Compal Electronics has established a 5G lab for its clients and partners to showcase their innovations, according to Sheng-Hua Peng, Compal's executive vice president of smart device business.The lab has begun operation since the end of May. It has already installed several solutions including prevention systems for agriculture, industrial remote maintenance, remote medical care and VR streaming of gaming, and the company is looking to showcase different solutions from different partners each quarter.Compal's 5G lab is currently targeting four major fields: smart agriculture, smart medical care, smart manufacturing and gaming, and is cooperating with different partners to deploy their 5G solutions.For smart agriculture, Compal's partner is looking to use 4K or 8K Ultra HD cameras to catch fall armyworms and will need 5G transmissions to send video to backend system for analysis.For medical care, Compal is looking to connect hospital services with 5G networks to allow doctors and medical care staff to have real-time information on patients.For smart manufacturing, Compal is partnering with Adat Technology, which will provide AI algorithm and software to pair with Compal's AR glasses and 5G network to establish a remote maintenance platform that support multi-user functionality.The platform can be used in airline or semiconductor companies to real-time resolve complicated mechanical issues.For gaming, Compal is collaborating with VR Jump, a VR startup.Compal promoting innovations at its 5G labPhoto: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes, June 2020

Global shipments of automotive CID (central information display) panels (including those for aftermarket but excluding white-box models) are forecast to fall 9.9% on year to 80 million units in 2020 amid weakening demand for automobiles in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic and high penetration rates for cars in developed countries, Digitimes Research estimates.The decline will widen to 14.2%, or 66.4 million units, this year if CID panels shipped to the aftermarket are excluded.While global CID panel shipments fell 5.8% in 2019, affected largely by the US-China trade disputes, such shipments are set to continue tumbling due to supply chain disruptions forcing some automakers to suspend production and crippling consumer demand.While manufacturing activities in China have gradually recovered and CID devices have almost become standards for new automobile models, whether the end-market demand could return to normal following the easing of lockdown measures in various countries will be crucial for reaching stabilization in global CID panel shipments.CID panels sized in 7.x- to 8.x-inch will remain the mainstream in 2020, with the proportion of above 9-inch ones to go up gradually. The ratio of mid-sized CID panels against total shipments will decrease to 66.4% in 2020, while the ratio for 9-inch above models will move up to 18.6%.

Government-sponsored Taiwan Creative Content Agency (TAICCA) has disclosed it will establish a development fund for incubating cultural content creation projects.With initial capital of NT$100 million, the development fund aims to incubate more than 100 cultural content creation projects and will introduce a market-oriented mechanism to match creators with domestic and international investors or business partners.There is sufficient energy for creating cultural content in Taiwan, but the environment for a supporting industry is not mature, said TAICCA chairwoman Celest Ting.Content creators have difficulties securing subsidies, and relatively unknown creators can hardly attract investors, Ting said, citing some of the problems facing content creators.Taiwan's cultural content creation industry faces three main challenges: intellectual property output is insufficient; types of IP are not diverse enough; difficulties in accessing financial support and international channels, Ting noted, adding TAICCA's fund is meant address such problems and challenges.TAICCA recently cooperated with crowdfunding consultant Backer-Founder to invest in Angelic-Founder, Backer-Founder's affiliate engaged in RBF (revenue-based financing) investment in cultural content creation businesses.RBF has return on investment coming from ticket sales revenues (such as those for concerts), software sales, and movie royalty fees, according to Backer-Founder CEO Lin Ta-han. RBF investment, unlike venture capital investment, features quick return on investment to facilitate circular use of investment capital, as well as no intervention in the creation process, Lin noted. Through TAICCA's investment, Angelic-Founder aims to invest in 60 pieces of cultural content creation in five years.

Electric scooter sharing service operator WeMo Scooter and Taiwan Mobile has cooperated to equip the former's bikes with the latter's high-accuracy PM2.5 sensors to dynamically collect real-time air pollution data in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan.The 24-hour automatically collected real-time PM2.5 data will be transferred to the cloud via the telecom carrier's wireless mobile networks for analyses and predictions using Taiwan Mobile's AI model, WeMo said.WeMo said it started electric scooter sharing services in Kaohsiung in October 2019, and plans to deploy 5,000 scooters in three years, There are about 700 WeMo scooters available in Kaohsiung currently and the number will increase to 1,500 by year-end 2020, WeMo indicated.Taiwan Mobile has installed such PM2.5 sensors at 85 places in the city and the data they collect will be combined with those from the mobile collection for overall analysis, the company said.Taiwan Mobile in April 2020 installed such sensors at 200 locations and on 20 public buses in Taichung, central Taiwan.

The coronavirus pandemic has fueled demand for a number of devices, including notebooks, to support stay-at-home activities, with chip vendors expect shipments to these segments to remain strong till October. Networking ASICs will likely see prices rising in the second half of 2020. And the growing requirements for connectivity in support of remote work and study has also spurred the forming of a Wi-Fi 6 ecosystem. Meanwhile, volume production of Apple's upcoming iPhones are said to start in July-August.Demand for networking, notebook, healthcare chips to stay strong till October: Pandemic-triggered robust demand for networking chips, notebook chip solutions, healthcare sensors and MCUs is expected to last into October, with networking ASICs, in particular, likely to see price hikes in the second half of the year, according to industry sources.Wi-Fi 6 ecosystem fast taking shape: As network connectivity is growingly necceary for users of notebooks and other electronics devices in their remote work and learning activities, a new ecosystem associated with the latest Wi-Fi 6 technology is taking shape fast, with chipmakers rolling out diverse chips solutions and system makers incorporating them into a variety of terminal consumer electronics, according to industry sources.Volume production of new mainstream iPhone models to start in 3Q20, say sources: Although the planned launch of Apple's 2020 iPhone lineup, reportedly to come in four models and three sizes, is likely to be in October instead of September, volume production of the mainstream 6.1-inch models are expected to kick off in July-August, according to sources familiar with the matter.

Startup Atgenomix has developed SeqsLab, a NGS (next-generation sequencing) platform featuring high-performance computing, scalability and reliability, for providing cloud-based genome sequencing analysis services on a subscription basis, according to company co-founder and CEO Allen Chang.Users of the services do not need to set up costly computing facilities themselves and can reach high efficiency and accuracy in genome sequencing analysis, Chang said, adding that the services are charged based on use volume.Atgenomix has been in cooperation with Chang Gung Hospital, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei Medical University Hospital and Academia Sinica in genome sequencing analysis to promote precision medicine.To cope with the coronavirus pandemic, Atgenomix has offered 3-month free genome sequencing analysis services for medical research units.Atgenomix has raised NT$80 million (US$2.7 million) in series A funding round, and plans to tap the Southeast Asia market.Atgenomix co-founder and CEO Allen ChangPhoto: Michael Lee, Digitimes, May 2020

HTC-developed VR technology has been adopted for FLAIM Trainer, a system to simulate fire scenarios based on VR for training fire fighters, according to HTC.Developed by American volunteer fire fighter James Mullins, FLAIM Trainer creates 360-degree immersive training experience, with head-mounted Vive display being part of its kit.Building an effective fire-fighting training facility is costly, and even in a controlled environment, trainees face significant safety risks including fire hazards and cancer-causing chemicals used to repel or extinguish flames, HTC explained.Vive Pro Eye eye-tracking technology enables FLAIM Trainer to identify and analyze trainees' eye movement and pattern to allow training instructors to understand trainees' watching behavior and thereby offer real-time first-person feedback.FLAIM Trainer kit, including a head-mounted Vive VR display.Photo: HTC

Despite the impact from the coronavirus pandemic, several IT enterprises are still having good visibility for the second half of 2020 with Nanya expecting DRAM contract prices to continue picking up in the third quarter because of demand from remote work and online studying. Meanwhile, Mitac is enjoying an ongoing ramp-up of datacenter server orders, which are likely to last into the second half. Memory backend specialist PTI, despite US' new trade ban on Huawei, still expects its performance to continue rising for the latter half of the year.Nanya expects DRAM contract prices to continue rally in 3Q20: Nanya Technology expects DRAM contract prices to continue rising in the third quarter of 2020, as demand arising from stay-at-home economy remains robust.Mitac eyes datacenter servers as growth driver for 2020: Taiwan's Mitac Group expects robust shipments for cloud and datacenter servers to drive its revenue growth in 2020 after pushing up its first-quarter revenues by 15.9% on year to NT$8.684 billion (US$289.456 million), with second-quarter revenues to likely to grow further to NT$9.2 billion, according to company sources.PTI sees little impact of US ban on Huawei: Memory backend specialist Powertech Technology (PTI) expects new US trade sanctions against Huawei not to significantly affect its operations, but it will take 1-2 weeks for the company to observe possible impact on its US clients, according to company chairman DK Tsai.

Taiwan AI Robotics Accelerator (TAIRA) in Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP), Japan-based Mizuho Bank and thematic incubation service provider StarFab Accelerator on May 28 signed a MoU for cooperation to set up an open accelerating platform for startup teams and businesses to develop innovative products or services, according to StarFab.TAIRA was established jointly by STSP and StarFab with the latter responsible for operation of the accelerator.The open accelerating platform will link entrepreneurship, resources, capitals and markets in Taiwan and Japan to startup teams and businesses, with TAIRA being a base for them to experiment prototype products or services.Mizuho Bank has operated in the Taiwan market for 60 years and all of 22 Japanese enterprises stationed in STSP are its clients, signifying that it is an important partner for STSP. The bank has cooperated with TAIRA to match Hugreen, a startup developing sensing networks and monitoring systems for use in greenhouses, and Akubic, a startup developing IoT-based water quality monitoring solution used in agriculture, with Japan-based companies operating in Taiwan for business cooperation.StarFab CEO Amanda Liu said that TAIRA has so far attracted 120 local and overseas startups and matched 25 of them with large enterprises for business cooperation.TAIRA, Mizuho Bank, StarFab signing MoUPhoto: Rebecca Kuo, Digitimes, May 2020

The biotechnology sector is seeing a surge of smart solutions that incorporate information communication technology (ICT) advances to enable biomedical devices to deliver higher precision. This has become a key development trend for the healthcare industry. Having long dedicated to ICT and biotech developments, Taiwan is among the world's leading nations for innovation and technology. If Taiwan can combine its strength in ICT and biotech, it will be able to create unique industry advantages. In view of this, the Taiwan government has been actively driving smart biotech developments by conjoining efforts from the industry, government, academic and research sectors. The result of their efforts is now demonstrated by a firm based in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP).Fully committed to smart biotech developments in recent years, STSP has fostered a cluster of 78 firms, and its close collaborations with research hospitals has allowed the cluster to build up robust R&D capability. In the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, biotech plays a critical role safeguarding the world against the coronavirus. STSP's biotech strength thus takes center stage again. For example, Visionatics, an STSP tenant devoted to the development of smart image processing technologies, has created VIVA Vision, a machine vision software library delivering performance on par with the work of leading international developers. Based on its achievements in smart image processing, Visionatics further developed In Vitro Diagnostics (IVD), which provides strong support helping small and medium businesses with limited resources expand into the smart biotechnology sector.Visionatics targets biomedical applications with VIVA Vision, delivering optimal precision and speedVisionatics was founded in 2009 at the National Cheng Kung University Technology Transfer and Business Incubation Center. According to Visionatics general manager Klaus Tien, the company has been focusing on computer vision and dynamic image detection and recognition technologies since establishment. In 2013, one year before relocating to STSP, Visionatics began to expand into biotech with a focus on IVD equipment. After the move into STSP, Visionatics continued to engage in image recognition and analysis technologies while strengthening efforts toward machine learning and IoT applications. Visionatics' product offerings now span across AOI, IVD and AIoT. Its achievements in IVD research particularly catch market attention worldwide.Tien noted that Visionatics' VIVA Vision is the best performing locally-developed machine vision software library. Featuring a complete range of image processing and analyzing functionalities and blazing execution speed, VIVA Vision can detect a target image within one millisecond, at a speed and precision comparable to high-precision machinery. Aside from putting its machine vision technology to use in AOI-enabled manufacturing and semiconductor fabrication, Visionatics has taken the precision up a notch and apply it to molecular diagnostics and immunoassay.Compared to products on the assembly line, the inspection subjects, such as cells, DNA and proteins, are much smaller, almost on the nanoscopic scale as semiconductors. They also require higher efficiency and therefore simpler detection methods. In view of this, Visionatics introduced a digital magnetic barcode (DMB) beads fluorescence reader for molecular diagnostics and immunoassay as well as a circulating tumor cells (CTC) scanner for CTC detection and diagnosis in 2019. It has also developed proprietary reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) to make DNA testing more automated.Launching second-generation DMB in 2020, enabling simultaneous testing of 384 specimensFollowing the launch of the highly-praised DMB device in 2019, Visionatics will introduce the second-generation DMB reader in 2020, featuring an even higher level of sensitivity, throughput, and automation, plus simultaneous testing of 384 specimens.Commenting on the second-generation DMB reader's high throughput, Tien pointed out that throughput is a bottleneck of existing molecular diagnostics and immunoassay methods and automation is a big challenge. High throughput is one of the compelling features of Visionatics' products. Its first generation DMB reader has been put to use both at home and abroad to quickly test large quantities of specimens, significantly boosting screening efficiency.Apart from selling its own products through medical equipment sales channels, Visionatics also engages in OEM production for medical device brands. However, as opposed to the conventional OEM production model of most Taiwan-based manufacturers, Visionatics chooses to keep the core technology in Taiwan. It combines its in-house developed software with domestic and international brands' sales channels to create total solutions. For small and medium businesses with limited resources, Visionatics not only helps them build testing platforms but also provides complete software development service to allow them to quickly customize smart vision systems.Visionatics has performed outstandingly in the global biotechnology scene since its establishment in 2009. Tien attributes the success to the hard work of the Visionatics team and the assistance from the STSP administration and the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). Visionatics has received three government grants after relocating to STSP in 2014. These government agencies have consistently supported Visionatics' participation in biotechnology exhibitions while giving Visionatics access to industry information. These efforts have helped drive Visionatics' growth. Going forward, Visionatics will continue to focus on image processing technologies and infuse new energy into Taiwan's biotech development.Visionatics general manager Klaus TienPhoto: Sandy Du, DIGITIMES, May 2020