Startup firms CRIS, GoodLinker and Claireye Intelligent Technology have developed AI solutions Industry 4.0.Three key factors of Industry 4.0 APS (advanced planning and scheduling) are coordination between production and shipment, real-time synchronous planning and cross-system resource integration, said CRIS CEO Allen Wang.CRIS has developed IMPACTs, a cloud computing-based smart dynamic scheduling system that exchanges ERP (enterprise resource planning)/MES (manufacturing execution system) data via Excel/API to track planning for material procurement and delivery planning for orders received, Wang noted.Wang indicated that modeling engine for scheduling and cloud-based modular architecture are core technologies of IMPACTs, with the former supporting digital twin modeling which completely simulates production conditions and recommends real-time decisions based on onsite conditions, and the latter directly connected with AWS (Amazon Web Services) for quick integration with other production information systems.IMPACTs can reach inventory turnover rates of 15-35%, complete kit rates of 65-95%, scheduling efficiency of 95-100% and reduce time from receiving orders to delivery by 10-55% and scheduling labor input by 10-55%, Wang said.For general automated production systems, APS is between ERP and MES, but for Industry 4.0-based virtual and physical production systems, IMPACTs interplays with ERP, MES, SCM (supply chain management) and MCS (manufacturing control system) of IoT, Wang noted. CRIS offers MES and APS extended modules to match IMPACTs on a choice basis. CRIS also offers industry-specific kits for makers of home appliances, metal hardware, molds, hand tools, CNC equipment, customized furniture and sheet metal parts.Small- to medium-size manufacturers often face problems looking to adopt Industry 4.0 solutions: It takes a long time developing solutions, the cost is too high, and the solutions may not be compatible with their equipment, according to Ethan Feng, founder of smart machinery upgrading solution provider GoodLinker.GoodLinker has therefore launched LASSIE, an industrial IoT platform for smart monitoring of equipment, Feng said. LASSIE features one-day installation without having to set up supporting facilities. It can be applied to old models of equipment, analyze production capacity utilization and record production conditions. It has a double interface: a SCADA dashboard and a mobile App, Feng noted.Clients only need to choose the types of sensors and locations for installing them, plus wire arrangement. Sensor installation and wire arrangement takes 2-3 hours on average, while users' binding via QR code takes only one minute, Feng said.LASSIE has been adopted for 3D printing, electroplating, production of CNC machine tools, dyeing and finishing, casting and rubber molding. GoodLinker can help integrate IT with OT by virtue of its understanding of industrial protocols and PLC (power line communication) protocols, Feng indicated.Image-based industrial quality inspection quite often relies on human eyes and this causes problems: Standards for determining defects vary from one person to another, inspection performance diminishes due to long time of watching, eyes are not easy to inspect small-size products, and defect rates based on AOI (automated optical inspection) equipment tend to be too high, Claireye Intelligent CEO Shirley Liu indicated.Using AI, image recognition, data analytics and system integration technologies, Claireye Intelligent has developed BailAI, a smart solution for image-based inspection and predictive maintenance, Liu said. Image recognition is through capturing real-time images and interpreting them based on deep learning; data analytics uses machine learning to realize AI through collecting, processing and analyzing data; system integration is to integrate cloud computing with production lines to enhance AI computing and application, Liu explained.Liu said users only have to select types of defects to be recognized and provide sample products or images for Claireye Intelligent to train and deploy inspection models and integrate systems.Actual use of BailAI shows that it is 98% accurate in recognition, captures 30 images per second, takes 30 seconds in interpreting an image and has a misinterpretation rate as low as 0.01%, Liusaid.Claireye CEO Shirley Liu (left to right), GoodLinker founder Ethan Feng, and CRIS CEO Allen WangPhoto: Digitimes, August 2020

Taiwan's PC monitor shipments climbed 25% sequentially and 5.3% on year in the second quarter of 2020, fueled by orders deferred from the previous quarter and ongoing stay-at-home initiatives, according to Digitimes ResearchBut the shipment growth is likely to slow to 1-2% sequentially in the third quarter as an upsurge in demand for TV and other applications has squeezed the production capacity at component makers, causing tight supply for some key components, including LCD panels and scalers.Looking back to the second quarter, shipments of large-size monitors continued to grow, with 27-inch and above sizes accounting for 20% of total shipments, and 20-inch and above sizes exceeding 70% of total shipments. The ratio of the mainstream 23.x-inch models was also rising, Digitimes Research figures show.Most of Taiwan-based monitor makers experienced over 20% sequential shipment growths in the second quarter, with Foxconn posting the highest growth after suffering a significant setback in the March quarter.

The output value of South Korea's memory chip industry surged 22.1% on year and 13.9% sequentially in the second quarter of 2020, when a coronavirus-induced slowdown in smartphone demand was offset by growth in demand for servers and notebooks, according to Digitimes Research.Samsung Electronics and SK Hynix saw their memory businesses generate a combined KRW22.9 trillion (US$20.8 billion) in revenue in the second quarter. Their combined memory business revenue represents the overall output value of South Korea's memory chip industry.Samsung and SK Hynix both remain cautious about spending this year, due to demand uncertainty arising from the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. With the supply side experiencing little growth, Digitimes Research expects promising outlook in the mid to long term.Memory chip demand will remain significant in the third quarter, thanks to recovery in 5G hadnset demand and the availability of new games consoles.

Second-quarter 2020 revenues for TSMC, UMC, VIS (Vanguard International Semiconductor) and other Taiwan-based wafer foundry service providers registered overall growth of 1.3% sequentially and 33.1% on year, according to Digitimes Research.The growth was mainly driven by the IC supply chain increasing inventory bracing for the coronavirus pandemic and meeting strong demand supporting remote working and learning.The foiundry houses' overall sales for third-quarter 2020 will rise 7.9% sequentially and 20.9% on year, Digitimes Research estimates.Demand for ICs used in 5G smartphones, 5G infrastructure and high-performance computing equipment in 2020 has been strong, and the foundries' overall revenues for the year will grow 23.3% to US$49.80 billion.

Oversupply in the memory market is likely to extend downward pricing pressure to the first half of 2021. Memory prices are expected to drop 10% in fourth-quarter 2020. Although demnd for memory products from the PC sector may be flat in fourth-quarter 2020, notebook brand vendors are all-out trying to secure shipments from ODMs to meet strong demand for notebooks in the months ahead. Meanwhile, ASML will soon unveil an EUV technology training center in Taiwan to better serve its major client, TSMC.Memory prices to fall 10% in 4Q20: Prices of memory chips, including DRAM and NAND flash, are expected to fall 10% sequentially in fourth-quarter 2020 with the downward spiral likely to continue into the first half of 2021 due to oversupply, according to industry sources.Notebook vendors all-out trying to secure shipments: Notebook brand vendors are resorting to all possible means, such as giving up attempts to lower ODM quotes, as they seek to secure smooth shipments from suppliers to meet increasingly strong demand in the months ahead, according to industry sources.ASML to set up EUV tech training center in Taiwan: ASML has announced it will set up its first overseas EUV technology training center at Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP), giving a boost to the EUV technology cluster headed by TSMC.

AI adoption will be wider and inevitable for industry sectors other than software-based ones in the future, according to Andrew Ng, co-fouder of US-based online learning service provider Coursera.AI will bring about revolutionary changes which will be larger for non-software industries than for software-based ones, Ng said during a keynote speech at a recent AI forum hosted by Taiwania Capital Management.Many non-software enterprises, especially manufacturers, still hesitate about adopting AI tools, mainly because software-based companies' approach to adopting AI is not suitable for non-software-based ones, Ng noted. Big software-based enterprises may each have more than one billion service users, allowing them to easily collect big data that can be used to train AI models and develop algorithms. But it is impossible for an individual manufacturer to have one billion clients and use a much smaller volume of data to train AI models.An assembly line turning out a large number of smartphones may only see fewer than 100 with defects, which is insufficient to train AI recognition of defects, Ng said.When there is a lack of large volumes of data, GAN (generative adversarial network) is an alternative method of using a small volume of data for deep learning, Ng said.Based on McKinsey & Company's forecast, the global AI market value will increase to US$1.3 trillion in 2030. Besides software-based sectors, AI will be widely used in retail, tourism, logistics, automobile assembly, metal processing, production of advanced electronics and semiconductors, medical care, telecom, petrochemical production and agriculture. For example, Zoomlion Heavy Industry Science & Technology, a leading China-based maker of engineering and agricultural equipment, has used AI and sensors in grain harvesters to reduce grain leakage, Ng said.Taiwan's semiconductor industry is strong, but will have to maintain competitiveness by using AI, Ng said. For semiconductor firms, AI can be adopted for part of their operations initially, and if proven successful, its adoption can be extended to other parts, Ng said.

As demand for 5G mobile phones increases, the vapor chamber (VC) is emerging to become a key component in 5G smartphone thermal management. Competition is keen among vapor chamber suppliers, and there are at least more than 50 companies involved in this market segment. The ability to provide ultra-thin devices with high yield in mass production is the key to achieving technology leadership and gaining trust from international mobile phone brands.The thickness of VC devices in mass production now by major thermal module makers is at 0.4mm and 0.35mm. But the trend of design has been following smartphone brands' requirements for thinner VC devices with better performance. As a result, vapor chamber makers will be facing a very tough challenge attempting to fabricate ultra-thin high-performance devices.NeoGene Tech, a company headquartered in Guangzhou, China, has been devoted to revolutionizing the way of making ultra-thin vapor chamber devices for 5G smartphone applications. It has unveiled its patented MagicWick-Inside Technology Platform.MagicWick-Inside VC adopts the MagicWick structure and PWS (Print Wick Structuring) approach. By adopting PWS as well as MagicWick-Inside Technology Platform, vapor chamber devices with thickness of less than 0.3mm can be easily made with high efficiency wick structure and device performance.Wick structuring is recognized as a critical issue in ultra-thin vapor chamber fabrication once the device thickness is required to be reduced to only 0.25mm or even 0.2mm to meet further system application needs. The anti-gravity capillary force and the deployment of the wick structure inside an ultra-thin vapor chamber device are very critical to enabling good functionality of the device. Once the spacing in a vapor chamber is at a super narrow level, it will be very difficult for the traditional way of making copper-mesh type wick structure to achieve good capillary force and device performance.Furthermore, handling ultra-thin copper-mesh to make a complex-shape wick structure is also a tough and inefficient process in making vapor chamber devices. It results in a very low yield rate in volume production for vapor chambers with thickness under 0.3mm.According to NeoGene Tech, the MagicWick structure made by MagicWick Paste and PWS approach has excellent anti-gravity capillary force that quickens the transporting of the liquid phase and vapor phase of working fluids among condensers and evaporators, enhancing the thermal performance of the vapor chamber device. The thickness and porosity of the wick structure can be also precisely controlled at a very thin level by leveraging automatic stencil printing and sintering process as well as material characteristic of the Magic Paste.A brand new business model for vapor chamber devices manufacturing in the 5G smartphone supply chain, called PWS Foundry Service, will be launched by NeoGene Tech and its strategic partner in early 2021 to serve thermal module companies looking to volume-produce ultra-thin MagicWick-Inside VC devices. Furthermore, a MagicWick-Inside Technology Platform patent licensing program will be made available to VC device manufacturers as well, according to Jeffrey Chen, CEO of NeoGene Tech.According to Digitimes Research's latest findings, China's consumer market recovered in the second quarter of 2020, with the four major smartphone brands doubling their quarterly shipments, and launching at least 28 new 5G phone models, fueling shipment momentum. In addition, mainstream foreign brands will also be active next year to implement 0.3mm and even 0.25mm ultra-thin vapor chambers to meet application needs.NeoGene Tech unveils MagicWick-Inside Technology Platform for fabricating ultra-thin vapor chamber device used in 5G smartphone thermal management applicationsPhoto: Company

The coronavirus pandemic is definitely changing the dynamics of the market and ecosystem, but at the start few would have foreseen the coming of a stay-at-home economy strong enough to turn around the notebook sector. Barry Lam, chairman of notebook ODM Quanta Computer, now predicts the stay-at-home economy to become a new normal, promising long-term opportunities for the notebook and cloud server sectors. The pandemic has hit hard the handset market, slowing down the progress of 5G commercialization. But 5G remains promising, with Taiwan showing strong potential to become a mmWave development base, according to the president of Qualcomm Taiwan and Southeast Asia. In China, its semiconductor firms are striving to improve the country's IC self-sufficiency. One of the areas is the CIS sector.Notebook sector turning around with robust momentum, says Quanta: The notebook industry is turning around significantly with pandemic-spurred stay-at-home economy emerging as a new normal and likely to persist as a long-term trend, promising good opportunities for both notebook and cloud server segments, according to Quanta Computer chairman Barry Lam.Taiwan could develop into a mmWave industry base, says Qualcomm executive: Taiwan has an opportunity to become a base for the development of mmWave technology, leveraging its established industry foundations, OEM/ODM technologies and related talent, according to ST Liew, president of Qualcomm Taiwan and Southeast Asia.China pushing for homegrown CIS sector: China has stepped up the development of its homegrown CMOS image sensor (CIS) industry sector as part of the country's ambitions to achieve self-sufficiency in chips, with SmartSens Technology and GalaxyCore being among the beneficiaries.

The coronavirus pandemic has been hitting hard the consumer device market, in turn dampening demand for memory. The DRAM and and NAND flash markets are expected to see oversupply last into first-half 2021. But in some other markets, strong demand has fueled sales growth for many companies, such as notebook ODMs whose production is badly needed to support stgay-at-home needs. But notebook ODMs' production has been undermined by component shortages. Tight capacity at 8-inch wafer fabs has been blamed for shortages for some IC parts needed for notebook production.DRAM, NAND flash in oversupply: The DRAM and NAND flash markets will be oversupplied until the first half of 2021, according to Chang Chia-kun, president for memory module maker Apacer Technology.Notebook ODMs suffer widening component shortages: Supply of notebook-use chips and components including processors, LCD panels and power chips has fallen short of demand, with the gap likely to widen to 15-20% in the third quarter, according to sources at Taiwan-based ODMs.Eight-inch fab capacity to stay tight in 2021: Eight-inch fab capacity will remain tight until 2021, due mainly to strong demand for display driver ICs and power management chips, according to industry sources.

Kdan Mobile Software, a Taiwan-based developer of mobile device-based collaborative work software solutions, has provided Japan-based Vacan with its DottedSign e-signing service to help the latter's business operation in Taiwan, according to Kdan.Vacan has just launched Vacant Seat Map, a smartphone app for users to check real-time table availability at cafes and restaurants in Taiwan.DottedSign lets customers of Vacan-supported eateries use the e-signing service, and Vacan founder and CEO Kawano Takanobu expects it to the company tap the Taiwan market.Kdan hopes the cooperation with Vacan will help it tap the Japanese market, company founder and CEO Kenny Su said.Smartphone app Vacant Seat MapPhoto: Kdan Mobile Software