The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore and Sun Microsystems Launch New Java Tarik Initiatives

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Sun Microsystems celebrated Java Tarik Day with two milestone announcements: the launch of the Java Smart Services Lab (JSSL), under the Java Tarik IV...

Singapore, 23 August 2002 | For Immediate Release

Local Java Community gets boost from the launch of the Java Smart Services Lab and the opening of Java Wireless Competency Centre

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) and Sun Microsystems celebrated Java Tarik Day with two milestone announcements: the launch of the Java Smart Services Lab (JSSL), under the Java Tarik IV, that aims to position Singapore as a regional hub for development of web services, and the opening of the Java Wireless Competency Centre (JWCC) under the Java Tarik III Memorandum of Intent signed last year. The establishment of these competency centres is part of the Java Tarik programme, which has seen the growth in the development of Java enabled applications and services since it was first conceived in 1997. So far, IDA, Sun Microsystems, together with the various Research Institutes and Centres as well as Institutes of Higher Learning and other partners, have invested a total of S$25 million in the competency centres.

The Java Tarik programme is a strategic collaboration between IDA and Sun Microsystems, and the establishment of competency centres 3 CCs have been established prior to JSSL Java Tarik I - Java Competency Centre; Java Tarik II - ASP Centre; and Java Tarik III - Java Wireless Competency Centre. are key components to this partnership. The programme's main objective is to grow the expertise of local enterprises to become world-class developers and exporters of IT products and services for Singapore. This is done through building of new competencies within the developer community, developing key partnerships between companies and gaining access to new markets in the region. Several significant outcomes include industry technology transfer, venture capital investment, manpower development and innovative proof-of-concept pilots. To date, over 100 companies have participated in the various Java Tarik initiatives with more than 50 new applications developed.

"Sun has been working with the government, R&D institutions and partners towards Singapore's vision of a digital future - a Singapore service driven network that connects the government, corporations, and the citizens," said Lionel Lim, Vice President and Managing Director, Asia South, Sun Microsystems. "The Java Tarik Programme has been pivotal in connecting the key components of this national network by building the necessary competencies and skills to thrive in an open net environment."

JAVA TARIK IV - The Launch of Java Smart Services Lab

The fourth Java Tarik initiative - the Java Smart Services Lab (JSSL) - champions the vision to develop Java applications that can be delivered over the Internet as web services. JSSL is a collaboration between the IDA, Sun Microsystems, Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology under the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) and other technology partners, to drive the adoption and provision of web services in the local industry through research, pilots and trials, incubation and manpower development.

JSSL has also been appointed as the fifth PATH Assessment Centre to help shortlist and recommend to IDA potential Java-based web services projects for pilots and trials. In turn, JSSL will also contribute consulting personnel, as well as incubation, piloting and test-bedding facilities to qualifying projects.

JSSL's objectives include:

• The development of necessary skills and capabilities particularly within the manufacturing sector.
• The development of an adaptable industry-wide open-standards reference architecture that allows companies to increase productivity and efficiency during web services deployment. Without such a reference, companies would not be able to concentrate on their core competencies in the development of such services.
• The development of innovative pilots through partnerships with MNCs and local developers so as to provide referential results to the rest of the industry.

"In an increasingly global and competitive world, Singapore needs to continually upgrade our capabilities and increase our innovation capacity so as to create greater value-added solutions for international markets. The ICT industry will need to quickly equip our manpower base with the latest technological know-how; speed up our learning process build up through experimentation, pilots and trials; roll out new ICT products and services to meet the needs of international markets; and leverage ICT to strengthen the competitiveness of our various economic sectors. The Java Tarik Programme is a good collaborative framework where key industry players can work together with Research Institutes and Centres (RICs), Institutes of Higher Learning (IHLs), as well as the government to build industry competencies and help foster greater innovation," said Mr Khoong Hock Yun, Assistant Chief Executive, Infocomm Development of IDA. "With the launch of the Java Smart Services Lab, we hope to see more innovative and exciting Java enabled solutions in wireless and web services. This will be a step forward for Singapore to develop capabilities and leadership in the wireless and web services sector."

JAVA TARIK III - The Opening of Java Wireless Competency Centre

Java Tarik Day also celebrates the opening of the Java Wireless Competency Centre (JWCC) under the Java Tarik III initiative. Hosted by the Institute for Communications Research, JWCC aims to help position Singapore as a premier hub for wireless services and applications in the Asia Pacific region. JWCC will provide local developers with facilities to jumpstart their development efforts through consultancy services, a validated Wireless Framework components and training programmes, as well as assistance from strategic technology partners and telecom service providers.

JWCC is now offering the following services to developers:

• Wireless Java Developer Forum - a web-based support platform for developers
• Over-The-Air (OTA) Provisioning service - a service that enables developer partners to upload and the public to download Java wireless applications
• Asia Pasific Science & Technology Centre

Moving forward, Sun Microsystems is working with the Economic Development Board (EDB) and The Nanyang Technological University (NTU) on an R&D facility for Grid Computing. Known as the Asia Pacific Science & Technology Centre (APSTC), this facility will host Sun's Research & Development Lab for Grid Computing and manage Sun Microsystems' regional Centers of Excellence for Science, Technology and High Performance Computing. APSTC is targeted to be launched next year.

About Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore

The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) is a dynamic organisation with an integrated perspective to developing, promoting and regulating info-communications in Singapore. In the fast-changing and converging spheres of telecommunications, information and media technologies, IDA will be the catalyst for change and growth in Singapore's evolution into a vibrant global info-communications technology centre. For more information, please visit https://www.imda.gov.sg/.

About Pilot & Trial Hotspots (PATH)

PATH, first introduced in May 2001, is an industry development initiative that accelerates the development of innovative Infocomm infrastructure, applications and products. It facilitates this by supporting the trial and piloting of emerging Infocomm technologies and best-of-breed services.

About the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech)

Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology (SIMTech) is Singapore's national applied research and development (R & D) institute in manufacturing technology funded by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR), previously National Science & Technology Board. It was formed in 1993 upon the merger of the Singapore Institute of Computer Integrated Manufacturing and the Institute of Manufacturing Technology.

SIMTech is committed to enhance the competitiveness of Singapore's industries through the generation and application of advanced manufacturing technology. To date, it has completed more than 600 projects for close to 400 companies, an affirmation of its success in collaborating with industries.

About the Institute for Communications Research (ICR)

The Institute for Communications Research (ICR) was strategically formed by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) to excel globally in telecommunications R&D, namely wireless and optical communications. To help create a world-class communications industry in Singapore, ICR is focused on creating intellectual property of value to Singapore's economy; expand Singapore's R&D talent pool; attract foreign investments; build Singapore's indigenous companies into global, technologically-competitive players; and create start-up companies founded on its disruptive technologies.

About Java

Started as a programming language, Java has rapidly expanded to enable breakthrough usage for the corporate enterprise infrastructure and applications, wireless devices, mobile phones, playstations etc.

Today, Java is the platform of choice for developers as it enables end to end development of new wireless services across multiple device OS. Transition of e-services based on Java to m-service will be seamless. The excitement and phenomenal adoption of Java centers on its ability to work on anything that has a digital heartbeat - computer chip.

About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The ComputerTM" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com or the Asia South website at http://www.oracle.com/as/index.html.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Solaris, Sun Fire, Java, J2EE, ECperf and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.

More information on the organizations mentioned in this release can be found in the annexes.

For more information, please contact:

Kelvin Lee
Manager, Corporate Communication
Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore
Tel: +65 6211 2227
Email: kelvin_lee@imda.gov.sg

Lee Swee Heng
Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology
Tel: +65 6793 8368
Email: shlee@SIMTech.a-star.edu.sg

Vivien Goh
Institute for Communications Research
Tel: +65 6870 9186
Email: gohyg@icr.a-star.edu.sg

Kelly Long
Sun Microsystems, AsiaSouth
Tel: +65 6239-7092
Email: kelly.long@sun.com

Annex A: Quotes from the Java Tarik Programmes

Dr U Yee Hsun, Director, SIMTech
on Java Tarik IV, Java Smart Services Lab

"The Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technology is honoured to be the hosting organisation for JSSL to provide thought leadership and technological innovation to enable the local manufacturing industry and other vertical sectors to benefit from the next big thing - open, smart Web services," said Dr U Yee Hsun, Director, SIMTech. "The establishment of JSSL complements the other Java Tarik programmes implemented in our sister research institute and at NTU. Through our collaboration with IDA, Sun and other industry partners, we will develop a connected community where context-aware services are delivered over multi-enterprise networks. This is towards the realisation of a digital future for Singapore."

Prof Lye Kin Mun, Deputy Director, ICR
on Java Tarik III, Java Wireless Competency Centre

"With Java making a big in-road into wireless technology applications, JWCC, supported by ICR's advanced wireless infrastructure and technical expertise, as well as Sun's Java technologies and market channel access, is uniquely positioned to help local wireless developers develop competitive Java-based wireless applications for the global market."

Prof Robert Gay, Director & CEO, ASP Centre
on Java Tarik II, ASP Centre

"The role of the ASP Centre is to accelerate the development of the necessary skills, expertise and infrastructure in Singapore to exploit the rapidly growing use of the Internet for outsourcing business functions," said Prof Robert Gay, Director & CEO, ASP Centre. "The ASP Centre as a part of the Java Tarik Programme helps provide the infrastructural competency that will lead towards the vision of a Singapore service driven network."

Annex B: Highlights of Java Tarik Achievements

Through the Java Tarik initiatives, several local companies were established, for example Ecquaria and NexusEdge, amongst others. Ecquaria has achieved significant growth locally and regionally. Their Service Oriented Platform (SOP), developed on Sun's Java 2 Platform - Enterprise Edition (J2EETM), was a major component for the integration of the Singapore e-government services on the Public Service Infrastructure (PSi).

From the Java Tarik II initiative, the Application Service Provider Centre (ASP Centre), has certified three Singapore Internet Data Centres under the SunTone Certification Programme. With the certification, three centres, i-STT, NCS Digital Centrix and FailSafe, have achieved world-class recognition for their investment and commitment towards architecture, training and process.

Quotes From Iliup Partners on the Java Tarik Programme

Ng Kin Yee, President
Ufinity

"Ufinity provides mobile Java download server to Telco and content providers to push contents to Java enabled phones. The Java Tarik Programme provides leading wireless technology that enable us to validate the technology and reach out to the wide market."

Neo Teck Hoe, Managing Director
Palmwindow

"Through the Java Tarik Programme, Palmwindow successfully collaborated with the centres to develop a mobile security solution providing a safe transaction environment. Our experience in the programme is great and we look forward to further opportunities working with the centres."

Annex C: About Asia Pacific Science & Technology Centre

The Asia Pacific Science and Technology Center (APSTC) is a Sun Microsystems and Singapore Economic Development Board joint-initiative to focus on the challenges facing grid computing in the enterprise space. The key objective of the center is to develop a strong technology user base to provide assistance towards users and partners in the research and scientific fields. Staff from the centre will work on research pertaining to large computing requirements, developing more reliable and accurate computation methods and the development of an environment that will facilitate scientific research and discovery. The APSTC will be hosted at Nanyang Technological University's Nanyang Centre for Supercomputing and Visualisation. Other activities to be hosted by the APSTC will include training, seminars, research exchange programmes and scholarships.