As 5G services began to roll out around the globe in 2019, 5G communication is poised to expand into commercial applications with unprecedented development potential compared to prior generations of mobile communication technologies including 2G, 3G and 4G. While the market is paying close attention to 5G, the industry has started to undertake post-5G and 6G planning. Satellite communication is set to play an indispensable role in communication technologies beyond 5G. In particular, low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites show the most promising potential as means for non-terrestrial communication which will fill the gaps in the coverage by ground network infrastructures.As such, countries around the world are scrambling to establish leadership in space communication technologies. Playing a pivotal role in the global high-tech scene, Taiwan is also engaging efforts across the industry, government and academia for the country's space communication initiative, with the National Space Organization being a pioneer. iST is working with the National Space Organization to leverage its expertise accumulated through its long-term devotion into semiconductor testing to help Taiwan-based firms tap next-generation opportunities.According to Allan Tseng, iST's assistant vice president, wireless signals are transmitted over networks formed of base stations connected by cables for all generations of communication technologies up till 5G. Deployment of such infrastructure is costly and subject to terrain influences, which has hindered widespread network coverage for all generations of communication technologies. For example, 4G broadband networks remain unavailable to 4 billion out of the world's total 7.8 billion population today. However, from a "glass half full" perspective, a technology capable of addressing these challenges will embrace explosive business opportunities. From the looks of current developments, making use of satellites orbiting the Earth in space is certainly a viable option.Space communication replaces base stations with satellites, through which signals can be transmitted without the costs of physical cables and network rollout. Furthermore, the top-down transmission from a single satellite can cover a much larger area than a base station. Not only can the quantity of base stations be significantly reduced but remote regions where it is cost-ineffective to build base stations will also be able to enjoy broadband wireless access.Space communication actually costs much less than what most people would expect, noted Tseng. Based on the distance from the Earth, satellites are categorized into geosynchronous orbit (GSO) satellites, medium Earth orbit (MEO) satellites and low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites. Among them, LEO satellites enable low latency and they can be launched on a low altitude rocket. These features allow them to be favored by the telecommunication industry and their applications to enter commercialization.A growing number of firms are engaging in space communication technology development. The most aggressive among them is SpaceX, which started a project in 2019 to eventually launch 12,000 satellites. Amazon and Facebook are also actively joining the game. These efforts will accelerate the maturity of satellite communication technologies and their time-to-market.Taiwan will not stand on the sidelines and let the opportunities pass. Taiwan's Executive Yuan has approved the third phase of the Long-term National Space Technology Development Program, the goal of which is to launch ten satellites by 2028. iST and the National Space Organization entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) agreement in March 2020, wherein iST will leverage its 26 years of experience in semiconductor testing to help Taiwan-based firms test and validate their electronics components to ensure reliable system operation in space.Tseng highlighted two challenges that electronics equipment needs to overcome in order to operate in space. The first is the issue of heat dissipation in a vacuum environment. The second is how to protect electronics equipment from high levels of radiation. Aerospace industries in the U.S. and Europe have long established histories and highly developed expertise. NASA and ESA have instituted standards for components used in aerospace systems, 99% of which are covered by iST's test procedures so now radiation is the missing piece.Radiation technology has mainly been used in the healthcare sector. With Taiwan's leadership in the global medical technology scene and robust research energy, iST is working with National Tsing Hua University, Linkou Chang Gung Memorial Hospital, Chang Gung University, Chung-Shan Institute Of Science And Technology Nuclear Research Institute and Academia Sinica through assistance from the National Space Organization to tackle the radiation challenge. According to Tseng, it has been a common practice among international communities to drive aerospace technology advances through partnerships with the private sector. For example, during the Cold War, the U.S. government began to adopt COTS products, which are items available in the commercial marketplace that are considered suitable for use in military or aerospace systems after being ruggedized. The bill of material (BOM) lists detailing the components of such systems become the secrets to the nations' and the corporations' competitive power. The goal that iST hopes to achieve through its collaborations with the institutions is to help Taiwan-based firms build their own BOM lists and secure their tickets to space communication.To build such BOM lists to completion requires help from professional organizations specializing in different fields. As part of the initiative, a number of organizations formed an alliance to promote space-level radioactivity resistance testing in Taiwan. iST will lead the efforts in integrating cross-party resources and serve as a starting point where firms can seek help. When approached by firms needing assistance, iST will first clarify the issue at hand and then resort to proper organizations in the alliance for a solution. Tseng believes the alliance will make up for deficiencies in Taiwan's aerospace development resulting from limitations in the past while picking up the pace to embrace tremendous space communication opportunities.According to Allan Tseng, iST's assistant vice president, iST will work with the National Space Organization and an alliance of institutions to help Taiwan-based firms make a smooth expansion into space communication, which is poised to become the dominating trend in the post-5G era.

Power semiconductor plays a very important role for all electronics ranging from smartphone, home appliances, health care equipment, computer, networking, data center, automotive, power train etc. Si, GaAs, InP and other materials of the 1st and 2nd generation semiconductors are widely applied in the market. Today, these technologies become very mature in general switches, Si MOSFET, IGBT, Power Amp, RF devices. However, every technology will face its limitation.Wide Band Gap (WBG) material like SiC, GaN provides extra performance:- Higher current density- Wider operating temperature range - Faster switching performance - Lower RdsON (on resistance) - Less switching losses at high frequencies operationThese SiC, GaN will become more popular and outperform Si in the coming new era.However the new materials of WBG device give different response & requirement during assembly manufacturing, thus various challenges will be faced, including:- Wafer Sawn Process: blade VS LASER singulation - Die Attached Process: brittle die and / or thin die handling - New materials for assembly: High Ag Epoxy or Solder paste VS Sintering Paste / film - Wire Bonding Process: 3-25 mil wires large wire diameter handling application - Thermal management for final packages with better void control - And more….Optimizing these challenges is critical to make the power packages & modules to achieve of low loss, low inductance, and high power density, high heat dissipation performance, high integration, and multi-functional development, manufacturer always need to cooperate with new materials and equipment supplier to achieve this goal.In order to shorten the development time, working with an experienced high-end equipment supplier - ASM Pacific Technology Ltd. can offer a full range of power solution and process know-how to work with customers in all dimensions: from R&D, product & process development, to after-sales service. More than above the one-stop solution concept can also save the time and cost.ASM Pacific Technology Ltd. understands that future is full of challenges & opportunities. They would like to leverage their experience and solution to deepen the long-term partnership with their customers and enabling the digital world.Wallace Hui, vice president of Marketing Semiconductor Solutions at ASM Pacific TechnologyPower semiconductor packagingSiC and GaNASM Power Solution

Winbond Electronics Corporation, a leading global supplier of semiconductor memory solutions, today revealed that the latest system-on-chip (SoC) from artificial intelligence (AI) pioneer Kneron, the KL720 launched in Aug, includes a 1Gb LPDDR3 DRAM die from Winbond.Kneron has risen rapidly to prominence in the market for AI processor chips following the launch of its breakthrough product, the KL520 SoC, which combines proprietary software and hardware technologies to achieve very high AI performance while maintaining low power operation. The KL520, in use today in battery-powered applications such as smart locks and drones, includes a 512Mb LPDDR2 from Winbond.Kneron's new KL720 SoC opens up a new set of low-power/high-performance applications for AI and machine learning technology, offering a higher maximum output of 1.4 TOPS (Tera Operations Per Second), and industry-best performance efficiency of 0.9 TOPS/W.Winbond's LPDDR3 DRAM is supplied as a Known Good Die (KGD) and co-packaged with a new Kneron neural processing unit (NPU) in the KL720. Supporting the high throughput and performance efficiency of the KL720, Winbond's LPDDR3 DRAM offers a maximum bandwidth 8.5GB/s, operates from a dual 1.2V/1.8V supply, and includes power-saving features such as Deep Power-Down mode and a Clock Stop capability.New in the KL720: Simultaneous video and speech processingSetting a new benchmark for performance in AI applications, the Kneron KL720 is capable of processing 4K, Full HD or 3D sensor video images in real time to support AI applications such as face recognition in security cameras or gesture control in public kiosks. It can also perform natural language processing, so allows for intuitive speech recognition and eliminates the need for pre-defined keywords. The 1.4 TOPS performance is even fast enough to support concurrent real-time video and natural language processing.Kneron's determination to set a new standard for edge AI performance underlies its choice of Winbond's LPDDR3 for the KL720. Albert Liu, founder and CEO of Kneron, says: "Kneron has exhaustively evaluated the DRAM products available today. It is clear to us that Winbond's LPDDR3 offers the best combination of high bandwidth and low power consumption for the demanding new edge AI applications that the KL720 enables. Just as important as the performance of the silicon, however, is the support that Winbond has given us to help us optimize the interface between our NPU and the DRAM. We are pleased that the relationship with Winbond, which began with the KL520, continues now and into the future with the development of the next-generation product to follow the KL720.""With the KL720, Kneron has set a new benchmark for performance and efficiency that no other chip manufacturer, even the giants of our industry, are able to match today. We at Winbond are very proud to be associated with the success of Kneron, and are excited to see a new generation of AI-enabled products come to market based on the KL720 with Winbond DRAM inside," said Winbond.Winbond's LPDDR3 DRAM is in mass production. More information can be found at www.winbond.com.The KL720 is available from Kneron for sampling now. More information can be found at www.kneron.com/solutions/soc.

Following the successful launch of its first-generation Ultra-Low-Voltage 1.2V SPI NOR flash in 2018, Macronix is introducing the second-generation ULV 1.2V SPI NOR flash product line in 2020 to meet the low-power consumption requirements by a diverse range of IoT devices. These low power requirements are arising from a wide range of of wireless communication technologies being designed in, including 5G, Wi-Fi, NB-IoT, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).This new product line is the result of Macronix's efforts to explore innovative technologies that enable significant improvement on power consumption while maintaining high clock frequencies and data rates. Macronix leveraged its advanced process technology to mark a new market milestone with its ultra-low power consumption product line, pushing applications in smart healthcare and IoT devices a big step forward.Donald Huang, PhD, director of product marketing at Macronix, expects continued developments of low power consumption applications and continued strong market demand. According to Huang, not only are 1.2V low-voltage designs gaining visibility, but he's seeing robust growth momentum in applications for popular innovations such as automotive electronics, smart IoT, mobile devices and other high-end consumer electronics. Thanks to advances in semiconductor process technology down to the 7-nm node, logic ICs are largely available with 0.9V or lower core voltages. This enables the explosive growth of semiconductor solutions featuring ULV consumption and miniaturized packages.Consuming 50 percent less power than 1.8V productsWith industry leading multi-national brands aggressively driving innovations in smart applications and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies, a plethora of battery-powered and ultra-low power consumption designs are bolstering the popularity of smart healthcare and wearable devices. This trend is also putting memory devices operating at 1.2V at the center of market attention and their demand is rapidly on the rise.Macronix's second-generation 1.2V SPI NOR flash MX25S-x3F features several important breakthroughs. First, it consumes 50 percent less power than the 1.8V series, which means the deep power down current of MX25S-x3F is reduced to 0.05μA and the active current can be as low as 0.27mA (1 MHz).Furthermore, because SPI NOR flash is commonly used to store boot code, the speed of code access is acritical consideration. Supporting an impressive 120 MHz clock rate, the MX25S-x3F stands out from the other 1.2V ULV NOR flash products currently on the market.MX25S-x3F's actual saving in power consumption - combining voltage, current and speed performance - reaches 50 percent compared to the 1.8V series. This is especially significant to battery-powered BLE devices, medical-grade wearable devices and mini-size smart healthcare devices. MX25S-x3F's ticket to wide adoption in mainstream applications will not only be its low voltage but more importantly its ability to maintain an impressive high data rate. Offering the double benefits in power saving and data rate is the purpose of Macronix launching the new 1.2V low-voltage product line.Enabling simpler system design and better cost advantageThe use of Macronix's 1.2V low-voltage NOR flash eliminates the need for some components due to the use of a standard I/O voltage. Implementing a standard streamlined I/O voltage design presents advantages in cost reduction and design flexibility. It allows a design that works in combination with the MCU, DRAM and multi-axis sensors also operating at low voltages.New semiconductor processes continue to improve performance and reduce power consumption. To extend battery life for mini-size electronics and to meet the demand for smaller battery size, the industry has started to adopt new technologies such as zinc-air batteries and metal-air batteries, which work at a wider voltage range. Because of this, Macronix's second-generation 1.2V SPI NOR flash covers a wider operating voltage range, from 1.14V to 1.6V to accelerate market adoption of low-voltage products.Volume production to kick off in second-quarter 2021Second-generation MX25S is planned with density offerings ranging from 1Mb to 256Mb with an initial focus on low- to mid- density models. Ultra-miniature packages including WLCSP, WSON, USON and SOP, as well as Known Good Die (KGD), for use in MCU SiP designs are available to accommodate diverse application requirements.Engineering samples of second-generation MX25S were shipped to major customers for design verification beginning in August 2020. Highlighting ultra-low power consumption applications pioneered by smart healthcare and IoT devices, the entire product line will enter volume production in second-quarter 2021. Leveraging its advances in low-voltage process technologies, Macronix will continue to augment its product portfolio of low-voltage and ultra-low power consumption memory, while stepping up efforts to capture new opportunities arising from smart healthcare and smart home applications, and medical-grade wearable devices featuring ultra-high energy efficiency.Donald Huang, PhD, director of Product Marketing at Macronix

Digi-Key Electronics, who offers the world's largest selection of electronic components in stock for immediate shipment, announced that it has partnered with Machinechat to deliver the industry's most affordable and easy-to-use IoT data management solution to accelerate IoT development and deployments.Machinechat's JEDI One is an all-in-one software application for IoT developers and solution architects to provision IoT data collection, visualization, monitoring and local storage capabilities in minutes. Under terms of the partnership, Digi-Key will be the exclusive distributor of Machinechat's JEDI One."We are excited to partner with Machinechat, an emerging leader in delivering easy-to-use and innovative IoT data management solutions," said Robbie Paul, director of IoT business development for Digi-Key. "The majority of today's IoT projects are stalled or delayed due to the costs and complexity in developing custom software applications for each project, with as much as 50% or more of the cost to develop a prototype for developing custom software to process, store and present IoT data. Machinechat's configurable all-in-one JEDI One IoT solution enables developers to readily integrate data collection, visualization and monitoring into their IoT projects in minutes, saving them thousands of hours of custom software development.""Digi-Key is a global distribution leader in providing best-of-breed technology tools and solutions that are helping to accelerate the development of tomorrow's IoT solutions," said E.E. Wang, chief marketing officer for Machinechat. "We're excited to partner with them to deliver our affordable and robust IoT software to the millions of engineers, developers and makers building IoT projects."For more information about Machinechat and to order JEDI One, please visit the Digi-Key website.Digi-Key Electronics announces global partnership with Machinechat

Electronics systems continue to grow in complexity as automotive electronics and a diverse range of smart applications feature ever higher levels of integration. When artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) Vehicle to Everything (V2X) technologies, and 5G adoption that everyone is talking about, falls in place, it paints a clear picture of people's future for which information security becomes a concern for semiconductor solutions.The implementation of information security has traditionally been dictated by leading processor developers as processors have the computing power to efficiently handle large amounts of data. However, a new trend is emerging; entrusting memory chip suppliers with information protection. Macronix, as a leading manufacturer of nonvolatile memory solutions, has brought to market high-end secure memory ArmorFlash to address users' needs to guarantee the confidentiality, integrity and availability of digital data. With the launch of ArmorFlash, Macronix also looks to satisfy market demand and strengthen long-term partnerships to help customers secure valuable information.In an interview, Donald Huang, PhD, director of product marketing at Macronix, noted that native functionality including data encryption and decryption, identity authentication and anti-tamper protection, combined with a "physical unclonable function" (PUF) code providing a very strong form of unique identification, form the core security technology of ArmorFlash. Designed for wide-ranging information security applications, ArmorFlash is implemented with data encryption, that prevents unauthorized access and features a wide range of data-protection technologies, including native identity authentication, crypto keys and secure boot enhancements.ArmorFlash's security core comprises four design pillars: Monotonic Counter, True Random Number Generator (TRNG), PUF Code, and an AES Hardware Crypto Engine, enabling robust protection against data corruption and malware implants. An example use case is the adoption of ArmorFlash on NVIDIA DRIVE AGX Xavier and Pegasus Platforms in high-performance Level 2+ to Level 5 autonomous driving systems. This partnership sets a good example, where system information reliability is maximized and potential security risks are minimized throughout the product lifecycle from deployment, installation to long-term operation for autonomous driving systems. Moreover, it demonstrates ArmorFlash's tremendous potential for use in other applications such as industrial automation and IoT.Passing CAVP certification, ArmorFlash next targets FIPS 140-2 certificationWith the advent of 5G, network communication will become increasingly open and data exchanges at low latency and high bandwidth will become the norm. This will make digital data ever more vulnerable to security threats. In view of this, Macronix has introduced the MX78 series of its secure ArmorFlash product following the launch of its MX75 ArmorFlash. One of the most important goals for optimum security assurance is to obtain FIPS 140-2 certification. FIPS 140-2, short for Federal Information Processing Standard 140-2, that specifies the standards used by non-military U.S. government agencies and their contractors to approve cryptographic modules. It is also widely accepted by the industry to validate the design and implementation of a cryptographic module.Macronix's ArmorFlash has passed validation testing by laboratories accredited by the National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP), which is a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) program, and has received Cryptographic Algorithm Validation Program (CAVP) certification. Macronix's ArmorFlash is now included in NIST's validation list. The next step will be to pass FIPS 140-2 Cryptographic Module Validation Program (CMVP) certification. Consumers will have more confidence when they choose information security products certified by industry standards.Asymmetric cryptography enables a higher level of data protectionAccording to Huang, MX78 implements asymmetric cryptography, also known as asymmetric Elliptic-curve Diffie-Hellman (ECDH) key exchange. This can eliminate the risks of a data breach resulting from hardware theft or loss and is a focus of attention among security implementations of electronics hardware components. It allows the system to operate in a protected, isolated environment to allow critical procedures to be executed in a trusted environment that shields against cyber attacks.The MX78 is also certified to be compliant with the rigorous AEC-Q100 standard for automotive applications. Supporting 1.8V and 3V operating voltages, it can be used with mainstream controllers and processors from leading automotive chip suppliers. With a wide operating temperature range between -40 degree C and +125 degree C, The MX78 ideally supports data storage and processing in limited footprint scenarios on automobiles. Sampling of the MX78 is now available to major customers. For example, Macronix is actively seeking opportunities for the integration of the MX78 in high-end autonomous driving systems.Huang highlighted that Macronix is making the the MX75 and MX78 available to meet burgeoning the challenges of designing secure storage in automotive systems. They will also come with a wide range of density offerings to accommodate diverse requirements and applications. Macronix ArmorFlash offers these solutions in BGA, SOP or KGD packages. Macronix is projecting a strong presence in the automotive market while also catering to secure memory requirements in in flourishing IoT, smart home and industrial automation applications.Donald Huang, PhD, director of product marketing at Macronix

As the world emerges from the COVID-19 crisis, it is likely to leave lasting impacts not only on the patients who have been treated by dedicated doctors and nurses, but also generally on the way that medicine is practised.As a leading manufacturer of specialty memory ICs, Winbond is constantly looking ahead to understand the broad trends in areas such as the medical equipment market. It is clear that post-COVID changes in patient health monitoring and in the way that medical services are delivered face-to-face are going to create greater demand for personal and wearable medical devices. This change in the pattern of demand has important implications for users of memory products.As this article argues, the new state of the medical electronics market calls for wide deployment of secure memory devices, and for non-volatile memory chips which can store greater quantities of user data at a lower cost-per-bit.Personal medical devices at risk of intrusion or attackIf COVID-19 has taught us anything, it is the risk to health when large numbers of potentially infected people congregate in a confined space.For the foreseeable future, social distancing is going to continue to be mandatory in indoor spaces for citizens in many countries. Like schools and factories, hospitals too will be looking for ways to reduce the number of people gathered inside at any one time, to make it easier to maintain distance between people.Health systems are therefore going to be giving high priority to technologies which enable monitoring and diagnosis to take place outside the hospital, and which do not require the patient to be admitted to a ward for observation.Consumers are already familiar with wearable activity trackers which monitor physiological signs such as the user's heart rate. Now Winbond expects to see a rapid expansion in the use by medical practitioners of wearable devices for use in the treatment of a range of conditions.Patients can be expected to embrace this new approach to medical treatment. Covid-19 will not be the last novel virus to cause an epidemic: HIV, MERS and SARS are other recent examples, and a growing human population is certain to catch new diseases transferred from wild animals. And through COVID -19 we have learned that we are less likely to suffer if we are healthy at the time we become infected. Activity and health trackers provide a new way for consumers to maintain a more healthy lifestyle and to increase their resistance to new illnesses.So both specialist wearable diagnostic equipment and consumer wearable devices seem likely to become much more widely used post- COVID. This broad expansion of the user of wearable medical technology has huge implications for security, for two reasons:- Specialist medical equipment will in some cases be safety-critical - the user's life will depend on it. So the device must be safe from malicious attacks, such as denial of service attack, which could disable or impair its operation. - Private user data are logged and transmitted by a wearable device, normally over a wireless link such as a Bluetooth® Low Energy radio to a host device such as a smartphone. It is crucial to the user's trust in their device that these data should only be shared with authorized entities such as the user's physician.The risk to connected, wearable devices is real. Official bodies such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) have issued a stream of warnings to device users and manufacturers about known risks, such as the SweynTooth family of cybersecurity vulnerabilities affecting Bluetooth Low Energy radio chipsets. The FDA's March 2020 announcement about SweynTooth said that 'software to exploit these vulnerabilities in certain situations is already publicly available'.Winbond is ready to help manufacturers of wearable and medical equipment to protect against threats such as SweynTooth by providing secure memory for code and data storage. In medical devices, exposure to threats is greatest when data or code are in transit: for instance, when logged heartbeat measurements are uploaded via a Bluetooth Low Energy link from a wearable heart monitor to the user's smartphone; or when updated firmware is delivered over-the-air from the cloud to the wearable device.In simple wearable products, security provision may be confined to a microcontroller or system-on-chip (SoC), which will include a small on-chip Flash memory area for secure code storage. In more sophisticated devices, however, the size of the code will be too large for the embedded MCU's memory, requiring the use of external Flash for code storage. If this external memory, however, does not provide security functions such as an encryption engine and a root-of-trust, then it will be vulnerable. And no matter how secure the host MCU or SoC, if the external memory is at risk, the whole device and its data are at risk.This is the problem solved by Winbond's TrustME family of secure memory products. The latest TrustME memory product, the W77Q, protects connected devices from remote software attack. By ensuring robust, end-to-end security in connected medical devices it enables:- Secure code updates, including over-the-air updates, via an end-to-end secure channel between an update authority and the W77Q even when the host MCU or SoC has been compromised.- Secure boot and root-of-trust- Authenticated and encrypted data transfer between the Flash device and the host- Execute-in-Place (XiP) of boot and application code- System resilience, enabled by the key security functions of protection, detection and recoveryHow to store a torrent of personal user data at lower costThe use of wearable and in-home patient monitoring equipment will relieve pressure on medical facilities and facilitate social distancing in surgeries and hospitals. But this personal equipment will generate a torrent of personal data. Multi-sensor monitoring equipment is already available to track various vital signs simultaneously, such as heart rate, heart-rate variability, blood oxygen levels, and temperature.Wearable devices cannot be assumed to have continuous access to the internet, so the system architecture has to allow for local storage of these user data. This means that wearable medical devices need high-density, non-volatile memory. And because decisions about a patient's diagnosis and treatment might be based on the data, data integrity is a mission-critical requirement.The traditional choice of memory type for non-volatile, error-free storage of data is NOR Flash. In low densities of below 512Mbits, NOR Flash is a cost-effective choice. When data capacity of 512Mbits or more is required, however, the fabrication process advantage of NAND Flash comes into play.Winbond's outlook on the medical equipment market suggests that high-reliability, high-speed alternatives to NOR Flash for user data are likely to become increasingly popular. This is why Winbond has developed new technologies to increase the Read and Write performance of its reliable Single-Level Cell (SLC) NAND Flash products.For instance, the W25N QspiNAND family is available in densities of 512Mbits, 1Gbit, 2Gbits and 4Gbits. It shares the same interface as conventional SPI NOR Flash for easy replacement in existing designs, and at densities of 512Mbits offers a lower cost-per-bit and a smaller board footprint. The W25N devices also feature fast Program/Erase performance, and high reliability: their specifications include more than 100,000 Program/Erase cycles, and longer than 10 years' data retention. An on-chip Error Correction Code (ECC) engine ensures that data in storage are free of bit errors.Winbond also offers a migration route to higher performance , for medical devices integrating a higher number of sensors and operating at higher sampling speeds: the High-Performance QspiNAND Flash and OctalNAND Flash products offer the same high-reliability SLC NAND Flash quality, but with even higher data bandwidth.A new generation of personal medical devicesThe implications of the Covid-19 pandemic are still emerging, but it is already clear that the medical world will need to embrace the use of more personal and wearable technology. Data are the key to these emerging personal medical devices - and this has huge implications for the design of security and storage systems.Winbond's forward-looking approach to memory technology has seen it take a lead in the development of secure NOR Flash products and high-reliability, high-density QspiNAND Flash. As the market for wearable medical technology evolves, OEMs can expect Winbond to continue to introduce new product types and technologies to meet the latest requirements for secure and low-cost code and data storage.The new state of the medical electronics market calls for wide deployment of secure memory devices, and for non-volatile memory chips which can store greater quantities of user data at a lower cost-per-bit.

Growing maturity of artificial intelligence (AI) technology is enabling leaping advances in automated optical inspection (AOI) for the manufacturing sector. ADLINK is working with leading information technology (IT) provider Fujitsu to introduce a False Call Reduction (FCR) system - a new smart manufacturing solution built with Fujitsu's robust AI computing power and ADLINK's extensive experiences in collecting manufacturing data and developing manufacturing applications. They expect to bring the solution into action on the surface mount technology (SMT) production lines by year end.Quality control is a step in the manufacturing process that is critical to production yield and product quality optimization. It has generally been performed by human workers and automated optical inspection (AOI) until the rise of smart manufacturing wherein AI is reshaping production line systems. As part of its active undertakings in AI-enabled solutions, ADLINK began collaborations with Japan-based IT technology provider Fujitsu in 2020 to integrate Fujitsu Advanced Image Recognition(F|AIR) with ADLINK's edge computing industrial PC (IPC) to boost visual inspection accuracy above 90% and thereby reduce AOI false call rates on SMT production lines so that manufacturers can achieve higher precision quality control.With defect detection being an essential part of quality control, manufacturers have been making use of AOI equipment to help production line workers identify defects at a higher level of accuracy. To make the process more efficient, maturing AI technology is being introduced in AOI to tap the power of deep learning algorithms and make defect detection more intelligent and more accurate.AOI may not necessarily increase production line efficiencyAccording to Ming-Che Cheng, Business Development Director, Smart Factory Business Center, IoT Solutions & Technology Business Unit of ADLINK , when manufacturers incorporate AOI equipment on their SMT production lines for quality control, they generally configure AOI settings with rigorous standards. This results in a high number of false calls, each of which requires reexamination by human workers and manual data update or input. Such added processes not only hinder efficient production line operation but also burden human workers with so much work that they may be prone to misjudge defective products as good products due to fatigue, causing return, rework or even damage to manufacturers' business reputation.ADLINK joins forces with Fujitsu to create a new integrated AI platformADLINK is endeavoring to find a solution to the issue, noted Cheng. After years of development, ADLINK's AI-based inspection hardware has reached maturity. For software capabilities, ADLINK turns to Fujitsu in hopes of leveraging its robust AI software strength to jointly build a hardware-software integrated FCR system. According to Jung-Lang Wang, technical manager, Digital Co-creation, Fujitsu, global IT heavyweights flex their muscles by presenting powerful supercomputers. Fujitsu builds F|AIR on top of its high-performing servers and has put the solution to use at its production bases in Europe. It is then in search of partners to help bring F|AIR to Asia, the world's manufacturing hub. The partnership between ADLINK and Fujitsu is a perfect match. By combining Fujitsu's F|AIR and ADLINK's edge computing IPC, they offer manufacturers engaging in SMT processing an ideal solution that reduces AOI false calls.Boosting the FCR system's adoption by ensuring continuous uptimeFeaturing a non-intrusive design, the partnership FCR system can be installed without having to shut down the SMT line. It can be up and running after simple parameter adjustments, which can be replicated to other production lines. It can learn from the training models about defects in images while in operation and reduce false calls by more than 90% without having to train on a large quantity of images. Then, the significantly reduced number of images determined to have defects are turned over to human inspectors who can take the time to conduct reexamination and improve quality of work. Furthermore, the FCR system can aggregate the reexamination results for subsequent training. Not only is the inspection process made more efficient, manufacturers get to enjoy higher units per hour (UPH). More importantly, all software and hardware run in parallel to existing AOI equipment so manufacturers' past investments will not go to waste.Based on a deep learning algorithm, the FCR system will deliver a higher level of accuracy with a larger quantity and variety of training images. That is, the system will grow in accuracy with the time it runs on the SMT line. Aside from training purposes, the images it collects on the production line can also be used to trace production history for manufacturers to improve product quality and for customers to gain insights into the production process through visual data.The FCR system is built for small-volume large-variety productionThe FCR system now runs on ADLINK's own SMT line. It is especially suitable for small-volume large-variety production, said Wang. Its deep learning implementation allows it to accommodate a diverse range of production requirements. ADLINK and Fujitsu will continue to work together and expand the application scope for the system to help manufacturers address challenges in AI-based visual inspection.ADLINK turns to Fujitsu in hopes of leveraging its robust AI software strength to jointly build a hardware-software integrated FCR systemDaniel Yang, president of ADLINK (left) and Yuguchi Akashi, Fujitsu Taiwan president (right)

Nexcom's Network and Communication Solutions Group (NCS), leading supplier of network appliances, is ready to take on the challenges of 5G technology with its newest uCPE (Universal Customer Premise Equipment) solutions. Under development the past three years, these solutions were developed through NCS' active participation in early access programs of strategic partners in networking technology. These efforts finally materialized this quarter in several 5G proof-of-concept (POC) deployments across different regions of the world.Matthew Liu, NCS' director of Product Line Management, says, "The advent of 5G has become the ultimate driving force to commercialize technologies heartily discussed nowadays, such as AI, IoT, cyber security, and FWA. Due to the requirements of eMBB (enhanced Mobile Broadband), URLLC (Ultra Reliable Low Latency Communications), and mMTC (massive Machine Type Communications), which are all so critical in the 5G world, Nexcom has launched a 100G NIC card and is collaborating with strategic partners to create 200G/400G cards."Nexcom expects that FWA technology will completely change IT infrastructure by using 5G wireless broadband to replace the last mile of fixed physical lines. NCS will soon introduce to the market "NexCPE," a new uCPE product line based on FWA (Fixed Wireless Access), as a welcome addition to Nexcom's product portfolio.Nexcom has additionally rolled out a video to showcase NCS' capabilities in networking. For more information on the Network and Communication Solutions Group, please visit Nexcom's website.Nexcom's Network and Communication Solutions Group (NCS) has a passion for innovation

Digi-Key Electronics, a global electronic components distributor, announced today that it has partnered with Septentrio, a leader in high-precision GNSS positioning solutions. Digi-Key now offers mosaic-X5 globally for customers who need secure and reliable high-accuracy positioning in a compact and low-power form factor.Septentrio's mosaic-X5 features complete multi-frequency multi-constellation technology and tracks every existing and future signal from all Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) constellations. Such signal diversity coupled with advanced anti-jamming technology allows mosaic-X5 to deliver centimeter-level positioning with maximum availability even in challenging industrial environments. This makes mosaic-X5 an ideal positioning solution for applications such as robotics, automation, telematics and many more."Our mosaic-X5 is an advanced GNSS receiver module without performance compromises. With its small form factor and low-power design, mosaic-X5 brings high-performance positioning to volume applications," said Francois Freulon, head of product management for Septentrio. "Having Digi-Key as a distributor enables us to scale and reach out to find new markets and applications where secure high accuracy positioning is required.""Digi-Key is excited about the new partnership with Septentrio," said David Stein, vice president of global supplier management for Digi-Key. "Demand for high-accuracy GNSS receivers with secure and robust positioning is growing strongly, as they continue to be implemented into new applications and devices. Digi-Key offers customers an easy path to order, develop, and deploy with the latest technologies available, including Septentrio's robust and precise GNSS devices, which have the latest anti-jamming and anti-spoofing technology."For more information about Septentrio and to order the mosaic development kit or the mosaic-X5 module, please visit the Digi-Key website.Septentrio mosiac-X5, a high-end GNSS receiver module delivering reliable centimeter-level positioning, is now available on the Digi-Key website