Saudi Arabia’s NHC, NAVER Agree to Operate Smart City Solutions for Digital Twin Platform 'Baladi'

The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail. (SPA)
The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail. (SPA)
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Saudi Arabia’s NHC, NAVER Agree to Operate Smart City Solutions for Digital Twin Platform 'Baladi'

The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail. (SPA)
The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail. (SPA)

In a pioneering move towards digital transformation, Saudi Arabia’s National Housing Company (NHC) signed on Sunday a contract with the Republic of Korea's NAVER Cloud Platform to implement smart city solutions on the digital twin platform "Baladi."

The collaboration aims to adopt global best practices in the municipal and housing sectors by utilizing innovative technologies such as artificial intelligence and advanced cloud services.

The signing ceremony was attended by Minister of Municipalities and Housing Majed bin Abdullah Al-Hogail.

The integration will facilitate the development of advanced digital solutions in major cities across Saudi Arabia, including 3D maps, simulation models for urban planning and flood management, and monitoring and control centers.

The partnership aligns with NHC's commitment as the leading developer of residential communities to boost digital capabilities in the municipal and housing sectors and achieve a sustainable future that supports the aspirations of citizens and the goals of Saudi Vision 2030.



Intuitive Surgical Results Beat on Growing Demand for Surgical Robots

Representation photo: Employees work at the office of humanoid robots developer Ex-Robots in Dalian, Liaoning province, China June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Representation photo: Employees work at the office of humanoid robots developer Ex-Robots in Dalian, Liaoning province, China June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo
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Intuitive Surgical Results Beat on Growing Demand for Surgical Robots

Representation photo: Employees work at the office of humanoid robots developer Ex-Robots in Dalian, Liaoning province, China June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo
Representation photo: Employees work at the office of humanoid robots developer Ex-Robots in Dalian, Liaoning province, China June 6, 2024. REUTERS/Florence Lo

Intuitive Surgical on Thursday beat estimates for second-quarter profit and revenue on growing demand for its surgical robots used in minimally invasive procedures, sending its shares up 6.7% after the bell.
Investor expectations around medical device makers have grown lately on hopes of elevated demand for surgical procedures as people, especially older adults, opt for medical procedures deferred during the pandemic, Reuters said.
On an adjusted basis, Intuitive earned $1.78 per share for the quarter ended June 30, beating analysts' estimates of $1.54 per share, according to LSEG data.
The company reported quarterly revenue of $2.01 billion, compared with analysts' estimates of $1.97 billion.
The rise in revenue was driven in part by growth in the procedure volume from the company's surgical robots called da Vinci. Worldwide da Vinci procedure volumes rose about 17%, from a year ago, the company said.
Industry bellwether Johnson & Johnson on Wednesday posted a 2.2% rise in second quarter sales at its medical technology business, but fell short of analysts' estimates.
Larger peer Abbott Laboratories also raised its annual profit forecast, helped by double-digit growth in sales of its glucose monitors and strong demand for heart devices.