Micron Technology is set to pilot a mmWave campus solution at its 3D Nand flash memory fabrication plant in Singapore, the first deployment of its kind.
The customised solution will be deployed at Micron’s cleanroom to support the development of a variety of digitally enabled and enhanced applications – from automated visual inspections of individual chips to augmented reality (AR) for operations and maintenance.
This rollout follows successful trials using Singtel’s GENIE, which the telco says is the world’s first portable 5G-in-a-box platform.
Micron used GENIE to help validate the mmWave solution, verify its performance and demonstrate the operational benefits of Singtel’s 5G solutions in Micron’s next-generation cleanroom.
A Singtel spokesperson said the company’s 5G mmWave network supports a bandwidth of up to 2Gbps, with ultra-low latency.
This allows for a whole suite of applications from high resolution and immersive AR/virtual reality (VR) glasses, to image-based quality control processing, which demands high uplink bandwidth, the spokesperson said.
With a 5G on-prem edge core, Micron will be able to leverage smaller and lighter Internet of Things (IoT) devices that require less computing power for cleanroom operations.
Apart from being more user-friendly, devices can also last longer before requiring another charge, creating an overall improved experience for operators, the Singtel spokesperson said.
“Singtel’s Paragon, an all-in-one platform for 5G networks, edge computing and services orchestration, will be used to analyse the performance of the device and networks, thus providing the capability of real-time performance monitoring and feedback,” the spokesperson added.
Micron’s global operations VP for smart manufacturing and artificial intelligence, Koen De Backer, said the company is a manufacturing powerhouse “supported by a unique global network”.
He added that the company is committed to leading in quality and staying at the cutting edge of utilising smart solutions and artificial intelligence (AI) in its facilities.
“Together with Singtel, we aim to bring the performance to the next level leveraging 5G technology… This will propel us forward as a trailblazer in operational excellence and scaled implementation of Industry 4.0 technology,” De Backer said.
Bill Chang, Singtel’s group enterprise CEO, said the “industry-first deployment” proves that 5G networks can be used for high-precision quality control and manufacturing operations which previously was not possible with the limitations of wi-fi.
“Additionally, the implementation is a significant milestone in Singtel’s journey to accelerate enterprise 5G adoption and will serve as a case study to inspire other 5G-enabled manufacturing sites around the world,” said Chang.
