Tech News
ATLAB announces winners of ‘FIRST LEGO League,’ recognising UAE’s young innovators in robotics
The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) 2024-25 season, hosted by ATLAB, a subsidiary of the Centena Group, in collaboration with FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) and LEGO Education, announced the national winners from across the UAE during the grand finale of the ‘CHALLENGE’ category on February 9, 2025. The awards recognised young innovators from 42 participating teams for their exceptional creativity, problem-solving skills and teamwork in robotics and STEM.
The Champion’s Winner Award was presented to Team ‘ACE’ from Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences, with Team ‘PELAGIC PIONEERS’ from DPS (Delhi Private School) – Sharjah as first runner-up and Team ‘METAL MECH’ from Gems International School – Al Khail as the second runner-up.

In the Robot Performance category, Team ‘SEATROTTERS’ from Gems Millenium School – Sharjah emerged as winners, followed by Team ‘ACE’ from Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences first runner-up and Team ‘MARINE X’ from Gems Millenium School Sharjah as the second runner-up.
The winners for Robot Design were Team ‘AQUA RAPTORZ’ from DPS – Sharjah, with Team ‘SEATROTTERS’ from Gems Millenium School – Sharjah as first runner-up and Team ‘CODEBREAKERS 2.0’ from Emerging Stars Institute as second runner-up.
The Innovation Project award went to Team ‘MAWJ MYSTERY MASTERS (M CUBE)’ from DPS – Sharjah, with Team ‘HYDRATECH’ from Mayoor Pvt School as first runner-up and Team ‘NMS HYDROBOTS’ from Gems New Millennium School – Al Khail as second runner-up.
Finally, the Core Values award was won by Team ‘AIS_TECHTITANS’ from Abu Dhabi International Pvt School, while Team ‘ABYSSAL EXPLORERS’ from Abu Dhabi Indian School secured first runner-up position and ‘DIAEH TEAM 2’ from Dubai International Academy – Emirates Hill secured the second runner-up position.
This year, the competition included the Motivate Award, which was presented to Team ‘REEF RANGERS’ from Diyar Private Academy Early Years and Girl’s Campus Dibba, Fujairah in recognition of their exceptional team spirit, enthusiasm, and commitment to the core values of the FIRST LEGO League.
Charbel Najjar, the coach of Team ACE from Hamdan Bin Rashid Al Maktoum Foundation for Medical and Educational Sciences said: “The competition provided us with a dynamic platform to exhibit our innovative concepts and gain valuable experience in the realms of problem-solving, teamwork, and STEM-related skills. We aim to carry this experience forward and continue to participate in similar competitions.”
The winners in the CHALLENGE category were assessed on the basis of their robot design, performance, innovation projects and core values. Team ACE that received the Champion’s Winner Award are qualified for the international-level competition, which is held in the USA at the World Festival – Houston, Texas. Apart from this, selected teams will compete in the international competitions across the world; AIS_TECHTITANS from Abu Dhabi International Pvt School in Greece, SEATROTTERS from Gems Millenium School – Sharjah in South Africa, AQUA RAPTORZ from DPS – Sharjah and METAL MECH from Gems International School- Al Khail in Australia and PELAGIC PIONEERS from DPS – Sharjah in USA.
Nilesh Korgaonkar, CEO of ATLAB said: “The exceptional projects created by these innovators may not be directly implemented, but they might inspire real-world solutions at an international level or adopted by organisations or countries associated with FIRST. This competition is a platform for students to showcase their creativity, gain valuable experience and contribute to solving real-world problems. We are immensely proud of all the participants and winners who seized this opportunity. To ensure high-quality evaluation, we meticulously selected judges with expertise in STEM education and robotics.”
The teams were judged by esteemed professionals from different backgrounds, representing institutions, universities and schools across the UAE from both governmental and private organisations. This year’s grand finale was further enriched by the presence of special guest Rasna Hussain, a CCDI Teacher and Trainer at the UAE’s Ministry of Education, whose expertise spans Robotics, STEM Training, artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning.
In line with the UAE’s vision to foster a knowledge-based economy and empower future generations, initiatives like the FIRST LEGO League play a vital role in nurturing young innovators. By providing a platform to showcase creativity, problem-solving, and teamwork, ATLAB reaffirms its commitment to supporting the nation’s aspirations for innovation and excellence in STEM fields.
Tech News
Vertiv expands Manufacturing and Testing Capacity at Tognana Campus near Padua
Vertiv (NYSE: VRT), a global leader in critical digital infrastructure, today announced investments to expand chiller manufacturing and integrated testing capabilities at its Tognana campus near Padua. The company expects to double chiller production capacity in the region by the end of 2026 and complete a new large-scale testing laboratory in early 2027. The growth is also creating additional career opportunities across the campus. The site serves as one of Vertiv’s principal centers for cooling technology development, bringing together research and development, product management, manufacturing, and a Customer Experience Center, where customers and consultants can participate in witness testing of a broad range of cooling technologies across the thermal chain under real-world operating conditions.
With the growing demand for thermal systems to support high-density AI applications, Vertiv is focused on increasing manufacturing operations and new production processes at the Tognana site to support regional and global chiller capacity. The company is also investing in a new integrated testing laboratory for large-scale chillers, to validate their integration with liquid cooling systems under high-density load conditions and extreme temperature ranges. The expanded capability is intended to help customers validate thermal performance under expected site conditions and deploy increasingly complex cooling systems with greater speed and confidence.
“AI is driving thermal demands that didn’t exist two years ago, with higher densities, faster deployment demands, and no room to compromise on reliability,” said Giordano Albertazzi, CEO of Vertiv. “The expansion at Tognana puts us further ahead with more manufacturing capacity, integrated testing, and advanced thermal management systems built for current and future generations of silicon. This investment reinforces our position at the front of the curve.”
Vertiv has maintained a longstanding presence at the Tognana site since the 1960s, building on the legacy of brands such as Vertiv™ Liebert® and Vertiv™ Hiross, pioneers in precision cooling. Today, the campus serves as one of Vertiv’s principal European centers for data center thermal management, integrating innovation, manufacturing, testing, and customer engagement capabilities. Together with the Castel Guelfo facility near Bologna, it forms one of Vertiv’s main European technology hubs. Bologna and Tognana are also Vertiv Academy sites, providing training programs for technicians, partners and industry professionals. They are part of a network of 30 training centers and academies worldwide, of which 15 are based in Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA).
“The expertise of our Tognana teams is central to Vertiv’s ability to support increasingly complex cooling requirements,” said Sam Bainborough, vice president, thermal business at Vertiv in EMEA. “By expanding manufacturing, integrated testing and our local talent base, we are strengthening the campus’s role in serving customers across EMEA and other global markets while creating skilled opportunities in the region.”
Tech News
OPTRO LAUNCHES ‘OPTRO PARTNER CONNECT’ TO POWER GLOBAL GRC ECOSYSTEM GROWTH

Optro (formerly AuditBoard), the leading AI-powered GRC Intelligence Platform empowering enterprises to transform risk into opportunity, has announced the formal launch of Optro Partner Connect. The new partner program offers partners flexible ways to go to market, a comprehensive suite of enablement, certification, technical, and co-marketing support, and a clear, predictable path to expand into new markets, deepen their service offerings, and drive lasting customer outcomes.
Optro Partner Connect replaces legacy frameworks with a modular design centered around distinct partner tracks, initially launching with Advisory Partners and Solution Providers, and a transparent tier structure in which benefits grow as partners do. Because benefits are tiered, partners will know exactly what they can access and unlock at each stage of their journey with Optro. Supporting every partner is a dedicated Partner Center of Excellence (PCoE): a team solely focused on partner success that guides firms through onboarding and ongoing “everboarding,” helping partners reach their first wins sooner and maintain a clear line of sight on their next stage of growth.
“Partners are a critical growth engine for Optro, and Optro Partner Connect ensures our ecosystem’s experience matches the enterprise-grade quality of our platform,” said Scott Whitlock, Global VP of Alliances and Channels at Optro. “By moving away from transaction-only metrics and adopting a holistic evaluation of capacity and competency, we are giving our partners a clear blueprint to build highly profitable services practices around our GRC Intelligence Platform.”
A differentiator of the program is Optro’s roadmap to weave an AI layer throughout the partner experience to give partners back time and help them win by automating repeatable manual tasks, surfacing real-time co-sell guidance in the field, and personalizing each partner’s onboarding so they can spend less time on administration and more time on value creation.
Key Program Highlights At-A-Glance
- Flexible Tracks & Engagement Models: Partners choose how they go to market across the Advisory and Solution Provider tracks, referring, selling, or servicing with a transparent tier structure, a flexible legal framework, and recognized status as they grow. Financial and servicing incentives reward that momentum, and a services-rich platform offers eligible partners room to build a high-value practice across the full customer lifecycle — from implementation and advisory through managed services.
- Enablement, Expertise, and Market Presence: A comprehensive benefits suite spanning role-based training and certification, deep technical and co-sell support, and co-branded marketing resources. Beyond a searchable partner directory that helps customers find them, qualified partners have a path to build their own solutions, integrations, and accelerators with Optro — turning their expertise into valuable IP.
- A Strategic Voice for Optro: Through continuous feedback loops and a formal Partner Advisory Board, invited partners can participate in roadmap and go-to-market strategy discussions, helping to impact the future of connected GRC alongside Optro’s leadership rather than just delivering it.
“Our collaboration with Optro helps us transform how our clients handle audit and compliance,” said Adam Pajakowski, Principal at Crowe. “Through this new partner program, we can continue to help companies move away from outdated, manual processes. We look forward to expanding our work together and continuing to drive great results for our joint clients.”
“We’re excited about the launch of Optro Partner Connect and the added structure it brings to an already strong collaboration,” said Andrew Struthers-Kennedy, Global Lead, CAE Solutions, Protiviti. “The program introduces clearer alignment, more formal recognition, and a scalable framework for how we work together, which we believe will help drive greater consistency and impact as both organizations continue to grow.”
Optro Partner Connect formally goes live today. Comprehensive program briefs, regional guides, and deal registration resources are now available to active partners via a unified, updated partner portal. To learn more or apply to join Optro Partner Connect, visit optro.ai.
Tech News
DXC INTRODUCES DXC PRIVATE CLOUD+, BRINGING GREATER CONTROL, SECURITY, AND FLEXIBILITY TO ENTERPRISE CLOUD
DXC Technology (NYSE: DXC), a leading enterprise technology and innovation partner, has announced that its DXC Private Cloud+ is now generally available. The solution delivers public cloud–like flexibility and pricing while maintaining full control over sensitive data and workloads. Powered by Dell Technologies infrastructure like servers, storage, and cyber resilience solutions and operated by DXC OASIS, DXC’s intelligent orchestration platform, Private Cloud+ helps organizations innovate more easily while still meeting strict requirements for data security, compliance, and sovereignty, at a time when enterprise cloud strategies are rapidly evolving.
As governance, security, data sovereignty, and industry-specific requirements become just as critical as scale, global organizations across industries are moving beyond a single-cloud approach and building multi-cloud portfolios that offer greater choice and control. In this environment, Private Cloud+ adds a powerful new option—combining the economics and agility of hyperscale with the control of private cloud, while providing a unified platform to connect data centers, integrate with public clouds, and prepare for AI workloads.
“Customers across industries from manufacturing to transportation, insurance and more want hyperscale economics, flexibility, and AI-readiness in a true hybrid environment, one that works across what they already run and the public clouds they depend on. Until now, they’ve had to compromise. Private Cloud+, powered by Dell and operated by DXC OASIS, ends that trade-off and enables them to be ready as AI workloads increase,” said Chris Drumgoole, President, Global Infrastructure Services, DXC.
Hosted in DXC’s data centers and orchestrated by DXC OASIS with a Human+ approach, Private Cloud+ supports the full range of enterprise workloads, including VMs, containers, data, backup and resiliency, and private AI. The result is a single environment where customers can reduce technical debt, strengthen security, and move faster from idea to production, supported by consumption-based economics that simplify financial planning.
Private Cloud+ is offered in three editions, enabling enterprises to choose the deployment model that matches their workload, tenancy, and compliance needs:
- Core: a multi-tenant private cloud with the full Private Cloud+ feature set on consumption-based pricing
- Dedicated: a single-tenant environment for customers requiring full isolation of compute, storage, and data sovereignty
- Government: a hardened edition with advanced security controls, operated by cleared domestic personnel, for government agencies and regulated industries
“Enterprises are juggling sensitive workloads, modernization, and AI, all at once. Many are looking for infrastructure that handles it natively, without bolt-ons. That’s exactly what we built with Private Cloud+, with DXC OASIS removing the operational burden so customers can focus on innovation,” said Benjamin Greene, Director, Global Infrastructure Services, Private Cloud, DXC.
DXC and Dell have collaborated for over 25 years, jointly serving more than 2,000 customers worldwide. DXC is a Titanium Black partner in the Dell Technologies Partner Program. Private Cloud+ is a DXC Fast Track solution, focused on AI-fueled capabilities and automation that drive exponential growth.
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