Financial
• The market share of OLED automotive panels continues to grow, and could reach 10% by 2026, according to a prediction by TrendForce. The company has shown that the overall demand for automotive display panels is gradually stabilising, and is beginning to show an upward trend. They predict that the supply of automotive panels will maintain growth for 2023, and that the annual total supply will surpass 240 million units by 2026.
• Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) announced its net revenue for September 2023: on a consolidated basis, revenue was approximately NT$180,43 billion, a decrease of 4,4% compared to August 2023, and a decrease of 13,4% from the same period 2022. Combined revenue from January through to September 2023 totalled NT$1536,21 billion, a decrease of 6,2% compared to this period in 2022.
• According to TrendForce, the universal price of DRAM and NAND Flash is set to rise in the last quarter of this year. DDR5 prices have already seen a surge in the third quarter, fuelled by the release of new CPU models. Inventory of server DDR5 modules has increased from 20% in Q2 to almost 35%. Samsung’s production cutbacks of DDR4 wafers have also had an influence on the accelerated DDR5 output and demand.
• The South African Environmental Ministry has given French company TotalEnergies the green light to proceed with plans to drill for oil and gas off the West Coast of SA. This was after Environment Minister Barbara Creecy rejected an appeal from 18 NGOs and individuals to have the drilling banned. The NGOs can apply to have the decision reviewed within 180 days.
• With a nearly fourfold increase in rooftop solar installations in the past year in South Africa, Eskom is feeling the pinch, with reduced revenue being generated. Although the energy company’s user base has not shrunk, it is moving towards the middle- and lower-income which has decreased its total revenue for the past financial year. In a response to a parliamentary committee, public enterprises minister, Pravin Gordhan, said that Eskom’s sales were down 2,3% largely due to the 4,5 GW of energy that was installed privately during the year.
• NXP has announced that its board of directors has approved the payment of an interim dividend of $1,014 per ordinary share for the third quarter of 2023. The interim dividend was paid in cash in October 2023 to shareholders of record. The actions are based on the continued and significant strength of the NXP capital structure, and the board’s confidence in the company’s ability to drive long-term growth and strong cash flow.
Companies
• Indium Corporation has acquired SAFI-Tech, a metal microcapsule technology innovator specialising in supercooling technology. The acquisition expands Indium’s product portfolio after the two companies collaborated on a supercooled BiSn solder paste using SAFI-Tech’s solder platform. This patented technology platform allows molten metal to remain liquid far below its freezing point by encapsulating it in a smooth shell, known as supercooling. Using this platform, industry-standard alloys such as SAC305 can be soldered at below typical low-temperature solder specifications.
• Infineon Technologies has announced that it has acquired the Zurich-based startup 3db Access, a pioneer in secured low-power Ultra-Wideband (UWB) technology, and already a preferred IP provider for major automotive brands. The acquisition further strengthens Infineon’s portfolio for secured smart access, precise localisation, and enhanced sensing. Infineon now adds UWB to its connectivity range including Wi-Fi, Bluetooth/Bluetooth Low Energy and NFC solutions.
• Intel has announced its intent to operate its Programmable Solutions Group (PSG) as a standalone business. This decision will position PSG to compete in the FPGA market more effectively. Standalone operations for PSG are expected to begin on 1 January 2024, with Sandra Rivera assuming leadership of the company as CEO. She will, however, continue to lead Intel’s Data Center and AI Group (DCAI) until a new leader for that group can be found.
• NXP has received awards from three automotive partners. DENSO and Hyundai Motor Group honoured the company for its outstanding efforts in ensuring supply capacity, continuity and excellent customer service, and BMW Group presented an innovation award for its digital car key solution.
• Mouser has increased its holdings of the latest innovations from Nexperia, a high-volume manufacturer of discretes, logic and MOSFET devices. A winner of Nexperia’s 2022 E-Tailer of the year award, Mouser has expanded its offering to more than 13 000 parts. Nexperia’s portfolio, offered by Mouser, includes diodes, bipolar transistors, electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection devices, MOSFETs, GaN FETs and analogue and logic ICs that meet stringent automotive industry standards.
• WebAfrica has agreed to purchase Mweb, one of South Africa’s oldest ISPs, from Dimension Data. The deal is signed, and the parties are now awaiting the approval of the Competition Commission. If approved, the buyout will double the size of the company, adding more than 300 Mweb employees to its already 350-strong workforce. If the deal is approved, Mweb will continue to operate independently.
• Indium Corporation recently received the Electronics Maker’s prestigious Best of Industry Award 2023 for Best Soldering Product of the Year. The award was received for Indium’s InFORMS reinforced solder preforms in recognition of their ability to provide strength and consistent bondline thickness in power electronics packaging applications. InFORMS can be manufactured in a wide variety of shapes, including rectangles and discs, and in custom shapes to suit specific application requirements.
• Both Microsoft and Apple have released significant updates to their operating systems at the end of September. Apple’s macOS, named Sonoma, includes the following new features: widgets on the desktop; the ability to train the OS to read in your own voice; game mode; new video conferencing features; and new web app features in Safari that will allow users to turn websites into apps and park them in the dock.
• The biggest change included in the Windows 11 2023 Update is the introduction of Windows Copilot which utilises the same technology behind OpenAI’s ChatGPT, in which Microsoft has a vested interest. This will make generative AI a part of the OS, effectively replacing Cortana as the assistant. Among the huge list of changes to note to the OS are a new file explorer with redesigned interface, and a new cloud backup tool to allow easier reinstallations of the OS, while retaining files and settings.
• Mouser is now offering design engineers, pro makers, and hobbyists around the world the latest products from Raspberry Pi. Sourced directly from Raspberry Pi, the entire catalogue of SBCs, embedded devices, and peripherals is available from Mouser, with full traceability/authenticity from the manufacturer. Raspberry Pi products offered by Mouser include the RP2040 microcontroller, Pico, Pico H, and Pico W, Compute Module 4 and Camera Module 3.
• The global war for tech talent is hotting up. Namibia is the latest African country to offer a remote work visa, just behind Cape Verde, Mauritius and Seychelles, in the hopes of attracting professionals to live and work from the country. This move will be a big boost to the economies of those countries, with local residents working remotely while enjoying a better lifestyle with a lower cost of living.
Technologies
• VTT recently launched Finland’s second quantum computer – a 20-qubit superconductive device. Finland announced its efforts in quantum computing development back in November 2020, with a total budget of €20,7 million from the government to develop a 50-qubit quantum computer by 2024. In the coming years, the development will continue as the Finnish government has announced a total budget of €70 million to scale up the quantum computer towards 300 qubits.
• A new study has determined that 55% of workers do not trust generative-AI for work purposes. Since chatGPT’s launch last November, the number of searches for artificial intelligence online has risen by 1700% and the chatbot has attracted over 100 million users worldwide. However, these uses seem largely to have been personal or research based. When surveyed, over half of workers stated that they do not trust working with another business who uses ChatGPT when dealing with customers.
• GlobalFoundries and Microchip have announced Microchip’s 28 nm SuperFlash embedded flash memory solution has begun production. Widely deployed in non-volatile memory (NVM) solutions, the technology is optimised for microcontrollers, smart cards and IoT chips. The Silicon Storage Technology (SST) subsidiary announced that the SST ESF3 third-generation embedded SuperFlash NVM will use the lowest cost 28 nm solution. The highly competitive ESF3 has a bit cell size of less than 0,05 micron squared. The technology exhibits a sub-25 nanosecond read time, 10 microsecond program time, and four millisecond erase time.
© Technews Publishing (Pty) Ltd | All Rights Reserved
printer friendly version