| Asia IT Trends, 3rd Week of April 2019


Computex 2019, Expanded in Scale, Opens May 28

COMPUTEX TAIPEI 2019, a global ICT exhibition jointly organized by TAITRA (Taiwan External Trade Development Council) and the Taipei Computer Association (TCA), will be held for five days from May 28 to June 1 at the Taipei International Trade Center (TWTC), Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center, and Taipei International Convention Center (TICC).

With the goal of "building a global science and technology ecosystem," Computex this year is hosting various exhibitions under five selected themes: AI and IoT, 5G, blockchain, innovation and startups, and gaming and Extended Reality (XR). In particular, the scale of the exhibition has been expanded this year with the addition of Hall 2 at the Taipei Nangang Exhibition Center.

At Computex 2018, Korea was among the top five countries in terms of the number of overseas visitors, along with Japan, China, the United States, and Hong Kong. Following last year, global companies such as ASUS, BenQ, MSI, Intel, NVIDIA, and ZOTAC are scheduled to participate in large numbers at Computex, and Korean companies will include long-term participants such as Micronics, POSBANK, and Shinheung Precision, as well as various ICT companies and startups.

INNOVEX, a specialized startup exhibition hall established in 2016, will be held at the Taipei World Trade Center (TWTC) for three days from May 29 to 31 during this year's Computex. INNOVEX, where startups from around the world showcase their superior technological competitiveness, is expected to generate investment and collaboration opportunities through various sessions including demonstrations, pitching, forums, matchmaking, and startup tours.

In 2018, a total of 388 startups from 21 countries participated in InnoVEX, setting an all-time record, and Korea was among the top five countries in terms of the number of participating startups, alongside Taiwan, the Netherlands, France, and the United States. Following last year, the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) will operate the Korea Pavilion at InnoVEX, where about 10 promising domestic startups are scheduled to showcase their innovative ideas.

Taitra has newly opened a Korean website (http://computextaipei.kr/) for domestic companies and visitors wishing to participate in Computex 2019. You can view the contents of Computex 2019, highlight videos of last year's Computex, press releases in Korean related to Computex 2019, and traffic information for the exhibition hall, and on-site photos of Computex 2019 will also be uploaded during the exhibition period.


UVR Selected as NTT Communications Open Innovation Partner

YouVR, a member of the Born2Global Center, announced on the 17th that it was selected as a partner for Japan's NTT Communications' Open Innovation Program on the 16th. YouVR is the only Korean company selected. NTT Communications is a subsidiary of NTT, Japan's largest telecommunications company, and possesses world-class data center facilities spanning over 100,000 pyeong.

Over the past few months, NTT Communications received applications from companies for four themes—remote control of robots via P2P communication, automation of data center facility management, sports tech, and utilization of wireless relay station facility space—and selected six partners with specialized capabilities. UVR was selected for the 'automation of data center facility management' theme.

UVR is starting a Proof of Concept (PoC) with NTT Communications with the goal of commercialization by the end of this year. After undergoing technical testing and marketing processes, the company will showcase its prepared technology at the performance report meeting to be held on August 29. UVR, which possesses 3D image generation and VR processing technology, applies various VR solutions, such as providing 3D tours and three-dimensional views that allow for easier and more effective management of data centers without the need to visit them.


LS Cable & System Asia to Expand Wire Factory in Vietnam

LS Cable & System Asia announced on the 16th that it held a ceremony to commemorate the expansion of its wire material (copper conductor) factory at LS-VINA, its production subsidiary in Hai Phong, Vietnam.

LS Cable & System Asia invested approximately 10 billion won to expand its wire material production capacity by about 3.7 times, from 27,000 tons per year to 100,000 tons, making it the largest in Vietnam. With Vietnam's annual demand for wire materials at around 200,000 tons, this amounts to producing half of LS-VINA's total. 100,000 tons of copper material is enough to manufacture over 60,000 km of general construction power cables. This is a length sufficient to circle the Earth 1.5 times.

LS-VINA has been importing wire materials from abroad as demand for wires has increased due to the Vietnamese government's expansion of power grid investment, as well as rising foreign investment and construction demand, leading to overseas exports. LS-VINA plans to sell any surplus volume, after deducting its own consumption, to wire manufacturers in Vietnam and neighboring countries. LS Cable & System Asia expects to reduce production costs through mass production and import substitution, and also generate revenue from external sales.

Kwon Young-il, CEO of LS Cable & Asia, said, “LS Cable & Asia expects growth to accelerate with the completion of investment in wire material facilities, following last year’s investments in fiber optic cables, medium voltage (MV) wires, and bus ducts.”

LS-VINA, established in 1997, is Vietnam's No. 1 cable manufacturer, supplying power cables to the Vietnam Electricity Authority and construction companies. LS Cable Asia, the holding company for two production subsidiaries in Vietnam (LS-VINA and LSCV), achieved sales of 122.3 billion won and an operating profit of 6 billion won in the first quarter of 2019, marking its highest-ever quarterly sales and profit.


Vicor Announces Collaboration with Kyocera in PoP Solutions

Vicor announced on the 15th that it is collaborating with Kyocera to maximize processor performance and reduce time-to-market for next-generation Power-on-Package (PoP) solutions.

As part of the collaboration between the two companies, Kyocera will be responsible for power and data transmission through organic packages, module substrates, and motherboard designs, while Vicor will provide PoP current multipliers that enable high-density, high-current transmission to processors. This collaboration is expected to further advance high-performance processors that provide balanced growth and complexity for high-speed I/O and high-current demands.

Vicor's PoP technology enables increased current within processor packages, providing higher efficiency, density, and bandwidth. By providing increased current within the package, interconnect losses are reduced by up to 90%, while allowing processor package pins necessary for high-current transmission, thereby facilitating the expansion of I/O functionality. It also enables Vertical Power Delivery (VPD) from the bottom of the processor. VPD reduces Power Delivery Network (PDN) losses and maximizes I/O performance and design flexibility.

Leveraging design technology, simulation tools, and manufacturing experience, Kyocera provides design solutions required for complex I/O routing, high-speed memory routing, and high-current power transmission. Through this collaboration, Kyocera and Vicor plan to soon introduce new solutions for AI and high-performance processors to the market.


Samsung SDS Signs Global Blockchain Business Agreement with India's Mahindra

Samsung SDS announced on the 14th that it has signed a business agreement with India's Tech Mahindra to expand its enterprise blockchain platform Nexledger globally.

Tech Mahindra, an affiliate of India's Mahindra Group, is a global company that provides IT services to over 900 companies worldwide and has approximately 120,000 IT professionals.

Through this agreement, Samsung SDS plans to jointly identify blockchain business opportunities in India, the United States, and Europe with Tech Mahindra, and also cooperate on technology development to advance Nexledger.

Samsung SDS has applied Nexledger to various fields, including finance, manufacturing, logistics, and the public sector, since 2017. In addition, Samsung SDS unveiled the Nexledger Accelerator, which improves transaction processing speed by applying it to Hyperledger Fabric, at 'IBM Think 2019' in February.

Hong Hye-jin, Executive Vice President and Head of Samsung SDS Blockchain Center, stated, “Samsung SDS will support customers in achieving blockchain-based digital innovation by leveraging its proven capabilities across various business sectors,” adding, “We will further expand and strengthen our global business in the enterprise blockchain field.”