As the world gets shrouded in COVID-19, low contact has become an essential element in daily lives and work modes in order to prevent the spread of the virus. Under such circumstances, equipment connectivity has gradually become common; the demand for stable and high-speed wireless communication technology has greatly increased; and the role of Wi-Fi 6 will become increasingly important. Bureau Veritas, a major global company specialized in testing, inspection, and certification, held a seminar on "New Opportunities for the Communication Industry in the New Era of Wi-Fi 6E" at Dazhi Denwell, Taipei on April 9, 2021. The latest regulatory trends and key points for certifications concerned with related technologies were explained and analyzed by the technology experts from Bureau Veritas.Pascal Le-Ray, the general manager of Bureau Veritas Taiwan, pointed out in his speech that, since COVID-19 has changed the entire world, communication technology has become the most important technology for the communications between people, between people and things, as well as between things. For instance, when different countries imposed lockdowns in 2020, it became necessary for various large companies to rely on online meetings to maintain operation. At the same time, an array of systems with smart functions emerged to meet demands, showing that the quality of communication technologies will become increasingly crucial for the digital transformation of companies and agencies. With industry-leading testing capability for Wi-Fi 6E, Bureau Veritas already has testing laboratories appointed by the Wi-Fi Alliance. The company is able to provide all-round Wi-Fi certification testing to wireless-network product manufacturers. Meanwhile, the company also has extensive experience in testing for compulsory test items required by relevant standards; and it has assisted many clients in successfully obtaining FCC certifications. Businesses that intend to step into this field may take advantage of Bureau Veritas' professional abilities to minimize time spent on bringing products into the market.Continuous developments in regulations of various countriesFor the first agenda of the seminar, Hank Chung from the Technical Services Division of Bureau Veritas gave a brilliant presentation on the topic of "Wi-Fi 6E Product Regulation Development Trends and Verification Unit Preparation". Hank Chung stated that Europe and the US have formulated new regulations for Wi-Fi 6E. The US has opened up 4 frequency bands for this purpose. But since these 4 frequency bands were previously opened for the use of other technologies, the FCC has set restrictions to protect Incumbent System from interference. As for Europe, the European Commission of Communications opened up the frequency band of 5925-6425MHz. Overall, compared to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz spectrums currently in use, the bandwidth of the new spectrum is an increase of more than 150%.The FCC's formulation of regulations for Wi-Fi 6E was announced in May 2020, and its corresponding test method did not complete until October 2020. Therefore, despite the faster pace at which the frequency bands were opened in the US, manufacturers did not have products available until December 2020. Basically, the FCC's regulations for Wi-Fi 6E 6GHz is still under the same original UNII chapter as before, and the related technical requirements are further extended based on this. Such regulations are separated into two categories: AP and Client. Equipment belonging to these two major categories are divided into high power and low power classifications based on their features. High-power equipment can be used outdoors and indoors. In addition to the original RF transmitter-related tests, it also needs to comply with the requirements of AFC (Automated Frequency Coordination) or CBP (Contention-Based Protocol). Low-power equipment is mainly used for indoor use. In addition to the original RF transmitter-related tests, there are also related product design restrictions (such as power supplied requirements, antenna requirements, etc.) and the requirements of the CBP (Contention-Based Protocol). The FCC has formulated limitation regulations for these classifications, so Hank Chung specially reminded businesses that they must first clarify the classifications to which their own products belong and take these into consideration at the design stage.In addition to the key points of FCC's regulations, David Liu from the Technical Services Division of Bureau Veritas also gave an in-depth explanation of the UKCA marking requirements for radio equipment. He stated that after leaving the EU, the UK also formulated its own UKCA Marking directives, which include most goods several standards previously subject to CE markingrequired by the CE, including the EMCD, LVD, RED, and RoHS; these were put into effect on January 1, 2021. In relation to these UKCA markingstandards, he made several suggestions for products sold in the UK. 1. If you need to (or choose to) use an authorized representative or responsible person, they will need to be based in the UK for products being placed on the GB marketBusinesses must give the responsibilities of this matter to locally authorized personnel. 2. Check your legal responsibilities, confirm that your own company or and distributors have a clear understanding of the modified legal responsibilities if changed. 3. From 1 January 2023, the UKCA marking must, in most cases, be affixed directly to the product. You should start building this into your design process ready for this date. Goods to be shipped must have UKCA markings when being labeled. 4. In addition to UKCA marking, information including the names and addresses of the manufacturer and importer also need to be displayed on labels. 5. Products to be sold in the GB UK must comply with the UKCA marking, CE DoC; the UK DoC and related technical documentations must be signed and kept for 10 years after the product's entry to market , kept for up to 10 years after the product is placed on the market. 6. The UK standards are currently the same in substance and with the same reference as the standards used in the EU The regulations put into effect on January 1, 2021 was announced simultaneously in the EUOJ content published on the same day. 7. Note that products sold to the UK should follow relevant UK legislation (rather than EU legislation) UK regulations rather than EU regulations. Corresponding information can be found in several regulations. For electromagnetic compatibility, see Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1091); for low voltage products directives, see Electrical Equipment (Safety) Regulations 2016 (S.I. 2016/1101); as for radio frequency equipment, relevant instructions can be found in Radio Equipment Regulations 2017 (S.I. 2017/1206).Information security designs have become essential for Wi-Fi 6EWith regard to high-quality connections supported by large capacity, high efficiency, and high performance, Jimmy Wang from the Wi Fi NFC Testing Section of Bureau Veritas introduced Wi-Fi Alliance's latest certification technologies for Wi-Fi 6E and WPA3. He said the frequency band of Wi-Fi 6E has extended into 6 GHz, and the bandwidth with higher speed greatly reduces the delay of signal transmission. While the fast and trouble-free transmission brought by the various features of Wi-Fi 6E leads to an array of smart services, it will also give rise of risks of user information leakage or security attacks during the information transmission,. Therefore, Wi-Fi Alliance released new version of WPA3 in December 2020. The testing of SAE with Hash-to-Element and Transition Terminated Indicator will be required from December 2021.Moreover, it adds some optional features. The first one is SAE Public Key (SAE-PK) This mechanism uses encrypted public key fingerprints to provide asymmetric authentication in order to prevent external malicious attacks. The next feature, Beacon Protection, ensures signal integrity by only utilizing keys that can be obtained by network equipment. The third feature is Operation Channel Validation. In the process of switching transmission channels, the system provides mutual authentication to both channels. The last feature is Privacy Extension. To achieve this, the system is enabled to support the designs of randomized MAC addresses, which protect the privacy of Wi-Fi users.In addition, Kenny Lee from the Technical Services Division of Bureau Veritas also shared and explained the development trends of information security regulations in recent years. He first pointed out that, in 2020, Bureau Veritas received the "Industry Leader Award" in the Professional Services Category of the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices (DJSI) with honor. Bureau Veritas sets the highest benchmark in the industry as an impartial third-party certification agency. Its information security testing laboratories have assisted many manufacturers in successfully completing certifications.Regarding information security regulations, countries around the world have continuously introduced information security laws in the past few years in response to the emerging era of smart networks. Looking at Europe as an example, in 2019, the EU granted authority to the European Union Agency for Cybersecurity (ENISA), and ENISA officially became a permanent cybersecurity agency of EU. ENISA is responsible for formulating certification plans, guiding the development of technical certification frameworks, and assisting member countries in dealing with large-scale cyber attacks. In addition to the EU, other major industrial nations have also begun to launch related plans one after another. Apart from rolling out relevant strategies, the agencies have also started to formulate related regulations. The IEC 62443, RED ARTICLE 3.3, and ETSI EN 303 645, for example, provide comprehensive directives that give businesses in various industries a clear direction for product design.As a global agency specialized in information security certification, Bureau Veritas provides professional Wi-Fi certification and testing services for industrial control systems and consumers. Kenny Lee expressed that, as market demands rapidly emerge and various countries make regulations more stringent, manufacturers can take advantage of Bureau Veritas' expertise and experiences to quickly create products that comply with market regulations. Doing so can help reduce time spent on entering the market and enhance company competitiveness.

Just Kitchen Holdings, a Taiwan-based startup provider of meal/food delivery services, will undertake IPO on New York's OTC Markets in late May, according to company co-founder and CEO Jason Chen.Just Kitchen, founded in June 2019, completed listing on the Toronto Stock Exchange and DAX of the Frankfurt Stock Exchange in April 2021 and will go public in New York later this month, Chen said.Just Kitchen's business model is to set up central and satellite kitchens and cooperate with restaurant chains, food/beverage brands, food delivery platforms.Just Kitchen set up its first central kitchen and more than 10 satellite ones to provide delivery services for more than eight food brands in 2020. In 2021, Just Kitchen set up its second central kitchen and plans to add more than 15 satellite kitchens and cooperate with more food brands.Just Kitchen has Taiwanese food/restaurant brands to Hong Kong, and will begin to tap markets in Singapore, the Philippines and the US in the third and fourth quarters of 2021.Starting operation in March 2020, Just Kitchen has seen orders for delivery services increase to 90,000 in monthly numbers.

Tight capacity and strong demand have been sending foundry service quotes rising. UMC has plans to raise its 28nm process quotes by almost 13% in July, and will adjust them upwards again in first-quarter 2022. MediaTek has received sufficient support from TSMC, and the chip vendor is also looking to employ the foundry house's advanced InFO_PoP packaging technology for new handset chips. Notebook panel prices have also been rising, and the upward pricing trend is expected to continue through the end of 2021.UMC to raise quotes for 28nm process: United Microelectronics (UMC) plans to raise its 12-inch foundry quotes for 28nm process technology by about 13% starting July, according to industry sources.MediaTek looking to use TSMC InFO_PoP for handset APs: MediaTek is developing new flagship handset SoCs with performance specs comparable to Apple's A series APs for iPhones, and may also adopt TSMC's advanced InFO_PoP packaging technology for the new chips, according to industry sources.Quotes for notebook panels to keep hiking to year-end 2021: Quotes for notebook panels are likely to continue moving upward through the end of 2021 as demand for notebooks supporting stay-at-home activities remains robust, according to industry sources.

Because of worsening shortages of ICs and components, downstream ICT product makers are expected to decelerate their paces in specs upgrades for their new products as their upstream partners will not have enough capacity to support them. Meanwhile the issue will also constrain MCU vendors' revenues as they are experiencing longer delivery lead times from their foundries and backend service providers. As demand from cryptomining applications remains strong, many chip vendors have turned to adopt BT substrates for cryptomining chips as ABF substrates are currently having serious shortages.Chips shortages to slow down specs upgrades for new offerings in 2H21: As shortages of ICs and other components are expected to worsen further in the peak season, downstream system makers are expected to slow down specs upgrades for their new offerings set for launch in the second half of the year, according to industry sources.Longer production lead times to constrain revenue growth at MCU vendors: Taiwan's MCU vendors will see their revenue growth momentum constrained in the short term by extended delivery lead times at foundry and backend houses, although they have abundant orders in hands, according to industry sources.BT substrate supply increasingly tight on strong cryptomining demand: The supply of BT substrates has been increasingly tight, as more vendors of chips, particularly cryptomining ASICs, have turned to adopt BT substrates amid worsening shortages of ABF substrates, according to industry sources.

Taiwan's large-size TFT LCD panel shipments (excluding Sharp's) for first-quarter 2021 slipped 3.4% sequentially but grew 51.5% on year to 72.25 million pieces, according to Digitimes Research.Shipments of notebook-use panels from Taiwan vendors saw a smaller sequential decrease of 2.6% in the first quarter, thanks partly to AUO and Innolux remaining among the world's top-3 vendors for the segment and partly to HannStar Display switching part of its capacity for handset panels to notebook ones, Digitimes Research's numbers show.In the first quarter, Chinese panel makers saw their shipments continue rising to 45% of global total. By contrast, Samsung Display's LCD panel shipments for TV and monitor applications shrank sharply in the quarter, as its LCD production lines in South Korea were being converted to produce QD-OLED panels and its plant in Suzhou, China was undertaking an ownership transfer to China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT).Digitimes Research estimates overall demand for LCD panels will stay strong in the second quarter, with the quarter's shipments of large-size panels from Taiwan suppliers expected to spike 3.5% sequentially and 16.2% on year. The sequential growth, however, is likely to be lower than the industry average as AUO has part of its equipment undertake annual maintenance, apart from shrinkages in demand for white-box tablets.Second-quarter shipments for TV and IT applications will see higher sequential increases than other applications in the second quarter as demand for stay-at-home activities will stay robust amid rebounding global virus infections.In terms of capacity expansion, Taiwan panel makers are expected to focus more on increasing capacity for notebook applications through the end of 2021.

EMS giant Foxconn, taking a step further in its transformation, has formed a joint venture with passive component maker Yageo for the development and sales of what they call "small ICs" - semiconductor chips with ASP lower than US$2.00. Meanwhile, TSMC has seen orders from Bitmain pick up for 5nm chips used in cryptomining. TSMC is also expected to make 6nm processors for Sony's redesigned PS5 games console.Foxconn, Yageo to form semiconductor JV: Foxconn (Hon Hai) Technology Group and Yageo have announced plans to form a joint venture for the development and sale of semiconductors.TSMC sees orders for cryptomining chips pick up: Bitmain, a vendor of bitcoin mining ASICs and equipment, has placed 5nm chip orders with TSMC with production slated to kick off starting the third quarter, according to industry sources.Suppliers to gear up for PS5 redesign: Suppliers including foundry TSMC are expected to kick off production for the redesign of Sony's PlayStation 5 (PS5) games console between the second and third quarters of 2022, according to industry sources.

Changes in consumption habits are urging retailers to accelerate the pace of smartization. Under this trend, the weight carried by POS systems and kiosks, which play important roles in the operation of physical stores, will gradually increase. As a major IT system provider for retail and catering industries, DataVan International Corporation recently acquired industrial computer manufacturer Maincon Corporation in order to strengthen product layouts and service capabilities.DataVan International Corporation's Executive Director Mao-cheng Hsu of the Technology Department and Vice General Manager Yi-ching Chen of the General Administration Department both expressed that the two companies will perfectly complement each other in the areas of technology and product marketing, leading to more comprehensive solutions for clients.DataVan International Corporation has many years of experience in the fields of IT systems for catering and retail industries, including POS systems and kiosks. The company's overall business performance has maintained steady growth despite the fact that many clients have been merged into other companies during the wave of mergers and acquisitions that started in the past few years. Yi-ching Chen stated that the company's main target markets are mostly occidental countries, and the x86 architecture is the focal point of its technology. Recently, the company has decided to expand into the Asian market and increase the proportion of its Android products, therefore, the decision to acquire Maincon Corporation was made. DataVan International Corporation has acquired 60% of Maincon Corporation's equity for now. Mao-cheng Hsu also stated that Maincon Corporation not only has all-round marketing networks in several Asian markets including Japan and Southeast Asia, but also has established great collaborative relationships with local major manufacturers. In terms of technology, Maincon Corporation has a strong foundation in the Android field. In recent years, Maincon Corporation has seen positive results of its substantial investment in AI; it already has practical solutions that can be implemented. These strengths will complement DataVan International Corporation.After the acquisition of Maincon Corporation, DataVan International Corporation will use Maincon Corporation's marketing networks in Asia to allow its products, including POS and kiosk systems, to smoothly enter the local markets. In addition, Maincon Corporation's Android and AI technologies will be utilized to create smart retail solutions, which will also be promoted in the existing European markets. Mao-cheng Hsu mentioned that Maincon Corporation has many successful cases of smart solutions under its belt. It previously worked with NESIC, a subsidiary of Japanese IT company NEC, in launching a smart epidemic prevention system. In addition to its success in the retail industry, Maincon Corporation also has substantial achievements in other fields, including industrial control and transportation. In the industrial control domain, the company has worked with AsusTek Computer in building an industrial safety surveillance platform; in the transportation domain, the company has assisted Malaysia in building a smart transportation system.Regarding future plans, Yi-ching Chen believes that smartization is an irreversible trend in the market, so DataVan International Corporation will integrate AI technologies and launch smart POS terminals as well as other retail equipment. In fact, in 2018 the company had already developed a smart solution that builds AI machine vision into POS machines. It allows quick product identification and speeds up checkouts. However, the global market was affected by the pandemic in 2020, forcing product plans to be suspended. Depending on market recovery, the plans will resume in the future. Moreover, DataVan International Corporation will also launch POS machine models with remote monitoring. The function enables mangers to control POS devices located at different places and get hold of the devices' operating statuses via an online platform.In addition to smart POS systems, DataVan International Corporation also plans to extend its technology into other areas of the retail industry, including warehousing and logistics. Mao-cheng Hsu mentioned that, as the retail industry steps into the O2O era, online and offline transactions have begun to be tightly integrated. This trend has made it difficult for a POS system to satisfy the demands of a physical store. Upstream and downstream systems, including logistics and warehousing, must integrate to allow the seamless flow of information. This aids the creation of more diverse services. For example, smart shelves can enable the warehousing system to automatically generate the data of purchases, inventories and sales, which can be utilized by the store and logistics service providers.In another project of DataVan International Corporation, the company worked with an American client in creating an inventory-tracking smart robot system. Robotics and kiosks are the two main technologies integrated in this system. During the opening hours of a store, various product information and services are provided through kiosks; at night, robots automatically go around the store and track the types and numbers of products on the shelves. At present, DataVan International Corporation has shipped the kiosks to the United States, and the integrated inventory-tracking smart robot system is still in progress. In the future, aided by Maincon Corporation's AI technology, DataVan International Corporation will optimize the functions of the robots and market the product to the European market. Mao-cheng Hsu and Yi-ching Chen both stated that this project is the best example of how DataVan International Corporation and Maincon Corporation complement each other with their strengths. Projects similar to this one will emerge quickly as the pace of smartization accelerates in the retail market. DataVan International Corporation will use this investment plan to expand the company's operational arrangements and satisfy market demands with integrated solutions.DataVan International executive director of Technology, Mao-cheng Hsu (right) and vice GM of General Administration, Yi-ching Chen (left) both express that the strengths of their company and Maincon will complement each other; DataVan will let this investment plan be the core of the company's operational arrangement expansionPhoto: Digitimes, April 2021

Demand for white-box servers from datacenter operators has been growing fast, with Taiwanese ODM's shipments already accounting for more than one third of the world's total server shipments in 2020, according to Digitimes Research's latest Server Tracker quarterly report. Earlier this year, foundry house VIS set its 2021 capex budget at NT$5 billion, a sharp increase from last yea's level. Now it has raised the capex budget further to NT$8 billion to fund its capacity expansion. With persistently strong demand for ICs, silicon wafer supplier GloabalWafers expects sales momentum to remain robust through 2023.White-box ODMs see increasing penetration in global server shipments: White-box server ODMs such as Quanta Computer and Wiwynn saw their shipments to datacenter operators account for more than 38% of the global total server shipments in 2020, up 8pp from that in 2017, and the percentage is expected to rise further to 46% in the first half of 2021, according to Digitimes Research's latest figures from the Server Tracker.VIS raises capex outlook for 2021: Vanguard International Semiconductor (VIS) has raised its capex budget for 2021 by 70% to NT$8.5 billion (US$303.8 million), with plans to purchase more fab equipment supporting its long-term expansion projects.GlobalWafers expects silicon wafer demand to stay robust through 2023: Taiwan-based GlobalWafers has reported sequential growths in first-quarter shipments for silicon wafers of all sizes, and expects sales momentum to stay strong through 2023.

Taiwan's shipments of small- to medium-size LCD panels are expected to edge up 3.7% sequentially but decline 15% on year in the second quarter of 2021, after reaching 188 million units in the previous quarter, Digitimes Research estimates.The shipment volumes for the first quarter were down 2.4% sequentially but up 12.1% on year.While the sequential growth forecast for the second quarter is to be fueled by seasonal demand, the growing adoption of OLED panels for smartphone and tablet applications will contribute to the sharp annual reductions for LCD in the quarter, Digitimes Research notes.For the second quarter, Taiwan's LCD shipments for handset applications are forecast to grow 5.4% sequentially thanks to a ramp-up in the shipments by HannStar Display for feature phone panels.Taiwan's shipments of small- and mid-size LCD panels for tablets are expected to see a significant sequential decline in the second quarter due to shortages of related IC parts and reduced demand from some major clients, including Amazon.For all of 2021, Taiwan's shipments of small- and mid-size LCD panels are likely to fall 6.8% on year to 790 million units, Digitimes Research forecasts. The growing adoption of OLED for smartphones will continue to erode the market of LCD, and the increasing sizes of tablet panels, coupled with a shortage of driver ICs, will affect shipments for mid-size applications.

Smartphone shipments totaled 94.6 million units in the China market in the first quarter of 2021, up 9% sequentially and 99.6% on year, Digitimes Research has found.First-quarter smartphone shipments by Xiaomi, Oppo and Vivo were their highest records for the same quarter, thanks to their stockpiles of handset chips and other components in advance, according to Digitimes Research.Huawei's smartphone shipments continued to dwindle in the first quarter, and shipments from Honor, a spun-off of Huawei, did not come in significant volumes as the vendor plans to launch mainstream models in the second quarter.Oppo, Vivo, Xiaomi, Huawei, and Apple were the top five brands in China's handset market in the first quarter, accounting for a total of 91.8% share. Including Honor, the top-six brands accounted for 98% of the market.Looking ahead, most brands, except for Honor, are likely to see their shipments scale down in the second quarter due to the shortages of parts and components.Overall smartphone shipments in the China market are forecast to fall 19.3% in the second quarter from the previous quarter, Digitimes Research forecasts.