Latest news with #LeandroVieira
Associated Press
24-03-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Tractian and Oracle Collaborate to Deliver AI Solutions for the Manufacturing Industry
ATLANTA, March 24, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Tractian, a leader in AI-based condition monitoring and asset performance management software for manufacturers, today announced that it will adopt Oracle Cloud Infrastructure (OCI) to support its goal to become the definitive Industrial Copilot. Tractian focuses on specialized AI models designed for manufacturing and industrial applications that give manufacturing organizations insights they can use to optimize performance and mitigate downtime. Unlike generalist models, these tailored solutions address unique challenges in the sector and provide precise, actionable insights that can help enhance productivity and minimize downtime. To train, deploy, and elevate the capabilities of its proprietary models while also increasing reliability and scalability, Tractian will leverage OCI AI infrastructure and NVIDIA H200 GPUs. 'The industrial sector is highly pragmatic and demands precise, reliable solutions,' said JP Voltani, director of engineering, Tractian. 'With OCI, we're able to reinforce critical layers of security and develop AI models that are tailored to the unique contexts of industrial operations. In manufacturing, where there is no room for error and specialized AI enables technology to deliver actionable results every time.' Tractian Delivers Tangible Benefits to Customers OCI AI infrastructure helps Tractian improve reliability and operational efficiency for its customers as well as achieve faster model training and greater scalability. For example, Tractian customers now have instant access to critical OEM datasheets, which enables them to quickly find the right lubricants, replacement parts, and maintenance procedures. In addition, technicians can query Tractian AI-powered systems and receive precise, manufacturer-recommended guidance in seconds. This helps streamline inspections, reduce human error, and allow maintenance teams to have the right materials on hand, which minimizes downtime and helps operations run smoothly. Tractian Overcomes Technical Challenges with OCI Training and fine-tuning LLMs requires high-performance computing resources to maintain model stability and precision. With OCI AI infrastructure and NVIDIA H200 GPUs, Tractian has unlocked better performance and has been able to take advantage of in-GPU memory capabilities to support the development of larger, more sophisticated models tailored to specific industrial applications. 'Instead of focusing on one-size-fits-all solutions, our goal is to deliver specialized tools that cater to the specific needs of each industry,' said Leandro Vieira, vice president, AI & cloud infrastructure, Oracle Latin America. 'By transforming generalist frameworks into industry-specific applications, we empower our customers to achieve improved efficiency.' 'When we combine expertise and high-performance infrastructure, we can develop more efficient solutions, turning challenges into new opportunities for the industry,' said Marcio Aguiar, director of the Enterprise division for Latin America, NVIDIA. 'NVIDIA, together with Oracle, brings these technologies together to power Tractian's AI models, bringing more precision and efficiency to the industry.' About Tractian Tractian is the Industrial Copilot for maintenance and reliability, with a platform that empowers businesses to prevent unplanned equipment downtime and boost production output. The company is headquartered in Atlanta, GA, and extends its presence globally with offices in Mexico City and Sao Paulo. Learn more at Trademarks
Yahoo
28-02-2025
- Yahoo
Feted at Carnival, Afro-Brazilian faiths face hate in daily life
In a busy workshop, Leandro Vieira oversees preparations for Rio de Janeiro's dazzling Carnival parade, where his samba school will celebrate the spiritual richness of Candomble, one of the main Afro-Brazilian faiths. Elsewhere, an Umbanda priestess named Mother Fernanda -- the practitioner of another Afro-Brazilian religion -- tearfully assesses damage to her vandalized temple, where sacred items were destroyed and equipment stolen. The perpetrators left a Bible on the ground, alongside the remains of an image of Oxum, the goddess of love. Oxum and other African deities, known as "orixas," will be honored by most of the 12 samba schools competing from Sunday to Tuesday in the famed Carnival parade, with celebrants relaying a story through the use of towering floats, drummers and dancers. Thousands of spectators will cheer on the myths and rituals that emerged with the arrival of five million African slaves trafficked to Brazil -- a reaction far removed from the reality these religions face in daily Brazilian life. The parade is "sold to the world as a mark of Brazilian culture, but (the country) discriminates against religions of African origin," Vieira, the 41-year-old artistic director of the Imperatriz Leopoldinense school, told AFP. This paradox "shows that Brazilian society misunderstands the aesthetic, artistic, social and narrative contribution of black culture." - 'We are being silenced' - "People accept Carnival, Carnival is beautiful, but we suffer a lot of prejudice," said the Umbanda priestess Fernanda Marques Franco dos Anjos, a 42-year-old lawyer. "Our daily reality is this: we are being silenced, destroyed." In Brazil, attacks on religious freedom increased by 81 percent between 2023 and 2024, according to official data, confirming a trend in recent years. Attacks tripled against followers of Umbanda and Candomble, whose faiths are often wrongly associated with witchcraft or Satanic practices. They face insults and mockery, intimidation, physical attacks and property damage, according to the independent Observatory of Religious Freedoms (OLR). In a 2023 report presented to the UN, the observatory documented cases of temples being burned down, priests threatened and faithful adherents who lost their jobs. "You can't (display your faith) on LinkedIn," or "wear a protection necklace" on Instagram, because "that often costs you your job," said Isabella Menezes Antas, 41, the "mother" of the Umbanda Academy temple in downtown Rio that has also suffered attacks. - Intolerance rooted in racism - "Violence has always been practiced against religions of an African origin," said Christina Vital, a professor of Sociology at Fluminense Federal University. "Their artistic and cultural importance is recognized, but this is not enough to overcome the reasons that structure racism and intolerance," Vital added. Maria Eduarda Oliveira, a 24-year-old hairdresser, recalls being called a "macumbera monkey" by a boy at school -- a derogatory term referring to someone who follows Afro-Brazilian rituals. "That shook me, but because I was very educated about (defending) my blackness and my history, I was able to move on," she said on Ipanema beach while making an offering to Iemanja, the goddess of the sea. The stigma even hit Brazilian funk star Anitta, who lost 300,000 followers on social media after showing her devotion to Candomble. - 'Our ancestors survived slavery' - Academic and OLR member Ivanir dos Santos attributes the persecution to the "political growth of evangelical groups" and "Christian fundamentalist groups," which have sought to "suffocate" African spiritual heritage in Brazil. Evangelicals now represent almost a third of Brazil's population of over 200 million people, with Evangelical lawmakers and senators comprising one of the biggest and most powerful lobbies in the National Congress. In favelas and other poor neighborhoods, priests and followers of Afro-Brazilian faiths often suffer persecution from the criminal factions that rule over these areas -- banning them in favor of Christianity, according to the OLR. "People must respect the right of each person to follow their religion," Minister of Racial Equality, Anielle Franco, said recently. She has set up an anonymous reporting service and programs to combat religious intolerance. According to the latest census data in 2010, nearly 600,000 Brazilians identify as followers of religions of African origin. "Our ancestors survived slavery. Even with this violence, we will continue to survive," said dos Santos. ll/app/fb/jgc
