Cyber Swarm is Securing both the Device and Communication through Memristor-Based Tech

“By using a memristor-based technology and a dual channel approach, we are securing both the device and the communication.”

There were only three fundamental passive electrical components for many years: capacitor, resistor, and inductor. But then, the memristor came into the picture in 2008 when HP Labs first created it. But now, there is one particular type of memristor developed by Cyber Swarm that is subject to our curiosity.

Memristors can work in a way similar to human memory due to their ability to change resistance or states. They can be successfully used for biologically inspired, neuromorphic computing, reproducing synapses in hardware neural networks. The memristors can also be used to secure devices and data transfer, detecting anomalies and recognizing patterns as it offers strong encryption by means of a hardware true random key generator. Furthermore, it uses separate communication channels for sending information, protecting both the device and the data transmission between multiple devices. These features make it hard to alter by malicious parties, producing synapses in hardware neural networks. And this feature of memristor has fascinated the cybersecurity pioneer Mihai Raneti, CEO of Cyber Swarm.

He quickly moved to establish Cyber Swarm in 2017 to explore the possibilities the memristor technology had to offer. Today, Cyber Swarm is the leading deep tech cybersecurity company that bases its innovations on memristor technology. In a brief interview with us, Mihai Raneti talked to us about the potential of the company’s technology and the road ahead. Read on for the excerpts from the interview.

Interview Excerpt: Mihai Raneti

Q. Cyber Swarm is a deep tech company specialized in developing Memristor Technology for AI and cybersecurity applications. How sophisticated is your technology platform? And how differently does your company serve its clients than the competition?

Cyber Swarm uses memristor technology to enable neuromorphic computing and to apply it in cybersecurity first due to their analog and non-linear behavior. In a less technical language, we use analog technologies and techniques to create something un-hackable by digital means.

In cybersecurity, there are several challenges at the moment. The first one is the fact that, although there are many solutions out there, many of them are overlapping, mainly because most of them are software-based solutions. These software solutions cannot easily secure IoT devices and they inherit the problems from the hardware level and this is the reason for which we decided we should start from the lowest possible layer. By using a memristor-based technology and a dual channel approach, we are securing both the device and the communication.

Q. Describe the technologies your products feature. And how do you differentiate a parallel communication channel from an artificial neural synapse?

A parallel communication method represents a way in which we are sending some clues from one device to another – something similar to a modern day Enigma Encryption machine but based on analog techniques and hardware. It is a method which secures the communication and security of the files by exploiting certain non-linear characteristics.

A memristor can behave in a very similar way to an artificial neural synapse allowing a much faster and more energy-efficient way of learning while having an intrinsic security due to their analog characteristic. Our products combine the intrinsic security, secure communication method with future neuromorphic capabilities. The communication method is a way to send files which cannot be decrypted while the memristors can be transformed into artificial neurons. Our future chip will contain both these technologies.

Q. What do you mean by ‘brain-on-a-chip’? And how is it linked with IoT?

A “brain-on-a-chip” means a form of computing powerful enough to adapt to the real world and to complete tasks which are impossible at the moment. Billions of new IoT devices will be manufactured within this decade and we can represent those as big swarms of devices. And, having been inspired by nature, we are transforming these devices into “thinking” devices capable of clustering and working together to achieve different tasks. While staying secure, by default.

Q. Who are your clients?

Our current clients are Industrial companies which are manufacturing Industrial Robots, Car-Keys and IoT devices. Industrial Robots, as an example, are hard to secure and they could use a different type of computing capabilities. Our security solution secures them and our future neuromorphic chip will enable them to constantly improve their given tasks.

Q. How do you measure success, and over what time frame? How are these metrics determined?

We cannot really predict the future but we can invent it. In our view, success means that we can provide an un-hackable security solution with Embedded AI capabilities. There are challenges in R&D, there are challenges in developing, manufacturing and scaling a physical product but the challenges in cybersecurity, AI and power consumption are already here so the best way to tackle them is to create something innovative.

Q. What new endeavors is your company currently undertaking?What does the future look like for the company?

Our European subsidiary has been granted IPCEI Status by the EU Commission, we are opening a Taiwanese subsidiary as well and we are preparing to go into mass production. Cyber Swarm’s technology will become a cybersecurity and Embedded AI provider and manufacturer for IoT with a global presence.

The Leader Upfront

Mihai Raneti, CEO: Holding a degree in Psychology and one in Electromechanical Engineering, Mihai is a resilient entrepreneur who has founded several companies during his career, seeking the optimal path to a highly secure communication system. Initially working as Senior IT Manager for a Romanian-based telecom company, Mihai later founded his own consulting company in 2009.

In May of 2012, Mihai entered the tech startup world with CyberFog which operated for 4years until he decided to shift towards a hardware-based cyber-security solution. As a result, in 2017, he founded Cyber Swarm. Under his guidance as CEO, the team at Cyber Swarm is working on a hardware solution that features embedded artificial intelligence and state of the art cryptography.

He is a tech junkie, enthusiastic about quantum physics, math, history and problem solving. He dedicates his spare time to help other entrepreneurs who are at the beginning of their journey to understanding the intricate world of business.

“A memristor can behave in a very similar way to an artificial neural synapse allowing a much faster and more energy-efficient way of learning while having an intrinsic security due to their analog characteristic.”