The world has never felt the pervasiveness of technology more than it does today. The pandemic accelerated numerous tech trends that were already evident in the days before Covid-19 made its presence felt. Whether we’re exploring virtual worlds, making payments with our smart watches or traveling in driverless vehicles, technology has embedded itself in almost everything we do.
Amid buzz over the latest digital trends, the metaverse—hailed as the next iteration of the Internet—is perhaps the one that has drawn the most attention recently. Experts envision the metaverse to encompass multiple online platforms that combine aspects of the physical and digital worlds.
Meanwhile, NFTs, or non-fungible tokens, powered by blockchain technology have captured the imaginations of digital artists and content creators around the world, giving them an avenue to monetize their creativity.
For businesses, digital transformation is an area that they can no longer afford to ignore. Companies that fail to adopt technology to increase productivity, generate new revenue streams or reach new audiences, risk being left behind in an increasingly digital world.
Digital Payments Gaining Traction As e-commerce continues to gain pace, digital payments are also starting to become mainstream in many markets. According to a recent Mastercard survey, consumers in Asia Pacific are among the most enthusiastic adopters of digital payments globally.
The study found that 88% of consumers in this part of the world have used technologies like digital wallets, QR codes and cryptocurrencies in the past year. While the pandemic may have been the catalyst for this rapid adoption, Mastercard predicts that this shift in consumer behavior may be permanent.
Clearly, Mastercard is playing a key role in shaping the future of payments in Asia and the rest of the world. Among other initiatives, the company has been leading efforts to strengthen the digital ecosystems of its partners and customers with a host of innovative solutions.
AI Transforming Major Industries However, it is not just multinational companies that are helping to transform the world through technology. Innovative startups are also making their mark in the dynamic tech sector. Malaysian drone technology solutions firm Aerodyne, for instance, pioneered the use of artificial intelligence (AI) for large-scale data operations, analytics and process optimization in major industries.
With a presence in 35 countries, the company, founded by Malaysian entrepreneur Kamarul A Muhamed, employs drones armed with cutting-edge AI software to help businesses in areas such as precision automation, security and intelligence, as well as logistics. The 8-year-old startup has found much success, and is ranked first in the global remote sensing category by Drone Industry Insights.
With both global leaders and startups striving to make an impact through technology, the world can expect new, innovative solutions in the coming years that will impact the way we work, live and play in unimaginable ways.
Global technology company Qualcomm has played a key role in pushing the boundaries of what is possible for the mobile industry over the past three decades. Today, the company continues to set the pace of innovation for the mobile industry, but this Nasdaq-listed multinational is now looking to execute on its self-proclaimed “biggest opportunity”—the mission to enable everyone, and everything, to be intelligently connected.
As industries around the globe undergo digital transformation, Qualcomm is fast becoming the partner of choice to enable this transition. A key reason for this is the company’s leading technology roadmap, which was founded in mobile, but is now relevant to all industries that are looking to intelligently connect their worlds. Artificial intelligence, cameras, connectivity, audio, video, security, GPUs and CPUs are no longer technologies that are relevant only to mobile devices—now they are being used more broadly to develop next-generation automobiles, smart homes, smart cities and smart factories, among others.
One of the key enablers of this digital transformation is 5G. According to U.S.-based business consulting firm Frost & Sullivan, 5G revenue in Asia-Pacific (APAC) is expected to grow from US$2.13 billion in 2020 to US$23.89 billion in 2025. With the huge potential in 5G, Qualcomm, a leader in 5G technologies, is confident that it can grow its business in the APAC region beyond smartphones. The company has developed its flagship Snapdragon 5G-enabled platforms for mobile, but also for mobile computing and auto, as well as for networking and fixed wireless access.
“Since 5G has started to be deployed in more countries, we’ve seen various applications for it that have been impacting the way people work and live,” says Jim Cathey, Chief Commercial Officer at Qualcomm. “Given that 5G is still in its infancy, we see more developers and companies investing to create solutions that would harness the technology to improve lives and livelihoods, and we have the technologies to help them do that.”
Jim Cathey, Chief Commercial Officer, Qualcomm
A Leader in Mobile Technology
Even as it banks on 5G to drive growth in APAC, Qualcomm continues to reinforce its leadership position in the mobile space. The company’s mobile business is expected to continue expanding on the back of the 8.4 billion smartphones that global market intelligence firm IDC expects to be shipped between 2021 and 2026. Furthermore, analysts forecast that nearly 6 billion 5G smartphones will hit the market between 2020 and 2026.
Qualcomm’s success in this segment has been driven largely by its flagship Snapdragon mobile platforms, which provide consumers with a superior mobile user experience across a wide range of devices, from entry-level offerings to the latest high-end flagship devices.
S.T. Liew, Head of APAC, Qualcomm
“Snapdragon mobile platforms from Qualcomm Technologies are synonymous with premium Android. With leading-edge innovation and breakthroughs, they are designed to offer the most immersive, intelligent and connected mobile user experiences deployed in some of the world’s most popular smartphones,” says S.T. Liew, Qualcomm’s Head of APAC.
Apart from Snapdragon’s exceptional performance and features, OEMs are also able to benefit greatly from the platform’s seamless integration, which can help reduce the time and cost to develop devices. As Qualcomm offers different tiers of Snapdragon platforms, OEMs are also able to offer mobile devices across different price points.
“The technological leadership, design flexibility and power efficiency of Snapdragon mobile platforms come from relentless research and development [R&D], proven engineering expertise, superior global customer support, and a user-centered design approach. Consumers can enjoy immersive experiences, lightning-fast connectivity and cutting-edge performance with devices powered by Snapdragon,” explains Liew.
Always On, Always Connected
The PC market is yet another key growth driver for Qualcomm in APAC. The traditional PC market, made up of desktops, notebooks and workstations, registered a 15.9% year-on-year increase, reaching about 120.3 million units in the region.
Qualcomm is making its mark in this space through the use of its groundbreaking Snapdragon compute platforms, which power Always On, Always Connected PCs by combining the best of mobile phones with the performance of PCs. The pandemic accelerated demand for such devices, as more people worked from home, and schools conducted classes remotely.
“The Snapdragon compute platforms equip mobile PCs with powerful performance and efficiency, delivering the ability to connect to fast and secure cellular network connectivity, and boast advanced camera and audio features that enable devices perfect for use for enterprise and for education,” says Liew.
Even as pandemic restrictions ease, an IDC study among APAC working professionals found that more than 56% of employees still prefer flexible work arrangements that allow them to operate remotely.
In the education space, some countries continue to conduct distance learning as they adjust to a post-pandemic normal. Through its partnership with The Dariu Foundation, Qualcomm witnessed firsthand the positive impact that its devices had for more than 100,000 students learning remotely across 80 beneficiary schools.
To thrive in this new normal, workers and students are seeking mobile experiences that match the capabilities of their smartphones and PCs; keeping them securely connected to their organizations while enhancing their output. Snapdragon powered devices are able to deliver the connectivity, security and productivity that users seek in a world of remote work.
Says Cathey: “With all of these in mind, we see a lot of opportunities to further strengthen our foothold in the APAC region.”
Qualcomm’s Market-leading Solutions
Qualcomm 5G Industrial IoT
Qualcomm is at the forefront of wireless R&D on the road to 5G Advanced and beyond, developing technologies to meet the demanding requirements for Industry 4.0, and collaborating with leading industrial automation companies today to advance industrial efficiency with the power of 5G.
Qualcomm Automotive Solutions
Qualcomm provides advanced scalable cloud connected platforms for automotive telematics and connectivity, cockpit and driver assistance & autonomy solutions from leveraging its one technology roadmap spanning low-power, high performance compute, multi-modal connectivity, and AI to deliver the Snapdragon Digital Chassis.
Snapdragon mobile platforms
Synonymous with Premium Android, Snapdragon mobile platforms are designed to offer the most immersive, intelligent, and connected mobile user experiences so consumers can enjoy the most immersive experiences, lightning-fast connectivity, and cutting-edge performance with devices powered by Snapdragon.
Snapdragon compute platforms
Combining the best of the smartphone with the performance of Windows PCs and Chromebooks, delivering speed, power, and performance with multi-day battery life, 4G LTE and 5G connectivity experiences; enterprise, education, and everyday end-users can have the freedom to connect, compute, and communicate from anywhere.
For many years, the concept of the metaverse—a term used to describe the next evolution of the internet and a virtual world where people can socialize, work and play—has been merely a dream, or perhaps a vision, for technopreneurs.
This is understandable given that the development of a metaverse requires advancements in multiple technologies, including artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR), wearables, blockchain and cloud computing. However, with the progress made by tech companies in recent years, metaverses are on course to become a reality sooner rather than later.
Creating Happiness with the Translucia Metaverse
T&B Media Global Founder and CEO, Dr. Jwanwat Ahriyavraromp
Over the past year, many large global companies—from tech giants such as Alphabet and Meta (formerly known as Facebook) to consumer products like Coca-Cola and Nike—have shown growing interest in metaverses.
But interest in metaverses is not only being generated by US-based corporations. Bangkok-headquartered T&B Media Global has also announced ambitious plans to develop its own metaverse. T&B Media Global Founder and CEO Dr. Jwanwat Ahriyavraromp calls the company’s creation Translucia: a metaverse designed to contribute to the society and economy by “transforming the way we live and experience life.”
Unlike other metaverses, however, Ahriyavraromp sees Translucia serving a greater purpose. “Like other metaverses, Translucia is an integration of advanced technologies, imagination and creativity. Unlike other metaverses, Translucia focuses on creating happiness, not only from external sources but also internally from one’s mind and body,” he says.
A Four-level Metaverse
The Translucia Metaverse, into which T&B Media Global is investing US$300 million (10 billion baht), will comprise four key levels: Central Translucia, Pillars of Nature, Nature’s True Home and Beyond Boundless.
According to Ahriyavraromp, Central Translucia—also known as the Central Hub of Limitless Opportunities—is a place where you can pursue various interests, and where dreams can become real. The Pillars of Nature comprises various fascinating ecosystems, including flora and fauna, to be explored and discovered, while in Nature’s True Home, users have access to a “hidden realm of nature’s wonders and enchantments” that, Ahriyavraromp says, is “a special world where you can choose your destiny as nature’s guardian.”
As for Beyond Boundless, Ahriyavraromp describes it as “a place where the mind and soul will find rest and be lifted by those we love and trust.”
Endless Possibilities
Unlike other Metaverses, Translucia focuses on creating happiness, not only from external sources but also internally from one’s mind and body.
At December’s Metaverse Unlimited, the first international forum organized by Translucia, metaverse experts from around the world agreed that there are endless possibilities in terms of how metaverses can benefit mankind.
Pat Pataranutaporn, Research Assistant and Ph.D. candidate at MIT Media Lab, believes technologies that enable the metaverse can help humans to stay healthier through closed-loop wearables. Humans are also able to make better decisions with human-AI symbiosis, and learn better with AI-generated characters, he adds.
Pataranutaporn also says that, by having wearables that are able to tap into the body’s biological information, visiting clinics and hospitals for health checkups may become a thing of the past, while wearable technologies capable of producing medicine within a person’s body are also a possibility. “Now, with the advancement in synthetic biology, we can have the capability to use bacteria cells in the body as a living medicine factory,” he says.
He also sees the metaverse playing another big role in Thailand, which is increasingly becoming an aging society. “With technologies that enable the metaverse, we can potentially live a healthier lifestyle, and even live longer. As you are aware, Thailand is becoming an aging society. So, we need to think of ways we can help those people and create society wisdom, so that we can empower the younger generation to create a better future,” he says.
Meanwhile, Cathy Hackl, Chief Metaverse Officer and CEO of the Futures Intelligence Group, says the fashion and entertainment industries have been showing interest in the metaverse, with Ariana Grande performing a concert on Fortnite, a popular multiplayer video game, and Nike acquiring RTFKT, a company that designs assets that are only available virtually.
“The metaverse presents itself as a realm of infinite possibilities and opportunities, like unexplored planets in outer space,” Hackl says.
Building a Better World
Although AI, which is a key building block for the metaverse, has its suites of benefits, including the advancement of healthcare, pharmaceuticals and education, Jeanne Lim, Co-Founder and CEO of Hong Kong-based beingAI, says humans are becoming “increasingly disconnected from the positive impacts of AI.”
She explains that the disconnection is partly due to fear of AI taking over from humanity and taking our jobs, as well as a distrust of the technology, for example deepfake videos.
“However, we do have a choice in how we design technology, and how we engage with technology,” says Lim. “If we want machines to understand us, understand our values, so that they can make better decisions for us, we have to engage with them. I believe that positive human-AI interactions can elevate the human experience.”
While technology is a key building block for the metaverse, Lim says she believes that the most important building block for the metaverse is human wisdom—after all, it is humans who will be designing the AIs.
“We have to start with human wisdom in order to put the rocks in the right place. Overall, this may be our last chance of building a better world. To me, the metaverse is not something we enter, it is something we build as a human race,” she says.
Creating Purpose and Legacy
Understanding that the metaverse and its related technologies can bring enormous benefits—and sometimes harm—to humankind, Ahriyavraromp believes it is vital for Translucia Metaverse to maintain its goal of creating happiness, both externally and from within.
“Translucia is driven by an engine that we envision will create goodness, prosperity, wellness and, ultimately, happiness. Translucia defines goodness as being good to others, to the world, and to yourself. By doing so, we at Translucia are changing the traditional definition of P&L—from profit and loss, to purpose and legacy.”
With the Covid-19 outbreak wreaking havoc across industries and the global supply chain, governments and businesses around the world accelerated their digital transformation. Such initiatives have taken front seat in Asia—home to the world’s factories—with the region stepping up investments on technological innovations needed to power the new normal post the pandemic.
China—a regional leader in adopting cutting-edge artificial intelligence, blockchain and cloud computing technologies—seeks to speed up the roll out of laws on protecting personal information as data analytics becomes prevalent in the country’s pursuit of smart nation status. The new regulations are embodied in its 14th five-year plan, which runs from 2021 to 2025.
South Korea has pledged to invest US$94 million in 2021 to support the tech industry in AI and 5G networks as part of its “Digital New Deal” initiative. Japan’s Growth Strategy Council has drafted a plan calling for the stimulation of innovation that involves digital transformation and grooming a greener society.
Countries across southeast Asia have launched their respective digitalization initiatives after the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) adopted the “Asean Digital Masterplan 2025”—a roadmap for the group’s digital cooperation from 2021 to 2025—in January.
In Indonesia, the “Making Indonesia 4.0” roadmap is helping the country’s industrial sector create new business models using digital technologies. Singapore’s plan is embodied in its Digital Government Blueprint, which aims to better leverage data and harness new technologies. In Thailand, the government has introduced the “Thailand 4.0” economic model, which utilizes digitalization to enhance the quality of life in the country.
Malaysia’s MyDIGITAL, which was launched in February, aims to transform the country into a regional leader in the digital economy. Under the blueprint, the government aims to attract US$16.5 billion worth of digital investments to boost the contribution of digital products and services to the country’s GDP to 22.6% by 2025 from 19.1% currently.
Focus On Cyber Security
To coordinate and manage new digital investments, the Malaysian Digital Economy Corp. (MDEC) has teamed up with the Malaysian Investment Development Authority to set up the Digital Investment Office (DIO). Initiatives run by the DIO will be guided by MDEC’s “Digital Investments Future5” strategy.
A key initiative in Malaysia’s digital transformation strategy calls for the fortification of the country’s cyber security defences. This is important given the growing threat of ransomware attacks—where cyber criminals steal data, encrypt and hold the digital infrastructure hostage until organizations pay the ransom, according to U.S.-based FireEye Mandiant.
The security specialist warns that governments and businesses urgently need to take prompt and preventive action to safe-guard their critical infrastructure against cyberattacks. Organizations can no longer treat cyber security as an inconvenient byproduct of doing business but must be engineered from the ground up.
To do so effectively, organizations must conduct a comprehensive audit, identify the weak spots and work with experts who can implement automated solutions to deal with cyber security threats and breaches.
ASEAN Cooperation
Throughout its history, the ASEAN has been resilient against economic and geopolitical crisis that has affected member countries in the past and more so now that the group is battling the challenges of the lingering Covid-19 pandemic. To recover and thrive again, the region would need to strengthen their cooperation.
“The digital economy is critical,” Lim Jock Hoi, ASEAN secretary general, said at a webinar organized by the CIMB Asean Research Institute in July 2020. “As you know, the pandemic has forced a lot of people to use digital technology and it is very refreshing to see that every one of us has adapted. In future, the economic driver will very much be in this area. We are looking at how best to use this as part of our post-pandemic recovery plan.”
Amid all the hype around blockchain and its popular creation—cryptocurrency—sceptics are wondering whether the data stored using this innovation is secure. BaaSid, which is short for Blockchain as a Service for identification, seeks to address this concern by providing data authentication and a secure storage location.
Founded in 2017, BaaSid develops applications using blockchain technology—the decentralised digital ledger on which transactions can be recorded. BaaSid’s key products are Soteria, a decentralized data storage platform, and Pisti, an authentication system such as DID (W3C standard Decentralization Identity), 2FA. These form part of an offering known as blockchain-as-a-service, the third-party management of company and institutional blockchain applications.
The company’s board members James Huang, Moon Inshic, Otaka Jun and three others, have been working on IT security for more than a decade, initially using the technology in telecommunications and then in online gaming. “We had been working with a company that was involved in blockchain and wanted an opportunity to learn more about it and how it could help internet businesses,” says Huang, who is the CEO of Baa-Sid Taiwan.
Core Technology
BaaSid’s core technology splits data into multiple fragments, and then encrypted and controlled through a chain of information across several computers known as nodes. Each node contains a unique information, unlike the current system of centralized storage of data in computer servers used by industries today. To secure the data across the blockchain, BaaSid offers cloud-based and on-premise authentication and data protection services.
Over the past four years, the BaaSid team has developed its products and now counts government departments and universities in Taiwan among its clients, says Huang. The company also works with healthcare companies to safeguard the patients’ sensitive medical information.
Otaka Jun, CEO of BaaSid Japan
In Japan, while hospitals have increasingly adopted electronic medical record systems in the past 20 years, the dissemination of this information remains low tech, or manual. A patient in Kyoto who goes for a medical check-up at a local clinic and is referred to a hospital in Tokyo might need to bring along his medical records. However, with BaaSid’s system, the medical records from Kyoto can readily be accessed by doctors in Tokyo. “Baas is very suitable for this method of storing medical data for access by different providers,” says Otaka, the CEO of BaaSid Japan. “But the data belongs to the patient.”
With the proliferation of both surveillance video cameras and programs such as deepfakes that can create entirely fictional videos, blockchain can come to the rescue with its authentication capabilities. Working with smart building system designer and solutions provider TouchLife, BaaSid has integrated a secured video recording system with camera manufacturers that can prevent tampering with video. BaaSid also works with Taiwan-listed company Leadtek Inc. to develop secured data transfer solutions.
Institutions that use very large amounts of video such as law enforcement agencies require massive data storage facilities—usually too much for most physical media. BaaSid has worked with camera system providers to create a smart system that only plays back the relevant segments of the video feeds from the blockchain storage. “One file becomes split into 10, 20, 100 or 1,000 pieces—depending on your security level requirement—distributed using a very powerful engine to encrypt the data,” Huang says. “And it’s dynamic—each piece is encrypted differently. Hackers can’t access that data if they don’t have a private key.”
Pan-Asian Ambitions
As BaaSid continues to innovate, the company is making inroads across Asia. It has incorporated companies in Korea, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan and established a joint venture in Malaysia. “Our goal is to increase our share with competitive products in the global storage market,” says Huang. “Through blockchain-based authentication, we are developing and distributing various types of authentication products such as people, data, copyrights, and various certificates.”
The group has made a lot of progress in the past year. Besides winning government projects in Taiwan, the company also works with global IT companies such as AsusCloud and Oracle as well as e-commerce giant Amazon, Huang says.
Meanwhile, Otaka noted that Japan is an attractive market because of its size and level of innovation. BaaSid is eyeing opportunities in Japan’s digital media and animation industry, he says.
Moon Inshic, Director of BaaS Holdings
South Korea looks promising too, says Moon, a director of BaaSid. “It’s among the regions’s most dynamic IT markets,” he says. “Consumers in the country provide quick feedback, allowing for faster innovation.”
Apart from geographical expansion, the company also aims to move up the value chain, by providing services such high-end genomic analysis. “Very rich people need very high security to protect their gene data,” Huang says.
Moving Up The Value Chain
To raise its profile, the company is joining Taiwan’s digital governance association and signing a memorandum of understanding with Taiwan Blockchain Academia, a grouping of 15 universities.
At the same time, BaaSid is in talks with major companies on how the blockchain technology could be commercialized beyond the financial industry.
Companies and governments have become suspicious of blockchain technology given the proliferation of fraud and crimes associated with cryptocurrency, the most popular asset created by the technology. This has now become a major stumbling block for the commercialization of blockchain across many other industries.
At the same time, many blockchain companies have promoted their blockchain technology with hype and falsehoods, adding to distrust and rejection of this innovation. Despite widespread claims that blockchain will solve a lot of things, there has been very little investment in R&D to commercialize the technology. Seeing this as a huge opportunity, BaaSid has invested US$8 million on R&D.
“With our unique blockchain technology and solutions, we work with governments on decentralized identity programs and with companies such as Internet of Things (IoT) solutions and healthcare solutions providers,” Huang says.
As companies increasingly adapt IoT, massive amounts of data are transmitted across wireless and fixed devices, making systems more vulnerable to data leaks and breaches. Data in the wrong hands is very dangerous, Huang says.
“We are working with IoT companies to build identity authentication solutions to ensure commands are really sent by data owners,” Huang says. “Devices from Apple watches to heart monitoring equipment can be hacked or deactivated. Blockchain can accurately record your data securely.” Huang said it was such problems that he and his colleagues experienced while working for online gaming services for more than 25 years that spawned the idea of BaaSid.
As the technology evolves, BaaSid hopes to attract a well-known fund to invest in the company soon and eventually list in Singapore, Japan or the U.S. in the next 2-3 years. “We will continue to work hard for continuous growth,” Huang says.
