Records, Global – Karnataka First

Priyank Kharge highlights growing Indo-Swiss Biotech Collaboration

IT/BT and Rural Development Minister Priyank Kharge highlighted the growing Indo-Swiss Biotech Collaboration as Anabio Technologies Pvt. Ltd., a pioneering force in femtech innovation has acquired the Microbe Investigations Switzerland (MIS), a Zurich-based leader in microbial research and diagnostics.

The event was attended by Priyank Kharge, who lauded the acquisition as a reflection of Karnataka’s burgeoning biotech ecosystem.

Other key leaders from both India and Switzerland including Mr. Jonas Brunschwig, CEO and Consul General of Swissnex, Mithun Shah, CEO of Anabio Technologies, Prof Dr Hendrik Tevaearai, Chairman of the Board, MIS were also present at the event.

The minister, in his address, said “This acquisition is a testament to Karnataka’s thriving biotech ecosystem.

With initiatives like Elevate, Unnati, and world-class infrastructure such as the Bangalore Bioinnovation Centre (BBC), Karnataka is proud to provide a conducive environment for innovation.

“We are committed to supporting companies like Anabio Technologies, who are taking India’s biotech prowess to the global stage,” He emphasized the critical role of collaboration between India and Switzerland in advancing biotech research and addressing global challenges,” Kharge said.

The event also marked the launch of a refreshed MIS brand identity, including a new logo and website.

The acquisition is a significant milestone in strengthening the Indo-Swiss partnership in biotechnology, fostering greater collaboration between India and Switzerland in microbial diagnostics, microbiome research, and sustainable innovation.

It will allow Anabio Technologies to enhance its capabilities in areas such as entomology, microbiome research, and environmental sustainability.

With a renewed brand identity, MIS is now poised to scale its operations globally while continuing to drive innovation in microbial diagnostics.
This landmark acquisition signals a new era of collaboration between India and Switzerland, positioning both countries as key players in the global biotech landscape.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

An Atlantic Odyssey…. Ananya Prasad will be rowing solo 3,000 miles across the Atlantic Ocean for a noble cause

Imagine travelling 3,000 miles rowing across the Atlantic Ocean for over 60 days to raise funds for a noble cause. Not many would come forward. But, Ananya Prasad, an Economics graduate from Sheffield University, is just about to embark on a voyage next month to raise funds for the London-based Mental Health Foundation and Deenabhandu Trust in Chamarajanagar. She has named her campaign as ‘Atlantic Odyssey.’

The Atlantic Row, considered to be the World’s Toughest Row, is held every year in the month of December, where rowers from across the globe participate in teams or alone to row across the Atlantic Ocean from San Sebastian village in La Gomera located in Canary Islands (Spain) till Nelson Dockyard in Antigua (Caribbean Islands). Ananya will be rowing solo in her journey.

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Ananya said, “I have been associated with adventure sports since my childhood but rowing is something that I have picked for the past three years. I enjoy challenging myself which is why I chose rowing. It is important to understand the navigation system, using radio, fixing the boats while on water and most importantly to be mentally tough to overcome fear.”

Ananya will be using ‘Odysseus’, her 25ft ocean rowing boat built to withstand tough marine environments. The boat is completely neutral and self-sufficient, fixed with solar panels for all electronic needs.

It also has a water desalinator which helps convert ocean water into drinking water.

Ananya will have to face 30ft waves, sleep deprivation, isolation and the forces of the ocean for approximately 60 days.

This endeavour of Ananya to row across the Atlantic is being supported by Mysuru’s Cycle Pure Agarbathi.

Ananya’s Mysuru Connection

Ananya, daughter of Dr. Poornima Prasad and Dr. G.S. Shiva Prasad couple, is a graduate of Economics from Sheffield University in the United Kingdom. While her mother Dr. Poornima Prasad is a retired General Physician, her father Dr. Shiva Prasad is a retired Paediatrician.

Ananya’s maternal grandfather is Guggari Shanthaveerappa Shivarudrappa (G.S. Shivarudrappa), who was awarded the prestigious ‘Rashtrakavi’ title by the Government of Karnataka in 2006 and her paternal grandfather Prof. Parashivamurthy was a Professor in the Department of Psychology, University of Mysore.

Ananya’s paternal uncle is the Founder of the popular Deenabhandu Trust in Chamarajanagar.

source/content: starofmysore.com (headline edited)

Bengaluru emerges as top market for GCCs, holds highest share in IT/ITeS

2024 marked a rebound in demand, attributed to global companies aiming to reduce costs while accessing India’s wide talent pool.

Bengaluru has emerged as the top market for Global Capability Centres (GCCs) occupying flexible office spaces, accounting for 41 per cent of GCC-focused flex seats across India’s major markets, according to Knight Frank India’s latest report.

Titled ‘GCC — Driving India’s Real Estate Growth Story’, the report shows that GCC flex space occupancy across eight cities rose from 17,380 seats in 2023 to 22,881 seats by September 2024, with Bengaluru’s large share underscoring its position as a tech and corporate hub.

The report also highlights a significant regional contrast in GCC flex space distribution — while Bengaluru holds 41 per cent of GCC occupancy in flex spaces, Kolkata claims just 1 per cent. This distribution suggests distinct regional preferences, with Bengaluru leading the way as the preferred market for flex space among GCCs.

Across India’s top six cities, GCCs occupy nearly 202.6 million sqft of Grade A office space, with Bengaluru and Hyderabad collectively accounting for three-fourths of this space. From 2018 through the second quarter of 2024, the IT/ITeS sector has consistently dominated the GCC landscape, followed by Banking, Financial Services and Insurance (BFSI) and consulting sectors. Specifically, Mumbai leads with the highest share of GCCs within the BFSI sector, while Bengaluru holds top position in the IT/ITeS sector.

The report points at several recommendations, including innovative financing strategies, exploring new micro markets, supportive government policies and flexible office space for enhancing GCC operations and growth in India.

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

EIB Global announces 300 million euro loan for Bengaluru suburban railway network

EIB Global, the arm of the European Investment Bank (EIB) for financing activities outside the European Union (EU), on Friday, announced it would provide a 300 million euro loan to build a new suburban railway network covering four dedicated rail corridors in Bengaluru.

The network will stretch over a total of 149 km and include 58 stations and two depots.

At a meeting here, EIB Vice-President Nicola Beer and Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company Ltd’s (KRIDE) Director of Finance Awadhesh Mehta, formally announced the loan towards Bengaluru suburban railway network will help cut pollution and carbon emissions and improve safety for women passengers.

“This funding complements the 500 million euros we allocated for the construction of the Bengaluru Metro R6 line, addressing Bengaluru’s mobility challenges by developing a clean, modern and efficient public transport system,” said Beer.

“The two projects we are financing in Bengaluru aim to create India’s most integrated rail network, providing seamless connectivity with all other modes of public transport in the city,” Beer said in a statement.

The earlier 500 million euro loan was given to build the 23 km Bengaluru Metro R6 line and purchase a fleet of about 96 metro cars. The EIB has so far financed metro projects in Agra, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Kanpur, Lucknow, and Pune, with a total of 3.25 billion euros committed since 2016 – making India the largest beneficiary of its transport financing outside Europe.

EU Ambassador to India and Bhutan, Herve Delphin, said it marks a major milestone in our collaboration as “we unlock new opportunities for growth, connectivity and positive social, economic and environmental impact, further strengthening the partnership between India and the EU”.

Once fully operational, the Bengaluru transport system will see a 43 per cent drop in CO2 emissions. The estimated daily ridership will be approximately 400,000 trips per day in 2029, the first year of full operation, and is expected to increase to about 1.4 million trips per day in 2040, largely aligned with the projected population growth.

source/content: daijiworld.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: KARNATKA: CYBER SECURITY: Cybersecurity Leader Arctic Wolf Opens First India Office in Bengaluru to Accelerate its Platform innovations

Arctic Wolf®, a leader in security operations, today announced the launch of its first Indian global capability centre (GCC) in Bengaluru, Karnataka. The new India office location will play a pivotal role in scaling and advancing the Arctic Wolf platform, along with its entire suite of security operations solutions.

With Bengaluru, also known as the Silicon Valley of India, emerging as a global hub for technology and cybersecurity expertise, the centre will be pivotal to driving innovation, product development, and enhancing the company’s security operations platform. This expansion positions the company to benefit from around-the-clock development capabilities and closer proximity to clients in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) region, setting the foundation for future growth in these markets.

“Our mission is to end cyber risk for organizations of all sizes, and the research and development work that will happen out of India will be a major enabler in furthering this goal,” said Dan Schiappa, chief product and services officer, Arctic Wolf. “By tapping into the highly skilled workforce in Bengaluru, we aim to further accelerate the development of advanced machine learning models and AI-driven cybersecurity detections within our platform, providing our customers with unparalleled protection against evolving cyber threats.”

The GCC plans to create numerous job opportunities, contributing to employment in India and attracting top-tier talent in India’s IT and cybersecurity sectors. Arctic Wolf plans to hire 150 employees by mid-2025, with recruitment focused on roles in core research and development areas including threat intelligence, and AI, while service delivery roles will continue to be staffed out of North America and Europe.

Speaking on the expansion, Jeff Green, senior vice president, research and development, Arctic Wolf: “The launch of Arctic Wolf’s first Global Capability Centre in Bengaluru is an exciting milestone for us. This centre will allow us to build a dedicated team focused on advancing cybersecurity innovations, while also fostering collaboration across our global operations. We’re committed to leveraging India’s strong technical expertise and pedigree of innovation to support core areas of our future product development. I am eager to see the unique perspectives and skillsets that our team here will bring to further elevate Arctic Wolf’s solutions and enhance our ability to protect organizations worldwide.”

With this expansion, Arctic Wolf’s global footprint continues to grow, now protecting over 6,000 customers across key industries, and employing more than 2,500 employees worldwide. Recognized as the fastest-growing security services vendor in the 2023 Gartner Worldwide Security Services Market Share Report, the company has also been named one of the fastest-growing technology companies by the Deloitte Technology Fast 500 for five consecutive years and is the only cybersecurity firm included in CNBC’s Disruptor 50 three times in a row. These achievements underscore Arctic Wolf’s commitment to innovation and its position as a leader in transforming security operations globally.

source/content: business-standard.com (headline edited) / press releases ANI

INTERNATIONAL: KARNATAKA: HISTORY : Know Your City | Exploring Bengaluru’s connections to World Wars

Two institutions deeply entrenched in Bengaluru’s history of the World Wars are the Madras Engineering Group and Bishop Cottons School.

While walking through the cities of Europe, one can still see the scars and memories of the World Wars, with the occasional bomb being discovered even today. On the other side of the world, Bengaluru was far from these earthshaking conflicts, but it nevertheless took part in them. And if you know where to look, the World Wars have left clues to the city’s participation in them, too.

One of the better known such remnants is the World War 1 Sappers Memorial at Brigade Road, in tribute to the 449 slain soldiers of the Madras Pioneers who fought in war theatres across the Indian frontier, the Middle East, and Africa. The other faces of the memorial recall the dead of other pioneer units, one of which, the 61st King George’s Own Pioneers, lost 235 men. They were also part of the “Bangalore Brigade,” which saw action in the defence of East Africa during World War I.

Another fixture of Bengaluru’s military history is the Madras Engineering Group itself. Long headquartered in the city, it has existed under various names since 1780. The unit saw action across the major theatres of World War I, from the Egyptian and Palestinian fronts to the battlefields of France. This era also saw the unit make a major military innovation. Just two years before World War I broke out in 1914, Captain R L McClintock, who was assigned to the unit at the time, developed the Bangalore Torpedo. While not a weapon in itself, the pipe-shaped explosive device proved useful in clearing out traps and barbed-wire barriers in front of attacking troops. Modernised versions of the device are still in use worldwide.

The Madras Engineering Group would go on to fight across the battlefields of World War II. The unit saw extensive action near the frontier at Imphal and into Burma, fighting in the vicious slog that was the Allied invasion of Italy as well as the African campaigns against German general Erwin Rommel, the famous Desert Fox. It brought back a souvenir from these battlefields—a Stuart M5A1 light tank that one can still see near the Ulsoor lake. While the small, fast vehicle seems to have been prone to high losses in combat and was heavily used in a reconnaissance role, a unit of these tanks would become instrumental in the Taiwanese victory over China in the 1949 battle of Kinmen Island.

Another city institution that is deeply entrenched in the history of the World Wars is Bishop Cottons School. While nearly 200 alumni signed up for the Great War, as World War I was initially known, over 300 would respond to the call when yet another World War broke out. Their history is extensively documented in Aditya Sondhi’s The Order of the Crest, which follows the history of the various alumni of the institute. One of these, Clive Armstrong Johnson, would die at just 18 years of age fighting in the Mesopotamian theatre of the war in 1916. As Sondhi records, the school magazine sent to him (The Cottonian) seems to have been a comfort in a time of turmoil. One of his teachers at the school, Lieutenant Cyril Wallace, wrote back regarding Clive’s bravery before his death. He did not long outlive his student. Sondhi records that 23 Cottonians died fighting in World War I.

World War II was no different. Among the most famous alumni of this era would be none other than General K S Thimayya, the third head of the independent Indian Army. Thimayya was one of the rare Indians to command larger units in the battle, commanding 8 Kumaon in the Burmese theatre and the 36th British Brigade during the later Allied occupation of Japan. Another alumnus, Lt Gen A C Ayappa, was a captain in the Malaya theatre, where he survived terrible conditions as a prisoner of war. He served as chairman of Bharat Electronics Limited after Independence.

source/content: indianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: INDIA / KARNATAKA: COMMUNICATION SATELLITES: NewSpace India (NSIL) and Malaysian firm (MEASAT)tie up to enhance satellite capacity for DTH, broadcasting services

Space sector reforms in India, announced by the Government of India in 2020, enable NSIL to own and operate its fleet of communication satellites and provide services to users from both the government and private sectors.

NewSpace India Limited (NSIL) has entered an agreement with MEASAT Global Berhad (MEASAT), Malaysia’s premier satellite solutions provider, to provide satellite capacity for DTH and broadcasting sectors in India. The partnership was formalised during the recently concluded Bengaluru Space Expo 2024.

Under the new agreement, MEASAT will offer its MEASAT-3b and MEASAT-3d satellite capacity to the DTH operators and broadcasters, under provisions of the Indian Space Policy 2023, NSIL said on Friday.

NSIL, a Government of India company under the Department of Space and the commercial arm of ISRO, operates a fleet of 11 communication satellites that provide satellite capacity to various service providers in broadcasting, DTH, digital satellite news gathering (DSNG), very small aperture terminals (VSAT), in-flight and maritime communication (IFMC) and other domains.

A Arunachalam, director (Technical and Strategy), NSIL, said the agency was committed to meet the demands of users in the Indian market and would continue business activities with international satellite solutions providers.

“The success of our CONNECTme satellite broadband service in helping to close the connectivity gap in rural Malaysia could be replicated in India through this partnership. We are also keen to tap on NSIL’s satellite launch service capabilities and other services to support MEASAT’s initiatives in the region,” Ganendra Selvaraj, Chief Commercial Officer, MEASAT, said.

source/content: deccanherald.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: UNSUNG HEROES: Bengaluru remembers valorous Mysore Lancers on Haifa day – September 23rd, 1918

For 106 years, the contributions of these unsung heroes have been celebrated on Haifa Day.

As Bengaluru prepares to celebrate Haifa Day on Monday (September 23), honouring one of the most extraordinary cavalry charges in military history, the story of the valorous Mysore Lancers is remembered.

The Lancers, the personal soldiers of the Mysore Maharaja, stormed the battlefield in an act of bravery that not only changed the course of World War I but saved the sacred city of Haifa and rescued the Bahá’í faith’s spiritual leader from imminent death.

On September 23, 1918, armed with only lances and swords, the Lancers faced the firepower of Ottoman Turkish and German troops, riding headfirst into a mission that seemed impossible: capture Haifa, the last Ottoman stronghold, and save Abdul Baha, son of the Bahá’u’lláh.

The Lancers triumphed. They not only secured Haifa with minimal casualties but also captured over 1,350 enemy troops, cementing their place in military legend. For 106 years, the contributions of these unsung heroes have been celebrated on Haifa Day.

It is also a tale of humanity, and of a rescue that transcended religious and national borders. Abdul Baha, moments away from execution, was saved by the swift, selfless courage of the Lancers. Without their intervention, the Bahá’í faith would have faced a devastating blow.

Former Bangalore police commissioner Bhaskar Rao recalled the heroics of his great granduncle, “Harohalli Subba Rao participated in this operation and the one to save oilfields in Iran.’’ Mysore Lancers Heritage Foundation secretary Anil Raje Urs said,

“The Bahá’í community owes a debt of gratitude to Mysore Maharaja Nalvadi Krishnaraja Wadiyar, who selected and sent his most trusted commanders, Col J Desraj Urs and Lt Col Chamaraj Urs, to lead this critical mission. He raised a force of 700 soldiers and contributed a staggering Rs 50 lakh to the war effort.

Dinesh Rao, head of the Bahai community, said, “Baha’is salute the Mysore cavalry, who fought valiantly to save Abdul Baha and city of Haifa. Baha’i faith stands for unity of mankind, the fundamental theme of the Hindu philosophy, Vasudaiva Kutumbakam.”

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)

INTERNATIONAL: SPACE TECHNOLOGY: Indian space startup Pixxel bags NASA contract to support Earth science research

Indian space startup Pixxel has bagged a NASA contract to support Earth science research using the hyperspectral technology.

The Bengaluru-based company has become part of NASA’s $476-million commercial smallsat data acquisition programme — a first for an Indian startup after the space sector was opened to private companies in 2020.

Co-founder and CEO Awais Ahmed called the award a “monumental achievement for Pixxel”.

He said the contract, valid till November 2028, “validates that hyperspectral imaging will be integral to the future of space-based Earth observation and enable us to truly build a health monitor for the planet”.

As per the contract, Pixxel will provide NASA and its US government and academic partners with hyperspectral Earth observation data. This will help empower the administration’s Earth science research and application activities.

Pixxel hyperspectral can capture data across hundreds of narrow wavelengths. Its datasets can also unravel granular insights on climate change, agriculture, biodiversity, and resource management, among others.

Building on this momentum, Pixxel is also making significant strides toward launching six satellites shortly. Fireflies — its 5-metre resolution hyperspectral satellites — will be the highest-resolution hyperspectral satellites ever launched.

These satellites will capture data across over 250 spectral bands, offering more comprehensive coverage with a 40 km swath width and a 24-hour revisit frequency anywhere on the planet.

In addition, Pixxel also plans to expand its constellation to 24 satellites to make hyperspectral data commercially. This will make it more broadly available and accessible to stakeholders across industries and governments.

Pixxel has a constellation of the world’s highest-resolution hyperspectral imaging satellites that are designed for 24-hour revisits anywhere on Earth.

The satellites can help detect, monitor, and predict critical global phenomena across agriculture, oil and gas, mining, environment, and other sectors in up to 50 times richer detail.

Pixxel has also launched its in-house Earth Observation Studio, Aurora, to make satellite imagery analysis easily accessible.

The company has also raised over $70 million from Google, Lightspeed, Radical Ventures, Relativity’s Jordan Noone, Seraphim Capital, Ryan Johnson, Blume Ventures, Sparta LLC, Accenture, and others.

source/content: ianslive.in (headline edited)

NATIONAL: KARNATAKA: I.T. BREAKTHROUGH: IISc scientists achieve breakthrough in AI hardware

They were also able to do this at a fraction of the time and energy that traditional computers would need.

Loads of computing power is needed to train Language Models (LLMs) which are an integral part of Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms such as ChatGPT, Midjourney and DALL-E are all trained on LLMs. Researchers at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) have developed a brain-inspired analogue computing platform capable of storing and processing data in an astonishing 16,500 conductance states within a molecular film. This breakthrough can bring complex AI tasks to personal devices.

Generally in digital computers data storage and processing are limited to just two states. “Neuromorphic computing has had its fair share of unsolved challenges for over a decade. With this discovery, we have almost nailed the perfect system a rare feat,” said Sreetosh Goswami, Assistant Professor at the Centre for Nano Science and Engineering (CeNSE), IISc, who led the research team.

The newly developed platform can perform complex tasks on personal devices like laptops and smartphones. “These developments are currently restricted to resource-heavy data centres, due to a lack of energy-efficient hardware. With silicon electronics nearing saturation, designing brain-inspired accelerators that can work alongside silicon chips to deliver faster, more efficient AI is also becoming crucial,” read the IISc release. The platform developed drastically cuts down both, time and energy involved, making calculations a lot faster and easier.

“This project brought together the precision of electrical engineering with the creativity of chemistry, letting us control molecular kinetics very precisely inside an electronic circuit powered by nanosecond voltage pulses,” explained Sreebrata Goswami, Visiting Professor at CeNSE.

Tapping into these tiny molecular changes, allowed the team to create a highly precise and efficient neuromorphic accelerator, which can store and process data within the same location, similar to the human brain. Such accelerators can seamlessly be integrated with silicon circuits to boost their performance and energy efficiency.

The team also turned this scientific discovery into a technological feat. They were able to recreate NASA’s iconic ‘Pillars of Creation’ image from the James Webb Space Telescope data – created by a supercomputer using just a tabletop computer. They were also able to do this at a fraction of the time and energy that traditional computers would need.

The researchers believe that this breakthrough could be one of India’s biggest leaps in AI hardware, putting the country on the map of global innovation. Navakanta Bhat, Professor at CeNSE said, “In the context of the India Semiconductor Mission, this development could revolutionise industrial, consumer and strategic applications. The national importance of such research cannot be overstated.”

source/content: newindianexpress.com (headline edited)