All posts by admin

Business Wire India

The European solar market continues to grow. According to SolarPower Europe’s latest European Market Outlook, 2025 marked another strong year for photovoltaics (PV) within the European Union. When it comes to annual expansion rates, Germany is at the top of the list, followed by Spain, France, Italy and Poland. The importance of solar energy in meeting Europe’s power needs continues to grow. At the same time, many countries are changing their subsidies and financing models, creating new challenges for investors. While regulatory instruments, such as contracts for difference (CFDs), provide a new order, the industry is responding with market-based solutions, such as hybrid PV power plants and hybrid power purchase agreements (PPAs). Intersolar Europe offers guidance: At The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry at Messe München, trade visitors can experience innovations, discuss new business models and meet project developers, manufacturers and investors from June 23–25, 2026. More than 2,800 exhibitors and over 100,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to attend in 2026.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224843872/en/

 

 

 

PV is now a vital part of the global power supply; Wood Mackenzie data indicates that by early 2026, cumulative worldwide PV capacity had reached nearly three terawatts. This growth creates new challenges for the power grid and for market mechanisms, such as negative prices during peak periods and a rise in redispatch measures. All of this makes large-scale storage systems a game changer because they store surplus solar power and later feed it back into the grid, contributing to more flexibility, better grid integration and more efficient utilization of the renewable energy system.

 

Stationary storage devices are becoming more and more profitable. According to BloombergNEF, the price of stationary storage plunged to 70 US dollars per kilowatt hour in 2025 – this is the largest drop across all battery segments. The price reductions were driven by overcapacities in cell manufacturing, fierce competition between Chinese manufacturers and the expanding use of lithium-iron-phosphate (LFP). Stationary storage devices can be combined to form hybrid PV systems, making them an integral part of the European – and the global – energy transition. They boost system stability, enable new business models and strengthen the profitability of projects under changed market conditions and new subsidy rules.

 

 

New financing models: CFD

 

 

In many EU countries, CFD models have started to replace conventional feed-in tariffs. They secure yields for project developers, stabilize consumer electricity prices and include clawback features for refunding excess revenues. The system is about to be changed in Germany, too: The government-approved feed-in tariff under the Renewable Energy Sources Act (EEG) is going to be discontinued at the end of 2026. Market players fear that without the EEG feed-in tariff, securing loans for new projects is going to become more difficult, and are calling for reliable framework conditions for secure investments in Germany and across Europe.

 

 

Meet an international crowd at Intersolar Europe

 

 

Hybrid PV power plants and new financing models will get much attention at Intersolar Europe 2026. The Intersolar Europe Conference starts on June 22, offering a high-level kickoff event for the exhibition, featuring renowned experts, strategic discussions and exclusive insights into market trends. From June 23–25, the practical implications of these topics will be discussed at the Intersolar Forum, while exhibitors will be presenting concrete solutions in the exhibition halls. Intersolar Europe will take place as part of The smarter E Europe, Europe’s largest alliance of exhibitions for the energy industry, alongside three other exhibitions, ees Europe, Power2Drive Europe and EM-Power Europe. More than 2,800 exhibitors and over 100,000 visitors from all over the world are expected to attend in 2026. Intersolar Europe is organized by Solar Promotion GmbH and Freiburg Wirtschaft Touristik und Messe GmbH & Co. KG (FWTM).

 

 

For more information, please visit:

 

 

www.intersolar.de

 

 

www.TheSmarterE.de

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224843872/en/

 

Business Wire India

IFF (NYSE: IFF) — LMR Naturals by IFF—a global leader in natural ingredients for perfumery, cosmetics and flavors—has introduced Tonka Bean CO₂ Absolute to its Conscious Collection, a line of 12 highly sustainable and traceable natural ingredients for perfumes and flavors. Tonka Bean CO₂ Absolute is a natural extract with a gourmand olfactive signature. This new addition to the perfumer’s palette is produced with renewable and recycled supercritical CO₂ at IFF’s extraction site in Aubrac, France.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224233830/en/

 

 

 

“Our CO₂ extraction unit in Aubrac has enabled LMR to develop a collection of extracts that seamlessly blends sustainability with high hedonic profiles for perfumers,” said Bertrand de Préville, general manager of LMR Naturals by IFF. “With the launch of Tonka Bean CO₂ Absolute, we’re reaffirming our commitment to planet-conscious supercritical CO₂ extraction and perfumery innovation—underscoring our leadership in premium natural ingredients for fine perfumery.”

 

The new Tonka Bean extract features enhanced performance and cost efficiency. The CO₂ extraction process used reduces energy consumption, lowering the environmental impact compared with traditional solvent extraction. It is performed at low temperature, leaves no petrochemical residue and protects volatile and sensitive molecules. The result is a high-quality extract that captures the authentic scent of freshly harvested tonka beans with a lower carbon footprint (-34% cradle-to-gate) compared to traditional Tonka Absolute.

 

 

With origins that can be traced to the Amazon rainforest, the LMR Tonka Bean CO₂ brings added naturality, warmth and luxurious texture to both fine and consumer fragrances. The ingredient’s creamy and comforting facets speak to consumers looking for comfort, nostalgia and a touch of indulgence. Its smooth roasted-almond top note and sun-dried hay nuance combined with cocoa undertones create a richer, more velvety scent experience than traditional Tonka absolute.

 

 

“I love that it brings captivating new dimensions,” said Alexandra Carlin, senior perfumer at IFF. “It has a brown sugar twist, a hint of buckwheat and even a subtle touch of cocoa. It’s unexpectedly sweet and salty at the same time and deeply intriguing.”

 

 

Tonka Bean CO₂ marks IFF’s latest advancement in shaping the future of fragrance innovation. This announcement follows the recent inauguration of the expanded LMR Naturals site in Grasse, France. The company’s €10 million investment in the Grasse facility enhances capacity to drive naturals innovation in the heart of the world’s perfume capital.

 

 

LMR Naturals is a trademarked capability within IFF, originally founded in 1983 by Monique Remy and acquired by IFF in 2000 to enhance IFF’s ability to provide perfumers with high-quality, innovative and, sustainably sourced and produced natural ingredients at competitive cost. Perfumers around the world leverage the deep expertise of LMR scientists to create the signature of unforgettable fragrances for customers and across applications such as fine perfumery, cosmetics, home care, fabric care and beauty care. LMR Naturals also provides ingredients for taste applications.

 

 

Welcome to IFF

 

 

At IFF (NYSE: IFF), we make joy through science, creativity and heart. As the global leader in taste, scent, food ingredients, health and biosciences, we’re innovating for the future. Every day, we deliver groundbreaking, sustainable solutions that elevate products people love — advancing wellness, delighting the senses and enhancing the human experience. Learn more at iff.com, LinkedIn, Instagram and Facebook.

 

 

© 2026 by International Flavors & Fragrances Inc. IFF is a Registered Trademark. All Rights Reserved.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224233830/en/

 

Business Wire India

Yubico (NASDAQ STOCKHOLM: YUBICO), a modern cybersecurity company and creator of the most secure passkeys, today announced the launch of YubiNation Partners, a new global Channel program designed to unite a community of security experts. In the face of growing AI-driven cyber threats, the program enables partners to become trusted advisors and cultivate a safer digital world for their customers, making identities private and secure.

 

As the average cost of a corporate security breach climbs to $4.4 million*, with phishing remaining a primary attack vector, the industry can no longer rely on passwords alone. In fact, a 2026 Total Economic Impact study from Forrester Consulting commissioned by Yubico, found that by replacing traditional multi-factor authentication (MFA) and one-time passwords (OTP) with YubiKeys, customers achieved a 265% return on investment (ROI). This effectively eliminated phishing and credential-theft risks, reducing an organization’s risk exposure to breach costs from addressable attacks by 99.99%.

 

 

With the ever changing landscape, YubiNation Partners is more important than ever, transforming the traditional reseller model into a strategic engine for growth, empowering partners to deliver the gold standard in phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA) and help customers go passwordless at speed and scale.

 

 

“With YubiNation Partners, Yubico is embracing a Partner-first strategy, moving beyond traditional resale to build a dedicated community of security experts who are shaping the future of digital identity,” said Bettina Vahl, Vice President of Global Channels at Yubico. “This program is built to turn our partners into true trusted advisors, giving them the innovation, speed and scale they need to help customers go passwordless and stay secure everywhere.”

 

 

Welcome to YubiNation Partners: Built to Accelerate Partner Success at Scale
The new program features four distinct partnership tiers specifically designed to recognize technical expertise, investment, and collaboration. Each tier unlocks deeper enablement and benefits:

 

 

• Bronze (Building the Foundation): Focuses on rapid enablement through the Yubico Academy and authorized distributors to help teams deliver value immediately.
• Silver (Expanding Impact): Unlocks lead sharing, and co-sell support for opportunities involving 200+ users.
• Gold (Accelerating at Scale): Receives priority access to Market Development Funds (MDF), a dedicated go-to-market team, and a Not-for-Resale (NFR) allocation of up to 25 keys per quarter to support technical readiness.
• Platinum (Leading the Way): Strongest deal incentives, services leads, direct access to MDF, invitations to exclusive strategic events and business planning sessions, and an NFR allocation of up to 50 keys per quarter.

 

 

Yubico Academy: The destination spot for effective Channel enablement
Over the past year, Yubico has significantly expanded the Yubico Academy to support roles across our partner ecosystem: 100-series (Essentials), 200-series (Sales), and 300-series (Technical Sales), including completing a proof of concept with a 4th level of certification, the 400-series focused on Professional Services.

 

After incorporating feedback from partners worldwide, today Yubico is also making the 400-series available to Platinum and Gold tier partners. This program reinforces the mission to treat partners as an extension of Yubico’s team and strengthens the partner networks’ ability to streamline our customers’ path to phishing-resistance. It also allows partners to leverage their expertise in a wider array of solutions to deliver additional Professional Services that ultimately enable customer success.

 

 

“The feedback from both my colleagues and I regarding the new Professional Services certifications has been overwhelmingly positive, particularly concerning the specialized vendor modules,” said Felix Brand, CISSP and cybersecurity architect at Germany-based Yubico partner, SVA. “This structured approach provided a highly targeted experience that directly aligns with the unique needs and strengths of each individual consulting partner.”

 

 

Innovating for the Future of Identity
YubiNation Partners is built to help trusted advisors capture demand in a fast-moving market. Currently, over 30% of the Fortune 500 and 18 of the top 20 AI companies rely on YubiKeys to secure their workforces. By joining YubiNation, channel partners can leverage this brand authority to shorten sales cycles, drive recurring revenue and shape the future of securing digital identity.

 

 

The program creates a unified ecosystem where partners can advise, build and resell, supported by tailored enablement and campaign kits that drive measurable impact.

 

 

“We see Yubico’s updated channel program as a strong step forward in supporting strategic partners like Zones. The investments in enablement, tiering, and services alignment position us to drive greater impact together in the identity security market,” said Jake Pederson, director software, cloud and security alliances at Zones. “By elevating partner certifications and Professional Services integration, the program empowers Zones to differentiate through technical expertise and end-to-end delivery excellence at global scale.”

 

 

Availability
Existing partners will be automatically placed into one of the four program tiers based on current criteria, such as revenue growth and Yubico Academy certifications completed. New partners looking to advance their security mission and join the YubiNation Partners community can submit a Partner Application starting today on the Yubico website or through their local Yubico distributor.

 

 

For more information, visit the YubiNation Partners website.

 

 

*Source: IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report 2025

 

 

About Yubico
Yubico (Nasdaq Stockholm: YUBICO), the inventor of the YubiKey, offers the gold standard for phishing-resistant multi-factor authentication (MFA), stopping account takeovers in their tracks and making secure login easy and available for everyone. Since the company was founded in 2007, it has been a leader in setting global standards for secure access to computers, mobile devices, servers, browsers, and internet accounts. Yubico is a creator and core contributor to the FIDO2, WebAuthn, and FIDO Universal 2nd Factor (U2F) open authentication standards, and is a pioneer in delivering hardware-based passwordless authentication using the highest assurance passkeys to customers in 160+ countries.

 

 

Yubico’s solutions enable passwordless logins using the most secure form of passkey technology. YubiKeys work out-of-the-box across hundreds of consumer and enterprise applications and services, delivering strong security with a fast and easy experience.

 

 

As part of its mission to make the digital world safer for everyone, Yubico donates YubiKeys to organizations helping at-risk individuals through the philanthropic initiative, Secure it Forward. The company is headquartered in Stockholm and Santa Clara, CA. For more information on Yubico, visit us at www.yubico.com.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224071326/en/

 

Business Wire India

 

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation (“Toshiba”) has launched four voltage-driven photorelays, “TLP3407SRB,” “TLP3412SRB,“ ”TLP3412SRHB,“ and “TLP3412SRLB” housed in the small S-VSON4T package. The new photorelays deliver a maximum operating temperature rating of 135°C for equipment that operates at high temperatures. Volume shipments start today.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224680610/en/

 

 

 

Advances in electrification and autonomous driving now require high-density packaging of electronic components in automotive equipment. This has raised the temperatures at which automotive semiconductors operate, and testing under similar conditions is necessary to evaluate reliability; testers, burn-in equipment, probe cards, and other devices for automotive semiconductors must be able to operate at high temperatures, as must the photorelays used in them.

 

The maximum operating temperature of Toshiba’s new products have been pushed from the 125°C of current products^[1] to 135°C by optimizing the design of built-in elements. In addition, because they are voltage-driven type photorelays with built-in resistors on the input side, no external resistor is required, reducing space requirements on mounting boards. They are also housed in a small package, the S-VSON4T, which is 1.45 × 2.0 mm (typ.).

 

 

The combination of these factors makes the new photorelays suitable for application in automotive semiconductor testers, probe cards, and burn-in equipment, where multiple photorelays need to be mounted within a limited board space, and reliable high-temperature operation is required.

 

 

Toshiba will continue to offer a lineup of products that support high-temperature operation in equipment.

 

 

Note:
[1] TLP3407SRA, TLP3412SRA, TLP3412SRHA and TLP3412SRLA

 

 

Applications

 

 

• Semiconductor testers used to evaluate memories, SoC, LSI, etc.
• Probe cards
• Burn-in equipment

 

Features

 

• Operating temperature rating: 135°C
• Small package: S-VSON4T (1.45mm×2.0mm (typ.))

 

 

Main Specifications

 

(Unless otherwise specified, Ta=25°C)
				TLP3407SRB	TLP3412SRB	TLP3412SRHB	TLP3412SRLB
Package	Name			S-VSON4T
	Size (mm)			1.45×2.0 (typ.), t=1.4 (max)
Contact				1-Form-A (Normally opened)
Absolute maximum ratings	Operating temperature Topr (°C)			-40 to 135
	OFF-state output terminal voltage VOFF (V)			60	60	60	60
	ON-state current ION (A)			1	0.4	0.4	0.4
	ON-state current (pulsed) IONP (A)			3	1.2	1.2	1.2
Recommended operating conditions	Applied input forward voltage VIN (V)		Typ.	3.3	3.3	5	1.8
			Max	6	6	5.5	3.3
Coupled electrical characteristics	Limited LED current ILIM(LED) (mA)	VIN=5.5V, Ta=135°C	Max	–	–	2	–
		VIN=3.3V, Ta=135°C	Max	1	2	–	–
		VIN=1.8V, Ta=135°C	Max	–	–	–	10
	Operating voltage VFON (V)	ION=100mA	Max	3	3	3.9	1.6
	ON-state resistance RON (Ω)		Max	0.3	1.5	1.5	1.5
Electrical characteristics	Output capacitance COFF (pF)	V=0V, f=1MHz, t<1s	Max	150	20	20	20
	OFF-state current IOFF (nA)	VOFF=50V	Max	1	1	1	1
Switching characteristics	Turn-on time tON (ms)	RL=200Ω, VDD=20V, VIN=5.0V	Max	–	–	1.5	–
		RL=200Ω, VDD=20V, VIN=3.3V	Max	10	1	–	0.1
		RL=200Ω, VDD=20V, VIN=1.8V	Max	–	–	–	0.3
	Turn-off time tOFF (ms)	RL=200Ω, VDD=20V, VIN=5.0V	Max	–	–	0.5	–
		RL=200Ω, VDD=20V, VIN=3.3V	Max	1	0.5	–	0.225
		RL=200Ω, VDD=20V, VIN=1.8V	Max	–	–	–	0.15
Isolation characteristics	Isolation voltage BVS (Vrms)	AC, 60s	Min	500	500	500	500
Sample check & availability				Buy Online	Buy Online	Buy Online	Buy Online

 

 

Related Information

 

Technical Articles
Small photorelay with high-speed switching
Compact photorelays with low voltage drive and high temperature operation rating

 

 

Follow the links below for more on the new products.
TLP3407SRB
TLP3412SRB
TLP3412SRHB
TLP3412SRLB

 

 

Follow the link below for more on Toshiba’s isolators and solid state relays.
Isolators/Solid State Relays

 

 

To check availability of the new products at online distributors, visit:
TLP3407SRB
Buy Online
TLP3412SRB
Buy Online
TLP3412SRHB
Buy Online
TLP3412SRLB
Buy Online

 

 

* Company names, product names, and service names may be trademarks of their respective companies.
* Information in this document, including product prices and specifications, content of services and contact information, is current on the date of the announcement but is subject to change without prior notice.

 

 

About Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation

 

 

Toshiba Electronic Devices & Storage Corporation, a leading supplier of advanced semiconductor and storage solutions, draws on over half a century of experience and innovation to offer customers and business partners outstanding discrete semiconductors, system LSIs and HDD products.

 

 

Its 17,000 employees around the world share a determination to maximize product value, and to promote close collaboration with customers in the co-creation of value and new markets. The company looks forward to building and to contributing to a better future for people everywhere.

 

 

Find out more at https://toshiba.semicon-storage.com/ap-en/top.html

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224680610/en/

 

Business Wire India

 

Black Hat, the cybersecurity industry’s most established and in-depth security event series, today announced the content preview for Black Hat Asia 2026, the premier cybersecurity event in the Asia-Pacific region. Taking place from April 21 to April 24 at Marina Bay Sands Expo & Convention Centre in Singapore, the event will spotlight the latest advancements in cybersecurity, including the growing threats posed by artificial intelligence (AI) and supply chain vulnerabilities, two areas driving unprecedented security investments across the region.

 

With a curated lineup of expert-led Briefings, immersive Trainings, and cutting-edge tool demonstrations, Black Hat Asia 2026 promises to equip security professionals with the knowledge and skills needed to combat the rapidly evolving threat landscape.

 

 

Suzy Pallett, President of Black Hat, emphasized the strategic importance of this year’s program: “Black Hat Asia 2026 represents a pivotal moment for cybersecurity in the region. The research unveiled here will fundamentally reshape how we approach cybersecurity in an AI-driven world.”

 

 

Addressing Today’s Most Critical Threats
This year’s program directly tackles the cybersecurity challenges making headlines across the region:

 

 

• AI-Powered Threats: Exclusive research will expose how generative AI is being weaponized by threat actors, while showcasing innovative AI-driven defense strategies.
• Supply Chain Vulnerabilities: Presentations will reveal vulnerabilities in critical supply chains, with a focus on industries vital to the region’s economy, such as manufacturing, logistics, and technology.
• Regional Investment Surge: The Asia-Pacific region is projected to lead global cybersecurity spending in 2026, driven by escalating threats and regulatory pressures.

 

 

Key Highlights of Black Hat Asia 2026

 

Breakthrough Briefings: Redefining Defense Strategies
On April 23 and 24, the Briefings program will feature world-renowned researchers unveiling critical vulnerabilities and innovative defense methodologies. These sessions are designed to provide attendees with actionable intelligence to fortify their organizations against emerging threats.

 

 

Featured Briefings include:

 

 

• Practical Attacks Against Smartphone Boot ROMs – This talk will demonstrate how a single Boot ROM (Read-Only Memory) vulnerability can compromise entire smartphone ecosystems through secure boot bypasses and firmware decryption across multiple manufacturer platforms.
• Breaking Hybrid Boundaries Across Azure and Windows – This talk will reveal how four zero-day vulnerabilities in Windows Admin Center enable complete compromise across on-premises and Azure environments, including cross-tenant attacks.
• RebirthDay Attack: Reviving DNS Cache Poisoning with the Birthday Paradox – This talk will introduce “RebirthDay,” a new attack that exploits widespread flaws in DNS (Domain Name System) software to poison internet traffic, affecting major DNS providers and hundreds of thousands of servers worldwide.

 

 

Hands-On Trainings: Building Tomorrow’s Cyber Defenders
From April 21 through April 24, Black Hat’s intensive Trainings will offer participants the opportunity to master critical skills in areas such as malware analysis, AI red teaming, and advanced threat intelligence. These courses are led by top practitioners and designed to transform theoretical knowledge into practical expertise.

 

Trainings highlights include:

 

 

• The FLARE Team’s Guide to Reverse Engineering Modern Malware – This course will equip students with the skills to reverse engineer advanced malware that bypasses modern detection systems.
• AI Red Teaming: Attacks on LLMs, Agents, and Multimodal Systems – This course will teach students systematic techniques to identify and exploit vulnerabilities in modern AI systems, including LLMs, agents, and multimodal applications.
• Practical GenAI for Threat Intel: Real-World Agentic Workflows for Cyber Threat Intelligence – This course will prepare students to build and deploy AI-powered threat intelligence systems using advanced techniques like Retrieval-Augmented Generation (RAG), multi-agent workflows, and fine-tuning for real-world security challenges.

 

 

Black Hat Arsenal: Showcasing Innovation in Action
TheArsenal program, running on April 23 and April 24, will feature live demonstrations of cutting-edge open-source tools developed by the global cybersecurity community. This interactive platform fosters collaboration and innovation, enabling attendees to engage directly with tool developers.

 

Featured tool presentations include:

 

 

• QuantumStrand (qs): A Structural Approach to String Analysis for Rapid Indicator Filtering – This tool transforms flat string lists into structural maps, enabling analysts to rapidly filter noise and focus on crucial indicators during malware triage.
• vet: Open Source Software Supply Chain Security Guardrail in the age of AI SDLC – This tool proactively detects malicious packages before they appear in databases and integrates with AI coding tools to provide conversational analysis for developer-first defense.
• Prowler Open Cloud Security – release of v6.0 – This tool provides continuous monitoring, security assessments, compliance audits, and incident response across major frameworks including CIS, NIST, GDPR, and HIPAA.

 

 

Registration and Event Details
Complete program details, speaker information, and registration are available at blackhat.com/asia-26/.

 

Top Sponsors and Partners of Black Hat Asia 2026 include:

 

 

• Platinum Sponsors: Bitdefender, Broadcom, Concentric AI, SOCRadar Cyber Intelligence, ThreatLocker, and Tines.
• Silver Sponsors: Corellium, EasyDMARC, Filigran, Fortra, ManageEngine, SecureFlag, Sparrow, Sumo Logic, TuxCare, and Varonis.
• Sustaining Partners: Armis, Cisco, CrowdStrike, Cyera, Google, ManageEngine, Qualys, SentinelOne, Sophos, Tenable, TrendAI, Varonis, and Wiz.
• Global Partners: Broadcom, Concentric AI, Corellium, EasyDMARC, HackerOne, Semgrep, ThreatLocker, VulnCheck, and wolfSSL.

 

 

About Black Hat
Black Hat is the cybersecurity industry’s most established and in-depth security event series. Founded in 1997, these annual, multi-day events provide attendees with the latest in cybersecurity research, development, and trends. Driven by the needs of the community, Black Hat events showcase content directly from the community through Briefings presentations, Trainings courses, Summits, and more. As the event series where all career levels and academic disciplines convene to collaborate, network, and discuss the cybersecurity topics that matter most to them, attendees can find Black Hat events in the United States, Canada, Europe, Middle East and Africa, and Asia. For more information, please visit blackhat.com.

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224996636/en/

 

Business Wire India

Axelera AI, the European leader in AI acceleration hardware, announced its latest funding round led by Innovation Industries, with participation from prominent funds and accounts including BlackRock and SiteGround Capital as new investors, as well as existing investors Bitfury, CDP Venture Capital, European Innovation Council Fund, Federal Holding and Investment Company of Belgium (SFPIM), Invest-NL, Samsung Catalyst Fund, and Verve Investments. Axelera AI has attracted over $450 million in equity, grants and venture debt since incorporating in July 2021.

 

The largest investment ever in an EU AI semiconductor company comes as Axelera ships to its 500^th global customer across physical AI and edge AI in industries including defense and public safety, industrial manufacturing, retail, agritech, robotics, and security, firmly establishing the company as the global leader in power-efficient AI inference solutions.

 

 

Axelera AI’s success is rooted in a fundamental insight: to deploy AI at scale, the industry must first solve for energy consumption and cooling requirements. The company’s edge-first architectural approach delivers uncompromising AI inference performance that fits within the power and thermal envelopes of real-world deployment environments to drive real business value. And by providing high performance at the edge, companies can process data locally, which preserves privacy for their users and supports the increasing demand for sovereign solutions.

 

 

“Data centers are hitting power and cooling limits, and as analytics move closer to where data is being created, edge AI solutions must operate within strict energy and bandwidth constraints,” said Fabrizio Del Maffeo, CEO and co-founder of Axelera AI. “We designed our architecture from the ground up to overcome these obstacles. Our edge-first approach isn’t just about efficiency; it’s about making AI deployment economically viable at scale for real-world applications while protecting data and privacy by processing customer information locally.”

 

 

Inference is projected to be a more than $250B market by 2030ⁱ. Over the life of a model, the cost of inference is 15x more than training and utilization is growing at 31x per yearⁱⁱ. But many organizations still struggle to transition from AI projects to generating value in production. Axelera’s tightly co-designed hardware/software solution simplifies deployment and maximizes performance of inference-based workloads. Axelera AI’s Europa and Metis platforms deliver the price/performance balance enterprise customers need while operating within the energy and thermal constraints of edge computing.

 

 

Rising Above Market Fragmentation

 

 

The edge AI semiconductor market has attracted over $60 billion in venture funding in just the past three yearsⁱⁱⁱ, creating significant fragmentation and confusion for customers. Axelera AI’s strong financial foundation, proven technology, customer traction, scaled manufacturing through partnerships with TSMC and Samsung, and growing ecosystem of software and integration partners position the company for long-term growth and success.

 

 

“Axelera is solving one of the most fundamental constraints in Edge AI adoption: the cost and energy efficiency of inference at scale,” said Rogier Ketelaars, investment manager at Innovations Industries. “We believe the company is uniquely positioned to become a foundational player in the next generation of AI infrastructure, and we’re excited to back the outstanding Axelera team that combines deep technical leadership and real commercial execution.”

 

 

The funding round represents strong institutional validation of this architectural philosophy, with BlackRock’s participation underscoring the financial community’s recognition that solving AI’s infrastructure constraints is critical to the technology’s continued growth and market expansion.

 

 

Unique Ecosystem Approach Drives Market Accessibility

 

 

Recognizing that hardware alone doesn’t drive adoption, Axelera AI has intentionally built an ecosystem that makes AI acceleration accessible to a broader market. The company’s Partner Accelerator Network, launched last year, represents a differentiated go-to-market approach that brings together software vendors, model makers, system integrators, solution providers, and technology partners to accelerate customer deployment and reduce time-to-production.

 

 

In addition, Axelera AI’s significant investment in software and deep commitment to usability enables AI developers to easily integrate Axelera AI’s acceleration into existing workflows without extensive redesign. By solving for both the technical constraints of energy and cooling, and the practical constraints of cost, ecosystem accessibility and software usability, Axelera AI removes the barriers to AI deployment at scale.

 

 

The added capital will accelerate Axelera AI’s manufacturing scale, expand its customer success organization and Partner Accelerator Network, and continue advancing the software tools and SDK that have made the company’s platforms accessible to AI developers worldwide.

 

 

About Axelera AI

 

 

Axelera AI is a European AI semiconductor company developing next-generation AI acceleration hardware for edge computing and data center applications. With an edge-first architecture that addresses AI’s critical energy and cooling constraints, Axelera AI has deployed across more than 500 customers including in telecommunications, aerospace, and enterprise sectors. The company’s Europa and Metis platforms deliver high-performance AI inference solutions that enable deployment at scale within real-world power and thermal budgets. Through its Partner Accelerator Network and Voyager SDK, Axelera AI provides a comprehensive ecosystem approach that ensures accessibility and rapid deployment. Axelera AI is supported through equity, grants and other non-dilutive funding instruments by leading funds including Innovation Industries, BlackRock, Samsung Catalyst Fund and other top-tier institutional and strategic investors.

 

 

Supporting Quotes

 

 

“SiteGround Capital is proud to join Axelera AI on this exciting journey,” shared Ivo Tzenov, founder of SiteGround. “Axelera’s approach to AI acceleration—bringing inference to the edge where data is created—directly addresses two of the most pressing challenges facing the AI industry: the unsustainable energy demands of centralized data centers and growing privacy concerns. This is the right technology, led by the right team, at precisely the right moment in the market.”

 

 

“Axelera AI’s thesis has always been clear: as AI moves from building models to putting them to work, the compute demands of running AI will far outpace training it. That requires a fundamentally different chip architecture, purpose-built to process data at speed—at low power and cost—right where it’s generated. This more than $250 million investment reflects growing market conviction that this team has built exactly that,” said Jonathan Ballon, chairman, Axelera AI.

 

 

“Axelera AI was created and incubated within Bitfury, giving us a unique perspective on the team’s execution and vision from the very beginning,” said Val Vavilov, group CEO of Bitfury. “The company’s progression from an internal initiative to a standalone business with meaningful customer traction and market validation underscores both the strength of the leadership team and the relevance of its technology. Axelera’s approach to high-performance, energy-efficient AI inference positions it to play a defining role in the next generation of AI deployment. We’re excited to continue backing the company as it scales globally.”

 

 

“CDP Venture Capital is proud to continue investing in Axelera to establish a European leader in fast and efficient AI inference hardware, taking advantage of rapidly growing markets across key sectors such as space and defense. Axelera is expanding rapidly, developing a unique HPC chip solution, and building strong collaborations with key partners,” said Alessandro Scortecci, Direct Investments Director of CDP Venture Capital. “The time is right to develop high performance inference solutions that enable better privacy standards and support the European quest for sovereign AI solutions.”

 

 

“The European Investment Council is pleased to support Axelera AI as they scale their AI acceleration technology,” said Svetoslava Georgieva, Chair of the EIC Fund Board. “This investment reflects our commitment to fostering European deep tech innovation that addresses global challenges. Axelera’s edge AI solutions directly tackle two critical issues—reducing the massive energy consumption of AI infrastructure and ensuring data sovereignty—while demonstrating strong commercial traction with customers worldwide. This is exactly the type of strategic innovation Europe needs to maintain its competitive edge in the global AI economy.”

 

 

“As a Dutch investor, we’re proud to support homegrown innovation that’s competing on the global stage in AI acceleration,” said Johan Stins from Invest-NL. “The Netherlands has always punched above its weight in semiconductor technology, and this team exemplifies that heritage. Their customer traction across Europe and beyond, combined with a solution that addresses both the energy transition challenges we face locally and the global data sovereignty concerns, makes this a strategic investment for our portfolio. The leadership team’s experience scaling deep tech companies gives us confidence they can build a true European champion in AI infrastructure.”

 

 

“Samsung Catalyst Fund aims to identify and support category-defining entrepreneurs and emerging companies at the intersection of semiconductor innovation and AI,” said Dede Goldschmidt, SVP & Managing Director, Head of Samsung Catalyst Fund. “Axelera AI developed a differentiated edge-first AI inference architecture. We are pleased to continue to support the team as they execute to capture a massive market opportunity.”

 

 

“SFPIM plays an important role in the long-term stability of the Belgian economy by contributing to the anchoring of strategic assets through “smart capital solutions,” said Alan Vandenberghe, investment manager at SFPIM. “We continue to invest in Axelera AI because their market is inflecting right now. Indeed, the customers are actively seeking alternatives to centralized cloud AI but also privacy regulations are tightening and energy costs are escalating. The experienced Axelera team has built technology that meets this momentum, and the customer adoption rates validate the urgent need. Through this investment, SFPIM aims to strengthen Axelera’s links with Belgium, particularly through research and development centers in Leuven, university partnerships, and ecosystems. Axelera can play a significant role in Belgium and Europe in terms of economic sovereignty in the semiconductor sector.”

 

 

ⁱAI Inference Market worth $254.98 billion by 2030 – Exclusive Report by MarketsandMarkets™
ⁱⁱTraining vs. Inference: The $300B AI Shift Everyone is Missing
ⁱⁱⁱAI Chip Market to Grow 10x in the Next Ten Years and Become a $300 Billion Industry – Edge AI and Vision Alliance

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224272201/en/

 

Business Wire India

In February 2026, a U.S. federal court ruled that Laser Components, a century-old global optics company, had infringed patents held by Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi), a U.S.-based company that has focused on opto-semiconductor R&D and manufacturing for the past 25 years. The court ordered a permanent injunction banning the sale of the infringing products. The ruling applies not only to the manufacture and sale of products using the infringing technology, but also to employees and executives who cooperated in or were involved in the infringement.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260223103204/en/

 

 

 

The patented technology is regarded as one of the core technologies for the future opto-semiconductor market, which is projected to grow to approximately $50 billion within the next decade—about one quarter the size of the memory semiconductor market. By converting electrical energy into light energy, the technology is expected to be used in AR glasses that could replace smartphones, as well as in high-bandwidth memory (HBM) semiconductors to reduce AI-related power consumption. The essence of the patent lies in optimizing semiconductor current and multi-layer structures to maximize photon generation while minimizing photon loss within the semiconductor—thereby significantly enhancing performance.

 

A key aspect of this ruling is that the scope of infringement was not limited to specific products. The court prohibited the manufacture, sale, and importation of all products produced using processes similar to the patented technology. The written judgment further clarified that the injunction applies not only to the company’s executives and employees, but also to any third parties who assisted or participated in the infringing activities.

 

 

The decision follows the same legal context as a similar patent infringement case involving SETi in 2019. In that case, a former SETi technical employee relocated to China, established and operated an opto-semiconductor company, and later returned to the United States to found Bolb Inc., which was found to have infringed SETi’s patents. The court issued injunctions against Bolb employees and related parties. In the present Laser case, the infringing products were manufactured by a company established by a former executive of Seoul Viosys—SETi’s long-time OEM manufacturing partner—and were subsequently imported and sold by Laser Components. The court delivered a firm judgment against the misappropriation of the underlying technology.

 

 

Rakesh Jain, CEO of SETi, stated, “Birth is not fair, but opportunity must be fair.” He added, “Without opto-semiconductors, the United States could not manufacture automobiles or aircraft, and our homes and streets would fall into darkness. Yet today, everyone talks only about silicon semiconductors and AI, while the national security risks associated with opto-semiconductors are rarely mentioned.”

 

 

He further noted, “Some large corporations are using low-cost products that infringe patents. To manufacture products essential to the United States, SETi has secured a 25,000-square-meter site and, together with Seoul Viosys in Korea, has invested billions of dollars over the past 25 years. However, we are currently operating at less than 10% capacity.” He urged, “For the sake of national security, opto-semiconductor patent technologies must be protected, and the government should pay special attention to preventing U.S. patents from being sold to foreign companies.”

 

 

About Sensor Electronic Technology, Inc. (SETi)

 

 

SETi is a U.S.-based innovation company that developed and commercialized the world’s first Deep UV LED opto-semiconductor technology. Headquartered in Columbia, South Carolina, SETi, the subsidiary of Seoul Semiconductor (KOSDAQ: 046890), has built a strong portfolio of more than 600 foundational patents and continues to develop and manufacture its own EPI technology in-house. SETi generates approximately $10 million in annual revenue across global applications, including medical, industrial, and environmental sectors, and continues to lead technological advancement in the field. For more information, visit: http://www.s-et.com/en/.

 

 

About Seoul Viosys

 

 

Seoul Viosys possesses the technological capability to produce full-spectrum opto-semiconductor chips from 200nm to 1,400nm, supported by over 6,000 patents. The company manufactures VCSEL (Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Laser) and laser diodes, and mass-produces the world’s first “WICOP Pixel,” which integrates R, G, and B for displays into a single chip. Founded in 2002, Seoul Viosys currently holds the world’s No. 1 market share in UV LED and, together with its parent company Seoul Semiconductor—which holds 15,000 patents—continues to strengthen its technological leadership in the global market. For more information, visit: www.seoulviosys.com.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260223103204/en/

 

Business Wire India

Parenting today comes with new challenges. Children are today forced to choose between spending more time indoors and fighting pollution when they are outdoors during certain periods. They are also growing up in an environment that is very different from the one their parents knew. 

As climate change makes the weather unpredictable, doctors are observing subtle shifts in how children experience common illnesses – symptoms appearing beyond typical seasons and recovery sometimes taking longer than expected. These changes don’t point to weaker immunity, but to young immune systems learning to adapt to a changing environment.

It is with this evolving context that Savlon Swasth India Mission has launched a Podcast series – Doc’s Pod, to highlight the significance of preventive hygiene and disinfection with the evolving changes in climate, health and overall environment. The first episode focuses on Climate playing a key role in shaping the health of today’s children. Featuring Faye D Souza in conversation with Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, Consultant Pediatrician at Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, the podcast focuses on a reassuring insight: simple, consistent hygiene habits remain one of the most effective ways parents can support children’s immunity today.

Link to the podcast: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2TjHEp2tNdo

Children’s immune systems take time – nearly 7-8 years – to fully mature. During these early years, reducing everyday exposure to germs becomes especially helpful, particularly as environmental changes increase contact-based transmission. “A child’s immune system is still learning what to fight and what to ignore. When daily exposure to germs increases because of heat, humidity, or damp environments, immunity gets distracted, responding to repeated low-level threats instead of building long-term strength,” says Dr Bhaskar.

The podcast highlights how small, repeatable actions at home can make a meaningful difference, easing the load on young immune systems and supporting healthier growth. Rather than reacting to illness, Savlon Swasth India Mission encourages families to build prevention into daily routines-turning hygiene from an occasional reminder into a quiet, dependable habit.

Sameer Satpathy, Divisional Chief Executive, Personal Care Products Business, ITC Limited, said, “For nearly a decade, Savlon Swasth India Mission has worked to strengthen hygiene habits among children. As climate change intensifies, and can potentially impact children’s health, it becomes imperative for parents to practice and teach disinfection and prevention. By building simple habits like regular handwashing, using masks and disinfecting surfaces, every child can protect their immune system and strengthen resistance. This initiative reinforces preventive hygiene as a child’s most reliable defence against climate-induced diseases. By combining science, practical guidance and consistent action, we aim to empower families to build healthier homes and a more resilient future.”

The preventive approach discussed in the podcast is strongly backed by evidence. According to the World Health Organization, nearly 80% of childhood infections spread through touch, underlining the importance of hygiene-led prevention. Research further shows that consistent hygiene practices can reduce diarrhoeal illnesses by up to 40% and respiratory infections by 21%, validating hygiene as one of the most effective everyday actions families can take.

Adding her thoughts as a mother herself, Faye D’Souza said, “As a parent, it’s unsettling to see children fall sick in seasons that never used to be a problem, with illnesses lingering longer than expected. This conversation, through the Savlon Swasth India Mission podcast, helped put things into perspective—that our children’s immunity isn’t weaker, but under constant environmental pressure. What’s reassuring is realising that simple, everyday hygiene habits, when done consistently, still give parents meaningful control in protecting their families. In a time of so much uncertainty, that sense of control really matters.”

Dr Bhaskar Shenoy, Consultant Paediatrician at Manipal Hospital, Bengaluru, added, “Children aren’t falling sick more often because their immunity is failing, but because the environment around them is changing faster than their immune systems can adapt. Constant exposure to pollution, humidity and erratic weather keeps immunity under sustained stress. The good news is that preventive hygiene habits at home can significantly reduce this burden and give children’s immune systems the breathing space they need to respond better to everyday infections.”

Climate may be unpredictable, but our defense doesn’t have to be. By instilling these expert-backed habits today, we’re giving our children the resilience they need to thrive tomorrow.

Business Wire India

ExaGrid^®, the leader in Tiered Backup Storage, today announced that it has been honored with an award in the Secondary Storage category from the first annual StorageNewsletter Awards.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224387048/en/

 

 

 

The winners of the StorageNewsletter Awards were chosen by a seven-member jury who selected the vendors for each category. “A long-standing innovator, ExaGrid has played a key role in shaping a new era of secondary storage with its scale-out architecture. Originally built around HDDs, the platform now supports SSDs and continues to gain market share at a rapid pace, driven by a strong channel ecosystem and broad validation from numerous backup software vendors. Through continuous feature enhancements, the team has led this segment for many years, and the outlook for future growth remains very promising,” said Philippe Nicolas, owner and editor of StorageNewsletter and jury president of the StorageNewsletter Awards 2026.

 

ExaGrid has gained substantial recognition for its Tiered Backup Storage, winning 24 industry awards over the past three years. ExaGrid is the largest independent of backup storage in the industry, and its customer base has grown to over 5,000 organizations who are actively installed, all while maintaining healthy financials with 20 consecutive quarters of positive P&L, EBITDA, and Free Cash Flow.

 

 

ExaGrid continues to innovate its Tiered Backup Storage, and over the past year has expanded its comprehensive security features with AI-Powered Retention Time-Lock for Ransomware Recovery, as well as adding SSD appliance models to its existing line of award-winning HDD appliance models.

 

 

“We are honored to win the Secondary Storage Award at the first annual StorageNewsletter Awards,” said Bill Andrews, President and CEO of ExaGrid. “ExaGrid is committed to offering the best backup storage solution on the market, and we are grateful for the continued recognition of our Tiered Backup Storage.”

 

 

About ExaGrid
ExaGrid provides Tiered Backup Storage with a unique disk-cache Landing Zone, long-term retention repository, scale-out architecture, and comprehensive security features, including AI-Powered Retention Time-Lock to recover from a ransomware attack. ExaGrid’s Landing Zone provides for the fastest backups, restores, and instant VM recoveries. The Repository Tier offers the lowest cost for long-term retention. ExaGrid’s scale-out architecture includes full appliances and ensures a fixed-length backup window as data grows, eliminating expensive forklift upgrades and planned product obsolescence. ExaGrid offers the only two-tiered backup storage approach with a non-network-facing tier (tiered air gap), delayed deletes, and immutable objects to recover from ransomware attacks.

 

 

ExaGrid has physical sales and pre-sales systems engineers in the following countries: Argentina, Australia, Austria, Benelux, Brazil, Canada, Chile, CIS, Colombia, Czech Republic, France, Germany, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Mexico, Nordics, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, and other regions.

 

 

Visit us at exagrid.com or connect with us on LinkedIn. See what our customers have to say about their own ExaGrid experiences and learn why they now spend significantly less time on backup storage in our customer success stories. ExaGrid is proud of our +81 NPS score!

 

 

ExaGrid is a registered trademark of ExaGrid Systems, Inc. All other trademarks are the property of their respective holders.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260224387048/en/

 

Business Wire India

The Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA) today announced that Manufacturing Technology Deployment Group (MTDG) has elevated its participation from Participating Member to Principal Member. As part of this expanded leadership role, Dean Bartles, Ph.D., CEO of MTDG has joined the AMGTA Board of Directors.

 

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260223233185/en/

 

 

 

Principal Membership represents AMGTA’s highest level of engagement and is reserved for organizations demonstrating sustained leadership, strategic alignment, and a commitment to advancing sustainable and resilient manufacturing practices globally. As a Principal Member, MTDG will take on an expanded role in shaping AMGTA’s strategic direction, governance, and industry collaboration initiatives.

 

Dean Bartles brings decades of leadership across advanced manufacturing, workforce development, and industrial transformation. While widely recognized for his deep expertise in additive manufacturing, Bartles’ experience extends across the broader advanced manufacturing ecosystem – providing critical perspective on how additive technologies integrate into larger production systems and economic strategies.

 

 

“Dean brings an exceptional combination of technical depth and ecosystem-level perspective,” said Sherri Monroe, Executive Director of AMGTA. “Additive manufacturing does not operate in isolation – it is part of a broader advanced manufacturing landscape. Dean understands that integration, and his insight will strengthen our ability to advance sustainability conversations that are both ambitious and grounded in industrial reality.”

 

 

AMGTA is the only independent, global organization bringing together companies across the manufacturing ecosystem to elevate and advance the conversation around 3D printing and additive manufacturing practices for improved environmental, economic, and resource-efficient outcomes. In an increasingly volatile and uncertain business climate, commercial 3D printing and additive practices are being adopted as critical technologies – supporting everything from new product design to reducing standing inventory costs and obsolescence.

 

 

Additive manufacturing technologies are now present across a wide range of applications, from medical implants and consumer electronics to aerospace, industrial products, and defense. Collectively referred to as additive manufacturing or AM, these technologies are enabling businesses to be more responsive, innovative, economically viable, and sustainable. Today – and increasingly in the future – the unique capabilities enabled by commercial 3D printing and additive practices are fundamentally changing how organizations compete and succeed in a rapidly evolving global economy.

 

 

“AMGTA’s mission sits at the intersection of innovation and responsibility,” said Brian Neff, Chair of the AMGTA Board of Directors. “Dean’s leadership experience across advanced manufacturing strengthens our Board at a strategic level. His ability to connect additive technologies to broader industrial transformation efforts will be invaluable as we guide AMGTA’s next phase of impact.”

 

 

“Additive manufacturing is a transformative capability within advanced manufacturing,” said Dean Bartles, CEO of MTDG. “I am honored to join the AMGTA Board and support its work in advancing sustainable, economically viable manufacturing practices. The industry has an opportunity – and responsibility – to ensure that additive technologies contribute meaningfully to long-term resilience and competitiveness.”

 

 

Dean Bartles’ appointment is effective February 1, 2026.

 

 

About the Additive Manufacturer Green Trade Association (AMGTA)

 

 

AMGTA is a global trade association dedicated to advancing sustainable, resilient, and economically viable manufacturing through additive technologies. Through collaboration, data-driven insights, and industry leadership, AMGTA supports manufacturers, suppliers, and stakeholders worldwide in accelerating responsible adoption of additive manufacturing.

 

 

 

 

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260223233185/en/