Press Release | ASTRI - Hong Kong Applied Science And Technology Research Institute Company Limited

Delegates from Hunan Provincial Research Institute of Collaborative Innovation for Industrial Technology visit ASTRI Shenzhen office

Dr Zhiguang Zhou (3^rd from left), Director of Talent and Platform Construction Department, Hunan Provincial Research Institute of Collaborative Innovation for Industrial Technology led the delegation to visit ASTRI Shenzhen office on 21 July 2017. Dr James Lei (2^nd from right), Acting Director, Intelligent Software and Systems of ASTRI and Ms Tina Yang (1^st from left), Director, Business Development of ASTRI welcomed the delegation. They exchanged views on the future collaboration of Hunan Provincial Department of Science & Technology, Hunan Provincial Research Institute of Collaborative Innovation for Industrial Technology and ASTRI.

Delegation from GHB, Thailand’s leading mortgage lender, visits ASTRI

Over 50 representatives from the Government Housing Bank of Thailand (GHB) visited ASTRI on Wednesday, 19 July 2017. The delegation was led by Mr Chatchai Boromthongchum (6^th from left of the 1^st row), Vice President Learning Development Division, and Dr Pavinee Manwan (4^th from left of the 1^st row), the Bank’s Project Advisor and Assistant Professor of Chulalongkorn Business School. Dr Justin Chuang (7^th from left of the 2^nd row) – Vice President of Next Generation Network, Ms Eunice Cheng (2^nd from left of the 2^nd row) – Director of Public Affairs, and Dr Ryan Chung (1^st from left of the 2^nd row) – Director of Business Development welcomed the delegation on behalf of ASTRI.

The GHB representatives went through briefing sessions and presentations on ASTRI’s R&D strategy and latest innovation project, focusing particularly on Financial Technologies (FinTech) and Smart City initiatives. Dr Ryan Chung discussed some of ASTRI’s flagship FinTech initiatives including Blockchain, Big Data Analytics and Cybersecurity. The discussion on Blockchain-based tools for property valuation and customer identity management was a lively and interactive one. Afterwards, Mr Joseph Ng – Senior Manager for Cybersecurity presented an overview of the activities of ASTRI Security Lab (ASL) and Cyber Range.

The team saw video demonstrations of ASTRI’s Internet of Vehicles (IoV) Management Platform as well as the Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) system’s real-life deployment. The session was facilitated by Mr Vincent Wong – Manager for Next Generation Network Solutions, and also included an overview of ASTRI’s other smart city initiatives.

GHB is a state-owned and one of the oldest financial institutions in the Kingdom of Thailand. Pursuing a vision of becoming the “Best Housing Solutions Bank” in Thailand, GHB focuses on “good governance, innovation in operations, value from teamwork, and excellent customer service”.

ASTRI pursues a collaborative strategy in its FinTech R&D, focusing on various elements within the ecosystem – from regulators to financial institutions to service providers. While the application and engagement of its FinTech solutions are primarily geared towards Hong Kong and the Mainland, ASTRI also attaches great importance to regional collaborations. As a significant player in the Belt and Road sphere, Thailand is one of the most important economies in Southeast Asia with strong trading partnership with both Hong Kong and the Mainland. GHB has been the third financial services institution from the country to be in contact with ASTRI over the past 12 months after the Electronic Transactions Authority of Thailand and the Bank of Thailand.

Mr Terence Cheung, Manager of Business Development, ASTRI presents the live demonstrations on face recognition technology

Chinese University of Hong Kong arranges participants from KCC Elite Development Programme for the New Century to visit ASTRI

Coordinated by Chinese University of Hong Kong, a group of participants from Kowloon Chamber of Commerce (KCC) Elite Development Programme for the New Century visited ASTRI on 17 Jul 2017. Ms Eunice Cheng (1^st from left of 2^nd row), Director, Public Affairs of ASTRI and Mr Vincent Hou (1^st from right of 3^rd row), Manager, Next Generation Network Solutions of ASTRI welcomed the participants. They understood more about the developments in ASTRI and experienced live demonstrations on R&D projects including smart investment platform, blockchain technology and biometric authentication etc.

Delegates from Bahrain Economic Development Board visit ASTRI

Mr John Kilmartin (3^rd from right), Executive Director, ICT Business Development of Bahrain Economic Development Board, led the delegation to visit ASTRI on 14 July 2017. The delegation was welcomed by Dr Justin Chuang (Middle), Vice President, Next Generation Network of ASTRI. They understood more about the latest developments in ASTRI and experienced live demonstrations on R&D projects including Biometric authentication, cybersecurity and next generation network etc.

Wing Han Education Foundation arranges students from Father Cucchiara Memorial School to visit ASTRI

Coordinated by the Wing Han Education Foundation, around 50 students together with their teachers from Father Cucchiara Memorial School visited ASTRI on 13 July 2017. They understood more about the latest developments in ASTRI. When the live demonstration session got started, students were excited about it and participated actively. They experienced the live demonstrations on a number of ASTRI’s R&D projects, including artificial intelligence on Chinese character recognition system, biometrics authentication and spectacles-free 3D display etc.

Students participate actively in the visit

R&D expert gives live demonstrations to students

Urban Renewal Authority delegation visits ASTRI

A delegation from the Urban Renewal Authority (URA), led by Mr Herman Fung Wan-yeung (5th from right), Head of Conservation Portfolio, visited ASTRI on 10 July 2017. The delegation was welcomed by Dr MeiKei Ieong (5th from left), ASTRI’s Chief Technology Officer. The URA team met ASTRI’s R&D experts and exchanged ideas and experiences. They also discussed collaboration opportunities in Smart City development.

Delegates from PI Electronics visit ASTRI

Mr Joseph Ho Kwok-pun (Middle), Managing Director, PI Electronics (H.K.) Ltd. and Dr David Young Ka-keung (right), Consultant, PI Electronics (H.K.) Ltd. visited ASTRI on 7 July 2017 and met Dr John Koo (left), Director of Cyber-Physical Systems of ASTRI. They discussed about the usage and application of Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) for improving productivity of manufacturing processes in Smart Factory.

Swiss University Students learn About ASTRI, watch C-V2X Demo

Over 30 students from different Swiss universities, accompanied by three professors, learnt about ASTRI’s R&D strategy, latest innovation projects, and viewed a detailed presentation on its Smart Mobility initiative on Tuesday, 4 July 2017. The session was part of a three-day entrepreneurial training under the ‘InnoKick Summer Academy @HKSTP’ hosted by Hong Kong Science Park.

Mr Vincent Hou – Manager, Next Generation Network Solutions met the students at the Idea Lab in Science Park. He presented an overview of ASTRI’s Smart Mobility initiative; and discussed the approach undertaken by the recently formed Smart Mobility Consortium where ASTRI partners with Hong Kong Telecom (HKT) and Huawei. The students watched a video recording of the consortium’s live demonstration at the Intelligent Transportation System (ITS) Asia-Pacific Forum 2017. At the Forum, ASTRI showcased a ‘connected car’ navigating through different traffic scenarios using Cellular Vehicle-to-Everything (C-V2X) technology.

The presentation was followed by a lively interaction, with students asking many questions on ASTRI’s R&D projects, trends and challenges in Smart City development, and the overall technology scene of Greater China.

Photo shows the representatives of ASTRI in a group photo with Mr Patrick Albert (2^nd from right of the front row), Professor Rectorate HES-SO and the attendees.

ASTRI marks breakthroughs in IC technologies through national level R&D in the last five years

[Hong Kong, 4 July 2017] The 8th Management Committee Meeting of the first ever Hong Kong Branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre (CNERC) – set up at the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) premises – took place on 3 July 2017. The meeting, hosted in the Chinese city of Nanjing, was an opportunity to discuss the progress in R&D achievements, ITF project fund, industry income, patent, standardisation, future directions, technology roadmap and collaborations. It was chaired by Mr Sunny Lee, Chairman of the Management Committee; member of the ASTRTI Board of Directors; and Vice President (Administration) of the City University of Hong Kong.

The CNERC branch was set up in 2012 dedicated to application specific integrated circuit (IC) systems. Over the years, leveraging the mandate of the CNERC Hong Kong Branch, ASTRI has developed a number of advanced and innovative solutions in various areas including Narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), ultra-high-definition and 3D conversion video technologies, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) solutions, power electronics modules, packaging and on-chip electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection circuits.

The Branch is a significant contributor to the global 3^rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) NB-IoT standard development, and promotes the overall NB-IoT ecosystem development. It has also worked with leading organisations like CEVA, Keysight, and Huawei. Its achievements in video technologies include Deep Convolutional Neural Network (DCNN) image processing accelerator developed; ‘glass-free 3D image processing’ demonstrated at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) 2017 in partnership with Marvel Digital; Joint R&D Lab on ultra-high-definition television technology with the Chinese Academy of Broadcasting Science; and a partnership with AccoreSys to develop face recognition solutions based on artificial intelligence.

ASTRI has received official recognition from China Advanced Semiconductor Industry Innovation Alliance (CASA) and the IEEE International Technology Roadmap for Wide Bandgap Semiconductors (ITRW). R&D work in high-power electronic modules has seen strong collaboration between ASTRI and several companies such as CETC, CSSC, H3C, Guangdong Rising Assets Management, CRRC, CSG, Huawei, Infineon, ZTE, China Southern Airlines, BYD and CLP Group. Development of advanced wide bandgap semiconductors, fully moulded 3D integrated structure, world-class integrated power modules etc are among the key achievements in this field.

A major milestone for ASTRI was the establishment of the Advanced Packaging Technologies Consortium (APTC) in 2006. Led by ASTRI, the Consortium has over 60 members from R&D and academic communities, as well as industrial sectors including foundries, packaging subcontractors, materials & equipment manufacturers, IDMs, design houses, and testing services. It promotes innovation and developments in packaging technology through participation in international forums, and spearheads the elevation of China’s packaging sectors to the most advanced global standards.

Dr Meikei Ieong, Chief Technology Officer of ASTRI said, “The CNERC Branch in ASTRI focuses on delivering cost-effective solutions for cutting-edge products and applications – enabling companies to offer the most sophisticated devices and interfaces to consumers. The Branch plays its part in developing innovative technologies that benefit enterprises in Hong Kong, the Mainland, and beyond.”

[Photo caption] Participants in the meeting included Mr Sunny Lee (4^th from left), Chairman of the Management Committee; member of ASTRI Board of Directors; and Vice President (Administration) of the City University of Hong Kong; Professor Longxing Shi (3^rd from left), Director of CNERC for ASIC System; Mr Vincent Tang (5^th from right), Assistant Commissioner (Infrastructure and Quality Services) of the Innovation and Technology Commission; Dr Davy Lo (5^th from left), Member of ASTRI Board of Directors; Mr Chuck Cheng (4^th from right), CEO and President of AppoTech Ltd., Member of ASTRI Board of Directors; Mr Bill Zhang, Senior Director, Mixed Signal Systems IC of ASTRI; and Mr YK Li, Senior Director, Advanced Digital Systems of ASTRI.

About ASTRI

Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) was founded by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region in 2000 with the mission of enhancing Hong Kong’s competitiveness in technology-based industries through applied research. ASTRI’s core R&D competences in various areas are organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Communications Technologies, Electronics Components, Mixed Signal Systems IC, Advanced Digital Systems, Opto-electronics, Security and Data Sciences, and Intelligent Software and Systems. Five areas of applications including financial technologies, intelligent manufacturing, next generation network, health technologies, and smart city are identified for major pursuit.

In 2006, ASTRI was designated as the Hong Kong Research and Development Centre for Information and Communications Technologies by the Innovation and Technology Commission. In 2012, ASTRI was given an approval from the Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST) under the Central Government’s State Council to establish the first Hong Kong Branch of Chinese National Engineering Research Centre (CNERC) for Application Specific Integrated Circuit System in collaboration with Southeast University (SEU) in Nanjing.

Please visit www.astri.org for more information about ASTRI.

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Ms Cherry Au Tel : (852) 3406 2993 Email : [email protected]

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Nantong Research Institute for Advanced Communication Technologies Partners with ASTRI for 4G and 5G Base-station Technologies

The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and Nantong Research Institute for Advanced Communication Technologies (NTACT) signed an agreement on 27 June 2017 in Nantong, China, paving the way for further collaborations in 4G and 5G base-station technologies.

Dr Justin Chuang, ASTRI’s Vice President of Next Generation Network, and Professor Ning Ge, NTACT’s Associate Dean, officiated at the collaboration agreement signing. Witnesses to the ceremony included from NTACT Professor Zhihua Bao – Executive Dean and General Manager, Professor Chen Xu – Associate Dean; from Tsinghua University Professor Zuyao Ni; and from ASTRI Dr Eric Tsang – Director, and Dr Elaine Zhang, – Senior Manager.

This collaboration agreement follows through from the establishment of the ASTRI – NTITI (NTACT) Joint Laboratory in September 2016. According to this agreement, ASTRI will license 4G and 5G Cloud-RAN base-station technologies to NTACT to develop commercial wireless communication networking systems, which will be applied in wide-coverage wireless broadband and cooperative communications, including satellite communications, offshore broadband services, as well as broadband private networks used by government and commercial entities.

Dr Justin Chuang commented that “ASTRI considers it a privilege to partner with NTACT. Together, we will promote R&D and new applications of the next-generation wireless network, including the advanced radio access and core network technologies.” He believes that exciting breakthroughs from this partnership “will facilitate the development of the entire industry.”

Professor Ning Ge said, “NTACT is very pleased to have a sound partnership with ASTRI. We look forward to having a prolific and innovative R&D endeavour enabling development of the next generation wireless networking systems including coordinated satellite-terrestrial mobile networks and wide-area coverage broadband communications.”

Prof Ning Ge (1^st row, left), Associate Dean of NTACT and Dr Justin Chuang (1^st row, right) Vice President, Next Generation Network of ASTRI sign the agreement with the witness of representatives from NTACT, Tsinghua University, and ASTRI. 2^nd row from left to right: Prof Chen Xu, Associate Dean of NTACT, Prof Zhihua Bao, Executive Dean and General Manager of NTACT, Dr Eric Tsang, Director of ASTRI, Prof Zuyao Ni, Professor of Tsinghua University, and Dr Elaine Zhang, Senior Manager of ASTRI.

Prof Ning Ge (1^st from the left row back of left photo), Associate Dean of NTACT and Dr Eric Tsang (1^st from the right row front of right photo), Director of ASTRI, introduce the collaboration between ASTRI and NTACT.

ASTRI representatives visit NTACT.