Global shipping lines have been plagued by substantial empty container repositioning costs, but now such costs can be drastically reduced through a container sharing platform set up by Taiwan-based startup Neptune Container Swap (NCS), according to company executives.NCS chief technology officer John Chin said the company offers a container sharing platform dedicated to swaps of leased standard containers among shipping lines, which can not only help marine carriers eliminate unnecessary empty container journeys and costs, but also boost container turnover rates.Chin continued that different shipping lines usually see empty containers stay idle or in short supply at different harbors, and NCS can serve as a neutral third-party matchmaking platform to instantly maximize swaps of empty containers through its cloud computing and algorithms.Company CEO Spencer Feng also noted that NCS helps shipping firms exchange usage rights for empty containers on a one-for-one swap basis directly at ports, allowing them to enjoy the benefits of container sharing without negative impacts on their operations as their total fleet sizes and lease terms remain unchanged and confidential and no follow-up work is needed.Feng said that there are over 300 harbors around the world, and many of them are short of direct bilateral shipping lanes, providing great growth potential for swaps of empty containers directly at ports.Feng disclosed that since its inception in 2016, NCS has built partnerships with many Asian shipping firms including Taiwan's YangMing Marine Transport, Wan Hai Lines, Interasia Lines, and TS Lines, Singapore's Pacific International Lines and South Korea's Hyundai Merchant Marine.He stressed that his company will move to attract leading European shipping lines to join the NCS platform, such as Denmark-based APM-Maersk and Switzerland's Mediterranean Shipping Company. Both firms are now the world's top-2 shipping lines with a combined share of over 30% of global container shipping business.Neptune Container Swap CTO John Chin (left) and CEO Spencer FengPhoto: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes, June 2020

IoV (Internet of vehicle) data collected from ADAS (advanced driver assistance system), OBUs (on-board units) and RSUs (roadside units) have to be screened to extract information to serve different purposes, according to Roger Cheng, president for intelligent transportation solution provider Maxwin Technology.For car fleet management, IoV data is mainly for keeping vehicles running safely, hiking operational efficiency and reducing energy consumption, Cheng said.As demand from car fleet operators becomes more complicated, Maxwin hopes to play the role of system integration between such operators and IoV hardware/software providers, Cheng said, adding that Taiwan's ICT industries are able to produce diverse IoV devices and software companies have developed IoV software with open operating systems.Maxwin is in talks with operators of car fleets transporting construction materials, Cheng noted. Maxwin hopes to cooperate with car fleet operators with various transportation purposes to build models of different types of demand, and develop predictive and early-warning solutions, he added.Maxwin president Roger ChengPhoto: Yihan Li, Digitimes, June 2020

Deep01, a developer of artificial intelligence (AI) software designed to help physicians interpret computerized tomography (CT) images of the brain, has raised US$2.7 million in financing, with Asustek Computer leading the round of fundraising."Deep01 is a leading startup in Asia focused on AI medical solutions, and we look forward to harnessing the strength of this collaboration to further develop applications in the field of smart medical technology," said Albert Chang, Asustek corporate VP and co-head of the AIoT Business Group.The round also saw investment from Digital Economy Fund co-funded by ITRI (Industrial Technology Research Institute) and III (Institute for Information Industry), and BE Capital.Jim Li, managing partner of Digital Economy Fund, noted that Deep01 has obtained FDA clearances from both the US and Taiwan.Arthur Chen, managing director of BE Capital said, "Deep01 is a member of the BE supporting program. The system is in the Show Chwan hospital, and profitable results are already present. The AI emergency network has potential in the overseas markets. We introduced the company to the authorities in Japan, and the integration will proceed in the second half of this year."The ICT and healthcare industries in Taiwan are competitive on the international stage, and successful cases of commercialization will make our product more feasible in the global market, said David Chou, founder and CEO of Deep01.Deep01 said its AI product can detect acute intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in the A&E department. With an accuracy of 93-95% and 30 seconds per case, the performance exceeds the other competitors in the market, it calimed, adding that Deep01 is the first AI company in APAC to obtain US-FDA clearances in July 2019.Deep01 said it also won Taiwan's FDA clearance for its AI product of ICH in February 2020 and received its first purchase order of US$0.7 million. The AI-based service has launched in two medical centers and four local hospitals in Taiwan.Deep01 said its next step is to expand into global markets and to offer more AI-based services to the department of A&E, radiology, and neurosurgery.Asustek corporate VP Albert Chang (left) and Deep01 CEO David ChouPhoto: Company

Electric scooter sharing service operator WeMo Scooter has completed series A fund raising, obtaining investment of over NT$100 million (US$3.36 million), according to the Taiwan-based company.AppWorks Ventures was the leader for the investment, WeMo said.The funds will be used to set up an IoV R&D center and train about 100 IoV hardware/software experts in Taiwan and abroad in three years, WeMo noted.WeMo has deployed more than 6,000 rental electric scooters in Taiwan, with nearly one million trips in total a month.A WeMo rental electric scooterPhoto: Company

TSMC is expected to the start production of A14 processor on 5nm process later this month for Apple's upcoming iPhone, which sources say will adop Qualcomm's X60 modem, allowing the 5G iPhone to support both mmWave and sub-6GHz bands. While it remains to be seen how much momentum Apple can inject into the handset market later this year, notebook ODM Wistron is conservative about third-quarter 2020, and Wistron's chairman does not expect a V-shape recovery in the post-pandemic global economy. For China's major panel makers, BOE and CSOT, the pandemic is not deterring their ambition of replacing Korean competitors as leaders in the LCD market.TSMC to start chip production for next-gen iPhones: TSMC will enter production using 5nm process technology later in June for Apple's custom-designed A14 processor and Qualcomm's Snapdragon X60 modem, with both set to power the upcoming 5G iPhones to be launch later in 2020, according to industry sources.Wistron chairman turning cautious about market recovery: Wistron chairman Simon Lin has disclosed the company's operation in the second quarter has been better than expected, but the coronavirus pandemic, which he originally expected to be contained by the third quarter, is unlikely to ease anytime soon. He does not expect the post-pandemic global economy to see a V-shape of recovery, which will likely be more of a U-shape or L-shape one.CSOT, BOE moving to consolidate market positions: BOE Technology and China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) are moving to solidify their leading positions in China's flat panel industry where the landscape is undergoing a major change touched off by the capacity reductions at rival companies in Korea, according to industry sources.

Intel and TSMC are head to head in 3D packaging technology. While Intel has unveiled its Lakefield processors 3D-packaged with its Foveros technology, TSMC is looking to commercialize its SoIC technology for 3D heterogeneous integration next year. Meanwhile, Nan Ya PCB is looking to boost its profits by focusing more on high-value products, such as ABF and SiP substrates. And for driver IC designers, OLED DDI chips for smartphones promise to be a major driver of their next wave of growth.Intel, TSMC gearing up for heterogeneous 3D IC integration: Intel has launched its first heterogeneous chip architecture made using its Foveros 3D chip stacking technology, while TSMC is looking to commercialize its SoIC (system on integrated chips) technology for 3D heterogeneous integration in 2021.Nan Ya looks to ABF, SiP substrates for profit growth in 2020: Nan Ya PCB will be striving to boost its profits in 2020 by focusing more on shipments of high-value products such as ABF and SiP substrates, according to company chairman CC Wu.China, Taiwan IC designers keen on developing OLED DDI chips: Fabless chipmakers in Taiwan and China specializing in display driver ICs and fingerprint sensor chips are keenly developing OLED DDI chip solutions for smartphones seeking to build a preemptive presence in OLED screens that promise to become a mainstream in the hadnset market, according to industry sources.

The games console market is expected to see vendors launch new devices, intensifying competition against each other later this year. The keen competition means strong demand for NAND flash to support the consoles' large storage. Meanwhile, silicon wafer supplier GlobalWafers remain upbeat about the long-term demand for 12-inch wafers. GlobalWafers has just broken ground for construction of new manufacturing facilities in Taiwan. In the server sector, datacenters need more efficient heat dissipating solutions. Liquid cooling is the new favorite.NAND flash demand to pick up for game consoles in 3Q20: With Sony and Microsoft set to soon roll out their next-generation game consoles featuring high-speed and large-capacity SSDs, NAND flash demand for game console applications will be picking up starting the third quarter, according to industry sources.GlobalWafers to expand 12-inch silicon wafer capacity in Taiwan: GlobalWafers has held a groundbreaking ceremony for the expansion of subsidiary Taisil Electronic Materials, and will use offshore capital to fund the expansion, which is set to complete within two years, according to the Taiwan-based silicon wafer company.Cloud providers to increasingly adopt liquid cooling technology: With power consumption of servers rising due to increased CPU and GPU performances, traditional air cooling solutions are becoming less efficient in heat dissipation, prompting more cloud computing services providers to upgrade their machines to the latest liquid cooling solutions, according to sources from the server upstream supply chain.

To demonstrate its smart city solutions to other cities worldwide, the local government of Taoyuan, Taiwan signed contracts with Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), a network of more than 1,750 local and regional governments committed to sustainable urban development, to become the chair for ICLEI's first international EcoLogistics community in 2019. Taoyuan also established the EcoLogistics Community Chair Office in March 2020.The deputy secretary-general of the Taoyuan municipal government and CEO of the office, Jiunn-Ming Chiou, pointed out that the city has a comprehensive logistics industry surrounding the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, the largest international airport in Taiwan.There are around 2,000 logistics processing sites and enterprises with mixed levels of digital transformation all around Taoyuan and the city government believes these companies' development will play a key part in Taoyuan's transformation into a smart city, Chiou said.Since these logistics companies have never been properly managed by the city government, they have been creating external costs and economic losses to Taoyuan for many years. For example, these companies' poor truck fleet management has caused serious traffic interferences, pollutions and inefficiency to the city.Although Taoyuan's Department of Economic Development already established an alliance for Taiwan's logistics industry with help from The Global Logistics & Commerce Council of Taiwan in 2016, so far only 300 companies have joined the alliance, Chiou noted.Chious said increasing the number of members in the alliance will be a key goal of his office, which is also looking to enhance Taoyuan's logistics infrastructure, to create a list for the city's logistics enterprises and to categorize their characteristics, working towards a synchronized pace for the industry's digital transformation.During the past three months after founding, the office has picked five different sites in Taoyuan to demonstrate different logistics scenarios.Via these demonstration sites, the office is looking to achieve some progresses in establishing policies for Taiwan's logistics industry in two years and will export the solutions and management experience to worldwide cities through ICLEI, said Chiou.Jiunn-Ming Chiou, deputy secretary-general of the Taoyuan governmentPhoto: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes, June 2020

Notebook demand from users working from home weakened in May, but devices supporting online learning remained robust. The top-5 notebook brands together witnessed a mild on-month drop of 2% in May.Because of decelerated sales from the work-from-home group, HP's notebook shipments fell 6% on month in May, while those of Dell were flat from a month ago, thanks to mass shipments of its new consumer models that had fully offset declines in the enterprise segment.Lenovo had the strongest on-month shipment growth among the top-5 brands in May thanks to China-based e-commerce platforms' inventory preparations for the 618 shopping festival and increased Chromebook shipments.The top-3 notebook ODMs' combined shipments were flat on month in May with Wistron being the only maker with on-month shipment growth, driven by Dell's orders for its high-end consumer notebooks.

Manufacturers' demand for industrial robots is expected to rise significantly to support flexible production in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, according to Peter Peng, director of robotics automation business department at Delta Electronics.Peng said robots will see growing business opportunities as long as their prices become friendlier and their scope of applications larger. He expects industrial robots to experience a wave of major growth momentum beyond 2020.Peng said Taiwanese manufacturers now adopt robots to support small-volume production of a variety of items, and they will care more about the flexibility and versatility of robots needed.Accordingly, robot makers are striving to optimize performances of industrial robots so that they can play a more agile role in production lines, achieving greater applications and flexibility, Peng continued.So far, multiple robots have been developed to serve different industrial needs, including grinding and polishing robots that integrate machine visions and cyber-physical systems (CPS) and are used for metal machining.Taiwan's government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), Hocheng and Mirle Automation as well as Germany's Kuka Robotics have all rolled out their own grinding and polish robots.Peng said Taiwan makers now also play an important role in the robot supply chain by offering crucial components such as motors and speed reducers.