South East Gateway to Silicon Valley
TSSG & ITLG Partnership open-up a Silicon Valley gateway for Irish Innovation
October 4th, 2011 – Today, Waterford Institute of Technology’s (WIT) Telecommunications Software & Systems Group (TSSG), announced that it is establishing an office in partnership with the Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) in San Jose, California. Based at the Irish Innovation Center (IIC), this office will provide a direct technology “gateway” between Ireland’s South East region and Silicon Valley.
Opened last year, the Irish Innovation Centre (IIC), an affiliate of the ITLG, is a flexible, business development centre in Silicon Valley that currently houses 30 Irish technology start-ups seeking to develop strategic U.S. partnerships and markets.
Barry Downes Executive Director, Innovation & Commercialisation, TSSG said, “Establishing a TSSG presence in the heart of Silicon Valley will provide a two way, free flow of people, knowledge, technology, projects, companies and investment between both regions, with aim of creating more high tech jobs in the South East of Ireland.”
Based at WIT, the TSSG is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for Telecoms and Internet research and innovation. It is a valuable resource for the domestic ICT industry, engaging with over 90 Irish companies and improving global competitiveness through knowledge transfer, problem solving and technology development via R&D projects.
“This initiative recognises the difficulties facing companies trying to access the unique eco-system of Silicon Valley without having an established network or local presence” commented Dr.Willie Donnelly, VP Research, WIT and Director TSSG.
“TSSG’s unique platform for innovation in mobile and telecoms technology, together with the ITLG’s network of over 1500 executives from companies such as HP, Cisco, Apple and Intel provides Irish companies with an unprecedented opportunity to gain access and leverage leading edge knowledge, know-how and people, which will help improve their competitiveness internationally” he said.
The ITLG, headquartered at Silicon Valley, is an Executive network of Irish-linked technology leaders. The Group is extremely active in the global technology industry, and is committed to ensuring that Ireland remains a strategic area of investment and opportunity for US technology companies. It is a key player in providing connectivity between Irish companies and the US technology investment community.
John Hartnett, President and Founder, ITLG and Chairman of TSSG’s Industry and Commercial Board said, “Silicon Valley continues to demonstrate leadership as an ideal location for Irish startups looking to partner with some of the world’s leading technology companies based here. We are delighted to make this international connection with the TSSG. We know that ICT companies will have an unparalleled gateway to TSSG’s innovation and Silicon Valley executives. We are looking forward to deepening our relationship with both the TSSG and their Irish clients,” he said.
ASTRAL Cuts Energy Costs for Business
Centralised management system monitors & controls devices
As global energy prices continue to rise, there is greater pressure on enterprises to cut spending on wasted energy. ASTRAL, developed over five years in TSSG, is a flexible management system that can reduce energy spending by monitoring the use of all devices in a building. Using sensors, it can determine which devices are using the most electricity and can turn off computers, phones, lighting, heating, ventilation systems when not required.
According to Kevin Quinn, Researcher, TSSG, “We have developed a centralised system for light, heating, IT that matches energy requirements to usage. It provides a global view of energy requirements and allows tight control over costs and is fast and simple to implement”, he said.
ASTRAL’s energy management platform can record and graph the energy spend of every device in a building and can ensure that no devices are consuming power when employees leave their offices at the end of the working day or week.
“Studies show that in the US alone it costs $2.8 billion (€2 billion) per annum to power PCs when they are not in use. We estimate that ASTRAL can provide savings of up to €53 per computer per year by simply powering down unused PCs. This is a considerable energy saving for any PC-heavy business, even before you take into account additional savings on lighting, heating, ventilation” etc.
“The ASTRAL system involves attaching a sensor to each device, which is controlled from a central hub. It integrates easily and seamlessly with the existing power infrastructure and it doesn’t require costly upgrades or interfere with daily work routines. It can transform buildings into energy-efficient ecosystems without the need for changes to corporate culture or policies,” he said.
ASTRAL is the result of five years of R&D in autonomic and policy management systems at the TSSG. It is the first building-wide Energy Management System to measure and manage all the energy being used in a building – from large systems, such as heating and lighting systems, down to individual devices plugged into wall sockets such as PCs, water coolers, etc. ASTRAL also interconnects to a wide range of sensor types and sensor protocols, including Zigbee and EnOcean. For more information visit: www.astral-energy-saver.com
TSSG appoint ITLG’s John Hartnett as Chairman of Board
PRESS RELEASE-Waterford, Ireland – SEPT 21, 2011
Barry Downes, Executive Director, TSSG Innovation and Commercialisation said, “We are delighted that John Hartnett is joining to Chair our Board. John’s leadership at such well known companies as Palm, HandSpring, Metacreations, Claris, AT&T, and Digital Equipment will be a valuable asset to the TSSG as we continue our industry-driven research and commercialisation strategy. John has a deep understanding of the challenges facing Ireland in creating new technology companies and, in addition, the ITLG opens up additional opportunities for Irish software companies in Silicon Valley” he said.
Based at WIT, the TSSG is an internationally recognised centre of excellence for ICT research and innovation. Since 1996, it has worked with over 425 academic and industry leaders around the globe, and is a valuable resource for the domestic ICT industry. Since 2006, TSSG has engaged with over 90 Irish companies to help improve their competitiveness through problem solving, R&D, knowledge transfer and technology development projects.
“The establishment of the TSSG Board supports the TSSG’s commitment to leverage its world class Telecoms and Internet science and innovation for the benefit of both Irish industry and Irish economy”, said Dr. Willie Donnelly, Head of Research and Innovation for WIT and Director, TSSG.
“I am delighted to chair the TSSG Board, I am looking forward to bringing a global industry perspective and to create a gateway to Silicon Valley for WIT & TSSG”, said John Hartnett.
In addition to Mr. Harnett, the TSSG Board is comprised of a number of leading Irish industry executives, who provide strategic support and advice to help the TSSG deliver its research, innovation and commercialisation strategy for the benefit of Irish Industry.
The Irish Technology Leadership Group (ITLG) is an independent organisation headquartered in Silicon Valley comprised of high-level technology leaders around the world who are Irish or Irish-American.
The ITLG includes senior executives from some of the Valley’s leading corporations, each of whom are committed to promoting the technology connection between Ireland and Silicon Valley, and helping Ireland address the challenges of embracing new technology opportunities.
A seasoned executive, Mr. Hartnett was previously Chief Executive Officer at G24 Innovations, and before that was Senior Vice President of Global Markets at Palm, Inc., where he was responsible for worldwide sales, service and support. Mr. Hartnett was also Executive Vice President of worldwide operations, service, support and eCommerce at Handspring, Inc. and was an integral member of the executive leadership team that led the 2003 merger of Handspring and palmOne to form what is known today as Palm Inc.
Ends
About TSSG
Based in Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT), the TSSG conducts research that addresses the transformation of the telecommunications industry, with a focus on network management and mobile services. The TSSG is at forefront of communications management for networks and services in Europe and is recognised as one of the top European Institutes (industry and academic) driving the specification of the “Future Internet”. For more information visit: www.tssg.org
About the ITLG
Established in October 2007, the ITLG is an independent organization comprised of a number of high-level technology leaders in Silicon Valley who are Irish or Irish-American. The Group includes senior executives from some of the Valley’s leading corporations, each of whom are committed to promoting the technology connection between Ireland and Silicon Valley, and helping Ireland address the challenges of embracing new technology opportunities. For more information visit: www.itlg.org
Media Contacts
Deirdre Morrissey
Marketing & Communications Manager
051 302909
Future Internet Week – Poznań
Miguel Ponce de Leon, Chief Technologist, TSSG, will be running a session focusing on “Future Internet, Key Architectural Challenges“.
And Jim Clarke, Strategic EU Liaison Manager, TSSG, will be running Session 12, which focuses on “User In Control“, Putting the Users in Control of their data and information in the Future Internet.
To find out more about the event and to register, click here
$1 trillion is just the start for mobile network upgrades
Author: Cian O’Sullivan
Date: 14.09.2011
Internet use is expanding at a frightening pace. Smartphones and tablets have made connected devices completely ubiquitous; almost any person you meet on the street will have a wirelessly connected device in their pocket. Usage of mobile data is growing at a phenomenal rate. Both IDC and Juniper Research have released forecasts that point directly to the need for massive upgrades to our telecommunications networks. For each potential solution, there are an army of supporters and detractors. But one thing is absolutely certain: something needs to be done.
Market researcher IDC has looked at the number of people accessing the Internet through wireless portable devices like smartphones and tablets. Two days ago, it claimed that this market is expanding so fast that it won’t be long before the number of people who access the Internet on PCs and other wired devices “will first stagnate and then slowly decline. Western Europe and Japan will not be far behind the U.S. in following this trend.” IDC says that the number of internet users in general will have increased to 2.7 billion by 2015 – 40% of the world’s population – and that the majority of these people will be connecting over mobile.
And that report feeds directly into one today, this time from Juniper Research. Juniper has made the rather dramatic claim that nearly a trillion dollars will need to be pumped into mobile network upgrades over the next 5 years in order to meet the spectacularly fast-growing demand for mobile Internet connections. As more and more LTE networks begin to come on-line, the speed with which data can be transmitted over mobile Internet will increase. And as the speed and stability of mobile Internet improves, more people will be drawn to using it. The real problem here is backhaul – when you use your mobile, you are communicating with the nearest cell tower or mast. Backhaul (very basically) is the data that all those masts transmit back to the core network. It’s a vast amount of information, and it’s only going to get bigger. According to the Juniper report, operators globally will need to spend $840 billion to make sure that their backhaul systems don’t fatally clog up. Juniper believes that microwave and fiber updates to backhaul will dominate the scene when it comes to backhaul upgrades.
Relevant TSSG LTE stuff
But here at the TSSG, we take a more all-encompassing approach to the problem. The physical upgrades discussed above definitely do need to take place. But there are other factors to take into account. Software and network structure elements also need to be performed. In particular, operators need to make sure that not only will network speeds increase, but that the infrastructute of the networks themselves will improve in order to meet the vast demand that is coming our way. It’s not just the amount of data that’s going to increase. Thanks to smartphones, tablets and netbooks, the sheer quantity of devices that will need to access the Internet is also exploding. IPv4 is currently going throught it’s death throes – with the very last blocks of addresses expected to be handed out THIS WEEK. But there are many people who believe that simply throwing on more addresses with IPv6 will not address the actualy problems inherent in the network. Internet Protocol lacks a properly functioning routing and addressing system – and as the number of connected devices increases, this problem will only get worse.
One solution is through the RINA architecture, championed by Professor John Day (one of the pioneers of the Internet) and the TSSG. This new architecture could replace the existing IP infrastructure without affecting the experience of the users, and fixes the existing routing/addressing problems. Research into bio-inspired networking can also provide a solution – you can see our article series on the ways that nature can improve networks, by giving networks the ability to autonomically adapt to changing pressures, and giving information packets the ability to “sniff” their way to their destination (another solution to the routing problem).
Source:
http://www.idc.com/getdoc.jsp?containerId=prUS23028711
http://www.tssg.org/2011/08/ants-internet-bio-inspired-networks-tssg/
http://www.tssg.org/2011/08/bio-inspired-networks-cancer-internet/
http://www.tssg.org/2011/06/whats-wrong-with-the-internet-everything/
