The Trump administration is apparently preparing new AI chip export restrictions targeting Malaysia and Thailand over concerns about semiconductor smuggling to China, according to Bloomberg’s sources familiar with the matter. The proposed measures would add the two Southeast Asian nations to existing export control frameworks amid ongoing investigations into potential chip diversion schemes.

A draft rule from the Commerce Department seeks to prevent China — to which the US has effectively banned sales of Nvidia’s advanced AI processors — from obtaining those components through intermediaries in the two Southeast Asian nations, people familiar with the matter told Bloomberg. 

If proven true, the proposed AI chip export restrictions would mark the first formal step in Trump’s promised overhaul of his predecessor’s semiconductor trade policies. The timing of these potential restrictions comes as Malaysia has emerged as a critical hub for global technology investments. 

The timing of these potential restrictions comes as Malaysia has emerged as a critical hub for global technology investments. Oracle, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon have committed a combined investment of $16.9 billion through 2038 in the country’s digital infrastructure, with Oracle alone pledging $6.5 billion for its first public cloud region in the country.

Trade data also shows that chip shipments to Malaysia have surged in recent months, according to Trendforce’s report. This increase has drawn the attention of US officials who worry about the potential diversion of advanced semiconductors to China.

What ignited the concerns?

The proposed restrictions gain additional context from ongoing investigations in neighbouring Singapore. Singapore charged three men with fraud in a case domestic media have linked to the movement of Nvidia’s advanced chips from the city-state to Chinese artificial intelligence firm DeepSeek.

The servers involved in the case were supplied by Dell Technologies and Super Micro Computer to Singapore-based companies before they were sent to Malaysia, according to Singapore’s Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam. Malaysia said it will take “necessary action” against Malaysian companies if they are found to be involved in a fraud case linked to the alleged movement of Nvidia chips.

It is also worth noting that the draft measure represents a significant departure from the Biden administration’s approach. Officials plan to pair Malaysia and Thailand controls with a formal rescission of global curbs from the so-called AI diffusion rule, which had drawn objections from US allies and tech companies, including Nvidia.

Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick has outlined the administration’s vision, stating that the US will “allow our allies to buy AI chips, provided they’re run by an approved American data centre operator, and the cloud that touches that data centre is an approved American operator”.

However, the draft measure is far from a comprehensive replacement and doesn’t answer questions about security conditions for the use of US chips in overseas data centres — a debate with particularly high stakes for the Middle East.

Mitigation Measures for Industry

Recognizing the potential disruption to legitimate business operations, the proposed AI chip export restrictions would include several measures to ease pressure on companies with significant operations in the region. 

One provision would allow firms headquartered in the US and a few dozen friendly nations to continue shipping AI chips to both countries, without seeking a licence, for a few months after the rule is published.

The licence requirements also would still include certain exemptions to prevent supply chain disruptions. Many semiconductor companies rely on Southeast Asian facilities for crucial manufacturing steps like packaging, and the process of encasing chips for use in devices.

Regional response and uncertainty

Government responses from the targeted nations have been measured. In response to earlier Bloomberg queries about curbs focused on smuggling risks, Thailand said it’s awaiting details, while Malaysia’s Ministry of Investment, trade and industry said clear and consistent policies are essential for the tech sector.

Nvidia, the dominant maker of AI chips, declined to comment, while spokespeople for the Thai and Malaysian governments didn’t respond to Bloomberg’s requests for comment. Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang has previously said there’s “no evidence” of AI chip diversion, in general remarks that didn’t touch on any particular country.

Strategic implications for Southeast Asia

The proposed measures highlight the broader geopolitical tensions surrounding AI technology and export controls. Washington officials for years have debated which countries should be able to import American AI chips — and under what conditions. 

On one hand, the world wants Nvidia hardware, and US policymakers want the world to build AI systems using American technology — before China can offer a compelling alternative.

Singapore is Nvidia’s second-biggest market after the United States, accounting for 18% of its total revenue in its latest fiscal year.  Actual shipments to the Asian trading hub, however, contributed less than 2% of total revenue, as customers use it as a centre for invoicing sales to other countries.

What’s next?

The draft regulation remains subject to change, and it’s unclear whether Trump officials may ultimately regulate AI chip export restrictions to a wider swath of countries, beyond the Malaysia and Thailand additions. The Commerce Department did not respond to Bloomberg’s request for comment on the proposed measures.

The proposed restrictions underscore a fundamental tension in US technology policy: how to contain China’s AI capabilities without undermining America’s technological influence. By potentially restricting two countries that have become key destinations for US tech investment, Washington risks creating the very fragmentation it seeks to avoid – pushing regional partners toward alternative suppliers and technologies.

For Malaysia and Thailand, the challenge extends beyond compliance. These nations must now prove they can serve as trusted AI infrastructure hubs while managing the reality that their strategic location makes them attractive conduits for circumventing sanctions. 

The outcome will likely shape how other Southeast Asian countries approach their own AI development strategies.

The post Will US AI Chip export restrictions target Malaysia and Thailand amid China smuggling concerns? appeared first on TechWire Asia.

The dramatic 13-hour shutdown of TikTok in the US on January 19, 2025, followed by its swift restoration, has created a complex tapestry of political manoeuvring, technological implications, and national security debates that continue to shape the platform’s uncertain future in America.

The TikTok US ban reversal materialised through an unexpected champion: President-elect Donald Trump. His pledge to issue an executive order following his inauguration prompted the platform to restore service even before the formal order was signed. The development marks a striking evolution in Trump’s stance on the platform. He has transitioned from a vocal advocate for its ban during his first term to emerging as its potential saviour.

ByteDance’s challenge and Trump’s proposed solution

At the heart of the controversy lies ByteDance’s consistent reluctance to sell TikTok, notably its prized recommendation algorithm. Trump’s proposed solution – a 50-50 joint venture between ByteDance and American owners – represents a potential middle ground, although its feasibility remains questionable.

The proposal signals a significant shift in approach, attempting to balance national security concerns with the platform’s operational continuity. Multiple factors complicate the path forward. The existing law, signed by outgoing President Biden in April 2024, mandated ByteDance to sell TikTok to an owner from the US or its allies in 270 days. Trump’s executive order, while providing temporary relief, cannot unilaterally override this congressional mandate.

The legal reality is further emphasised by opposition from prominent Republican Senators Tom Cotton and Pete Ricketts, who argue against any extension of the ban’s effective date. The situation has attracted several potential buyers. A group led by billionaire Frank McCourt and Kevin O’Leary has submitted a formal bid, as has the AI search engine PerplexityAI. Reports have also suggested possible interest from Elon Musk, though he has maintained public ambiguity about any potential acquisition.

Musk’s Sunday statement opposing the TikTok ban on free speech grounds and criticising the imbalance between TikTok’s operation in America and X’s inability to operate in China adds another layer to the complex narrative.

Technical and operational challenges

The prospect of splitting TikTok’s US operations presents significant technical challenges. McCourt’s group has proposed purchasing TikTok’s US assets without the company’s algorithmic software. Historical attempts by tech giants like Meta and YouTube to replicate TikTok’s engagement mechanics have shown the difficulty of this approach. Creating an American-only version of TikTok could necessitate a new app for global users to access US content, adding further complexity to the platform’s operation.

What is understood so far is that the brief shutdown highlighted the important role of TikTok’s service providers. Despite the Biden administration’s apparent willingness to defer enforcement to the incoming Trump administration, service providers’ concerns about potential penalties – up to $5,000 per person with access to TikTok – led to the temporary cessation of services. Trump’s promise of liability protection for these providers proved important in restoring service.

Looking ahead: uncertain future

The resolution of TikTok’s US situation could unfold in several ways. The most likely scenario is a reprieve through Trump’s executive order, followed by intense negotiations over the proposed 50-50 joint venture structure. However, ByteDance’s historical resistance to selling, algorithmic complexities, and valuation challenges could complicate this path.

Alternative outcomes include a complete sale to American buyers, although this faces significant hurdles regarding algorithm ownership and operational continuity. The least likely but still possible scenario is a new legislative solution, but this would require substantial bipartisan support in a Congress that strongly backed the original ban.

Other nations grappling with similar concerns will watch the TikTok US ban reversal saga. India, which banned TikTok in 2020, maintains its firm stance, while European Union regulators continue to scrutinise the platform under their Digital Services Act.

The UK, Australia, and Canada also monitor the US situation as they consider their approaches to Chinese-owned technology platforms. In short, the eventual US resolution could serve as a template for other nations. If Trump’s joint venture model succeeds, it might offer a middle-ground solution for countries seeking to balance national security concerns with the platform’s popularity. Conversely, if the ban takes effect, it could embolden other nations to act similarly.

The situation transcends TikTok, potentially reshaping how nations approach technology platforms owned by geopolitical competitors. The outcome could establish precedents for handling foreign-owned apps, data sovereignty, and the balance between national security and digital innovation.

The post TikTok’s 13-hour ban: Trump’s unexpected rescue plan appeared first on TechWire Asia.

While the US is known for the electric vehicle (EV) industry, the growth has now shifted to Asia, with emerging EV markets and technology making it one of the fastest-growing sectors in the world. In fact, Asia is home to some of the largest and most innovative EV markets, such as China, Japan, and South Korea, as well as some of the emerging ones, such as India and the ASEAN region.

According to a report by McKinsey, Asia accounts for the largest share of the battery electric vehicle (BEV) market worldwide, with more than 60% of global BEV sales in 2021. China continues to be the leader in EV production and adoption, with more than 13 million EVs expected to be produced in 2023.

China also owned 40% of the EV market share in 2022 and has the largest number of EV chargers in the region. In terms of manufacturers, Chinese EVs continue to dominate the EV market globally. China has the greatest number of EV startups in the world and while the Tesla Model Y was the most sold EV model in 2022, more Chinese-made EV models were sold globally as well.

Apart from China, Japan and South Korea are also major players in the EV industry, with strong capabilities in battery and vehicle technology. Japan is forecasted to produce more than 2.5 million EVs in 2023 and South Korea more than 1.8 million. Both countries have ambitious targets to increase their EV adoption, with Japan aiming for 50% of new car sales to be EVs by 2030 and South Korea aiming for 33%.

India is also an emerging EV market, despite its late entry. While the EV market share in India is still relatively low compared to the rest of the world, the government is pushing for the adoption of more EVs. This includes offering incentives to vehicle manufacturers to build EVs in India as well as plans to reduce carbon emissions in the country by replacing its diesel-powered public buses with electric ones instead.

EVs in Southeast Asia

In Southeast Asia, EV adoption differs among countries in the region. Singapore currently has the most connected EV ecosystem in the region. There are more than 1,800 public charging points available. The Government of Singapore plans to install 60,000 more charging points by the end of 2030.

A report by Mordor Intelligence estimates that nearly 54% of new car sales and 33% of global car fleets are expected to be electric by 2040. Of that number, more than 50% will be battery-electric, with the ASEAN region being the prominent hotspot for sales of the automotive fleet.

In March 2022, Thailand’s government adopted new government incentives to accelerate the transition to electric vehicles. The incentives are part of the Thai government’s plan to convert half of the country’s total car production to electric vehicles by 2030. Indonesia also plans to electrify 20% of its new vehicles by 2025. Additionally, the country aims for electric vehicles to account for 20% of total vehicle exports by 2025.

According to research from Counterpoint Research, Chinese automakers dominate Southeast Asia’s fast-growing electric vehicle market, selling three out of every four EVs in the first quarter of this year. Thailand, which has the most EVs in the region, also accounts for almost 79% of all EVs sold in Southeast Asia in the first quarter of 2023.

Thailand has offered incentives to consumers to make EVs attractive, and subsidies to automakers to build more EVs locally. That has attracted a wave of investments by Chinese carmakers in local manufacturing, including Great Wall Motor and BYD.

Malaysia and Indonesia have also echoed Thailand in their move to offer incentives and subsidies for EVs. Indonesia in particular is hoping to lure Tesla to set up a manufacturing facility in the country. Tesla recently announced plans to set up a center of excellence in Malaysia.

Currently, the only successful EV manufacturer in the region is in Vietnam. VinFast has become a dominant player in the EV industry, exporting its vehicles to Europe and the US as well as selling them in domestic and regional markets. Despite this success though, Vietnam’s EV adoption is still in its nascent stages.

Toyota, Thailand and EV

While Thailand’s EV market is the biggest in the region, there is still competition on which EV brands sell the most vehicles in the country. Currently, the best-selling EV brand in Thailand is China’s BYD. However, other Chinese EV models have also been growing in popularity in the country.

One carmaker that is hoping to make an impact in Thailand’s EV market is Toyota. The Japanese carmaker is already a household brand in Thailand, with its pickup trucks and sedans among the most popular combustion engine vehicles.

As the world’s tenth largest auto hub, Thailand is known for exporting vehicles by Toyota and Honda. But to convert a third of its annual production of 2.5 million vehicles into EVs by 2030, the right ecosystem is key.

According to a report by Reuters, the Thai government is hoping to work with Toyota to develop EVs in the country. This includes the development of eco-cars and pickup trucks. Thailand’s Prime Minister, Srettha Thavisin, met Toyota’s executives to discuss how they can build the EV ecosystem in the country. Toyota, and its group companies, have invested nearly US$7 billion in Thailand over the last decade.

The announcement comes as Toyota plans to trial its first EV pick-up truck in Thailand in a fresh attempt to boost EV sales in the country. Pras Ganesh, executive vice president of Toyota Daihatsu Engineering & Manufacturing, said that its engineers were working on adapting its electric pickups to local conditions and building up EV R&D capacity in Thailand, one of Toyota’s five global R&D centers.

The world’s top-selling automaker unveiled the electric version of its popular HiLux pickup truck last year, but hasn’t said yet when its commercial sales could begin. Ganesh pointed out that a small batch of battery EV pickups will be trialed in the beach city of Pattaya early next year and tested for use as ‘songthaews,’ pickups that are commonly modified for use as taxis in many Southeast Asian countries.

“We will first start looking at public transit,” he told Reuters, adding that Toyota is also considering testing other EV pickups for deployments including last-mile delivery services.

Thailand’s government also rolled out a 3-year tax break for automakers investing in automation and robotics after scaling down a consumer subsidy for EV purchases.

The post Toyota to help Thailand become EV capital of SEA appeared first on TechWire Asia.

Thailand has long been an auto hub in Southeast Asia. Even as the pivot to electric vehicles has gathered pace over the last few years, the country managed to maintain its grip on the industry. In fact, after leading the region with the most EV sales in 2022, Thailand has emerged as the leading country, with the most battery electric vehicle sales in the first three months of this year.

Southeast Asia’s second-largest economy with a population of over 71 million, Thailand boasted the highest proportion of battery-electric vehicles in total passenger vehicle sales, followed by Singapore and Vietnam. According to the latest research from Counterpoint’s SEA Passenger Electric Vehicle Model Sales Tracker, the region’s passenger battery electric vehicle sales grew by almost ten times year-on-year (YoY) in the first quarter of 2023 (1Q23). 

The share of BEVs in total passenger vehicle sales experienced significant growth in Q1 2023, reaching 3.8% compared to a mere 0.3% one year ago. However, plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) sales saw a modest YoY growth of 5.8%. “Thailand emerged as the leading country, capturing over 75% of the BEV sales, followed by Indonesia and Vietnam,” the report stated.

For context, Thailand has the largest automotive industry in Southeast Asia and the 10th largest in the world, according to the Thailand Board of Investment (BOI). The country aims to transition 30% of its auto production to EVs by 2030. So far, the country’s emergence as an EV hub has been fast-tracked by highly favorable government policies that comprehensively incentivize investors in the EV sector’s supply chain and car buyers. 

The initial focus is to promote EV sales within the country, then replace its automobile export with EVs. So far, the production-led EV policy is bearing fruit — EV sales in Thailand comprised 3% of total automobile sales in 2022. “Thailand’s government-led efforts to promote EV sales have yielded positive outcomes, while Indonesia and Vietnam are also performing well in the region,” Counterpoint’s research analyst Abhilash Gupta said in a note last week.

Gupta, however, reckoned that Malaysia, the Philippines, and Myanmar require additional regulatory support and encouragement to foster EV growth. “Despite overall passenger vehicle sales remaining relatively stagnant, the sales of BEVs have experienced a significant and rapid expansion. Besides, the market for hybrid electric vehicles has experienced remarkable growth in SEA, playing a pivotal role in transitioning from traditional internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles to EVs,” he noted.

Separately, Counterpoint’s senior analyst Soumen Mandal observed that Thailand’s EV sector had witnessed a significant rise in foreign direct investment in the past year. “Notably, several Chinese automakers, including Great Wall Motors, BYD, Hozon New Energy, and Changan Automobile, have shown interest in establishing or have already commenced the construction of production facilities in Thailand.”

Similarly, Mandal said Indonesia announced a subsidy package in March 2023 to promote the purchase and manufacturing of EVs, with a particular focus on increasing local production. The move is expected to accelerate the production and sales of EVs in the region.

Chinese automaker makes up 3 out of 4 BEVs sold in SEA

Counterpoint also highlighted that Chinese auto groups are experiencing rapid growth and outpacing their competitors in the SEA region, with their market share increasing from 38% a year ago to nearly 75%. For instance, in the first three months of this year alone, BYD Group emerged as the BEV leader in the SEA region, capturing the majority of sales, followed by Hozon New Energy and SAIC Group. 

“These top three groups collectively accounted for over 68% of the BEV market. Geely Holding Group claimed the top position in the PHEV market, followed by BMW Group and Mercedes-Benz Group,” Gupta said. BYD’s Atto 3 was the best-selling BEV across SEA, followed by the Neta V and Tesla Model Y. In PHEVs, Counterpoint’s report indicated Volvo’s XC60 as the most sold, followed by the BMW 3 series and Mercedes-Benz E-Class.

The post Thailand leads battery electric vehicle sales in SEA once again appeared first on TechWire Asia.

For more than a year, Apple Inc has been mass-producing its Apple Watch in Thailand. The location doesn’t come much as a surprise, considering the tech giant’s partners have been looking to increase their production capacity in Southeast Asia to reduce their dependence on China.

Fast forward to this week, sources from three suppliers told Nikkei Asia that Apple is in talks with them to make MacBooks in Thailand as well. It is, as expected, a part of the company’s ongoing efforts to expand its manufacturing presence beyond China. The report by Nikkei noted that suppliers involved in the talks have manufacturing complexes in Thailand for other clients.

Therefore, they are discussing the possible assembly and production of components and modules for MacBooks. “Ideally, Apple asked us to set up facilities in Vietnam for MacBooks, following in the footsteps of other Apple suppliers, but we offered an alternative option of building the product at our Thailand plants, which still have a massive space that can be reserved for the client,” a senior executive at one of the suppliers told Nikkei.

In short, the supplier suggested that since MacBook assembly will begin in Vietnam first, they could first support the components from their Thailand plants, too. “It will only take two to three days of logistics and customs clearance,” the supplier added. On the other hand, another supplier said his company is building new plants in Thailand for Apple, and a new factory for MacBooks and other products will be completed this year. 

Then there’s a third supplier who said the company has set up a trial production line for Apple MacBooks in Thailand, but the company is also looking for a plot of land in Vietnam as a backup plan. To recall, the iPhone maker had plans to begin mass-producing MacBooks in Vietnam in the first half of this year, and it will also be the first time the flagship product will be made outside China.

Although Apple and China share a “symbiotic kind of relationship,” according to Apple CEO Tim Cook on his first trip to China in three years, last month, the tech giant is left with little to no choice but to dilute its manufacturing focus on China to balance out the risk. Geopolitical tensions have been forcing Apple to rethink its supply chain.

The stark reality is that shifting production away from China is easier said than done, considering Apple and its suppliers have spent decades building a massive supply chain. However, it is safe to say that Apple and its partners/suppliers have seen nailing in their efforts.

Southeast Asian countries and India have mainly been key beneficiaries of the trend toward supply chain diversification. To put it into context, Apple has gradually moved some production capacity for AirPods, the Apple Watch, iPads, and MacBooks to northern Vietnam in recent years. 

Today, the number of Apple suppliers in the country increased to 25 in 2021 from 14 in 2018, when the trade war started escalating, according to Nikkei’s analysis of the company’s official list of suppliers. Apple also upped its ante in Malaysia for some Mac production, while India is, by far, Apple’s biggest success story since it began diversification.

Apple’s ‘Made in India’ push has been paying off, as data from 2022 shows that Indian iPhone units made and volume shipped soaring to levels never-seen-before. Counterpoint Research data shows that the shipment value of Indian-made iPhones grew 162% year-on-year (YoY) in 2022, while volume rose by 65%.

At the rate that Apple was accelerating its Indian production in 2022, the company has managed to capture 25% of the total value of the smartphone market in India, an impressive feat from a mere 12% in 2021. A Bloomberg report indicated that Apple assembled over US$7 billion of iPhones in India last fiscal year, tripling production in the world’s fastest-growing smartphone arena after accelerating a move beyond China.

“The US company now makes almost 7% of its iPhones in India through expanding partners from Foxconn Technology Group to Pegatron Corp., ” said people familiar with the matter. That’s a significant leap for India, which accounted for an estimated 1% of the world’s iPhones in 2021,” Bloomberg said.

The post Apple’s audacious expansion into SEA. Is Thailand next? appeared first on TechWire Asia.

Post-quantum cryptography refers to cryptographic algorithms and protocols designed to be secure against attacks by quantum computers. According to McKinsey, while quantum computers may not be able to crack conventional encryption protocols until 2030, many cybersecurity and risk managers should evaluate their options now.

For starters, quantum computing holds promise for problems out of reach for currently available high-performance computers. However, the technology’s power poses a significant cybersecurity risk because quantum computers can break many cryptographic algorithms presently used to secure our digital communications.

That said, the purpose of post-quantum cryptography in today’s day and age is to ensure that digital communications and data remain secure against potential attacks from quantum computers. Quantum computers can break many of the cryptographic algorithms currently used to secure our digital systems, such as online transactions, banking systems, and communication networks.

Key elements involved in post-quantum cryptography

Cryptographic security is achieved by using mathematical problems that are believed to be challenging even for quantum computers to solve, such as lattice-based cryptography, code-based cryptography, and hash-based cryptography. Post-quantum cryptography will also become the standard for cryptographic protocols in the coming years.

It is important to note that transitioning to post-quantum cryptography is a complex process that requires careful planning and coordination, as it involves updating the entire cryptographic infrastructure of our digital systems. According to the National Institute for Standards and Technology (NIST), large quantum computers will be powerful enough to breach vital public schemes currently in use in a few years. 

In 2022, US President Joe Biden signed the Quantum Computing Cybersecurity Preparedness Act to prepare for such incidents. By July 5, 2023, the Office of Management and Budget show will begin implementing the NIST-approved cryptographic algorithms to protect systems in the executive branch. Microsoft, AWS, VMWare, Cisco Systems and Samsung are among 12 companies the NIST has selected to guide the nation’s migration to cryptographic standards that are immune to the computation powers of a quantum machine. 

At the same time, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) also established a Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC) Initiative to unify and drive agency efforts to address threats posed by quantum computing. In coordination with interagency and industry partners, CISA’s new initiative is building on existing Department of Homeland Security (DHS) efforts as well as those underway at NIST to support critical infrastructure and government network owners and operators during the transition to post-quantum cryptography.

CISA’s PQC Initiative will oversee its activities in four critical areas:

• Risk Assessment: Assess vulnerability across the U.S. critical infrastructure by assessing risk in the 55 National Critical Functions (NCFs). Through this macro-level assessment of priority NCFs, CISA will determine where post-quantum cryptography transition work is underway, where the greatest risk resides, and what may require federal support.
• Planning: Plan where CISA and its partners should focus resources and engagement with owners and operators across public and private sectors.
• Policy and Standards: Work with partners to foster adoption and implementation of policies, standards, and requirements to improve the security of the Federal Civilian Executive Branch (FCEB), state, local, tribal, and territorial (SLTT) entities; critical infrastructure; and the underlying technology that supports all of these entities.
• Engagement and Awareness: Engage stakeholders to develop mitigation plans and encourage implementation of standards once they are available across the FCEB, SLTT, and critical infrastructure sectors. Develop technical products to support these efforts.

It is also important to note that implementing post-quantum cryptography requires updating the entire cryptographic infrastructure of digital systems, including software, hardware, and communication protocols. This may take several years to complete and will require careful planning and coordination.

Some general steps to be considered in implementing post-quantum cryptography include evaluating current cryptographic infrastructure, which involves assessing current cryptographic protocols, algorithms, and keys to identify areas that need to be updated to provide post-quantum security.

That step is followed by selecting post-quantum cryptographic algorithms that meet security requirements and are compatible with an organizations’ systems. Once that is done, businesses should perform extensive testing and validation of the post-quantum cryptographic algorithms to ensure they are secure and work correctly.

Last but not least, communicate the changes to all relevant parties, including customers, employees, and partners, to ensure that they know the new post-quantum cryptographic protocols and can adjust their systems accordingly.

The post The journey towards post-quantum cryptography appeared first on TechWire Asia.

In the final quarter of 2022, news on JD.com, possibly exiting its joint e-commerce ventures in Thailand and Indonesia by the first quarter of this year, was making its rounds. In a statement on the company’s blog this week, JD.com confirms the news and reiterates that its operations in both countries will begin to cease in March this year. The move would also mean that the online retailer will finally shut down its business in the Southeast Asian region after struggling to stay afloat in a highly-competitive space.

The moves also mean JD.com is shifting its overseas strategy toward supply-chain and logistics services. According to statements on the businesses’ websites, JD.ID in Indonesia will stop accepting orders from mid-February, and all services will be stopped by the end of March, while JD Central in Thailand will cease its operations from March 3, 2023.

As Alibaba Group Holding Ltd.’s biggest rival, JD.com intends to pivot its international businesses toward supply-chain management and warehousing services, a move seen as a way to curb spending amidst slowing growth. According to a report by Bloomberg, JD.com’s email confirms the groups’ change in direction: “JD.com will continue to serve the global markets, including Southeast Asia, through its supply chain infrastructure.”

“We are developing in international markets by focusing on building a cross-border supply chain network with logistics and warehousing at the core,” the group added. To recall, JD.com launched its Indonesia operations in 2015, and three years later, it invested in Gojek as part of its Southeast Asia push. Following the investment, according to local reports, JD.ID’s valuation exceeded US$1 billion, turning it into the country’s fifth-largest unicorn. 

Then, between 2017 to 2018, JD.com invested in Indonesia’s Tokopedia, Vietnam’s Tiki, India’s ShadowFax, and Thailand’s JD Central. The online retailer also introduced its unmanned store tech in Indonesia in 2018, marking the first time it has done so overseas. JD.com also opened an AI-powered experience store, JD.ID X-Mart, in Jakarta that same year, allowed consumers to pick up whatever they wanted and walk straight out of the store without getting slowed down by lines or payments. 

To recall, the closure of its Southeast Asian business comes shortly after JD.com was reported to be slashing salaries for around 2,000 executives by 10% to 20% and diverting some of the savings to a raft of employee benefits from next year. CEO Liu Qiangdong sent a letter to his staff about the decision where he apologized for reducing some of the managers’ pay and promised to restore it if JD.com could return to fast growth in the next two years, according to The Wall Street Journal.

The salary cuts at JD.com follow a wave of job and cost reductions worldwide by companies struggling with a potential recession. The Chinese firm, which like Alibaba, weathered two years of strict Covid controls that precipitated a downturn, last year reported an 11% rise in its third-quarter revenue. It is also fair to say that JD.com is riding out the slowdown better than Alibaba, the target of a bruising antitrust crackdown in 2021.

As JD.com leaves the region, the e-commerce industry could now see increased growth for its competitors, especially Tokopedia, which is also a local player in Indonesia.

The post It’s a wrap? China-based e-commerce giant JD.com retreats from SEA appeared first on TechWire Asia.

Search and rescue (SAR) is a critical function that saves lives and protects communities from the dangers of natural and man-made disasters. The ability to quickly and accurately locate and rescue individuals in distress is essential for emergency response teams and organizations worldwide. With the rapid advancement of technology, it has become increasingly important for SAR operations to access the most advanced and reliable tools available. Thales Alenia Space, a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Leonardo (33%), is utilizing its expertise in space technology to revolutionize search and rescue operations.

One such tool provided by Thales Alenia Space is the COSPAS-SARSAT MEOSAR Service, a complete SAR operational system that allows for the instant detection and location of distress signals from COSPAS-SARSAT beacons on land, in the air, and at sea. This system utilizes the Galileo satellite positioning system, which provides accurate and reliable location data over a radius of 2,500 km centered around Bangkok. This service is vital for ensuring the safety and well-being of individuals in distress. Thales Alenia Space’s continued innovation in this area will undoubtedly save lives in the future.

In addition to the MEOSAR Service, Thales Alenia Space offers the innovative MEOLUT Next product. This uses a phased array antenna to track up to 30 satellites, significantly enhancing distress beacon detection and expanding coverage. This system can detect distress signals up to 5,000 km away, and it is a much more efficient alternative than conventional MEOLUT systems, which rely on six large parabolic antennas.

Thales Alenia Space’s advanced technology is already in operation by the main users of COSPAS-SARSAT, including the USA, Canada, France, the European Union, and Togo. It has been proven to be a reliable and effective tool for SAR operations, as demonstrated by a recent incident in the Indian Ocean. On November 18, 2022, a MEOLUT Next antenna picked up a distress signal from a yacht 2,000 km southwest of La Réunion. The MEOLUT Next system could pinpoint the boat’s location and guide rescue crews to the scene, resulting in the skipper’s rescue.

“This is the first contract to deploy our MEOLUT Next solution in Asia, which is now present on the four continents of the Americas, Europe, Africa and Asia.” said Benoit Broudy, Vice President Navigation at Thales Alenia Space in France. “Thales Alenia Space sees space as a new horizon, helping humankind to build a better, more sustainable life on Earth. Saving lives is something that ties in with our company’s aspirations, as demonstrated by our contribution to COSPAS-SARSAT Search and Rescue services.”

The potential use of Thales’s space advanced technology.

Thales Alenia Space plays a vital role in various industries and applications, including telecommunications, navigation, earth observation, and scientific research. Seeing how Thales Alenia Space’s advanced technology can be used for search and rescue operations, it is interesting to see how this technology could address landslide issues in Malaysia.

In December 2022, a tragic landslide occurred in Malaysia, claiming the lives of 21 individuals, including children, who were sleeping in tents at an unlicensed campsite. Search teams had to navigate through thick mud and fallen trees to search for survivors. The landslide happened in Selangor state, near the capital city Kuala Lumpur, and a hillside collapsing into an organic farm. According to reports, a massive amount of earth fell from approximately 30 meters (100 feet), covering an area of roughly one acre (0.4 hectares).

Regarding a landslide incident, Thales Alenia Space technology could play an essential role in monitoring the land, identifying potential hazards, and taking action to mitigate risks. Their Earth observation satellites can be used to detect and monitor changes in land and soil structure, detect movements, and provide early warning of potential landslides. This capability allows for more efficient and effective deployment of resources and aid during a disaster response.

Perhaps, Thales Alenia Space’s technology can also be used for rapid response and assessment of the damage after a landslide has occurred. They can use their high-resolution imagery and data to identify affected areas and track the progression of landslides. This will enable emergency response teams to prioritize their efforts and resources more effectively.

The post Thailand enhances search and rescue with space technology appeared first on TechWire Asia.

Countries around the world are striving to reach their climate targets, with many turning to electric vehicles (EVs) as a way of reducing carbon emissions. Amidst this revolution, Southeast Asia is emerging as a potential market and manufacturing hub for EVs and within the region, the country with the most rapidly growing EV market is Thailand. Government subsidies have lowered prices for buyers and quadrupled sales this year.

By the third quarter of this year, Thailand had registered the highest EV sales volume in the whole of Southeast Asia, capturing almost 60% share, data by Counterpoint Research shows. For context, according to the country’s Energy Ministry, sales of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) in Thailand rose by a staggering 223% in the first nine months of this year, compared to the same period last year.

Buyers took advantage of generous incentives to register a total of 13,298 BEVs in the year up till September, Energy Minister Supattanapong Punmeechaow said at the end of October. Overall EV sales also grew with 11.9% of the total made up of buses, trucks and other non-car EVs. Counterpoint’s Global Passenger Electric Vehicle Model Sales Tracker shows Thailand leads with the EV sales volume in the region, followed by Indonesia and Singapore. 

Overall, passenger EV sales SEA grew 35% YoY in the third quarter of 2022 (3Q22). BEVs constituted 61% of the sales and plug-in hybrid EVs (PHEVs) the rest. Wuling emerged as the best-selling EV brand followed by Volvo and BMW. Overall, the top five brands accounted for almost 67% of the EV sales in SEA. 

Counterpoint Research’s analyst Abhilash Gupta shared that “Although the passenger EV sales in SEA are small compared to other regions, the demand is gradually increasing. Currently, EV sales are just a tad over 2% of total passenger vehicle sales in the region,” he said. Gupta also noted that many OEMs are setting up or are planning to set up manufacturing plants across the region “due to favorable policies, subsidies and incentives by major SEA countries like Thailand, Indonesia, Singapore and Malaysia.”

The EV market in Thailand and the rest of SEA region

As Counterpoint puts it, the EV market in Thailand has grown tremendously this year, making it SEA’s undisputed EV leader. As it is, It aims to achieve 100% domestic sales from BEVs by 2035 and at this point, subsidies, excise duty waivers and import tax reductions “have put Thailand on the right path in its EV journey,” the report stated.

On the other hand, Indonesia took 25% share in the SEA passenger EV market sales for 3Q22. In the same quarter, the country registered its highest EV sales volume till date. “The Wuling Air EV model launched during this quarter became an instant hit here and was the best-selling EV model,” Counterpoint stated. What makes Indonesia more interesting is the fact that many companies have recently announced plans for setting up EV battery production units in the country.

That is at large, in line with the country’s target to build 140 GWh of battery capacity by 2030. Singapore, another growing EV market, captured almost 12% share of the SEA EV sales, Counterpoint data shows. Even that city island has a target to achieve 100% zero-emission vehicle sales by 2030 and has introduced various incentives, policies and schemes to increase EV adoption. 

To top it off, Singapore is also trying to develop a well-connected network of 60,000 charging points by the end of this decade. Malaysia and Vietnam on the other hand had very somber results compared to their peers. Malaysia only had a 3% share in the SEA EV market in the quarter but because the Malaysian government is supporting the adoption of EVs, further growth can be anticipated. 

The country also has exempted EVs from road, import, excise and sales taxes. Vietnam unfortunately announced zero registration fee for EVs in March 2022. Vinfast, the major EV brand, recently discontinued its ICE models to focus on EVs. “The future looks promising for the EV market to flourish in Vietnam,” Counterpoint stated.

The post Thailand leads the Southeast Asian EV market with a 60% share appeared first on TechWire Asia.

The evolution in network connectivity is going to revolutionize how people connect, interact, and exchange information. The term may sound familiar to some, given that network connectivity aims to improve people’s lives. However, the use of technology and innovation has the potential to fundamentally alter how people share information, impacting every industry and sector, namely Huawei, which has consistently promoted its broadband solutions for the advancement of human society.

Huawei accelerating broadband outside of China

Since the infrastructure for broadband has grown so quickly, it is becoming essential in today’s society. Among them, the foundational broadband infrastructure, which includes full-fiber and 5G networks, will be essential for advancing the digital economy.

In fact, Huawei has done this before. They have been an active player in this market for some time, particularly when they unveiled the 5.5G version of 5G technology in July of this year.

However, they now want to market their broadband solutions outside of China and provide more support for them. The company recently held the 8th Ultra-Broadband Forum (UBBF) 2022, themed “Stride to Ultra-Broadband 5.5G,” in Bangkok. For the first time, Huawei showcased its “ABC” scenario-based capabilities to customers outside of China, including Accurate User Insight (A), Best Wi-Fi Speed Experience (B), and Constant QoE Assurance (C).

• Accurate User Insight (A): The Premium Broadband solution provides more than 100 crucial pieces of information in four categories, including application, experience, bottleneck, and networking.
• Best Wi-Fi Speed Experience (B): The Premium Broadband system can launch numerous multi-segment speed tests simultaneously without the subscriber’s awareness. Once carriers are aware of the Wi-Fi rate achieved by each terminal in each residence as well as whether the terminals’ poor QoE bottleneck is indoor or outdoor, they may correctly identify the underlying cause of the issue.
• Constant QoE Assurance (C): The Premium Broadband solution can help carriers move forward significantly, from network awareness to the assurance of subscriber service experience.

China has almost 50 sites where the Premium Broadband solution has been commercially installed.

Reliable and convenient private line services

Global carriers have long been quite concerned with commercializing OTN private lines, even if private line service growth differs from place to region. To solve this problem, Huawei gives the iMaster NCE cutting-edge features to enhance optical networks’ intelligence and offer crucial monetization enablement for private line services.

Huawei iMaster NCE offers full-service-lifecycle support for carriers’ private line monetization as the technical backbone of the OTN network management and control system. It helps carriers increase productivity and income by supporting sales through ACTN NBIs in addition to basic service provisioning and alarm monitoring functionalities.

Unleashing fiber’s potential

Future-focused strategic infrastructure now includes fiber networks. Technology advancements in manufacturing and fiber sensing will further unlock the potential of fiber and open up new industries as the transition from F5G to F5.5G takes place. To hasten the development of the industry, Huawei has developed eight technological breakthroughs for F5.5G.

• 50G PON compatibility: ITU-T has unveiled the next-generation PON technology known as 50G PON. Huawei enhances the transmit power and receiver sensitivity of 50G PON optical modules to reach 40 km coverage through component structure and process innovation.
• Super C+L spectrum: Huawei has created a brand-new spectrum amplification method and increased transmission bandwidth based on trials and inventions.
• Optical cross-connect (OXC): The 3D dot matrix technique is used by Huawei OXC to reduce external fiber connections of reconfigurable optical add/drop multiplexers (ROADMs), enhance the cabling density of the all-optical backplane by 35%, reduce system size by 90%, and cut power consumption by more than 60%.
• OptiX Alps-WDM: Huawei introduces the ground-breaking Metro WDM pooling solution OptiX Alps-WDM to address the issues of unequal service distribution, under-utilized resources, and challenging planning on metro networks.
• Flexible optical service unit (OSU) service granularities: Hard pipe connections with speeds ranging from 2 Mbps to 100 Gbps are used by Huawei’s cutting-edge hard pipe core technology OSU.
• FTTR C-WAN architecture: The FTTR for Home solution from Huawei leverages the C-WAN centralized management and control architecture to coordinate all ONTs throughout the whole FTTR network, minimizing interference and enhancing bandwidth performance.
• Fiber iris technology: Huawei has introduced the ground-breaking fiber iris technology to mark a significant number of fiber ports. This enables accurate real-time recording and allocation of port resources, facilitating quick service provisioning.
• Autonomous networks: Huawei has achieved several technological advancements in autonomous driving networks. For instance, StellarGo replaces manual and single-factor route sections on transportation networks with multi-factor and multi-policy intelligent route selection, and provides tailored suggestions based on various client preferences.

As ubiquitous 10G connections are anticipated by 2025, according to Richard Jin, Vice President of Huawei and President of the Optical Business Product Line, Huawei will continue to make technological advances and product innovations based on the earlier innovations and will increase the commercial value for operators by enhancing user experience and network operation efficiency as they move towards F5.5G.

The post Huawei promotes “ABC” and launches its high-end broadband solution outside of China appeared first on TechWire Asia.

Having a successful investment strategy for Asia’s megatrends is more crucial than ever, since the region stands out as the leader in the global context of low growth. Many people are aware that, among other places, Asia is accelerating technology advancements, and among the tech giants, Huawei is taking advantage of it.

Huawei has strong roots in the APAC region and has consistently supported digital development there, pushing the limits of what technological advancements are capable of.

Asia currently holds a 77% share of the global innovation market, with America coming in second (64%), according to a Salesforce report. This is largely because a resounding majority of respondents named China, Korea, and Japan as the top three nations driving innovation.

At is HUAWEI CONNECT 2022 Bangkok event, Huawei unveiled a number of ground-breaking infrastructure solutions designed to accelerate industry digitalization by selecting the best technology for each particular situation. In order to explore the potential future directions and prospects for industrial digitization, industry stakeholders came together and held conversations around the theme “Innovative Infrastructure to Unleash Digital.”

Huawei presented solutions backed by its technical strengths to help overcome the difficulties faced by various businesses attempting to go digital.

At the event, Huawei unveiled its global partner growth plan, the Huawei Empower Program. With the aid of this initiative, Huawei’s partners will be able to create three different types of capabilities: consulting and planning for digital transformation, product and portfolio expertise, and solution development.

Huawei makes it simpler to advance technology innovations

Deeper digital transformation will let businesses to more effectively adapt to a constantly-evolving world, according to Ryan Ding, President of Huawei Enterprise BG, in his keynote speech “Empowering Industry, Creating Value.” “Huawei is working closely with our partners to find the right technology for the right scenario, support customers in furthering their digital transformation, and unleash the power of digital,” said Ding.

Ding continued by saying that by collaborating with partners to develop scenario-based solutions for a range of client needs, Huawei is advancing industry innovation and multi-tech synergy. He added that doing this will increase value and make it simpler for customers to complete the “last mile” of their digital transformation.

They say that change never stops; and when it comes to technology, they are often correct. But it must also be advantageous to what companies actually need for their business operations. Vice President of Huawei Enterprise BG Bob Chen spoke about the need of multi-tech synergy in selecting the best technology for a given situation.

“Data is at the core of digital transformation, and data ingestion, transmission, storage, and analysis are key steps. Huawei provides full-stack products and product portfolios to support end-to-end data processing, accelerating customers’ digital transformation,” said Chen.

These three steps—data connectivity, transmission, and storage—are crucial to this process.

Huawei upgraded its Intelligent Cloud-Network Solution, which consists of CloudFabric, CloudWAN, and CloudCampus, in terms of data connectivity. The solution seeks to provide quick, agile, and simplified experiences to industrial clients and contributes to building a strong data foundation for unleashing the power of digital.

Huawei has been investigating the fifth-generation fixed network (F5G) evolution in the area of data transmission to redefine industry productivity. For all-optical bearing, all-optical industrial networks, all-optical campuses, and all-optical sensing, a number of innovative products and solutions have been made available.

For data storage, Huawei stated that it is working to provide a data-centric, reliable storage foundation for six important data consumption scenarios, such as production and transactions, data analytics, and data protection, to assist businesses in maximizing the value of their data.

In addition, through Huawei’s Empower Program, partners will be empowered with a new framework, a new strategy, and an integrated platform. Finally, the Huawei ICT Academy and Huawei Authorized Learning Partner (HALP) programs will help to develop a talent pool. Huawei also disclosed that over the following three years, they would invest US$300 million in this program to support global partners.

The post Huawei: Finding the right approach and technology for any scenario appeared first on TechWire Asia.

Any effort to implement digital transformation must first consider the network. The network must adapt architecturally and operationally as applications have grown in importance to business outcomes and as cloud and multicloud have altered the application environment – especially given how connected practically everyone in this world is.

According to Insider Intelligence, Southeast Asia alone will have the second-fastest growth in internet users globally in 2022, with an annual increase of 3.1%. The number of internet users will rise by 53.9 million since 2019, when 54.0% of the region’s population went online.

In his keynote address at the annual Aruba Atmosphere Conference – SEATH and India in Bangkok, Thailand, David Hughes, Chief Product and Technology Officer, HPE Aruba, said, “Networking is shifting from thinking about it as managing a whole set of devices, towards delivering a service to your users, and enabling business outcomes. When we consider how we can make your job easier, what do we consider? How can we help you in filling those deficits?”

The need for network modernization is what these challenges are accelerating. According to Hughes, “you need to modernize your network if you want to be nimble, if you want to be able to cope with the unexpected, and if you want to be able to see around those corners.”

How network modernization accelerates the sense of “connected”

The Aruba Atmosphere Conference this year has brought together business-driven organizations from the region to explore the greatest industry practices, foster insightful technical discussion, and sharpen new skills regarding the most recent updates that will aid in continuously modernizing their networks.

Key executives and industry experts discussed Aruba’s always-on innovations in a presentation centered around three fundamental technological principles: agility, automation, and security.

• Agility: Network-as-a-Service (NaaS) adoption is becoming more and more simple, enabling unified, cloud-native, standards-based architecture while optimizing financial and human resources.
• Automation: By achieving streamlined processes and AI-powered automation, networks that enable distant, branch, campus, and cloud connectivity may be planned, deployed, and managed with less time and effort.
• Security: Importance of enhanced threat detection and protection by applying built-in identity-based access control and dynamic segmentation, leveraging zero trust and SASE frameworks.

Static networks are no longer able to fulfil evolving security standards or keep up with expanding business demands. It is strongly advised that businesses establish a modern network architecture when they begin digital transformation activities and adjust to hybrid work environments. This enables businesses of all sizes to execute their main business processes from anywhere thanks to a smooth and secure connection.

Along with the global growth in as-a-service solutions and the rise of hybrid workplaces, HPE GreenLake for Aruba is revolutionizing how businesses operate. In order to stay up with the speed of business, HPE GreenLake keeps up with essential use cases including hybrid work, connected retail, and hybrid learning as well as enabling businesses to quickly deploy them.

Making connections anywhere, anytime has become more important than ever, and according to Steve Wood, Vice President of APJ at Aruba, “Enterprises that prioritize digital transformation and acceleration will be able to address the tough challenges that come with network orchestration, management, and security to eventually drive business growth.”

Key Announcements on Aruba’s next generation networking devices

The transformation of WAN and security architectures with a unified Software-Defined Wide Area Network (SD-WAN) fabric, one that enables organizations to architect a Secure Access Service Edge (SASE), is also essential to delivering the highest quality of experience for customers, employees, and IT teams.

The Aruba EdgeConnect Enterprise SD-WAN platform most recently received the ICSA Labs Secure SD-WAN Certification, making it the first SD-WAN platform to do so. The accreditation highlights Aruba’s industry-leading SD-WAN and security capabilities, giving customers flexibility and assurance in implementing important network and security transformations.

Aruba expanded it further by launching the first self-locating wireless infrastructure and the Open Locate project to standardize methods for exchanging location information.

Mark Verbloot, Senior Director, Product, Solutions and Systems Engineering, APJ, HPE Aruba, claims that high precision GPS receivers have been incorporated inside all of Aruba’s new 600 series access points. Aruba’s announcement of this is not brand-new. They did, however, announced to enable the software to make use of these GPS receivers now.

“There’s two parts to this, the GPS receiver is used to automatically determine its absolute reference both in height as well as position and use that to automatically be positioned on a floor plan. In addition, we’ve got something called fine time measurement (FTM), or also known as IEEE 802.11mc. This is a standard where devices or clients can accurately measure their position from a fixed point, using time-of-flight measurement – basically measuring how long it takes to receive a signal or a ping from a known reference point,” explained Verbloot.

Together, these two components made up what Aruba referred to as “Open Locate.” Verbloot declared that Aruba will provide these to the entire industry. It is intended to allow them to advertise the exact location of the access point from the access point beacon. Therefore, any client can obtain that information and determine precise location, regardless of whether it supports FTM or not.

The post The need to modernize network is now, with everyone connected worldwide appeared first on TechWire Asia.