Somerville, MA – February 27, 2018 – VIA is pleased to announce that it has signed an agreement with TEPCO Power Grid, a subsidiary of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO) to provide automated recovery recommendations for multiple simultaneous switch failures, or the “N-1-1” problem.

There are automated solutions in place for what to do when a single switch failure happens. However, as N-1-1 failures are extremely complex, software has not been able to identify all possible contingencies during an outage. Solving the N-1-1 problem remains a challenge for power companies today, and VIA aims to solve this industry-wide problem using their AI solution.

“Contingency planning initiatives are nothing new to the energy industry. In fact, in the US, FERC and NERC have both mandated that power companies have a solution to this N-1-1 issue. Our client, VIA, has a solution to this problem. They will use AI to provide operators with a step-by-step recommendation in order to recover from N-1-1 failures across a comprehensive range of scenarios,” said Andrew Kaplan, a partner at Pierce Atwood LLP with an expertise in energy regulatory law.

“There are a number of benefits that VIA’s solution can provide TEPCO Power Grid including faster recovery time during unplanned outages and reduced impact of outages during planned maintenance. Using VIA’s solution, the operator can reroute switches to maintain power while these issues are being fixed,” explained Kristen Merrill, VIA’s vice president, client service.

VIA is using AI to help improve grid safety, reliability, and service quality to customers. “We are pleased to deepen our partnership with VIA after the recent completion of our AI work with TEPCO Transmission following a minority investment in 2016,” commented Hirokazu Yamaguchi, Executive General Manager, Global Innovation and Investments at TEPCO.

TEPCO Power Grid will undertake rigorous testing of VIA’s solution to evaluate how implementation will improve current power system operations. This contingency planning initiative builds upon reinforcement learning AI work previously demonstrated to TEPCO on a small-scale circuit.

About VIA
VIA creates software applications that identify and prioritize risks to critical infrastructure using a combination of artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and causal analytics. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, VIA has developed its risk assessment algorithms in conjunction with some of the world’s leading companies and government agencies in energy and security. The company has been featured in Wired Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes for its expertise in causal analytics software applications. For more information, please visit www.viascience.com.

About TEPCO Power Grid Inc.
TEPCO Power Grid Inc. is a 100%-owned subsidiary of Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., handling electric power transmission and distribution. It maintains one of the most stable power supplies in the world including 0.06 per household outage per year and outage time of 6 min per household per year (both are actual performance in FY2015) using reliable equipment and advanced technology.

About Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.
Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TSE: 9501), headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is the largest utility in Japan, serving millions of homes and businesses. Worldwide the company has more than 34 subsidiaries and 32 affiliates in eight countries and employs approximately 42,060 people. Consolidated revenue for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, totaled 5.3 trillion Japanese yen. The company was established in 1951 and is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, visit http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/corpinfo/index-e.html.

Colin Gounden, CEO of VIA, was interviewed by Inc. Magazine for the recent article “Why Millions of People Rely On This A.I. Startup to Keep Their Lights On.” Gounden discussed his process for recruiting top tech talent, particularly in booming fields like AI and machine learning:

“Everyone talks about technology and IT, but it’s people who create the technology and the IT. But how do you find, keep, and motivate people? That’s the biggest imperative for us.”

VIA tests candidates on problem solving, communication, and company culture compatibility during the interview process. This emphasis on the individual continues after they are hired. Gounden also cites VIA’s unique approach to feedback as key to employees’ ongoing development and motivation.

 

 

Somerville, MA – November 1, 2017 – Via Science, Inc. is pleased to announce that they have been selected by PJM Interconnection LLC to work on a proof-of-concept that will help mitigate risks to fuel supply for electricity generation during extreme weather events.

The interdependence of the United States grid infrastructure makes the delivery of energy across the nation uniquely vulnerable to unpredictable events like extreme weather. While grid operators have spent decades preparing for such risk, the use of artificial intelligence shows great promise for improving grid reliability and security as well as mitigating potential issues before they occur.

Via Science will work on a proof-of-concept with PJM to help identify where specific risks are in the gas and electric interdependency system to ensure the grid is resilient during unexpected events, like a polar vortex.

“We are honored to have been chosen by PJM to help them ensure their more than 65 million customers have safe and reliable electric service, this winter and beyond,” said Colin Gounden, CEO of Via Science. “We are confident that the combination of our software and the decades of expertise within the PJM team will provide a better solution than either of them alone.”

After a live evaluation phase, it is anticipated that this initiative can move to full deployment using Via Science’s new blockchain application, allowing PJM to analyze transmission-specific data without the risks inherent in transferring data.

About Via Science
Via Science creates software applications that identify and prioritize risks to critical infrastructure using a combination of artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, and causal analytics. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Via Science has developed its risk assessment algorithms in conjunction with some of the world’s leading companies and government agencies in energy and security. The company has been featured in Wired Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes for its expertise in causal analytics software applications. For more information, please visit www.viascience.com.

About PJM
PJM Interconnection, founded in 1927, ensures the reliability of the high-voltage electric power system serving 65 million people in all or parts of Delaware, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Maryland, Michigan, New Jersey, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia and the District of Columbia. PJM coordinates and directs the operation of the region’s transmission grid, which includes over 82,000 miles of transmission lines; administers a competitive wholesale electricity market; and plans regional transmission expansion improvements to maintain grid reliability and relieve congestion. PJM’s regional grid and market operations produce annual savings of $2.8 billion to $3.1 billion. For the latest news about PJM, visit PJM Inside Lines at insidelines.pjm.com.

Montreal, QC – September 13, 2017 – Via Science, Inc. accepted Startup Canada’s 2017 Innovation Award for the Quebec region. This award saw a highly competitive pool of candidates, due in large part to Quebec’s recent emergence as an innovation hub.

The award recognized Via Science’s leadership in using artificial intelligence to solve large-scale, high-stakes challenges across critical infrastructure, particularly in the energy industry. As a regional winner, Via Science will advance to the national awards, which will be announced during the Grand Finale in October.

Patrick Harrison of Intuit QuickBooks presented Via Science with the award and remarked that there was a “parallel between what [Via Science] does and what Intuit does on a daily basis, and that is that we try and use analytics, power of the cloud, and AI to help businesses make more informed decisions”.

Chief Scientific Officer Jeremy Taylor and Team Lead, Data Science Bruno Rousseau accepted this honor on Via Science’s behalf at the awards ceremony in Montreal hosted at Le Gare and Ubisoft.

In February, Via Science was a finalist for Techvibes’ Canadian Startup Awards Technology Innovation award.

About Via Science
Via Science creates software applications that identify and prioritize risks to critical infrastructure using a combination of artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and causal analytics. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Via Science has developed its risk assessment algorithms in conjunction with some of the world’s leading companies and government agencies in energy and security. The company has been featured in Wired Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes for its expertise in causal analytics software applications. For more information, please visit www.viascience.com.

About Startup Canada
Startup Canada is the leading national social enterprise supporting and giving a voice to entrepreneurs through online programs, national awards, flagship events, partnerships with private sector and government to foster a community for startup and small business success across the country. Learn more at www.startupcan.ca.

Somerville, Mass. – July 25, 2017 – Via Science, Inc. today announced its commercial team has moved to a new corporate headquarters located in the Davis Square neighborhood of Somerville, Massachusetts. The new headquarters is located just three miles away from their founding headquarters next to MIT and provides their growing team more space, increased privacy, and an easier commute.

“At Via Science, we have always aspired to be as employee-friendly as possible. Davis Square in Somerville is conveniently accessible from Harvard and MIT, and is an easy walk to the commuter rail, which will significantly reduce the commute time for our team,” said CEO Colin Gounden.

The move also signifies a major milestone for the company: their first private building. “The office space will accommodate our growing team as well as visiting clients and investors. We’re also looking forward to hosting our Montreal technical team this year in Somerville for our semi-annual company offsite,” said Kristen Merrill, VP, Client Service.

About Via Science

Via Science creates software applications that identify and prioritize risks to critical infrastructure using a combination of artificial intelligence, high-performance computing, and causal analytics. Headquartered in Somerville, Massachusetts, Via Science has developed its risk assessment algorithms in conjunction with some of the world’s leading companies and government agencies in energy and security. The company has been featured in Wired Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes for its expertise in causal analytics software applications. For more information, please visit www.viascience.com.

 

The joint initiative will utilize analytics and machine learning in an effort to improve reliability, efficiency, and service for TEPCO’s customers.

 

Cambridge, Mass. – July 6, 2017 – Via Science, Inc. and Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc. (TEPCO), today signed their joint initiative to use analytics and machine learning to predict and prevent power disruption due to failure of ACSRs and compression joint sleeves.

“Our team will analyze data from over 17,000 miles of transmission wires across Japan to determine how TEPCO can improve reliability for their customers and simultaneously reduce equipment and maintenance costs. ACSRs and compression joint sleeves are two types of equipment that are costly, time consuming, and sometimes dangerous to test. Our machine learning analysis aims to resolve this issue by both identifying vulnerable equipment and, uniquely, providing an explanation of why each piece of equipment has been flagged,” said Dr. Bruno Rousseau, Team Leader, Data Science at Via Science.

Rousseau continued, “Solving this challenge would have major implications for TEPCO and utilities globally. All utilities would benefit from having explanations for their maintenance departments and regulators of why their assets are failing so that they can plan and invest accordingly. We are proud to work with TEPCO to build a solution with such wide reaching potential.”

“Improving reliability, efficiency, and service for our customers has always been a top priority. But in our previous experiences using neural network solutions to support these efforts, we found we wanted more insight into the ‘why’ behind the predictions and recommendations. We are excited by Via Science’s potential to provide transparency, which is absolutely essential to decisions that affect our customers and our assets,” said Akira Matsumoto, an engineer in the transmission department of TEPCO Power Grid.

Matsumoto continued, “We decided to work with Via Science because their customer-centric software solution has been proven with agencies such as the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to prioritize vulnerabilities and make customized recommendations. Via Science’s core patents are in identifying causality, so beyond simply predicting a power outage or a maintenance need, we expect to pinpoint the contributing factors of failure, such as weather, location, or equipment age. Given the cost of manually collecting and analyzing data across our 50,000 assets, these kinds of tools are invaluable.”

In December 2016, TEPCO made a minority investment in Via Science. This project is the first of many related to risk assessment and predictive maintenance to come from the partnership. “We are excited to launch these innovative, operational improvement initiatives with Via Science. We aim to improve reliability to all our 29 million customers by integrating their unique causal analytics software into our network operations,” explained Hirokazu Yamaguchi, Executive General Manager, Global Innovation and Investments at TEPCO.

Update: TEPCO has published their own press release on the initiative as well as an outline of the proof of concept.

About Via Science

Via Science creates software applications that identify and prioritize risks to critical infrastructure using a combination of high-performance computing, machine learning, and causal analytics. Headquartered in Cambridge, Massachusetts, Via Science has developed its risk assessment algorithms in conjunction with some of the world’s leading companies and government agencies in energy and security. The company has been featured in Wired Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and Forbes for its expertise in causal analytics software applications. For more information, please visit www.viascience.com.

About Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc.

Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings, Inc., headquartered in Tokyo, Japan, is the largest utility in Japan. We provide electricity primarily to home and business in the Kanto region of Japan, one of the world’s most heavily populated areas. Worldwide the company has more than 74 subsidiaries and affiliates in 8 countries and employs approximately 33,200 people. Operating Revenues for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2017, totaled 5.4 trillion Japanese yen. The company was established in 1951 and is listed on the First Section of the Tokyo Stock Exchange. For more information, visit http://www.tepco.co.jp/en/corpinfo/index-e.html.

Via Science’s CEO Colin Gounden traveled to Taiwan and Japan in February to meet with several energy and heavy industry companies. While in Tokyo, Colin sat down with journalists Takashi Nishioka and Yuichi Shiga from The Nikkei, Japan’s leading subscription-based business and economic news publication. The article is available only to subscribers, so below we’ve translated the Q&A session that was published as part of the larger article.

Q&A

How do you use artificial intelligence (AI) in the electric power business?
“Via Science is not trying to solve brand new problems in electric power, but rather solve problems that all electric power companies have today. For example, power generation, transmission, and distribution facilities all invest heavily in equipment updates. We can make the analysis of where to invest much more efficient and rigorous.”

Can humans accept what AI has judged?
“People accept AI suggestions when they understand the reasoning behind why the computer made a specific recommendation. Very recent AI advances have allowed computers to understand cause and effect relationships of data points directly from the data. These cause and effect relationships provide transparency into why a computer has made a recommendation. When an AI generated recommendation is transparent, people are more easily convinced. AI recommendations are not always 100% correct, but neither are people. It’s important to set the expectation that the goal of AI is not perfection but rather that AI and people together will have fewer mistakes than either alone.”

Do you think that TEPCO’s problems can be improved as well?
“TEPCO is a big company and there are many potential opportunities for AI throughout the generation, transmission, and distribution business, so we have to discuss priorities. A major area of focus for us is to reduce the costs related to the upgrade and replacement of facilities.”

How will the new Trump administration affect the electric power business?
“In the U.S. presidential election, then candidate Trump and candidate Clinton had very different opinions on almost everything. Perhaps the only area that they did agree on was that investment in power transmission and distribution was necessary, and investment would be continued.”

NOTE: The original interview was conducted in Japanese with answers provided in English through a translator. The final article was published in Japanese only, and we have translated that back to English. We have stayed true to the initial intent of the Q&A and apologize for any mis-translations.