Immersion Corporation (Nasdaq: IMMR), the leading developer and licensor of touch feedback technology, today announced the appointment of Aaron Akerman as the company’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO). He will begin his employment on January 13, 2020. Akerman joins Immersion from Hypertec Group, where he was its CFO. He brings over 15 years of leadership experience in corporate finance, accounting, treasury, financial and strategic planning, and operations. Aaron will join Immersion’s executive team and manage the company’s finance organization.
New Heat Model May Help Electronic Devices Last Longer
A University of Illinois-based team of engineers has found that the model currently used to predict heat loss in a common semiconductor material does not apply in all situations. By testing the thermal properties of gallium nitride semiconductors fabricated using four popular methods, the team discovered that some techniques produce materials that perform better than others. This new understanding can help chip manufacturers find ways to better diffuse the heat that leads to device damage and decreased device lifespans.
Mobiveil’s PCI Express 4.0 Endpoint Controller Passes PCI-SIG Gold and Interoperability Testing
Mobiveil, Inc., a fast-growing supplier of silicon intellectual property (SIP), platforms and IP-enabled design services, today announced that its GPEX™ PCI Express® (PCIe®) 4.0 Endpoint Controller passed PCI-SIG® Gold and Interoperability testing. To achieve compliance, the Mobiveil GPEX IP passed protocol, electrical and interoperability testing for the PCIe 4.0 specification that reaches 16 gigatransfers per second (GT/s). Its highly flexible and configurable IP design targets endpoint or root complex type devices, as well as switches and bridge implementations. The controller IP architecture is tailored to optimize link utilization, latency, reliability, power consumption and reduce the silicon footprint.
SIA Welcomes ‘Phase One’ U.S.-China Trade Deal
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, released the following statement from SIA president & CEO John Neuffer regarding the “phase one” U.S.-China trade deal announced today.
David J. Kenyon appointed CEO and Patrick Sullivan to CTO for Elevate Semiconductor
Elevate Semiconductor, announced that its Board of Directors has appointed David J. Kenyon as Chief Executive Officer and member of the Board of Directors. Kenyon previously held the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing for Elevate. The board of directors also appointed Patrick Sullivan to CTO. Patrick previously held the post of CEO.
Intel Acquires Artificial Intelligence Chipmaker Habana Labs
Intel Corporation today announced that it has acquired Habana Labs, an Israel-based developer of programmable deep learning accelerators for the data center for approximately $2 billion. The combination strengthens Intel’s artificial intelligence (AI) portfolio and accelerates its efforts in the nascent, fast-growing AI silicon market, which Intel expects to be greater than $25 billion by 2024. Intel’s AI strategy is grounded in the belief that harnessing the power of AI to improve business outcomes requires a broad mix of technology – hardware and software – and full ecosystem support. Today, Intel AI solutions are helping customers turn data into business value and driving meaningful revenue for the company.
City College Leads New Photonics Breakthrough
A new approach to trapping light in artificial photonic materials by a City College of New York-led team could lead to a tremendous boost in the transfer speed of data online. Research into topological photonic metamaterials headed by City College physicist Alexander B. Khanikaev reveals that long-range interactions in the metamaterial changes the common behavior of light waves forcing them to localize in space. Further, the study shows that by controlling the degree of such interactions one can switch between trapped and extended (propagating) character of optical waves.
Global Fab Equipment Spending Rebounds in Second Half of 2019 with Stronger 2020 Projected
Projected 2019 global fab equipment spending has been revised upward to US$56.6 billion on the strength of surging memory investments in the latter part of the year after a weak first half, SEMI reported today in its World Fab Forecast. SEMI data now point to just a 7 percent decline in fab equipment investments from 2018 to 2019, a marked improvement on the previously forecast drop of 18 percent. Rising investments in memory – particularly 3D NAND – leading-edge logic and foundries have powered the turnaround.
FLEX and MSTC 2020 to Showcase Flexible Hybrid Electronics, MEMS and Sensors Innovations for More Personalized Applications
Flexible hybrid electronics breakthroughs are driving the next wave of smart MEMS and sensing solutions for more personalized, portable electronics, setting the stage for the co-located Flexible Hybrid Electronics Conference and Exhibition (FLEX) and MEMS & Sensors Technical Congress (MSTC) Feb. 24-27, 2020. Co-sponsored by SEMI FlexTech and SEMI MEMS & Sensors Industry Group, FLEX and MSTC will gather more than 100 global experts for market and technical presentations, tech courses, and more than 50 exhibit opportunities for connecting with industry visionaries at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel in San Jose, Calif. Registration is now open.
MIRISE Technologies to be Launched to Develop Semiconductors in Effort to Achieve Safe and Comfortable Future Global Mobility Society
DENSO Corporation and Toyota Motor Corporation today announced that they have named the joint venture to be established in April 2020 MIRISE Technologies (“MIRISE”). The joint venture will conduct research and advanced development of next-generation in-vehicle semiconductors. MIRISE is an acronym for Mobility Innovative Research Institute for SEmiconductors. It also conveys “mirai” (a Japanese word for “future”) and “rise.” Yoshifumi Kato has been appointed President and Representative Director of the new company.
