Digi-Key Electronics, which offers the world's largest selection of electronic components in stock for immediate shipment, announced that it has expanded its product portfolio to include certain NI software-connected test and measurement products. This initiative greatly expands Digi-Key's overall offerings in automated test.Companies continue to face the challenge of getting quality products to market with shorter timelines. Engineers using Digi-Key's global distribution channel and next day shipping will now have quick access to tools they can use to provide them with high quality, repeatable test and measurement data that will help them accelerate the verification and production of their products. The ease of set up and configuration offered by NI's PC-based products frees up engineers' time so they can focus on driving greater impact in development."Connecting engineers to the right tools when and how they need them accelerates productivity," said Jim Ramsey, vice president of the Global Partner program at NI. "Offering our products through Digi-Key allows us to meet their customers where they are through the processes they're accustomed to and gives us new avenues to equip more engineers with the tools they need.""We're very proud to be able to offer NI products to our customers," said David Stein, vice president of global supplier management at Digi-Key. "NI's automated test and measurement products will help our customers to advance their projects faster by helping them analyze the data from their systems in real time."For more information about NI and to order from their product portfolio, including USB and PCI DAQ solutions, please visit the Digi-Key website.NI's USB X series multifunction DAQ is now available through Digi-Key Electronics

Internet of Things (IoT), with the massive wireless connection technologies, the growing number of IoT devices, and the complexity of these connected things, introduces new cybersecurity challenges and risks to the marketplace. As reaching the ideal scenario of everything connected, mobile devices increasingly handle sensitive data and becoming more important than ever to ensure their security. IoT device security is even more critical now that 5G services are live. The breach of IoT devices allowing attackers to easily hijack the property poses an inherent risk to the security of enterprises which deploy the technologies. And worldwide spending on the IoT has been impacted by these worries. The cybersecurity solutions of IoT are getting more attentions than ever.GlobalPlatform is a non-profit industry association highly regarded as the international standard for enabling digital services and devices to be trusted and securely managed. On Tuesday, 25 August 2020, GlobalPlatform, with support of Primary Sponsor and Full Member Winbond Electronics Corporation, together with Arm and Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), hosted an IoT Security and Certification Schemes Workshop at Sheraton Hsinchu Hotel in Zhubei City, Taiwan. The workshop provided the latest information about the technology dynamics of Secure Element (SE) and Trust Execution Environment (TEE). At the same time, it showed several countries' development status and government policies, plans and regulations in Europe and North America, specifically designed to support IoT device manufacturers and certification bodies to establish their own IoT device security certification schemes.Kevin Gillick, Executive Director of GlobalPlatform, in his opening remarks through remote video conferencing, thanked Winbond, Arm and ITRI teams for making this half physical and half virtual workshop possible. Responding to IoT security has built a tight collaborative relationship between industries and governments, he adds. With a mix of local on-site speakers and GlobalPlatform virtual presenters, participants shared a great opportunity to interact with subject matter experts.An estimated 75.44 billion IoT devices will be in the marketplace by 2025. This astronomical number is even posing a more serious threat to security and privacy than ever. GlobalPlatform's work brings greater trust to the IoT eco-system. To deploy the security framework of "secure enough" is an essential task to begin. The Security Evaluation Standard for IoT Platforms (SESIP) methodology will standardize security certification for IoT industries and give device makers and solution vendors the ability to demonstrate alignment with market requirements, use cases and regulations.GlobalPlatform, established 20 years ago, is driven by approximately 80 member companies. Members share a common goal to develop GlobalPlatform's specifications, which are today highly regarded as the international standard for enabling digital services and devices to be trusted. And while avoiding attack threats, it will protect services and provide end users with trusted information that is securely managed throughout the IoT products lifecycle.5G Chain of Trust framework to protect information and privacyDr. Yeali Sun, Commissioner of Taiwan National Communications Commission (NCC), in her keynote session, highlighted 5G broadband networks as a major driving force for industrial digitization and technology upgrade. 5G will deliver benefits to the nation, society, economy, industry, enterprises and individuals. 5G is playing the role of enabler to create more economic prosperity. That is the reason why the WEF (World Economic Forum) sets 5G as the forth industrial revolution. 5G networks are constructing a beneficial infrastructure for digital innovation.5G network infrastructure provides the high data speed and flexibility needed to cultivate new services and innovative applications. Leveraging software defined network and modern ICT technologies in scale, 5G network security is becoming critical for many countries. 5G services rely on sufficiently trustworthy access across the network, Sun noted. There are several important topics that need to be addressed including 5G network governance, trusted hardware/software and supply chain, trusted operation and management, trusted end-to-end operation, integration of cybersecurity with operations and privacy protection.Either 5G equipment or IoT devices, these products are a complex combination of many components and involve multi-stakeholders such as hardware manufacturers, software developers, service providers, end users and data owners. To verify whether these devices are secure enough, she simply asks two questions to make things clear. First, can device owners acquire devices through a trustworthy supply chain? And second, can a device owner maintain positive control over the device?At the end of her speech she offered two major conclusions. The first, cybersecurity capability is imperative for network operators, service providers and regulatory government agencies. Second, the hardware Root of Trust (RoT) in IoT is a promising way of providing the foundation to establish a Chain of Trust (CoT) for the device to provide assertions about the device to the information.Making Taiwan a trustworthy international secure components and systems supplierIn his keynote address, Dr. Edwin Liu, President of ITRI, spoke about the fast migration towards a digital life in the post-pandemic era. This brings two major challenges and issues, which are IoT network security and supply chain management. Taking action to solve these issues will earn global trust and transform Taiwan into an important force in the global economy. He analyzed the types of cybersecurity threats to showcase participants the case studies which cause massive economic loss for global societies.Taiwan's strength in semiconductor and ICT sectors plays a central role in global IoT supply chains. Due to international customers' strict safety requirements, it is enabling Taiwan manufacturers to further invest in technology. And the fact that the number of cybersecurity attacks is increasing every day is also helping Taiwan's cybersecurity protection capabilities to rapidly upgrade. For example, based on many years of technical development, ITRI hosts several collaborative projects with various vendors for introducing systems such as a specialized supply chain monitoring system, a software based cybersecurity diagnostic system, and software and hardware tamper-resistant technologies to avoid code change while transferring data files.The same thing applies to Taiwan's PC server manufacturers as they establish the supply chain security testing standards for OT and IT networks. They are also taking actions to prevent non-authorized software or firmware from being installed into IC chips while purchasing from vendors. Meanwhile, logistics partners also provide proof of their practices to improve cybersecurity across the supply chain, thus increasing the security levels for customers.Taiwan manufacturers are providing layers of cybersecurity solutions across the entire eco-system, leveraging its strength in both IC chips and electronics manufacturing services. Through cybersecurity standards and certification, Taiwan continues to invest in its information and digital industries to take a leading position to transform Taiwan into a critical force in the global economy. ITRI is setting a goal to build a cybersecurity industry that can integrate with 5G, digital transformation, and Taiwan national security, striving to create cybersecurity systems and an industrial chain that can protect the country and earn the world's trust.Building Taiwan cybersecurity eco-system to keep the Internet of Things Safe and SecureTraditionally, people with more resources are more likely to have security concerns. In today's connected world, there is no denying that smart applications and 5G networks create immense value and opportunity. But on the other hand, cyber vulnerability is leading to a loss of consumer confidence. Consumers need reliable security to protect private data of every individual in the digital world. We believe that non-secure IoT devices pose a severe cyber-threat that must be addressed by securing technologies used for the storage of data, code, and credentials in all connected devices.The essential concept of IoT is everything connected. Compared with the more mature architecture of PC's and smartphones, the IoT cybersecurity eco-system is still in the very beginning stage. Due to the ever-growing complexity and flexibility of IoT applications, all devices are connected and becoming things in the IoT world. For this sensitive situation, there are some thoughts that matter. We need consumers with safety and cybersecurity concepts. We request industries to provide secure technologies. We expect governments to set the standards and certification processes. And we require the building of a neutral security validation mechanism in Taiwan. These are serious concerns that need to be addressed to realize the market potential of IoT.Winbond is the leading global supplier of code storage memory solutions and secure memories. And Nuvoton is a major solution provider of MCU and server ICs. Both are key components to control the operation of machines and electronics devices. To integrate upstream and downstream of IoT supply chains covering semiconductor components to electronics devices via networking connection, cloud platforms and to the end point applications, each layer needs to equip with proper cybersecurity technologies to offer a dependable solution for manufacturers of connected devices against cyber threats and attacks. Semiconductor products are the base of Root of Trust. And they are the initiation of Chain of Trust.Mr. Arthur Yu-Cheng Chiao, Winbond Chairman and CEO, gave his keynote on the topic "Catch IoT Opportunities with An Eco-system and Security Solutions", he explained that Taiwan is the global site of electronics manufacturing services with complete electronics supply chains and a strong foundation for an IoT cybersecurity eco-system. As a member of GlobalPlatform, Winbond has moved to collaborate with GlobalPlatform in promoting IoT information security and working out a set of IoT security standards that Winbond hopes to introduce as its accreditation system in Taiwan. Serving as a bridge to promote vertical division of the cybersecurity eco-system among players in different segments, and pushing for their cooperation with the government, Winbond will promote its strategy for digital safety for Taiwan in the era of Internet of Things.GlobalPlatform with support of primary sponsor Winbond hosted an IoT Security and Certification schemes workshop

The rapidly growing of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and 5G technologies have brought diverse applications and use cases to change people's everyday life. Beyond data speed improvement, 5G and IIoT with massive connection to push the mission-critical services, it will also open the new windows for widespread cyber-attacks. Recent security research shows that most companies have unprotected data and poor cybersecurity practices in place, making them vulnerable to data loss. In light of this, there is a need for governments to setup wide-ranging rules, regulations and standards to prevent devices from becoming an endpoint into a network or a platform for attacks.On September 11, 2020, Bureau Veritas Consumer Product Service, Electrical & Electronic, Automotive, Wireless (BV CPS E.A.W.), Electrical & Electronic, Automotive, Wireless Taiwan hosted IoT Security and Certification in Taipei City. In this event, BV provided the latest information about the technology dynamics of Cybersecurity and Certification Services. Eva Hsiao, Taiwan Sales Director of Bureau Veritas CPS E.A.W, gave her opening remarks to welcome audiences to attend the event.Cybersecurity is an essential element to address the security concerns in diverse IIoT landscapes. The technology of cybersecurity will strengthen the robustness of connected devices and cloud services. For protecting the confidentiality and integrity of software program and data in IIoT devices, these flexible solutions will fit the requirements and growing demand of IIoT security and cybersecurity certification. How to effectively implement the cybersecurity to end devices, connectivity of networking and cloud applications will be the key for all manufacturers to scale up the business opportunities.One stop service for Cybersecurity certification and testing to help manufacturers facing cybersecurity threats and Regulation ConformityJim Chiu, Senior Manager of Bureau Veritas CPS E.A.W Taiwan, BV IoT & Professional Electronic Sales Departments, talked about industrial testing and certification services of BV Consumer Product Services. There were two major highlights in his presentation to showcase series of various certification programs: the first part, product testing solution for industrial internet of Things, and the second, cybersecurity solutions for industrial products.BV provides testing and certification services in industrial sectors. In 2020, there are several key technology topics including 5G, Industrial IoT, V2X connected car, Intelligent Transportation System, next generation of WLAN and Cybersecurity. At the same time, Chiu showed several countries' development status and government policies, plans and regulations in Europe, North America and Japan, specifically designed to support IIoT device makers and certification bodies to establish their own IoT device security certification schemes.Product testing solutions for IIoT fast engaging the business with industriesThe complete offerings of BV one-stop services indicate industrial test, security testing, regulation testing, performance & conformance testing, industrial approval & certification testing. For the booming carrier's services, BV is leveraging its subsidiaries and aligning them with laboratories to drive consistency in product testing, evaluation and validation of telecom services to support Vodafone, AT&T, Verizon, DOCOMO, T-Mobile and Sigfox.Moreover, in the 5G sector, BV services are aiming to test further potential vulnerability caused by ramp up multiple smart applications in the 5G era. However, the risk of improper tracking is another key concerns while doing 5G conformance testing and certification solutions.Apart from telecom careers' conformance testing and operator network acceptance test, in the industrial applications, BV provides service listings in Smart Grid, Railway, Marine, NEBS (Network Equipment Building Systems) services testing suite of solutions design to conquer the challenges.Cybersecurity certification services for certifying products do matterIn the second part, Chiu introduced the cybersecurity solutions for industrial products. This is focusing on cybersecurity test and certification services. There are several product offerings and dedicated services providing for various regions. In US, BV provides test Labs for US State Law Requirements for cybersecurity and CTIA security test. In Japan, BV testing service is based on Japan Telecom Law Requirements.Considering the important payment security, BV has provided EMVCO/VISA Test for certifying contact and contactless chip-enabled devices. Meanwhile, in the Information Security Certification sectors, BV provides the tests based on mainstreaming IEC 27001, ISO 27017/27018 and TISAX Certification and the getting most attention of IEC 62443 certification.In Europe, both the privacy GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) certification and EuroSmart Verification are hot topics. The services for EU regulations in IoT devices, it includes CE mark for functional safety, RED (Radio Equipment Directive) for protection from fraud, GDPR for privacy data protection and Cybersecurity Act for cybersecurity certification. BV defines 5 levels of IoT security ranging from top to bottom. They are EuroSmart IoT Substantial (highest), BV IoT Class 3, BV IoT Class 2, BV IoT Class 1, P-Scan. For fast responding the market demands, BV provides a complete set of services for customers with cybersecurity that can be compared, cover the coming regulations, state compliance with existing guidelines.There are currently several states focusing on security laws that will require reasonable security in IoT products. Considering the products requiring high and substantial level of security, Chiou highlighted, BV offers certifications based on worldwide recognized certification schemes. And for consumer electronics products, BV defines its own certification scheme based on recognized standards and guidelines. The last slide, he showed baseline security named IoT ioXt to establish ioXt Alliance to step forward to help define clear cybersecurity specification and how to verify it through strong collaboration among industries and build a safer IoT world.Regulatory requirement updates for 5G IIoT manufacturersEllis Wu, Director of BV CPS E.A.W. Taiwan, Technical Service Division, spoke on the subject of "Regulatory requirement for IIoT manufacturers to follow-up." He talked about 5G technologies from 3GPP R16 standards to drive URLLC and TSN for IIoT expansion addressing new verticals and deployment scenarios. There are several major regulatory information updates for IIoT devices including FCC, CE and Japan, Korea, Taiwan regional updates for responding FCC regulations.The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has released new updates to further clarify the Pre-Approval Guidance (PAG) procedure. The 388624 D02 Pre-Approval Guidance Procedures v16r09 was just released on August 28, 2020. As a leading testing, inspection and certification solution provider, BV takes bold steps to invest massive testing capacity of 5G NR frequency band of n257, n258, n260 and n261 which comply with FCC Part 30 latest standard requirement. And furthermore, one recent news release highlighted its laboratory in Taiwan has successfully supported client in obtaining the first global 5G NR 39GHz mmWave FCC Grant.In the EU, there are several new regulations of Radio Equipment Directive (RED) for 5G NR User Equipment released in 2021. They are coming the new regulations of EN 301 908-1 and EN 301 908-25. Both target publish date will be Sep 22 2021 and Jan 15 2022. BV is supporting with advisory or gap analysis service to identify impact.Carrier approval and conformance Requirement for IoT IndustryEric Chu, Director of BV CPS E.A.W. Taiwan, Wireless Testing Operation Division, presented "Carrier approval & conformance Requirement for IoT Industry." Today, there are 17 locations with 9 laboratories to support BV customers in Asia region for providing the services for wireless devices. The services are ranging from conformance, OTA performance, regulatory and interoperability test.5G NR is heading towards a new generation of cellular network. As 5G enables a platform for multiple wireless technologies to collaborate, suppliers of 5G technologies have to overcome a bunch of challenges including signal spectrum, transmission protocol, network compatibility, MIMO technology, device-to-device communication and potential network security and privacy issues that may arise.In the presentation, he highlighted BV Carriers Service Scope to support major global telecom companies including Vodafone, AT&T, Verizon, DOCOMO, T-Mobile and Sigfox. The service of 5G RF/RRM and carrier acceptance inspection tests, BV provides GCF and PTCRB conformance testing using Anritsu's New Radio RF Conformance Test System ME7873NR and CATR OTA chambers for testing FR2 bands. In the 5G protocol tests, leveraging Anritsu's ME7834NR test system, BV facilitates the growth of the 5G NR conformance test market and commercial rollout of 5G NR communications services.EU Cybersecurity Act and IEC 62443: BV brings more added values to customersKenny Lee, Technical Manager of Bureau Veritas CPS E.A.W. Taiwan, Technical Service Division talked about "The Most Significant Cybersecurity Standard- IEC 62443 and the EU Cybersecurity Act." In his presentation, he said IIoT device makers are struggling to keep up with rapid changes in techniques and global standards. For protecting the confidentiality and integrity of data in IIoT devices, manufacturers and service providers have to overcome the challenging from more sophisticated and complex attacks and complying with varied safety and security regulations from different countries around the world.For instance, the EU Cybersecurity Act, published on June 27, 2019, is one of the key actions to respond cybersecurity concerns and address existing certification fragmentation in the certification landscape to reduce costs and administrative burdens for companies and strengthen the digital market. The Act is expected to be effective in 2021.Eurosmart, a trade association in the field of Digital Security, has been developing its own certification scheme named "Eurosmart IoT Security Certification Scheme" with a focus on the substantial security assurance level. Based on this scheme, it builds up to be fully compliant with the European Cybersecurity Certification Framework. BV is also a member of the Eurosmart. Importantly, at the highest level of Substantial Advanced on the Rating System which is able to provide Eurosmart certificates in order to assist manufacturers faster enter target EU market and make product safer and more transparent to consumers.The IEC 62443 standard for the security of Industrial Control Systems is suitable for implementing the requirements of the EU Cybersecurity Act. With decades of professional experiences in testing and certification services, BV has developed a complete set of services for cyber certification of products supporting clients by faster solving cybersecurity related problems in order to strength the market competitiveness. Talking about IoT product certification process, BV is combining the process flow of Eurosmart and IEC 62443 4-1 process. Once passed the process flow, BV's customer will grant IECEE and Eurosmart certificates at the same time. The one effort wining double certificates is most welcomed by customers.Taiwan is the global site of electronics manufacturing services with complete electronics supply chains and a strong foundation of IoT cybersecurity eco-system. This EU Cybersecurity Act will bring a certain impact on Taiwan ICT device makers who want to sell the products to Europe. Taiwan needs its products to meet wide-ranging certification standards implemented by regional markets around the world, which is exactly BV's expertise. BV is now well positioned to support clients with a complete IoT cybersecurity test and certification services aim to help both manufacturers and developers to improve the security of their solutions and products. A complete service for cybersecurity certification, 5G RF/RRM and carrier acceptance inspection testing from BV is ready. These flexible solutions and services will fit the requirements and growing demand of IIoT security and Cybersecurity certification.BV

In addition to process technology which enhances the performance of semiconductor devices by scaling, 3D and heterogeneous integration has led to the development of various new structures and new materials. Although these trends have brought increasingly severe challenges to semiconductor production equipment suppliers, more opportunities and innovations have also been created.According to Roger Chang, Executive Vice President of Tokyo Electron Taiwan, Tokyo Electron Limited with 58 years of history have developed multiple leading edge products such as Coater/Developer, Etch, Thin film deposition, Cleaning, Wafer prober. With strong position in the photoresist Coater/Developer market, TEL has taken 100% market share of Coater/Developer for EUV in high volume manufacturing as the industry moves into the new EUV era.With this advantage, TEL will continue to strengthen each product and provide integrated process solutions to meet the needs of advanced technology nodes. Furthermore, TEL has also deployed a remote service called TELeMetrics, which provides big data analysis to assist customers in optimizing the utilization of equipment. It also contributes to customers' Smart Fab initiatives to enhance productivity, profitability and yield.EUV adoption to be further expandedTalking about the development trend of semiconductor technology, Roger Chang said that logic devices will continue to be scaled. In order to strike a balance between productivity and cost, device makers will not only adopt EUV at advanced nodes but also to enhance the existing ArF immersion lithography technology. EUV technology will also be used in the manufacturing of next generation DRAM.Secondly, innovative 3D structures, such as FinFET, GAA, 3D NAND, new material such as ruthenium (Ru) considered to be promising for future advanced nodes, and EUV lithography will play a more important role in the semiconductor technology roadmap.The third trend is that with the rapid development of AI applications in order to accelerate computing, the industry has also begun to discuss more extensively about embedded memory, in-memory computing and diverse advanced packaging solutions in order to achieve more heterogeneous device integration.As a leading semiconductor equipment manufacturer, TEL has formulated a number of strategies to respond to these emerging process challenges. Roger Chang pointed out, "TEL is a long-time leader in the Coater/Developer market, and now we have acquired all of the EUV Coater/Developer market in manufacturing. Under the trend of process scaling, EUV adoption will be indispensable and further expand from Logic to DRAM manufacturing, which will definitely bring more opportunities to us."In addition to further increasing TEL's Coater/Developer market share, more importantly, it can also expand the demand for TEL's other product lines. TEL's etch, ALD and thermal CVD, diffusion furnace, prober, and cleaning equipment are all ranked No. 1 or No. 2 in the market. It can be said that the advanced semiconductor devices in the world cannot be manufactured without TEL's equipment."Since we have a long history and a wide-range of products, we are capable of providing integrated process solutions for customers' specific needs. TEL will responsibly work on new technology development to create next-generation products with high added value.Indeed, as various new technologies emerge, process challenges have become more complex. In the era of "More Moore" and "More than Moore", TEL has seen vigorous development of diverse applications in communication, medical and automotive industries. While pursuing customized designs, chip manufacturers also hope to meet the goal of ultra-efficient hyper-mass production. "For equipment manufacturers, in order to achieve this goal, it is even more important to have early engagement with customers so as to speed up the time-to-market."Roger Chang also emphasized that the latest product line for prober is contract manufactured in Taiwan, which can meet customers' customization and rapid response requirements. At the same time, a software team has been established to provide technical support for complex testing of advanced chips.TELeMetrics service availableAs manufacturing technology advances from simple automation to automation with intelligence, TEL is using AI technology to expand its service support capabilities along with strengthening of the development competences.Roger Chang said that the application of smart manufacturing has many different levels. TEL is widely adopting digital simulation technology in the design stage.On the other hand, TEL has introduced the TELeMetrics remote service. With this service, TEL can analyze equipment data from various sensors using a remote connection at customer sites and provide solutions matched to customer-specific problems such as; troubleshooting, analyzing differences between equipment, improving throughput, and enabling predictive maintenance with machine learning.Finally, Roger Chang pointed out that, the most important driving factor behind R&D enhancement and service support is the endless stream of innovation which is also instrumental in the rapid advances of 5G/AI applications.To this end, TEL has strengthened its investments in venture capital resources in recent years. TEL Venture Capital has successfully made a number of investments, with targets covering various startups for a wide range of technologies, such as emerging memory, nanostructure, quantum dot display, and so on."TEL makes use of venture capital to expand the scope of our partnerships through the entire technology supply chain, from chip design, to materials, to software development, to manufacturing and other applications. It is no longer limited to semiconductor equipment technology."Roger Chang, executive vice president of Tokyo Electron Taiwan

With the advent of the AIoT era, Asus has embraced new technologies and methods to develop advanced manufacturing capabilities. At the end of 2019, Asus expanded the company's AIoT business unit to be able to develop more solutions for industries, and in the process, renamed it the AIoT Business Group (AIoT BG). After consideration and planning around the three major aspects of successful manufacturing - design power, technical ability and continuous profitability - Asus transformed operations to achieve the flexibility, speed, productivity and quality required for supply-side Industry 4.0 upgrades.Detecting defects by hand is a major pain point and cause of inefficiencies in manufacturing processes. By investing in smart manufacturing solutions that utilize AI for producing metal peripherals, fans, printed circuit boards and other computer components as well as for system assembly, Asus was able to remove efficiency bottlenecks and reduce losses resulting from misjudgment of manufacturing defects by factory employees. Moving forward, Asus will continue to use artificial intelligence and big data to statistically classify different types of quality defects, determine their causes and improve processes at the source of defects to further improve and push the boundaries of manufacturing quality."Asus currently has hundreds of suppliers, and whenever we are able to improve quality-inspection processes, suppliers are receptive and willing to make changes," said Jackie Hsu, senior vice president and co-head of Open Platform BG & AIoT Business Group said. "This is a win-win situation for Asus and the entire industry, which has always attached great importance to product quality."AI visual inspection systemIn the manufacturing industry, it is a common practice to replace manual visual inspection with automatic optical inspection (AOI). However, optical inspection is inefficient for mechanical metal parts manufacturers. Manual visual inspection often requires viewing product surfaces from multiple angles to see the defects due to the reflection of light. It is extremely important to grasp the optical and component surface characteristics to obtain complete and correct defect data.Optical inspection is one of the core technologies of AIoT Business Group, which uses machine learning, deep learning and artificial neural network technologies to train the AI detection model correctly. "Automatic optical inspection accuracy in general is about 80-90%, which means that more than 10% of defects may be misjudged, and manual visual inspection accuracy is about 90%," said Albert Chang, corporate vice resident and co-head of AIoT Business Group. "At present, Asus has enabled AI to greatly improve its accuracy to 98% after learning."AI waveform detection systemFans are a key part of many computers and consumer electronics, cooling components and helping to extend product life. To ensure fan quality, manufacturers relied on inspectors who were able to detect problems with fans just by listening to them. Training highly skilled personnel for this important position took from three to six months, and inspectors would occasionally experience short- or long-term ear fatigue and other occupational factors that negatively impacted worker health and reduced the problem detection rate.To solve this difficult problem, Asus introduced the AI Wave Signature System, which analyzed the sounds of correctly operating fans and used them to develop a sound signature. This sound signature was then used to train AI models to quickly identify high quality fans. The AI Wave Signature System can be combined with testing of a product's electric current, voltage, vibration and other characteristics during inspection to ensure overall product quality. Additionally, the system can be applied to monitor production equipment in real time to avoid factory downtime. For example, by monitoring equipment motors in the factory using the AI Wave Signature System, operators will be notified immediately if a motor begins behaving abnormally. The motor can then be repaired before it fails completely, avoid production halts and accompanying losses.Reproducibility as the Asus AIoT business modelThis year, the Asus AIoT Business Group has set aggressive targets with fan and mechanical parts suppliers and is expected to acquire 30 smart-inspection projects. "The original intention and top priority of the business group is to promote common upgrades in the industry and assist the improvement of the supply chain to face international competition and continue to accumulate experience," said Hsu.Commenting on the introduction of smart manufacturing and AI detection solutions by major factories, Chang said, "In the past, AI algorithms and models were highly customized, improving the potential for AI detection solutions. Reproducibility is the goal of the next stage, enabling quick popularization and adoption along with scalability. Finally, the ultimate vision of the Asus AIoT business group is to focus on 'full quality analysis.'"The target of Asus AIoT for the next three to five years will be data analysis. By investigating causes of defects, assisting the supply chain to find fundamental solutions for high yields, creating a formula for success, and accumulating long-term value, data analysis will become an important pillar of the Asus brand.

STAr Technologies, a leader in parametric and reliability test systems today has launched STAr Pluto series tester to meet test needs for both Package- and Wafer-level reliability test systems. This new tester is an advanced system covering all reliability needs, including HCI, BTI, OTF, TDDB and EM. As the next generation solution that enhances measurement accuracy and efficiency for both engineering and production needs.The next generation Pluto series all-in-one reliability test system delivers two long awaiting fundamental capabilities to the world. First is the per-pin SMU with measurement speed down to one microsecond, and second is its complete HCI, GOI and EM all-in-one reliability test qualification capabilities. With a maximum of 960 per-pin SMUs supporting reliability tests for HCI/BTI with up 480 transistors, GOI with up to 960 gate oxides and EM with up to 480 interconnects in parallel. This new one-of-a-kind reliability test system surpasses all competing reliability systems in the market and achieves highest test performance and throughput at lowest cost-of-tests.Furthermore, the four-quadrant per-pins SMU has multi-ranging voltage and current source-measure capabilities enabling tests of nanometer devices with highest level of precision at shortest test time. Equipped with independent per-pin SMUs, user can create customized test algorithms for in-house needs and to support future reliability qualification tests. Pluto's SMU can support HCI/BTI and GOI with stress voltages up to 20V and measure current down to 10pA for each of the channels. EM (electromigration) with nano-ampere precision up to 400mA stress currents has micro-volt measure accuracies for nanometric interconnects with down to milli-ohm resistance.The Pluto reliability test systems can be connected to individually controlled micro-oven module for DUTs to be tested at different temperature at package/module-level. STAr also has one-of-the-best multi-DUT wafer-level probe stations, and with dozens of install-base at leading customers, it is able to integrate Pluto per-pin test instrumentation seamlessly to form the next generation wafer-level reliability qualification of down-to 3-nanometer node devices."We have listened to users who long wanted per-pin SMU reliability test system, STAr has pioneered the next generation Pluto per-pin SMU reliability test system to meet this need. Pluto supports complete range of nanometer node process and device reliability qualification and with full-flexibility for user to develop customized test programs and qualification methodologies for their own needs. This all-in-one reliability open platform test system will revolutionize the reliability test industry with highest throughput and test capabilities enabling users to mix-and-match different reliability tests in one system. STAr's Pluto reliability test system will significantly lower overall investments with increasing flexible capacity planning for all semiconductor wafer fabs," said Choon-Leong Lou, CEO of STAr Technologies.STAr Pluto all-in-one per-pin SMU reliability test system

Despite the disruptions brought about by COVID-19 globally, Automotive Technology is still progressing in leaps and bounds, especially in the electric vehicle (EV) segment. Latest research from Statista shows the adoption rates of EV projected to reach 30% of total market share by Year 2030, and driving the power electronics market with 6% CAGR till year 2023.This is a good sign for the demand in automotive components but automotive industry quality remains of utmost importance, with 100% inspection of all products as the norm, and a drive toward the goal of zero defective parts per million (zero DPPM). Current quality assurance approaches in the industry are becoming challenging, especially with the impact of COVID-19. It is currently heavily dependent on human inspection, with variations in judgement standards between human operators, not to mention factors such as fatigue, making DPPM increasingly difficult to achieve.The latest AOI system from ASM Pacific Technology Ltd. (ASMPT) can enable the automotive industry to achieve zero DPPM. The system's Optical Inspection and Quality Assurance (QA) functions provide accurate detection capability using Artificial Intelligence technology to augment the rule-based algorithms used by AOI solutions. This blends the advantages of machine accuracy and consistency with the powerful flexibility of human decision-making. In this regard, ASMPT's blended approach is unique.With a full multitude of process features available to monitor and optimize every process and piece of equipment automatically, a truly "Lights Out" production floor vision can be realized. ASMPT views these developments as part of the overall momentum in the industry toward an Industry 4.0 future, astutely marrying leading-edge equipment with intelligent, responsive software to provide a complete solution to secure the 'Holy Grail' of zero DPPM.ASM Pacific Technology

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.