Fingerprint recognition will continue to be a major feature for smartphones next year, with optical and ultrasonic in-display sensors to be two main options for device vendors. Taiwan-based Goodix Technology is set to ramp up shipments for optical in-display fingerprint sensors and has reserved capacity support from TSMC. Facial recognition is another option. AMS, known for its sensors for smartphones' 3D facial recognition, believes that in the 5G era, non-mass market applications such as those for automotive, industrial and healthcare, will also provide significant opportunities for sensors. And 5G-driven demand for devices will also fuel growth for the upstream sectors, such as IC substrate suppliers. Taiwan-based IC substrate makers have already seen order visibility extend to 2020, and have stepped up capacity expansion.Goodix to ramp up optical in-display fingerprint sensor shipments in 2020: Goodix Technology is set to ramp up shipments of its optical in-display fingerprint sensors in 2020, and has reportedly reserved sufficient 8-inch fab capacity from TSMC, according to industry sources.AMS puts increased focus on non-mass market applications: Austrian sensor chipmaker AMS will move to enhance its focus on non-mass market applications including automotive, industrial and healthcare, according to Daniel Lee, country manager for Taiwan at AMS.IC substrate suppliers see clear order visibility stretch into 2020: Taiwan-based IC substrate makers including Unimicron Technology, Nan Ya PCB and Kinsus Interconnect Technology have seen their shipments ramp up in most of fourth-quarter 2019 with clear order visibility extending into 2020, and they are stepping up capacity expansions to meet growing demand driven by 5G and IoT applications, according to industry sources.

While ToF (time of flight) 3D sensing technology is mostly used in rear cameras of smartphones and facial recognition currently, it has potential of being used in autonomous driving, smart retail and smart manufacturing, according to technical marketing manager Jerry Chang at Imaging Division under STMicroelectronics.As Apple will reportedly adopt ToF for rear cameras of new iPhone models to be launched in 2020, the adoption of the technology in smartphones is increasing.Since ToF features long-range and wide-angle 3D sensing, the technology can be used in digital signage, detection of cars at public parking facilities, monitoring of crop growth in smart agriculture, Chang said. For smart manufacturing in particular, ToF can be used to detect short supply of components or materials in manufacturing process and in AGV (automated guided vehicle)/AMR (autonomous mobile robotic arm) combination, Chang indicated.Technical marketing manager of STMicroelectronics' Imaging Division, Jerry Chang Photo: Chloe Liao, Digitimes, December 2019

The Ministry of the Interior commissioned Department of Geomatics under Taiwan's National Cheng Kung University to set up High-definition (HD) Maps Research Center, and the center has come into operation to provide HD maps for use in ITS (intelligent transportation system) such as road inspection, asset management and collection of parking fees for the time being, according to Kai-wei Chiang , the director of the center as well as professor with the department.The foundation of the center is part of the government's plans to construct digital infrastructure, Chiang said.Through dynamic updates, HD maps reflect nearly actual road conditions and thereby can be used by car drivers to plan optimal routes on daily basis, Chiang indicated.The ultimate plan for the HD maps is their adoption by the navigation of autonomous vehicles, Chiang noted.High-definition Maps Research Center director Jiang Kai-weiPhoto: Yihan Li, Digitimes, December 2019

UMC's acquisition of Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor apparently has fulfilled two of its major strategic purposes: to expand its presence in the Japanese maket and the niche market. Through the wholly-owned Japanese subsidiary, now renamed United Semiconductor Japan (USJC), the Taiwan-based foundry house reportedly has entered the supply chain for Sony's CMOS image sensors. CIS demand is expected to see impressive growth coming from the automotive sector and 5G phone market. Taiwanese IC design houses have already seen significant increases in orders from 5G phone vendors, particularly those from China. Orders from Chinese handset vendors have also been buoying sales at PCB maker Tripod Technology, who is set to report record sales for 2019. Chinese handset vendors have also turmed keen on introducing foldable devices next year. China-based panel maker Tianma Microelectronics, eyeing opportunities from such a trend, has decided to devote more of its production capacity to making flexible AMOLED applications.UMC enters supply chain for Sony CIS: United Microelectronics (UMC), through its takeover of Mie Fujitsu Semiconductor (MIFS), has entered the supply chain for Sony's CMOS image sensors, according to industry sources.Taiwan IC design houses see increases in orders for 5G phones: Taiwan-based IC design houses have seen significant increases in orders for related ICs for 5G phones recently, particularly from first-tier Chinese handset brands, with the ramp-ups likely to result in strong performances for most firms in the first quarter of 2020, according to sources from Taiwan's IC supply chain.PCB maker Tripod on track to end 2019 with record revenues: HDI PCB specialist Tripod Technology is on track to meet its revenue target of NT$54 billion (US$1.77 billion) for 2019, a new high compared to the previous record of NT$52.1 billion in 2018, as its shipments of anylayer HDI boards to Chinese handset vendors have remained robust in the fourth quarter, traditionally an off season, according to industry sources.Tianma ramping up flexible AMOLED panel capacity: China-based flat panel maker Tianma Microelectronics plans to convert its rigid AMOLED panel product lines at its 6G line in Wuhan to the production of flexible applications, with the conversion to be completed in the first half of 2020, according to industry sources.

The world's top pure-play foundry is set to wrap up 2019 with strong sales performances, thanks to impressive contributions from advanced manufacturring processes. TSMC is also on course to enter commerical production in first-half 2019 for 5nm process, whose yield rates have been climbing. The foundry has seen particularly strong orders from the 5G chip vendors, inculding Qualcomm and MediaTek, both of whom are expected to compete against each other fiercely in the smartphone maket. MediaTek launched its new generation 5G SoC, Dimensity 1000, in November, and it is now to unveil a second SoC in the Dimensity family later this month. Meanwhile, the memory market is heading towards recovery, with NAND flash prices in China - where pricing is usually rather chaotic - showing signs of stability.TSMC poised to post up to 5% revenue growth in 2019: TSMC is poised to post revenue growth of up to 5% on year in 2019, with sales for the fourth quarter set to meet its guidance range, according to market observers.MediaTek to unveil 2nd 5G SoC later in December: MediaTek reportedly plans to unveil its second 5G SoC in the latter half of December, one month after it released the first model of its 5G SoC family product, the Dimensity 1000, in November, according to industry sources familiar with the matter.Consumer NAND flash prices rally in China: Consumer NAND flash memory prices in China have rallied about 3% since the end of November, showing signs of market stability, according to industry sources.

XFail 2019 Conference, an occasion for entrepreneurs to share their experiences of failure to improve startups' chance of success, will open in Taipei on December 14.Speakers sharing their experiences of failure at the event - to be held at Syntrend Creative Park - include AirSig founder Pokai Chen, Hope Bay Technologies chairman Ben Jai, Singularity University graduate Ju-Chun Ko, digital influencer Luke Hsu and US angel investor Greg Hao.The annual XFail conference was first organized in 2015.Figures from Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) show that up to 90% of entrepreneurships in Taiwan will end up failures within a year and among the remaining 10%, 90% will go out of business within five years, indicating that only 1% of Taiwan's entrepreneurships can last over five years.XFail 2019 Conference to open on December 14Photo: NARLabs

Deep01, a Taiwan-based medical artificial intelligence (AI) startup, is applying for its second US FDA (Food and Drug Administration) clearance for midline shift detection and measurement, according to the company's CEO, David Chou.The company said it obtained its first FDA clearance for intracranial hemorrhage detection AI system, which can produce results within 30 seconds, in July this year.Earlier this month at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA), Chou, CEO of Deep01, presented a new function of brain computer tomography (CT) called "AI quantitative calculation of midline shift.""Midline shift" is an important indicator that helps emergency physician to detect the degree of midline shift for diagnosing acute cerebrovascular disease and allows neurosurgeons to decide whether to perform craniotomy according to the degree of shift after reviewing CT images, he said. The AI system helps to calculate the degree of midline shift, which can shorten the decision time of the clinician, and the patient can obtain the corresponding treatment faster, and then has a better prognosis.The Deep01 CEO noted that medical innovation in various countries is robust. In the process of collaborating with medical companies across Europe, America, and Asia, he claimed that Taiwan AI healthcare has its industrial advantages.At the RSNA meeting, Deep01 discussed opportunities for cooperation with more than 10 international companies including CT (computer tomography), PACS (picture archiving and communication system), and telemedicine companies.Deep01, established at the end of 2016, is the first medical AI startup in Taiwan and Asia-Pacific to obtain FDA clearance in the United States. There are about 12 employees, and some medical doctors have joined part-time.The company said its next step is to market products overseas, cooperate with foreign CT companies, and also establish partnerships with domestic and foreign PACS companies.Deep01 CEO David Chou (second right)Photo: Company

Apple is expected to launch 5G iPhones in 2020, and the next-generation phones may change its antenna board designs to facilitate mmWave transmission. Taiwan-based flexible PCB makers including Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect are gearing up to capture orders for flexible antenna boards for 5G iPhones. The arrival of the 5G era is set to rejuventate the smartphoen market and at the same time spur 5G network construciton. Fast expansion of 5G infrastructure is expected to benefit Macronix, a major supplier of NOR flash for use in 5G base stations. Flexible PCB makers gearing up for 5G iPhone antenna orders: Taiwan-based flexible PCB makers including Zhen Ding Technology and Flexium Interconnect are gearing up to capture orders for flexible antenna boards for 5G iPhones, especially those for LCP (liquid crystal polymer) boards likely to be used in Apple's new-generation offerings, according to industry sources.Macronix gearing up for 3D NAND flash: Macronix International is poised to kick off commercial shipments of 48-layer 3D NAND flash chips in the second half of 2020, followed by volume shipments of 96-layer 3D NAND products in 2021, according to company chairman Miin Wu.

While the Taiwan government has designated frequency band of 4.8-4.9GHz with bandwidth of 100MHz for the public organizations and private enterprises to implement their dedicated 5G networks, it remains to be seen if the move will satisify their needs.The government plans to release 3.5GHz band with bandwidth of 270MHz, 28GHz band with 2500MHz and 1.8GHz with 20MHz through open auction bid starting on December 10, with 3.5GHz band being regarded as a core spectrum band for 5G deployments.Many public and private entities previously urged the government to designate frequency band ranges within the 3.5GHz spectrum, such as 3,700-3,800MHz frequency band for private 5G vertical applications.But the requested band could interfere with normal 5G commercial operations, impact telecom carriers' incomes from enterprise clients, and squeeze frequency bands to be available for 5G commercial services.The government has also set stringent rules for organizations or companies applying to use the designated frequency band, requiring them to first conduct a one-year experiment to verify the innovativeness and necessity of their applications, and then submit a related business plan to the authority for review every three years.Although interested enterprises and organizations can apply for trial use of the 5G dedicated band now, the government has stated it will not issue operating licenses for the 5G dedicated band until at least 2021-2022.Many industrial observers argue that such restrictions could hamper the developments of 5G vertical applications by the private sector. For example, the IC manufacturing nodes may evolve 1-2 generations in three years, and it makes no sense that semiconductor firms will have to wait for three years before receiving the licneses.It is understandable that the rules - prepared by the National Communications Commission (NCC) - aims to promote cooperation between the vertical industries and telecom operators in order to create a win-win situation to ensure the release of 5G spectrums at reasonable price levels.However, many local companies, including those in the petrochemical, semiconductor and smart manufacturing industries, as well as exhibition halls, hospitals and logistics operators are longing for their own 5G networks to provide unique, high reliability, high coverage and self-operated 5G services.

91pu, a website providing online sheet music in uniform format for instrument players and singers, has accumulated about 200,000 members and reached 6.6 million person-visits a month, according to Wang Han, CEO for the site's operator Hima Music Studio.Most online sheet music is so personalized that music score layout and formatting varies from some users to others and thus not easy to be familiarized, Wang said, adding for iPad-based electronic sheet music, switching of pages may affect music performance.Hima, to solve these problems, rearranges and lay out anews music scores to make sheet music in uniform formats, Wang indicated.As compared with other online sheet music websites, 91up features transposition functions of raising or lowering pitch by providing 12 tones for users to choose the optimal ones, a main reason for the website to become attractive, Wang explained.Hima plans to develop 91pu into a platform for co-creation of music using new technologies, Wang said. Members of an orchestra usuaully have to arrange times and places for practice, but 5G can enable them to simultaneously practice online at separate places; blockchain technology can be used to establish a profit-sharing system among all contributors to music production, Wang noted.Music creation is an ecosystem comprising experts in musical composition, lyrics, instrument playing, singing and extension to addition of music to video and production of music video, Wang indicated. Linking of these segments in the supply chain relied on brokers in the past, but now social media platforms can play the linking role to provide brand-new room for creating music, Wang noted.In addition, Hima keeps watching possible application of AI and IoT sensors to playing of musical instruments and improving efficiency in manual arrangement and layout of music scores, Wang said.A startup supported by the Taipei City Government, 91up hopes to raise NT$10 million (US$328,000) in seed-round fund raising over the next two years, Wang indicated.Hima Music Studio CEO Wang HanPhoto: Vincent Mao, Digitimes, December 2019