Solid state storage is one of the fastest growing segments in the IT industry, with SSD shipments alone forecast to see a CAGR of 63%, to reach over 201 million units in 2016, according to IHS iSuppli. Whether it is increased durability and lower power consumption as required for the new wave of ultrabook PCs and tablet devices, or unmatchable data access speeds for servers and large storage arrays, solid state storage is superior to magnetic traditional hard disk drives in almost every metric. And as NAND flash production continues to improve, alongside continual developments in controller ICs, the remaining hurdles for solid state, cost per gigabyte, lifecycle and storage density, get lower with each generation.Digitimes recently had the opportunity to sit down with Alex Mei, CMO at OCZ Technology to discuss the company's plans during Computex Taipei 2012 and its outlook for the year ahead.Q: What are the hot products OCZ will be showcasing at Computex 2012?A: The main highlights will include our new enterprise class 2.5-inch SATA SSD, the Intrepid 3, which utilizes the Indilinx Everest 2 platform with optional power fail protection. We will also showcase our new Kilimanjaro platform based product the Z-Drive R5 PCI Express (PCIe) SSD, which is co-developed by Marvell and OCZ, and is the ideal SAN accelerator solution, utilizing native PCIe to deliver exceptional bandwidth for enterprise and server storage. We are making a major push into the enterprise segment, so attendees can also expect to see next generation client solutions including our award winning Vertex 4 and an upcoming external SSD named Lightfoot that leverages the ultra-fast Thunderbolt interface. Q: How did OCZ and the storage market as a whole perform over the past year?A: Solid state drives now play a fast growing role in the overall storage market and the overall total addressable market (TAM) continues to increase fueled by adoption by OEMs, the DIY market and the enterprise space. In our last fiscal year our SSD revenue was US$338.9 million, up 154% compared with US$133.2 million in fiscal year 2011. Fourth-quarter 2012 SSD revenue reached a record US$103.2 million; an increase of 77% compared with fourth-quarter 2011 SSD revenue of US$58.2 million.Q: What are the main differences between the markets for consumer (client) and enterprise storage, and how do you go about designing and manufacturing products for each market?A: Consumer and enterprise SSDs can be equally fast when it comes to bandwidth but they are ultimately designed to address two very different markets. On the consumer side key requirements include performance, reliability, endurance and affordability. On the enterprise side these elements are also important but with the added measure of price per IOPS (Input Output Per Second). There are also unique challenges that enterprise clients face in terms of deployment, maintenance costs and having to deal with managing and complex storing data sets 24/7/365. There are also different interface requirements, for example SAS is much more prevalent in the enterprise space where drop in replacements into existing infrastructure or dual-port functionality is required. Both markets are experiencing growth and yet there are only a few companies that possess the actual technology and infrastructure to address both the client and enterprise solid state storage markets. We believe that we can add real value in these markets through innovation in both hardware and software design and have built up a strong technical organization to support the unique requirements of both. Our research and development also benefits from designing and manufacturing for both markets; for example advanced technologies that are designed to improve performance and endurance on our enterprise Z-Drive PCie SAN accelerator SSDs have been implemented on our RevoDrive3 PCIe SSDs which are targeted at gaming and workstation applications.Q: What makes OCZ enterprise drives different than the client parts?A: These are two very different product lines, for example our Z-Drive R4 PCIe and Talos SAS solutions are designed specifically for enterprise and server storage and can be customized to match a client's specific application and data pattern. These drives are available with numerous flash options including MLC, eMLC and SLC and also feature enterprise options like power-fail protection. These solutions are designed for deployment into mission critical environments where heavy workloads and data accessibility, data protection and endurance are required.Q: What makes OCZ unique in the SSD space?A: There are many companies out there that address only one side of the market, either client or enterprise, and many SSD companies are simply rebranding products. We have made many acquisitions to bring key technologies in house, examples of these acquisitions include Indilinx which brought in controller and firmware expertise, and Sanrad which allows us to provide virtualization software and is a key element in the delivering enterprise total storage solutions. OCZ not only designs and manufacturers our own SSDs we have the ability and to customize solutions that address the real challenges clients face. This enables us to tailor everything including the form factor, interface and firmware to support the unique requirements of our customers. Whether it is a client or enterprise application we are working diligently to push the envelope in terms of performance, innovation, reliability and superior total cost of ownership for our valued clients.Q: What are you expectations for Windows 8? What opportunities will the new OS present for OCZ in the client segment?A: Any time there is a major OS release it represents an opportunity for hardware developers to optimize and deliver new platforms that utilize the latest software. In the case of Windows 8 the user experience will be enhanced and this is applicable to everything from desktops and notebooks to especially tablet and media center PCs. We will be able to support this launch with our SSDs which are designed to further enhance performance by booting faster, and read and write data more quickly. Our SSD technology is also ideal for mobile devices which require smaller form factor storage solutions which also utilize less power. At the end of the day this new OS release is an opportunity for us to once again provide added value to a range of computing devices and deliver a richer overall user experience.Q: What are the fastest growing SSD interfaces in the enterprise segment? Is PCIe gaining traction? SATA continues to be the largest portion of the market but we are seeing growth in both SAS and PCIe SSDs in the enterprise. We have seen a lot of traction in the workstation and enterprise spaces for PCIe SSDs in particular where customers require increased bandwidth, which would normally saturate other interfaces, and also desire increased density and greater manageability.Q: What are critical factors for SSDs when addressing the SAN acceleration/replacement market?A: It is critical to combine both hardware and software together like our PCIe Z-Drive SSD and our VXL virtualization software to create a total storage memory platform that integrates seamlessly with existing servers at the system bus and kernel level, creating a new flash memory tier and dramatically increasing throughput and application performance while reducing capital and operating costs. These solutions must be easy to deploy, accelerate throughput and reduce latency while reducing maintenance costs and improving total cost of ownership for data centers.Q: How do SSDs fit into cloud computing?A: The cloud has helped fuel the need for faster more reliable storage. Driving down the costs associated with IT is important and the increased bandwidth and improved efficiencies that are achievable by using solid state drives makes them a critical piece of this evolving cloud computing landscape. The ability to create new ways for users to interact and access their data over the cloud is changing the very way that businesses can operate and the fact that cloud computing allows companies to scale their businesses at the rate they choose provides more agility than big investments in traditional large-scale infrastructure. By using SSDs to address the most "hot data" on the top tier, cloud providers can cost effectively deliver the very best experience to their users.Q: Where does Taiwan fit into OCZ's operations?A: Taiwan is, and always has been, critical to OCZ. While our corporate headquarters are located in San Jose, CA. Taiwan serves as our central location for the entire APAC region. Today we have multiple sites in Taiwan including our sales/marketing office in Taipei as well as our manufacturing facility in Taoyuan. Both our client and enterprise solid state solutions are manufactured at our own Taiwan plant and we have recently invested in more than doubling the size of our operations, including adding new SMT lines and the staff to support the new facility. We find the economic climate and skilled talent pool in Taiwan to be excellent, and over the last few years have continued to expand our presence here by increasing our sales and manufacturing operations to support our fast paced worldwide growth.Alex Mei, CMO at OCZ TechnologyLightfootOCZ Z-Drive R5

Elitegroup Computer System (ECS) used to focus on the entry-level and mid-range segments of the motherboard market, but over past two years it has also established a place in the high-end segment.Ahead of Computex 2012, David Chien, VP of Channel Business Unit of ECS, told Digitimes about the company's latest developments.Q: What products will Elitegroup Computer Systems (ECS) be presenting at Computex 2012?A: ECS is showcasing products under four major categories - motherboard, graphics card, all-in-one (AIO) PC and notebook.In the past, ECS was broadly recognized as a motherboard maker that focused mainly on the entry-level and mid-range segments, but the company has been aggressively transforming its business model over the past two years and has successfully entered into the high-end segment.In 2008, we launched our Black series motherboards targeting the high-end market and we are pushing our latest Golden limited edition motherboards for the extreme high-end products under the Black series for 2012.As for graphics cards, ECS is mainly pushing products based on Nvidia's latest GPUs at the Computex 2012 show.AIO PCs are another important product line that the company will be promoting at the show, as Intel has been aggressively pushing the product segment, setting a goal this year of seeing non-Apple AIO PC shipments grow 20x over shipments last year.For AIO PCs, we see a great business opportunity in the enterprise market and have spent a lot of effort developing the product line and hope to promote the products in the market.With our close relationship with Intel, we will also be promoting products such as Classmate PCs and ultrabooks at the show.Q: What are ECS's strengths and advantages in the motherboard and graphics card market compared to other vendors?A: To enhance our brand image, ECS has been dedicated to develop innovative and functional design for our motherboard products and we are showcasing our latest ECS Z77 Golden limited edition motherboards - Z77H2-AX and Z77H2-A2X, featuring triple-thickness gold plated connectors, at the show.The motherboards have passed the strictest quality tests and will provide users security as the gold plating will not wear out after extensive component upgrades and will safe guard the motherboards from the threat of corrosion.In addition to supporting PCI Express 3.0 for add-on card, ECS 7 series motherboards also feature the company's exclusive QoolTech IV visible temperature technology with the addition of the new Lucid Virtu MVP chip for the high performance of add-on graphics cards and the power savings for integrated graphics.Before the arrival of Intel's mid-range dual-core Ivy Bridge-based CPUs, ECS will work on attracting consumers with our functionality and innovative technologies on our motherboard platform and mainly target the gaming market. Meanwhile, ECS will also continue strengthening our R&D ability to increase our technology gap with competitors.Q: What innovative products will ECS unveil during this year's Computex?A: Among all the designs you may see around our booth at Computex, Nonstop Technology is definitely the main theme of the show.ECS is delivering a hassle free computing experience by resolving common PC hardware problems before they even occur. Nonstop technology is a specially-devised testing regime - far stricter than common industry standards - combined with the highest quality components and shielding to ensure that Nonstop certified motherboards can be trusted for stability and reliability. The technology comprises four interlocking tests and enhancements to protect PCs and solve many of the common causes of hardware failure and system instability problems.ECS' Nonstop technology also includes two major categories and four critical features for PCs. The first category is what we call "Toughest Stability Testing," which consists of the Super Marathon 3X Stability Test and the Sahara Severe Test, while 100% Apache Long-Life Solid Capacitors and 100% Thor Ultra Protection are under our "Ultimate Hardware Protection" category.The Super Marathon Stability Test is named so because each motherboard is run through a testing cycle more than 30,000 times in the course of a strenuous 72-hour workout. This testing regime is devised and guaranteed by more than 30 professional ECS testers.The Sahara Severe Test is a test conducted in a simulated severe environment with a temperature of 50 degrees Celsius. Operating in an environment with a room temperature 125% higher than that of standard tests, the Sahara Severe Test ensures that every motherboard works flawlessly even under extreme environment.Under the Ultimate Hardware Protection category, the 100% Apache Long-Life Solid Capacitors feature ensures ECS' Nonstop technology-based motherboards are equipped with 100% solid capacitors to protect users from capacitor leakage or failure problems. Since 100% solid capacitors have longevity six times longer than traditional capacitors, it will provide support against all potential problems for consumers.The 100% Thor Ultra Protection is a comprehensive electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection. The 100% ESD protection on Nonstop technology-based motherboards is achieved with the company's special design over circuitry, which consisted of dozens of extra components to protect expensive and delicate chips such as the CPU and DRAM from static electricity damage.Q: Can you tell us more about the Golden Limited Edition motherboards?A: The Golden Limited Edition motherboards are high-end black series motherboards that feature Nonstop technology, while also featuring ECS' uniquely-designed gold plated Super Alloy Chokes, a hardware technology that will be unveiled during Computex 2012.While the current industry standard is to adopt iron or ferrite materials for the magnetic cores of the chokes, ECS has created chokes with a new material that not only maximize performance, but also stability.Choke quality is a vital factor in PC performance as even a tiny fluctuation in power input can cause inexplicable system crashes, lockups, failure to start up, and even long-term damage.According to internal analysis conducted by ECS, under full system load, chokes made from standard materials are more likely to burn out and cause a system shut down, while ECS' super alloy material is 150% more stable than standard materials during challenging conditions such as high-temperature environments or overclocking.The reason that the Super Alloy Chokes are able to achieve such great stability is mainly because of the material's extremely wide operation temperature range - more than 25% wider than that achieved by other materials. Even during heavy overclocking operations, ECS' Super Alloy Chokes will still ensure that power supplied to the CPU and critical components remains stable.The Super Alloy Chokes are also more energy efficient, reducing power consumption and electromagnetic interference (EMI) to provide users a safer and more stable operating environment.Q: What AIO PC products will ECS be showing at Computex?A: ECS has been devoted to developing a variety of mini-ITX motherboards to meet the different demands of AIO PCs.For example, the ECS G24 AIO PC will be a major highlight for us. Equipped with a large but thin 23.6-inch, Full HD 1080p panel and supporting HDMI-in, the G24 is available with a build-to-order sales model, allowing clients to pick their desired hardware choices. Meanwhile, the machine's built-in thin mini-ITX motherboard can also be interchanged with an Intel H61 chipset-based motherboard to allow the support of the next generation Intel processors.Moreover, ECS' R&D team has also designed an exclusive plug-and-play portable hard disc drive (HDD) module that enables users to store and carry the information with ease. The users can plug the HDD module into the G24 AIO PC as an optional storage device or even as the operating hard. Users can simply unplug the HDD module for both security and mobility convenience.David Chien, VP of Channel Business Unit of ECSECS Z77H2-AX Golden BoardECS G24 Aura All-in-one PCECS GeForce GTX 680ECS Ultrabook UT40IIECS Wi-Bridge

As early as 1993, IRTouch's R&D team started exploring infrared touch technology. It claims to be the earliest company to have a patent for the technology. In 2003, IRTouch was officially established and focused on developing and producing infrared and optical touch products.At Computex, IRTouch is displaying its new infrared multi-touch products that can detect more than 10 touch points. The products also have multiple hand gesture recognition, faster speed, and a smoother touch experience, the company said. Its large and super-large infrared touch screens also support multi-touch, multi-people operation and multi-gestures. The company has also developed super-thin border infrared touch screens, with the border width reduced to 14mm.IRTouch recently met with Digitimes to elaborate as to how its products have improved, and the developments it is making.Q: How well do you expect the products to sell and what will you be doing to promote them?A: Large and extra-large sized touchscreen panels are becoming more common across the world and IRTouch believes its products have greater environment adaptability and stability. Not only are the products seeing growth in the traditional sector with self-service equipment, they are seeing increasing growth in the touch monitor, educational and exhibition industries as well. IRTouch products have a foothold all over the world and customers are choosing our products due to their superior technology and reliability as well as our efforts to constantly improve quality.Q: How does IRTouch provide different models for various industries to suit diversified requirements?A: IRTouch products all have fast response, a high degree of stability, long lifespan, and are maintenance free. Products are aimed at providing solutions for industries, such as making waterproof and explosion proof products for industries that need high-protective devices. There are also anti-glare products for the aviation and military sectors. In addition, IRTouch has made its products even thinner through a new structure and highly-integrated design. The products don't need to have a control card and have a simple, yet exquisite design that doesn't require a connector cord. This has simplified the assembly process as well as creating an improved visual appearance.Q: What are some market trends you are noticing?A: Products that have multiple touch-screen points need to follow the development of panels and applied software, which IRTouch is very attentive to. More so, the development of touch-screen technology will be related to making machines that are more interactive with humans, so developing movement control, voice control and facial recognition will all be important, which we are actively doing.Q: What kind of role will multi-touch products play in business and society in the future?A: Compared with single-point touch-screen panels, as multiple-point ones provide more interactivity with people, the amount of information they can process becomes more complicated. Users demand multi-touch technology applications that can solve identification misuse, have accurate touch positioning, quick response, and at the same time support stylist and finger touch functions, anti-interference capabilities such as electromagnetism, sunlight and dampness as well as consume less energy. Multi-touch applications will have more segmentation and targeting as a result and will have different functions for different scenarios.In addition, IRTouch also provides different models for various industries to suit diversified requirements and our products have been globally used in education, finance, transportation, retail, entertainment, telecom, healthcare, public information and broadcasting as well as in industries that require stable, durable, and environmentally adaptable screens. Our products are sold to 100 different countries throughout the world and can be seen on ATM screens as well as in subways, automobile shops, schools and major architectural structures such as the Bird's Nest and Water Cube in Beijing.IRTouch touchscreen

Carry Technology, which develops and manufactures card readers as well as other storage products, has launched its Apotop brand for storage solutions and peripherals. The new brand is to demonstrate Carry's aim of being a concept innovator, not a product inventor, according to company president Taron Chang.Taking Apple's success as an example, Apple was not the first company to bring an MP3 player, smartphone or tablet PC to market. Rather than being an inventor, Apple has been working on brand new concepts, ideas to improve the existing products on the market, Chang said. The main purpose of Apple's devices is to provide a truly user-friendly experience to mobile electronics users - the direction Career wants its products to be developed towards.Chang also talked about Carry's new business focus and efforts in diversifying product lines during a recent interview with Digitimes.Q: In 2011 Carry launched the Apotop brand. What made you decide to launch the brand?A: Carry is a 21-year old company listed on the Taiwan Stock Exchange. We used to focus on OEM business, specializing in card readers as well as other storage products with clients being mostly Japan- and US-based firms such as Buffalo and SanDisk. We also have built up a strong R&D team consisting of 10-20 engineers, which has helped the company move forward to a more diverse future.In 2011, Carry launched the Apotop brand in view of demand in fast-growth emerging markets such as the Middle East and Central/South America. Establishing the brand is part of our plans to gain exposure to these markets.In addition to focusing our development efforts on emerging markets, launching the Apotop brand is also a company move toward diversification.The PC market has gone through several transformations. While demand for notebooks grew at a faster rate than the growth rate for desktops, we knew that the card-reader market would ultimately shrink. Now comes the era where the hot trends are mobile and cloud computing, so diversification is a must for our business development. Carry has therefore decided to shift its focus to the field of consumer electronics and we will showcase a lineup of new products at this year's Computex.Q: Can you elaborate more on the new Apotop-branded products?A: In emerging markets, we market not only card readers but also memory products including DRAM modules, flash drives and SSD devices under the Apotop brand. For the own-brand card reader business, we have developed a more diversified product portfolio including integrated memory card readers.Also, acknowledging the huge demand for Apple's mobile devices, we have introduced an Apotop-branded peripheral line specially designed for the popular devices. Differing from other suppliers of Apple product peripherals, our products are to make the iPhone and iPad more convenient to use by improving the use of the devices.For example, we have developed a series of Wi-Fi products designed specifically for the iPad to bring more convenience for the device.The iPad's simplicity is very much appreciated. However, the absence of cable and USB ports is certainly an inconvenience for some users. For example, I take my iPad on business trips. While staying at a hotel with only wired Internet access, the device without a cable port will become an issue.And with no USB ports and SD card slots on the iPad, you cannot expand memory on the device despite its internal memory of at least 16GB.We have rolled out a travel Wi-Fi router designed for the iPad enabling users to set up their own Wi-Fi hot spots. The router device also comes with a USB adapter for charging the iPad, and uses an elegant white color scheme.We have also developed a more functional Wi-Fi product, which combines a wireless router and USB adapter, and USB port and SD card slot for expanded memory. The all-in-one device is also designed for the iPad.These new Wi-Fi products for Apple's tablets have attracted orders from the Japan and US markets. They will be officially announced during Computex.Q: Which product line will be the growth driver for Carry in 2012? Are there any new product segments that you'll be focused on this year?A: Sales of our Wi-Fi products designed for Apple's devices are expected to drive company revenue growth this year.We will also introduce peripherals such as extensive memory drives for Apple's upcoming MacBook Air, which is expected to be a low-cost version. Sales of the product line designed specifically for the new MacBook Air will be another revenue growth driver for Carry in 2012.Moreover, sales generated from our Thunderbolt-compatible peripherals will also boost the company's overall revenues in 2012. Carry is among the few Taiwan-based firms selected by Intel for its high-speed PC connection technology. During Computex we are showcasing a series of products compatible with the new Thunderbolt technology.In addition, Carry has steady income generated from our OEM business and manufacturing plant which has six SMT lines.Q: Which market segments will Carry be targeting in 2012?A: We are targeting the consumer electronics market, and shifting our focus away from the traditional card reader business. In fact, Carry moved to diversify its products in 2011 and has seen the efforts bear fruit. Our sales doubled in 2011. We expect sales to continue growing this year driven by sales of our brand business and new products targeted at CE applications.Q: The market for portable electronics devices such as smartphones and tablets is expanding. Does Carry have specific plans, such as creating a product roadmap targeting those popular devices?A: Yes we do. As a card reader and memory specialist, we expect to utilize our existing strengths and talents to develop new products for today's consumer mobile devices. For example, the market for storage peripherals used in Apple products has tremendous growth potential.Carry doesn't produce 'me-too' products. Instead, our products are aimed at bringing more value to the popular devices.As I just mentioned, we have created a product line specifically designed for Apple's products. We are also looking to develop other perfect complements to today's consumer technology products, and will also continue to enhance our product diversity.Carry Technology president Taron ChangPhoto: Jessie Shen, Digitimes, May 2012

Leading up to Computex, Digitimes touched base with Intel's Gregory Bryant, VP of sales and marketing group and general manager of Intel Asia-Pacific Region, to find out more about mobile computer industry developments from Intel's perspective.Trends in mobile computingQ: What are the key trends in mobile computing? Can we expect to see some evolution in the form factor and pricing (of mobile devices) this year?A: At Computex last year, we began our goal of reinventing the PC with ultrabooks and that evolution continues. The first wave of ultrabook designs feature thin and light form factors with instant-on responsiveness and long battery life. We're now bringing additional features and capabilities to market with the second wave of ultrabooks. One of these capabilities is touch, which reflects the growing expectation among users that computing devices will respond to touch. We expect the first touch-enabled ultrabooks to start hitting the market later this year.Adding touch capabilities to ultrabooks and other computing devices requires innovation in the design and shape of these devices. To create sleeker, thinner, lighter and more secure ultrabooks requires that the entire computing ecosystem work together and innovate. We need thinner panels and keyboards, and new chassis manufacturing technologies, as well as slimmer optical and hard drives, and new battery technologies. The Taiwanese ecosystem is at the forefront of these efforts.Intel is also helping to drive innovation in these areas through our own technology development efforts and investments that we make through the US$300 million Ultrabook Fund that Intel Capital created last year. For example, Intel recently announced a technology that can reduce the power consumption of LCD panels by half a watt, which helps to improve overall battery life. LG Display plans to integrate this technology into its next-generation displays for ultrabook devices.In terms of pricing, we expect to see ultrabooks hitting mainstream price points by the end of 2012. Ultrabooks will fill a range of price points from US$699-1,199 in 2012. With the first generation of ultrabooks, we saw a number of systems come to market at different price points, and we expect that to continue as the second generation of ultrabooks, based on the third generation Intel Core processor family, come to market throughout 2012.Q: What do you see as the key computing trends in Asia Pacific and emerging markets?A: Asia-Pacific today stands at the forefront of global technology growth and innovation. There is growing demand for computing devices of all kinds across emerging markets in Asia-Pacific, driven by robust economic growth and a rising middle class. Emerging markets, such as Indonesia and India, will account for most worldwide growth in the PC and smartphone market over the next few years, with demand for cloud services and applications on the rise.Asia-Pacific also plays an increasingly important role as a global center of technology innovation. It's no accident that the first companies to bring ultrabooks to market last year - Acer, Asus, Lenovo and Samsung - are all based in Asia. These companies are fearless innovators and they're helping to lead the industry forward. We expect to see this trend continue as Asian companies drive more innovation around ultrabooks, smartphones and tablets in the coming years.Q: What are Intel's themes at Computex outside of ultrabook and Ivy Bridge?A: Our theme this year is "Innovation Connects Us All." We chose this theme to reflect the close partnership that exists between Intel and the Taiwanese ecosystem. We are working closely with Taiwanese companies to help deliver engaging, consistent and secure user experiences across a range of devices and the cloud. The computing industry has evolved beyond talking about technical specifications to focus on how we can enable the best, most compelling user experiences, and you'll see that reflected throughout various Intel keynotes and events at Computex this year. We're also going to showcase the next-generation of Intel technology and the great work that our partners and customers are doing.You'll also see us focus on cloud computing and data centers. Intel is working with our partners to combine cutting-edge manufacturing technology, new silicon features, and innovative software to deliver the building blocks to scale cloud-based applications and services. We're also investing in new approaches to manage the vast amounts of data being created, and providing both software and hardware capabilities to embed security into datacenter infrastructure.Ultrabook and Ivy BridgeQ: Are there specific requirements for a device to be called an ultrabook?A: Yes. Some of the ultrabook specifications relate to the form factor, such as how thin the systems should be, while others relate to battery life, responsiveness, and security.Q: How many ultrabook systems are in the market today? And how many more new ultrabook systems do you expect in 2012?A: More than 20 ultrabook designs powered by 2nd generation Intel Core processors are available in the market today. In addition, we're tracking more than 110 ultrabook designs based on our 3rd generation Intel Core processors. This is just the start of our ultrabook efforts, but we are thrilled with the momentum built up by the first and second waves of ultrabook devices.Q: What is Intel's take on the ultrabook progress so far? Are you still confident you'll hit your 40% goal in the consumer notebook market in 2012?A: The goal we stated at Computex 2011 was specific to shifting 40% of the global consumer notebook market segment to ultrabook systems by the end of 2012. We've set ambitious goals, and we're thrilled with the reception to ultrabook devices so far.Q: What are the key differences between the ultrabook systems with the Sandy Bridge processor versus the ones with Ivy Bridge processor?A: From a technical standpoint, the second wave of ultrabooks based on our new family of third generation Intel Core processors offers improved power efficiency, twice the graphics performance, increased responsiveness, and enhanced security. This translates into a better, more satisfying ultrabook experience for end users with the second wave of systems.Q: Is it a requirement that ultrabook must run on the Intel Core processor? Can an ultrabook system run on Intel Atom processor or Celeron processor?A: Ultrabooks are all about giving users the most complete and satisfying, no-compromise computing experience, and that's only possible with Intel Core processors.Q: What can we expect in the next wave of ultrabooks?A: We saw the first wave of ultrabook devices hit the market last year. Industry and consumer interest in these new devices is high. Over the next two generations, we expect that ultrabook devices will evolve to include features like touch-screens and sensors at mainstream price points - offering a truly no-compromise computing experience.Q: When can we see the US$699 ultrabook coming to the market? And how will Intel collaborate with the industry ecosystem to achieve this price point?A: We expect to see ultrabooks hitting mainstream price points by the end of 2012, as volume economics kick in and companies bring a wider range of ultrabook models to market.Q: How will MacAfee be involved in Intel's ultrabook efforts?A: McAfee is developing anti-theft software for ultrabook devices. Available in the second half of 2012, the McAfee solution will take advantage of unique features built into the silicon of Intel chips that provide device and data protection for consumers, including device lock, data wipe and location-tracking capabilities.Q: Will ultrabook systems be introduced in the business/corporate segment, or is just a consumer device?A: Absolutely. Ultrabooks are intended for both business and consumer. We expect to see Intel Core vPro processor-based ultrabook systems designed for businesses hit the market later this year with our 3rd generation Intel Core processors (Ivy Bridge).Q: AMD also introduces the "Ultrathin" category of device, how will it differ from ultrabook? A: Ultrabooks are about more than just thinner and lighter form factors. Intel's vision is for ultrabooks to deliver a no-compromise computing experience with rich features, exceptional performance, battery life and security in an incredibly thin and lightweight form factor.Tablet and SmartphoneQ: How will Intel position ultrabook device and tablet? What is the difference in your view?A: Tablets and ultrabooks provide distinct and unique value propositions. Intel believes that worldwide demand for computing devices will be larger than ever in the future, not smaller. In other words, for the foreseeable future, we see tablets and ultrabooks co-existing and serving different market segments, as well as different user needs. But we also see an opportunity for convertible and hybrid ultrabooks that eliminate the need for users to carry a second device, such as a tablet.Q: With the Apple iPad taking up dominant share of the tablet market, what are Intel's strategies to win in the tablet space?A: I can't comment on Apple or its products, but we feel very good about the opportunity that Windows 8 presents for tablets based on our upcoming Clovertrail platform.Q: Some Intel-based smartphones have been announced. Does Intel expect any new phones to be launched later this year?A: Intel continues to work closely with partners around the world to develop smartphones based on Intel architecture. The Lava phone was launched in India in April 19, followed by the recent announcements from Lenovo on May 30 for China and Orange for Western Europe.In addition, Intel has announced smartphone partnerships and design wins with ZTE and Motorola Mobility, and both companies plan to introduce Intel-based smartphones later this year.Q: Intel and Lava in India has just introduced the Intel phone in the market, how's the market adoption so far?A: The market response has been great, with very positive feedback from the media and analysts.Q: Any new phones coming to the APAC market this year?A: We don't have anything to announce today, but stay tuned for more phone-related announcements to come in the future.Windows 8Q: Can you share about Intel's collaboration on Windows 8 and ultrabook/tablet?A: Ultrabooks will present a flagship platform to deliver a premium, full-featured Windows 8 experience. Windows 8 presents a significant growth opportunity for Intel to extend our leadership in PCs and expand into new form factors, such as hybrids and tablets.Q: The Windows-on-ARM device in the market is foreseeable. What are Intel's competitive strengths to win in this market vs. the Windows-on-ARM device?A: The combination of Windows 8 and Intel's industry-leading 22nm processors will deliver the world's best client computing experience. Intel has the deepest expertise of any silicon provider in optimizing and tuning for Windows to ensure broad availability, maximum compatibility and the highest levels of performance. Broad enabling for Windows 8 on Intel will happen, as it always does, and we expect hundreds of millions of personal computers to ship based on this combination.Gregory Bryant, VP of sales and marketing group and general manager of Intel Asia-Pacific RegionPhoto: Company

Following the recent launch of Intel's new Ivy Bridge platform, new announcements from AMD, and the growing anticipation for Windows 8, Computex 2012 will provide PC players from every segment an opportunity to showcase their hottest products planned for the second half of the year.Digitimes recently sat down with Colin Bix, Marketing Manager, Raymond Tseng, Vice President Innovation & Creative Value Center, and Claude Liao, Product Planning Director at Gigabyte Technology to discuss the company's plans for the show.Q: What are the hot motherboard products Gigabyte will be showcasing at Computex 2012?Colin: We're launching a couple of refreshes; one of those is our Ultra Durable technology. We're launching Ultra Durable 5 which is going to be a part of a new range of X79 and Z77 series products. Briefly with Ultra Durable 5 we're now using high-current components, in particular a new MOSFET from IR that is capable of handling up to 60 amps of power. We'll also have the 2oz copper PCB that we've been using for some time, as well as 60A chokes.We're refreshing some X79 and Z77 boards which will have these new features, which means we're looking at much lower temperatures, much more stable operating and increased lifespan, and higher margin for overclocking because we can put more power into the system. There's still less heat than before, so more room to overclock.We're going to feature Thunderbolt on some for those new boards as well. We'll be doing some interesting demos of that at Computex; for example being able to use a single Thunderbolt connector for connection to many different devices. We're going to show a RAID system from Promise, it's a pretty elaborate setup, it's going to be connected to several different monitors, and also be doing real-time editing on another device that's hooked up too, and it's all daisy-chained off a Thunderbolt cable. We're trying to show that Thunderbolt is definitely a product for the workstation, if you're doing a lot of video editing, if you're doing something where you need a lot of storage, Thunderbolt is a very good option.Along with our X79 refresh were also going to add SAS onto the motherboard as well. So for X79, we've got SAS and the new Ultra Durable 5 technology, so we're positioning it for a workstation desktop system. All of these boards are going to launch at Computex, so availability will be around that time.On the AMD side we'll have new FM2 socket products, we'll have some boards we showed a month ago at the Trinity event which they had in the US. We built the demo boards for them, but Computex is going to be our first live public display of FM2.Q: Will these boards you've just discussed be launched as version 2 models of existing products, with the specs they have now plus these new features, or will they be positioned as new products added to your range alongside models already on the market?Colin: They with have similar feature sets, but there will also be a couple of differences: we've changed the naming scheme so these models will be UP for "Power" instead of UD, and the Thunderbolt boards will have a TH at the end to designate that, and SAS will be S. Basically what we're trying to do is not eat away at the market share we currently have. Obviously adding these new features is going to be more expensive so we're trying to address different segments that we're not reaching now. We'll have our traditional models currently, and these new products will slot between those models.Raymond: One of the key things about our Thunderbolt is that we are using the Intel 2-port SKU, compared to the solution you see on the MacBook, that's only 1-port. That's Intel's recommended configuration, and that's what we have seen our competitors are using too.We started to work with the 2-port solution about six months ago and we did all the validation on that chip ourselves. You cannot sell a motherboard with the Thunderbolt logo without certification from Intel's lab in Israel, and we believe that we are in the closing stages of the certification process now.Q: What are your expectations for Thunderbolt initially, will it take off alongside USB 3.0, or will it remain a niche technology only for the very high-end market?Raymond: In terms of extreme performance Thunderbolt is the only solution because it provides 10Gbps on each line. But besides those extreme users, USB 3.0 is enough. Additionally there's the cost to consider, the cost of the chip itself, and the cable is expensive, at least US$40, so I think, for the time being, Thunderbolt will act mainly as a technology demonstration for Intel and its partners until costs can be brought down.Colin: That's why, especially at first, we are positioning Thunderbolt as the workstation story. For example if you are doing video editing, in that situation having Thunderbolt really does make a difference.Q: What will be the main benefits of adding SAS to the boards?Colin: SAS is again part of the workstation story and so initially we expect it to be a niche appeal. With these new boards we are using a server chipset, and we are validating our boards using some of the server CPUs as well.The whole idea is to create the ultimate workstation, so in terms of SAS there's a niche crowd where the extra stability and performance of SAS definitely appeal.In terms of widespread adoption, we don't know what to expect yet, SAS is something new in the DIY industry and it is going to take some time to educate the market about SAS, and then there's issues about consumers being able to find SAS drives, as well as seeing prices come down to acceptable levels. But saying that, we showed our first X79 boards off at IDF last fall when they still had the SAS ports, and a lot of people complained about SAS being taken off the production boards, so I think there is already a group of people that want SAS right now.Q: It seems you are targeting some of these new products at customers looking to build their own workstation. Does such a market even exist, and what is your estimated size of that market and how does it compare to the overall workstation segment?Claude: In the past there has been a small market for workstation motherboards, but I think there is an opportunity for high-end motherboard vendors like Gigabyte to enter the market by offering users the ability to replace the boards in their existing workstations.But still there are issues, and there are many factors that will influence a buying decision, so I think right now we are only at the beginning. We don't expect too much in terms of shipments, only a few 10s of thousands of units initially. Our aim for now is to extend the high-end motherboard business to new areas that we haven't touched in the past.This is our first step into the workstation ecosystem so our targets for this year are to educate the market and to get end-user feedback.Q: How was 2011 for Gigabyte in terms of sales? Did you meet your targets?Claude: I think we could take a short overview of last year: In the first quarter we launched our 6-series motherboards, but then there was the issue with the B2 stepping chipset recall by Intel. But despite the setback, the products maintained momentum because it was a brand new socket and new CPUs, so the first half was quite positive. In the second-half, there was the hard disk shortages, so the second half was flat compared to the first.Overall, I think our business was OK, but not as good as we were looking for. The first half started off well and we were expecting to do even better in the second half.Our shipments for the year were around 18 million.Colin: The own brand retail motherboard market didn't really grow in 2011 largely due to the hard drive shortages. This shortage is easing now and we are seeing a healthy uptake of our new 7-series motherboards together with some of the older models that are expected to sell into 2013. Overall we expect the recovery in 2012 to balance out the effects of the HDD shortage in 2011.Q: Can you go into more details about your outlook for 2012?Claude: We started off well this year in the first quarter so we are expecting to post good results especially since the issues with hard drives have been resolved. But there is still bad news for the economy, for example in Europe, and even the Middle East. There are some concerns about that. We are expecting to see around 10% growth this year, but it all ultimately depends on those issues, and that we don't see any other major problems like the hard drive one last year.Q: A growth forecast of 10% puts your target shipments for the year only around 19 million. That's quite conservative compared to targets you've given around this time of year in the past. Why is that? Do you not expect Windows 8 to boost the market in the second half?Claude: I think it's hard to say that Windows 8 will impact the PC market, especially for the desktop. For notebooks or for tablets, Windows 8 is quite positive, but in general for the DIY and system integrator market there will be a learning curve, so it is hard to say if the effect of the new OS will be positive or negative.Raymond: From the engineering side, Windows 8 has impacted us a lot. There are new logo requirements, and we have already been working for many months to make the necessary hardware and software changes for that. In terms of features Windows 8 provides a better user experience, systems will be required to boot faster for example. This has presented us with several challenges, but for me personally I enjoy facing those challenges and finding solutions which benefit our customers.Q: How does your growth target stack up to the motherboard industry as a whole for 2012?Claude: Over the past few years the motherboard market has maintained at around 5-7% annual growth. That's the reason I said 10% earlier, because when you consider the natural growth in the market, we still expect to gain market share due to consolidation in the ecosystem.Q: Many of your new products are targeting new market segments. Is that a response to the feeling that perhaps the PC market has moved on from large, powerful desktops to small, energy efficient devices like ultrabooks and tablet PC?Colin: From our business standpoint we don't agree with the often quoted claim that desktops are on their way out. Just a couple of years ago we saw netbooks hit the market and people were saying that was the end of the desktop. Everyone was calling out doom and gloom for desktops.Where are netbooks now?We see tablets as eating away at the bottom of the market for notebooks, not motherboards. People who have a tablet device still need a desktop, they need that connectivity even if the desktop is at home, and we're seeing a lot more cloud services that let your desktop service all of your other connected devices. We are looking at tablets as additive to our market, and we definitely see tablets and desktops coexisting in the market.Raymond: Actually what I believe we are seeing internally in terms of sales is an increase in our high-end models, and one of the reasons for this is tablets, because users need a reliable desktop at home.Claude: Also I think that while the big OEMs are off chasing mobile devices like tablets, this has caused them to reduce their investment in desktop PCs. The big OEMs have given up the desktop market, so that gives space for the DIY market to grow, as well as creating opportunities for smaller system integrators to step in and deliver unique solutions for their local market. Both of these increase demand for our products.Raymond: One example of this is a new business that only emerged in the past few years. When Intel released Sandy Bridge they left a lot of overclocking headroom on the CPU. But nothing is free, you have to search through batches to find the best chips, you need to find the right components such as the cooling system and fans, and you need to spend time to fine-tune the BIOS settings to get the best performance.So there are a few specialist system integrators, for example in the UK and Germany, who have seized that opportunity and are doing all that work for their customers providing very high-end default overclocked systems. This is a new type of business, and one that is not possible for notebooks or tablet PCs.Colin: We get a lot of positive feedback from system integrators and individuals running small scale operations. Essentially what has happened is that there is a group of customers who have been putting together their own systems for 10 to 15 years, but they now have more responsibility and a so lot less free time, which means they can't spend weeks reading reviews, posting on forums, and researching every last component for their next PC. But at the same time they don't want an off-the-shelf system from a big name vendor, so they are turning to local shops saying, "Here is my budget. This is what I want. Build me the best system you can in that price range."Q: How is your market share distributed around the world, what are your main markets?Claude: China, Europe and APAC are our main markets. China accounts for around 40%, Europe 25-30%, and APAC 20%, and the US and the rest around 10%.Q: 40% in China is surprisingly high, how fast is the China market growing?Claude: I think year-over-year the figure is more than 10% growth, but it could be even higher.Raymond: China has lots of opportunity for growth. Currently, we at Gigabyte have a very large sales team in China, but still we cannot cover most of the cities. We just cover the tier-one cities, and some of the second-tier. We leave it to sales reps to handle the third-tier and lower cities, which means that if we wanted to, if we invest in more sales people and more technical support staff, there is a lot more potential we can explore in the market.Insist on Ultra DurablePhoto: Company

One of the main themes at Computex this year will be mobile computing and how connected consumer electronics devices will be the future of computing. Digitimes spoke with Qualcomm's Steve Mollenkopf, president and chief operating officer, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies about how the company has been planning for these events for several years. The following are excerpts from the interview.Changes in mobile computingIf you look at the current market, most people access the Internet on their mobile phone or PC. However, the trend in the market is that users will begin to have access to a number of other devices that look less and less like a traditional PC and increasingly more like a combination of a PC and a phone. The success of what you see in tablets today with companies like Apple is undeniable, and with the expected release of Microsoft RT later this year, the trend will continue.We think this trend plays very nicely to our set of technologies as well as those of our customers. Qualcomm has seen a lot of success in the handset business and that success transitioned into smartphones. So the move toward mobile computing is another exciting opportunity for us. Just the number of partners that we have been able to engage with on this new platform has really been impressive. Not only do you get different OEMs but you get different types of use cases that really define a new category of products. And we have been very pleased with our traction in the big PC accounts, because for us, we've been coming at computing from the mobile side and this provides us with new opportunities to sell our chipsets.Steps in the journeyIf you go back 10 years and look at what was driving Qualcomm's business, it was very much voice and text centric devices, and we delivered primarily into the CDMA space. But we had this vision of the phone as a mini computer, where you could run all different types of operating systems and access data no matter where you were.So we started to invest pretty heavily with the goal of achieving this vision. We invested in connectivity, in developing very powerful and efficient mobile processors as well as graphics engines. We had to invest early on because these are 5-8 year cycles from a technology perspective. We have been doing this upstream for quite some time so we are happy to be in a position where these products are starting to be launched. For us, it feels like our view of the industry was pretty much dead on.Moreover, in our opinion, the fact that the largest PC software provider has embraced the same view of the industry is incredibly significant. If you look at the key messages of Microsoft for Windows RT, such as devices being always on, always connected and in a thin form factor. All of the things that define the experience are similar to what we are doing with smartphones, only now it will be within the traditional PC ecosystem.Computex productsAt the Computex show, we will be highlighting our Snapdragon S4 class of products, such as the 8960 featuring integrated LTE on a next-generation ARM processor, with integrated connectivity and brand new graphics. We will also be highlighting our 8640 quad-core as well as lower-tier products that are coming out at the end of the year.The other interesting thing on the connectivity side is we will continue to show Qualcomm Atheros products. We also recently launched our first Snapdragon connected TV.Differentiated design of SnapdragonARM has been a great partner of ours and we expect to continue that relationship for a long time. However, we don't simply license ARM processors. Qualcomm has an architecture license, which allows us to adapt our implementation of the ARM instruction to our particular needs. So because our microarchitecture is adapted for our particular use cases, we can design products that achieve the highest performance at the lowest power.For example, if you look at our quad-core products, they are designed so they run faster and at lower power than any competing processor that can be licensed from ARM. This is because we customize it for our individual use. Even our dual-core solutions outperform other people's quad-core solutions and our quad core design, because it achieve its high performance at such low power, can sit in a thermal envelope that enables the ability for OEMs to create extremely thin products.Then there are competing solutions. Some of them were originally designed for use in a PC but are now being put in a phone. But there is just not enough surface area in there for these devices to dissipate the heat. So you end up with hot spots and undesirable power performance. These competing solutions have to turn off much quicker and essentially, even though the ability is supposed to be there, you run into a thermal window.We design our products from the ground up for our particular use cases. And this strategy has been very helpful for us. If you look back, we were the first company to come out with a GHz processor in the phone space and we did that about two years before anyone had anything close. Today we are the first to come out with production devices for the next generation ARM architecture. By the time competing devices are available, we will have a full range of products, from the high-end to entry level that support our custom built architecture.Enabling partners, a business modelWe are unique in the industry in that we invest upstream across multiple technology vectors. We are a leading technology provider for modems, connectivity, GPU and processors, and all of these technologies are integrated on a platform level. This enables our OEM partners to spend most of their time figuring out how to differentiate their products from each other. They don't have to spend a lot of time trying to put together multiple chips to create a smartphone and they can offer very attractive IDs because of our integration abilities. Basically we support a number of OEMs through a horizontal business model where we create a platform that enables them to go to market with very little R&D investment.However, we purposely do not do the entire product. We leave room in order to let partners differentiate their products in the market. Although it does not get a lot of external discussion, there is a whole ecosystem that surrounds Qualcomm-based products. You see that in the games that are optimized for our products, or in whole suite of software that support very differentiated audio, camera, or video features, as well as peer-to-peer technology. This is all available to OEMs so they have the ability to differentiate as much as they possibly can.In addition, at the company level we work very hard to open up new markets for cellular and connectivity. You'll see initiatives from us into the health care market or into visual computing areas, such as augmented reality.It should be noted though that although we are involved in a horizontal business model, we are not in conflict with vendors who have embraced a vertical model. Some of them are our best customers. The reason is we have the ability to produce leading-edge technology and the way you become a leading OEM is to embrace technology. In fact, you would be hard pressed to find any smartphone in the market that didn't have Qualcomm technology inside.Android vs. WindowsWhen there are big changes in an industry, like the one we are undergoing in mobile computing, it tends to open up many areas for innovation. Qualcomm views our role as being there to provide technology at scale to various ecosystems. We don't expect that there will be conflict for someone like us because we think there will be growth in the overall pie that Android and Windows want a slice of. There definitely will be multiple ecosystems and if we can provide the right technology, basically we can all grow together.SmartphonesWe are unique as a silicon provider in that we cover all market segments but it should be noted that there is incredible demand worldwide to have the latest and greatest technology, If you look back eight years or so ago, we'd launch a product primarily in Japan and about one year later it would start showing up in North American and then seep into other markets. But now there is no more spreading out of technology. At the high-end of the smartphone market, the thirst for the latest technology immediately runs across all tiers so the latest technologies roll out very rapidly. Just look at the incredible demand worldwide for our 8960.However, there is also enormous growth in the mass-market tier for phones that can access the Internet, particularly in emerging markets. The current situation is a coincident where the cost of smartphones is coming down while at the same time these geographies are transitioning to 3G. In these emerging markets, the way people are experiencing the Internet, and many of them are experiencing it for the first time, is increasingly through a smartphone.What is making this mass market growth possible is that we can supply affordable price points through our integration and scale.OEMsYou have to be very flexible in this industry or else you disappear. If you look at the transition from feature phones to smartphones, for example, you see some changes in the OEM landscape. Some made the transition and increased their market share while others lost share or simply disappeared. For us, the number of OEMs we've had to deal with hasn't really changed though the faces and needs of our partners may have.For example, as we transition to more emerging markets, there is a new class of OEM that we have had to adapt our business model to. These OEMs may require a more complete reference designs and more support. However, our job is to be the technology enabler, not an end market consumer player.Steve Mollenkopf, president and chief operating officer, Qualcomm CDMA Technologies Photo: Company

One of the hot trends in the IT industry is the rollout of 802.11ac Wi-Fi products. Branded Wi-Fi 5G by Broadcom, 802.11ac offers a promise of improved wireless reliability, range and coverage. Entry-level 5G Wi-Fi products will support 450Mb per second, at least three times faster than 802.11n, while some high-speed 802.11ac devices will offer transmission speeds in excess of a gigabit per second.With Computex Taipei about to begin, Digitimes spoke with Michael Hurlston, senior VP and general manager, Wireless Combo Connectivity Line of Business at Broadcom to discuss the rollout of 802.11ac.Q: Why does Broadcom call 802.11ac fifth generation Wi-Fi?A: It's a branding issue to compare advancements being made in the cellular wireless space with the Wi-Fi space. We are running one generation ahead of the cellular players. Wi-Fi has gone from 802.11 to 802.11.b, 802.11.g, 802.11.n and now to 802.11.ac.Q: What kind of announcements for 802.11ac can we expect from ODMs at Computex?A: We had originally expected a slew of announcements to first start coming during Computex Taipei but it looks like our partners have been trying to one-up each other and launches were made starting in April, when Netgear announced a US$200 wireless router. We do still expect to see even more announcements in the router and gateway area during Computex.Originally we told the press and analysts to expect products to begin shipping sometime in the summer during the back-to-school timeframe, but now we're looking at early summer, if not spring, for a majority of these products to begin hitting the shelf. In fact, products already started shipping in May.The first products to ship are routers and gateways, with PCs coming shortly after. We thought PC products would ship late in the third quarter or maybe early in the fourth quarter but we're on track to pull that schedule in as well. Now potentially we'll have PC or client type devices with 802.11ac support shipping in the summer time.Q: Last year Broadcom was making a push for Wi-Fi Direct, which is a type of distributed Wi-Fi. Can you compare that rollout and market interest to what you are seeing with 802.11ac?A: Last year at Computex, Broadcom was pushing Wi-Fi Direct on portable devices and that technology was just getting going at the time. Now Wi-Fi Direct is fairly ubiquitous, with every device we ship having Wi-Fi direct software capabilities built into it.What we have been seeing with Wi-Fi Direct is a number of interesting usage cases developing, with most of them focusing on video. For example, one area is Wi-Fi Display, which allows you to take content such as a movie clip from a tablet or phone and push the content to a TV for viewing. The Wi-Fi Direct ecosystem realizes there are a number of ways this content can be moved directly between client devices, so there has been related increased demand to move the content from the network to the client wireless device, and that should spill over into demand for 5G Wi-Fi. Basically, you have video that needs to move over these links and that has precipitated the move to a faster bandwidth solution.Another big concept pushing 5G Wi-Fi demand is in-home video distribution. From a North America perspective, what we are seeing is a big shift where service providers such as AT&T are busy advertising and pushing the concept of the wireless set top box (STB).AT&T was the first carrier to really start offering wireless set top boxes, with its current product shipping with 802.11n. It is actually using our technology but it does have some limitations since the range is limited. If you are too far from the major access point you need to switch to a wireline connection. Also, the number of set top boxes a customer can have is limited to three units and some homes and in the US want to add 4-5 set top boxes.Now if you have one central distribution point that is based on the increased coverage of 802.11.ac wireless, this becomes a very attractive option to the carriers, because it offers all the virtues of the mobile set top box that they are pushing on TV while doing away with the need for any wireline connection. This offers the potential for faster installation times since they can install a wireless set top box incredibly fast. They don't have to have wires running into walls or into ceilings. Doing it wirelessly saves them a tremendous amount of money.So all the carriers are interested in offering a wireless set top box solution but some of them have been concerned about doing it in a huge way due to some of these range and bandwidth limitations associated with 802,11n. However, 5G Wi-Fi has been a huge lift to that segment of the market and we see the carriers gravitating to 802.11.ac as being the answer to some of the concerns they have. This push will be big and it will come from the carrier perspective rather than from a device perspective.Q: How do you expect 5G Wi-Fi products to be priced? For example, the first home routers were being offered for about US$200?A: We are also seeing launch prices at around US$200, and you can probably expect perhaps a $20-something step down once the back-to-school season arrives and another reset for the end-of-year holidays, when some more appreciable reductions will arrive based on new chipsets that we might have coming out or due to other savings makers might have to promote the end-of-year holidays.Q: How about 5G Wi-Fi on the client side?A: Each product category has its own cadence. The gateway market or the home router market has the fastest cadence. The PC market is typically a little bit longer. As I mentioned, we are now expecting to see PC products shipping with 5G Wi-Fi sometime in the third quarter. Optimistically we may even see some co-announcements made at Computex. It is still touch-and-go as to whether we can meet such an aggressive rollout. Finally, we would expect mobile phones and TVs to have a slower cadence. The first time we would expect to see these types of products is end-of-year, moving into first quarter 2013.Q: What about tablets?A: Tablets are an interesting area. Basically tablet development has been an off-shoot of smartphones, so OEMs have been using the same Wi-Fi solutions for tablets as they use for mobile phones. One characteristic of mobile phones though, is that there are space constraints so they cannot support multiple antennas. That is why you only see single-stream Wi-Fi technology on mobile phones. So if you look at what we see in the tablet market - and we have a huge market share in the tablet market - 100% of the Wi-Fi tablet solutions we have shipped up until now have been single stream. However, going back to what I said about increased demand for high-bandwidth video on tablets, vendors are realizing that tablets are big enough to support multiple antenna technology.Therefore, in the post Computex timeframe you can expect to see some tablet refreshes that feature two-stream Wi-Fi. Mind you, these will be still be 802.11.n solutions but the idea is the same. Users are demanding more throughput to support video applications. You can expect these products to be coming onto the market in the third quarter of this year and they will feature higher data throughput in the tablet space.Q: What about the power consumption of these products?A: For mobile devices, the key mode people worry about for Wi-Fi power consumption is standby mode. In that context, our two-stream solutions will consume the same amount of battery power as the single stream solution that we ship to mobile phones. If you look at power consumption in active mode, the two-stream solution does consume more power but then again you have to look at the total power consumption, since data is being transmitted much faster. Overall, the total power consumption is lower in active mode by about 25-30%.Q: For 5G Wi-Fi solutions, how many streams can we expect for tablets?A: How about we talk about the whole market. For the router solutions, you can expect to see three streams, while PC solutions will have two streams and handset solutions will continue to have one stream. As for tablets, the market is evolving but you can expect two-stream solutions in the first quarter of next year.Q: There have been reports that mobile device system makers are looking to take more control of their product platforms by having more control over the silicon inside them. Can you comment on how Broadcom views this trend?A: In general this is a good thing for us. Basically, the top tier players are doing this, players such as Apple, Samsung and perhaps even HTC. What we are seeing is that the applications processor is the area where customers have looked to differentiate their products and control their own destiny. This is where they are making their investment and the final devices are then targeted for the higher-end of the market. This is the portion of the market where the OEMs are trying to differentiate their products from the vanilla Android platform products that everyone is offering. And this trend has been outstanding for us from a connectivity perspective because when it comes to connectivity for these mobile devices, typically the OEMs will seek out best-in-class performance. And in this market, Broadcom has best-in-class connectivity. Just look at all the high-end phones in the market. They are all using Broadcom.Q: Can you provide a little more color on how OEMs are using Broadcom silicon to differentiate their products?A: For example, I spoke before about how there are Wi-Fi Direct software capabilities built into all Broadcom Wi-Fi solutions. Wi-Fi Direct is only a rudimentary kind of plumbing, in that it can establish a connection between two devices at a very basic level. Basically, it negotiates the handshaking protocol between two devices. That is what we provide. However, if you want to stream video from device one to device two, the application that decides how that is done and how it is processed by the user is typically handled by the OEM. They come up with the application code to make it as easy as possible for the consumer to do this - a very good example of this is AirPlay from Apple. It is Apple's application code that pushes content from one Apple device to another. The application layer is where the OEMs can differentiate. On a basic level though, it makes sense for all of those devices to be built on a standard wireless solution that is understood by all the devices. Having only one type of initial handshake rather than needing to support all different types of handshakes is much easier for the OEMs. And this should work across multiple types of devices, whether it is a tablet, handset or TV.This works well for us because in addition to being best in class for connectivity, Broadcom has the unique advantage of having wireless technology going into all three of these categories, making it easier for our partners to get connected using one set of similar code.Q: Are there any other wireless technologies we should be on the lookout for during Computex?A: One area we see a lot of interest is in the area of near field communications (NFC). The global banking industry has been getting a lot of attention in the handset space for this and this is an area where we are also participating. Like any other segment though, there has been a lot of churn around the mobile banking concept due to a chicken and egg issue - who wants to build infrastructure when there are no applications, and vice versa.However, the interesting thing we are seeing is that a whole new category of applications are appearing around NFC, where the concept of touch or a kind of proximal location is allowing fast connections between two devices. We are seeing a lot of pickup in this area as technology in areas like printers, consumer electronics, etc., is creating a pairing between a mobile handset and a TV or gaming device, or any other device for that matter, and that is driving the market and creating a lot of interest and enthusiasm outside of the mobile banking area.Michael Hurlston, senior VP and general manager, Wireless Combo Connectivity Line of Business at BroadcomPhoto: Company

Specializing in memory and storage solutions, Adata Technology has moved to pay more attention to repositioning its brand recognition. Creating synergy among company branches in different regions is part of Adata's re-branding efforts in an attempt to maintain a consistent image while adopting a localized sales strategy. Another is the company's efforts to gain more exposure and recognition in the high-performance market in order to solidify its brand identity.Digitimes recently had a chance to talk to Andy Chang, VP of Adata's channel business division, about the company's rebranding efforts and business focus. Chang also shared his views on the DRAM and NAND flash market trends. The following are excerpts of the conversation.RebrandingAdata has been promoting its corporate logo - Hummingbird - a move to unify the various brands behind one coherent identity. The effort has allowed the company to earn accolades as one of the world's most effective rebrands in the 8th annual 2012 Rebrand 100 Global awards.The move to reposition Adata's brand has also received positive feedback from its channel distribution partners. The 'Hummingbird' logo has helped the company increase its brand recognition and visibility.At Computex Taipei 2011, Adata officially announced its new brand identity along with the Hummingbird logo. At the same event this year, the company's booth design and exhibits will highlight the successful brand development efforts.Product highlights at Computex 2012At Computex Taipei 2012, Adata's exhibits will revolve around the concept of the company's Hummingbird logo. With the theme for the event being "The Dash to Infinity," the company will showcase new products as well as upgrades of existing products, which basically will provide of the company's product focus for 2012.Adata's booth at this year's Computex show will be mainly divided into three sections - portable hard drives and disk drives that are feature rich, performance-driven memory modules and cards, and storage solutions for industrial and enterprise customers - with the introduction of a new product naming system for the company's major product categories.Adata is showcasing a full range of its DashDrive-series external drives at the show. The series is divided into three groups - Elite, Durable and Choice - targeting different consumer segments. The DashDrive Elite series emphasizes its ultra-thin profile and elegant look, such as a gold-tone metal case, while the Choice segment designed for the mass-market tends to go for an attractive and stylish look. The DashDrive Durable series consists of devices that are shockproof and waterproof, and at the Computex show Adata will provide demonstrations to prove the durability of the products.Meanwhile, a lineup of Adata's internal storage solutions including memory modules, SSDs and SD cards will be exhibited at Computex Taipei 2012. The products are also divided into three series to differentiate their performance - Premier, Premier Pro and XPG - consisting of those supporting the latest interface standards including SATA 3 6Gbps, SD 3.0, and etc.Adata is also displaying its storage solutions for enterprise servers and industrial PCs, including those for web hosting data centers which are already shipping to enterprise customers.A special focus on high-end productsWhile providing a full range of memory and storage devices, Adata is paying particular attention on enhancing its high-end product portfolio as part of its marketing strategy. The company is aware that building flagship products successfully could be a strategic move to well position the identity of company products.High-end products don't necessarily make the largest contribution to Adata when it comes to sales volume. However, the company expects its high-end product portfolio to help create an image of Adata's products in the minds of consumers, which would have a positive effect on the company's other product segments.Adata has long-term commitment to branding its products, and expanding the company customer base to include customers at the top of the market pyramid will always be a goal. The company will continue developing its feature-rich and high-performance products designed to meet different customer needs.Views on DRAM, NAND flash marketsThe number of DRAM chipmakers is expected to be reduced to three from the current 4-5 makers, with the surviving companies no longer blindly expanding production capacity. The prospects for the DRAM industry are actually positive.Since 2012, DRAM prices have risen at a slow pace. Prices should continue their gradual recovery and are likely to see bigger increases later in 2012.As for NAND flash, prices have been negatively affected by suppliers' output ramp-ups as a result of their process technology transitions. However, prices are expected to become more stable in the third quarter when end-market demand picks up.Overall market conditions in 2012 should be better than last year despite ongoing concerns about the European crisis and other unfavorable macroeconomic influences. Moreover, the forthcoming Microsoft Windows 8 launch is expected to trigger a round of PC replacement and make a positive contribution to the memory industry.Adata over the next five yearsADATA in the past positioned itself as a dedicated DRAM company. In recent years, the company has been expanding its product mix. Sales of DRAM modules now account for only 40% of Adata's overall revenues, and the proportion is set to continue shrinking.With plans to expand its exposure in all market segments and become a one-stop shop for memory and storage solutions, Adata aims to be a total storage solutions company over the next five years.Andy Chang, VP of Adata's channel business divisionPhoto: Jessie Shen, Digitimes, May 2012

While Taiwan is not usually thought of as being at the forefront of the green revolution, Taipei happened to perform quite well in the Asian Green Index published earlier this year. The Index was the result of a research project conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit and sponsored by Siemens, and assessed the environmental performance of 22 major cities in Asia, with Taipei landing in the Above Average group with five other cities, trailing only Singapore overall in the region.Digitimes recently had the opportunity to attend the Global MBA Forum Series at National Taiwan University (NTU) and see Siemens Taiwan CEO Peter Weiss deliver a speech on Answers for Sustainability. After the event, Weiss discussed other topics, including developments in the solar industry and the mindset needed for Taiwan to move up the global value chain.Q: The Asia Green Index shows that Siemens is especially concerned with developments in urban areas in Asia. Why the focus on cities?A: When Siemens looks at sustainable global development, we see cities as being the key to the future. For example, cities consume 70% of global energy and produce 70% of the world's output of carbon dioxide. But cities are also the growth engines of the world; 50% of global GDP is generated in cities. So of course we need to see that cities thrive. But at the same time, they cannot continue doing business as usual, because the environmental impact will be immense.And if you look at various urban regions around world, Asia has its own unique challenges. Approximately 100,000 new people are moving into cities in Asia every day. If you translate that into infrastructure, that means 20,000 new homes need to be built, six million additional liters of drinking water need to be made available and 250 kilometers of new streets need to be built.In terms of how current cities deal with these issues, Taiwan fares well compared with other Asian cities. Taipei scored quite well when it came to energy consumption and transportation. However, Taipei's water leakage ratio is still quite high, so there is room for improvement.Q: How can more improvement come about? After all, the region has built its success on being able to control costs and maintain manufacturing efficiency, not energy efficiency. Is there room for green thinking, when you are trying to cut costs?A: It's a matter of long-term thinking. For example, if you look at the lifecycle cost of a new building from start of design to end of life of the building, only about 20% of the cost comes from the design and construction. About 80% of the overall building cost comes during the lifecycle of the building.Historically, this aspect of lifecycle cost has caused some problems here in Taiwan, where people like to build buildings with minimal cost. Sure, when energy efficiency is not a priority, you can save a little bit of money during the construction stage, which is part of the 20%. But in the long run you end up increasing your overall lifecycle costs. To save a little, you might end up using the wrong materials or perhaps implement an inefficient design, which is a mistake in the long run.Two years ago Siemens did a study with the European Chamber of Commerce and National Taipei University of Technology, looking at the existing building stock in Taiwan. The outcome was promising. With existing building technologies we realized we can save 30% of the energy used by the existing stock if we were to apply new building technologies. Of course the savings are a theoretical one and things will not change overnight, but the point is there is huge potential here in Taiwan.Q: Do you see attitudes changing in Taiwan? Are governments and businesses interested in wanting to do the "right thing," so to speak, when it comes to building sustainable cities?A: In many ways change come by necessity and decisions that are "green" decisions can be viewed purely as business decisions. If you look at Taiwan's growth over the past 30-40 years, it has been driven by mass production and reasonable quality products, and Taiwan has been very successful with this strategy.However, over the past 10-15 years other nations such as China and Vietnam have begun stepping in with the same strategy, so Taiwan has had to adjust its value proposition and learn how to differentiate its products. Local companies need to move up the value chain and implement more long-term strategies. We already see this in the global semiconductor manufacturing industry, where no other nation can touch Taiwan in term of wafer technology.Going back to the example used with buildings, Taipei 101 highlights how things are changing in Taiwan. Even though the building had a modern design and was energy efficient, Siemens was consulted when the building was seeking to obtain LEED platinum certification. We showed that energy consumption for 101 could be reduced by another 10% and water and waste by 10%. These reductions, in turn, went back to the tenant because operation costs are lower, so rent is able to be kept at a lower level and the building can be run in a more competitive manner.Looking at Taiwan's various manufacturing industries, the same can be done to improve factory processes and have products more economically developed. And these firms can go back to their customers and be able to say, "Hey, I have a green factory," which only brings more opportunities.So our value proposition to factories is that we can help them reduce their operational costs and reduce their CO2 footprint, while in a nutshell, helping them become a green company.Q: One area of green development where Taiwan has had much success is green energy. However, currently the solar industry is in the doldrums, can you comment on the industry moving forward?A: Despite the current gloom, there is no doubt everyone agrees that there is a future for solar. We are seeing more and more solar installations coming up around the world, not only in PV but in other solar fields as well, such as solar thermal.While the industry will continue progressing, it is important for players to remain committed. Products brought to the market need to have the highest efficiency because only then do we have a return on investment, and it is important that the resources that we are putting into this industry are being used in the best and most efficient way. It doesn't make sense if we have cells or installations that are not efficient.The industry went through a period of seeing subsidies stimulate the market, and massive investments have also substantially brought costs down. However, as the cost structure makes the industry more economically viable, it is important for players to keep up the research and development to further improve the technology.And this advice is useful for Taiwan on the whole. As the region moves up the value chain, it needs to remain committed to improving itself. It also needs to realize it cannot be great in each and every field, so decisions will need to be made. Whether it's the continued development of a few key areas such as semiconductors or whether the focus is on emerging industries like electronic vehicles or biotech, Taiwan needs to choose its focus areas, gather the investment and push all activities in this direction in order to differentiate itself from other countries in the region.Siemens Taiwan CEO Peter WeissPhoto: Michael McManus, Digitimes, November 2011