Agora, the Denodo Cloud Service, now available on the Microsoft Marketplace to Power Agentic AI Use Cases

Agora enables Microsoft Azure customers worldwide to leverage their full data estate across hybrid, multi-cloud, and data-sovereignty environments to accelerate agentic AI initiatives

PALO ALTO, Calif., May 28 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Denodo, a leader in data management and a Microsoft AI Cloud Partner, announced that Agora, the Denodo Cloud Service — a fully managed platform — is now available on the Microsoft Marketplace. Agora provides native integrations with Microsoft services including Microsoft Fabric, Azure Data Lake Storage (ADLS) Gen2, Power BI, and Azure Synapse Analytics, as well as partner services such as Azure OpenAI and Azure Databricks. Agora, combined with Microsoft’s AI and data services, enable organizations to extend their agentic AI capabilities to critical data residing in 200+ source systems across on-premises systems, SaaS offerings, and other cloud platforms while facilitating compliance with regulatory, data sovereignty, and security requirements.

Agora complements Microsoft Fabric’s semantic intelligence capabilities by providing the logical data access layer that connects AI agents to operational and analytical data outside Microsoft systems. While Microsoft Fabric delivers semantic understanding and orchestration capabilities for AI agents through Fabric IQ, Agora enables those agents to access live, trusted data from non-Microsoft sources — including SAP, Oracle, Salesforce, Snowflake, and hundreds of additional systems across on-premises and hybrid environments. This complementary architecture supports multiple agent consumption patterns, from Microsoft Copilot agents accessing enterprise-wide data through Agora's Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration to custom AI agents built with Microsoft Foundry leveraging Agora’s APIs for real-time data retrieval. Agora also includes a data marketplace that enables PowerBI and other business users to find, access, and utilize enterprise data through the same semantic layer that powers AI agents, enabling humans and AI agents to share consistent business definitions and context.

Together, Agora’s agentic-AI-ready data foundation and Microsoft’s AI and data services power real-time decision-making, hyper-personalized experiences, agentic workflows, and other hybrid and multi-cloud use cases that depend on live, governed access to distributed data. This approach minimizes latency, reduces data drift risk, and ensures mission-critical insights and automated actions are always based on the most current information available. To support secure, governed access and enable seamless compliance, Agora integrates with Microsoft Entra ID and delivers fine-grained data governance capabilities such as attribute-based access control, end-to-end lineage, and policy enforcement for non-Microsoft sources.

“Microsoft is pleased to welcome Agora to Microsoft Azure and the Microsoft Marketplace,” said Jake Zborowski, general manager, Microsoft Azure Platform at Microsoft Corp. “Together with Denodo, we look forward to helping enterprises accelerate agentic AI initiatives — especially those operating in complex hybrid, multi-cloud, and data-sovereign environments.”

With Agora available on the Microsoft Marketplace, organizations can get started quickly with options ranging from free trials to private offers for annual contracts and consumption-based pricing. These options enable customers to choose the model that best fits their business needs, while streamlining procurement and enabling customers to apply their Denodo purchase — an Azure IP co-sell-eligible solution — toward their Microsoft Azure Consumption Commitment (MACC).

“With Agora’s availability on the Microsoft Marketplace and seamless integrations to Microsoft’s AI and data services, we offer our mutual customers a powerful solution for agentic AI use cases that leverage an organization’s entire data estate across hybrid and multi-cloud environments,” said Suresh Chandrasekaran, executive vice president, Denodo. “Agora on the Microsoft Marketplace delivers new levels of agility, scalability, cost-efficiency, and ease-of-use.”

For more information

• Agora on the Microsoft Marketplace

About Denodo
Denodo is a global leader in data management, powering trustworthy AI agents and applications. The Denodo Platform, an award-winning logical data management solution, transforms enterprise data into reliable insights for AI, analytics, and self-service initiatives. Organizations worldwide use Denodo to deliver AI-ready, business-ready data in a fraction of the time compared to traditional data lakehouses, achieving up to 4x faster time-to-insight, 345% ROI, and 10x better performance. For more information, visit denodo.com.

Media contacts
pr@denodo.com

SOURCE: Denodo Technologies Inc. (“Denodo”)

--BERNAMA 

Tianjin Foreign Studies University Festival Draws Participants From 19 Countries

 

Tianjin Foreign Studies University holds International Culture Festival & College Fair.

KUALA LUMPUR, May 22 (Bernama) -- Tianjin Foreign Studies University (TFSU) recently hosted its Ninth International Culture Festival & College Fair, attracting more than 300 international teachers and students, alongside Chinese and foreign guests from 19 countries and regions.

Participants from countries including Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Belarus, Egypt, Vietnam and Guatemala took part in cultural exchange activities featuring both Chinese and international elements.

TFSU president and the party committee secretary, Li Yingying said the university has established long-term cooperation with more than 400 universities and institutions across over 50 countries through its multilingual education and international programmes.

Li said the university remains committed to international Chinese language education and the development of overseas Confucius Institutes while promoting cultural exchange initiatives.

In a statement, TFSU said a campus open day was also held alongside the festival, offering prospective students an opportunity to learn more about the university and its international programmes.

At the opening ceremony, the Belt and Road research centre for pharmaceutical regulations was inaugurated, together with the launch of a multilingual publishing project on Tianjin’s future development in Chinese, Russian and English.

-- BERNAMA

CGTN HIGHLIGHTS CHINA-RUSSIA TIES AHEAD OF PUTIN’S CHINA VISIT

KUALA LUMPUR, May 18 (Bernama) -- China Global Television Network (CGTN) has published an article ahead of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s state visit to China from May 19 to 20, highlighting the evolution of China-Russia relations and the role of head-of-state diplomacy in strengthening bilateral ties.

The visit comes as both countries mark several milestones this year, including the 25th anniversary of the signing of the China-Russia Treaty of Good-Neighborliness and Friendly Cooperation, the founding of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), and the 30th anniversary of the establishment of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

According to CGTN in a statement, high-level exchanges between Chinese President Xi Jinping and Putin have become a defining feature of bilateral relations, with the two leaders having met more than 40 times over the past decade.

The report cited Zhao Long, a research fellow at the Center for Russian and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, as saying that head-of-state diplomacy has become a pillar of political mutual trust and practical cooperation between the two countries.

CGTN said China and Russia have expanded cooperation in trade, energy, and cultural exchanges while also strengthening coordination on international platforms, including the United Nations, SCO, BRICS, APEC and the G20.

According to the latest data from China's Ministry of Commerce, bilateral trade between China and Russia reached US$227.9 billion in 2025, marking the third consecutive year that trade surpassed the US$200 billion level. (US$1 = RM3.94)

The article also highlighted growing people-to-people exchanges, including cultural programmes held under the 2024-2025 China-Russia Years of Culture initiative and the introduction of a mutual visa-free policy in 2025.

CGTN said the upcoming meeting between Xi and Putin is expected to further strengthen bilateral ties and contribute to global stability amid growing international uncertainty.

-- BERNAMA

GUANGZHOU ARBITRATION COMMISSION OPENS GLOBAL ARBITRATOR APPLICATIONS

KUALA LUMPUR, May 15 (Bernama) -- The Guangzhou Arbitration Commission (GZAC) has opened global applications for its panel of arbitrators, seeking professionals with cross-border alternative dispute resolution (ADR) experience in fields including law, international trade and commerce.

The application process is conducted entirely online via the official application platform until June 15, with priority given to professionals with extensive experience in legal and commercial affairs, maritime and admiralty matters, science and technology, and ADR.

The commission in a statement said it is particularly interested in candidates with qualifications to practise in multiple jurisdictions, recognised professional standing, substantial experience in cross-border arbitral proceedings, and proficiency in at least one language, namely English, French, Spanish, Arabic, Russian, or Italian.

According to the Regulations on the Construction of Guangzhou International Commercial Arbitration Center, effective May 2026, the GZAC will establish an internationally competitive remuneration system for arbitrators, providing overseas arbitrators with market-orientated compensation aligned with their expertise and contributions.

Guangzhou was ranked among the world's most preferred seats of arbitration, according to the 2025 International Arbitration Survey, while the GZAC arbitration rules were recognised as among the world's most widely used arbitration rules.

The Commission currently handles cases involving parties from 67 countries and jurisdictions, covering international trade, cross-border investment, intellectual property, and maritime and commercial disputes. Its arbitral awards have been recognised and enforced by courts in multiple jurisdictions, including the United States and Malaysia.

In 2025, the GZAC accepted a record-breaking 27,000 filings, involving a total dispute value of 92.1 billion Chinese yuan. Its international docket comprised 877 foreign-related cases worth 12.3 billion Chinese yuan. (100 Chinese yuan = RM58.06).

With overseas arbitrators appointed in 610 of these proceedings, the GZAC continues to solidify its position as China’s premier seat for international disputes by volume of foreign-related cases.

-- BERNAMA

LinkedIn is the #2 most-cited source in AI answers, new Meltwater report finds

 

Analysis of 9.5 million AI citations shows real-world expertise is driving visibility in AI search


SAN FRANCISCO, May 13 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Meltwater, the global leader in actionable intelligence for PR, Communications and Marketing teams, today released new research showing LinkedIn is the #2 most cited source by AI models, second only to YouTube. An analysis of 9.5 million AI citations across 16 B2B categories using Meltwater’s GenAI Lens reveals the content that AI platforms prioritize, and why authentic, expert-driven content is emerging as a critical driver of B2B brand visibility.

How AI is changing the way information is found

AI tools like ChatGPT, Claude and Microsoft Copilot are fundamentally changing how people search for and consume information. When people turn to AI assistants for recommendations, research, or decision-making, the brands and products highlighted – or omitted – directly influence awareness, reputation, and buying behavior. In fact, research from 6sense shows that 94% of B2B buyers use LLMs during their buying process.

As AI becomes a primary source of information, optimizing for visibility inside AI-generated answers is no longer optional. For B2B brands who want to stay top of mind for buyers, Meltwater’s research underscores why LinkedIn is critical to a brand being discoverable in AI search.

What content AI models prioritize and cite

This research breaks down the specific signals and content types on LinkedIn that influence what AI models choose to cite. Several key patterns emerged, including:

• Individual voices drive the majority of visibility. Approximately 75% of LinkedIn citations came from individual member profiles and 25% come from Company Pages. While individual member content tends to get cited more often, balancing individual and corporate content remains important.
• Structured content performs best. The most frequently cited LinkedIn content, including articles and posts, consistently feature clear formatting (bullet points, numbered lists), strong headings, named entities, and quantitative data.
• AI rewards relevance over reach. More than half of citations (51%) came from members with less than 10k followers, showing that AI models prioritize clarity, expertise, and usefulness over popularity alone.
• LinkedIn dominates Tech, Professional Services, FinTech and Marketing. The platform performs especially well where questions are professional, technical, or decision-driven, ranking LinkedIn in the top 5 in citations for B2B searches across key industries, including Technology & SaaS, Consulting & Professional Services, Financial Services & FinTech, Marketing & Advertising, and HR & Talent.
• Third-party and user-generated content have an edge. Platforms like LinkedIn, Reddit, and YouTube account for 47.5% of AI citations, compared to 15% from peer review sites and 18.7% from company websites.

“For the last twenty years, the job of a brand was to be discoverable. In an AI-first world, the job is to be the answer. LLMs are now the first stop for decisions that used to take hours of research – and if your brand isn’t being cited, you’re not in the consideration set,” said Chris Hackney, Chief Product Officer at Meltwater. “What this data makes clear is that AI models aren’t looking for the loudest voice in the room – they’re looking for the most credible voice. Organizations that are discoverable in reputable earned media, credible with structured, factual content, and consistent with the channels they engage on, are the ones that will show up when decisions are being made.”

“Product and brand discovery doesn’t happen in stages anymore – it starts with a question and ends with an AI assistant’s answer,” said Davang Shah, Vice President of Marketing at LinkedIn. “If your brand isn’t showing up in LLMs, you’re not just missing awareness, you’re missing the moment of decision. That’s why being discoverable, credible and consistently cited isn’t a nice-to-have, it’s what defines your buyability and determines whether your products or solutions get considered and ultimately get bought.”

To read the full report, visit: https://www.meltwater.com/en/resources/linkedin-gen-ai-visibility-report

For more information, please contact:
Kelly Costello
Corporate Communications Director
pr@meltwater.com

About Meltwater
Meltwater is the global leader in actionable intelligence for PR, Communications, and Marketing teams. By analyzing 1.3 billion pieces of content daily, Meltwater transforms media, social, and AI signals into intelligence that leaders rely on to make faster, more confident decisions. With 27,000 customers worldwide, Meltwater is the intelligence platform global brands trust to stay ahead. Meltwater: Intelligence you can act on.

Learn more at meltwater.com.

SOURCE: Meltwater

AGC Biologics Expands Deal With Novelty Nobility For Antibody Production

KUALA LUMPUR, May 4 (Bernama) -- AGC Biologics, a global biopharmaceutical contract development and manufacturing organisation (CDMO), has expanded its manufacturing agreement with South Korea-based biotech company Novelty Nobility to advance a bispecific antibody drug candidate.

According to a statement, Novelty Nobility will progress its candidate, NN4101, through process development and GMP manufacturing at AGC Biologics’ facility in Chiba, Japan.

The partnership builds on earlier collaboration between the companies, including completed cell line development in Copenhagen, Denmark, and will leverage AGC Biologics’ global network for subsequent manufacturing stages.

AGC Biologics Senior Vice President and General Manager of its Chiba site, Susumu Zen-in said the company’s integrated global network enables seamless project execution.

“This approach is creating wins for our partners and for AGC Biologics throughout the APAC region. The upcoming capacity at our new Yokohama site will only strengthen our ability to meet the global demand for vital biopharmaceuticals,” he added.

Meanwhile, Novelty Nobility Chief Executive Officer, Sang Gyu Park said the partnership supports the advancement of complex biologics programmes.

“AGC Biologics has proven to be an ideal manufacturing partner for advancing our most complex programmes. Their global network gives us the confidence to move NN4101 forward with speed and precision,” he said.

NN4101 is a first-in-class bispecific antibody targeting neovascular retinal diseases, combining an anti-c-Kit monoclonal antibody with a vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) trap.

AGC Biologics is also expanding its footprint in Japan with a new facility in Yokohama, designed to support large-scale GMP manufacturing using single-use bioreactor technology, making it one of the most advanced facilities of its kind in Japan.

-- BERNAMA

What is the best internet solution for business travel? Why Holafly for Business is becoming the preferred choice for global companies

 

DUBLIN, May 5 (Bernama-GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- For IT teams, one of the biggest risks when an employee travels is not the flight itself, but what happens upon arrival: landing without reliable internet access. This goes far beyond lost time, as it often translates into lack of access to critical tools, reliance on unsecured public WiFi networks, and decisions being made without real-time information.

As global workforces become increasingly distributed, companies are rethinking how they support their teams abroad, moving away from fragmented solutions towards more integrated approaches. In this shift, solutions like Holafly for Business are emerging as a foundational layer that allows IT departments to regain control, visibility, and security, ensuring that employees can access mobile data the moment they land without dependency on external networks.

This transformation is closely tied to the evolution of business travel itself. According to the Global Business Travel Association (GBTA), global business travel spend is expected to reach $1.69 trillion in 2026, reflecting a structural shift towards more geographically distributed ways of working, where the ability to operate seamlessly from anywhere is a baseline expectation.

The operational impact of connectivity gaps is already measurable, with GBTA data indicating that business travelers lose an average of 5.2 productive hours per trip due to connectivity-related challenges. At the same time, security has moved to the center of the conversation. With the average cost of a corporate data breach reaching $4.88 million, according to IBM Security, relying on public WiFi networks is no longer a viable option for many organizations.

Alongside these challenges, the way companies manage data services internally is also a challenge itself. Platforms like Holafly Business Center allow IT teams to centralize eSIM management, monitor usage in real time, and automate billing processes, reducing operational complexity while providing the level of visibility required to manage distributed teams effectively. According to Gartner, organizations that adopt automation in IT operations can reduce management costs by up to 30%, reinforcing the value of more scalable solutions.

Cost predictability when it comes to roaming fees is another factor driving this shift, as traditional roaming models continue to generate unexpected and difficult-to-forecast expenses, solutions like Holafly for Business can reduce these costs by up to 85%, offering both savings and the financial stability that global operations increasingly demand.

“Companies are no longer asking whether their teams will be online when they travel, but how reliably and securely they can operate from anywhere,” said Ricardo Rodriguez, Head of Sales at Holafly for Business.

About Holafly
Holafly is the global leader in eSIMs for travelers, offering coverage in over 200 destinations. With an outstanding 4.6/5 rating on Trustpilot and more than 15 million satisfied users, it has become the preferred eSIM choice for international travelers. Its unlimited data offering ensures peace of mind anywhere in the world.

Contact: press@holafly.com 

A photo accompanying this announcement is available at https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ff9372ad-41f6-4acc-8266-5578d80cc425 

SOURCE: Holafly