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    Dataiku raises $100m to extend leadership in enterprise AI market

    TCN Bureau
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    Dataiku raises $100m to extend leadership in enterprise AI market
    • Gartner predicts that artificial intelligence implementation will move away from the pilot stage toward operationalisation at 75% of companies by 2024.

    Dubai: Democratising access to AI insights is no longer a nice-to-have but a must-have in today’s world.

    As the use of data science, machine learning and AI in the enterprise space is gaining traction and entities are trying to make use of their data and get insights from it, US-headquartered Dataiku is aiming to bring agility and preparedness to the business through the use of data by everyone from analysts to data scientists.

    The data science startup has raised $100 million in a “Series D” round led by Stripes and Tiger Global Management.

    It has been doing AI/ML work for over a decade, using a collaborative, cross-departmental approach to help their more than 300 customers integrate AI throughout their operations and offerings.

    Untapped potential

    Florian Douetteau, co-founder and CEO of Dataiku, said that its leadership in enterprise AI continues to attract world-class investors and they are positioned to help businesses realise the untapped potential for AI to transform the enterprise.

    Gartner predicts that artificial intelligence implementation will move away from the pilot stage toward operationalisation at 75% of companies by 2024, which means that the next four years will see a five-fold increase in streaming data and analytics infrastructures adoption.

     “In a global business market rocked by the changes 2020 has brought, AI has proven to be a critical element of organizational success driving business growth in every major vertical market,” he said.

    Dataiku was founded in 2013 by Douetteau and three fellow Frenchmen – Marc Batty, Clement Stenac and Thomas Cabrol.

    The progression of AI in the enterprise has moved rapidly from experimentation to real-life implementations at scale in 2020, Ron Shah, Partner at Stripes and added that Dataiku is at the forefront of that shift with the most comprehensive, secure and enterprise ready product.

    “What we’ve seen in Dataiku is not only a commitment to developing future-proof technology for customers ranging across nearly every major industry and geography, but perhaps more importantly, a team of dedicated professionals and global organisation working to ensure trust, safety and resilience through machine learning,” Paul Melchiorre, Operating Partner at Stripes, said.

    UiPath to boost investments in MEA to meet growing demand

    Naushad K. Cherrayil
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    UiPath to boost investments in MEA to meet growing demand
    • Companies need to transform faster than ever and they don’t have an option anymore, regional head says.
    • Companies are stressed and automation, especially RPA, is one of the very few programs where the returns are quite quick.
    • Companies are using RPA and other intelligent automation technologies to address new business and market pressures stemming from Covid-19.

    Dubai: The power of automation in today’s challenging times is becoming not just an engine to drive transformation and efficiencies but has now been elevated to an existential requirement, UiPath regional head said.

    “Companies need to transform faster than ever and they don’t have an option anymore. They cannot do lip service to transformation. The interest from companies both big and small, already growing strongly, has increased exponentially since the start of the pandemic,” Karan Dixit, Vice-President for UiPath Middle East and Africa, told TechChannel News.

    UiPath is one of the three biggest RPA companies in the world, alongside Automation Anywhere and Blue Prism.

    Dixit said the Covid-19 crisis has accelerated adoption of automation in the region. 

    Organisations across the sectors have had to cope with activity peaks during the pandemic and the lockdowns without being able to rely on extra resources to answer citizen and customer demands. 

    “The frontline industries, such as healthcare, public sector services and more, have turned to technology to cut down reaction time, while sectors such as retail, banking, education, have had to find the right channels and put in place the necessary framework to allow them to meet their users online,” Dixit said.

    Faced with challenges, he said that many organisations have had to speed up the process of putting in place robust technological infrastructures that can support the end-to-end digitalisation of processes, paving the way for automation.

    Dixit believes that automation is the future of work, and this belief is rooted in the present, which shows there is solid adoption across all markets and in workplaces and companies from all business sectors.

    “Companies are stressed and automation, especially RPA, is one of the very few technologies where the return on investments is quite fast. Moreover, RPA implementations are quick to deploy and the gains can be quantified very easily,” he said.

    However, he said that the Middle East is a unique region with its unique requirements.

    The region has perhaps the most progressive Government, he said and they have been a huge proponent of next-generation technologies.

    Opportunities far outweigh challenges

    Given the strong integration between AI and RPA, “we are seeing them not just as a sponsor but also as a leading customer segment.

    The opportunities today in the region far outweigh any challenges.

    With a growing partner ecosystem, an established and fast-growing customer base and truly industry-leading technology, we are increasing our investments on the ground to support the growth that we are seeing,” Dixit said.

    Today, he said that there is a strong consensus among the analysts surveying the automation landscape that RPA is a “central and essential component” of a larger automation ambition.

    However, he said there is not yet a full agreement on the terms to be used, e.g. intelligent automation, intelligent RPA or hyperautomation.

    Recent research from Zinnov puts together the ingredients of end-to-end intelligent/hyperautomation and they include – democratization, platformisation and ecosystem development.

    While UiPath has made democratisation of RPA knowledge a core pillar of its vision, Dixit said the launch of the industry’s first platform built for end-to-end hyperautomation has placed UiPath in a great position to continue to sustain its leadership of the market.

    Moreover, Zinnov’s analysis sizes the total addressable market (TAM) for hyper-intelligent automation at $65 billion, with estimated enterprise spend in 2025 at $42 billion—a 55% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) for 2020-2025.

    Zinnov’s research acknowledges that despite overall IT setbacks due to the ongoing 2019 novel coronavirus, customer interest and adoption for hyper-intelligent automation is accelerating.

    Key areas that automation tackles

    Dixit said that there are four key areas that automation tackles and they are key for ensuring business resilience and continuity:

    • It accelerates digital transformation, and companies are already well aware of their need to either continue at full speed or start already.
    • It enhances customer experience, and this is key for remaining competitive in the market.  
    • It improves employee satisfaction – focusing on upselling, billing, consulting value-added work. 
    • It removes risk & increases compliance. 

    Dixit said that UiPath’s automation is built on a collaborative model that puts employees at the centre and empowers them to identify areas for improvement, and either create the software robots themselves or, for more complex automations, entrust their company’s Center of Excellence with developing them.

    “We have customers who have UiPath Certification Graduations ceremonies and make sure their employees make use of the RPA training opportunities offered by the UiPath Academy, a free online platform to build these skills within the organisation,” he said.

    According to recent assessments by research firm International Data Corporation (IDC), he said the rise of cloud computing could provide a buffer against the Covid-19 driven downturn, especially in Saudi Arabia.

    Accordingly, he said that businesses are now focusing more on “sustaining operations” and are using cloud computing to do so.

    According to IDC, flexible, scalable cloud services are among the few technology segments expected to continue clocking positive double-digit growth across SaaS, IaaS and PaaS [software, infrastructure and platform as a service] in 2020.

    However, he said that UiPath’s cloud strategy is not just limited to AWS or Azure and it goes deeper than that.

    UiPath offers its platform as a SaaS service that customers can use in the region.

    One robot for every person

    “Our goal is to have a software robot assisting users in their day-to-day tasks, taking away the tedious, repetitive work, and allowing you to focus on the most productive and creative areas,” Dixit said.

    UiPath’s co-founder and CEO Daniel Dines shared the company’s vision to enable and offer “a robot for every person” in 2018. Referencing Bill Gates’ vision to deliver ‘a computer on every desk’, Dines then said: “Our vision is a continuation of this idea, to have one robot for every person.” 

    One big pillar of that vision, Dixit said is UiPath’s commitment to democratise the access to automation and via its UiPath Academy, launched in 2017, and Academic Alliance program.

    The UiPath Academy offers free online training in RPA to anyone interested in training and reskilling for the jobs of today and tomorrow.

    Academy training courses prepare professionals for the roles required to build an RPA Centre of Excellence within an organisation, including RPA developers, solution architects, infrastructure engineers, implementation managers and business analysts.

    Dixit said that more than 700,000 individuals around the world have enrolled in UiPath Academy since its launch in 2017.

    Through the Academic Alliance, He said that they partner with leading institutions, universities and colleges, and together craft the global RPA knowledge ecosystem.

    The hottest topic in the automation space is hyperautomation, he said and it is recognised by research firm Gartner as the top trend on its list of “Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020”.

    Strong annual recurring revenue

    Keeping RPA at its core, hyperautomation brings together several components of process automation and integrates technologies and tools that amplify the ability to automate work, such as artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), natural language processing (NLP), intelligent optical character recognition (OCR) and AI computer vision.

    “UiPath has significantly expanded the scope and capabilities of what an RPA platform can deliver, new capabilities that support every phase of the automation lifecycle. We have all of these technologies in one platform and customers can pick and choose what they want to use and when they want to use,” he said.

    The company is now speeding up its plans for an initial public offering in the US by next year.

    The New York-based company raised $225 million in its latest fundraising and has now raised more than $1.2 billion to date.

    Dixit said that it has more than $400 million, as of April 2020 and from over $200 million a year ago, in annual recurring revenue (ARR), a metric that measures its predictable revenue from subscriptions and returning customers.

    In February, the company announced it closed 2019 with $360 million in ARR.

    “At over $400 million in ARR in 2020, UiPath is one of the fastest-growing enterprise software companies worldwide with a strong partner ecosystem,” Dixit said.

    BlackBerry’s re-entry into B2B space to make a dent in US iPhone sales in long run

    Naushad K. Cherrayil
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    BlackBerry’s re-entry into B2B space to make a dent in US iPhone sales in long run
    • With 5G, security concerns are going to be higher as business apps are going to come on to mobile phones.
    • BlackBerry’s security software is embedded into 500m endpoints, including 150m cars, and with over 12,000 global customers.
    • Apple’s iPhone sales likely to take a hit in the US if BlackBerry picks up steam in the long run.

    Dubai: BlackBerry is reentering the smartphone space at the right time as security has moved to the forefront of concerns in both enterprises and governments.

    “The security part came to people’s minds only after the US started raising concerns over Huawei devices.  With 5G, the concerns are going to be higher as business apps are going to come on to mobile phones. It is more for 5G that the switch may happen and it is here where BlackBerry can add value,” Shobhit Srivastava, Research Analyst at Counterpoint Research, told TechChannel News.

    There is a buzz around security, he said and added that BlackBerry’s strength lies around security.

    OnwardMobility, in partnership with BlackBerry and FIH Mobile, is set to manufacture new phones bearing the BlackBerry brand in the first half of next year.

    The phones are likely to be manufactured in India or Vietnam and not in China.

    Key components to success

    At its peak in 2012, the BlackBerry devices were a status symbol and had more than 80 million active users.

    “The encrypted BBM messaging service and its QWERTY keyboard was a key component of BlackBerry’s success and the devices are known for protecting communications, privacy and data,” Srivastava said.

    With 5G coming in, he said that Blackberry is aiming at enterprises, regulated industries and governments.

    Dr. Ramazan Yavuz, Senior Research Manager at International Data Corp, said that BlackBerry still enjoys a strong brand equity in the mobile phone industry.

    “All successors after RIM targeted to monetise this equity and I believe this is still the Holy Grail for OnwardMobility and FIH Mobile,” he said.

    The dynamics of smartphone competition will be quite different in 2021, he said and if the differentiation of the product will be only “security and a physical keyboard”, today’s technology audience is far more sophisticated and the technology solutions are far more capable.

    “This leaves BB to address niche market segments like certain sectors of finance, legal or government verticals where 5G applications will be rapidly deployed in the near future and will be heavily used,” he said.

    Security is part of its DNA

    “We are excited that customers will experience the enterprise and government level security and mobile productivity the new BlackBerry 5G smartphone will offer,” John Chen, Executive Chairman and CEO, BlackBerry, said.

    BlackBerry started losing market share after Apple launched iPhones and the Canadian company finally stopped manufacturing its phones after iPhones and other Chinese manufacturers launched devices a bunch of features that appealed to consumers and to app developers to make money.

    In 2016, Chinese company TCL acquired the rights to produce BlackBerry-branded phones and that is going to end by the end of this month.

    Srivastava said that Blackberry is going to position itself towards enterprise space.

    “Blackberry exited the phone manufacturing business as they were losing money and they wanted to position themselves as a security company with their QNX platform. All their concertation was going towards saving the company and focus only on profitable businesses. That is why they did not pay much attention to the mobile phone space with the onslaught of Chinese companies,” he said.

    Yeo Swan Chin, Managing Director for BlackBerry South East Asia and South Asia, said the company has transformed itself in the last seven to eight years.

    “Many know us as a smartphone manufacturer but we have a long history in connecting and securing endpoint security and that has always been our DNA.  We started by securing PoS terminals and we are the first to come out with a mobile device management system,” he said.

    Customer focus not on radar

    “Our security software is embedded into 500 million endpoints, including 150 million cars, and with over 12,000 global customers. We developed AI security solutions what work with human instincts and not against them. Endpoint security software is doubling every three years while there is a global shortage of 4 million cybersecurity workers,” he said.

    “We at Blackberry, take a different approach. We incorporate machine intelligence to complement human intelligence and redefine how modern endpoints are built. We are the leader in the security AI market,” he said.

    In the short term, Srivastava said BlackBerry may not make a big dent in iPhone sales in the US but as it picks up steam, it will be targeted more towards Apple rather than Samsung in the enterprise space.

    “BlackBerry is expected to hold talks with enterprises and governments who have switched to iPhones rather than Android devices for security reasons. Many people still prefer BlackBerry keyboard and its encrypted features and many are very likely to switch back to BlackBerry when launched,” he said.

    Moreover, he said that BlackBerry will not focus on the consumer side as the competition is very cut-throat in the Android space.

    “In the consumer space, they are very unlikely to make a big impact because 5G phones are already available in the market,” he said.

    In consumer segment, Yavuz said that Huawei will still command a certain market share by 2021.

    Given brands like Xiaomi, TCL and Oppo are pursuing aggressive growth, he said that the absence of Huawei alone is not a full driver of growth for BB.

    “Putting the world on Notice: The AI is ready”

    Mohammed Fahad
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    “Putting the world on Notice: The AI is ready”
    • But are we? It is a question that we all need to ask and definitely one that was asked by Matthew Tarascio, Vice President of Artificial Intelligence at Lockheed Martin after history of sorts was made in the field of machine learning and artificial intelligence as the latter beat a human fighter jet pilot in a dogfight.

    Bengaluru: Artificial Intelligence just triumphed over humans yet again, but this time around it was in the crucial area of proving its absolute superiority in advanced warfare.

    In the battle of artificial intelligence versus a human fighter pilot, the AI algorithm, developed by Heron Systems, swept a human F-16 pilot in a simulated dogfight 5-0. The pilot, a recent graduate of the US Air Force Weapons School’s F-16 Weapons Instructor Course is an operational fighter pilot with more than 2,000 hours in the F-16.

    DARPA says the aim of the project is to demonstrate the feasibility of developing effective, intelligent autonomous agents capable of defeating adversary aircraft in a dogfight.

    “DARPA’s AlphaDogfight Trials seeks to advance the state of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies applied to air combat operations,” it said.

    The computer-based competition are designed to demonstrate advanced AI algorithms that can perform simulated within-visual-range air combat maneuvering.

    Live broadcast

    The AI developed by Heron Systemsalso was able to make adjustments on a “nanosecond level” where the human “OODA loop”—observe, orient, decide, and act—takes longer, giving the algorithm another advantage.

    Eight teams were selected for the AlphaDogfight, by DARPA (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency). The top four teams competed their AIs in simulated F-16 dogfights for the top spot following which AI faced off against a human F-16 pilot in the final event.

    The event was broadcast live from the Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab (JHU/APL) via a ZoomGov Webinar. You can watch the five hour long video on the DAPRAtv YouTube Channel.

    Reports quoting Col. Daniel Javorsek, the program manager of DARPA’s Air Combat Evolution Program, which includes the AlphaDogfight, said the goal of the event was to increase the confidence of the feasibility of using artificial intelligence in combat aircraft. If the event was able to convince just a couple pilots, “then I’m considering it a success. That’s the first steps I need to create a trust in these sorts of agents.”

    Matt Tarascio, vice president of artificial intelligence at Lockheed Martin commenting on social media after the competition said, “We just put the world on notice that AI is ready … the bigger question is are we?”

    “AI is a part of virtually everything we do today, so we are all part of this revolution … some are at the leading edge while others are likely unaware that what powers their favourite voice assistant is AI….. there is a truly exciting opportunity to fuse humans and machines to leverage the generalisation and contextual understanding of humans with the narrow expertise of AI. This is a perfect example of why DARPA exists … to incubate the impossible … can’t wait to see what’s next,” he said responding to a user’s comment.

    According to DAPRA these trials are a precursor to the DARPA Air Combat Evolution (ACE) program, which involves AI development and demonstration in three program phases – modeling and simulation, sub-scale aircraft, and full-scale aircraft testing.

    “Ultimately, ACE will be flying AI algorithms on live aircraft to demonstrate trusted, scalable, human-level autonomy for air combat,” the note adds.

    Selpic P1 review: A handheld mobile printer for multiple surfaces

    Naushad K. Cherrayil
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    Selpic P1 review: A handheld mobile printer for multiple surfaces
    • P1 is world’s smallest and lightest mobile printer and weighs just 92 grams.
    • The inkjet printer can print on curved surfaces or vertical surfaces or even curved angles.
    • To print different colours, you need to change the cartridges every time and it is a pain.

    Dubai: California-based company Selpic is pushing the boundaries of digital printing. After S1 and S1 Plus mobile printers, the company is set to mass-produce P1, the world’s smallest and lightest handheld mobile printer.

    Selpic P1 printer is currently up for crowdfunding on Indiegogo and comes in black and white versions.

    I was surprised when I opened the box to see a small printer compared to the larger S1.

    First of all, hats off to Selpic to keep the P1 so compact.

    There are two well-known brands – PrintPen (255 grams) and PrinCube (110 grams) but P1 weighs 92 grams. At only 5.12×1.22×0.94 inches, it is small enough to fit into a pocket or a handbag.

    To keep the body light, Selpic used plastic for the top half of the device and a light metallic shell towards the tip or the bottom side of the P1.

    The handheld mobile pen printer works a lot like a label maker and it is fun to use. It can be used to print words, logos, QR codes and graphics on a variety of surfaces.

    The wireless inkjet printer can print on curved surfaces or vertical surfaces or even curved angles. It has a roller on the base for a smooth roll and can print from left to right or right to left. It currently supports 10 languages such as English, Arabic, Japanese, German, Italian, French, Korean, Spanish, Russian, Chinese, etc.

    The P1 prints at 600×600 dots per inch and its inkjet head is equipped with 300 nozzles and has a nozzle spacing of just 0.002 inches. Each nozzle can eject 18 million drops per second to get incredible quality.

    Versatile printer

    To get the printer connected, the app “Selpic handy printer” has to be downloaded from the Apple, Windows or Android app stores and has to be paired through WiFi or Bluetooth networks.

    On the top half of one side, there is a power button and a USB Type-C charging port.

    To turn on, you need to push the power button for two to three-second and wait for the green LED light. The green light will also flash when you are printing. The LED will flash red when the battery is low.

    There is a round locking button which you need to press when you want to change the cartridge and a button to press when printing on the other side.

    What you want to be printed has to be typed on the app or it can turn your voice into text using the smartphone’s built-in microphone. The speech recognition works well as advertised.

    In the app, print settings can be done for the interface material such as paper, glass, plastic, leather or cloth and changing print directions.

    With the app, users can change fonts and sizes and printing will happen as you scroll across the printing surface.

    The device will print only what you can see on the app and if you enlarge a photo or a logo, zooming in will crop part of the image.

    It has a library of images and icons and you can edit, print QR codes and customise barcodes. You can also take photos with your phone or photos stored on your phone to print but remember that it can print only in one colour.

    Comfortable grip

    The review unit I got came with a black ink cartridge but you can buy other colours such as magenta, cyan, yellow, light magenta, light cyan, red and green separately. The cartridge costs $39 currently; it could be retailed for $59, for every colour and it is expensive.

    To print different colours, you need to change the cartridges every time and it is a pain.

    However, the Selpic P1 has a comfortable grip and stable operating experience.

    I tried on all the listed surfaces and it worked fine but the ink, sometimes, gets smudgy on very smooth surfaces and does not dry up fast.

    With a single cartridge, it is capable of printing 90 pages of A4 papers and replacing the cartridges can be done in seconds.

    The 7.4V lithium-polymer battery can provide close to three hours of working time. The box comes with a micro-USB cable and no 5V charger but you can use any smartphone charger. It takes more than 2.5 hours to charge the battery to full.

    Conclusion

    Selpic P1 is a printer targeting a niche segment and it cannot replace a normal printer to print documents.  The P1 has its uses but they’re limited. It is worth considering when you want to print phrases and images to your gear or hobbyists or a niche of minimalist aficionados. It cannot print large images and the print area has to be within 12.7x500mm. The app can support JPG, BNP, GIF, PNG and Office documents.

    A campaign for the Selpic P1 is launched on Indiegogo with the device starting from $99. There are also several other packages available. The retail price for the device is expected to be $199. A single colour cartridge costs $39 and will be retailed for $59. The device will be delivered to the backers in September and be available in retail stores in October.

    Pros

    • Sleek and lightweight
    • Compact form-factor
    • Quick-drying waterproof ink
    • Can print on any surfaces with multi-angles
    • Support multiple languages
    • Built-in line break function
    • Plenty of colour inks to choose

    Cons

    • A bit expensive
    • Proprietary cartridge
    • Ink does not dry fast on glossy surfaces
    • Connectivity issues can happen
    • Takes a long time to charge a small battery
    • Cannot print large images
    • Available only in October at retail stores

    Global hackathon to crowdsource tech solutions to combat Covid-19 launched

    TCN Bureau
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    Global hackathon to crowdsource tech solutions to combat Covid-19 launched
    • “Better Health Hackathon: #CodeforCovid19,” aims to find solutions for the immediate and long-term societal impact of Covid-19
    • The hackathon is organised by HCL Technologies in association with Microsoft and International SOS

    A global hackathon aimed at crowdsourcing technology innovation to find solutions for the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has attracted over 7500 applications worldwide.

    The applications have come from 600+ unique organisations and academic institutions spanning 350 locations across 52 countries.

    The competition is open to technology innovators, entrepreneurs and problem solvers from the global developer community.

    In an effort to engage top talent in the coding community, the hackathon is partnering with BeMyApp to leverage their expansive network of coders and tech enthusiasts. The Hackathon is open to eligible participants who are at least 18 years of age.

    An initiative of HCL Technologies in association with Microsoft and medical and travel security services firm International SOS, the multi-phase hackathon, “Better Health Hackathon: #CodeforCovid19,” aims to find solutions for the immediate and long-term societal impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, including pandemic containment and prevention; diagnosis, treatment and therapeutic management; recovery and return to normal; and systemic solutions for future crises.

    Judges and advisory panel members include experts from Johns Hopkins University, University of Cambridge, Tuck School of Business, The University of Queensland, Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and subject matter experts from HCL.

    “Technology has a big role to play in alleviating the challenges brought on by the pandemic, addressing solutions for successful containment and the reorientation of business and society,” Arthur Filip, Executive Vice President, Sales Transformation & Marketing, HCL Technologies, said.

    Specifically, the HCL Better Health Hackathon: #CodeForCOVID19 will address the following areas:
    • Prevention and containment: #StayAtHome
    • Diagnosis, treatment & therapeutic management
    • Recovery and return to normal
    • Systemic solutions for crises and pandemic management

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