Tech innovator shaping the skies of the future
Print Edition
FRENCH novelist Jules Verne might have imagined the future of the world in his science-fiction writing, but a modern fan of his is actually putting it into practice.
Paul Eremenko, chief technology officer of Airbus, is on a mission to explore the future.
“There could not be a more exciting time for aerospace than today as there are many probabilities for the future,” Eremenko says.
And the 39-year-old believes the aerospace giant should work with the world’s most populous nation to define the future. China, he said, is a country “full of energy, great ambitions and resources in its massive scale.”
China has made remarkable achievements in the aerospace industry. “It is no longer catching up with the world, but the leader in multiple technological domains,” says Eremenko, adding that China is leading in digital technology, software and other cutting-edge fields.
He was speaking after announcing the establishment of the European firm’s innovation center in south China’s Shenzhen, its second after the A3 Airbus Silicon Valley Innovation Center.
Eremenko was CEO of A3 before his appointment as Airbus chief technology officer. He is amazed by the unique innovative ecosystem in “China’s Silicon Valley” of Shenzhen.
“In this dynamic city, you can see how fast China is moving forward and how talented young Chinese are,” Eremenko acknowledges.
In July, Airbus appointed young Chinese entrepreneur Luo Gang as CEO of the Airbus China Innovation Center where initiatives in autonomous flight, unmanned vehicles and in-flight experience are underway with local partners.
“Airbus looks and invests in the future. That’s its job as a global aerospace giant. And China will surely become a pivotal power in defining the future of the world’s skies,” says Luo.
Airbus is tracking more than 200 core start-up companies worldwide, many in China, in aerospace areas such as drones, supersonic business jets and satellites. They attracted more than 5 billion euros (US$5.9 billion) from 2010 to 2015.
Spirit of exploration
Eremenko began his career at a start-up drone company, and then worked at Google, Motorola and the Pentagon as an innovator and technology executive.
“I was so happy to come back to the aerospace industry, to my roots and passion,” he says.
The son of a former Soviet mathematician, he grew up in the US and became fascinated with aeronautics while reading Jules Verne as a child.
“I received my pilot license on the first day of my legal age at 17, even before I learned how to drive,” says Eremenko.
One of Fortune magazine’s Top 10 Tech Leaders of 2015, he has abundant experience with drones, experimental aircraft and Google’s Ara modular smartphone.
But from a business angle, he sees the commercial aviation sector’s future in making air travel more efficient and profitable.
“In a foreseeable time, we will not do that in the commercial aircraft sector,” he says, citing Vahana, a single-passenger, self-piloted electric vertical taking-off and landing aircraft, which is being developed by A3.
He is also in an industry that attaches incomparable importance to safety.
“It is not an either-or choice of innovation and safety, but a question of the mindset. I think both are imperative, and aviation engineers are flexible creatures capable of bridging them,” says Eremenko.
“It is helpful to leverage experience from China, especially in the unique innovation ecosystem in Shenzhen, in the culture of risk-taking and the grand rapid prototyping.”
It takes him at least 10 hours to fly from his base in Europe, but China draws him every month.
“It is the most exciting time for aerospace. And the best decision is to leap ahead by joining hands with China.”
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