Latest news with #Prism
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
AM Best Affirms Credit Ratings of Prism Assurance, Ltd.
OLDWICK, N.J., June 20, 2025--(BUSINESS WIRE)--AM Best has affirmed the Financial Strength Rating of A- (Excellent) and the Long-Term Issuer Credit Rating of "a-" (Excellent) of Prism Assurance, Ltd. (Prism) (Burlington, VT). The outlook of these Credit Ratings (ratings) is stable. The ratings reflect Prism's balance sheet strength, which AM Best assesses as very strong, as well as its adequate operating performance, limited business profile and appropriate enterprise risk management (ERM). The stable outlooks reflect AM Best's expectation that the captive insurer will maintain its very strong level of balance sheet strength and adequate operating performance supported by risk-adjusted capitalization at the strongest level, as measured by Best's Capital Adequacy Ratio (BCAR), steady streams of income from intangible assets and the execution of prudent risk management strategies. Further, Prism also has sufficient liquidity supported by the company's ability to call on its loan-back to the parent, in addition to the financial flexibility afforded through the parent company, Apogee Enterprises, Inc. (Apogee) [NASDAQ: APOG], if needed. As a single parent captive, Prism inherently benefits from a low expense structure/ratio with minimal distribution, driving an expense ratio that is much lower than that of traditional commercial insurers. There is manageable volatility in the company's underwriting performance from the low frequency, high severity type claims it was established to cover. The parent contributes trademarks and associated royalty income to the captive in addition to interest from the parent loan-back to provide a steady stream of net investment income. Profitability metrics in terms of return on revenue, return on equity, and return on invested assets far exceed industry averages on both five- and 10-year terms. Prism is the single-parent captive insurance company of Apogee, one of the largest architectural design and construction companies in the United States. AM Best assesses Prism's business profile as limited as the company provides very specific lines of coverage to Apogee, although its risks do have a level of geographic diversification, reflecting the scope of the parent's operations. As a captive, Prism is an integral component of the Apogee organization's overall risk management capability and awareness. The company is interwoven into Apogee's ERM program, and as a result, Prism displays excellent risk identification and mitigation processes. Prism works cohesively with business units across the overall organization to reduce claims severity and frequency. Negative rating impact could occur if a deterioration of Prism's operating performance leads to a material loss of risk-adjusted capitalization or if AM Best's perception of the parent's ability and willingness to support the captive materially declines. Positive rating action, although unlikely in the near term, could occur due to a sustained trend of improvement in the company's operating performance. AM Best remains the leading rating agency of alternative risk transfer entities, with more than 200 such vehicles rated in the United States and throughout the world. For current Best's Credit Ratings and independent data on the captive and alternative risk transfer insurance market, please visit This press release relates to Credit Ratings that have been published on AM Best's website. For all rating information relating to the release and pertinent disclosures, including details of the office responsible for issuing each of the individual ratings referenced in this release, please see AM Best's Recent Rating Activity web page. For additional information regarding the use and limitations of Credit Rating opinions, please view Guide to Best's Credit Ratings. For information on the proper use of Best's Credit Ratings, Best's Performance Assessments, Best's Preliminary Credit Assessments and AM Best press releases, please view Guide to Proper Use of Best's Ratings & Assessments. AM Best is a global credit rating agency, news publisher and data analytics provider specializing in the insurance industry. Headquartered in the United States, the company does business in over 100 countries with regional offices in London, Amsterdam, Dubai, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mexico City. For more information, visit Copyright © 2025 by A.M. Best Rating Services, Inc. and/or its affiliates. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. View source version on Contacts Luke Davies Financial Analyst +1 908 882 2467 Dan Teclaw Director +1 908 882 2390 Christopher Sharkey Associate Director, Public Relations +1 908 882 2310 Al Slavin Senior Public Relations Specialist +1 908 882 2318 Sign in to access your portfolio
Techday NZ
3 days ago
- Business
- Techday NZ
Lantronix & Aerora partner to advance AI-powered drone systems
Lantronix has entered into a new collaboration with Aerora to drive development in Edge AI-driven solutions for drones, robotics, and surveillance applications targeting multiple industry sectors. The relationship pairs Aerora's OEM platform for AI-powered visual navigation systems with Lantronix's Open-Q System-on-Module (SoM), which leverages Qualcomm Technologies chipsets. This aims to deliver processing power for situational awareness, computational imaging, and real-time decision-making in high-demand scenarios. Market opportunity The global drone market is anticipated to reach $163.6 billion by 2030, with a compound annual growth rate of 15% according to Grandview Research. Segments such as logistics, agriculture, infrastructure and public safety are identified as the principal drivers for this expansion. The U.S. Federal Government has affirmed the importance of unmanned aircraft systems for commercial and government uses, offering support for manufacturers in the field. Lantronix and Aerora are responding to increasing commercial and governmental demand for advanced drone solutions, especially where AI-driven features can offer new capabilities. The partnership is positioned to speed up technological advancement while helping original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) face the challenge of shortening development timelines and maintaining quality. Technology integration At the core of the solution is Aerora's platform, which incorporates pre-integration of key system components including the camera, gimbal, gimbal motors, housing, telemetry and interface. Developers can achieve simultaneous 4K video streaming alongside high-resolution thermal video, which expands operational capacity in surveillance, search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and industrial inspections. The integrated package also includes the Teledyne FLIR Hadron 640R module and Prism software, bringing thermal and RGB imaging to new levels of precision and reliability. Such technologies address the pressure for faster time-to-market and reduced engineering overhead in a competitive sector. "Lantronix's collaboration with Aerora promises to advance the development of AI-powered drones and other intelligent applications, equipping developers with cutting-edge tools from leading embedded compute technologies," said Saleel Awsare, CEO and president of Lantronix. "This breakthrough in advanced AI-driven solutions delivers a transformative impact, opening doors to new opportunities in both private and government sectors." Lantronix's Open-Q SoMs serve as the foundation for the AI systems, providing reliability for drone, robotics and surveillance application developers as they seek to deploy Edge AI while retaining access to embedded compute expertise. OEM focus and compliance Aerora's technology has an emphasis on achieving NDAA (National Defense Authorization Act) compliance, a critical standard for many government and defence customers in the United States. By merging capabilities from Lantronix, Qualcomm Technologies, and Teledyne FLIR, Aerora intends to offer a solution that is not only flexible but scalable for manufacturing at high volumes. "At Aerora, our core mission is to deliver rapid integration, flexible sensor solutions and fully NDAA-compliant manufacturing at scale. By collaborating closely with industry leaders like Lantronix and Qualcomm and integrating advanced imaging technologies such as Teledyne FLIR's Hadron 640R, we empower drone OEMs to significantly reduce development timelines, expand their operational capabilities and confidently meet demanding market requirements," said Ghel Ghedh, chief technology officer for Aerora. This ongoing incorporation of AI-powered navigation, imaging, and control systems is anticipated to support OEM drone manufacturers with faster and more reliable product development, meeting both technology and regulatory benchmarks. Through these efforts, both companies seek to support expansion in drone usage across civil, industrial, and public safety sectors, where high standards for imaging and rapid response are increasingly required.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
John Butler Announces Two NZ Dates
Press Release – Sandra Roberts New Studio Album 'PRISM' – Released September 5 on Jarrah Records Chart-topping alternative singer-songwriter John Butler today announces his long-awaited return to New Zealand – his first band shows in nearly a decade – performing two intimate club shows at Meow Nui, Wellington and Powerstation, Auckland in September. John reunites on PRISM tour with his first ever touring drummer, NZ legend Michael Barker. The concerts coincide with the release of his deeply personal new studio album 'PRISM' on 5 September. Butler said, 'I am really looking forward to returning to New Zealand with the band for the Prism album launch. Loving playing with Ian Peres, Michael Boase and reuniting with Michael Barker on the drums. We've been having such a great time bringing these new songs to life on stage and the older songs are sounding BETTER THAN ever. Sorry couldn't help myself!' Significantly, 'PRISM' marks a formal departure from the John Butler Trio moniker. It's an album that is contemplative and explosive, joyous and free, funk-filled, cinematic and unapologetic, with singles 'Trippin On You' and 'So Sorry' already released. 'PRISM' is Season Three of Butler's Four Season roll-out – following Season One's album of meditations ('Running River') and Season Two's fully instrumental album ('Still Searching'). Butler, who featured in the 2024 Symphony at the Auckland Domain, is widely celebrated for his epic guitar instrumentals and pedal board wizardry. The New Zealand dates follow an extensive two-month North American summer tour, with Dispatch, Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love & Special Sauce and Illiterate Light, including shows in Nashville, Red Rocks, NYC's Rooftop at Pier 17, Ravinia and more.
Scoop
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Scoop
John Butler Announces Two NZ Dates
Chart-topping alternative singer-songwriter John Butler today announces his long-awaited return to New Zealand – his first band shows in nearly a decade – performing two intimate club shows at Meow Nui, Wellington and Powerstation, Auckland in September. John reunites on PRISM tour with his first ever touring drummer, NZ legend Michael Barker. The concerts coincide with the release of his deeply personal new studio album 'PRISM' on 5 September. Butler said, 'I am really looking forward to returning to New Zealand with the band for the Prism album launch. Loving playing with Ian Peres, Michael Boase and reuniting with Michael Barker on the drums. We've been having such a great time bringing these new songs to life on stage and the older songs are sounding BETTER THAN ever. Sorry couldn't help myself!' Significantly, 'PRISM' marks a formal departure from the John Butler Trio moniker. It's an album that is contemplative and explosive, joyous and free, funk-filled, cinematic and unapologetic, with singles 'Trippin On You' and 'So Sorry' already released. 'PRISM' is Season Three of Butler's Four Season roll-out – following Season One's album of meditations ('Running River') and Season Two's fully instrumental album ('Still Searching'). Butler, who featured in the 2024 Symphony at the Auckland Domain, is widely celebrated for his epic guitar instrumentals and pedal board wizardry. The New Zealand dates follow an extensive two-month North American summer tour, with Dispatch, Donavon Frankenreiter, G. Love & Special Sauce and Illiterate Light, including shows in Nashville, Red Rocks, NYC's Rooftop at Pier 17, Ravinia and more. Wed 24 September Meow Nui, Wellington Thurs 25 September Powerstation, Auckland
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Yahoo
I spoke with Arm about PC gaming and was told that Windows software compatibility is 'largely a solved problem'
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Last week, I got the chance to speak to Chris Bergey, Senior VP and General Manager for the Client side of Arm Holdings, and after picking his brain about Windows on Arm for PC gaming, I'm carefully optimistic about the future. Emphasis on carefully, though, because the proof will ultimately be in the pudding (or rather, in the eating of the pudding, if you're gonna be all pedantic about it). Windows on Arm has been around for a while, but in many ways, it made its real entrance last year with the Snapdragon X chips. Upon these chips' launch in some Windows on Arm laptops, however, it was quickly noted that there were many apps that just didn't work at all. I was keen to hear what Arm thinks about this problem today, so I asked Bergey. He told me in no uncertain terms: "The compatibility thing, in our mind, is really something that's largely a solved problem." The word "largely", of course, might do a lot of the legwork here, as it depends on what kinds of apps we're talking about and the kinds of users we're considering. Bergey explains: "I think that there's a lot of concern about [software compatibility], but what we're actually seeing has been quite exciting. I mean, I think Microsoft put out quite a few kinds of proof points there—you know, they obviously have a lot of telemetry. You know, the average users spend about 93% of their time now, with native Arm apps, and the other ones that are not native are quite performant." After rooting around online, the closest I could find to that 93% figure was Microsoft saying one year ago that "Nearly 90% of the total app minutes that users spend in apps today have native Arm versions, providing the most efficient and performant experience. And if they need to run apps in emulation, they'll experience a significant performance boost with the new Prism emulator for app compatibility and performance." It's important to note that 90% of time spent in apps, of course, doesn't mean 90% of apps—people might spend most of their time in a minority of apps. But native Arm app coverage does seem to be quite large, now, for the general user, whether it's browser, communication, or even creative software. And Prism can at least render non-native apps usable. But of course, I was keen to move on to talk about gaming, as that's what we're most interested in, here. Regarding this, Bergey seems well aware of some of the problems with using an Arm chip for gaming. One of the primary compatibility problems with gaming and Windows on Arm comes from anti-cheats. The client VP explains: "The way [these anti-cheats are] written is they're actually looking for some registers … Well, those registers don't exist in the [Arm] architecture. They're kind of like some legacy registers that are not actually required. So that's why that kicked over the anti-cheat stuff. We had to work with Microsoft and partners on just kind of getting those things addressed … I think it's a journey, but I think for a lot of users the experience is quite good." Despite working on addressing those issues with partners, we know that gaming is still far from perfect on Arm. Just a few months ago our Ian Evenden took a deep dive into Windows on Arm for gaming and found that while performance tends to be surprisingly good in games that do work, there are still a bunch that don't. Bergey hinted at what seems to be the crux of the matter and the crux of the future for PC gaming on Arm, if there is to be such a future: "I think that generally, there's becoming more and more value for game developers to be, I guess, instruction set agnostic … As there becomes more of these kind of cross platform [integrations, eg, between Android and Chrome], it's going to become more and more important or interesting to developers say, you know, of course, we'll do an Arm build as well as our x86 build." I pressed Bergey a little on this, and he explained what this might look like moving forward: "I think what happens is that developers just say, 'I'm going to go support the arm ecosystem and the x86 ecosystem,' right? I don't think that they're going to have to do this kind of like, pick one, right? I think what you'll just see is developers say, Hey, I'm just going to go support both. Your next upgrade Best CPU for gaming: The top chips from Intel and gaming motherboard: The right graphics card: Your perfect pixel-pusher SSD for gaming: Get into the game ahead of the rest. "And of course, there's extra work, and of course, there's going to need to be some industry incentive and stuff to make that happen. But that's the same thing with, you know, supporting an AMD graphics card and an Nvidia graphics card, right? … But at the end of the day, it's in the game developer's best interest to support [both]." In other words, then, it looks like Arm sees the solution to Windows on Arm gaming compatibility to be in the hands of game developers choosing to make that choice to build in native Arm support. I'm unsure whether that future will pan out exactly as Arm envisions, but if the popularity of SteamOS and increasing Linux adoption is anything to go by, it seems PC gamers might be a little more willing to try something new. To the extent that Windows sitting on top of a different architecture is new, perhaps that's something that game developers will indeed keep in mind. No crystal balls here, though. We'll just have to wait and see.
