depa and Techsauce team up to launch “depa Smart City Accelerator Program Batch 2” in Thailand

July 16, 2021 TechENT Syndication Leave a comment

to Enhance Potential of Digital Startups to Develop Right Solutions for Sustainable Smart Cities, Livable Future

BANGKOK, July 16, 2021 — The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa), Thailand, teamed up with Techsauce Media to launch the depa Smart City Accelerator Program BATCH 2 to search for digital startups to work collaboratively with key smart city leaders to acknowledge problems and discuss regulatory framework, factors and demand before developing solutions that can better deal with problems of a particular city slated for smart city development. The smart city accelerator program aims to create livable and smart cities to improve the quality of life for Thai people. It also aims for all participating digital startup firms to get new knowledge, hands-on experience, and opportunities to further drive their business operations.

depa and Techsauce team up to launch “depa Smart City Accelerator Program Batch 2” in Thailand to Enhance Potential of Digital Startups to Develop Right Solutions for Sustainable Smart Cities, Livable Future.

Asst. Prof. Dr. Nuttapon Nimmanphatcharin, President/CEO of Digital Economy Promotion Agency said H.E. Mr. Chaiwut Thanakamanusorn, Minister of Digital Economy and Society (MDES), Thailand, as chair of the National Smart City Steering Sub-committee, instructed depa to accelerate the progress on smart city development, depa in collaboration with the Digital Startup Institute and Techsauce Media, the leader in tech knowledge sharing platform and digital startup community in Southeast Asia, kicked off the depa Smart City Accelerator Program BATCH 2 after achieving an amazing accomplishment in launching the inaugural depa Smart City Accelerator Program last year.

"depa Smart City Accelerator Program is the first of its kind in ASEAN that serves as a bridge to connect digital startups with demand for urban development. For this year’s smart city accelerator program, 25 digital startups that have been selected by the judge panel will have to attend an orientation workshop prior to taking action and working with representatives of cities that are slated for smart city development. They will acknowledge the on-site problems, factors, and inputs before coming up with solutions to those challenges using digital technologies and innovations to develop a smart city through the Proof of Concept (POC). The digital technologies and innovations will be leveraged to solve the right problems in five urban areas that received smart city promotion certificates and Thailand Smart City logo. Five projected smart cities are Samyan Neighborhood – Bangkok, Wangchan Valley – Rayong, Mae Mo District – Lampang, Khon Kaen and Phuket. They will be leveled up to be livable and safe cities with efficient waste and environmental management and modern infrastructure that can improve the quality of life of all residents in each smart city in the new-normal lifestyle after the end of the COVID-19 pandemic in order to move forward to becoming fully fledged smart cities," president/CEO of depa said.

Ms. Oranuch Lerdsuwankij, CEO and Co-Founder of Techsauce Media said the depa Smart City Accelerator Program BATCH 2 will provide participating Thai digital startups with valuable knowledge and good experience through taking action in the real-world experiment and development by working collaboratively with experts and relevant agencies to develop smart cities. The smart city accelerator program will present them with opportunities to expand their businesses to tap customers in the public and private sectors. It is a bridge linking investors and business partners as it helps improve the image and reputation of Thailand’s digital industry in the region. Techsauce Media highly hopes that this landmark collaboration will play a vital role in driving smart urban development and efficiently improving the quality of life of the public. Techsauce Media would like to thank depa for all support and partners in the public and private sectors for cooperation to move forward the depa Smart City Accelerator Program to attain the central goals and objectives as planned.

The digital-driven solutions and work of digital startups that will be used in smart city development under the depa Smart City Accelerator Program will be exhibited on the depa Accelerator Demo Day online showcase program. Any solutions that receive a proven success, the winning digital startups will get a cash prize of 300,000 baht each for use to further develop their businesses, including the chance to grow globally. The applications for the depa Smart City Accelerator Program BATCH 2 run until August 1, 2021. Stay in touch with the latest updates on the depa Smart City Accelerator Program BATCH 2 at www.depa.or.th or depa Thailand Facebook page.

For more information, The Digital Economy Promotion Agency (depa) Tel. +66-2026-2333 Email. sta@depa.or.th

PR Newswire

Embracing the Potential of Cloud Technology with Ecosystem Partners at the HUAWEI CLOUD Summit 2021

July 16, 2021 TechENT Syndication Leave a comment

Huawei continues its 20th-anniversary celebrations in Singapore by launching into a new era of cloud technology and strengthening partnerships to build smart cities of the future

SINGAPORE, July 16, 2021 — Global leading ICT provider Huawei today hosted the HUAWEI CLOUD Summit 2021 in Singapore. Themed ‘Born in Cloud, Grow with Cloud’, the hybrid event brought together industry leaders, including SMEs and large corporates responsible for cloud migration strategies, to explore how evolving cloud technologies impact and strengthen digital transformation across sectors.

Together with Singapore Animators Connection (SAC), iQiyi, Orange Business Services, SP Digital and more, Huawei discussed how cloud technology plays a versatile and growing role in the animation, streaming, and energy technology sectors.

Continued Cloud Commitment in Singapore

During his opening speech, Mr Foo Fang Yong, CEO of Huawei International, recognised Singapore’s leading position in ICT infrastructure and technology in the region, noting that Huawei has supported Singapore’s digitalisation journey since 2001.

Partnering with industry leaders and customers, Huawei is now a pivotal contributor to connectivity, green energy, storage and many more innovative digital solutions across diversified industry sectors, aligned to Singapore’s Smart Nation goals.

Mr Foo Fang Yong stated at the Summit, "As we celebrate our 20^th anniversary in Singapore, Huawei is committed to providing reliable, secure, and cost-effective cloud services to empower applications, harness the power of data, and help organizations of all sizes grow in Singapore and ASEAN region, we aim to be the mainstream cloud vendor and digital transformation leader in Singapore."

Singapore is the international hub of HUAWEI CLOUD, which houses four availability zones, with a fifth availability zone on the way. Beyond Singapore, HUAWEI CLOUD also has setup regions in Hong Kong, Thailand and Malaysia, with Indonesia to follow.

"Huawei has been committed to empowering digital transformation and innovation, nurturing a future-ready talent pool and driving sustainable growth for the future economy together with our local partners. It is our responsibility, not only as a global ICT leader but also a committed member of the community, to continue to create economic opportunities and societal impact in Singapore," announced Fang Yong.

Born in Cloud, Grow with Cloud

According to the Gartner report Market Share: IT Services, Worldwide 2020, HUAWEI’s 2020 IaaS market share ranks No.2 in China, No. 3 in Thailand market, No.4 in the emerging Asia Pacific market, and No. 5 in the global market. HUAWEI’s IaaS revenue grew fastest in the global market between 2019 and 2020, compared to the other vendors included for analysis.

During the event, Mr Zeng Xingyun, President of HUAWEI CLOUD APAC, highlighted five key strategies behind Huawei Cloud’s rapid growth – to continuously focus on ICT investment, boost product architecture innovation, support technology and solution innovation, introduce cloud-cloud synergy, and inherit and build the most optimal 2B service.

Redefining Infrastructure with HUAWEI CLOUD

HUAWEI CLOUD aims to revolutionise enterprise infrastructure through improved services, platforms, and solutions.

Cloud Container Engine (CCE) Clusters allow for accelerated computing, networking, and scheduling for more efficient applications, smoother and more secure communications, and the ability to allocate the required resources for applications without micro-management.
Multi-Cloud Container Platform (MCP) brings cross-cloud applications into your routine as though they were local applications. Its compatibility with Kubernetes native APIs eliminates the need for refactoring, granting enterprise users the ability to govern instances on a larger scale, and boasting synergy with other networks on the cloud.
GaussDB sees the company’s cloud-native database solutions come to the financial sector, where users can tap on high performance and elastic scaling for hybrid loads, increased security and availability, and intelligent optimisation and index recommendation.

Extending Cloud Support to the Start-up Ecosystem in the Region

As part of the global shift towards a cloud-powered future and in recognition of the growth of start-ups and small businesses in ASEAN, Huawei will host the second edition of the Huawei Spark programme for the region.

A hybrid accelerator programme, Huawei Spark targets deep tech start-ups in e-Commerce, Fintech, Energy, Manufacturing, and Smart City industries with focuses on AI, IoT, SaaS, Edge Computing, and 5G. With its strong network of industry experts, Huawei aims to incubate and accelerate start-ups’ growth to further build a more connected and intelligent world.

To apply for the Huawei Spark programme, interested start-ups can submit their proposals here before 10 August 2021 and register here to join the Spark Founder Summit on 3 Aug.

About HUAWEI CLOUD

HUAWEI CLOUD is a leading cloud service provider, which brings Huawei’s 30-plus years of expertise together in ICT infrastructure products and solutions. We are committed to providing reliable, secure, and cost-effective cloud services to empower applications, harness the power of data, and help organizations of all sizes grow in today’s intelligent world. HUAWEI CLOUD is also committed to bringing affordable, effective, and reliable cloud and AI services through technological innovation.

For more information, please visit Huawei online at https://www.huaweicloud.com/intl/en-us/about/index.html or follow us on:

https://www.linkedin.com/company/huaweicloudapac/
https://twitter.com/HuaweiCloudAPAC
https://www.facebook.com/HuaweiCloudAPAC
https://www.youtube.com/c/HuaweiCloudAIAPAC

Computers, Editorial, First Look, Lifestyle, Video

First Look at the HUAWEI MateView – 4K DCI-P3 Goodness in a Tight Package; Yes!

Video July 16, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

The HUAWEI MateView is HUAWEI’s first attempt in capturing the premium desktop display market. At MYR 2,988, the HUAWEIMateView is nowhere near cheap. It does come with a few features that would make other displays look a little lacking though.

It comes with two 5W speakers that is embedded within the stand of the display. That also means that HUAWEI can keep the body of the display itself thin and svelte. Multiple I/O makes it simple to work with, and flexible enough that you can work with multiple devices with just a single display.

You are viewing all your contents at 4K+ UHD resolution. While the display factor is a little odd at 3:2, you are technically getting a little more for your buck. The IPS panel also projects colours at 98% DCI-P3 for the best-in-class colour reproduction. The HUAWEI MateView is really something else.

The HUAWEI MateView is now available for pre-order form HUAWEI’s Online Store and their retail partners including Shopee and Lazada. The pre-order period lasts until 21^st July 2021. Every pre-order in this period is entitled to a free HUAWEI WIFI AX3 Dual Core router. More information on the HUAWEI MateView can be found on HUAWEI’s website.

PR Newswire

BEEPLUS Increases the Value of Existing Real Estate While Harnessing the Growth Potential of the Companies It Serves

July 16, 2021 TechENT Syndication Leave a comment

SHENZHEN, China, July 16, 2021 — With the continued evolution of the Internet and with more and more companies focused on innovative technologies, the requirements for an office are shifting from the need for basic functions to a communal workspace that is more humanized, creatively-designed and fully functional. To this end, the asset-light output model of commercial office space has quietly become popular. As one of the first "asset-light" brands in the industry, BEEPLUS, founded in 2015, has gone beyond the conventional expectation for office space in terms of design and operation with its own unique "new office ecology" concept: an "asset-light output model" that repurposes existing real estate, provides corporate services and integrates office and living.

"We are creating a new office scenario, and win-win cooperation model through ‘asset-light output’ – providing an innovative and high-quality office experience for urban white-collar workers while enhancing efficiency and soft power for the enterprise and increasing the value of the property for the owner," said Jia Fan, CEO of BEEPLUS. "We aim to become the Marriott of the flexible workspace industry."

In the past, when an office space needed to be leased, the company’s executives had to choose a location, then decide on the design and supervise the outfitting of the office on their own, all of which took a lot of time and effort and often ended with an unsatisfactory result. In order to address the problematic issue for new and growing companies, BEEPLUS has packaged the entire process to provide companies with quality office solutions.

In early 2019, BEEPLUS created a customized design for Plateno Group’s Shenzhen headquarters office and oversaw its implementation. The office features a well-lit and spacious reception area, a bright and colorful lounge space, innovatively-designed rooms where phone calls can be made in private, ergonomic 9am digital height-adjustable workstations, professional rowing exercise equipment, and sail-themed walls in line with Plateno Group’s philosophy.

In addition to creating the office space, BEEPLUS will also provide a full range of operational support services to Plateno Group over the next five years.

In 2019, the Reith & BEEPLUS business center, an American-style community jointly built by BEEPLUS and the Reith Group, opened in Shenzhen. The project not only eschewed traditional approaches to the design of the workspace, but also became a model for what the workspace of the future would look like.

Despite the highly desirable geographical location in the popular Bao’an District, the immediate neighborhood was lacking in support facilities. In 2019, the Reith Group brought in BEEPLUS to re-architect the property, and signed on for BEEPLUS’ one-stop services including design, construction, operation and investment support.

After renovation of the space and commencement of operations, the project quickly achieved 100% occupancy, with tenants coming from many emerging industries. The project became a typical example of "new office ecology" in enhancing the value of what was originally a depressed property. At the same time, it caused all the surrounding properties to appreciate in value with many medium- and long-term leases having been signed, creating a cluster of local business professionals. The end result has been the arrival and establishment of businesses to support the cluster, stimulating the economic vitality of the area where the property is located.

BEEPLUS’ concept of packaging a business center brand with an adjacent accommodations facility and then scaling the concept by creating a chain of such facilities, coupled with the development of four core competencies to make it possible to execute on the concept: international design, renovation of depressed properties, support services including build-out and operation of high-end living spaces alongside the workspace, as well as operations and investment, have enabled the company to achieve an occupancy rate of over 95% in its projects in Shenzhen, Zhuhai and Guangzhou.

Valve Announces the Steam Deck – Proper PC Gaming in Nintendo Switch-esque Package.

July 16, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

When Nintendo Switch was first teased, the PC gaming market went a little wild. Independent manufacturers took bold steps and packed all they can into a package that resembles the Nintendo Switch running the Windows platform. Despite the fact that most of these devices packs a notebook PC APU with no discreet GPU, they sold them as handheld gaming devices. To be fair, those were good attempts to squish portable gaming devices (gaming laptops) to an even more portable size. In theory also, you get the best gaming experience that is PC gaming.

Obviously, cramming PC grade hardware into constricted space is no mean feat. Most of the handheld gaming ‘PCs’ are thicker than your college textbooks and are as heavy as a brick. You need to fit cooling fans, thermal management systems, storage, RAM, and whatever else you have on a regular laptop into the small package. On top of all of that, you need to fit the controllers too. We thought that we will never see the day a handheld gaming device that can run PC games looking like a Nintendo Switch anytime soon.

Imagine our surprise then when Valve came out to say they have made a handheld gaming device that runs all your PC games. While it should not be a big surprise, it did catch the world off guard a little bit. Valve is not new in creating console peripherals for the PC gaming industry though. They were also responsible for creating something called the Steam Controller a few years back, we never saw the product ourselves though.

Screenshot 2021 07 16 at 14 36 55 Steam Deck Hardware — Source: Steam Deck

The Steam Deck, they call it. It really looks like a Nintendo Switch that is permanently stuck to two third-party Joy Con controllers. You do not get the funky colours of the Nintendo Switch though. Instead, you get a completely gun metal black finish that gives it a more edgy look.

It is built to run the Steam interface on its 7-inch 720p (1,280 x 800) LCD display with 60Hz refresh rate. It is built to run games on your Steam Library on that exact same display at that resolution too. You can get better displays from smartphone devices today, obviously. The issue with better and faster displays is that it presents a very real bottleneck for modern PC games, so some level of sacrifice would be required on portable handheld devices.

Keeping the display running at full chat is an AMD Zen 2 architecture CPU (four-core, eight thread) that is also paired to RDNA 2 GPU (eight CU) custom APU for the Steam Deck. You get 16GB of LPDDR5 RAM that is non-replaceable. 16GB of RAM is ample though for a gaming PC. They even pack it with up to 512GB in an NVMe PCIe SSD format to keep things trundling along at breakneck speeds.

The controller layout does look a little weird because the D-pad lines up with the joystick. The layout is necessary though to fit the touch pads for a more intuitive navigation for the Steam Deck. The 7-inch display is also a touch sensitive display, if you really cannot figure out the controller navigation.

Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck
Source: Steam Deck

Obviously, the Steam Deck runs on Steam’s custom interface. However, it is also built as a PC complete with a dock and everything with proper I/O. That also means that you can run it as a PC on a desktop display or a TV if you really want to. It runs on Linux though, so you do not get the Windows experience here. Still, you can run third-party apps on Steam Deck, something you cannot do on any other gaming consoles.

Valve’s Steam Deck comes in three flavours when it is available later in December 2021 and beyond. These are not colour options though, rather three storage options. At the most basic you are getting a 64GB eMMC internal storage. A step above that is a 256GB NVMe SSD. At the top of the food chain is a 512GB storage option. All variants come with a MicroSD expansion slot, so you still can get a MicroSD card for more storage if you need to. Prices start from US$ 399 (MYR 1,676*) for the most basic version and tops out at US$ 649 (MYR 2,727*). Compared to the Nintendo Switch, the entry level price is still more expensive. At the top as well, the Steam Deck is approximately US$ 150 (MYR 630*) more than current generation gaming consoles. You do not get to bring around your Steam Library with you on the other consoles though.

*Approximately based on exchange rate of US$ 1 = MYR 4.20 on xe.com as of 16/07/2021

PR Newswire

ucfunnel Adopts Unified ID 2.0

July 16, 2021 TechENT Syndication Leave a comment

ucfunnel joins advertising leaders to help solve for future of identity

SAN FRANCISCO, July 16, 2021 — ucfunnel, a leading Smart Media programmatic solution provider, has announced that they have adopted Unified ID 2.0, a new collaborative, industry-wide approach to internet identity. Initially developed by The Trade Desk, Unified ID 2.0 has been designed from the consumer’s perspective, with the goal of upgrading privacy and control for consumers, while preserving the value of relevant advertising. The new ID solution is an upgraded alternative to third-party cookies and will be open source.

Unified ID 2.0 has been submitted to IAB’s Tech Lab to allow the digital framework to be open source and has gained rapid adoption across the advertising ecosystem, among publishers, media buyers and technology providers.

Currently, ucfunnel partners with Smart TVs powered by MediaTek, including Express Luck, Caixun, RCA, SANSUI, Skyworth, Coocaa, Bella, and the leading CTV portal company NetRange. ucfunnel believes that Unified ID 2.0 will enhance the scope of dynamic advertising for marketers, accessing ad spaces on their Premium Streaming VoD content. Accompanied with ucfunnel’s validated Consent Management Platform (CMP) for CTV approved as TCF-compliant by the IAB Europe, the combination maximizes ucfunnel’s capability to offer a total solution that can lead to privacy-centric results and advanced ad performances.

"We are glad to be working with industry leaders to support the advancement and development of a new industry standard by supporting Unified ID 2.0. We believe the solution will drive more engagement, as well as upgrade and improve the connections between marketers and audiences in the entire ad ecosystem to ensure that marketers can contribute to the valuable user journey," said Ryan Chou, Co-founder and COO at ucfunnel. "Working with leading global CTV and Smart TV partners, we will be able to leverage more global CTV content that audience love, while delivering relevant ads. Using Unified ID 2.0, publishers will have clearer insights into what content their users enjoy in order to offer better viewing experiences. Advanced quantifiable results can also be leveraged through our SSAI solution and customization capability. We look forward to continuing our stellar relationship with our publisher, reader and advertiser partners spanning the globe in the Smart Media ecosystem."

"ucfunnel is our first regional SSP partner focused on Taiwan, Hong Kong, Korea and Southeast Asia that supports Unified ID 2.0. We are delighted to partner with local industry leaders as the industry takes a step forward to the future of the open internet," said Douglas Choy, Senior Director, Inventory Partnerships, The Trade Desk. "With ucfunnel supporting Unified ID 2.0, it represents the entire ecosystem coming together to work to create a better, more privacy-conscious internet across devices and platforms. We’re excited to see the ID scale and grow further."

About ucfunnel

ucfunnel, a global Smart Media programmatic solution provider, helps media and publishers leverage content and generate value by strategically showcasing their inventory across devices, especially in the Smart Media ecosystem. ucfunnel has established end-to-end media marketing solutions for Ad Exchange, SSP, and DMP using IAB Tech Lab certified OM SDK. This total AI solution serves up to 150 billion bid requests monthly by partnering with over 50,000 publishers across the globe, especially in the US, APAC, LATAM and MENA markets. ucfunnel teams with global buy side partners while also providing 24/7/365 technical and business support to grow with them across devices and ad formats. The variety of offerings includes Web, App, DOOH, IoT, OTT, STB, CTV, audio, standard, custom and high impact ad formats. ucfunnel operates across regions at a global scale, optimizing current products and working with partners like The Trade Desk on new product development and growing the ecosystem together. For more information, please visit https://www.ucfunnel.com.

About The Trade Desk

The Trade Desk™ is a technology company that empowers buyers of advertising. Through its self-service, cloud-based platform, ad buyers can create, manage, and optimize digital advertising campaigns across ad formats and devices. Integrations with major data, inventory, and publisher partners ensure maximum reach and decisioning capabilities, and enterprise APIs enable custom development on top of the platform. Headquartered in Ventura, CA, The Trade Desk has offices across North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific. To learn more, visit thetradedesk.com or follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

About Unified ID 2.0

Unified ID 2.0 is a next-generation identity solution that is a soon-to-be open-source digital framework. With initial development led by The Trade Desk, Unified ID 2.0 is the result of a broad collaboration of publishers, buyers and technology providers across the industry. It serves as an alternative to third-party cookies that aims to improve consumer transparency, privacy and control while preserving the value exchange of relevant advertising across channels and devices.

Prebid.org, the independent organization designed to ensure and promote fair and transparent marketplaces across the industry, has agreed to serve as operator of Unified ID 2.0. Prebid will begin this role in the second half of this year.

ucfunnel contact:
Chih-Chi Wang
pr@ucfunnel.com

SILVERCAST is Bringing the First 3D Digital Media Art WHALE to Times Square

July 16, 2021 TechENT Syndication Leave a comment

NEW YORK, July 16, 2021 — SILVERCAST Media, a premier Out of Home advertising company operating high-profile outdoor media across the United States, will be showcasing groundbreaking, first-of-its-kind, 3D digital art on SILVERCAST’s digital spectacular located in the heart of Times Square for the public to enjoy.

Appearing on SILVERCAST’s 30,000 sq. ft. iconic Times Square digital spectacular known as "Big Kahuna" will be a media art execution titled WHALE. Illuminating the pedestrian plaza, the public media art display will transform the enormous screen into a hyper-realistic, undulating ocean environment occupied by a massive blue whale. The whale is made of water and will move freely and harmoniously among the waves.

SILVERCAST will be showcasing the WHALE exhibit in Times Square from July 16 through July 26, 2021. WHALE can be seen for 60 seconds every half hour starting at 12 p.m. each day and ending at midnight. SILVERCAST’s Big Kahuna is located on Broadway, stretching a full city block from 45^th Street to 46^th Street.

SILVERCAST partnered with Seoul-based digital design company d’strict to showcase WHALE to the public. The creator of WHALE is a’strict, a media artist unit formed by d’strict. With a heightened commitment to the social functions of art, a’strict designed the project with the objective of creating spaces for rest and relaxation for a wide global audience.

Gary Grossman, Co-Founder of SILVERCAST Media, said, "We are thrilled to partner with d’strict in bringing this 3D public art creation to the world’s largest stage, Times Square. New York is thriving and we want to play a small role in encouraging New Yorkers, and those visiting, to enjoy the excitement and feel of being out on the streets of NYC."

Sean Lee, CEO of d’strict, said, "We’re in July when summer is at its peak. I hope that people will be able to blow away the heat for a while through the surreal movement of whales made of water and huge waves in Times Square, the heart of New York. Also, I’d like to thank SILVERCAST for planning this meaningful project together and for their consideration while producing the work."

About SILVERCAST Media: SILVERCAST Media is an NYC-based media company specializing in outdoor advertising in the form of premier digital and static oversized billboard spectaculars. Founded in 2016, SILVERCAST Media continues its growth with a focus on high-profile outdoor media assets in the United States.

For more information please contact Gary Grossman, Co-Founder of SILVERCAST Media at gg@silvercast.com/212-634-0982.

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PR Newswire

Atonarp announces innovative new metrology platform Aston, aimed at increasing yield, throughput, and efficiency in semiconductor manufacturing processes

July 15, 2021 TechENT Syndication Leave a comment

TOKYO, July 15, 2021 — Atonarp, a leading manufacturer of molecular sensing and diagnostics products for the semiconductor, healthcare, and pharma industries, today announced Aston, an innovative in-situ semiconductor metrology platform with an integrated plasma ionization source.

Atonarp’s Aston is an innovative in-situ semiconductor metrology platform with an integrated plasma ionization source.

Aston is a major evolution in metrology for semiconductor production processes, enabling in-situ molecular process control and allowing existing fabs to run more efficiently, driving higher output. Built from the ground up for semiconductor production, Aston is a robust platform that can replace multiple legacy tools and provide unprecedented levels of control across a comprehensive set of applications, including lithography, dielectric and conductive etch and deposition, chamber clean, chamber matching, and abatement.

"With Aston, we’ve seen unit process throughput increases exceeding 40% in certain applications – that’s a big improvement. Even a 1% improvement in overall fab throughput can add up to tens of millions of dollars a year in production for a typical fab," said Prakash Murthy, CEO, CTO, and founder of Atonarp.

"Retrofitting Aston to an existing production process tool can deliver greater throughput within just six to eight weeks, compared to up to a year when installing new production equipment," said Murthy. "This will materially help manufacturers increase their production levels and help to address the current shortage of semiconductor fab capacity."

Rapid, actionable endpoint detection (EPD) is the most efficient way to run a semiconductor tool and fab. Until now, EPD could not be deployed in many process steps because the required in-situ sensor would not survive the harsh process or chamber cleaning chemicals, or would alternatively suffer clogging from condensate deposits. Historically, fabs were forced to use a fixed time in order to ensure that a process was complete. Conversely, Aston optimizes production by detecting exactly when a process has finished, including chamber cleaning, which can reduce the required clean-time by up to 80%.

Aston is resistant to corrosive gases and gaseous contaminant condensates. It is more robust than existing solutions, featuring independent dual ionization sources – a classic electron impact ionization source and a filament-less plasma ionizer – that work reliably in the harsh conditions encountered in semiconductor production. This enables Aston to be used in-situ, in demanding environments where traditional electron ionizers would corrode and fail very rapidly.

Aston offers an interval between service events that is up to 100 times longer compared to legacy mass analyzers. It includes self-cleaning capability that eliminates the build-up resulting from the deposition of condensates present in certain processes.

Since Aston generates its own plasma, it works with or without process plasma present. This provides a clear advantage over optical emission spectroscopy metrology techniques, which require a plasma source to operate, making Aston ideal for ALD and certain metal deposition processes that may use a weak, pulsed, or no plasma for processing.

Aston also delivers improved process consistency by offering quantified, actionable, real-time data, facilitating powerful machine learning via artificial intelligence (AI) for the most demanding process applications. This is in addition to enhanced line and product yields, thanks to high accuracy, sensitivity, and repeatability for statistical analysis of real-time data and process chamber management.

Aston is primarily aimed at use with chemical vapour deposition (CVD) and etching applications, both of which are registering annual growth rates in their usage exceeding 13%. The spectrometer can either be installed within new process chambers during their assembly, or retrofitted into existing chambers already in operation.

Aston can also be used with Psi, an intelligent pressure controller developed by ATI Korea. After undergoing a comprehensive, multi-month technical feasibility evaluation, this combined solution was recently purchased by Samsung for an advanced process control application.

Aston is now available for evaluation and ordering, through either direct purchase or Atonarp’s global partner network.

About Atonarp

Atonarp is leading the digital transformation of molecular sensing and diagnostics for life sciences, pharmaceutical, and semiconductor markets. Powered by a unifying software platform and breakthrough innovations in optical and mass spectrometer technology, Atonarp products deliver real-time, actionable, comprehensive molecular profiling data. Led by a world-class team of experts in the development and commercialization of semiconductor, life sciences, and health diagnostic instruments, Atonarp has operations in Japan, the United States, and India. Learn more at https://atonarp.com.

WPI-MANA Achieves Direct Growth of Germanene, Marking Major Step for Electronic Device Fabrication

July 15, 2021 TechENT Syndication Leave a comment

TSUKUBA, Japan, July 15, 2021 — A team at WPI-MANA has succeeded in the direct growth of h-BN-capped germanene on the surface of silver Ag(111). They believe this could be a promising technique for the fabrication of germanene-based electronic devices in the future.

(Image: https://kyodonewsprwire.jp/prwfile/release/M105739/202107067300/_prw_PI1fl_nJmUwabT.jpg)

The WPI-MANA group grew the germanene at interfaces of graphene/Ag(111) and hexagonal boron nitride (h-BN)/Ag(111) by segregating germanium atoms. A simple annealing process in nitrogen (N2) or hydrogen/argon (H/Ar) at ambient pressure led to the formation of germanene, which indicated that ultrahigh-vacuum conditions are not necessary in this process. The resulting germanene was stable in air and uniform over the entire area covered with a van der Waals (vdW) material.

Germanene is one of a group of elements with two-dimensional honeycomb lattices, such as silicene, stanene and plumbene, which are collectively known as Xenes. These substances have electronic properties similar to those of graphene, including extremely high carrier mobility. In contrast to graphene, however, the honeycomb-lattice crystal structure of Xenes is not flat, but buckled, which results in their bandgaps being controllable by applying an electric field. Such bandgap controllability would provide a way to overcome the problem of gapless graphene for future electronic device applications. Thus, the utilization of Xenes in electronics is highly desirable.

In another important finding, the group discovered it was necessary to use a vdW material as a cap layer for their germanene growth method, since the use of an Al2O3 cap layer resulted in no germanene formation.

The results also prove that Raman spectroscopy in air is a powerful tool for characterizing germanene at an interface.

This research was carried out by Seiya Suzuki, ICYS Research Fellow (International Center for Young Scientists, ICYS-NAMIKI), Tomonobu Nakayama, Deputy Director (WPI-MANA) and their collaborators.

"Direct Growth of Germanene at Interfaces between Van der Waals Materials and Ag(111)"

Seiya Suzuki et al., Advanced Functional Materials (November 20, 2020)

https://doi.org/10.1002/adfm.202007038

MANA E-BULLETIN

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Accessories, Computers, Gaming, Lifestyle, News

Razer Barracuda X is Everything the Modern Gamer Needs

July 15, 2021 Darwin Sucipto Leave a comment

Wires are a pain to deal with. While the world of electronics has given us amazing things like the television, video games, smartphones, and even the computer, cable management has always been the bane of electronics. You need electronics to be tethered to a wall socket at least though, for power obviously.

The advancements that made the electrical battery the technology it is today though has led to the very rapid development that is wireless technology. Things like your smartphones and laptops, and even Nintendo Switch will not happen unless there is the magical block of stuff inside your devices that is called the battery. Wireless technology has also given us wireless headphones like the new Razer Barracuda X.

While wireless technology does have its limitations in terms of certain sound qualities, battery life, and even latency, most of them has been solved and improved tremendously over the years. All that culminates in the Barracuda X that can be used in any way you can imagine, without the hassle plugging cables in and dragging your devices across the room when you need to go take a leak.

The Barracuda X is truly a versatile piece of kit. You can connect it to your PlayStation console, your PC, your smartphone, and even a Nintendo Switch at the same time. Of course, the Nintendo Switch requires a special HyperSpeed Wireless dongle that comes in the Barracuda X’s packaging.

Of course, there are a slew of cables, including USB-Type C extensions and cables for charging. Because nothing beats a wired connection in terms of sound quality and fidelity, there is a 3.5mm AUX cable included in the set too. For gaming, you get a detachable Razer HyperClear Cardioid microphone. There is a good reason why it is a detachable mic.

The Razer Barracuda X is made with not just gaming in mind. It is made for gamers to use everywhere. You can tell, because it does not feature the regular outrageous or striking look of the regular gaming headset from Razer. Gone are the green, or white, or red, or yellow accents; you do not even have RGB on the Barracuda X. It looks and feels like the more subtle OPUS headphones. It does not have the Noise Cancelling technology, but it does share the same stealth design so that you can blend in when you use it outside of home.

Hardware wise, it packs Razer’s immensely powerful TriForce drivers which measures in at 40mm. That large driver should deliver rich, clear, and detailed audio that is mostly tuned for gaming. That does not mean you cannot enjoy music with it too though. Anything designed with gaming in mind should sound good in other conditions as well, especially when the headphone is capable of producing 7.1 surround sound. The high-power delivery also ensures immersive experience with a lot of volume. That should also alleviate the lack of noise cancellation technology.

Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer
Source: Razer

At 250g, the wireless headphone is made with comfort in mind too. The lack of weight will allow you to be a lot more comfortable with the headphone in long gaming sessions and you are going to be gaming long and hard with the Barracuda X’s 20 hours of battery life. The memory foam ear cushion is designed so that it sits flush on the side of your heads and create a tight noise seal while remaining breathable. The overhead cushion is of course important in not just spreading the weight of the headphone properly, but to relief the pressure on top of your head.

The Razer Barracuda X is available now from Razer.com and authorised dealers across the nation. You can also get them from Razer’s Official Store on Shopee and Lazada. Unlike the Opus X, the Razer Barracuda X only comes in one colour option: black. At MYR 549 though, the headphone could be one of the best value for money gaming headsets from Razer. More information on the Razer Barracuda X can be found on from their website.

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