In 2020, the escalation of the pandemic severely impacted the global retail and food service industries. In order to survive, most businesses have adopted digital technology to enhance consumer experience and attempted new business models to address labor shortage issues. To date, although the pandemic has officially ended and in-store shopping has gradually resumed, the wave of smartization and self-service in retail equipment, along with the rising AI boom, remains a prominent trend in the industry's future development. DataVan (stock code: 3521), which has worked to take root in the point-of-sale (POS) industry for many years, markets its products worldwide under proprietary brands. At COMPUTEX this year, which was held for the first time after the pandemic, DataVan showcased a variety of smart retail, catering, and service equipment integrated with AI technology under the theme of "Smart Airport." The exhibition managed to attract many domestic and overseas buyers.Big Business Potential for GPT-integrated KiosksThe first thing one would see upon entering the "Smart Airport" exhibition area was DataVan's newly-launched slim kiosk "Genius," which incorporates the DataVanGPT AI intelligent recommendation system. The kiosk will assume the role of an information hotspot for domestic and international travelers, offering smart recommendations of travel information through its text and image interface and built-in generative AI voice. Travelers can input their needs by text, or allow DataVanGPT to identify their gender and age with the camera on the kiosk to provide the best travel recommendations based on the results. For the management, DataVanGPT can also provide statistics and big data on passenger inquiries for subsequent analysis and application. In terms of commercial application value, according to DataVan, the kiosks can also be used by venue operators in collaboration with travel agencies, museums, handicraft stores, restaurants, as well as in other tourist attraction spots. Apart from providing information, they can serve as a one-stop service operator to enhance the travel experience, because coupons can be printed and scanned using the printer and 2D barcode scanner on the kiosks.AI Helps Retailers in Precision MarketingThe on-site airport scenario also included a duty-free shop, which used a duty-free store rack display to demonstrate the "AI Vision Intelligent Visual Service System" as the core solution of smart retail. AI Vision mainly consists of the eye-tracking analysis technology and AI Vision Snapshot, the real-time rack management system, which can help retailers determine the age and gender of customers standing in front of the racks, and record the position and duration of their visual focus. Analysis of the data will help determine hot zones in a store for more effective product placement, or make personalized recommendations during special holidays and promotional events, thereby realizing precision marketing and optimizing sales per unit area. In addition, the AI Vision Snapshot system will update the quantity of products on the racks in real time and notify store personnel to restock immediately after customers remove items from the racks. It can also be integrated with the inventory management system and the AI Robot Arm (an intelligent robot arm developed by DataVan that can be installed on racks to attract customers). Moreover, it can be applied in unmanned stores to enhance the convenience of self-checkout, thereby saving labor costs.New Multi-Functional POS, Highly Efficient and Light WeightAnother DataVan's featured product is a new POS device with the latest platform. It offers not only high performance to duty-free shops, but also has extremely flexible expansion features, providing consumers with a thoughtful design, such as a second display to confirm purchase items and amount. Meanwhile, DataVan has also developed a conceptual model with a multi-functional slim tablet design. It can be placed vertically as a mini-kiosk or horizontally as a regular POS. If officially commercialized in the future, the model could be used in the food service industry, serving as a digital signage placed in a commercial space. Alternatively, it could be combined with a Box PC for medical use or automated production lines. The operation status of POS and kiosk terminal devices can be remotely monitored and their fault alerted through the DataVan Central management platform to optimize efficiency. In addition to comprehensive POS product lines comprising desktops and mobile devices, DataVan also has its own production and excellent research and development capabilities, which allow it to provide customers with more customized designs and OEM services options.Smart Ordering System Opens Up New Opportunities in Food Service IndustryIn the meantime, DataVan also simulated an airport lounge, primarily to demonstrate its AI Waiter, an intelligent ordering service system. The system has an intuitive interface, and offers voice ordering function to help the elderly or people with mobility issues to verbally place orders and check out. Those still unaccustomed to the voice ordering system can fill out a paper order form, which will then be scanned by DataVan's MenuSync menu recognition device. The front-end intelligent ordering system will also incorporate the KDS (Kitchen Display System), allowing kitchen staff to receive and prepare the orders as soon as possible. This can reduce customer waiting time and increase the restaurant's table turnover rate.In the lounge, DataVan's smart beer dispenser system was also on display. Through the touch screen, it can dispense beer automatically and adjust the amount of beer dispensed according to the volumes of different glasses and maintain the best liquid-foam ratio. The beer tap at the top of the machine and the refrigerator below can be customized so that the dispenser can be aligned with the decoration of the store. Meanwhile, its software can be integrated with the membership system to allow businesses to analyze member information and personalize marketing.DataVan Targets Smart Retail with Hardware and Software PlanningFrom DataVan's exhibition this year, it is evident that AI is playing an increasingly important role in the retail and food service systems. DataVan pointed out that all AI-driven solutions and software-hardware integration have been developed by its teams. In the future, DataVan will continue to explore more potential solutions for AI and smart retail applications, and make more diverse planning for potential industrial applications and customers. At the same time, DataVan will work to provide more comprehensive smart software and hardware integration solutions to help customers improve management efficiency and reduce operating costs, thereby creating a quality experience for consumers.DataVan flexed its muscle at this year's COMPUTEX, showcasing its software-hardware integration capabilities by demonstrating a variety of smart retail solutions under the theme of "Smart Airport."

Skymizer, a leading AI system software provider, today announced that it had achieved top-tier performance in the MLPerf Tiny v1.1 benchmarks. Skymizer's submissions used both hardware/software co-optimization and pure compiler optimization, and both approaches achieved impressive results.In the hardware/software co-optimization case, Skymizer worked with hardware vendor Nuvoton to develop a custom microcontroller that was optimized for AI inference. This microcontroller, the M467HJHAN, operates at a frequency of 200MHz and has only 512KB of SRAM. Despite these limitations, Skymizer was able to achieve top-tier performance on the MLPerf Tiny v1.1 benchmarks in the entire ARM Cortex-M4 segment.In the pure compiler optimization case, Skymizer used its ONNC compiler to optimize the performance of AI models on typical microcontrollers. ONNC achieved a 1.24x speed-up on average compared with the open-source compiler. ONNC's performance gains were particularly impressive on the IC (Image Classification) benchmark, where it achieved a 1.31x speed-up. This was due to ONNC's ability to split large tensors into smaller sizes that fit within the memory constraints of the microcontroller. ONNC also achieved a significant speed-up on the VWW (Visual Wake Word) benchmark, where it achieved a 1.52x speed-up. This was due to ONNC's ability to handle sparse tensors. ONNC's unique optimization algorithm can remove sparsity in the tensor and keep the precision of the neural network at the same time.Skymizer's results demonstrate the company's leadership in AI system software. Skymizer's software stack is re-targetable to a wide range of hardware platforms, and it can achieve high performance on even the most resource-constrained devices. ONNC has been applied in many neural network accelerators, including recommendation systems for data centers, general accelerators for data centers, smart phones, surveillance systems, and microcontrollers. Skymizer is committed to providing its customers with the best possible tools and services, and ONNC is a crucial part of that commitment.For more information, please visit https://skymizer.com/ and request a demonstration.For the best ARM Cortex-M4 MCU solution, please visit https://www.nuvoton.com/.

Not slowed down by the global pandemic for these past couple of years, Xperi maintains a steady step to complete a Spin-Off to keep its core business secure and stable over technical innovations. For better differentiating the intellectual property (IP) business, Xperi Holding Corporation separates the company's IP licensing business to Adeia. And Xperi branding will continue focusing on the product business of the company. Talking about the IP licensing business of Adeia, there are lots of the business connection related to semiconductor industry covering IC packaging technologies, which are tightly linked with Taiwan supply chains.Xperi creates a leading consumer and entertainment technology business including several sub brands such as DTS, HD Radio, IMAX Enhanced, TiVo. After completed the merger procedures with TiVo in 2020, Xperi actively participates with Smart TV business ranging from content providers to consumer electronics device makers and automotive manufacturers leveraging TiVo Operating System. This powerful platform is strengthening the collaboration with Taiwan electronics manufacturing service providers, OEM/ODM makers and semiconductor chipmakers. In Computex2023 exhibition, Xperi joined with the partners to demonstrate a complete range of integrated solutions to expect the further market development in the next 6-month.IMEX Enhanced is fast forwarding to the PC market with rapid growthAaron Chen, Xperi General Manager of Taiwan and APAC, talks the product highlights in Computex2023. The first product focus is IMAX Enhanced program series demonstration – IMAX Enhanced is a partnership between IMAX and DTS to bring IMAX quality content and sound (provided by DTS) to the home. There are several major TV global brands joined IMAX Enhanced camp to enable consumers to more easily find, watch, and enjoy entertainment. SONY BRAVIA CORE is one of them to showcase the IMAX Enhanced TV product series in Computex2023.One thing he mentioned is the new HP Envy series laptop PC just announced in late April 2023 offering a seamless way for consumers to enjoy the benefits of IMAX Enhanced movie titles. This is the first IMAX Enhanced certified PC and represents a major milestone in the world of mobile home entertainment. There are more IMAX Enhanced certified notebook PC brands coming to be released in the next few months. Looking at business milestones, IMAX Enhanced was first available on TVs and AV receivers, Soundbar systems and loudspeakers before it expanded into mobile and now to laptops.DTS Play-Fi enables consumer desire to enjoy entertainment anywhere, anytime, on any deviceMoreover, the wireless speakers and Soundbar systems embrace DTS Play-Fi technology to show the values in the crowded consumer electronics market sector. For instance, the Philips 5.1 channels DTS Play-Fi Home Theater systems bring wireless surround sound capabilities to consumers' homes. These systems create seamless integration with wireless speakers by eliminating wires. The Play-Fi ecosystem continues to grow and add new partners including Soundbar systems, All-in-one PCs, display monitors, surround sound earbuds and Surround Speakers. This approach will be extended to new production matrix having a unique industry platform to address an ever-increasing consumer desire to enjoy entertainment anywhere, anytime, on any device.These new product development trends are encouraging the Taiwan IC vendors and chip makers quickly start to design and implement new SoC chip solutions integrated DTS Play-Fi technology to further expanding the market reach for entertainment use casesTiVo operating system gears automotive streaming marketXperi launches TiVo operating system to Smart TV Makers and welcomes Vestel as the first TV OEM partner. Vestel, one of the top three European TV brands, is a Turkish home and professional appliances manufacturer aiming to expand European TV and streaming business powered by TiVo Smart TVs. Notably, Xperi aims to serve large target markets, smart TV, IP TV and the automotive industry, along with an installed base of approximately 40 million TVs in North America market. One recent announcement from Xperi mentioned BMW has selected TiVo platform to provide customers access to a growing number of video content providers, including linear and on demand streaming services. The partnership between Xperi and BMW is targeting to introduce all sorts of streaming media to the cabin to the new BMW 5 Series in 2024. BMW's deployment of the Powered by TiVo platform will include a variety of country-specific content, offering news, movies and updates through Over-The-Air messaging technology.The integrated solutions create high quality meeting experiencesAnother technology is DTS:X Ultra, which includes several Virtualizer Enhancement software stacks for aiming to integrate with advanced telephony and video conferencing systems. These features are going to look at the further collaboration with laptop PC's CPU makers. The idea is leveraging the build-in sensing technology of new processors to create seamless integration with commercial laptops. With advanced technologies evolving to play an important role in driving future growth for electronics industries, Xperi invests dedicated engineering support teams in Taiwan to work with local electronics manufacturing partners and IC chipset design vendors to provide robust product solutions and looks forward to establishing successful, mutually profitable relationships.

How to leverage digital technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), to enhance the operational efficiency and product quality of factory production lines, reduce labor and costs, then achieve the urgent goal of net zero for sustainability is the most crucial concern for manufacturing companies today. To achieve smart manufacturing, it is essential to rely on collaborative efforts from interdisciplinary industry players, combining their expertise and resources. And all the discussions in the "Smart Manufacturing Summit" during Computex 2023 are around related topics.In the Summit, Speakers from ASUS, SIEMENS, and NVIDIA shared their solutions and relevant experiences in supporting the transformation and upgrading of the manufacturing industry.Digital Transformation is imminentThe world today is changing as it has never changed before. The rapidly changing market poses urgent challenges for industries. Customers not only focus on basic requirements such as product safety, intelligent features, and high quality but also have new demands, such as personalized. Whether it's buying a pair of sneakers or a car, most consumers want something unique. If manufacturers can provide personalized solutions based on customer preferences, they gain a competitive advantage in the market. This means that manufacturing companies accustomed to standardized mass production must make changes to their operational models.Manufacturers also face challenges from the goals of sustainability. According to statistics from World Economic Forum, global industrial production accounts for 37% of total energy consumption and contributes 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions. "Our resources are finite, so the industry must do more with less. Digitalization, automation, and the intelligent use of data are key to meet this challenge."Ramkrishna sees "Digital transformation" and "Net Zero transformation" are interconnected priorities for countries and enterprises to cope with the challenges today. "10 years ago I was talking to my customers in Taiwan about the topic of digital transformation. But somehow this topic never really accelerated. For the last one or two years this is massively accelerating, but what has been even more interesting or more positive is this topic around the net zero transformation.""For example, some of our customers in Taiwan are small and medium machine builders. Their customers in the US or Europe are asking them questions about how efficient the machine is, and what the common footprint of it. Because this is CapEx, which is gonna be sitting somewhere there for the next 25 years. " But just getting the data and getting transparent to the first step is already a big bottleneck for them, taking digital transformation is imminent.What Ramkrishna sees is everybody's loving IT and wants to get there, but everybody's running on OT. And the interesting part is sort of these two guys are not talking to each other very often. As an automation supplier, this is also the biggest challenge, and getting these guys connected is what SIEMENS is doing.SIEMENS is assisting Taiwanese companies in addressing these challenges from three directions: first, transform Taiwan's industries business model, balancing sustainability and circularity with other business objectives; second, tackling the complexity of Taiwan's industrial ecosystem, breaking down silos across industrial processes and ecosystems; third, assisting local customers to get from data to decisions, turning many sources of data into actionable sustainability indicators.Combining digital twin technology with software-as-a-Service (SaaS) on the cloud, and application development solutions, SIEMENS' Xcelerator open platform help manufacturers reduce costs while continuously optimizing. The company also offers the SIMATIC series industrial computers (IPC) Tensor Box, which incorporates NVIDIA GPUs and integrates Edge AI capabilities. Combined with their own 5G router and ASUS' 5G network infrastructure, it enables tighter integration between IT and OT, facilitating the digitization and net-zero transformation of industrial processes.Challenges of Enabling Smart ManufacturingAs Alber Wu, Division Director of ASUS' Server Business Unit mentioned, the first challenge to enable smart manufacturing is smooth integration between IT and OT. However, people from IT and OT departments have different mindsets, goals, and priorities, have the alignment between them is critical. Another challenge is having the convergence between lots of the systems on both the IT and OT sides."That's why we provide solutions from the cloud to the edge," he highlighted ASUS' industrial-grade servers for Edge AI inference and 5G network applications, operating at -5°C to 55°C, support GPUs in short-depth chassis, tool-less and cable-less design. "Those edge servers can help to provide better convergence, and they are scalable, effective, also flexible for end customers. We aim to provide the seamless integration of IT and OT systems.""In the past years, cloud computing is a big topic, and we see a lot of hyperscale data centers. We run workloads in the cloud. We talk about public cloud, private cloud, hybrid cloud. But now Edge computing is booming because of AI technology and 5G technology. It brings the benefit of real-time, reduced latency per source of bandwidth, to make the device more connected at edge side and far rage." Cherrie Lien, Senior Director of Product Marketing in ASUS Server Business Unit added.She also mentioned ASUS' software for supporting edge to cloud automation, such as ASUS Control Center, a centralized IT management tool of monitoring and controlling all types of ASUS' computing systems. And AISVision, an AIO toolkit uses ASUS AI techniques for the application of computer vision, offers a flexible training and inference architecture, for building the smart manufacturing scenario.Virtual Factory is the Solution for Smart ManufacturingAI plays such a critical role in smart manufacturing, it might be the reason why both SIEMENS and ASUS are in collaboration with their partner, NVIDIA. The company's platform has become essential in the digital transformation journey of numerous manufacturers. "But don't make it wrong, this is more of a collaboration platform. We work with SIEMENS, we work with ASUS, and we work with the whole ecosystem, to make it a transformation platform for all." Andrew Liu, Senior Data Scientist of NVIDIA, emphasized that it is not an achievement by NVIDIA alone, but a collaborative effort with ecosystem partners.Liu said the global manufacturing industry is a $45 trillion business, with 10 million factories, and the enterprises are facing unprecedented external pressures, including high inflation, supply chain disruptions, mass labor shortages, raising energy prices, and all the sustainability requirements. And NVIDIA believes that virtual factories are key for enabling sustainable manufacturing."We already saw a lot of big names, such as BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and GM, started to build up their virtual factories, if you are a vender trying to deal with them, trying to build the digital twin of your factory would be one way you can have the same language, and consistency." Liu added, "you build a factory not just for yourself, you build a factory for your customers, right? And you need to build a factory more sustainable, collaborate with so many different stakeholders with so many different perspectives. If you can have a virtual factory, you can have a much rapid experimentation about how the factory going to lay out, what kind of robotics fit in what kind of operation, and what AI automation needed to tap into your factory to make it more efficient. You can accelerate your decision-making process, reduce the weight, and optimize the process, the idea, or the vision."For all the reasons above, NVIDIA wants to work with customers to build software-defined, data-driven factories. "First, we need to make them connected. Whether you deploy the factory on the cloud or the hybrid environment, it needs to be cloud-native, based on new technologies like Microsoft's container." Liu mentioned NVIDIA AI Enterprise, cloud-native AI software with an extensive library of full-stack software, including AI solution workflows, frameworks, pre-trained models, and infrastructure optimization that accelerates the data science pipeline and streamlines the development and deployment of predictive AI models to automate essential processes and gain rapid insights from data.And NVIDIA Omniverse, an AI-enabled, physically simulated, and industrial-scale virtual-world engine that enables full-fidelity live digital twins. Last October, NVIDIA announced to partner with SIEMENS, to connect Omniverse and SIEMENS Xcelerator platforms to enable the industrial metaverse with physics-based digital models from SIEMENS and real-time AI from NVIDIA, speed companies' process of making decisions.NVIDIA and SIEMENS share a common vision that digital twins that can deliver productivity and process improvements across the production and product lifecycles. And companies of all sizes will be able to employ digital twins with real-time performance data; create innovative industrial IoT solutions; leverage actionable insights from analytics at the edge or in the cloud; and tackle the engineering challenges of tomorrow by making visually rich, immersive simulations more accessible.Holistic Industrial Security is EssentialLast, but not least, there is one major concern that worries users the most about building a smart, connected factory: cybersecurity."The more you connect, the more cybersecurity threats you have. But the answer is not to connect lesser, you have to connect a lot more." SIEMENS' Ramkrishna explained, in factories, there're a lot of old machines, if you are not connecting all those, the risks are much higher, but this also gets a lot more complicated. "This is where we are helping our customers with different methods. We're using the so-called defense-in-depth approach."SIEMENS believes, only a holistic industrial security concept can be effective against cyber threats, it needs considerations on three dimensions. First is the security of plant itself, needs physical access protection, security policies, and monitoring; the second is network security, the solutions include setup cell protection, perimeter network, trusted zones, or usage of firewalls and VPN tools; the third is system integrity, practices are hardening systems, building strategies of patch management, authentication, and access protection.Ramkrishna concluded, "We consult our customers on how they should look at their plant security, their network security, making sure that everything is working there. All our products are developed according to the latest protocols to make sure that it is no threats are there. We're considering our customers a lot on this topic and it's the most important part of our products, it is not something that even selling."Robert Chin, General Manager, Server Business Unit, ASUSAditya Ramkrishna, General Manager of Digital Industries, SIEMENS TaiwanCherrie Lien, Senior Director, Server Business Unit, ASUSAndrew Liu, Senior Data Scientist, NVIDIA

DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, announced that it has been awarded 17 recognitions from its supplier partners during the 2023 EDS Leadership Summit, held May 16-19 in Las Vegas.DigiKey was recognized for its sales results, breadth of product and more during the past year."DigiKey is honored to have earned recognition from so many of our valued supplier partners in admiration of our shared success," said Mike Slater, vice president of global business development at DigiKey. "We are proud of our collaborations with suppliers to move engineers and designers forward towards next-generation solutions, growth and operational efficiency."DigiKey also hosted its 10th annual EDS Business Update Breakfast on Thursday, May 18, that featured the debut of the company's updated logo and brand system along with market activity and business updates from DigiKey's president Dave Doherty and vice president of global business development Mike Slater. The presentation also covered industry trends, DigiKey's performance in 2022 and strategic vision, and a toast to the company's 50th anniversary. The event included entertainment by Keelan Leyser, a technology magician.For more information about DigiKey's products and to order from their product portfolio, please visit the DigiKey website.

DigiKey, a leading global commerce distributor offering the largest selection of technical components and automation products in stock for immediate shipment, has partnered with GroupGets to launch the "Get MADE" crowdfunding initiative, a collaboration that promotes and funds hardware creators.This program will allow startups to get hardware funded, produced and sold on DigiKey's website.GroupGets is a crowd purchasing platform for group buying technology products that helps businesses and individuals launch their products by promoting, funding and distributing electronic devices across the world. Through the "Get Made" program, GroupGets and DigiKey will cross promote qualifying devices through content, design, distribution and partial funding through DigiKey. Upon successful funding, GroupGets will work with the creators to manufacture the platforms and then DigiKey will list the platforms for sale on its website."The 'Get MADE' program stemmed from the longtime supply partnership between DigiKey and GroupGets and became a call to action to further support makers trying to enter the market," said David Sandys, senior director of technical marketing at DigiKey. "By partnering together, we can bring interesting new solutions to market and fuel innovation in the hardware space.""I made GroupGets to originally 'hack minimum order quantities' and put every maker on an equal level playing field with big technology companies," said Ron Justin, co-founder of GroupGets. "We've been a DigiKey fan since we were electrical engineering students in college and are proud to be further supporting the maker community through assisting them in their funding goals, as well as with production and distribution."For more information on DigiKey, visit the DigiKey website.

As smartphones become the primary devices for streaming media and with the rise of augmented reality (AR), 3D gaming, and increasingly sophisticated generative AI technologies, consumers' pursuit of immersive experiences has led to higher and more complex computational demands on mobile computing platforms. To meet these diverse application needs, Arm recently launched their 2023 Total Compute Solutions (TCS23), which further enhances performance and efficiency, once again pushing the boundaries of visual computing.Arm Total Compute Solutions is Arm's system-level solution for SoC designs of mobile devices. It encompasses a broad range of technology components, including hardware IP (CPU, GPU), interconnect and system IP technologies, as well as software and development tools. The recently announced TCS23 brings several key features. These include the flagship Immortalis-G720 GPU, which is based on the new 5th Generation GPU architecture, the most powerful Armv9 Cortex compute cluster to date, and enhanced system optimization technology. These advancements will keep driving the innovative applications for mobile devices.GPU Technology is Crucial to Drive Digital ExperiencesArm has been dedicated to GPU development for many years, starting with the widely used Mali GPU to the groundbreaking flagship Immortalis-G715 GPU, which last year introduced hardware-based ray tracing technology for the first-time, pushing the performance of mobile GPUs to new heights.From left, Andy Craigen, Chris Bergey, and Stefan RosingerChris Bergey, Senior Vice President and General Manager of the Client Line of Business at Arm, emphasized the growing importance of GPUs in mobile phone design. He highlighted that GPUs play an increasingly crucial role in delivering exceptional visual experiences and enabling machine learning (ML). There is also a growing need for GPUs that offer both high performance and efficiency.Andy Craigen, Director of Product Management of Arm's Client Line of Business, added that improving graphics performance is very important to mobile phone design, and Arm has invested a lot of resources in building graphics platforms. "We know that graphics are very power-hungry on desktop and game consoles. Therefore, Arm needs to convince the developer community that a complex visual experience similar to that on a PC can be achieved on a mobile phone, so that they will be interested in porting their games to the Android mobile graphics platform."Bringing Hardware-based Ray Tracing Technology to Mobile DevicesChris Bergey highlighted that since the launch of the Immortalis-G715 last year, it has garnered positive feedback from the industry in terms of performance, power, and area (PPA). The developer community has also shown a keen interest in the application of ray tracing technology on mobile phones.Achieving true 3D imagery on mobile phones poses a significant challenge in balancing performance and power consumption. Andy Craigen said, "Directly transplanting ray tracing technology from PCs to the mobile platform is not feasible. Therefore, Arm has dedicated substantial time to analyze ray tracing technology and determine which functions can yield optimal results while meeting the power consumption and die area requirements of mobile phones. We embarked on this journey with the introduction of the Immortalis-G715 last year, and we will continue to push forward."At the Game Developers Conference 2023 (GDC 2023) held earlier this year, Arm, MediaTek, and Tencent Games jointly demonstrated the application of ray tracing technology. Furthermore, Arm is actively promoting the understanding of this technology within the ecosystem, assisting developers in utilizing various resources for game development, including popular game engines like Unity and the free Arm Mobile Studio software development tools.In order to demonstrate how to implement ray tracing technology, the Arm Taiwan team also tried to develop their own games for demonstration. "Our aim is to demonstrate the feasibility and exceptional visual effects of the Immortalis platform in supporting 3D graphics, while ensuring it remains within the power budget of mobile phones," said Chris Bergey.The New 5th Gen Arm GPU ArchitectureIn order to further boost GPU performance and achieve a more immersive visual experience, Arm recently unveiled its 5th Generation GPU architecture, which they are simply calling 5th Gen, and the new Immortalis-G720 based on this architecture. This is Arm's most powerful and efficient GPU ever, delivering a 15% increase in performance and efficiency over its predecessor with only a 2% increase in area and a 40% reduction in memory bandwidth usage.The 5th Gen GPU architecture introduces a key feature called Deferred Vertex Shading (DVS), which revolutionizes data flow within the GPU and expands the number of GPU cores, reaching up to 16 cores for enhanced performance.According to Chris Bergey, memory access and data movement are the primary factors contributing to GPU power consumption. The efficiency of bandwidth usage distinguishes a mobile graphics platform from a desktop computer. By incorporating DVS technology, bandwidth usage and access to external DRAM can be significantly reduced, resulting in higher frame rates and enabling mobile phones to handle more complex graphics workloads."The 5th Gen GPU architecture extends beyond gaming and finds applications in various markets. In addition to gaming, 3D vision presents new opportunities for mobile devices, including augmented reality (AR) and computer-aided graphics (CAD) design."Enabling AI/ML Applications on Mobile PhonesThe improvement of GPU performance is also crucial for enhancing the AI processing capabilities of mobile devices. Chris Bergey stated that Arm provides a powerful and essential foundational compute platform through TCS23 for mobile devices, and customers can also make differentiated designs for NPUs in their SoCs. Arm will continue to provide relevant support through close cooperation with partners.Chris emphasized the significance of heterogeneous computing in enhancing AI capabilities, which involves various computing requirements, including machine learning tasks, inference tasks, and power-sensitive tasks. The challenge lies in enabling developers to effectively program AI to utilize the most appropriate processor for each task. For Arm, this involves not only advancing and optimizing the hardware architecture but also providing comprehensive software and application support. So, Arm's objective is to assist customers in efficiently building AI capabilities where required, in order to effectively tackle these challenges.With the rapid emergence of new intelligent applications like generative AI, Arm is proactively advancing the AI processing capabilities of mobile phones, doubling them every two years. Additionally, Arm is leading the way in supporting developers to take advantage of AI and machine learning (ML) workloads by enabling its hardware with increased ML capabilities via open-source software libraries. Arm NN and Arm Compute Library are being used by Google apps on Android with over 100 million active users already, enabling developers to optimize the execution of their ML workloads on Armv9 Cortex-A CPUs and Arm GPUs.Cortex-X4: the Highest-Performing and Most Efficient DesignIn terms of CPU, Arm has introduced the fourth-generation Cortex-X core, the Cortex-X4, which is Arm's fastest CPU to date. Compared to the Cortex-X3, it offers a 15% increase in performance. Additionally, under the same process technology, the new power-efficient microarchitecture of the Cortex-X4 reduces power consumption by 40% compared to the Cortex-X3, with only 10% area increase, making it the most performant per millimeter squared in Cortex-X history.Stefan Rosinger, Senior Director of CPU Product Management, Client Line of Business at Arm, stated that, as shown in the figure, it is evident that the power–efficiency curve of the Cortex-X4 has shifted noticeably to the right. This indicates that the Cortex-X4 achieves significant power savings compared to Cortex-X3 while delivering the same level of performance. In other words, Cortex-X4 can provide higher performance under the same power consumption.The Cortex-X4 achieves significant power savings compared to Cortex-X3 while delivering the same level of performance."Although Cortex-X series cores are designed with the "performance-first" concept, it is essential to consider efficiency within the limited power budget of mobile phones to deliver tangible value to customers. Notably, Cortex-X4 not only improves power consumption but also enhances area efficiency, enabling it to offer higher performance within the same area. This was an important consideration in the Cortex-X4 design."Chris Bergey added, "The power budget of mobile phones is limited, so improving performance must consider power consumption. By utilizing the efficient Cortex-X4, customers can apply the performance gains achieved at the same power consumption to various computations such as AI. Additionally, this curve represents the results under iso-process conditions. If the N4 or N3 process is adopted, the efficiency gains will be even more significant."Furthermore, Cortex-X4 alongside its companion cores Cortex-A720 and Cortex-A520, can be scaled up to a 14-core cluster using the DSU-120 featuring L2 caches up to 2MB, as well as a 32MB L3 cache. This scalability ensures excellent performance and enables flexible configurations to meet the specific requirements of customers across various application markets. In addition to flagship smartphones, the enhanced performance and efficiency offered by Cortex-X4 will also help the expansion of the Windows-on-Arm laptop market.Powerful Compute Cluster Enabled by System OptimizationIn addition to the introduction of new CPUs and GPUs, TCS23 also places significant emphasis on enhancing system optimization technology, which is aimed at improving overall performance.According to Chris Bergey, when developing GPUs, Arm also takes CPU and system performance into consideration. Taking the newly introduced Immortalis-G720 as an example, it can utilize a shared system-level cache of up to 32MB with the CPU, optimizing its configuration based on the workload. The aim is to access data locally, minimizing the use of external DRAM and reducing GPU power consumption.In terms of CPU clusters, Arm has upgraded its DSU (DynamIQ Shared Unit) to DSU-120. Alongside the previously mentioned 14-core scalability and 32MB system cache, another notable feature is the provision of different power modes for different workloads.Stefan Rosinger stated that mobile devices utilize different cores such as Cortex-X and Cortex-A. With this functionality, specific cores can be powered on or off based on different workloads. As shown in the figure, when comparing the wide range of CPU use cases, it is evident how power savings can be achieved across various usage scenarios. The newly introduced power modes of DSU-120 can effectively reduce chip leakage current."The scaling of the on-chip memory does not keep pace with logic scaling, so we need to carefully consider power consumption when increasing L3 cache capacity to improve performance. As the larger cache introduces new power consumption requirements, the reduction of leakage power is increasingly critical."With different power modes for different workloads, DSU-120 can effectively reduce chip leakage current.Embracing the Era of Heterogeneous IntegrationIn the upcoming years, Arm will continue to develop its next-generation key IP, including the Krake GPU and Blackhawk CPU, to fulfill the increasing demands of its partners for improved computing and graphics performance.However, as chips approach the scaling limit of the 2nm process, it has become an inevitable trend to move towards 3D stacking and advanced packaging technologies. As Arm provides intellectual property (IP) for system-on-a-chip (SoC) designers, what impact and changes will this transition bring?Chris Bergey emphasized the importance of considering the trade-off between performance, power, and area as the semiconductor process reaches its scaling limits. This is crucial to adapt to process advancements and enable customers to maximize the benefits. As the semiconductor industry enters the era of 3D stacking and advanced packaging technology, it becomes imperative to approach designs from a system perspective and partition them to offer customers optimal solutions. For instance, it may involve keeping memory in a mature process while utilizing advanced processes for computing cores. Therefore, close collaboration with foundries such as TSMC is essential, as a deep understanding of process technology will enable Arm and partners to develop the best solutions.He highlighted that advanced packaging components utilizing heterogeneous integration will become increasingly prevalent in the mobile market in the future. Arm is committed to embracing this trend and maintaining its leadership in the "More than Moore" era. "The ever-growing demand for computing is insatiable, and I believe the future is full of hope and possibilities, a future built on Arm!"

Although the global economy is full of uncertainty in 2023, the overall economic situation is uncertain, and smartphone shipments are also quite bleak, the 5G application field of non-mobile phones has quite clear growth momentum in the past few years. As the leader in the global 5G communication module market, Fibocom has already made a fairly comprehensive layout.@Redcap Communications About to Enter Commercial Stage to Play a Crucial Part in 5G ApplicationsFibocom CEOTiger Ying said that according to their observations, global FWA (Fixed Wireless Access) technology still has a fair amount of growth momentum, mainly due to telecom service providers actively transferring from 4G to 5G communications technology. A secondary reason is that the number of existing 4G network connections is quite limited. Moving to 5G is thus the inevitable for the overall telecom market's development. Therefore, Fibocom believes that the RedCap (Reduced Capability) technology, as recently provided in version 3GPP Rel.17, will bring about energetic development in existing 5G vertical applications. One example is in the field of Internet of Things (IoT). RedCap can realize 5G network service capabilities in high-speed IoT scenarios and bring lightweight 5G into a larger number of application scenarios. Even the 4G LTE technology we see in the notebook market could see the presence of RedCap.Just days ago, Fibocom attended COMPUTEX 2023, where it released its FG132-NA series 5G RedCap communication module. Fibocom is not the only one to do so, as many suppliers have purportedly displayed this technology at MWC 2023. It is expected that RedCap will enter the commercial stage in the second half of 2024, and Fibocom will be there.@With Actually Lower Tariffs, Excellent Information Security and Superb Power Consumption, Demand for 5G Connected Laptops Is Set to IncreaseOn the development of 5G-connected laptops, Ying added his personal observation that tariffs on 5G in the early stage of commercial use will be quite daunting, but with the popularization of 5G networks, tariffs will become lower, and consumer acceptance of 5G laptops will gradually increase. The reason for this is, of course, not limited to the immediate convenience of the laptop, but also information security. For example, the information security of the SIM card is higher than that on Wi-Fi, and the power consumption performance is also improving apace. In addition, when laptops can use 5G to connect to the Internet, consumers who unfortunately lose their laptops can also find them through 5G positioning technology--something that Wi-Fi technology cannot do.Although conditions in the global notebook market for 2023 are extremely poor, Ying believes that the notebook market could gradually improve in the second half of the year. And as we enter 2024, we will see the first wave of notebook replacements since the post-epidemic era. And with needs for realtime work and entertainment, demand for 5G-connected laptops will jump even higher.@Increased Demand for Digital Transformation Drives Vertical Application Scenarios to Upgrade to 5G Network TechnologyDriven by the global demand for digital transformation, demand for 5G networks has seen an increase in many vertical application fields. According to Fibocom's latest quarterly financial report, revenue has grown by more than 50% YOY, all due to the benefits brought about by digital transformation of vertical applications. Ying was candid, saying that they did see a decline this year in the performance of some consumer applications. Still, in fields like the field of Internet of Vehicles (IoV), Fibocom is actively deploying into global automotive market, and has gradually become the world's leading supplier of automotive-grade wireless communication modules. In fact, the automotive sector was the fastest growing segment in the last quarter.In response to an unimpressive global economy and slack in demand, many companies will be taking advantage of the situation to meet the needs of digital transformation through investment. In particular, many industrial computer companies in Taiwan are also quite active in relocation and transformation. For example, smart devices such as handheld PDAs and inspection robots required for daily operations and inspections in industrial factories and power infrastructure require integration of CPU and GPU with smart modules to instantly return high-quality images that are used to determine causes of failures and use that determination to improve productivity. In addition, the recently popular ChatGPT has caused the market to have different visions of the digital world, Ying revealed. Therefore, in the future, the demand for algorithms, information security, and computing power required for wireless communication will inevitably increase. This is the market opportunity that Fibocom sees for the future, and Fibocom is well-prepared to embrace the intelligent digitalization by offering smart module series that integrating the AI capabilityOverall, with increasing demand for digital transformation, demand for 5G in many vertical applications will also increase. And with the assistance of compact and highly integrated 5G communications modules, digital transformation will accelerate. It may even be said that 5G communications modules will be a crucial cornerstone in the development of the digital economy.Fibocom attended COMPUTEX 2023, where it released its FG132-NA series 5G RedCap communication module. Fibocom is not the only one to do so, as many suppliers have purportedly displayed this technology at MWC 2023.

Avalue Technology Inc. (TAIEX: 3479-TW), a global industrial PC solution provider and a Titanium member of the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance, is excited to announce the launch of the EPM-1502. This eDP to VGA converter offers seamless connectivity between eDP-enabled devices and VGA monitors, simplifying installation and delivering an exceptional user experience.Quick Installation and Easy ExpansionEPM-1502 eliminates the need for driver settings, providing a seamless experience when connecting to VGA monitors. With true plug-and-play functionality, it ensures effortless installation without the complexities of hardware setup. This not only reduces the cost of screen replacement or extensive redesign efforts but also saves users' valuable time.Extend Operating Temperature and High UsabilityEPM-1502 features a compact and ruggedized design specifically designed to withstand extreme temperatures, with a wide operating temperature range of -40 to 85°C. Its ability to operate stably 24/7 in harsh environments makes it an ideal choice for industries such as industrial automation, manufacturing, and retail applications. In addition, EPM-1502 supports resolutions up to 1920x1200@60Hz with reduced blanking timing and compliance, providing users with a superior experience in terms of compatibility and ease of use.Product LongevityAs a reliable industrial product, EPM-1502 provides long-term product availability and support. It has a standard lifetime of 7+ years and project-based availability of 10+ years.With all these benefits, the EPM-1502 is the best embedded DisplayPort converter for various industries.EPM-1502 Highlight Features*Input Interface: 40-Pin eDP Connector*Output Interface: DB-15 VGA Connector*Compliant with Embedded DisplayPort (eDP) specification version 1.3*VGA output is compliant with VESA VSIS v1r2 specification.*Support VESA and CEA timing standards up to 1920x1200@60Hz with reduced blanking*Support analog RGB output for VGA with Triple 9-bit DAC up to 200MHz pixel rateFor more information about Embedded Peripheral products, please visit www.avalue.com.tw, or contact sales@avalue.com.tw , a dedicated representative will get in touch with you.

As a leading global power supply brand, MEAN WELL provides a stable power supply for all applications and maintains long-term solid partnerships with professionals across several fields.PLANET Technology Corporation is one of MEAN WELL's clients. Both companies have worked together for over 20 years. They have since grown from a simple supplier-client relationship into a trusted partnership that has both companies further engaged in co-marketing and public charity.Established in 1993, PLANET Technology Corporation is a manufacturer that focuses on making network communications devices. Their primary products include Intelligent Network Management System, Power over Ethernet, Industrial Ethernet, Industrial Automation, Network Switches, Optical Fiber Network, and Wireless Network technology, etc., which are marketed worldwide under their proprietary PLANET brand. "We work mostly with industrial-grade products, so the power supply's stability is very important to us. There is no room for error," said Kent Kang, Senior Director of the Product Engineering Department at PLANET Technology Corporation.Power solutions offered by MEAN WELL GROUP system integrate ultra-high output power and power management functions, which are appropriate for application environments with very high power consumption, e.g., communications/IT equipment, EV charging, industrial automation, burn-in system of electronic products, etc.To maintain product performance and stability, PLANET is very selective when it comes to power supply. Industrial Ethernet network switches, for example, are a primary product revenue for the company. This type of products does not usually come with a power supply. It always recommends its customers to use its products with an industrial-grade power supply, which is a MEAN WELL product.Kent Kang said, "With MEAN WELL power supply solutions, we no longer have to worry about power stability. Moreover, MEAN WELL products have passed various certifications. They are proven not to cause any EMI interference when devices are in operation. Our customers have opted to use them for a long time and they have accustomed to using MEAN WELL power supply with our devices. After all, they are the most effective add-on. Our one-stop shopping experience has managed to save our customers a lot of hassle." Throughout a 20-year partnership with MEAN WELL, the sales volume of PLANET's industrial Ethernet network switches has continued to climb, showing nearly ten-fold growth.PLANET showcased the world's first renewable energy PoE solution for intelligent network management at COMPUTEX 2023, which generates electricity using renewable energy to supply power for PoE network. The solution is able to resolve issues pertaining to power consumption of network and safety monitoring systems in remote areas.Participating in Powered by MEAN WELL Co-marketing ProgramNot only Ethernet network switches come with such power supply solutions, PLANET has many other product lines which collaborate with MEAN WELL. Meanwhile, via the PBM program rolled out by MEAN WELL, both companies have much room for cooperation in marketing. PBM is an abbreviation for Powered by MEAN WELL. The program invites MEAN WELL's clients who agree with its brand spirit to become its long-term reliable partners. As part of a cooperative marketing strategy, the program works to accomplish product promotion and achieve win-win together. Execution of the program includes trademark authorization where clients are authorized to use the Powered by MEAN WELL trademark for exhibition exposure, online coverage, and joint media campaigns.Jenny Hsieh, a key accounts manager at MEAN WELL Group, explained, "We have created the 'MEAN WELL Premium Partner Zone' on our website to help customers find partners according to a catalog by industry or region. For example, the information and communication technology (ICT) category will lead one to PLANET Technology Corporation, a long-time partner of MEAN WELL."Jenny Hsieh opines that the PBM cooperative marketing strategy rolled out by MEAN WELL is a very meaningful project. "PLANET and MEAN WELL both have their own brands. Our marketing goals and target are in line with each other. We both hope to promote premium brands from Taiwan. Trademark authorization, exhibition exposure, and other techniques are really helpful in elevating brand recognition."Calling on Everyone to Promote SustainabilityBesides business partners, PLANET and MEAN WELL are also charity partners. For example, MEAN WELL was keen to join a sustainability action project called "Clean Air for Health," which PLANET advocates. This project promotes the use of bacteria to break down rice stalks instead of straw burning. This can prevent air pollution and other hazards caused by haze. It is an extensive solution for resolving air pollution and reducing carbon emissions. It can also improve fertility and organic properties of soil to promote sustainability. To date, more than 200 businesses have joined this project since it was first launched in 2022. The total surface area of adopted rice fields has amounted to 7,800 hectares.Chloe Hsu, Manager of the Marketing Department at PLANET Technology Corporation, said that participants of the project are individuals or businesses who agree to adopt rice fields. "Almost all PLANET employees have participated in the adoption. We're also very grateful toward MEAN WELL, which not only adopts a rice field under the company name, many of its employees have also participated in the adoption as individuals." For the project, decomposing bacteria is expected to be discharged after rice crop is harvested in June and July. At that time, individuals and businesses who participate in the adoption will be invited to witness their environmental protection beliefs put into sustainable action."We'd like to take this opportunity to ask more businesses to join in the adoption event. We are excited to work more closely with local farmers to promote sustainable agriculture and environmental protection," said Chloe Hsu. PLANET has also long advocated for activities like adopting organic tea plantations in Pinglin and sponsoring underprivileged children.Likewise, MEAN WELL has spared no effort in promoting environmental sustainability and social welfare. Since 2011, MEAN WELL has held its annual "I love the Tamsui River" event to promote river conservation. Meanwhile, they also encourage their employees to sign up for volunteer service to take concrete actions to give back to society. As such, in 2019, the company established the MEAN WELL Charitable Foundation to give donations, subsidize replacing old lighting equipment, and set up community centers.In preparation for the ESG era, MEAN WELL continues to implement sustainable ideas as part of product research and development, e.g., energy recycling products that customers very well receive. Kent Kang said, "The product testing process is very power-consuming. Recycling a portion of the electricity helps cut carbon emissions." Providing these products allows MEAN WELL to support a broad spectrum of sectors in achieving zero carbon emissions. MEAN WELL works to stand hand in hand with supply chain partners and customers collectively to create a better environment for the next generation.