Manifold technologies has been recognised at the recent IBC show as a key contributor to the Media eXchange Layer (MXL), which itself won the Content Creation category at the IBC2026 Innovation Awards. The award was presented on the main stage of the IBC Conference at the RAI Amsterdam on Sunday evening, with technical partners receiving a certificate to display on their own booths.
Designed to facilitate video, audio and timed data handover across shared memory, MXL was recognised not only for its technical achievements – including improved compute efficiency, reduced infrastructure complexity, and the ability to deliver distributed, live, low-latency content – but also for the way it facilitates multi-vendor collaboration. It uses open-source code under a permissive licence, meaning developers are free to build directly on the supplied code rather than implementing a specific written specification. By adopting this approach, the EBU (European Broadcasting Union) – the body that conceived and implemented the project – aimed to prioritise interoperability.
For this idea of interoperability to succeed, a range of industry stakeholders needed to be brought into the project from an early stage, providing insight and feedback on how MXL’s core features functioned in the context of individual vendors’ operations, both individually and collaboratively. EBU members – including CBC/Radio-Canada, BBC, France Télévisions, SVT and VRT – were involved from the outset, while broadcasters including Sky, NRK and Warner Bros, and vendors including Intel, Qvest, Sony, Ross and Matrox, were asked to contribute knowledge, feedback and code where relevant.
Manifold was also approached at the outset of the project, through EBU member CBC/Radio-Canada. After generating initial feedback in the early days of the initiative, manifold has since participated in the project’s Slack channel across the years, contributing particularly to discussions on internode communication, and has taken part periodically in Requirements Council Zoom calls and specific working sessions.
As an evolving initiative, manifold’s ongoing expertise will continue to be crucial. The company is looking to potentially contribute code to aid FPGA acceleration support where it is needed, and interoperability demonstrations will form a major element of manifold’s presence at upcoming industry exhibitions.
Aleksei Shevchenko, Ceo of manifold technologies, commented: “Being recognised alongside so many industry leaders is a privilege, but the real achievement is what MXL represents: vendors who compete elsewhere choosing to solve a shared problem together. That’s the spirit that moves the industry forward. We’re proud to have contributed to the conversation, and we’re committed to deepening our involvement as the project evolves – particularly around FPGA acceleration, where we believe we can add real value”.
More information about manifold technologies and their solutions is available at www.manifoldtech.tv.