ReefShark chipsets halve MIMO antenna size

Nokia has revealed more details about its ReefShark chipsets, using silicon developed by teams in Finland and California, USA. The chipsets can halve the size of MIMO antennae without affecting performance and also reduce power consumption in baseband units by 64%, compared to such units in use today, says Nokia. The chipsets comprise a ReefShark ...

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Fanuc, Hitachi and Preferred Networks form jv for AI-based edge systems

Fanuc, Hitachi and Preferred Networks have agreed to establish a jv on April 2, 2018, to develop Intelligent Edge Systems that utilise AI technologies in edge devices in the industrial and social infrastructure field. The new company will develop these Intelligent Edge Systems by combining Fanuc’s’s technologies and expertise in machine tools and robots, Hitachi’s knowledge ...

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High V battery packs bring subtle design challenges

The consumerisation of high voltage battery packs presents challenges in power management and safety, writes Cathal Sheehan of Bourns. High-voltage battery packs are no longer exclusive to industrial installations – they are increasingly making their way into the hands of consumers in their electric vehicles and home power storage. Typically made with lithium-ion or nickel metal hydride ...

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AMD has stunning Q4

AMD had Q4 revenues up 34% thanks to its Ryzen and Radeon processors. Q4 revenue was $1.48 billion, and full-year revenue was $5.33 billion for growth of nearly 25%. “2017 marked a key product and financial inflection point for AMD,” says CEO Lisa Su,  “our newest wave of high-performance products and consistent execution created significant ...

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HTC completes deal with Google

HTC has completed the deal of transferring its ODM smartphone team to Google, and the company will now focus more on developing branded smartphone and VR products, according to a company announcement.

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CoWoS, SiP to be key packaging processes for AI chips

High performance computing (HPC) will become the most crucial platform in the development of process technologies for AI (artificial intelligence) chips, and CoWoS (chip on wafer on substrate) and SiP (system in package) will emerge as key packaging processes for such chips, according to Digitimes Research.

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China 2017 software revenues estimated at CNY5.504 trillion

China's software industry consisting of 35,774 companies generated revenues totaling CNY5.504 trillion (US$814.02 billion) in 2017, growing 13.9% on year, according to China's Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT).

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Alibaba Cloud launches City Brain in Malaysia

Alibaba Cloud has announced the launch of its Malaysia City Brain initiative in collaboration with the Malaysia Digital Economy Corporation (MDEC), the country's digital economy development agency, and Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), the city council in the capital.

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University developing perovskite solar cells

A team of university researchers in Taiwan has disclosed it is developing perovskite solar cells featuring energy conversion rates of over 20% under solar spectral irradiance of 100mW (milliwatt)/cm2 at AM (air mass) 1.5G and those of nearly 30% under indoor light.

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Everlight expects IR, automotive LED devices to drive growth in 2018

LED packaging service provider Everlight Electronics expects infrared (IR) and automotive LED product lines to drive growth in 2018, both of which will see double-digit revenue growths, according to company chairman Robert Yeh.

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Logic IC packager Greatek upbeat about revenues for 2018

After scoring impressive revenue and profit records in 2017, Taiwan-based logic IC packaging firm Greatek Electronics is quite optimistic about its performance prospects for 2018, with revenue growth to be bolstered by new packaging processes, new customer orders, and new production capacity, according to company CEO Boris Hsieh.

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Competition to heat up in smart speaker chip sector in 2H18

As global demand for smart voice assistant devices is estimated to soar sharply from 30 million units to 50 million in 2018 before hitting over 80 million in 2020, an increasing number of IC design houses including Qualcomm and MediaTek are gearing up to win orders for providing related chip solutions, and competition is likely to start heating up in the second half of 2018, according to industry sources.

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Efun to focus on value-added optical film products

Optical film maker Efun Technology is looking to focus on developing high value-added and niche-market thin-film products to avoid fierce competition seen in the LCD optical film segment, according to company chairman Lu Ying-chung.

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Acer takes helm at AOpen

Acer has obtained three seats on AOpen's board of directors after taking a major stake in the Taiwan-based digital signage developer. Acer chairman Jason Chen has also been elected as the chairman of AOpen.

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FPCB provider Flexium to see robust growth in 1Q18

Flexium Interconnect expects its sales to grow robustly in the first quarter of 2018 thanks to strong demand from its major clients, according to Cheng Ming-chih, chairman of the flexible PCB supplier.

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Faraday profits hit 5-year high in 2017

The sale of Faraday Technology's security control business boosted the Taiwan-based IC design service provider's profitability in 2017.

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Samsung 4Q17 profits surge on robust chip demand

Robust memory chip demand boosted Samsung Electronics' profitability in the fourth quarter of 2017, when the vendor's net profits surged 72.9% on year to KRW12.26 trillion (US$11.5 billion).

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Taiwan to let foreign banks arrange financing for offshore wind farm projects

Taiwan plans to let foreign banks arrange syndicated loans for the country's offshore wind farm projects, according to deputy economics minister Kung Ming-hsin.

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Oppo to push 5G, AI developments to maintain smartphone momentum

China-based smartphone vendor Oppo will commit more resources to developing related 5G and AI technologies and applications as it seeks to enhance its presence in the global smartphone market, according to industry sources.

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Realtek posts record 2017 revenues

Networking IC design specialist Realtek Semiconductor has reported consolidated revenues of NT$41.69 billion (US$1.43 billion) for 2017, which represented on-year growth of 7.1% and hit an annual high.

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PTI profits climb to 7-year high in 2017

Memory-IC backend specialist Powertech Technology (PTI) saw its net profits climb to a seven-year high of NT$5.85 billion (US$200.4 million) in 2017.

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Samsung reportedly enters volume production for Bitcoin mining ASIC

Samsung has reportedly been contracted by a China-based firm to fabricate Bitcoin mining ASICs with volume production already kicking off in January.

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Corning 4Q17 sales rise 7%

Corning has reported its fourth-quarter 2017 sales rose 7% on-year to reach US$2.637 billion, but the three-month period saw a net loss of US$1.412 billion, or a negative EPS of US$1.66.

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Coretronic reports strong earnings for 4Q17

Backlight unit (BLU) supplier Coretronic has reported net profits of NT$795 million (US$27.2 million) for the fourth quarter of 2017, up 90% on quarter and 6% on year. EPS for the quarter stood at NT$1.83.

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Quanta, Wiwynn moving to tap lucrative 5G server market

As the imminent arrival of the 5G era will trigger a new round of demand for cloud servers, Taiwan white-box server suppliers Quanta Computer and Wiwynn are aggressively taking different approaches to tap the lucrative demand, with Quanta seeking orders directly from telecom operators while Wiwynn zeroing in on cloud service providers.

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Government signs Charter to boost gender diversity in tech jobs

The Government is promoting gender diversity in the tech sector and will sign up to the Tech Talent Charter, an initiative tackling the gender imbalance in the tech workforce. The Tech Talent Charter covers all organisations employing people in technology roles and commits signatories to including women on interview shortlists wherever possible and collecting and ...

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Powering up wearable devices for the military

Military personnel have come to rely in reliable wearable devices and for reliability, the design of the battery pack is critical. Jonathan DiGiacomandrea explains how technological advances are influencing the design of batteries in military devices. The global demand for connected devices is growing, with trends such as the internet of things (IoT) and home automation ...

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Bluetooth mesh network chip targets smart home lighting

Cypress Semiconductor has introduced a device which delivers Bluetooth mesh network connections certified by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). Distinguishing it from traditional Bluetooth interfaces, mesh networking technology enables devices within the network to interface with each other to provide coverage throughout even the largest homes, allowing users to conveniently control all of the devices via apps ...

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Omron’s tactile button has 2mm profile

Omron Electronic Components has a sealed surface-mounting tactile switch in a low profile of just 2mm. The B3SE is rated at 1 million operations. The silver plated switch is sealed conforming to IP67 (IEC 60529) standards providing high contact reliability in dusty environments and sealing against ingress of flux or fluids during manufacturing. The B3SE ...

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Cryptocurrency mining, AI applications to drive up demand for Analog, MOSFET chips

Taiwan-based suppliers of analog ICs, MOSFET chips and protection components are braced for strong shipment growths in the first quarter of 2018 as demand for graphics cards for cryptocurrency mining and AI applications has helped drive up sales of their solutions, according to industry sources.

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Global 1Q18 server shipments to be flat, says Digitimes Research

Worldwide server shipments in the first quarter of 2018 are expected to expected to stay flat or drop slightly due to seasonal impact, but demand from large-size datacenter clients will remain strong.

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Taiwan IC packagers to cash in on mining craze in 2018

Taiwan IC backend service providers including Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE), Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) and King Yuan Electronics (KYE), are upbeat about their revenue performances in the first quarter of 2018, bolstered by the strong market demand for midrange to high-end ASIC and GPU chips, especially from China, amid the global cryptocurrency mining fever, according to industry sources.

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TSMC lands big orders for mining ASICs from Bitmain

Taiwan semiconductor firms will see major revenue boosts from the global cryptocurrency mining craze in 2018, as Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has landed sizable orders from Bitmain, China's leading Bictoin ASIC designer, for fabricating mining chips, while Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and TSMC-affiliated Global Unichip have shared the backend packaging and testing orders, according to industry sources.

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First-tier China smartphone brands to bring more competition in 2018

First-tier China-based smartphone vendors are set to continue ramping up shipments in 2018, which will bring not only more competitive pressure on international and other local brands but also accelerate the consolidation process of related supply chains in China, according to industry sources.

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MCU firm Holtek posts record profits for 2017

MCU specialist Holtek Semiconductor saw its net profits climb to a record high of NT$926 million (US$31.7 million) in 2017. EPS for the year came to NT$4.10.

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LED market to favor buyers in 2018, says MLS

It will be a buyer's market for LED in 2018 as a result of China-based chip makers' capacity expnasion, giving packagers an upper hand in price negotiation, according to China's biggest LED packaging service provider MLS.

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Kinsus profits shrink in 2017

IC substrate supplier Kinsus Interconnect Technology's net profits fell 78% on year to NT$491 million (US$16.8 million) in 2017. EPS for the year came to NT$1.10, down from NT$5.01 in 2016.

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China makers account for 30% of global PV silver paste shipments in 2017

China-based PV conductive paste makers shipped about 800 tons of PV silver paste in 2017, which accounted for about 30% of the global total, doubling the 15% in 2016, according to China-based research organizations.

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Advantech opens expanded European Service Center

Advantech has unveiled its expanded European Service Center in the Netherlands, doubling office and warehouse space and almost tripling CTOS (configure to order services) production capacity, according to the company.

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Himax obtains nano 3D mastering tech assets and IP

Taiwan-based fabless IC firm Himax Technologies has announced the acquisition of certain advanced nano 3D masters manufacturing assets and related intellectual property and business from a US company. The transaction is expected to close in February.

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ITRI unveils surrounding sensing subsystem for self-driving

Taiwan's Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), in collaboration with the Information Industry Institute (III) and National Chung-shan Institute of Science & Technology (NCIST), has unveiled a hardware/software platform of surrounding sensing subsystem for autonomous driving and a mid-size self-driving bus.

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Chimei Materials breaks ground for China polarizer plant

Taiwan-based Chimei Materials recently broke ground for a new plant in Xian, China where it will install its second 2,500mm polarizer production line.

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Sondrel founder joins EW BrightSparks selection panel

Graham Curren, the founder and CEO of the UK IC design consultancy Sondrel, strengthens the EW BrightSparks 2018 selection panel.

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Varta slots in 14mm cell for wearables

Varta Microbattery will be showing its miniaturised cells for wearables at the Wearable Technologies Conference which takes place in Munich this week (January 30-31). The microbattery firm will demonstrate its CoinPower series with a capacity of 85mAh, from a diameter of 14.1mm cell with a weight of just 2.4 grams. “Their compact and stable cylindrical ...

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Rolec boxes have more size options

Rolec’s technoBOX ABS electronic enclosures are now available in 10 sizes, for use in a range of industrial electronic and electrical applications. Separate screw channels outside the enclosure’s interior maximise the space available for components. The enclosure’s bevelled lid is recessed to accommodate a membrane keypad or front plate. The lid screws are made of ...

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Institute of Coding to be set up in UK

A £40 million Institute of Coding is to be set up in the UK under the auspices of Microsoft and 60 universities and businesses. The Institute will teach cybersecurity and AI skills via courses at 25 universities. The Open University, Birkbeck and FutureLearn are also providing tuition. The courses will offer a technology curriculum that will ...

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Tech job numbers rise, Java & AI skills in demand

The number of jobs advertised in the UK technology sector grew by 12%  last year, one of the fastest rates across UK industries, according to new data from Reed Technology. The agency’s survey also found that advertised salaries in the sector grew by 1.6%  in the last year alone with advertised salaries for some roles ...

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Mouser signs Espressif

Mouser has signed  a global distribution agreement with Espressif Systems. Through the agreement, Mouser is now an authorized distributor of Espressif’s line of ESP8266 and ESP32-based low-power wireless SoC modules, and development boards for IoT. Espressif makes ESP8266EX, ESP8285, and ESP8089 Wi-Fi SoCs  based on a  32-bit Tensilica microcontroller. The SoCs incorporate antenna switches, a ...

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Renesas adds 38 MCUs

Renesas has announced immediate availability of 38 new MCUs in its RX130 Group which extend flash memory size to 256 KB, 384 KB and 512 KB, and increase package size up to 100-pins to provide higher performance and compatibility with the RX231/RX230 Group of touch MCUs. The ultra-low power, low-cost RX130 Group adds higher responsiveness ...

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Acceleration sensor counts steps for 4μA

BMA400 is a low-power acceleration sensor for wearables and IoT applications from Bosch, consuming as little as 4μA in step-counter mode. “Due to continuous measurement, the sensor’s high-quality measurement signal has precisely defined cutoff frequencies, making it very resistant to vibrations,” said the firm. claiming that this is particularly useful in smart home security systems ...

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US government may build 5G network

There is talk that the US government may build a 5G network and lease it out to operators. The US is said to be concerned about the security of telecoms infrastructure. One single unified government-built network could be made more secure than leaving it to individual operators, it is argued. It is reported that the ...

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LTC7815 DC/DC controller maintains output voltages during battery droop

The  LTC7815 Power-By-Linear IC is a  high frequency (up to 2.25MHz) triple output (buck, buck, boost), synchronous DC/DC controller that maintains all output voltages in regulation during automotive cold crank conditions. A 12V automotive battery can droop to less than 4 volts during engine restart or cold crank, causing reset of infotainment systems and other ...

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ReefShark ICs halve 5G antenna size

In Q3, Nokia is to ship volume quantities of a chip-set which will cut antenna height down to 45 cms from the current 1m – 2.6m. Called ReefShark, the MIMO ICs will enable more antennas to be installed in more locations, will triple data-handling and cut the power consumption of wireless towers. Nokia says that ...

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IBM to enhance private cloud business in Taiwan in 2018

IBM will step up promoting its Cloud Private software platform in Taiwan in 2018 to help enterprise customers in the country better access microservice architectures to create new business values, according to Mars Hsu, president of cloud computing business at IBM Taiwan.

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MCU firm Nuvoton sees profits climb to 7-year high

Taiwan-based Nuvoton Technology, a logic IC subsidiary of Winbond Electronics specializing in MCU and PC peripherals, saw its net profits for 2017 climb to a seven-year high of NT$688 million (US$23.6 million).

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Globalfoundries 45nm RF SOI offering ready for volume production

Globalfoundries' 45nm RF SOI (45RFSOI) technology platform has been qualified and is ready for volume production, according to the pure-play foundry. Several customers are currently engaged for the process designed for 5G millimeter-wave (mmWave) front-end module (FEM) applications, including smartphones and next-generation mmWave beamforming systems in future base stations.

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Japan passive component suppliers likely to raise quotes

Japan-based passive component suppliers including Murata and Taiyo Yuden are likely to raise their quotes for their MLCCs, chip resistors, and electrolytic and solid capacitors due to the persistent tight supply of such products, according to sources from Taiwan's upstream component industry.

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Asia Optical develops G+P zoom lenses for smartphones

Asia Optical is likely to start shipping to China-based smartphone vendors in third-quarter 2018 its newly developed 5x optical zoom lenses made of aspherical molded glass and plastic pieces (G+P), according to company chairman Robert Lai..

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MediaTek likely to land Wi-Fi ASIC orders for HomePad, says paper

MediaTek is expected to land Wi-Fi ASIC orders for the next-generation HomePad devices to be launched by Apple in 2019, according to a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report.

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TSMC to recoup 5nm fab investment when revenues reach NT$1.5 trillion

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) estimates its revenues will expand at a 5-10% CAGR in the next five years, and will be able to secure a return of the NT$500 billion (US$17.15 billion) investment in the 5nm fab after its annual revenues reach NT$1.5 trillion, compared to NT$977.45 billion for 2017.

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Qualcomm to pay Taiwan antitrust fines in installments

Taiwan's Fair Trade Commission (FTC) has approved Qualcomm's application to pay a NT$23.4 billion (US$803.09 million) antitrust fine in 60 installments in five years.

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Soft-World strikes stock swap deal with Chander

Online game developer Soft-World International has announced it will exchange its 89.19% stake in third-party mobile e-payment operator Pay2Go Technologies and 100% stake in third-party electronic financial service operator SmarPath Digital Tech for 59.45% stake in Neweb Technologies.

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Young Optics to begin shipping smart shelf displays

Optical component and module maker Young Optics has disclosed it will begin shipments of smart shelf displays for retail stores to Japan and Australia in first-quarter 2018, with the products' revenue proportion to reach 5-10% in 2018.

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Lite-On Semi ramping up GPP bridge rectifier shipments

Lite-On Semiconductor, a maker of discrete and analog IC components, is expected to see multifold increases in its shipments of glass passivated package (GPP) bridge rectifiers for smartphone-use wireless charging devices in 2018, buoyed by orders from a US-based client, according to industry sources.

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IoT edges to drive demand for advanced data storage solutions, says Seagate executive

Driven by the development of IoT (Internet of Things), cloud, big data and machine learning technologies and applications, aggregate global data volume is estimated to expand exponentially to 163ZB by 2025, which will require storage support of at least 16 billion hard disc drives (HDDs) with a unit capacity of 12TB, according to Banseng Teh, senior vice president of global sales and sales operations at US-based data storage solutions provider Seagate Technology.

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Gaming to surpass notebook in production value in 2020, says TH Tung

Taipei Computer Association (TCA) chairman TH Tung has pointed out that the production value of the gaming industry will have a good chance of reaching US$143.5 billion by 2020, an amount far higher than that generated by the notebook industry.

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Samsung, Apple remain top semiconductor customers

Samsung Electronics and Apple remained the top two semiconductor chip buyers in 2017, representing 19.5% of the total worldwide market, according to Gartner. Samsung and Apple together consumed US$81.8 billion of semiconductors in 2017, an increase of more than US$20 billion from 2016.

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Mobile DRAM prices to rise 3% in 1Q18, says DRAMeXchange

Mobile DRAM contract prices will rise a mere 3% sequentially in the first quarter of 2018, according to DRAMeXchange. Despite the recent launch of new full-screen smartphones, consumers have been less willing to make purchases resulting in lower-than-expected mobile phone sales.

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SPIL posts EPS of NT$2.21 for 2017

IC packaging specialist Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) saw its net profits fall 30.5% on year to NT$6.9 billion (US$237 million) in 2017. EPS for the year came to NT$2.21 compared with NT$3.19 in 2016.

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EEVblog #1053 – The Biggest 80’s Computer FAIL – IBM PC Jr

Dave looks at the biggest flop in 1980’s personal computers, the IBM PC Jr.
Teardown and extensive walk-through of the main motherboard.

Part 2 HERE

Service Manual HERE

Forum HERE

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Southampton breaks memristor record with 7bits/cell

Scientists at the University of Southampton have enhanced memristors, the non-volatile storage technology, achieving 128 discernible memory states per switch, almost four times more than previously reported, according to the University. Reported in Nature Scientific Reports as ‘Multibit memory operation of metal-oxide bi-layer memristors‘, the researchers reached 128 levels by evaluating several configurations of functional oxide ...

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Microsemi looking for a buyer

Microsemi, which has pursued a series of acquisitions recently, is now looking to be acquired. Reuters reports that Microsemi has received a takeover approach and has hired Quatalyst Partners, an investment bank, for advice on what to do. The company has a market cap of about $7 billion.    

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Astute Electronics to distribute Plessey LEDs

Astute Electronics has been appointed an authorised distributor for Plessey Semiconductors across the UK and Ireland, Australia and China. The deal brings Plessey’s range of  GaN-on-Silicon LED lighting and sensing products into Astute’s  portfolio of elite manufacturers, all of whom have shown long-term commitment to the Hi-Rel sector. Mick Martin, Semiconductor Divisional Manager for Astute, ...

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Apple developing 4 next-generation iPhone projects, says Digitimes Research

Apple has been developing four next-generation iPhone projects: a 5.7- to 5.8-inch LCD device; a 6.0- to 6.1-inch LCD device; a 6.0- to 6.1-inch OLED device; and a 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED device, according to Digitimes Research senior analyst Luke Lin. But the vendor is likely to eventually launch the two LCD phones and the 6.4- to 6.5-inch OLED one.

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AcBel expects new products to boost 2018 revenues

Despite a nearly 10% on-year drop in 2017 consolidated revenues, Taiwan-based power supply maker AcBel Polytech still expects its 2018 revenues to benefit from volume production of new products and orders from new clients.

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Andes Technology sees CPUs immune to security bugs

Taiwan-based processor IP provider Andes Technology has stressed that following a thorough review, none of its CPU products are affected by either Meltdown or Spectre bugs, according to a statement issued by the firm in response to recent reports concerning Intel CPU security flaws.

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Taipei Game Show 2018 opens

Taipei Game Show 2018 is taking place during January 25-29, featuring 279 developers, publishers, advertising platforms, providers of third-party electronic payment services and digital marketing media from 27 countries and areas, according to the organizer Taipei Computer Association.

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Qualcomm signs purchase MoU with 4 China smartphone vendors

Qualcomm has signed memoranda of understanding (MoU) with four China-based smartphone vendors: Lenovo, Oppo, Vivo and Xiaomi for the purchase of Qualcomm's RF front-end (RFFE) components with a value of no less than US$2 billion in total over three years, according to a company announcement.

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China-based HKC to invest in 11G LCD line

HKC is planning to invest CNY40 billion (US$6.36 billion) to build an 11G LCD panel production line in Henan, China, according to industry sources. The China-based HKC's move comes on the heels of fellow maker BOE Technology's announcement of its project to construct the world's first 10.5G LCD line.

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New Kinpo Group expanding capacities

With the worldwide economy expected to be strong in 2018, the New Kinpo Group is planning to establish three new plants in the Philippines over the next two years, raising the group's overall number of plants there to seven, while the number of the group's light-out factories will also increase to four in 2018, up from two currently, according to group chairman Rock Hsu.

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Taiwan eases rules on hiring foreign professionals

Taiwan has eased rules to facilitate introduction of foreign professionals and R&D talent needed to support tech innovations and applications in the fields of semiconductor, AI (artificial intelligence), big data, smart production, and smart medicine, according to its National Development Council (NDC).

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Elan gearing up for AI

Fabless IC firm Elan Microelectronics has been involved in the development of artificial intelligence (AI) chips with plans to assign a team of over 100 engineers to enhance further its offering over the next three years, according to the Taiwan-based company.

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HTC ships standalone Vive Focus in China

HTC has begun shipping its Vive Focus VR devices to consumers in China, expecting the availability of the standalone VR products to boost its sales performance for the first quarter of 2018, according to company sources.

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Taiwan IC designers expected to post substantial revenue growth in January

Taiwan-based IC design houses are expected to post substantial sequential growth in January revenues thanks to a pull-in of orders from China, according to industry sources.

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TSMC breaks ground on 5nm fab in Taiwan

TSMC today (January 26) held a groundbreaking ceremony for its Fab 18, Phase 1 facility at the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP). The plant will be TSMC's fourth 12-inch gigafab in Taiwan and is scheduled for production of the foundry's advanced 5nm process.

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Skepticism arises over production in US to avoid PV tariffs

For China-based PV module makers, establishing factories in the US may not be the best move to avoid safeguard tariffs on imported PV products, condisering the lower production costs in Vietnam or other Southeast Asian countries, according to Li Gang, president of Jiangsu Seraphim Solar System.

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Acer, Compal eye business from elderly

Taiwan-based IT firms including Acer and Compal Electronics have been keen on planning products and services for Taiwan's elderly consumer groups.

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MLS revenues up 48.5% in 2017

The largest China-based LED packaging service provider MLS has reported consolidated revenues of CNY8.2 billion (US$1.21 billion) for 2017, increasing 48.54% on year. Its net operating profit reached CNY663.669 million, up 14.66%, and net profit totaled CNY651.352 million, up 37.57%.

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China PV exports over US$13 billion in 2017, says CPIA

China's exports of solar wafers, cells and PV modules totaled US$13.11 billion in 2017, with India being the largest market accounting for 24.1%, Japan for 14.8%, and South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, the US, Australia, Mexico, Thailand and Brazil each for 3-7%, according to China Photovoltaic Industry Association (CPIA).

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Toppan installs advanced photomask equipment at Shanghai plant

Toppan Photomasks has announced that additional investment will be made in new, leading-edge equipment for mass production of advanced photomasks at Toppan Photomasks Company Shanghai (TPCS). TPCS is a subsidiary of Toppan Photomasks manufacturing photomasks for semiconductors.

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LED overcapacity likely in 2018

China-based LED epitaxial wafer and chip makers began massive expansion projects in 2017 and most of their new production capacities will come online in 2018, likely resulting in global overcapacity and price drops, according to industry sources.

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Toray to expand MLCC materials production capacity, says report

Japan-based Toray will invest a total of JPY1.1 billion (US$10 million) in building additional production capacity of release films for MLCC materials, according to a Taiwan-based Central News Agency (CNA) report.

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Shih dismisses speculation over Acer succession

Acer founder Stan Shih has dismissed media reports claiming he is planning to have his son, Maverick, currently president for the BYOC business unit, take the helm of the entire company.

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North American semi equipment industry posts strong December billings

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted US$2.39 billion in billings worldwide in December 2017 (three-month average basis), according to SEMI. The billings figure is 16.3% higher than the revised November 2017 level of US$2.05 billion and 27.7% above the December 2016 billings level of US$1.87 billion.

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Semiconductor shipments to exceed 1 trillion devices in 2018, says IC Insights

Annual semiconductor unit shipments (integrated circuits and opto-sensor-discretes, or O-S-D, devices) are expected to grow 9% in 2018 and top one trillion units for the first time, according to IC Insights.

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SK Hynix enjoys another quarter of record revenues, profits

Memory chipmaker SK Hynix saw its revenues, operating profits and net profits reach record-high levels for the fourth consecutive quarter in the fourth quarter of 2017.

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RISC-V processor trace IP available

The open-source RISC-V processor architecture is getting a trace function through an IP (intellectual property) block from Cambridge-based UltraSoC. It supports both 32 and 64-bit RISC-V designs, and is intended to integrate with the firms other RISC-V offerings. “The addition of trace capabilities means that UltraSoC provides the most comprehensive RISC-V commercial debug solution,” claimed ...

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Alps signs European passives and e-mech deal with TTI

Alps Electric Europe has entered into a pan-European distribution agreement with TTI. Alps Electric has had a sales presence in Europe with a Germany-based subsidiary since 1979. It will use the specialist distributor of passives, electromechanical and discrete components to support and expand its European sales. Alps co-ordinates sales and product engineering from its European ...

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Bozotti tenure at ST ends on high note with revenues up 19.7%

ST ended Carlo Bozotti’s final year as CEO on a high note, with Q4 net revenues of $2.47 billion, up 15.5% sequentially, gross margin of 40.6%, operating income of $408 million, operating margin of 16.5%, 2017 full-year net revenues up 19.7% y-o-y at $8.35 billion, 2017 net income of $802 million and free cash flow ...

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Internet casts its net further to meet 2020 goals

The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 9.c is to increase access to ICT (information and communication technologies) and a report released by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) is encouraging. It states that least developed countries (LDCs) are on track to achieve the goal of universal and affordable Internet access by 2020. The report, ICTs, LDCs ...

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Neural network SDK for PowerVR GPUs

Imagination Technologies has announced a software design kit (SDK) for developing neural networks on its PowerVR graphics processors (GPUs). It is aimed at convolutional neural networks, and both an API and SDK are included, as well as an image for flashing on to an Acer Chromebook R13 for hardware development. Future versions of the API ...

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Harting UK’s Peter Hannon backs EW BrightSparks 2018

We’re very happy to announce that Peter Hannon, Harting UK's MD, will be on the EW BrightSparks 2018 selection panel.

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MEMS measures electric fields

Austrian engineers have developed an electric field magnitude sensor that delivers quantitative results down to 200V/m. “The equipment currently used to measure electric field strength has some significant downsides,” claimed Andreas Kainz from the Technical University if Vienna (TU Wien). “These devices contain parts that become electrically charged. Conductive metallic components can significantly alter the ...

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Graphene balls climb the ladder to battery success

Continuing the industry’s love affair with lithium for batteries, researchers have found a way to avoid dendrites which grow on as the battery charges and discharges and which can degrade performance. Building on work began by Jiaxing Huang, professor of materials science and engineering at Northwestern University’s McCormick School of Engineering, Jiayan Luo, professor of ...

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Look, no holograms: but still a moving image floats in space

US researchers are creating images in free space without using holograms. Instead, the team from Brigham Young University have created something like a 3D printer for the air. It uses a laser to trap a tiny particle of cellulose using spherical and astigmatic optical aberrations – a photophoretic particle trap – and then the same ...

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Jean-Marc Chery to be CEO of ST .

Jean-Marc Chery (pictured)  is to take over from Carlo Bozotti as CEO of ST. Carlo Bozotti, the current CEO, and Carlo Ferro, CFO, are to step down after ST’s AGM in June. A new Executive Committee has been formed which also becomes effective after the AGM. As well as Chery, it consists of: – Orio ...

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MSI donates e-sports hardware to ESL One Genting 2018

Micro-Star International (MSI) has cooperated with Electronic Sports League (ESL) by sponsoring gaming hardware for use in ESL One Genting 2018 e-sport event in Malaysia during January 26-28, in a bid to enhance presence in the Southeast Asia e-sports market.

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Smaller foundry houses upbeat about MOSFET-driven revenues in 2018

Second-tier wafer foundry houses including Episil Technologies, Mosel Vitelic and Hejian Technology are all optimistic about their revenue prospects for 2018 as they have enjoyed stable orders for fabricating MOSFETs, with insufficient supply of epi wafers likely to be the only variable to their performances, according to industry sources.

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Compal expects PC revenue proportion to drop to 65% in 2018

Compal Electronics saw the revenue proportion for PC products slip from over 70% in the past to 68% in 2017 and expects the percentage to further drop to 65% in 2018, as shipments will increase for smart wearables, as well as for medical care and biotechnological segments, according to company chairman Rock Hsu.

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Wafer test specialist CHPT taps into Samsung chipset supply chain

Taiwan-based IC test equipment provider Chuangwa Precision Test Tech (CHPT) has tapped into the supply chain of Samsung Electronics, as it has recently received orders for wafer probe cards needed to support the Korean tech giant's production of Exynos series chipsets for midrange and low-end smartphones, according to supply chain sources.

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BlackBerry turns into B2B IoT solutions provider, says executive

After experiencing 3-5 years of business adjustments, Canada-based BlackBerry has successfully transformed from a mobile devices supplier into a provider of B2B IoT (Internet of Things) management solutions, focusing on helping enterprises establish IoT operations through its BlackBerry Secure platform as well as software solutions for enterprise information security and enterprise mobility management (EMM), according to Mike Ding, the firm's senior sales manager for North Asia.

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UMC reports mild decrease in 4Q17 sales

United Microelectronics Corporation (UMC) has reported that its fourth-quarter 2017 consolidated revenues came to NT$36.63 billion (US$1.26 billion), down 2.8% from NT$37.7 billion in the previous quarter and down 4.4% from NT$38.31 billion in the same three-month period of 2016.

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URE to set up PV module plant in US

United Renewable Energy (URE), a vertically-integrated PV maker to be established through combining three Taiwan-based solar cell makers Neo Solar Power (NSP), Gintech Energy and Solartech Energy, will invest NT$300-500 million (US$10.2-16.9 million) to construct a PV module plant with annual production capacity of 500-1,000MWp in the US, according to NSP chairman Sam Hong, who will become URE chairman.

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Sanan tops China LED makers in 2017 government subsidies

LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Sanan Optoelectronics obtained about CNY400 million (US$59.2 million) in government subsidies for equipment purchases in 2017, the highest amount among all China LED firms, according to research firm GGII.

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Taiwan manufacturers use sensor solutions to enhance competitiveness

Mainly exported to American and European markets, Cosen's products are representative of the Made in Taiwan vision. Cosen specializes in the production of band saws, which may be unheard of to many people but are fundamental to manufacturing.

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AppWorks Ventures incubates 323 startups

Taiwan-based AppWorks Ventures has said it has incubated 323 startups with 780 founders and 5,696 employees since its establishment in 2010.

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Calin relying on automotive lenses for growth

Optical lens maker Calin Technology has revealed it has shifted its focus from digital camera applications to automotive ones for business growth.

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Worldwide spending on robotics and drones to reach US$103 billion in 2018, says IDC

IDC forecasts worldwide spending on robotics and drones solutions will total US$103.1 billion in 2018, an increase of 22.1% over 2017. By 2021, IDC expects this spending will more than double to US$218.4 billion with a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 25.4%.

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ASE Industrial Holding likely to list on TWSE in April, says report

Shares of Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) will be suspended for trading on the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TWSE) on April 17 to pave the way for the listing of ASE Industrial Holding, a new entity which will result from the planned merger between Advanced Semiconductor Engineering (ASE) and SPIL, on April 30, according to a Taipei-based Central News Agency (CNA) report.

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InFocus launches M7s smartphone in Taiwan

InFocus, a handset brand under the Foxconn Group, has launched its M7s smartphone in the Taiwan market, targeting the entry-level segment with a price tag of NT$4,290 (US$147).

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Taiwan smartphone sales dip lower in December

Smartphone sales in the Taiwan market slid 5.5% sequentially to 614,000 units in December 2017, as sales momentum of Apple's iPhone X and iPhone 8 devices began to slow down, according to data compiled by local retail channels.

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UN Broadband Commission sets the date for an online world

  At the World Economics Forum, in Davos, Switzerland, the UN Broadband Commission set global broadband targets to bring the 3.8 billion people in the world that are not connected to the internet, online. The United Nations’ Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development has set seven targets to connect the world’s population without internet access by ...

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Inseto acquires IDB Technologies to expand semiconductor offering

Equipment and materials distributor, Inseto, has bought IDB Technologies, a specialist supplier of semiconductor wafers and substrates. Inseto supplies the microelectronic and manufacturing sector, and this acquisition adds to its offering to the semiconductor sector. The two companies worked closely together and share many customers. Matt Brown, director, Inseto, explained the synergy between the two ...

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GPU core prepares for multiple display support for driverless cars

Imagination Technologies has released a GPU core that supports multiple, high resolution displays for automotive displays. As driverless cars evolve, there is expected to be a requirement for advanced infotainment in the vehicle, such as 5G-based 4K video streaming, to keep passengers occupied. The PowerVR Series8XT GT8540 four-cluster IP is designed for display in clusters, ...

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UK gets tough on data protection laws.

Digital and Culture Secretary Matt Hancock has told businesses to prepare for stronger data protection laws. Speaking from Davos, where he has been reaffirming the UK’s commitment to AI, Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Matt Hancock said the government was strengthening the UK’s data protection laws to give people more control ...

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Rohde & Schwarz power circuit probe has 4GHz bandwidth

Rohde & Schwarz’s latest oscilloscope probe is a power rail probe with 4GHz bandwidth. For measuring power supply quality, it can uncover coupled signals in 2.4 GHz ISM, 3 GHz LTE and higher RF bands. Power supply quality can affect the performance of sensitive electronic circuits. Embedded designs with incorporated RF modules face the additional ...

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Qualcomm fined $1.2bn

The EU has fined Qualcomm $1.2 billion which comes hard on the heels of the Taiwan FTC fine of $782 million. Qualcomm “paid billions of dollars to a key customer, Apple, so that it would not buy from rivals. This meant that no rival could effectively challenge Qualcomm in this market, no matter how good ...

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Cool runnings: Heat dissipation in a crypto-currency miner

Neil Birtles describes why and how he built an oil-cooled custom designed miner for the crypto-currency Verium. Most people have heard of bitcoin now, it’s been in the news a lot – shooting up in value from £430 in September 2016 to around £3,600 in September 2017, while by December it hit £14,800 before dropping ...

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Digi International acquires Accelerated Concepts

The connectivity and services for the IoT portfolio from Digi is enlarged with the acquisition of Accelerated Concepts, a company specializing in LTE networking equipment. Since 2006, Accelerated Concepts has produced LTE routers and network appliances for primary failover and out-of-band management. Its AcceleratedView management software is a portal to provide, manage and upgrade devices ...

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A vision of the future of the tech industry

Forward-thinkers at Imagination Technologies have predicted five developments that are likely to define the next year. AI will continue its rapid growth AI has not followed the hype curve in the traditional sense. It was hyped and then went straight into reality, without entering the “trough of disillusionment”. This is rare and has fuelled a ...

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Seasonality and increased commercial investment keep EMEA PC market positive, says IDC

The Europe, Middle East, and Africa (EMEA) traditional PC market (desktops, notebooks, and workstations) recorded slight growth in the fourth quarter of 2017, with the market's shipments growing 1.2% on year to total 20.9 million units, according to IDC. The commercial space grew 3.9% due to enterprise renewals and a strategic focus on mobility and security, while holiday season promotions and gaming increased volume in the consumer segment.

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Dedicated smartphone chipmakers turning conservative in marketing in 2018

Third-party smartphone application processor providers including Qualcomm, MediaTek and Spreadtrum Communications are expected to adopt a more conservative approach to promoting their solutions in 2018 due to increasing competition from in-house solution developers such as Apple, Samsung Electronics and Huawei, according to industry sources.

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Monitoring equipment setup is complicated process

With advancing Industry 4.0 developments, large-scale enterprises generally have no problem putting equipment monitoring in place, which can be handled simply by their own automation departments. However, to small-scale manufacturers not as resourceful, implementing equipment monitoring can be challenging.

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US imposes safeguard tariffs on imported PV products

US President Trump has approved recommended safeguard tariffs to be imposed on imported solar cells and PV modules as relief to the country's makers.

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Taiwan December manufacturing production index up

Taiwan recorded manufacturing production index (2011 as base year) of 114.94 for December 2017, increasing 0.03% sequentially and 0.93% on year, according to the Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA).

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STSP forms smart manufacturing alliance

The Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP) administration has formed a smart manufacturing alliance to boost Industry 4.0 by combining hardware/software capability in IoT (Internet of Things), smart sensing, cloud computing, big data and production management.

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Sugar Phone launches S11 in Taiwan

French smartphone vendor Sugar Phone has launched its latest S11 smartphone in Taiwan. The S11 features a 6-inch all-screen Full HD+ display and dual-lens rear and front camera and will be available starting February 1 at NT$8,990 (US$307) unlocked.

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Arbor obtains orders for car-use IoT solutions

Taiwan-based Arbor Technology has disclosed its car-use Internet of Things (IoT) solutions have been adopted by an autonomous driving technology developer, who will receive a supply of 2,500 units of the IPC maker's embedded system in 2018 for its autonomous driving radar and car fleet management system.

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Samsung to sell Exynos processors to other smartphone vendors

Samsung Electronics plans to begin selling its in-house developed Exynos mobile processors to other smartphone vendors in order to expand the scale of its smartphone chip platform, according to industry sources.

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Gigabyte sees weak motherboard orders in 1Q18

Motherboard orders received by Gigabyte Technology so far in the first quarter of 2018 are much lower than those received during the same period of a year earlier, an apparent result of the departure of some of its top managers.

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Qualcomm to see smartphone AP shipments decline in 2018

Qualcomm's smartphone application processor (AP) shipments are expected to decline slightly in 2018, as top-tier smartphone vendors' in-house-developed APs - which cater to their own flaghsip and high-end devices - will account for over 30% of the global AP shipments, Digitimes Research estimates.

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Commercialized foldable panels likely to come in 2018, says Digitimes Research

Year 2018 could become the beginning of the commercial application of foldable panels as Samsung Display has unofficially unveiled its 7.3-inch foldable (in-folding type) OLED panels at the recently concluded CES 2018, and LG Display is also expected to roll out comparable devices, according to Digitimes Research.

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Singularity University urged to set up campus in Taiwan

Some Singularity University (SU) graduates from Taiwan are seeking to have the Silicon Valley-based think tank set up a branch campus in their country.

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Global Unichip reports strong earnings for 2017

Taiwan-based IC design service company Global Unichip (GUC) has announced net profits of NT$854 million (US$29.16 million) for 2017, increasing 54.9% from a year earlier. The earnings translated into an EPS of NT$6.38 compared to NT$4.11 of a year earlier.

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Templeton stands down as TI CEO.

TI is changing CEO for the first time in 13 years as Rich Templeton (pictured) hands over to COO Brian Crutcher. Templeton made the crucial decision to pull TI out of digital markets and focus on analogue, to whch end he bought National Semiconductor. In 2010, in the depths of a chip recession, Templeton bought ...

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Keele University steps up sustainable energy research

The campus at Keele University will become Europe’s first facility for an at-scale, living research laboratory to research, develop and demonstrate smart energy technologies and services. The integrated electricity, gas and heat Smart Energy Network Demonstrator (SEND) will be in partnership with Siemens and will include the digitalisation of 24 substations, the installation over 1,500 ...

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Littelfuse continues its acquisition trail with IXYS acquisition

Littelfuse has completed its acquisition of IXYS, bringing SiC expertise to the company. The deal, said to be valued at $750 million is the most recent, and largest made by the company, which acquired the TE Connectivity’s circuit protection business in 2015, for $350 million. “As the largest acquisition in our 90-year history, this is ...

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Smart cities’ sprawl boosts IoT technology revenues to $60 billion by 2026

Research by ABI Research predicts the spread of smart city technology will more than double from $25 billion in 2017 to $62 billion in 2026 and at an average growth rate of 11%. ABI Research identifies 12 key smart city technologies and verticals, led by smart meters and video surveillance and EV charging stations, micro-grids, ...

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TSMC to break ground on 5nm fab this week

TSMC is expected to break ground this week for the construction of its $15.7 billion 5nm fab in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP), reports Digitimes. TSMC plans to run trial 5nm silicon in Q1 2019 and start volume production in 2020. In 2020, TSMC intends to break ground on a $25 billion 3nm fab, ...

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Qualcomm asks to pay fine in instalments

Qualcomm has filed an application with Taiwan’s Fair Trade Commission (FTC) to pay its $782 million fine in instalments. The Taiwan FTC  imposed the fine on Qualcomm in October  for anti-trust violations aimed at preventing competition in the smartphone market. In what is seen as a quid pro quo for the fine, Qualcomm has broken off ...

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Laptop charger slims down and aims to be foldable

 Israeli startup, Kado and South Korea’s Dongyang have teamed up to develop the world’s thinnest laptop charger. Kado is contributing its thin charging technology and collaborating with Dongyang to complete the development of laptop chargers, which will also become the world’s first foldable charger for laptops, says Kado. The joint work will take place at ...

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SDK expanding SiC wafer production

SDK is to expand its SiC epitaxial wafer capacity in two steps from 3k wpm now to 5k wpm in April and to 7k wpm in September. In addition to the traditional use as power sources, SiC-based power devices are now replacing conventional silicon-based power devices for on-board use such as inverter modules for railcars, ...

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Intel failing to deal with chip flaws

Intel is failing to cope with the Spectre and Meltdown faults in its processors, says IDC. Intel is “still trying to get a handle on what’s really happening. They haven’t resolved the matter,” says IDC analyst Mario Morales. Yesterday Intel advised customers to stop installing patches which it had produced to resolve the vulnerabilities. According ...

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LG Display profit slumps in 4Q17

LG Display has reported its net profit for fourth-quarter 2017 reached KRW44 billion (US$40.92 million), slumping 91% sequentially and 95% on year due to continued declines in panel prices and growing investment in the OLED business expansion.

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Acer eyeing e-sport hardware market in Indonesia

Acer will launch promotional campaigns to boost gaming PC sales in Indoneisa, the host country of the Asian Games 2018 whose e-sport demonstration event is expected to prompt more local consumers to take part in e-sport actitivies, acording to Herbet Ang, president of Acer Indonesia.

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TSMC to break ground for 5nm fab this week

Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is expected to break ground this week for the construction of its new 5nm fab in the Southern Taiwan Science Park (STSP), where its 3nm fab is also slated to see construction start in 2020. With the clear technological development and operational blueprints for the next few years, the foundry house seeks to further consolidate its leading market share, according to industry sources.

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Diode maker HY Electronic to ramp up shipments to appliance market

Power discrete component supplier HY Electronic has seen its order visibility extend to the second quarter of 2018 as the company is stepping up efforts to enhance its presence in the household electric appliance market, according to industry sources.

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Equipment monitoring avoids problems of traditional time-based maintenance

In the past, manufacturers generally relied on their experienced technicians to manually check the health of all their equipment during routine maintenance. However, such a practice faces problems.

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The imec view on: self-learning chips, security and biosensors

The scond of a series of Imec’s views on key aspects of IC technology looks at self learning chips, security and biosensors. Here is the paper: “Our research into transistor failure mechanisms has led to self-learning chips, new data security technologies and new biosensors” says Guido Groeseneken (pictured) imec fellow & expert in the reliability of ...

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LTC adds DAC to Power by Linear series

The  LTC7106 is a PMBus I2C controlled precision bidirectional current DAC designed to adjust the output voltage of virtually any DC/DC regulator. Through its PMBus compatible interface, the LTC7106 receives a 7-bit serial code and converts it to a bidirectional (source, sink) output current. When the current is fed into the feedback network of a ...

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Higher-end MOSFET chip prices may stay put in 1Q18

With the global PC market entering the traditional slow season and demand from China's automotive electronics market turning weak, medium- to high-power MOSFET chips have seen shipment delivery lead time shortened and tight supply eased, making price hikes unlikely in the first quarter of 2018, compared to a possible small increase in quotes for small-power and entry-level MOSFET chips, according to industry sources.

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Bridgetek PanL comes to Europe

Bridgetek is to bring the latest innovations regarding its PanL smart automation platform to European audiences, when the company exhibits at Integrated Systems Europe (ISE), in Amsterdam. It will  show attendees the breadth of possibilities that this technology has, and provide system integrators with  examples of how to apply it to their next generation home/building ...

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Isabella Mascarenhas confirms IET support for EW BrightSparks

We are delighted to announce that the IET’s Isabella Mascarenhas has reconfirmed her place on the EW BrightSparks 2018 selection panel. EW BrightSparks is a programme, run in partnership with RS Components, to highlight talented young electronic engineers in the UK. Isabella, you may remember was a mainstay of the panel for the 2017 EW ...

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Taiwan telecom operators begin offering IoT applications

Taiwan-based telecom operators including Chunghwa Telecom (CHT), Taiwan Mobile and Far EasTone Telecommunications (FET) have begun promoting related IoT applications as they are preparing to kick off commercial 5G operations in 2020, according to industry sources.

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More notebook chassis to adopt composite materials in 2018

Global notebook vendors will be keen to are expected use composite materials such as carbon fiber and fiberglass to make the chassis for their 2018 devices, seeking to better address demand for slim notebooks and environmental concerns in the China market, according to the industry sources.

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Equipment monitoring enables precise prediction of failure

The manufacturing industry has always been fundamental to Taiwan's economic prosperity. However, the Made in China 2025 initiative and manufacturers being urged to return to the US have begun to worry the Taiwan manufacturing industry, which could be replaced by its counterparts in China and South Asia in five years if it fails to upgrade. Industry 4.0 smart manufacturing promises to enhance their core competitiveness.

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Mozilla cuts employees in Taiwan

Mozilla has recently cut the number of staff in the Taiwan office as the web browser developer is shifting its focus to meet the unique needs of consumers in emerging markets across Asia, according to a company statement.

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Taiwan 4Q17 international Internet bandwidth at 2.147Tbps

Taiwan's direct Internet connection with 12 countries (including Hong Kong and Macau) reached bandwidth of 2.147Tbps in fourth-quarter 2017, decreasing 4.02% sequentially but increasing 3.91% on year, according to government-sponsored Taiwan Network Information Center (TWNIC).

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Taiwan foreign direct investment reaches US$7.5 billion in 2017, says MOEA

Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) has disclosed it approved 3,415 foreign direct investment projects (except from China) totaling US$7.513 billion in 2017, respectively increasing 0.03% and decreasing 31.93% on year.

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Taiwan IT players have big opportunites in AI, IoT era, says Pegatron chairman

Despite not performing well in the era of smart mobile devices, there is no reason for Taiwan's information technology (IT) players to feel pessimistic about their future prospects, as huge opportunites from the emerging AI (artificial intelligence), smart city and IoT (Internet of Things) applications are awaiting them, TH Tung, chairman of Taiwan electronics maker Pegatron and the Taipei Computer Association (TCA), told Digitimes in a recent interview.

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LCD TV panels to see oversupply in 1Q18

The supply of LCD TV panels is expected to be slightly higher than demand in the first quarter of 2018, with prices of some size segments likely to hit bottom, according to China-based Sigmaintell.

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Equipment supplier Nova to see revenues hit new high in 2018

Semiconductor and LCD equipment supplier Nova Technology is expected to see its revenues hit a new high in 2018 as it will continue to deepen its cooperation with LCD panel makers and wafer foundry houses in China, according to industry sources.

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Didi Chuxing starts trial operation in Taiwan

China-based Didi Chuxing's agent Ledi Technology has begun trial operation of taxi-matching services in Taiwan via its ride-hailing mobile app through cooperation with local taxi service operator CK Taxi, according to Ledi.

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Acer ITS likely to win bus e-payment project in Myanmar

Acer's subsidiary Acer ITS has cooperated with Excel KC Myanmar to compete for a Yangon city government project to procure a smart e-payment system for a public transportation system of nearly 5,000 buses, according to the Taiwan-based vendor.

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VPEC, Epistar to produce 6-inch VCSEL wafers

Microelectronics and optoelectronics epitaxial wafer maker Visual Photonics Epitaxy (VPEC) and LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar are ready to start production of 6-inch VCSEL (vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser) epitaxial wafers in the second and third quarter, respectively, according to industry sources.

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EEVblog #1052 – BEWARE Crap Banana Plugs!

Trap for young players, beware of crap quality banana plugs!
Dave discovered his gold plated rotating spring leaf lantern style contact banana plugs are craptacular!

Forum HERE

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