| Asian IT Trends for the Fourth Week of April 2019


Arm China Introduces Mentor Semiconductor's Design Defect Verification Solution, Questa

Mentor, a Siemens business (hereinafter Mentor), announced on the 25th that Arm China has adopted its semiconductor design defect and error verification solution, Questa Simulation with Power Aware, for key development work on next-generation low-power microcontroller cores.

Developed to reduce the risks associated with certifying complex FPGA and SoC designs, the Questa Advanced Simulator, used in conjunction with Mentor's Questa Power Aware Simulation solution, enables customers to implement low-power silicon designs by modeling their operation earlier in the design cycle.

“Mentor has been an Arm partner for many years,” said William Liu, vice president of product development at Arm China. “We are delighted to extend this partnership to Arm China’s design team.”

He continued, “Questa is a complex verification environment.“We are pleased with the compatibility and high performance demonstrated by the Questa solution,” he said. “We anticipate that by leveraging the Questa solution, we will be able to develop highly successful designs for a variety of rapidly growing markets.”


LG Electronics to focus smartphone production on Hai Phong, Vietnam.

LG Electronics announced on the 25th that it will consolidate and relocate its smartphone production line in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, to the 'LG Haiphong Campus' and reassign the Pyeongtaek smartphone production workforce to the Changwon home appliance production plant.

This is interpreted as a strategy to improve the profitability of the smartphone business and enhance global competitiveness amid a sluggish global smartphone market.

The LG Haiphong Campus smartphone factory will be equipped with a full lineup of production systems, adding to the smartphone production line in Pyeongtaek, which mainly produces premium products.

The Hai Phong smartphone factory, completed in 2014, has been producing mainly low- to mid-priced products for the Vietnamese domestic market and export, with an annual production capacity of 6 million units. The Hai Phong smartphone factory, whose annual production capacity will increase to 11 million units following this relocation, will begin full operation in the second half of this year.


Optical communications specialist POSTECH to establish joint venture in Saudi Arabia

POSTECH announced on the 22nd that it signed a strategic business partnership (MOU) with a local partner to establish a joint venture in Saudi Arabia.

This agreement establishes a sales foothold in the Middle East, Turkey, and North Africa, and lays the foundation for expansion into the global optical communications market. Additionally, the company plans to establish a direct partnership with a local partner in Saudi Arabia to secure competitiveness by establishing a local manufacturing facility and solidifying its sales network.

POSTECH stated that it has secured substantial competitiveness through long-term research and technological development in the field of optical communications, and that it expects the joint venture to serve as an opportunity for continued development and growth.

POSTECH is an optical communications company located in Ansan City that manufactures and supplies optical communications products such as optical fusion splicers, OTDRs, non-contact optical connectors, and optical jumper cords.


Computex 2019 is expected to revitalize ICT cooperation between Korea and Taiwan.

TAITRA, the organizer of the global ICT exhibition COMPUTEX TAIPEI, held a press conference at the Lotte Hotel in Sogong-dong, Seoul on the 18th and introduced the main contents of COMPUTEX 2019. This year's COMPUTEX will look into the latest ICT industry and create various business opportunities under five core themes: ▲AI ▲IoT ▲Blockchain ▲Innovation & Startups ▲Gaming & Extended Reality (XR).

James Hwang (James CF) who hosted the press conference Huang), Chairman of Taitra, said in his welcoming speech, “Last year, the number of Korean buyers participating in Computex was approximately 1,700, the fifth highest among participating countries,” and “More than 20 Korean companies participated in Computex 2018, and the Korea Trade-Investment Promotion Agency (KOTRA) set up a Korean pavilion at InnoVEX, a global startup specialized pavilion, to support domestic startups.”

He continued, “Korea was the first in the world to successfully commercialize 5G, and Taiwan is also recognized internationally for its strengths in the 5G field, having hosted a 3GPP 5G-related meeting earlier this year,” adding, “As leaders in the ICT industry, we look forward to further cooperation between our two countries.”

COMPUTEX 2019 will be held from May 28 to June 1, while InnoVEX will run for three days from May 29 to 31. More information can be found on the COMPUTEX 2019 Korean microsite and official website. Companies and individuals interested in attending can pre-register on the Korean site.


Huawei Supports Automotive OEMs with ICT Capabilities for Connected Cars

Huawei's rotating chairman, Eric Xu, announced the company's automotive strategy. Chairman Xu said that Huawei will not make cars, but will focus on ICT and support auto OEMs to make better cars.

On the 17th, Chairman Su gave a keynote speech on the topic of “Embrace the Convergence of Automotive & ICT Industries” at the “2019 International Auto Key Tech Forum” held as a side event of the 2019 Shanghai International Motor Show.

At the event, Chairman Su said, “The deep integration of automobiles and ICT will enable intelligent, connected electric vehicles to emerge as a new and innovative driving force for human society,” adding, “Its influence is expected to spread far beyond the two industries.”

Chairman Xu then emphasized, “Huawei aims to become a supplier that pursues digital automobiles based on ICT and adds new elements.”