brainchip files 2016 annual report - content.equisolve.net · 3/31/2017  · technology, hardware...

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PRESS RELEASE BrainChip Files 2016 Annual Report Aliso Viejo, CA – March 31, 2017, BrainChip Holdings Ltd. (ASX: BRN), (“BrainChip” or “the Company”), is a leading developer of software and hardware accelerated solutions for Advanced Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning applications. The Company has developed a revolutionary new Spiking Neuron Adaptive Processor (SNAP) technology that can learn autonomously, evolve and associate information just like the human brain. The technology, which is proprietary, is fast, completely digital, and consumes very low power. Target markets include Civil and Commercial Surveillance, as well as Machine Learning. On March 30, 2017, the Company issued its 2016 Annual Report. The Annual Report features an operational review (letter to shareholders) by the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer Louis DiNardo, in which he highlights the significant progress BrainChip has made with regard to further commercialization and revenue growth. Over the past year, the Company has developed a solid strategic plan; and has made important practical advances with regard to market selection, product definition, and technology development, putting BrainChip in an excellent position for growth in 2017. The Annual Report and operational review are available at the following URL: http://ir.brainchipinc.com/asx-announcements . The full text of the letter follows: Review of Operations During 2016, BrainChip took significant steps to develop a strategic plan that focuses on market selection, product definition, research and development and building a team that can execute a sound commercialization strategy. We have field proven software and algorithms, an extensive new product pipeline that will bring SNAP technology to the forefront of best-in-class Artificial Intelligence solutions, and a growing list of marquee customers and partners:

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Page 1: BrainChip Files 2016 Annual Report - content.equisolve.net · 3/31/2017  · technology, hardware development and system solutions. During 2016 and continuing in 2017, we will add

PRESS RELEASE

BrainChipFiles2016AnnualReport

AlisoViejo,CA–March31,2017,BrainChipHoldingsLtd.(ASX:BRN),(“BrainChip”or“theCompany”),isaleadingdeveloperofsoftwareandhardwareacceleratedsolutionsforAdvancedArtificialIntelligenceandMachineLearningapplications.TheCompanyhasdevelopedarevolutionarynewSpikingNeuronAdaptiveProcessor(SNAP)technologythatcanlearnautonomously,evolveandassociateinformationjustlikethehumanbrain.Thetechnology,whichisproprietary,isfast,completelydigital,andconsumesverylowpower.TargetmarketsincludeCivilandCommercialSurveillance,aswellasMachineLearning.

OnMarch30,2017,theCompanyissuedits2016AnnualReport.TheAnnualReportfeaturesanoperationalreview(lettertoshareholders)bytheCompany’sPresidentandChiefExecutiveOfficerLouisDiNardo,inwhichhehighlightsthesignificantprogressBrainChiphasmadewithregardtofurthercommercializationandrevenuegrowth.Overthepastyear,theCompanyhasdevelopedasolidstrategicplan;andhasmadeimportantpracticaladvanceswithregardtomarketselection,productdefinition,andtechnologydevelopment,puttingBrainChipinanexcellentpositionforgrowthin2017.

TheAnnualReportandoperationalreviewareavailableatthefollowingURL:http://ir.brainchipinc.com/asx-announcements.

Thefulltextoftheletterfollows:

ReviewofOperations

During2016,BrainChiptooksignificantstepstodevelopastrategicplanthatfocusesonmarketselection,productdefinition,researchanddevelopmentandbuildingateamthatcanexecuteasoundcommercializationstrategy.Wehavefieldprovensoftwareandalgorithms,anextensivenewproductpipelinethatwillbringSNAPtechnologytotheforefrontofbest-in-classArtificialIntelligencesolutions,andagrowinglistofmarqueecustomersandpartners:

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MarketsSelection

ThemarketforArtificialIntelligencesolutionsisbroad.CurrentsolutionsincludeDeepLearning,whichcurrentlyrequiresextremelylargedatasetsandlongtrainingregimens,AutonomousSupervisedLearningforfeatureextractionandpatternrecognitionwithsmallsamplesets,andAutonomousUnsupervisedLearningwhennosamplesetexists.WithourproprietarySpikingNeuralNetwork,BrainChipexcelsinAutonomousLearning(SupervisedorUnsupervised).Oursignificantcompetitiveadvantagesarebasedonthecombinationofwell-developedalgorithmsandourhardware-basedprocessor.Mostimportantoftheseadvantagesisthespeedatwhichwecanextractafeatureoridentifyapatternwithinaverysmallsampleset.Fromasinglescreen-shotwecanreviewinreal-time,orfromstorageofmanyhoursofvideoorimages,andidentifyafaceorpatternwithgreataccuracy.

BrainChiphasmadethedecisiontofocusoursalesandmarketingeffortinitiallyonvisualapplicationsinCivilandCommercialSurveillanceaswellasMachineLearning.Thisdecisionisbasedonthelargesizeofthemarket,themissioncriticalandimmediatedemandspresentedbythethreatofterrorismandcrime,andmanufacturingefficacy.OurSNAPtechnologyisalsowellsuitedforapplicationsinFinTech(FinancialTechnology)suchascommoditiesandhigh-frequencytradinganalysisaswellasHighPerformanceComputing(HPC)fordataanalysisingenomics,seismicanalysis,naturalresourceextractionandcybersecurity.

CivilSurveillance

CivilSurveillanceincludesAutonomousFeatureExtraction(AFE)andPatternRecognitionforLawEnforcementandHomelandSecurity,AirportSecurity,aswellasSchoolCampusSecurity.BrainChiphasexistingcustomersineachofthesecategoriesincludingtheParisDepartmentofMunicipalLawEnforcementandtheFrenchDepartmentofHomelandSecurity(theDHS).OurworkwiththeDHShasresultedintheirissuanceofastrongformalendorsementfortheCompany’sFacialandPatternRecognitionproducts.During2016webuiltuponthisendorsementandaddednewcapabilitiesthatservetheircriticalrequirementsinfightingthethreatofterrorism.WecontinuetoworkwiththeDHStoaddimprovementsinfacialrecognitionandreal-timeanalysisoflivevideostreams.

WealsohaveexistingcustomersintheAirportSecuritysector.InBordeaux,France,BrainChipservestherequirementsforperimeterintrusionandairplanesecurityattheBordeaux-MerignacAirport.Ourearlysuccessinservicingtheseneedshasresultedinastrongformalendorsementfromthiscustomer.Also,inGeneva,SwitzerlandweservetherequirementsoftheOperationsCentreforPassengerandRestrictedAreaSurveillanceattheGenevaInternationalAirport.

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Finally,in2016,BrainChipmadesignificantinroadsintotheareaofSchoolCampusSecurity.WecurrentlyhaveoneschoolinNewYork,U.S.,andanothermunicipalschooldistrictinNewYork,U.S.,wheretechnicalspecificationsarebeingreviewed.Deploymentforthesecustomersisexpectedin2017.

CommercialSurveillance

CommercialSurveillanceincludesCasinoGaming,AdvertisingTracking,ConsumerBehavior,andVehicleDetection.In2016,BrainChipaddedcustomersintheCasinoGamingmarket.Thefirstofthesecustomers,locatedinLasVegas,Nevada,U.S,isoneofthelargestcasinoswithintheMGMGroup(theMGMGroupisoneofthelargestownersofcasinosinNorthAmerica).BrainChipaddedanothersignificantCasinoGamingcustomerin2016,MoheganSun,locatedinUncasville,Connecticut,U.S.MoheganSunisoneofthelargestindependentcasinooperatorsintheU.S.WehavereceivednumerousinquiriesaboutourGameOutcomesolutionfromcasinooperatorsaroundtheworldandwearepursuingnewopportunitiesinthisspace.OurGameStatisticssolutionwillbeaggressivelymarketedtonewandexistingcustomersin2017.Weestimatethatthereareover2,600casinosworldwideandover50,000gamingtablesthatwouldbenefitfromtheuseofBrainChipsolutions.

In2016,BrainChipadvanceditsinvolvementintheVehicleDetectionarena.TheCompanyiscurrentlycollaboratingwiththeCiscoInternetInnovationCenterandCurtainUniversityinWesternAustralia(CIIC)onatwo-phaseproject.Phase1involvesvehicledetectionandidentification.Phase2involvesanin-vehiclecameratohelpdriversbetterunderstandtheirdrivingbehaviorandhabits.Thisprojectisunderwayandonschedule.InadditiontoourworkwithCisco,weareworkingwithmajorautomobilemanufacturersand/ortheirsuppliersonthepotentialdeploymentofourtechnologyinconjunctionwiththeirdevelopmentofautonomousvehiclesandAdvancedDriverAssistanceSystems(ADAS).

MachineLearning

MachineLearningincludesMachineVisionandahostofotheropportunitiesindataanalyticsforfinancialtransactions,genomics,seismic,naturalresourceanalyticsandcybersecurity.In2016,theCompanymadeimportantadvanceswithregardtoMachineVision.Specifically,weareengagedwithcustomersthatrequirevisualinspectionforhighvolumemanufacturingaswellasmissioncriticalassemblies.Safran,headquarteredinParisandoneofFrance’slargestindustrialcompaniesintheaeronauticssector,usesourAutonomousFeatureExtraction(AFE)andPatternRecognitioncompetencyinacomplexassemblyprocesstoensurequalityandreliabilityofthesystem.OurcurrentstrategyistoexpandourpresenceinMachineLearningandVisualInspectionwiththedevelopmentofautonomousdronesthatcaninspectinfrastructureandlargefacilitiesaswellastransportationofproductsinthenaturalresourcesindustry.

BrainChipbelievesthattherearenumerousotheropportunitiesfortheCompanytopursueinthenaturalresourcesindustry.Inordertoadvancethisagenda,wesignedanagreementin2016withAdvisian,aconsultinggroupwithintheWorleyParsonsCorporation.TheobjectiveofthisagreementistoexploreandcapitalizeonimportantopportunitiesforourSNAPtechnology.Asourhardwaresolution,SNAPvision,becomesavailablein2017,andthismarketwillbeamajorfocus.

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ProductDefinition

On15September2016,BrainChipannouncedtheacquisitionofSpikenetTechnology,locatedinToulouse,France.Spikenethasbeenaproviderofsoftware-basedneuralnetworkingtechnologysinceitsinceptionin1999.ThecompanyhaswelldevelopedrelationshipsinCivilSurveillance,CommercialSurveillance,andMachineVision.ThepurposeoftheacquisitionwastoaccelerateBrainChip’sproductdevelopmentplanbyintegratingtheSpikenetalgorithmswiththeBrainChipSpikingNeuralAdaptiveProcessor(SNAP)andlearningrules.BrainChipiswellpositionedtodemonstrateleadershipproductsinabroadrangeofArtificialIntelligenceapplications.TheCompany’sproductroadmapisdepictedasfollows:

Theintegrationofthesetechnologieswillprovideauniquehigh-speed,low-powerimageandvideoprocessingplatformforAutonomousFeatureExtraction(AFE)andpatternrecognitionapplications.TheculminationofthisintegrationwillresultinaFieldProgrammableGateArray(FPGA)SNAPsolutionthatcoversawide-rangeofcomplexityandcostpoints.BrainChiphasdefineda4-Channel,8-Channeland16-ChannelfamilyofproductsthatarePCIeplug-incardsforLinuxorWindowsvideoserverswhichshouldopenupawidevarietyofpotentialcustomerstotheCompany.ArepresentationoftheBrainChipFPGAisdepictedinthefigurebelow:

Illustrationonly–implementedonanFPGA

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ResearchandDevelopment

ResearchandDevelopment(R&D)includesneuromorphicsemiconductordevelopmentandneuralcomputing,algorithmdevelopment,software,andhardwaredevelopmentaswellasintegrationengineering.BrainChipnowhastwodesigncentersinwhichtheCompany’sR&Dactivitiestakeplace.ThefirstcenterisinToulouse,Francewherewehaveateamofhighlyskilledengineersthatfocusonalgorithmandsoftwaredevelopment.ThisteamhasdevelopedFacialandPatternRecognitiontechnologythathasbeencommerciallydeployedandisbasedonseveralgenerationsofdevelopment.ThesecondR&DcenterislocatedinAlisoViejo,California,U.S.Thisteamcomprisesasimilarlyhighlyskilledgroupofengineerswhofocusonneuromorphicsemiconductortechnology,hardwaredevelopmentandsystemsolutions.During2016andcontinuingin2017,wewilladdsignificantresourcesinallareasofR&D.

Inthefirstquarterof2017,weannouncedanexclusivelicensetonext-generationlearningrules(JAST)andhardwareimplementationfortheCERCOMindandBrainCognitionResearchCenterinToulouse,France.ThisexclusivelicenseprovidesBrainChipanewplatformforAutonomousUnsupervisedLearning.ThistechnologywillbeimplementedontheBrainChipSNAPsolution.Theresultofthisintegrationwillbeanunparalleledcapabilityforreal-timeanalyticsofvideoandimages,audio,andotherdatastreams.

HumanResources

HumanResourcesincludestheestablishmentofamanagementteam,recruitingandretainingtopengineeringtalentandstrengtheningourBoardofDirectors.During2016,managementandtheBoardofDirectorshasfocusedonrecruitingafullmanagementteamandexpandingtheskillsetsalreadyrepresentedontheCompany’sBoardofDirectors.TheCompanycurrentlyemploys24peopleandhasaddedseniorengineeringtalentinAlisoViejo,California,U.S.andToulouse,France,allofwhichhavesignificantexperienceintheirrespectiveareas.

ManagementandProfessionalStaff

Inthefourthquarteroftheyear,IwashiredasCEOoftheCompany,relievingPetervanderMadewhoperformedtheCEOroleonaninterimbasisinconcertwithhisotherpermanentresponsibilitiesastheChiefTechnologyOfficer.

BrainChipalsoaddedaUS-basedseniorfinanceprofessionaltoitsteamthisyear,CossetteDrossler.Ms.DrosslerjoinedtheCompanyinNovemberof2016asVicePresidentofFinanceandAdministration.Ms.Drosslerhas30yearsofexperienceasafinanceandaccountingexecutiveintheSanFranciscoBayArea,CaliforniaU.S.

Inthefirstquarterof2017theCompanyhiredRobertBeachlerwhohasjoinedtheCompanyasSeniorVicePresidentofMarketingandBusinessDevelopment.Mr.Beachler,aSiliconValleyveteranwithover30yearsofsuccessindevelopingandmarketingcutting-edgetechnologies,isanimportanthireinsupportoftheCompany’smissionforgrowth.Hisbackgroundincludesmorethan16yearsofexperienceinavarietyofengineeringandmarketingrolesatAlteraCorporation,aleadingproviderofFieldProgrammableGateArrays(FPGA)productswhichwasacquiredbyIntelCorporationin2015foroverUS$16billion.HehasalsoservedasVice-PresidentofMarketing,Operations,andSystemsDesignatStretchInc.,aproviderofembeddedvideoprocessingsolutionsupuntilitsacquisitionbyExarCorporation.WhileatExar,Mr.BeachlerservedasVicePresidentofCorporateMarketingandBusinessDevelopment.Mostrecently,Mr.BeachlerservedatXilinxCorporation,theleadingworldwideindependentproviderofFPGAproductswhereheledthe

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marketingofimaging,videoandmachinelearningsolutionsforindustrial,scientific,andmedicalmarkets.

BoardofDirectors

InNovemberof2016,theBoardofDirectorsrecruitedJulieH.Stein,ahighlyseasoned,US-basedfinanceprofessional.Ms.SteinbeganhercareeratGoldmanSachsin1981.Subsequently,shejoinedtheinvestmentbankingfirmofSalomonBrothers.Sheco-foundedtheinvestmentanddevelopmentfirmofSKSInvestmentsin1992andsuccessfullyexecutedaseriesofjointventureswithmajorglobalinstitutionalinvestors.Overthecourseofhercareer,Ms.Steinhasbeeninvolvedwiththeunderwriting,negotiating,structuringand/orplacementoffinancialtransactionsaggregatingoverUS$10billion.Inadditiontoholdinganumberofadvanceddegrees,Ms.SteinisaNationalAssociationofCorporateDirectors(NACD)LeadershipFellowandholdsaCertificatefromStanfordUniversityDirectors'College.

Conclusion

Insummary,BrainChipmadesignificantprogressin2016.TheCompanyhasdevelopedasolidstrategicplanwithregardtomarketselection,productdefinition,technologydevelopmentandbuildingateamdesignedforcommercializationandgrowth.TheCompanyhasmadeimportantpracticaladvancesineachoftheseareasin2016,puttingBrainChipinanexcellentpositionforgrowthin2017.Importantly,wehavegloballeadersworkingwithustodefineproductsandwehaveanexcellentdesignteam.Wearenowbuildingabest-in-classsalesandmarketingorganizationtodrivefurthercommercializationandrevenuegrowth.

Sincerely,

LouisDiNardo

BrainChip

PresidentandChiefExecutiveOfficer

AboutBrainChipHoldingsLtd(ASX:BRN)

BrainChipisaleadingproviderofsoftwareandhardwareacceleratedsolutionsforAdvancedArtificialIntelligenceandMachineLearningapplications.TheCompany’sSpikingNeuralAdaptiveProcessor(SNAP)canlearnautonomouslywithasmallsamplesetandprovidereal-timeinformation,dataanalyticsandknowledgeinimageandvideoprocessingapplications,highfrequencydatastreamsforfinancialanalysisandevent,speech,andspeakerrecognitionfromaudiosources.BrainChip’sSNAPtechnologycanquicklylearn,recognize,andtrackeventsinrealtimefrommultiplesourcesandidentifyrepeatingpatternsincomplexdatastreams.TheCompanycurrentlyprovidessoftwareandhardwareacceleratedsolutionsthataddresshigh-performancerequirementsinCivilSurveillance,FacialRecognition,andVisualInspectionsystems.Futuresolutionsincludeaudioanalyticsanddeeplearningforfinancialandotherdataintensiveapplications.www.brainchipinc.com.

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CompanyContact:CossetteDrosslerVPFinanceandAdministration+1(949)330-6754

InvestorContact:LauraGuerrant-OiyePrincipalGuerrantAssociates+1(808)[email protected]

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