The Knowledge to Decide

The San Francisco Bay area has set the global benchmark as a successful tech innovation and start-up epicenter. Drawing inspiration from this, the Asia-Pacific region wants to foster its own tech hubs. Will it succeed? Spire Research and Consulting shared its insights, published on the US Consumer Electronics Association’s blog. The formula for success for San Francisco’s Bay area, more commonly known as ‘Silicon Valley’, includes strong backing from a pro-business government, a pool of highly talented and educated workers as well as ample access to venture capitalists – all in the context of a risk-taking culture. Other Asian countries are working towards developing a similar culture and business eco-system in order to clone this technology hub. Some of the up and coming innovation centers across the Asia Pacific region are Cyberport in Hong Kong, Daedeok Innopolis in Daejeon, Korea, Fusionopolis in Singapore, Macquarie Park in Sydney, Australia and Yokosuka Research Park in

Satellite technology is gaining ground in Asia. Asia-Pacific satellite telecommunications revenues hit USD 2.9 billion in 2014 – a quarter of global revenue. Japnit Singh, Senior Director for Singapore and India of Spire Research and Consulting, shared his insights on this growing industry with China Daily – Asia Weekly. Whether it is commuters in Hong Kong’s subway reading their daily news on smartphones or farmers across rural regions in Asia using mobile phones for banking, ordering fertilizer or selling crops, satellite-based data transmission has penetrated everyday life. With the rise of the middle-class in Southeast Asia (SEA), demand for more digital content on phones, home TV screens and at offices is skyrocketing. The demand for satellites is coming both from emerging markets such as Myanmar and Cambodia as well as more mature markets such as Malaysia and Indonesia. Singh highlighted that Direct-to-Home (DTH) satellite broadcasting is set to drive growth for Asi

Japan and China are emerging as the leading Asian countries for 3D printing adoption, thanks to government initiatives and rapid growth in industrial demand. Can these countries outstrip the West in integrating 3D printing into supply chains? In an article inspired by the  SpirE-Journal , Spire shared its views on the challenges and opportunities in Asia’s 3D printing industry. In comparison to the 3D printing market in Europe and the US, Asia’s growth is sluggish. However, the Asia-Pacific region – especially Japan and China- is now 3D printing-ready, thanks to its extensive industrial base, government funding and a supportive research and development (R&D) eco-system. The Japanese Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry (METI) has set aside USD44 million in the 2014 budget to support R&D initiatives for metal products manufacture through 3D printing. This demonstrates its seriousness in promoting Japanese leadership in 3D printing. On the other hand, China’s Ministry

Do Asia-Pacific financial services institutions need to spend more on IT operations to avoid losing market share to non-conventional players? Jeffrey Bahar, Deputy Chief Executive Officer of Spire Research and Consulting, discussed this view in FST Media. According to a McKinsey report, organizations that provided financial services in emerging markets – especially in the Asia-Pacific region – needed to spend more on IT operations. The study showed a dip in emerging market IT spending out of total operational costs from 9.4% in 2010 to 8.1% in 2012. On the contrary, IT spending in European banks averaged as high as 19% in 2012. Bahar commented that IT spending in mature markets cannot be compared to emerging markets. This is because stringent regulations had stoked higher IT spending in mature markets as compared to emerging ones. The report also suggested that spending on IT infrastructure improved overall efficiency; which was why banks in mature markets functioned effect