(Aurea 2010) NOMINEE 04: Tajfun - ultra fast real-time simulator

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.