Zero trust network access (ZTNA) solutions provider Banyan Security on Tuesday announced that it has raised $30 million in Series B funding, which brings the total raised by the company to $47 million.

The funding round was led by Third Point Ventures, with participation from Alter Venture Partners, SIG, Shasta Ventures, and Unusual Ventures.

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Microsoft have gone and done it again, announcing the intended acquisition of Activision Blizzard in a move that will have a potentially huge impact on the future of the games industry. What does this really mean though? Will Call of Duty now be an Xbox exclusive? The Deal of the Century? First things first, the deal itself is huge. Microsoft and Activision Blizzard’s respective boards have agreed to a sale worth a whopping $68.7 billion. That’s just stupid money. That’s the kind of money that we used to only really see with the fundamentals of everyday life, when mobile phone companies merge or separate, when energy companies combine, when car manufacturers or pharmaceuticals unite. That thinking is old hat now. The tech and entertainment companies are coming and they want to own… stuff. Just all the stuff, please. Yeah, more stuff. Who doesn’t love having loads and loads of stuff? Disney certainly likes having stuff, having picked up Marvel on the cheap and turned its properties into a never-ending stream of films and TV shows, then snagged Star Wars for a now laughably small $4 billion, and eventually setting its sights on beefing up its new streaming service by acquiring media rival 21st Century Fox for $71.3 billion in 2018. In the realms of video games, we have widespread investment from Chinese conglomerates, we have Embracer Group buying up everything in sight, and Sony and Microsoft both seeking to expand their first party studios. $68.7 billion might feel like a huge sum for Activision Blizzard, but it’s actually a good deal for Microsoft. ABK has exploded in value over the past decade, making it a part of the S&P 500 index which charts the 500 biggest companies in the US. This time last year, Activision Blizzard’s market cap was about to hit an all-time high of $80 billion on 12th February 2021, though typically hovering around $70 billion for the first half of the year. It hasn’t stayed that way, though. Something happened around the middle of 2021 that saw the company’s valuation slide from that $70 billion mark to under $50 billion. Part of that is purely financial – delays to game releases from Blizzard amongst them – but another part is the scandal that has surrounded the company like someone filled Bobby Kotick’s pockets with rotten eggs. How can Microsoft make this money back? Simply put, they don’t need to. Activision’s 2020 revenue was $8 billion, but their operating income was $2.7 billion. At that rate, it would take 25 years to make the money back… but that’s really beside the point for Microsoft. This is about key, strategic content that gives them a further competitive advantage in a growing market. Oh, and Microsoft had $120 billion in the bank in 2020 and an operating income of $70 billion in 2021. They have plenty left over… Will he stay or will he go? Microsoft’s willingness to acquire Activision Blizzard means that they’re prepared to take on the job of cleaning up its reputation. For the time being, the company will continue to be run as normal by CEO Bobby Kotick and his team as they navigate lawsuits, striking workers and unionisation efforts. They have to carry on business as usual until the deal is approved. While the company has taken steps, ousting over 40 individuals in recent months for transgression, declaring a zero tolerance policy, and promising to make contracted workers full time, there’s still more work to be done. Kotick himself is a part of the problem, having previously drawn criticism for cutting the company’s workforce despite record profits in 2018, and also having allegedly been aware of allegations and done nothing to address them. The wording of the deal’s announcement states that Kotick will carry on, though certainly leaves the door open for him to leave as soon as the purchase is approved and completed or after a transition period. His position and reputation don’t feel tenable as a part of Microsoft and reports suggest that he is to leave after any deal is concluded. I’m sure some will be hoping the door hits him on the arse on the way out. Will everything go Xbox exclusive? Maybe? We just don’t know at this point, with Phil Spencer’s only comments so far being that he hopes to bring as much of Activision’s back catalogue into Xbox Game Pass as soon as possible. However, we can look at the company’s track record here. For one thing, Xbox has allowed recent acquisitions to see out their various contracts and obligations, from Psychonauts 2 coming to PS4 and Deathloop being a timed PS5 exclusive. Additionally, existing game releases have also been allowed to continue on, so Minecraft is available on every platform imaginable. However, exclusive content drives attachment, and that’s why Bethesda’s Starfield will be exclusive. Looking at Activision’s portfolio, we can speculate that they’d pick and choose different approaches depending on the game and franchise. Call of Duty: Warzone is a free-to-play offshoot that needs to reach as many people as possible, but that could go hand in hand with future paid games in the franchise becoming Xbox exclusive. Similarly, Overwatch 2’s unusual release plan as a semi-expansion to Overwatch could get the blue light to come to PlayStation, as it’s building on an already released game. Diablo IV, though? Bet on that being an Xbox exclusive if the release comes after the finalised acquisition. The one thing we can definitively say is that everything will be thrown into Xbox Game Pass. Will we get the “old” Blizzard back? And what about Activision? In a word, no, but first I have to explain the question. Many fans have become disillusioned with some of the decisions that Blizzard have made over the past decade. There’s a feeling that the company has become too corporate and lost touch with its fans when announcing things like the mobile-only Diablo Immortal, the disappointing rushed release of Warcraft III: Reforged, and subsequent disbanding of the team that worked on it. There’s no putting a genie like that back in the bottle, and considering some of the rot that was revealed last year, I don’t think we want that genie back. Blizzard will still remain a part of Activision Blizzard, which will be a separate division under Xbox, but there might not be the same push to hit release targets that could help restore some of the “when it’s ready” ethos that led to them striking gold with World of Warcraft and Overwatch. Similarly, the pressure could be lifted on Activision’s Call of Duty content mill. Needing a new COD every single year means that Activision now has pretty much every one of their studios making content for this franchise. That’s a crying shame when Toys for Bob has just shown what they can do with Crash Bandicoot 4, and Vicarious Visions (now a part of Blizzard) revived Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1+2 to great acclaim. Microsoft’s acquisitions so far have been to secure a diverse portfolio, and on the Activision side of the company, that’s not currently what’s happening. Will the acquisition be approved? This is the big question, and while there is increasing scrutiny over tech companies making huge purchases like this, I can’t see it being blocked by the European Commission or the US Securities and Exchange Commission that will be looking into the impact that this will have on the games industry. In particular, they’ll be looking at the rulings they received when acquiring Bethesda. Yes, the deal is almost ten times the size and the revenue that Activision Blizzard generates is much greater, but the argument will be that this does little to nothing to harming the diversity of games on offer across the industry and across competing platforms, and that Microsoft aren’t buying an erstwhile competitor. PlayStation will likely remain the dominant platform for the foreseeable future… though if Call of Duty goes X box exclusive, who could say what the future holds?

It’s a case of “same, same but different” when it comes to Bitcoin price action this year, but historically, nothing has fallen outside the norm.

The year 2021 was out of the ordinary as global businesses struggled to keep afloat amid the pandemic. This unusual situation accelerated digitization in businesses, which led to a surge in “digital data.” This year witnessed a record number of hires of data scientist and data analyst positions as businesses realized that data-driven market intelligence […]

The post Data Science Trends in 2022 appeared first on DATAVERSITY.

Automotive Monthly Newsletter and Podcast
This month's theme: Consumer Electronics Show Recap (2022)

LISTEN TO THIS PODCAST

This year's CES was certainly unusual, between the numerous exhibitors "going virtual" at the last minute and the sheer variety of announcements that transpired. Yet mobility topics were front and center, with companies highlighting some of the innovations consumers will see in six months, and possibly even some they will see in six years.

Electrification continued as a central theme among the products, concepts, and innovations the industry showed this year. Starting off, Mercedes-Benz unveiled the VISION EQXX Concept. It is of course electric, but the main point was its efficiency. It is estimated to get 648 miles on a single charge, but that is not from a massive battery. It is from an efficient powertrain that is capable of more than 6 miles per kWh (roughly double the efficiency of the best EVs on the market today) coupled with a coefficient of drag (Cd) of 0.17 and a solar panel rooftop. The vehicle presents a "vision" of what the competition will be in the future. It will no longer just be about electrification, but about how one uses the electrons they have on-board.

Next came debuts from General Motors (GM) and BMW, both bringing production-ready EVs to CES. GM used CES to show the upcoming 2024 Chevrolet Silverado EV. It offers some 400 miles of range, DC fast charging up to 350 kW, and 10,000 lbs towing capacity to make a serious contender defending GM's market share, as full-size pickups transition to electric drive in the near future. Coupled with other innovative features, such as a 17-inch free-form display, the capability to provide up to 10.2 kW of power to auxiliary devices, and a rather nifty multifunction tailgate and cargo area, and it will stand out from the Silverado internal combustion engine (ICE) counterparts.

BMW, meanwhile, showed its iX M60, which will hit production lines soon, and illustrated a much more performance and excitement-oriented approach to electrification. With 610 hp, 811 lb-ft of torque, and 280 miles range, the iX will fit nicely among the competition from Mercedes and Audi on the market already. Plus, BMW used its new EV to showcase some interesting technologies - namely a concept exterior using E-ink displays that allows the vehicle to shift from black to white, and any shade of grey in between. While some see it as a party-trick, BMW is experimenting with how a color-changing exterior might help if a vehicle is lost in a parking lot, trying to communicate with pedestrians, or optimizing solar heating conditions in warm or cold environments.

More electrification came from myriad start-ups, most notably VinFast, who showed its VF8 and VF9 EV crossovers on the world stage. While the specs were competitive, it was its sales and marketing strategy that caught the most attention. VinFast has priced its VF8 and VF9 at USDS41,000 and USD56,000, respectively, and has opened them up for reservations. Interestingly, according to the company, reservation holders who make a deposit of USD200 today will receive many benefits for being an early reservation holder. They will get a USD3,000 of USD5,000 credit toward the purchase of a VF8 or VF9, in addition to a free mobile charger, access to the ADAS and connectivity services packages for life, a seven-day vacation in Vietnam, and the company will plant a tree. Is this what it takes to attract customers today in the EV marketplace?

While not technically a start-up, Sony used CES 2022 to debut its Vision-S 02 concept SUV, to follow on the original Vision-S sedan it showed in 2020. It will integrate countless Sony technologies from CMOS sensors, 5G connectivity, integrated video services, 360° audio, gaming experiences, and more. However, the more notable news is that Sony has officially founded Sony Mobility Inc. to explore the commercial launch of Sony's EVs to global markets. This marks yet another example of a technology firm jumping into mobility with an electric offering.

Electrification was next presented as an answer to everything commercial, especially in logistics and last-mile delivery. While Doosan Bobcat debuted an electric skid steer, it was the announcements from GM again that made the biggest news. BrightDrop—an entity of just over a year old—went from a concept and idea to production and deliveries in record time. However, at CES 2022, it brought its commercial customers FedEx and Walmart in to discuss their needs for electrification. FedEx has received 5 EV600s to date and has another 2,000 on order and potentially another 20,000 on top of that. Meanwhile, Walmart has 5,000 EV600s reserved, as it expects to bring its in-house last-mile delivery to 30 million households by the end of 2022.

Stellantis made commercial news at CES via an extended arrangement with Amazon, wherein the mega digital retailer will be the first recipient of the upcoming RAM ProMaster EVs. In addition, Amazon will provide other services to Stellantis products in the form of Alexa integration, the AWS cloud, and software development capacity. However, the company also used CES to promote its newly minted product and services strategy for the next 10 years. First, CEO Carlos Tavares announced the company would debut 8 more BEVs in the next 18 months. Second, the Stellantis executive team spent lots of time highlighting its 4 vehicle platforms and 3 tech platforms to bring vehicles to market across its 14 iconic brands. The most interesting part was the rather rapid move toward electronics consolidation with the STLA Brain platform. It will offer a 30-ECU architecture with complete OTA integration by 2024, which by automotive industry standards is lightning fast.

Diving deeper into E/E architecture topics, Qualcomm showed up in a big way at CES 2022, citing both near-term and long-term initiatives to help bring domain consolidation to market. The silicon vendor touted its growing list of OEMs using a variety of its products, including Honda, Volvo, and Renault in the coming months and years. It also described the Snapdragon Digital Chassis as a way to scale a digital platform in the same way OEMs have perfected scaling physical chassis across cars, trucks, SUVs, and more. The Digital Chassis will encompass car-to-cloud software and an integrated ride platform for ADAS, connectivity platform for 5G, and a cockpit platform for in-vehicle experiences.

Meanwhile, Intel focused on its automotive announcements with Mobileye. The company touted its milestone 100-million EyeQ SoC shipments and 41 new design wins with more than 30 OEMs, including several program wins with robo-taxi applications. In addition, it showed the next-generation EyeQ6 SoC family with chips applicable for Level 1 to Level 2 driving, Premium Level 2+ and Level 3 driving, and even a top-line Level 4-capable chip. This EyeQ ULTRA will offer 12 cores at 5 nanometer process and perform 4.2 TFLOPS using less than 100 watts of power. Ultimately, the story with Intel is the SoC capabilities will continue to meet or exceed the requirements from OEMs, as they gradually advance to the next stage in autonomy.

Beyond those already mentioned above, CES played host to debuts of many other component technologies that will come to new vehicles soon. Panasonic showed augmented reality heads-up displays (AR-HUDs) with a very compelling integration of Phiar navigation rendering. Marelli, LG, and Visteon touted some cutting-edge technologies on automotive displays, including large, curved, and pillar-to-pillar systems. Valeo debuted its third-generation lidar sensor, claiming no Level 3 vehicles will exist without lidar. Bosch illustrated its AI presence and cited by 2025 that all of its products would be equipped with or manufactured by AI.

In summary, CES 2022 was much less about the technologies available for purchase in the next one to two months and much more about those fundamental technological shifts that impact the whole industries. Clearly, the mobility industry theme for 2022 is electrification and all the subsequent effects it has on products, services, digitalization, and distribution.

Yet, the consumer electronics industry was looking beyond the physical and into the metaverse. Fundamental advances in AR and VR technologies, combined with the now omnipresent 5G connectivity, have spawned new focus on digital twin technologies in all sorts of applications. Most notably for the auto industry was Hyundai. It showed off its tech from the 2021 acquisition of Boston Dynamics, telling the story of how robotics will be a fundamental underpinning to the future of our existence in the metaverse. The Korean firm went so far as to coin the term, "meta-mobility" illustrating how its new tech can provide mobility solutions, in both the physical and the metaverse.

Whether you were in attendance or not, CES 2022 provided some foresight on where the mobility industry is headed next on a technical, theoretical, and commercial basis.

Dive Deeper:

AutoTechInsight Webinar: CES 2022 Show Report. Watch Replay

Autology Podcast: CES 2022 - Day 1 Recap. Listen Now

Autology Podcast: CES 2022 - Day 2 Recap. Listen Now

Autology Podcast: CES 2022 - Day 3 Recap. Listen Now

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