STAr Technologies, Inc. (the acronym for "Semiconductor Test Architects"), a leading supplier in integrated test systems, WAT/Wafer sort probe cards, and ATE for the semiconductor industry, is celebrating its 20-year anniversary. In 2000, a group of parametric test experts, led by Chairman & CEO Dr. Choon-Leong Lou, set out a vision to provide customers with the highest quality turnkey test solutions, innovative technology, and professional engineering services. Over the last 20 years, the corporate vision has become a reality and grown into a total solution provider in semiconductor and optical devices.Founded in Hsinchu Taiwan, STAr Technologies' business is based on providing advanced turnkey solutions that allow customers to maximize the benefits and minimize costs for both wafer-level and package level testing. During the past 20 years, STAr has built a tradition of excellence in manufacturing and assembly in close cooperation with industry partners to meet the unique test performance demands while satisfying customers' needs. To ensure consistent quality and rigorous attention to maintaining our high standards, STAr is ISO 9001 certified and has adopted information and production management systems that exceed industry standards. These practices ensure alignment with the original vision and mission goals of STAr Technologies, Inc."STAr Technologies has crossed another milestone as our company completes 20 years of its establishment on August 29. This accomplishment is incredible for any company. We have achieved this success through the dedication and passion of all our team members, ongoing development, stringent engineering procedures, and customer service that exists throughout all our business units and organizations. We have dedicated ourselves to 20 years of test industry. This year, we will be looking back at what we have achieved and creating a long-term strategy for the future," remarked by company founder and CEO, Dr. Choon-Leong Lou.Visit the website for more information.STAr Technologies celebrates its 20th anniversary on August 29

The COVID-19 crisis has taken a heavy toll on hospital resources all over the world, seriously challenging medical devices' ability to maintain full-load operation over extended periods of time. Hospitals rely on high-quality uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems to protect their mission-critical devices and support them with a stable and continuous power supply so that they maintain reliable operation to keep patients healthy and safe.In view of the importance of UPS products to the healthcare industry, APD's UPS business team has built a series of customized lithium-ion UPS products based on its robust R&D capabilities. Not only does it aim to provide high-reliability and high-quality power solutions for factory automation, 5G and IoT applications but it also targets medical applications as a key focus area.According to Peter Hu, general manager of APD's UPS business team, comprising a core group of engineers previously from Phoenixtec, has robust capabilities in UPS technology and has been devoted to developing and manufacturing customized UPS for leading Japanese firms for many years. Rising popularity of electric cars is driving advances in lithium-ion battery technology, making lithium-ion batteries available at continuingly lower costs and with continuingly enhanced safety. Eyeing the potential of lithium-ion UPS going forward, APD is actively engaging in customized lithium-ion UPS development. In line with its corporate strategy to target special-purpose applications and niche products, APD is focusing efforts toward power protection solutions for healthcare IT systems (including databases, servers and computers used by healthcare institutions and professionals).APD's lithium-ion UPS products feature compact and lightweight design, long product life and easy maintenanceHu noted using lithium-ion batteries in place of traditional lead-acid batteries for UPS systems has multiple benefits. Lithium-ion battery UPS systems have twice the energy density and twice the life span compared to lead-acid battery UPS systems, so they enable a significant reduction in maintenance and replacement costs. Their footprint is also reduced by half, in keeping with users' expectation for small and lightweight UPS systems. Lithium-ion batteries are superior to lead-acid batteries for UPS systems in every way. With growing and wide-spread use, their prices will become more competitive. There is no better time than now for businesses to incorporate lithium-ion UPS products.APD's UL 60601-1 certified lithium-ion UPS is proven to effectively reduce leakage current and electromagnetic interference, enabling optimal protection for medical devices. Furthermore, in consideration of the fact that a lithium-ion UPS system packs twice the energy density in half the footprint of traditional systems, APD takes every precaution to design their systems with safe components. It selects only premium quality protection conponents that comply with the most rigorous standards so medical device manufacturers and users can rest assured of the safety of APD's lithium-ion UPS products.Aside from hospitals, factories also suffered COVID-19 impact. Labor shortage resulting from quarantines and lockdowns is now compelling manufacturers to speed up their transition toward factory automation, giving rise to increasing demand for UPS systems. Hu pointed out that designing UPS systems for factory automation applications is particularly challenging as they must be able to sustain extreme temperature conditions when operating at unmanned factories with minimum air conditioning. Moreover, they often need to come with different I/O connectors and interface ports to accommodate special power supply configurations. Some manufacturers require zero downtime switchover, which is a challenge to APD but also a force driving APD forward.APD foresees surging UPS demand from 5G and IoT applications going forward in the future. Most 5G and IoT devices operate in remote environments with poor electricity supply so they are in need of UPS systems with higher performance, longer life span, smaller size, lighter weight and wider operating temperature range. These are all APD's advantages and will help APD expand into the 5G and IoT application markets.In summary, APD's UPS systems enable the most reliable protection for medical devices and factory automation machinery so users can rest assured that their mission-critical equipment will maintain stable and uninterrupted operation, especially in this unprecedented situation.Peter Hu, general manager of APD's UPS business teamAPD new lithium-ion UPS series

With the 5G era fast approaching, the market generally expects AIoT applications to rapidly become widespread across different industries mainly because large-scale connectivity is an essential requirement for enterprises looking to tap the power of AIoT and 5G happens to provide the missing piece of the puzzle.Seeing that 5G, artificial intelligence (AI) and Internet of Things (IoT) developments are reaching maturity, Lenovo is exerting efforts toward its 3S strategy - Smart IoT, Smart Infrastructure and Smart Vertical, with which it aims to enable businesses across different fields to obtain information in real time, in a snap and without error and to optimize operation flow, lower costs and enhance security. With Lenovo's solutions, businesses can then leverage big data analytics and computing for high-quality decision making to thereby deliver outstanding sales performance. Lenovo is also working with partners to jointly develop wide-ranging smart edge computing solutions, which will facilitate digital transformation for enterprises.Expanding market footprint with its 3S strategy, Lenovo accelerates the development of smart edge computing solutionsAccording to Anderson Hsu, General Manager, Lenovo DCG Taiwan, 75% of enterprise-generated data will be processed at the edge by 2025, wherein the high bandwidth data transmission enabled by 5G will play an instrumental role. As a multi-national corporation with a global operation spanning across 180 cities and a determination to meet ever-changing customer needs all over the world, Lenovo is devoting company-wide resources to riding the 5G wave and is committed to centering its product development on 5G advancements for all its offerings including end devices such as laptops, tablets and mobile phones, mid-tier equipment such as IoT gateways and back-end data center infrastructure, which make up a cutting-edge product roadmap for the mobile era."Lenovo's 3S initiative is of utmost importance for the corporation," noted Hsu. It plays a critical role in helping Lenovo's customers resolve pain points and capture rising business opportunities. Hsu further pointed out that Lenovo has been introducing multiple key offerings aimed to bring its 3S blueprints to life. For Smart Infrastructure, it has made available hyper-converged infrastructure (HCI) solutions integrated with VMware, Nutanix or Microsoft Azure Stack HCI. For Smart IoT, Lenovo has developed its Lenovo Intelligent Computing Orchestration (LiCO) with an aim to accelerate the popularity of smart IoT applications. It has also launched the ThinkSystem SE350 (Edge Server) product line, which not only supports powerful AI inference but can also serve as a 5G baseband unit (BBU). After entering the market in 2019, ThinkSystem SE350 has received enthusiastic responses and won several international awards. As ThinkSystem SE350 was developed locally at Lenovo's Taipei R&D center, Taiwan-based customers will enjoy ready access to end-to-end technical support, helping speed up their AIoT build-up.Hsu emphasized that Lenovo will not be able to achieve smart edge computing by itself. This has to be accomplished through teamwork so not only is it working closely with Intel to preemptively develop products powered by the latest computing technology but it is also collaborating with ISV and IHV partners to create a myriad of Smart Vertical solutions to address wide-ranging application scenarios.Ted Lin, Advisory Technical Manager, Lenovo DCG Taiwan, added that Lenovo's Smart Vertical development targets seven focus areas - smart manufacturing, smart traffic, smart industrial park, smart agriculture, smart security surveillance, smart healthcare and smart energy. Lenovo's 3S initiative has brought a slew of smart manufacturing, smart retail, smart healthcare and smart telecom solutions to reality with more to follow.5G + AIoT ignites disruptive innovations, driving the new industrial revolutionAccording to Lin, 5G reaches speeds 20 times faster than 4G and achieves 1/20 the latency of 4G. Although 5G's high data rate and low latency enables endless possibilities, there are still challenges to overcome. To help industries address these challenges and capture business opportunities, Lenovo is committed to building complete edge computing solutions.The Lenovo Edge Server can uninterruptedly collect sensor measurements, aggregate the measurements into "big data," build deep learning models and perform inference in the field. With continuous optimizations, the process can maximize AIoT value. Capable of supporting enterprises' private 5G networks, Lenovo Edge Server can generally be used for three purposes. First, with a GPU/FPGA card, it can be used for enhanced mobile broadband applications. Second, it can serve as a micro data center to speed up the processing and exchange of massive sensor data. Third, it can support HCI for critical IoT backend tasks.Leveraging its close collaboration with Intel around the globe, Lenovo has easier access to more affordable computing resources so it can accelerate the development of machine vision and AI functionalities, which are instrumental to security surveillance, automated optical inspection (AOI), healthcare and many other application scenarios.Roger Huang, director, DIGITIMES Research, expects 5G to unlock a world of new applications. For example, the combination of 5G and AI-based analysis will give rise to more meaningful interpretations of massive data. From an enabler perspective, 5G+X will facilitate digital transformation for enterprises. With 5G being an enabler, the true value does not come from network connectivity but actually hinges on the application. He thinks the availability of 5G will allow the industry to break free from the closed-ended telecom equipment supply chain and instead form alliances to promote open-source 5G networks, which will make the integration of software and system increasingly important.Jeff Lin, vice president and director of innovative AI product development of TPI Software highlighted that AI applications for businesses need to be built on three pillars - the right AI product and technology, a professional introduction team and proper computing power. In line with this thinking, TPI Software has unshackled itself from the traditional KM model and built a whole-new product mix including RPA robots, AI telephone chat robots and expert assistant systems. By tapping the computing power of the underlying Lenovo ThinkSystem SE350 Edge Server, TPI Software's products target the digital workforce opportunities in the post-pandemic era.According to Billion Wan, general manager of MegAAOI, recently established in 2019, MegAAOI may be a newcomer to the AIoT market but it is actually a pioneer in AI- and IoT- enabled automated optical inspection (AOI). Ahead of the rest of the world in introducing AI AOI applications for semiconductor devices that have been validated by leading manufacturers, MegAAOI has developed a hexahedral AI AOI machine and COF potting AI AOI machine. Going forward, it will endeavor toward a machine as a service (MaaS) model to lower the barrier for manufacturers to adopt AI AOI. MegAAOI selects Lenovo ThinkSystem SE350 as the host for its AI AOI solutions as SE350 comes with CPU and GPU to handle separate workloads, expandable GPU power, 4/5G connectivity and robust support for AI edge inference.In the rapidly changing world of 5G, Lenovo will continue to join forces with partners to usher in the new IoT era. Through a diverse range of IoT sensors and big data platforms, Lenovo will consolidate smart edge computing power to help enterprises optimize production yield, realize high-quality decision making and deliver outstanding operation performance in a more precise and efficient manner.Anderson Hsu, General Manager, Lenovo DCG Taiwain

The need for memory solutions in embedded systems is rapidly increasing, in line with the surging growth of Internet of Things (IoT), artificial intelligence (AI), and 5G-enabled smart applications. Furthermore, to address the ever-increasing consumer demand for a better user experience, developers are adding more software into embedded applications. This has given rise to the emergence of serial NAND which offers higher capacity than serial NOR. As a leader in the non-volatile memory market, Macronix is the world's largest NOR flash supplier and among the world's top three SLC NAND providers.Based on its extensive volume production experience accumulated over the years and its commitment to memory products for application in embedded systems, Macronix has excelled in product quality and production capacity. In addition, its complete range of serial NAND offerings are being enthusiastically embraced by system integrators and IC design firms.Macronix advanced its SLC NAND product further in early 2020 by offering the compelling cost advantaged 19nm product, which is critical for NAND Flash products. In addition, Macronix operates its own fabrication facilities and so enjoys customer satisfaction for being able to maintain supply stability. According to Psyche Kuo, deputy director of product marketing at Macronix, to address the need for larger serial flash capacities by applications in embedded systems, Macronix enables improved cost and performance advantages with its 19 nm serial NAND, raising the bar in a very competitive market. Moreover, Macronix has also led the market in its initiative to remove ECC from serial NAND flash, giving SoC processors complete control over ECC functionality.Macronix sets an example for premium quality and cost efficiency by encouraging SoC processors to handle ECCIt is a common practice for NAND flash to have built-in ECC whether it is implemented through an external ECC controller that is packaged with the NAND chip or NAND on-Die ECC. However, built-in ECC designs do not achieve significant cost saving. In fact, non-ECC memory can enable direct and clear cost benefits in embedded designs. Taking the mainstream 8 I/O SLC NAND for example, a large part of the current designs on the market leave ECC processing to SoC processors because of the compelling advantages in quality, cost and performance. This is also what drove Macronix to introduce non-ECC serial NAND solutions.It is easier for SoC processors to perform BCH calculation for 8-bit ECCSLC NAND technologies have advanced faster in terms of processing nodes. Thanks to stable and reliable product performance and significant savings in unit cost, SoC processors coming on the market are likely to take responsibility for ECC to accommodate increasingly large application programs in embedded systems. Like standard SLC NAND that processes 8 I/O, the SoC processor only needs to handle BCH calculations for 8-bit ECC, which is a simple for processor design teams. This means that today's serial NAND products with built-in ECC are only interim solutions and ECC handled by SoC processors will become the mainstream in the long run.Performance boost is the main force driving the popularity of ECC being handled by SoC processorsProcess technology for NAND peripheral logic lags far behind SoC process nodes so built-in ECC on NAND chips underperforms ECC handled by SoC processors. In comparing the performance between built-in ECC on serial NAND chips and serial NAND ECC handled by SoC processors, Kuo noted the latter delivers almost twice I/O performance based on 133MHz clock rate and 4KB page size. If the time the processor spends on ECC is taken into consideration, overall system performance is still 28% to 55% better than built-in ECC on serial NAND chips. This demonstrates the benefit of allowing SoC processors to carry out ECC.SoC processors assuming ECC processing responsibility enables transparency and full processor control over serial NANDHaving SoC processors perform ECC allows them to control serial NAND to better meet system requirements on memory quality. Particularly in the case of applications that impose demanding requirements on memory lifespan, SoC processors can design in more robust ECC to increase the read cycles and program/erase cycles, which is fundamental to enhancing serial NAND endurance and reliability. For example, with SoC processors performing 12-bit ECC, serial NAND flash can withstand 1.4 more read cycles and 1.47 more program/erase cycles compared to SoC processors performing 8-bit ECC, achieving more than 40% improvement. Not only are SoC processors in full control over serial NAND ECC, they can further refine the indication mechanisms for serial NAND errors to precisely determine when to effectively move data without doing excessive and unnecessary data relocations. This also significantly improves reliability and performance. In contrast, built-in ECC on NAND chips is like a black box which the host has little control over to effectively meet system needs.Reducing compatibility issues among serial NANDSubject to suppliers' progress of process technology, serial NAND products on the market may be manufactured on different process nodes, including 3x nm nodes, 2x nm nodes, or the latest 19nm node. They also come with different ECC capabilities, resulting in wide-ranging serial NAND EEC specifications on the market. This makes it difficult for SoC processors to implement a uniform design to decide when to move data from a bad block to a good block. More often than not, SoC processors need intricate designs to work with built-in serial NAND EEC. In addition, serial NAND products with built-in EEC have different ECC protection ranges due to different suppliers' definitions of spare areas under the page structures so it is difficult to control in software So having SoC processors taking over ECC eliminates the hassle of handling different ECC protection ranges because SoC processors can make the decision on the ECC protection range. To summarize, when SoC processors have full control, serial NAND compatibility is of little concern, making processor design easier and more straightforward.Suppliers and customers of SoC and serial NAND all benefit from the trend to have ECC handled by SoC processorsHaving SoC processors take over ECC allows them to be in full control so this is an ideal solution that creates an overall, winning solution. However, the serial NAND market is still full of diverse ECC specifications developed during its transition period. In view of this, Kuo suggests that developers have the processor's initial boot loader disable serial NAND's internal ECC if they decide to have the processor handle ECC. This will allow the processor to use the same firmware to work with different serial NAND products, regardless of whether built-in ECC exists, thereby maximizing system flexibility.NAND flash lifespan can be increased with SoC processors having the ability to decide on the ECC strength and the proper time to move data. This is why Macronix is able to immediately win support from the largest chip maker in Taiwan and China as a result of launching its advocacy campaign promoting SoC processors handling ECC. Aside from cost and performance advantages, developers will have a complete grasp of system integrity and security, thereby fully realizing the value of next-generation SoC design.Home gateways, as an example, is a popular product that combines a modem and a home router into a single smart home device. It enables the Gigabit Ethernet Passive Optical Network (GPON) to expand into broadband and smart home markets. As smart home applications and services generally require large amounts of image processing and data transmission, developers of home gateway SoC chips make use of digital signal processors (DSP) and application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) architectures to cope with a diversity of data processing needs. They also incorporate multiple data security implementations, robust virtual private network (VPN) functionality, cryptographic algorithms and a slew of other technologies. SoC capability and performance are rapidly growing with advancements of semiconductor process technologies. SoC chips need higher flash memory capacity to store program code and data while requiring flash memory to deliver optimal performance and reliability. Incorporating serial NAND that hands over ECC processing to SoC processors will boost system performance and contribute to the success of network communication SoC products.Macronix's 19nm serial NAND is well positioned in niche and high-value-added products. By removing built-in ECC from its 19nm serial NAND memory products, Macronix allows customers to fully enjoy the high-performance advantage brought by cost saving and processor control. This is in line with Macronix's strategy to move toward customization, which enables it to effectively grasp diverse market needs. Macronix offers a complete lineup of 3V serial NAND available in 1/2/4Gb capacities that is now ships. These products have been used in SoC chips for network communication devices and consumer electronics. Long-term development potential for these products looks promising.Kuo spoke candidly that it may take a considerable time for the business model of embedded systems to make this necessary transition. To meet the needs of the market that lack the R&D resources, Macronix still maintains some serial NAND product lines with built-in EEC. With broad product solutions for the transition period in place, its ability to maintain stable supply, quickly adjust production capacity, and strengthen necessary partnerships, Macronix will help expand the use of serial NAND into more embedded applications.Psyche Kuo, deputy director of product marketing at Macronix

Digi-Key Electronics, a global electronic components distributor, has announced that it has expanded its tool offerings by signing a global partnership with EAO to provide Digi-Key customers with a new Digital Product Selector (DPS) tool for emergency stop switches. EAO's Digital Product Selector is an interactive and intuitive virtual configuration tool, enabling engineers and designers to easily configure products online to their specific needs.The new DPS tool offers an engaging user experience for customers to select emergency stop switches and configure them to their needs based on 3D photo realistic selections, as well as parametric input. Customers can view 360-degree images, mounting depths, dimensional representations, illumination previews, and panel mounted views. Users can also download files such as data sheets designed for specific configuration, CAD drawings, launch installation videos and certifications.The new tool gives customers access to over 130 parts, which can be configured in more than 2,000 different combinations. Once a customer has selected a configured emergency stop switch to meet their specific needs, they may add it to their cart and purchase it through Digi-Key's website."We are pleased to introduce this new tool to our customers," said David Stein, vice president, global supplier management at Digi-Key. "Emergency stop switches are a critical component of design engineering, and this tool has a variety of industry applications, from industrial automation to medical equipment and electric vehicle charging stations. We're proud to support these important industries with critical resources and a simplified shopping experience."The DPS tool takes the guess work out of configuring emergency stop switches for customers. From switch function to IP ratings and unlocking features, the DPS allows customers to quickly and intuitively select their switch and accessories, add them to their Digi-Key cart and checkout.The tool supports a variety of industries, including machinery and industrial automation, food and beverage, packaging systems, process automation, lifting and moving, specialty vehicles, transportation, medical equipment, industrial X-ray machines, compressors, printing equipment, EV charging stations and more.For more information about EAO and their Digital Product Selector, please visit the Digi-Key website.EAO's Digital Product Selector offered by Digi-Key

The trend towards AI at the edge and the rapid advance of machine learning algorithms have brought new application challenges to traditional video surveillance systems. As a result, the edge video analysis (EVA) market, which uses AI to analyze images and videos and derive actionable information, has recently come to the forefront.Since becoming an NVIDIA Quadro Embedded Preferred Partner, OEM Preferred Partner, and Jetson Elite Partner, ADLINK, has transformed from an embedded system developer to a leading provider of AI edge computing, and has worked with NVIDIA to create comprehensive AI edge platforms and solutions. By doing so, the two companies aim to help customers realize the value of AI edge computing and bring EVA functions to a diverse range of edge devices, and assist companies across industries to achieve business transformation.In the "When ADLINK meets NVIDIA" webinar held on July 9th, the latest AI edge computing trends and optimal solutions jointly provided by the two companies were presented. In addition, application cases and practical deployment experience for different verticals, including manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, and defense, were also introduced.AI edge computing enables business transformation and added value"AI has become a game-changing technology," said Jim Liu, Chairman and CEO of ADLINK, in the "Expert Talk", a session in which Eunice Chiu, VP, Sales & GM of Taiwan at NVIDIA Corporation, also participated. "By realizing AI at the edge, the way many devices are used will change from automation to autonomy.""In particular, intelligent vision analysis will drive business transformation and value enhancement for various industries, such as manufacturing, retail, medical, smart cities, and sports. By leveraging our deep experience in the embedded market and integrating NVIDIA's powerful GPU product portfolio and rich software stacks for different verticals, I believe that our partnership will play an important role in the market.""Data, domain knowledge, and fields for validation are the three requisites for successful AI solutions," Jim Liu stressed. "In addition, the deployment of AI edge computing involves the integration of processors, application software, platforms, security and other building blocks. No single company can provide all solutions alone. Therefore, partnership is very important and we should work with companies that have knowledge in different domains."Eunice Chiu echoed by saying, "The challenges faced by the industry and its application requirements continue to evolve. For NVIDIA, we not only keep improving our GPU performance and product portfolios, but have also established comprehensive software stacks for various vertical markets. Our goal is to build complete end-to-end solutions so that we can help companies accelerate the innovation and deployment of AI edge computing." She also emphasized that, when selecting a technology partner for AI deployment, in order to ensure investment, it is necessary to cooperate with suppliers that can provide complete solutions, scalability and future-proof capabilities, as well as simplify complexity.The two experts highlighted the fact that ADLINK and NVIDIA have worked together over the past few years and have invested a lot of resources to build the optimal platform for edge computing. As the development of AI edge applications matures, the problem of how to improve the efficiency, effectiveness and optimization of deployment will be the next issue facing the industry. In this regard, the two companies will together strengthen cooperation with end customers across industries and strive to embrace the huge opportunities in the new era of smart economy.EVA in manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, and defense industriesIn the second part of the webinar, four "Solution Sessions" targeting manufacturing, healthcare, smart cities, and defense industries introduced the latest solutions from ADLINK and NVIDIA.For smart manufacturing, ADLINK explained how edge AI vision can be deployed to assist the operations of automated optical inspection (AOI). Application cases including intelligent robotics, smart pallet, and AI AOI for contact lens defect inspection were discussed. Compared with traditional machine vision, AI AOI can successfully help manufacturers improve the accuracy and productivity of inspection.For healthcare applications, a detailed explanation was given on how to improve speed and accuracy in medical imaging. By adopting diversified products jointly developed by ADLINK and NVIDIA, multiple challenges, including improving image quality, reducing harmful radiation exposure to patients, and satisfying the compact and small form factor requirements for advanced imaging equipment, can be overcome.For smart cities, NVIDIA described how intelligent video analytics can be used to solve important problems across a range of smart city applications, such as retail, warehouse, and transportation, by using its Jetson-based hardware and Metropolis application/platform, and how to create higher value by realizing edge-to-cloud inference at the edge.Finally, in the defense field, NVIDIA discussed the impacts and changes that AI has brought to defense applications. For example, radar, communications, sonar, image processing and other applications will more widely use AIOM (AI-on-Module) products with built-in GPUs to perform visual analysis, encryption, simulation and other functions, a fact that will drive significant growth of GPUs within military. In addition, a series of rugged board and module products jointly developed with ADLINK can meet the various size, reliability, and performance requirements of the next generation of defense devices.AI will be ubiquitous in the future. Rapid and successfully AI deployment will be a key factor for the successful transformation to AI industrialization. ADLINK has evolved from focusing on embedded system development to being a leading provider of AI edge solutions in recent years. By leveraging NVIDIA's powerful GPU product portfolio and a wide range of vertical software stacks, ADLINK has created complete end-to-end solutions covering software/hardware platforms and system implementation. With the most suitable solutions, ADLINK aims to help customers accelerate their deployment and realization of innovative AI edge applications.To learn more information about the optimal AI edge solutions jointly provided by ADLINK and NVIDIA, watch a replay of the webinar!To learn more information about the optimal AI edge solutions ,watch a replay of the webinar

Global telecommunications companies are continuing the race to deploy the best 5G networks and technologies around the world. Though the coronavirus has pushed the 5G rollout back by 3-6 months, companies are now prioritizing capacity allocation to 5G production as they ramp back up.The rollout has been long anticipated as the gateway into the Internet of Things connectivity, low latency and high speeds, the outcome of which will be a massive boom in the semiconductor industry.With the 5G network being the catalyst to multiple technological revolutions, new devices containing higher performing components will be essential requirements of 5G. All new chips, wafers, memory and storage components will be necessary in making 5G a working reality, resulting in large capital investments into manufacturing.According to Tony Leong, Fusion Worldwide's Director of Business Development, Asia, "From FPGA and Active ICs to Passive and Transformers, the 5G network has brought about a re-generation of components to meet the specification required."Due to the global shutdown caused by the coronavirus, there is currently an adequate level of inventory. But, as production restarts, chip makers are prioritizing components that support 5G technologies. Thus, backlogs are expected, which are expected to produce some level of supply tension along the way.Some key manufacturers are already increasing their prices and lead times on components. According to Electronics Sourcing, DRAM selling prices are expected to increase by 12% while NAND flash average prices have been predicted to rise by 19% as OEMs transition to 5G-based systems.Because key ICs, such as FPGAs, RF Transceivers, SRAM, and NAND, are commonly used in multiple applications, manufacturers will need to increase production once 5G equipment starts being produced. Therefore, pressure will be added to existing supply and lead to further price increases.MLCCs are another key component that will be impacted by the 5G rollout. After the major MLCC shortage in 2018, speculation has been growing that there will be another shortage this year partly due to the next generation of smartphones and automobiles."With the ramp up in production of 5G components and products, we are expecting added pressure on existing MLCC supply, as well as an increase in pricing for these components," Leong continues.Current market forecasts call for 1.4 billion smartphones to ship worldwide. If shipments exceed just slightly to 1.5 billion units, this would represent a demand increase of MLCCs amounting to 120 billion units. Once demand picks up, shortages will be wider spread moving forward.Because the rollout will act as the catalyst for many technological revolutions, the 5G industry will lead to a new era of a global networking. Already a IHS Markit report shows that the global 5G value chain will enable US$13.2 trillion in economic output by 2035 and the investment of US$235 billion annually on average to the expansion and strengthening of 5G networks and infrastructure.This will have a downstream effect on semiconductor sales for years to come and will result in a new level of market growth for the industry.The 5G revolution: A catalyst for semiconductor success

From life sciences to astrophysics to quantum physics, advanced computation in every field heavily relies on high-performance computing (HPC) storage systems. While most enterprise applications and software today demand supercomputing, the storage requirements for modeling and simulation, deep learning, artificial intelligence, and analytics workloads, have significantly evolved over the years. These requirements have grown more intense, owing to the increased adoption of edge computing for optimizing applications and cloud-storage systems. To meet such requirements, businesses are embracing highly-scalable cloud storage solutions or efficient and reliable SSDs to improve performance benchmarks in end-user devices, servers, and storage arrays. This is where Sage Microelectronic is in a class by itself.Sage Microelectronic Corporation (Sage Micro) is one of the leading semiconductor companies that provide Integrated Circuits (ICs) and solutions for digital storage and data security applications. "We are designing today's storage solutions while researching and exploring tomorrow's technology," says Jerome Luo, founder of Sage Microelectronic. Headquartered in Hangzhou city, the company has devoted itself to creating superior products and services to prepare its petition to China's Sci-Tech innovation board (STAR Market) as an IC star providing storage solutions. The company's products have been widely applied in various customer applications like digital cameras, mobile phones, and personal computers, as well as in enterprise and communication systems such as industrial control, cloud storage, and more. Supported by funding of about US$90 million, Sage Micro's product line covers mobile flash controllers, SSD controllers, and aggregator/RAID/port-multiplier controllers. Furthermore, the company is facing the increasing demands of many high-end systems, such as communication and aeronautics. "We have enabled the latest and most sustainable semiconductors in the server and the cloud area. While everything is moving from the server room to the edge, there is a tremendous opportunity for new ICs. Sage Micro is primed to reap the benefits of the latest trends, and embeds, merges and integrates new functions into the current storage controllers," says Chris Tsu, CTO of the company.Sage Micro is one of the world's top three bridge controller manufacturers providing consumer storage controllers, including USB-IDE, USB-SATA/PCIe, SAS/SATA-SATA bridge controllers, and more.We are designing today's storage solutions while researching and exploring tomorrow's technologyIn 2012, the company announced China's first SATA SSD controller and is currently focused on developing and shipping enterprise high-performance SSD controllers, with an enhanced partnership with IBM that has pioneered high-end storage systems. Owing to its flexible architecture, Sage Micro is also the first enterprise SSD controller provider to apply the leading MRAM vendor, Everspin's newly released 1 GB Spin-transfer Torque MRAM.Sage Micro is building up a whole series of SSD controllers covering all kinds of interfaces, including SATA, SAS, PCIe, and more. "Our recent controllers are provided for MLC and TLC flash but should accumulate technologies for QLC flash memory and even the generation after QLC," adds Luo. Furthermore, the company is taking a big leap from being a single drive controller vendor to a system-level high-end IC provider by manufacturing storage system controllers such as RAID controllers, port-multipliers, aggregators, and expanders. Some of Sage Micro's controllers have embedded encryption/decryption engines to provide data security functions.In essence, Sage Micro is not only delivering storage controllers with high capacity, great performance, and embedded security, but also pioneering the next generation of storage and computing systems. Tsu further presents his aggressive ideas for embedded computing of an SSD or RAID/Expander IC. "Computational storage can be practiced by these chips, and the embedded hardware engines can run much faster than software can. Artificial Intelligence in a surveillance system implemented with these chips can ensure high efficiency in facial recognition applications. It can also be used to build block-chain with the security engines distributed and embedded inside each drive or storage access interface. To sum it up, as storage and computing are having a fuzzy boundary now, we are trying to leverage the merits," says Tsu.A bright future awaits Sage Micro, which aims to achieve milestones in the global market after its massive success in China.About Sage MicroSage Micro is one of the world's top 3 bridge controller manufacturers providing consumer Storage controllers, including SD/MMC card controller, USB flash drive controller, USB-SATA/PCIe bridge controller, and more. In 2012, the company announced China's first SATA SSD controller and is currently focused on developing and shipping enterprise high-performance SSD controllers, with an enhanced partnership with IBM that has pioneered high-end storage systems such as banking database. Owing to its flexible architecture, Sage Micro is the first enterprise SSD controller provider to apply the leading MRAM vendor, Everspin's new-released 1 GB Spin-transfer Torque MRAM. More information, please visit the website.(Editor's note: This article was originally published by CIOReview.)Chris Tsu, CTO (left) and Jianjun Luo (Jerome Luo), CEOSage Microelectronic achieves high reliability and performance with SSD controllers

With the world going digital, the popularity of Internet of Things (IoT) devices is rapidly rising. This is not only reshaping people's lives but also spurring a wave of new market opportunities. However, growingly widespread use of connected devices also leads to increased cybersecurity threats. To control cybersecurity risks, governments around the world are enacting cybersecurity laws while leading manufacturers are also implementing cybersecurity requirements for their products.As international markets and customers impose more and more regulations and requirements on cybersecurity, Taiwan-based ICT device manufacturers feel mounting pressure.Having long been committed to developing security compliance solutions for IoT devices, Onward Security envisaged the trend of security assessment for connected devices years ago and thus took early action by actively engaging in international standards certification and conformity assessment. As a result of its efforts, Onward Security has made itself Taiwan's only Amazon Alexa Voice Service (AVS) and Amazon Prime Video security assessment lab and Asia's only Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) authorized test lab with an aim to help electronics brands and manufacturers obtain security certifications and thereby penetrate into international supply chains.Security compliance enhances brand image while reducing operating costsAccording to Onward Security Director of Technical Service, Daniel Liu, the rise of 5G and AIoT will bring a massive number of smart devices and applications into reality, many of which will be used at people's homes. In the case of security incidents resulting from poor security implementations on the part of the developers, people's safety and privacy will be at risk. To prevent such threats, many governments and manufacturers impose regulations and requirements demanding that connected devices comply with security standards. California's new IoT Security Law that went into effect on January 1, 2020 is an example.Although the security standards are not currently mandatory, they may be incorporated as part of government procurement procedures and national standards. For example, Taiwan Association of Information and Communication Standards (TAICS) has established a set of cybersecurity standards for a slew of products including video surveillance devices, smart street lamps and smartbus systems. When government procurement procedures include security compliance in the future, a product's conformity to the security standards will play a critical role. As to international standards, Amazon requires that products built in with Alexa and/or Prime Video pass security assessment by Amazon authorized labs or else manufacturers will be prohibited from shipping the products. CTIA, representing major North American telecom companies, also has the IoT Cybersecurity Certification Program in place to ensure that connected devices have appropriate security capabilities and thereby protect consumers and wireless networks.Liu notes that security assessment generally takes at least two weeks but could take as long as one and half to three months if any vulnerabilities or non-compliance items are discovered and need to be fixed and then retested, which is common during the initial stage of assessment. This will inevitably delay product development but developers have no way around it if they want to meet end market requirements. Liu thinks having their products pass security assessment enables manufacturers to penetrate into international supply chains while validating their product quality and enhancing their brand image. More importantly, if vulnerabilities are found after the product goes to market, the impact, including the burden on service personnel, delay in product development and cost for deploying security patches, will be much more serious than if the issues are caught and resolved beforehand. This manifests the value of security assessment. The benefits definitely outweigh the time and effort it takes.Operating an ISO 27001 and ISO 17025 accredited lab, Onward Security has built up strong capabilities in IoT security regulatory compliance through rigorous testing methodology, extensive service experiences and active devotion in international standards, based on which it is able to provide Taiwan-based manufacturers with comprehensive compliance and certification services for international cybersecurity standards.According to Onward Security Director of Technical Service, Daniel Liu, Onward Security exerts all efforts in making itself an authorized lab for international cybersecurity standards so that Taiwan-based manufacturers can have their products assessed and certified locally without engaging foreign labs and auditors to help reduce certification costs.

The global demand for healthcare services is growing, due in part to increases in aging populations, chronic diseases, and patient volumes in emerging countries. These trends and others will boost global healthcare spending, which is expected to rise at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 5% through 2023.Smart Healthcare SolutionsWith healthcare providers caring for more patients and battling the spread of infectious diseases, medical-grade computers can help by improving healthcare efficiency and patient safety. ADLINK's antibacterial medical panel computers deliver the high performance and a hygienic design needed to meet the stringent requirements of the healthcare industry. This case study describes how a Taiwan-based medical systems integrator, iMedtac, deployed ADLINK products to build surgical imaging systems and mobile medical carts to address some of the challenges facing healthcare providers.iMedtac's solutions are widely used by large medical institutions, both at home and abroad, mainly for two reasons: they closely match hospital needs and can be up and running in no time, ready-to-use by medical care teams.ChallengesEnable faster and safer surgeriesDoctors operating on patients need to view pre-surgery images stored in an archive along with images captured during surgery. When medical imaging devices are located throughout the operating room, doctors must look up and around to find the information they need, which can distract them and slow down the surgery.Reduce medical device-related infectionsPreventing healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) is a top priority in the healthcare industry, and perhaps even more so with the rise in infectious diseases throughout the world. HAIs can occur when the medical device itself becomes contaminated and serves as a means of transmission of microorganisms directly or indirectly from an infected individual to a patient.2 SolutionsAn integrated view of medical images increases efficiency and safetyAn imaging platform developed by iMedtac allows doctors to view multiple medical images from one display built with ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AK/KL medical panel computers. Further addressing patient safety and healthcare efficiency, the solution eliminates the need for doctors to physically press a key with their hand or foot by incorporating gesture recognition.By implementing contactless switching from one image to another, the platform helps reduce the risk of infection and the time needed to clean the operating room, thereby shortening the operating room turnover time.Hygienic design prevents the spread of infectionA mobile medical cart designed for hospitals facilitates safe, contactless doctor-patient communication and medical data access by combining gesture recognition and video conferencing. Built by iMedtac, the cart integrates medical images (e.g., electrocardiogram, ultrasound, and Horus Scope) with information from hospital information systems (HIS) and/or picture archiving and communication systems (PACS). The solution increases the portability and usability of medical devices for both intensive care units (ICUs) and remote healthcare settings.Medical-Grade ComputersiMedtac's surgical imaging systems and mobile medical carts are respectively based on ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AL/KL medical panel computers that are medically-certified products, suitable for use in operating rooms and ICUs. According to iMedtac, even with gesture control, there are still situations when users need to physically enter commands via the touch panel. This is why iMedtac selected ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AL/KL medical panel computers with hygienic-design features.These ADLINK computers allow for easy cleaning by medical care teams after use, prevent bacterial growth in cracks, and shorten operating room turnover time. The hygienic design includes a screwless, fully-sealed housing, edge-to-edge touch panel (no frame), on-screen buttons (no physical buttons), antibacterial surface coating, and IP54 protection.Integrating ADLINK Panel ComputersiMedtac reduces its medical system integration efforts by starting with a standard architecture and then customizing the remaining portion (approximately 30%) to satisfy particular customer needs. ADLINK panel computers fully support this development model, providing high levels of flexibility and functionality. This includes a 4K or full HD display, customizable touch control, and laminated with anti-glare coated safety glass and optical bonding to present clear medical images. ADLINK-based solutions also provide an isolated I/O interface, expansion slots, and network ports to accommodate connection to wide-ranging devices to facilitate system integration.ADLINK's medical-grade panel computers are IEC/EN-60601-1 and IEC/EN-60601-1-2 certified. These certifications protect the safety of those operating the medical devices and prevent the devices from interfering with one another in operating rooms and ICUs, which help ensure the safety of the operating room staff and patients.Smart Healthcare SolutionsADLINK and iMedtac are committed to collaborating and bringing smart healthcare solutions with a fresh perspective to the healthcare industry. For information about ADLINK medical-grade panel computers, please visit the website.An imaging platform developed by iMedtac allows doctors to view multiple medical images from one display built with ADLINK's MLC8 and MLC-AK/KL medical panel computersADLINK panel computers fully support this development model, providing high levels of flexibility and functionality