South Africa
• Stellenbosch University (SU) and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR) launched two new research chairs – one in quantum, optical and atomic physics under the faculty of science, and the other in artificial intelligence under the department of information science. The chair in quantum, optical and atomic physics will allow researchers to focus on the use of single trapped atomic ions for studying quantum phenomena, and on developing laboratory technologies for the field of research that can be commercialised. The chair in artificial intelligence will result in a doubling of the department of information science’s research capacity and allow for the allocation of bursaries to undergraduate and postgraduate students.
• The National Laboratory Association of South Africa has launched a new job opportunities service for laboratories and laboratory personnel. Hosted on its website (www.nla.org.za), the portal is open to both positions being offered as well as those seeking employment.
• Mateq Systems has completed a move to new promises in Centurion’s Highveld Techno Park. It is situated in B2 Central Park, 13 Esdoring Street.
• Laser Stencil Technology has moved offices to a new Randburg location at 2 Naaf Street (entrance on Langwa Street).
Overseas
Business
• STMicroelectronics reported financial results for its second fiscal quarter and first half ended 27 June 2015. Second quarter net revenues increased 3,2% on a sequential basis to $1,76 billion and net income was $35 million. All regions grew sequentially, led by Japan and Korea up 7,5% and Americas up by 4,6%, followed by EMEA and Greater China & South Asia up 2,9% and 1,6%, respectively. Net revenues in the first half of 2015 decreased 6,1% to $3,47 billion. Net income was $12 million in the first half of 2015, or $0,01 per share, compared to a net income of $14 million, or $0,02 per share in the first half of 2014.
• Revenue for the second quarter of Texas Instruments’ financial year were $3,23 billion, net income was $696 million and earnings per share (EPS) were 65 cents. These compare to last year’s like period’s figures of $3,29 billion in revenue, net income of $683 million and EPS of 62 cents.
• NXP Semiconductors delivered total revenue of $1,51 billion for its second quarter of 2015 – an increase of nearly 12% from the same period in the prior year, and about 3% more than the prior quarter. Net income was reported as $300 million ($1,23 per share), compared with net income of $159 million ($0,64 per share) in the second quarter of 2014, and a net loss of $107 million ($0,46 per share) in the first quarter of 2015.
Technology
• An alliance led by IBM Research announced that it has produced the semiconductor industry’s first 7 nm node test chips with functioning transistors. The breakthrough, accomplished in partnership with GLOBALFOUNDRIES and Samsung at SUNY Polytechnic Institute’s Colleges of Nanoscale Science and Engineering, could result in the ability to place more than 20 billion transistors on a fingernail-sized chip. Among the novel processes and techniques pioneered for this development were a number of industry-first innovations, most notably silicon germanium (SiGe) channel transistors and extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography integration at multiple levels.
• Renesas Electronics and Audi have teamed up as part of the Audi Progressive SemiConductor Program (PSCP) to accelerate automotive innovation. This partnership will cover traditional automotive control areas such as powertrain, chassis, body and safety; driver infotainment and driver assistance systems; and newer application areas including automated drive, connected car and the electrical vehicle.
• STMicroelectronics and Samsung Electronics have signed an agreement on 28 nm fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI) technology for multi-source manufacturing collaboration. The licensing accord provides customers with advanced manufacturing solutions from Samsung’s state-of-the-art 300 mm facilities and assures the industry of high-volume production for ST’s FD-SOI technology. FD-SOI technology at 28 nm delivers faster, cooler and simpler semiconductor devices to meet the continuing demand for higher-performance, lower-power systems-on-chips for next-generation electronic products, such as mobile and consumer applications.
• Peregrine Semiconductor announced the UltraCMOS 11 platform, the industry’s first RF silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technology built on GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ 130 nm, 300 mm RF technology platform. By moving to a 300 mm wafer, Peregrine opens the door to new enhancements and advanced features in future generations of the UltraCMOS technology platform.
Companies
• Cree announced the acquisition of APEI, an innovator in power modules and power electronics applications, enabling its power and RF business to enhance its footing in the market for high-performance SiC power modules. Previously, the two companies’ collaboration last year on a high-performance silicon carbide-based plug-in hybrid electric vehicle battery charger on an ARPA-E programme resulted in an R&D 100 award, recognising the 100 most innovative technology advancements of the year.
Industry
• A group of 16 leading players in the field of telecommunications are joining forces to advance the development of a new air interface below 6 GHz for 5G networks. The FANTASTIC-5G (Flexible Air iNTerfAce for Scalable service delivery wiThin wIreless Communication networks of the 5th Generation) project will focus on boosting capacity, increasing flexibility and improving the energy efficiency of the next generation of mobile networks. The two-year project has so far received 8 million Euros of funding from the European Commission under the EU’s Horizon 2020 initiative aiming to advance digital Europe.
• The European Commission has opened two formal antitrust investigations into possible abusive behaviour by Qualcomm in the field of baseband chipsets used in consumer electronic devices. The first will examine whether Qualcomm has breached EU antitrust rules that prohibit the abuse of a dominant market position by offering financial incentives to customers on condition that they buy the baseband chipsets exclusively or almost exclusively from Qualcomm. The second will look into whether Qualcomm engaged in ‘predatory pricing’ by charging prices below cost with a view to forcing its competition out of the market.
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