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VEON Ltd., a global digital operator that provides converged connectivity and online services, announces that VEON, through its 100%-owned subsidiary Kyivstar, plans to increase its commitment to rebuild Ukraine’s digital infrastructure to USD 1 billion over the five years from 2023 through 2027. network and digital services This is an increase from the previously announced USD 600 million investment commitment for the three years between. The commitment will fund investments into the network and digital services, including potential acquisitions or the development of new assets, social contributions, and partnerships.  Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 VEON’s and Kyivstar’s current contributions to Ukraine’s resilience as well as VEON’s future commitment The Chairman of VEON board of directors and VEON founder Augie Fabela, VEON and Kyivstar board member and former U.S. Secretary of State Michael R. Pompeo, and Kyivstar CEO Oleksandr Komarov will attend the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 in Berlin to highlight VEON’s and Kyivstar’s current contributions to Ukraine’s resilience as well as VEON’s future commitment to the rebuilding and restoration of Ukraine, including the aforementioned upgraded investment plan.  “VEON and Kyivstar support Ukraine’s resilience, recovery, and reconstruction in every possible way, from meeting the vital connectivity needs of the country to serving the population with digital capabilities, from futureproofing our network with OpenRAN partnerships to ensuring energy resilience and continuity, from supporting Ukrainian businesses today to investing in the country’s digital ecosystem for the future,” said Oleksandr Komarov, CEO of Kyivstar. increased investment commitment "Having seen the support of VEON’s international investors, I am proud to note that Kyivstar is a significant example of how a socially responsible business with international investors can support a country through war." “With the power we take from our example, we will join the call at the Ukraine Recovery Conference 2024 for businesses to invest in Ukraine and invest now! I’m happy that we will do so with an increased investment commitment of our own: USD 1 billion over 5 years.”  Highlights of Kyivstar’s investments VEON’s Kyivstar was named Ukraine’s largest foreign investor in 2022 and 2023 by Forbes Ukraine, with a capex investment of UAH 12.3 billion over those two years – approximately USD 176 million and USD 174 million in 2022 and 2023, respectively.  Highlights of Kyivstar’s investments in Ukraine’s digital infrastructure include the following: Since February 24, 2022, Kyivstar has built 1,895 new LTE base stations and upgraded about 13,200 existing base stations to 4G. Kyivstar has added more than 4,100 residential areas to 4G coverage, and 95% of the population of territories controlled by Ukraine have access to 4G services on Kyivstar's network. The operator aims for near-universal (98%) population coverage in 4G over the next two years.  Home and business fixed line users are benefitting from Kyivstar’s roll-out of its high-speed GPON network, which is due to be expanded to seven new cities in 2024.  In February 2024, Kyivstar and Rakuten Symphony signed a letter of intent confirming Kyivstar’s interest in procuring and deploying Rakuten Symphony's Open Radio Access Network (Open RAN) technology in its network, which will involve both 4G and 5G technology.  Kyivstar invested UAH 1 billion (approximately 27.4 million) in Ukraine’s energy resilience, installing over 2,300 generators and 113,000 batteries to help keep its network running and customers connected, even when Ukraine’s power infrastructure is under attack.  Kyivstar invested in Helsi, Ukraine’s pioneering digital healthcare platform, in August 2022. As of March 2024, Helsi has 2.5 million monthly active users on web and OTT platforms, serves nearly 1,600 medical institutions and more than 38,000 medical professionals, and has facilitated 2.5 million digital appointments in the first quarter of 2024.  Kyivstar continuously expands the use and capabilities of its self-care platform “myKyivstar” and TV application Kyivstar TV, with nearly 1.5 million monthly active users, and locally relevant content including educational resources.  Kyivstar supports Ukrainian businesses with the integration of Amazon Web Services for data processing as well as with Microsoft Azure cloud services. Kyivstar’s Real-Time Kinematic technology is used in a wide range of professional applications, from agriculture to demining operations.  Kyivstar’s total customer support and CSR initiatives since February 2022 amounted to USD 50 million, including corporate donations and digital facilitation of customer donations to Ukraine’s demining, raising more than UAH 180 million (USD 4.8 million) from 2023 to 2024 for “We Live Here” demining project of the Come Back Alive Foundation. 

At the Hannover Messe on April 23, 2024, founding members ABB (including B&R), Capgemini, Microsoft, Rockwell Automation, Schneider Electric (including AVEVA), and Siemens announced collaboration on a new initiative to deliver interoperability for Industrial IoT ecosystems. Hosted by the Linux Foundation and open to further interested parties, the Margo initiative draws its name from the Latin word for 'edge' and will define mechanisms for interoperability between applications, devices and orchestration software at the edge of industrial ecosystems. Digital transition Margo aims to deliver on its interoperability promise through a modern and agile open-source approach In particular, Margo will make it easy to run and combine applications from any ecosystem member on top of the hardware and runtime system of any other member.  Margo aims to deliver on its interoperability promise through a modern and agile open-source approach, which will bring industrial companies increased flexibility, simplicity, and scalability as they undergo digital transition in complex, multi-vendor environments. digital ecosystems “Mastering efficiency, flexibility and quality faster than competitors is key to success in today’s industrial world,” said Bernhard Eschermann, CTO, ABB Process Automation. “Digitalization can help deliver on these benefits, but digital ecosystems require a robust, secure and interoperable framework at the edge, connecting operations and information technologies. For ABB, a long-standing advocate of open automation systems, driving a forward-thinking collaborative initiative like Margo is key to achieving this goal.” Interoperability is key to digital transformation at scale "The more sources you get data from, the better the decisions you can make," explained Florian Schneeberger, CTO of ABB's Machine Automation division (B&R). "Yet, while the benefits of digitalization increase with scale, so do the challenges of navigating heterogeneous industrial ecosystems. That's why interoperability is so crucial to unlocking the full potential of digitalization. It empowers organizations to adopt and scale Industrial IoT solutions at full speed without large teams of IT specialists." ABB’s commitment In March 2024, ABB became a member of the Linux Foundation. This will enable the company to further enhance efforts in promoting open community collaboration, helping unlock innovation and enable better products and experiences for customers. This further strengthens ABB’s commitment to open standard-based systems. In a live panel discussion at the Hannover Messe, representatives from the six founding members met to present their vision for edge interoperability in the Industrial IoT and appeal to like-minded industry peers to join the community and contribute to building a meaningful and effective standard. 

The use of axial flux motors is gaining traction across industries, particularly in the electric motor space. Axial flux motors or pancake motors are mechanically configured to provide specific advantages when compared to ubiquitous radial flux motors. By design, the space between the rotor and stator (described in technical terms as the direction of magnetic flux between the two) in an axial flux motor is aligned parallel to the axis of rotation.  radial flux motors Its counterpart, the radial flux motor, is named for the magnetic field generated by the stator windings that moves radially across the air gap between the stator and rotor and induces a torque that turns the rotor. Despite the ubiquity of radial flux motors, both types offer characteristic strengths and weaknesses, depending on the application. The magnetic field generated by the stator windings that moves radially across the air gap According to Infinitum’s chief strategy officer, Bhavnesh Patel, axial flux propulsion is gaining ground in the EV space due to specific design form factors that allow the motor to sustainably power passenger and commercial electric vehicles. Axial flux motors, he said, are touted for their ability to generate more torque and power density than radial flux motors, and occupy less space based on the configuration.   Aircore Motor Topology is Different Patel told Machine Design during a one-on-one briefing that Infinitum will roll out the next generation of its axial flux motor (Aircore EC motor) at the AHR Expo in Chicago (January 22-24, 2024).  Aircore EC is a high-efficiency motor designed to sustainably power commercial and industrial applications—such as HVAC fans, pumps, and data centers—with less energy consumption, reduced emissions, and reduced waste.  Covered by 43 issued patents and 48 pending patents, the new motor replaces the heavy, copper wound iron stator found in traditional motors with a lightweight, printed circuit board (PCB) stator that is 10 times more reliable, 10% more efficient, and 50% smaller and lighter, noted Infinitum’s briefing notes. Author's quote A stator is essentially copper wire wrapped around iron; you can run current through that copper" Every motor is built around a stator and rotor. “A stator is essentially copper wire wrapped around iron; you can run current through that copper and it creates a magnetic field,” explained Patel.  “The innovation that we have is that we eliminated the iron within that stator and, instead of using copper wire, we etched the copper on multiple layers of a printed circuit board. And that results in a number of benefits.” PCB stator design In mobility applications, for example, PCB stators offer promising performance and efficiency benefits due to superior heat mitigation and high power density. Another distinguishing factor is that it uses 66% less copper than conventional motors, Patel said. Replacing the iron core with a PCB stator has further resulted in a reduction in mechanical losses, greater efficiency gains, and noise and vibration reductions.  With the PCB stator design, said Patel, the motor can achieve up to four to five times the current density of a conventional, liquid-cooled motor using a liquid cooling technique that allows the coolant to be in direct contact with the stator, mitigating heat across a larger surface area, enabling high overload capability and extended life. Combination of Motor and VFD The combination motor and variable frequency drive or VFD is an explanatory characteristic The startup characterized the Aircore EC motor system as an integrated variable frequency drive that delivers upwards of 93% system efficiency, as well as class-pioneering power and torque density in a low-footprint package that is 20% lighter than the previous version.  The combination motor and variable frequency drive or VFD (“essentially the electronics that drive the motor”) is a defining feature. The advantage of combining the two components, according to Patel, is that Infinitum was to “software-define the motor.” In other words, through firmware, the OEM can tell the motor exactly what operating point it needs to operate at. (For instance, 10 HP, or 9 HP, or 7 HP, and so forth.) UL compliance rating Motors typically come off the shelf with a NEMA sticker and UL compliance rating. “The UL sticker will say, for example, a 10 HP, 1800 RPM motor will draw 12 amps,” explained Patel. But this presents a limitation, he said, because it denotes the only operating point at which one can modulate the speed. “That means that the machine designer or equipment builder will have to make sure their wiring size is designed for 12 amps, that every one of the motors can support 12 amps, that the circuit breakers have to be designed around 12 amps, the transformers and overload relays and everything else upstream has to be designed for 12 amps,” Patel said. Motor with the VFD  But the UL sticker reflects that the motor now is drawing a lower input current" But developing a combo solution—motor with the VFD—has meant that the design engineer has more flexibility. “If the customer’s operating point is something other than 10 HP—let’s say it’s a 1,200 RPM application—we can actually tell the motor that its max speed is 1,200 RPM,” said Patel. “But the UL sticker reflects that the motor now is drawing a lower input current. So, instead of 12 amps at 1,200 RPM, now you might be drawing only six amps. And your wiring size can now be reduced.” Reduction in the capital costs There are cost savings to be had in large facilities, too. By one estimation a typical data center relies on 500 motors in their HVAC systems. For Microsoft or Amazon, or any entity building a data center with more than 1,000 motors, this could be a significant reduction in the capital costs of building that facility.  “The upfront cost is reduced just because they use that technology,” pointed out Patel. “There is operational cost reduction because we’re using less energy to provide the same amount of cooling, and so there’s longer-term operational savings.” Target Application: HVAC Infinitum is rolling out its latest PCB stator motor with specific market segments in mind Infinitum is rolling out its latest PCB stator motor with specific market segments in mind, said Patel during the briefing with Machine Design. “We looked out into the market and we said, there’s a lot of places motors are used—everything from a dishwasher motor to 40 motors in a single electric vehicle,” Patel said. “Think about the car windows and the windshield wipers and the fan—there are a whole bunch of the motors there. The point being, there’s a lot of applications this could potentially go into, but we decided to narrow it down to HVAC to start with, industrial second and then mobility third. And within each segment, we found a very receptive audience. Think about most HVAC systems that are running almost 24/7, and so efficiency and sustainability is key for many of these applications,” he said. Cooling and Heating Market Calls Backing from key investors is part and parcel of Infinitum’s success story. The start-up reported last year that it had secured $185 million in Series E funding to expand the company, increase production to meet customer demand and drive decarbonization in the industrial sector. Industrial automation juggernaut Rockwell Automation signed an agreement with Infinitum last year and is helping the startup break into the industrial space—specifically material handling applications. “Think again about an Amazon distribution center or UPS facility,” said Patel. “They have hundreds of motors on those conveyor systems. Rockwell today supplies a lot of the VFDs that drive those conveyors with our technology, combining the VFD—the electronics, essentially—and the motors to drive those conveyor systems." Global HVAC market size Global axial flux motor need size is cast to grow from $150.3 million in 2022 to $395.5 million by 2032 Startups like Infinitum are impacted by global economic trends. The global axial flux motor market size is projected to grow from $150.3 million in 2022 to $395.5 million by 2032, at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10.1%, according to Spherical Insights. The global HVAC market size was estimated at $16.4 billion in 2022 and is expected to grow to $22.1 billion by 2028 and with a CAGR of 5.10% during the forecast period 2023-2028, according to a Market Data Forecast. Infinitum’s decision Patel said market size is an important rationale for Infinitum’s decision to focus on commercial HVAC as a core market. Potential applications for the technology are wide-ranging and may include process compressors, conveyors, pumps, fans, blowers, coolers, compressors, crushers, chippers, and grinders. Analysts report electric motors will see strong expansion across industries, such as automotive (which is predicted to dominate) and HVAC (systems that manage heating and cooling in industrial and commercial buildings). These industries will expand due to investments in product development.