Author: Techtime

Pangea appoints Eyal Benaroya as Executive Vice President and Head of Digital Insights Division

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Pangea IT, a leader in digital transformation for government, public sector, and enterprise organizations, has announced the appointment of Eyal Ben Aroya as Vice President and Head of the Digital Insights Division.

Bringing over 25 years of experience in high-tech, defense, and intelligence sectors, Benaroya has a strong track record in driving innovation and delivering large-scale projects for governments and commercial organizations. He has held management positions at prominent companies such as NICE, Elbit Systems, ECI, and Telrad.

Benaroya is a seasoned expert in leveraging innovative technologies across various domains including big data, data mining, business intelligence (BI), artificial intelligence (AI), and machine learning (ML). He holds a bachelor’s degree with honors in electrical engineering from the University of New Haven in Connecticut and an MBA from Ben-Gurion University.

In his new role, Benaroya will lead the Digital Insights Division as a strategic business unit focused on providing AI-driven predictive capabilities. The division’s technology offering enables decision-makers to analyze large databases and identify anomalies relating to operations, security, quality of service, finance, and fraud detection. The AI Insights dashboard displays actionable information to improve planning, forecasting, and the day-to-day operations for government and public entities. Digital Insights also offers similar capabilities to Pangea’s public-service customers, including the Immigration Authority and entities in sectors such as border control, health, elections, finance, energy, and infrastructure.

Pangea has already started integrating the division’s AI solutions into ongoing projects, including a significant $70 million initiative to produce Certificates of Integrity (Certificates of Non-Criminal Record) for the Congolese government. Additionally, the division is collaborating with a major telecom company in Latin America to develop a financial flow forecasting dashboard for their group’s 30 companies. The division has developed a versatile product platform that enables the rapid construction of AI models tailored to common government operation scenarios.

Eyal Benaroya, EVP and Head of Digital Insights Division at Pangea, stated, “AI plays a pivotal role in driving predictive capabilities that enhance services for citizens and our public-sector customers. We plan to expand the Digital Insights Division, recruiting top talent in product management and R&D teams, including experts in AI, ML, BI, big data, algorithms, and data science. Our division already includes professionals with experience in elite technological units, creating a challenging and technology-rich work environment with significant opportunities for career development.”

Former israeli MoD executive to head the deployment of Techtonic’s new data center

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Techtonic has announced the appointment of Avi Dadon as Head of New Facility Deployment for its groundbreaking data center project. Dadon, previously the Deputy Director General and Head of the Department of Production and Procurement (DOPP) at Israel’s Ministry of Defense (MoD) brings a wealth of project expertise to lead the development of one of Israel’s largest and most secure data centers.

With an investment of hundreds of millions of Shekels, Techtonic’s new data center, situated in Beit Shemesh’s Brosh industrial zone, will set new standards in data center infrastructure. Covering an extensive area of 15,000 square meters, the underground facility will feature advanced physical shielding and adhere to the stringent international Tier IV standard for fault tolerance, infrastructure availability, and redundancy.

The new data center will also include two high-power 16MW electricity lines (a mainline and backup) to ensure reliable and uninterrupted customer operations. Techtonic has reached an advanced stage in the statutory process of obtaining construction permits, and the company estimates that the facility will be completed in the first quarter of 2025.

Avi Dadon’s distinguished career spans 30 years of dedicated service in the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF), where he held the esteemed position of Central Command logistics officer, attaining the rank of colonel. In addition, in recognition of his success within the Ministry, he was appointed the Head of Procurement, assuming the prestigious rank of MoD Deputy Director General.

“Upon learning about the high standards, innovative approach, and attention to detail applied in the design of Techtonic’s data center, I was completely convinced that this was a venture I simply had to be part of. I firmly believe in supporting businesses that are proudly ‘Made in Israel’ and have the utmost confidence in the capabilities of Techtonic’s talented Israeli team, who all operate in an entrepreneurial and leadership-driven startup culture. It is an honor to contribute to this complex technological challenge, and I am looking forward to being part of this innovative project and team,” Dadon stated.

Speaking about Dadon’s appointment, Gad Benett, Founder and CEO of Techtonic, said: “Avi’s exceptional track record and deep understanding of large-scale projects on a national level will undoubtedly prove to be an invaluable contribution to our mission to be a prominent data center in Israel. We believe that Avi is a perfect fit for our organization, and his project experience and leadership skills will play a pivotal role in helping Techtonic realize our goal of revolutionizing the data center landscape in Israel.”

Techtonic’s pioneering data center project marks a significant milestone in the country’s technology sector. By combining cutting-edge infrastructure, stringent security measures, and an exceptional team of experts, Techtonic aims to provide organizations with unparalleled safety and reliability for their data storage needs.

At the same time, Techtonic’s data center will be secured against military threats, such as direct and long-range missile strikes, ensuring that in the event they do occur, the facility’s operations will not be affected. The data center facility uniquely combines the redundancies of the internationally recognized data center Tier IV standard, providing independent and physically isolated systems for redundant capacity components and distribution paths. In addition, the team will ensure the implementation of physical shielding – a combination never seen before in any private data center in Israel.

EVR Motors appoints former JLR executive Nick Rogers

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EVR Motors, an Israel-based electric motor innovator specializing in high power-density electric motors, is announcing the addition of Nick Rogers, a renowned global automotive leader, to its board. With a wealth of experience spanning 38 years in executive management and engineering, Rogers has held key positions in top companies within the industry.

Rogers brings a remarkable career history, having served as Executive Director of Product Engineering and Board Member at Jaguar Land Rover, where he played a pivotal role in the development of their cutting-edge models, including the award-winning Jaguar I-PACE, the fully connected Land Rover Defender, and the highly acclaimed fifth-generation Range Rover. Prior to this, Rogers served as Chief Engineer at BMW and Rover Group.

Opher Doron, CEO of EVR Motors, stated: “Nick’s extensive experience with European OEMs, his familiarity with the Indian automotive market, and his diverse engineering background make him an ideal addition to our board as EVR expands its global presence across all segments of vehicle electrification.”

EVR Motors has developed a groundbreaking motor topology known as the Trapezoidal Stator Radial Flux Permanent Magnet (RFPM) motor, which has received 10 patents in the past year. RFPM enables the production of smaller, lighter, and more cost-effective motors tailored to customer requirements. EVR motors are 30% to 50% smaller and lighter compared to conventional electric motors, resulting in significantly reduced prices. EVR’s current product line consists of four families, ranging from 3kW to 200kW, expanding EVR’s markets from 2 and 3 wheelers to passenger cars, commercial vehicles and offroad vehicles.

EVR Motors is supported by a group of investors led by Marius Nacht, a prominent figure in serial entrepreneurship, technology companies, and high-tech investments in Israel. Ophir Shoham, former head of the Defense Ministry’s R&D Directorate (MAFAT), serves as the company’s Chairman, overseeing Nacht’s high-tech investments. EVR is currently engaged in a financing round to accelerate market penetration, enhance production capacity, and develop additional motors.

Under the leadership of Opher Doron, who assumed management in 2019, EVR Motors has made significant strides. Doron, previously the manager of IAI’s space plant and leader of the IAI team responsible for designing and constructing SpaceIL’s Beresheet spacecraft, brings extensive experience in leading complex projects. Additionally, Doron oversaw the development, construction, launch, and operation of IAI’s communications and observation satellites for Israeli and international customers.

EVR Motors was co-founded by Eli Rozinsky, the current company President and COO, along with Victor Kislev and Ruslan Shabinski. The company boasts a dedicated team of 40 professionals, including PhDs, engineers, an engine assembly team, and a testing and control group, based in Petah Tikva and India.

u-blox MAYA-W2 radio modules support Matter

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The MAYA-W2 tri-radio module of u-blox is now support the royalty-free communication protocol Matter as well as Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth low energy (LE) 5.2, and IEEE 802.15.4 (Thread and Zigbee). This 10.4 x 14.3 mm SMD module was designed for a wide range of industrial applications, such as smart manufacturing, tracking and telematics, building automation, professional appliances, healthcare, and EV charging infrastructures. Its efficient Wi-Fi 6 makes the MAYA-W2 ideal for Matter-compliant solutions, in particular higher-end ones requiring more throughput and processing power, such as border routers, smart TVs, and personal assistants.

MAYA-W2 modules provide SISO Wi-Fi 6 operation with up to 600 Mbit/s data throughput, improved performance in dense Wi‑Fi environments, and MU-MIMO. Using 20, 40 or 80 MHz channels, the modules can work as access point, station, in P2P connections, or any combinations of these. The series is based on the NXP IW61x chips, which provide OS driver integration in thetheir application host BSPs and SDK support for NXP MCUs.

u-blox is represented in Israel by Elina Engineering 

Contact: Yossi Chen, 054-7559692 or Silviu Vaintraub 054-4902499

IAI has acquired Greek Intracom Defense

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photo above: Intracom Defense’ SMT production floor at Attica, Greece

Israel Aerospce Industries (IAI) have signed last week a deal to acquire Intracom Defense (IDE), Greece’s leading technology defense company. IDE specializes in the production of missile launchers, missile subsystems, land and sea tactical communications, hybrid generation, and more. The company is active in Greece and other NATO countries and has defense collaborations with leading defense companies such as Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Rheinmetall Defense Electronics and more.

According to the Greek news service Ekathimeri, IAI will get 90.91% of IDE for approximately 60 million euros. The deal is expected to be completed by the second quarter of 2023. IAI plans to integrate IDE into its business activities in Greece and Europe. IAI’s CEO, Boaz Levy, said: “The acquisition of IDE will strengthen and widen IAIA’s activities in Greece and among NATO countries. In view of increasing defense needs across Europe, and in response to the ever-increasing demand for air-defense and UAV’s systems.”

The deal provide IAI with a strong foothold in the European defense market. IDE designs, manufactures and support defense systems in use by the Greek army and other NATO member states. It is taking part in the Hellenic Patriot Program where IDE manufactures the systems’ electronic systems and is the only non-US based manufacturer of these systems. In cooperation with German-based DIEHL Defence IDE produce crucial electronics components of the Ground Based Air Defence System IRIS-T-SLM (Surface launched Medium Range).

The company sales in fiscal year 2022, amounted to € 66.5 million vs. € 59.7 million in fiscal year 2021 increased by 11,6%. Its backlog agreements reached € 87 million. In December 2022, IDE announced two major wins:  A 14.2 million Euros order for the production of electronic missile components of the IRIS-T family of missile systems produced by Diehl Defence, and a new 10.1 million Euros contract award by Raytheon Technologies for the production of electronic missile components. The new contracts signed in 2022 totaled € 57,3 million EUR.

Qualcomm to Acquire Autotalks

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Qualcomm Incorporated announced that its subsidiary, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Israel-based Autotalks. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions. Financial terms were not disclosed, but Israeli business newspaper Themarker, mentioned estimations of approximately $350 millions price. Autotalks is a fabless semiconductor company that has developed dual-protocol V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communications chips.

V2X technology is a direct communication between vehicles and other road users, such as vehicles, micromobility, pedestrians, and infrastructure. It allows vehicles to share information about their speed, location, and direction, as well as receive real-time information about road conditions. This enables vehicles to mitigate a collision even with hidden risks. The company was founded in 2009 and has developed three generations of V2X SoCs.

Autotalks chips support both the original DSRC protocol and the C-V2X (Cellular V2X) protocol promoted by Qualcomm. The later uses cellular communication technologies (such as LTE and 5G) to transmit the data between vehicles and other devices. C-V2X direct communication does not require a base station to operate. Lately Autotalks revealed that its 3rd chipsets, TEKTON3 and SECTON3, are the first in the world which support 5G-V2X. “They have already been awarded for series production of a passenger car by a major automotive OEM. The first cars equipped with the new chipsets are set to be available in 2025.”

During 2021, Autotalks has doubled its backlog orders in 2021 to $200 million. It has six automotive OEMs clients and an earlier win of Volkswagen’s next generation Telematics platform. According to Markets and Markets, the Global automotive V2X marlet valued at $2.6 billion in 2022 and is expected to reach $19.5 billion by 2028. But while most regulators are adopting the C-V2X protocol, the European regulators prefer the DSRC protocol.

Following the completion of the acquisition, Autotalks’ dual mode standalone safety solutions will be incorporated into Qualcomm Technologies’ Snapdragon Digital Chassis product portfolio.

 

IAI Unveiled a Robotic Submarine

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Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) announced this weekend the first large Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV), called BlueWhale. According to IAI announcement, the submarine has successfully undergone thousands of autonomous operation hours, including intelligence-gathering for both maritime and coastal targets, acoustic intelligence, and identifying the presence of naval mines. The autonomous submarine can perform its missions for periods of several weeks, without the need for operators on board.

“For the first time in the world, IAI’s Elta managed to bring to maturity the development and production of an autonomous underwater system able to perform a wide range of tasks,” said IAI VP and ELTA’s CEO, Yoav Tourgeman. The 5.5 tons Electric UAV BlueWhale (code named ELI-3325) reaches speeds of up to 7 knots and can stay for up to 30 days on sea. Payload sensors and communications options include RADAR, EO/IR, SIGINT, sonars, magnetic sensors and SATCOM.

The BlueWhale is equipped with a telescopic mast, like the periscope of a manned submarine, several meters high, on which are mounted radar and electro-optical systems for detecting sea and coastal targets. By using a satellite communications antenna on the mast, the gathered data can be transferred in real-time to command posts, anywhere in the world, at sea or on land.

Submarine detection and acoustic intelligence-gathering data is enabled using a sonar, several tens of meters long, towed by the BlueWhale, and by flank array sonar with receiver arrays attached to both sides of the platform. Mine detection is performed using a dedicated synthetic aperture sonar, attached to the sides of the vessel. IAI also revealed that the development of the system brought to  a number of international registered patents.