2024 will see 50 per cent of Operational Technology (OT) systems connected to corporate IT systems in North Asia, up from 38 per cent in 2023. Only 13 per cent surveyed are at an advanced level of readiness to deal with IT/OT...

SHENZHEN, China, June 1, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — William Xu suggests promoting talent development through proposing tech challenges and supporting tech competitions

At the Times Higher Education’s Asian Universities Summit yesterday, William Xu introduced Huawei’s approaches to collaboration with universities on innovation, research, talent cultivation, and tech competitions. Xu, Huawei’s Director of the Board and Chair of the Scientist Advisory Committee, described the successes the company had already achieved following these approaches in his online speech titled “Industry-Academia Collaboration for Joint Innovation and Talent Cultivation.”

Xu stated, “Huawei works with universities to build open and innovative platforms for joint research and talent cultivation. Through the dual drivers of vision and application research, the industry and academia work together to define ‘top challenges’ and conduct innovation. These efforts are aimed at resolving the problems facing the industry and making groundbreaking achievements.” He added that Huawei had already invested US$400 million into university collaboration in 2021 alone, and intends to invest more for deeper collaboration in the future.

When it came to the specifics of Huawei’s approach to collaborating with universities, Xu explained that the first step was to build an open and innovative platform for joint research and talent cultivation. Huawei sees universities as “lighthouses” for the industry, and wants them to devote themselves to basic research and address long-term challenges through “0 to 1” inventions. It sees industry as a driver of engineering expertise that can help overcome industrialization challenges that arise in real-world scenarios. Under Huawei’s approach, universities, research institutes, and businesses align their definitions of “top challenges” to help reach a consensus on industry vision and challenges and explore next-generation technologies. These dual drivers of vision and application research then lead both industry and academia to conduct research into basic theories and advanced technologies, as well as across domains. This collaborative approach ensures that research and talent can keep up with the latest industry developments.

Huawei currently works with over 300 universities and 900 research institutes around the world. In 2021, it invested US$400 million in university collaboration. The company also advocates for industry input into university course and program design, joint talent training, and tech competitions, as it can help industry identify and cultivate talent at numerous levels. As a representative from the industry side, Xu proposes five ways industry and academia could work together to deepen their collaboration:

(1) Continuing to support breakthroughs in basic research and technology, and continuous industry innovation;

(2) Working together to set and solve problems, and making breakthroughs to overcome key industry challenges;

(3) Working together to optimize the design of academic programs and courses, and driving industry-academia alignment to cultivate urgently-needed talent;

(4) Working together to encourage innovation and identify and cultivate talent by building platforms like Huawei’s own joint labs, tech competitions, Chaspark, Seeds for the Future, and post-doctoral research programs; and

(5) Strengthening talent exchanges between universities and the industry to promote transitions from theory to practice.

Huawei currently identifies and cultivates its top talent by supporting international tech competitions, both financially and by supplying these competitions with technical challenges. These competitions also expand the horizons of participating students as they have the opportunity to put theory into practice. In addition, Huawei works closely with China’s Ministry of Education on course and program design, high-level talent training, outstanding engineer training, reconstruction of key national labs, the release of industry challenges, and the creation of a collaborative, intelligent industry-university base for talent cultivation.

Joint solution is available now to enable powerful, efficient and safe automotive ECUs  

TEL AVIV, Israel, June 27, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Hailo, the leading edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) chipmaker, today announced its collaboration with Renesas, a premier supplier of advanced semiconductor solutions, to deliver a powerful and energy-efficient processing solution enabling advanced driver-assistance (ADAS) functions and automated driving (AD) systems in motor vehicles. The joint Hailo-Renesas solution will make sophisticated ADAS technology more accessible in cars of all types.

The joint Hailo-Renesas solution will make sophisticated ADAS technology more accessible in cars of all types.

The combination of Hailo-8 processors, designed for heavy Neural Network (NN) acceleration, with the powerful Renesas R-Car V3H & R-Car V4H systems-on-chip (SoCs), powers robust, scalable, efficient, and cost-effective ADAS solutions for zonal and centralized vehicular ECUs. The solutions are scalable for a wide range of ADAS functions from ADAS L2+ up to L4 AD functions requiring very high tera-operations per second (TOPS), while delivering best-in-class TOPS/W.

“ADAS and AD features have proven to be instrumental in minimizing accidents and saving lives. However, technological challenges have caused great difficulties for automakers looking to make such advanced functions accessible in anything but higher-end vehicles,” said Orr Danon, CEO and Co-Founder of Hailo. “Together with Renesas, we are offering a solution helping democratize ADAS, so its benefits can be enjoyed by more and more drivers. AI will play a major role in making our roads safer, and with industry leaders like Renesas helping us innovate, we will make driving both safer and more affordable.”  

“Automotive OEMs are looking for scalable solutions for ADAS and AD to streamline software development,” said Yusuke Kawasaki, Director, Automotive Digital Products Marketing Division at Renesas. “We are confident that our collaboration with Hailo, which has expertise in AI technology, will enable our customers to easily extend the performance of the R-Car so that they can flexibly and quickly incorporate ADAS/AD functionality in various classes of vehicles.”

Key features for the joint Hailo-Renesas solution include:

• Independent scalability in AI & compute, allowing flexibility and cost-effectiveness for Level 2+ to Level 4 ADAS designs
• The highest performing solution available today in the automotive market, ranging from 60 TOPS to over 170 TOPS for multi-sensor perception and fusion
• Best-in-class power efficiency, enabling ECUs to be passively cooled, which reduces the BOM and system cost
• Functional safety for the ADAS/AD ECU with Renesas R-Car (R-Car V4H is expected to achieve ASIL-B and D metrics for the real-time domain) and Hailo (Hailo-8 supports ASIL B)        
• An open software ecosystem allowing OEMs/Tier-1s more control & possibility for innovation

A single Hailo-8™ delivers unprecedented performance to edge devices. Featuring up to 26 TOPS at a typical power consumption of 2.5 W, the chip is built with an innovative architecture that enables edge devices to run sophisticated Deep Learning applications that could previously only run on the cloud. Hailo-8’s advanced structure translates into higher performance, lower power, and minimal latency, enabling enhanced privacy and better reliability for smart devices operating at the edge.

Hailo continues to make significant strides in the automotive industry, partnering with industry leaders to create high-performance, scalable AI solutions for automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs), enabling power-efficient AI acceleration with low energy consumption to advance automotive innovation.

The joint Hailo-Renesas solution is available for customer evaluations and demonstrations. It will be showcased live at Automobil Elektronik Kongress in Ludwigsburg (Germany) on June 28-29.

About Hailo

Hailo, an AI-focused, Israel-based chipmaker, has developed a specialized AI processor that delivers the performance of a data center-class computer to edge devices. Hailo’s processor is the product of a rethinking of traditional computer architecture, enabling smart devices to perform sophisticated deep learning tasks such as object detection and segmentation in real-time, with minimal power consumption, size, and cost. The processor is designed to fit into a multitude of smart machines and devices, impacting a variety of sectors including automotive, Industry 4.0, smart cities, smart homes, and retail. For more information visit https://hailo.ai/

Hailo media contact:
Garrett Krivicich
Headline Media
garrett@headline.media 
+1 786 233 7684

• Cooperation for AMI(Implementation of Smart Power Meter) pilot project and AI-based operation in Star Lake New Town in Hanoi, Vietnam
• Significance in ‘Open Innovation’ collaboration between Vietnamese state-owned company and Korean private enterprises
• First step towards the stable and safe power supply, as well as data based Smart City

SEOUL, South Korea, June 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — Cloud delivery platform company, Bespin Global(https://bespinglobal.com, CEO HanJoo Lee) announced on June 8th that its Vietnamese subsidiary – Bespin Global Vietnam, a local subsidiary of Daewoo Engineering & Construction – THT Development Company, and Hanoi Power Corporation – EVNHANOI, recently signed an MOU for AMI(Advanced Metering Infrastructure, intelligent remote meter reading infrastructure) pilot project in Star Lake New Town.

The MOU was signed to upgrade the system and provide benefits to users by introducing a pilot infrastructure applied with AMI within Star Lake New Town in Hanoi, Vietnam, which is independently created by Daewoo Engineering & Construction. This will not only improve convenience, but also enable the collection, analysis, and integrated operation of data, which will take a step forward in the implementation of a true Smart City. The AMI, under the direction of the Prime Minister of Vietnam, is a pilot project that the Vietnam Electricity Corporation is pursuing in two regions(Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City) by 2025. It is expected to become one of Vietnam’s core technology standards in the future by being linked to the Smart City Data Integrated Management Platform(THT-BESPIN SMART CITY HUB) jointly built and operated by Bespin Global and THT Development.

Through the cooperation of three organizations, it is possible to analyze the trend of power use by hour, day, and month along with monitoring power usage. In addition, based on real-time data, existing collected data, and weather forecasts, it is also possible to predict the power consumption of residents, buildings and cities as a whole, and the power optimization method is also automatically supported.

This MOU is especially meaningful since Korean private companies support the core platforms for data collection, integration and analysis, and have achieved cooperation in terms of open innovation with Vietnamese state-owned company. It is expected to contribute to the creation of a new business model based on data in the future, as well as serve as a stepping stone for the establishment of a Smart City standardization model.

Nguyễn Danh Duyên, General Director of EVNHANOI said, “By applying AMI’s Industry 4.0 application technology, we can build a customer management ecosystem. We will be able to efficiently manage customers with self-monitoring, daily power production monitoring, and self-calculation of electricity bills which will help to improve customer satisfaction.”

An Kuk-jin, General Director of Daewoo E&C THT Development, said, “By jointly establishing AMI infrastructure with Hanoi Power Corporation in the central area of the Star Lake City project, a foundation for providing safe and stable power has been established. This is the most basic and important element of Smart City, and it is one of the successful cases of applying the data-based ‘Smart City 2.0 Standard Model’ developed by Daewoo Engineering & Construction and Bespin Global to the public sector.” He added that “This partnership will be a very meaningful step towards expanding the ‘Smart City 2.0 Standard Model’ that organically connects cities, operates on a data basis, and continues to create new values.”

Ted Kim, General Manager of Bespin Global Vietnam, said, “In order to provide users with high-quality Smart City services, it is essential to build a platform for the collection and analysis of a large number of data generated by facilities and services.” He stressed that “Based on Bespin Global’s technology and vision for a smarter world, we will take the lead in fostering innovative industrial models and providing more convenient and pleasant lives to citizens by integrating and analyzing the data generated in cities.”

• TripTrends series shares the data and trends defining the global travel revival and examine the latest Trip.com data to identify the patterns emerging as travel rebounds around the world. 
• Here, the series focuses on summer holiday booking trends across the European and Asian markets.

SINGAPORE, July 11, 2022 /PRNewswire/ — As consumers around the world plan a summer of ‘revenge travel’ in the wake of easing restrictions, Trip.com data reflects the global travel recovery trend. Trip.com analysed data from their booking sites across Europe and Asia and the results show that users are more confident to book further ahead this summer, and the appetite for city breaks, staycations and short-haul trips still holds firm in a post-pandemic world.

For more in-depth analysis on the European and Asian markets, read on.

Wednesday is the most popular day to plan a trip

For summer 2022, midweek is the most popular time to plan a holiday. Trip.com data shows that, among their users, Tuesday through Thursday are the peak days for browsing flights and hotels. Wednesday is the most popular day overall for flight searches, with Saturday being the quietest.

Deciding when to take a holiday over the summer is often a tricky task for consumers, with price fluctuations, school holidays and, in Europe, the threat of cancelled flights and strikes to consider.

When looking at the summer period (June-September) across many of Trip.com’s major global markets (UK, South Korea, Japan and Thailand), 1 July was the most popular day for flight departures. It was also the most popular hotel check-in date that users searched for on Trip.com’s sites in the UK and Thailand.

With more popular dates expected across July, August and September, Trip.com looks forward to reviewing this data in the coming weeks and months.

Hotel booking window extended by up to a week

As Covid-19 began to affect travel in 2020, uncertainty and travel restrictions spread across the industry, customers – as expected – adapted their booking habits and moved to last-minute reservations.

Trip.com data shows that by June 2020, the booking window for hotel stays had fallen from 20.3 days (June 2019 data) to 6.1 days in Asia – highlighting the rising appetite for last-minute breaks. Flights saw a similar trend, with the booking window on Trip.com’s European sites falling to 13.4 days in June 2021 – from close to double that – 22.2 – just two years prior.

However, this summer, Trip.com’s data signals a return to pre-pandemic trends, with booking windows once again rising. In Europe, the window for hotel reservations in June 2022 matches the level seen in 2019 – 14.2 days; booking windows for flights extended to 14.2 days from 6.4 days of June 2021. Similar trends are evident across Asia, with booking windows for flights rising to 16.4 days in June 2022 from 6.1 days in June 2020.

This interesting finding has reflected the returning confidence of travellers to make their travel decisions earlier than when the pandemic had just started. However, it is important to note that booking windows still remain shorter than pre-pandemic in the region, as restrictions remain across many nations and districts.

Europe: city-centric summer holidays are high on the agenda

Airlines and hotel chains have reported bookings and occupancy levels rising to pre-pandemic numbers for the first time this spring, so there is plenty of cause for celebration across the travel sector.

Trip.com’s European data echoes this uplift in demand. Its European sites saw an average monthly growth in traffic of around 10% between April and July, further underlining the increased demand for summer getaways.

Interestingly, where many travellers are opting for beach holidays over city breaks this year, the data shows that city-centric summer holidays are still high on the agenda for Europeans, with must-visit sites, culture, food and new experiences tempting customers to take trips to some of Europe’s most enticing cities.

Trip.com’s European data also reflects the vast increase in short-haul travel demand for 1 June – 31 August 2022 versus the same period in 2021. This year, although European long-haul demand is also up incredibly, short-haul trips are 27 times more popular than long haul. This proves that when it comes to summer getaways, most travellers still appear to prefer to stay closer to home when they go away.

Customers book longer trips post-pandemic

With many consumers looking to book more lavish summer holidays after two years of pent-up demand, when it comes to trip length, the figures reveal some surprising insights. Interestingly, European customers travelled for longer during 2020 than they did previously, with the average trip length in June 2019 being 6.2 days, rising to 8.8 in 2020 and back down to 6.6 in June 2022.

Asian travellers, on the other hand, are travelling for an average of 7.6 days in 2022, an increase on the average of 6.6 days in June 2019 – but a decrease on 2021’s average of 8.7 days.

Local travel rebounds well in Asia

In Asia, countries and regions that have relaxed their travel restrictions have seen an impressive market performance, particularly those in southeast Asia. Overall in the APAC region, bookings increased by 21% in May and by a further 7.8% in June.

As the most popular destination among APAC users, it’s no surprise that Singapore’s hotel bookings saw a 42% year-on-year increase in June.

Thailand’s continued popularity is a pleasant surprise. The summer months tend to be the country’s low season, yet despite a slight dip in April following the Songkran Festival, bookings continue to grow throughout the season. Overall bookings have tripled when compared to June 2021, with a 17% rise in bookings compared with May this year.

Though Thailand continues to attract customers from the UK and APAC, the country’s recovery has mainly been driven by domestic travel, with domestic flights in June increasing 2.6 times year-on-year.

Japan and South Korea saw sharp growth in Q2, with South Korean outbound flights increasing by 16 times year on year and June outbound flight bookings up 31% compared to May. South Korea eased travel restrictions in early June, so expect this upward trajectory in bookings to continue.

Japan also eased its border restrictions in June, with a large spike in bookings following the news. In May, flight searches to Japan on Trip.com’s global sites were 7.5 times as popular when compared to the same period in 2021.

Summary

This summer, as travel recovery gains momentum, travellers’ confidence to book their trips further ahead have gradually returned, while short-haul travel remains the global holiday king. Despite the enduring summer holiday beach travel trend, city breaks continue to attract customers from around the world. As airport strikes and travel chaos in Europe continues to impact customers’ ability to get away, Trip.com plans to further analyse the sector at the end of this popular travel period. Watch this space.

About Trip.com

Trip.com is a rapidly growing international one-stop travel service provider, available in 24 languages across 39 countries and regions. Trip.com has an extensive hotel and flight network consisting of more than 1.2 million hotels in 200 countries and regions and over 2 million individual flight routes connecting more than 5,000 cities around the globe. Trip.com’s world-class 24/7 English language customer service as well as additional centres in Edinburgh, Tokyo and Seoul, help to ‘create the best travel experience’ for its millions of customers worldwide.