Energy & Technology

SINGAPORE: Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Chairman of the National Research Foundation NRF, Heng Swee Keat outlined an investment of close to S$300 million into Singapore’s National Quantum Strategy (NQS) to advance the country’s growing quantum industry. The investment will strengthen the nation’s position as a leading hub in the development and deployment of quantum technologies over the next five years. DPM Heng also launched the Green Data Centre (DC) Roadmap to guide digital sustainability and chart green growth pathways for DCs, supporting AI and computing developments. For AI, DPM Heng announced the release of the Model AI Governance Framework (Generative AI), as well as the development of the Digital Forum for Small States (DFOSS) AI Governance Playbook with Rwanda to advance AI safety. The NQS will focus on four funding initiatives, namely: The Centre for Quantum Technologies (CQT), a research centre of excellence hosted by the National University of Singapore, will be elevated to a flagship national research centre. New National Quantum Sensor Programme established under Quantum Engineering Programme 3.0 (QEP 3.0) while existing national-level quantum programmes will enhance their current suite of capabilities to meet industry needs. New National Quantum Processor Initiative (NQPI) set up to enable Singapore to design and build its own practical quantum processor. The National Quantum Scholarships Scheme (NQSS) will be launched to develop Singapore’s talent pipeline in quantum research & development (R&D). Senior Minister of State for Communications and Information, Dr Janil Puthucheary shared how Singapore is taking the lead in ensuring the long-term sustainable growth of DCs with the Green DC Roadmap, which aims to provide at least 300 megawatts of additional capacity in the near term, with much more through green energy deployments. The additional capacity is aimed at seeding innovative ways to accelerate energy efficiency, as well as hybrid ways to unlock further capacity through green energy. The roadmap also outlines IMDA’s plans to partner with the industry to push boundaries and accelerate DC sustainability on two fronts: Accelerate DC’s energy efficiency at hardware and software levels and allow industry and end-users to put in place best-in-class technologies to maximise efficiency, capacity and economic potential. Accelerate DCs’ use of green energy to expand capacity, and explore how we can deploy this at scale over time to maximise space for continued DCs’ growth. Singapore has been actively contributing to global AI safety discussions through initiatives and the Model AI Governance Framework (Gen AI) is the first comprehensive framework that consolidates global conversation AI governance. Additionally, the finalised framework will be mapped to international AI principles such as the G7 Hiroshima Principles for interoperability.

HO CHI MINH: Masan High-Tech Materials Group announced the signing of definitive agreements with Mitsubishi Materials Corporation Group, which includes MMC Group that will acquire 100% of HC Starck Holding (Germany) GmbH from MHT Group for an equity purchase price of US$134.5 million (RM633.09 million). The parties will enter into a long-term, win-win APT and tungsten oxide offtake agreement, where Masan will retain its ownership in Nyobolt, a fast-charging tungsten and niobium-based battery technology company based in the United Kingdom. Masan will also retain potential monetary upside from the future commercialisation of black mass recycling technology developed by HCS. Transaction proceeds will be used to reduce MHT’s outstanding debt balance, consistent with Masan Group’s target to reduce net debt to its earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) to below 3.5 times. Masan is expected to report a one-time profit gain of approximately US$40 million (RM188.28 million) as a result of the transaction and benefit from long-term net profit after tax uplift of US$20-30 million (RM94-141 million). Meanwhile, in July 2023, Nyobolt unveiled an EV concept with a 6-minute charging time and has signed head terms with two major commercial customers. There is also a monetary upside for Masan as Nyobolt starts to commercialise its innovative tungsten-niobium battery technology. MHT Chief Executive Officer of Masan Group and Chairman, Danny Le commented, “We will focus on rebuilding MHT to the lowest cost producer of tungsten to maximize cash flows. At the same time, we will continue to explore strategic alternatives to transform Masan Group into a consumer pure-play.” MMC Group’s acquisition of HCS plays to its strengths in the mid-stream and downstream tungsten value chain. The acquisition will provide MMC Group with access to HCS’s production hubs in Europe, North America and China as well as a comprehensive tungsten scrap recycling platform backed by proprietary intellectual property including 90 worldwide patents and another 53 patents in the application phase. The transaction also marks the next step of business cooperation between the parties, representing a unique opportunity to create an end-to-end global tungsten alliance. UBS AG Singapore Branch acted as the financial advisor to MHT. The closing of the transaction is expected by the end of 2024 and is subject to customary corporate and regulatory approvals.

TAIPEI: Primax Electronics and IAdea have announced a strategic partnership to invest in and develop cutting-edge smart meeting solutions that aims to position both companies as leaders in the smart conference ecosystem. Primax has long been dedicated to visual, audio, and interface integration technologies. With its strong manufacturing capabilities and AI development experience, the company provides customers with high-quality products. According to Frost & Sullivan’s 2024 market report, the video conferencing devices market is projected to grow at an annual rate of 16.8% to reach US$7.7 billion (RM36.25 billion) by 2028. As businesses increasingly seek to enhance meeting efficiency and reduce costs, new market opportunities will emerge through the integration of artificial intelligence, big data, and cloud computing in smart meeting management. IAdea focuses on smart workplace system integration and product development. Its cloud-based smart meeting device management (MDM) solution enables IT administrators to remotely manage, monitor, and troubleshoot devices via a centralized platform. IAdea’s security-enhanced embedded platforms benefit businesses by improving device manageability, extending equipment lifespan, and reducing IT management and deployment costs. Primax specialises in the development and manufacturing of visual, audio, and interface integration technologies. Through continuous innovation and R&D efforts, Primax applies its advanced technologies to a range of audio and video conferencing products, ensuring high-quality meeting solutions that meet customer demands for top-tier performance and reliability. IAdea and Primax are committed to infusing more innovation and value into smart meeting solutions. IAdea Co-Founder and CEO John Wang stated, “In the post-pandemic era, businesses face numerous challenges introduced by flexible work arrangements. “We are excited to combine IAdea’s expertise in smart workplace AIoT and cloud platforms with Primax’s leading manufacturing capabilities and audio/visual/interface technologies to launch smart meeting products with cloud-based management and security features,” he said, highlighting that it will add tremendous value to Taiwan’s electronic industry and allow the partnership to tap into emerging market opportunities. Meanwhile, Primax Senior Director, Janet Wang said, “Primax is committed to providing customers with a one-stop integrated video conferencing solution. Through advanced manufacturing and a professional R&D team, combined with IAdea’s cloud management system, we are creating an integrated video conferencing solution from the cloud to the edge to meet various customer needs.”

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.”