Japanese companies have transformed DJI drones into hydrogen-powered | yue yue globally

Reading Global(2022.01.27)

【Japanese companies transform DJI drones into hydrogen power】

Japan Economic News reported on the 27th that Japanese companies are accelerating the development of hydrogen-fueled small unmanned aerial vehicles. The start-up RoboDEX used hydrogen storage tanks produced by Teijin's companies to create an airframe that took more than twice as long as before. RoboDEX plans to target long-flying uses that are difficult for battery-based drones, such as logistics and infrastructure inspections, to use hydrogen fuel as a weapon to increase its presence in One of China's dominant drone markets.

RoboDEX has transformed the products of the world's largest drone company, DJI, replacing ordinary batteries with small fuel cells. It is equipped with a hydrogen storage tank produced by Teijin Engineering, a subsidiary of Teijin, Japan. Due to the use of aluminum materials to reduce the weight of hydrogen storage tanks, and the use of carbon fiber materials to improve strength, hydrogen storage tanks are not only lightweight, but also can store high-pressure hydrogen.

RoboDEX is scheduled to conduct 5-6 empirical trials in Japan in FY2022. Under different weather conditions such as wind speed and temperature, tests will be repeatedly conducted in multiple areas to accumulate flight data. In the future, it will be for manufacturers selling drones, supporting the sale of drones, hydrogen storage tanks and other airframe hardware and control systems.

Japan's DroneWorks has also developed hydrogen-powered drones equipped with small fuel cells. Hydrogen storage tanks developed by JFE Container are used.

Hydrogen-powered drones can achieve long flights. In general, the maximum flight time of battery-type UAVs is about 30 minutes, and hydrogen-powered UAVs use high pressure to press hydrogen into hydrogen storage tanks, which can fly for up to 2 hours. Take RoboDEX's drone, for example, which can fly indoors for about 80 minutes.

【STmicroelectronics to double investment to meet demand for high chips】

Reuters reported on the 27th that French-Italian chipmaker STMicroelectronics plans to double its investment this year to reach $3.6 billion, due to strong demand, driving its fourth-quarter earnings beyond expectations, making its stock price rise.

The company said on the 27th that it plans to spend between $3.4 billion and $3.6 billion this year, compared with $1.8 billion in 2021, including the construction of a 300-millimeter fab in Agrate, Italy.

ST's largest customers, which include electric car maker Tesla and iPhone maker Apple, expect net revenue this year to be between $14.8 billion and $15.3 billion, up as much as 20 percent.

The company also reported fourth-quarter 2021 earnings, showing that the company's Q4 net profit was $751 million, up 28.9% from $583 million in the same period in 2020, and fourth-quarter net revenue was $3.56 billion, up 9.9% from $3.24 billion in the same period in 2020. Gross profit was $1.61 billion, gross margin was 45.2%, and operating income was $885 million, with an operating margin of 24.9%. Full-year 2021 net revenue was $12,729 million, up 25% year-over-year.

According to Refinitiv data, ST's fourth-quarter earnings per share were $0.82, higher than analyst average expectations of 69 cents per share.

The company expects the median net revenue forecast range for the first quarter of 2022 to be $3.5 billion, with gross margin remaining in the 41-45% range overall.

[London remains the world's top financial centre but is overtaken by New York and Singapore in some key areas]

According to a study by the City of London government, London remains the top global financial centre but is overtaken by New York and Singapore in terms of access to talent, while Paris is increasing competition from the European Union, Reuters 27 reported.

The City of London Government selected seven financial centres from other related studies as its subjects. For example, in the study of the Z/Yen here group in London, the United Kingdom has always ranked New York at the top and London second.

The study, which added Paris this year, looks at five areas: digital skills, regulation and talent. While London remains at the top of the overall rankings, New York is only slightly behind and has narrowed the gap, followed by Singapore, Frankfurt, Paris, Hong Kong and Tokyo.

New York remains the largest financial centre, while London lags behind Singapore in terms of flexible business infrastructure, access to talent and skills, and a friendly regulatory and legal environment.

(This article is compiled from Reuters and Nihon Keizai Shimbun)

(Economic Observation Network intern reporter Zhou Yuqing sorted out)