-
Bain's effort to acquire 3Com on verge of collapse
Bain Capital and a Chinese partner wanted to buy 3Com for $2.2 billion; 3Com’s TippingPoint unit sells security software used by U.S. government agencies, and persistent questions were raised over the national security ramifications of the deal; Bain and Huawei Technologies have now withdrawn their application to CFIUS
-
-
Aussie company in $20 million wave energy project for Maui
Australian specialist in wave energy to build three platforms off the coast of Maui; project aims to provide up to 2.7 megawatts
-
-
Textual analysis reveals corporate fraud
The textual analysis technique can be used to identify language patterns in management communications which are inconsistent with either the company’s financial performance or with the communications of other companies in the same industry, indicating fraud
-
-
Australian biometrics software developer finds success in U.K.
Aussie biometric company finds success in the United Kingdom, with recent order from Wales bringing to company’s U.K. orders to more than $1 million; company still awaits similar recognition at home in Australia
-
-
Lockheed Martin wins FBI database contract
Lockheed Martin built and maintains the FBI’s current ten-fingerprint database, so it was expected to win the contract for the agency’s new database — and it did; contract potential value is $1 billion
-
-
World’s first commercial-scale tidal stream
The tidal farm scheme would be capable of generating 10.5 MW of power drawn entirely from the sea’s major tidal currents; project will be built off the north-west coast of Anglesey, north Wales
-
-
Spain to explore oil reserves on its east coast
Spanish oil company signs up a leading Norwegian engineering company to do infrastructure work for to oil exploration projects off the east coast of Spain
-
-
Chinese hackers target government
The Chinese government has embarked on a massive industrial espionage campaign aimed to hasten China’s rise to global technological and economic dominance while at the same time weakening Western companies; Aussie intelligence says Australia is now also a target of that campaign
-
-
India's Tata Group, U.S. company to manufacture defense equipment
India is worried about China’s growing military might; Indian companies see an opportunity here, and more and more of them are looking to enter the defense market — with U.S. companies as partners; the U.S. government, too, is intensifying its defense cooperation with India
-
-
airBaltic selects cockpit security from AD Aerospace
One key security upgrade which resulted from the 9/11 attacks has been the installation of impregnable cockpit doors; locked doors means that the pilots need other means to monitor area right outside the cockpit — and airBaltic chooses AD Aerospace’s gear for that
-
-
Lumidigm completes $7 million funding round
VCs continue to show interest in biometric technologies; Series C funds will support customer-centric deployments of multispectral imaging fingerprint systems
-
-
Magal Security Systems receives $45 million in contracts
Israeli smart-fencing company receives contracts from several U.S. critical infrastructure operators; recent developments along the Gaza-Stip-Egypt border offer Magal new opportunities
-
-
Emphasis shifts to analytical tools rather than building sturdier walls
The $169 million PayPal paid for Israeli on-line security specialist Fraud Sciences is part of a larger trend in security: “Security is less a matter of keeping everyone outside the outer wall and more one of detecting them sneaking through the premises,” as one analyst put it
-
-
Intel No.1 on EPA Green Power Partner list
Intel will purchase more than 1.3 billion kilowatt hours a year of renewable energy certificates; company said it hoped the record-setting purchase would help stimulate the market for green power
-
-
U.K. Ministry of Defense selects BAE for SSEI
The Software Systems Engineering Initiative (SSEI) aims to reduce the cost and speed up production of the software; the government has identified such software as “the critical enabling technology” for modern platforms; BAE’s Military Air Solutions will lead a consortium to manage the project
-
The long view
Great Leap Nowhere: The Challenges of China’s Semiconductor Industry
China is struggling in the battle for advanced semiconductor technology. With President Joe Biden’s most recent round of export controls on semiconductors, China is now facing an increasingly urgent challenge as it seeks to ramp up its domestic innovative capacity for high-end chips. These difficulties and challenges notwithstanding, Elliot Ji writes, “U.S. policymakers should be keenly aware that China’s relative success with creative adaptation means that it can boost certain sectors of the chip industry by exploiting leaky export controls and engaging in cyber espionage.”
Surge in Arms Imports to Europe, While U.S. Dominance of the Global Arms Trade Increases
Imports of major arms by European states increased by 47 percent between 2013–17 and 2018–22, while the global level of international arms transfers decreased by 5.1 percent. The United States’ share of global arms exports increased from 33 to 40 percent while Russia’s fell from 22 to 16 percent.
Taiwan’s High-End Semiconductors: Supply Chain Interdependence and Geopolitical Vulnerability
What are the geopolitical implications of Taiwan’s dominance in global semiconductor production? How would the peaceful annexation or outright invasion of Taiwan by China affect the United States, its allies and partners, and the global economy? What are the United States’ options for mitigating or reversing the unfavorable effects of either unification scenario?
Predicting Threats to Food Security
Pests and diseases remain one of the biggest threats to food production, increasingly destabilizing food security and livelihoods across climate-vulnerable regions around the world,” says one expert. Mathematical modelling can prevent crop devastation and preserve livelihoods.