Avnet vice president Arthur Chung outlines the mighty power of the company’s electronic components that were even used in a spacecraft that went to the moon
Arthur Chung first worked with semiconductors almost three decades ago in Tai Po Industrial Estate, and he has not slowed down since. After sourcing and introducing new technology across Hong Kong, Singapore, South Korea and Taiwan, he is now a leader at Avnet, one of the world’s largest electronic component suppliers. “Whether you are a client who wants to create products related to automobiles, phones, computers, televisions, announcement systems, 5G, healthcare or AI, we can provide different solutions for the design and manufacturing of these products,” he says.
Moving with the times
Avnet harnesses the power of technology to help innovators turn great ideas into even greater products. “Some clients’ design abilities are less strong, and we can help strengthen them to accelerate time to market,” says Chung.
However, the key to Avnet’s success lies in its ability to keep abreast of the times—which these days means a particular emphasis on tackling technology’s environmental impact with sustainable solutions. “If our designs can save electricity and increase efficiency, the product itself can consume less of the Earth’s resources. We also value the reusability of the product. If the product can be effectively upgraded, we don’t need to throw away the hardware; we only need to upgrade the software or the algorithm to improve and vary its features and functions in a sustainable manner.”
Technology for the future
Saying that Avnet gives back to society would be an understatement. Recently, the tech giant’s products have made history—they were used to build the spacecraft India landed near the south pole of the moon, the first time that feat had been achieved.
To promote its technology, Avnet has joined hands with Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks in microprocessor training. “However, we realised that training is only one way to expose people to this technology,” says Chung. “To really escalate the development of microelectronics, we had to become a part of HKSTP. Thus, we rented a space in the Data Technology Hub (DT Hub) and created an innovation centre there to contribute to the development of microelectronics in Hong Kong. We chose the DT Hub because it plays an important role in the development of innofacturing and is located beside the Advanced Manufacturing Centre (AMC).”
Avnet’s value creation at DT Hub goes beyond turning local research into economic output. The company’s strategic location also allows it to attract budding local young talent. “Our thoughts were we could line up students from Hong Kong’s higher diploma institutions to work together in R&D,” he says. “With access to AMC, Avnet can innofacture its clients’ ideas into the technology of tomorrow. When our clients hear that we have an R&D centre at DT Hub and learn about the funding provided by HKSTP and the government, they express a lot of interest in developing products aimed at the Greater Bay Area or the APAC market. After we do R&D at DT Hub, we manufacture directly next door at the AMC, turning reference designs into physical products, which is very convenient.”
The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence also enhances human capacities. At DT Hub, Avnet is playing its part in empowering humanity by exploring AI’s transformative potential using high-performance computing technology and cutting-edge AI. “AI is the talk of the town these days, and we hope to develop more in that area,” says Chung. “There are a lot of electronic cars around now, and many of those designs utilise Avnet’s components as well. Our hope is to make our lives more convenient, smart and safe.