August 10, 2022

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Singapore Signs MOUs With Germany For training And Innovation Boost

Singapore Germany MOU for Training and Innovation
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Two Memorandum of Understandings (MOUs) were signed between Bosch, an engineering and technology firm, and the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) on Monday, 9 December per their Press Release.

The MOUs were focused on boosting collaboration between both organisations for training and innovating to create more opportunities for workers and other organisations in both countries.

“Singapore’s strong technical capabilities, intellectual property protection and highly-skilled talent pool will enable companies like Bosch to innovate and develop new ventures from Singapore, capturing opportunities emerging in the region for long-term growth,” Gian Yi-Hsen, Executive Director, Conglomerates, EDB.

One of the MOUs signed was for the provision of training attachments to ITE students by Bosch Rexroth, which will take place at Bosch Rexroth’s Academy campus. The partnership is focused on encouraging cross border vocational education exchange in areas such as Industry 4.0, IoT and connected hydraulics.

This exchange program will centre on the field of mechanical and mechatronics engineering. This will allow for students of Bosch Rexroth and ITE to acquire technical skills and expertise beyond the common knowledge shared in the present environment.

They will also be made aware of the different approaches to Industry 4.0 and gain a better cultural perspective while enhancing their language skills.

Over a five-year period starting from 2020, the exchange program will see ITE students given the opportunity to take on a two to three weeks assignment at various Bosch Rexroth locations in Germany.

While at that, ITE will provide and arrange training attachment places at its Singapore location for students of Bosch Rexroth Academy. The training programmes will include the implementation of practical examples from various production areas such as manual workplaces and fully automated production.

Furthermore, the students will also benefit from state-of-the-art e-learnings and training systems of the Bosch Rexroth Academy.

Another MOU saw the signing of agreement between Enterprise Singapore and Munich Network to set an innovation hub for GROW, Bosch’s global in-house innovation and start-up incubation network, which will enhance networking between Singapore and Germany.

Tech start-ups in Singapore and SMEs may also gain bigger opportunities for entering the German market.

It will also be made available to external corporates whom are keen on using Bosch’s agile business model development methodology which provides the validation of innovative ideas in a fast, structured and cost-efficient way.

“Singapore has developed a thriving start-up ecosystem in recent years and it is our goal to further strengthen the entrepreneurial landscape by becoming the go-to innovation launchpad for local and foreign Bosch entrepreneurs.”

Peter Tyroller

The signing of these two MOUs were witnessed by Singapore’s President Halimah Yacob with Minister for Education Ong Ye Kung, President of Bosch Southeast Asia Martin Hayes and Member of the Bosch board of management Peter at the Bosch Internet of Things (IoT) Campus in Berlin.

This was Madam Halimah’s Yacob’s first state visit to Germany. It marks a historic milestone, as the first state visit to Germany by a Singapore President since both countries established diplomatic ties 54 years ago.

“I believe that this partnership will create new ventures in the digital field that enable us to stay ahead of the innovation game and shape Bosch’s future business development in the region,” said Mr. Peter Tyroller, member of the Bosch board of management.

HKUST Partners to Expand R&D and Grow Talent

Image Credits: HKUST, Press Release
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The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and a major cloud computing company recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to further their collaboration in nurturing local technology talent, collaborating on cutting-edge technology research and facilitating the research works of HKUST researchers.

Under the MoU, HKUST and the global leader in cloud technologies will nurture local talent in knowledge relating to data analytics, cloud computing and artificial intelligence (AI) to further develop Hong Kong’s pool of technology professionals and meet industry demands.

The two parties will roll out joint talent development programmes, providing workshops and seminars to prepare students with the practical skills they will require when using advanced technologies as well as promote a culture centred around new technology innovations. Internship opportunities will also be offered to HKUST students by the tech firm.

This partnership aims to support HKUST to move forward as an international leader in education and research. Drawing on its robust cloud experience, the tech firm will continue supporting HKUST in its exploration of Elastic High-Performance Computing (E-HPC) for accelerating HKUST’s research activities in pure science and engineering, as well as AI and machine learning. HKUST will also receive advisory to build an integrated, secure and flexible research platform connecting its campus in Hong Kong and the soon-to-be-opened Guangzhou campus.

The Vice-President for Research and Development at HKUST noted that the tech firm is an active supporter of pioneering research and academic-industry cooperation. Since 2018, both parties have jointly launched 10 collaborative research projects to advance the frontiers of innovative technologies and address challenges of the industry. HKUST aims to strengthen this partnership to pave way for an even closer collaboration, which shall bring greater benefits not just for us, but for the society and region as a whole.

The General Manager for Hong Kong SAR, Macau SAR, and Philippines, of the tech firm stated that the partnership with HKUST is an affirmation of our commitment to nurturing technology talent and fostering local innovation ecosystems. HKUST is a leading university with world-class research across disciplines.

He added that the company is delighted to work with HKUST to continuously prepare young talent for the future and looks forward to co-developing more advanced technologies to empower various industries and advance the GBA as a technology hub in Asia.

Through this collaboration, HKUST and the tech firm will also work together to explore new solutions in areas such as AI, next generation intelligent data processing platforms and serverless computing, in view of addressing technology-related challenges and opening up fresh opportunities for academic and industry experts to cooperate on projects.

The two parties have been long-term collaborators. Supported by the tech firm and its parent group’s AIR Programme, the two organisations have worked together on research projects spanning machine intelligence and data computing. Supported by the cloud tech firm, HKUST organised a FinTech hackathon to encourage its students to identify and solve industry challenges and develop innovation solutions.

The global cloud computing market size is expected to grow from US$ 445.3 billion in 2021 to US$ 947.3 billion by 2026, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 16.3% during the forecast period. While technology spending in APAC has increased, the setback due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic is impending. The cloud technology adoption is expected to increase in sectors where the WFH initiative is helping to sustain enterprise business functions.

Vietnam Announces Digital Transformation Index Rankings 2021

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The central city of Da Nang and the Ministry of Finance have topped the 2021 Digital Transformation Index (DTI) rankings in the cities/ provinces and ministry categories, respectively. The Ministry of Information and Telecommunications (MIC) presented the Index at the third meeting of the National Committee on Digital Transformation, earlier this week.

Da Nang city topped the ranking for cities and provinces, scoring 0.6419 points, 0.1545 higher than the 2020 ranking released last year. Thua Thien-Hue came in second place (0.5872 points) and Ho Chi Minh City climbed two spots to rank third. The top ten also included Bac Ninh, Lang Son, Ninh Binh, Quang Ninh, Thai Nguyen, Binh Phuoc, and Bac Giang.

The Ministry of Finance led the rankings of 17 ministries and ministry-level agencies providing public services, gaining 0.6321 points, 0.13 higher than the previous ranking. It was followed by the Ministry of Planning and Investment and Vietnam Social Security. Also in the top ten were the State Bank of Vietnam (SBV), the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ministry of Information and Telecommunications, the Environment and Natural Resources, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, the Ministry of Transport, and the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The Vietnam Academy of Science and Technology jumped two spots to rank first among nine ministries and ministry-level agencies that do not offer public services with 0.4736 points. It was followed by Vietnam Television (VTV) and Vietnam News Agency (VNA). VNA led in two indicators on cybersecurity and digital transformation.

The MIC Deputy Minister stated that 2021 was the second year Vietnam had implemented the national programme on digital transformation despite the adverse resurgence of COVID-19. In this context, Vietnam has pioneered the application of various digital apps and platforms, attracting millions of users. He urged ministries and localities nationwide to continue the acceleration of digital transformation.

In February, Da Nang became the second city in Southeast Asia to deploy chatbot tech in tourism. To increase the variety of tourist self-service tools and information channels, the municipal Tourism Department had coordinated with a private artificial intelligence (AI) developer to create and pilot Chatbot Danang Fantasticity, the first automatic tourism information search and support channel via text message conversation in Vietnam.

As OpenGov Asia reported, during its six-month trial, the chatbot was updated with relevant information about famous destinations, events, weather, ATM locations, and hotlines, among others. According to the Da Nang Tourism Promotion Centre, Event Countdown is one of Danang FantastiCity Chatbot’s notable features. The function helps tourists avoid missing out on any ongoing or future events in the city and can even plan routes to the destinations.

By registering with an email or phone number, tourists can receive e-coupon bar codes with price promotions. A wide range of attraction sites, tourist activities, and entertainment outlets around the city offer e-coupons via the chatbot. The technology can also communicate with international tourists as it offers English for all its information categories. The chatbot will be available in Chinese, Korean, and Japanese.

Further, as part of its digital transformation journey, in April, traders at wet markets in Da Nang went cashless using the e-wallet mobile application Viettel Money, under a 4.0 wet market model. Owners of over 1,000 stalls at Da Nang’s three major wet markets, namely Con, Han, and Dong Da, used QR codes that allowed customers to make online payments through access to select banks and Viettel Money.

New Method for Quantifying Radiation Damage

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A tiny titanium nut that had been taken from inside the reactor was just the thing to show that a new technique developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) can find defects inside materials, even those that have been exposed to radiation, with five times more sensitive than current methods.

The study is predicted to have an impact since it verifies the unexpectedly important role played by the small unseen flaws in the microstructural evolution of materials exposed to irradiation that is confirmed by both experiments and simulations.

The technique that the researchers employed is known as differential scanning calorimetry, and the apparatus they used was essentially the same as the one applied in monitoring energy changes.

The new technology showed that a lot of the damage that occurs inside reactors is at the atomic scale, making it challenging to find using current techniques. Through the way it alters with temperature, the approach offers a way to directly detect this damage.

Because of this, nuclear reactors that are now in use might be able to continue their safe operation for longer periods of time than was previously believed to be possible.

The new method revealed that much of the damage that occurs inside reactors occur at the atomic scale, making it difficult to detect using existing methods. The technique allows for direct measurement of this damage by observing how it changes with temperature.

As a result, it could be used to measure samples from the current fleet of nuclear reactors, potentially allowing for the safe operation of plants far beyond their currently licenced lifetimes.

Moreover, the new method looks at the amount of energy stored within a material’s structure rather than directly seeing its physical composition. Any interference with the material’s regular atomic structure, such as that brought on by mechanical stress or radiation exposure, adds extra energy to the substance.

Even if the damage is in the form of atomic-scale flaws that are too small to be seen using microscopes or other detection techniques, it is still possible to compute the total amount of damage within the material by watching and measuring that energy difference.

This method’s underlying theory had been thoroughly developed through calculations and simulations. However, it was the actual testing on that one titanium nut from the MIT nuclear reactor that offered the proof, opening the way for a new method of determining material damage.

In addition, the differential component refers to the fact that two similar chambers are measured at once, one empty and one containing the sample being investigated. The scanning component involves gradually raising the temperature a little at a time and observing how the sample reacts. The difference between the two offers information about the sample’s energy.

The process, according to the researchers, is not limited to the study of metals, nor is it limited to radiation damage. The method could be used to measure other types of defects in materials, such as those caused by stresses or shockwaves, and it could also be applied to ceramics or semiconductors.

They went on to say that measuring defects in other materials can be up to 10,000 times easier than measuring defects in metals and that if they can do it with metals, they can make it extremely, universally applicable.

Growing Victoria’s Growing Digital Games Industry

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The Government of Victoria is working to support the region’s booming digital games sector in delivering a record-breaking year, reinforcing the state’s position as Australia’s epicentre for the industry. Over the last year, the Government has supported digital games have injected AU$9.7 million into the state economy – representing a 117 per cent increase over the previous year.

Through VicScreen’s Victorian Production Fund, a further $1.4 million will support the production of 14 new locally created digital games projects – supporting the continued growth of Victoria’s strong digital games sector, while delivering more skilled jobs.

Further investing in the future of the industry, VicScreen’s Victorian Games Development Internship program is now open and seeking early vocation digital games creators looking to fast-track their careers.

The paid program enables interns to gain well-rounded experience at world-leading studio Sledgehammer Games – known for their work on the Call of Duty series – renowned Victorian indie developer, Robot Circus, and the state’s creative and economic screen development agency VicScreen. The announcement comes alongside news that Victorian-made games are preparing to hit screens across the globe.

Worth over AU$200 billion globally, the digital games industry is one of the world’s fastest-growing entertainment sectors. Victoria is Australia’s game development capital with more than half of the industry based in the state, producing locally made games played by millions of people around the world.

Later this month, Victoria’s games industry will be showcased at the world’s biggest games industry event, GamesCom in Germany – with Australia the focus country led by Victoria’s 35-strong delegation. Applications for the Games Development Internship are open from 10 August to 8 September 2022.

The Minister for Creative Industries stated that through the region’s AU$ 191.5 million VicScreen strategy, the government is backing the growth of the digital games industry and positioning Victoria as a global hub for game development and innovation, alongside our strengths in film and TV.

He added that the Government is investing in the Victorian-made gems that nurture local talent and create future-focused jobs while showcasing our cutting-edge digital gaming sector to audiences across the world.

The gaming market was valued at US$ 198.40 billion in 2021, and it is projected to reach a value of US$ 339.95 billion by 2027, registering a CAGR of 8.94% over the forecast period.

As a result of nationwide lockdowns implemented because of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, some people turned to game platforms to occupy their time. Thus, these platforms gained hundreds and thousands of new visitors to online traffic. Video gaming trends are experiencing a massive surge in players and revenue.

The ongoing and continuous technological advancements in the gaming industry are significantly growing the industry’s growth. They are enhancing the way games are created and improving the overall gaming experience of the users.

Game developers across emerging economies are continually striving to enhance the gaming experience by launching and rewriting codes for diverse consoles/platforms incorporated into a standalone product provided to gamers through a cloud platform.

The growing prevalence of internet connectivity, increasing adoption of smartphones, and high bandwidth network connectivity have propelled the increased demand of the gaming market across the globe.

As of November 2021, one report notes that 170 mobile operators launched commercial 5G services with a 7% population penetration at the end of 2021, resulting in novel opportunities for mobile vendors to introduce 5G smartphones in the market.

Ramping up Communication Infrastructure in Thailand

Image credits: mdes.go.th
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Thailand’s Ministry of Digital Affairs has been keen to accelerate the implementation of projects to organise communication lines in the different areas of the major cities in the region, such as Chiang Mai, Nong Khai.

The Ministry, through the National Telecommunications Public Company Limited, a Thai state-owned telecommunications company operates a project in various provinces to promote tourism and improve the road landscape in Udon Dutsadi and Nong Khai Municipality.

Recently, the Minister of Digital Economy and Society (DES), Chaiwut Thanakmanusorn, visited the provinces of Udon Thani and Nong Khai to assess the state of communication lines that had been reported to be experiencing communication issues.

Minister Chaiwut wants to ensure the relevant integration works to solve such problems immediately and to organise the communication lines to have a beautiful view and safe for the lives and property of the residents.

The Minister said that all lines that go through the mess will be put underground by 2023, which is run by the company National Telecommunications Public Company Limited and telecommunication service providers, whose mobile operators will rent underground pipes to connect with each other. He acknowledged that there are a lot of projects and plans for the provinces and to their residents.

Meanwhile, Minister Chaiwut is confident that start-up companies will be an important force in bringing digital technology to create a business – a new, modern service that generates income to support the country’s economic growth in response to the Thailand 4.0 policy.

He emphasised that start-ups are what the government encourages because he believes it is the cornerstone of the future economy as the new generation is doing modern business to adopt digital technology. This could lead to good opportunities in the country and generate income for both entrepreneurs including making the economy grow.

The nation’s Digital GDP is to be driven by at least 30% of all industries within the next 5 years. Hence, the Ministry of Digital the Digital Economy Promotion Agency has continuously promoted and encouraged enterprises to start applying technology and digital innovations in their business operations through various driving measures.

Particularly, the initiatives or financial aid for creating digital enterprises that promote and support partnerships with digital start-ups to implement digital technologies.

In addition, Dr Nattapon Natthasomboon, Deputy Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Digital Economy and Society hosted the recently held meeting of the ASEAN Joint Working Group on Digital.

The meeting was organised to discuss driving the key outcomes of other relevant ASEAN framework meetings; monitoring of the implementation of the ASEAN Digital Master Plan 2025 and the consideration of detailed project proposals for implementation in 2023, which has given importance to accelerating the development of the digital economy.

Furthermore, Noppawan Chaiyamun, spokesman for the Ministry of Digital Economy and Society for Political Affairs announced a mobile application that will allow people to access government services easily.

The app aims to provide services to citizens such as medical treatment, social security, health insurance, credit bureau information, check civil registration, check traffic tickets, and pay fines, among others. It also includes water and electricity bills that can be paid via QR code. The mobile app is regarded as the centre for governmental services that are intended to benefit the public.

Indonesia: Securing Personal Data in an Increasingly Digital World

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The pandemic has had a significant impact on every country in the world in various sectors and industries. However, the epidemic has also inspired people to speed up their adoption of digital technology. ,This, in turn, has resulted in an increase in the amount of time individuals spend in the digital world.

“The average Indonesian people access the internet for more than 8 hours every day, both to find information and communicate to work online, study online, shop online and other online activities,” says Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, Director General of Informatics Applications at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology.

According to research conducted by Indonesian internet service providers, 210 million people in Indonesia now utilise the internet, which is 77% of the country’s entire population.

Director General Semuel believes that awareness and responsible management of the processing of personal data must be balanced with people’s lifestyles in the digital world.

The Director General emphasised that all activities in the digital space produce data that can be used to create new services or make decisions and policies. These decisions are often known as “data-driven decisions.”

He added that the legal basis for protecting personal data is still spread across 32 regulations, such as the telecommunications sector, the Electronic Information and Transaction Law and Government Regulation No. 71 of 2019 Concerning the Implementation of Electronic Systems and Transactions.

To provide Indonesia with a comprehensive legal framework that governs the protection of personal data, the Ministry of Communications and Informatics and the Indonesian House of Representatives continue to work on the Personal Data Protection Bill.

Meanwhile, the 3rd Digital Economy Working Group (DEWG) Meeting of the G20 Indonesia Presidency ended with a workshop about the flow of data across national borders. The goal of the workshop is to improve the cross-border data flow agenda for the G20 ministerial meeting in September 2022.

Each of the G20 countries held in-depth discussions to reach a mutual agreement on the agenda for cross-country data flows.

Not only G20 member countries, but also private sectors, international organisations, academics, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are taking part in the discussion of the agenda related to data flow across borders.

Indonesia is working hard to implement the cross-border data flow agenda as soon as possible for it to be compatible with the regulations under consideration, particularly the rules pertaining to the draught personal data protection (PDP) legislation.

The expectation is that the rule will safeguard domestic consumers when they engage in financial transactions on the digital market. According to him, Indonesians frequently utilise foreign digital markets.

It will be very vital in the future to execute a cross-border data flow agreement, as this will allow all G20 member countries to have a good impact on each other. Hence, there are currently efforts being made to establish global platform applications that are active in the countries that make up the G20.

As the country with the largest economy in the ASEAN region, Indonesia has pledged to make the problem of the flow of data across borders a topic of discussion at the G20 summit.

When it comes to streamlining the purchase and sale of goods and services, digital industries frequently include the exchange of data across international borders. The constantly expanding realm of electronic commerce is the primary driver of data flows, which ultimately result in data being monetised and contributing to the value of global markets.

Empowering 5G Innovation Engine in Singapore

Image credits: sgpc.gov.sg
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For businesses at the vanguard of the digital transformation and to give customers a better experience, 5G makes it possible for technologies like AI, Digital Twin, augmented reality, and extended reality to operate together smoothly.

The Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) is collaborating with numerous industries to develop new business use-cases and give enterprises the ability to commercialise both locally and internationally as part of the advancement of Singapore’s 5G ecosystem.

Singapore will continue to push the boundaries of innovation through frontier technologies such as 5G. We are excited to work with our industry partners to unlock the real impact of 5G. We look forward to seeing new and exciting ways 5G will benefit our businesses and consumers.

– Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive, IMDA

To strengthen Singapore’s 5G ecosystem, three new 5G projects have been launched. SG$ 30 million has been allocated under IMDA’s 5G Innovation Programme to hasten the adoption and commercialisation of 5G products. IMDA announces the projects for which it has awarded funding:

  • Asia Pacific’s first 5G mobile edge computing for holomedicine and mixed reality applications
  • The first outdoor 5G-enabled augmented reality (AR) experience in the region
  • The first maritime 5G AR/VR Smart Glasses solution in Southeast Asia

An emerging field of research called “Holomedicine,” which makes use of holographic displays and pictures to improve and augment healthcare delivery, uses Mixed Reality (MR) technology.

When it comes to the creation and application of mixed reality technology in the healthcare industry, the National University Health System (NUHS) is at the forefront.

This collaboration with IMDA will further strengthen NUHS’ capacity to create MR modules and solutions that will improve clinical capacities, clinicians’ skills, patient trajectories, and patient outcomes.

Additionally, IMDA and its partners will work together to create the first outdoor 5G-enabled cinematic grade AR experience in the region. This experience will make use of the entire computing power and bandwidth of 5G and 5G-enabled mobile devices.

A real-time augmented reality performance in Marina Bay will immerse viewers in a display of expansive, cinematic AR representations of Singapore’s cityscape. This programme will serve as a cutting-edge platform for digital marketing companies and their clients, giving them a more direct line of communication with consumers.

The potential addition of a dedicated Metaverse and a companion game to the App ecosystem is already being considered. Users can download the AR application and use performance tickets purchased through Marina Bay Sands’ website to unlock it.

However, Covid-19 has disrupted physical inspections, site and vessel surveys, and audits, all of which rely substantially on current technological capabilities. IMDA collaborates to create and market 5G-enabled products for the maritime industry.

The inspection and asset maintenance processes are digitalized using smart glasses. Inspection workers can view work instructions via the display headset while wearing Smart Glasses and controlling them with voice commands.

Real-time sensor data can be used in this AR application to monitor equipment performance and onboard system characteristics. Field engineers will be able to record and stream live data to their main office using AR-enabled Smart Glasses to obtain real-time remote advice.

Engineers, clients, and other organisations will be able to perform pre-construction feasibility assessments simultaneously by using smart glasses to conduct remote virtual walkthroughs of a vessel. This will allow potential engineering design issues to be identified earlier, reducing preconstruction risks.

By creating a thriving digital economy and an inclusive digital society, IMDA is at the vanguard of Singapore’s digital development.

To create Singapore as a digital city, it promotes growth in the Infocom Technology and media sectors in tandem with progressive policies, utilising cutting-edge technologies, and fostering local talent and digital infrastructure ecosystems.

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