A ‘Good Hong Kong Story’ from the 20th HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair

When Hong Kong-born Louis Leung founded MICRODIA in San Jose, California, in 1991, he had no clue that the journey of technological innovation he was about to embark on would bring him back full circle to the 20th HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition), which kicks off this Saturday (Apr 13) in Wan Chai.

Born in 1963 into a family of Hong Kong entrepreneurs, Leung was educated in the UK. He earned a Doctorate in Integrated Circuits and Signal Processing from the Imperial College of London before embarking on an illustrious career that saw him as an engineer at the renowned Texas Instruments and a senior manager for various units of Citibank.

MICRODIA, the company exhibiting its cutting-edge mobile products at booth 1CON-003 at the 20th Hong Kong Electronics Fair, was initially founded by Leung and an IBM engineer to pioneer magnetic storage. At its peak, MICRODIA supplied over 50% of the OEM market for 3.5” floppy diskettes.

MICRODIA was the first company outside of Japan to introduce a pure gold reflective layer to CD-ROM, which provided over 75% of the light reflection needed for stable optical writing and reading processes on discs. In keeping with their tradition of firsts, in 2004, they debuted the world’s first 2GB Secure Digital (SD) memory card, followed by the 64GB CompactFlash card in 2008 and the 512GB microSD card in 2016.

MICRODIA became an Apple ‘Made for iPhone’ (MFi) manufacturer in the 2010s before branching out to other devices. In recent years, MICRODIA has invested heavily in vigorous research and development of GaN fast charging and USB-C technologies.

At this year’s Hong Kong Electronics Fair, MICRODIA aims to showcase an extensive assortment of cutting-edge products at its booth (1CON-003), where attendees can expect to marvel at more world-first creations, including the world’s smallest GaN charger and the most powerful car charger ever!

Building upon last year’s resounding success, which saw over 66,000 buyers from 160 countries and regions, this year’s HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) promises to be bigger and more exhilarating. With more than 1,960 exhibitors from 12 countries spread over 34,200 sq. m. of floor space, there is absolutely something for everyone.

The Digital Entertainment Experience Zone, where visitors can experience the technological offerings hands-on, will be open from 10:30 to 17:00 on Saturday to Monday in Hall 5B but close at 3 pm on Tuesday.

On Saturday morning from 11 am to 12 pm, a symposium titled “Capture the Opportunities of the Silver Economy” will be presented in English and Putonghua by industry leaders Mr. Clifton Chiu, Senior Research Analyst at Euromonitor International; Mr. Alex Kong, Managing Director of Megastek Technologies Ltd; and Mr. Yu Yunbo, CEO of Kenqing Technology.

For jobseekers, the “Exhibitors Meet Talents” event takes place on Sunday from 3.30 pm to 5 pm at InnoHall 3B, where industry specialists Mr. Bill Lee, Managing Director of Jobsdb Hong Kong; Mr. Ken Liu of the Hong Kong Top Talent Services Association; Mr. Ricky Choi, Senior Manager of Smart Living, Cyberport; Mr. Tommie Lo, Founder and CEO of Preface, and Mr. Terrance Lok, CEO of TechJobAsia, will discuss the ins and outs of an electronics career. Talks will be held in English, Putonghua & Cantonese, and simultaneous interpretation service will be provided.

For budding inventors and tech entrepreneurs, a discussion on “Testing, Certification, and Inspection Services for Electronic Products” will be held in English on Tuesday from 2 pm to 2.40 pm and will be led by Mr. Lam Chi Ho, Manager of ElectricalIntertek Testing Services Hong Kong Ltd., and Mr. King Au Yeung, Section Manager of ElectricalTÜV Rheinland Hong Kong.

The 20th HKTDC Hong Kong Electronics Fair (Spring Edition) runs from Saturday (Apr 13) until Tuesday (Apr 16) at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, 1 Expo Drive, Wan Chai, Hong Kong.

Buyer registration starts at 9 am and ends at 6 pm Saturday to Monday, while the fair is open to visitors from 9.30 am to 6.30 pm on the same days. The fair will end at 5 pm on Tuesday, with buyer registration closing at 3.30 pm.

Admission is free for e-Badge and pre-registered buyers, while onsite registration costs HK$100 per person. Trade registration is only for those 18 and above.