Taiwan's government-funded Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and Everest Textile, a local maker of functional fabrics, have jointly developed an automated multi-tasking system for garment production, able to cut manual operation by 70% through incorporating ITRI's 3D smart vision sensing technology.ITRI said that the system can shorten the textile sample proofing time to 1-3 days from 7-10 days and enable Taiwan's textile and garment industry to adopt semi-automatic production.ITRI said 3D smart vision sensing technology can recognize the color, shape, quality and location of any given object and can immediately scan stereo scenes and gestures of objects, suitable for application to metal processing, machining, and 3C inspection to help robotic arms move agilely without human assistance.Meanwhile, ITRI's anti-reflective 3D vision guiding module can help determine fabric material feeding positions on different sizes of T-shirts and relay the positions to robotic arms, which will then execute materials loading and unloading at stitching and thermo-printing machines, thus integrating separate steps of processes into one-stop operation.At the moment, up to 70% of functional fabrics come from Taiwan, and smart production integration solutions will enhance Taiwan textile and garment makers' production, according to ITRI.

KKFARM, a startup spun off from KKBOX Group, is engaged in cultivating digital music artists and businesses through venture capital funding and providing marketing solutions based on data and AI analysis for created songs, according to company co-founder and president Kai Huang.In the past, popular songs could reach the general audiences via TV and radio broadcast as the main last mile, Huang said. In the era of digital music, however, the music market has been segmented into many focus segments, Huang noted. This is because music consumers' behavior has drastically changed, for example, people of young generations have not relied on TV or radio broadcast to listen to music, Huang explained. Consequently, music companies have been increasingly unwilling to cultivate new singers, Huang said.In the segmented music market, it is relatively difficult to make talented musicians visible and popular, and therefore focus markets featuring musical diversity have become a trend, Huang indicated.To boost digital music, KKFARM has offered Soundscape, a marketing solution to help publish newly created music on KKBOX, Spotify, Apple Music and other international digital music platforms, Huang said. Soundscape also uses AI- and big data-based algorithm to analyze market response data collected in the three days following the release of a newly created song and thereby predict marketing potential of the song as reference for enhancing marketing or ending publication, Huang noted. The solution is to minimize marketing risks, Huang added.5G, due to broadband and low latency, will enable integration of music with AR and VR to enhance music consumers' experience, Huang said, adding that 5G can lead to new business models for music such as VR- or cloud computing-based concerts.KKFARM plays the role of a farm for music cultivation and is unable to decide on what crops to grow but weeds, plows, irrigates and fertilizes in a bid to attract music experts, Huang noted. By virtue of marketing solutions, KKFARM hopes to create an ecosystem for Chinese-language musicians, Huang indicated.KKFARM co-founder and president Kai HuangPhoto: Vicky Liu, Digitimes, November 2019

The memory market market is expected to recover next year, but suppliers remain cautious about expanding output. Samsung's bit growth for NAND flash output reportedly may drop to as low as 25%. In the foundry sector, China-based Wuhan Hongxin Semiconductor Manufacturing (HSMC) is aspiring to become the country's most advanced constract chipmaker. HSMC is gearing efforts advancing to 14nm and 7nm manufacturing nodes. Chinese firms have been ambitious about advancing their technologies and expanding tgheir market presence, in line with the country's bid to raise self-sufficiency. Now China has set up a new fund to promote the development of new materials for industrial upgrades.Samsung NAND flash bit supply growth to drop below 30% in 2020: Samsung Electronics' NAND flash bit supply growth is expected to drop below 30% and even 25% in 2020, down from 35-40% this year, according to industry sources.Chinese foundry HSMC gearing up for 14nm, 7nm chip production: Wuhan Hongxin Semiconductor Manufacturing (HSMC), a logic IC foundry founded in late 2017, is gearing up for 14nm and 7nm process manufacturing eyeing to be China's most advanced contract chipmaker.China sets up fund for industrial upgrades with focus on new materials: China has set up a CNY147.2 billion (US$20.94 billion) national fund aimed at spurring transformations and upgrades at its manufacturing industries to turn the country into a smart production center, according to industry sources.

As the volume of IoT devices and sensors is increasing explosively and when they break down, manual repair is costly and requires lengthy operation suspension, remote monitoring and maintenance become important to secure their steady operation, according to industrial memory module maker Innodisk.Equipment maintenance and operation costs take up 6.4% of a firm's revenue on global average, and it spends a sum amounting to 80% of the original purchase cost to keep the equipment running, mostly incurring from losses due to suspended equipment, Innodisk cited Gartner as indicating.According to market forecast, there will be 75 billion IoT devices or sensors installed around the world in 2025, Innodisk noted. The average ratio of the number of maintenance staff members to the number of IoT edge devices or sensors will increase from 1:20 at present to 1:1,000, Innodisk indicated.Innodisk in August 2019 launched its InnoAGE, an SSD solution built with Microsoft Azure Sphere to enable smart data analysis and updates, data security and cloud computing-based remote control, the company indicated. The solution features out of band management which supports remote management via separated communication lines. Taiwan-based industrial computing device makers DFI, Avalue Technology and IEI Integration have adopted InnoAGE.According to IEI, about 80% of equipment breakdowns are problems that can be solved via remote remedy and about 20% are due to hardware problems that need manual repair.

The handset market is welcoming the arrival of 5G smartphones, shipments for which may range from 200 million to 300 million units in 2020. Such volumes for 5G smartphones mean 4G devices will still be here to stay. IC desingers believe 4G phone replacement demand from users not yet ready to upgrade to 5G will contribute to a rebound in the handset market next year. At any rate, many sectors are optimistic about the coming year. Powe semiconductor suppliers, having experienced a slow year in 2019, has now managed to return their inventory to healthy levels, and they are optimistic about 5G driving chip demand for a wide range of applications in 2020. The memory market, which has been hit hard by by falling demand and prices, is expected to recover next year. Memory module makers anticipate prices and demand to pick up at a modest pace.Global handset market likely to stage a rebound in 2020: The global handset market is likely to stage an upturn in terms of industry value and unit shipments driven by the release of more 5G phones and continued availability of multiple 4G models with high price/performance ratios, according to sources from Taiwan's IC design sector.Power semiconductor demand about to pick up: Power semiconductor demand is about to hit its bottom and start picking up, as Infineon and other IDMs have lowered their power chip inventories to healthy levels, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Besides, the end-market demand outlook is optimistic thanks to the arrival of 5G.Memory module makers optimistic about 2020: Taiwan-based memory module manufacturers have expressed optimism about their performances in 2020, when chip prices and demand are set to recover at a modest pace.

THI Consultants evaluates the impact on traffic conditions arising from autonomous vehicles' running on roads as reference for their trial run, according to company president Jessica Lin.The evaluation consists of three aspects: potential conflicts between autonomous vehicles and other cars, and between autonomous vehicles and pedestrians; whether autonomous vehicles running on outer lanes at low speeds interferes with traffic flows or causes traffic congestion; and decision making regarding traffic rules based on the former two aspects to minimize negative impact from autonomous vehicles.Besides, THI has approximated actual traffic conditions using in-house-developed simulation software, enabling testing of autonomous vehicles' sensing systems and training them to cope with different conditions.THI Consultants president Jessica LinPhoto: Yihan Lee, Digitimes, November 2019

Handset shipments by Taiwan's brand vendors and ODMs are expected to grow by a single-digit rate sequentially in the fourth quarter of 2019 after seeing their combined shipments edge up 3% on quarter to 14.21 million units a quarter earlier, Digitimes Research estimates.In the third quarter, Foxconn Group was the top player in unit shipments thanks to a rebound of feature phone orders from HMD Global (Nokia) despite a decline in smartphone ones.Brand vendors Austek Computer and HTC both suffered sequential shipment declines in the third quarter but with their rankings remaining unchanged in second and third.Compal Electronics stayed in fourth place thanks to orders from Sony Mobile Communications and US-based CAT, while Arima's shipments continued to decline in the third quarter as it has been producing handsets for lesser brands in Europe and emerging markets.On a yearly basis, handset shipments by Taiwan's brand vendors and ODMs are expected to tumble 30% in the fourth quarter from a year earlier, with vendors rankings to remain unchanged, Digitimes Research estimates.

Open AI Fab provides AI services, mainly consulting in AI technology and AI solutions, on a subscription basis for small- to medium-size enterprises to help them transform or upgrade operations, according to company CEO Jon Huang.The services come in three stages: Diagnosis of clients' business areas and needs, followed by modeling to develop AI-based models to meet the needs, and then realization of modeling by implementing and improving the models, Huang noted.Founded in May 2018, Open AI Fab develops AI-based models using technologies in graphic recognition and natural language processing as well as open source algorithms for the time being, and aims at clients from retail, finance, manufacturing and agriculture, Huang indicated.Open AI Fab CEO Jon HuangPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, November 2019

5G/Innovation Summit 2019, an event focusing on empowering innovation in the 5G era organized by Taipei City's Department of Economic Development with support from Digitimes, will take place in Taipei on November 25.HP Tech Venture partner Mitchell Weinstock will deliver a keynote speech "Strategic Investing, Making Corporate Venture Capital Work." Orange Silicon Valley startup investment expert Jay Onda will speak about "How 5G is Enabling Innovation by Collaboration." And phireGEN Advisory Group managing partner Leland Lai's speech will be "Re-imagine City Life with 5G Applications."Enterprises' investment in startups has taken up over 20% of global venture capital investment, as startups' momentum in technological innovation is far larger than the enterprises' own, Weinstock said. Cooperation among the government and private sectors is crucial to hiking efficiency in innovation and producing innovative ideas, Onda noted, adding Orange Silicon Valley hopes to gain more understanding of Taiwan's ICT industries.5G has potential of being applied to VR devices, smart city and smart transportation solutions, Lai said.As of the end of June 2019, 293 telecom carriers were experimenting or in trial operation of 5G networks in 98 countries, and 55 of them were setting up 5G networks. Mobile telecom carriers in South Korea took the initiative globally to offer 5G commercial services, with the total number of users expected to reach four million by the end of 2019.5G/Innovation Summit 2019 to take place November 25Photo: Digitimes

Chinese handset vendors are eager to adopt anylayer HDI boards for their high-end smartphones, but they currently have to source such boards from outside of China despite the country's bid to raise self-sufficiency for electronics components. Taiwan-based PCB makers Compeq and Unimicron are among those that are able to satisfy Chinese handset vendors' rising demand for anylayer HDI boards. Taiwan-based IC design houses have also seen increases in orders from China for chips supporting fast-charging, and many of them expect strong fourth-quarter 2019 results. In the optoelectronics sector, mini LEDs are presenting opportunities. Taiwan-based Epistar is ready to expand capacity for the mini LED segment next year.Anylayer HDI demand from Chinese handset vendors rising sharply: Chinese handset vendors are keen on utilizing anylayer HDI boards as mainboards for high-end smartphones adopting 7nm APs, and Taiwan-based PCB makers including Compeq Manufacturing and Unimicron are in a better position to meet the growing demand thanks to their higher yield rates and technology levels than Chinese peers', according to industry sources.Taiwan analog IC firms see orders for fast-charging devices pick up from China: Taiwan-based analog IC specialists have recently seen orders mainly short lead-time ones for fast-charging solutions pick up from China's high-tech industry, which is looking to reduce its dependence on US-made chips, according to industry sources.Epistar to allocate at least NT$5 billion for 2020 capex: LED wafer and chip maker Epistar has disclosed plans to set aside a capex budget of at least NT$5 billion (US$164 million) for 2020, mainly for expanding production capacities for mini LEDs, backlight units (BLUs) and VCSEL wafers and diodes.