The Ministry of Digital Development of the Russian Federation has released a draft amendment to the state program "Information Society", which approves its strategic priorities. The document <a href="https://regulation.gov.ru/projects#npa=120262" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was published</a> on the portal of regulatory legal acts.

 
 According to the project, by 2030, broadband Internet should cover up to 97% of households. In the same period, it is necessary to increase the share of mass socially significant services available in the electronic form to 95%, while the receipt of accessible content should get to 100%, the document says.

 
 The goals also include an increase in investments in domestic solutions in the field of information technology by four times compared with the indicator of 2019. As the authors of the document clarify, the growth in investments should be due to the growth in the quality of domestic solutions and the needs of the market. In particular, the ministry plans to create a favorable environment for the development and implementation of domestic solutions, including tax incentives.

 
 It is expected to increase the competitiveness of such developments in the global market, as well as the availability of funding for startups.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/mintsifry-predstavilo-popravki-v-gosprogrammu-informatsionnoe-obshchestvo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Ministry of Digital Development

Ministry of Digital Development Presents Amendments to the State Program "Information Society"

The first industrial test site in Russia with 5G infrastructure for piloting healthcare technologies has been deployed in Moscow. An agreement on this was signed today by the Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Healthcare, the Botkin City Clinical Hospital, the Moscow Department of Information Technologies (DIT) as well as <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Rostelecom" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Rostelecom</a>, within the framework of the <a href="https://social-forum.ru/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">IV Forum of Social Innovations in Regions</a>.

 
 The applied research, testing of prototypes and pilot solutions, digital services will be carried out on the basis of the 5G test site. In particular, it is planned to test VR simulators for training doctors, AR solutions for helping doctors during operations, remote monitoring of patients' condition in real-time, etc. Based on the results of the experiment, scenarios for using 5G networks in healthcare will be determined.

 
 The search, selection and testing of medical services will be handled by the Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Healthcare. Rostelecom will provide 5G infrastructure, while Botkin Hospital will install the clinical infrastructure for research. The work will be coordinated by DIT.

 
 The creation of industrial landfills is provided for by the roadmap for the development of 5G networks, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-cabinet-of-ministers-of-russia-approved-the-roadmap-for-the-development-of-mobile-networks-of-the-fifth-generation/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">approved</a> by the government of the Russian Federation in November. In June, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin and the president of Rostelecom <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-and-rostelecom-will-create-a-5g-industrial-test-site/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">signed</a> an agreement on the joint development of 5G communication networks in the capital and the creation of an industrial testing ground in Moscow.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-na-baze-botkinskoi-bolnitsy-poiavitsia-pervyi-v-rossii-5g-poligon/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

mos.ru

The first 5G Polygon in Russia to Appear on the Basis of Botkin Hospital in Moscow

A venture studio Sinteza was created in Moscow, which will develop startups with the prospect of entering the global market. The company will invest in early-stage projects in the areas of PropTech, EdTech, HR-Tech, Fintech, e-commerce, and retail.

 
 It is also assumed that the studio will help startups with product development, close the missing functions in the field of marketing, recruiting, and finance.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ilya.krivorot" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Ilya Krivorot</a>, the Managing Partner of Sinteza

<hr />
 
 The founders of the venture studio include entrepreneurs Ilya Krivorot, Dmitry Podluzhny, ex-owner of Svyaznoy Maxim Nogotkov amoung others.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sozdannaya-venchurnaya-studiya-sinteza-zajmetsya-razvitiem-i-masshtabirovaniem-startapov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

RB.ru

New Venture Studio for Startups Development and Scaling Created in Moscow

The Central Bank will discuss with the banks the creation of a platform that will allow citizens to give or withdraw their consent to the processing of personal data not only on state services platform Gosuslugi, but also from businesses. The First Deputy Chairman of the Central Bank Olga Skorobogatova said.

 
 Today, 27 types of information on Russian citizens at the disposal of state information systems are collected via the "Digital Citizen Profile" (integrated into "State Services"). It allows people to give or withdraw consent to the use of data from government sources in credit institutions. According to the Central Bank, the emergence of a new platform will greatly simplify the process of providing data from various commercial sources with the consent of the citizen.

 
 Sberbank, VTB, Promsvyazbank and others are interested in the project, according to RBC. At the same time, the Central Bank noted that the creation of the platform should not restrict competition in the market or lead to problems with monopolization.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/gosuslugi/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Gosuslugi</a>

<hr />
 
 Gosuslugi is a public services platform launched by the Russian government in December 2009. It provides data exchange and technological interaction of information systems used for rendering state and municipal services in electronic form.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsb-i-banki-obsudiat-sozdanie-platformy-dlia-upravleniia-soglasiiami-grazhdan-na-obrabotku-svoikh-dannykh/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

CBR to Discuss with Banks the Creation of a Platform for Managing Citizens' Consent to Data Processing

A medtech park will soon start operating in Moscow to help startups in the healthcare sector. This was announced by the head of the Moscow Center For Innovative Technologies in Healthcare Vyacheslav Shulenin.

 
 Technopark residents will receive free access to databases available in Moscow healthcare. “We will try as much as possible all these resources, which are now in Moscow health care, to combine into a single base, and on the basis of our medical technopark, which will be located at 96, Vernadsky Avenue, to implement,” said Shulenin.

 
 In addition, ANO together with Medsi Group of Companies launched an accelerator for the selection of projects in the field of artificial intelligence and big data, which will be piloted in Moscow institutions and clinics of the group of companies.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/vvshulenin" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Vyacheslav Shulenin</a>, General Director of ANO "Moscow Center for Innovative Technologies in Health Care"

<hr />
 
 The fact that an autonomous non-profit organization the Moscow Center For Innovative Technologies in Healthcare would be created with the participation of the Moscow government <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/an-organisation-engaged-in-the-implementation-of-innovations-in-healthcare-will-be-created-in-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was announced</a> in March this year.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-sozdali-meditsinskii-tekhnopark-dlia-razvitiia-startapov-v-zdravookhranenii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

TASS

A Technology Park for Healthcare Startups Created in Moscow 

The cost of the tower infrastructure of MTS may be more than $1.4 billion (105 billion rubles). This is the conclusion reached by analysts at Xtellus Capital from VTB Group.

 
 In their opinion, MTS is ready to monetize this asset, since operators have achieved equality in terms of cellular coverage. In addition, the fact that other operators also intend to sell their towers will facilitate such a deal on the part of the company. In particular, the VEON holding (the parent company of Beeline) in early September <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/veon-sells-tower-assets-in-russia-to-service-telecom-for-1-billion/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>the sale of cellular towers to the Service-Telecom group of companies in Russia for $967.3 million (70.65 billion rubles).

 
 At the moment, MTS is the leader in the number of towers in Russia among mobile operators. According to AC&M Consulting, at the end of last year their number was 18 thousand, this year the figure may increase to 23 thousand.

 
 In mid-August, MTS <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mts-to-make-its-tower-and-digital-assets-separate-legal-entities/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced</a> plans to restructure the company, during which tower and digital assets will be separated into separate legal entities. The company hopes to complete the allocation of assets by early 2022, provided that the initiative is approved at a shareholders' meeting.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/stoimost-sotovykh-vyshek-mts-otsenili-v-105-mlrd-rublei/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

The Cost of MTS’ Cell Towers is $1.4 billion, Analysts Say

In early September, Russian tech giant Yandex repelled the largest DDoS attack in the history of Russian. The American cybersecurity company Cloudflare, which specializes in such attacks and cooperates with Yandex, confirmed the scale of the cyberattack.

 
 Yandex stated that its experts managed to repel a record attack of nearly 22 million requests per second (RPS). “We are conducting an investigation together with the contractors. This is a threat to infrastructure on a national scale," the representatives of the company said. Yandex also clarified that the DDoS attack was difficult to contain, but it did not affect the operation of services and user data.

 
 In August Cloudflare <a href="https://blog.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-thwarts-17-2m-rps-ddos-attack-the-largest-ever-reported/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported</a> that its autonomous edge DDoS protection systems automatically detected and mitigated a 17.2 million request-per-second (rps) DDoS attack, an attack almost three times larger than any previous one known to the company.

 
 UPD (September 9): Qrator Labs <a href="https://blog.qrator.net/en/meris-botnet-climbing-to-the-record_142/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">published</a> a report on the presumed attacker, an IoT botnet Meris. Unlike its well-known predecessors, Meris relies on transmitting a high number of requests per second. Most of the devices exploited to form the botnet were networking gear from the Latvian vendor MikroTik.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-iandekse-soobshchili-o-krupnoi-ddos-atake-na-servery-kompanii/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Vedomosti

Yandex Repels the Largest DDoS Attack in History

Top tech stories from August 23 – September 3

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 MARKET IN BRIEF
</h2>

 
 Main news about Moscow's projects, developers, technologies

 
 

 
 Face Pay to be Implemented on all Moscow Metro Stations on October 15 

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-citizens-can-submit-their-biometric-data-directly-via-app-from-october-1/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/1c0bac15-894f-5d2b-81c2-9474db9c94b2.png">
 </a>
 </div>
 
 Source: Moscow Transport Department&nbsp;
 

 
 

 
 Starting from September 15, Moscow city authorities plan to double the number of Moscow Metro stations with Face Pay system and by October 15 the system should work on all stations.

 
 As for the beginning of September, 15 thousand people have already submitted their biometric data. The system allows writing off funds from a bank card account, as well as from the Troika electronic card. The turnstiles that support the new technology are marked with a round black sticker on the floor.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-citizens-can-submit-their-biometric-data-directly-via-app-from-october-1/" target="_blank">Read more →</a>

<hr />
 
 Other stories:

<ul>
 <li>NtechLab’s Facial Recognition System <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russian-facial-recognition-system-launched-on-indian-railways/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Launched </a>on Indian Railways</li>
 <li>Moscow Biometric System Face Pay <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-face-pay-biometric-system-reaches-techfest-finals/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Reaches </a>TechFest Finals</li>
 <li>Avant Space <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/avant-space-to-launch-a-solution-for-adverising-from-satellites/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Launch</a> a Solution for Advertising from Satellites</li>
 <li>MTUCI <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/mtuci-to-launch-a-research-project-on-implementing-6g-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Preparing </a>a Research Project on Implementing 6G in Russia</li>
 <li>Moscow <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/moscow-department-of-transport-introduces-samsung-pay-to-troika/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Integrates </a>Samsung Pay with Troika Virtual Fare Card</li>
</ul>

 
 

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 GOV AGENDA
 Russia <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/russia-to-create-a-unified-digital-platform-for-science/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Create</a> a Unified Digital Platform for Science
 Market Players <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/market-players-speak-on-the-upcoming-roadmap-for-digital-platforms-and-ecosystems-regulation/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Speak </a>on the Upcoming Regulatory Document for Digital Platforms and Ecosystems
 Government <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/government-approves-a-roadmap-for-electric-transport-development-in-russia-through-2030/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Presents </a>a Roadmap for the Development of Electric Transport and End-to-End Technologies
 </div>
 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/" style="" target="_blank">More news →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 INVESTMENT DEALS&nbsp;
</h2>

<ul>
 <li>Yandex <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/yandex-to-acquire-ubers-interest-in-foodtech-delivery-and-self-driving-businesses/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">to Acquire</a> Uber’s Interest in FoodTech, Delivery and Self-Driving Businesses</li>
 <li>Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-might-bring-part-of-its-ecosystem-to-ipo-in-2023/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Might Bring</a> Part of its Ecosystem to IPO in 2023</li>
 <li>Delivery Service Dostavista <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/delivery-service-dostavista-raises-35-million-rebrands-to-borzo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Raises </a>$35 Million, Rebrands to Borzo</li>
 <li>MegaFon <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/megafon-estimates-its-share-in-aliexpress-at-1-6-billion/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Estimates </a>its Share in AliExpress Russia at $1.6 Billion</li>
</ul>

 
 

<hr />
<h2>
 OPINION
</h2>

 
 What Russian AI industry has to offer the world?

 <div>
 <a class="image_link" target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/what-russian-ai-industry-has-to-offer-the-world/">
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/8a027778-682c-5d0f-92a4-c9ac4a7500cb.png">
 </a>
 </div>
 
 Source: Yandex
 

 
 

 
 Despite the industry’s heavy reliance on government support, Russian AI-based companies manage to come up with some of the leading solutions on a global scale. The problem is, oftentimes those solutions are not visible on the world AI map.

 
 ICT.Moscow discussed the specifics of the industry with a lead expert, a chief analyst at the MIPT Center for Artificial Intelligence Igor Pivovarov. He shared some of his insights on how foreign actors view AI in Russia, talked about the problems of the industry, the impact of the pandemic on the demand for technologies, and Russia’s entry into international markets. 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/what-russian-ai-industry-has-to-offer-the-world/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Read the full article →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 ANALYTICS AND INSIGHTS
</h2>

 
 researches, monitorings, reports and other analytics of Moscow and Russian IT market

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/spam-and-phishing-in-q2-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">KASPERSKY LAB</a>: Spam and phishing in Q2 of 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 in Q2 of 2021, after a prolonged decline, the share of spam in global mail traffic started to grow again and averaged 46.56%.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/the-largest-integrators-of-industrial-robots-in-russia-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">TADVISER</a>: The largest integrators of industrial robots in Russia 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Data from 72 Russian integrators were obtained and assessed for the survey of the largest Russian integrators of industrial robots.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/map-of-the-russian-arttech-market/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">RUSBASE</a>: Map of the Russian ArtTech-market →</li>
</ul>

 
 Based on big data analyses, researchers identified the most significant digital technologies that are already used in Russian and global manufacturing industry.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/russian-public-opinion-research-center-vtsiom-popularity-of-online-medicine-purchases-in-russia/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">VCIOM</a>: Online medicine purchases in Russia →</li>
</ul>

 
 The study is designed to analyze transport systems in 25 cities of the world and to benchmark critical aspects of their performance that have the most effect on city residents’ transport needs and quality of life.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/ranking-of-edtech-companies-in-russia-at-the-end-of-q2-of-2021/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">SMART RANKING</a>: Top EdTech companies in Russia at the end of Q2 of 2021 →</li>
</ul>

 
 Smart Ranking has compiled a ranking of the largest EdTech companies in Russia.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/" target="_blank">More analytics →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 DIGITAL SOLUTIONS FROM MOSCOW
</h2>

 
 a showcase of some AI-based solutions using biometric data 

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/face-pay/" target="_blank">Face Pay</a></li>
</ul>

 
 Metro fare payment service.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/luna-platform/" target="_blank">LUNA Platform</a></li>
</ul>

 
 System of data management and person verification and indentification.

<ul>
 <li><a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/findface-multi/" target="_blank">FindFace Multi</a></li>
</ul>

 
 A multi-object video analytics platform that allows recognizing faces and silhouettes of people, cars, and license plates in the video stream.

 
 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/search/?searchText=blockchain&category=card" target="_blank">More solutions →</a>

<hr />
<h2>
 KEY ACTORS
</h2>

 
 discover people who stand behind the innovative companies and projects in Moscow

 
 Igor Pivovarov, chief analyst at the MIPT Center for Artificial Intelligence | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorpivovarov/" target="_blank">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Daniil Shuleyko, head of E-Commerce and Ridetech group of Yandex | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/daniil-syleiko-b183b254/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Mike Alexandrovski, founder and CEO of Borzo (fromer Dostavista) | <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-alexandrovski-ab37551/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">LinkedIn</a>

 
 Alexander Malinin, Technical Director of Avant Space | <a href="https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100005029988267" target="_blank">Facebook</a>

<hr />
 
 <a target="_blank" href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/?filterCategory=Tech-in-Moscow">Previous Tech in Moscow newsletters</a>

Top tech stories from August 23 – September 3

ICT.Moscow

Tech in Moscow #28

Yandex announced the start of testing driverless taxi in Moscow. The first cars will appear near the Yasenevo, Novoyasenevskaya and Bitsevsky Park metro stations.

 
 You can call taxi using the Yandex Go application. At this stage of testing, the service will be available to a limited number of users over 18 years old. In the future, the number of drones will increase. The coverage of testing an unmanned taxi in Moscow will also expand. To participate in testing, you must submit an application on the project website.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/bespilotnik-yandexa/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Yandex Self-Driving Car</a>

<hr />
 
 On July 2, 2021, President Vladimir Putin <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/the-first-driverless-taxi-services-can-be-launched-in-russia-this-year/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">signed </a>a companion law to the law on experimental legal regimes, which makes it possible to start the piloting of the driverless taxi services.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/iandeks-zapuskaet-pervye-bespilotnye-taksi-na-iuge-moskvy/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Forbes

Yandex to Launch the first Driverless Taxis in South Moscow

Russia entered the top 10 list of countries in the world with the most stable segments of the national Internet service, according to the annual report of the network security company Qrator Labs.

 
 Over the past year, the Russian Federation has improved its position in the ranking, moving up from 13th position to 10th.

 
 According to the report, the maximum percentage of possible network failure in the country is 5.15%. Such a scenario is possible if the national telecom operator fails. In Russia, this is <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Rostelecom" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Rostelecom</a>.

 
 In the ranking, analysts chose the top 20 leaders from 197 countries and took into account the resilience of networks operating on the IPv4 protocol and the new IPv6. In the IPv4 sample in Russia, the share of networks that lose global availability if one operator fails was 5.15%. In the IPv6 rating, Russia took 17th place against 13th place a year earlier.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/rossiia-voshla-v-top-10-stran-mira-s-naibolee-ustoichivymi-segmentami-natsionalnogo-interneta/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Kommersant

Russia Named One of the Top 10 Countries with the Most Stable Internet Service  

In May, the American organization CNA (Center For Naval Analyses) <a href="https://www.cna.org/CNA_files/centers/CNA/sppp/rsp/russia-ai/Russia-Artificial-Intelligence-Autonomy-Putin-Military.pdf" target="_blank">published </a>a report "Artificial Intelligence and Autonomy in Russia", which provides a comprehensive overview of the current state of civilian and military artificial intelligence in Russia.

 
 ICT.Moscow discussed the report and the specifics of the industry with a lead expert <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/igorpivovarov" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Igor Pivovarov</a>, chief analyst at the MIPT Center for Artificial Intelligence, creator of analytical report "<a href="https://aireport.ru/en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Almanac Artificial Intelligence</a>", organizer of the OpenTalks.AI conference, researcher and entrepreneur. He shared his insight on how foreign actors view AI in Russia, talked about the problems of this industry and possible ways to overcome them, the impact of the pandemic on the demand for technologies and the entry of Russian AI into foreign markets. Full interview in Russian is <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/interview-pivovarov/" target="_blank">available </a>at ICT.Moscow.

 
 

 
 WHAT THE CNA REPORT OVERLOOKED

 
 The study more or less clearly and accurately describes the state of affairs in Russia. Among the essential factors, the authors point out insufficient funding. They also note that in Russia the state is a major actor in the field of AI. I disagree with this point in particular, but they are right that some state-owned companies play a big role. Globally, the market is a driving force for AI technologies, because it is a matter of competition between companies, as well as their survival and business profitability. In Russia, the market is much less competitive.

 
 On the other hand, they did not write at all about Yandex, which in my opinion is the number one company in AI, a trendsetter and a global leader in certain technological areas. The authors conclude that the main dynamics and vectors of development in AI are set by large state-owned companies, primarily Sberbank. Yes, Sberbank is a key driver in AI regulation, but we also have a lot of private companies that are engaged in and apply these technologies. All that was largely overlooked. AI EDUCATION IN RUSSIA

 
 Another roadblock that the report touches upon is the brain drain. Russia holds high standards for education, but we don't know how to keep specialists from leaving the country. I was involved in the development of the national AI strategy and If I were to decide where to spend all the money, I would spend everything on education. I realized that education is Russia's key strategic advantage, but its potential hasn’t been achieved yet.

 
 In Russia, we have a fundamentally different educational system as compared to those in the West. Ours was built this way because of the state-planned economy we had in the past, which distributed a specific number of physicists, engineers, nuclear scientists, etc., annually. It turns out that we are initially stronger in fundamental education, but we lose in terms of the speed of adjusting today's educational programs to present-day needs

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 According to the new<a href="https://pages.coursera-for-business.org/rs/748-MIV-116/images/coursera-global-skills-report-2021.pdf" target="_blank"> Global Skills Report 2021</a> made by the educational online platform Coursera, Russia ranks 9th in the world in terms of competencies in business, technology and data science. Russian specialists demonstrate exceptionally high results in the field of computer programming, working with databases and web development. Last year, Russia was the country with the highest level of technology skills.  
 </div>
 
 

<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/35bc769e-fd3b-5627-bfb9-bab89b29b6aa.png">
</div>
 
 Coursera
 

 
 

 
 RUSSIA ON THE AI WORLD MAP

 
 I'm afraid there are two reasons why Russian AI startups aren't considerably visible abroad. First of all, objectively, Russia isn’t up front in this field. The AI ​​market here in 2019 was estimated at 291.5 billion rubles ($3.8 billion), which is approximately 2% of the world market. There are around 500 companies on the Russian AI map, and about 250 of them are startups, compared to about 5,000 AI startups in the world.

 
 There is one more thing. Historically, Russian science mostly dealt with fundamental things, which often don’t even have any applied value. One of the most cited Russians in AI is Dmitry Vetrov. His <a href="https://bayesgroup.ru/about/" target="_blank">team </a>is engaged in deep mathematics in the field of neural networks. They make Bayesian ensembles, and they are broadly cited in academia. The media won’t cover their accomplishments, because they are doing something that lies much deeper than practical application. In the future, based on their results, developers will make neural networks with practical applications. In this sense, I have high hopes for our businesses. Yandex can offer a lot of great things for the media to write about.

<div class="incut-block incut-block-text-small-size">
 AI Venture Labs 2020 map with AI solutions against COVID-19 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/research/top-100-ai-startups-companies-at-war-against-covid-19/" target="_blank">shows </a>three startups out of 100 having Russian roots.  
 </div>
<div>
 <img alt="" data-openpopup="0"
 src="https://ict.moscow/static/1200x/4d2ac114-acff-5e6a-88d2-b5bd0b67d3ca.png">
</div>
 
 AI Venture Labs
 

 
 

 
 WHAT CHANGED AFTER THE PANDEMIC

 
 We have not yet published the data on the growth of the AI market in 2020, but over the year the market has grown significantly, both in Russia and abroad, precisely because of COVID-19. The pandemic has pushed mainly online services, and AI was a key factor. It has had an impact on healthcare, diagnostics as machine learning helps to classify images and react to them faster, predict what will happen next and shape the situation. In this sense, AI turned out to be in great demand, although it seems to me that it still has difficulties finding its way into healthcare. The medical community is too cautious and has very tough regulators.

 
 

 
 AI IN HEALTHCARE 

 
 There are three big problems with AI in healthcare in Russia. One of them is data, which is complex, unstructured, erroneous, and personal. Everything is complicated there. Another big problem is certification. It is not very clear how to certify something that does not have a clear order of action or an algorithm. In Covid times, everyone simply had to close their eyes on this in order to get the result. In peacetime, the problem takes years to be solved.

 
 The third problem is specific to Russia and generally very complex, which most of our companies have not even reached yet, but will soon: the payment problem. In this country, as in the rest of the world, everything is paid for through healthcare insurance, or compulsory medical insurance, in particular. The introduction of a new product for healthcare payment is always a difficult thing. The rest of the world at least knows how to deal with it, but in Russia, no one really knows. In this regard, I would say that the market is, in fact, too dependent on state policies. Something needs to be done to enable private companies to develop, while the state should become a transparent, fast and reliable buyer of services.

 
 

 
 GLOBAL THINKING

 
 Many Russian companies understand the need to become international, but selling abroad is not easy. To do this, you need to make a product that is competitive internationally, and for this, you need a general understanding of how to make such products. Overall, we have cases, we know that it’s possible. For example, we have the Prisma app that became quite popular globally. So, Russians are able to make good world-class products.

 
 There’s also a certain psychological factor, not only in Russia but all over the world. The Chinese look at China first, the Americans look at America. Only rare countries such as Israel understand that there is no one to sell to domestically. In Russia, people look at the Russian market primarily.

 
 

 
 MAKING RUSSIAN STARTUPS VISIBLE

 
 I do not see any particular difficulties for Russian companies to enter the international market. On the other hand, today's world is highly politicized, and, conventionally, when Huawei sells its cloud all over the world, people view it politically. I know for a fact that some of the biggest, high-profile international companies use Russian solutions, but they don't really want to be public about it, since, apparently, this carries certain political risks for them. It’s quite possible that there are much more of such cases than we know of.

 
 Grigory Sapunov's company Intento is a good example of an international company. It’s an American startup made by Russians, an aggregator of cloud APIs. It offers customers its API and internally mounts it on the API of different clouds. Intento shows exceptional growth in America, and its service is popular among big companies. So we can see positive cases and let's hope there will be more of them every year.

<hr />
 
 See ICT.Moscow's special project <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/projects/ai/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">AI IN RUSSIA</a> to get more information on the topic: cases of implementation, market overview, open datasets.

An interview with a lead AI expert in Russia Igor Pivovarov 

What Russian AI industry has to offer the world?

<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Sberbank" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sberbank</a> has started the construction of a data processing center (DPC) with an area of ​​55 thousand square meters.

 
 7 modules will be placed inside, each of which will be equipped with 500 19-inch 48-unit racks. During the construction, the company plans to use its own developments, including an intelligent cooling system, as well as a load management system that minimizes power consumption.

 
 The project for the construction of a data center, which will become the first stage in the development of the federal program for the construction of a network of regional data centers of the bank, is being implemented on the territory of a special economic zone (SEZ) in Balakovo (Saratov region).

 
 The start of construction was enacted by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and the Deputy Chairman of the Executive Board of Sberbank Stanislav Kuznetsov.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sber-nachal-stroitelstvo-tsentra-obrabotki-dannykh-ploshchadyu-55-tys-kv-m/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Sberbank

Sberbank Starts Building a 55 Thousand sq.m. Data Processing Center

Real estate search service CIAN prepares for an IPO at the NASDAQ stock exchange this fall. During the IPO, the company plans to raise around $300-400 million.

 
 According to SPARK-Interfax, CIAN's revenue at the end of last year amounted to $56.1 million (4.1 billion rubles), a 14% gain compared to 2019.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/cian/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">CIAN</a>

<hr />
 
 The fact that CIAN may conduct an IPO on the American stock exchange <a href="https://www.kommersant.ru/doc/4654772" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">became known</a> at the beginning of this year. At that time, the partner of the investment fund "Elbrus Capital" Dmitry Kryukov, one of the main shareholders of the service, noted that CIAN can be estimated at about $1 billion.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/tsian-planiruet-vyjti-na-ipo-osenyu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russia)</a>

CIAN Heads for an IPO this Fall

Moscow-based startup Solut (part of the <a href="https://www.lanit.ru/en/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Lanit Group</a>) has created a software solution that allows employers to recognize and analyze the actions of employees during work.

 
 Monitoring takes place using a smart watch. The device accumulates information on the movements of a person's hands using an accelerometer and a gyroscope, after which the data is transmitted to the server.

 
 Using artificial intelligence and neural networks, the system analyzes information on the movements of workers' hands, recognizes the types of activities specific to each specific specialty, and generates reports.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/solut/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Solut</a>

<hr />
 
 The solution has already been tested by one of the developers and a representative of the retail network.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/startap-solut-razrabotal-reshenie-dlya-analiza-dejstvij-sotrudnikov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

CNews

AI Startup Solut Creates a Solution for Analyzing Employee Actions

The Institute for System Programming of the Russian Academy of Sciences (ISP RAS) and MGIMO signed an agreement on joint work on intelligent analysis of big data

 
 The document contains a roadmap, which includes, among other things, the creation of a platform for the analysis of big data in the field of international relations. On the basis of the platform, students and young scientists will be involved in project activities related to solving applied problems of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.ispras.ru/en/persons/avetisyan.php" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Arutyun Avetisyan</a>, the Director of ISP RAS

<hr />
 
 The cooperation will also allow the parties to implement joint research projects in the field of digital transformation of medical institutions. The information will be processed using the data processing platform created at the institute using the AI ​​"Talisman".

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1813/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

D-Russia

Big Data Analysis Platform to be Launched in MGIMO

Delimobil, one of the leading car-sharing services in Russia, is planning to go public this fall, raising around $350 million from investors.

 
 According to Reuters, the service will place its shares on the New York Stock Exchange, with Bank of America and Citi chosen as placement agents. Two more interlocutors of the agency clarified that among other banks UBS, Sberbank CIB, VTB Capital and Renaissance Capital might take part as well.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/delimobil/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Delimobil</a>

<hr />
 
 Delimobil, which owns more than 16 thousand cars in Russia, first <a href="https://www.themoscowtimes.com/2019/08/08/russian-carsharing-startup-delimobil-could-sell-shares-in-2020-a66766" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>plans for an IPO in 2019. The company was expected to place no more than 40% of its shares by 2021. It was planned to use the raised funds to expand its presence in the regions and CIS countries.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/delimobil-nameren-privlech-350-mln-na-ipo/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

RB.RU

Delimobil Plans to Raise $350 Million in IPO

<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Yandex" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Yandex</a> released new solution for voice-over real-time translation for videos on YouTube and Vimeo and several other platforms.

 
 The volume level of the original soundtrack is reduced, while the translation comes to the fore. For voice acting of the translated text, you can choose male and female voices. In the second case, Yandex' voice assistant Alice is used. The voice-over function is available via Yandex Browser and in the Yandex mobile app.

 
 According to the company, the translation takes place in several stages. First comes speech recognition, turning it into text and breaking it down into sentences using neural networks. Then the gender of the speaker is determined using biometric algorithms, the sentences are translated into Russian, and the voice is synthesized. Finally, the translation is combined with the video sequence, for which neural networks are also used, in particular, to synchronize Russian sentences with shorter English ones.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/andrew.zakonov" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Andrew Zakonov</a>, CPO Smart Devices in Yandex

 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/alisa/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Alice</a>

<hr />
 
 

 
 Yandex first <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/yandex-presented-a-prototype-of-a-voice-over-translator-for-videos/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>its system for automatic translation of video clips in July this year. The prototype was available only for English and Russian, but the company plans to further extend the service for several other languages.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1812/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Yandex Creates a Voice-Over Function for English-Language Videos

Element Group and Russian Environmental Operator (<a href="https://reo.ru/en" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">REO</a>) have launched a pilot project, which contains installing sensors controlling solid waste disposal on city trash bins.

 
 Devices put on containers will measure the filling volume of the tanks as well as the frequency of their overturning. The received data will be transmitted for verification of mathematical calculations of the REO on the collection rate of containers for MSW.

<hr />
 
 Product cards 

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/solid-waste-disposal-control/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Solid Waste Disposal Control </a>

<hr />
 
 Element Group <a href="https://sistema.com/assets/element" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">was founded</a> in 2019 as a joint venture of RTI Microelectronics (controlled by Sistema) and RosElectronics, that contributed to the JV controlling stakes in 20 enterprises operating in the area of development and production of microelectronic component base.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/v-moskve-zapustili-proekt-po-ustanovke-datchikov-na-kontejnery-dlya-otslezhivaniya-ih-napolneniya/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

TAdviser

Sensors for Solid Waste Control Installed on Trash Bins in Moscow

Veon holding (the parent company of Russian telecom operator Beeline) announced the sale of its cellular towers in Russia to the Service-Telecom group of companies for $965 million (70.65 billion rubles).

 
 The deal will include the National Tower Company, owned by Veon, and about 15.4 thousand antenna mast structures. According to the press service of Beeline, the deal requires approval from the Federal Antimonopoly Service (FAS), while its closure is scheduled on the fourth quarter of 2021.

 
 After the deal is concluded, the operator will lease the towers from Service-Telecom. In accordance with the terms of the agreement, the first lease period will be 8 years. The terms of the deal also contain Beeline's obligations to order the construction of an additional 5,000 towers according to the build-to-suit model through 2029 inclusive.

 
 In total, Veon owns 50 thousand towers, <a href="https://www.rbc.ru/business/06/09/2021/6135ae549a79470403de2b04" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">according</a> to RBC. The reason for the sale of the infrastructure is to optimize the use of the towers, since the issue of coverage throughout the Russian Federation has been resolved, accorging to experts. After the sale is completed, equipment from several companies, including competing companies, may appear on the towers.

 
 In August 2021, Kismet Capital Group, a Moscow-based private equity company, <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/kismet-wants-to-buy-15-thousand-towers-from-veon/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">has sent </a>an offer to Veon Ltd. to buy its cell towers in Russia.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/veon-obiavil-o-prodazhe-bashennykh-aktivov-v-rossii-servis-telekom-za-70-mlrd-rublei/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Beeline

Veon Sells Tower Assets in Russia to Service-Telecom for $1 Billion

An experiment on data exchange when registering a mortgage using the Russian technology of the Masterchain distributed registry will be held from December 1, 2021 to November 1, 2022, according to the <a href="https://ict.moscow/static/a7c18fbd-5484-5388-95da-286ebc0b33ac.pdf" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">decree</a> signed by Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin.

 
 The implementation of the project is entrusted to the Bank of Russia jointly with Rosreestr (The Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography), the Ministry of Digital Development and <a href="https://xn--d1aqf.xn--p1ai/en/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Dom.RF</a>, an integrated housing development institution.

 
 During the experiment, the departments will have to test the technology and analyze the risks, as well as create conditions for the emergence of the state information system Goschain based on the components of Masterchain.

 
 Electronic mortgage certificate, which indicates the owner's right to property encumbered with a mortgage, is necessary to the process of converting mortgage transactions into digital format, the document says. In addition, the total time of data exchange between participants in mortgage transactions based on blockchain technology will decrease from several days to several hours.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/masterchain/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Masterchain</a>

<hr />
 
 The Masterchain platform <a href="https://www.cbr.ru/eng/press/event/?id=643" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">has been developed</a> since 2016 by banks within the FinTech association under the auspices of the Central Bank. At the end of 2019, Masterchain <a href="https://tass.ru/ekonomika/7200239" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">passed </a>the FSB certification and was put into commercial operation. VTB and MTS <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/vtb-and-mts-completed-a-deal-to-issue-a-bank-guarantee-through-the-russian-blockchain-platform/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">were</a> the first in Russia to carry out a transaction to issue a bank guarantee using the Masterchain blockchain platform.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/na-blokchejn-platforme-masterchejn-provedut-eksperiment-po-obmenu-dannymi-dlya-cifrovoj-ipoteki/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Russian Citizens to Get Mortgages through Blockchain-based Platform Masterchain

<a href="https://ict.moscow/en/cards/?tags=Sberbank" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sberbank </a>is considering the possibility of launching an IPO of its subsidiaries in 2023, the CEO of Sberbank Herman Gref said this at the Eastern Economic Forum. He did not specify the companies for listing on the stock exchange.

 
 Earlier, the First deputy CEO of Sberbank Lev Khasis said that a number of companies in the Sberbank ecosystem would go public. According to him, the bank expects income from investments and further partnerships.

<hr />
 
 Connect with 

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/herman.gref.7" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Herman Gref</a>, the CEO of Sberbank

 
 <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lev.khasis" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Lev Khasis</a>, the First Deputy CEO of Sberbank

<hr />
 
 Since the beginning of 2021, Sberbank <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/sberbank-invests-1-billion-in-its-ecosystem/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">has invested</a> $1 billion (73 billion rubles) in non-financial business companies, which makes around 11.5%, or $8.6 billion (630 billion rubles), of the bank's net profit for the first half of the year.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/sberbank-mozhet-vyvesti-chast-svoej-ekosistemy-na-ipo-v-2023-godu/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Finmarket

Sberbank Might Bring Part of its Ecosystem to IPO in 2023

Russian telecom operator Beeline has purchased 67% of the advertising and technological platform OTM, according to <a href="https://www.veon.com/investors/reports-results/reports-results/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">information </a>from Veon (Beeline's head company). The deal was valued at $16 million, making the entire company's valuation around $24 million.

 
 The operator will use OTM to collect large amounts of customer data through the tools of the advertising platform. In particular, OTM allows carrying out programmatic purchases of advertising on mobile devices and stationary computers. To target ads, the platform uses big data tools collected from various sources.

<hr />
 
 Product cards

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/card/otm/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">OTM</a>

<hr />
 
 In March, it was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/beeline-plans-to-acquire-otm-advertising-and-technology-platform/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">reported </a>that Beeline was planning to buy more than 51% of the platform. In June, the operator <a href="https://vc.ru/marketing/259268-vladelec-bilayna-kupil-kontrol-v-platforme-dlya-zakupok-internet-reklamy-otm" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">bought </a>the platform, but then the company did not disclose the share and amount of the transaction.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/bilajn-kupil-67-reklamnoj-platformy-otm-za-16-mln/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Beeline Buys a 67% Stake of the Ads Platform OTM for $16 Million

By 2023, the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation intends to extend the AI-system for supporting medical decision-making to half of the medical institutions in the country, according to the ministry’s roadmap to digital transformation. The total cost of the program is estimated at $34.1 million (2.5 billion rubles).

 
 For the system to work, a unified medical database will be needed, which will contain the results of studies and analyzes. Over the next two years, half of all medical institutions will be connected to it.

 
 The program will also create 90 new innovative products to accelerate diagnostics and predictive analytics. Until the completion of the transformation, the ministry intends to develop digital services of public medical institutions, increase the number of patients through the portal of public services, including appointments with a doctor, and also connect AI to making medical decisions.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/projects/ai/news/1805/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian) </a>

Russian Ministry of Healthcare to Connect Half of Hospitals to AI System by 2023

The T1 company (formerly Technoserv), specializing in systems integration, intends to start production of its own servers based on Intel processors, using Huawei technologies, RBC reports.

 
 Huawei did not comment on information regarding T1, noting that today their technologies are used in servers manufactured by the Sitronics Group.

 
 According to the newspaper's sources, at the start of production they will use an x86-architecture processor, but T1 can also go along the path of developing its own server from scratch. There is no final decision on this issue yet, but the key task of the company is to create a server that will be included in the register of Russian equipment.

 
 As the representative of T1 said, the company is developing its business, including by entering new markets and developing new directions.

<hr />
 
 Connect with

 
 <a href="https://ru.linkedin.com/in/sergey-solovyev-67146b1b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Sergey Solovyov</a>, CEO of <a href="https://www.t1-group.ru/en/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">T1 Group</a>

<hr />
 
 In August 2021, it was <a href="https://ict.moscow/en/news/t1-group-vtb-and-huawei-to-launch-a-fintech-jv-in-moscow/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">announced </a>that T1 Group, VTB and Huawei were launching a joint venture to produce localized fintech solutions. For this, the companies already launched a joint tech laboratory T1.LAB that will be directed towards the development and testing of digital solutions for VTB Bank based on Huawei products by specialists from T1 Group.

 
 <a href="https://ict.moscow/news/kompaniia-t1-planiruet-vypusk-sobstvennykh-serverov/" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">Original (in Russian)</a>

Market in Brief