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Energy & Technology

Energy & Technology, Investment & Market Trends

SEMIFIVE Signs MOU with Atron Technologies to Collaborate on Semiconductor Design

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SEOUL: Leading design solution provider and pioneer of platform-based custom silicon solutions, SEMIFIVE signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with China-based Atron Technologies. Through the agreement, SEMIFIVE and Atron Technologies will collaborate on comprehensive semiconductor design and turnkey manufacturing, seeking potential customers in China and onsite technical support. Atron Technologies, a company specializing in high-end ASIC design solutions and turnkey services, has extensive expertise in semiconductor designs for AI/HPC, automotive, networking, and AIoT. It also has experience in 2.5D/3D IC and Chiplet designs up to 5nm for HPC applications and serves a diverse customer base in China. Specialising in SoC platform and ASIC design solutions, SEMIFIVE has been continuously expanding its global business with the establishment of a San Jose, USA office in March 2021 and a Shanghai, China office in August 2023. SEMIFIVE also aims to serve the Chinese market as the premier Design Solution Partner (DSP) for Samsung Foundry SAFETM Ecosystem. Most recently, SEMIFIVE announced the second mass production milestone of AI inference custom chip designed using its own 14nm AI SoC platform. The company also announced that the commercialization of NPU chip targeting HPC applications, using its 5nm HPC SoC platform, has started in the first half of 2024. “We look forward to working with SEMIFIVE on joint assignments in China and collaborating on joint semiconductor designs to expand our business. We believe that, together with SEMIFIVE, we can provide a complete and reliable fast-time-to-market SoC solution to customers worldwide,” said Atron Technologies CEO, Norman Zhang. Meanwhile, SEMIFIVE CEO and co-founder, Brandon Cho said, “The partnership between Atron Technologies and SEMIFIVE marks a critical juncture in the global expansion of innovations enabled by custom silicon. “Leveraging Atron Technologies’ deep experience at the very heart of digital innovation and SEMIFIVE’s proven SoC design platform, we will unlock significant value through the power of custom silicon.”

Energy & Technology, News

E-Home Household Services Holdings Ltd to Develop Its Own Service Platform Using AI

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FUZHOU: E-Home Household Services Holdings Ltd, an integrated home services provider in China, announced that eHome’s holding company, Fujian Province Chuang Ying Business Learning Technology Co., Ltd has developed its own enterprise professional skills learning platform system based on AI technology. The software system focuses on professional talent training and standardised digital construction of jobs, specialising in providing online business school solutions for enterprises, enabling enterprises to sort out their organisational structure as well as guiding and helping them to research and develop business school curriculum systems suitable for their own development. The system also comprehensively reduces the cost of talent training and management, helping enterprises and employees grow together, and providing scientific solutions for enterprise development. By relying on AI technology, the platform is able to achieve a high degree of matching the diverse requirements of the growth of enterprise employees, which can be customised to meet the needs of the growth of enterprise employees course video. This makes it the perfect combination of human resources consulting and software and big data operation through the integration of resources to provide enterprises with the optimal solution to achieve human capital. E-Home Chairman and CEO, Wenshan Xie commented, “The sustainable development of enterprises in the future is to take the cultivation of highly skilled personnel as a precursor, leading to the development of a ladder of skilled personnel. “In the next few years, China will add more than 40 million skilled personnel, skilled personnel accounted for the proportion of employed people reaching 30%.” According to Wenshan, having adequate skilled personnel can help enterprises to realise digital management, improve the efficiency and quality of service, and help enterprises towards the transformation of talent strategy.

Energy & Technology, News

Building on AI Ecosystem in Malaysia Ensures Economic Growth

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KUALA LUMPUR: Economist Geoffrey Williams believes that the call by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim to hasten the pace in building an artificial intelligence (AI) nexus is timely as any work towards this in Malaysia is currently minimal or non-existent. Williams said that such an ecosystem is vital to ensure that Malaysia cultivates an ample AI workforce and effectively stimulates economic growth in the future. He reckons that any research from Malaysia on developing AI applications is likely to be very small. He said while there was an announcement that the government would look into establishing the first AI polytechnic in the country, most universities in the country do not yet have AI as part of their programmes and research, except perhaps in specific modules in their information technology (IT) departments. “There are only ad hoc activities in AI at a relatively low level or early stage being carried out in Malaysia’s universities. There is very little research or teaching and no significant attempt to look at the potential economic impact,” he explained. Having this in mind, he suggested that local universities start adopting AI by prioritising among academicians while at the same time taking time to integrate AI into universities’ curricula, which would help build the much-needed ecosystem for such technology to succeed. However, Williams noted that academics have simply not begun this process due to many reasons. Some of the most important to include are regulations that slow down the creation of new programmes and a lack of awareness and training in AI among academics. He also stressed that the government must conduct thorough research to create policies to deal with the impact of AI so that people can thoroughly benefit from it. Besides making the call to hasten the pace for an AI nexus in the country, Anwar launched the AI Talent Roadmap 2024-2030 and the Faculty of AI and the Malaysian AI Consortium (MAIC). He said the governance of the AI ecosystem must be systematic and have professional and skilled talents with AI working with multinational corporations (MNCs) and the MAIC pursuing the growth of AI. — BERNAMA

Energy & Technology, News

Volkswagen Launches High-Speed EV Charging Network in Taiwan

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TAIPEI: Volkswagen (VW) and Noodoe celebrated the launch of VW’s high-speed electric vehicle (EV) charging network in Taiwan. “We are bringing ultra-fast charging to all brands in Taiwan, as our intention is to electrify Taiwan and serve the growing number of electric vehicle owners,” said Volkswagen Passenger Cars (Taiwan) Managing Director Steffan Knapp. Powered by Noodoe EV operating system (OS), the new charging network offers high-speed charging with an industry-leading 98% uptime, ensuring unmatched reliability. The cloud-based system controls and operates the infrastructure, automating station management, payment processing, and station repair and recovery. This streamlines the charging experience for EV drivers, making electric mobility convenient and accessible. “We chose to run our network with Noodoe EV OS because of its industry-leading uptime, ensuring the network always operates seamlessly and autonomously, providing drivers with the reliability and convenience they expect from Volkswagen,” Knapp stated. Meanwhile, Noodoe Group Chairman, John Wang said, “We are delighted to collaborate with Volkswagen in pioneering the development of high-speed EV charging infrastructure. “Drawing from our extensive experience, Noodoe is dedicated to empowering businesses worldwide to expand local EV charging markets through the development of the best EV charging operating system.” Launching this first charging station marks a significant milestone for Volkswagen’s charging network and for the country’s transition towards cleaner transportation solutions. As Volkswagen leads the way with its Noodoe-powered charging network, the stage is set for a sustainable future where electric mobility plays a central role in reducing emissions and fostering environmental stewardship. Being at the forefront the EV revolution, Noodoe is dedicated to facilitating the global transition towards sustainable transportation by creating custom-built EV OS that empowers businesses worldwide to seamlessly enter or expand in local EV charging markets. The Noodoe EV OS offers comprehensive solutions that automate and streamline EV charging operations while enhancing user experiences.

Energy & Technology, News

SPM, Tesdec Services Ink Green Energy Purchase Agreement for Solar PV Projects

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KUALA LUMPUR: System Protection & Maintenance Sdn Bhd (SPM) signed a memorandum of purchase agreement for green energy with Tesdec Services Sdn Bhd (TSSB) to develop several rooftop solar photovoltaic (PV) projects. According to SPM, this collaboration with TSSB enabled 8 PV installation projects to be implemented with a total capacity of 1,332 megawatt (MW) peak. “All the projects are under the Net Energy Metering (NEM) 3.0, government ministries and entities as well as Net Offset Virtual Aggregation (Nova) programme implemented through the solar power purchase agreement (SPPA) with the Terengganu government agency. The first SPPA was signed on 6 December 2022 for a Pesaka Terengganu Bhd project, followed by the Terengganu Skills Development Centre or Tesdec College project. Being an engineering and construction company that specialises in power plants and substations, SPM also informed that the 2 PV projects for Pesaka and Tesdec College were fully completed last year. “Both projects commenced or were operational on 3 September 2023 and 17 January 2024. The projects have generated around 270MW-hours since their commencement,” SPM said.

Energy & Technology, News

Sarawak Energy to Expand Business Beyond Borneo

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BANGKOK: Sarawak-owned electric utility company, Sarawak Energy Bhd (SEB) aims to generate 10,000 megawatts (MW) of energy by the end of 2030 and expand business beyond Borneo. Group Chief Operating Officer (COO) James Ung Sing Kwong said the state has the resources to reach the target either through hydropower, biomass, gas combined cycle power or solar plants. “After we can start planning export energy to Brunei and Sabah as well as to channel 1 gigawatt (GW) to Singapore by 2032 through a 700km submarine cable, in addition to channeling the existing 190MW to west Kalimantan,” he said. Ung revealed that SEB currently has an installed capacity of 5,625MW and is confident of achieving its target 2030. He was speaking at the Future Mobility Asia and Future LNG Asia exhibition held at Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre. Ung said SEB’s latest project is the construction of the Baleh Dam hydropower project which started in September 2018 at a cost of around RM10 billion. “Currently, the project has reached 40% and is expected to be completed by the end of 2029. It is capable of producing around 1,285MW,” he said. He explained the plan to supply energy to Singapore is underway and the response is very positive. “Both governments have agreed but now it is pending approval from the Indonesian government because the undersea cable will pass through the Indonesian sea,” he said. Meanwhile, Ung said SEB’s participation in Future Energy Asia is to promote the SEB brand as well as learn and exchange expertise on new technology with other Asian countries, especially on renewable energy. “We want to learn from our neighbouring countries, for us to know their needs and expectations,” he added. SEB is currently providing electricity to about 3 million Sarawakians in urban rural areas. — BERNAMA

Energy & Technology, News, Property

NSG BioLabs Partners With EnterpriseSG and Merck to Fuel Biotech Innovation

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SINGAPORE: NSG BioLabs announces partnerships with Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG), the Singapore government agency championing enterprise development, and Merck, a leading science and technology company, to bolster the biotech landscape by providing needed resources such as funding, expertise and networks to advance startup research and development. Being Singapore’s largest provider of biotech co-working laboratory and office space, the company also successfully concluded a US$14.5 million (RM68.6 million) financing round led by Celadon Partners, an Asian private equity firm, and ClavystBio, a life science investor and venture builder set up by Temasek to accelerate the commercialisation of breakthrough ideas to health impact. With these fresh funds, NSG BioLabs intends to enhance its products and services and introduce additional facilities to meet the growing demands of biotech startups and multinational companies in Singapore and Southeast Asia. These achievements reaffirm NSG BioLabs’ strength and expertise in providing high-quality, well-managed, and turnkey Biosafety Level 2 (BSL-2) certified laboratory and office spaces. Since 2019, NSG BioLabs has been assisting innovators in creating impactful solutions in the health, biomedical, agrifood, and industrial biotechnology sectors, working in areas such as precision medicine, nucleic acids, AI-enabled drug discovery, and synthetic biology. With the largest co-working biotech laboratory and office footprint in Singapore, coupled with extensive networks with partners, suppliers and industry experts, NSG BioLabs has helped over 40 companies as residents. The company’s residents include several multi-billion-dollar multinationals as well as many promising startups that have achieved key milestones. The startup residents alone have successfully raised nearly US$400 million (RM1.89 billion) in funding and supported hundreds of jobs. “Our partnerships with EnterpriseSG and Merck signify the importance of a collaborative spirit, and we hope to spur greater collaboration among other stakeholders to benefit the biotech industry in Singapore and the Asia Pacific region,” NSG BioLabs CEO and Founder Daphne Teo. NSG BioLabs’ renewed partnership with EnterpriseSG aims to invest in and nurture more high-potential biotech startups, in particular, expanding support for those with promising innovations in fields such as precision medicine, with the aim of fast-tracking the development and commercialisation of such deep tech solutions. “Singapore’s biotech landscape has evolved significantly, with a burgeoning community of global startups and doubled healthtech deals in 2023. EnterpriseSG will continue to work with industry partners like NSG BioLabs to drive the development of new deep tech innovations such as AI-enabled platforms and targeted therapies by providing patient capital, infrastructure and expertise. This will strengthen Singapore’s edge in precision medicine and revolutionise healthcare delivery,” said EnterpriseSG Director of Healthcare and Biomedical Dr Clarice Chen. “As the Southeast Asia biotech sector experiences tremendous growth driven by healthcare needs, we are confident that NSG BioLabs’ innovative co-working model can offer compelling solutions for biotech startups and companies across the region. NSG BioLabs’ dedication to empowering companies to fast-track their research and development efforts is commendable,” said Donald Tang, Managing Partner at Celadon Partners. To further enable its residents to develop, grow and scale-up, NSG BioLabs has secured a partnership with Merck to provide its residents with special terms for Merck’s reagents, and equipment in life sciences. The partnership also includes preferential access to biopharma processing expertise and consultation for scaling-up production.

Energy & Technology, Investment & Market Trends

Computime Enters EV Charger Market in Hong Kong Through Strategic Partnerships

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HONG KONG: Technology brand and manufacturing solutions provider, Computime Group Ltd ventures in the electric vehicle (EV) charger market through collaboration with key charge point operators (CPOs) among the Hong Kong EV charging service industry. This move signifies the company’s first stride into the fast-growing Hong Kong EV charger market. The CPOs hold a commanding lead in Hong Kong’s market share, primarily serving key public facilities, shopping malls and residential estates. Having that in mind, Computime will tailor and customise EV chargers to meet diverse needs and applications. In the initial phase, over 100 units will be deployed within public facilities on Hong Kong Island. Following that, Computime targets to supply more than 2,000 EV chargers. The collaboration with key CPOs has made the company’s EV chargers accessible to the Hong Kong market, which also marks the official launch of Computime’s own EV chargers made for commercial use. The EV chargers to be supplied are based on the VERDI EV Charger model, which was honoured with the prestigious Red Dot Design Award for Product Design in 2023. The chargers, offering personalised connection options, provide flexibility for various use-case scenarios, meeting the demanding needs for fast-charging solutions among local users in Hong Kong. Computime Group Chairman, CEO and Executive Director, Auyang Pak Hong Bernard said, “As a company rooted in Hong Kong, we are eager to deliver an excellent charging experience to local users. Our partnership with Hong Kong’s key CPOs enables direct engagement with users and the delivery of smart and advanced solutions, showcasing our dedication to promoting smart and sustainable living. Additionally, Hong also mentioned that the company is looking forward to strengthening the collaborations and drive innovation in eco-friendly products tailored for Computime’s customers in Hong Kong. “Hong Kong marks the beginning of our journey, and our sights are set on a broader horizon. We aim to expand into overseas markets in the next quarter. “As we look to the future, we plan to seize the opportunities presented by globalisation to introduce our products to a wider market and contribute to global advancements in green technology,” he added.

Energy & Technology, Investment & Market Trends

Digital Banks Won’t Disturb Business For Traditional Banks, Says Expert

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KUALA LUMPUR: The emergence of digital banks in Malaysia does not significantly impact traditional banks, primarily due to their limited ability to achieve rapid growth within the initial years of operation. S&P Global Ratings Senior Analyst of Financial Institution Ratings in South and Southeast Asia (SSEA), Sue Ong said that the five digital banking licences issued by the Bank Negara Malaysia (BNM) in 2022 do not seem to be a game changer for now. “There are a couple of licensing requirements by BNM and the main one is that digital banking players need to serve the underbanked or unbanked population. “Malaysia already has a very high banking penetration rate at more than 90% (of the population) and these are served by the traditional Malaysian banks,” she said during a webinar themed ‘Key Credit Risks For Malaysian Banks and Economic Outlook’. BNM also requires digital banks to cap their assets at RM3 billion within the first 3 to 5 years of their operation. “This means that digital banks are unable to grow very quickly within the first few years. This will be a very small share of the total asset size of the Malaysian banking sector,” she pointed out. Meanwhile, Ong said that potential competition may come from promotional campaigns during the launch of digital banks since they could attract customers with appealing deposit offers. “But it is uncertain whether these deposits will remain steady once the promotions end, as it remains to be tested against the traditional banks’ deposit base,” she said. She also noted that traditional banks have stepped up their efforts and significantly enhanced their digital services offerings, focusing on improving user experience through mobile banking applications to compete with digital banks’ offerings. “They have introduced numerous new digital products tailored for small and medium enterprises (SMEs) and micro SMEs, which are very similar to those by digital banks,” she added. — BERNAMA

Energy & Technology, Investment & Market Trends

Sime Darby Expands Into Green Industrial Parks, Renewable Energy Market

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KUALA LUMPUR: Sime Darby Plantation Bhd (SD Plantation) plans to expand its offering by participating in the proposed Kerian Integrated Green Industrial Park (KIGIP), an initiative driven by the federal government in close collaboration with the Perak state government. SD Plantation Group Managing Director Datuk Mohamad Helmy Othman Basha said it intends to collaborate with its largest shareholder Permodalan Nasional Bhd (PNB) in this 1,000-acre (404.68 ha) development, strategically located in SD Plantation’s Tali Ayer Estate in Perak. “A joint proposal was submitted to the Ministry of Investment, Trade and Industry (MITI) in February,” he said. SD Plantation said it plans to capitalise on its vast landbank in Malaysia to create a lucrative and sustainable revenue stream. KIGIP, conceptualised to attract green electrical and electronics (E&E) investments into the country, was announced by the government in Budget 2024. “The plan also involves the establishment of 660 acres (267.09ha) of solar farms as the principal green energy source for the area, designed to attract semiconductors and E&E investments, 2 of the fastest growing sectors in the global economy,” he said. He added that the decision to actively participate in the KIGIP development is an important milestone for the company as it ventures into the natural adjacency of plantation companies. KIGIP would have easy access to the North-South Expressway providing essential connectivity with major logistics hubs such as airports and sea ports, making it attractive for potential tenants and investors. The main industrial zone would cover 404.69ha in what is currently SD Plantation’s Tali Ayer Estate in Kerian. Conceptually, about 67% of the main zone would comprise industrial areas while the balance of the development will house other infrastructure such as commercial and residential facilities, as well as utilities, amenities and large green spaces. Future phases of the development would progress upon completion of its first phase. “By collaborating in such projects, instead of just signing off our land, we aim to secure more sustainable revenue streams for our shareholders,” Helmy said. The group also hold strategic landbanks in various states and active discussions are currently ongoing with several state agencies to develop the land into industrial parks. The intention is to replicate KIGIP’s green energy model where feasible. He said the group is also exploring the opportunities to develop data centres – which typically consume large amounts of energy – with its partners. — BERNAMA

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