Emerging Technology
GlobeNewswire | January 04, 2024
CoTec Holdings Corp. and Mkango Resources Ltd. are pleased to announce that CoTec and Maginito Limited ("Maginito") have formed a 50/50 joint venture entity which will roll out HyProMag Limited’s (“HyProMag”) Hydrogen Processing of Magnet Scrap (“HPMS”) recycling technology into the United States. The newly formed joint venture company, HyProMag USA, LLC (“HyProMag USA” or the “Joint Venture”), plans to develop a low cost, low carbon, sustainable rare earth magnet recycling and production business underpinned by HPMS. HyProMag has sublicenced the HPMS technology to HyProMag USA.
HyProMag is 100 per cent owned by Maginito, which is owned on a 79.4/20.6 per cent basis by Mkango and CoTec, and is commercialising rare earth magnet recycling in the UK, Germany and United States. Revenue from the Joint Venture is targeted for 2025/2026.
HyProMag USA will initially focus on completing a bankable feasibility study (“Feasibility Study”) through a hub and spoke model using three HPMS vessels and one magnet manufacturing hub (together the “US Project”).
The Joint Venture has recently initiated a “Request for Proposal” process from leading Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management (“EPCM”) providers and has ordered three HPMS reactors to expedite the development of the US Project. Following completion of the Feasibility Study, CoTec and Mkango will make a joint decision as to whether the Joint Venture will proceed with the construction of the US Project.
Julian Treger, CoTec CEO commented: “HyProMag is supported by the Minerals Security Partnership1 and we are looking forward to working with leading EPCM providers to design and build these facilities using HyProMag’s considerable experience from the plants being developed in the UK and in Germany. CoTec and Mkango are focused on delivery and will be exploring US Government funding and strategic partnerships for feed supply and rare earth element (“REE”) magnet offtake in the first half of 2024.
“We look forward to working and collaborating with local, state and federal stakeholders targeting the completion of the feasibility study”.
Will Dawes, Mkango CEO commented: “We see the United States as a core component of our growth strategy and look forward to progressing the US feasibility study over the course of the year, in parallel with further development of operations in the UK, Germany and other jurisdictions.
HyProMag’s recycling technology has major competitive advantages versus other recycling technologies and is a key enabler for cost effective and energy efficient separation, recycling and production of rare earth magnets with a significantly reduced carbon footprint. We are receiving strong interest for recycled magnets from potential customers and for recycling solutions from original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”), and automotive and recycling companies.”
HPMS technology was developed at the University of Birmingham, underpinned by approximately US$100 million of research and development funding, and has major competitive advantages versus other rare earth magnet recycling technologies, which are largely focused on chemical processes but do not solve the challenges of liberating magnets from end-of-life scrap streams –HPMS provides the solution.
Maginito
Maginito is owned 79.4 per cent by Mkango and 20.6 per cent by CoTec. It is focused on developing green technology opportunities in the rare earths supply chain, encompassing neodymium (NdFeB) magnet recycling as well as innovative rare earth alloy, magnet, and separation technologies.
Maginito holds a 100 per cent interest in HyProMag and a 90 per cent direct and indirect interest (assuming conversion of Maginito’s convertible loan) in HyProMag GmbH, focused on short loop rare earth magnet recycling in the UK and Germany, and a 100 per cent interest in Mkango Rare Earths UK Ltd (“Mkango UK”), a company focused on long loop rare earth magnet recycling in the UK via a chemical route.
About Mkango Resources Ltd.
Mkango's corporate strategy is to develop new sustainable sources of neodymium, praseodymium, dysprosium and terbium to supply accelerating demand from electric vehicles, wind turbines and other clean technologies. In parallel with development of its mining assets, Mkango plans to become a market leader in the production of recycled rare earth magnets and alloys via its interest in Maginito. This integrated Mine, Refine, Recycle strategy differentiates Mkango from its peers, uniquely positioning the Company in the rare earths sector. Mkango is listed on the AIM and the TSX-V.
Mkango is developing its flagship Songwe Hill rare earths project (“Songwe”) in Malawi with a Definitive Feasibility Study completed in July 2022 and an Environmental, Social and Health Impact Assessment approved by the Government of Malawi in January 2023. Discussions regarding the Mine Development Agreement (“MDA”) for Songwe Hill are ongoing with the Government of Malawi.
In parallel, Mkango and Grupa Azoty PULAWY, Poland's leading chemical manufacturer have agreed to work together towards development of a rare earth separation plant at Pulawy in Poland (the Pulawy Separation Plant) to process the purified mixed rare earth carbonate produced at Songwe Hill.
Mkango also has an extensive exploration portfolio in Malawi, including the Mchinji rutile exploration project, the Thambani uranium-tantalum-niobium-zircon project and Chimimbe nickel-cobalt project.
About CoTec Holdings Corp.
CoTec is a publicly traded investment issuer listed on the Toronto Venture Stock Exchange (“TSX- V”) and the OTCQB and trades under the symbol CTH and CTHCF respectively. CoTec is an environment, social, and governance (“ESG”)-focused company investing in innovative technologies that have the potential to fundamentally change the way metals and minerals can be extracted and processed for the purpose of applying those technologies to undervalued operating assets and recycling opportunities, as it transitions into a mid-tier mineral resource producer.
CoTec is committed to supporting the transition to a lower carbon future for the extraction industry, a sector on the cusp of a green revolution as it embraces technology and innovation. It has made four investments to date and is actively pursuing operating opportunities where current technology investments could be deployed.
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Emerging Technology
PR Newswire | January 09, 2024
InfoSec Global Federal, the leader in cryptographic vulnerability management, today announced the company has been added to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Continuous Diagnostics and Mitigation (CDM) Program's Approved Product List (APL). InfoSec Global Federal's AgileSec Analytics product helps U.S. federal agencies defend against the exploitation of cryptographic vulnerabilities. The inclusion of AgileSec Analytics to the APL strengthens national cybersecurity by protecting government agencies' most sensitive secrets and data from sophisticated attacks and breaches.
The Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency's (CISA) CDM program provides cybersecurity tools, integration services, and dashboards to participating federal agencies to help them improve the security posture of civilian government networks and systems by strengthening real-time risk monitoring and defense.
"The implicit trust of a privileged cryptographic ecosystem has resulted in the infamous SolarWinds hack and other high-profile attacks against federal agencies," said Philip George, Executive Technical Strategist of InfoSec Global Federal. "One aspect as to why these attacks were so successful can be directly attributed to poor visibility and analysis of privileged cryptographic assets, specifically certificates and tokens. Joining the APL underscores the value that InfoSec Global Federal's technology can deliver to reduce risk to critical federal infrastructure, a priority highlighted in OMB Memo 23-02, which requires federal civilian agencies to capture an inventory of all cryptographic assets in order to uncover vulnerabilities and to take immediate steps towards achieving post-quantum safety."
InfoSec Global Federal specializes in providing cryptographic discovery, remediation, and management solutions from the silicon firmware up through endpoint applications. Its secure software enables federal agencies to facilitate cryptographic vulnerability management, assure compliance, enrich software bill of materials with a cryptographic bill of materials (CBOM), and expedite post-quantum readiness in alignment with OMB Memo 23-02.
AgileSec Analytics offers essential tools for U.S. federal agencies aiming to enhance their cybersecurity and cryptographic posture. This solution is particularly crucial for conducting comprehensive cryptographic inventories, a vital process for government entities to deliver the following key advantages:
Enhanced Cryptographic Visibility: AgileSec Analytics empowers agencies with the ability to thoroughly scan their digital environments to identify and catalog all cryptographic assets. This includes keys, certificates, and cryptographic protocols deployed across various systems and networks.
Cryptographic Vulnerability Identification and Management: AgileSec Analytics assists agencies in pinpointing vulnerabilities within the cryptographic landscape. By analyzing the inventory, agencies can identify outdated or weak cryptographic practices, non-compliant assets, and potential areas susceptible to breaches.
Compliance with Federal Regulations: Aligning with mandates like OMB Memo 23-02, AgileSec Analytics aids agencies in ensuring that cryptographic assets adhere to federal cybersecurity standards. This compliance is critical for safeguarding sensitive government data and communications.
Preparation for Quantum Computing: As the threat landscape evolves with the advent of quantum computing, AgileSec Analytics positions agencies to be proactive. It helps in assessing the readiness of current cryptographic standards and facilitates a strategic shift towards quantum-resistant algorithms.
The inclusion of InfoSec Global AgileSec Analytics in the DHS CDM APL empowers federal agencies to conduct thorough cryptographic inventories, an integral part of maintaining a robust cybersecurity defense strategy.
About Infosec Global Federal
InfoSec Global Federal is a cryptographic security company that specializes in providing next-generation cryptographic discovery, agility, and management solutions from the firmware up through endpoint applications. Their secure software enables the management and agility of all cryptographic assets across a digital ecosystem, enabling government agencies to automate and orchestrate cryptography usage, shut down cryptographic vulnerabilities, facilitate compliance, and achieve post-quantum safety.
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Emerging Technology, Government Finance
PR Newswire | January 04, 2024
True Elements, the leader in Water Intelligence, and Carahsoft Technology Corp., The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider®, today announced a partnership. Under the agreement, Carahsoft will serve as True Elements' Master Government Aggregator®, making the company's industry-leading Water Intelligence SaaS solutions and data sets available to the Public Sector through Carahsoft's reseller partners and NASA Solutions for Enterprise-Wide Procurement (SEWP) V, National Cooperative Purchasing Alliance (NCPA) and OMNIA Partners contracts.
"The partnership with Carahsoft will provide Water Intelligence to Public Sector agencies, enabling them to better understand current water challenges and effectively prepare for a very different water future," said Kim Patrick Kobza, CEO of True Elements. "The key is to provide agencies with dynamic workflow solutions that are cost effective and easy to procure so they can succeed in assessing the present and forecasting the future. With Carahsoft as a partner, we can accomplish our mission to ensure all agencies have the best decision support available when responding to rapidly changing climate conditions."
The Value of Water Intelligence
Water Intelligence is a unique combination of state-of-the-art technology, scientific analysis and AI capabilities that continuously aggregates, synthesizes and transforms expansive amounts of complex water data into easily understandable, increasingly precise analyses and forecasts via scores and visualizations. These analyses and forecasts produce deep, clear insights that help decision-makers better understand water resources to make fully informed decisions about how to manage and optimize resources.
Water Intelligence Helps Public Sector Leaders Ensure a Water-Resilient Future
Changing weather patterns are creating climate crises across the globe. Ninety percent of those crises are experienced through water. True Elements' SaaS solutions and data sets quickly and easily provide Public Sector leaders with in-depth insights necessary for fully informed, confident decision-making to address water challenges at the local, regional and national levels.
Insights into current water quality and quantity challenges (pollution, demographic considerations, etc.) as well as future disruptive events or long-term changes to water resources (drought, sea level rise, flood risk, etc.) help Government leaders make the strategic decisions necessary to ensure their organizations, assets, operations and communities can adapt and thrive in a climate with rapidly changing hydrologic cycles. True Elements' Water Intelligence platform easily, efficiently and cost-effectively delivers the understanding decision makers need with color coded scores and visualizations.
"The Public Sector is currently facing water-related challenges that are expected to increase in number and severity if left unaddressed," said Harjeet Khalsa, Sales Director, Google ISV Ecosystem at Carahsoft. "Through collaboration with our reseller partners and the addition of True Elements' Water Intelligence solutions to our offerings, Government agencies are empowered to procure the resources necessary to proactively address existing water related challenges and work toward a water-resilient future."
True Elements, integrated within Google Cloud Marketplace, is now available through Carahsoft and Google's partner ecosystem. This collaboration simplifies procurement for Government agencies, granting seamless access to their Water Intelligence solutions powered by Google's robust infrastructure, ensuring efficient decision-making tools for addressing water challenges.
About True Elements
True Elements provides the deep, clear Water Intelligence leaders need to clarify water complexity and make accurate, effective decisions to address their current and future water challenges. True Elements applies a sophisticated, scientific and AI lens to multiple layers of disparate watershed data, producing reliable analysis, forecasting, and holistic insights into watershed dynamics. True Elements' Water Intelligence platform delivers insights through a fast, easy, cost-effective process and provides color-coded scores and visualizations that ensure clear understanding and communication to drive action.
About Carahsoft
Carahsoft Technology Corp. is The Trusted Government IT Solutions Provider, supporting Public Sector organizations across Federal, State and Local Government agencies and Education and Healthcare markets. As the Master Government Aggregator for our vendor partners, we deliver solutions for Geospatial, Cybersecurity, MultiCloud, DevSecOps, Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Open Source, Customer Experience and Engagement and more. Working with resellers, systems integrators and consultants, our sales and marketing teams provide industry leading IT products, services and training through hundreds of contract vehicles.
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Government Business
GlobeNewswire | January 05, 2024
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc., a technology company in Defense, National Security and Global Markets and Rancher Government Solutions (RGS), the leading provider of enterprise Kubernetes management solutions to the U.S. Government, announced today a strategic partnership to enable customers to seamlessly deploy and scale virtual ground systems using Kratos’ software-based OpenSpace® Platform.
With increasingly complex and dynamic satcom and Earth Observation missions, satellite operators and government agencies are transitioning from fixed and proprietary hardware to flexible and scalable generic compute-based cloud environments. This enables a virtualized and software-defined ground system like Kratos OpenSpace Platform to more cost effectively and securely support multiple missions simultaneously, deliver services faster and streamline operations.
Today, customers leverage a range of computing environments from bare metal, virtual machines to the cloud, making the deployment of software-based ground systems more complex and time consuming. Working together, Kratos and Rancher Government Solutions have enhanced the ability of the OpenSpace Platform, the first commercially available, fully virtualized and software-defined satellite ground system to be deployed more easily across customer environments.
“With Rancher, the OpenSpace Platform deploys its virtual functions including modems, channelizers, combiners, and more, as Kubernetes-based containerized software applications that act as independent and portable computing environments that can run and scale on any infrastructure,” said Brandon Gulla, Chief Technology Officer at RGS. “We are proud to be working with Kratos to support this truly transformational platform that will free satellite operators from proprietary hardware architectures and move to software-defined, flexible and extensible virtual platforms.”
By the nature of it being software-defined and containerized, the OpenSpace Platform is already much faster, and more flexible to deploy than traditional hardware-based satellite ground systems. As customer demands grow, the software-based OpenSpace Platform can reconfigure on the fly and deploy new services automatically and cost effectively in minutes. Software containers can be spun up and down and scaled on demand elastically using a single management interface from the Rancher Platform.
“Rancher serves as the Kubernetes management technology that supports the OpenSpace Platform’s ability to automate the deployment, scaling, and management of our containerized workloads,” said Anthony Semiao, Chief Solutions Architect of the OpenSpace Platform. “The combined technologies support hybrid and multi-cloud environments enabling OpenSpace customers to run in the data center and cloud environment of their choice such as Google, Amazon or Microsoft and to easily switch from one cloud provider to another.”
About Kratos OpenSpace
Kratos’ OpenSpace family of solutions enables the digital transformation of satellite ground systems to become a more dynamic and powerful part of the space network. OpenSpace® is the industry’s only commercially available digital transformation solution that enables operators of satellites, Ground Systems-as-a-Service (GSaaS) providers, teleports and others in the satellite services supply chain to capitalize on dynamic ground capabilities. The OpenSpace family consists of three product lines: OpenSpace SpectralNet for converting satellite RF signals to be used in digital environments; OpenSpace quantum products, which are virtual versions of traditional hardware components; and the OpenSpace Platform, the first commercially available, fully orchestrated, software-defined ground system. These three OpenSpace lines enable satellite operators and other service providers to implement digital operations at their own pace and in ways that meet their unique mission goals and business models.
About Kratos Defense & Security Solutions
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. is a technology, products, system and software company addressing the defense, national security, and commercial markets. Kratos makes true internally funded research, development, capital and other investments, to rapidly develop, produce and field solutions that address our customers’ mission critical needs and requirements. At Kratos, affordability is a technology, and we utilize proven, leading edge approaches and technology, not unproven bleeding edge approaches or technology, with Kratos’ approach reducing cost, schedule and risk, and enabling us to be first to market with cost effective solutions. Kratos is known as the innovative disruptive change agent in the industry, a company that is an expert in designing products and systems up front for successful rapid, large quantity, low cost future manufacturing and as a competitive differentiator to our large traditional prime system integrator partners and also to our government and commercial customers. Kratos’ primary business areas include, virtualized ground systems for satellites and space vehicles including software for command & control (C2) and telemetry, tracking and control (TT&C), jet powered unmanned aerial drone systems, hypersonic vehicles and rocket systems, propulsion systems for drones, missiles, loitering munitions, supersonic systems, space craft and launch systems, C5ISR and microwave electronic products for missile, radar, missile defense, space, satellite, counter UAS, directed energy, communication and other systems, and virtual & augmented reality training systems for the warfighter.
About Ranger
Rancher Government Solutions (RGS) is specifically designed to address the unique security and operational needs of the U.S. Government and military as it relates to application modernization, containers, and Kubernetes.
Rancher is a complete open source software stack for teams adopting containers. It addresses the operational and security challenges of managing multiple Kubernetes clusters at scale, while providing DevOps teams with integrated tools for running containerized workloads.
RGS supports all Rancher products with U.S. based American citizens who are currently supporting programs across the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and civilian agencies.
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