Various generative AI tools and services have gradually permeated everyday life and the workplace, driving rapid market growth and attracting startup teams to enter the field. Founded in Seattle in 2020, Seasalt.ai is one of the rising stars that began developing intelligent voice solutions even before the current generative AI boom.With a focus on the linguistically diverse and densely populated Southeast Asian market, the company has established Taiwan as its development and support center, offering AI-powered customer service agents and meeting assistant tools that excel in accurately recognizing local accents and understanding nuanced semantics.Co-founded by CEO Xuchen Yao and CTO Guoguo Chen, Seasalt.ai marks their second entrepreneurial collaboration. Instead of competing in dominant markets like the U.S. and China, the duo chose to focus on Southeast Asia - a region often overlooked by major tech giants."Our company name, Seasalt AI, not only comes from our roots in Seattle but also reflects our target market - Southeast Asia (SEA)," said Yao. He noted that most AI voice tools on the market tend to overlook the less widely spoken languages in the Southeast Asian region. "But these underrepresented areas are home to large populations and many businesses in need of support. Filling in the gaps left by the tech giants has become a unique opportunity for us."Seasalt.ai offers an AI meeting assistant, SeaMeet Copilot, which provides real-time meeting transcripts, structured summaries, and action items for each meeting. It seamlessly integrates with Google Meet - popular among local users - and is specifically optimized to recognize Taiwanese accents, accurately understanding complex sentences that mix both Chinese and English.Cloud-Based and Subscription: Ensuring Security and Product FlexibilitySeasalt.ai also offers the SeaX platform - an all-in-one omnichannel solution for businesses. It integrates voice and text to support AI-powered messaging and phone-based voice calls, with a focus on outbound marketing. The platform enables natural language Q&A summaries, bilingual Chinese-English interaction, and smooth integration with existing workflows.According to Seasalt.ai, SeaX empowers companies to book appointments via AI voice assistants, engage in two-way conversations, track marketing campaigns across SMS, WhatsApp, and phone, discover customer buying intent, analyze user behavior, and conduct surveys - bringing automation and personalization into one seamless system.Another key advantage is the speed of deployment. According to Yao, in the case of assisting the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) with building a customer-facing chatbot with GenAI, Seasalt.ai successfully launched it in just three months, compared to competing solutions with last-generation technology (such as Natural Language Understanding) that would have taken up to two years.Chen highlighted the usability of Seasalt.ai's tools, stating: "Approximately 70% to 80% of users are able to set up and maintain their AI chatbots independently using our documentation and examples. Only about 10% to 20% of large enterprise clients necessitate custom development."Regarding deployment strategy, it is important to keep product features up to date due to the rapid advancement of generative AI. Therefore, a cloud-first approach is often recommended, supplemented by customized private cloud solutions for clients with stricter data security requirements.Rapid Tech Growth: Pros and Cons for AI StartupsSeasalt.ai was born during the global outbreak of COVID-19. At that time, Taiwan's strict pandemic control measures and its startup-friendly environment made it an ideal springboard for the company's expansion into the Southeast Asian market.As one of the standout alumni of SparkLabs Taiwan, Seasalt.ai also benefited greatly from its collaboration with Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), gaining valuable resources for growth. In December 2024, the company announced the completion of its seed funding round, raising NT$130 million. Investors included Z Venture Capital (ZVC), the corporate venture arm of LINE.In view of the rapid advancements in AI technology and the fast-evolving market landscape, Chen stated, "We began early and possess extensive knowledge of the field, allowing us to swiftly integrate new technologies. However, much of our initial work needs to be revised." He added that the plethora of new technological resources has also empowered Seasalt.ai to quickly update product features and improve user experience, thereby maintaining market competitiveness.Chen observed that the rapid advancement of generative AI technology has reduced development barriers, enabling startup teams to create prototypes and test the market at lower costs and within shorter timeframes. However, the reduced entry barriers have resulted in an increase in competitors, making it more challenging for new players to distinguish themselves in the market.Looking forward, Yao articulated that Seasalt.ai aspires to establish itself as the market leader in Taiwan while simultaneously innovating new products. One such product is SeaHealth, an AI-powered assistant intended as a front office solution for hospitals and clinics to facilitate proactive healthcare messages and communications for patients with chronic illnesses or elderly individuals living alone. The company's vision is to provide more convenient and accessible AI tools to a broader range of users.SeaMeet Copilot supports multilingual meetings and audio uploads. Credit: Company

In recent years, we have seen a rise in attacks of a previously unheard-of type – supply chain attacks. As attack prevention in systems becomes more and more sophisticated, including dedicated hardware and software, rogue players are moving to supply chain attacks to overcome systems before they have a chance to install and operate such protections.Supply chain attacksIn a nutshell, supply chain attacks target the systems during their production or shipment in order to install weaknesses before they reach their final destination. When an affected system is installed, it is already compromised. The weaknesses can then be used by the attackers at their will to infiltrate the systems, bypass protection mechanisms, and perform preplanned malicious actions.Since modern systems are created in multiple steps with components and processes sourced from global vendors, it is extremely hard for the vendors and the intended users to ensure everything is in perfect security order.In the past, it was sufficient to use logging and tracking, and in extreme cases, tamper-evident tapes and locks. It was a common belief that once a machine is assembled at the factory and put in a box, as long as that box reaches its destination intact, all is well.This is no longer true. Rogue organizations and even nations are using sophisticated technologies to mount hidden attacks at very early stages of the supply chain. This goes far back into the assembly process, component shipping, mass programming, and even component production. When looking at an electronic component with the naked eye, it's hard to tell an original from a counterfeit. And when that component is an essential part of the system operation and security, its replacement with a forged, potentially harmful one poses a serious security threat.We have learned of mystery components finding their way into high-profile servers, but this only tells part of the story. What if an attacker manages to create what looks like a genuine part and has that part assembled in an otherwise legitimate system? What will happen if that part holds code that the system will run? What if a remote attacker can use that to mount and unleash an attack at any given time?System makers are striving for a solution that is strong yet affordable, allowing them to verify authenticity and integrity of key components in the system at any stage of the supply chain, before and after assembly, before and after shipping, before and after deployment, and at any other time during the life cycle of that system.Securing the root of trustA Root of Trust (RoT) is a concept where a system starts from a known and secure state and measures every next stage of the execution chain before it is used, ensuring that only genuine code runs on genuine hardware. However, the root of trust must rely on some secure hardware and code that must be genuine, unaltered, and whole. If that RoT is compromised or replaced during some stage of the supply chain, there is no way of assessing the security state of the system.One solution that has been used before is a TPM (Trusted Platform Module) or some Secure Element. These are secure hardware devices with cryptographic capabilities that may be used to ensure the validity of the system. However, these components have many limitations. Their operation is strongly tied to the system software that they need to protect. Since these are discrete devices, they may also be replaced or bypassed. They are expensive and require more technical effort to be integrated, and they may not be adapted for all cases.Robust solution for securing the supply chainIf we can ensure that the system executes the original boot code, unmodified, and will not replace it at any stage with rogue code, and if we can remotely authenticate the code and the storage medium it is stored in, we can ensure that the system will be much less prone to the types of supply chain attacks we have described here. To do so, we need to add a mechanism to identify the storage medium in a cryptographically secure way and to ensure that it holds genuine, unmodified, and recent boot code.Boot code measurement and signature verification when done by software, is a known method which, as earlier noted, is not as safe as it should be since the software essentially measures itself.The stronger alternative is designing the storage medium to have these required capabilities. One way of doing so is to add a hardware based challenge-response enquiry mechanism to the storage medium, following a PKI (Private-Public Key Infrastructure) scheme, where the storage medium holds a unique private key that can be used to exclusively sign the challenge. The vendor can use this mechanism to query the storage medium at any time to verify that it's the genuine component arriving from the original manufacturer and assembled in the correct target system.A second, important mechanism, allows the vendor to verify the code stored in the device to ensure it is genuine unmodified and recent.Role of Post-Quantum Cryptography in supply chain protectionAs mentioned above, supply chain protection is based on PKI (Private-Public Key Infrastructure). Traditional crypto schemes such as RSA and ECC are no longer allowed for new designs. For that reason, Post Quantum schemes should be employed. One scheme that was adopted by NIST and CNSA is the Leighton-Micali (LMS) algorithm. This is a hash-based signature algorithm that is stateful, and as such, at the time of writing this, is practically impossible to break.Authenticated Code UpdateThe last piece of the puzzle has to do with secure update of the firmware code. Ensuring genuine code and code storage device is only good as long as the code does not need to be updated. When an update is deployed, it's essential to have the same level of protection as the rest of the supply chain. For that reason, code updates must also be signed and authenticated using PQC based algorithms and LMS algorithm was chosen for that purpose as well. It is used to sign the code updated, only this time the public key is stored in the storage medium, and the private key is used to sign the updates.To conclude, ensuring supply chain security requires robust measures such as remote attestation and cryptographic verification. Winbond Secure Flash enhances supply chain protection by integrating Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC)-based remote attestation, ensuring that only authentic, unaltered flash device and firmware operates within systems. To learn more about Winbond's advanced security solutions, visit Winbond's website or contact Winbond directly, or download the latest Hardware Security White Paper.

To advance its digital transformation strategy and embody the CA-PDCA continuous improvement philosophy, ZDT (Zhen Ding Technology Group) successfully hosted the 2025 H1 Lean & Digital Initiative Presentation Conference. This event aimed to enhance corporate competitiveness. General Manager Chen-Fu Chien and senior executives from various units led the charge in promoting company-wide participation in lean and digital transformation improvements.In his opening remarks, General Manager Chen-Fu Chien emphasized that the proposal improvement conference is integral to ZDT's innovative culture. He stated that lean management and digital transformation serve as cornerstones for the Group's sustainable development. He urged all colleagues to proactively engage in improvements, participate fully, and focus on details, embodying the spirit of "never neglecting a good deed because it seems small" to achieve cumulative, long-term results.Organized by the Industrial Engineering Department, with participation from plant managers and judging committee members, the conference rigorously selected 8 outstanding proposals for the final presentation round. Presenters enthusiastically shared their experiences and achievements. Judges provided expert feedback from multiple perspectives, encouraging departments to amplify the benefits of these initiatives.The Gold Award of the 2025 Lean & Digital Initiative Presentation Conference was presented to the HB06 Laser Section team from the Flexible Printed Circuit Board (FPCB) Business Unit. Their winning proposal, "ESI Laser Efficiency Enhancement Improvement," utilized OEE big data analysis, process streamlining, and innovative improvement methodologies. It optimized laser precision calibration, delivered concrete benefits, and has been implemented in other plants. Notably, the number of proposals submitted in 2025 increased by 2.35 times compared to the same period last year, with cost improvement savings doubling. Digital platforms facilitated greater efficiency and transparency throughout the initiative.ZDT also promoted cross-unit benchmarking. Approximately 90 top-performing benchmark individuals were recognized and incentivized from various teams. They received cups personally inscribed by Chairman Charles Shen with the words "Kindness, Perseverance, Benefiting Others, and Gratitude," embodying the core ZDT culture that the Chairman expects all awardees to practice.General Manager Chen-Fu Chien commended all colleagues for their tangible improvement results and the excellent presentations during the finals. He directed plant managers and unit heads to prioritize and lead continuous improvement efforts. Furthermore, he instructed the Digital Transformation Center to conduct an in-depth analysis of the enabling improvement cases, develop systematic solutions to ensure realized benefits, disseminate successful practices to other units, and deepen the impact of the results. He also called for establishing a knowledge base of success stories, encouraging diverse innovation improvements such as cross-unit collaboration, industry-academia partnerships, and more. This ongoing effort aims to continuously deepen the Group's digital transformation and organizational evolution.

The innovation wave has swept through how Canadians finance their online gaming activities. Current avenues have taken low-stakes casino games in Canada to a new level where players fully expect to be able to stake as little as a single dollar.The systems accept various payment options, from tap-and-go contactless card services to digital wallets and real-time bank rails. All this convenience is also achieved without any compromise in security.Stricter rules on anti-money laundering and strong consumer-protection measures ensure that such new ways of doing things are within the requirements of the regulatory authorities. The consequence is that casual players will have unprecedented flexibility, operators will have an increased conversion rate, and abandonment will be reduced.The evolution of payment gateways in digital entertainmentPayment gateways are used to interact with cards only. Still, they deliver smooth funding of the gaming sites in a real-time format. There was a boom in contactless transactions in early 2023, with 53% of point-of-sale payments relying on contactless.Due to small-ticket convenience, the 2022 and 2023 Interac e-Transfer volumes increased by 14%. Canada Buy-Now-Pay-Later services rose in 2024 to become valued at $6.69 billion. They will amount to $11.32 billion by 2030. Soon, the Real-Time Rail system will make settlements instant. It will give data-rich compliance and change the speed at which deposits can clear.Such flexibility has led operators to embrace micro-stakes, enabling one-dollar wagers through Casino Bonus CA platforms. The use of mobile wallets by older Canadians increased in late 2022 from 38% to 51% in mid-2023. It's a pandemic-driven growth.Regulatory landscape and consumer safety considerationsThe anti-money laundering system in Canada ensures that flexible payments don't jeopardize consumer protection. The guidelines by FINTRAC state that suspicious transactions concerning online gambling activity must be reported.In the meantime, Payments Canada implements stringent clearing and settlement requirements, which are key to safely transferring large sums of money.Card-based services must comply with the PCI DSS specifications to protect payment data. Tokenization, biometrics, and superior encryption provide additional levels of security. The measures enable players to open several accounts or deposit options with surety, even in minor stake games.Real-world use: popular payment methods for micro-depositsThe opportunities to deposit in small amounts have democratized access. Interac e-Transfer is different because it's associated with lightning-fast bank-to-bank transfers, sometimes within a few seconds. Digital wallets such as Skrill can complete the deposit in practically no time and without additional processing time.Prepaid vouchers like Paysafecard allow users to be anonymous and limit spending to a set amount. The fact that they're readily available in retail stores aids in practicing them casually with insignificant hazards. There are also deposits of cryptocurrency. Transactions between Bitcoin and Ethereum can be settled in a shorter time with a lower fee than traditional methods.This combination of choices satisfies the expectations of the low minimum deposit casino market. It allows the participants to participate without investing massive sums of money. It also supports the popularity of 1-dollar deposit casinos Canada experiences, where everybody is welcomed with open arms.Impact on the casual user experienceThe first-time deposit experience has changed because of flexible payment plans. Micro-deposits eliminate monetary restrictions, making the vacant spectators into players. Friction has been reduced by an order of magnitude with one-click wallet integrations, removing and reducing the ability of merchant services to convert delivered per click on mobile and desktop.Online casino promotions Canada have targeted small-stake players directly, following the latter's popularity to the extent of small-stake promotions. They commonly come in the form of free spins or matching low deposits. Reduced entry levels help operators develop loyalty among casual users. Still, they will play more often (not big amounts of money, though).There's also an increase in trust. Instant notifications and transparent pricing policies contribute to making the players sure that there's no backdoor charge. This transparency makes the sense of fairness stronger and strengthens long-term loyalty.Future trends: What's next for payment technologiesEmbedded finance gives even smoother flows. In the future, zero-click deposits made through payment SDKs directly in the game clients are possible without delay due to redirection.By taking advantage of AI-based fraud detection, anomalies in milliseconds will be identified with impunity, and the defences will be increased accordingly. Open Banking APIs, and possibly on the scale of micro-payments, should support direct account debits.In addition, the digital loonie being experimented on by Canada can disrupt the scene. Settlement in a central bank digital currency would be immediate and settlement-free, which would be helpful in low-value transactions. The technology of the next generation of payments is expected to take ease of use to a new level, complemented by new QR-code payment requests.This emerging scenario will keep the low minimum deposit casino niche alive. In the meantime, online casino promotions Canada will adapt themselves and eventually provide a much more customized offer to the micro-spender. To the players who want to risk as little and be as comfortable as possible, technology has never been as bright.

As enterprises increasingly shift customer engagement to messaging apps and social platforms, Taiwan-based SUPER 8 Studio is positioning itself as a key player in the race to digitize with artificial intelligence.The company offers a unified, AI-powered platform that integrates customer service, marketing, and sales across popular channels like LINE, Instagram, and WhatsApp. Designed with scalability in mind, SUPER 8 Studio's software aims to lower the barrier for digital transformation, particularly for large SMEs and enterprises, by offering modular AI solutions via a flexible subscription model."At its core, we're building intelligent, agentic systems that let businesses automate interactions, target the right customers, and reduce development overhead," said CEO and founder Brian Chen in an interview.Chen, a veteran of IBM and Adobe, returned to Taiwan in 2018 after a decade managing mobile platforms with hundreds of millions of users across China and South Korea. He launched SUPER 8 Studio to focus on messaging infrastructure for app developers. That platform has since evolved into a broader SaaS and AaaS (Agentic AI-as-a-Service) play, reflecting the growing demand for AI-native customer engagement.Comprehensive AI Solution to Boost Safety and EfficiencySUPER 8 Studio's flagship offerings include InsightArk, a conversation CRM system; MessageHero, an AI agent platform for automated service and sales; and SUPER 8 Copilot, a backend assistant that helps teams manage data and workflows in real time. These products are pre-integrated with e-commerce ecosystems like Shopify and Shopline and are built to serve both public cloud and virtual private cloud (VPC) deployments.The company has also partnered with Amazon Web Services to deliver VPC-based solutions tailored to industries with strict compliance needs, such as healthcare and pharma. That offering has gained traction among enterprises seeking cloud flexibility without compromising on data sovereignty."We're giving companies the option to own their infrastructure while still enjoying the speed, privacy, and adaptability of SaaS," Chen said.SUPER 8's platform currently supports more than 1,000 businesses and has processed over five billion customer interactions. Clients include UNIQLO, which leveraged the InsightArk platform to drive gamified campaigns on LINE and reduced account bans by up to 30%; Panasonic, which uses MessageHero for customer service on home appliance products; and Topologie, a Japanese fashion brand that introduced an AI sales assistant to boost personalization - leading to the opening of five new retail locations in 2024.From Taiwan to GlobalTo support its expansion, the company recently launched operations in Japan through a white-label partnership model with local telecom and distribution giants. Its full product suite is now listed on AWS Marketplace for global one-click deployment, with plans to enter the South Korean and Southeast Asian markets next.Chen also highlighted the shifting startup landscape in Taiwan, noting increased investor interest in AI and SaaS. "Investors here are starting to look beyond hardware," he said. "But we need policy to catch up - especially when it comes to streamlining subsidies and lowering the barrier to international expansion."Through programs like AVA Angels and Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), SUPER 8 Studio has tapped into AWS's global ecosystem and accelerated cross-border market entry. Chen believes that replicable success stories like SUPER 8's will help boost Taiwan's credibility in global AI circles.He recently represented the company at Japan IT Week 2025, underscoring SUPER 8's ambition to be a leading Agentic AI platform from Asia to the world.

Numerous restaurants in American cities have already closed their doors as twilight descends. Typically, the only options available to you if you are currently famished are microwave meals or fast food. This life pain point led Andy Lin, founder of Yo-Kai Express, to start a business and design a smart vending machine capable of delivering high-quality hot cuisine at any time and from any location.Lin, who worked for a leading technology company during his early career and lived in Silicon Valley for an extended duration, frequently conducted meetings with Asia clients late at night in the US. He was so hungry that he searched the entire Internet one early morning, but he was unable to find a venue that served a steaming bowl of Asian cuisine. Yo-Kai was established as a result of this experience.Lin initially drew inspiration from Japan's pioneering ramen dispensing machines; however, he ultimately determined that the user experience was inadequate. He utilized his technological proficiency to reengineer the mechanism and process, resulting in the creation of a smart heated food vending machine that is "delectable, sanitary, and prepared for consumption."Expand product lines and explore instant food blue oceanYo-Kai's first product is a ramen machine that uses high-pressure heating and quick cooking technologies to deliver restaurant-quality dishes. All components, including the broth, noodles, and seasonings, are crafted from premium ingredients that are rapidly frozen and pre-prepared in a central kitchen to guarantee uniform quality.Lin recalled that in his pursuit of the ideal noodle flavor, he once produced 3,000kg of noodles in a single day, only to meticulously control the variance of a few seconds. Yo-Kai's product selection now includes Korean, Thai, xiaolongbao, chicken noodle soup, and several other items, and has collaborated with companies such as Ippudo, MoonMoonFood, Chimei, and Wowprime to deliver joint products.Yo-Kai's smart vending machines are capable of both cognitive processes and food preparation. Sophisticated tasks, such as image recognition, virtual assistance, and sensor monitoring, are facilitated by the industrial computer module, which was developed in partnership with Qualcomm and Pegatron. The device is equipped with more than 100 integrated sensors that accurately measure parameters such as pressure, temperature, and humidity, thereby guaranteeing consistent food preparation.What is even more remarkable is that Yo-Kai utilizes edge AI processors to virtualize customer service and operation tutorials, which are then managed in real time on the spot. Users can obtain assistance without the need to make a phone call or connect to the cloud, which will further enhance the security and convenience of their information.Yo-Kai was the first-place winner of the Qualcomm QITC AI competition in 2024 and was chosen by Nvidia to participate in the Inception Program in 2025. It intends to become the Amazon of the catering industry by integrating upstream and downstream using AI systems.Alongside hot meals, Yo-Kai has lately diversified into cold beverages with better gross profit margins and has adopted an innovative approach by introducing a smart pearl milk tea machine. This is the sole vending machine globally capable of autonomously boiling tapioca pearls. It addresses the challenge of cold chain logistics for conventional tea beverages. The items can be maintained at ambient temperature, facilitating the improvement of delivery networks.Lin forecast that the tea beverage market in Europe and the US will reach US$40 billion by 2030, with an annual compound growth rate of 13%. Although vending machines have the potential for significant future expansion, their current prevalence is negligible. He intends to employ this as a secondary growth generator for Yo-Kai revenue.Yo-Kai has acquired operational experience and data over the past eight years by employing a direct sales model. The global franchise plan will be officially promoted beginning in 2025. For instance, each machine in the US is priced at a mere US$2,000-2,500. In order to operate a smart restaurant, the franchisee is only required to be responsible for replenishing stocks and cleaning, rather than preparing and opening the store. Lin disclosed that the global franchise is making progress ahead of schedule. Nearly 500 smart pearl milk tea machines have been signed in the first four months, and the company has expanded to the US, Japan, the UK, Singapore, Thailand, the Netherlands, and France, among other countries.TTA facilitates international connections, enabling Yo-Kai to expand globallyThe first smart food vending machine is being deployed worldwide. During the business process, Lin regularly returned to Taiwan to interact with various Taiwanese companies. He noted that in recent years, Taiwan's start-ups have increasingly ventured beyond the local domain, significantly enhancing their international presence. Multiple teams have actively established facilities in Singapore, Japan, and other regions to expand their global outlook. Lin contends that TTA (Taiwan Tech Arena) has played a crucial part in this transformation. Yo-Kai demonstrates exceptional industry engagement by utilizing global resources through TTA, connecting Taiwan with foreign assets, and participating in CES exhibitions on many occasions.Beginning with the resolution of the minor issue of "lack of hot food during late hours," Yo-Kai has gradually developed an advanced vending machine system that combines food, technology, and supply chain logistics. Lin revolutionizes the catering sector with technology innovation and reimagines ready-to-eat meals with uniqueness and execution. In the future, we may be able to have a cup of hot ramen soup from Yo-Kai in a variety of locations throughout the world, including airports, hospitals, and campuses, while feeling the comforting flavor offered by technology.

The self-funded medical beauty market has gradually integrated into consumers' daily life, combining the pursuit of outer aesthetics with inner self-confidence, resulting in significant growth in the worldwide medical beauty business.According to a June 2024 survey conducted by the International Society of Aesthetic Plastic Surgery (ISAPS), plastic surgeons worldwide conducted over 15.8 million surgical procedures in 2023, in addition to the 19.1 million non-surgical procedures. Among them, non-surgical skin tightening treatments were ranked fourth in market demand.To capitalize on the substantial business potential within this sector, A-TOP Health Biotech, possessing robust R&D capabilities, introduced its proprietary product "JOUVENCE" to address the shortcomings of current thread materials. The product will soon be submitted for review by the U.S. FDA, with certification expected in the fourth quarter of 2025.As emphasized by Olivia Tseng, founder and chairperson of A-TOP Health Biotech, ongoing advancements in medical aesthetics technology have made major surgical procedures unnecessary for achieving skin firmness. Instead, lifting threads can now be inserted into targeted areas to achieve the desired results. Conventional lifting threads feature a "sharp barb" or "hooked" design that pierces the skin tissue, granting anchorage to facilitate skin lifting; however, this design often causes discomfort, and in some cases, patients may experience excessive inflammation requiring additional surgery.JOUVENCE lifting threads adopt a unique bionic cross-sectional design to avoid the discomfort caused by conventional barbed threads, thereby offering consumers a more comfortable and effective treatment experience.Tseng stated, "JOUVENCE will challenge the traditional paradigm of round thread materials, redefine the technical concept of thread lifting, seamlessly integrate technology and aesthetics to usher in a new era of innovation, and establish itself as a pivotal and trusted brand in the global medical beauty sector."3D Beauty-AI software enables innovation in lifting threadsA-TOP Health Biotech, founded in 2021, is driven by the mission of "Technology and Beauty, Touching the World". The company focuses on developing medical aesthetic and reconstructive surgical materials that are both clinically proven and highly safe, aiming to solve clinical challenges and enhance the quality and efficiency of aesthetic medicine.Its flagship product, JOUVENCE, is a world-first innovation developed using patented non-cutting molding and twisting technology, overcoming the limitations of traditional PDO lifting threads and offering four major advantages. First, its continuous structure provides stable support, reducing the risk of thread slippage and displacement. Second, it eliminates the breakage issues caused by stress concentration in cut threads, resulting in smoother surgical procedures. Third, the absence of sharp structures minimizes the sensation of foreign objects and reduces tissue irritation, significantly lowering inflammation and fibrosis. Fourth, it complies with standardized certification protocols, demonstrating rigorous biocompatibility and excellent product performance.In addition to product innovation, A-TOP Health Biotech addresses clinical pain points by introducing its "3D Beauty-AI Software" to assist physicians. By processing just 15 facial images, the software completes a 3D visual reconstruction, helping non-specialist doctors quickly grasp the key techniques for thread lifting and shortening the learning curve. The AI-generated 3D images also facilitate doctor-patient communication, enhancing transparency and trust in treatment, and further improving the overall medical aesthetic experience.Enhancing worldwide patent deployment: Focus on Taiwan, Thailand, and the USDespite Tseng's extensive practical experience in the medical devices and biotechnology sectors, A-TOP Health Biotech may continue to face multifaceted challenges in areas such as R&D, marketing, and fundraising as the company expands.By joining the Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA), the company gained valuable resources and received comprehensive support from the FlyingVest Accelerator, gradually overcoming key early-stage startup obstacles. The company also successfully secured a spot in the MEDICA Taiwan team organized by Taiwan's National Science and Technology Council (NSTC) in 2024, demonstrating both its technological strength and market potential.In the context of global strategy, Tseng stated that A-TOP Health Biotech will prioritize Thailand, Taiwan, and the US as target markets, combining its JOUVENCE lifting threat technology with 3D Beauty-AI software to provide medical beauty clinics with comprehensive non-surgical skin tightening solutions.A-TOP Health Biotech aspires to establish itself as a globally influential medical aesthetics brand through innovative R&D and international patent strategy, realizing the brand vision of "Technology and Beauty, Touching the World."

TSMC's fourth-quarter profits jumped 57% to $11.4 billion, and while most analysts credit AI chip demand, there's another force quietly reshaping semiconductor markets. Blockchain infrastructure is creating demand patterns that extend far beyond cryptocurrency mining - we're seeing measurable pressure across multiple chip categories that most observers haven't connected yet.The applications driving this demand aren't limited to financial networks. Everything from supply chain verification systems to new bitcoin casinos requires specialized hardware that traditional computing applications never needed. Gartner projects this intersection will generate a $1.5 billion market opportunity by 2028, while Deloitte's research shows 70% of semiconductor executives expect blockchain to significantly impact their operations within five years. That's not speculation - it's capital allocation planning based on technical requirements they're already seeing.When Cryptography Meets SiliconHere's what makes blockchain different from typical computing workloads: the cryptographic operations require hardware that can handle intensive hashing calculations efficiently. GPUs, originally designed for graphics rendering, happen to excel at these mathematical operations. This creates competition for the same chips that AI applications demand, compounding supply pressures we're already experiencing.Hardware Security Modules represent another specialized requirement. These devices store and protect cryptographic keys, requiring semiconductors built to strict security standards. Unlike general-purpose processors, HSMs must meet specific compliance requirements while handling cryptographic operations at scale. Every blockchain network that processes sensitive transactions needs this type of hardware infrastructure.Infineon Technologies offers a practical example with their NFC cryptochips that combine blockchain verification with physical products. You can attach these chips to items and scan them to authenticate origins, creating a bridge between digital blockchain records and physical supply chains. This isn't theoretical; it's addressing real counterfeiting problems with measurable hardware requirements.The technical demands go deeper than most realize. Blockchain networks require nodes that can process and verify transactions continuously, demanding consistent computational power rather than the burst processing typical of many applications. This sustained load creates different thermal and reliability requirements for the underlying semiconductors.The Foundry ResponseMajor manufacturers aren't waiting to see how this plays out. TSMC has implemented blockchain technology within its own supply chain operations, tracking components from raw materials through finished products. When the world's largest semiconductor foundry adopts blockchain for internal operations, that tells you something about both the technology's maturity and the hardware demands it creates.IBM and Samsung's collaboration on blockchain-based component tracking represents another significant development. They're building platforms that require substantial processing power to handle supply chain verification across multiple manufacturing partners. Each verification operation demands computational resources, multiplying hardware requirements as adoption scales.The industry has committed $185 billion in capital expenditures for 2025, expanding manufacturing capacity by 7%. While AI applications capture headlines, blockchain infrastructure contributes to demand pressures driving these investments. TSMC expects its AI server processor revenue to triple in 2024, reflecting how blockchain and AI applications often converge on similar hardware requirements.Manufacturing processes themselves are adapting to include blockchain verification layers. This creates additional computational overhead during production, requiring more processing power throughout the manufacturing workflow. It's a feedback loop where blockchain adoption drives chip demand while simultaneously being integrated into chip production processes.Securing the Chain That Builds the ChipsThe semiconductor industry faces a $75 billion problem with substandard components entering global markets. Blockchain applications are addressing this directly by tracking manufacturing equipment and components throughout production cycles. Manufacturing machines get registered on blockchain networks with unique identities, creating tamper-evident records of their performance and maintenance history.This approach reduces the manual burden of identifying counterfeit or substandard components. Instead of relying on post-production testing and documentation review, blockchain verification can flag issues during manufacturing. The computational requirements for maintaining these verification networks add another layer to semiconductor demand.Supply chain security applications demonstrate blockchain's practical value beyond financial transactions. When you can track a chip from raw silicon through final assembly with cryptographic certainty, you're solving real problems that cost the industry billions annually. This creates sustainable demand for blockchain infrastructure rather than speculative applications.Beyond the Hype CurveIndustry projections show semiconductor sales reaching $697 billion in 2025 - an 11% year-over-year increase - with expectations of hitting $1 trillion by 2030. Blockchain infrastructure represents a meaningful portion of this growth, though it's often overshadowed by AI applications in market analysis.The sustainability of blockchain's semiconductor demand depends on practical applications rather than speculative projects. Supply chain verification, secure authentication systems, and infrastructure applications that solve measurable problems will drive continued hardware requirements. Gaming platforms, financial networks, and enterprise verification systems all represent sustained demand sources.Manufacturing capacity constraints affect blockchain infrastructure deployment just like other applications. The 7% capacity expansion planned for 2025 addresses multiple growth drivers simultaneously, with blockchain contributing to demand pressures alongside AI, automotive electronics, and traditional computing applications.Current capital expenditure commitments total $185 billion across the industry, but this may not adequately address combined demand from AI and blockchain applications. Lead times for advanced semiconductor manufacturing equipment often exceed two years, meaning today's capacity decisions determine 2027's supply capabilities.The Semiconductor StakesWhile AI dominates technology headlines, blockchain infrastructure creates parallel demand streams that compound manufacturing pressure. 70% of executives expecting a significant blockchain impact aren't responding to speculation - they're planning for technical requirements they can measure and quantify.We're approaching an inflection point where blockchain applications prove their practical value while requiring substantial hardware infrastructure. Supply chain security, authentication systems, and verification networks all demand specialized semiconductors that didn't exist five years ago. The industry faces a dual challenge: scaling production capacity while implementing the very blockchain technologies that help secure that scaling process.The 2028 market projections provide a concrete checkpoint for these predictions. Whether blockchain infrastructure delivers on its $1.5 billion semiconductor market potential depends on the continued adoption of practical applications that solve real problems rather than speculative use cases.

As generative AI and edge computing technologies continue to evolve, Edge AI has become a key driving force for industries pursuing smart transformation. Recognizing this opportunity, Silicon Application Corp. (SAC) Group, a subsidiary of WPG Holdings and a global leader in semiconductor component distribution, announced today that it has obtained exclusive distribution rights for Axelera AI - an emerging European Edge AI chip company - in the Asia-Pacific region. The two parties will collaborate to combine SAC's strengths in supply chain integration with Axelera AI's technological innovation, aiming to help equipment manufacturers accelerate the development of Edge AI devices, enable independent software vendors (ISVs) to innovate more rapidly, and enhance the capabilities of system integrators (SIs) in deploying their smart applications."To promote the widespread adoption of AI, we launched the global partner program - the Axelera Partner Accelerator Network Program. We are pleased to have WPG Holdings' SAC Group as our core strategic partner in the Asia-Pacific region, working together to accelerate the implementation and application of Edge AI solutions," said John Wilkins, Global Channel Sales Director at Axelera AI. Wilkins pointed out that SAC brings deep technical resources, long-standing customer relationships, and a strong commitment to innovation - qualities that make them the ideal partner to bring our transformative AI technologies to broader markets. Through our partnership with SAC, we believe that equipment manufacturers, SIs, and ISVs will be able to adopt Axelera AI's highly flexible, high-performance, and scalable Edge AI solutions more quickly. This will shorten development cycles from proof of concept to mass production, and accelerate the deployment of smart applications from edge to cloud across various fields such as security surveillance, drones, retail, healthcare, and industrial automation.""The SAC Group's vision of promoting smart applications through Edge AI aligns perfectly with Axelera AI's core mission of driving the widespread adoption of AI technologies," said Lawrence Chang, Vice President of Tactical Development BU at WPG Holdings' SAC Group. He noted that many of the product lines currently distributed by SAC already support Edge AI applications, spanning diverse scenarios such as smart manufacturing, smart buildings, and in-vehicle systems. This collaboration will further enhance and complete SAC's Edge AI product portfolio. Looking ahead, SAC will continue to strengthen its technical support capabilities, offering customers end-to-end services - from early-stage evaluation and product selection recommendations to system integration testing. This will help clients adopt Edge AI technologies and solutions more efficiently, as they move together toward a fully intelligent AI-driven future."In the first half of 2025, WPG Holdings achieved the highest global revenue among semiconductor distributors and has consistently led the industry in technological investment related to computing chips," said Eddie Chou, Senior Project Director in the CEO Office at WPG Holdings. Since the rapid rise of AI in 2023, WPG Holdings has launched an AI acceleration initiative focused on three core areas. On the product front, the company has expanded its AI product portfolio to meet growing customer demand and has been recognized by over 30 suppliers of AI-related chips - including those specializing in compute, power management, and other critical components supporting AI applications. It is now fully capable of providing a complete range of hardware and resources required for AI servers and data centres. In terms of services, WPG Holdings has trained its sales teams to gain a deep understanding of AI project requirements. In addition to basic component support, it now offers advanced, integrated sales services for system-level servers and AI computing power management. From an investment perspective, WPG Holdings has participated in strategic investments in advanced-process IC design, helping more strategic partners build a thriving and collaborative AI ecosystem. Aspiring to become a key player in the AI industry chain, WPG Holdings' reliable partnership with Axelera AI serves as a concrete step toward realizing a mutually beneficial and prosperous future for the whole industry.

While biopharmaceutical technologies have made substantial strides in treating diseases, drug research and development continue to face a multitude of obstacles, such as complex methodologies, high R&D costs, limited target options, and poor translational efficacy. This is particularly relevant for gene or RNA-level abnormalities, which are not effectively addressed by protein-targeting therapeutics, limiting their clinical impact.The rapid advancement in RNA biology has triggered a surge of interest and investment from pharmaceutical companies and the capital markets, accelerating the explosive growth of the RNA therapeutic sector. InFocus Therapeutics is leading this momentum, combining AI with RNA science to create the world's first and currently only "RNA-targeted small molecule drug generation platform." In just four months, InFocus successfully generated two series of drug candidates for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) and advanced them to the animal efficacy and toxicity testing phase, demonstrating exceptional research and development efficiency.According to Emily Fang, CEO and founder of InFocus Therapeutics, the traditional drug development method is labor-intensive, time-consuming, and marked by a low success rate. In recent years, major pharmaceutical companies have poured significant resources into RNA-based therapies. Yet, a lack of innovative R&D strategies continues to limit their potential. On the other hand, most AI startups struggle to deliver true breakthroughs in this domain, largely due to a lack of real-world experience in early drug discovery and the complex process of transforming molecules into clinically viable, patentable drug candidates.InFocus rapidly gained traction by leveraging the team's deep expertise in AI and RNA technology, the discovery of novel chemical entities that differentiate from competitors and existing marketed drugs. In just four months, they identified two sets of promising therapeutic candidates, an achievement unmatched in the industry and now a key competitive advantage.40x Faster R&D Efficiency: Unlocking the Power of RNA-Targeted MedicinesFounded in 2023, InFocus Therapeutics specializes in the development of small-molecule chemical drugs that directly target RNA, an area poised to reshape modern therapeutics. The company brings together a multidisciplinary team of experts spanning molecular biology, AI algorithms, finance, and RNA drug discovery. Designed to tackle high-impact, hard-to-treat conditions such as neurodegenerative diseases and metastatic cancers, InFocus has built a proprietary RNA-targeted small molecule drug generation platform that integrates advanced AI algorithms and specialized databases to automate the lead discovery process, from molecular design and generative chemistry to structure prediction and experimental validation. The result: a breakthrough platform that delivers up to 40 times greater R&D efficiency, rapidly uncovering best-in-class drug candidates far beyond the reach of conventional methods.Using spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) as a case study, InFocus's platform efficiently identified two promising compounds, IFT-0000002 and IFT-0000003, within a remarkably short timeframe. Both compounds demonstrated strong biological activity, good oral absorption, and toxicological profiles, establishing a solid foundation for further development. CEO Emily Fang highlighted that the InFocus platform achieves a 40% success rate in RNA-targeted drug development, far surpassing the typical ~1% success rate of traditional small-molecule drug development. This high efficiency represents a core competitive advantage for the company.Raising Capital to Accelerate Pipeline ExpansionInFocus is currently raising a US$1 million angel round to support critical next steps. The funds will be deployed to complete the preclinical development and animal studies for the SMA program, and to launch R&D on two new RNA-targeted cancer programs for drug-resistant prostate cancer and colorectal cancer. These efforts will significantly expand the depth and breadth of the platform's therapeutic reach.Commitment to Establish and Grow Taiwan as a Clinical Hub for Strategic CollaborationsTaiwan boasts a comprehensive health insurance system, a world-class medical system, a highly digitized medical record system, and a plethora of clinical research capabilities. It has long been the favored site for clinical trials for international pharmaceutical corporations. InFocus Therapeutics views Taiwan as a key launchpad for clinical collaboration and regional expansion, and plans to set up a subsidiary in 2025. It will engage with the company's proposed clinical trial application framework for 2026 and formally commence the product's admission into the clinical validation phase, while also accelerating the recruitment of local talent and partnering with clinical collaborators.Emily shared that when seeking collaboration opportunities in Taiwan, she fortuitously connected with Taiwan Tech Arena (TTA) and joined its startup incubation program. InFocus gained valuable support and mentoring resources from the Mosaic accelerator, laying the groundwork for future investment and global market expansion. "Soon after our partnership with TTA, we engaged in the 2024 Founder Pitch event, which markedly improved our visibility and fostered connections within the investment community."Alongside its R&D milestones, InFocus is actively expanding its international investor network via TTA, aiming to accelerate the completion of its angel round fundraising and reinforce InFocus's leadership position in RNA-targeted small molecule therapeutics. With its AI-powered platform, high development success rate, and global footprint, InFocus is charting the path toward long-term growth in one of biotech's most promising frontiers.InFocus-BFMTV: InFocus founder Emily Fang was interviewed by renowned economist Nicolas Doze on BFM Business, France's number one financial news channel, and announced that it had received the Sanofi-sponsored 2024 Oncology "Golden Ticket" prize.InFocus Lab in a Loop: InFocus's proprietary artificial intelligence RNA drug discovery technology can generate high clinical potential therapeutic candidates targeting pathogenic RNA within a few months.