Category: Technology

Nickel Digital Redefines The Pod Shop For The Digital Asset Age

June 17: Nickel Digital Asset Management (“Nickel”), Europe’s leading digital assets hedge fund manager, founded by alumni of Bankers Trust, Goldman Sachs and JPMorgan, has outlined its vision of best practice for pod shops in the digital asset space.

 Its model is focused on reducing fixed-cost drag and strengthening alignment and trust with pods anchored in higher performance fees, but with a holdback to absorb some degree of potential future drawdowns. This First Loss Deferred (FLD) capital creates a tangible alignment of incentives and avoids the asymmetric manager payout structure.

 Many of the managers come out of top-tier trading environments, ranging from established TradFi hedge funds and proprietary trading firms, to highly specialised crypto-native desks, combined with strong academic pedigrees in disciplines such as mathematics, physics, engineering and computer science. The blend of rigorous analytical training and real-world trading experience is fundamental to Nickel’s systematic, research-driven approach.

 Traditional pod shop models have often been criticised for fixed-cost drag – the burden of high management fees and sign-on bonuses that dilute returns. Nickel’s model deliberately strips away these elements, replacing them with a system built on institutional-grade rigour and genuine performance-led growth.

 In a fragmented and volatile digital asset market, Nickel believes that the hero trader model is no longer sufficient. To capture alpha across global venues, the firm exclusively funds fully systematic strategies where every stage from signal generation to execution is driven by code.

 A cornerstone of Nickel’s best practice approach is its commitment to manager autonomy and intellectual property (IP) protection. Unlike many platforms that seek to internalise signals or harvest successful strategies, Nickel’s pods remain independent by design.

 Nickel’s operational excellence is underpinned by RiskZeus, its proprietary system capturing over 100 million tick-by-tick data points every 24 hours across roughly 10,000 open positions. This technology was proven during the October 10th Flash Crash last year which saw the largest liquidation event in digital asset history, with $20 billion wiped out. While many faced collapse, Nickel’s fund protected capital and delivered one of its strongest daily returns, maintaining annualised volatility below 7%.

 Counterparty and custody risk management remain central to the platform with 94% of exposure managed via Off-Exchange Settlement (OES) solutions as of February 2026. This ensures investor assets remain secure with specialised crypto custodians like Copper and regulated banks like Sygnum acting as the custody providers.

 As of early 2026, Nickel’s trading bench includes 80 pods across 35 cities and six continents, with aggregate trading volumes exceeding $100 billion in 2025.

 Anatoly Crachilov, CEO and Founding Partner at Nickel Digital, explains that the platform’s success is rooted in its ability to act as a bridge between exceptional global talent and institutional capital.  “The next generation of multi-manager investing in digital assets will not be built around in-house star traders and balance-sheet-heavy platforms.” says Crachilov. “It will be built around institutional access to globally-located scarce systematic trading talent, protected intellectual property, and a powerful risk control infrastructure running on 24/7 basis.

Alek Kloda, Co-CIO and Founding Partner at Nickel Digital, believes that the shift toward tokenisation demands a new level of technological agility. “As digital assets mature, the velocity of market opportunities requires a 24/7, code-driven approach to both execution and risk management,” notes Kloda. “Our model empowers independent pods to act swiftly while ensuring that global risk controls are uniformly applied, bridging the gap between low-latency crypto trading and institutional safety,” he commented.

 Michael Hall, Co-CIO and Founding Partner at Nickel Digital, notes that the strength of Nickel Digital’s platform lies in its marriage of flexibility for the trader and discipline for the investor. “By ensuring our trading partners retain ownership of their IP, we attract the best talent, while our centralized risk architecture ensures that this creative freedom operates within strict, pre-defined parameters. This balance is crucial for achieving high Sharpe ratio strategies in a volatile market environment,” he adds.

 “We are defining the next generation of asset management, where institutional rigour meets digital agility,” concludes Crachilov. “Our commitment is to continue providing superior risk-adjusted returns for our investors, regardless of market direction.”

AMD and Rackspace Technology Sign Definitive Agreement for Phased Deployment of 30 MW of AMD AI Compute

SANTA CLARA, Calif. and SAN ANTONIO, June 17:  (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — AMD (NASDAQ: AMD) and Rackspace Technology® (NASDAQ: RXT), a global enterprise AI infrastructure and solutions provider, today announced the signing of a definitive agreement for the phased deployment of an initial 30 MW footprint dedicated to AMD-based compute deployments across Rackspace’s global data centers beginning in late 2026 through 2028. The agreement operationalizes the Memorandum of Understanding announced May 7, 2026, and establishes AMD as a strategic technology partner at the silicon layer of Rackspace’s governed AI stack.

At full deployment, 30 MW of dedicated AMD compute across Rackspace’s footprint will represent meaningful capacity to serve regulated enterprise workloads, including healthcare providers who have expressed early interest in accelerated compute for clinical AI and inference at scale. This collaboration incorporates both AMD Instinct™ GPUs (including MI355X, MI350P, and future successor solutions) and AMD EPYC™ CPUs inside an integrated Enterprise AI Cloud architecture, enabling Rackspace to route each workload to the right compute with full accountability for performance and outcomes end to end.

“Enterprises in regulated industries need AI infrastructure that is governed from the ground up, with one operator accountable for business outcomes, not a collection of vendors each owning a piece,” said Gajen Kandiah, CEO, Rackspace Technology. “This collaboration combines the right compute with the right operating model and delivers something the market hasn’t offered before: a governed AI stack with one accountable partner from silicon to outcomes.”

“As enterprise AI evolves, customers need infrastructure that can deliver the right mix of accelerated and general-purpose compute for each workload,” said Dan McNamara, senior vice president and general manager, Compute and Enterprise AI, AMD. “By bringing together leadership AMD AI compute solutions and Rackspace’s governed cloud operating model, we are helping regulated enterprises deploy high-performance AI infrastructure with the openness, scalability and accountability needed to run AI at enterprise scale.”

Both companies expect to dedicate sales and marketing resources to identify and engage enterprise customers for AMD compute-powered infrastructure, with each company committing personnel to jointly develop and pursue customer opportunities across regulated industries.

This agreement will accelerate delivery of the four integrated capabilities announced with the MOU: Enterprise AI Cloud, Enterprise Inference Engine, Inference as a Service, and Bare Metal AMD Instinct, offering a complete, governed stack from bare metal compute through fully operated inference. Together, the companies aim to establish a new category of managed enterprise AI infrastructure that offers enterprises an alternative to the bare metal model. The shift from AI experiments to agentic workflows running inside core enterprise systems is accelerating demand for exactly the kind of governed, accountable infrastructure this collaboration is built to deliver.

EbixCash expands phygital network as assisted digital transactions surge in non-metro India

New Delhi | June 17: EbixCash World Money, a flagship subsidiary of Eraaya Lifespaces Limited, today announced the expansion of its payments, remittance and forex network to 2,250 Indian cities/town/villages, up from 2,143 a year ago. The expansion adds over 573 new retail touchpoints, with 89% of new merchant additions coming from Tier 2 and Tier 3 towns.

The newly added network spans key regional clusters including Punjab and Kerala, where remittance-led transactions continue to anchor demand, as well as Gurgaon and Pune, which are seeing increased activity across SME payments and outbound forex usage. Southern markets such as Chennai, Bengaluru, and Coimbatore are witnessing stronger adoption of hybrid payment models that combine digital interfaces with assisted service delivery.

Neighbourhood retail points are emerging as critical financial access hubs. Kirana stores and local outlets are enabling use cases ranging from assisted remittances for migrant workers to everyday payment acceptance for small businesses, while also supporting first-time users as they enter formal digital financial systems. Unlike metros, where usage is largely app-driven, these markets continue to rely on assisted journeys, particularly for higher-value or more complex transactions.

Commenting on the development, Mr. T. C. Guruprasad, CEO & Managing Director – Payments Solutions, EbixCash, said, “The next phase of digital transaction growth is being led by non-metro India, but the path to adoption here is structurally different. Assisted models are playing a critical role in building trust and enabling usage, especially for more complex financial needs like remittances and forex. Our network is designed to leverage local retail infrastructure as the interface for digital services, allowing us to scale access while staying relevant to how these markets transact.”

Vikas Garg, Chairman, Ebix Group, added, “In a market as diverse as India, distribution will continue to be a key differentiator in financial services. Digital alone cannot address the last mile at scale, particularly in emerging markets. The ability to integrate physical infrastructure with digital capabilities will define how effectively companies can build trust, drive usage, and scale sustainably across the next phase of growth.”

Looking ahead, the company plans to further expand its presence across emerging markets, with a continued focus on strengthening merchant access, scaling cross-border payment capabilities, and deepening its forex and transaction-led service offerings across India’s regional economies.

Switzerland extends its lead in the technologies reshaping the global economy 

ZURICH / PARIS, June 17. The technologies now driving the global economy, from advanced computing to artificial intelligence and robotics, are built patiently, over decades of sustained investment and deep scientific groundwork. Increasingly that work traces back to a country a fraction of the size of the giants it competes with. 

Switzerland now directs a greater share of its venture capital to deep tech than any other nation, and commits more per head than any country in Europe, placing it among the top three worldwide. The finding anchors the Swiss Deep Tech Report 2026, published today by Deep Tech Nation Switzerland, Founderful, Kickfund, Startupticker.ch, and Dealroom.co, and launched at VivaTech in Paris. 

The report sets out where the next decade of frontier technology will be engineered. The world’s most valuable companies are built on data centers, artificial intelligence and robotic automation, and Switzerland is among the few countries worldwide where that work is researched and commercialized at the frontier. What has changed is that its companies now stay to scale, and the world has taken notice. “For the first time, the companies spinning out of ETH and EPFL are staying, scaling and attracting serious capital,” says Jean-Philippe Fricker, Co-Founder and Chief System Architect of Cerebras Systems. The country’s international standing now matches the strength of its ecosystem. 

Five findings that put Switzerland at the forefront of deep tech innovation

The pipeline is shifting toward the sectors that dominate global capital. AI and machine learning now account for one in four newly founded Swiss deep tech companies, more than double their previous share. Beyond startup creation, Switzerland has the highest density of AI researchers globally, twice that of the UK and the US. Robotics is moving even faster relative to peers: Switzerland has created 3.5 times more venture-backed robotics startups per capita since 2020 than the United States, and 5 times more than the UK. In Future of Compute, 2026 is already a record funding year, and Switzerland boasts 7 times more patents per capita than the European average, driven by its world-leading microelectronics and high-precision sensor industries. 

The world’s most deep-tech-focused venture market. 63% of all Swiss venture capital flows to deep tech, the highest share of any country, ahead of China and the United States and nearly double the share of Germany and the UK, and well ahead of France. 

First in Europe on intensity, top three globally. At $1,470 invested per capita, Switzerland commits more to deep tech per head than any country in Europe. Worldwide, that places it among the top three nations alongside Israel and the United States. 

Funding is accelerating. Swiss deep tech funding has grown roughly fivefold since 2015 to reach a record $2.6B in 2025. 

The strongest growth is still ahead. ETH Zurich and EPFL Lausanne are Europe’s leading universities for new deep tech spinouts. Building on a leading position, the two have extended their lead since 2023, and that cohort is only now reaching the seed-to-Series-A window, the stage at which company value and capital raised compound most sharply. 

Momentum on the ground 

Some of the clearest signals do not yet appear in the funding data. Among the report’s co-authors are several of the country’s most active deep tech investors, who describe a change in the character of the ecosystem over the past year. The world’s top funds no longer need persuading to look at Switzerland; they are arriving on their own initiative. “The energy and talent dynamism reminded me of what we saw in Israel and the UK in the early 2000s,” says Saul Klein, Founding Partner of LocalGlobe. 

Global technology leaders are expanding their computing, robotics and AI research presence in the country. The pipeline feeding that activity runs straight from the universities. “At EPFL we see it every day: the discoveries made in our laboratories become the deep tech companies of tomorrow,” says Anna Fontcuberta i Morral, President of EPFL. And as deal flow deepens, founders are growing more selective about the investors they choose to work with. 

“Since we launched in 2019, we’ve never seen such a high density of ambitious entrepreneurs tackling globally relevant tech challenges as right now. The pace at which these founders execute reminds me of what people speak about when they refer to SF. In the coming decade Zurich will become home to at least a dozen global category leaders, I’m sure of that.”

— Alex Stöckl, Partner at Founderful and Swiss Deep Tech Report co-author

Where the opportunity sits 

Foreign investors supply 88% of Swiss deep tech funding at rounds of $100M and above, against 75% across Europe, while domestic capital falls to just 12% at late stage. In a top-ranked ecosystem, late-stage capital remains underweight relative to the quality of the companies being built, leaving clear room for new investors to enter early. 

“We built one of the world’s most deep tech-focused economies without a franc of public venture capital. In Germany, France and the UK, much of the late-stage money is state-backed through Bpifrance, British Patient Capital or the German Future Fund. In Switzerland that barely exists, and yet the world’s best investors now come here on their own initiative, with some setting up shop. No public money had to write the cheque to make this real.” 

— Wanja Humanes, Partner at Kickfund and Swiss Deep Tech Report co-author 

What happens next 

The seed-to-Series-A cohort now moving through the ecosystem is the largest Switzerland has produced, and it is only now reaching the stage where company value and capital raised compound most sharply. Deep tech funding has already grown roughly fivefold since 2015 to a record $2.6B. The companies are staying, and the funds are arriving on their own. The report sets out, sector by sector, the leaders and the startups most worth watching, and invites the investors who would rather arrive early than late. 

Plaud Scales From Dollar 1M to 100M ARR Within Two Years, Bringing AI Beyond the Screen for Professionals

Among the fastest-known AI companies, Plaud stands out as a rare hardware-enabled AI company in a cohort dominated by software-only players

SAN FRANCISCO,  June 17: Plaud, the company building real-world AI interface for professionals, today announced it has scaled from $1M to $100M in ARR within two years, placing it among the fastest AI companies globally to reach the milestone. Plaud is the only hardware-enabled AI company in a cohort otherwise dominated by software-only players, and now serves more than 2 million professionals across 170+ countries.

The fastest AI growth stories have, until now, belonged almost entirely to software-native companies: AI coding tools, enterprise workflow agents, and other SaaS products scaling behind screens and keyboards. Plaud’s growth represents a different model — recurring AI software scaled through a real-world physical interface, with devices (Plaud Note, Plaud Note Pro, Plaud NotePin S) acting as the entry point into human conversations, capturing the upstream, lossless, source-of-truth context.

Most AI today operates after the fact, on summaries, documents, prompts typed from memory. The intelligence that actually drives decisions comes from real-world conversations, before any prompt is written, before any keyboard is touched. When conversation fades, that intelligence decays. Not just information — intent, nuance, the reasoning behind decisions. Plaud is the post-screen, post-smartphone interface built to capture it at the rawest form.

“Most AI companies have scaled through software behind a screen. We took a different path.” said Nathan Xu, co-founder and CEO of Plaud. “The conversations that actually move things forward don’t happen on a keyboard. We built the interface for the post-screen world. And the market validated it.”

As AI moves from screen-based tools toward interfaces and agents that need trusted context to act reliably, real-world conversations are becoming a critical data layer. Plaud is also expanding beyond individual note-taking into team and developer workflows. Plaud Team brings conversation intelligence into collaborative work, while MCP and workflow integrations allow Plaud to connect with the broader agent ecosystem — turning meetings, calls, and in-person conversations into follow-ups, shared knowledge, and actions across the tools professionals already use.

Limitless Labs raises Dollar 20M Series A to Expand Its Physical AI Foundation Model and Platform for Precision Manufacturing

TEL AVIV, Israel and NEW YORK, NY, June 16: Limitless Labs (formerly LimitlessCNC), the world’s first Agentic Physical AI platform for CAD/CAM (Computer-Aided Design and Computer-Aided Manufacturing) in mechanical manufacturing, today announced a $20 million Series A round co-led by Dell Technologies Capital and Square Peg, with participation from Grove Ventures, Meron Capital, and Kinetica. The agent works inside the CAD/CAM systems that engineers already use, helping manufacturers capture, standardize, and scale the expertise of their most experienced programmers.

Since emerging from stealth, Limitless Labs has scaled from initial pilots to full production deployments with Blue Origin, Cadillac F1, Sandvik, and Iscar across aerospace, defense, motorsports, and industrial machinery, reducing CNC programming time by up to 50%. The platform is ITAR-compliant and deployable on AWS GovCloud, meeting the rigorous security requirements of the industry’s most regulated environments.

As demand for complex, high-precision parts grows, manufacturers are facing a deepening talent crisis. Nearly a quarter of the US manufacturing workforce is 55 or older, and 97% of manufacturers cite knowledge retention as their top concern. With 409,000 positions already unfilled, a gap projected to reach 1.9 million by 2033, programming critical aerospace, defense, medical, and industrial parts still depends on manual work, tribal knowledge, and years of hard-won experience.

“The manufacturing world doesn’t just need more automation, it needs a better way to capture and scale the expertise that still lives inside the heads of a relatively small number of experienced machinists,” said David Priev, Co-founder and CEO of Limitless Labs. “We built Limitless Labs to work inside the CAD/CAM systems manufacturers already use, helping teams standardize best practices, reduce programming bottlenecks, and free senior programmers to focus on the hardest work, without giving up control. We believe the next major AI platform will be built for the physical world, and that starts with giving manufacturers a way to scale their best knowledge across every new part and every new engineer.”

At the core of the platform is the company’s Physical AI Foundation Model, trained not on text or generic code, but on the physics of metal cutting, CAD geometry, and the operational constraints of real machines. The model powers Limitless Labs’ CAM Agent, which currently works inside platforms such as Mastercam, NX, and Creo. Given a CAD file, the CAM Agent identifies features, recommends tools, sequences operations, generates toolpaths, and helps produce a shop-floor-ready program, reducing programming time by up to 50% while engineers maintain control of the workflow.

“Limitless Labs represents the next wave of enterprise AI, moving beyond digital workflows and into the physical world of precision manufacturing,” said Yair Snir, Managing Director at Dell Technologies Capital. “Their unique foundation model and the caliber of their production deployments gave us conviction that this team is building the defining platform for AI in manufacturing.”

“Eighteen months ago, we backed Limitless Labs’ vision that agentic AI could transform the factory floor,” said Lior Handelsman, General Partner at Grove Ventures and Co-Founder of SolarEdge. “What the team has achieved since then has exceeded expectations. They are combining deep technical innovation with practical software in a way that could reshape how the world’s most critical parts are made.”

The new funding will be used to build out a dedicated U.S. commercial organization, advance its Physical AI Foundation Model toward closed-loop CNC automation, and grow its CAM Agent, which helps manufacturers automate key parts of CNC programming inside the CAD/CAM systems engineers already use. The company plans to expand its deep-tech research lab in Tel Aviv and expects to roughly double headcount over the next 12 months. Limitless Labs will also be in attendance at Reindustrialize 2026 on June 16-17 in Detroit, Michigan, taking part in the push to rebuild American manufacturing, which continues to gain momentum.

ITS America Conference & Expo 2026 Delivers Record Innovation and Landmark Celebration in Detroit

More than 3,000 industry leaders gather in the Motor City to advance intelligent transportation 

DETROIT, Mich. June 17: The ITS America Conference & Expo 2026 brought breakthrough technologies and real-world solutions to Detroit, drawing more than 3,000 industry professionals from 46 states, and the District of Columbia together to advance safer, smarter, and more connected mobility worldwide. Organized in partnership by RX Global and ITS America, the four-day event at Huntington Place united the industry’s most forward-thinking companies and global leaders around solutions spanning artificial intelligence, connected transportation, cybersecurity, data analytics, digital infrastructure, and autonomous vehicles. 

This year’s conference, themed “Empowering Innovation,” featured more than 100 conference sessions spanning four days, 25 live demonstrations, 170+ exhibitors and sponsors, and an unprecedented outdoor demonstration program that placed attendees directly inside Detroit’s connected transportation corridors. Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer helped wrap up the conference with closing remarks, then met with industry leaders and Clinton High School STEM students on the exhibit hall floor. 

Detroit served as more than a backdrop. As the birthplace of American automotive manufacturing and home to 1.7 million vehicles produced annually, the city gave the intelligent transportation community a living laboratory to showcase how the industry’s most advanced technologies are being deployed on real roads, in real time. From the 45-mile I-94 Freeway Experience connecting downtown Detroit to Ann Arbor, to the four-mile M-1 Intelligent Woodward Experience featuring 31 vehicle-to-everything (V2X)-equipped intersections and autonomous vehicle shuttles, attendees experienced the full potential of connected transportation firsthand.

“The technologies on display here, including AI-powered traffic management and V2X-connected corridors, represent the very innovation our industry has championed for decades,” said Laura Chace, President and CEO of ITS America. “What we witnessed in Detroit shows that bringing people from across public, private, and research sectors together builds lasting partnerships and leads to safer, smarter, and more connected transportation.”

The conference program brought national leaders to center stage for two landmark plenary sessions. On June 10, Sean McMaster, Administrator of the Federal Highway Administration at the U.S. Department of Transportation, joined public and private sector leaders to reflect on the industry’s 35-year evolution and chart the course for the next generation of mobility. On June, 11, Miovision sponsored a plenary session, led by Laura Chace and Kurtis McBride, CEO and Co-founder of Miovision, featuring key transportation executives and focused on turning bold ideas into measurable real-world outcomes. State DOT roundtables also provided transportation leaders with a dedicated platform to exchange implementation strategies and share lessons learned from the field.

“ITS America Conference & Expo 2026 delivered an experience unlike any other,” said Jaime McAuley, Event Vice President, ITS America Events, RX Global. “The demonstration program in Detroit set a new standard, reaching far beyond the show floor and into the city itself. Connecting the ITS community to real, deployed technology along Detroit’s most iconic corridors gave every attendee something they could not experience anywhere else.”

The 2026 show floor introduced two new dedicated zones that reflected the industry’s most urgent priorities. The inaugural ITS StartUps Zone gave emerging transportation companies a platform alongside the industry’s most established players, connecting new voices in the sector with the agencies, investors, and partners needed to advance their technologies from concept to deployment. 

The new Cybersecurity & Data Zone brought together 10 exhibitors, including Palo Alto Networks, Google, and 360 Network Solutions, LLC, delivering hands-on workshops, cutting-edge solutions, and expert sessions focused on protecting connected vehicles, securing smart infrastructure, and strengthening the resilience of transportation systems nationwide. 

To demonstrate the benefits of using drone technology to deliver supplies to emergency responders, Blueflite staged a series of deliveries at the outdoor demo area. ITS America President and CEO Laura Chace, U.S. DOT representatives, Michigan DOT and ITS Michigan received deliveries of hats and koozies, and ITS Korea and the Korean Delegation received invitations to ITS World Congress 2026.

“As a former chair of ITS America, I know firsthand what this event means to the transportation community, and hosting it in Utah is something we take seriously,” said Carlos Braceras, Commissioner of the Utah Department of Transportation. “Salt Lake City is a city that embraces bold ideas, and the Salt Palace Convention Center will give transportation leaders from around the world the stage they need to share the technologies and solutions shaping the next generation of mobility. We cannot wait to see you in April 2027.” 

The Future Leaders Program, sponsored by Southwest Research Institute, challenged students and young professionals to explore artificial intelligence’s role in transforming transportation, connecting rising talent directly with industry pioneers throughout the four-day event.

Advancing European Aviation: Deutsche Aircraft Showcases Multi-Role Innovation at ILA Berlin

Berlin, Germany, 16 June 2026 – At ILA Berlin 2026, Deutsche Aircraft demonstrated how visionary aviation concepts are advancing toward operational reality. The German OEM showcased its substantial progress across the commercial and multi-role sectors, making it clear how applied research, portfolio expansion and long-term collaboration are actively accelerating the development and industrialisation of the next-generation D328eco® turboprop.

Together, these announcements reflect Deutsche Aircraft’s broader strategy to integrate sustainable regional aviation with enhanced operational flexibility, industrial resilience and European aerospace collaboration.

During the event, Deutsche Aircraft announced a series of technological advancements, strategic milestones and industrial partnerships that underscore its commitment to innovation, defence, special missions and aerospace leadership in Europe.

Key highlights of ILA Berlin 2026 included:

• Integrated Uncrewed Capability Unveiled: Expanding its portfolio to support civil and governmental multi-role operations, Deutsche Aircraft presented its new uncrewed aircraft capability. Developed in collaboration with Sierra Nevada Corporation, the mature system is designed to complement the D328MR by extending operational reach and strengthening intelligence, surveillance, disaster response and environmental monitoring capabilities across demanding environments.
• Fuel-to-Flight Concept: In partnership with INERATEC, Deutsche Aircraft showcased a fully integrated fuel-to-flight solution, with a display featuring a D328® Multi-Role Maritime Patrol Aircraft alongside a containerised fuel production unit and autonomous refuelling concepts. This scalable aviation ecosystem enables synthetic fuel production directly at the point of use, supporting flexible, resilient and lower-emission operations in remote and mission-critical environments worldwide. The concept also highlights the potential to reduce logistical dependency while increasing operational autonomy for future aviation missions.
• Long-Term Industrial Partnership: In a major step for the D328eco production ramp-up, Deutsche Aircraft and Hexcel announced a long-term supply agreement. Hexcel’s advanced composite solutions will be integrated into the D328eco airframe, optimising weight reduction, durability and fuel efficiency to support performance and sustainability objectives. The partnership reinforces long-term operational reliability while boosting the resilience of the European aerospace supply chain.
• Research-Driven Sustainable Aviation: Supported by Germany’s LuFo Klima programme, Deutsche Aircraft demonstrated how applied research has made an impact on SAF readiness, advanced testing and acoustic optimisation. The DLR’s D328 UpLift research aircraft and simulator featured the instrumentation and systems infrastructure used for ongoing validation trials. These initiatives underline Deutsche Aircraft’s commitment to accelerating practical, data-driven advancements in sustainable regional aviation.

“ILA Berlin 2026 demonstrated the strength of collaboration across the European aerospace ecosystem,” said Nico Neumann, CEO of Deutsche Aircraft. “From sustainable propulsion concepts and applied research to multi-role mission capabilities and industrial partnerships, we are translating innovation into practical aviation solutions. The momentum and engagement we experienced throughout the week reinforce our commitment to shaping a more sustainable, resilient and sovereign future for regional aviation.”

Deutsche Aircraft extends its gratitude to partners, customers and visitors for their active engagement and support throughout ILA Berlin 2026.

Following the event, Deutsche Aircraft continues to advance the D328eco programme while strengthening the partnerships that support the future of sustainable regional and special-mission aviation.

Space: LGM Group Obtains Process Certification for Manual Wiring of Electronic Boards

LGM has reached a major milestone by obtaining process certification for manual wiring of electronic boards for the space sector at its Marville site in the Meuse (France), issued by CNES and compliant with the European Space Agency’s ECSS standards.

LGM announces that it has obtained accreditation for manual wiring process in electronic boards intended for the space sector. This certification, overseen by the Centre National d’Études Spatiales (CNES), represents a major recognition of LGM’s expertise, technical excellence, and positioning in the space market—a field where quality and reliability requirements are absolute.

Certification to the Most Demanding European Standards

This certification is particularly significant as it complies with the European Cooperation for Space Standardization (ECSS) standards of the European Space Agency (ESA), and attests to the company’s ability to perform manual wiring operations on electronic boards to the strictest standards in the space sector, where even the slightest failure can have critical consequences.

Manual wiring of electronic boards for space applications requires advanced technical expertise, perfect mastery of processes, and rigorous quality control. Electronic boards destined for space must withstand extreme conditions: vibrations, shocks, significant thermal variations, radiation, and the vacuum of space.

CNES Plays a Central Role in the Approval Process

CNES, a major player in French and European space policy, oversees the certification process to ensure that approved companies meet the technical and quality requirements of the space sector. The certification process includes in-depth audits, skills assessments, and verification that production processes comply with European ECSS standards, through tests and expert assessments conducted on test structures.

CNES accreditation is a guarantee of confidence for customers in the space sector, whether they are space agencies, industrial prime contractors, or equipment manufacturers.

A Strategic Asset for LGM

For LGM, this certification represents far more than technical recognition: it opens new commercial opportunities in the European space market and strengthens the company’s credibility with major players in the sector.

“Obtaining this CNES approval is a decisive step for the LGM Group’s electronics production activities. It validates years of investment in upgrading our teams’ skills and in continuous improvement of our processes. Today, this certification enables us to position ourselves as a trusted partner for European space programs and to support our customers in their most demanding projects,” says Guillaume PETIT, Industrial Director of the Marville site.

This certification aligns with the LGM Group’s development strategy for its complex electronics activities, aimed at strengthening its expertise and presence in markets with high added value and high technical criticality.

Focus on the Marville factory:

A French industrial flagship whose origins go back to the creation of the MEUSONIC company in 1978.

Since 1985, the Marville site has been consolidating its microelectronics activity in a cleanroom environment, with niche skills and processes in the design and manufacture of radio frequency and microwave subassemblies and systems, as well as in power electronics.

In 2021, then known as ARELIS (resulting from successive mergers with the companies SERICAD and ASTEEL ANJOU—in 2010 and 2012 respectively), it strengthened its specialist positioning and technological leadership while working to preserve the sector and the sovereignty of its processes, thanks to a strategic partnership with LGM.

Now a member of the LaFrenchFab network, in the midst of a dynamic investment phase to meet demand and market diversification, the Marville site has just passed the 100-employee mark and is looking toward a promising industrial future relying on the stability and confidence of the LGM Group.

Promising Prospects in a Growing Sector

The space sector is currently experiencing sustained growth, driven by the development of satellite constellations, the boom in New Space, and Europe’s ambitions for strategic autonomy. In this context, demand for qualified subcontractors to manufacture space electronics is rising sharply.

Thanks to this certification, LGM is now positioned to respond to tenders from the main players in the European space sector and to participate in large-scale programs, whether for observation, telecommunications, navigation, or scientific exploration satellites.

Flir Thermal Imaging Helps Reveal Hidden Text in Ancient Herculaneum Papyri

Flir thermal imaging technology is helping researchers in Italy unlock hidden text from the Herculaneum papyri, a unique collection of ancient manuscripts carbonized during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD.

 June 16: Flir thermal imaging technology is helping researchers in Italy unlock hidden text from the Herculaneum papyri, a unique collection of ancient manuscripts carbonized during the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD. Using pulsed thermography that leverages the 2.775 MHz fast analog lock-in input port offered by advanced Flir thermal imaging cameras, scientists are recovering writing previously invisible to the naked eye while also gaining new insight into the fragile internal structure of the documents. All images are sourced from S. Ceccarelli et al., SciRep 15, 34466 (2025).

The vital project is being led by researchers at the Institute of Heritage Science, part of the National Research Council of Italy (CNR), who are exploring non-destructive ways to study and preserve what remains the only surviving library from the ancient Greco-Roman world.

Discovered during excavations in the 18th century at the Villa dei Papiri in Herculaneum, the scrolls survived the volcanic eruption through carbonization caused by intense heat and burial beneath volcanic material. While this extraordinary process preserved the manuscripts, it also created major challenges for historians and conservators attempting to read and protect them.

Many of the papyri were mechanically unrolled centuries ago and mounted to supporting boards. However, the resulting fragments are extremely fragile, often heavily layered, and in many cases almost unreadable.

Conventional Imaging Falls Short

One of the principal challenges facing researchers is that both the carbonized papyrus substrate and the ink are black, making differentiation extremely difficult using conventional imaging methods as the contrast in the visible range is lost. Other more sophisticated techniques like X-ray can work, particularly in combination with artificial intelligence, but are more complex and expensive, requiring transportation of the papyri to special labs where these techniques are available.

To address these challenges, conservators turned to pulsed thermography, a technique that combines controlled light excitation with high-speed thermal imaging. The method works by illuminating the papyrus with a short pulse of light and recording the resulting thermal response over time.

Surface inscriptions become visible almost immediately in the first few infrared frames after excitation because the ink absorbs light differently to the surrounding papyrus material. As heat propagates through the sample over the following seconds, deeper structural details and underlying features begin to emerge. This time-based thermal behavior provides researchers with a way to distinguish writing from substrate material.

 

Advanced Thermal Imaging

Central to the project is the use of Flir X-Series thermal imaging cameras. Combining high-speed, high-sensitivity infrared imaging with advanced thermal management capabilities, the cameras are ideal for scientific and research environments where precision and data integrity are vital.

Operating in the mid-wave infrared spectrum, Flir X-Series cameras enabled researchers to capture rapid thermal events with exceptional sensitivity, allowing subtle temperature differences between inked and non-inked areas of the papyri to become visible during pulsed thermography analysis. The X-Series features a fast analog lock-in input port designed to receive external reference signals, enabling high-speed thermal analysis at a sampling rate of 2.775 MHz. This capability allows researchers to detect faint signals or minute temperature differences in materials.

The researchers used dual flash lamps to generate controlled excitation while limiting temperature increases within the papyri to 2-3°C, well below any level considered harmful to the ancient material. Special filtering systems also prevented ultraviolet exposure and minimized unwanted infrared reflections.

According to the project team, the high sensitivity, spatial resolution and advanced recording capabilities of the Flir X-Series proved particularly important when identifying fine thermal contrasts and preserving image clarity throughout the acquisition process.

The ability to stream and record thermal data continuously without dropped frames also supported detailed post-processing and analysis using Flir Research Studio software.

Notably, the method remains entirely non-contact and non-destructive, a critical requirement when working with fragile cultural heritage artefacts that cannot be physically manipulated or removed from their historical supports.

Beyond Text Recovery

While the primary objective of the project involves revealing hidden text, pulsed thermography also provides valuable structural information for conservation specialists.

As heat diffuses through the papyrus over longer timescales, the thermal data begins to reveal features such as fiber patterns, overlapping layers, and adhesion points between the papyrus and its supporting board. These details help conservators better understand the physical condition of the manuscripts and identify areas where deterioration or detachment may be occurring.

The ability to investigate both writing and substrate morphology from the same thermal dataset provides significant advantages for restoration planning and long-term preservation strategies. The technique is particularly useful because some regions of the manuscripts contain multiple compressed layers created during the historical unrolling process. In these areas, underlying sections remained attached rather than separating cleanly, creating a complex structure that is difficult to analyze using traditional imaging methods.

The researchers also noted that some competing technologies can involve bulkier equipment, more restrictive positioning requirements, or lower image definition when examining layered material.

Future Potential
One of the remaining challenges involves identifying text located on the reverse side of the papyri or buried within heavily layered sections where only limited excitation light can penetrate. Although possible to detect residual thermal information from deeper layers, the resulting signals become increasingly weak and blurred as heat diffuses through the material.

To help overcome these limitations, the CNR team is now exploring the use of AI-based processing techniques. AI-assisted analysis could further enhance differentiation between the ink and the papyrus substrate, potentially improving readability and supporting future interpretation of the texts.

Whatever the future holds, the team is confident that pulsed thermography is set to become an increasingly valuable complementary tool alongside other advanced heritage science techniques. This exciting project has demonstrated the growing role of Flir thermal imaging technology in scientific research and preservation. By combining high-speed thermal acquisition with advanced analysis methods, researchers are now able to study some of the world’s most fragile historical artefacts in ways that were previously impossible.