VIA Technologies has announced its latest kiosk solution, the VIA Artigo A830, featuring anti-static lightning and surge protection to ensure maximum reliability and durability in demanding indoor and outdoor environments.With HDMI and LVDS touch panel dual-screen support, a 5W amplifier and rich I/O set to connect and control a wide range of peripheral devices, the VIA Artigo A830 can be quickly tailored to meet the demands of almost any smart community application, said the company.To meet demand for smart community service hubs, VIA StreetWise IoT solutions combine an ultra-reliable, high-performance system hardware platform with a stable Android software framework that enables the rapid development of multimedia-rich applications and services, using touch, voice, and wireless interfaces.VIA Artigo A830 IoT kiosk solutionPhoto: Company

In response to the rapid advancement and increasingly sophisticated functions of automobile electronic systems, ISO 26262 standard, which was released in 2011, provides a complete functional safety design process and certification system to ensure the safety of car driving, and has been accepted by major car makers and suppliers around the world. For Taiwan makers, it's the time for them to take actions to comply with the standard, so that they can move into the growing automobile electronics market and grab more business opportunities.The Scope of ISO 26262 Standard"Automobile electronic systems comprise a wide range of electronic, electrical, software, and machinery components and subsystems. Any mistake of the system design may result in functional failure and cause serious damages," Gerhard Rieger, Branch Manager of Functional Safety Division at TUV NORD Systems, said. "Therefore, how to ensure the functional safety of automobile electronic systems have become one of the top design tasks for car makers."The current ISO 26262 standard is in its 2011 version, which applies to safety-related systems that are installed in production passengers cars with maximum gross vehicle mass up to 3.5 ton. Those systems are of safety level from ASIL A (lowest) to ASIL D (highest), including electronic control unit (ECU), microcontroller, battery management system, advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), safety-related software development tool, and so on.It is expected that its latest version will be released in 2018, in which motorcycles, trucks, and buses will be also included. For car makers, complying with the state-of-the-art ISO 26262 showcases that they have taken the full responsibility to ensure the safety of product designs and to protect customers' rights. Therefore, in the future, developments and implementations of new products in automobiles must be compliant with ISO 26262 to be accepted by the global market.According to Rieger, ISO26262 aims to protect the following three safety risks. Firstly, common cause failure, which is resulted from the external factors such as temperature, environment. Secondly, random failure, which is caused by aging of hardware components and can be mitigated by quantitative calculation. The third one, and also the most important one, is systematic failure, which is due to the manual errors in development and production processes and will cause the highest level of risks.In order to cope with the different levels of functional failure risks, ISO 26262 has established a comprehensive safety design processes and guidelines to guarantee the functional safety of the overall safety chain.Starting from car OEMs' concept design, they will first conduct risk analysis for the safety design of the system, and then tell their first-tier suppliers about the system demands. The demands will be passed on to second-tier suppliers, including chip, sensor, and development tool vendors, and production contractors such as packaging, testing, and foundry makers."ISO26262 is a broad and complicated standard which covers the complete functional safety confirmation from the concept design to final product," Rieger stressed. "Additionally, it also defines DIA (Development Interface Agreement) to clarify responsibilities among suppliers in case of system malfunction. In fact, the implementation of the standard is a top-down management practice, which clearly specifies the rules and liabilities among suppliers of different levels and can be used to as a reference for future insurance claims."Functional Safety MattersIn recent years, many recalls in automobile industry are due to the malfunction of electronic/electrical systems. This not only jeopardizes consumers' individual safety, but also impacts car makers' corporate images and will cause expensive handling costs. As a result, ISO 26262 has become the prevailing standard in automobile industry nowadays."At first, ISO 26262 was mainly driven by European car makers," Kevin Huang, Great China Functional Safety Product Manager, said. "Now, as the functions of automobile electronic systems get increasingly complicated, any hardware, software and system failure may cause fatal incidents. Therefore, ISO 26262 has become a global standard after it was finalized. At present, car makers in the US and Japan also have adopted this standard. Moreover, China has considered it a national standard."ISO 26262 is not a mandatory standard or legal requirement. However, because it is widely accepted around the world and it provides a means of improving safety and reducing recalls in the future, all manufacturers are now integrating the standard into their products and processes.On the other hand, with the rapid progress of connected and self-driving cars, the safety risks of automobile electronic systems will be much higher. "Self-driving car is a revolution as well as a brand new challenge for automobile industry," Rieger stressed. "Currently, major car makers are heavily investing in this technology and will bring new business opportunities for suppliers. Take Ford as an example, the company plans to launch self-driving cars by 2021. It is expected that this application will get matured in five years.""Its next version, 2.0, will include all these more advanced systems. For suppliers of automobile electronic systems, now it's the right time for them to implement the standard."According to Huang, "Some Taiwan makers already received inquiries that ask for ISO 26262 compliance. We believe that as the applications of connected cars get more popular, such inquiries will also be on the rise. If companies want to move into the automobile supplier chain, they have to integrate the standard into their product designs from now, otherwise, they may lose huge business opportunities in the future."ISO 26262 aims to provide regulations and recommendations throughout the product development process. Therefore, major car makers and their supply chain vendors are taking actions to comply with the standard. However, this is not the case for vendors of after-service market, because their products don't have to meet OEMs' safety requirement. As for Taiwan market, semiconductor companies, including assembly and testing, foundry, and IC design, will all be impacted.TUV NORD Understands and Helps Customers Move into Automobile Supply Chain"Taiwanese companies used to focus on consumer market in the past. But as automobile market rises, it is inevitable for them to comply with the standard of functional safety procedures," Rieger said. "In practice, for those who already have ISO 9001 or ISO TS certifications, they can consider the parallel approach. It means that companies can still use their existing processes to develop consumer products, so there is no need to change in this regard. But, they will need to implement new processes for automobile products. By using two design flows separately, companies can have better flexibility and cost effectiveness."The implementation of new standard will surely increase the development cost. But the cost will be justified if companies consider the risks of future recalls, failure liabilities, and the possibilities of losing business. Moreover, as the number of design projects increases, eventually companies will have a better return on the investment.Rieger introduced that TUV NPRD functional safety team is a third-party accreditation organization ensured by Germany authority DAkks. We provides personnel, process, product, tool, SEooC(Safety Element out of context) certifications, as well as consulting and coaching services for component manufacturers. With rich and in-depth experiences, we have customers all over the world, including leading car makers, system suppliers, chip vendors, tool providers, and major electrical vehicle makers in China."We have deployed Chinese experts in Great China market. Together with our strong Germany teams, we can truly understand customers' requirements and make the best efforts to help them integrate ISO 26262 into their design processes. Also, we will conduct gap analysis for customers to help them analyze the gap between their existing design flows to those of ISO 26262 in detail and then come up with an implementation plan accordingly. Our certification services also include functional safety management certification, functional safety product certification, and development tool certification."He stressed that having comprehensive certification services is one of TUV NORD's key advantages. "Not only automotive, we provide certification services for medical, railway, aviation, process control technology and more. Our customers can obtain certifications for other industries in a more cost effective way when they get the automotive certifications, so that they can expand their target markets more easily."Gerhard Rieger, branch manager of functional safety division & Kevin Huang, Great China functional safety product manager

Digitalization is transforming the economy and society more profoundly than any other advance in the history of technology. Increasing interplay across a wide array of digital technologies is sparking disruption and innovation at an unprecedented pace. The sweeping transformation is revolutionizing the way people interact with devices and machines, and another embodiment of the change is the interplay between brick-and-mortar and virtual realities. At CeBIT in Hannover, Germany, the digital transformation takes front and center stage.The impact of digital transformation is tangible everywhere. Particularly in the economy, it is busting open and reinventing inherited processes and structures as well as the existing barriers between different sectors of industry. The limits of collaboration across company and industry borders are being redefined – including the human-technology interface. New forms of work and business models are arising.As the world's foremost event devoted to the digitalization of business, administration and society, CeBIT 2017 will focus on the wealth of opportunities inherent in the digital transformation. "The keynote theme of 'd!conomy – no limits' stands for the opportunities which have opened up for companies via digitalization and new technologies," explained Oliver Frese, Managing Board Member at Deutsche Messe, in a recent interview, continuing: "The keynote theme in 2017 also stands for the fact that the human/machine interface is undergoing a profound shift, as is the traditional distinction between reality and virtual reality. As designers of the digital age, people should not limit themselves in terms of new ideas and options, but should open-mindedly assess the possible options and take on an active role in shaping the transition."Digital transformation is being driven by new technologies and opportunities: Developments like artificial intelligence, virtual & augmented reality, autonomous systems, 3D printing, humanoid service robots and drones are the current drivers of the trend. An increasing number of application scenarios in the Internet of Things are enabling positive interaction and new types of cooperation between people and technology. As Frese put it: "IoT applications and new technologies open up new horizons in the truest sense of the word. Our task now is to turn these technologies into business opportunities."That is why next year's CeBIT will have an even stronger focus on appli¬cations, said Frese: "Our exhibition halls will serve as showcases for highly relevant, real-world examples of digitalization in a number of different sectors, including automotive, banking and insurance, retailing, healthcare and administration, in an impressive demonstration of the way digitalization is impacting every conceivable area of business and society," he remarked.As the "Global Event for Digital Business" – featuring the keynote theme of "d!conomy – no limits!" – CeBIT is positioning itself as the flagship event for digitalization and the digital transformation of the economy, public administration and society. This focus provides orientation for all decision-makers involved in shaping the digital enterprises and digital public administrations of the future.Frese pointed out that the prerequisite for success in the "d!conomy" lies in creativity, an openness to change and a new entrepreneurial spirit: "But it is also a question of new skills and qualifications which will be driving the world of 'Work 4.0'. We need to witness the interplay of these new technologies in order to recognize and exploit the business and social opportunities arising from it."Next March at the Hannover Exhibition Center, CeBIT 2017 will be showcasing these new technologies in an application-centric way, with new, data data-driven business models and value chains featured in a big way. Special highlights will be presented by exhibitors within the scope of the "discover d!conomy" tour introduced this year as a virtual guide to showcases dedicated to individual sectors. The tour provides a framework for connecting players from business, politics and society as well as for an often controversial discussion among internationally leading visionaries, top executives and creative thinkers with respect to standardization and the legal and regulatory framework."Digitalization is not a condition or a process which suddenly comes to fruition," explained BITKOM Executive Director Bernhard Rohleder, adding: "CeBIT is the ideal place for essential networking among global players, SMEs and startups, for building a bridge between suppliers and users of digital solutions, and for the necessary dialogue between innovators from Germany and abroad.""Our featured CeBIT Partner Country, Japan, will surely put a great deal of spin on the show's keynote theme. When it comes to digitalization, Japanese society demonstrates a very open and innovative mindset. Europe can take its cues from Japan with regard to pursuing creative new approaches and welcoming new technologies with an eye toward the potential they offer," remarked Frese.CeBIT – Global Event for Digital BusinessCeBIT is the world's foremost event on the wave of digitalization revolutionizing every aspect business, government and society. The show features an annual lineup of over 3,000 exhibitors and attracts some 200,000 visitors to its home base in Hannover, Germany. The spotlight is on all the latest advances in fields such as artificial intelligence, autonomous systems, virtual and augmented reality, humanoid robots and drones. Trending topics like Big Data, Cloud Applications, the Internet of Things, Mobile Solutions, Security and Social Business are covered in a rich array of application scenarios. Thanks to CeBIT's special mix of exhibits, conferences and networking opportunities, it is a perennial must on the calendars of IT solution providers and users from around the globe. The startup scene also receives major emphasis at CeBIT, with the SCALE 11 showcase sporting more than 400 aspiring young enterprises. The next CeBIT will be staged from 20 to 24 March 2017, with Japan as its official Partner Country.

Leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857) has begun taking orders for its new T2000 AiR system, a compact, air-cooled system optimized for low-cost testing in R&D and high-mix, low-volume production. Shipments to customers are expected to begin in the first quarter of calendar year 2017.Global market demand continues to grow for smartphones and other mobile electronic devices as well as consumer and enterprise services offered over the internet. This trend is driving increased production of complex semiconductor devices and modules that integrate MCUs and application processors to perform multiple functions, including telecommunications, power management and sensing.Advantest's new T2000 AiR offers broad test coverage for these diverse modules and system-in- package (SiP) devices. With its modular architecture providing maximum flexibility, the tester can be configured with up to six discrete air-cooled measurement modules. This enables single-system test coverage for a wide array of highly integrated, multi-functional devices. Designed to perform digital functions and SCAN testing over as many as 512 channels in parallel, the system can test high-voltage devices up to 2,000 volts, high-precision DC converters, automotive DC devices, mixed-signal ICs with bandwidths up to 100 MHz, RF communication chips and CMOS image sensors.The new tester can be integrated with the M48xx series of handlers to create a highly efficient, zero-footprint test cell solution, which Advantest refers to as its Integrated Zero Test Station. Because the T2000 AiR does not require water cooling, it can be installed anywhere. Additionally, the system's software environment is fully compatible with the highly scalable T2000 series, making it capable of conducting massively parallel testing and facilitating smooth production ramps to help customers reduce their newest products' time to market."With the new T2000 AiR, we continue to extend the capabilities of our established T2000 platform to serve the testing needs of IDMs, foundries and fabless semiconductor companies making IoT-enabled devices," said Masayuki Suzuki, senior vice president of the SoC Test Business Group at Advantest.About Advantest CorporationA world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tools. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at http://www.advantest.com/.Integrated Zero Test Station Zero-Footprint Test Cell SolutionT2000 AiR SoC Test System

Innodisk, the service driven flash and DRAM provider, introduces DDR3L 1866 memory modules designed for industrial applications on Intel's latest Apollo Lake platform. The new, unbuffered long DIMM and compact SODIMM memory offerings will feature significantly lower power consumption and higher performance than comparable DDR3 modules, and will have ECC error correction available for industrial and embedded applications.According to Intel's latest product roadmap, announced in 2016, the next-generation processor Apollo Lake will replace the Braswell and Bay Trail processors and become the mainstream platform by Q4, 2016. Innodisk's DDR3L memory modules are compatible with Apollo Lake with speeds up to 1866 MT/s, making it easier for customers to upgrade their system.Improved Memory Performance at a Lower VoltageOperating at 1866 MT/s, Innodisk's DDR3L memory offers up to 15% improved performance, with 10% lower power consumption compared to current mainstream DDR3 DRAM modules. With Intel Apollo Lake projected to be the embedded platform of choice by Q4 of 2016, Innodisk's DDR3L 1866 memory modules will facilitate the next generation of embedded performance.Industrial-Grade DesignInnodisk's proprietary 30μ" gold finger connector interface surpasses the industry standard 3μ" specification and delivers a 30μ" pin-width to DRAM modules for extra protection against scratches and environmental damage. By using industrial-grade wide temperature components, it allows the operation to withstand temperatures ranging from -40°C to 85°C. Additionally, its built-in thermal sensors are especially suited for fanless computers to alert the system to temperature changes. This allows for the monitoring of individual memory module temperatures, boosting performance and preventing overheating.Product InformationInnodisk's DDR3L 1866 DRAM module series UDIMM/SODIMM and UDIMM/SODIMM with ECC are available now, offered in speeds of 1866 MT/s and with a voltage of 1.35V. For additional information on Innodisk's DRAM series, please contact your local Innodisk sales representatives or distributors, or visit us at http://www.innodisk.com/.About InnodiskInnodisk (Taiwan: 5289) is a service-driven provider of flash memory, DRAM modules and embedded peripheral products for the industrial and enterprise applications. With satisfied customers across the embedded, aerospace and defense, cloud storage markets and more, we have set ourselves apart with a commitment to dependable products and unparalleled service. This has resulted in products, including embedded peripherals, designed to supplement existing industrial solutions and high IOPS flash arrays for industrial and enterprise applications. The expanded business lines are leading our next step in being a comprehensive solution and service provider in the industrial storage industry.Founded in 2005 and headquartered in Taipei, Taiwan, Innodisk supports clients globally with engineering support and sales teams in China, Europe, Japan, and the United States. With abundant experience and an unrivaled knowledge of the memory industry, Innodisk develops products with excellent quality, remarkable performance, great cost-efficiency, and the highest reliability. For more information about Innodisk, please visit http://www.innodisk.com/.

YC SYNERGY (YCS) launched their fourth generation product "MB-209" series Fuel Cell Power module this month. Which is completely integrated for commercial vehicle application including trucks, buses, and industrial vehicles. This brand new model starts shipping to customers for trail this month.Each MB-209 unit is designed for 15KW rated power. With multiple module connection, it can enlarge the power range. The total system footprint is less than 150 Liter with all-in-one BOP integration, which makes MB-209 the most complete product among the similar range peers. This brand new model successfully integrates all 8 necessary sub-systems/functions in an easy-to-install box, including fuel cell stacks, fuel system, air compression system, communication tool, power conditioning, thermal control system, noise reduction parts, and safety protection. Different from the existing solution in the market, which requires the powertrain integrators lots of effort to assemble many scattered parts before adopting the fuel cell technology, MB-209 's engine-like design allows fast integration, installation and easy maintenance. Therefore it shortens customers' time-to-market and meanwhile improved volume production consistency.YCS utilized their experience of previous 3 generations, and with complete flow dynamic expertise, to achieve excellent performance of MB-209. It's stack fuel utilization up to 98%, over 44% energy conversion rate for the entire system, less than 0.8 cubic meter of fuel consumption per kilo watt-hour output in static air injection scenario, 150 Amps per second power dynamic capability and complete protection mechanism for 15,000 hours of operation life. And for the easiness of vehicle integration, it complies with SAE communication protocol and quick connection hardware interface. It also possesses shock and vibration robustness and high efficiency air-cleaning mechanism for the rugged environment."Our new model will speed up the fuel cell technology penetration in vehicle market, as we design and upgrade our product from the understanding of users' actual needs. No matter in function, reliability, cost, or commercial viability, we spent lots of time listen to our customers and gather the first hand opinions from them. And as COP 21 starts effective this November, the green vehicle market will soar and fuel cell will definitely take an important position in that. However, our MB-209 has proven it's market potential right after launched. Or more precisely, it is designed to satisfy some customer's specific request. It has been adopted by vehicle market and hopefully, before the end of this year, 4 vehicle models will begin integration with our new product. YC SYNERGY will continue connecting the fuel cell technology with the real world application and to become the key partner for our customers in their zero-emission vehicle roadmap. Now we are preparing for our next challenge, which is the volume production!" said Mark Huang, CEO of YCS.YC SYNERGY launches gen 4 automotive fuel cell module

Shanghai Huahong Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation ("HHGrace"), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hua Hong Semiconductor Limited (stock code: 1347.HK), a global leading pure-play 200mm foundry, today announced successful conclusion of its Technology Symposium in the US on October 26, 2016, where it showcased its advanced manufacturing technologies and green foundry solutions in the era of Internet of Things (IoT), engaging many representatives from the local semiconductor design houses, technical partners, as well as equipment, material and EDA suppliers. This is the first technical event held by the Company outside of China after its incorporation.Themed on "Smart IoT and Green Innovation", the event was chaired by Dr. Steven Lin, HHGrace VP Sales – North America & Japan. EVP Mr. Heng Fan reviewed HHGrace's track record and milestones in the welcome address, by referring to the company's leadership in the fields of embedded non-volatile memory (eNVM), power discrete and power management technologies. This leadership is based on the Company's continued differentiated innovation developing new projects and technologies and optimizing existing process platforms. Since its inception, the Company has been striving to expand in local and international markets, achieving significant results. In the third quarter just concluded, the Company reported record high revenue of USD185.3 million. Mr. Fan extended gratitude to all the customers and partners for their long-standing confidence in and support for HHGrace, and reaffirmed the company's commitment to empower our customers through continuous innovation to make people's lives better.Mr. Calvin Hu, director of Strategy, Market and Development, presented the company's business dynamics and technical roadmap. He indicated that HHGrace, now operating three 200mm fabs in Shanghai, delivers a total monthly capacity up to 153,000 wafers. The capacity expansion has achieved remarkable results so far, which, as anticipated, will make the Company better positioned to embrace more opportunities in the market. The Company will further enhance its integration capabilities at different technical levels, especially integration of low-power eNVM and low-lost CMOS RF technologies. Mr. Hu also revealed HHGrace's roadmap to further reduce the size of memory units and IP modules and to optimize its advanced differentiated technologies, delivering efficient and cost-effective value-added solutions to various customers.At the Symposium, HHGrace's technical team shared with its partners the latest results the Company has achieved in eFlash, BCD & power discrete, Si-based RF and automotive electronics technologies. HHGrace has made new breakthroughs in eNVM technologies, starting risk volume production of 90nm eFlash/eEEPROM. The accumulated shipment of HHGrace Super Junction MOSFET (SJNFET) process platform crosses the 160,000th wafers mark, attributable to the strong market demand for SJNFETs which are well-suited for high-efficiency, high-speed power switching applications. HHGrace is the only foundry in Mainland China possessing a complete set of IGBT backside processing technologies, which provides a full spectrum of solutions ranging from low to high voltage for green energy applications, and tailors various power devices according to customers' requirements. Besides, HHGrace is accelerating R&D of 6500V ultra-high voltage IGBT technologies for high-end industrial and energy applications. Through this technical event, HHGrace elucidated its latest technologies and services for the guests present.eNVM technology that makes a "smart" differenceWith embedded SONOS Flash and SuperFlash technologies as well as two derivative process platforms of eFlash + HV and eFlash + RF covering technical nodes from 0.18-micron to 90nm, the Company is well positioned to integrate its world-class embedded memory and low-power digital-analog mixed signal IC technologies with low-cost CMOS RF technology. Additionally, the Company delivers standard high-performance/density unit libraries, or customizes high-speed, low-power (ultralow static power) embedded Flash and EEPROM (Electrically Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory) IPs to help customers reduce complexity of their low-power designs to gain pre-emptive advantage in the market. HHGrace delivers the optimum smart card IC solutions in China. A security element of a major customer fabricated on the company's 0.11-micron eNVM platform has recently received a Common Criteria EAL5+ certification from an authoritative international certification body, which, as the first smart card IC acquiring the highest Common Criteria approval, marks a major milestone of security chip solutions for bankcard and other financial applications in China.Power discrete & power management IC technologies that contribute to energy saving and emission reductionHHGrace provides customers with unique and competitive super-junction MOSFET (SJNFET) and field-stop (FS) IGBT processes. Amongst these, the second-generation SJNFET technology and next-generation 600V-1200V FS IGBT process have achieved volume production to deliver world-class device performance. Soon, HHGrace will roll out the third-generation optimized SJNFET process platform that enables lower on-resistance and smaller chip size, to further cement its leadership in the power discrete field. As anticipated, it will deliver a platform for manufacturing green ICs featuring lower power, higher efficiency and smaller footprint for emerging applications like mobile devices, LED lighting and new energy vehicles.Outstanding power management ICs (PMICs) are crucial to accommodate customers' increasing demands for environment sustainability and energy efficiency. As a provider of complete power IC foundry solutions, HHGrace delivers field-proven analog CMOS and highly integrated BCD/CMOS process platforms. Covering technical nodes from 1 to 0.13-micron, and voltage from 1.8 to 700V, these high-performance and reliable platforms can be widely used to manufacture chips for PMIC, fast charge, mobile phone/tablet PMU and smart metering applications.RF technology that enables smart IoT connectivityThe RF SOI technology is ideal for RF front-end chips needed in smart phones, smart home and other smart devices like wearables. HHGrace has announced the 0.2-micron RF SOI (Silicon on Insulator) process design kit (PDK), which helps customers improve design efficiency and deliver high-quality RF components, thus reducing design changes and time-to-market. HHGrace will vigorously promote the RF/SOI technology in its home market to enable its customers to gain pre-emptive opportunities.Additionally, the Company delivers a range of high-performance and cost-effective RF solutions, including RF CMOS, high-impedance silicon IPD (Integrated Passive Device), and eFlash process platform featuring a RF PDK.Automotive electronics that secure green mobilityHaving acquired the ISO/TS16949 quality management system certification for automobile industry in 2005, and introduced the zero-defect system for automotive electronics in 2008, HHGrace is now the only Chinese supplier of automotive-grade eFlash process platform and high-reliability eFlash technology compliant with AEC-Q100 Grade-1. In addition, the Company has received a VDA 6.3 Grade-A approval for process quality validation, achieved a wealth of experience in automotive technology migration and a zero-return record in volume production.About HHGraceShanghai Huahong Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation ("HHGrace"), incorporated through the consolidation between Shanghai Hua Hong NEC Electronics Company, Limited ("Hua Hong NEC") and Grace Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation ("Grace"), is a global leading pure-play 200mm foundry. HHGrace has three 200mm wafer fabrication facilities in Zhangjiang and Jinqiao of Shanghai, HHGrace offers production capacity over 153,000 wafers per month. HHGrace provides professional and highly value-added foundry services covering technology solutions from 1.0-micron to 90nm process nodes, focusing on differentiated technologies including eNVM (embedded Non-Volatile Memory), power management IC, power discrete, RF, as well as standard logic and mixed-signal. HHGrace is also in the process of developing MEMS solutions as one of its up-and-coming technologies. With its headquarters located in Shanghai, China, HHGrace extends its sales and technical supports to Taiwan, Japan, North America and Europe.For more information about HHGrace, please visit: http://www.huahonggrace.com/HHGrace's employees at the successful "Smart IoT and Green Innovation" Technology Symposium organized by the companyHigh attendances at HHGrace's successful "Smart IoT and Green Innovation" Technology Symposium

Frontline PCB Solutions, an Orbotech-Mentor Graphics company and the leading global provider of CAM and engineering software solutions for the PCB industry, today announced the company's rebrand initiative."The rebrand, including updated corporate and product logos, represents our company's strategy aiming to provide a complete solution in the industry for the entire process – from the design phase, through preproduction, to manufacturing," said Yovav Sameah, president of Frontline PCB Solutions."Over the past twenty years, Frontline has been privileged to partner with hundreds of valued and loyal customers, with the objective of helping them make the most of their production processes," continued Sameah. "With Orbotech and Mentor Graphics as our strategic parents and years of experience, we have built a strong and stable brand associated with high-quality software and long-term partnerships, based on a thorough understanding of the technology and processes involved in bare board creation. Our smart, innovative solutions maximize our customers' manufacturing efficiency. Redesigned to capture the spirit of the times and represent Frontline in today's digital media, our new brand reflects Frontline's ability to provide end-to-end solutions as well as the technological solutions we develop to operate our customers' devices – smarter, lighter and up to date."Frontline's new company logo and brand identity are available for viewing at http://www.frontline-pcb.com/. The new brand will become effective on October 26 , 2016.Frontline is an Orbotech and Mentor Graphics software company, bringing together the power, knowledge, and stability of two world leaders and creating smart, future-oriented technologies and solutions for the PCB industry. Frontline has a strong track record of success, with more than twenty years' experience and over 10,000 installations worldwide. Frontline offers its customers a complete preproduction solution, from design to manufacturing, and builds long-term partnerships with customers, offering ongoing training and consulting.

An international call for papers on semiconductor test solutions, best practices and innovative technologies has been issued for next year's annual VOICE Developer Conference, organized by leading semiconductor test equipment supplier Advantest Corporation (TSE: 6857). The 2017 conference will again be held in two locations -- Palm Springs, California at the Hyatt Regency Indian Wells Resort & Spa on May 16-17, and VOICE will return to the growing China region with an event at the InterContinental Shanghai Pudong on May 26. Both conferences will feature the theme "Measure the Connected World and Everything in It."As VOICE enters its second decade in 2017, the conference will continue to offer attendees comprehensive learning and networking opportunities including technical presentations focused on eight technology tracks, partners' expositions and social gatherings. In addition, the VOICE Technology Kiosk Showcase will expand to include more interactive discussion sessions for users of Advantest's V93000 and T2000 system-on-a-chip (SoC) test platforms, memory testers, handlers, test cell solutions, product engineering and test technology.Each year at VOICE, semiconductor test professionals representing the world's leading integrated device manufacturers (IDMs), foundries, fabless semiconductor companies and outsourced assembly and test (OSAT) providers come together to share ideas and information as colleagues."The VOICE 2017 theme, 'Measure the Connected World and Everything in It,' highlights the pervasive role of interconnections such as IoT, V2X and BLE," said Simondavide Tritto, chairman of VOICE 2017 and Advantest senior staff applications engineer. "Semiconductor IC test requires a more complex set of functionality, which includes the verification and advancement of new concepts and innovative solutions in the manufacturing stage. The VOICE conference is the intersection of vision and reality where these new IC world trends and ideas are discussed and challenged. I am excited about sharing our program with Advantest users and welcome them to join us for VOICE 2017 – in Palm Springs, Shanghai, or both -- as we discuss the latest developments in our connected world."Advantest's VOICE 2017 call for papers focuses on eight technology tracks:• Hot Topics concerns new market drivers and future trends including V93000 Wave Scale RF and MX, automotive power analog, Internet of Things (IoT), emerging wireless standards, and test challenges at next-generation technology nodes.• Device-Specific Testing covers techniques for testing MCUs, ASICs, PMICs, automotive radar, sensors, memory, baseband, cellular, multi-chip packages and more.• Hardware Design and Integration includes tester/handler integration, probe and package loadboard design, challenges of new package technologies and fine-pitch devices, and more. • Improving Throughput addresses test-time reduction, increased multi-site, multi-site efficiency, concurrent test, and more.• Reducing Time-to-Market encompasses DFT, pattern simulations/cyclization, automatic test program generation, system-level test, and more.• New Hardware/Software Test Solutions focuses on solutions utilizing the latest hardware or software features.• Test Methodologies involves techniques for testing DC, RF, mixed signal or high-speed digital devices. • Product Engineering includes software and tools for data analysis, test program documentation/versioning and production test elimination techniques.Test developers are invited to submit their abstracts for consideration at either the U.S. or China locations, or both, by going to https://voice.advantest.com/call-for-papers. All submissions must be received by November 18, 2016. Accepted presenters will be notified in January 2017. Audience members at the conference sessions in May 2017 will vote for the best papers, with winning presenters receiving prizes.Attending/Sponsoring VOICE 2017For more information about the VOICE 2017 Developer Conference or sponsorship opportunities, please visit https://voice.advantest.com/About Advantest VOICE 2017Managed by a steering committee of volunteer representatives from Advantest and its customers, VOICE is the leading conference for the growing international community of users and strategic partners involved with Advantest's V93000 and T2000 SoC test platforms as well as Advantest memory testers, handlers and test cell solutions. The conference offers a unique opportunity to take part in making semiconductor testing operations as efficient and cost-effective as possible. Attendees gain and share valuable insights, build long-lasting relationships and learn what's new about Advantest test equipment, handlers and applications.About Advantest CorporationA world-class technology company, Advantest is the leading producer of automatic test equipment (ATE) for the semiconductor industry and a premier manufacturer of measuring instruments used in the design and production of electronic instruments and systems. Its leading-edge systems and products are integrated into the most advanced semiconductor production lines in the world. The company also focuses on R&D for emerging markets that benefit from advancements in nanotech and terahertz technologies, and has introduced multi-vision metrology scanning electron microscopes essential to photomask manufacturing, as well as a groundbreaking 3D imaging and analysis tools. Founded in Tokyo in 1954, Advantest established its first subsidiary in 1982, in the USA, and now has subsidiaries worldwide. More information is available at www.advantest.com.

In his keynote speech, "The Revolution of Deep Learning and Artificial Intelligence," delivered at NVIDIA GTC in Taipei, Jen-Hsun Huang, Co-founder & CEO, NVIDIA, elaborated on the surging trend and rapid advancement of AI technologies over recent years. As a supplier of computing technologies fueling the trend, NVIDIA has built a forward-looking roadmap with comprehensive solutions, a partnership network and an industry ecosystem to accelerate the popularity of AI technologies and their commercial applications. As Huang emphasized, "This will be the next computer revolution and also the new industrial revolution." We can expect to see a very different world in the future.The dawn of the new era for AIAlex Krizhevsky first used two NVIDIA GPUs to train deep learning software in 2012, which accelerated visual recognition learning from months to just days. In 2015, with R&D investments from industry leaders including Google and Microsoft, it was confirmed that GPU-based deep learning could obtain results with amazing accuracy in image and voice recognition that surpassed human capability. AI has started taking various industries by storm, signaling the coming of a whole new computing era.Asked why AI researchers are adopting GPUs for deep learning, Huang pointed out, "When people think, the brain creates a mental image. Working similarly to the human brain, a GPU's thousands of micro-processors can work in parallel connections like synapses and neurons to solve large-scale and complex problems."At the start of the AI era, the computing industry is being reshaped as the GPU speeds up machine thinking so that computers have the ability to learn. This has also enabled the GPU to go beyond graphics applications. Huang commented, "The GPU computing we have created is at the center of the most exciting advances in computing today. Therefore, NVIDIA is becoming known as the AI computing company."Three aspects of AI development: training, datacenter inferencing and device inferencingDeep learning software designs itself so that computers will learn from experience and become smarter.Huang indicated deep learning will create a whole new computing model and talked about its actual applications from three aspects: training, datacenter inferencing and device inferencing.First of all, future software engineers will create and train neural network models with the GPU executing trillions of computations to come up with more complicated and accurate models. Inferencing, on the other hand, is searching. In terms of cloud services, neural networks will operate in datacenters, receiving billions of search requests for images, audio and video clips. The GPU, deployed in data centers, will be in charge of responding to these requests through inferencing.Device inferencing enables AI in a variety of end devices. End devices will be able to infer and learn from experience, which enables them to better perform tasks and become smart devices with sensing, understanding and learning capabilities. What's more is that the intelligence gained at the end devices can be passed back to the cloud for datacenters to learn, together forming a complete AI deep learning loop.Building end-to-end solutions enabling far-reaching AI computingNVIDIA has built a complete technological roadmap targeting the three aspects of application. Its latest Pascal architecture is the first GPU designed specifically for deep learning. The outstanding computing power answers the most challenging training tasks in deep learning. Training efficiency has been boosted by 65 times in four years.With Internet companies and AI startups beginning to deploy deep neural networks for their new services and applications, demand for datacenter inferencing is therefore emerging. To respond to inferencing requirements, NVIDIA has launched the Tesla P4 and P40 accelerators and the TensorRT software to boost AI for video inferencing."The CPU is based on traditional computation architecture, not tailored for AI. Tesla P4 and P40 are superior to the most advanced CPU in terms of both performance and power efficiency and therefore are capable of handling the massive inferencing demands on the Internet in the future," said Marc Hamilton, VP, Solutions Architecture and Engineering at NVIDIA.Certainly, amid the rising trend of AI computation, the GPU faces challenges from different processor architectures including the CPU, FPGA and ASIC. Hamilton noted that the GPU outperforms the competitions in terms of scalability, computing performance and power efficiency. More importantly, in recognition of the critical role software plays, NVIDIA has crafted a complete platform that includes training programs, middleware and software development kits (SDK) to help expedite AI development and deployment.For embedded device inferencing, NVIDIA has introduced the Jetson TX1 supercomputer-on-module with a low 10W power consumption and the JetPack SDK, equipping billions of autonomous devices with smart sensing and inferencing capabilities and driving revolutionary drone, robotics, autonomous devicesadvancement.Huang said, "We are witnessing a rapid growth of the entire industry ecosystem. Almost all leading Internet service providers are adopting NVIDIA's technologies to train their datacenters for providing better Internet services such as searching, recognition and translation. We are set to build an end-to-end deep learning computing platform based on a uniform hardware architecture supporting software compatibility to greatly simplify development and deployment by vendors."Opportunities that Taiwan high-tech industry cannot missIn addition to AI, the latest VR and AR technologies can also leverage the GPU's superior computing power. The key lies in how to incorporate actions in the physical world with the virtual environment.Victoria Rege, Manager, Global VR Alliances & Ecosystem Development at NVIDIA stated, "The GPU can perform dynamic computations of physical properties. For example, light tracking technologies can enable a realistic feel of objects. We are also actively developing SDKs to help developers create VR content and accelerate the process. VR applications are now widely used not only in gaming but also in business operations including automobile design, architectural design and retail demonstration. We hope to strengthen collaboration with Taiwan-based vendors to jointly push forward development of VR technology."The rise of AI and VR represents an important technological trend and calls for more innovations and R&D efforts. The number of NVIDIA developers has tripled, reaching a total of 400,000 people, indicated Huang. The number of AI developers adopting NVIDIA GPUs as the deep learning R&D standard has grown 25 times in two years. Application areas are wide-ranging, encompassing automobile, government, internet and healthcare sectors. AI has expanded beyond a lab concept to becoming a truly commercialized technology. To broaden AI applications, NVIDIA is working with world-leading online learning organizations including Coursera and Udacity to bring AI within reach for more people.NVIDIA has announced a collaboration project with National Taiwan University to establish an AI laboratory for strengthening and driving Taiwan's AI R&D. NVIDIA has also initiated Taiwan's first self-driving car research program with ITRI. Furthermore, at this year's GTC, Huang introduced four Taiwan-based AI startups, V5 Technologies, Viscovery, Umbo CV and SkyREC, and he credited Taiwan's high-tech industry, and in particular TSMC and Quanta Computer, for their contribution to bringing NVIDIA's technology to reality.Huang highlighted, "This lays the foundation of the future industrial revolution and is an important trend not to be taken lightly. Taiwan should devote more resources to basic research in this field. With its existing strength, now is the ideal time for Taiwan to expand into AI."NVIDIA drives AI revolution, an ultimate challenge to GPU computing