News

June 2009

Yissum Licenses to Van Leer Ventures a Software Platform for Maximizing PC Processing Power

Yissum, Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd., and Van Leer Ventures Jerusalem, one of Israel 's leading early stage investment organizations, announced that Yissum licensed to Van Leer Ventures a software platform for maximizing PC processing power. Van Leer Ventures has established a startup company, Valensum, for the development and commercialization of the technology, which enables computer applications to utilize the processing power of various peripheral devices, such as the graphic interface card. Harnessing the computing capabilities of these underutilized CPUs offers a smart, cost-effective and efficient approach for maximizing the processing capabilities of PCs.

Today's PCs are rapidly becoming heterogeneous multi-core computing environments with various PC peripheral cards having their own CPUs. However, few applications take advantage of all the available processing power. Valensum's platform provides a tool for developers to take advantage of this unused power, enabling the delegation of tasks to a computer's peripheral devices, thereby increasing both the speed of applications and the efficiency of computer multitasking. The platform was developed by Professor Danny Dolev and his students from the School of Engineering and Computer Science of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Valensum's platform enables the development of applications that can detect potentially available peripheral computing resources and offload data to them, effectively "delegating responsibilities". The technology can be used with devices such as a network interface card, graphic interface card, disk controller, or security card. It enables an application to run without involving the main CPU. For example, a TV program can be recorded to the PC and played online at the same time as the PC is being used for something else.

"New generation computer applications are demanding an ever increasing amount of computational power, leading to a growing need to provide high performance computing solutions. Prof. Dolev's invention provides such a solution, which enables application developers to take advantage of unused power by delegating tasks to peripheral computing devices with different architectures and constraints," stated Yehuda Yarmut, EVP and acting CEO of Yissum. "We are delighted to partner with Van Leer Ventures to advance high performance computing solutions."

Oren Gershtein , CEO of Van Leer Ventures, said, "Valensum's technology is a cost effective method to utilize available computing resources and optimize their use to achieve substantial application gains. It will enhance the performance of any PC, thereby targeting a huge global market. We look forward to working together with Yissum and believe that this partnership will deem profitable for both parties."

About Yissum
Yissum Research Development Company of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem Ltd. was founded in 1964 to protect and commercialize the Hebrew University 's intellectual property. Products based on Hebrew University technologies that have been commercialized by Yissum currently generate $1.2 Billion in annual sales. Ranked among the top technology transfer companies in the world, Yissum has registered 6100 patents covering 1750 inventions; has licensed out 480 technologies and has established 65 spin-off companies. Yissum's business partners span the globe and include companies such as Novartis, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, Merck, Intel, Teva and many more. For further information please visit www.yissum.co.il.

About Van Leer Ventures Jerusalem
Van Leer Ventures Jerusalem (VLVJ) invests in early stage companies with proprietary innovative technologies addressing large and fast growing markets. VLVJ focuses on a number of fields: IT, Advanced Materials, Nanotechnology, Medical Devices and Industrial Applications. The company is committed to providing its portfolio companies with advanced technological facilities, management services & funding through all stages of the life cycle of their project to exploitation of technological and financial results, raising funds from VC's and leading Investment Homes. The Center was established in 1992 by a consortium of notable sponsors. Today much of the Center's activities are supported by its investors, Docor International BV , an industrial investment fund backing graduate companies in Israel and around the world, and proves a suitable partner for advancing technologies from innovation to commercialization. Van Leer's wide network of contacts contributes greatly in helping their portfolio companies recruit international partnerships. For further information please visit: www.vlvj.co.il.

More News