Blaize™ today announced plans for the first public demonstrations of its Blaize Graph Streaming Processor™ (GSP™) architecture at CES 2020. A next-generation computing architecture designed for AI workloads, the Blaize offering tackles the economic and technical barriers to widespread AI adoption, addressing energy, cost and complexity challenges.
AI
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.
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.
QuickLogic Names New Chairman of the Board
QuickLogic Corporation (NASDAQ: QUIK), a developer of ultra-low power multi-core voice-enabled SoCs, embedded FPGA IP, and Endpoint AI solutions, today announced the appointment of Michael R. Farese as the Chairman of the Board of Directors, effective December 6, 2019 to replace E. Thomas Hart, who passed away on December 3, 2019. Michael R. Farese (Ph.D.) has been serving as a member of QuickLogic’s Board of Directors since April 2008, most recently as the lead independent director, and brings to the position a deep understanding of consumer products, converged devices and wireless markets.
Intel Completes Sale of Smartphone Modem Business to Apple
Intel Corporation today announced it has completed the sale of the majority of its smartphone modem business to Apple. This transaction, valued at $1 billion, was announced on July 25, 2019. As previously disclosed, this transaction enables Intel to focus on developing technology for 5G networks while retaining the option to develop modems for non-smartphone applications, such as PCs, internet of things devices and autonomous vehicles.
DesignCon Expands Into Artificial Intelligence, Automotive, 5G, IoT, and More For 2020 Edition
DesignCon, the nation’s largest event for chip, board, and systems design engineers, today announced new areas of focus for the 2020 edition highlighting advances in the fields of 5G, artificial intelligence (AI), automotive, and IoT, producing the most in-demand electronics emerging today. Topics will be examined through a 14-track conference schedule spanning technical sessions, boot camps, tutorials, and more to fit the needs of the hardware design engineering community. DesignCon returns to Silicon Valley for its 25th year, taking place from January 28-30, 2020 at the Santa Clara Convention Center.
SEMI, Partners Launch Largest Microelectronics Education Initiative Co-Funded by Erasmus+ Program
SEMI and 19 partners from 14 countries today launched an initiative to fill the skills gap and boost workforce diversity by tightening collaboration between the microelectronics industry and education providers. The project, dubbed METIS – Microelectronics Training, Industry and Skills – will focus on the skills and related training needed to support emerging verticals such as artificial intelligence (AI), autonomous driving and Industry 4.0. A Sector Skills Alliance co-funded by the Erasmus+ Program, METIS is designed to overcome the skills shortage in the electronic components and systems value chain. Under METIS, SEMI and the partner organizations will establish a Microelectronics Observatory and Skills Council consisting of representatives from industry, academia, NGOs, think tanks and government.
SEMICON Korea 2020 to Showcase AI, Smart Mobility and Manufacturing, MEMS and Sensors, Talent
With Korea the world’s largest manufacturer of memory semiconductors and leading in 300mm fab construction in 2019, the region is paving the way to SEMICON Korea 2020 as more than 500 companies and 55,000 visitors are expected to gather February 5-7 at the COEX in Seoul for the latest microelectronics developments, innovations and trends powering the next wave of industry growth. Registration for SEMICON Korea, the premier event in Korea for electronics manufacturing, is now open.
Blaize Emerges from Stealth to Transform AI Computing
Blaizeä today emerged from stealth and unveiled a groundbreaking next-generation computing architecture that precisely meets the demands and complexity of new computational workloads found in artificial intelligence (AI) applications. Driven by advances in energy efficiency, flexibility, and usability, Blaize products enable a range of existing and new AI use cases in the automotive, smart vision, and enterprise computing segments, where the company is engaged with early access customers. These AI systems markets are projected to grow rapidly* as the disrupting influence of AI transforms entire industries and AI functionality becomes a “must-have” requirement for new products.
SEMICON Europa Opens with SMART Mobility, MedTech, Design and Talent in Spotlight
SEMICON Europa, Europe’s largest event connecting the entire electronics design and manufacturing supply chain – from innovation to applications – opens today in strategic co-location with productronica at Messe München, in Munich, Germany. Themed Semiconductors Drive Smart, SEMICON Europa 2019 – Nov. 12-15 – highlights the vital importance of European sectors and ecosystems in propelling the semiconductor manufacturing industry and the broader electronics design and manufacturing supply chain worldwide.
