Israel Pushes Harder for Deep Tech Supremacy

As a hotbed for forward-thinking tech companies, Israel is a global leader in digital innovation. This includes “Deep Tech,” the new wave of evolving technologies based on engineering breakthroughs, user-friendly interfaces, and scientific developments. As we head into a second year with the global coronavirus pandemic, tech gurus are focusing their research on cybersecurity. 

According to experts, the coronavirus creates new opportunities for hackers, with some even warning that a wave of cybersecurity breaches will follow in the wake of coronavirus. 

With new technology powering our energy, communications, and even healthcare systems, companies around the world are investing even more in the latest developments to shore up cybersecurity, putting Israel’s top cybersecurity firms in high demand. 

In this article, we will take a look at Israel’s Deep Tech innovations, how these new developments can work as tools to combat cybersecurity breaches, and which trends to look out for in the near future. 

Israel in Deep Tech

There are numerous Israeli startups whose work is forwarding the field of deep tech innovations. Included among these are leading experts in a diverse array of fields, from Robotics to Nanotechnology, from AI Platforms to Healthcare innovations, to the latest in AR/VR. Between 2010 and 2019, Israeli Deep Tech startups raised $5.52 billion, and as of January of 2020, there are more than 150 Israeli Deep Tech companies engaging in advanced research practices and rolling out new products based on developing tech possibilities. 

There are plenty of examples that show how real life problems can be solved using Deep Tech solutions. Here are just two.

Tel-Aviv based startup Zencity has recently, as of August 5, 2020, raised $13.5 million to fund their projects. Zencity uses Deep Tech to help governments figure out the best way to serve their residents. The state-sponsored company collects millions of data points from wherever city residents interact with tech, then analyzes this data to deliver insights straight to the local government, allowing for greater community connection, sensibly prioritized resources, and accurate performance tracking. 

Devoted to digital health and wellness monitoring, Binah.ai uses AI and Bluetooth technology to record and track patients’ vital statistics, such as heart rate, blood oxygen saturation levels, and breathing rate. The Binah.ai interfaces can be accessed on smartphones, tablets, and laptops, making their softwares user-friendly, as long as the user has a device equipped with a camera.

Tech Protections

As mentioned above, Israeli companies are on the leading edge of the cybersecurity field, second only to the US. But even US companies like Microsoft are investing in Israeli innovations. In 2017, Microsoft reportedly bought Israeli cybersecurity company Hexadite for $100 million. So what is it about Israel’s cybersecurity companies that appeals to global corporations? 

Let’s take just one example, Tel Aviv-based firm Deep Instinct, which has applied AI deep learning capabilities to the field of cybersecurity. Deep Instinct focuses on taking preventive measures to ensure that even the most sophisticated cyber attacks are foiled. With the recent reports of new cyberattacks targeting the upcoming US election, perhaps US companies should take advantage of this cutting edge approach. 

This summer, Israel has been the target of several attempted cyberattacks on local water management facilities, with the first attack hitting agricultural pumps in the upper Galilee and the second in the province of Mateh Yehuda. While the attacks were largely thwarted and the damage was minimal, the incident does point to the real world seriousness of cybersecurity threats. Intelligence sources have determined that hackers were attempting to access and shift the chlorine levels of these treatment systems.

An attack on agriculture in Israel may have some further unexpected ramifications. The red hot cannabis industry in Israel is expected to continue its market growth, bringing billions of dollars of revenue to Israeli CBD production and research companies. Medical cannabis could turn out to be Israel’s next big industry, with Israeli companies participating in a rapidly expanding global market, projected to increase to $23 billion in revenue by 2021. Breaches in cybersecurity may mean that hackers can access sensitive industry information, steal employees’ personal information to sell on the Dark Web, and even damage the growing and harvesting process of these lucrative plants. 

Companies like SafeBreach play a vital role in allowing businesses and organizations to anticipate possible forms that cyberattacks may take. By simulating cyberattacks on a controlled platform, SafeBreach allows companies to realistically assess the weak points in their security systems- enabling them to fix problems before they arise. 

Cyber Safety, Air Safety

While Israel continuously releases new Deep Tech products, the field of aeronautics-based defense looks particularly exciting for 2021.

Facing a range of earthbound issues, Israeli tech developers are employing original approaches, using new technology. In July of 2020, Israel launched the Ofek 16 Satellite, part of a defense initiative to increase surveillance capabilities in the region. The satellite is equipped with the most up-to-date version of the “Jupiter Space” camera developed by Elbit Systems, featuring “high spectral resolution” of up to 50 cm from 600 km in the air. The camera can capture an image of 15 sq km in one photograph, allowing Israeli defense to survey a broad area with acute precision. 

Israeli defense is also the core focus of the recently unveiled airborne missile laser defense system, built to intercept drones, RAM threats, and anti-tank missiles. The latest version of the system, which should be up and running by 2021, is silent, invisible, and inexpensive to implement. It features electric laser technology, rather than the chemical laser tech used in the past. 

Israel on the Forefront

To be considered a company that specializes in Deep Tech, the projects must involve knowledge limited to only a few select teams around the world. The prevalence of research in academic and defense-related contexts means that, in Israel, we can boast of developments on the very forefront of technological research. 

The Deep Tech solutions to real world issues that are being investigated and tested now may very well become integral parts of global daily life, changing the way we view the world in the process.