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Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and Google Join Forces on Next-Generation Infotainment

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- World's leading automotive Alliance signs a global multiyear agreement to partner with Google to equip Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi vehicles with intelligent infotainment systems
- The Alliance will utilize Android, world's most popular operating system, to offer customers a new array of services including Google Maps, the Google Assistant and the Google Play Store
- These services will be combined with Alliance Intelligent Cloud based remote software upgrades and vehicle diagnostics

TOKYO, Sep 19, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and Google today announced a technology partnership to embed the Android operating system in vehicles sold by the world's leading automotive alliance, providing intelligent infotainment and customer focused-applications across multiple models and brands, scheduled to start in 2021.

Under the technology partnership, vehicles sold by the Alliance members in many markets will utilize Android, the world's most popular operating system, and will provide turn-by-turn navigation with Google Maps, access to a rich ecosystem of automotive apps on the Google Play Store and have the ability to answer calls and texts, control media, find information, and manage vehicle functions with voice using the built in Google Assistant.

The Alliance, whose member companies last year sold 10.6 million vehicles in 200 markets, will integrate Google applications and services into infotainment and cloud-based systems to enhance the experience for customers of Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi Motors brands. While a range of Alliance vehicles will share the Android platform, each brand will have flexibility to create a unique customer interface and specific features on top of the common Android platform.

The infotainment partnership forms part of Alliance moves to equip more vehicles with connectivity and cloud-based services as part of its Alliance 2022 mid-term plan. Today's announcement, coinciding with the first anniversary of the mid-term plan, symbolizes the Alliance focus on next-generation technology. Under the plan, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi is targeting increased sales of more than 14 million units a year by the end of 2022.

The plan also involves the launch of 12 new zero-emission electric vehicles, new autonomous-driving technologies and the ongoing rollout of the Alliance Intelligent Cloud.

The Alliance Intelligent Cloud will provide next-generation infotainment systems with secure connectivity by offering a platform to integrate data management, infotainment systems and to facilitate over-the-air upgrades and remote diagnostics in Alliance member-company vehicles.

By combining the latest technologies from the Alliance and Google, the Alliance member companies' vehicles will have one of the most intelligent infotainment systems in the market.

Drivers and passengers will be able to leverage Google and Android's capabilities to access an ecosystem that includes thousands of existing applications and an ever-expanding array of new apps. This integration, combined with the broad knowledge and a vibrant community of developers, will enable easy in-vehicle access to popular applications. The system will also be compatible with devices running other operating systems, such as Apple iOS.

Hadi Zablit, Senior Vice President of Business Development at Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, said, "Our partnership with Google will offer owners of our vehicles rich user experiences that are currently available only outside the vehicle or, to a limited extent, by connecting an Android device to supported vehicles. We are building powerful connected and seamless on-board / off-board experiences into our vehicles in addition to the features of Google applications and services that many users are accustomed to, including Google Maps, the Google Assistant and the Google Play Store."

Kal Mos, Global Vice President of Alliance Connected Vehicles at Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi, added, "With the integration of the Android platform into our infotainment systems, we are adding a new level of intelligence to our connected vehicles. In the future, the Google Assistant, which employs Google's leading AI technology, can become the main way customers interact with their vehicles, hands-free. With Google Maps and the Google Assistant embedded in Alliance infotainment systems, our customers will have some of the most advanced AI based applications at their fingertips. And with in-vehicle access to the Google Play Store, our customers will enjoy an open and secure ecosystem of Android apps engineered for vehicles."

Hiroshi Lockheimer, Senior Vice President of Platforms & Ecosystems at Google, said, "Google and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi share a common vision of delivering an intelligent, safe and seamless in-car experience with apps and services that are familiar, upgradable and connected. We're thrilled to partner with Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi to bring the Google Assistant, Google Maps, and other popular apps via the Play Store and Android to drivers and passengers around the world."

About Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi

Groupe Renault, Nissan Motor and Mitsubishi Motors represent the world's largest automotive alliance. It is the longest-lasting and most productive cross-cultural partnership in the auto industry. Together, the partners sold more than 10.6 million vehicles in nearly 200 countries in 2017. The member companies are focused on collaboration and maximizing synergies to boost competitiveness. They have strategic collaborations with other automotive groups, including Germany's Daimler and China's Dongfeng. This strategic alliance is the industry leader in zero-emission vehicles and is developing the latest advanced technologies, with plans to offer autonomous drive, connectivity features and services on a wide range of affordable vehicles.

About Mitsubishi Motors

Mitsubishi Motors Corporation is a global automobile company based in Tokyo, Japan, which has a competitive edge in SUVs and pickup trucks, electric and plug-in hybrid electric vehicles. Since the Mitsubishi group produced its first car more than a century ago, we have demonstrated an ambitious and often disruptive approach, developing new vehicle genres and pioneering cutting-edge technologies. Deeply rooted in Mitsubishi Motors' DNA, our brand strategy will appeal to ambitious drivers, willing to challenge conventional wisdom and ready to embrace change. Consistent with this mindset, Mitsubishi Motors introduced its new brand strategy in 2017, expressed in its "Drive your Ambition" tagline - a combination of personal drive and forward attitude, and a reflection of the constant dialogue between the brand and its customers. Today Mitsubishi Motors is committed to continuous investment in innovative new technologies, attractive design and product development, bringing exciting and authentic new vehicles to customers around the world.

Contact:
Mitsubishi Motors Public Relations Department http://www.mitsubishi-motors.com +81-3-6852-4275

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Fujitsu Develops Novel Technology to Massively Boost Optical Data Transfer Throughput Using Existing Equipment

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Figure 1: Diagram and example use of optical networks connecting datacenters
Figure 2: Wavelength bands used in transmissions through optical fibers
Figure 3: Method using transceivers for different wavelength bands simultaneousy
Figure 4: Proposed new wavelength conversion technology
Figure 5: Method for expanding band usage through wavelength conversion using this technology
Enables the use of multiple wavelength bands to support expanded transmission capacity between datacenters

TOKYO, Sep 19, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. has developed an ultra-high capacity wavelength-division multiplexing system that considerably expands the transmission capacity of optical fibers in optical networks connecting datacenters. The new technology achieves this without the deployment of new transceivers dedicated to new wavelength. Previously, in order to expand transmission capacity between datacenters, operators had to either increase the number of optical fibers being used, or they needed receivers supporting each band of wavelengths. Now, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed the world's first broadband wavelength conversion technology that can batch convert C-band(1) optical signals to new wavelength bands, including L-band and S-band, reconverting them back to the original C-band when received. Upon development of a system that converts optical signals in C-band to L- and S-bands before multiplexing and transmitting them utilizing this innovative technology, Fujitsu Laboratories successfully demonstrated in principle that transmission capacity could be tripled. This allows datacenter operators to use existing equipment as-is to raise the efficiency of optical fiber utilization and thereby expand transmission capacity. This promises to eliminate the kind of network bottlenecks that could pose challenges for high-volume users that need to store, back up, or perform parallel analysis on large volumes of data distributed between multiple datacenters. This includes cases that many expect to increase dramatically in the near future, such as transfers of unstructured data including 8K video material and device log information connected through 5G networks.

Development Background

In recent years, the use of social networks and streaming video has contributed to exponential increases in the volumes of data handled by datacenters. Moreover, many predict that data circulation will grow dramatically in the future with the spread of 5G communications and 8K video technologies. Though datacenter operators have already connected multiple datacenters with optical networks and use distributed storage for disaster recovery and distributed processing for high-speed processing, they need to expand transmission capacity even further to effectively prepare for the increases in data volume anticipated in the immediate future.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuOpticalDataFig1.jpg
Figure 1: Diagram and example use of optical networks connecting datacenters

Issues

Expanding transmission capacities between datacenters can be accomplished by increasing the number of optical fibers, however, additional fees would be assessed based on the number of optical fibers used, presenting a significant cost burden for operators. On the other hand, what could also be considered is the simultaneous use of new wavelength bands outside the C-band. Optical networks generally use the C-band for its good transmission performance, but for medium-distance transmissions of several dozen kilometers between datacenters, the impact of transmission loss with the use of other wavelength bands, such as the L-band or the S-band, is seen as quite small, and consideration may also be given to using these wavelength bands. However, this method would necessitate the separate development of transceivers that could support each band.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuOpticalDataFig2.jpg
Figure 2: Wavelength bands used in transmissions through optical fibers

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuOpticalDataFig3.jpg
Figure 3: Method using transceivers for different wavelength bands simultaneously

About the Newly Developed Technology

To address these challenges, Fujitsu Laboratories developed an ultra-large transmission capacity optical wavelength-division multiplexing system (a patent application was filed) that batch converts C-band optical signals output by a transmitter into new wavelengths for transmission, and then converts them back to the original wavelength band before sending them to the receiver. First, the C-band optical signal is combined with two pump lights(2), generating a signal with mixed wavelength. The pump lights change the signal's refractive index of a nonlinear optical medium which the signal passes through and outputs converted signals at a different wavelength. A similar principle is used on the receiver side to return the transmitted optical signal to the C-band. With this newly developed technology, it becomes possible to convert an optical signal to an arbitrary wavelength band efficiently by choosing the wavelengths of two pump lights, based on the chromatic dispersion characteristics of various nonlinear optical media. Additionally, this technology can reduce the noise superimposed on the signal after wavelength conversion by synchronously controlling the pump lights. This means it can simultaneously convert the signal's wavelength efficiently while maximizing the quality of the optical signal.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuOpticalDataFig4.jpg
Figure 4: Proposed new wavelength conversion technology

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuOpticalDataFig5.jpg
Figure 5: Method for expanding band usage through wavelength conversion using this technology

Effects

Using this technology, Fujitsu Laboratories created a prototype system to convert an optical signal in C-band to L- and S-bands, and then multiplexed them for transmission, successfully confirming in principle that this technology could triple available wavelength without the use of transceivers for each new wavelength band. Using this technology, transmissions using an even greater variety of different bands become possible, allowing for the expansion of transmission capacity from two to 10 times, as needed. In addition to this technology, datacenter operators can immediately make use of new C-band transceivers that will be developed going forward in wavelength bands outside the C-band.

Future Plans

Fujitsu Laboratories aims to incorporate this technology into a new lineup of the Fujitsu Network 1FINITY series of optical transmission systems, in fiscal 2019. In addition, Fujitsu Laboratories is considering extending this technology to datacenter operators, contributing to the creation of new business for its customers.

(1) C-band A wavelength band used for optical transmissions defined by ITU-T, the Telecommunication Standardization Sector of the International Telecommunication Union. The C-band refers to wavelengths of 1,530-1,565 nm, while the L-band covers 1,565-1,625 nm and the S-band covers 1,460-1,530 nm.
(2) Pump light A light that induce modulation on optical signal through refractive index change in nonlinear optical media.

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 140,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Photonics Research Center Photonics Innovation Project E-mail: wlconv@ml.labs.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Fujitsu Laboratories and Waseda University Agree to Comprehensively Collaborate on Digital Annealer Research

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Promoting the application of Fujitsu's Digital Annealer to combinatorial optimization problems to resolve real-world issues in society

KAWASAKI, Japan, Sep 19, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd., and Waseda University today announced that Fujitsu Laboratories and Waseda University have signed a comprehensive collaborative activity agreement for joint research on the Digital Annealer(1), Fujitsu's quantum-inspired computational architecture that is capable of solving combinatorial optimization problems with stunning speed. The organizations have established the Fujitsu Co-Creation Research Laboratory at Waseda University, within Waseda's Green Computing Systems Research Organization, as a joint research organizaiton to promote software development aimed at resolving real world combinatorial optimization problems in society using the Digital Annealer. This organization draws topics from Waseda University's entire body of research, using the Digital Annealer to conduct research in a variety of fields, including finance, digital marketing, and logistics. Ultimately, Fujitsu will incorporate the results of this joint research into its Digital Annealer business to contribute to practical social and economic advancements.

Background

Throughout contemporary society, in fields like healthcare, finance, logistics, and the public sector, there is complex decision-making traditionally handled by humans, as well as the selection of optimal solutions based on massive amounts of learning input data, and many other enormous real world issues that cannot be solved in a practical timeframe with conventional computing technology. To find solutions to these sorts of problems impacting society, Fujitsu Laboratories leveraged existing digital circuit technology to develop a computational architecture that can solve combinatorial optimization problems with breathtaking speed--the Digital Annealer, which Fujitsu commenced offering as a service in May 2018. For its part, Waseda University has been an active collaborator on research conducted jointly between academia and industry. It has played a leading role on the front lines of quantum annealing research and research into combinatorial optimization problems. In 2011 the university established its Green Computing Systems Research Organization.

Summary of the Joint Research

Fujitsu Laboratories and Waseda University have concluded a collaborative activity agreement fusing the two organizations' research regarding software development to be applied to real world combinatorial optimization problems in society. They have now established the Fujitsu Co-Creation Research Laboratory at Waseda University, fostering a shared understanding with regard to subjects such as research, development, and personnel training. Fujitsu and Waseda will move forward on joint research at the new laboratory in April 2019. The joint research at the Fujitsu Co-Creation Research Laboratory will be based on candidate research themes taken from the entire breadth of topics being researched at Waseda, and use the Digital Annealer to conduct joint studies in various applied fields, beginning with finance (predicting stock price changes), digital marketing (data analysis), and logistics (optimizing delivery). In the field of finance, there are applications such as the clustering method of analysis in predicting stock price changes, which takes into account the feature value of numerical and text data in financial statements, used for credit ratings, as well as applications to arbitrage calculations for foreign exchange. In order to perform accurate calculations, however, there are many issues that need to be resolved, such as the need for further improvements in speed and accuracy for both the hardware and software. In the field of digital marketing, there are high expectations for the creation of new data analysis methods to maximize the effect of marketing activities. For example, to make better suggestions based on information about customer activities, it is necessary to solve a combinatorial optimization problem consisting of numerous optimization parameters. Moreover, in order to present the customer with optimized information in real time, the problem has to be solved in just a few seconds. In the field of logistics, the most important issue is reducing logistics costs, and a significant contribution to this goal can be made by rethinking logistics networks and optimizing delivery. Delivery optimization requires solving a combinatorial optimization problem with a variety of constraints, including specified delivery time and number of vehicles. Moreover, it is essential to create an optimal delivery plan as traffic information is also constantly changing. Fujitsu and Waseda University believe that by extending the range of use cases scenarios for the Digital Annealer and developing applied software, it will become possible to solve real issues in these fields. By continuing in their efforts in various fields, starting with the topics introduced above, the partners will ultimately develop Digital Annealer technology and expand its practical application to society. The new collaboration between Fujitsu and Waseda University represents the latest in ongoing efforts to partner with relevant organizations to promote the continued development and application of Digital Annealer technologies. Previously, Fujitsu Laboratories entered into a strategic partnership with the University of Toronto in fiscal 2017, and continues to work closely with a number of companies that are looking to solve combinatorial optimization problems relevant to their businesses. Through these initiatives to build a Digital Annealer community, Fujitsu Laboratories seeks to contribute to the creation of new ICT business as well as social and economic advancements.

(1) Digital Annealer "Fujitsu Quantum-Inspired Digital Annealer Cloud Service to Rapidly Resolve Combinatorial Optimization Problems" (press release dated May 15, 2018).

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 140,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Technical Contacts Digital Annealer Project E-mail: da_press@ml.labs.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

BDO Survey: Second-year ESG Reports Show Little Improvement in Level of Disclosure and Limited Governance

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Table 1: Summary of the Key Findings of the Survey on "The Performance of ESG Reporting of Hong Kong Listed Companies 2018"
BDO representatives, Mr. Ricky Cheng, Director and Head of Risk Advisory (left) and Mr. Clement Chan, Managing Director of Assurance (right), present the Survey on the Performance of ESG Reporting of Hong Kong Listed Companies.
Hong Kong listed companies should make a greater effort in ESG reporting to stay competitive in global markets

HONG KONG, Sep 19, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - While it is expected that listed companies should have a better understanding on the reporting requirements and capability to achieve better performances in the environmental, social and governance ("ESG") reporting in the second year of its survey of ESG reporting in Hong Kong, the results of this year's survey is still far from satisfactory with rooms for improvement. The newly-released study conducted by the BDO in Hong Kong, the world's fifth largest accountancy network, reveals that performances in some areas have experienced no significant improvement and have even declined. In particular, the level of ESG disclosure and the top level commitment in ESG governance were disappointing.

BDO maintains its position at the forefront of the advocacy of excellence in ESG reporting. It was the first in the market to publish a survey report on ESG reporting standards of Hong Kong listed companies last year, and has continued its effort this year to mark improvements, reveal weaknesses and provide professional recommendations to market players. This year, the BDO Survey on "The Performance of ESG Reporting of Hong Kong Listed Companies" ("the Survey") random sampled 400 of the most-recent ESG reports published by both Main Board and GEM-listed companies on or before 31 May 2018. The ESG reports were evaluated based on eight core subjects, namely, assurance, transparency, materiality, governance, energy / resource use management, supply chain management, customer support and anti-corruption.

Of the 400 companies surveyed:
- 8% were constituents of the Hang Seng Index, Hang Seng China Enterprises Index and/or the Hang Seng Corporate Sustainability Index, and 92% were non-index stocks.
- The Utilities sector led with the highest score (same as 2017), whereas the Materials and Information Technology sectors scored the lowest (same as 2017).
- In terms of data disclosure, the Energy, Industrial and Utilities sectors were leaders (Energy, Financial and Utilities in 2017) and the Conglomerates, Materials and Telecommunications sectors lagged (Consumer Goods and Information Technology in 2017).

Below (Table 1) is a summary of the key findings of the 2018 Survey compared to the 2017 Survey:
https://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_BDO20180919-1.jpg

Little improvement in ESG disclosure
According to the Survey, 78% of the sampled companies have disclosed KPI A and KPI B data. The difference is not significant when compared with the 71% in 2017. Although the percentage of full disclosure of KPI A and KPI B more than doubled, increasing from 5% to 11% in this year's Survey, the figure remains low. The level of KPI B disclosure also remains unchanged at 64%.

Limited ESG governance effort
The Survey also reveals a low participation rate from the director level of 26% and only a relatively small portion of companies of 36% disclosed methodology and results on the identification of material issues, suggesting companies may be adopting a "tick-box" approach without proper identification and analysis of risks.

Low level of assurance and adoption of global standards
Little progress is shown in terms of raising credibility of ESG report by seeking third-party assurance, as only 4% of the ESG reports are verified and assured by third parties in 2018, representing a 3% decrease compared with the Survey in 2017. Companies referencing or adopting international standards in reporting also remains low at just 10%.

Lack of clarifications of ESG goals, challenges and setbacks
The Survey found that there is limited disclosure of ESG goals, challenges and setbacks, indicating a lack of long-term planning and strategy in ESG works. Just 17% of companies surveyed have reported ESG goals and among them only 8% have disclosed quantitative environmental targets, a 7% drop from 15% in 2017. Only 14% of the companies reviewed and reported last year's performance targets and results, and discussed achievements against ESG goals. Only 1% of the companies discussed difficulties encountered in the implementing of ESG practices. Although some 32% of the companies mentioned their ESG strategy has shown improvement, up from last year's 14%, the overall performance in this area is still far behind international standards.

BDO recommendations:
Although ESG reporting has cost implications, and small and medium enterprises ("SMEs") understandably may not have resources comparable to established blue chips to invest in ESG reporting, the benefits of good ESG reporting, including better management of risks, improved reputation, better access to capital, cost savings, talent retention, etc, are applicable to all companies and should not be neglected regardless of the company size.

There are effective ways that even SMEs with fewer resources and less experience in ESG reporting can enhance their ESG report to their benefits:

- Set appropriate ESG goals and targets to drive performance towards an ultimate vision
- Review current ESG management policies and strategies to better position the business to realise the ESG goals and targets
- Increase director/senior level involvement, building a comprehensive and effective ESG governance framework
- Identify and engage key stakeholders, conduct proper identification and analysis of ESG risks and opportunities, and conduct a more thorough materiality assessment

On the other hand, with the growing appetite of investment funds in socially responsible investments, the companies which are better prepared to address ESG issues will be in a better position to be selected. Investors nowadays are not just looking for monetary returns but also on how well a firm is able to meet its ESG objectives and create corresponding, measurable values. Thus, a clearer and more interactive communication of ESG goals, initiatives and changes are more likely to inspire confidence in stakeholders and attract investors, paving way for more business and investment opportunities, particularly in green investment. BDO therefore recommends that companies with ample resources should strive to enhance their reports by embracing the international trend towards "impact reporting".

Blue chips to leap from 'ESG reporting' to 'Impact reporting'
"Impact reporting" is a way of reporting for companies or organisations to convey the positive impact and achievements and to describe details of the actions taken to initiate changes, and the measurement of changes and achievements so that stakeholders or the public can better understand the progress made. Impact reporting is a clear reflection on how the companies have managed their assets and funds presenting clear results and track records. When the impact is properly disclosed, investors would envisage the investment opportunities and advantages of those companies. Internationally, impact reporting has been increasingly important, and adopting this style of reporting in ESG reporting could more effectively inspire stakeholders to support a company's ESG initiatives and investments.

How to exercise impact reporting?
- Formulate the firm's key vision: Through developing the vision for the firm which reinforces the core value of the business and is attractive to stakeholders, the company can differentiate itself from its peers by clearly articulating its long-term goal and direction towards contributing to the community and the business environment.
- Communicate ESG achievements in more interactive and informative ways: With an aim to inspire stakeholders to buy into the firm's vision or even attract new investments, impact reporting is considered a more interactive type of reporting where more specific answers are provided to stakeholders compared to the typical ESG report format.
- Increase effectiveness and credibility of the ESG report by identifying compliance gaps, adopting international reporting standards and obtaining independent assessment: The benefits are obvious as it would enhance the quality, credibility and accountability of the reports when the above approaches can be realised.
- Develop suitable green finance strategies to capture the wave of climate-linked opportunities: It is necessary for companies to demonstrate the achievements and differences made in conservation and environmental protection, as well as how the company both controls risks and plans to focus efforts going forward to seize the expanding opportunities in green finance.

Ricky Cheng, Director and Head of Risk Advisory of BDO, said, "As investors increasingly examine a company based on a wider spectrum of performance details, ESG performance has become an essential concern in investment decisions. Companies with better ESG reporting would probably be seen as having better management and internal control in ESG issues and would definitely have an advantage over peers in the market. We are disappointed to see that the second-year of mandatory ESG reporting performance has shown only limited overall improvement, despite the rising popularity of responsible social investment attracting further attention to ESG reports. To capitalise on the wave of green investment/financing as well as to uphold Hong Kong's reputation as an international financial hub, we believe that companies can pave the way for better business and investment opportunities by enhancing their ESG reports through following more global reporting practices. For companies with more established ESG reporting mechanism in place, they should take a step further to embrace the internationally trending concept of impact reporting with clearer and more interactive communication of ESG goals, initiatives and changes. We hope our suggestions can provide more specific guidelines and directions for companies to improve their ESG reporting, with the ultimate aim to boost their investment value and inspire investor confidence".

About BDO
BDO's global organisation extends across 162 countries and territories, with close to 74,000 professionals working out of approximately 1,500 offices - and they're all working towards one goal: to provide our clients with exceptional service. BDO was established in Hong Kong in 1981 and is committed to facilitating the growth of businesses by advising the people behind them. BDO in Hong Kong provides an extensive range of professional services including assurance services, business services and outsourcing, risk advisory services, specialist advisory services and tax services. For more details, visit www.bdo.com.hk.

About the BDO ESG Awards
BDO held the inaugural BDO ESG Awards in Hong Kong in 2018.The BDO ESG Awards recognise outstanding listed companies in Hong Kong who have made a positive impact in the areas of Environment, Social and Governance (ESG) - particularly those who implement outstanding sustainability initiatives. The Awards aim to encourage companies to be more aware of their social responsibility to incorporate sustainability into their business model. The second BDO ESG Awards will be held in February 2019. For details, please visit: www.bdoesgawards.com.

Contacts
BDO Hong Kong
Sala Lo
Senior Marketing Manager, BDO
Hong Kong
Tel +852 2218 3042
Mobile +852 9613 5175
salalo@bdo.com.hk

Heidi Lau
Marketing Manager, BDO
Hong Kong
Tel +852 2218 2325
Mobile +852 9285 4151
heidilau@bdo.com.hk

Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Vicky Lee
Tel +852 2864 4834
vicky.lee@sprg.com.hk

Denise Siu
Tel +852 2114 4913
denise.siu@sprg.com.hk


 
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

Fujitsu Conducts Memory Expansion Technology Field Trial, Achieves System Performance Equivalent to 10 Servers

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Figure 1: Configuration of the field trial system
Figure 2: Performance improvement impact from the memory expansion technology of software controlled SSDs
Figure 3: Comparison of conventional cache systems with cache systems optimized to use software-controlled SSDs
Field trial conducted at India-based Sify's Data Center

KAWASAKI, Japan, Sep 19, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. and Fujitsu Limited today announced that they had conducted a field trial of a memory expansion technology(1) in India-based Sify Technologies Limited's(2) datacenter. Results showed that by applying this technology to a server, they succeeded in achieving system performance equivalent to that of 10 servers. As a result, when compared to overall systems that include technical servers, the system performance could be improved up to 3.6 times. With this technology, Fujitsu has verified that it can further improve the processing of in-memory systems that provide high speed responsive performance by processing data in the server's memory, and will move forward to applying this technology to products.

Background

In recent years, the volume of data handled by companies has grown dramatically, increasing the demand to process huge volumes of data at high speeds. In-memory systems, which store data in the memory (DRAM) are limited by the physical memory capacity that can be installed on each server. Therefore, performance can be stifled when processing large volumes of data, as not all of the data can be loaded into the memory. In light of this issue, Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu in November 2015 developed a memory expansion technology of software controlled SSDs that can use the flash memory to virtually expand memory capacity. The field trial to validate this technology was conducted at a datacenter owned by Sify, which has had a strategic partnership with Fujitsu since 2015.

Details of the Field Trial

1. Trial Period

August 2017 - June 2018

2. Details

Fujitsu conducted the field trial on a cache server upon which was placed high demand for in-memory processing, as part of a web server system supporting www.sify.com, the retail public-facing portal site of Sify. A particular emphasis was on response, so that content distribution could take place smoothly. In the trial, memory expansion technology was applied to one of 10 cache servers (consisting of Fujitsu Server PRIMERGY x86 servers) that handle 3 TB of data. This field trial used actual data and accessed patterns used on www.sify.com (Figure 1) to compare only the performance of the web server system and of the cache servers when the cache server's memory consisted of DRAM (256 GB), and when software controlled SSD flash memory (2.5 TB) was expanded with software controlled SSDs as an in-memory system.

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Figure 1: Configuration of the field trial system

3. Effects

Fujitsu and Fujitsu Laboratories confirmed that by applying the technology of software controlled SSDs, without physically increasing the DRAM installed in the cache server by using the flash memory as a virtual memory, memory capacity can be increased by a factor of 10 without degrading performance. This increased the processing capacity of the system, achieving the performance of a 10 web server system with one server (Figure 2).

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Figure 2: Performance improvement impact from the memory expansion technology of software controlled SSDs

4. Applied Technologies

I. Software-controlled SSD memory expansion technology of software controlled SSDs (announced November 2015)

This trial uses a controller which turns the SSD into a black box when equipped as hardware. By applying a controller function with software, it was possible to directly access the flash memory within the SSD, eliciting higher performance from the flash memory. II. A cache system optimized to software controlled SSDs (thesis published in March 2017)

This trial used a memory control system consisting of two types of memory space: high speed,
low capacity memory (DRAM), and low speed, high capacity memory (software-controlled SSDs), which assigned frequently accessed data to high speed memory and less frequently accessed data to low speed memory. The memory control system created a cache system that delivered both high performance and high capacity by separating out frequently accessed data and allocating it to DRAM, while everything else was allocated to the memory space of software controlled SSDs (Figure 3).

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuMemoryExpansionTechnology3.jpg
Figure 3: Comparison of conventional cache systems with cache systems optimized to use software-controlled SSDs

Future Plans

Fujitsu Laboratories and Fujitsu expect this technology to speed up the system as a whole, as it enables systems that demand a great deal of in-memory processing, to put all of the data to be processed into high-capacity virtual memory. The companies will continue to verify the accuracy of this technology, moving toward future commercialization.

Endorsement

Jitender D, General Manager Cloud & Engineering Services, Sify:
Sify portals use clusters of servers for delivering a diverse collection of media files like images and videos in its entertainment section. With the exponential increase in data volume and velocity, more cluster capacity expansion was the primary need. The capacity should also complement the performance for higher throughput. Fujitsu's Memory expansion technology has been evaluated by Sify for caching and retrieving these media files. In the evaluation cycle, it provided 10x capacity and the performance also got scaled to 3x compared to DRAM systems. This will result in overall CapEx saving for future expansion.

(1) Memory expansion technology "Fujitsu Develops Optimized Software-Controlled Solid-State Drive for Big Data Processing".
(2) Sify Technologies Limited Sify is the largest ICT service provider, systems integrator, and all-in-one network solutions company on the Indian subcontinent. We have also expanded to the United States, with headquarters in the heart of California's Silicon Valley. Over 8,500 businesses have become Sify customers. We also partner with other major network operators to deliver global network solutions. Our customers can access Sify services via India's largest MPLS network. Among the very few Enterprise class players in India, Sify, today has presence in more than 1,600 cities in India and in North America, the United Kingdom and Singapore. The company operates sify.com (http://www.sify.com), one of the few portal sites in India with over 1.18 million page views per day. Sify, www.sify.com, Sify Technologies and www.sifytechnologies.com are registered trademarks of Sify Technologies Limited.

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 140,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Computer Systems Laboratory E-mail: mmgic-pr2018@ml.labs.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Over 60 E-commerce Companies at the 4th DATE EXPO demonstrating Taiwan's E-commerce Capacities

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TAIPEI, TAIWAN, Sep 19, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The 4th DATE Expo is being organized by the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) and co-organized by the Taiwan Internet and E-Commerce Association, Chinese Non-Store Retailer Association, Taiwan Association of Logistics Management, and Taiwan E-Commerce and Startup Association. The DATE EXPO will be held alongside the Taiwan Innotech Expo (formerly called the Taipei International Invention Show), taking place at the Taipei World Trade Center Exhibition Hall 1, September 27-29.

Over 60 of the industry's top e-commerce companies are participating in the trade exhibition this year. The exhibition will cover eight e-commerce themes, including Smart Retail, Cross Border & E-Tailing, Social Media & Digital Marketing, Mobile Commerce, Logistics, FinTech, Big Data, and Startups, and offers a stage to demonstrate online to offline integration, and comprehensive technology services. Furthermore, this year's number of startups has more than doubled from 18 to 41, boosting the exhibition's scope and driving its innovative energy.

TAITRA has indicated that e-commerce global retail revenues are said to increase from US$2.29 trillion in 2017 to US$4.479 trillion in 2021. This rapid growth in e-commerce represents a new source of growth momentum in the retail market and as a result, the exhibition will showcase more new e-commerce technologies and services. Based on early buyer registration data, most buyers are from China, India, United States, the Philippines, and Hong Kong, portraying high international visitor interest in Taiwan and its surrounding Asia-Pacific e-commerce markets, and their intention to engage in exchange and cooperation with Taiwan's e-commerce companies.

The exhibition will offer a wide variety of activities including the eCommerce Salon, eCommerce Seminar, Startups Seminar, and Procurement Meetings. Top e-commerce platforms and experts from Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, and China were invited by the respective TAITRA overseas offices to participate in the eCommerce Salon and share characteristics and insights from their local e-commerce markets. The eCommerce Seminar and Startup Seminar will consist of 15-minute presentations of products or services, while procurement meetings will be held in parallel with major e-commerce platforms, importers, and distributors from Southeast Asian countries as well as China. Companies include the Caring Pharmacy Group, a major Malaysian pharmacy chain; and VIPshop, a Chinese luxury goods e-commerce platform. These seminars aim to help exhibitors find business partners. The exhibition will also work together with LiveHouse for customized broadcasts of online presentations by major companies. The event's live broadcasts and activities will create an online to offline exchange platform for the e-commerce industry.

Sign up online in advance to experience the latest products, technologies, and services offered by Taiwan's e-commerce platforms, and get in on the chance to win a round-trip ticket to anywhere in Asia. For more information about DATE EXPO, please visit www.ecexpo.com.tw.

About TAITRA
Founded in 1970 to help promote foreign trade, the Taiwan External Trade Development Council (TAITRA) is the foremost non-profit trade promotion organization in Taiwan. Jointly sponsored by the government, industry associations, and several commercial organizations, TAITRA assists Taiwan businesses and manufacturers with reinforcing their international competitiveness and in coping with the challenges they face in foreign markets.

Contact: Jessica Cheng
Email: ecexpo@taitra.org.tw

 
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

Fujitsu's New AI Technology "Wide Learning" Enables Highly Precise Learning Even from Imbalanced Data Sets

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Figure 1: Hypothesis listing and knowledge chunk extraction
Figure 2: When making a classification model, the knowledge chunks impact adjustment
TOKYO, Sep 19, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced the development of "Wide Learning," a machine learning technology capable of accurate judgements even when operators cannot obtain the volume of data necessary for training. AI is now often used to leverage data in a variety of fields, but the accuracy of AI may be impacted in cases where the volume of data to be analyzed is small or imbalanced. Fujitsu's Wide Learning technology enables judgements to be reached more accurately than was previously possible, and learning is achieved uniformly, no matter which hypothesis is examined, even when the data is imbalanced. It achieves this by first extracting hypotheses with a high degree of importance, having made a large set of hypotheses formed by all of the combinations of data items, and then by controlling for the degree of impact of each respective hypothesis based on the overlapping relationships of the hypotheses. Moreover, because the hypotheses are recorded as logical expressions, humans can also understand the reasoning behind a judgement. Fujitsu's new Wide Learning technology allows for the use of AI even in areas such as healthcare and marketing, where the data needed to make judgements is scarce, supporting operations and promoting the automation of work processes using AI.

Development Background

In recent years, AI technology has begun to be used in a variety of fields, including healthcare, marketing, and finance. Expectations are rising for the use of AI decision-making in support of operations and automating tasks in these areas. One challenge that remains to realizing the potential of these technologies, however, is that the data may be imbalanced. Specifically, depending on the industry it can be difficult to obtain sufficient data for training AI on the targets on which it is to make judgements. This, in effect, leaves many of these technologies unable to produce results with sufficient accuracy for practical use. Furthermore, a major reason why AI deployment lacks progress is that even when an AI provides sufficiently accurate recognition or classification performance, experts and even the developers themselves often cannot explain why the AI produced a certain answer, and if they cannot fulfill their responsibility to explain the results to the front lines of industry then AI cannot be deployed.

Issues

AI technologies based on deep learning conventionally make highly accurate judgements by being trained on large volumes of data, including ample target data to be judged. In real world scenarios, however, there are many cases in which the data is insufficient, with extremely little target data. In these cases, when faced with unknown data, it becomes difficult for AI technology to deliver highly accurate judgements. Moreover, the machine learning model for existing AI based on deep learning is a black box model that cannot explain the reasons behind the judgements the AI makes, creating a problem with transparency. As such, moving forward it will be necessary to develop new AI technology that realizes highly accurate judgements from imbalanced data, and that is also transparent in order to solve various issues in society.

About the Newly Developed Technology

Bearing these challenges in mind, Fujitsu Laboratories has now developed Wide Learning, a machine learning technology capable of making highly accurate judgements even in cases where the data is imbalanced. The features of Wide Learning technology include the following two points.

1. Creates combinations of data items to extract large volumes of hypotheses

This technology treats all combination patterns of data items as hypotheses, and then determines the degree of importance of each hypothesis based on the hit rate for the label category. For example, when analyzing trends in who purchases certain products, the system combines all sorts of patterns from the data items for those who did or did not make purchases (the category label), such as single women between 20-34 who have driver licenses, and then analyzes how many hits it gets in the data of those who actually made purchases when these combination patterns are taken as hypotheses. The hypotheses that achieve a hit rate above a certain level are defined as important hypotheses, called "knowledge chunks". This means that even when target data is insufficient, the system can extract all hypotheses worth looking into, which may also contribute to the discovery of previously unconsidered explanations.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuNewAITechnology.jpg
Figure 1: Hypothesis listing and knowledge chunk extraction

2. Adjusts the degree of impact of knowledge chunks to build an accurate classification model

The system builds a classification model based on multiple extracted knowledge chunks and on the target label. In this process, if the items making up a knowledge chunk frequently overlap with the items making up other knowledge chunks, the system controls their degree of impact so as to reduce the weight of their influence on the classification model. In this way, the system can train a model capable of accurate classifications even when the target label or the data marked as correct is imbalanced. For example, in a case where men who did not make a purchase make up the vast majority of an item purchase dataset, if the AI is trained without controlling the degree of impact, then the knowledge chunk that includes whether or not a person has a license, independent of gender, will not have much influence on the classification. With this newly developed method, the degree of impact of knowledge chunks including male as a factor is limited due to the overlap of this item, while the impact of the smaller number of knowledge chunks that include whether a person has a license becomes relatively larger in training, building a model that can correctly categorize both men and possession of a license.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuNewAITechnology2.jpg
Figure 2: When making a classification model, the knowledge chunks impact adjustment

Effects

Fujitsu Laboratories conducted a trial of this technology, applying it to data in areas such as digital marketing and healthcare. In a test using benchmark data in the marketing and healthcare areas from the UC Irvine Machine Learning Repository(1), this technology improved accuracy by about 10-20% compared to deep learning. It successfully reduced the probability that the system would overlook customers likely to subscribe to a service or patients with a condition by about 20-50%. In the marketing data, of the approximately 5,000 customer data entries used in the test, only about 230 were for purchasing customers, making for an imbalanced set. This technology reduced the number of potential customers excluded from sales promotions from 120, the result of deep learning analysis, to 74. Moreover, as the knowledge chunks that form the basis for this technology have a logical expression format, the ability to explain the reasoning behind a judgement is also useful in implementing this technology in society. Even when it is determined that corrections to a model are necessary, based on results from new data, it is possible to make more appropriate revisions, because users can understand the reasons for results.

Future Plans

Fujitsu Laboratories will continue to apply this technology to tasks that demand the reasoning behind AI judgements, such as in financial transactions and medical diagnoses, and to tasks that handle low frequency phenomena, such as fraud and equipment breakdowns, with the goal of commercializing it as a new machine learning technology supporting Fujitsu Limited's Fujitsu Human Centric AI Zinrai in fiscal 2019. Fujitsu Laboratories will also make effective use of this technology's characteristic capability for explanation, continuing research and development into topics such as improved support for making judgements and decisions in tasks to which it is applied, and into the overall system design, including collaboration with humans.

(1) UC Irvine Machine Learning Repository A world-famous repository that provides numerous datasets for use in evaluating and comparing machine learning.

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 140,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Artificial Intelligence Laboratory E-mail: widelearning@ml.labs.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Chong Hing Bank Secures Capital Ample for Bracing Rapid Business Development with Share Subscription and Rights Issue

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HONG KONG, Sep 19, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - Chong Hing Bank Limited (the "Bank"; stock code: 01111) completed on 21 August 2018 the new share allotment under a subscription agreement entered into with Guangzhou Metro Investment Finance (HK) Limited ("GZ Metro") by allotting and issuing 70,126,000 Subscription Shares of the Bank at the Subscription Price of HK$14.26 per Subscription Share to GZ Metro. Meanwhile, the Bank proposed earlier a Rights Issue on the basis of one rights share for every two shares at HK$14.26 per Rights Share. The latest time for payment for and acceptance of the Rights Shares and the application and payment for excess Rights Shares of the Rights Issue was at 4:00 p.m. on Friday, 14 September 2018. The results of acceptances of and excess applications for the Rights Issue are expected to be announced on Friday, 21 September 2018 as scheduled.

Since the Bank became a member of Yuexiu Group, its business results have recorded remarkable growth year after year. Its net profit had grown by 181% from HK$557 million in 2013 to HK$1,565 million in 2017, or a CAGR of 29.5%. Its return on equity also increased notably to 10.1% in the first half of 2018 from 6.3% in the same period last year. Separately, on 20 August 2018, Moody's raised the Bank's Long-term Deposits Rating from Baa2 to Baa1. Moody's believes that the Subscription and Rights Issue will strengthen the capital position and support strong asset growth and have positive effect on the credit rating of the Bank.

The Bank plans to continue to promote its business growth by keeping pace with the finance and technology integration trend by devoting resources to its digital transformation initiatives and upgrade its electronic platforms, as well as participate in various digital and innovative projects. Indeed, the Bank has been committed to building an intelligent platform to increase the income stream and further enhance customer experience. The Bank will continue to devote its effort to upgrading the electronic platforms and information infrastructure as well as developing the digital banking services, with a vision to build a modern operation platform which will support the Bank's ongoing business growth.

Looking forward, Chong Hing Bank will continue to devote itself to realising its corporate vision of establishing itself as an "integrated commercial bank with cross-border expertise" by consolidating its businesses in Hong Kong, while grasping the massive development opportunities presented by the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Bay Area Initiative. Chong Hing Bank has established a solid foundation and will endeavour to leverage on the resources of Yuexiu Group and the new strategic investor GZ Metro, as well as the beneficial policies between Hong Kong and mainland China to establish a cross-border linking mechanism and offer differentiated cross-border products and services focusing on the targeted customer bases in the Greater Bay Area. Chong Hing Bank has commissioned a dedicated office to conduct strategic studies on the Greater Bay Area and develop professional service solutions for cross-border customers. It will further improve synergy and establish an efficient cooperation mechanism by capitalising on the resources of Yuexiu Group and its professional advantage in the industry.

The Bank expects that Yuexiu Group and GZ Metro, which possess an enormous base of customers and upstream and downstream suppliers, can provide opportunities for the business expansion of the Bank. These will facilitate the Bank to vigorously develop various kinds of banking services and strongly support the future business growth of the Bank.

About Chong Hing Bank
Chong Hing Bank (formerly known as 'Liu Chong Hing Bank Limited') was founded in 1948. The Bank has been listed on the mainboard of the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong (Stock code: 01111) since 1994 and currently operates a network of 39 branches in Hong Kong. Together with its subsidiaries (Chong Hing Securities Limited and Chong Hing Insurance Company Limited), the Bank offers a wide range of banking services to individual and corporate customers, which include HKD and foreign currency deposits, credit, wealth management, investment, securities, insurance and other commercial banking products. Besides, the Bank joined hands with a number of local financial institutions and is one of the founding members of BCT group which provides a full range of mandatory provident fund services to customers. The Bank has branches in Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Shantou and Macau, sub-branches in Guangzhou Tianhe, Foshan, Nansha and Hengqin, and representative offices in Shanghai and San Francisco.

Chong Hing Bank has been a member of Yuexiu Group since 14 February 2014. Yuexiu Group was established in Hong Kong in 1985. As at the end of 2017, Yuexiu Group had total assets of about RMB480 billion, making it one of the leading state-owned enterprise groups in Guangzhou in terms of economic efficiency.

For other information about Chong Hing Bank, please go to the Bank's website www.chbank.com.

For media enquiries, please contact:
Strategic Financial Relations Limited
Ms. Maggie Au / Mr.Antonio Yu
Tel: (852) 2864 4815 / (852) 2114 4319
Email: maggie.au@sprg.com.hk or antonio.yu@sprg.com.hk

This release is for information purposes only. It is not an offer to sell or the solicitation of an offer to acquire, purchase, subscribe, sell or dispose of any securities and neither this release nor anything herein forms the basis for any contract or commitment whatsoever.

This announcement is not an invitation or offer of securities for sale in the United States. Neither this release nor any copy thereof may be released, published or distributed in or into the United States or any other jurisdiction where such release might be unlawful. The securities have not been and will not be registered under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended or the laws of any state or jurisdiction of the United States and may not be offered or sold, pledged or transferred in the United States absent registration or an exemption from registration. There will be no public offering of securities in the United States.

Unless otherwise expressed, capitalised terms in this release shall have the same meanings as defined in the announcement of the Bank relating to the Subscription and the Rights Issue dated 14 August 2018 and the prospectus of the Bank relating to the Rights Issue dated 31 August 2018.


 
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

Explore the Wonders of Hong Kong from sky100 with the Opening of the Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link

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HONG KONG, Sep 19, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Rail Link (XRL) will open on 23 September, connecting Hong Kong to China's 25,000-kilometre trans-national high-speed rail network. This vast network offers direct trains to 44 destinations across the mainland, including six short-haul destinations in Guangdong Province, and 38 long-haul destinations such as Beijing, Shanghai and Changsha.

Located just 10 minutes' walk from XRL's Hong Kong West Kowloon Station, and only two stops from Hong Kong International Airport via the Airport Express Link, sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck (sky100) is the natural first stop for both inbound and transit visitors. Situated directly above Kowloon Station, sky100's superb accessibility makes it the perfect choice for kick-starting a Hong Kong adventure or as the final stop before continuing a multi-destination rail journey across China.

Upon arriving at sky100, visitors ride the fastest double-deck elevator in Hong Kong, reaching the 100th floor of Hong Kong's tallest building, ICC, in just 60 seconds. From a height of 393 metres, sky100 offers panoramic 360-degree views of Hong Kong. To bring this world-renowned skyline to life, sky100 has newly launched "sky100's Tales of Hong Kong", a 28-metre-long interactive story wall showcasing 100 fascinating stories with text, videos and various exhibits, enabling visitors to enjoy Hong Kong's skyline while also learning more about local tales, traditional craftsmanship and special customs. After visiting sky100, the exceptional location and connectivity enables visitors to reach many other places of interest with ease: walk to Jordan to experience authentic local culture, or take the train to Central and explore the artistic neighbourhoods in Mid-levels. All this and much more is within 15 to 30 minutes of sky100, so visitors can make the most of their time in Hong Kong.

What's more, from 23 September to 30 December 2018, sky100 is launching its "Turn Your High Speed Rail Ticket into Cash" promotion to celebrate the commencement of the XRL. Visitors can enjoy a HK$50 discount simply by presenting their High Speed Rail ticket when purchasing a Published Price Ticket at HK$188 from sky100's Ticketing Centre. Terms and conditions apply to this promotion. For more details, please visit sky100's official website www.sky100.com.hk.

sky100 Hong Kong Observation Deck
Ms Christy Leung
Tel: (852) 2613 3805
Email: christyleung@sky100.com.hk

 
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

Queen of VC Kathy Xu: Meituan Dianping will Blossom as a Super Platform

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HONG KONG, Sep 20, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - As a super platform with powerful network effects, Meituan Dianping will blossom and flourish, according to Kathy Xu, founder and president of Capital Today, one of the first independent private equity firms in China.

Crowned as "Queen of Venture Capital" in China, Xu topped the list of "China's 25 Best Female Venture Capitalists 2018" published by Forbes China. Founded in 2005, Capital Today has focused on internet, retail and consumer sectors, with investments in JD.com, Meituan Dianping, Ganji.com, VIPSHOP, Three Squirrels, Tudou.com, Netease, Beibei.com and Zhihu.com.

An early VC investor in Meituan Dianping, which will be listed today on the Stock Exchange of Hong Kong, Xu told the story of her investment in Meituan Dianping, and her confidence in this super platform.

Diversification vs. focus

One question frequently asked of Meituan Dianping is why the company does not focus on one core business. It has expanded from group purchasing, to food delivery, hotel and travel booking, movie ticketing, grocery delivery, bike-sharing, car-hailing and other lifestyle services. In each new market it entered, Meituan faced formidable competitors.

People who ask this question of Meituan Dianping "don't understand," said Xu.

"If you are in a traditional industry, then you need to focus," Xu said. "In the Internet sector, however, you have to reach in different directions just like an octopus. In the internet business, it won't work if you focus."

In traditional industries, you must focus so that you can expand in scale and lower the cost. It is a different story with very different economics in the Internet sector, she explained.

"The more users you get, the more valuable they become because of network effects. The value of each user will show up in multiple businesses. As long as you manage well and choose the right markets, your network effect will keep magnifying," she said.

"Meituan has been very successful in quickly building up its leadership in new markets because, as a super platform, it enjoys very low user acquisition cost for its new businesses," she said. "With network effects, such a super platform can dominate the whole market."

In her eyes, Wang Xing, co-founder and CEO of Meituan Dianping, is like a "deep learning machine" who spends a lot of time studying, researching and pondering how to grow his business. "Meituan often was not the first player in the new markets, but the company learned fast and dived deeply into new businesses. More importantly, Wang always chooses the right strategy and has strong execution power," said Xu.

Investing in Meituan

Xu first invested in Dianping in 2012 when it was competing with Meituan on group purchases. At that time, Dianping was the market leader in first-tier cities, but Meituan dominated the nationwide market.

As both companies were burning cash frantically to gain market share, she supported the merger of the two companies. "Facing merge or die, it is better to merge," she told Dianping and pushed both sides to the negotiation table.

After the merger of Meituan and Dianping in October 2015, some investors were hesitant to invest in the new company. "They were afraid about the competition with Alibaba, about not having enough cash on hand, and the difficulty in business integration," she recalled.

After three months of due diligence and rounds of internal debates, Xu decided to make significant investment in Meituan Dianping in January 2016. The company was the super platform she was seeking.

She defined a super platform as one of the few APPs people use most frequently on their mobile devices. Such a super platform should have over 100 million active customers, with each customer using the platform more than 8 to 10 times per year. Meituan Dianping is a super platform that people go to for their essential daily life services.

Winning in food delivery

Ele.me was the pioneer in China's on-demand food delivery market. When Xu was considering about investing in Ele.me, she heard that Meituan was about to enter this market. She decided to wait and take a look at both companies.

As a late-comer in the market, Meituan learned and followed the tactics of Ele.me to attract users. After six months of learning and exploring, Meituan hired 1,000 people and sent them to 100 cities after one month of training.

Meituan was quickly expanding its food delivery service to over 100 cities nationwide, while Ele.me was still concentrating its business in a few cities. "You have to move fast and you have to go nationwide," she said. "There are no local players on the internet."

The most important reason for Meituan to win the food delivery battle was that Meituan built its own delivery network, she said. As Meituan improved its food delivery efficiency with an average delivery time of about 30 minutes, Ele.me was busy with the upstream supply chain development.

Meituan Dianping saw its market share in on-demand food delivery increase from 31.7% in 2015 to 59.1% in the three months ended March 31, 2018, according to iResearch report.

Wang Xing predicted in late 2016 that the food delivery war would be over within 12 months. Three players will be left with 7:2:1 market landscape, as the winner would take 70% of market.

Xu agreed with the 7:2:1 prediction for the food delivery market. "The priority for Meituan is to secure its leadership position," she said. "This is a must-win battle. If Meituan can gain another 10 percentage points in its market share, it will be safe."


 
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

NEC Showcases the Latest in Intelligent Public Transport Solutions at APTA's 2018 Annual Meeting

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TOKYO, Sep 20, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (NEC; TSE: 6701) today announced its participation in the American Public Transportation Association's (APTA) 2018 Annual Meeting, September 23 - 26, 2018, in Nashville, TN, USA.

NEC and its partners will present a number of innovative solutions for enhancing public transport, including solutions that feature NEC's top ranked(1) face recognition technologies, NEC's cloud-based Fleet Management Solution (FMS), an Automatic Fare Collection System (AFC) and ePaper displays for real-time passenger information.

The APTA is an international organization that has been representing the transit industry for over 100 years. APTA membership includes providers of bus, light rail, commuter rail, subway, waterborne passenger services, and high-speed rail.

(1) NEC's Video Face Recognition Technology Ranks First in NIST Testing

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security efficiency and fairness of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

Contact:
NEC Seiichiro Toda s-toda@cj.jp.nec.com +81-3-3798-6511

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Visa-Free Taiwan Travel Bringing Strong Benefits, Seizing Asia MICE Opportunities, Using Taipei's Sponsorship Program and Fine Cuisine

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International buyers taking part in a fun Wheel of Fortune disk-spin show learned more about Taipei's Michelin cuisine, and competed to win pineapple cakes, a favorite Taipei souvenir, and limited-edition Bravo Kuai Kuai Birthday Gift Snack Bags.
International Buyers Dress Up as Master Chefs to Win Limited-Edition Bravo the Mascot Souvenirs

TAIPEI, TAIWAN, Sep 20, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - According to new statistics released by the Taiwan Tourism Bureau, Ministry of Transportation and Communications, the number of visitors to Taiwan from the countries of Southeast Asia in the first half of 2018 broke through the 120,000 mark, growth of 17% over the same period last year. Thailand is one of the strongest source markets. Since visa-free entry was offered to Thai travelers as part of the New Southbound Policy in August 2016, growth in the numbers of visitors to Taiwan from Thailand has been pronounced. The number of travelers in 2017 was 292,534, double the number recorded in 2014, clearly demonstrating surging interest in Taiwan travel in the Thailand market. In addition to expansion of the general tourist market, corporate incentive travel is another area of opportunity that requires active initiatives. This year, after sending promotional teams on July tours to a number of Southeast Asia MICE markets (Philippines, Singapore, Malaysia), from September 18 to 20 the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government has had a team in Bangkok, Thailand attending IT&CMA 2018. At this large-scale annual Asia MICE gathering, the team has endeavored to attract the attention of more Southeast Asia international buyers.

At negotiations and in a press conference, Chun-Chieh Hsiao, Chief Secretary with the Department of Information and Tourism, Taipei City Government (DOIT), introduced Taipei's diversified incentive-travel sponsorship program to international buyers, along with the Taipei Double Decker Sightseeing Bus service and Taipei Fun Pass. Taipei is also now an officially recognized Michelin culinary bastion, and in order to create deeper impressions promoting Taipei among international buyers, during the exhibition international buyers were invited to don chef hats and aprons at the Taipei stand and take part in a Wheel of Fortune disk-spin show challenge. Using this implement from traditional culture to create a Wheel of Fortune fun game, international buyers got to know the cuisine from Michelin's Taipei BIB Gourmand selections. In order to win the pineapple cakes that are one of Taipei's most popular souvenir purchases, along with the limited-edition Taipei City mascot Bravo Kuai Kuai Birthday Gift Snack Bags on offer (Bravo is Taipei's cute bear mascot), the buyers competed with great gusto, the lively atmosphere making the Taipei stand one of the focal points of the exhibition.

Chun-Chieh Hsiao stated that as a result of the granting of visa-free entry to visitors from Southeast Asia, there were 44 cases under DOIT's MICE incentive-travel sponsorship program last year. This year, as of September there have already been 47 incentive-travel applications. Over the past two years 90% of incentive-travel applications have been for Southeast Asia incentive-travel groups, demonstrating that Taipei City has become the latest hot incentive-travel destination for Southeast Asia enterprises. In November this year an incentive-travel group from an internationally renowned Malaysian direct-sales enterprise is coming to Taipei, consisting of 1,000 outstanding employees. They will be in the city for a 5 day, 4 night visit consisting of incentive travel and a business conference, and will stay at famous Taipei hotels for the duration (Far Eastern Plaza Hotel, Sunworld Dynasty Hotel, Capital Hotel, Fullerton Hotel, etc.). As part of their itinerary the entire group will visit the Chiang Kai-shek Memorial Hall to practice tai chi, take in the city's famous sightseeing attractions, browse and shop in its commercial districts, and at night sample local snack delicacies at night markets. It is hoped that this incentive-travel tour experience will bring new creativity and inspiration to the employees of this company. In addition, DOIT has specially prepared 1,000 exclusive tailor-made EasyCards for members of the incentive-travel group, each with NT$200 in additional stored value. This will enable group members to fully enjoy the convenience of traveling around the city, and even more fully experience Taipei's charms. It is estimated that this group will bring NT$41 million in tourism-industry value to Taipei City (see Note). The consumption power of groups from direct-selling enterprises is impressive, and in the future DOIT will systematically seek to lure such incentive-travel groups to Taipei.

According to the "Annual Survey Report on Visitors' Expenditure and Trends in Taipei" for 2017 released by DOIT, 90% of overseas tourists who visit Taiwan visit Taipei City. At this particular exhibition, it was demonstrated that there is high satisfaction among international buyers with Taipei's transportation convenience and the overall tourism experience, and that Taipei City has already established a firm position in the Asia MICE market. The processing of applications for the 2019 DOIT MICE sponsorship program are expected to be handled in the period from November 1 to 30, 2018. Elsewhere, the official opening of Hall 2 at the Nangang Exhibition Center is set for March of 2019, and the curtains will go up at 5 new international hotels in the Greater Taipei Area by the end of this year (Courtyard by Marriott, Hotel Indigo, Kimpton Hotel, Just Palace Hotel, Hilton Taipei Sinban). The year 2019 will be one of upgrading for Taipei's meeting/exhibition hard and soft infrastructure, further strengthening the city's advantages and competitiveness.

Note: According to the "2017 Annual Survey Report on Visitors' Expenditure and Trends in Taipei" for 2017 released by DOIT, the average spending for visitors in Taipei for sighsteeing is US$274.29 per person per day; with the incentive-travel group in question staying 5 days, and using an exchange rate of NT$30 for US$1, the tourism-industry value will be an estimated NT$41,143,500.

Contacts: Yu-Ling Chueh, Division Chief / Kathy Yuan, Researcher
Contact Tel: 886-2-27208889, ext. 6901, 3371

Photo caption:
International buyers taking part in a fun Wheel of Fortune disk-spin show learned more about Taipei's Michelin cuisine, and competed to win pineapple cakes, a favorite Taipei souvenir, and limited-edition Bravo Kuai Kuai Birthday Gift Snack Bags. https://bit.ly/2pmKVM0

 
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

Fujitsu Develops Platform Technology to Support High Speed Processing of Massive Data in Distributed Storage

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Figure 1: Data processing with Dataffinic Computing
Figure 2: Storage and processing of unstructured data
Figure 3: Technology that predicts necessary resources and controls resources for data processing
Overall system performance enhanced by greater applications for distributed storage

TOKYO, Sep 20, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. has developed a technology that offers both high speed data-processing and high-capacity storage in distributed storage systems, in order to speed up the processing of ever-increasing volumes of data.

Recently, customers have looked for improvements in processing speed in storage systems that handle everything up to data analysis. This is in response to a growing need in such technologies as AI and machine learning for the analysis and utilization of rapidly growing volumes of data, including unstructured data, such as video and log data. However, this requires storage systems that can efficiently analyze unstructured data stored in a distributed system, while providing their original storage functionality for data management as well as data processing capabilities. Fujitsu Laboratories has now developed "Dataffinic Computing," a technology for distributed storage systems that handles data processing while also fulfilling their original storage function, in order to speed up the processing of large volumes of data. With this technology, storage systems can process large volumes of data at high speeds, including unstructured data, enabling the efficient utilization of the ever-increasing amounts of data, in such cases as utilizing security camera video, analyzing logs from ICT systems, utilizing sensor data from cars, and analyzing genetic data.

Development Background

Currently, there is a developing trend of innovation and business transformation through the utilization of large volumes of data generated on various front lines. The volume of data is increasing exponentially as there are conventional structured data managed in a database, such as customer data and POS data, as well as unstructured data, such as video and log data. To efficiently use this large volume of data, AI, machine learning and other technologies are in demand to streamline analysis. Conventionally, data was analyzed in processing servers, but if data could be processed in the same systems where it is stored, it is expected that would increase the speed of data analysis processing.

Issues

Data processing requires the processing server to read the data from the storage system. As the volume of data flowing between the storage system and the processing server increases, the time required to read the data can become a bottleneck when utilizing large volumes of data. On the other hand, data processing at high speeds becomes possible when the processing is done on the storage system without moving the data. Nonetheless, this makes it difficult to analyze unstructured data distributed across the storage system, and to maintain stable operations in the system's original storage functionality.

About the Newly Developed Technology

Fujitsu Laboratories has developed Dataffinic Computing, a technology for handling data processing in distributed storage systems that distributes and collects data by connecting multiple servers through a network, without reducing the original storage functionality of the system, in order to rapidly process ever increasing volumes of data. Details of the newly developed technology are as follows.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuDataProcessingFig1.jpg
Figure 1: Data processing with Dataffinic Computing

1. Content-aware data disposition that can process each distributed data items

In order to improve access performance, distributed storage systems do not store large amounts of data in the same place, but break the data into sizes that are easy to manage for storage. In the case of unstructured data such as videos and log data, however, individual pieces of data cannot be completely processed when the file is systematically broken down into pieces of specified size and stored separately. It was therefore necessary to once again gather together the distributed data for processing, placing a significant load on the system. Now, by breaking down unstructured data along natural breaks in the connections within the data, this technology stores the data in a state in which the individual pieces can still be processed. In addition, information essential for processing (such as header information) is attached to each piece of data. This means that the pieces of data scattered across the distributed storage can be processed individually, maintaining the scalability of access performance and improving the system performance as a whole.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuDataProcessingFig2.jpg
Figure 2: Storage and processing of unstructured data

2. Adaptive resource control with storage functionality and data-processing capability

In addition to the ordinary reading and writing of data, storage nodes face a variety of system loads to safely maintain data, including automatic recovery processing after an error, data redistribution processing after more storage capacity is added, and disk checking processing as part of preventive maintenance. This technology models the types of system loads that occur in storage systems, predicting resources that will be needed in the near future. Based on this, the technology controls data processing resources and their allocation, so as not to reduce the performance of the system's storage functionality. This enables high speed data processing while still delivering stable operations for the original storage functionality.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuDataProcessingFig3%20.jpg
Figure 3: Technology that predicts necessary resources and controls resources for data processing

Effects

Fujitsu Laboratories implemented this technology in Ceph(1), an open source distributed storage software solution, and evaluated its effects. Five storage nodes and five processing servers were connected with a 1 Gbps network, and data processing performance was measured when extracting objects such as people and cars from 50 GB of video data. With the conventional method, it took 500 seconds to complete processing, but with this newly developed technology, the data processing could be done on the storage nodes, without the need to bring the data together. Moreover, the processing was completed in 50 seconds, 10 times the speed of the previous method. This technology enables scalable and efficient processing of explosively increasing amounts of data.
Future Plans

Fujitsu Laboratories will continue to verify this technology for commercial applications, planning for Fujitsu Limited to make it into a product within fiscal 2019.

(1) Ceph Open source distributed storage software now managed by the Ceph community, which was originally developed by the University of California, Santa Cruz, before 2004.

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 140,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Computer Systems Laboratory E-mail: dataffinic@ml.labs.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Fujitsu Develops Technology to Improve Reliability of Data Distribution across Industries

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Figure 1: Overall diagram of ChainedLineage
Figure 2: Technology linking record information across companies
Figure 3: Technology for batch collection of personal data from people who have provided consent through a portal
Enables unified management of such information as data source, processing history, and consent status for personal information

KAWASAKI, Japan, Sep 20, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. today announced that it has developed "ChainedLineage," a blockchain extension technology that enables the safe use of data obtained from a variety of companies and individuals, confirming its provenance and processing history. Data that can be used by companies often consists of data from multiple sources, and in many cases has been processed in stages by multiple companies. For companies using such data, it is important to ensure the reliability of the data they obtain, and they currently need to trace back the provenance of each data. There are also issues with obtaining data that complies with regulations such as Japan's Act on the Protection of Personal Information or Europe's GDPR(1). Because this newly developed technology enables uniform management of information on the provenance of data published by companies and other organizations, users can easily trace the history of data processing as it passed through multiple companies and efficiently obtain data from individuals who have provided their consent. Fujitsu Laboratories aims to create a society with trustworthy data by applying this technology to various fields that utilize data.

Development Background

In recent years, there has been an increasing trend toward the creation of new services using the massive amounts of data generated by various devices, from individual smartphones to corporate IoT systems. In addition, governments have promoted municipalities, companies and organizations to proactively use their data across industries. The activities of data utilization are therefore expected to expand even further going forward. As technologies for using and analyzing large volumes of data, such as big data and AI, gain prominence, the accountability of related services will be compromised if inadequate data is mixed into those used by companies. Moreover, with the implementation of laws protecting personal information, particularly the GDPR, it has become necessary to confirm individual consent before providing personal information to third party companies. This has in turn made it essential to find a way to proactively use data while preserving transparency. As multiple companies and organizations become involved in the different stages of generation or processing of data that contains personal information, the amount of diverse useful data is increasing, while there are concerns regarding data reliability due to the growing number of people handling the data. As a result, there has been more demand to understand the origin of data.

Issues

Because the majority of data that can be used amongst companies has been processed or combined with other data in some way, it is important to manage information on the provenance of data, including whether it has been processed or analyzed, in what ways, and using what sort of data, in order to ensure the reliability of the data. Conventionally, the management of records relating to the processing and analysis of data was done within each company, and there was no method for integrating and managing the record information scattered across the companies. In addition, in the event there were changes to the objectives of use, content, or destination of the data held by each company, it was necessary to revise the personal consent status of the person providing the data. Moreover, based on the outcome of that consent result, the user of the data needed to spend time to obtain each individual's personal data.

About the Newly Developed Technology

Now, Fujitsu Laboratories has developed a technology for companies to safely manage and share provenance information, from the original source of the data to its current state. This information includes records of data generation and processing, as well as the details for individual consent on providing personal data. The features of this technology are as follows.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuChainedLineageFig1.jpg
Figure 1: Overall diagram of ChainedLineage

1. Technology links recorded data of generated, processed data across multiple companies

Fujitsu Laboratories developed a technology to connect conventional data processing record information scattered across various companies with data transaction information amongst companies shared via blockchain technology in a way that other companies can also confirm, using the hash values(2) of the processing records and the data transaction information themselves. In a data use environment where data generated or processed by one company is used by another company, the data processing record information is linked in a chain across companies. Because this data structure is constituted in such a way that the hash value of the processing record information from the original, data-providing company is included in the transaction record information of the data-receiving company, while the hash value of the transaction record information is included in the processing record information of the data-receiving company, this technology can trace data across companies and detect falsifications.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuChainedLineageFig2.jpg
Figure 2: Technology linking record information across companies

2. Technology batch collects personal data through condition-specific requests

A consent portal for permission to utilize personal information has been deployed on the data exchange platform of Fujitsu VPX Technology(3) network, using UMA2.0(4), an access management protocol standard. This will grant data access rights after confirming individual consent for companies requesting their data. In addition, by linking a request to obtain data with specific conditions (such as sex or age) at the time of the request, it becomes possible to collect batches of personal data for multiple people who have already given permission for use of their data.

http://www.acnnewswire.com/topimg/Low_FujitsuChainedLineageFig3.jpg
Figure 3: Technology for batch collection of personal data from people who have provided consent through a portal

Effects

With the newly developed technology, companies can now simply and safely check the provenance of information across companies, while improving the reliability of data utilization. The technology also enables companies to obtain data that has already received the individual consent required under GDPR.
Future Plans

Fujitsu Laboratories aims to implement the personal consent control technology supporting the requirements of GDPR as an expanded functionality for Fujitsu Intelligent Data Service Virtuora DX Data Distribution and Utilization Service, a cloud service using blockchain technology for data utilization, within fiscal 2018. The company also plans to conduct field trials of the entire ChainedLineage system, including provenance management across companies, with the goal of commercialization during fiscal 2019.
Related Websites

Fujitsu Puts Blockchain to Use for "Virtuora DX" Data Distribution and Utilization Service (Press Release, May 14, 2018)

(1) GDPR The General Data Protection Regulation, implemented in Europe on May 25, 2018, is a regulation in EU law on personal data protection.
(2) Hash value Specific information obtained by calculating the data. The hash value changes if the data is altered.
(3) Fujitsu VPX Technology Developed by Fujitsu Laboratories, this is a data distribution network technology that applies blockchain.
(4) UMA2.0 User-Managed Access 2.0. A standard for access management protocol.

About Fujitsu Laboratories

Founded in 1968 as a wholly owned subsidiary of Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. is one of the premier research centers in the world. With a global network of laboratories in Japan, China, the United States and Europe, the organization conducts a wide range of basic and applied research in the areas of Next-generation Services, Computer Servers, Networks, Electronic Devices and Advanced Materials. For more information, please see: http://www.fujitsu.com/jp/group/labs/en/.

About Fujitsu Ltd

Fujitsu is the leading Japanese information and communication technology (ICT) company, offering a full range of technology products, solutions, and services. Approximately 140,000 Fujitsu people support customers in more than 100 countries. We use our experience and the power of ICT to shape the future of society with our customers. Fujitsu Limited (TSE: 6702) reported consolidated revenues of 4.1 trillion yen (US $39 billion) for the fiscal year ended March 31, 2018. For more information, please see http://www.fujitsu.com.

* Please see this press release: http://www.fujitsu.com/global/about/resources/news/press-releases/

Contact:
Fujitsu Laboratories Ltd. Software Laboratory E-mail: cl-press2018@ml.labs.fujitsu.com Fujitsu Limited Public and Investor Relations Tel: +81-3-3215-5259 URL: www.fujitsu.com/global/news/contacts/

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

WARC reveals innovation trends for effective marketing

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Lessons from the WARC Awards 2018

LONDON, Sep 20, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - WARC, the global authority on advertising and media effectiveness, has today released the Effective Innovation Report 2018, highlighting key trends of the world's most original marketing thinking.

Drawn from the winners of the Effective Innovation category of this year's international WARC Awards, a global search for next-generation marketing effectiveness, the report showcases innovative thinking that has transformed a business or disrupted category conventions to deliver tangible results.

WARC's Lucy Aitken, Managing Editor, Case Studies, comments: "Following our analysis of the metadata around all the entries, we see that despite the considerable challenges presented by innovation, it is an increasingly popular and effective way for brands to grow."

WARC's Effective Innovation Report highlights four key trends that provide valuable lessons to the advertising industry of marketing innovation that works:

Innovation that appeals to influencers

Many of the top-performing campaigns were designed with sharing among millennial influencers in mind to improve organic reach via their personal networks.

"Persuading these communities to invest their influence on your behalf is an acid test of a marketing team's preparation and ingenuity", comments jury chair Christopher Yu, VP Integrated Marketing Strategy, Innovation, and Technology, U.S. Bank.

Campaigns that disrupted received ideas of how to engage millennials and the value of doing so include: Grand Prix winner '7-Second Resumes' for the Ad Council by 22squared, USA; 'Denmark vs. Trump' for Danish political party Socialistisk Folkeparti by UncleGrey; and BBC Asian Network's campaign '100% Asian. 100% British' by MullenLowe London.

"Each demonstrated a clear grasp of Gen Y's digitally native expectations without indulging in technical showboating", added Yu.

Innovation that builds brand equity

Innovation can be an efficient and effective way to build and strengthen a brand's appeal by problem-solving, bringing the brand closer to its purpose.

"Innovation is not about the wacky or the weird, but instead should come from context and build brand equity," says jury member Kate Smither, Chief Strategy Integration Officer, Publicis Communications Australia.

"Innovation is fast becoming a tool modern marketing can use to build brands from equity out, not from technology in," continued Smither.

Stand out campaigns that used brand-led innovation to build brand equity, demonstrating to consumers how they could fulfil their promise or purpose include: 'Odds' for adidas by Taproot India; Pril's 'One-Drop Bottle' and Nissan's 'Camelpower' both by TBWA\RAAD, UAE.

Product-led innovation that drives growth

Innovating thorough products is a popular way for brands to strengthen their appeal and stand-out to attract new customers.

"This year's winners show how changing your product can drive growth and bring new customers to your brand. Instead of only looking to change other people's behaviour, perhaps we should first change our own," observes jury member Joseph Smeaton, Planning Director, DDB Sydney.

Saregama's 'Carvaan' for older Indian consumers by The Womb, and Royal Caribbean's 'Seek Deeper' by MullenLowe US, that stimulated demand for cruises among a younger crowd by using Snapchat spectacles are good examples.

Utility that helps build connections

Brands benefitted from being 'in service' to their audiences through the creation of useful tools, products and services as opposed to traditional campaigns.

"By starting from a perspective of utility, by being in the service of others, you can reach new audiences, find new relevancy and change perceptions," says juror Howard Pull, Strategic Development Director, MullenLowe Profero.

He cites IDFC's 'Bank in a Box' by McCann Worldgroup as a stellar example of brand utility that helped build connections.

A sample of WARC's Effective Innovation Report 2018 can be downloaded on https://content.warc.com/read-the-2018-effective-innovation-report-lessons-from-the-warc-awards. The report in full is available to WARC subscribers on https://www.warc.com/Welcome and includes chapter analysis with views and opinions from the judges, as well as summaries - objectives, insights, strategies and results - of the winning case studies.

Now in their third year, the WARC Awards 2019 will open in November 2018. Free to enter, there is a $40,000 prize fund for the winning papers. View on https://www.warc.com/warcawards.prize for more information.

About WARC

- Your global authority on advertising and media effectiveness

warc.com is an online service offering advertising best practice, evidence, insights and data from the world's leading brands. WARC helps clients grow their businesses by using proven approaches to maximise advertising effectiveness. WARC's clients include the world's largest advertising and media agencies, research companies, advertisers, market analysts and academics.

WARC runs two global and two regional case study competitions: WARC Awards, WARC Media Awards, WARC Prize for Asian Strategy and WARC Prize for MENA Strategy.

WARC publishes three global rankings of advertising excellence: Gunn 100 (creativity), WARC 100 (effectiveness), Gunn Media 100 (media innovation) and publishes leading journals including Admap, Market Leader, the Journal of Advertising Research and the International Journal of the Market Research Society. In addition to its own content, WARC features advertising case studies and best practices from more than 50 respected industry sources, including ARF, Effies, Cannes Lions, ESOMAR and IPA.

Founded in 1985, WARC has offices in the UK, U.S. and Singapore. In June 2018 WARC was acquired by Ascential plc, the global specialist information company.

Contact:
Amanda Benfell PR Manager +44 20 7467 8125 amanda.benfell@warc.com

Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

Directors worldwide concerned about "poverty or income inequality"

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HONG KONG, Sep 20, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - New global research taking the "pulse" of board directors around the world shows directors are most concerned about the "poverty or income inequality" facing their countries.

The findings from the inaugural Global Director Survey 2018 conducted by the Global Network of Director Institutes ("GNDI") are released by The Hong Kong Institute of Directors ("HKIoD") at its annual Directors' Symposium on Thursday 20 September 2018, with an attendance of over 200 directors and leaders of companies at the HKEX Connect Hall.

On the same date, GNDI releases the survey findings around the world. Established in 2012, GNDI is a worldwide alliance of premier bodies of directors in various jurisdictions working together to promote good corporate governance and director professionalism. Currently, GNDI has 21 member institutes, including HKIoD, representing 130,000 directors globally. These figures are increasing as GNDI continually expands.

"This international survey is significant, and the first time the Global Network of Director Institutes has taken the pulse of directors worldwide," said GNDI Chair Angela Cherrington, who is also chief executive of the Institute of Directors in Southern Africa. "We are pleased to have had a massive response to the survey - 2,159 directors from 17 countries participated. Most of them sit on multiple boards, which means they have wide experience and broad insights."

Chairman of HKIoD Henry Lai, noted, "The 2018 GNDI Global Director Survey provides snapshots on the global landscape of corporate governance and director practices. It is timely for directors' reference, reflection and action, particularly when we are living in a rapidly changing world." HKIoD has adopted the theme of "Leadership in Times of Changes" for its major annual projects this year, including Directors Of The Year Awards, in its 18th annual run, and Directors' Symposium.

In the global findings of the survey, social and economic concerns of "poverty or income inequality" were important for 45% of directors. Within the global picture, regional findings showed "poverty or income inequality" were most concerning for respondents in Africa-Middle East and Asia-Pacific. Taxation was the biggest concern for directors in the Americas. Directors in Europe were most concerned about the cost of healthcare.

CEO of HKIoD Dr Carlye Tsui, who is also a member of the GNDI Executive Committee, revealed that Hong Kong directors also responded to the survey, "From the Hong Kong subset of the survey findings, the concerns of directors ranked housing as the highest social and economic problem, followed by "poverty or income inequality" and cost of healthcare. This is reflecting the realistic picture."

Directors largely confident about business
In spite of the above concerns, the survey found directors in general confident about business prospects, with 45% of directors "mostly" or "very confident" about prospects for growth over the coming year. Another 36% were "moderately confident". Private and listed companies were more confident than non-profit-distributing and government organisations.

Carlye Tsui said, "Within the global picture, subset findings show that Hong Kong directors are more conservative in their business confidence than the global aggregate views, with 33% 'mostly' or 'very confident' and 49% 'moderately confident'."

Big Data as top disruptor
On board focus, this first Global Director Survey found that 63% of directors from around the world regarded Big Data as the top technological disruptor to their companies. The survey found that although Big Data is regarded very important on the governance radar, many boards are not taking advantage of Big Data to improve effectiveness, boost performance, mitigate risks and improve data privacy.

Henry Lai noted, "There is large amount of data with potentials to be mined for information and analysed to aid decision making, thus yielding immense benefit. Companies should make good use of BIG DATA. At the same time, they should manage data properly, eg building cyber security and respecting data privacy. Boards of directors have a leadership and oversight role in data governance."

According to the survey, 61% of directors had good or excellent understanding of their organisation's data privacy practices, 37% felt they had limited or no understanding. Just over half (53%) of directors surveyed believed their boards understood cybersecurity and cyber-risks to their companies.

Carlye Tsui sees the need to enhance directors' knowledge, skills and commitment in data governance: "A crucial factor in director competence is the pursuit of continuing professional development. At HKIoD, we continually update our education and training programmes to help directors keep up with the pace of the business world, particularly in this age of digital disruption."

On disruption, Carlye Tsui has some positive views and said, "Disruption is sometimes looked upon negatively. In reflection, the new digital order calls for timely re-evaluation of business models and transformation. Today, we see many disruptions and hence different big challenges, such as a trade war, nature's climate warning, upsurge of innovation and technology. Directors' leadership in enterprise and governance is the key driver for companies to face challenges and take advantage of opportunities."

The Global Director Survey ran over six weeks from mid-May to end of June 2018. It provides wide-ranging insights and perceptions by directors on the topics of social and economic issues, business confidence, areas of focus by boards, environmental, social and governance issues and technology and information governance. It was carried out by the Institute of Directors in New Zealand on behalf of GNDI.

A full version of the report is available here:
GNDI Global Director Survey 2018 (http://www.hkiod.com/GNDI_Survey_2018.pdf)

Released by The Hong Kong Institute of Directors

About The Hong Kong Institute of Directors
The Hong Kong Institute of Directors is Hong Kong's premier body representing directors to foster the long-term success of companies through advocacy and standards-setting in corporate governance and professional development for directors. A non-profit-distributing organisation with membership consisting of directors from listed and non-listed companies, HKIoD is committed to providing directors with educational programmes and information service and establishing an influential voice in representing directors. With international perspectives and a multi-cultural environment, HKIoD conducts business in biliteracy and trilingualism. Website: http://www.hkiod.com.

About the Global Network of Directors Institutes ("GNDI")
Established in 2012, the Global Network of Director Institutes is an international network of director institutes to foster closer cooperation between its members, who are each recognised as the primary institute for directors and governance in their respective country or jurisdiction. Currently, GNDI has 21 member institutes, including HKIoD, representing 130,000 directors globally. These figures are increasing as GNDI continually expands. Website: http://www.gndi.org

Media Enquiries:
Strategic Public Relations Group Limited
Eveline Wan +852 2864 4822 eveline.wan@sprg.com.hk
Brenda Chan +852 2114 4396 brenda.chan@sprg.com.hk
Chak Yau +852 2114 4395 chak.yau@sprg.com.hk


 
Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

HKTDC "In Style, Hong Kong" Opens in Ho Chi Minh City

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The "In Style‧Hong Kong Symposium" opens at GEM Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, attracting officials and business leaders to explore business opportunities Hong Kong presents.
A Business Support Zone features 11 Hong Kong services providers from various fields - including design and branding, accounting, logistics, information technology, architecture and management consultancy - offering free on-site business consultation services to participants from Vietnam and other ASEAN countries.
The two-day "In Style, Hong Kong Expo" (20-21 Sept) opens alongside the symposium, showcasing Hong Kong's leading brands and designer-led lifestyle products.
Forging Closer Ties between Hong Kong and Vietnam

HONG KONG, Sep 20, 2018 - (ACN Newswire) - The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) launched its international mega-promotions "In Style, Hong Kong Symposium" and "In Style, Hong Kong Expo" at GEM Center in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam today. Senior officials from Vietnam, as well as Paul Chan, Financial Secretary of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR), and Vincent HS Lo, Chairman of the HKTDC, officiated at the symposium opening.

"For decades Hong Kong has been a partner to Vietnam in many ways," Mr Lo said. "As the world's focus falls on Asia, now is the time to deepen our partnership and expand our collaboration." He added that there will be more opportunities to expand not only the flows in trade and investment, but also in talent, expertise and social and cultural aspects.

"Over the past five years, merchandise trade between Hong Kong and Vietnam has grown, on average, almost 10% a year. There's also a strong Hong Kong business community in Vietnam, ranging from garment manufacturing to property development and investment banking," said Mr Chan. He also underlined Hong Kong's strengths as the world's leading financial centre in Asia, and highlighted that the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Bay Area Development creates additional opportunities for Hong Kong as well as the countries and companies that work with the city.

Le Hoai Trung, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam, and Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City, were guests of honour at the event." 'In Style, Hong Kong' 2018 attracts Hong Kong and Vietnam businesses participants in. This is the vivid evidence that we both attach great focus on economic cooperation between Hong Kong and Vietnam," said the Deputy Minister.

Mr Le Thanh Liem, Vice Chairman of the People's Committee of Ho Chi Minh City remarked: "I believe that with the 'In Style, Hong Kong' event, we will not only know more about Hong Kong's prestigious, quality products and brands, but we will also have opportunities to enhance trade connectivity and promote and create a platform for collaborative development, not only on the economic side but also in other aspects such as culture and society."

Hong Kong-Vietnam: Partnering for Prosperity

The symposium promoted Hong Kong's multi-faceted advantages as a regional hub in Asia and spotlighted the city's strength in professional services. Moderated by HKTDC Director of Research Nicholas Kwan, the main symposium featured Hong Kong business leaders including Jonathan Choi, Chairman of Sunwah Group, John Cheh, Vice-Chairman and CEO of Esquel Group, and Wallace Lam, Managing Director, Co-head of Global Banking, HSBC Hong Kong, who shared practical insights on the opportunities presented by the Hong Kong-ASEAN Free Trade Agreement and discussed how both regions could collaborate to stay competitive and expand their global businesses together.

The thematic sessions highlighted opportunities in cross-border e-commerce and discussed how Hong Kong's strengths in logistics services, as well as creative design, branding strategy and licensing solutions, can help Vietnamese enterprises upgrade their business in Asia.

To meet growing demand from Vietnamese companies, a Business Support Zone was set up where 11 Hong Kong services providers from various fields - including design and branding, accounting, logistics, information technology, architecture and management consultancy - delivered free on-site business consultation services to participants from Vietnam and other ASEAN countries.

The two-day "In Style, Hong Kong Expo" (20-21 Sept) connects importers, distributors, retailers, e-tailers, mail-order houses, department stores and specialised shops in Vietnam and neighbouring ASEAN countries with Hong Kong companies. Product zones include Activewear and Fashion, Gourmet and Delicacies, Fashion Accessories, Premium Houseware, Gifts and Toys, Fine Jewellery, Electronics, and Watches and Clocks.

Close Ties between Hong Kong and Vietnam

Vietnam is Hong Kong's largest export market among ASEAN members and sixth-largest export market globally, taking in US$10.2 billion worth of exports from the city in 2017. Vietnam was also Hong Kong's 10th-largest trading partner in 2017 and the first seven months of 2018. Last year, trade volume between Vietnam and Hong Kong amounted to US$18.11 billion, an 11.7% increase year-on-year. Key areas of Hong Kong and Vietnam cooperation include manufacturing, logistics, food and seafood processing, hotels and hospitality.

Event websites:
In Style, Hong Kong Website: http://www.instyle-hk.com
In Style, Hong Kong Symposium and Speakers' List: http://symposium.instyle-hk.com
In Style, Hong Kong Expo and Exhibitors List: http://expo.instyle-hk.com
In Style, Hong Kong Citywide Promotion: http://citywide.instyle-hk.com
Photo Download: https://bit.ly/2O32xe4

About HKTDC

The Hong Kong Trade Development Council (HKTDC) is the dedicated to creating opportunities for Hong Kong's businesses. With more than 40 offices globally, including 13 on the Chinese mainland, HKTDC promotes Hong Kong as a platform for doing business with China, Asia and the world. HKTDC organises international exhibitions, conferences and business missions to provide companies, particularly SMEs, with business opportunities on the mainland and in international markets, while providing business insights and information via trade publications, research reports and digital channels including the media room. Please visit www.hktdc.com/aboutus or follow us on Google+, Twitter@hktdc, LinkedIn.

Contact:
Nguyen Thieu (Vietnam), Tel: +84-28-38235883, Email: nguyen.thieu@hktdc.org Banbi Chen (Hong Kong), Tel: +852 2584 4525, Email: banbi.yc.chen@hktdc.org

Copyright 2018 ACN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.acnnewswire.com

NEC Biometrics Contribute to Security at the 18th Asian Games

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- Reinforced safety with facial recognition and behavior detection systems -

TOKYO, Sep 21, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation today announced that it provided information and communications technology (ICT) systems for the 18th Asian Games, including a facial recognition system and a behavior detection system, as a supporting sponsor in the category of ICT security.

The Asian Games are an international multi-sport event for athletes from across Asia that are held once every four years. This year's event was held in Jakarta and Palembang in the Republic of Indonesia from August 18 to September 2.

NEC offered a facial recognition system utilizing "NeoFace," NEC's flagship facial recognition artificial intelligence (AI) engine, featuring the world's highest recognition precision(1), and a behavior detection system to the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, the main stadium of this event. These systems identify suspicious persons, who have been registered in advance, from surveillance camera video as well as detect intrusions to restricted areas and suspicious objects.

Systems were provided as part of the Official Development Assistance (ODA) from the Japanese Government to the Indonesian Government.

This project was implemented with support from the Ministry of Public Works and Housing of the Republic of Indonesia, which was in charge of infrastructure development projects for the 18th Asian Games, making the Gelora Bung Karno Stadium ideal for hosting international mega events which require enhanced safety and security.

In addition, NEC provided a network system that was fundamental to successfully managing the event. This system connected a total of 130 locations, including associated offices of the Indonesia Asian Games 2018 Organizing Committee (INASGOC) and all competition venues. NEC also supported system operations during the event.

Moreover, NEC provided surveillance cameras, network systems, and telephone exchanges for competition venues, including the athletics stadium, basketball gymnasium, baseball stadium, softball stadium and tennis courts in Jakarta.

"NEC is proud to have contributed to the safe, secure and efficient management of the Asian Games," said Ichiro Kurihara, President Director, PT. NEC Indonesia. "Going forward, NEC will continue to globally provide sophisticated solutions in support of the 'NEC Safer Cites' program, including facial recognition systems and behavior detection systems. We aim to take advantage of these experiences with the Asian Games 2018 in order to promote smart city initiatives centered on essential infrastructure that contributes to safe and secure community development through digital transformation."

Following the successful Asian Games project, NEC highlighted and demonstrated its biometric solutions, including face recognition, at the ASEAN-Japan workshop hosted by Badan Nasional Penanggulangan Terorisme (BNPT) on 19 and 20 September 2018 in Jakarta. The workshop was designed to promote the use of biometric technologies for enhancing security in South East Asia and attended by experts from counter terrorism organizations in ASEAN member states.

(1) NEC's Video Face Recognition Technology Ranks First in NIST Testing

About Gelora Bung Karno Stadium

Currently, Gelora Bung Karno (GBK) Stadium is a strategic place as an international venue with a multifunctional concept, not only as a stadium but also fulfilling the SACT concept (Sport, Art, Culture, and Technology). Several modern technologies from GBK include CCTV cameras with 7k quality, and technology for detecting faces, which increases security and comfort. Moreover, lighting aspects have transformed GBK Stadium into one of the most beautiful stadiums in the world. The lighting technology shows colors that can be seen from every angle to enjoy its beauty. With the power of 3500 LUX on the Field of Play (FOP), the arena becomes brighter, which makes GBK Stadium one of brightest stadiums in the world.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security efficiency and fairness of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

Contact:
NEC Seiichiro Toda s-toda@cj.jp.nec.com +81-3-3798-6511

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

NEC Joins the ITxPT for Promoting Public Transport Technology Standards

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Anders Selling, Secretary General, ITxPT (left), Brian Foo, General Manager, HK Public Sector Division, NEC Hong Kong
TOKYO, Sep 21, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - NEC Corporation (TSE: 6701) today announced that it has joined Information Technology for Public Transport (ITxPT), a Belgium-based association that supports the deployment of standards for onboard plug-and-play IT-systems applied to public transport. NEC is the first Japan-based company to join the ITxPT, a non-profit association which consists of 90 members from 17 countries.

The ITxPT was established in 2013 under the guidance of the Union Internationale des Transports Publics (UITP), an international association of public transport. ITxPT members have access to the ITxPT platform for testing their devices and applications in real operational conditions. This supports the adoption of plug-and-play systems by limiting the risks associated with the integration stage.

Additional benefits of membership to the ITxPT include the sharing of best practices in the implementation of solutions, support for the evolution of international standards and cooperation in working groups that contribute to the ITxPT's knowledge.

NEC is a leader in the support of open data standards in public transport and its membership to the ITxPT will foster the development and production of products for customers throughout the world.

"This move to standardized architectures not only increases the options for customers when selecting systems, it helps drive down the costs of delivering these valuable data systems. This is good for our industry, our customers and ultimately our cities because it will promote greater efficiency and cost savings," said Elsa Wong, head of NEC's Transport Center of Excellence.

"Today ITxPT is being implemented by several cities and operators and the association grows very quickly. Public transport clearly demands a shift to interoperability between systems, not only for cost reasons but to manage the next steps of digitalization. ITxPT will increasingly become an enabler for future mobility services through making the access to data possible," said Anders Selling, Secretary General of ITxPT.

About ITxPT

ITxPT develops and delivers specifications of a standardized IT architecture with open interfaces enabling interoperability for on-board, over-the-air and back-office IT-systems in public transport. The non-profit association federates public transport authorities, public transport operators as well as IT suppliers and vehicle manufacturers. The association is growing quickly and today has 90 Members in 18 countries.

The mission of the ITxPT Association is to enable interoperability between IT systems in Public Transport by offering a public specification of an IT architecture based on standards with open interfaces for on-board, over-the-air and back-office IT-systems.

About NEC Corporation

NEC Corporation is a leader in the integration of IT and network technologies that benefit businesses and people around the world. The NEC Group globally provides "Solutions for Society" that promote the safety, security efficiency and fairness of society. Under the company's corporate message of "Orchestrating a brighter world," NEC aims to help solve a wide range of challenging issues and to create new social value for the changing world of tomorrow. For more information, visit NEC at https://www.nec.com.

Contact:
NEC Seiichiro Toda s-toda@cj.jp.nec.com +81-3-3798-6511

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com

Sharp Receives Order to Construct Mega Solar Power Plants in Binh Thuan and Long An Provinces in Vietnam

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Groundbreaking at the construction site in Long An Province held on August 31, 2018
Two large-scale solar power facilities, each with an output of 49 MW-dc for a total of 98 MW-dc

TOKYO, Sep 21, 2018 - (JCN Newswire) - Sharp Energy Solutions Corporation (SESJ)(1) will construct mega solar power plants at locations in Binh Thuan Province and Long An Province in Vietnam, each with a capacity of approximately 49 MW-dc for a combined capacity of approximately 98 MW-dc. SESJ received the order from Gia Lai Hydropower Joint Stock Company(2) and TTC-Duc Hue Long An Power Joint Stock Company(3) operating under the umbrella of the Thanh Thanh Cong Group (TTC Group)(4).

The amount of electricity generated annually is forecast to be approximately 149,740 MWh/year for both power plants combined. This is equivalent to the amount consumed in a year by 79,353 average Vietnamese households(5). The output from these facilities is expected to allow avoided greenhouse gas emissions of 49,863 t-CO2 per year.

The government of Vietnam plans(6) to raise the generating capacity of solar power facilities to 850 MW by the year 2020 and to 12,000 MW by 2030. In June 2017, the government introduced a feed-in tariff (FIT)(7) system to further encourage the wider use of renewable energy. Electricity generated at both of these power plants will qualify under this system.

About Sharp Corporation

Sharp Corporation (TSE: 6753) is a worldwide developer of innovative products and core technologies that play a key role in shaping the future of electronics. As a leader in liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and digital technologies, Sharp offers one of the broadest and most advanced lines of consumer electronics, information products and electronic components, while also creating new network businesses. For more information, please visit www.sharp.co.jp

Contact:
Miyuki Nakayama Tokyo Public Relations and Media Liaison Office Sharp Corporation Tel: +81-3-5446-8205 Fax: +81-3-5446-8206

Copyright 2018 JCN Newswire. All rights reserved. www.jcnnewswire.com
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