Taiwanese startup AP Plasma has developed AI-base low-temperature air plasma technology for use in automated surface bonding of soles to shoes, according to company chairman and president Jango Chang.The automated surface bonding technology, by virtue of integrating AI, air plasma technology, 3D sensing and robotic arms, replaces traditional use of toxic glue in bonding and labor input, with average time taken in making a pair of shoes reduced from one minute to 10 seconds, Chang said.While air plasma technology has been used in shoe making, the production efficiency hinges on integration of AI, 3D sensing and robotic arms equipped with air plasma aurora heads, Chang noted. AP Plasma has integrated hardware and software concerned in developing low-temperature air plasma bonding equipment, Chang indicated. For example, 3D sensing and AI algorithms can estimate optimal routes of sole bonding, with such data transferred to robotic arms via software-based communication, Chang said.AP Plasm, founded in 2017, initially uses the AI-based low-temperature air plasma technology in shoemaking because global demand for shoes reaches nearly 24 billion pairs a year, and shoemakers face increasing pressure in environmental protection from their clients such as Nike, who demands low-pollution manufacturing processes, Chang explained.AP Plasma's low-temperature air plasma bonding equipment reportedly has drawn interests from Pou Chen, the largest Taiwan-based shoemaker and an OEM for Nike. Besides, Nike has listed AP Plasma as a candidate supplier in the future, Chang noted.AP Plasma chairman and president Jango Chang (left)Photo: Chloe Liao, Digitimes, January 2020

Dutch startup i-Med Technology, which showcased an a 3D digital surgical head-mounted loupe at CES 2020, develops products based on user-centric and demand-driven innovations, according to company CEO Vincent Graham.Startups need to constantly test and verify their technologies on-site, and i-Med has cooperated with hospitals to develop the loupe and these hospitals are expected to initially use the device, Graham noted.Before operations, surgeons can integrate diagnostic information such as medical records, CT, MRI and blood tests into the loupe, said Graham.During the operations, surgeons can see several separate displays of various information on the loupe to enable them to accurately decide on location, depth and width for surgery. There are pedals to allow surgeons to switch on and off LED lighting, adjust sizes, contrast and brightness of displayed images.i-Med CEO Vincent Graham demonstrates a 3D digital surgical head-mounted loupePhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, January 2020

Demand for TSMC's 7nm foundry services has been strong, with lead time for the node extending to about six months. The tight supply is expected to last throughout 2020, and Intel reportedly might also come knock on the door for TSMC's 7nm supply. In China, SMIC has started volume production of chips using its 14nm FinFET process at a fab in Shanghai. In Taiwan, an auction for 5G spectrums has completed, with winners paying exorbitant prices. Meanwhile, Digitimes Research's latest special report on the global server industry shows that worldwide server shipments will resume growth in 2020.TSMC 7nm lead time remains extended, with Intel reportedly looking to place orders: TSMC 7nm process lead time remains at about six months, with tight supply expected to last through 2020, or even worsened in the second half of the year if speculation about Intel possibly seeking to place orders for the Taiwanese foundry's advanced processes materializes, according to industry sources.SMIC scaling up 14nm chip output: Semiconductor Manufacturing International (SMIC) has kicked off volume production of chips built using 14nm FinFET process technology at its manufacturing site in Shanghai since the third quarter of 2019, according to the China-based pure-play foundry.Taiwan completes 5G spectrum auction: Taiwan's auction of 5G spectrums came to an end on January 16 after 261 rounds of bidding with total bids reaching NT$138.08 billion (US$4.604 billion), according to an announcement of National Communications Commission (NCC).Global server shipments to grow 6.6% in 2020, says Digitimes Research special report: Global server shipments, having declined moderately by 1.4% in 2019, will return growth in 2020, thanks to significant demand from the datacenter sector, according to Digitimes Research's latest special report on the server industry.TSMC 7nm foundry supply remains tightPhoto: Digitimes file photo

Global server shipments, having declined moderately by 1.4% in 2019, will return growth in 2020, thanks to significant demand from the datacenter sector, according to Digitimes Research's latest special report on the server industry.Global server shipments will grow 6.6% in 2020, totaling 16.01 million units, according to figures from the Digitimes Research's special report, Global Server Shipment Forecast and Industry Analysis, 2020.Digitimes Research originally projected a 4%-5% decline in 2019 server shipments, but thanks to better-than-expected fourth-quarter growth, the 2019 whole-year decline narrowed.Although shipments will return to the growth track, traditional brand manufacturers may still exhibit shipment decline. As such, overall shipment growth in 2020 will not reach double digits.The top four US-based datacenter operators have been the major force driving server shipment growth, according to Digitimes Research.Taiwan-based suppliers of server-related products, including motherboards, server cabinets, storage devices and network equipment, saw their combined revenues rise 2.3% on year to NT$887 billion (US$29.41 billion), compared to a 2.5% decline in total server unit shipments. This is due partly to increased shipment ratios for storage and networking devices and overall performance upgrades of their products.

Taiwan's backend service provider ASE reportedly will be packaging mmWave 5G antenna modules for Apple's products to be launched this year. The iPad is said to be in Apple's 5G product roadmap this year, apart from the iPhone. Apple may not be introducing foldable devices anytime soon, but hinge makers are keen to prepare themselves for foldable devices that other vendors will launch this year. In China, specialty foundry house Huahong Group has repoted sales growth for 2019, and is ready to expand capacity to meet local demand.ASE reportedly enters supply chain for mmWave 5G iPads, iPhones: Taiwan's backend leader Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) has reportedly broken into the supply chain for Apple's mmWave 5G iPhones and 5G iPads with its substrate-based FC_AiP (flip chip antenna-in-package) technology.Hinge makers budget higher capex for 2020: Taiwan-based hinge makers including Shin Zu Shing (SZS) and Jarllytec both will spend more to expand their production capacities this year, according to the companies.Huahong sees specialty foundry biz expand: Huahong Group, which has 8- and 12-inch wafer fabs, has posted revenues of over CNY11 billion (US$1.6 billion) from its specialty foundry business in 2019, up 1.6% on year. The China-based vendor continues to expand and enhance its specialty node offerings to satisfy local demand.Apple reportedly is looking to launch 5G iPadsPhoto: Digitimes file photo

More mobile operators worldwide are enhancing their deployments in the cloud gaming streaming market to highlight the differentiated value that 5G networks will bring forth.Telecom operators in Korea pioneered commercial 5G mobile network services in April 2019, and as a whole they had secured nearly 3.5 million subscribers as of the third quarter of the year and also saw the average data traffic of 5G subscribers increase exponentially as compared to 4G ones. Although ARPU (average revenues per user) of Korea's telecom operators has bottomed out since the first quarter of 2019, their revenues per unit data traffic have kept declining year-on-year.This shows that the business model relying on data traffic in 4G may no longer be vaiable in the 5G era due to factors including rising market competition and network maintenance costs. Digitimes Research believes that the value of 5G services will wane rapidly if mobile operators fail to roll out differentiated applications in the next-generation communication environment.From the perspective of mobile operators, the cloud gaming streaming market is likely to become the best application to highlight the differentiated value of 5G networks. As a result, many first-tier operators in respective markets have teamed up with Nvidia's Geforce Now, Microsoft's xCloud, Tencent's Start, and Ubitus in Taiwan for rolling out cloud gaming streaming services, making them a bright spot for 5G applications in 2020.

Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) has approved the establishment of a biomedical entrepreneurship base at Hsinchu Biomedical Science Park by US-based accelerator SmartLabs to support Taiwan's biomedical startups, according to MOST.The base, under MOST's financial sponsorship and technological support from government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), will be linked to Taiwan's universities, related research organizations, hospitals and biomedical industry, MOST noted.SmartLabs focuses on accelerating startups engaged in R&D of treating cancers and rare diseases and has incubated six of the globally top-10 gene editing startup businesses including Editas Medicine and CRISPR Therapeutics, according to company CEO Amrit Chaudhuri, adding that SmartLabs has helped 10 startup businesses raise US$7 billion via IPO.The base to be set up in Taiwan is SmartLabs' first overseas base, as Taiwan's advanced medical care and high-tech industries can play a portal for SmartLabs' entry into Asia Pacific's biomedical startup market, Chaudhuri explained.MOST and SmartLabs will work together to select Taiwan-based biomedical startups for the SmartLabs Global Launch program, which will provide customized and localized accelerator services focusing on international marketing, compliance with patent and administrative regulations related to biomedicine, financial planning and fundraising, MOST indicated. SmartLabs and enterprises stationed in the biomedical science park are expected to form an international biomedical entrepreneurship community, bringing more innovative elements for Taiwan-based biomedical startup businesses, MOST said.MOST will subsidize outstanding startups for a 3-month practical training at SmartLabs' headquarters in Boston to enhance their international competitiveness.According to Deloitte Taiwan, nearly 300 new pharmaceutical items are under clinical trials in Taiwan's new drug market, 47-50 of them being in phase-three clinical trials.

Exhibitors from the Netherlands, France and South Korea showcased many types of smart rehabilitation devices and smart robots for accompanying elderly people or patients at home at CES 2020, with these products appealing by user experience and user interfaces.Suppliers of smart rehabilitation devices are supposed to offer reliable systems for collecting and analyzing data, and making predictions for use by doctors, rehabilitation specialists and patients.Such devices have to enable patients to choose active or passive rehabilitation methods and understand their body conditions. In addition, such devices have to be able to recommend types and intensity of exercise based on data analysis, according to Liu Fu-an, CFO for medical management consultant Concord Medical.A smart rehabilitation device exhibited at CES 2020Photo: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, January 2020

Intel has yet to fully eased its processor shortages, which is sending notebook vendors adopting more of its competitions from AMD in 2020. AMD's new Zen 3 architecture is expected to have a record-high development projects commenced by PC makers for AMD processors. This year also looks promising for CIS vendor OmniVision, as demand for CIS from handsets, notebooks and other sectors will be strong. OmniVision reportedly is looking to raise CIS prices by 10-40% in 2020. For NAND flash chips, home gaming consoles will be a major growth driver in 2020. Vendors are expected to increase their demand for NAND flash chips to support their new-generation devices featuring SSDs in the second half of 2020.AMD CPU gaining popularity among PCs: The shortage of Intel's PC processors has already prompted OEMs and brand vendors to increasingly adopt AMD's CPUs in their products since 2019, and the trend will likely persist this year, according to industry sources.OmniVision set to raise quotes for diverse CIS devices by 10-40%: OmniVision Technologies will raise its quotes for various CMOS image sensors (CIS) by 10-40% in 2020 to counter ever-expanding demand for application to handsets, notebooks, smart home devices, automotive and security surveillance systems, according to supply chain sources.NAND flash demand for SSD-equipped gaming consoles to grow robustly: NAND flash demand for new-generation gaming consoles featuring 1TB and higher-density SSDs is set to grow robustly in the second half of 2020, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based AIMobile has developed a mobile streetlight that can be established at road intersections with frequent accidents or during rallies to collect data.AIMobile's mobile streetlight is a metal cabinet equipped with a battery that can supply up to 48 hours of power. The pole of the streetlight can be assembled based on the need of height and can be attached with cameras, different types of lamps or sensors. The cabinet features four wheels for mobility and can be switched into unmovable mode when necessary.AIMobile president Timothy Chang pointed out that edge computing's maturity and 5G's commercialization have enhanced the company's surveillance solution for smart cities, allowing the system to monitor in real-time cities' dynamic data, which will serve as bases for governments' decision-making process.AIMobile has already applied patents for the streetlight.AIMobile mobile streetlightPhoto: Yihan Li, Digitimes, January 2020