K. Mallios (Applied Materials): Why we invested in Greece

The global technological giant of the group of Applied Materials that invested in our country, through the acquisition of the Greek company Think Silicon and the significant investment that followed, gives a vote of confidence in the Greek market and the role it can play. According to Costas Mallios, Vice President and General Manager of the Applied AI Group of Applied Materials, who was in Athens on the occasion of the “Atoms to Algos” Conference in order to highlight the new technological trends that shape the future, the Group’s goal is Think Silicon to operate as one of the key growth and innovation hubs of the Applied Materials group worldwide, with particular emphasis on Europe.

“We have strengthened the human resources we have in both Patras and Athens, while we are also expanding in Thessaloniki. At the same time, we seek to attract talent from other European countries, to bring people of high scientific level to Greece, to whom we offer the opportunity to work in a very interesting object with many perspectives “, points out in an interview with APE / MPE and the journalist Aleko Lidorikis.

Think Silicon is a company that started in Patras and is active in the design and implementation of high-performance graphics processing units (Graphics Processors Units or GPUs) with extremely low power consumption, artificial intelligence processors and screen controllers (Display Processors / Controllers) for small portable devices, either Internet of Things (IoT) or wearables.

“Only these terms,” ​​says Mr. Mallios, “show how much technology and innovation the company produces, so you realize that the great advantage of Think Silicon, and one of the main reasons that Applied Materials acquired it, is technology.” In practice, Think Silicon’s solutions allow a device with limited resources in terms of technical features to run multiple applications while keeping power consumption low. “It’s no coincidence that Think Silicon’s customers include the largest wearables manufacturers in the world and their list is constantly expanding,” said Mallios.

Technological developments concern everyone

The specialized technological terms are often not understood by the average citizen, giving the impression that the developments do not concern them. But what is reality? According to Mr. Mallios, many times many people think that all this does not concern them or, even worse, excludes them. “But the reality is completely different. Digital technologies have penetrated our daily lives. Algorithms are the ones that give us instructions on how to get around the city faster. Networked home appliances are a prime example of the Internet of Things or Internet of Things (IoT) The photos and videos we upload to social media are a form of cloud utilization, but in terms of chips and processors, we use them every day in everything we do. are the heartbeats in the smartwatch we wear on our wrist, up to driving, as all these possibilities of modern vehicles that inform us about the condition of our car are possible thanks to the use of chips and sensors. understanding some terms, but the knowledge that digital technology surrounds us constantly and should not it leaves us “out”, he emphasizes.

How much will these possibilities change the daily life of the citizen

“In the near future we will see more ‘smart’ devices. The IoT (or Internet of Things) is something that has already begun to appear and we will be more concerned. In this new world, the devices and processors that will provide the necessary computing power will play an even more important role, will interconnect and communicate seamlessly, executing the commands we have given them.At the same time, the cloud will allow us to have direct access to data and services from wherever we are “And from any device. And we will be able to control all our devices only with our voice”, says the general director of the world technology giant

Applied Materials’s contribution to this technological transformation

Applied Materials, says Mallios “is a global group of companies, which develops and provides all the solutions and products used for the production of processors and chips, as well as advanced screens worldwide. I would say that we are the company that provides the tools and infrastructure to build all the technology products we use every day, whether for personal or professional use.It is no coincidence that our motto is “let innovation make a better future possible”. “How do we help technology product makers create better devices, with more features and less power consumption. In particular, the latter is something we are giving more and more weight to.”

Lack of human resources in the digital technology industry – the key to lifelong learning and adaptation to new data

We also asked the opinion of Mr. Mallios, who has extensive experience in positions of responsibility and knows as little as the Greek and the international technology ecosystem, on another topical issue that is the subject of dialogue at national level and concerns the lack of a sufficient number of human resources. “This dialogue is taking place not only in Greece, but also worldwide. There is a shortage of specialties that touch on various fields. Especially those related to digital technologies. A key reason is that technology is evolving so fast that It is very difficult for the education system to follow the trends and prepare the people, the engineers, the programmers who need to meet the needs that are being created, but this is something that will continue in the future. that a young scientist, but also all employees in general, should realize that in the near future the key to lifelong learning and adaptation to new data and requirements that will be created.Technology will have an ever-increasing need for talent, in creative minds and innovative ideas and we want Greece to become a center of development and human resources and innovation “, he states.

“Atoms to Algos” Event -The new technological trends that shape the future have emerged

The event was not accidentally named “Atoms the Algos”. The word Algos is the abbreviation for algorithms or simply algorithms, which are now a key component of the daily lives of people, businesses and countries in the digital age we live in. The aim of the event was to explain some of the key technologies that already concern us. Why is there so much talk about the cloud? What are edge and IoT? How is artificial intelligence, which is based on algorithms and large volumes of data, utilized in our daily lives? But also how necessary is a new generation of equipment and devices, which utilize the latest developments in the field of silicon, in order to make possible all that is designed and developed by creators of applications and services around the world. I believe that we gave a very good picture of all these developments to those who attended the event, either up close or digitally, says Mr. Mallios.

Source: AMPE