Electric vehicles (EV) have been regarded as the mainstream of next-gen automobiles. According to the statistics by DIGITIMES Research, with a global annual growth rate of 19% in 2020, electric vehicles will hit the tens-of-millions scale by 2025. Global environmental awareness and new emerging technologies are the two driving forces behind this rapid growth. When it comes to technology, electric vehicles' power management has been a major industry focus in recent years. Therefore, FTEX's GaNFET powertrain solution, which extends driving range by 30%, has become the center of attention.Hailing from Canada, FTEX specializes in EV power management solutions. During its early years, the company focused on applications for e-scooters, e-bikes, and electric motorcycles. FTEX later expanded its product portfolio to include larger vehicles as its technology matured. FTEX's core products are smart dynamic motor drives built using GaNFET technology, which increase the range of today's batteries by 30%.FTEX's solution can be divided into two facets: hardware and software. The hardware increases vehicles' driving performance by improving the powertrain. The company pairs a GaNFET motor controller and a DC/DC converter, which allows the system to adjust its voltage dynamically, thus greatly increasing controller efficiency. In terms of software, FTEX uses its proprietary smart algorithm to control the DC/DC voltage output and the motor controller to continually reoptimize the powertrain in real time and increase efficiency, range and power. Furthermore, this software can monitor electric vehicles' environment variables, such as battery health and temperature, which boosts stability and increases battery life.This integration of hardware and software allows FTEX to offer excellent power management solutions for electric vehicle industry players. In the future, the company plans to fortify its software-oriented groundwork. Through continuous data collection and machine learning, FTEX will be able to fine-tune its ability to modulate battery power and use the full range of motor power. Through this, FTEX can optimize motor performance for a much greater range of speeds and torques. Currently, FTEX has integrated its proprietary technologies into one solution and released its Dynamic Drive. This product can be applied to many types of electric vehicles, and is seamlessly linked to the software platform that FTEX specially designed for OEM businesses, providing an optimized end-user experience.In recent years, investment in the electric vehicle market by businesses in Taiwan has been accelerating. According to FTEX, with strong technology capabilities, these businesses are sure to have a promising future in this market. FTEX products can further increase the value of these businesses. Presently, FTEX divides the applications of its products into 100V and 600V solutions. The company's ultimate vision is to offer more solutions that boost vehicle performance, and to become the go-to third-party technology provider for electric vehicle manufacturers seeking better power management solutions. FTEX is actively opening up the Taiwanese market. The company hopes to collaborate with manufacturers interested in entering the electric vehicle market to develop market-ready products. By combining the technical capabilities of Canada and Taiwan, we will seize the coming EV business opportunities.Operation team of FTEXPhoto: Company

In 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic rampaged the world. Many countries were on high alert and prohibited people from going outdoors freely. Such measures effectively controlled the virus, but it took a heavy toll on the economic development around the world. The retail and food services industry was one of the industries that borne the biggest brunt of the pandemic. CEO at DataVan, Kris Hsu, stated that although the restrictions imposed reduced in-store consumption revenue within the retail and food services industry, they also led to new business opportunities.In addition to delivery and take away services that have seen enormous growth for the past year, many business owners are gradually introducing contactless unmanned stores and facial recognition security systems. This is all in the hopes of driving the business transformation through the power of new technologies.Hsu further stated that amid the pandemic that has been spreading for over a year, the greatest change to the retail and food service industry is that food delivery services became the dominant business model. Under this model, there will inevitably be fewer store personnel. To maintain normal operation with limited manpower, remote monitoring became an important trend in IT systems within the retail and food service industry. Management systems that have remote monitoring functions can monitor point of sale (POS) status directly from the back-end, enabling sufficient understanding of data from each store branch to optimize management efficiency.In addition to POS remote monitoring, another trend in the retail industry is unmanned stores. Take the most well-known Amazon GO for example; after its launch in 2018, although its concept was well acclaimed, integration in the market was limited. This changed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Amazon now allows retailers to use its core technology called "Just Walk Out" by licensing the technology to build more unmanned stores. Hsu admitted that Taiwan has yet to accept unmanned stores. Most consumers still prefer to use services that require store personnel. In spite of this, we can still implement relevant concepts such as self-service counters where store clerks only provide assistance when consumers face technical issues. Some large business owners have already tried to integrate remote monitoring and self-service counters in Taiwan's retail industry to seize the opportunity to transform their businesses amid the pandemic.As business owners are changing business models, they are also cooperating to curb the spread of the virus. According to Hsu, although we may be able to control the pandemic, humans will still need to co-exist with the virus. The retail and food service industry therefore has the responsibility to provide safe consumption and working environments for consumers and workers. To curb the spread more effectively, he suggests that business owners should make use of the power of new technologies. For instance, install temperature detection and facial recognition platforms at the entrance of shopping malls or restaurants. Businesses should aim to accurately detect the identity and temperature of those entering the building without causing inconvenience to the customers.In order to meet the business needs of retail and food business owners amid the pandemic, DataVan launched a series of solutions. When it comes to POS management systems, the Company launched the cloud software platform—DataVan Central. This platform can remotely monitor POS status and troubleshoot issues. In addition, store personnel do not need to close the register at the end of a business day via POS machines, they can do it via the cloud. This boosts management efficiency; thus, POS is more in line with actual business requirements.As for COVID-19 prevention, DataVan's Facelook X1 integrated contactless temperature detection and facial recognition technologies. Hsu stated that Facelook X1 has features such as quick facial recognition, accurate temperature detection and is easy and fast to install. Facelook X1 has been well acclaimed by many enterprises since its launch. Compared to similar products on the market, Facelook X1's greatest feature is that it integrates AI algorithms that enable smart learning. Its facial recognition capabilities can maintain a high accuracy rate - 99.25% - even if a person is wearing a mask. In addition, the system can also detect those who are not wearing a mask and immediately send alert signals to lower the risk of infection.Furthermore, with great expandability capabilities, Facelook X1's applications allow for more flexibility. For example, it can be integrated into 2D scanners and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) modules to detect ID cards, Health Insurance cards, membership cards, tickets, etc. This satisfies the diverse requirements of business owners and brings forth more application scenarios.Hsu suggested that there is opportunity in every crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic has indeed brought immense challenges to different industries, but it is also an opportunity for businesses to transform themselves. DataVan's all-round solutions can assist enterprises to adjust their business models, helping them seize new business opportunities during the pandemic.CEO at DataVan, Kris Hsu, said that although the restrictions imposed reduced in-store consumption revenue within the retail and food services industry, they also led to new business opportunities.

In the post-pandemic era, many countries are still facing multiple challenges in production and manufacturing, including labor and material shortages, rise in labor costs, halts in production and manufacturing as anti-pandemic prevention measures, lags in supply chain procurement, among others. The current automated mechanical production lines can no longer keep up with the market's competition, forcing manufacturers to actively seek solutions to tackle the challenges of this ever-changing environment. Through the gradual popularization and development of 5G technology, the integration of edge computing, 5G, and AI will have the greatest impact in the digitization of smart factories. It will also become one of the growth drivers in the servers market.Chenbro stated that 5G technology has features such as high bandwidth, low latency and the ability to connect a large amount of data. In the future, by establishing a 5G private network in a factory, massive amount of data can be sent from factory machines and production lines to the edge computing server via a 5G network for preliminary interpretation. The data will then be standardized for further analysis and processing. An edge computing server, when integrated with a cloud data center, can also perform AI deduction. It can analyze big data through AI deep learning. Furthermore, the AI analysis can allow decision makers take more accurate and faster decisions, improving the production efficiency and capabilities of factories. This architecture can be applied to different smart factory scenarios such as AOI inspection, preventive maintenance, robotic arms, and automated guided vehicles (AGV) to support manufacturers in their upgrading and transformation processes towards smart manufacturing.The manufacturing industry is widely diverse. It includes technology sectors such as electronics, semiconductors, aerospace, and machineries. It also includes traditional sectors such as textiles, footwear, pulp and paper, petrochemicals, steel, and cement. Manufacturing environments are usually high in temperature and humidity, and filled with dust. In order to maintain high computing performance, servers need to have high stability and must be able to adapt to harsh environments to meet operating requirements. Equipped with strong hardware technical support, Chenbro provides excellent heat dissipation, verified testing, and complete electromechanical integration services. The company also combines modularized product design capabilities to assist clients and provide them with high flexibility when configuring the hardware framework of a server. This is all to meet the needs of manufacturers' complex operating environments.Chenbro provides comprehensive server and storage device solutions that meet high-stability and high-performance computing requirements. These solutions include barebone server products, high-density storage solutions, compact server chassis, tower server chassis, diversified options in all-flash storage arrays, and the edge computing server chassis series that has received much market attention recently.IDC stated that edge computing is a distributed computing architecture. It connects cloud-centered/traditional data centers with terminal equipment and serves as an intermediary. Edge computing servers can be divided into two types. The first type is a standard server deployed at the edge of a network. The second is a specified server designed according to different scenarios at the edge of a network. The IDC predicted that as there are more diverse scenarios in the applications of edge computing at the data-generation end, the demand for edge computing servers that have specific external sizes, low-energy-consumption capabilities, broad working temperature, and other specified designs, will see accelerating growth to adapt to complex and diverse deployment environments. Many edge computing devices must be built in a limited space; therefore, Chenbro uses small-sized chassis to meet the requirements of edge computing deployment. Chenbro's edge computing servers combine high-performance computing, sufficient storage and network kits in a shallow-depth and small-sized chassis for flexible applications in the deployment of edge computing devices.Edge computing servers have become indispensable in smart factories. Currently, small industrial computers or smart machine boxes are used as edge gateways on the market. Edge computing platforms require a certain level of performance to reach an instant response; therefore, in applications, edge computing platforms are paired with edge computing servers to serve as edge computing servers. Chenbro indicated that the integration of emerging technologies - edge computing, 5G, and AI - will further boost the development of smart manufacturing. In the future, the edge computing server market will witness a rapid expansion. Chenbro will continue to navigate the field of 5G, AI, and edge computing. In addition to OEM and ODM services, the Company also provides OTS standard products to system integration companies and channel partners. In the advent of the 5G era, Chenbro hopes to retain its competitive edge in the market thanks to its AI and edge computing server products.Chenbro's edge computing server solutions boost smart manufacturing AIoT deployment

Smart manufacturing has been the most important trend in the manufacturing industry in recent years. Compared to the focus on individual equipment efficiency in traditional production lines, smart manufacturing focuses more on overall solutions. However, JPC believes that industrial systems are not only complex because of multiple brands coexisting on the market, but also require much higher system stability than other industries. Therefore, when building industrial manufacturing systems, special attention must be paid to the compatibility between communication protocols of different brands and the quality of first-line equipment and components, so that the system can meet the needs of clients.In the face of increasing competition and difficulty recruiting workers due to Taiwan's sub-replacement fertility levels, transitioning to smart manufacturing through new technology and new ideas has become essential for the sustainable survival of the manufacturing industry. However, the fact that manufacturing systems involve a massive range of components and that smart manufacturing is a novel concept means that for companies, the transitioning task is a daunting effort with no apparent starting point.In response, JPC stated that it has an extensive record in the industry and that its main business is to provide connectors and related parts and components. However, the company has also established itself in the fields of cloud networking, Internet of things (IoT) systems, and new energy vehicles (NEV). Especially for industrial manufacturing IoT systems, not only does the company have a comprehensive product line and IoT team, but its factories have also accumulated considerable experience in smart manufacturing. These two factors define the company as a system designer in service to manufacturers. JPC can help clients identify process pain points and create the most optimized systems.JPC pointed out that the topology of industrial IoT networks can be divided into the three layers: Device Layer (Control Layer), Communication Layer (SCADA Layer) and Application Layer (Cloud Layer), with each layer having corresponding components and products. First, the Device Layer is comprised of various sensors in charge of detecting operational data from first-line equipment. Second, the Communication Layer is responsible for aggregating the detected data and sending it to the processing system higher up in the topology. Lastly, the Application Layer will then store and analyze the data it has received to help managers accurately control and monitor the manufacturing status and to set production strategies accordingly.JPC already has a complete product line for components and devices used in industrial IoT networks. At present, Modbus and Ethernet are still the mainstream communication standard in industrial equipment, while NB-IoT, UWB, and other wireless communication technologies are also becoming increasingly common in manufacturing. In this regard, JPC offers high-quality solutions. The company is also an authorized dealer of Yamaha, a major Japanese brand, for products related to the hallmark equipment of automated factories - robotic arms. These products make JPC able to provide a one-stop shop for manufacturers.In addition to possessing comprehensive solutions for industrial IoT networks, JPC is also actively collaborating with other companies, pointing out that such cross-field cooperation has long become a necessity due to manufacturing systems being comprised of technologies from multiple fields. The Company has been working with FSP Group and Coretronic, among other strategic partners, in forming a smart technology 5G task force. Such extensive and strategic partnership has already given rise to many successful case stories.For example, the UWB sensors recently developed by JPC. By combining the ultra-wide band (UWB) technology and the Company's strong product development capabilities, JPC was able to create a sensor with high-precision positioning capability that can be used to locate and track the objects on a 2D or 3D plane. Unlike other object positioning systems that only function indoors, the Company's UWB sensors can be used outdoors with a detection range of up to 500 meters. JPC worked with the client to integrate UWB sensors and AI technology into their logistics operation and unmanned factory systems. The intelligent system can assist logistic companies to accurately grasp the location and route of the goods, and to effectively dispatch vehicles to optimize the efficiency of warehousing operations.While this is only a single example, it nonetheless demonstrates JPC's strong capabilities in smart manufacturing planning and integration. JPC added that their high-quality products ensure the stability and performance of its systems. With a diverse product portfolio, excellent customer relations, strategic partnerships, and integration expertise, these four key strengths have allowed JPC to stand out from traditional parts and components suppliers and successfully transition into a comprehensive solution provider for smart manufacturing systems. The Company pointed out that in the era of smart manufacturing, clients do not need isolated equipment and technology, but a customized solution that can accurately solve the client's pain points and increase their efficiency. JPC can design the most optimal infrastructure tailored to the needs of clients and assist them with the digital upgrade of their company despite resource constraints, helping clients become more competitive in the increasingly harsh ecosystem of the industry.JPC successfully transitions into a comprehensive solution provider for smart manufacturing systems

With the rise of the 5G smart manufacturing trend, the volume of equipment in factories is expanding and processes are continuously being refined, which has led to an increasing demand for power and more complex power system architecture. It is becoming more and more difficult for industrial customers to rely on a single power supplier to meet the diverse power supply needs of their factories in a stable manner, which may pose a potential problem for the progress of factory smartization.At this moment, FSP, which has always had multiple advantages such as comprehensive product lines, one-stop ordering, and high-mix low-volume (HMLV) shipment capabilities, can undoubtedly provide industrial customers and SIs with the greatest stability.Early deployment of high wattage power supplies solving industry's urgent needs in timely mannerAccording to Chu Ting-Chuan, senior manager of FSP's Product Marketing Division, FSP has accumulated decades of experience and knowledge in power supply development, and has developed thousands of standard products to date. With this foundation combined with micro-customization services, they were able to position themselves early in the field of smart manufacturing to meet the needs of industrial customers with a wide range of power solutions.In the early days, factories were based on automated production and PLCs alone were sufficient to meet computing power requirements. Now, as industries move toward Industry 4.0 and smart manufacturing, edge computing needs are also starting to be integrated. With more and more Edge Boxes and AI Boxes installed, it has caused the power demand for computing units to surge from 10-20 watts to over 150 watts. Despite the increase in demand, it has not yet reached such a large volume as several Kilowatts, which means it would not attract power supply manufacturers to invest in the development of corresponding standard products, creating a demand gap as a result.Fortunately, FSP has long been committed to meeting the HMLV demand, and the minimum order quantity (MOQ) threshold is relatively low. In addition, the company has business relationship with more than 70% of the domestic industrial computer companies and has a good understanding of the product iteration trend in the industrial sector. Therefore, FSP made planning in advance and developed high wattage power adapters, Flex ATX power supplies, and CRPS/Slim redundant power supplies, in order to meet the urgent needs of their customers in a timely manner.To date, FSP has provided external adapters for up to 330W, and as for internal power supplies, they provide Flex ATX power supplies up to 850W (a supply of the same size is suitable for 100W-500W) and redundant power supplies up to 3,000W (CRPS Redundant between 550W-2,400W have the same physical dimensions; and Slim Redundant between 80W-2,000W have the same height and width dimensions). It is clear that FSP not only has a complete range of products that is rarely seen in the industry, but also allows high and low wattage products to share the same size specifications as much as possible, which helps customers to reduce internal management costs by eliminating the need for platform replacement. In addition, the product life cycle is more than 10 years, which is sufficient to ensure the stability of the factory's power structure.Micro-customization support to meet diverse demand modesChu Ting-Chuan emphasized that in the 5G smart manufacturing era, FSP's power supply products are expected to bring many unique advantages to customers. Firstly, FSP has the ability to meet IEC 61010 safety requirements, and can provide comprehensive power supply solutions. Secondly, FSP can provide micro-customization services to meet customers' needs, such as adjusting cable lengths, configuring specific connectors, adding specific communication interfaces, increasing surge protection, etc., and all of these needs can be met quickly.In addition, FSP has a close collaboration with many industrial computer manufacturers, so they can have access to the industrial equipment development trend in advance and develop new products to meet the trend. For example, FSP was the first to introduce power supplies that meet the new IEC 62368 safety standard and the 80 PLUS certification.More importantly, the abundant experience of FSP has enabled them to foresee that the power supply needs of smart factories will become more complex in the future, and there will be different input/output voltage forms, unlike the past when only AC input was available, where the possible integration with telecommunications power sources means that new 48Vdc input requirements may arise. In this regard, FSP has developed a product strategy that is most beneficial to their customers, confirming that the "input voltage will not be changed". By using a fixed hardware platform, different inputs can be supported through making only software configuration changes, which will allow customers to quickly meet their power supply needs for different environments.Furthermore, with an eye on the cloud and 5G development, FSP has developed the Open Frame Power Supply (OFP) early on, launching 65W-250W products for the 2"x4" architecture specification and 65W-450W products for the 3"x5" architecture specification. In addition to providing a wide range of wattage options, FSP also offers a variety of output voltage options such as 5V, 12V, 18V, 19V, 24V, and 54V. Inheriting its past strengths in car charger design, FSP also aims to develop 600W and 700W AGV/AMR chargers to meet the needs of AGV and AMR factories.Winning favor of major IPC manufacturers with comprehensive products and efficient servicesMost major international industrial computer manufacturers are customers of FSP, which gives FSP the opportunity to follow the pace of its customers and expand its deployment for smart manufacturing applications.Many major industrial computer manufacturers use FSP's power supplies in different sections of their automated factories, such as workshops, central control systems, and cloud, as well as various applications such as Panel, Gateway, and AGV. FSP was able to win the favor of a certain customer when the same production line required multiple PSUs, each with different power and form factor conditions, but FSP was able to provide comprehensive solutions, coupled with a low MOQ threshold and high ODM flexibility.Lai Chun-Hung, senior manager of FSP's Pan-Asia Pacific Business Division, said that Advantech's smart factory solutions span from data acquisition, edge computing, central control, and smart decision-making, each of which requires different power supply products, including adapters, Flex ATX/ATX built-in power supplies, and redundant power supplies. With a range from as low as 30W-40W to as high as 1,000W-2,000W, there were many matching problems, which required necessary adjustment for power supply products. Therefore, Advantech chose to work closely with FSP, because FSP can offer a full range of products that can easily meet compatibility requirements. Secondly, the professional team of PMs, FAEs, and RDs at FSP was able to quickly solve a wide range of micro-customization problems within a week.ADLINK's product portfolio covers smart manufacturing (such as smart monitoring of process water and power consumption, AI object identification and behavior analysis, real-time data collection and management, real-time equipment monitoring and fault prediction, AI optical inspection, equipment networking solutions), transportation and logistics (AMR), and control center (visual dashboard monitoring). All of which use FSP power supplies, including 300W-1,000W ATX and 100W-500W Flex ATX. ADLINK's choice was mainly due to FSP's high product line coverage and the high efficiency of micro-customization.Overall, smart manufacturing involves multiple fields and cross-disciplinary cooperation is inevitable. FSP has formed a smart 5G task force with a number of strategic partners, including ADLINK, Chenbro, Coretronic, and JPC. Such extensive and strategic partnership has already given rise to many successful case stories. The ability to provide one-stop service, comprehensive product lines, micro-customization, high product reliability, and technical expertise to help solve compatibility issues are the key advantages that have won FSP the favor of many industrial customers.Chu Ting-Chuan (from right to left), Joey Cheng and Lai Chun-Hung - managing executives of FSP

Consumer demand for higher audiovisual quality is driving the evolution of technologies behind LCD displays. Specifically, mini-LEDs, with their superior contrast and color gradation performance, have emerged in the field of display backlights. With a strong R&D foundation in the field of mini-LED technology, Macroblock recently launched a series of mini-LED backlight driver ICs that correspond to various LCD display sizes. According to Chris Chen, Macroblock backlight product manager, the company can help clients create the most suitable products tailored to the needs of different groups in the market.Chen further stated that while the earliest backlighting in LCD displays used cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFL), companies later switched to LED-backlit for their purer white lights that enhance the color gamut of the display. In recent years, breakthroughs in mini-LED technology have also led to companies attempting to adapt mini-LEDs to be used as backlight despite the higher costs. The newest iPad Pro released by Apple in April 2021 also uses this technology, anchoring the status of mini-LEDs in the backlight market.By looking at the actions taken by Apple and other companies, Chen mentioned that mini-LEDs may well become the mainstream technology for LCD display backlighting, driving an increase in market demand accordingly. In response to this trend, Macroblock has released a series of backlight driver IC solutions for small- to medium-sized and medium- to large-sized LCD displays.Chen also pointed out that small- to medium-sized LCDs tend to be found on consumer products like laptops and tablets with limited interior space and shorter product development cycles. Therefore, the Macroblock MBI6322 integrates peripheral components like the built-in switch (MOSFET) into a single unit. The integration simplifies the internal PCB design, reduces the overall cost, and lowers the error rate during PCB mounting. Another benefit of a design with more integrated wiring and layering is that it cuts down on the PCB layout review time during product development. Furthermore, engineers can choose from commercially available timing control ICs or bridge ICs compatible with the MBI6322 to control the dimming signals of the mini-LED panels without the need for an MCU, keeping the small- to medium-sized LCD displays thin and elegant.Besides driver ICs with integrated MOSFETs, Macroblock also offers designs without this integration. This type of design can be further divided into two other types based on whether the driver IC itself still controls the external MOSFET. The MBI6334 and MBI6353 are two types of driver ICs that can control the external MOSFETs. The MBI6334 is the same as the MBI6322 in that they are primarily used to control the backlighting in small- to medium-sized LCD displays without the need for an external MCU, saving potential software coding time. The MBI6334 also utilizes rectangular BGA packaging and is compliant with the Video Electronics Standards Association's (VESA) recommended regulations for timing control circuit boards of laptop, making it a perfect fit for narrow PCBs. On the other hand, the MBI6353 is primarily used in medium- to large-sized LCD displays. Its high-current tolerant design makes it suitable for lighting boards with a large number of LEDs connected in parallel such as TVs, PIDs, monitors, etc.There is also the MBI6328 which has external MOSFET that is not controlled by the driver IC. The MOSFET is instead controlled by a MCU. Macroblock is currently working with various MCU manufacturers to ensure smoother product development. The MBI6328 is a driver IC suitable for medium- to large-sized LCD displays with more than 1,000 dimming zones that allow displays to provide ultra-fine HDR effects. Moreover, the high voltage tolerance of the MBI6328 allows it to be used when multiple backlight LEDs are connected in series.Lastly, Chen indicated that Macroblock not only has a strong R&D foundation regarding mini-LED backlighting, the company is also working with Elan Microelectronics to build a complete industry ecosystem. With support from partners in different fields, Macroblock plans to expand the applications of its mini-LED backlight driver ICs to areas like vehicles, laptops, and tablets. The company also provides comprehensive after-sales services to help customers shorten their development time and create high-quality LCD displays that meet market demands.Chris Chen, Macroblock backlight product manager, pointed out that mini-LEDs will become a mainstream technology for LCD display backlightingMacroblock's mini-LED backlight driver ICs are designed for various LCD display sizes and can help clients create the best productsDifferent LCD displays require special backlight driver ICs with varying designs

Although wireless technology has become the communication medium of choice for many types of technology products in recent years, wired communication remains the preferred choice for data transmission, thanks to its stability and bandwidth advantage. Communication standards such as HDMI, PCIe, USB, etc have become essential specifications for all kinds of electronic devices in daily life. Therefore, the compatibility of wired communication standards has become a key focus of product design.Tony Wang, director of the Signal Integrity Business Unit at Integrated Service Technology Inc (iST), would especially like to remind industry players that in the current Internet era, poor consumer experiences tend to get quickly amplified. He recommends that a thorough suite of compatibility tests should be conducted early on in development to reduce subsequent processing costs.Wired communication has long been an essential technology for modern life, found everywhere from single devices to whole systems. Whether it is HDMI for TVs, PCI-e as a bridge for information transmission within electronic platforms, or USB as the most popular and constantly evolving standard, they are all technologies indispensable for system operation. In addition to the above three standards, DisplayPort, DisplayHDR, MHL, SATA, etc are also crucial in the modern technology industry. However, Wang points out that while most of the above-mentioned standards are generally compatible and stable, there are still a few standards with suboptimal compatibility that can result in decreased stability as the number of connected devices increases. In addition, given that there are so many brands of equipment in the market, it is still difficult to ensure that wired communication standards between different brands are perfectly compatible with each other. As stated previously, consumers will leave negative comments on the Internet if they find that the connection quality of their device is poor, impacting the marketing of the product and the reputation of the brand. To solve this problem, iST offers a comprehensive suite of testing for connectivity signal integrity.Comprehensive Testing Ensures Product CompatibilityAccording to Wang, iST's verification analysis and testing services include focused ion beam (FIB) circuit editing, engineering sample preparation, failure analysis, signal integrity test, material analysis, reliability test, chemical analysis/consultancy, etc. For example, wired signal compatibility verification is a type of connectivity signal integrity test for which iST has a dedicated lab and team and covers a wide range of products, from consumer devices to IT systems. In addition to tests for the seven types of wired communication standards mentioned above, iST can also issue certifications for four of those standards: Display Port, DisplayHDR, HDMI, and MHL. For product analysis, iST also offers testing services for everything from ports and PCBs to laptops, desktops, televisions, etc.On the other hand, because the compatibility of wired communication protocols involves an extensive range of issues, iST offers testing services for all six phases of a product's life cycle. During the first phase of IC development, IST can test different versions of each standard to help customers fix errors and edit the IC to ensure the chip's functional integrity. The second phase is the integration of the IC application platform, where IST can provide various testing instruments and environments to help customers develop IC designs for the system integration platform. The company's team and lab can also perform system development assessments. During the board-side system signal quality verification in phase three and reliability test in phase four, iST can assist customers with testing both the stability and integrity of the product's signal.Phase five is compliance testing for various types of standards to certify that products meet specification requirements. Wang explains that standards like HDMI and DisplayPort have specifications set by their respective associations, and products must meet these requirements to be approved to use the logo of these standards. iST can provide testing for most of the standards currently available in the market.Lastly, phase six tests are for interoperability between branded equipment. Wang says that due to multiple brands of equipment coexisting in the market, compatibility issues between products will lead to poor user experience and causing the aforementioned negative comments on the Internet. Companies are therefore encouraged to focus on compatibility tests before product delivery to avoid potential negative press from affecting the sales of the product.iST's Extensive Industry Experience Allows for the Most Optimal Testing and Analysis ServicesWang points out that due to a multitude of brands and standards existing on the market, it is difficult to cover all wired communication standards. The scope of iST's testing service includes not only mainstream standards but also newer standards or standards with limited application areas. If a customer needs to test a standard that iST does not yet provide, the company will use its extensive experience to quickly grasp the key assessment points of the standard and build a suitable platform to complete testing in a short period of time.Even though iST possesses comprehensive capability for testing and verifying standards, what can clients do to ensure the smoothness of the subsequent processes? Wang says that the client should first internally define the product's key features and then have iST work with departments in the client's company to develop a testing plan. While this sort of planning can take more time than the subsequent testing itself, the process is bound to help with ensuring the compatibility of the product once it hits the market.Generally speaking, large brands usually have their own standard testing plan, and IST's extensive experience in this field can help clients meet the testing requirements of these brands. At the same time, iST is also equipped with a combination of new and existing equipment to optimize the efficiency of the testing process. In addition to offering testing programs for large brands, iST's experience in the field can also aid small and medium-sized manufacturers. iST understands from experience the most commonly seen and difficult to solve obstacles these companies may encounter, and knows precisely how to solve these obstacles. For example, although large equipment manufacturers tend to globalize their product specifications, they still make specific adjustments for different sales regions. Companies must fine-tune their product design to successfully connect with them. Therefore, before establishing a test program, IST will look to understand the client's marketing region and then make recommendations to modify the testing program accordingly such that test items with the highest relevancy are selected to improve product compatibility.Wang concluded by noting that many device functions require connectivity to another device. For this reason, the compatibility of wired communication standards has become a key factor in determining the quality of the user experience for electronic devices. iST has an established relationship with various major associations in charge of setting industry standards and has even been commissioned by some of them to provide education and training to Taiwan's electronic equipment manufacturers. In the future, iST will continue to enhance its analysis and testing services as well as provide training courses to help Taiwanese manufacturers optimize their products.Tony Wang, director of the Signal Integrity Business Unit at iST, points out that compatibility greatly influences the consumer experience and is an area that brands must do more to analyze and test.

TSMC is gearing up expansion of its capacity in response to strong demand from diverse sectors. According to the foundry's CEO, TSMC will invest a total of US$100 billion in capacity expansion through 2023. In the car industry, Foxconn has made yet another move to expand its reach in the electric vehicle sector. Foxconn and Thailand's PTT have just signed an MoU for forming a JV for the production of EV in Thailand. The importance of Southeast Asia for the global supply chain is growing fast. Austria-based AT&S has just disclosed a plan to set up an ABF substrate production base in Southeast Asia.TSMC stepping up advanced process capacity expansion: TSMC will be stepping up its advanced process capacity expansion through 2023, according to company CEO CC Wei.Foxconn to form electric vehicle JV with Thailand's PTT in 2H21: Foxconn Technology Group (Hon Hai) will form a joint venture with PTT, Thailand's majority state-owned oil and gas company, in the second half of 2021 as part of their memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed for cooperative production of electric vehicles (EV) in the Southeast Asian country.AT&S to set up ABF substrate production base in Southeast Asia: AT&S has disclosed plans to invest EUR1.7 billion (US$2.07 billion) to set up a new production base for ABF substrates in Southeast Asia to satisfy the needs of its major HPC chip clients.

With AMD and Nvidia debuting their new gaming GPUs, the DIY PC market particularly the high-end segment is poised to grow in the second half of the year when the latest flagship graphics cards hit market shelves. In the handset market, Apple is keen on pushing 5G mmWave technology. Over 50% of the shipments for the next-generation iPhones to be launched later this year will come with mmWave support. And TSMC has unveiled its tech development in an online symposium.New GPUs to drive DIY PC market growth in 2H21: The upcoming availability of new-generation GPUs will be stimulating the do-it-yourself PC market particularly the gaming PC segment in the second half of 2021, according to industry sources.Over 50% of next-gen iPhones to support 5G mmWave technology: More than 50% of Apple's next-generation iPhone devices slated for launch in the latter half of 2021 reportedly will support 5G mmWave technology, according to industry sources.TSMC unveils N6RF, N5A and new 3DFabric technologies: TSMC at its ongoing technology symposium held online has unveiled its latest innovations in advanced logic technology, specialty technologies, and the additions of its 3DFabric advanced packaging and chip stacking technologies.

The amounts of capex set by Korea's top-three telecom operators, SK Telecom (SKT), Korea Telecom (KT) and LG U+, in 2021 and 2022, respectively, will be higher than those seen in 2020, according to Digitimes Research.The three telecom operators will see their capex increase significantly in 2021-2022, because they are accelerating the rollouts of their 5G networks that will be sufficient to cover all areas of the country by year-end 2022.The number of 5G service subscribers in Korea reached 14.48 million in the first quarter of 2021, up 20% from a year earlier.The three firms managed to add over 2.6 million new 5G service subscribers in the fourth quarter of 2020 and the first quarter of 2021, respectively, thanks to the increasing availability of 5G phones, Digitimes Research observed.SKT had 6.736 million 5G service subscribers by the end of the first quarter of 2021, accounting for the largest 46.6% share. But SKT also saw its ARPU for all of its mobile users decline in the first quarter compared to the level of a year earlier.On the other hand, LG U+ experienced declines in its 5G service subscribers in first-quarter 2021 but saw its mobile ARPU rise during the period.Accumulated capital spending of the three firms totaled KRW1 trillion (US$800 million) in first-quarter 2021 and is poised to increase gradually from the second quarter onward.However, the three telecom operators are likely to face bottlenecks for the rollouts of 28GHz mmWave base stations and fail to reach the goal of setting up 45,000 mmWave base stations by year-end 2021.