Latest news with #NSH
National Post
23-05-2025
- Health
- National Post
Union: NSH only cares about the safety of some employees
Article content HALIFAX, Nova Scotia — After several attempts to follow up and ensure the well-being of employees in Nova Scotia hospitals following the attack on two security guards at Colchester East Hants Health Centre earlier this month, CUPE has been told that, because those security guards were not employed by Nova Scotia Health (NSH) directly, they would take no action. Article content Article content 'I'm disappointed but not surprised,' said CUPE Nova Scotia President Nan McFadgen. 'We've been dealing with this mentality regarding contracted employees for years. The contracted company claims they can't make changes because the funder, as in the NSH, hasn't approved it and the NSH claims they're merely a client and can't make changes. So, who's responsible then?' Article content In an email communication on May 14, NSH confirmed their Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committee (JOHSC) would not be involved because 'the injured employee wasn't NSH staff' but they would discuss it in their next meeting. Article content 'Security workers aren't the only contracted workers in hospitals now that Houston has pushed ahead with his privatization agenda,' said McFadgen. 'So does that mean the NSH won't step in if a travel nurse gets hurt, or a contracted lab tech or x-ray technician?' Article content The Houston government has expanded the use of public private partnerships in all areas of health care, hiring private companies to provide long term care, transitional care, and even build the QEII expansion. Article content 'If the NSH is going to hire private companies to provide services for them, they should have to follow the same processes they would for any other employee,' argued McFadgen. 'They shouldn't be able to bring these companies into our health care system and then wash their hands of them when there's an issue. That's not the way to protect our hospitals or our health care workers.' Article content 'NSH contracts are the NSHs responsibility—and that includes Paladin Security. Just because their job is to protect people doesn't mean these guards deserve to get bleach thrown in their face and then told they're not the NSH's concern because their direct employer is Paladin,' finished McFadgen. 'That's simply not acceptable.' Article content Paladin Security is contracted by Nova Scotia Health to provide security in hospitals across the province. CUPE 5479, the local union that represents these guards, has been bargaining their first collective agreement for over a year. Recently, Paladin issued an email communication ending further collaboration with CUPE 5479 because they didn't have a first collective agreement yet. CUPE 5479's certification by the Labour Board was issued in November 2022. Article content Article content Article content Article content Article content Contacts Article content Article content Article content
The National
12-02-2025
- Business
- The National
Leap 2025: Saudi Arabia unveils plans to boost local chip manufacturing and quantum computing
Saudi Arabia has announced several initiatives focused on boosting its domestic chip manufacturing and quantum computing sectors, as the kingdom continues to position itself as a major technology hub regionally and globally. The National Semiconductor Hub will be welcoming 10 companies, 'mostly based in Silicon Valley', who will begin their operations in Riyadh in the next two to three months, Naveed Sherwani, who leads the NSH, said on Wednesday. These companies will design 'state of the art' chips 'using Saudi engineers,' he told delegates at the Leap technology summit in Riyadh. The NSH, formed last year, aims to bring at least 50 semiconductor companies into the Arab world's biggest economy. The hub is also setting up a design and manufacturing centre with California-based UltraSense in Riyadh to develop human interface chips for contactless interactions in collaboration with the kingdom's Ministry of Industry and Mineral Resources. The NSH is also teaming up with ACT, a Saudi credit cards producer, to establish a company for manufacturing payment chips for use in the kingdom. 'By next year, all such chips will be made in Saudi Arabia,' Mr Sherwani said. Saudi Arabia also announced three 'moonshot missions', including the establishment of five cognitive cities across the kingdom by 2040, the development of a 'scalable, fault-tolerant' quantum computer by 2045 and the creation of an aligned artificial general intelligence by 2050. In technology terms, a moonshot programme is an exploratory and ambitious undertaking without the guarantee of near-term benefit or profitability. The quantum computer initiative is expected to be complemented by the formation of the National Alliance for Quantum Computing. The kingdom also announced a programme to build Saudi Arabia's first autonomous logistics vehicle under the Future of Mobility Committee and set up a centre of excellence in artificial intelligence and data analytics for healthcare research and development, with an initial investment of 100 million Saudi riyals ($26.7 million). The latest round of announcements at the Leap summit reinforce efforts of the kingdom, which continues to tap into technology as part of its overarching Vision 2030 programme aimed at diversifying its economy away from oil. The kingdom, like its peers in the Gulf region, is boosting its technology sector as the world increasingly moves into a digital era, with home-grown technologies and manufacturing especially, in AI and chips, seen as essential to helping in this transition and economic development. On Tuesday, US company Equinix announced plans to build a $1 billion data centre in the kingdom, while Saudi start-ups received $494 million in new investment commitments. Pledges of more than $7.4 billion from local and global entities were also made to boost Saudi Arabia's AI and data centre capabilities, and the $14.9 billion commitments, mostly centre on AI, announced on Sunday. Separately on Wednesday, Ceer, Saudi Arabia's first electric vehicle manufacturer, signed 11 partnerships agreements worth 5.5 billion riyals to help boost its operations. About 80 per cent of the suppliers for the company's vehicle components and charging equipment are Saudi-based, Ceer announced on the sidelines of the PIF Public Sector Forum in Riyadh. The move aims to achieve 45 per cent localisation targets and further expand the Saudi car sector, it said. The company has already established partnerships with 263 local companies that have been awarded deals worth 6.6 billion riyals. Its global partners include Foxconn, BMW and Siemens, among others. 'These partnerships are crucial not only for a thriving automotive industry, but also for creating future jobs and driving economic growth in the kingdom,' Ceer chief executive Jim DeLuca said. Ceer had previously said it plans to roll out its first EVs in 2025. The company aims to attract more than $150 million of foreign direct investment and create up to 30,000 direct and indirect jobs, in addition to contributing $8 billion to the kingdom's economy by 2034, according to its website.
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
EdgeCortix Selected by Saudi Arabia's Ministry of Investment to Expand into Riyadh in Partnership with the National Semiconductor Hub
Japan-Based Fabless AI Semiconductor Pioneer Establishes a Subsidiary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Set to Accelerate the Nation's Vision 2030 TOKYO, February 06, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--EdgeCortix® Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company based in Japan and specializing in energy-efficient Artificial Intelligence (AI) processing at the edge, today announced its selection by the Saudi Ministry of Investment to join the Kingdom's National Semiconductor Hub (NSH) program. As part of this strategic collaboration, EdgeCortix will launch a subsidiary in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) to drive advanced semiconductor engineering and edge AI development, contributing to the nation's rapidly growing tech ecosystem. The National Semiconductor Hub (NSH), an initiative by the Research, Development, and Innovation Authority (RDIA), was launched in 2024 to attract 50 fabless chip companies to the Kingdom by 2030. As part of this effort, the hub also aims to train and hire 5,000 engineers in integrated circuit design, attract over 1 billion SAR in investment capital and deep-tech funds, recruit 25 international experts through the Premium Residency Center, and provide access to 150 million+ SAR in support products via the National Technology Development Program (NTDP). From a pool of nearly 70 global applicants, EdgeCortix was among a select few chosen to participate in this prestigious program starting in early 2025. The company will receive financial grants and incentives to support the creation of its KSA subsidiary, with the office set to open in the first quarter of 2025. The Riyadh-based team will focus on engineering, product development, and business partnerships across the MENA region—further solidifying Saudi Arabia's emergence as a leading technology and semiconductor innovation hub. "At EdgeCortix, we recognize the immense potential for innovation, talent, and business growth in the Saudi market. We are honored to be one of the few global companies selected to join the NSH program, which plays a pivotal role in realizing Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030," said Dr. Sakyasingha Dasgupta, Founder & CEO of EdgeCortix Inc. "We are already building deeper partnerships with Saudi businesses eager to bring our latest edge AI acceleration solutions to the Kingdom. Demand is strong across multiple sectors—including Smart Infrastructure, Telecommunications, and Aerospace—for our SAKURA-II platform, an industry-leading, flexible, and power-efficient Generative AI accelerator for edge applications. By collaborating within the NSH framework, we look forward to driving engineering and business development with our existing product portfolio, empowering the Kingdom with advanced edge AI capabilities and supporting sustainable economic growth." "We welcome EdgeCortix to the National Semiconductor Hub and are confident in their ability to help us achieve our Vision 2030 goals," said Dr. Naveed Sherwani, Chairman of the NSH. "Their industry-proven AI acceleration technology and commitment to talent development will create a significant impact on Saudi Arabia's semiconductor landscape, positioning the Kingdom for continued leadership in AI innovation." "For more than 25 years, SBI and now SBI Middle East has been identifying and supporting leading-edge Japanese and Middle Eastern companies. When it comes to semiconductor innovation, EdgeCortix is our top recommendation," said Shiran Dias, CEO of SBI Middle East. "We have witnessed firsthand the team's talent, creativity, and technical acumen. We are confident that EdgeCortix will bring significant value to the National Semiconductor Hub Program and derive substantial benefit from operating in the broader KSA economy." About EdgeCortix EdgeCortix is pioneering the future of the connected intelligent edge. Founded in 2019 with R&D headquarters in Tokyo, Japan, EdgeCortix focuses on energy-efficient AI processing of Generative AI workloads at the edge. The company's patented, software-first "hardware and software co-exploration" system powers its AI-specific runtime reconfigurable accelerator, delivering exceptional performance for edge applications in defense, aerospace, smart cities, Industry 4.0, autonomous vehicles, and robotics. For more information about EdgeCortix, visit: Meet EdgeCortix at LEAP 2025 Join EdgeCortix in person at LEAP 2025 from February 9–12, 2025, at the Riyadh Exhibition & Convention Centre in Malham. Learn more at: View source version on Contacts For media inquiries: Racepoint Global for EdgeCortixedgecortix@ Sign in to access your portfolio
