With the rising business opportunity of 5G applications, orders for related technologies and components have continued to pick up and are expected to benefit TSMC over its InFO-AiP and Taiwan-based CCL makers in 2020. Meanwhile, China-based DRAM maker CXMT has been pushing its LPDDR4x memory for the adoption into the handsets of China-based second-tier vendors.TSMC to launch InFO-AiP volume production for mmWave devices in 2020: TSMC's backend antenna-in-package technology, dubbed InFO-AiP, has attracted orders from US-based clients for packaging 5G mmWave devices, with volume production set to kick off next year, according to industry sources.CCL makers poised to reap 5G application opportunities in 2020: Taiwan-based CCL makers including Elite Material, Taiwan Union Technology, Iteq and Ventec International have raced to send high-frequency, high speed CCL samples to clients for validation in 2019 seeking to explore the growing 5G application opportunities in 2020 and beyond, according to industry sources.CXMT developing LPDDR4x memory for handsets: China-based DRAM startup ChangXin Memory Technologies (CXMT) is making progress in the development of LPDDR4x memory chips, which will initially attract orders from China's second-tier handset vendors, according to industry sources.

China's overall IC production capacity will continue to expand in 2020 as both IDMs and foundry houses there have readied expansion plans covering 4-, 6-, 8- and 12-inch wafer fabs and will enter 14nm node next year, according to Digitimes Research.The capacity expansion plans are driven by the mounting demand for logic ICs, memory chips, power chips and analog ICs for 5G and IoT applications in China, as well as the government's aggressive push for pursuing IC self-sufficiency, Digitimes Research noted.Both IDMs and foundry firms have seen some of their new fabs start commercial runs in 2019, with some more to kick off volume production of new products or technologies in 2020, when new capacity expansion plans will also be implemented.Meanwhile, the adoption of 14nm node, mass production of 3D NAND flash chips, and growing demand for power devices and analog ICs for IoT applications all serve to prompt Chinese IDMs and foundry houses to strengthen deployments in 2020 in both mature and special process nodes, whether at 12-inch, 8-inch or lower-inch wafer fabs.

High-definition (HD) maps will be used in combination with data collected by various traffic sensors to become local dynamic maps.Under the Ministry of the Interior's commission, National Cheng Kung University's Department of Geomatics in Taiwan has set up a national High-definition Maps Research Center to provide HD maps in OpenDrive+Extension format for use in intelligent transportation systems.Telematics service provider TMS Technologies indicated that such HD maps will hike efficiency in modeling traffic scenarios and broaden scope of using traffic data.TMS said it can combine real-time traffic data and traffic infrastructure information available at its DataBar-MaaS marketplace with HD maps to produce customized map products based on user needs.Updating HD maps can rely on sensors installed on taxis, public buses and logistics cars that run along fixed routes or in regular areas to provide latest data, said Thomas Cheng, general manager for transportation consultant Thinktron.

Foldable phones are already a commerical reality, and the market can expect to see more from multiple vendors in 2020. But those who are looking forward to foldable-screen notebooks may have to wait a little longer. Intel reportedly was looking to showcase a 17-inch foldable-screen notebook at the upcoming CES, but decided to drop the plan due to issues with flexible panel supply and immature OS support. But IC design house MediaTek is set to unveil its Dimensity 800 at CES - a 5G SoC for midrange smartphone segments. In the displays market, LCD panel makers may be able to heap a sigh of relief, as prices of TV applications may jump as much as 20% in first-half 2020. Intel not yet ready to promote foldable-screen notebooks: Intel is unlikely to promote foldable-screen notebooks until after issues such as insufficient flexible panel supply and immature OS support are solved in mid 2020, according to sources from the upstream supply chain.MediaTek to showcase Dimensity 800 5G SoC at CES 2020: MediaTek is set to unveil its second sub-6 GHz 5G SoC, codenamed Dimensity 800, at the upcoming CES 2020 and start delivering the chips in the second quarter of the year.LCD TV panel prices likely to rise 20% in 1H20: LCD TV panel prices may stage a rally in early 2020 thanks to an improved supply-demand balance, with the upward spiral to continue into the second quarter and quotes for mainstream panel sizes likely to rise about 20%, according to industry sources.

Taiwan-based medical management consulting company Concord Medical has helped Hua Yang Hospital and Kangyu Clinic, both in northern Taiwan, set up robotic rehabilitation centers.Hua Yang Hospital's robotic rehabilitation center consists of Keeogo BestShapr XO, an exoskeleton walking assistance system developed by Canada-based B-Temia, a Gloreha 3D smart robotic glove and arm for rehabilitation developed by Italy-based Idrogenet, an Andago overground gait training system with dynamic body weight support developed by Switzerland-based Hocoma, while Kangyu's consists of Keeogo BestShapr XO only, according to company CFO Liu Fu-an.The equipment each can serve 4-6 patients in an afternoon, with a patient accompanied by a physiotherapist in a one-hour rehabilitation session, Liu noted. One-third of patients are transferred from hospitals after they received medical treatment, including surgical operation, there, Liu indicated.Robotic rehabilitation systems detect users' articular movement and changes in such movement via sensors and then decide on when to start, accelerate or decelerate motors using AI-based analysis to help the users, Liu analyzed. Accompanying physiotherapists help users and can finely adjust such systems to reach optimal rehabilitation, Liu added.Although investment in the establishing such robotic rehabilitation centers is high for small hospitals, it is a way to differentiate themselves in the smart medical and health care sector, said Liu.In a bid to promote robotic rehabilitation, Concord has cooperated with high-tech companies in medical care to provide training for physiotherapists and rehabilitation specialists at Hua Yang Hospital, Liu said. Parties in the rehabilitation ecosystem are supposed to cooperate to make robotic rehabilitation concurrent with conventional rehabilitation methods, Liu noted.Concord Medical CFO Liu Fu-anPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, December 2019

Taiwan-based startup businesses tapping the Southeast Asia market should offer one-stop solutions via integrating various innovations developed by different startups, according to Vincent Lu, vice managing director for Jumpway, a Thailand-based electronics manufacturer established by Taiwanese entrepreneurs over 30 years ago.Taiwan-based startups entering Thailand, despite their innovative ideas, products and services, generally do not know how to market them, Lu said.Since features of innovations vary among different startups, startups working individually may be able to win orders for their unique products and service, but they cannot provide turnkey or industry-based systematic solutions for any industry, Lu said.Tourism is an important industry for Thailand, and as smart tourism involves close cooperation among hotels, department stores, airlines and other transportation service providers, innovative products and services that simultaneously meet respective needs have to be based on integrating different startups' innovations, Lu said.Taiwan-based Sinotech Engineering Consultants has cooperated with a Thailand-based industrial real estate developer to develop Taipei Smart City, a smart city demonstration site, in Chonburi, eastern Thailand. Taipei Smart City, with an entrepreneurship zone to house incubators, will attract Taiwan-based startups and help them partner with Thailand-based Taiwanese makers for production of innovative products.Jumpway vice managing director Vincent LuPhoto: Company

Bitmark has created a specialized blockchain application to convert personal medical data - with patients' authorization - into digital assets that can be sold, licensed and transferred peer-to-peer, a practice that can be feasible in Taiwan, which boasts sound environment for medical innovations, according to company CEO Sean Moss-Pultz.He said Taiwan boasts comprehensive personal medical data, which can, through cooperation with the National Health Insurance Administration, be directly connected to, stored and analyzed in a cloud blockchain system for further applications based on consents from patients.Moss-Pultz said there is no need to worry about software and hardware infrastructure requirements, as what really matters are the application framework and business model. He said his company has established a property rights system where digital property titles, or "bitmarks," are assigned to digital assets and recorded in an open-source Bitmark blockchain, creating a permanent and unique ownership history that allows data to be authenticated, bought and sold.Moss-Pultz disclosed that Bitmark is cooperating with Health2Sybnc, a diabetes log app, on medical data application, seeking to integrate personal data of diabetes patients via the IoT system before they can be inspected and licensed through the handset app.He continued that Bitmark will start with the application of medical data associated with diabetes, ophthalmological diseases and wound care services to create wealth for patients and boost public awareness about the value of medical data.

The world's two superpowers may be heading towards a truce in their trade war, but the US reportedly is not letting Chinese tech giant Huawei off the hook easily. Washington may tighten control on Huawei's access to US technology, with Taiwanese IC designers bracing for mixed impacts. China, well aware of the risk of over-dependence on US technology, has ambitious goals of raising its self-sufficiency for semiconductors. For Huawei, it is also sourcing more components from local suppliers, such as hybrid lens modules from AAC Technologies for its upcoming flagship smartphones. Apple is also said to be sourcing more from Chinese suppliers for a different reason, namely cost concerns. And as the year 2019 nears its end, Digitimes looks at how the heyday of the LCD panel industry is also coming to a close.US may tighten ban on Huawei with mixed impacts on Taiwan IC designers: The US government is reportedly mulling adjusting regulations to tighten control on Huawei's access to US-originated technology, which may bring uncertainties to Taiwan-based IC design houses in the supply chain of the Chinese smartphone vendor but benefit those which compete with its chipmaking arm HiSilicon.AAC Tech reportedly lands hybrid lens module orders from Huawei, Xiaomi: China-based AAC Technologies Holdings has reportedly landed orders for its hybrid lens modules from Huawei and Xiaomi for their upcoming flagship smartphones, a warning signal for related Taiwanese makers who have been counting heavily on orders from the handset sector in China, according to industry sources.Apple reportedly to deepen cooperation with China supply chain makers: Apple reportedly has deepened its cooperation with China-based supply chain makers for not only ramping up its shipments to China but also further reducing its overheads, according to Taiwan-based handset supply chain makers.LCD heyday coming to an end: For the global LCD panel industry, the year 2019 has been mostly engulfed by oversupply due notably to rampant capacity ramps by Chinese makers. Oversupply coupled with the impacts of the US-China trade dispute has brough not only steep falls in LCD panel prices but also profound changes of the landscapes of the global display industry.

Taiwan has strong demand for AI talent in volume and quality, and the supply of AI experts can only rely on domestic cultivation rather than overseas recruitments, according to Kung Hsiang-tsung, president for Taiwan AI Academy.Experts in various industries will have to integrate their experience with AI, and when an AI ecosystem is formed in Taiwan, the industries will take root in the country, said Kung, an Academician of Taiwan's Academia Sinica as well as a William H. Gates Professor for Computer Science & Electric Engineering under Harvard University in the US.AI training schools can succeed in Taiwan where doctors, bankers, electronic engineers and experts from other fields can receive training together in the same classroom, he said.Taiwan AI Academy, during the 20 months since its establishment, has cultivated about 5,000 AI experts with background in various industries to boost industry-oriented application of AI technology, said science and technology minister Chen Liang-gee, describing Kung as Taiwan's AI navigator.They were speaking at a ceremony on December 24 where Chen presented Kung with a First-class Science & Technology Professional Medal on Kung to praise his significant contribution to AI education in Taiwan.Taiwan AI Academy in August 2019 began cooperation with the nine medical centers in Taiwan to provide tailored AI training in smart medical care for medical workers separately in northern, central and southern Taiwan, according to Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST). There have so far been nearly 1,000 trainees of which more than 600 are doctors.Taiwan AI Academy president Kung Hsiang-tsung (third left) and MOST minister Chen Liang-gee (second left)Photo: Bryan Chuang, Digitimes, December 2019

Foxconn Electronics has offered a high-performance computing (HPC) facility for use by National Taiwan University (NTU) Cancer Center, according to Yong Lin Health Care Foundation established by former company chairman Terry Gou.The center, set up in Taipei with donations from Gou via the foundation, uses the HPC facility to detect and locate tumors, simulate treatment methods and processes for choosing optimal treatment strategies, analyze biomolecular mechanism and recognize gene mutations, said the foundation. The center came into trial operation in December 2018 and normal operation in July 2019.The HPC facility is located at Foxconn's operation base in Kaohsiung, southern Taiwan, and connected with the center in the north via fiber-optic networks, the foundation noted, adding in view of increasing demand for HPC, the center is likely to set up a smaller HPC facility nearby.Foxconn founder Terry GouPhoto: Ninelu Tu, Digitimes, December 2019