Renowned German sports car maker Porsche hopes to break the mould on industrial digitalisation by forming a business unit to improve internal operations along with boosting its work with other sectors and companies.

Porsche Technologies is being formed by combining the company’s current engineering and digital units, a marriage deputy chair Dr Michael Steiner said would deliver the best of both worlds.

Steiner said the unit would “play a central role” in Porsche’s own “strategic development activities and in its business with other automotive and industrial customers”.

Sectors including space, maritime, defence and medical technology were listed as potential targets.

The company aims to launch Porsche Technologies early in Q2 2027 to provide services spanning development of hard and software through to validation of digital and physical products.

Porsche stated AI and data systems would play important roles in the work of the business, particularly for process optimisation.

Current Porsche Engineering CEO Markus-Christian Eberl (pictured, centre) is to head the new division.

Porsche Digital CEO Stefan Zerweck (pictured, left) is to become the CTO, with engineering unit CFO and COO Dirk Philipp (pictured, right) to occupy the same roles in the new business.

Staff numbers for the combined division stand at around 2,700, located at sites throughout Europe, the US and China.

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Toshiba addressed what it believes is complexity in deploying quantum-safe networks with the release of a platform it stated can lower the need for specific fibre connectivity and equipment.

The Japanese company is targeting the platform at network operators, enterprises, public-sector groups and companies running data centres. It is pitching the set-up as offering more than a bump to security, highlighting potential competitive advantages and revenue opportunities.

Toshiba echoed concerns expressed by many over the potential dangers of quantum computing, noting some nefarious types are already harvesting data to be decrypted when compatible machines come online.

It stated governments, “regulators and standards bodies” are already pressing for action to address potential threats.

The sales pitch for Toshiba’s platform centres on the simplicity of deployment. It states organisations “do not need to rebuild their networks” to use the set-up, which “integrates with existing network infrastructures” and can be run through “a single dedicated connection to large metro, hub-and-spoke, ring, mesh and long-distance networks”.

Andrew Shields, VP of Toshiba Europe and head of its Quantum Technology Division, said the platform should prove cost-effective in deployments “across large-scale networks”.

Toshiba equipped the platform with post-quantum cryptography, quantum key distribution and random number generation, technologies widely regarded as being suitably robust to secure the future computing systems.

Hiroshi Tsukino, VP of Toshiba’s ICT Solutions Division, said the move to quantum-safe technologies is “the largest cryptographic transformation in history” and urged organisations to begin preparing today.

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Agricultural equipment manufacturer AGCO inked a deal to trial Agility Robotics’ Digit humanoid for various factory operations including sorting and stacking parts, with a view to using robots to automate repetitive and hazardous tasks.

In a statement on the project, Agility Robotics explained its robot would be used to support key assembly and production operations, with the pilot set to kick-off during 2027 at an AGCO manufacturing site in the US state of Kansas.

The pilot is part of a wider agreement between the pair to “advance the future of manufacturing” using humanoid automation, supporting an aim by AGCO to create more flexible and intelligent factories.

Agility Robotics added by automating physically demanding work, its robot would “help enhance ergonomic safety, improve operational efficiency and empower employees to focus on higher-value, skill-driven work that advances innovation and productivity”.

The agricultural sector player claims to be the largest “pure-play farm equipment manufacturer” in the world, supplying a wide range of heavy equipment for the sector including tractors and combine harvesters.

AGCO director of manufacturing technology Thomas Enghof said “this strategic relationship views humanoid robotics and AI as essential teammates in building flexible, intelligent factories”.

The executive added the machines would augment “human capabilities by absorbing repetitive, strenuous or hazardous tasks. By pairing human ingenuity with robust robotic engineering and strict safety governance, we create resilient manufacturing systems that empower the workforce and deliver measurable business value.”

Agility Robotics noted the latest deal adds to deployments with other leading companies including Toyota Motor Manufacturing Canada, GXO Logistics and manufacturer Schaeffler.

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PHY Wireless and Ubiik teamed up to combine private LTE and 5G connectivity with device-based positioning, offering enterprise and industrial users a 3GPP standards-based alternative to proprietary location systems.

The collaboration combines Ubiik’s private LTE and 5G infrastructure with PHY Wireless’ hellaPHY technology, enabling enterprises, utilities, hospitals, and campuses to run communications and location services on a single network.

Potential applications include tracking assets, vehicles and equipment, improving worker safety and supporting physical AI deployments.

The companies explained GPS and Wi-Fi positioning can struggle in warehouses, containers and factories and may increase battery consumption. HellaPHY calculates location on the device rather than in the cloud, allowing devices to determine when an update is required.

This approach apparently reduces network traffic, data costs and power use, while enhancing privacy.

Because the system operates over standard LTE and 5G, customers could add positioning capabilities to existing private networks rather than deploy separate infrastructure, which the companies said would reduce deployment costs and simplify operations.

The pair also claimed the technology provides metre-level accuracy and can cut device power consumption by up to 10 times compared with alternative approaches. This aligns with emerging 5G-Advanced, eRedCap and 6G sensing standards.

PHY Wireless CEO Tom Horgan said organisations pursuing physical AI and automation require location technology that can scale across thousands of devices at a manageable cost. He stated location awareness is becoming a foundational capability for next-generation enterprise and industrial applications.

Ubiik CEO TH Peng added the collaboration demonstrated how the company could adapt its private LTE platform to incorporate new technology and support changing customer requirements.

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Telefonica demonstrated the military capabilities of its 5G infrastructure during an unmanned drone and vehicle exercise, one of the first moves it is making in a collaboration with Portuguese telecoms player NOS Comunicacoes.

The companies combined their 5G technologies during the Robotic Experimentation and Prototyping with Maritime Unmanned Systems demonstration. Telefonica stated the work proved the ability to provide fresh services and uses of the pair’s infrastructure.

Telefonica and NOS Comunicacoes formalised their partnership during the event with the signing of a memorandum of understanding covering joint development of future connectivity set-ups, secure communications and digital services.

Defence and security uses are foremost in the companies’ focus. NOS Comunicacoes board member Joao Ricardo Moreira said a changing security and defence “landscape requires digital infrastructure capable of operating in a coordinated manner across national borders”.

As such, network interoperability is one of the key areas the companies agreed to explore.

Also on the table is work involving edge computing, AI, 5G and fresh architectures. Telefonica stated there would also be a focus on how the technologies integrate with “command-and-control systems, autonomous platforms and other emerging technologies”.

It took the companies a year to hammer out the details of their collaboration.

Telefonica Espana director of defence and security Javier Lopez Gutierrez said the work holds the potential to boost European sovereignty and thanked the Spanish and Portuguese navies for providing the “operational environment” to test and evaluate the technologies involved.

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PLD Space kept the focus on European satellite communication ambitions, revealing progress in developing its reusable launcher a matter of hours after major operators outlined plans involving spectrum access.

The Spanish rocket company is gearing up for a demonstration flight of its MIURA 5 reusable launcher with a trio of machines, two on which it tests systems and one on which validated technologies are installed.

PLD Space stated the approach should reap repeatability benefits when it comes time to manufacture its launcher vessels, along with enabling it to validate fresh features without interrupting scheduled operations.

It is progressing development of flight hardware, engines and mechanisms to lift rockets in to position on launchpads.

Its test units have been used to develop fairings and the company is also confident in its trajectory modelling.

PLD Space has a quartet of flight avionic systems ready and is keeping an eye on the ground infrastructure needed, which includes 17,000 square metres of manufacturing facilities along with ten test benches.

The company is also building a launch facility in French Guiana.

Co-founder and CEO Raul Torres said PLD Space must test “every element of the system” rigorously, making the three-vessel approach vital to the speed of development.

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