Under the auspices of its Asia’s Innovation Resource Platform (AIRP), 36Kr Global aims to accelerate the development of cross-border economic flows and help industry stakeholders explore business opportunities with each other.
To this end, AIRP, together with Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) and ST Engineering, an integrated engineering group with global operations, organized the Bespoke Innovation Webinar 2020 to share experiences in developing industrial products through big data and artificial intelligence. Speakers included leaders from the Shanghai Data Exchange, Nebula Link, QCraft, and JUSDA. A short summary of the insights shared during the event can be found below.
Discussions have been adapted and translated for public release.
Smart City Construction
China’s smart cities have progressed through three stages of development. At its current “Smart City 3.0” stage, more external participants such as private enterprises, universities, and property developers can now be integrated into city planning.
According to Lu Yong, General Manager at Shanghai Data Exchange, Shanghai has built up its smart city architecture by shoring up its urban transportation system. The aim is to create human-oriented applications through a convergence of political, industry, and academic thought, and cooperate with companies such as SenseTime and Lianshu Network to create an end-to-end ecosystem. The Shanghai Data Exchange serves as a middleman between government bodies and service providers. It consolidates the needs of various departments to ensure consistency in data processing and application across complex urban operations.
Transport Applications
Nebula Link is primarily composed of members of the Tsinghua University community and utilizes V2X (Vehicle-to-everything) technology to ensure connectivity and communication between members of traffic. In particular, V2X technology can enhance the perception of autonomous driving vehicles, which improving safety and allowing for collaboration between vehicles.
Aside from being a market leader in V2X equipment within China, Nebula Link has also developed a number of end-to-end solutions, such as a standardized V2X cloud platform, self-developed vehicle terminal hardware components, and collaborative driver assistance systems. It has expanded to over 20 cities in China and has partnerships with over a dozen automakers and Tier-1 suppliers (suppliers that serve original equipment manufacturers directly).
On the commercialization of V2X technology in urban areas, ST Engineering and Nebula Link discussed issues such as the ownership infrastructure, scope of use rights, and cost commitments. Nebula Link also explained how V2X technology has been utilized to relieve traffic, assist in toll collection, and collect data for further development needs.
Developments in Level 4 Autonomous Driving
QCraft’s four co-founders hail from Alphabet-backed Waymo and have strong technical backgrounds. The company has achieved full-stack coverage of key solutions in autonomous driving. Some of its technological breakthroughs include the launch of the Suzhou High-speed Rail New Town (HSRNT) on public roads in January 2020, which, at 4km long, is the longest autonomous-driving bus route in China.
According to QCraft’s CEO and co-founder, Yu Qian, the HSRNT leverages the advantages offered by 5G-enabled V2X technology, multi-passenger travel, and low-to-mid speed transport, and is a harbinger of future breakthroughs that QCraft is working on.
One of QCraft’s core products is its intelligent simulation test system, which allows it to adjust its product parameters using data-driven insights at scale.
Global supply chain management
JUSDA is the only authorized supply chain technology management platform service provider for Foxconn Technology and has extensive experience in lean supply chain management globally. It employs big data, artificial intelligence, and platform integration technologies to connect upstream and downstream players with the goal of offering vertically integrated C2M2C (Component to Manufacturer to Customer) solutions in global manufacturing.
Kong Xianghua, Head of Global Solutions at JUSDA, shared some of its successful partnerships with larger companies and discussed common points of interest with ST Engineering. For instance, it previously established joint ventures with core partners in order to participate more deeply in its supply chain optimization efforts.
Additionally, JUSDA’s intelligent control tower, JUSLINK, aims to integrate information from across different providers to enable real-time visibility of the entire supply chain process. Solutions like JUSLINK serve JUSDA’s overall goal of facilitating greater collaboration and promoting digital transformation for its partners.
36Kr Global’s cross-border innovation team, AIRP, will be organizing further sharing sessions with Singapore’s Economic Development Board (EDB) and other large Singaporean companies. Stay tuned for more updates!
About 36Kr Global AIRP
Asia has surpassed other regions to become the largest economy in the world. As mentioned, each region has its advantages and characteristics. We have observed an increasing number of big corporates deploying their innovation strategies without geographic limitation and trying to find best-fit solutions across regional markets like China, SEA, India and Japan. However, it is challenging for corporates to reach outside of the organisation to scout for technology and collaboration partners.
AIRP (Asia’s Innovation Resource Platform), a cross-border consulting team under 36Kr Global, has been committed to connecting large enterprises and start-ups in various regions, helping them realize innovation transformation and finding potential partners. Whether you are a large enterprise or a start-up, if you are interested in being part of our network or have any enquiries about AIRP, reach us at [email protected]!