Press Release

[Hong Kong, 9 November 2022] The Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (“ASTRI”) today announced the establishment of the “Microelectronics Technology Consortium (METC)”, with the aim of building a microelectronics and semiconductor technology ecosystem, and providing a top-notch regional and world-renowned platform for microelectronics technology and product development. Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ms. Rebecca Pun Ting-ting, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology, as well as high-end experts and key enterprise representatives from academic and microelectronics sectors got together to witness the establishment of METC.

Ir. Sunny Lee, Board Chairman of ASTRI said, “The establishment of ‘Microelectronics Technology Consortium (METC)’ today signifies another important milestone for ASTRI. It requires innovation and determination to carry out basic research starting from ‘0 to 1’; however, to achieve ‘1 to N’, a staunch support from all walks of life is necessary to foster in-depth integration of the science, technology and industry, so as to achieve a vitalised microelectronics ecosystem. METC will play a role as a bridge to connect the academic community with the industry, dedicated to facilitating the re-industrialisation in Hong Kong, directing a new way of development for the industry, academia and research institutes, and continuously making contributions to the transformation of Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology hub.”

Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI said, “The development of the microelectronics industry will expand the local re-industrialisation talent pool and inject new impetus into Industry 4.0 and the business community with the aim to enhance the competitiveness of Hong Kong. ASTRI has been conducting R&D in 3D integrated chips, the third-generation semiconductors and low-power wireless connection chips for a decade. We have extensive experience in the operation and management of public platforms and pilot lines, talent support, and technology and product commercialisation, which are widely recognised by the industry and academia. We also as have a number of outstanding credentials in industrialisation and commercialisation. We expect the establishment of METC is able to consolidate resources in Hong Kong to promote the commercialisation of technologies and products, nurture local talents, foster international cooperation, expand the Greater Bay Area (GBA) market, and provide strong support to Hong Kong’s re-industrialisation and transform the city into an innovation and technology hub.”

Establish a Microelectronics Technology Consortium to promote the development of the regional ecosystem and lead the innovation frontier

The Hong Kong Government is determined to develop high-tech industries, aiming to make Hong Kong into an international innovation and technology centre. In recent years, it has earmarked billions of funds to support local re-industrialisation. Semiconductor technology is the core of the entire manufacturing industry. By taking the advantages of the current technological upgrading and rearrangement of the global industrial chain, METC is established at the right time to enable support units to deeply understand and maintain close ties with stakeholders on microelectronics solutions, knowledge transfer and collaboration opportunities, so as to lead and enhance the cross-industry platform for the development of microelectronics industry in Hong Kong from an international perspective.

The development of microelectronics ecosystem requires various stakeholders to maintain close ties and foster cooperation in order to accelerate the integration of Hong Kong into the national development. Led by ASTRI, METC is supported by the leading organisations from the industry and academia including Federation of Hong Kong Industries, AAC Technologies, ASMPT Hong Kong, Marvel Digital AI Limited, SPES Electronics Limited, the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, City University of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and the University of Hong Kong. METC aims to stimulate innovative R&D, promote technological cooperation amongst the industries, research institutes and academia, attract research institutes and enterprises from GBA, the Mainland and around the world to set up their branches in Hong Kong and expand the paths for local talents, so as to achieve a vibrant microelectronics ecosystem, and make continuous contributions to Hong Kong to make it become an international innovation and technology hub.

The strategies of METC to promote regional integration and create strong competitive microelectronics innovation including:

• Consolidate resources to boost commercialisation
  METC will make use of the pilot line to be established, and cooperate with various research institutes in Hong Kong, GBA and overseas to fully integrate existing R&D resources (such as personnel, equipment) and achievements (patents), and centralise resources to develop technologies required for industrialisation, so as to accelerate the process of product marketization.
• Leverage strengths to scale up collaborative innovation
  To achieve the goals of application in large enterprises, METC will use the commercialisation model and the concept of collaborative innovation, and effectively integrate various local and overseas resources to form an entire industry chain of “Material-Equipment-Epitaxy-Device-Chip-Package-Module-System” to jointly secure the market share of 3D small chip and the third-generation semiconductor sectors in emerging markets.

ASTRI has over 10 years of experience in microelectronics R&D. Since 2006, ASTRI has formed a multinational technical team to take the lead in conducting 3D integration technology research in Greater China, and participated in the direction planning of key national special projects. In 2012, the Hong Kong Branch of the Chinese National Engineering Research Centre for Application Specific Integrated Circuits (CNERC) was established with the approval from the State Ministry of Science and Technology, and operated by ASTRI. Since then, ASTRI has committed to promoting the development of microelectronics technology industry in Hong Kong, and has conducted R&D, engineering transformation and talent training in three directions, namely 3D integrated chips, third-generation semiconductors and low-power wireless connection chips. In 2016, ASTRI presided over the formulation of China’s Third-Generation Semiconductor Power Electronics Roadmap 2035, and represented China to participate in the formulation of the IEEE International Technology Roadmap to connect extensively with the academia and industry around the globe. ASTRI has also won about 40 technology awards in Hong Kong and overseas, including the First-class Prize of the 2020 State Scientific and Technological Progress Award (3D Integration Technology in Microelectronics).

(From left) Prof. Martin Wong, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK; Prof. Tony Feng, CityU; Prof. Philip Chan, PolyU; Mr. Peter Ng, Vice President, ASMPT HK;
Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Ir. Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, ASTRI Board Chairman; Mr. Steve Chuang, Executive Deputy Chairman, FHKI; Mr. Richard Mok, Executive Director, AAC; Prof. Tim Cheng, HKUST; Prof. David Srolovitz, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, HKU; Dr. Daniel Shi, ASTRI Vice President, Integrated Circuits and Systems

(Front row: form left) Prof. Martin Wong, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, CUHK; Prof. Tony Feng, CityU; Prof. Philip Chan, PolyU; Mr. Peter Ng, Vice President, ASMPT HK; Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Ir. Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, ASTRI Board Chairman; Mr. Steve Chuang, Executive Deputy Chairman, FHKI; Mr. Richard Mok, Executive Director, AAC; Prof. Tim Cheng, HKUST; Prof. David Srolovitz, Dean, Faculty of Engineering, HKU

(2nd row: form left) Dr. Daniel Shi, ASTRI Vice President, Integrated Circuits and Systems; ASTRI Board of Director Dr. Alfred Ng; ASTRI Board of Director Mr. Felix Chow; ASTRI Board of Director Mr. Stephen Ho; Legislative Council Member Mr. Duncan Chiu; Legislative Council Member Mr. Erik Yim; ASTRI Board of Director Prof. Chan Chun-Kwong; ASTRI Board of Director Mr. Edmund Lee; ASTRI Board of Director Mr. Wilfred Wong, BBS, JP

(Front row: form left) Mr. Peter Ng, Vice President, ASMPT HK; Dr. Daniel Yip, Deputy Chairman, VTC, JP; Mr. Steve Chuang, Executive Deputy Chairman, FHKI; Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Ir. Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, ASTRI Board Chairman; Dr. Jonathan Choi, GBM, GBS, BBS, JP, Chairman of CGCC; Dr. Dennis Ng, SBS, BBS MH, Permanent Honorary President, CMA; Mr. Calvin Chau, President, HKGCSMB; Mr. Chen Ying, Chairman of the Board and CEO of China Resources.

(2nd row: form left) Dr. Daniel Shi, ASTRI Vice President, Integrated Circuits and Systems; Ms. Natasha Ho, President, CRECCHKI; Dr. Charleston Sin, Executive Director, MIT Hong Kong Innovation Node; Mr. Dennis Wu, Founder, Founding President, GBACAN; Dr. Ieong MeiKei, Chairman, Simbury Ltd; Ir. Dr. John Hui, Director, Professional & Career Development, FHKCS; Prof. Thomas Wong, Founding President, IISD; Prof. Norman Tien, HKU; Prof. Benny Zee, CUHK; Ms. Fan Ho, General Manager, Lenovo Hong Kong & Macao; Mr. Wilson Chong, Chairman, IOTHK; Mr. Ken Chan, Chairman, Hong Kong Technology Innovation Research and Development Company Limited; Mr. Ping Wong, Chairman, HKACB

(From left) Dr. Alfred Ng, General Committee, Vice Chairman of Innovation and Technology Development Committee, FHKI; Mr. Peter Shum, General Committee, Vice Chairman of Innovation and Technology Development Committee, FHKI; Ms. Bonnie Chan, Director- General, FHKI; Dr. Daniel Yip, Deputy Chairman, VTC, JP; Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Ir. Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, ASTRI Board Chairman; Dr. Daniel Shi, ASTRI Vice President, Integrated Circuits and Systems; Mr. Steve Chuang, Executive Deputy Chairman, FHKI; Mr. Anthony Lam, Executive Deputy Chairman, FHKI; Mr. Ricky Chan, Executive Deputy Chairman, FHKI; Mr. Bernie Ting, Deputy Chairman, FHKI

(From left) Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Ir. Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, ASTRI Board Chairman; Dr. Daniel Shi, ASTRI Vice President, Integrated Circuits and Systems; Mr. Peter Ng, Vice President, ASMPT HK

(From left) Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Ir. Sunny Lee, BBS JP, ASTRI Board Chairman; Dr. Daniel Shi, ASTRI Vice President, Integrated Circuits and Systems; Dr. Herbert Lee, Chairman, Marvel Digital AI Limited; Dr. Patrick Ma, CEO, Marvel Digital AI Limited

(From left) Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer; Ms. Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Prof. Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry; Ir. Sunny Lee, BBS JP, ASTRI Board Chairman; Dr. Daniel Shi, ASTRI Vice President, Integrated Circuits and Systems; Dr. Man Ming, CEO, SPES Electronic Limited

[Hong Kong, 4 November, 2022] n-hop technologies Limited, founded by Professor Raymond Yeung, has currently partnered with Hong Kong’s largest government founded R&D company Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (“ASTRI”) to jointly implement and leverage BATS code based solution to enhance the performance of Integrated Access & Backhaul (“IAB”) network deployed in the latest 5G. This can help optimise 5G IAB scenarios, greatly increase network transmission rate, and reduce distortion caused by data loss, which in turn will accelerate the advent of smart cities. This technology commercialisation collaboration among ASTRI, university and local startup is another success case of the cooperation among government, industry, academia, and research institutes. It also echoes with the Government’s policy agenda in 2022 to enhance Hong Kong’s 5G infrastructure by encouraging early deployment of 5G technology in various industries for improving efficiency, productivity and service quality.

BATS is a must for smart cities

Modern people has long been inseparable from mobile network technology in their advanced lifestyle, being actively engaged in online video conferences, watching Korean dramas, smart entertainment devices, shopping and express delivery to mobile app communication and video calls, etc., during which mobile network technology support is necessary for most of the time. However, during the transmission through network, we will encounter severe data loss, leading to intermittent picture, disconnection, “pixelated images” (unsmooth picture) or delay. Therefore, a communication network with low latency and high throughput is becoming increasingly important and crucial to the development of smart cities.

The network coding theory was put forward by Professor Raymond Yeung as early as 2000. It has been offered as postgraduate courses by universities around the globe. Prof. Yeung has received numerous awards for his research contributions. In particular, he was awarded in 2021 the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal, one of the highest awards in the electrical engineering discipline, and in 2022 the Claude E. Shannon Award, the highest honor in the field of information theory. After over 10 years of research, Professor Raymond Yeung, Professor Yang Shenghao and their scientific research team have successfully developed the network coding technology BATS, which simplifies the encoding and decoding procedures, and replaces the router with an encoder to send the “credentials” of the information rather than the entire one, making network communication more efficient, reliable, stable and secure. Compared with traditional linear networks, BATS can enhance the transmission rate by over 10 times.

Named n-hop technologies to demonstrate the advantages of BATS

Professor Raymond Yeung, Professor Yang Shenghao and Mr. Stephen Ho Wai-chung are the founders of n-hop technologies. Mr Ho has 38 years of extensive experience in the information and communication technology industry, during which he has served as the Chief Executive Officer of a major corporation in the industry for 18 years who fully promotes the development of information and communication technology. They gave the name n-hop technologies to their company, as the name itself suggests, to imply the pros of BATS: the transmitted information remains intact after passing through a large number of wireless links.

BATS makes 5G technology even more powerful

Leveraging the maturity and popularization of the 5th generation mobile communication technology (“5G”), the application performance of the patented BATS makes 5G technology even more powerful. The current communication technology solutions have their own shortcomings, including the need to dig roads for laying optical fiber networks, which is time-consuming and costly; while wireless communication networks, such as WiFi, LoRa, NB-IoT, etc., have slow data transmission speeds and low efficiency. If BATS is used with the 5G IAB application mode, it can be applied to 5G base station networks or other broadband wireless backhaul networks, in which a few 5G base stations are connected to the 5G main network by optical fibers, information can be inter-exchanged among other 5G base stations by leveraging the functional advantages of BATS. Thus, a 5G communication network with low latency, high transmission efficiency, and improved economic benefits can be established.

Cross-collaboration among government, industry, academia and research institutes to promote Hong Kong R&D results transfer

The Government has been promoting cooperation among the government, industry, academic and research sectors, and has established various funding schemes and platforms under the Innovation and Technology Fund (ITF) for cooperation. Benefited from the Government’s funding schemes under ITF, including the “Research Talent Hub (RTH)”, “Technology Start-up Support Scheme for Universities (TSSSU)”, etc., the collaboration between ASTRI and n-hop technologies deepens the integration of innovations and creates synergy through leveraging ASTRI’s cutting-edge 5G solutions and the patented BATS technology of n-hop technologies and The Chinese University of Hong Kong, achieving the ultimate goal of technology transfer.

As a pioneer in the R&D of 5G technology, ASTRI has partnered with n-hop technologies to improve communication technology. Ir. Sunny Lee, Chairman of ASTRI, said: “Policy Address 2022 has addressed to develop 5G infrastructure and encourage early deployment of 5G technology across different industries to accommodate smart city application. ASTRI fully supports the initiative and facilitates the government to strengthen Hong Kong as a regional communications hub. We are actively collaborating with industry partners like n-hop technologies to develop innovative 5G base station solutions, including integrating BATS coding technologies, and enable commercialisation of ‘Made in Hong Kong’ technologies including ASTRI and university R&D results, and promote more cooperation among ASTRI, Hong Kong universities, and local startups to thrive the I&T ecosystem.”

Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, feels particularly delighted with this collaboration: “As an R&D Centre for Information and Communications Technologies designated by the Innovation and Technology Commission, ASTRI has spared no effort in the development of communications technology in Hong Kong over the years. By leveraging our ability to master 5G technology and to build 5G base stations, and incorporating the network coding technology BATS developed by Professor Raymond Yeung, we believe that Hong Kong will lead the global development and become internationally renowned in the related fields in the near future. This is also in line with ASTRI’s vision to fully support local universities in technology commercialisation. Transitioning the technologies from the research lab to the marketplace is crucial for our Smart City development and betterment where innovations will be turned into real services and products that will eventually satisfy our needs. With ASTRI’s 22-year experience in commercialisation, we will definitely add value and confidence to our university projects.”

Mr. Stephen Ho said: “We are very excited to have the opportunity to work with ASTRI, a world class application research institute to work towards applying our BATS technology into the 5G Integrated Access and Backhaul (IAB) cellular Standard. The BATS enabled IAB standard will be instrumental for 5G base station densification, it not only provides flexibility and rapid deployment capability of base stations, the use of multi-hop wireless backhaul also enable mobile service operators to save substantial cost of implementing and/or leasing fiber connectivity. The technology facilitates the realization of densification, and 5G eco-system players will be able to introduce more innovative applications that have insatiable demand on bandwidth capacity soon”.

Professor Raymond Yeung expressed that: “I am delighted to see the collaboration with ASTRI, which has one of the strongest research teams on 5G. I believe that the ASTRI and n-hop teams complement each other very well. In this project, we will jointly develop a new technology based upon the award-winning research of my team, namely network coding, that aims to revolutionize the information communication protocol in 5G IAB.”

BATS communication technology improves our living and save our lives

So far, there are 11 BATS-related patented technologies with a wide range of applications, such as the application of BATS to satellite communications to cooperate with the development of aerospace technology; the application of the technology to the underwater sonar transmission network to monitor the operation of underwater infrastructure projects so as to overcome barriers in ocean data transmission; building an aerial wireless network in remote mountainous areas using hot air balloons, or using an aerial camera in disaster areas to transmit on-site data in real time so as to assist in emergency rescue. Meanwhile, Professor Raymond Yeung and his team are preparing to apply to the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (“IEEE”), an international authoritative organization for engineering, to include BATS in the coding standard for international communication, hoping to further popularize the application of BATS and benefit the society.

(From left) Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, Ir. Sunny Lee, Chairman of ASTRI,
Prof. Raymond Yeung, Co-founder & Director, n-hop technologies, Mr. Stephen Ho, Co-founder & CEO, n-hop technologies

(From left) Mr. Walter Tsui, Principle Engineer, Communications Technologies of ASTRI,
Dr. Eddy Chiu, Director, Communications Technologies of ASTRI, Dr. Justin Chuang, Vice President, Communications Technologies of ASTRI, Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI,
Ir. Sunny Lee, Chairman of ASTRI, Prof. Raymond Yeung, Co-founder & Director, n-hop technologies,
Mr. Stephen Ho, Co-founder & CEO, n-hop technologies, Prof. John Zao, Co-founder & Senior Consultant, n-hop technologies, Dr. Mehrdad Tahernia, CTO, n-hop technologies, Mr. Kent Hou, Director of Business Development, n-hop technologies

[Hong Kong, 26 October 2022] ASTRI and Deloitte announced a new cooperation in the form of The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). The MoU formalises the mutual interaction and strengthens the existing relationship between ASTRI and Deloitte to foster long-term joint efforts developing the technology ecosystem via technology research, technology commercialisation, talent development and marketing initiatives.

Technology Research and Commercialization
ASTRI and Deloitte would engage in joint research projects and maximise the usage of ASTRI’s existing intellectual property (IP) where deemed appropriate.

Also, leveraging Deloitte’s extensive experience and expertise in local and global business environment, leading industry trends, as well as digital strategy and operation, Deloitte will participate as a system integrator for ASTRI’s research and development projects with ASTRI’s expert background technology support where deemed compatible and appropriate.

Talent Development and Marketing Initiatives
From talent development to marketplace program, ASTRI and Deloitte share a common vision to cultivate FinTech talents in Hong Kong and promote cross-disciplinary collaborations and exchanges to build a strong Fintech ecosystem.

The rising demand for FinTech professionals in day-to-day business, many organizations today need to be future-ready and equip more young talents with a wide range of skills and knowledge, from technology to business, and from strategy to regulations.

ASTRI will support Deloitte by providing technical training to Deloitte’s young talents; while Deloitte will support ASTRI with FinTech professional trainers for the FinTech talent nurturing programme initiated by the City University of Hong Kong on their FinTech Olympiad 2023 where ASTRI is appointed as the strategic partner of the event.

The upcoming the Insurer of the Future Summit 2022 also marks the beginning of ASTRI and Deloitte’s partnership in a series of FinTech marketing activities. Starting in November 2022, Deloitte will act as a significant partner organization for ASTRI in a series of FinTech related marketing and promotion activities for a period of 2 years.

Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI is excited about the collaboration, “This is a long-term commitment. By deepening our collaboration with Deloitte, we are taking another major step in developing the technology ecosystem. Our common goal is to further strengthen our competitiveness through leveraging each other’s competencies and experience. We look forward to creating remarkable impact from this collaboration in the near future.”

Deloitte China’s Southern Region Managing Partner Mr Edward Au commented, “Closer, cross-disciplinary collaborations within the FinTech ecosystem play a significant role to support the fast-growing industry, which is key to reimagine financial services and maintain Hong Kong’s status as an international financial center. As part of Deloitte’s INspire HK strategy, this partnership demonstrates our deep commitment to support Hong Kong’s financial industry and FinTech innovation.”

Mr Alan Cheung, Senior Director, Trust and AI Technologies of ASTRI and Mr Robert Lui, Deloitte China Government Affairs Southern Region Leader added, ASTRI and Deloitte share the same aspiration to empower the next FinTech generation and make strategic impacts to Hong Kong and the world. With this long-term strategic collaboration, we look forward to further facilitating knowledge transfer and accelerating technological innovation within the thriving innovation and technology ecosystem of Hong Kong.

[Las Vegas, USA, 28 September 2022] Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute Company Limited (ASTRI), and Astella Technologies Limited (Astella) collaborate with 5G industry leaders to deliver a live, 5G end-to-end demonstration of 5G integrated small cells at the MWC Las Vegas 2022, being held in Las Vegas from 28 September to 30 September 2022.

The demonstration showcases the 5G Integrated Small Cell (ISC) connected with a commercial Customer Premises Equipment (CPE) for live data streaming. The 5G integrated small cell operates at the 26GHz mmWave carrier frequency with 400MHz carrier bandwidth in a Non-Standalone Architecture (NSA) 5G network.

The end to end 5G mmWave network consists of building blocks from O-RAN ecosystem collaborators. In particular,

• Core network and MEC
  • ASTRI’s high performance core network and Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC). Its fully standard compliant core network and MEC technologies have been commercially verified, and provide a reliable, secure, ultra-low latency, high performance, zero-touch deployment network ready for enterprise and commercial markets.
• 5G ISC
  • NXP® Semiconductors’ integrated small cell hardware platform featuring the company’s Layerscape® Access LA1200 family of programmable baseband processors, along with its high-performance Arm®-based multicore communications processing platform (LX2160).
  • ASTELLA 5G mmWave ISC software which consists of high-performance high PHY and low PHY software with Digital Front-End (DFE), rooted by ASTRI 5G technologies and further enhanced for commercial deployments.
  • 5G mmWave Front End Module (FEM) developed by YTTEK based on the Anokiwave RFICs that supports 2T2R and 400MHz system bandwidth.
• 5G NSA CPE
  • Commercial CPE supporting 5G NSA network.

The 5G ISC is operated at 26GHz carrier frequency with 120KHz subcarrier spacing and is configured in 2 transmit and 2 receive (2T2R) with aggregations of 100MHz component carriers to support 400MHz system bandwidth. The demonstration shows the dual connectivity in a 5G NSA network, running live data streaming traffic and achieving over gigabit per second system throughput.

Astella 5G ISC supports both indoor and outdoor deployments of 5G networks in sub-6 or mmWave frequency bands. It also supports open interfaces and measurements from the layers in low PHY and high PHY for 5G intelligent application usages. Astella 5G solutions are cost competitive and industrial-grade O-RAN networking solution based on general purpose processing platforms. They have been deployed in commercial public networks, private networks, industrial internet of things (IoT) networks, 5G mission critical communication networks etc.

Dr Justin Chuang, VP of Communications Technologies of ASTRI, said “ASTRI is delighted to join hands with our collaborators to showcase our latest 5G technologies. Ranging from 5G O-RAN base stations, core networks, MEC and orchestrator, ASTRI’s technologies have been licensed to multiple industry partners to enable and accelerate the commercialization. MWC provides a good platform for us to promote technologies and reach-out for collaboration. We look forward to work with the eco-system to develop more market-needed technologies and enable a wider range of emerging applications such as smart cities, industrial IoT, C-V2X, AR/VR etc.”

Dr Eric Tsang, CEO of Astella Technologies Limited, said “Astella is pleased to collaborate with all the 5G industry leaders to offer commercial ready, cost competitive and high performance 5G solutions. We have strong commitments to accelerate our customers to have quick time to market 5G solutions.”

ASTRI and Astella demonstrates the live end-to-end system of the 5G integrated small cells in the event. Please email us at [email protected] to schedule physical or virtual meetings with ASTRI and Astella.

[Hong Kong, 27 September 2022] Today marks a special day for the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and the C-V2X development. To fully align with the “Smart Mobility”, one of the initiatives in the “Smart City Blueprint 2.0” published by HKSAR Government, ASTRI has conducted the R&D of C-V2X technology since 2015, and kicked off the world’s largest C-V2X public road test in Hong Kong in 2021. In July this year, ASTRI partnered with Lenovo to carry out the second phase of C-V2X public road tests by leveraging high-speed, reliable and low-latency 5G network technology, and recently established a cooperation with Shenzhen SmartCity Technology Development Group (Shenzhen SmartCity) to release the connectivity roadmap for C-V2X platform crossing the border of the two cities.

To further expedite the integration of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), ASTRI signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Shenzhen SmartCity today, 27 September. Under the agreement, ASTRI will conduct the research on key technologies of connectivity of smart transportation in the Greater Bay Area, R&D, design, standardization and testing of C-V2X application in Hong Kong, as well as research on the big data connectivity standards and security system; meanwhile, Shenzhen SmartCity Group will mainly conduct researches on the infrastructure of C-V2X in dominating urban cities scenarios, as well as R&D, design, standardization and testing of C-V2X application in Shenzhen.

ASTRI and Shenzhen SmartCity will collaborate to release the connectivity roadmap in Greater Bay Area, and plan to launch the Shenzhen-Hong Kong Shenzhen-Hong Kong C-V2X I&T Corridor in 2022-2023, carry out connectivity tests and scale applications in specific scenarios, as well as study and develop standard system, technical innovation, smart infrastructure, application service and other systems for connectivity, with an aim to complete the overall design, verification and implementation of C-V2X connectivity, as well as application design, implementation and verification of autonomous driving across the Greater Bay Area, including the establishment of a demonstration area in the border area of Hong Kong and Shenzhen during the “14th Five-Year Plan” period, that is by 2025. The roadmap will further outline C-V2X connectivity with Macau, Guangzhou and other places. ASTRI and Shenzhen SmartCity are looking forward to achieving the vision and goal of the coordinated development of smart transportation in the Greater Bay Area in 2035 to create an IoE Greater Bay Area and secure safer and more efficient Mobility as a Service for citizens.

Ir Sunny Lee, Wai-kwong, BBS, JP, the Board Chairman of ASTRI said, “The collaboration between ASTRI and Shenzhen SmartCity will improve C-V2X technology and expand the room for further cooperation in R&D of C-V2X, with an aim to facilitate the mobility for citizens in both cities, enable them to experience the benefits brought to their daily life by smart city and innovation technology. Furthermore, this project can drive the development of commercial transaction between the cities, promote the long-term development strategy of the GBA and coordinate among other cities in this area, so as to enhance synergy effect in terms of manpower, capital and R&D, take advantage of perspective advantages and integrate into the national development by providing unique R&D conditions.”

Dr Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI said, “ASTRI’s C-V2X technology has gone beyond the wall of laboratory long ago. After years of testing on public roads, it has been a sophisticated technology that can bring benefits to the application, including effectively improve the driving safety. To further meet the full-scenario application requirements of autonomous driving and C-V2X functions, in the second phase of C-V2X, the real-time and data load capacity will be greatly improved, adding more testing elements, such as public transportation vehicles and application, to achieve a new level of smart operation and coordination and build up a solid foundation for the development of smart city in the further.”

Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry

Ir Sunny Lee Wai-kwong, BBS, JP, Board Chairman of ASTRI

Dr Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI (left) and Dr. Xiaochun Zhang, Chairman of Shenzhen SmartCity Technology Development Group Co., Ltd.

“2022 Shenzhen-Hong Kong C-V2X I&T Corridor” Press Conference – Kick Off Ceremony include
(in front of the screen from left) Mr Su, Dongzhe Chief Engineer, V2X System, ASTRI, Ms Fan Ho, Chief of Staff, Lenovo Central Asia Pacific and General Manager, Hong Kong and Macau, Lenovo, Mr Ken Wong, Executive Vice President and President, Lenovo Solutions & Services Group, Dr Denis Yip is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of ASTRI, Rebecca Pun Ting-ting Director of the Innovation and Technology Commission, Professor Sun Dong, JP, Secretary for Innovation, Technology and Industry, Ir Sunny Lee Wai-kwong, BBS, JP Board Chairman of ASTRI, Mr Stephen Ho Wai-chung Board Directors of ASTRI, Mr Edmund Lee Chi-wai Board Directors of ASTRI and Mr Fan Shijun, Chief Technologist, NSOFT, Communications Technologies of ASTRI,
And Remote Distance Participants (Upper of the Screen) Mr Feng Li, Deputy General Manager of Shenzhen SmartCity Communication Co., Ltd., Mr Yang Peng, vice president of Ant Group, Mr Huaping Chen, Deputy Director-general of Shenzhen Bureau of Industry and Information Technology (Member of Party Group of Shenzhen Bureau of Industry and Information Technology), Mr Hongbo Zheng, Member of the Standing Committee of the Shenzhen Municipal Committee, Dr Youming Wang, Secretary of Party Group of Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee, Director of Shenzhen Science and Technology Innovation Committee, Dr Xiaochun Zhang, Chairman of Shenzhen SmartCity Technology Development Group Co., Ltd., Dr Xin Zhang, Head of Technical Quality Department of Shenzhen SmartCity Technology Development Group Co., Ltd.
And (Bottom of the Screen) Mr LIU Maozhou, Inspector of the Department of Educational, Scientific and Technological Affairs of the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in the HKSAR.

[Hong Kong, 25 September 2022] The Hong Kong SAR government has outlined a clear direction and goals for the future development of innovation and technology (I&T) in Hong Kong, leading Hong Kong to become an international I&T center. The Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) expects to maintain close connection with the academic community and work together to consolidate the upstream competitiveness, vitalize the enthusiasm and initiative of transferring R&D results of the University to applied scenarios, and accelerate the process of implementation and industrialization.

ASTRI and the Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU) signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on “Fostering University Cooperation in Technology Transfer” on 22 September to jointly create a new era of smart living and cross-disciplinary technological development. The extended cooperation covers the areas of smart traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) service system, pharmaceutical R&D, Artech, Fintech, as well as interdisciplinary research and its application, so as to promote technology innovation and transfer. ASTRI, HKBU and its affiliated institutions will jointly develop a number of cooperation models for R&D, including cutting-edge technologies such as AI and big data analysis, as well as intellectual property management and commercialization.

Witnessed by Ir Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, Chairman of ASTRI Board of Directors, and Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU, the MoU was signed by Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI and Professor Terence Lau, Interim Chief Innovation Officer of HKBU on behalf of both parties on the campus of HKBU. Under the agreement, ASTRI and HKBU will enhance collaborative research and promote the transfer and commercialization of technology results. They will also stipulate their respective intellectual property rights and ownership of R&D results, so as to promote the commercialization of collaborative R&D or projects implemented by both parties or affiliated institutions of HKBU. In addition, the partnership aims to reduce the R&D time, improve the utilization of resources and accelerate the application of R&D results.

Ir Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, Chairman of ASTRI Board of Directors said, “Nearly 100 R&D projects are conducted every year in ASTRI with an ultimate goal of realizing commercialization. University is our significantly important I&T partner, and we proactively partner with HKBU to build a R&D commercialization platform, promote mutual cooperation in an all-round way, enhance synergy in talents, resources, R&D, etc. Leveraging on perspective advantages, together we can create unique R&D conditions in key areas such as pharmaceutical R&D, AI and Fintech, so as to seize the new opportunities in the I&T era.”

Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU said, “Transfer of research outcomes is the third mission of universities. HKBU has identified three focused research areas including Creative Media and Practice, Health and Drug Discovery, and Data Analytics and Artificial Intelligence. The University has also established six interdisciplinary research laboratories to allow all faculties and departments to fully unleash their areas of excellence, stimulate intellectual interaction on common topics, explore and discover new cutting-edge technologies, and provide solutions to cope with challenges in society. The collaboration between HKBU and ASTRI provides ample opportunities for knowledge transfer of these technologies. I hope that both parties can continue to cooperate in different areas, such as art tech, smart traditional Chinese medicine and smart society.”

ASTRI and HKBU will cooperate on a project basis to deepen their mutual vision of technology exchange and development. This include the determination of the contribution of each stakeholder in the development of R&D results, as well as the ownership, funding arrangements, project implementation responsibilities and intellectual property protection of R&D results of relevant joint projects. This will enable both partners to explore opportunities for technology commercialization with the intellectual property owned by both parties. It will also ensure that local R&D can be effectively turned into applied technologies and enlarge the production capacity.

(From left) Professor Terence Lau, Interim Chief Innovation Officer of HKBU; Professor Alexander Wai, President and Vice-Chancellor of HKBU; Ir Sunny Lee, Chairman of ASTRI Board of Directors; and Dr Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI attend the “Fostering University Cooperation in Technology Transfer” MoU signing ceremony.

[Hong Kong, 19 September 2022] The shortage of local scientific and technological talents has long existed, but in recent years, there has been an urgent need for “implementation” of R&D and innovation, and people from all walks of life are proactive to encourage students who are interested in I&T to embark on the R&D road. As a part of the I&T community, the Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) and the University of Hong Kong (HKU), the oldest higher education institution in Hong Kong, agree that it is necessary to enhance close cooperation in research and technology transfer, and strive to nurture new R&D talents in the future.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) is signed today by Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, and Professor Max Shen Zuojun, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU on behalf of both parties. Under the agreement, ASTRI and HKU will determine their respective intellectual property rights and ownership of R&D results, so as to facilitate the commercialization of joint R&D or implementation projects under the jurisdiction of both parties or affiliated institutions of HKU, shorten the research time of joint R&D projects, and effectively make use of resources to improve and increase the implementation of R&D results.
ASTRI and HKU will cooperate on project basis to promote the exchange and development vision between them, including the determination of the contribution of each stakeholder in the development of R&D results, as well as the ownership, funding arrangements, project implementation responsibilities and intellectual property protection of R&D results of relevant joint projects, so as to explore opportunities for technology commercialization with the intellectual property owned by both parties, and make the implementation and mass production of local R&D more effective.

ASTRI and HKU are cooperating to focus on and make good use of resources to improve the R&D quality, accelerate and improve the commercialization process, bring more practical technologies to the government, industry and society, and support Hong Kong to become a world-class smart city.

Dr. Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer of ASTRI, said, “In recent years, the SAR Government has invested a lot of resources to support the development of I&T and encourage youngsters to embark on the R&D road. The collaboration between ASTRI and HKU this time is providing a better platform for aspirants. We allocate more resources to promote I&T and build Hong Kong into an I&T hub in the Asia-Pacific region.”

Professor Max Shen Zuojun, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU, said, “I am delighted that HKU and ASTRI have signed the MOU. I believe that the in-depth cooperation between HKU and ASTRI will effectively combine the cross-disciplinary R&D strengths of both parties, seize more opportunities for technology transfer and commercialization of results, and nurture R&D talents in Hong Kong, which will be of great benefit to the development of I&T in Hong Kong and the entire region.”

(left) Dr. Denis Yip, ASTRI Chief Executive Officer
(right) Professor Max Shen Zuojun, Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of HKU

[Hong Kong, 15 September 2022] With the vision of Hong Kong developing into an international innovation and technology (I&T) hub, there will be a huge demand for R&D talents. In order to become a part of this new generation of I&T talents, it is crucial for young people to equip themselves with academic qualifications and professional recognitions, as well as to accumulate work experience to meet the job requirements in research and development (R&D).

To provide workplace learning opportunities for more young people who are eager to develop their future career in the technology sector, the Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI) signed a MOU with Vocational Training Council (VTC) today (15 September). Under this MoU, they will jointly design brand-new professional diploma programmes in Microelectronics and Communications Technologies, aiming to nurture a pool of talents that matches with what the industry needs in response to the huge surge of demand for tech-ready talents brought by the development in smart products, Internet of Things (IoT), and big data. Besides, ASTRI will join the VTC Earn & Learn scheme as an employer. The scheme spans across four semesters for students taking Higher Diploma programmes from the Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE), a member institution of VTC. During the new academic year, participating students will receive on-the-job training under the guidance from ASTRI’s experienced R&D staff, gaining hands-on experience in the industry, while receiving classroom learning provided by the school. Young people will be able to enhance their capabilities in research and development in terms of work experience and academic knowledge through the scheme, which also allows them to realise their potentials.

Societal needs towards various kinds of technology have been increasing day by day. Creativity and passion from young people have always brought new impetus to R&D sector. This collaboration between ASTRI and VTC happens with the hope of discovering more new blood to I&T sector in Hong Kong and nurturing a new generation of professional R&D talents, so as to expand the local I&T talent pool, provide the research and commercial sector with greater momentum, and keep enhancing the competitiveness of Hong Kong.

As the new academic year begins, the first batch of VTC students will be joining ASTRI’s four Technology Divisions, including Trust and AI Technologies, Communications Technologies, IoT Sensing and AI Technologies, and Integrated Circuits and Systems. With ASTRI’s strong atmosphere in research and development, students will learn about I&T development in Hong Kong through hands-on experience, which would deepen their understanding of R&D work, helping them to make good preparation for future studies or career. Participants will receive a basic monthly salary not less than $9,000 and an average of $2,500 government allowance. The total monthly income will be above $10,000. Participants will also receive an additional subsidy of $30,800 upon completion of the programme.

ASTRI Chairman Ir Sunny Lee Wai-Kwong, BBS, JP, said, “This collaboration sets a new milestone for ASTRI in training the new generation of R&D talents. Young people are an important drive for innovation. We, ASTRI, as the most structured technology research institute in Hong Kong, look forward to seeing the trainees joining our team. We hope that they would enrich our creativity, learn all that they can and make contribution to support Hong Kong in becoming an international I&T hub.”

ASTRI Chief Executive Officer Dr Denis Yip, emphasised the importance of continual cultivation of talents, and said, “It is our pleasure to be able to collaborate with VTC. To support Hong Kong in becoming an international I&T hub, first and foremost, there needs to be a huge amount of talents with various skillsets in order to cope with future demands in R&D. ASTRI joins VTC’s training and support scheme for the first time, aiming to encourage trainees with passion to get to know about their own strengths and realise their potentials. Upon graduation, they could either choose to become professional staff members or to further study. The scheme is good for both trainees themselves and the industry.”

VTC Chairman Mr Tony Tai, JP noted in his speech, “The VTC offers quality vocational and professional education and training (VPET) to help young people and in-service practitioners acquire industry-relevant knowledge and applied skills for professional development. To meet the demand for tech-savvy talents, the VTC has incorporated I&T elements into the curriculum, enhanced teaching and learning facilities, and more importantly, provided students with workplace learning opportunities to build a talent pool conversant with applied skills. We are delighted to sign the MoU with ASTRI today to leverage the strengths of both sides and work together to nurture I&T talents.

VTC Executive Director Mr Donald Tong, GBS said, “We thank ASTRI for supporting the VTC Earn & Learn Scheme, providing our IVE Higher Diploma students with the chance to receive on-the-job training and learn cutting-edge applied technologies at ASTRI under the coaching of scientific research experts while learning tech-related knowledge at VTC.”

Ir Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, Chairman, ASTRI

Mr Tony Tai, JP, Chairman, VTC

(Front row, from left) Dr Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer, ASTRI; Mr Donald Tong, GBS, Executive Director, VTC
(Back row, from left) Ir Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, Chairman, ASTRI; Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Mr Tony Tai, JP, Chairman, VTC

(From left) Mr Stephen Ho, Board of director, ASTRI; Dr Denis Yip, Chief Executive Officer, ASTRI; Ir Sunny Lee, BBS, JP, Chairman, ASTRI; Ms Rebecca Pun, JP, Commissioner for Innovation and Technology; Mr Tony Tai, JP, Chairman of VTC; Dr Daniel Yip, JP, Deputy Chairman, VTC; Mr Donald Tong, GBS, Executive Director, VTC