Asia's tech news, weekly: April 2nd 2024

Australia's solar bid, Huawei EUV alternative, Korea-Japan sat-nav systems, China to cut foreign tech, HK blockchains gold, Japan-EU supply chains, Pacific Islands & Quad...

Apr 02, 2024

• Republic of Korea and European Union to collaborate on research and innovation in semiconductors, with projects set for selection in June for commencement by year-end

• China: Gov't issues procurement mandate to phase out Intel and AMD microprocessors from gov't computers and servers, alongside move to minimize use of Windows and foreign-made databases

• Australia: iLAuNCH Trailblazer initiative commissions Nikon multi-metal 3D printer to make space missions more affordable and efficient with lighter, faster and more robust aerospace components

• South Korea and Japan to collaborate on development and operation of satellite navigation systems in East Asia, looking to better enable the two systems to coexist and interoperate

"China continues to add new members to its International Lunar Research Station initiative, but many of these are subnational, suggesting issues attracting partners..."

• Indian Institute of Tech Madras partners Starburst, French aerospace and defense startup accelerator, to establish startup backed by 100M Euros to boost India's aviation, space and defense ecosystems

• China: Huawei and partner, SiCarrier, file patents for low-tech alternative way to make advanced semiconductors, potentially side-stepping the need for extreme ultraviolet lithography

• Hong Kong: HSBC now allows retail investors in Hong Kong to purchase real gold using digital ledger-based digital tokens

• South Korea's Samsung Heavy Industries inks MOU with Fortinet cybersecurity firm for wide-ranging collaboration on maritime industry cybersecurity

Video: 'Indo-Pacific economic security - Issues and strategies' from The Atlantic Council

• Australia: Stables, digital wallet and payments startup, launches international remittances powered by stablecoins, focusing on Australia-Philippines transactions

• Eliyan Corp lands $60M Series B led by Samsung with connecting architecture for semiconductor 'chiplets'

• Malaysia: BlackBerry opens Cybersecurity Center of Excellence in Kuala Lumpur, alongside Cybersecurity Curriculum offering globally-recognized courses and certifications

• Australia: An overview of the recently-announced Solar SunShot, a Au$1 billion government initiative to bring solar manufacturing back to Australia

"Taiwan is also interested in stepping into the Indian semiconductor industry because the Indian government has already announced it would cover 50% of the costs of setting up semiconductor fabs."

• New Zealand: Sandfly Security gain seed backing with focus on protecting the Linux systems underpinning critical infrastructure, and apps in robotics, edge devices, networking gear and more

• Japan: Tokyo Stock Exchange launches TSE Asia Startup Hub, aiming to be 'an ecosystem where TSE and IPO stakeholders collaborate to encourage promising Asian companies to choose TSE for IPOs'

• Australia: Diraq quantum tech firm hits milestone for spin-based quantum processors, functioning at temperatures 20 times warmer than before while holding stability and accuracy

• South Korea: Hyundai Motor Group to invest $51BN in EVs to year-end 2026, hiring 80K employees and boosting R&D on software-defined vehicles and battery technologies

• Uzbekistan Angren District Rochi Energy Storage Project breaks ground to commence construction, China's largest such energy storage investment overseas, to deploy lithium iron phosphate batteries

• Japan and European Union reportedly to enter talks on cooperation in advanced materials for next-gen chips and batteries in moves to reduce reliance on China on supply and materials

• Philippines: Binance, world's largest cryptocurrency exchange by trading volume, faces a ban in the Philippines with financial regulator blocking access due to unlicensed activities

• Australia: Cauldron Ferm fermentation foods company secures Au$9.5M Series A to build large-scale facility to manufacture high-value ingredients

"With a collective exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of over sixteen million square kilometers, the Pacific Islands occupy nearly 10 percent of the world’s maritime space..."

• Japan's Kaga Electronics' proposed Mexico factory project selected by Japanese gov't for its Indo-Pacific & Central-South America Regional Supply Chain Involvement Support Project

• Singapore: ANEXT Bank secures $148M in new funding from parent Ant Group with focus on cross-border digital banking and transactions for SMEs

• Australia: Cicada Innovations deep-tech incubator launches Cicada HealthTech Hub in Sydney, targeting health-focused pre-revenue stage startups, spinouts, research projects and more

• Hong Kong: Hang Seng Bank launches $4.2BN SME Power Up Fund to boost small business development, including cross-border opportunities in China's Greater Bay Area

• Shein, Temu and similar fast-fashion platforms hit by legislation in France over environmental impacts, potentially leading to 10-Euro fines per article of clothing sold by 2030

• New Zealand: Neocrete raises US$4M seed funding with cement-replacement additive, building R&D towards target of cement-free, zero-carbon concrete by 2027

• Malaysia Venture Capital Roadmap 2024-2030 report is now available, aiming to double the total funding value of venture capital in Malaysia's still-nascent VC industry by 2030

• Australia: AGL Energy and SunDrive Solar cells firm partner for facility feasibility study into commercial-scale solar cell manufacturing

• Australia: An intro to the Seabin, a simple world-first product aiming to clean the oceans, one marina at a time

South Korea, AI & elections: "To counter misinformation and uphold democratic fairness, the National Assembly has prohibited AI-generated deepfake content in political campaigning within 90 days of an election..."

• China: Xiaomi mobile phone maker unveils SU7 sedan, claiming better single-charge mileage than Tesla Model 3

• Japan: NTT Digital telco to launch cryptocurrency wallet by year-end, compatible with NFTs and with eyes on the gaming market, partnering with US-based NowGG platform for cloud and browser gaming

• South Korea's GLN expands QR payments to the Philippines in partnership with Asia United Bank, enabling the QRPh cross-border payment service for visitors to the Philippines

• National University of Singapore Guangzhou Research Translation & Innovation Institute opens its doors, with remit including startup incubation and promotion of entrepreneurship

• Download: 'From reactive to proactive: Japan’s advances in cybersecurity and cyber defence strategies' from India's Observer Research Foundation

• Qualcomm Vietnam Innovation Challenge 2024 unveils 10 startups selected, working on solutions in robotics, healthcare, wearable tech and more

ICYMI: SWIFT global bank messaging network plans to launch new CBDC platform in 1-2 years to connect central bank digital currencies in development to the existing finance system

• Singapore: Monetary Authority extends ban on remittances to China in light of lack of action by PRC authorities to freeze channels

• Real Madrid Next Accelerator for Asia applications close April 15th, seeking startups and innovations for partnership with the world's premier football club

• Japan: An overview of the recently-launched Tokyo Innovation Base, the city's bid to create a high-impact tech startup hub

• An intro to 3 of the startups taking part in Block Dojo Philippines Cohort 1, working on blockchain solutions in real estate, logistics and credentials

• A brief overview of emerging rivalry between India and Pakistan in the space domain

Stablecoins: A Potential Counter to De-Dollarization

• Taiwan: A look at the recent 11th Smart City Summit and Expo, touching on the use of solutions in AI, 5G, IoT and more to deliver smart infrastructure and services

• Vietnam: An interview intro to NativeX English language learning platform focusing on working professionals and targeting uptake by 10 million domestic users

• Singapore: Pyxis maritime tech startup unveils first all-electric port passenger vessel, X Tron

• Born Ready, venture arm of Futureverse platform bringing Ready Player One to the metaverse, launches Asia Pac-focused $10M Web3 ecosystem fund

• Malaysia: A brief look at the recent Cradle Open Day 2024 in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, an initiative under the Ministry of Science, Tech & Innovation Cradle Fund

• Malaysia: More on the Sabah startup ecosystem, its challenges and opportunities

• South Korea's DCamp startup ecosystem builder and Uzbekistan's IT Park discuss collaboration, investment opportunities and more

• Malaysia: Applecrumby babycare brand and platform raised $4.2M from 500 Global VC firm, targeting entry to 20 new countries by year-end with distributor network development

• KuCoin cryptocurrency exchange airdrops $10M in Bitcoin and tokens in bid to keep users following US Dept of Justice charges over money laundering and similar activities

• Singapore: StealthMole AI-backed cybersec firm raised US$7M Series A, aiming to build on business-to-gov't base wth enterprize-level investigation, risk assessment and threat monitoring

Virtual Assets 2023 Review and 2024 Outlook

In wider-world technology news:

» US Dep't of Defense looks to establish 'mine-to-magnet' supply chain for rare earth materials, seeing overseas supply as presenting single-points-of-failure

» 'Build on Bitcoin' initiative secured $10M seed to speed deployment of Bitcoin Layer 2 compatible with Ethereum Virtual Machine, bringing Eth-style smart contracts to Bitcoin

» OpenAI delays roll-out of Voice Engine cloning tech in bid to minimise misinformation in an important global election year

» US Securities & Exchange Commission examines classifying Ethereum cryptocurrency as a security following governance model change, with subpoenas now issued

» Microsoft and OpenAI reportedly working on 'Stargate' datacenter for AI-backed supercomputer featuring millions of GPUs, set to cost over $100BN

» Online now: 2024 Cisco Cybersecurity Readiness Index

"Biology is code. It’s code written in As, Ts, Cs and Gs, not 0s and 1s like in a computer... is the programming code that defines what the organism is made out of, how it builds itself, and all the things it does..."