Better Wireless Communication & High Speed Electronic Designs through 1st R&D Electromagnetic Consortium in Singapore

The Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) has initiated an 18-month research consortium valued at SGD1.5 million to leverage upon a centralised source of expertise in the area of wireless communication, high speed electronic design, and analysis of electromagnetic compatibility and interference.

MEDIA RELEASE

Better Wireless Communication & High Speed Electronic Designs Through 1st R&D Electromagnetic Consortium in Singapore

Singapore, 14 May 2008.

The Institute of High Performance Computing (IHPC) has initiated an 18-month research
consortium valued at SGD1.5 million to leverage upon a centralised source of expertise in the
area of wireless communication, high speed electronic design, and analysis of
electromagnetic compatibility and interference.

Current commercial devices that use such technologies include sensors, wireless access
points, Bluetooth technology devices and GPS mapping systems. Working with IHPC’s
technical experts in virtual product design and performance simulation, companies in this
consortium can benefit from optimising the design cycle of their new prototypes and have
access to IHPC’s supercomputing resources.

Dr Raj Thampuran, Executive Director of IHPC said, “With the speed of technology transfer
taking place rapidly within many industries, the IHPC Programme on Electromagnetic
Computer-aided engineering (iPEC) consortium plays an essential role in advancing new
ideas through the use of simulation and modelling to emulate complex designs and systems
with a high degree of precision. Together, we can innovate and develop faster and more
efficient prototypes in the areas of ultra-high speed and ultra-high capacity communications
and 21st century electronics."

The consortium agreement was signed between IHPC and 5 participants from the industry,
namely:

• Infineon Technologies Asia Pacific – a leading player providing integrated circuits
and system development solutions in the areas of Communication, Automotive and
Industry, as well as Security Systems ;

• Rohde & Schwarz Systems and Communications Asia – a primary supplier of
solutions in the fields of test and measurement, communications and mission-critical
radiocommunications ;

• ST Electronics (Info-Comm System) - a subsidiary of ST Electronics and a leading
solution house in the Asia Pacific region for communications, electronics and intelligent
transportation business ;

• Singapore Technologies Kinetics – a company of ST Engineering and one of Asia’s
foremost defence and specialty vehicles company ;

• Vestas Technology R&D Singapore – a subsidiary of Vestas, the world’s prime
supplier of wind power solutions and modern energy.

The iPEC will focus on promoting the applications of computational modelling and simulation
with its 5 members under two key research projects that include System Level EMC* and
Electromagnetic (EM) Wave Propagation*.

The consortium will also include structured technical workshops and seminars for its members
to provide in-depth information and update from experts on fundamental electromagnetic
compatibility/ interference, recognised standards, high speed electronic designs,
electromagnetic emissions and immunity.

Dr Thampuran, who is also co-chair of the upcoming inaugural Asia-Pacific Symposium on
Electromagnetic Compatibility (www.emc-zurich.org) , to be held from 19 – 22 May 2008
at Suntec City, adds, “This upcoming EMC Symposium serves as a platform for industry
partners and researchers to participate in a scientifically rich programme with renowned
speakers from all over the world. It offers academia and industry participants a broad forum
for the exchange of ideas. Many of our industry partners will find the hands-on tutorials and
workshops at this symposium informative and useful for finding better solutions to their
different electronic applications.”

- end -

* Note to Editors:
The System Level EMC project highlights issues faced by the electronic and wireless
communications industry. These issues include electromagnetic radiating characteristics (i.e.
how much radiation is emitted from electronic devices), electromagnetic immunity
characteristics (i.e. how and whether an electronic device is subjected to external
interference from other devices near-by) and electrostatic discharge problem, which may
upset the normal operation of an electronic system, causing equipment malfunction or failure
as well as causes product defects and reducing its product yields in certain circumstances.
The projects look into these EMC-related problems and offer appropriate solutions, which
may include design guidelines, shielding effectiveness of enclosures and a new methodology
for complex EMC-related problems specific to its members. Electromagnetic (EM) Wave
Propagation looks into the electromagnetic radiating characteristics of wire communication
devices, i.e. the transmitter/receiver. The project will focus on the millimeter wave (mmWave)
technology which is the next generation wireless technology that can provide large volume of
data transfer via wireless connectivity for short distances between electronic devices. The
mmWave technology is ideally suitable for Personal Area Network (PAN) which covers
wireless communication in buildings, meeting rooms, High Definition digital home appliances,
etc. It can also be used in integrated devices within radio frequency equipment. A further
application of mmWave technology is on equipment used for security screening and detection
purposes.

About IHPC
As a national research institute supported by A*STAR through SERC, the Institute of High
Performance Computing (IHPC) was established in April 1998 to provide leadership in high
performance computing as a strategic resource for scientific inquiry. IHPC seeks to power
discoveries through advanced methodologies, techniques and new tools in modelling,
simulation and visualisation.

Its research focus are in the realm of complex-coupled systems, mechanics and fluid
dynamics, large-scale systems, scientific computing and software development, digital
modelling, adaptive and collaborative computing, data mining and analyses, computational
electronics and electromagnetics, and computational material and chemistry.

From mid July 2008, IHPC will relocate to Fusionopolis at One-North, which is about one
kilometres from Biopolis. Fusionopolis is a “World within a City” as it connects physical
science, technology and enterprise through a community of diverse scientific talent and
research capabilities from around the world.

For more information on IHPC, please visit www.ihpc.a-star.edu.sg

For more information and interviews with IHPC or consortium members, please contact:

Ms. Joanne Tan
Assistant Manager, Corporate Communications
Institute of High Performance Computing
Tel: (65) 6419-1422
Mobile: 9857-3408
Email: [email protected]