The team of young experts and engineers from the Faculty of Technical
Sciences in Novi Sad have made, in association with their colleagues from MIT
in Boston, a digital real-time simulator, which significantly facilitates the
process of testing software in field of electrical engineering. The team won
the state competition for the best technological innovation in 2009 with that
device, and its authors say that it is 50 times faster than the fastest devices
of the kind in the global market. Thanks to high speed of calculation, this
simulator can be used, for the first time, for some tests that have, so far,
been possible only in well-equipped laboratories.
That means that engineers do not have to test each new device or an upgrade
on the device live any more. Instead, all tests, except for final ones, can be
done on the simulator. This way is simpler, incomparably faster and cheaper
because all the time spent in a dangerous and expensive laboratory is
reduced to a minimum. Tajfun's simulator can equally simulate the drive of an
electric locomotive, a windmill or a washing machine. The higher the power of
the drive, the bigger savings are made when the simulator is used.
INNOVATION
More and more frequent application of software solutions that are used for
optimal control of power supply systems make these systems more complex every
day. We can see the examples of such systems in the drives of electric and
hybrid automobiles such as Toyota Prius, in wind farms, in solar parks,
electric traction, as well as in numerous industrial applications of electric
motor drives. Huge financial losses, as well as a black spot on the reputation of
Toyota because of the problems with the quality of software in its model Prius
(in which the company has every reason to take pride), are direct consequences
of the non-existence of appropriate tools for thorough testing of energy
software. Company Tajfun RTDS Ltd. resolves that problem by means of its
ultra-fast simulator (an instrument as large as a shoe box), which behaves
identically to a power supply system’s hardware and, thus, enables quick and
thorough testing of energy software in all regimes of work.
The key parameter in the simulation of power supply systems is speed, that
is, the step of simulation that must equal or, if possible, even be shorter
than 1 μs (millionth part of a second). Tajfun resolves this problem by
applying algorithms that it develops by itself, as well as by using restricted-purpose
microprocessor architectures that it also develops by itself.
Tajfun gets the proof of accuracy of its concept while negotiating or conducting
informal talks with experts from the companies that supply German automotive
industry with software testing instruments (Bosch, ETAS, Vector, Brose, dSpace).
It is clear from these talks that they are more than aware of the problem and
that they actively work on its resolving. It is also evident that Tajfun
currently has a significant technological advantage, which is, primarily, a
result of its creatively different approach to the problem of ultra fast
simulation that gives incomparably better results than the existing approaches.
SOCIAL UTILITY
As an organization of highly educated academic citizens from Serbia and all
around the world, company Tajfun is aware of the fact than only happy and free
individuals in fully open environment, free of everyday worries, can develop their
full creative strength and achieve globally important results.
In order for this idealized image not to remain only a dream, Tajfun takes certain
steps towards its realization. In addition,
it maximally uses all of its contacts abroad and, with the help of modern
information technologies, it efficiently trains its young staff and integrates
them into modern development, scientific, information and financial flows. Without
any formally employed (paid) members and without any financial investments, Tajfun
managed to gather about thirty young researchers and experienced experts from
three continents in less than two years from the moment the idea of ultra speed
simulator was born. Tajfun found a good will and support in numerous
insitutions, under the roofs of which it “lives”.
The organization depicted in this way would seem as a fairytale if its
achievements did not prove it functioned and if it did not attract talents from
all around the world, which is the basic precondition for a success in the hi-tech
market and the growth based on the completely clear orientation of our
civilization towards renewable energy sources, solar economy development in
particular, which is the economy based on solar energy whose development is
about to start.
(Tajfun's team)
In order for a success to be achieved at global scale, hard and devoted work
is necessary, sometimes even all seven days a week, which is an integral part
of life of each member of Tajfun. Dedication is a result of Tajfun’s decision to
put Novi Sad and Serbia, in association with several experienced domestic
companies, on the world map of electric energy and, thus, give its contribution
to returning dignity and self-esteem to our economy sector and entrepreneurs.
COMMERCIAL SUCCESS
Tajfun’s business model is very simple. The idea is that the undeniable
talent of our young energy and computer experts be focused on one of the most
relevant problems of modern society and that a significant technological step
and a significant financial profit be made in that way. In other words, Tajfun’s
ambition is to become the world’s leading company in production of tools for
testing and developing software for power supply systems within next ten years,
which economically means that it plans to register annual turnovers in amount of
CHF 100m with about hundred highly educated employees, as well as to make
profit that should reflect the fact that the participation of materials and
manual labor in Tajfun’s products is negligible.
Just like it is explained above, it is still too early to speak about
commercial success of the company that, on one side, has not even one employee and,
on the other side, demonstrates globally recognizable result in the field of
high technologies. What is worth mentioning are the capabilities, primarily
human potential that Tajfun’s idea gathered, motivated and focused on one of the
most relevant problems of mankind, and that is the problem of sustainable
growth of our civilization, which is reduced, to a big extent, to the
satisfaction of an endless need for energy.
In case of Tajfun, it is not a dreamer’s vision of global society based on
collecting and using energy of the nearest star, but very practical steps that
lead the company towards a great goal. One of the steps to success is nomination
for the investment of the year in Serbia.
Technical and scientific-development core of the team is at the Faculty of Technical
Sciences in Novi Sad and at MIT in Boston, while the network of business
contacts and market development spreads from the centers in Baden in
Switzerland, MIT in the USA, and the headquarters of its Vice President for Sales and Marketing in the south of France. The
plans for a distribution center for the market of Brasil are being realized at
the moment, while the negotiations on the opening of centers for India and
inevitable Asian market are in their early phase because Tajfun expects
significant accumulation on the territory of Asia. So far, the company has been
registered in Baden in Switzerland and in Novi Sad, and it will soon be
registered in Boston as well.
Tajfun’s team has many certificates, including the doctorates from MIT and Virginia
Tech, and it gave numerous contributions in the form of scientific publications
and patents. Its experts have industrial experience from ABB, as well as
numerous contacts in the companies they cooperate or plan to cooperate with.
Tajfun has, so far, been backed by company RT-RK from Novi Sad and the Swiss
Government, which educates Tajfun’s members for free through aid programs for
development of young hi-tech companies in the skills that are necessary for
success in global business environment.
The selection for 2010 Aurea award is backed by insurance company Wiener
Städtische.
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