in three of Gartner's Magic Quadrant reports for 2025, which also include Supply Chain Planning Solutions and Transportation Management Systems. Blue Yonder attributes its position in the report to its extensive range of warehouse management solutions, delivered through the Blue Yonder Platform. The company has recently launched a next-generation warehouse management solution as a part of its Cognitive Solutions offering, which integrates artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), and cloud-native technology within a single solution. This new solution is designed to provide scalability, allow for low-code extensibility, enable code updates without downtime, and give streamlined access to AI and ML capabilities. Its aim is to assist businesses in improving warehouse efficiency, adaptability, visibility, and operational performance, as well as to lower cost-to-serve and cost per case metrics within warehouse environments. "The warehouse is a pivotal component of the supply chain, so companies should look to enhance resilience and sustainability across their warehouse, transportation, and planning sectors to better meet customer needs," said Wayne Usie, Chief Strategy Officer at Blue Yonder. "Blue Yonder's supply chain solutions empower companies to coordinate sourcing, production, logistics, and network strategies within a unified platform. This comprehensive approach enables companies to effectively plan their network, warehouse, and labour capacities from start to finish, resulting in shortened lead times, improved service levels, optimised operational efficiencies, maximised business opportunities, and reduced costs." Development of Blue Yonder's warehouse management solutions has been underway for more than two decades. The company is rolling out several new features in upcoming releases, including enhanced equipment tracking powered by computer vision and machine learning to automate monitoring in the yard and create 3D yard maps for operational oversight. Other planned enhancements include advanced people-robot collaboration, providing performance tracking for autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) and automatic assignment reprocessing for transaction errors. Additional capabilities will support retail store replenishment with inventory visibility, garment handling, and ratio packing tools aimed at improving efficiency in store inventory management for both retailers and logistics service providers. Blue Yonder is also adding capabilities for returns processing and tracking, such as visibility into Returns Merchandise Authorisation and automated decisioning for faster returns processing. An announced Warehouse Ops Agent tool is designed to monitor real-time operational changes and identify trends for informed decision-making within the warehouse setting. The firm provides its warehouse management solutions to customers spanning 19 industry sectors, including consumer products, food and beverage, grocery, automotive, industrial, life sciences, and logistics service providers. Blue Yonder's delivery model includes a partner ecosystem and its own Blue Yonder Global Professional Services organisation. Recently, Blue Yonder signed a strategic agreement with GXO, described as the world's largest pure-play contract logistics provider. GXO will deploy Blue Yonder's logistics software solutions to improve speed, flexibility, and predictability for its client base. Under the agreement, Blue Yonder will be one of GXO's preferred software providers for warehouse management systems, supporting the logistics firm's need for scalable implementations across industries as it continues to grow. With its placement in the latest Magic Quadrant for Warehouse Management Systems, Blue Yonder has been recognised as a leader in all three of Gartner's 2025 Magic Quadrant reports relevant to supply chain execution: Supply Chain Planning, Transportation Management Systems, and Warehouse Management Systems.
Scoop
22-05-2025
- Business
- Scoop
AI Helps Future-Proof Supply Chains In Australia And New Zealand, New Report Shows
Press Release – Blue Yonder Businesses are no longer relying on outdated systems or reacting to problems after they happen, said Antonio Boccalandro, president for APAC at Blue Yonder. They are now investing in technologies that allow them to predict issues, respond quickly, … A growing number of businesses in Australia and New Zealand are turning to artificial intelligence (AI) to make their supply chains smarter, faster, and more resilient, according to a new report by research firm IDC, commissioned by supply chain technology leader Blue Yonder. The report, AI-Driven Orchestration for the Modern Supply Chain, surveyed hundreds of supply chain leaders across the Asia-Pacific region. It found that organisations in Australia and New Zealand are rapidly embracing AI and automation to deal with challenges such as supply disruptions, rising customer expectations, and global market complexity. 'Businesses are no longer relying on outdated systems or reacting to problems after they happen,' said Antonio Boccalandro, president for APAC at Blue Yonder. 'They are now investing in technologies that allow them to predict issues, respond quickly, and stay competitive.' Smarter Strategies for a Tougher Environment Key areas of focus for businesses in the region include: Expanding and diversifying suppliers to reduce risks (a strategy known as multi-shoring) Strengthening cybersecurity to protect digital operations Speeding up product development and delivery Improving customer responsiveness and service The report also highlights growing interest in using generative AI — the same type of AI behind tools like ChatGPT — to improve warehouse operations, employee productivity, and supply chain design. One example cited in the report is Silk Logistics, an Australian company that has successfully used automation to upgrade its warehouse systems and improve customer service. Tech-Driven Resilience Across the Region The IDC report found that nearly all surveyed businesses in Asia-Pacific identified visibility and agility as top priorities — in other words, knowing what's happening in their supply chain and being able to act quickly. In countries across Southeast Asia, organisations are also adopting technologies like cloud computing and robotics to reduce environmental impact and improve coordination. Stephanie Krishnan, associate vice president at IDC Asia/Pacific, said that successful businesses are moving away from siloed systems and toward connected platforms that allow them to make better decisions in real time. 'Unifying data and building collaborative digital networks will be the key to staying competitive in the years ahead,' Krishnan said. Looking Ahead The report arrives at a time when businesses globally are grappling with supply chain volatility, economic uncertainty, and calls for greater sustainability. It suggests that those willing to invest in intelligent, integrated technologies will be better equipped to weather future disruptions. The full report findings were presented during a webinar featuring IDC and Blue Yonder, where experts discussed the future of supply chains in the Asia-Pacific region.
