Southern Africa
The first call for papers to be presented at AMSATCON 2005, the annual Amateur Radio Satellite Conference, hosted by the Southern African Amateur Radio Satellite Association (SA AMSAT) has been issued. Papers are invited to cover amateur radio satellite operation, VHF propagation, orbital dynamics, weak signal receptions, satellite antennas and allied technologies. AMSATCON 2005 will be held on 14 May 2005 at the National Amateur Radio Centre and the Sentech Conference Centre, Sender Technology Park, Radiokop, Roodepoort, Gauteng. Synopses of proposed papers must be submitted by 28 February, completed papers by 15 April 2005. Mail to [email protected], or contact Hans van de Groenendaal, +27 (0)82 553 4539.
Flann Microwave has appointed Measuretest as its exclusive representative in South Africa. Flann manufactures a range of waveguide associated products including attenuators, adapters, terminations, sources, couplers, switches, transducers, antennas, combiners and dividers.
International Rectifier has appointed Memec as a distributor to provide technical sales, marketing, distribution and logistics of its power management products. For more information see www.memec.com or contact Steve Schoeman, [email protected].
Trolleyscan has announced that Global Auto ID (www.globalautoid.com) of Johannesburg, has started large scale production of Trolleyponder transponders and readers, and can provide equipment to users immediately. A licensee of Trolleyponder UHF RFID technology and patents, Global Auto ID has completed its set-up phase and a fixed reader, operating at frequencies from 850 MHz to 956 MHz is available, together with credit card sized transponders. Contact Mike Williams, [email protected], for information.
I-Cube (Integrated Intelligent Imaging) has announced that it now exclusively represents Active Recognition Technologies' V-Metrics software in Africa. The V-Metrics software has the capability to verify the colour, shape, licence plate and other identifying visual characteristics of a vehicle for secure access control applications.
Moira Moses has been appointed as managing director of Control Instruments Automotive, a subsidiary of the Control Instruments Group.
Overseas
Business
Texas Instruments has reported sales of $3,153 bn in the fourth quarter, down 3% sequentially but up 14% from the like period a year ago. For Q4, net income was $490m, compared to a net income of $563m in the previous quarter and a profit of $512m, in the like period a year ago. Semiconductor revenue in the fourth quarter of $2,798 bn was flat sequentially. Compared with the year-ago quarter, revenue increased 14%, primarily due to strong growth in the company's wireless and DLP product revenue. Strong growth in products for the wireless market was offset by declines in other areas, said TI.
STMicroelectronics announced net revenues for the fourth quarter 2004 were $2 328m, up 4,3% sequentially from Q3, and 10,2% more than the like quarter a year ago. Revenues from Application Specific Products were 52% of 2004 fourth quarter net revenues. Differentiated products revenues increased 8,8% sequentially, representing 67,8% of net revenues in Q4. Gross profit was $852m, up 1% sequentially and 12,1% above last year's fourth quarter profit.
Silicon Laboratories announced revenues totalled $95,5m in the fourth quarter, down from $109,6m in the like period a year ago. GAAP net income for the fourth quarter was $13 m, compared to $21m, a year ago. The company anticipates revenue of $101m-to-$105m in the first quarter of 2005.
Altera announced fourth quarter sales of $239,9m, up 10% from Q4 2003 but down 9% from Q3 2004. Fourth quarter net income was $58,0m, up 28%, compared to net income of $45,1m for the like quarter of 2003. 2004 sales were $1,02 bn, up 23% compared to $827,2m in 2003.
Companies
Finisar and Infineon Technologies have agreed that Finisar will acquire the transceiver portion of Infineon's fibre-optics business unit for about $50 million. Finisar will get the assets associated with the design, development and manufacture of all optical transceiver products.
Wind River Systems has acquired the ScopeTools business unit of its long-standing partner, Real-Time Innovations, for $10m in cash and stock.
Powerchip Semiconductor and OmniVision have established a joint venture company called Silicon Optronics.
Actal Technology and Acal Electronics are to merge, forming one of the strongest specialist electronics distributors in the UK. Acal's other UK electronics companies include Acal TC, Acal Radiatron and Stortech.
AMI Semiconductor is setting up a new 'Medical and Wireless Products Unit' that will be headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. The move expands on its strong focus on the medical market, specifically in providing DSP capability and leading-edge products for ultra-low-power medical implant communication systems (MICS) and other medical wireless applications.
Infineon is to acquire Saifun Semiconductors' share in their joint venture, Infineon Technologies Flash (IFL) as well as a renewed licence for the use of Saifun NROM technology for flash memory products. Saifun NROM is a leading-edge non-volatile memory technology that is currently used for NAND-Flash, NOR-Flash and EEPROM memories. It is incorporated in Infineon products under the TwinFlash trade name.
France-based Thomson has formed an alliance with Funai Electric of Japan, a TV and electronic goods maker, to develop digital televisions. The alliance includes joint development work and the exclusive licence to Funai for certain digital TV patents.
Impinj, a fabless semiconductor company, is working with Texas Instruments on the development of products that are compliant with the EPCglobal RFID standard: Class 1 (Gen 2) standard, which applies to the 900 MHz UHF band. Impinj holds patents on 'Self-Adaptive Silicon' technology, which it is applying to RFID products.
STMicroelectronics and Hynix Semiconductor have signed a joint-venture agreement to build a front-end memory-manufacturing facility in Wuxi City, China, to be dedicated to DRAM and NAND Flash production.
Agilent Technologies intends to acquire Wavics, a Korean-based designer and manufacturer of power amplifier modules for mobile handsets. Wavics' CoolPAM power amplifier technology is said to reduce battery power consumption.
Intel has begun implementing a major reorganisation of its business, including the creation of five new commercial units: the Mobility Group to handle laptops and PDA devices; the Digital Enterprise Group for business systems; the Digital Healthcare Group to look at integrating Intel technology with the healthcare market; the Digital Home Group for consumer electronic devices; and a Channel Products Group that will be formed by amalgamating Intel's existing channel businesses into one body.
Industry
Over the next few years, the 32-bit chip will lead the way in the customer-specific, cell-based embedded microprocessor unit (eMPU) market, reports In-Stat. While design starts for the overall ASIC market are forecast to decline, partly replaced by single-chip development platforms, the use of embedded microprocessors, and in particular the use of 32-bit and 64-bit cores, will continue to grow, it says. The vast majority of growth, for eMPU cores in cell-based designs, will be found in the ASSP market. Growth in this application will be more than triple, in terms of real dollars, than that of the ASIC market.
Western European revenues for RFID are set to reach $1,1 bn by 2007 says a new report by Juniper Research, with Germany and the UK between them accounting for 40% of the market. The most significant application will be in the supply chain and logistics sector, where RFID will be used to drive increased efficiencies from producer to retailer. In the retail market success for RFID will come from niche applications such as the library sector, and within mass transportation, it says. The most likely solution for the supply chain will be a mobility solution comprising a hybrid of RFID technology plus a mobile element such as GPS or GSM.
Handelsbanken Capital Markets of Sweden has reduced its estimate of world chip market growth in 2005 from 7% growth to 2% growth, citing a spate of profit warnings in recent weeks.
Market researcher Strategy Analytics says that a record 200 million handsets were shipped worldwide in the fourth quarter of 2004, with strong sales in all regions boosting total annual sales to a record 684 million. The previous record was 517 million in 2003. Nokia maintained its lead in 2004, followed by Motorola, Samsung, Siemens, LG, and Sony Ericsson. Strategy Analytics forecasts 735 million units will be shipped in 2005.
Digital satellite radio will have impressive growth in its subscriber base over the next several years in the United States, with 3 million net new subscribers annually in the US alone through 2008, according to In-Stat. The features offered by digital radio that were found to be the most appealing to respondents in a survey were the ability to receive news, weather, and traffic information on demand, along with more programming choices. However, the monthly subscription fee was found to be a primary deterrent for purchasing a satellite radio.
In just three months, the Nonconforming Parts Board established by the Independent Distributors of Electronics Association (IDEA) says it has reached over 1200 listings. Updated daily and accessible via the Internet (www.idofea.org), IDEA members use this valuable resource to help ensure they do not fall victim to substandard or fraudulent parts. As nonconforming parts are identified, members are immediately alerted and are thus able to keep track of substandard components in circulation.
Fujitsu Microelectronics Europe has announced the acquisition of a license to use the FlexRay Communication Controller IP-Module from Robert Bosch. The license will allow Fujitsu to embed precision-designed FlexRay IP into its automotive control microcontrollers (MCUs). Fujitsu currently offers MCUs with CAN and LIN interface protocols for various automotive control applications. FlexRay can offer faster and more reliable data transfer for future needs.
Kontron Embedded Modules has announced it will publish its Jflex I/O module concept as an open standard for unrestricted public use. Extensive use of low-cost cable-less systems technology, PCI and LPC buses instead of PCI-ISA and full SMT production as opposed to a combination of SMT and press-fitting are the main advantages of Jflex. These features convinced the 19 companies participating in the validation stage with their own I/O module developments, of Jflex's superiority over such standards as PC/104, according to the company. Version 3.0 of the standard will be published at www.kontron-em.com and www.j-rex.com.
Electronica 2004 has given the electronics industries a boost: according to a TNS Infratest market-research survey. 85% of the exhibitors and visitors assessed the market's future trend as 'excellent to good'. The trade show's international mix has become significantly stronger. The percentage of trade visitors from outside Germany rose to 42% from 32% in 2002. The proportion of visitors from the field of electronics was 99%. The number of visitors from the industrial electronics field also rose sharply: from 39% in 2002 to 49% in 2004. Among the visitors from the trade: 86% have decision-making authority within their company, and 55% occupy an executive position. Erik Jung from the Fraunhofer Institute for Reliability and Microintegration, registered very positive market signals: "For us, the numerous questions about advanced applications indicate that the companies are again looking into the future with optimism and are, therefore, looking for possibilities for integrating these technologies".
Chinese DVD manufacturers, Wuxi Multimedia and Orient Power Digital Technology, have filed a class-action suit against consumer electronics giants Philips, Sony, Pioneer and LG Electronics, alleging they violated US antitrust laws in the licensing of patented technologies.
The Globus Consortium, founded by Hewlett-Packard, IBM, Intel, and Sun Microsystems, has announced plans to design and market commercial grid-computing software applications. The consortium said it will promote technical standards to make grid computing a viable option for businesses. Other contributing participants include Nortel Networks, Univa and private individuals.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has awarded specialist semiconductor distributor, EBV Elektronik, its 'No 1 European Distributor 2004 award'. The award honours EBV Electronik's outstanding sales growth of 65% year on year.
Technology
Texas Instruments claims to have delivered on its promise to produce a single-chip mobile phone. The company has announced that Nokia would incorporate a single-chip solution based on its digital RF processor (DRP) technology in entry-level GPRS mobile phones. The chip is implemented using a 90-nanometer CMOS manufacturing process.
Organic LEDs have begun to light up car dashboards - the first of many, according to ABI Research. Making their debut in three new automobiles, the Aston-Martin DB9, the Jeep Grand Cherokee and the Chevrolet Corvette, the new instrument panels have been built by Yazaki Corporation, which says that OLEDs offer a high contrast ratio, low voltage and power consumption, cold temperature operation, a nearly perfect 180° viewing angle and a thin, lightweight construction.
Swiss firm, Innovative Silicon, has announced dynamic random access memory (DRAM) technology that does not require storage capacitors in the bit cells. Called Z-RAM, it uses the floating-body effect in silicon-on-insulator (SoI) transistors as a storage mechanism. The resulting DRAM cell can be fabricated in a standard SoI CMOS logic process, occupies half the area of a trench-capacitor DRAM cell in the same geometry and offers significant advantages over capacitor-based DRAM cells in both speed and power, according to the company.
IQE, a supplier of customised epitaxial wafers, and Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, claim to have produced a single-mode VCSEL (vertical cavity surface emitting laser) device with an output power exceeding 6 milliwatts, claimed to be the highest power ever achieved for an 850 nm wavelength single-mode device.
Oregon State University and Hewlett-Packard researchers have reported their first example of an entirely new class of materials that could be used to make transparent transistors that are inexpensive, stable, and environmentally benign. The 'thin-film' materials, which are called amorphous heavy-metal cation multicomponent oxides, could result in electronic devices produced so cheaply they could almost be one-time 'throw away' products, better large-area electronics such as flat panel screens, or flexible electronics that could be folded up for ease of transport. Compared to organic or polymer transistor materials, these new inorganic oxides have higher mobility, better chemical stability, ease of manufacture, and are physically more robust, according to the researchers. The newest devices are zinc-tin-oxide thin film transistors, an evolution of the zinc oxide transistors which gained attention as the world's first see-through transistor last year.
Radar Golf of California has announced that in tests that measured both distance and spin, its 'radar' golf balls performed equal to or better than competitive balls from Titleist, Callaway, Nike and Maxfli. In 2003, Radar Golf announced a golf ball containing a radio-frequency tag that enables a golfer to find a lost golf ball using a 'RadarGolf' handheld device with the company's ball positioning system (BPS) technology. The handheld device beeps when pointed toward the ball, which can be detected from 9-30 metres.
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