Vanguard Magazine

platform. It is a services-oriented and flex- ible hybrid cloud environment that will be fully cyber secured, sovereign, and adapt- able to military resilience constraints; le- veraging Thales field-proven systems inte- grator expertise. Today, most organizations with a real need to share content can now remain connected at all times from any type of terminal or device. Those working in defence and security share this need but have stringent requirements for security and bandwidth that this technology has enabled us to overcome. Case in point, in a connected, mobile world, naval personnel want to use their smartphones at sea without compromising security. Responding to this need, Thales developed COMTICS, the world's first shipboard information distribution system of its kind. Intuitive, resilient and designed for mobility, it offers a wide range of opera- tional services in a highly secure environ- ment. The device resembles a smartphone and allows naval personnel permanent shipboard mobility and connectivity with all types of military radios, providing ser- vices ranging from video and data transfers to web browsing and social media, and the ability to chat with colleagues. With COMTICS, Thales is helping im- prove quality of life for naval personnel at sea, enabling crew members to stay in touch with family and friends, and making naval careers a more attractive proposi- tion to digitally savvy recruits. It is a scal- able, future-focused solution that meets the operational, security and reputational challenges faced by navies today, and it illustrates Thales' global commitment to bringing digital transformation to its cus- tomers, making tomorrow possible today. Looking closer to home, capabilities in big data and artificial intelligence will play key roles in major programs like AJISS, the In-Service Support (ISS), refit, repair, maintenance and training to both Arctic and Offshore Patrol Ships (AOPS) and Joint Support Ships (JSS). These innova- tive ingredients are playing a starring role in supporting Thales' readiness to receive the first ship under the new AJISS relation- al contract model. In late 2017, Thales chose Canada as a key part of its more than $1 billion global investment in key digital technologies with the creation of cortAIx, based in Montreal, a Centre of Research and Technology in Ar- tificial Intelligence eXpertise and home to Thales' Digital Factory in North America. For AJISS, cortAIx is supporting the development of a new in-service support digital platform – a key enabler for the AJISS enterprise to support ship availabil- ity. cortAIx is working today to marry ex- isting predictive maintenance capabilities in aerospace and transportation, and adapt them to the unique demands and complex data environment of the naval domain. The key to AI-powered human-machine interactions is trust. AI needs to be ex- plainable in order to be trusted, provid- ing humans with "the why" behind the AI algorithms. Thales has made a commit- www.vanguardcanada.com AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2018 27 Sponsored Content PersPeCtiVe In late 2017, Thales chose Canada as a key part of its more than $1 billion global investment in key digital technologies with the creation of cortAIx, based in Montreal, a Centre of Research and Technology in Artificial Intelligence eXpertise and home to Thales' Digital Factory in North America. ment to ethical AI development that en- sures humans remain at the core of these new capabilities. cortAIx will be home to 50 world-class experts in AI who will work together to strengthen the capabilities of critical technologies ensuring that it is both explainable and trusted. These activities further support Thales Canada's role as a participant in SCALE.AI, one of Canada's five selected Innovation Superclusters. The recent acquisition of big data com- pany Guavus, e-security firm Vormetric, along with the planned acquisition of global digital security leader Gemalto will continue to drive Thales' global digital transformation. As a national leader in corporate R&D investment and ranked as one of the Top 3 defence companies in Canada, Thales partners with over 500 Canadian companies and SMEs, creating value of more than $140 million annually and resulting in a proven track record of Canadian technology development. From the bottom of the oceans to the depths of space and cyberspace, Thales' digital transformation is enabling custom- ers to think smarter and act faster – mas- tering ever greater complexity and every decisive moment along the way.

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