A delegation of China Advanced Semiconductor Industry Innovation Alliance (CASA) led by its Chairperson Ms Wu Ling visited ASTRI on 29 October 2018. Ms Wu was accompanied by Mr Liu Zhiming, Deputy Inspector, Department of Education, Scientific and Technological Affairs, Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR. Mr Hugh Chow, Chief Executive Officer, Dr Meikei Ieong, Chief Technology Officer, and Dr Daniel Shi, Senior Director, Electronics Components welcomed the delegates to ASTRI premises.
During the visit, Ms Wu discussed the development of China’s semiconductor industry in the past decade including the establishment of CASA three years ago, as well as the recent launch of China’s 3rd generation semiconductor power electronics roadmap (ITRW), of which ASTRI has taken part in the development process. Ms Wu also talked about China’s vision for future development of the 3rd generation semiconductors.
Mr Liu Zhiming pointed out that Hong Kong can leverage its unique advantages to strengthen the R&D collaboration between Mainland and Hong Kong. The aim is to contribute to the national aspirations for a leading international position in innovation and technology. Development in the advanced semiconductors sector will be a key enabler to that.
Thanking the delegation for visiting ASTRI, Mr Hugh Chow said, “We share the strong optimism about the development prospects of China’s advanced semiconductors industry.” ASTRI, with its strengths and capabilities, “will continue to partner with CASA to contribute to the development of the industry.”
Delegation from China Advanced Semiconductor Industry Innovation Alliance visits ASTRIDelegation from China Advanced Semiconductor Industry Innovation Alliance visits ASTRIDelegation from China Advanced Semiconductor Industry Innovation Alliance visits ASTRI
Inspiring Hong Kong to a smart future, ASTRI takes part in InnoCarnival 2018 in a phenomenally festive mood
ASTRI, participating in InnoCarnival 2018 organised by the Innovation and Technology Commission of the HKSAR Government, showcased a number of smart technologies that will help transform Hong Kong into a world-class Smart City. As the largest applied R&D centre in the city, ASTRI not only innovates smart solutions that benefit Hong Kong’s economy and the communities, it also helps to inspire Hong Kong residents about the infinite power of technology in shaping our future. ASTRI has taken part in the HKSAR Government’s ‘InnoTech Month’ campaign since 2010 –InnoCarnival is part of the month-long campaign. The 2018 edition of InnoCarnival took place at Hong Kong Science Park from 3-11 November 2018. ASTRI’s pavilion showcased a number of Smart City technologies including Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X), Palm Fusion Biometric Authentication, Blockchain for financial services, Naked-eye 3D and other display technologies, Smart Pole, Narrowband Internet-of-Things (NB-IoT), Smart Parking, Smart Community, and Mixed Language Chatbot.
On the Carnival’s opening day, a number of senior officials visited ASTRI’s pavilion including Mr Paul Chan – Financial Secretary, Dr David Chung – Acting Secretary for Innovation and Technology, two members of the Legislative Council – Mr Charles Mok and Ir Dr Lo Wai-kwok, Mr Cheuk Wing-hing – Permanent Secretary for Innovation and Technology, Ms Annie Choi – Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, Mr Ivan Lee – Deputy Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, and Mr Albert Wong – Chairperson of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Mr Wong Ming-yam – Chairman, Mr Hugh Chow – Chief Executive Officer, and Dr MeiKei Ieong – Chief Technology Officer welcomed the esteemed guests to ASTRI’s pavilion and briefed them on ASTRI’s Smart City innovation endeavour.
The innovations demonstrated at ASTRI’s pavilion attracted a large number of technology enthusiasts and ordinary Hong Kongers alike – old and young, students and teachers, children and families coming in large flocks to learn about Hong Kong’s Smart City ambitions. Two on-site games – a ‘Connected Car Simulation’ experience and a ‘Match and Win’ game on ‘Smart Technologies for Smart Living’ – became instantly popular among the younger crowd. Visitors to the pavilion also showed keen interest in the Naked-eye 3D TV and ASTRI’s dynamic Smart Pole.
In addition, ASTRI has helped to inspire Hong Kong into a tech-powered future by facilitating four workshops for over 200 primary and secondary students – explaining ‘Smart City and IOT’ to the generation who will build and shape Hong Kong’s future. Meanwhile we are also facilitating two seminars each attended by around 50 people respectively on ‘Connected Cars and V2X Technology’ and ‘Multifaceted Applications of 5G’.
Sharing his experience at the Carnival, ASTRI’s CEO Mr Hugh Chow said, “It has been really marvellous to see so many kids, families, students and teachers coming to learn about ASTRI’s Smart City technologies. Together, we will build a smart future for the city we all call ‘home’.”
ASTRI remains committed to the ‘Spirit of Hong Kong, Powered by Technology’ in its innovation journey.
Inspiring Hong Kong to a smart future, ASTRI takes part in InnoCarnival 2018 in a phenomenally festive moodInspiring Hong Kong to a smart future, ASTRI takes part in InnoCarnival 2018 in a phenomenally festive moodInspiring Hong Kong to a smart future, ASTRI takes part in InnoCarnival 2018 in a phenomenally festive moodInspiring Hong Kong to a smart future, ASTRI takes part in InnoCarnival 2018 in a phenomenally festive moodInspiring Hong Kong to a smart future, ASTRI takes part in InnoCarnival 2018 in a phenomenally festive mood
ASTRI gets onboard the ‘Fun to Move@JC’ programme to cultivate students’ interest in sport with the help of technology
ASTRI recently partnered with the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC) and the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) in the ‘Fun to Move @JC’ initiative – a five-year pilot programme to develop a sustainable model that enhances primary students’ physical activity level. The programme will aim to improve the students’ efficiency and motivation in sports through creating systemic changes in their lifelong attitude and habits related to physical activities.
The ‘Fun to Move @JC’ initiative serves over 30,000 students from 35 primary schools in Hong Kong. In the long run, we hope the valuable experiences we can accumulate from this pilot could be further developed to facilitate the development of positive behavioural and psychosocial well-being of students in Hong Kong.
Fun to Move@JC was officially launched on 8 November 2018. Ms Michelle Li – Director of Leisure and Cultural Services Department of the HKSAR Government, Professor Rocky Tuan – Vice Chancellor and President of CUHK, and Mr Leong Cheung – Executive Director (Charities and Community) of HKJC officiated the launch ceremony. Mr Andy Lam – Director of Mobile and IoT Platforms, represented ASTRI in the event.
ASTRI, along with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, is one of the co-organisers of the Fun to Move@JC programme created jointly by HKJC and CUHK.
ASTRI, along with the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, is one of the co-organisers of the Fun to Move@JC programme created jointly by HKJC and CUHK.ASTRI gets onboard the ‘Fun to Move@JC’ programme to cultivate students’ interest in sport with the help of technology
Hong Kong’s first-ever Smart Open Data Advancement Consortium formed to unleash a new era of data-driven innovation
The ‘Smart Open Data Advancement Consortium’ was officially launched on 1 November 2018 during Hong Kong FinTech Week, aiming to revolutionise data-driven innovation endeavours and create tangible impact through a secure and user-friendly platform to effectively leverage open data. The Consortium’s founding members are: ASTRI, City University of Hong Kong, Deloitte, FORMS SYNTRON, JETCO and Nova Credit.
[Hong Kong, 1 November 2018] Senior executives of the founding members of the Smart Open Data Advancement Consortium, and industry representatives attended the ceremony to launch the Consortium which will bring ground-breaking improvements to various public services and commercial sectors in Hong Kong through data-driven innovation.
First of its kind in Hong Kong, the Consortium is being founded by six organisations: The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI), City University of Hong Kong, Deloitte, FORMS SYNTRON, JETCO and Nova Credit. As the membership base grows, the Consortium will strive to raise public awareness of the massive power of data, and promote cross-industry adoption of its platform to deliver maximised scale and impact. Targeting digital-savvy businesses and professionals, the Consortium will build a trusted data ecosystem where consent-based design will ensure full information security and privacy. In addition to saving time, effort and resources to deal with data, it will also mitigate fraud risk and adopt globally accepted best-case examples.
An ecosystem-driven initiative, the Consortium will enable public sector and commercial organisations in Hong Kong – and subsequently in the Greater Bay Area – to develop and implement data-driven smart applications and services to boost productivity and enhance user satisfaction. With its human and organisation-centric approach, it will provide a secure, user-friendly platform for various sectors to unleash the full power of data in their operations and businesses. From government agencies to industry regulators, public service providers to financial institutions, academia to different business sectors – the platform will adopt a Triple Helix model. In this model of innovation, academia and R&D centres come up with technological solutions and platforms, the Government sets the regulatory and enabling framework, while the industry leverages the innovation to enhance productivity and improve customer experience.
This initiative can be extremely impactful through a robust ecosystem-wide adoption in Hong Kong. It comes at a time when the Government and the industry are actively striving for better utilisation of big data to foster economic growth and offer better services to the people. In future, the Smart Open Data Advancement Consortium can also target the huge growth potential of business and innovation in the vibrant Greater Bay Area market.
ASTRI’s R&D experts share latest developments in FinTech with ICAC professionals
ASTRI’s senior R&D experts recently facilitated in a session on FinTech organised at the Independent Commission Against Corruption (ICAC) premises. Dr Lucas Hui – Senior Director of Security and Data Science and Dr Yu Tao – Director for Data Analytics joined other industry experts to share their insights and experiences. Dr Lucas Hui discussed the application and security aspects of Blockchain technology in the financial services sector while Dr Yu Tao focused on Big Data Analytics in FinTech.
ASTRI is a pioneering FinTech R&D centre in this region specialising in sophisticated research and application development for the sector. Our FinTech experts develop solutions that leverage Blockchain and Artificial Intelligence, strengthen cybersecurity, make sense of big data, and provide valuable proofs-of-concept that benefit the entire industry.
[Hong Kong, 19 October 2018] Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI) today announced the appointment of five new Directors to its Board of Directors for a term of two years with effect from 21 October 2018. The new appointees are:
• Mr Charles Chow Sai-keung South China & Hong Kong Assurance Leader, PricewaterhouseCoopers
• Mr Steve Chuang Tzu-hsiung Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, ProVista Group
• Professor Lam Tak-wah Head, Department of Computer Science, The University of Hong Kong
• Professor Sabrina Lin Man-yee Vice-President for Institutional Advancement, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology
• Ms Ada Wong Yin-man Executive Director, Wong’s International Holdings Limited
Also with effect from 21 October 2018, the following Directors will retire from the ASTRI Board:
• Professor Roland Chin Tai-hong, BBS, JP • Mr Humphrey Choi Chor-ching, JP • Mr Tony Choi Siu-chow, JP • Mr Denis Tse Tik-yang • Mr Pindar Wong
Mr Wong Ming-yam, Chairman of ASTRI Board of Directors, welcomed the new members to the Board and expressed his confidence that “their leadership and wisdom will greatly benefit ASTRI’s innovation endeavours and help steer the Institute to achieve higher level of accomplishment.” Mr Wong added that, “It is our privilege to welcome these five highly competent and well-respected professionals joining the ASTRI Board. With their knowledge and expertise, they can help ASTRI in its mission to serve the Hong Kong industry through innovation and technology.” He also expressed his heartfelt thanks to the five retiring Directors for their valuable contributions to ASTRI.
With these changes, the composition of ASTRI Board of Directors with effect from 21 October 2018 will be as follows:
Chairman
Mr Wong Ming-yam, SBS, JP
Members (In alphabetical order according to surname)
Ms Cally Chan Shan-shan Mr Duncan Chiu Mr Charles Chow Sai-keung Mr Steve Chuang Tzu-hsiung Mr Ha Yung-kuen, BBS Mr Stephen Ho Wai-chung Mr Kwong Chi-keung, JP Ir Dr Alan Lam Hiu-fung Profr Lam Tak-wah Mr Sunny Lee Wai-kwong, JP Prof Liew Soung-chang Prof Sabrina Lin Man-yee Mr Andy Liu An-ting Dr Davy Lo Kwok-wai Ms Hera Siu Kit-wan Ms Ada Wong Yin-man Dr Archie Yeh Tsuei-chi
Official Members
Mr Cheuk Wing-hing, JP, Permanent Secretary for Innovation and Technology Ms Annie Choi Suk-han, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology
Fujian delegation led by Provincial Party Secretary Mr Yu Weiguo visits ASTRI
Fujian Provincial Party Secretary Mr Yu Weiguo, joined by Mr Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung, Secretary for Innovation and Technology of the HKSAR Government, visited ASTRI on 8 October 2018 along with some 30 Government officials from the Province. The delegation sought to understand the technological developments of ASTRI. ASTRI’s Chairman Mr Wang Ming-yam and CEO, Mr Hugh Chow welcomed the delegation at the Smart City Innovation Centre. The visitors witnessed a series of ASTRI’s latest R&D achievements.
Fujian Provincial Party Secretary Mr Yu Weiguo (Center) and the Secretary for Innovation and Technology Nicholas Yang Wei-hsiung (3rd from left) visited ASTRI. Mr Hugh Chow, CEO of ASTRI (2nd from left) and Mr Wong Ming-yam (2nd from right), Chairman of ASTRI welcomed the delegation.The delegation was impressed by ASTRI’s solutions.
ASTRI’s R&D expert shares insights on Digital Transformation at 2018 IBM AI Solution Summit
Dr T John Koo, Director of Cyber-Physical Systems of ASTRI, was invited to speak on the topic ‘Enabling Digital Transformation in Connected Manufacturing’ at the 2018 IBM AI Solution Summit held on 14 September 2018 in Shanghai, China.
Dr Koo discussed the construction of Digital Twin through using Model-Based Systems Engineering (MBSE) for enabling Digital Transformation in Connected Manufacturing.
ASTRI’s R&D expert shares insights on Digital Transformation at 2018 IBM AI Solution Summit
ASTRI demonstrates its latest technologies at PT EXPO China 2018 in Beijing
The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) is showcasing its latest technologies that deliver ‘Intelligence’, ‘Connected’ and ‘Trusted’ solutions at the PT EXPO China 2018 in Beijing. At its exhibition booth no. 4-4355, ASTRI is displaying technologies that facilitate the deployment of competitive services and innovative solutions across Hong Kong, the Great Bay Area and international markets. Among the solutions being showcased at the Expo, some selected technologies are listed below.
1. 5G Core and Edge
The advent of 5G will proliferate the markets with an infinite number of smart city and smart manufacturing applications including smart mobility, smart living, Industrial Internet-of-Things (IoT), and many more. 5G Core Network forms its critical part, with Service-based Architecture (SBA) and scalability to enable feature-rich new applications. ASTRI’s 5G Core Solution addresses:
– Connectivity: Virtual 5G Core Network Software complying with 3GPP Release 15 standards, while delivering market leading core network throughput
– Edge Computing: Enabling delay-sensitive packets and data processing at edge cloud to support applications that require low latency, such as connected vehicles
– Automation: 5G Network Orchestrator to provision network services and applications with simple, graphical user interfaces
2. 5G C-RAN base station
Utilising Centralised-Radio Access Network (C-RAN) architecture, ASTRI’s 5G base station solutions are software-based and very flexible. It is highly customisable for different requirements and evolving 5G standards. At the Expo, ASTRI and HeBei FarEast Communication (HBFEC) are jointly demonstrating the latest 3GPP Release 15-compliant 5G C-RAN base station and user equipment emulator based on off-the-shelve computer servers. The solution avoids the development cost for dedicated hardware platforms and allows centralised radio networks management through cloud-based processing. The demonstration showcases live 8K (7,680 × 4,320 pixels) Ultra-high Definition (UHD) video streaming via wideband 5G wireless data links.
3. Next Generation Broadband Trunking Communication (B-TrunC) base station for Critical Communications
LTE B-TrunC systems provide the next generation trunking air interface for bandwidth-efficient high throughput point-to-multipoint communications. This allows high throughput broadcasting services, such as video surveillance, data sharing and group video calls. This demonstration showcased HeBei FarEast Communication’s (HBFEC) commercial B-TrunC base stations powered by ASTRI’s awarding winning B-TrunC technologies which won a Gold Medal in the International Exhibition of Inventions of Geneva 2018. The demonstration showcases live wideband trunking service including group video calls to reveal the B-TrunC capabilities and applications.
4. 4G small cell technology for commercialisation
Small cell base station technologies provide simple and cost-efficient indoor coverage for public and private networks deployment. Sunnada’s commercial LTE small cell powered by ASTRI’s LTE physical layer solution was ranked no. 1 in the China Mobile 2015 small cell tendering. ASTRI’s LTE base station solutions also support LTE macro cells and C-RAN feature with different hardware platforms. This demonstration showcases a series of LTE base stations products commercialised by Sunnada.
5. AI-enabled Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) road safety and traffic management
ASTRI is at the forefront of enabling technologies for connected cars. At the recent World IoT Expo 2018, ASTRI registered a great milestone with live demonstrations of C-V2X road safety applications on the open roads in Wuxi. ASTRI has a complete C-V2X networking system which addresses perspectives of ‘car’, ‘road’ and ‘network’ ─ enabling connected cars and ensuring better road safety. It also allows transport operators or City Governments to operate the roads and highways with enhanced traffic efficiency and safety considerations.
PT EXPO is hosted by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology of the People’s Republic of China and organised by the China National Postal and Telecommunications Appliances Corporation. The Expo is being held at the China National Convention Centre from 26 to 29 September 2018.
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 competencies in various areas are organised under seven Technology Divisions, namely Communications Technologies, Electronics Components, Mixed Signal Systems IC, Advanced Digital Systems, Optoelectronics, 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. For further information about ASTRI, please visit www.astri.org.
ASTRI is displaying technologies that facilitate the deployment of competitive services and innovative solutions across Hong Kong, the Great Bay Area and international markets.B-TrunC Demo
Mr Wang Zhigang, national Minister for Science and Technology, visits ASTRI
[Hong Kong, 21 September 2018] Mr Wang Zhigang, Minister for Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China visited the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) today to understand the latest developments in its R&D endeavours as well as progress of technology commercialisation. During the visit, Mr Wang said, “Hong Kong plays a special role in the overall Innovation and Technology (I&T) development of the country. The HKSAR has an enormous potential to unleash in I&T and ASTRI, as one of the city’s most importance R&D centres, can greatly benefit Hong Kong as well as the country by transferring the fruits of innovative R&D.”
Mr Wang was particularly impressed with ASTRI’s Smart City and 5G development endeavours, as well as with the work of the CNERC Branch focusing on IC research. Located in ASTRI, the Branch was established in 2012 with approval from the Central Government’s Ministry of Science and Technology (MOST), as the first CNERC branch outside of Mainland China. The CNERC branch aims to help advance the competitiveness of China’s integrated circuit industry by driving world-class applied R&D in this sector, and by grooming talents for the industry.
He commended ASTRI’s role as a centre of excellence in driving technological innovation that is benefitting not just Hong Kong, but also the country. He pointed out the fact that an institution of ASTRI’s calibre can greatly contribute to driving innovation in science and technology, and add value to the economic and social development of the country, as the nation strives for stronger, more sustainable growth. Mr Wang emphasised that the Central Government remains fully committed to supporting Hong Kong’s I&T development as well as long-term growth and prosperity.
Commenting on the important visit, ASTRI’s CEO Mr Hugh Chow said, “The current macro-economic environment requires that the Mainland and Hong Kong strongly collaborate for new avenues of innovation-led growth, in order to drive overall national development in the new era of global economic realities.”
ASTRI’s Chairman Mr Wong Ming-yam commented that, “We are very grateful to have the honourable Minister visit us. His words of appreciation and recognition will tremendously encourage our innovation efforts. ASTRI will continue to innovate advanced technologies and solutions not only to help Hong Kong’s local development, but also to contribute nationally in the ‘Greater Bay Area’ and ‘Belt and Road’ programmes.”
Mr Wang Zhigang, Minister for Science and Technology (5th from right) of the People’s Republic of China, visited ASTRI on 21 September 2018.Mr Wang Zhigang, Minister for Science and Technology of the People’s Republic of China, visited ASTRI on 21 September 2018.
