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Hello reader,
When was the last time you used a USB flash drive?
I don’t consider myself to be supremely tech-savvy, but for me, it’s been years. Cloud storage platforms like Google Drive or Dropbox are far more convenient than physical storage devices, which I was pretty adept at losing.
The humble USB drive still has some utility of course, but it’s definitely not as important as it used to be. That goes to show how fast technology moves.
This rapid pace of change is illustrated pretty well by today’s premium story, as it dives into how “the father of the USB flash drive” is taking a bet on the flashiest (pun intended) tech of today: generative AI.
Today we look at:
- Pua Khein Seng pivots to AI
- Beijing wants Chinese firms to use local AI chips
- Other newsy highlights such as Olympic gold medalist Joseph Schooling joining VC firm Vertex Ventures and Apple pulling out of OpenAI’s funding round.
Premium summary
From flash drives to genAI
Image credit: Timmy Loen
Pua Khein Seng is seen by some as the father of the USB flash drive, and now he’s getting into a much more modern branch of tech: generative AI.
The Taiwan-based tech veteran is setting up a new venture out of Selangor in his home country of Malaysia.
- Comeback: The new firm will be called MaiStorage (Malaysia AI Storage), and Pua is expected to pour US$24 million into the startup. Pua is also the CEO of electronics firm Phison, which opened an R&D center in Penang in 2012. However, this was shut down in 2020, and the CEO later blamed Malaysia’s work culture, market size, and aggressive headhunting by Singaporean tech firms for the center’s failure.
- Checkered past: Pua helped grow Phison from rags to riches, overcoming broken promises from investors in its early days. However, the company later found itself in legal trouble in patent infringement suits, while Pua himself was convicted of falsifying financial statements in 2016 in Taiwan.
- Timing is right: His return comes as Malaysia gets more interest surrounding the country’s potential in the semiconductor industry. The government has a master plan to create semiconductor design firms ready to take on electric vehicles and artificial intelligence, and it’s actively seeking investments in those spaces.
Read more: Embattled flash drive inventor returns to Malaysia with new bet
AI cold war continues
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