Reaching Towards 2D Memory: Is Magnetic Graphene and Spintronics the Key?

Recent research spurs the prospect of 2D layered materials having the potential to play a significant role in memory and data processing applications. Recently, more research has been working towards different dimensions for memory––specifically 2.5D high-bandwidth memory and 3D NAND. Aside from those two dimensions, 2D is also making waves with the concept of spintronics and graphene.

Date: 
Monday, May 17, 2021
Media: 
All About Circuits
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/fC1fYy

CUHK Professor Raymond Yeung Earns the IEEE 2021 Richard W. Hamming Medal

Date: 
2021-05-12
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Professor YEUNG Wai-ho Raymond, Choh-Ming Li Professor of Information Engineering, and Co-Director of the Institute of Network Coding, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK), recently attended the virtual 2021 IEEE Vision, Innovation, and Challenges Summit (IEEE VIC Summit) and Honors Ceremony. Witnessed by top international engineers, entrepreneurs and innovators in the global technology industry, Professor Yeung received the “IEEE 2021 Richard W. Hamming Medal” for his exceptional contribution to network communication and pioneering development of the BATS code. He is the first Asian researcher to receive this award since its establishment in 1988.
 
The IEEE Awards Board citation says that his contributions “forever changed our understanding of network communication, impacting error-correction coding, information security, wireless communication, and data storage”.
 
“It is an incredible honour to receive this award. Network communication has become an integral part of our daily life and I am grateful to be part of the advancement and evolution of our global network. My team and I will continue to explore new wireless network protocols as well as to maximise the applications of BATS code in various aspects including the Internet of Things (IoT), space and satellite communications, and many others, for the benefit of society,” said Professor Yeung.
 
Professor Yeung is a world-renowned expert in information theory and co-founder of the field of network coding. His work on network coding provides the foundations of the field, which brings information theory, coding techniques, and networking systems together in an unprecedented way and influences generations of researchers.
 
Fundamental contributions to information theory and pioneering network coding and its applications
 
At the award ceremony, Professor Yeung conveyed his gratitude to his team, close collaborators, and students for their support, inspiration and being an integral part of his research life. “As a researcher, this journey is really an adventure, and I am very happy to be able to play a role in this exciting era of the Internet of Things.”
 
In the late 1990s, Professor Yeung proposed the concept of network coding that revolutionised network communication. By applying coding to data packets inside the network, more information can be transmitted at a higher rate. In practice, this means people can download data faster, watch video streaming with less delay, and communicate more securely on the Internet. Professor Yeung and his team have further developed and spearheaded the use of the BATS, a network coding technology that solves the longstanding problem of packet loss in wireless multi-hop communication. Currently, his team is working with the Sustainable Lantau Office of the Civil Engineering and Development Department to apply the technology in a pilot trial to provide Wi-Fi service for hikers at a section of hiking trail in Lantau which is not well covered by the cellular network.
 
Professor Yeung has also made foundational contributions to information theory. He introduced a geometrical framework for the entropy function in which he contemplated the existence of non-Shannon-type inequalities and discovered with his collaborator the first such inequality which is now known as the Zhang-Yeung inequality. This groundbreaking work proved the incompleteness of Shannon-type inequalities and opened a new frontier in information theory.
 
Professor Yeung has received numerous awards for his research contributions, including the 2018 ACM SIGMOBILE Test-of-Time Paper Award and the 2016 IEEE Eric E. Sumner Award. He is a Fellow of the Hong Kong Institution of Engineers, the Hong Kong Academy of Engineering Sciences, and IEEE. He holds 10 patents on BATS codes.
 
About IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal
 
IEEE Medals are the highest awards presented by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), the world’s largest technical professional organisation. The IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal, established in 1986, is named in honour of Dr. Richard W. Hamming, who had a central role in the development of computer and computing science, and whose many significant contributions in the area of information science include his error-correcting codes. It is awarded to an individual or team for exceptional contributions to information sciences, systems, and technology.
 
This article was orginally  published on CUHK Communications and Public Office website.

IEEE praises Professor Yeung for his remarkable contributions to wireless communication, information security, and many other areas of information technology.

Professor Yeung proposed the concept of network coding in 1990s. This concept has forever changed our understanding of network communication. By applying coding to data packets inside the network, information can be transmitted at a significantly higher rate.

Professor Raymond Yeung has been awarded the IEEE Richard W. Hamming Medal.

 

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中大夥環電 促進港發展智慧城市 推兩專利技術 提升企業數據防護

中大工程學院領導的科研團隊與中大編碼有限公司（中大編碼）合作，昨共同宣布將其專利技術nEdge和nCloud解決方案推出市場，並由環球全域電訊（HGC環電）為中大編碼提供一站式電訊及信息和通訊技術（Information and Communication Technologies，簡稱ICT）管理服務。

Date: 
Tuesday, May 11, 2021
Media: 
HKET Daily
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/XkrbbE

大學基礎研究雄厚 發展香港成創科中心 河套可發揮大灣區科技轉移功能

香港大學科研基礎好，中大工程學院副院長黃錦輝教授認為，香港可發展成創科中心，因為香港科研底氣足實力雄厚人才濟濟，大灣區應建立大灣區研究基金推動研究 。一起聽聽黃教授的分析。

Date: 
Monday, May 10, 2021
mc_group: 
Commentary
Media: 
Master Insight
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/SVHDym

CUHK Engineering Research Launched in the Market in Partnership with HGC for Advanced Data Security and Smart City Development in Hong Kong

Date: 
2021-05-10
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A research team from the Faculty of Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) and CU Coding Ltd. (CUC) announced the launch in the market of its patented technology nEdge and nCloud solutions with the provision of one-stop managed telecom and ICT services by HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC). The partnership helps CUC to advance its platform, uplift the data security across multi-cloud for enterprises, and boost the Smart City Development in Hong Kong.
 
The nCloud and nEdge solutions are based on network coding technology, and were founded by Professor Patrick Pak Ching Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, CUHK in 2018, and operated by CUC, an Independent Software Vendor (ISV) for network coding technology applications. nCloud is a network coding-based multi-cloud storage system which can significantly enhance data storage security by distributing data among cloud storage providers, thereby lowering operating costs and streamlining access. By connecting Internet of Things (IoT) end-points, nEdge becomes a key technology to boost 5G communications and Smart City development in Hong Kong.
 
nCloud and nEdge offer enterprises and organisations in the local ISV ecosystem network a full range of intelligent services, innovative and practical applications, and large-capacity information channels. To launch the technologies in the market, CUC has received an integrated solution from HGC to advance its platform, including multi-layer security, Smart IoT service, network connectivity and infrastructure hosting.
 
With the support of HGC’s smart server rack and Smart AI Portal (SAIP), CUC can also effectively monitor its facilities with the AI alert to enhance overall security, which has become the first advance towards a “Zero Trust” framework. To further advance the facility management policy, an innovative record-and-alert approach is adopted to record and monitor the actual operation temperature, and authorised persons will be arranged to conduct an inspection at CUC’s infrastructure when an alarm is received. The partnership has tightened the cooperation of both companies and will help CUC to expand its market presence.
 
Professor Patrick Lee said, “nEdge and nCloud are deep technology (deeptech) in nature. Deeptech is defined as a scientific breakthrough or significant advancement which has far-reaching implications across sectors and can potentially change human life for the better. We have conducted applied research on large-scale storage and networked systems, including distributed systems across edge and cloud computing. Our effort ensures that nEdge and nCloud can achieve their guarantees of performance, scalability, dependability, and generality. We are very excited at this successful commercialisation of new technologies, leveraging the capabilities of HGC and CUC.”
 
Mr. Aldous Ng, Co-founder and CEO of CUC, said, “The successful landing of nEdge and nCloud in the market is from the teamwork of CUC and HGC. nEdge and nCloud are the best examples of deeptech commercialisation by collaboration between industry and universities in Hong Kong. The process of commercialisation entails understanding of the markets in general, identifying potential users and targeting as many people as possible who will benefit from these breakthrough technologies.”
 
Ms. Cecilia Wong, Executive Vice President, Product & Innovation of HGC, said, “HGC has extensive experience in serving businesses of different scales and being an enabler of other service providers. Apart from HGC’s top-notch network infrastructure, a variety of other core services such as cloud, unified communications and A2P-SMS API gateway enables customers to address their primary and on-going business needs. HGC is delighted to support start-up companies such as CUC and provide a cutting-edge service platform that enables them to focus on core business and business development in local and overseas market with the support of our regional professional team.”
 
Mr. Chris Chow, Head of Product and Project Solution of HGC, said, “Start-up companies usually struggle to select the right service and best practice to maintain their operation. HGC’s Smart+ portfolio facilitates system monitoring with IoT. Our self-developed SAIP is a consolidated platform to link across HGC services with AI and IA (Intelligent Automation) capability. We aim at transforming IoT from the traditional Internet of Things for monitoring into Intelligence of Things, emphasising operational efficiency. The unique AI Alert function enables different user groups to communicate based on the severity level to drastically reduce users’ decision cycle.”
 
Mr. Alex Chan, General Manager of Enterprise Market, HGC, said, “HGC always supports SMEs and we are energizing different business partners, in particular start-up partners to capture growth opportunities in a dynamic business environment and maximize business efficiency and ROI by fully utilizing their product’s competitive edges, so that they are able to get to market in a faster and smarter way.”
 
About the Faculty of Engineering, CUHK
 
Founded in 1963, CUHK is a forward-looking comprehensive research university. The Faculty of Engineering was founded in 1991, offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes through its six departments: Biomedical Engineering, Computer Science and Engineering, Electronic Engineering, Information Engineering, Mechanical and Automation Engineering, and Systems Engineering and Engineering Management. The Faculty has world-class teaching staff coming from prestigious universities possessing extensive teaching experience and is equipped with state-of-the-art facilities to support teaching and research activities. The Faculty launches a wide range of innovative projects that make use of AI to improve the quality of human life, and explores the application of AI and deep learning in various areas, such as smart living, smart mobility and smart environment, in order to build Hong Kong into a world-class smart city.
 
The Faculty’s mission is to train future leaders in engineering, to pursue knowledge at the frontier of modern technology, and to apply advanced technology to meet societal and human needs.
 
For more information about CUHK Faculty of Engineering, please visit www.erg.cuhk.edu.hk.
 
About CU Coding Ltd.
 
CU Coding Limited is a DaaS (Data-as-a-Service) solution provider for enterprises to enhance security and network reliability through multi-cloud service providers. The Company was founded in 2018 by a team of distinguished scholars and serial entrepreneurs, and was named by the world’s top information technology research and consulting company Gartner as “the notable player in the emerging Intelligent Infrastructure market”.
 
CUC is an active member of the Incu-Tech and Leading Enterprises Acceleration Programme (LEAP) of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation. Its flagship products, nCloud and nEdge, enables interoperability of all public cloud vendors with the highest-grade security and geo-distribution. The Company has secured more than 300 institutional clients to-date with enriched experience in DaaS solution, and is currently expanding its business to the Greater Bay Area with a grant of RMB 20 million funded by the Chinese Academy of Sciences in 2020.
 
About HGC Global Communications Limited
 
HGC Global Communications Limited (HGC) is a leading Hong Kong and international telecom operator and ICT solution provider. The company owns an extensive network and infrastructure in Hong Kong and overseas and provides a broad range of advanced telecommunications and ICT services. Headquartered in Hong Kong and operating 23 overseas offices on five continents, it provides telecom infrastructure service to other operators and serves as a service provider to corporates and households. The company provides full-fledged telecom, data centre services, ICT solutions and broadband services for local, overseas, corporate and mass markets. HGC owns and operates an extensive fibre-optic network, five cross-border telecom routes integrated into tier-one telecom operators in mainland China and connects with hundreds of world-class international telecom operators. HGC is one of Hong Kong’s largest Wi-Fi service providers, running over 29,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in Hong Kong. The company is committed to further investing in and enriching its current infrastructure and adding the latest technologies and solutions. HGC is a portfolio company of I Squared Capital, an independent global infrastructure investment manager focusing on energy, utilities and transport in North America, Europe and selected fast-growing economies.
 
To learn more, please visit HGC’s website at: www.hgc.com.hk

(From Left) Mr. Alex Chan, General Manager of Enterprise Market of HGC; Professor Patrick Lee, Associate Professor, Department of Computer Science and Engineering, CUHK; Mr. Aldous Ng, Co-founder and CEO of CUC; Mr Chris Chow, Head of Product and Project Solution of HGC, and Ms. Cecilia Wong, Executive Vice President, Product & Innovation of HGC.

 

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中大新技術 液流電池壽命增

中大成功研發一款新技術，可大幅提高液流電池壽命，普及大型電網儲能，令液流電池的商業化邁進一大步。
相比傳統鋰離子電池，液流電池的優勢在於安全、電量輸出功率大、設計靈活，適合用於風能、太陽能的電網儲能裝置，以及可快速換電的電動交通工具等。然而，液流電池的能量密度低，成本高，較難應用於大型電網儲能技術。
充電後可用15小時 助商業化
 
Date: 
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Media: 
Hong Kong Economic Times
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/KCwQ3I

中大工程學院新技術提高液流電池使用壽命

香港中文大學指機械與自動化工程學系副教授盧怡君領導研究團隊成功研發可用於硫基液流電池之新型「電荷增強型離子選擇性膜」；電池在利用新技術和沒有明顯容量衰減下，運作時間提高至逾2千小時、每次充滿電後可持續使用達15小時；而研究結果已刊登於國際期刊《自然‧能源》。

Date: 
Wednesday, May 5, 2021
Media: 
香港商報
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/HHSY1v

CUHK Engineering Develops New Technology Extending the Lifetime of Redox Flow Batteries and the Development of Grid-scale Energy Storage

Date: 
2021-05-04
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A research team led by Professor Yi-Chun Lu, Associate Professor, Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, Faculty of Engineering has successfully developed a novel charge-reinforced ion-selective (CRIS) membrane for sulphur-based redox flow batteries, with 15 consecutive hours of runtime and over 2,000 hours cycling without obvious capacity decay. The new battery has taken a significant step forward in the practical application of redox flow batteries in grid-scale storage for renewable energy, and in its commercialisation, by resolving the problems posed by its poor lifetime and low cost-effectiveness. The breakthrough has been recently published in the world-leading scientific journal Nature Energy.
 
Conventional sulphur-based redox flow batteries with poor lifetime are not optimal for grid-scale energy storage
 
Aqueous redox flow batteries are a novel energy storage technology in which electricity is generated by electron transfer between two electrolytes. Compared to lithium-ion batteries, redox flow batteries are distinguished by the high safety, high power density and high flexibility in design which can be widely applied to devices including large-scale storage for renewable energy generated from solar or wind, and fast switching electric vehicles. However, the low energy density and high cost of conventional redox flow batteries determine their market penetration.
 
In 2016, a promising polysulfide-iodide redox flow battery was first invented by Professor Lu’s team taking advantage of the eco-friendly and low-cost sulphur element to greatly improve its energy density and cost effectiveness. However, the sulphur-based redox flow batteries adopting a commercial ion-selective membrane are compromised by the crossover and precipitation of active materials, leading to a rapid capacity decay and poor lifetime, and its application in large-scale energy storage fails to be effective. For example, a polysulfide-bromine project was launched by a UK technology company in the 1990s, but it was abandoned eventually due to its low energy density and poor lifetime. This led to a long-unsolved challenge for scientists.
 
CRIS membrane enables record stability and cycling
 
Based on the findings on the polysulfide-iodide redox flow batteries, Professor Lu has made efforts to improve the cycling stability and lifetime of the batteries. The team has designed the CRIS membrane, a simple and readily applicable incorporation of polymer-bounded carbon to create an ultra-thin cover, and place it on the commercial Nafion membranes (product model N117) to keep the two electrodes apart. The absorption of negatively charged species in porous carbon has strengthened the negative charge of the membrane and reduced the loss of active materials, which dramatically increased the stability and the lifetime of batteries. It is the first time in the world this goal has been achieved by using this new membrane, and it promises an effective application in grid-scale energy storage devices.
 
The demonstrated polysulfide-iodide redox flow batteries revealed an ultralow capacity decay rate (0.005% per day) for 1,200 cycles, and also achieved record high cycling stability and calendar lifetime with over 2,000 hours cycling (approximately 3 months), in comparison to only 160 hours cycling (approximately 6.7 days) with the commercial membrane N117, given that there is no obvious capacity decay. In addition, the coulombic efficiency of new batteries is more than 99.9% for every cycle with 15 consecutive hours of runtime on being fully charged, while there is 3 to 4 consecutive hours of runtime for sulphur-based redox flow batteries with a commercial membrane N117, and for lithium-ion batteries.
 
Under the condition in which the energy storage device with a new battery continuously operated and discharged for more than 15 hours, the surprising result yielded, in turn, a levelised cost of storage (LCOS) for this system which is competitive with other state-of-the-art redox flow techniques for long-duration energy storage applications. This approach can be universally applied in other redox flow batteries using sulphur-bromine or sulphur-iron materials, and in organic redox flow batteries, which goes further to fulfil a high stability of cycling.
 
Professor Lu said, “This approach successfully addresses the long-unresolved problems in the crossover of active materials in redox flow batteries and their poor lifetime. This encouraging membrane design strategy will enable practical commercialisation of sulphur-based redox flow batteries and guide the future development of highly-selective ion exchange membrane.”
 
The full text of journal can be founded at: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41560-021-00804-x

The CRIS membrane developed by Professor Yi-Chun Lu (right) and her team member Dr. Zhejun Li (left) can enhance the lifetime of sulphur-based redox flow batteries, and can be widely applied to large-scale storage devices.

Crossover comparison between CUHK’s charge-reinforced ion-selective membrane (CRIS, right) and commercial Nafion membrane (N117, left).

The prototype of demonstrated polysulfide-iodide redox flow batteries with CRIS membrane.

Diagram of a polysulfide-iodide redox flow battery. CRIS membrane repels the crossover of active materials themselves which dramatically improve the stability and lifetime of batteries, while the commercial membrane is challenged by the crossover of active materials which accelerates the capacity decay of battery.

 

 

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台處理出軌事故 顯港軟實力優勢

四月二日台灣花蓮發生嚴重鐵路事故，滿載乘客的火車與從山坡滑下的工程車相撞，造成四十九人死亡，包括年輕的火車司機。台灣國家運輸安全委員會翻看列車的「黑盒」，了解到司機看到工程車時已盡全力煞車。死者已矣，台灣鐵路管理局堅持殉職司機英勇盡責，然而，卻有部分人認為司機若於意外發生之前能及早慢駛，撞擊力便會大大減輕，死傷人數便不會如此慘重。雖然筆者對此評論不盡同意，但這一說法也是當頭棒喝，引發幾個技術問題：為甚麽司機是唯一的把關者？為甚麽到了最後七秒鐘，他才知道前面有失事工程車？這些問題，也值得香港設計運輸糸統的人思考。

Date: 
Monday, April 26, 2021
mc_group: 
Commentary
Media: 
Sing Tao Daily
Media LInk: 
https://is.gd/pSlSMQ

CUHK x ASTRI Industry Talk Series: Data Analytics vs. Data Privacy, Synergy or Compromise?

Speakers:

Dr. KH Shum has over 25 years of working experience in both the industry and academia. He is currently the Director of Applied Cryptosystems, Cybersecurity, Cryptography & Trusted Technology Division in Hong Kong Applied Science and Technology Research Institute (ASTRI). His experience in the IT industry includes CTO and technical director positions in various IT companies, specializing in the areas of security, e-payment, and fintech solutions. The IT systems designed by him had been deployed widely in Singapore, Hong Kong, Korea, Japan, Thailand and other countries in Asia.
 
Prof. Sherman Chow got his Ph.D. from Courant Institute of Mathematical Sciences, New York University. He publishes in and serves as a program committee of many top-tier conferences in cryptography and security, including AsiaCrypt, CCS, and Usenix Security, and fintech and privacy conferences, such as PETS and Financial Cryptography. He is the Deputy Editor in Cryptography of IET Information Security, and served on the award committee of The Caspar Bowden Award for Outstanding Research in Privacy Enhancing Technologies in 2019. He is a European Alliance for Innovation (EAI) Fellow (2019, inaugural), and named as one of the 100 Most Influential Scholars (Security and Privacy, 2018) by ArnetMiner (AMiner). He is also a founding member of IEEE SMC's Blockchain technical committee and a research committee of the Hong Kong Blockchain Society.

Event Details : http://edm.erg.cuhk.edu.hk/cuhk-x-astri-series2/

Registration : https://cuhk.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_aso8eQbERWuAthOgWUmNvw

Organiser: 
Hosted by: CUHK x ASTRI
Venue
Live Webinar
Date: 
Thursday, April 29, 2021
Time
Thursday, April 29, 2021 to 17:00
e_title: 
Data Analytics vs. Data Privacy, Synergy or Compromise?
Not Available
Allow Regsiter: 

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