Kneron, Inc., a leading on-device edge artificial intelligence (AI) company based in San Diego, California, announces it has raised an additional $40M dollars in funding. Horizons Ventures, Hong Kong businessman Li Ka-Shing’s venture capital firm, is the lead investor of this round and has invested in previous rounds. Kneron previously raised $33 million in funding from Horizons Ventures, Alibaba Entrepreneurs Fund, CDIB, Himax Technologies, Inc, Qualcomm, Thundersoft, and Sequoia Capital.
Design
MoDeCH Incorporated Launches eCommerce Website To Supply And Support Downloadable SPICE Models For Analog Circuit Designers
MoDeCH Inc., a company founded in 2002 and dedicated to delivering modeling services to PCB and semiconductor designers, today launched its English language ecommerce site, “Model On! Search.” Previously available only in Japan, Model On! was developed over the past 15 years based on various proprietary modeling technologies for analog, high speed digital, and power electronics markets.
USMCA Approval Strengthens U.S. Technology and Trade Leadership
The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today applauded Senate approval of the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), which passed with strong bipartisan support earlier today. SIA represents U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, with members accounting for approximately 95 percent of U.S. semiconductor company sales. “Congressional approval of the USMCA is a major win for free trade and America’s global leadership in semiconductors and the technologies they enable,” said John Neuffer, SIA president and CEO. “The agreement will help ensure that more products researched, designed, and made in America – including semiconductors – can flow to customers around the world. We applaud the Administration and Congress for negotiating and approving this landmark agreement.”
Bose and HERE Fuel AR Experience Innovation By Combining Location and Audio Technologies
HERE Technologies, a global leader in mapping and location platform services, today announced a collaboration with Bose Corporation to jointly enable their respective developer communities to deploy augmented reality (AR) location applications and services. This collaboration gives HERE developers access to the Bose AR platform and spatial-audio capabilities, and extends the HERE platform, positioning and mobile SDK location technologies to developers building audio AR applications and experiences.
AI Chip Company Syntiant Joins Qualcomm Extension Program
Syntiant, an AI chip company providing custom always-on voice solutions at the edge, today announced that it is now a member of the Qualcomm® Extension Program, offering OEMs and ODMs accelerated integration of its ultra-low-power neural network technology with Qualcomm® Bluetooth audio platforms and SOCs. With support from the Qualcomm Extension Program, Syntiant plans to deliver a touch-free, cloud- free, machine learning voice solution for always-on speech applications in battery-powered devices, such as Bluetooth-enabled earbuds and hearable devices.
Murata and Google Team to Develop World’s Smallest AI Module With Coral Intelligence
Murata Electronics Americas announced today that it has created the world’s smallest artificial intelligence (AI) module in partnership with Google – the Coral Accelerator Module. The custom designed module packages Google’s Edge TPU ASIC within a miniaturized footprint. The solution overcomes some of the most pressing challenges in implementing AI solutions by delivering superior noise suppression and simplifying printed circuit board design in a smaller footprint. Miniaturization is key as all board space must be optimized to achieve highly robust functionality in space constrained operations. The result of this collaboration is a solution that speeds up the algorithmic calculations required to execute AI.
CES 2020 Opens with Innovation That Will Change the World
CES® 2020 opens today unveiling the next generation of innovation that will redefine industries, create jobs and solve many of society’s challenges. With more than 4,400 exhibiting companies, including 1,200 startups, CES 2020 features the latest transformative technologies, including 5G, artificial intelligence, vehicle technology, digital health and more. Owned and produced by the Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®, CES 2020 runs through Friday, January 10, in Las Vegas, Nevada.
IEEE to Define a Formal Model for Safe Automated Vehicle Decision-Making
The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) has approved a proposal to develop a standard for safety considerations in automated vehicle (AV) decision-making and named Intel Senior Principal Engineer Jack Weast to lead the workgroup. Participation in the workgroup is open to companies across the AV industry, and Weast hopes for broad industry representation. Group members will hold their first meeting in 2020’s first quarter. Industry and regulators are struggling to agree on a method for evaluating the safety of AVs, although most people agree that standards are needed to establish regulatory thresholds for granting AVs their driver’s licenses. Multiple approaches are in development even though industry consensus is lacking.
Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike Series Natural Spectrum LEDs Selected for WalaLight’s Healthy Circadian Rhythm LED Lighting Systems
Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ 046890), a leading global innovator of LED technology, announced that its SunLike Series natural spectrum LEDs, which implement light that closely matches the spectrum of sunlight, has been selected by WalaLight™ for its Healthy Circadian LED Lighting System, designed as a passive adaptive LED lighting system that delivers the appropriate spectrum of lighting through a smart Kelvin-changing technology to improve human wellness. Combining WalaLight’s state-of-the-art automated wireless Bluetooth and wired Dali lighting control systems with Seoul Semiconductor’s SunLike natural spectrum LED technology, consumers experience light that closely matches the spectrum of natural sunlight, and can replicate sunlight’s spectral changes by remotely and automatically adjusting the Kelvin color temperature, dimming, and zone control of each light in the system over a 24-hour period to optimize the indoor environment for ideal light exposure, enabling a healthy circadian rhythm.
Atmosic Technologies Raises $28.5 Million in Latest Round of Funding
Atmosic™ Technologies, innovator of ultra-low-power wireless for the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced the completion of its Series B funding, raising $28.5 million. This investment, led by Sutter Hill Ventures – along with investments from Clear Ventures, Walden International, Dolby Family Ventures, and Arden Road Investments – brings the total amount of funding raised to $49.5 million since the company’s inception in 2016. This new round of funding will be used to deploy Atmosic’s award-winning M2 and M3 series Bluetooth 5 system-on-a-chip (SoC) solutions into commercial products in early 2020. The funding will also support the company’s continued laser focus on R&D to develop its next generation solutions, and Atmosic’s efforts to scale the business as the supplier of the lowest-power consumption wireless technologies for the IoT.