Russia's largest telecom operator MTS intends to sell its tower business to an independent operator. "Active negotiations" are already underway, the closing of the deal is expected in the first half of 2022, said the president of MTS Vyacheslav Nikolaev.

 
 Now the allocation of the relevant infrastructure in a separate company, Tower Infrastructure Company, continues.

 
 “We have been doing this business for a long time as a telecommunications legacy. Once it made sense and worked well. Now we have other priorities,” Nikolayev explained.

 
 MTS does not disclose potential buyers, but, according to Kommersant's sources, there are two main contenders for this asset: Service-Telecom and Kismet Capital Group.

 
 MTS plans to conduct an auction among buyers this year. The operator's tower portfolio is estimated at $1.2-1.3 billion (90-100 billion rubles). According to Nikolayev, now the MTS portfolio includes around 23 thousand antenna mast structures, being largest on the market.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100072735932622" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Vyacheslav Nikolaev</a>, President of MTS

<hr />
 
 In October 2021, MTS <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mts-spins-off-from-its-tower-infrastructure-company-and-mts-web-services/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">has spun off</a> its Tower Infrastructure Company. Earlier, the decision to sell its tower assets <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/veon-sells-tower-assets-in-russia-to-service-telecom-for-1-billion/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was made</a> by Beeline, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/megafon-transferres-its-tower-assets-to-an-independent-operator/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">followed</a> by Megafon's deal to separate its tower assets.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mts-vedet-peregovory-o-prodazhe-bashennogo-biznesa/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Kommersant

MTS to Sell its Tower Business

Russia has risen from 11th to 8th place in the list of countries for the aggregate performance of supercomputers, according to the <a href="https://www.top500.org/lists/top500/list/2021/11/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TOP 500 ranking</a>.

 
 The list includes:

<ul>
 <li>three Yandex's supercomputers,&nbsp;Chervonenkis&nbsp;(ranked 19th),&nbsp;Galushkin&nbsp;(36th) and&nbsp;Lyapunov&nbsp;(40th);&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
 <li>two supercomputers by Sberbank,&nbsp;Christofari Neo&nbsp;(43rd) and&nbsp;Christofari&nbsp;(72nd);&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
 <li>Lomonosov-2 from Moscow State University (241st);</li>
 <li>Grom&nbsp;by MTS (294th).&nbsp;&nbsp;</li>
</ul>

 
 The first place in the rating for the second consecutive year is occupied by the Japanese system Fugaku. The second and third places were taken by American supercomputers: Summit and Sierra.

 
 However, China remains the leader in the ranking in terms of the number of such systems with 173 supercomputers, followed by the United States (149) and Japan (32).

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/chervonenkis/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Chervonenkis</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/galushkin/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Galushkin</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/lyapunov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Lyapunov</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/christofari-neo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Christofari Neo</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/christofari/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Christofari</a>

<hr />
 
 <a href="https://t.me/ICT_Moscow/5227" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Vedomosti

Russia Climbs to No.8 in Global Ranking of Supercomputers for Aggregate Performance 

Solutions by Solut, Medhard and the developing company Aprotech (a subsidiary of Kaspersky Lab) have won IoT Awards 2021 in the field of IoT and related technologies.

 
 Based on the results of the competitive selection, the winners in the following categories were:

<ul>
 <li>"IoT Analytics": a manual labor monitoring system&nbsp;Solut for recognizing human work activity;</li>
 <li>"New IoT": a universal stethoscope by Medhard for the analysis of sound signals from human organs and a preliminary conclusion on their work;</li>
 <li>"Secure IoT": a data gateway for the industrial Internet of Things by Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway solution by Aprotech for protecting IoT systems from current future cyber risks.</li>
</ul>

 
 MTS was awared as the best Russian IoT company in 2021. In total, 68 applications for participation in the competition were submitted in 2021. The majority of applications fell on the Industrial IoT and New IoT categories.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/solut/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Solut</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/kaspersky-iot-secure-gateway/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Kaspersky IoT Secure Gateway</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/universal-sthetoscope/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Universal Stethoscope</a>

<hr />
 
 The IoT Awards 2021was founded by the <a href="https://iotas.ru/en/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Internet of Things Association</a> (IOTAS) to encourage and promote the best IoT practices and expertise in various sectors of the Russian economy. The prize is awarded for outstanding achievements in the development IoT as well as active promotion of IoT solutions in the Russian market.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/proekty-kompanii-solut-medkhard-i-aprotekh-stali-laureatami-premii-iot-awards-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

IOTAS (The Internet of Things Association)

Projects by Solut, Aprotech and Medhard Win IoT 2021 Awards 

<a href="https://innopraktika.ru/en/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Innopraktika</a>, a subdivision of Moscow State University, will create a fund to support Russian startups.

 
 Fund for Technological Investments (FTI) will be launched by the CEO of Innopraktika Katerina Tikhonova, together with her First Deputy Natalya Popova.

 
 Control over FTI will be given to the Investment Management company, which will specialize in seed infusions into startups. The partnership is intended "for seed investment in startups at the rate of about 3 million rubles per project." Other details were not disclosed.

 
 Earlier, Popova urged to bet on fast-growing technology companies, “if we want to have not one Yandex, but ten Yandexes, and not only in the IT field but also in deeptech and biotech."

 
 Innopraktika has been operating since 2012. It includes the Center for National Intellectual Reserve of Moscow State University and the Foundation for Support of Scientific and Project Activities of Students, Postgraduates and Young Scientists "National Intellectual Development", the founder of which is Moscow State University.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/podrazdelenie-mgu-innopraktika-sozdast-fond-dlia-podderzhki-startapov-v-raschete-okolo-3-mln-rub-na-odin-proekt/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

MSU's Innopraktika to Create a Fund for Supporting Startups 

Sberbank

Sberbank to Sell Back 36% Stake in MF Technologies to Gazprombank 

On November 10-12, Sberbank, together with the leading Russian tech companies, held the international online conference <a href="https://ai-journey.ru/en/conference" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AI Journey 2021</a>.

 
 On the first day of the forum, participants discussed business and AI development, the role of new technologies in ESG and sustainable development, the impact of AI on social life and economy, and AI ethics. Eight organizations adopted AI Code of Ethics, including Vision Labs, Nanosemantics Laboratory, Cognitive Pilot, VEB Ventures, CRT Group of Companies, Atlansis Software Systems, Dialogue ANO, MSTU im. N.E. Bauman.

 
 The second day was dedicated to science and emerging developments in the field of AI, in particular. Sberbank presented a code generation model based on the ruGPT-3 neural network, wich allows to automatically write code, reducing development time.

 
 Experts from Airi Institute for Artificial Intelligence presented the results of their work for the first time. The organization is developing new approaches based on machine learning methods to improve quality control of the production of solar cells, the main working elements of solar cells, and to optimize their performance indicators. The Institute for the first time presented the results of the work of models that reveal defects in real images obtained in production.

 
 A panel discussion "Health care after COVID-19" took place. It was attended by Yuri Krestinsky, Vice President, Head of the Healthcare Industry of Sberbank, and Bertalan Mesco, Ph.D., futurist in medicine and director of the Institute of Future Medicine.

 
 As part of AI Journey 2021 conference, the winners of the international online competition on artificial intelligence <a href="https://ai-journey.ru/en/contest" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AI Journey Contest 2021</a> were awarded. 13 developers of the best solutions received cash prizes ranging from $1,379 (100,000 rubles) to $29,000 (2.1 million rubles).

 
 AI Journey is a series of events on artificial intelligence and data science held by Sberbank as well as leading international AI companies. This year, AI Journey Contest is being held on the DSWorks platform operating on <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/christofari/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Christofari</a>, Russia’s fastest supercomputer created by Sberbank.

<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0dsSPP5stfw" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Russia Hosts International Conference AI Journey 2021

IT services provider Softline plans to acquire about 30 IT companies as part of its mergers and acquisitions strategy. 80% of the funds (i.e. $320 million) raised during the company's IPO in November will be directed to this.

 
 Softline clarified that they intend to buy "relatively small local companies with a turnover of $100-300 million." In total, the preliminary list for the acquisition is estimated at $1.5 billion. Softline plans to close two or three deals, which are now at an advanced stage, during the current fiscal year (until March 31, 2022).

 
 Through the deals, the company also plans to expand its service expertise in AWS (Amazon Web Services), cyber security. as well as digital transformation services.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/softline-ispolzuet-vyruchennye-ot-ipo-sredstva-dlia-pokupki-okolo-30-it-kompanii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Softline to Use Raised Funds for Buying 30 IT Companies

Sberbank, together with its subsidiary SberCloud, presented a new supercomputer Christofari Neo, built on the basis of Nvidia technologies (A100 graphics processors with 80 GB of memory). Its effective performance reached almost 12 petaflops (11.95 PFLOPs).

 
 The company clarified that it "is suitable for training and inference of transformer models with modern architecture, which are trained on large datasets." The new supercomputer will be available from December 1, 2021 via the ML Space cloud platform. The SberDevices and Sber AI teams were the first to gain access to it.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/christofari-neo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Christofari Neo</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/info-sbercloud-ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SberCloud</a>

<hr />
 
 The first supercomputer of the <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/christofari/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Christofari</a> company, created to work with artificial intelligence algorithms, was presented in 2019. Its effective performance is 6.7 PFLOPs and its peak performance is 8.8 PFLOPs.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sber-predstavil-vtoroi-superkompiuter-christofari-neo-s-moshchnostiu-pochti-12-petaflops/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank Presents its Second Supercomputer Christofari Neo with Peak Performance of 12 PFLOPS

Predictive analytics system for healthcare Webiomed is among the winners of the International <a href="https://www.ghp-news.com/winners-list/?award=11481-2021" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards</a> 2021 as the "most reliable digital health risk platform" in Northwest Russia.

 
 The expert commission evaluated the project according to several criteria: business efficiency, longevity, business growth (sustainable or fast), innovation, customer base, reviews.

<hr />
 
 Connect with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alexvl.gusev" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Alexander Gusev</a>, the founder of Webiomed

<hr />
 
 The Global Health & Pharma Award, in its seventh year, is designed to recognize and reward both companies and individuals. The award was established by the English magazine GHP.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1966/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russia)</a>

Webiomed

Webiomed Platform Wins International Healthcare & Pharmaceutical Awards 2021

Botkin.AI, a platform for analyzing medical images, became the only Russian project that made it to the finals of the <a href="https://entrepreneurshipworldcup.com/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Entrepreneurship World Cup (EWC)</a> competition. The final stage will take place in December 2021 in Saudi Arabia. 25 finalists will present their projects to potential clients and investors. The cash prize for the first place will be $500,000, $250,000 for the second, and $100,000 for the third.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/botkinai/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Botkin.AI</a>

<hr />
 
 In August, Botkin.AI, VR Concept and BumbTech <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/botkin-ai-vr-concept-and-bumbtech-to-compete-in-ewc-2021-international-contest/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">became</a> the finalists of the Russian stage of the EWC competition. In total, 12 teams took part in the national stage.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/moskovskii-proekt-botkin-ai-vyshel-v-final-mezhdunarodnogo-konkursa-startapov-the-entrepreneurship-world-cup/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Skolkovo

Moscow-Based Startup Botkin.AI Reaches EWC Finals

HR start-up Skipp, which is developing a platform for hiring IT specialists, has raised $635,000 during the first round. The funds will be used for international development and attracting developers from the CIS countries.

 
 The overall valuation of the startup at the end of the round was $5 million, Forbes reports. Investors included co-founder of Skyeng Denis Smetnev, the Managing Partner at Skyeng Alexander Laryanovsky, and the former CEO of Delivery Club Andrey Tsytsenko.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/alex.odin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Alexey Odin</a>, the founder of Skipp

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/denis.smetnev" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Denis Smetnev</a>, the co-founder of Skyeng,

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/laryanovskiy" target="_blank">Alexander Laryanovsky</a>, the Managing Partner at Skyeng

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100006121779115" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Andrey Tsytsenko</a>, ex-CEO of Delivery Club

 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/skipp/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Skipp</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/delivery-club/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Delivery Club</a>

<hr />
 
 Skipp was founded by Alexei Odin, the former CTO of the Lingualeo educational platform. According to him, there are now more than 5 thousand Russian-speaking job seekers in the startup database. The monthly revenue, according to him, exceeds 14 million rubles.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/hr-startap-skipp-privlek-635-tys-investitsii-na-razvitie/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Forbes

HR Startup Skipp Raises $635,000 in the First Round

The Moscow Innovation Cluster has added a section on its online platform, which presents solutions developed by the finalists of technology competitions against COVID-19 for small, medium and large businesses, individuals, medical institutions, as well as the city administration.

 
 The business block presents six categories, including those for medical organizations, restaurants and educational institutions. The category “for a safe business environment” is represented by six projects, including:

<ul>
 <li>ViewApp, an application that allows for inspection, photo and video recording of various items of pledge, leasing, insurance;</li>
 <li>Facemetric, a set of solutions that use computer vision technologies to recognize people, their characteristics and emotions;</li>
 <li>SmartAirKey, a room access control system using digital keys or RFID cards;</li>
 <li>Checkme, a personal consultant and clinic booking service;</li>
 <li>Climate Guard, a service for monitoring the indoor climate.</li>
</ul>

 
 In total, the section currently contains 36 projects. Some of them are presented in several categories at once.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/viewapp/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">ViewApp</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/facemetric/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Facemetric</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/smartairkey/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SmartAirKey</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/checkme/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Checkme</a>, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/climate-guard/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Climate Guard</a>

<hr />
 
 Earlier, Moscow <a href="https://www.comnews.ru/content/212989/2021-02-08/2021-w06/moskva-stala-tretey-mire-anti-covid-innovaciyam" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was ranked</a> third among the cities in the world in the Coronavirus Innovation Map ranking, which presents the number and quality of innovative solutions against COVID-19.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/moskovskii-innovatsionnyi-klaster-predstavil-antikovidnye-razrabotki-finalistov-tekhnologicheskikh-konkursov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

mos.ru

Moscow Innovation Cluster Presents Anti-Covid Solutions from Technological Competition Finalists

Moscow Transport Department has introduced the "pedestrian crossing of the future", which reduces the likelihood of road accidents by 82%. iCrosswalk was developed by startup SmartC and is a project of the Transport Innovations of Moscow accelerator.

 
 During testing of this solution, which took place from April to July on Bolotnikovskaya street, it was reported to "reduce the probability of an accident with pedestrians is by 82%."

 
 When a person approaches a crossing, the system independently reads the trajectory of the pedestrian. In the event of a road crossing, it includes signaling elements, an information board with the inscription "Let the pedestrian pass" and the crossing illumination. In addition, road markings are projected at night.

 
 The department clarified that the system is able to recognize not only adults and children but also pets.

<iframe width="100%" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/DufUvZA-_4s" title="YouTube video player" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-poiavilsia-peshekhodnyi-perekhod-budushchego-snizhaiushchii-veroiatnost-dtp-na-82/" target="_blank">Original (in Russian)</a>

Moscow Transport Department

Moscow Introduces Innovative Crosswalk Reducing Accidents by 82%

NTI participants plan to develop standards for nine new technologies, including the areas of 5G communication protocols.Over the next three years, Russian specialists will be engaged in this with the participation of the Competence Centers of the National Technological Initiative (NTI) and the NTI Infrastructure Centers.

 
 It is expected that the development will also create standards in the field of "the Internet of things and the industrial Internet of things, data use, quantum communications and the quantum Internet of things, as well as standards in the field of mathematical modeling and digital twins."

 
 According to Nikita Utkin, Director for the Development of Technological Standards of the NTI Platform, special attention will be paid to the standards of “power of attorney for the use of digital technologies”.

 
 At the same time, other conditions must be observed: availability to all manufacturers, openness to the industrial community, open architecture and ecosystem approach, as well as compatibility with international standards. The latter will allow domestic telecom manufacturers to enter the "international market of more than $100 billion," said Dmitry Lakontsev, head of the Skoltech's NTI Competence Center based.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/nikita.utkin.5" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Nikita Utkin</a>, Director for the Development of Technological Standards of NTI Platforms

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/actor/dmitrii-lakontsev/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Dmitry Lakontsev</a>, Head of the NTI Competence Center based in Skoltech

<hr />
 
 National Technological Initiative was launched by the Russian government in 2014 with the purpose of creating Russian global technical leadership in Russia. NTI Competence Centres are structural units created on the basis of a university or a scientific organizations that implement the integrated development of "end-to-end" NTI technologies.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/uchastniki-nti-zaimutsia-razrabotkoi-standartov-dlia-deviati-novykh-tekhnologii-vkliuchaia-5g/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

PRIME

Russia to Develop National Standards for 9 New Technologies, Including 5G

Rostelecom has released its <a href="https://www.company.rt.ru/upload/protected/iblock/884/3q2021_Press-release_RUS.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">financial and operational results</a> for the third quarter of 2021. The company's revenue increased by 5% compared to the same period last year to $1.9 billion (141.2 billion rubles). At the same time, the net profit of the state operator for the reporting period decreased by 29%, to $118.6 million (8.4 billion rubles).

 
 Rostelecom's revenue for the first nine months of this year increased by 7% compared to the same period in 2020, to $5.8 billion (411.8 billion rubles). Net profit increased by 17%, reaching $438 million (31.4 billion rubles).

 
 According to the Financial Director of Rostelecom Sergei Anokhin, the company maintains its forecast for 2021 to ensure revenue growth at the level of at least 5%.

 
 Revenue by segment: 

<ul>
 <li>Digital services - a 5% decline to $260 million (18.4 billion rubles);</li>
 <li>Fixed telephony - a 10% decline to $169.5 million (12.03 billion rubles);</li>
 <li>Television services - an increase of 5% to $139.3 million (9.87 billion rubles);</li>
 <li>Wholesale services (including VPN, interconnection and traffic transmission, infrastructure services, and lease of channels) - an increase of 2% to $268 million (19.08 billion rubles).</li>
</ul>

<hr />
 
 Connect with <a href="https://ru.linkedin.com/in/sergey-anokhin-8254961" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sergey Anokhin</a>, the Financial Director of Rostelecom

<hr />
 
 Earlier, it was reported that Rostelecom <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/rostelecom-buys-more-than-50-of-software-developing-company-bft-holding/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">acquired</a> a 50.01% stake in BFT-Holding, which develops software and design solutions for the public sector and business.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rostelekom-otchitalsia-o-roste-vyruchki-na-5-v-tretem-kvartale-2021-goda/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Rostelecom

Rostelecom Reports Revenue Growth by 5% in Q3 2021

Moscow has become the 16th metropolis, which was included in the number of representatives of the <a href="https://www.enterprisesg.gov.sg/industries/hub/startup/global-innovation-alliance" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Global Innovation Alliance</a> (GIA), created by the Singapore government to help startups to bring their products to foreign markets.

 
 The Singapore Enterprise Agency (the parent organization of the GIA) will support Singaporean start-ups and small and medium-sized enterprises in entering the Russian market, while Russian enterprises will be assisted in entering the Southeast Asian market.

 
 According to the assistant to the head of the agency Edwin Chow, the volume of investment in innovation in Russia today is more than $868 million. At the same time, over 30 companies from Singapore are participating in innovation activities related to Russia.

 
 Representative cities of the alliance also include Bangalore, Bangkok, Berlin, Jakarta, London, Manila, Munich, Paris, Beijing, San Francisco, Suzhou, Shanghai, Shenzhen, Tokyo, and Ho Chi Minh City.

 
 Earlier, it was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-joins-tci-network-for-the-development-of-innovations-and-clusters/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that the Moscow Innovation Cluster (MIC) has become a member of the <a href="https://www.tci-network.org/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TCI Network</a>, an international network for the development of innovations and clusters.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/moskva-prisoedinilas-k-mezhdunarodnomu-aliansu-po-vyvodu-startapov-na-zarubezhnye-rynki/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

TASS

Moscow Joins  Global Innovation Alliance 

Sberbank's international R&D center will start operating in the first quarter of 2022.

 
 The research center will be located in Berlin and will need regulatory approval before opening. The center will focus on attracting IT developers, architects and machine learning specialists from different countries.

 
 It is expected that specialists will work on Sber's technological ideas, including the products and services of SberDevices, SberCloud and SberAutoTech.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-rafalovsky-08434137/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">David Rafalovsky</a>, CTO and Global Head of O&T of Sberbank Group

 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/info-sbercloud-ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SberCloud</a>

<hr />
 
 Earlier, Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-reports-2-6-times-growth-of-non-financial-business-revenue-in-q3-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that the revenue of its non-financial business in the third quarter of 2021 grew 2.6 times year-on-year to $668 million (47.6 billion rubles). Revenue for nine months on the same balance sheet item increased to $1.7 billion (121.7 billion rubles), which is 2.8 times higher compared to the same period in 2020.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1957/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank to Open R&D Center in Berlin in 2022

The list of threats to biometric personal data when processing outside the Unified Biometric System has been approved by the Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation

 
 The corresponding <a href="http://publication.pravo.gov.ru/Document/View/0001202111030007?index=0&rangeSize=1" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">order</a> is published on the portal of legal information. The list of threats compiled by the ministry includes:

<ul>
 <li>violation of integrity, including substitution and deletion of personal data (PD);</li>
 <li>violation of the confidentiality of biometric personal PD;</li>
 <li>&nbsp;threat of illegal access to data components, including through software vulnerabilities;</li>
 <li>violation of data availability due to a failure in the operation of software and hardware processing.</li>
</ul>

 
 The ministry clarified that financial market enterprises have been removed from the list of organizations that work with biometric PD. The list of information security threats that banks should take into account when collecting, using and transferring PD is formed by the Bank of Russia.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1956/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

D-Russia

Ministry of Digital Development Names the Treats to Biometric Personal Data

Kismet Capital Group is negotiating the purchase of the independent tower operator Russian Towers (owns 7,000 objects). According to Forbes, citing a source, the company offers $350 million (25 billion rubles) for the purchase.

 
 Sergei Uchitel, partner of the Pen & Paper Bar Association, specified that if the parties come to an agreement, the deal will require the approval of the antimonopoly authority. In turn, Artur Akopyan, managing partner of UFG Private Equity, which is a shareholder of Russian Towers, denied negotiations on the sale of the company.

 
 According to Forbes, the operator's assets are also of interest to Service-Telecom, since the deal will allow it to enter the Moscow market, where now only Russian Towers and Vertical have the right to install cell towers. According to a representative of Service-Telecom, the operator did not receive an official invitation to participate in negotiations on the purchase of Russian Towers.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/sergey.uchitel" target="_blank">Sergey Uchitel</a>, Partner of the Pen & Paper Bar Association

<hr />
 
 Earlier it was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/megafon-transferres-its-tower-assets-to-an-independent-operator/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that MegaFon and Kismet Capital Group agreed to create an independent operator of tower infrastructure based on the company Tower One and operator Vertical. The new structure may become the largest player with more than 22 thousand towers.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/kismet-capital-group-vedet-peregovory-o-priobretenii-russkikh-bashen/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kismet Capital Group Negotiating the Acquisition of Russian Towers

IT service provider Softline bought the National Development and Support Center (NCPR), which specializes in supply, development and technical support of secure open-source software. The deal amounted to $10 million.

 
 As a result of the agreement, Softline became the holder of 99.9% of the NCPR. According to the sources of the publication, the deal will allow Softline to obtain databases of software certificates, which are necessary for deliveries to government agencies.

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 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Softline" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Softline</a>

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 According to the results of the last fiscal year (ended on March 31), the turnover of the NCRT reached $4.3 million, the profit was $3.6 million.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/softline-priobrel-razrabotchika-bezopasnogo-softa-s-otkrytym-kodom-ntspr/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

CNews

Softline Acquires Developer of Secure Open-Source Software NCPR

Tinkoff Bank has integrated its anti-fraud system Tinkoff Call Defender, which recognizes spoofing of official bank phone numbers, into Yandex's number identification service. As a result, customers of any telecom operators, including regional ones, will receive notification of calls from possible fraudsters, according to the press service of Tinkoff.

 
 The bank explained that when a customer’s phone receives a call, the Yandex identifier checks whether the number belongs to the bank's group. After that, Tinkoff Call Defender establishes whether the call was actually initiated by the bank. If the authenticity confirmation is not completed, the platform records the substitution of the number and informs the CLI and the customer about it.

 
 If the customer answers such a call, the bank receives a notification about this. As Tinkoff clarified, this is necessary in order to use the bank’s own anti-fraud technologies to protect client funds. In particular, the bank may suspend atypical operations with credit cards until the circumstances are clarified.

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 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/tinkoff-call-defender/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Tinkoff Call Defender</a>

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 Now, according to the bank's estimates, 6% of all calls that pass through the Yandex identifier as bank calls are made with a number substitution.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tinkoff-integriroval-platformu-dlia-raspoznavaniia-podmeny-bankovskikh-nomerov-v-opredelitel-iandeksa/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Tinkoff

Tinkoff Integrates its Anti-Fraud Platform into the Yandex Identifier

ICT.Moscow has added 120 new cases of using AI by Russian developers to its <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/projects/ai/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">knowledge base</a>. Thus, the total number of Russian technology application cases available in English now exceeds 400. Most AI practices were added in the MedTech segment — 25 new cases, followed by retail and e-commerce (18 new cases), logistics and transport (8 new cases).

 
 In addition, as part of the update, two new information blocks became available:<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/projects/ai/?goTo=analytics" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> industry analytics </a>and a <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/projects/ai/?goTo=solutions" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">showcase of solutions</a> from Moscow-based developers, which contains more than 170 products.

 
 Updating and expanding the English-language knowledge base will allow international experts to get acquainted with Russian AI solutions, and domestic developers to export their products and find new partners for business development.

 
 In April 2021, ICT.Moscow launched the<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/projects/smartcitymoscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow"> Smart City Moscow</a> section for the international community. For the first time in English, it collected information on innovative projects in Moscow with an indication of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), as well as analytics, data for the compilers of global rankings, and news.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/ict-moscow-obnovil-angloiazychnuiu-bazu-znanii-ob-iskusstvennom-intellekte/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

ICT.Moscow

ICT.Moscow Updates Knowledge Base on Artificial Intelligence

The system Sledopyt-RD, consisting of drones and AI solution, was created by Base Technologies in Russia.

 
 Each of the drones is responsible for a specific function: monitoring the territory with a thermal imaging camera, high-resolution photo and video filming, direction finding of a mobile phone signal.

 
 A group of unmanned search engines is controlled by a drone with artificial intelligence, which independently determines the territory of the search from the air, analyzing the data received from all devices.

 
 Ministry of Emergency Situations has already shown interest in the project. The ministry plans to use Sledopyt-RD to search for those lost in the forest or caught in a natural disaster zone.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1950/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

rg.ru

Base Technologies Creates an AI system for Searching People with Drones

M.Video-Eldorado Group plans to start supplying its own IT solutions to the Russian market in 2023. The first product that will be offered to domestic retail chains may be video analytics. Other solutions have not yet been reported.

 
 The company has already implemented three models of using this technology: "lonely buyer" - notifies the manager about a visitor who is alone in the trading floor for a long time; "Queue management" - signals the cashiers about the formed queue near the cash registers so that they return to their workplaces; "Heat maps" - shows the route of buyers through the sales area with delays at specific storefronts.

 
 The group began to develop its own solutions due to the redundant functionality and cost of existing solutions on the market, said Dmitry Marykin, Head of the Department for Process Development and Change Support at M.Video-Eldorado.

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 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dmarykin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dmitry Marykin</a>, Head of the Department for Process Development and Change Support in M.Video-Eldorado

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 M.Video-Eldorado <a href="https://www.mvideoeldorado.ru/fileadmin/user_upload/annual_reports/ru/2020/MV_AR2020_ru.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">adopted</a> a digital transformation strategy in 2019. With its help, the group plans to move away from the traditional retail model and transform into a RetailTech company. In addition, the company has been steadily increasing its IT staff since 2019, from 400 in 2019 to 1,500 in 2021.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/m-video-eldorado-planiruet-vyiti-na-rossiiskii-rynok-it-reshenii-s-sobstvennymi-razrabotkami-v-2023-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

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