Taiwan-based startup JWI Intelligent Technology has developed an in-house-developed automated machine learning engine as an educational tool to help enterprises introduce machine learning as an initial step to realizing smart manufacturing, according to company president Jerry Huang.Many enterprises' digital transformation bids lack methods for implementation and experienced personnel for AI integration. JWI provides integrated consulting services to help clients build forecast models using their own operating data as the first mile of reaching AI-based digital transformation, Huang said.JWI's machine learning engine helps clients build quality forecast models, for example, for solder paste printing process in SMT (surface mount technology) and thereby recommending optimal printing parameters, Huang noted. If clients relocate factories or set up new ones abroad, they can apply the proven forecast models to the same equipment, Huang indicated.JWI's business model provides 10-day POC (proof of concept) services plus one-year licensed use of the machine learning engine on a subscription basis. The engine can be used to build various forecast models using the clients' equipment and operating data and based on their domain knowledge, Huang said.While the machine learning engine is to educate clients to build preliminary forecast models, JWI focuses on the educational purpose for the time being. After the engine has been widely adopted, JWI will consult with industry experts to build domain knowledge-based forecast models tailored for individual industries, Huang said.As clients may apply forecast models to different factories, management of different forecast models simultaneously poses a problem, Huang noted, adding JWI will seek to set up a related management platform based on experience gained from large clients' cases.JWI was winner at the 2019 startup contest sponsored by CIAT (Cloud Computing & IoT Association Taiwan) Acceleration Program in November 2019.JWI Intelligent Technology president Jerry Huang (right)Photo: Company

Apple's ban on its engineers from traveling to Asia in the wake of the coronavirus has reportedly affected the development of its next-generation iPhone devices that are supposed to be launched in fall this year. The travel restrictions has reportedly delayed the engineering verification test for the 5G iPhones at manufacturing facilities in China. Handset vendors may still be optimistic that 5G smartphones will become mainstream devices sooner or later, but 5G phone shipments will be much lower in first-half 2020 than originally expected, thanks to the outbreak.Travel restrictions reportedly delaying tests for next-generation iPhone: Apple reportedly has extended the deadline by one month to the end of April for the removal of a set of travel restrictions preventing its engineers from making business trips to Asia, a decision that could have a direct impact on the planned launch of 5G iPhone devices in the second half of 2020, according to industry sources.5G handset shipment boosts unlikely till 2H20: Shipments from the 5G handset supply chain for the first half of 2020 are expected to be one third of those for the second half, instead of 50% as estimated earlier, as first-quarter sales of 5G smartphones have been hard hit by the coronavirus outbreak and second-quarter shipment prospects remain unclear amid the worsening epidemic, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based Hugreen has cooperated with Netherlands-based developers of greenhouses to make greenhouses smart through establishing sensing networks and monitoring systems, according to company founder and CEO Clement Lee.About 80% of Netherlands-based developers' overseas greenhouses have been left idle simply because Dutch experts assigned to these greenhouses are not willing to stay abroad for too long, Lee said. This is one of the problems Hugreen aims to solve, Lee noted.The Netherlands is a global leader in using greenhouses to grow crops, especially floriculture, Lee said. Netherlands-based greenhouse developers have advanced agricultural technology, proprietary crop varieties and global sales channels, but basically rely on manual labor to manage greenhouses, Lee noted, adding Hugreen's capability in setting up LoRa-based sensing networks and related monitoring systems exactly complements their strengths, Lee indicated.Sensors can monitor soil conditions, including moisture, temperature, acidity and fertilizers, with data collected transferred via LoRa for analysis to control optimal soil conditions, Lee explained. In addition to fixed sensors, mobile cameras are used to go around greenhouses to take photos for comparison with sensing data, Lee said. Hugreen has passed Netherlands-based greenhouse developers' testing of sensing accuracy and data transmission for resulting cooperation, Lee noted.Hugreen has 13 patents about monitoring and adjusting soil conditions, Lee said. While there are at least six methods of measuring soil moisture, Hugreen adopts permittivity to avoid influence by fertilizers and other factors, Lee noted, adding it has sent trainees to th eNetherlands to learn how to evaluate maximum effects from photosynthesis, estimate cost structure for greenhouses and other professional knowledge.Currently, Hugreen's clients are of two categories: one is greenhouse developers and irrigation project undertakers in more than 20 countries; and the other is small farmers and academic units in universities, Lee said.A 160-hectare greenhouse in Shanghai, China has adopted more than 1,600 sensors and 1,900 smart switches supplied by Hugreen, which has also helped it analyze optimal methods and conditions for growing 67 varieties of vegetable and fruit, Lee indicated.Hugreen's business model is to first provide hardware and consulting services for clients and later charge certain percentages of their sales revenues after successful operation of greenhouses, Lee said.Hugreen founder and CEO Clement Lee (front right) and colleaguesPhoto: Company

Supply chains had been keen to move their production lines out of China amid intensifying trade tensions between the world's two superpowers before the coronavirus hit. Now they have turned concervative about relocating their manufacuring as the fast spreading outbreak clouds the global economy. But passive components maker Yageo still plans to expand production capacity outside China to fulfill rush orders. For Apple, the epidemic reportedly is delaying production for an entry-level version of AirPods Pro that the vendor is believed to be launching.ODMs decelerate non-China production expansions as outbreak worsens: Supply chains have turned cautious about capacity expansion outside of China amid growing economic uncertainites in the wake of the widespeading coronavirus outbreak, according to the industry sources.Yageo boosting non-China production to fulfill rush orders: Passive components maker Yageo is gearing up to boost capacity utilization at its plants outside China to mitigate the coronavirus impact on its overall output of MLCCs and resistor chips and to fulfill rush orders from clients, according to industry sources.Production of entry-level AirPod Pro to resume momentum in 2Q20, says sources: Production of an entry-level version of Apple's AirPods device is expected to resume momentum by the end of first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2020, according to upstream component suppliers for TWS devices.Production of entry-level AirPod Pro to resume momentum in 2Q20, says sources: Production of an entry-level version of Apple's AirPods device is expected to resume momentum by the end of first quarter or early in the second quarter of 2020, according to upstream component suppliers for TWS devices.

Handset shipments by Taiwan's brand vendors and ODMs totaled 14.59 million units in the fourth quarter of 2019, up by a single-digit rate from the previous quarter but fell 35% from a year earlier, Digitimes Research has found.For all of 2019, Taiwan's handset shipments reached 56.16 million units, decreasing 32.2% from a year earlier.The Foxconn Group remained the top maker in the fourth quarter thanks to increased feature phone orders from HMD Global.Arima Communications surged to second place, buoyed by orders from clients in North America, while three- to fifth-place makers Asustek Computer, HTC and Compal Electronics all suffered sequential declines in the fourth quarter.Digitimes Research also found that smartphone models shipped by the five makers suffered an annual decline of 60% to account for less than 30% of Taiwan's total handset shipments in 2019.

Taiwan's National Health Insurance (NHI) program under Ministry of Health and Welfare is using big data it collects to train AI in developing smart medical care solutions.NHI Administration director general Lee Po-chang said his administration focuses on three core concepts in using the big data: data management, clinical application of AI technology, and protection of privacy of personal data.Analysis of medical records can result in fast ICD-10 (10th revision of International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) coding of diseases to reduce hospital staffs' workload of coding diseases, Lee said.For interpretation of medical images, the more NHI images are used, the better AI algorithmic models are trained, Lee noted. For preventive medicine, medical images, such as CT and MRI ones, have to be further classified and combined with diagnostic content and, in addition, related data such as blood lipid, age and sex should be included in analysis, Lee indicated.The administration appreciates the medical value of minimally invasive surgery but, from the viewpoint of NHI insurance benefit, has to evaluate whether the advanced technology can bring higher medical effects than conventional treatments and the cost incurred, Lee explained.The NHI database consists of various medical data uploaded by about 30,000 hospitals and clinics in Taiwan. The data are first incorporated into a database of which underlying architecture is based on Oracle system. They are stored in 32-digit codes for de-identification with a string of keys, which are crucial to protecting privacy, because there is no telling the linkage between the medical data and corresponding personal identification.NHI data have so far been available for academic and research organizations mostly, Lee said. But the administration is communicating with life insurance companies about using NHI data to help them design insurance products that better meet customers' needs, Lee noted.Lee Po-chang, director general of Taiwan's National Health Insurance AdministrationPhoto: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes, March 2020

To build a successful startup, it is essential to start with a domain which the founders are best at and then work out solutions that exactly meet clients' needs, according to Winnie Lee, co-founder and chief operation officer of Appier, one of Taiwan's only two startup unicorns.Founded in 2012 as an AI startup, Appier has managed to raise total funds of US$162 million and has developed four major solutions, CrossX, AiQua, AiDeal and AiXon, to help clients in diverse sectors carry out precision marketing. It has been recognized by Taiwan's National Development Fund as one of the country's first two homegrown unicorns.Lee told Digitimes that at the start it had been difficult for Appier founders, including CEO CH Yu and CTO Joe Su, to convince international venture capital firms of the prospects of AI startups, and that it had been even harder to persuade enterprises to incorporate the firm's AI solutions to address their problems. Lee said after developing eight unsuccessful products, Appier rolled out an AI solution that precisely addressed clients' long-unsolved problems. She continued that the success has justified their insistence on starting in the AI domain where Yu is an expert.The three founders have shared the view that Appier should develop into a global company with AI as infrastructure while working out solutions for business sectors that can generate big data. This is why the company has rolled out precision marketing platforms for e-commerce, advertising and other related online services providers, according to Lee.Appier co-founder and COO Winnie LeePhoto: Michael Lee, Digitimes, March 2020

Taiwan-based startup Velodash has developed an app to allow cyclists to plan cycling routes and arrange group rides as well as to provide management system, including route planning and real-time tracking of cyclists,for cycling event organizers. It has recently raised NT$21 million (US$698,300) in an angel round of funding.Company co-founder and CEO Molly Huang talked to Digitimes in an interview about Velodash's outlook and plans.Q: The Singaporean government adopted Velodash's app for recording participants' performance in a cycling event at the Singapore National Games in late July-early August 2018. What's Velodash's progress since then? What is Velodash's next step?A: At the event, Velodash noticed the need to precisely meet clients' demand, as event organizers have to be responsible for participants' safety. But the app at the time could only display the locations of all participants but did not provide management functions for assigned tasks. Velodash, inspired by the observations at the event, has developed Staff, an app functioning as a smart control center for tracking all participants and displaying locations of rescue resources such as ambulances, and the statuses of incidents that are being handled. Staff will be launched later in 2020.By virtue of cycling events, the number of Velodash app users has increased from over 3,000 in August 2018 to more than 30,000 at present. Velodash has expanded the user base from B2C (individual users) initially to also include B2B (enterprises and event organizers).The fund raised in the angel round will be used to expand workforce from eight staff members currently to 15. Velodash will tap overseas markets in Asia, with Japan to be the first one. In addition, Velodash plans to further raise funds in mid-2021 or 2022 for taping additional overseas markets such as the US.Q: Are B2B clients mainly professional cycling events such as Tour de France?A: Professional cycling events usually adopt customized apps due to confidentiality. Velodash focuses B2B clients on organizers of amateur events or bicycle vendors who organize their own cycling teams for sales promotion.In fact, amateur cycling teams and people fond of cycling make up the largest demand. Members of amateur cycling teams, mostly aged above 35, usually go on cycling in group during weekends and they need mutual care.Q: Will Japan-based Nippon Platform Group, one of the angel investors, help Velodash tap markets in Japan and other Asian countries? Is it in strategic cooperation with Velodash?A: Nippon Platform Group has not asked for strategic alliance despite its angel investment, but will maintain cooperation with Velodash.Q: What are the business opportunities in the Japan market? Are there competing products?A: Japan is the largest market in Asia. In view of concentration of international tourists in main cities, the Japanese government has been making efforts to divert tourists from big cities to rural areas. However, public bus services in rural areas are very infrequent and thus bicycles become an ideal transportation tool. Local governments in Japan are also inclined to sponsor cycling activities or events in rural areas. Therefore, Velodash's sales promotion in Japan will begin in rural areas rather than in big cities. Besides, as there are various folk festivities, such as carrying of sedan chairs, on many traditional festivals in Japan, Velodash plans to provide a common platform for activity organizers to create content on demand.Q: In addition to GPS, AI-based algorithm and IoT, what other technologies will Velodash adopt?A: Besides collection of data on location, Velodash plans to use GPS to establish its own map system, tentatively dubbed VeloMap. Because Google Map contains much unnecessary information for cyclists, our map system will focus on information really needed by cyclists such as locations of coffee shops for taking rests, repair stores and restrooms, and allow users to edit and update information. Velodash will encourage store operators to join the map system.Q: How can Velodash maintain users' stickiness?A: Velodash encourages users to create unique content. For example, Velodash-developed route planner enables cyclists to recommend their favorite cycling routes for sharing.Velodash co-founder and CEO Molly HuangPhoto: Shihmin Fu, Digitimes, February 2020

The server sector has been almost unscathed by the coronavirus outbreak that has spurred stay-at-home economy. There has been strong demand for servers to support e-commerce, video streaming, e-sports, teleconferencing and collaboration platform applications for people avoiding leaving home or undergoing quarantine. Memory demand from the server and datacenter sector has also been strong, with vendors expecting prices to go up this year. For others in the ICT industry, such as the handset industry, the outbreak has wreaked havoc. But Apple reportedly will still be launching a new entry-level LCD iPhone that has already come to its final stage of verification at its manufacturers. Server sector unscathed by coronavirus outbreak: The PC and handset supply chains are being hard hit by the ongoing coronavirus outbreak, but the server sector has been almost unscathed, as the epidemic has spurred stay-at-home economy and in turn fueled demand for servers, according to industry sources.Memory demand for servers and datacenters surges: DRAM and NAND flash memory demand for server and datacenter applications has started picking up and surging recently, despite weakness in demand for PCs and consumer electronics products, according to sources at channel distributors.New entry-level LCD iPhone reportedly enters final verification stage: Apple's new entry-level LCD iPhone, tentatively dubbed iPhone SE2, has entered the final stage of engineering validation in Zhengzhou, China, where the vendor's major manufacturing partners Foxconn Electronics and Pegatron run assembly lines, according to industry sources.

TSMC is unqestionably the global leader in the pure-play foundry, but it is also gearing up efforts expanding its presence in the backend sector. Its advanced wafer-level packaging capacity is set to enjoy rising utilization in second-quarter 2020. TSMC has not been much affected by the coronavirus outbreak, unlikely many other manufacturers in the IT and semiconductor sectors. But Foxconn has disclosed that it expects to resume normal production in China by the end of March. The outbreak may be hitting hard the hadnset market, but Samsung and Huwaei have been keen to roll out their foldable devices featuring flexible AMOLED screens. Rising popularity for flexible AMOLED is expected to benefit BOE Technology, a major supplier of such displays.TSMC advanced packaging capacity utilization to climb: Pure-play foundry TSMC has been expanding its presence in the advanced wafer-level packaging field, and is set to enjoy rising utilization of its backend capacity starting the second quarter of 2020, according to sources at dedicated OSAT companies.Foxconn to resume normal production in China by end of March: Foxconn Technology, the world's largest EMS provider, expects to resume normal production in China - where the majority of its manufacturing facilities are located - by the end of March, and forecasts its revenues for the first half of 2020 to stay flat as compared with a year earlier, according to company chairman Young Liu.BOE making headway in flexible AMOLED: BOE Technology is expected to continue to enhance its presence in the flexible AMOLED panel sector as handset brands including Samsung Electronics and Huawei remain committed to rolling foldable smartphones this year despite the impacts of the coronavirus outbreak, according to industry sources.