Taiwan's Cross-Border Innovation and Entrepreneur Association (CIEA) will leverage its cross-border resources integration to help member tech startups explore business opportunities in Southeast Asia in 2019, according to CIEA.CIEA said that Taiwan ranked 13th among 140 economies in the Global Competitiveness Report published in October 2018 by Geneva-based World Economic Forum, and was also described as a "super innovator" alongside Germany, Switzerland and the US.To help Taiwan startups build international connections and explore business opportunities in China, CIEA in 2018 signed strategic cooperation pacts with Beijing Zhongguancun Angel Capital Association and China Association for the Promotion of Development Financing to provide member firms with integrated resources in financing, market information, and legal assistance.CIEA also led members to conduct face-to-face talks with China enterprises including Xiaomi, iQIYI and Sunning.com for business cooperation.In 2019, CIEA will extend its resources integration efforts to Southeast Asia to help member tech startups in Taiwan build business ties with more overseas partners and attract more angel investments and strategic resources from abroad.CIEA just hosted its annual plenary conference in Kaohsiung on January 11, seeking to help more startups in southern Taiwan get onto international startup stages.CIEA annual conference in KaohsiungPhoto: CIEA, January 2019

Taiwan AI startup Yoctol Information is dedicated to offering conversational AI systems as a new channel for enterprises to better communicate with potential customers to boost their marketing effects, and such systems can help build a brand-new social network ecosystem, according to company adviser CY Huang, a mechanical engineering professor at National Taiwan University.Huang said that many enterprises in the world rely on their official websites and ads to approach customers, but they have to think more about how to better use network communication software and social networks to reach target customers and achieve precision marketing and interaction effects, amid the growing applications of AI, big data and behavior analysis technologies.Yoctol's conversational AI system can help enterprises build their own chatbots to provide multiple smart services, Huang said, adding that chatbot can analyze what any enterprise user has talked about and leverage the active push model to enhance interactions between the enterprise and its clients to enable precision marketing.Huang stressed that enterprise users must first be able to build their own chatbots, make them smarter and smarter, and keep upgrading their functions.Yoctol Information adviser CY HuangPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, January 2019

Taiwan government-sponsored Automotive Research & Testing Center (ARTC) will provide a third-party platform for testing locally-produced components/devices for autonomous driving.ARTC said that in November 2018 it partnered with 18 companies to form Autonomous Driving Vehicle Industry Alliance, aiming to establish Taiwan's technological capability for developing autonomous driving vehicles and a corresponding supply chain. Taiwan's parliament has also passed the Statute for Innovative Experiments of Unmanned Vehicle Technology, ARTC noted.The architecture of autonomous driving vehicles consists of three layers: sensing, decision-making and control, ARTC indicated.The sensing layer includes LiDARs, radars, automotive cameras while the decision-making layer focuses on computing and application of AI technology, ARTC said. As the hardware and software used in autonomous driving involves various industries, there should be a third-party platform for testing all hardware/software items to make sure that they can be integrated for smooth operation in the entire autonomous driving system, ARTC indicated.The platform will begin to provide hardware testing services for ICT makers in first-quarter 2019, testing services for deep learning used in the control layer in the second quarter and cooperate with makers to apply for regulatory sandbox in the third quarter, ARTC noted. Besides, the platform will seek to build up business models for autonomous driving vehicles in 2-4 years.ARTC is in talks with governments of the six metropolitan areas in Taiwan for each government to designate road sections for field testing of autonomous driving vehicles and for ARTC to propose transportation solutions using autonomous driving vehicles based on governments' needs, ARTC indicated.

Frankly speaking, ever since my first encounter with blockchain, I kept playing the old 1997 movie The Matrix in my mind (since when a 1997 film has become an old movie). Every time I hear someone advocating decentralization, painting a future with no governments and enterprises, I get a feeling there is something wrong about the decentralized utopia.So what exactly is wrong? Then, I have come to realize those who advocate decentralization may have ulterior motives and business services they are trying to market. Isn't that the opposite of decentralization? The advocates themselves are a center. Some people then came up with the modified concepts of multi-centralization and disintermediation. However, can people make decentralization a reality if they are all talk and no action?As opposed to constantly advocating decentralization, I wish to realistically explore on how the world can come closer to decentralization, what a decentralized world will be like and what impact it will bring. At this point of the discussion, let's talk about the classic sci-fi film The Matrix.The film is set in a "real world" that seems not so different from the one you and I are familiar with while actually people live in a digital world simulated by Matrix.In such a simulated world, human physical existence is no longer so meaningful. Humans are even used as power sources for Matrix, running a digitally recreated world where people are born, grow up, fall in love and interact with each other every day. With the exception of Matrix, the world is decentralized from human governance.Isn't that a perfect picture of so-called decentralization?Another more recent film, Ready Player One, directed by Steven Spielberg, depicts a similar world to the one in The Matrix. Though without a centralized control like Matrix, in this film, there is a large company trying to take ownership of the Oasis and people engage in activities (mainly economic activities) in a digital world.If we look into it in more detail, the world presented in The Matrix or Ready Player One is not far-fetched at all. The movie scenes can be thought of as a user interface or user experience (UI/UX). Technologies such as blockchain, IoT, Industry 4.0, AI and digital ID can be the infrastructure that allows the digital world to work while data economy is the enabler that makes the movie scenes a reality.In the digital world of The Matrix or Ready Player One, if you want a house or all kinds of gadgets, you need infrastructure enabling ownership of digital asset so that the devices you have in the real world can be owned by you in the digital world. This is accomplished through blockchain and digital ID. Not only people but also devices need to have ID and this can be achieved after Internet of Everything (IoE) clicks into place.You also need to do business with other people, paying them in digital currency which is also a form of digital asset you own, rather than data kept in some centralized services. People should be able to transfer and exchange the currency of their own free will like in the real world (money can go from my wallet directly to yours with my permission). Cryptocurrency can fulfill this purpose.Data economy encompasses everything generated in the digital world, ranging from different types of original data to transaction data created by all kinds of deals including exchanges of money and data across objects and people. In essence, as long as there is some type of exchange (exchange of valuables), there is data economy (this could very well be the real future).The above-mentioned two scenarios illustrate virtually what everyday life in a digital world would be like (don't bother asking me what about people's entertainment needs). Centralized services may be able to provide the kind of user experience or not so centralized but instead managed services (I won't use the word "controlled" here) can do so as well. You will find a valid reason no matter from which perspective you look at it. The future holds endless possibilities.We can be certain about one thing - infrastructure should enable a lot more than user experience, whether the future may turn out to be wonderful or terrifying. Sometimes people simply say that blockchain has resolved the xxx problem. As a matter of fact, it is likely that the problem can be resolved with certain characteristics of blockchain but the solution to the problem does not necessarily require the use of blockchain. The fundamental consideration should be whether blockchain can deliver a better solution to the problem or whether blockchain can be the answer as the problem has grown in scale and entails a new solution.Infrastructure that brings wonderful user experience requires deep devotion to research and development. As the world moves forward and the future quickly becomes now, innovators endeavoring toward research and creation of new technologies all wish they are on the right track and live to see the results of their work come to life.Lman Chu, co-founder and CEO of BiiLabs

Taiwan startup Ganzin Technology is showcasing at CES 2019 its newly developed Aurora eye tracking modules that can be paired with VR and AR for diverse applications, according to the firm's chief operating officer JY Chueh.Ganzin is among 40 tech startups coming from Taiwan to demonstrate their new tech prowess in the Taiwan Tech Arena at Eureka Park CES 2019.Chueh said that the firm's eye tracking solution can be well applied to help sales staff at shopping malls locate product racks most attracting consumers, as long as they wear VR or AR glasses. This way, they can adjust rack rentals quarter by quarter and arrange creative product portfolios to better attract customers.Chueh continued that through integration of hardware and software, Ganzin's cost-effective eye tracking modules boasts long battery duration, light weight and slim size, and can fast integrate with AR and VR devices now available on the market.Ganzin is slated to volume produce Aurora eye tracking solutions in August 2019, including SoCs and application programming interfaces (API).

Taiwan-based K-Best Technology, a supplier of RF/microwave equipment, has newly developed an independent low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) wireless communication technology, dubbed Super TaiRa (Taiwan Radio), and also initiated the formation of an alliance with government, academic and industrial sectors seeking to tap robust business opportunities associated with Industry 4.0, IoT, smart city, transportation and disaster relief applications, according to company president YW Tung.Members of the Super TaiRa Alliance include US-based Lora chip supplier Semtech, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications, Intelligent Transportation Scoiety of Taiwan, the Institute for Information Industry (III), Acer Group, Taiwan Optical Platform, and government-funded Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (CSIST).Tung said that with technological support from CSIST and based on Lora chips provided by Semtech, K-Best has successfully developed the sub-1GHz LPWAN technology that boasts low packet error rate (PER), high coverage rate, and high information security, as well as strong anti-jamming and anti-disaster traits.Through its independent area network, Tung continued, Super TaiRa can be applied to offer strong information security protection and stable communication conditions for high-tech plants, preventing the leakage of secret process technologies and production data. Some Taiwan semiconductor firms have utilized Super TaiRa technology for message transmissions within their production complexes.In addition, the firm's vice president HH Lin said in the smart city application, Super TaiRa can perform well in helping cities collect complete big data in various aspects including soil liquefaction, flooding monitoring, smart parking and smart power grids. He continued the technology can also be utilized to enhance efforts preventing illegal logging.Super TaiRa Alliance inauguratedPhoto: K-Best Technology, January 2019

The talk about public blockchain or private blockchain takes me back to the time when cloud concepts first emerged over a decade ago. People only had a vague idea of cloud and were wondering about the differences between cloud and the traditional client-server architecture.So what are public blockchain and private blockchain? Is the high-tech industry coming up with new terms again to make more money? It is no doubt that the high-tech industry is always looking to create revenue. However, new technologies are not all bad. They make use of better, more advanced and more effective ways to eliminate problems that couldn't be resolved before. The desire to come up with more effective ways to solve problems has been a critical force driving technological advances for mankind.If we look back in history, we will find a good example of a new technology solving old problems - automobiles replacing horse-drawn carriages. In the early 20th century, automobiles certainly cost a lot more than horse-drawn carriages. However, they were able to provide transportation in a more effective way and at lower costs (overall city costs), thus overtaking horse-drawn carriages.The same is true for many technologies today. We can assume that if there is a new technology that achieves lower costs and higher efficiency, it is bound to prevail. Accordingly, I daresay self-driving cars will become widespread.Let's redirect the discussion back to cloud. More than a decade ago, cloud started to emerge and soon became a trend. Then, private cloud came to light. Without touching on the technology itself, let's first look at the external factors. Who brought up the term private cloud? The answer is traditional server hardware manufacturers.If the public cloud theory was valid and widely accepted, it could impact server suppliers' business. Therefore, they had to propose private cloud, highlighting the importance of information security. Private cloud seems like a reasonable solution but businesses may have overlooked the fact that they do not have sufficient IT capabilities like AWS, Microsoft Azure and Google. However, some businesses and people indeed were able to keep their livelihood.I once worked for a Taiwan subsidiary of an international corporation. The IT administrators emphasized the importance of information security and private infrastructure. What was ironic was that the company was using brandless mail server software and nobody was in charge of maintaining it.As to public versus private blockchain, I admit I am a supporter of public blockchain (this does not mean private blockchain has no use) because I witnessed the debate over public and private cloud (today private cloud has evolved to be private cloud built on top of IaaS based on public cloud). I think blockchain has more meaningful uses as public blockchain, especially in industrial and public service sectors.For blockchain to be useful for industrial applications, it must satisfy the following: Scalability, stable TX fee, reliability, and global access.Private blockchain will have its uses, which will mainly be the areas where public blockchain delivers less-than-optimal efficiency and private blockchain may be the solution (people may be overlooking that a solution can be achieved using existing architecture coupled with mature mechanisms and cloud). Furthermore, most public blockchain implementations work with the corresponding cryptocurrency and consensus mechanism (mining), resulting in fluctuating transaction fees, so they can hardly be used by industrial and public service sectors.Global access is the most valuable characteristic of public blockchain. As blockchain keeps the hash value, rather than the original data, if used appropriately, it can enable higher validation efficiency for applications requiring global collaboration while skipping enormous infrastructure investments.Reliability is where blockchain technology providers come into play. Take Red Hat, recently acquired by IBM, for example. It constantly has to deal with the question why it charges fees for open source Linux. In fact, ensuring reliability is the value that open source companies can bring to its customers.As a matter of fact, when you think about applying blockchain to your operation and research into it, you may end up questioning whether it is really necessary to use blockchain. The above discussion may give you some pointers as to whether you should use public blockchain, private blockchain or consortium blockchain - a variation of private blockchain.If you look hard enough, you will find public blockchain technologies that satisfy the above-mentioned criteria, at least two if not all of the criteria. I will not name any specific technology here.Lman Chu, co-founder and CEO of BiiLabs

The rapid rise of blockchain technology since 2015, followed by a series of ICO and cryptocurrency hype, has made blockchain and Bitcoin household names. I began to study blockchain and IoT applications in 2015. When I spoke to my friends about my undertaking in blockchain at that time, some of them may have heard of the term but actually knew little about it.In the time frame from 2015 to 2016, it seemed pretty far-fetched to apply blockchain to IoT. People wouldn't have thought of putting the two together. Today, despite the fall of the ICO fever and governments tightening control on or even banning cryptocurrency, most of my friends are either endeavoring toward the blockchain industry or already well into it. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say 80% of my peers are talking about blockchain. It has taken only a year for blockchain to go from being little-known to becoming the center of attention.I predicted "blockchain of IoT" (BIoT) and have been participating in BIoT implementations. In 2018, real-world BIoT applications are beginning to take shape in many countries around the world with industry leaders committing R&D resources in BIoT. What about Taiwan? If you consider coin mining an IoT application, then Taiwan has a BIoT application.Starting this year, many firms and government agencies have approached my team to inquire and explore how to incorporate blockchain in their operations and bring value to their organizations. Quite a few of them did some research of their own before coming to us. In the interaction with them, I found something interesting that I would like to share with readers.I would like to first talk about a common phenomenon - looking at blockchain in general through perspectives gained from only one blockchain technologyBlockchain indeed is still in its early-stage of development according to the Gartner Hype Cycle for Emerging Technologies. However, with the cryptocurrency and ICO bubble catching public attention, many people have begun to study blockchain, mostly building their knowledge on top of the legendary Bitcoin and Ethereum, which has the most data available for research at present.Such attention could be a good thing. However, as blockchain is still in its infancy, a wide range of technologies are being developed, some of which may be bubbles waiting to burst. If users build their global view on blockchain based on the first blockchain technology they came in contact with when they began initial blockchain research and look at other blockchain technologies through this global view, this may lead them in the wrong direction when they try to incorporate blockchain in their operations.They should go back to the basics by first figuring out exactly what problems they are attempting to solve using blockchain and then research on the technology, rather than starting off with the technology without studying the problem itself. They may end up using the wrong tool for the job. For example, many people like to use a comparison table to list the pros and cons of different blockchain technologies. This may seem like a reasonable approach but people may be overlooking one essential aspect - whether the particular blockchain technology is a perfect match for the task they are trying to tackle in their field.For example, I was invited to a company in Tucheng a few weeks ago for blockchain consultation. The person in charge of the company's blockchain research started off by asking me, "Do you have an actual use case? I did my own research…" Then, he went on talking about some blockchain characteristics, which are in fact just about one particular blockchain technology, and raised all kinds of questions.I spent some time trying to take him back to the basics. By giving him the fundamental concept and the right attitude, I helped him examine if his company and industry can potentially benefit from making use of blockchain technologies. I also pointed out some news reports on blockchain use cases may not have presented the full story and their headlines may be too simple and thus misleading. At this early-stage of blockchain development when people are not yet clear on the basics, I would like to make a point of saying that people should not think they can gain real understanding on examples of blockchain being used in other industries simply by reading news headlines and embellished stories.Lman Chu, co-founder and CEO of BiiLabs

Ganzin Technology has launched Aurora eye tracking solution, which can integrate VR (virtual reality), AR (augmented reality) and even XR (extended reality) technologies to better tap into diverse tech applications, according to company founder SY Chien.Chien said the Aurora is a module comprising one eye tracking IC and three specially-designed camera lenses, which can be paired with AR or VR facilities for use in many applications, such as user interface, market research, entertainment, medical research, and diverse training and education purposes.Chien continued that in future smart healthcare applications, surgeons can during surgery operations, directly utilize smart glasses connected with the eye tracking solution to access the patient's medical records, latest surgery data, and vital signs, without having to use their hands.Chien stressed that humans and machines will jointly create more values, and there will be more effective ways of interaction and connection between them. Accordingly, Ganzin hopes to develop systems that can use eye movements or emotional expressions to make more natural and smoother connections between humans and computers.Ganzin Technology founder SY ChienPhoto: Mark Tsai, Digitimes, December 2018

Silicon wafer market growth for 2019 will depend on chipmakers' 12-inch fab expansions and smartphone demand, Digitimes Research believes.The world's silicon wafer producers all had their shipments, revenues and profits remain at high levels as of the end of October 2018. However, uncertainty about demand-side developments has cast a shadow over their business outlook next year.The global deceleration in smartphone sales and the US-China trade disputes, which may result in a possible slowdown in chipmakers' 12-inch fab expansions, will likely have a negative impact on silicon wafer suppliers' performance in 2019.On the supply side, combined production capacity at silicon wafer makers has expanded by a larger-than-expected 9.8% this year. If the suppliers grow their combined capacity by another 9% and more in 2019, it will not be easy for them to maintain high profitability next year, Digitimes Research said.Silicon wafer area shipments are set to increase by more than 7% in 2018, Digitimes Research estimates. For the third quarter alone, area shipments of 12- and 8-inch silicon wafers grew 12% and 5%, respectively, compared to the same period in 2017, while the 6-inch and below segment registered on-year decreases.Japan-based companies' 12-inch silicon wafer area production and shipments surged 13.5% and 14.7%, respectively, from a year earlier in the first three quarters of 2018. The growths show the related suppliers' aggressive capacity expansions.