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.
MEMS
STMicroelectronics Ships 1 Billionth Time-of-Flight Module
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has announced the shipment of its 1 billionth Time-of-Flight (ToF) module. ST’s ToF sensors utilize the Company’s Single Photon Avalanche Diode (SPAD) sensor technology and are manufactured in ST’s 300mm front-end wafer fab in Crolles, France. The final module, which integrates the SPAD sensor, a Vertical Cavity Surface Emission Laser (VCSEL), and the necessary optical elements to enable the product’s outstanding performance, is assembled and tested in ST’s state-of-the-art internal back-end facilities.
Industry Strategy Symposium 2020 to Highlight Data-Driven Innovation and Growth
SEMI announced today that Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) 2020 will take place January 12-15 at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay, Calif. with the theme Data Driven Innovation and Growth. ISS is the year’s first executive check-in, offering perspectives from leading analysts, researchers, economists, and technologists on forces impacting the semiconductor industry. The annual symposium provides insights into growth opportunities and industry intelligence to help inform company business plans and forecasts based on current market conditions. Registration is now open.
AMETEK France Opens New Technology Solutions Centre in Élancourt City
AMETEK France has established a Technology Solutions Centre as a regional headquarters in Élancourt City to support the growth of its electronic instrument and electromechanical product businesses in France. AMETEK France’s goal was to build a resource for showcasing the latest products and technologies from a variety of AMETEK businesses. The centre will serve as a hub of innovation for the European markets. Customers from across the region will have access to live demos, training sessions and top-of-the-line service to meet application needs. Overall, the facility will enhance the relationship between AMETEK and its end users, effectively sustaining a variety of different industries.
A Super-Fast ‘Light Switch’ for Future Cars and Computers
Self-driving cars have become better and more reliable in recent years. Before they might be allowed to drive completely autonomously on our roads in the near future, however, a few hurdles have to be taken. Above all, the need to assess the surroundings at lightning speed and to recognize people and obstacles takes current technologies to its limits. A team of scientists led by Juerg Leuthold at the Institute for Electromagnetic Fields at ETH Zurich, together with colleagues at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the USA and at Chalmers University in Gothenburg (Sweden), has now developed a novel electro-opto-mechanical switch that might be able to elegantly solve both problems in the future.
Industry’s First 4Mbit EEPROM Memory Chips from STMicroelectronics Let Small Devices Handle Bigger User Data
STMicroelectronics (NYSE: STM), a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications, has introduced a new generation of memory chips that combine unprecedented storage density with speed and reliability, enabling the devices we use every day to do more to enrich life and work. With 4Mbit capacity, ST’s new EEPROM memories let small devices capture and store more data through the serial SPI bus. This enables equipment such as smart meters to intensify data logging for managing grids more effectively and providing more user-friendly billing. Also, portable medical devices can log patients’ data more intensively to improve care quality, and consumer devices such as smart wearables can support more user features and greater precision. In these applications, the memory’s low power consumption helps extend battery runtime. A wide range of applications in industrial controls and communication infrastructure such as network switches can also benefit from these higher density memories.
Presto Adds New Executives to the Leadership Team
Presto Engineering, an outsourced operations provider to semiconductor and Internet of Things (IoT) device manufacturers, announces the hire of two new executives: Sophie Vaucher, vice president Finance, and Alexandra Moulin, vice president Human Resources. Sophie Vaucher brings ten years of experience in corporate finance and strategy in international industrial companies. Most recently, she held a global finance business partner role at Sibelco where she served in various senior positions for eight years. She was positioned in Asia for four years, where she integrated a new acquisition in the group and set up local teams.
Accenture, Airbus, GE and Hitachi Join Intel Neuromorphic Research Community
Today, Intel announced the first corporate members — Accenture, Airbus, GE and Hitachi — to the fast-growing Intel Neuromorphic Research Community (INRC). The INRC has tripled in size over the past year and now has more than 75 organizations, spanning leading universities around the world, government labs, neuromorphic start-up companies, and now several Fortune Global 500 members.
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.
