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Ripple Expands Pentagon Freight Partnership to Tackle Geopolitical Supply Chain Disruption

Freight technology firm Ripple is deepening its engagement with Dubai-based forwarder Pentagon Freight to deliver customs intelligence and bespoke software solutions for oil and gas companies operating near the Strait of Hormuz. The expanded partnership reflects accelerating demand for real-time inventory visibility across contested trade corridors amid geopolitical instability. Ripple co-founder Adrian Smith emphasized that logistics companies deploying AI often overspend while underperforming. Smith advocates a value-stream mapping approach: reserve expensive, high-complexity AI models for critical decision points while deploying lighter, lower-cost models for routine administrative tasks. The cost differential between model tiers is substantial. Smith cautioned against indiscriminate AI adoption, warning that excessive token usage paired with minimal returns creates unsustainable business cases for organizations.