Asia's tech news, weekly: May 21st 2024

Thailand's ransomware headache, TSMC & ASML's pricing, BYD low-cost Seagull EV, carbon tokenization in HK, Malaysia social enterprises, Korea's $7.3BN semicon bid...

Note: This edition was delayed due to testing alternative scheduling platforms; our weekly schedule returns to normal from May 28th.

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• Taiwan's TSMC 'does not necessarily need to use' ASML High NA EUV machines for upcoming A16 generation of chip technology, baulking at price tag

• India: WEF survey of analysts finds risks to the country arising from disinformation and misinformation rank highest, above infectious disease, crime and inequality

• China: Two chip firms reportedly now in early production stages for HBM - high bandwidth memory - semiconductors used in AI chipsets, a major step in tech self-sufficiency

• Hong Kong: YouTube is to comply with court ruling, blocking HK access to 32 video links deemed 'prohibited content', featuring the Glory to Hong Kong protest song

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"Kaspersky said that in 2023 it detected 109,315 ransomware incidents in Thailand, the highest in the region. Indonesia was second with 97,226."

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• India: Agnikul Cosmos now to launch its 3D-printed, semi-cryogenic Agnibaan rocket in late May, early June, following canceled April launch due to tech issues

• Taiwan: An overview of the nation's moves to establish a satellite network of 700 hot spots for communications in emergency situations

• India: Zoho SaaS giant to make semiconductor industry bid with planned investment of $700M in chipmaking, with eyes also on gov't subsidies

• Agri-tech startups from Singapore and India feature in 8 firms selected for 5th cohort of AgFunder GROW Impact Accelerator

MyPremo, built for creators & artists

• Vertex Ventures Japan launches inaugural Vertex Ventures Japan Fund I, anchored by Vertex Holdings, venture capital arm of Singapore's Temasek state fund

• China: An intro to BYD's Seagull EV, a low-priced, high-quality electric vehicle set to market outside China for less than $10K

• French gov't bans TikTok on Pacific Islands territory of New Caledonia in bid to diminish rioting in state of emergency, claiming use of the app in organising violent protests

• Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co to commence production of 1.6-nanometer chips by 2026

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"Australia urgently needs to put into place well-funded public disinformation literacy campaigns, augmented by digital media literacy education in schools..."

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• China: A look at the recently-unveiled Xiaohong, a 504-qubit quantum computing chip running systems to be made available to researchers globally via state-owned telco

• Endeavor Malaysia opens applications for 5th Cohort of Scale Up by Endeavor Program, in partnership with MYStartup and supported by Grab and GX Bank

• South Korea: Gov't unveils $7.3BN program aimed at boosting facility investment and R&D across all semiconductor-related fields, including packaging

• Vietnam's VNG becomes NVIDIA cloud services partner, with Thailand data hub implementations and $200M AI-focused factory in the pipeline

• Taiwan's TSMC to commence construction of its first Europe facility in Q4 2024, with production at Dresden in Germany expected in 2027

• China's TikTok partners UK National Literacy Trust to place bookshelves in 20 locations 'lacking in literary provision', bringing BookTok concept into the real world

• India: Amazon opens season 4 of Propel accelerator program for applications, looking to prepare 50 Indian startups for global markets in 2024

• Germany's HyImpulse completes launch of SR75 rocket from Southern Launch’s Koonibba Test Range in South Australia, marking milestone for AU commercial launch capabilities

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"In a shift by Tesla chief Elon Musk, data from China could be processed in the country to develop its full-self-driving system, sources said..."

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• Taiwan: An intro to TiSPACE space-tech firm in rocket manufacturing and launch services, and component production for international clients

• Social Enterprise Accelerator Malaysia launches, an initiative from Ikea Social Entrepreneurship and Malaysia's Biji-biji Initiative, seeking sustainable solutions that prioritise social impact

• Australia: A brief intro to 5 startups that collectively raised $163M in the week to May 17th, working in insurance-tech, ID verification, real estate tech and more

• Hong Kong: Mastercard and Standard Chartered Bank HK completed first live test of Mastercard Multi-Token Network proof-of-concept, tokenizing sandbox-limited carbon credits

• Australia: Deakin University invites submissions by end of May for 'Digital Complexity and Disinformation in Indo-Pacific' conference in September

Microsoft Work Trends: ‘AI at Work is Here’

• South Korea's COMEUP 2024 tech and startup conference is set for December, aiming to attract new participants, global corporations, and SMEs

• A brief look at the recent Korea-Japan Venture & Startup Investment Summit 2024, and the new joint venture fund in which the two governments participate

• Australia: Startup Daily Best in Tech Awards 2024 nominations are now open across 15 categories

• Samsung to boost annual Vietnam investments to $1BN to increase the number of Vietnamese firms in the Samsung Electronics supply chain

• Malaysia: Hong Leong Bank launches 6th edition of HLB Launchpad, aiming to co-create sustainability solutions towards national low-carbon economy goals

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India's Compute Conundrum: "...given the problem of scarcity, there is a need for deeper analysis on how India’s compute capacity should be enhanced and whether it is the right goal to pursue."

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• Subsea cable projects bypass China: "...China is expected to see only three cables laid after this year -- fewer than half the number planned for Singapore."

• Taiwan: Uber to buy Taiwan unit of Delivery Hero’s Foodpanda business in $950M deal, aiming to expand Uber Eats in the wider Asia region

• North Korea & social media: "The world has long feared he [Kim Jong Un] would strike with nuclear missiles — but his latest launch is a catchy pop song."

• Serbia Ministry of Science, Tech Development & Innovation inks MOU with China's space administration on cooperation on China's International Lunar Research Station

• 'Global chips battle intensifies with $81 billion subsidy surge'

India’s Digital Economy 2024

• IC Taiwan Grand Challenge opens for project submissions, seeking integrated circuit design innovations and chip-based applications

• Australia: An intro to The Daily Aus, news outlet for non-news people, speaking to as many as one in eight Australians aged 18-35

• Thailand: Nat'l Broadcasting & Telecoms Commission cuts 'net and mobile services to Myanmar's Shwe Kokko over wide range of criminal activities, including online scams

• Forbes unveils the 30 Under 30 Asia List for 2024

• Australia: A brief first look at the cybersecurity-related provisions in the 2024 Federal Budget

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"More than 800,000 people in Europe and the US appear to have been duped into sharing card details and other sensitive personal data with a vast network of fake online designer shops..."

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In wider-world technology news:

» Ireland rolls out literacy, numeracy and digital literacy strategy to equip young people with skills to navigate an increasingly complex and interconnected world

» Glydways gains backing from Japan's Suzuki, ENEOS Holdings and Mitsui Chemicals, with app-hailed, compact autonomous vehicles

» '68 of the world’s leading software manufacturers have signed on to a voluntary pledge to design products that have security built in from the beginning'

» Google rolls out AI-focused tools including SynthID watermarking, capable of detecting AI-generated fake images and false audio

» Qualcomm partners Ampere Computing semiconductor startup to focus on artificial intelligence chips for cloud services, looking to reduce energy costs

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'Apple has apologised after an online backlash to an advert for its new iPad that features an industrial-sized hydraulic press crushing a collection of creative objects...'

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Asia & Indo-Pacific technology news: Other editions

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