Shenzhen | Subway line adopts facial recognition technology

The southern city of Shenzhen has adopted facial recognition technology on a subway line, allowing for fast and easy entrance for the elderly aged 60 and above, according to state media Xinhua citing the local subway operating company. Instead of using tickets, the elderly can look at a screen to unlock the electric gates after completing a real-name registration on a smart service system. To improve the travel efficiency and experience, the system has been launched at all 18 stations on the subway line, with a total of 28 automatic gate machines and 60 self-service ticket processing machines installed. The facial recognition service will extend to other groups who enjoy free subway service such as the disabled, according to the company.

Guangzhou | Customs destroy over 300 kilograms of drugs

Customs of Guangzhou have destroyed a total of 312 kg of drugs which were seized in recent years, according to Xinhua. The drug destruction activity was held in Nansha District, one of 11 urban districts of the prefecture-level city of Guangzhou, with all the drugs poured into a high-temperature incinerator. The smuggled drugs included heroin, cocaine, methamphetamine, marijuana and catha edulis (khat), which were found in consignments, luggage and postal parcels, according to the customs service. Customs in the provincial capital also disclosed that from January to August this year they have busted over 38 drug cases, captured 15 suspects and seized 17.3 kilograms of drugs.

Guangzhou | Domestically-made 12-inch wafer chips mass produced

A 12-inch wafer production line, the first of its kind in south China’s Guangdong Province, has been put into operation. The 12-inch chip production line, which started operation Friday, is at the first phase and is expected to achieve a monthly production capacity of 40,000 12-inch chips. With a total investment of 28.8 billion yuan (about $4.06 billion), the facility began construction in March 2018 in Guangzhou. “The project is aimed at scarce products in the country, such as high-end analog chips, automobile electronics, biomedical testing and 5G front-end modules, which is expected to further drive the upstream and downstream enterprises to achieve a production value of 100 billion yuan,” said Tony Chen, president and CEO of CanSemi Technology Inc., which owns the production line. Statistics showed that there are 26 12-inch chip production lines being built and under construction in China, and upon completion, the total production capacity of 12-inch chips will reach 1.11 million per month. Guangdong already has two chip manufacturers, featuring production of 8-inch and 6-inch wafers, with a combined capacity of about 70,000 wafer chips per month. It is far short of the chip demands in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macau Greater Bay Area.