Digital
UST unveils ‘Retail GenAI platform’ to transform retail operations with AI
Mumbai: UST launched its ‘UST Retail GenAI Platform’ at the London Innovation Lab. The platform, designed to revolutionise retail operations with generative AI-driven solutions, was inaugurated by Walgreens Boots Alliance, SVP & international CIO, Steve Rempel. Rempel shared insights on critical success factors for GenAI adoption, emphasising the importance of understanding the trust cycle when planning investments. Before the inauguration, UST’s CEO Krishna Sudheendra highlighted UST’s efforts in driving generative AI adoption, including the company’s initiative to train 25,000 employees in GenAI.
The platform, developed in-house by UST’s technology and industry experts, combines established business models with cutting-edge GenAI capabilities, including search, summarisation, automation, and creation. It allows retailers to pilot AI-driven solutions, test outcomes, and accelerate innovation, ultimately optimising retail operations.
“At UST, we’ve partnered with six of the world’s top ten retailers, transforming their businesses. While AI is already transforming retail operations, we still need to unlock its full potential. The UST Retail GenAI Platform offers a structured approach for exploring generative AI scenarios, marking a significant milestone in our mission to revolutionize retail operations through the power of generative AI. This is aligned to our focus on building platforms that can help scale the adoption of GenAI-led ways of working,” said Krishna Sudheendra.
UST’s recent survey underscored the importance of digital transformation, citing resilience, profitability, and sustainability as key outcomes of technological advancements. The UST AlphaAI platform further consolidates AI offerings to enhance business agility and streamline operations.
Digital
OpenAI’s Stargate lead Peter Hoeschele exits with two senior leaders
Trio behind compute push set to join new startup amid leadership reshuffle
SAN FRANCISCO: Peter Hoeschele, a key figure behind OpenAI’s early Stargate data centre initiative, has exited the company, according to a report by The Information.
The departure is part of a broader leadership shift, with two other senior executives, Shamez Hemani and Anuj Saharan, also set to leave in the coming days. All three are expected to join the same new startup, although details about the venture remain under wraps.
The trio played a central role in OpenAI’s Stargate effort, an initiative aimed at building large-scale data centre capacity in-house to reduce reliance on external infrastructure providers. Their exits mark a notable moment for the company’s compute strategy as it continues to scale rapidly.
OpenAI spokesperson said in a statement to The Information, “We’re grateful for the contributions Peter, Shamez, and Anuj have made to OpenAI and wish them the very best in what comes next.” The company also pointed to the recent appointment of Sachin Katti to lead its industrial compute organisation, signalling continuity in its infrastructure roadmap.
OpenAI has indicated that it does not plan to directly replace Hoeschele’s role, suggesting a possible restructuring of responsibilities within the team.
As competition intensifies in the race to build next-generation AI systems, leadership changes in core infrastructure teams are likely to draw close attention. For now, the spotlight shifts to what this departing trio builds next, and how OpenAI adapts as it scales its ambitions.
