South Africa
• In her latest budget vote speech to Parliament, minister of science and technology, Naledi Pandor, bemoaned the financial constraints faced by her department, and the opportunities that are being missed as a result of several sectors being neglected that could offer South Africa talent, new products and real contributions to growth. The Department of Science and Technology’s total budget for the 2016/17 financial year is R7,4 billion, of which R2,7 billion in parliamentary grants is transferred to the entities reporting to the department, namely the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (R872 million); National Research Foundation (R883 million); Human Sciences Research Council (R290 million); Technology Innovation Agency (R382 million); South African National Space Agency (R125 million); and Academy of Science of South Africa (R23 million).
• Don Todd, regional manager of Otto Marketing and Otto Wireless Solutions for the Western Cape, was recognised for achieving outstanding sales for the financial year ended March 2016. He received a certificate to commemorate the event, as well as a five-night trip to Mauritius for two people.
• RS Components has signed a distribution agreement with Huber & Suhner, the Swiss manufacturer of advanced electrical and optical connectivity products. RS is now stocking over 270 Huber & Suhner data and energy connectors and related passive components aimed at communications, transportation and industrial applications.
• Powertech, a wholly owned subsidiary of Altron, has entered into binding agreements with Hengtong Optic – Electric Co (Hengtong) regarding the sale of a controlling equity stake in Aberdare Cables South Africa and a 100% equity stake in Aberdare Europe, comprising its Spanish and Portuguese operations, for approximately R1,2 billion in cash. Powertech will retain a 17,5% interest in the South African operation for a period of approximately two years. The transaction excludes the CBI Electric Aberdare ATC Telecom Cables joint venture, and the 49% equity stake in Alcon Marepha which has been sold separately for R19 million.
Overseas
Business
• Intel announced a restructuring initiative to accelerate its evolution from a PC company to one that powers the cloud and billions of smart, connected computing devices. The move will see the company focusing less on PC processors while increasing investments in its data centre, IoT, memory and connectivity businesses, as well as growing client segments such as 2-in-1s, gaming and home gateways. As a consequence, it will shed up to 12 000 jobs globally (approximately 11% of its workforce) by mid-2017.
• Texas Instruments reported first-quarter revenue of $3,01 billion (down 5% from the first quarter of 2015), net income of $668 million (up 2%) and earnings per share of 65 cents (up 7%). Its core businesses of analog and embedded processing comprised 87% of first-quarter revenue. Compared with a year ago, analog revenue declined 8% while embedded processing revenue grew 8%.
• First quarter net revenues decreased 3,3% sequentially for STMicroelectronics, to total $1,61 billion. On a year-over-year basis, sales in EMEA grew 3,0%, while the Americas and Asia Pacific decreased by 8,0% and 8,6%, respectively. Net loss was $0,05 per share for the latest quarter, compared with net loss of $0,03 in the same quarter last year.
Companies
• The European Commission (EC) has launched an investigation into alleged anti-competitive practices by Google with its Android operating system. In its formal statement of objections, the EC stated its preliminary view “that Google has implemented a strategy on mobile devices to preserve and strengthen its dominance in general Internet search. First, the practices mean that Google Search is pre-installed and set as the default, or exclusive, search service on most Android devices sold in Europe. Second, the practices appear to close off ways for rival search engines to access the market, via competing mobile browsers and operating systems. In addition, they also seem to harm consumers by stifling competition and restricting innovation in the wider mobile space.”
• Molex announced its acquisition of Interconnect Systems, Inc. (ISI) which specialises in the design and manufacture of high-density silicon packaging with advanced interconnect technologies. Headquartered in California, ISI counts top-tier OEMs amongst its customers, in a wide range of industries and technology markets, including aerospace and defence, industrial, data storage and networking, telecom and high-performance computing.
• Qorvo has signed a definitive agreement to acquire privately-held GreenPeak Technologies, a leader in ultra-low power, short range RF communication technology. The acquisition will allow Qorvo to expand its customer offering to include highly integrated RF solutions and systems-on-chip (SoCs) for the connected home and the rapidly growing Internet of Things (IoT). The transaction is expected to close in the current quarter, subject to customary closing conditions.
Industry
• The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $26,1 billion for the month of March 2016, a slight increase of 0,3% compared to the previous month’s total of $26,0 billion. Sales from the first quarter of 2016 were $78,3 billion, down 5,5% compared to the previous quarter and 5,8% lower than the first quarter of 2015. Compared to the same month last year, sales in March increased in Japan (1,8%) and China (1,3%), but decreased in Asia Pacific/All Other (-6,4%), Europe (-9,8%) and the Americas (-15,8%).
• The number of pets monitored using GPS locator devices in Europe and North America was about 300 000 at the end of 2015, according to a new research report from the M2M/IoT analyst firm Berg Insight. Growing at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 45%, this number is expected to reach 2,8 million by 2021. Solutions for pet tracking and monitoring available on the market today range from VHF-based systems mainly intended for hunting dogs, to GPS-based locators aimed at creating peace of mind for owners of domestic dogs and other larger pets.
• Molex has joined the EnOcean Alliance and will integrate the EnOcean energy harvesting technology into its Transcend network connected lighting system. According to Molex’s group product manager, the EnOcean energy harvesting standard aligns well with the intelligent, low-voltage Transcend system, which both powers and controls LED light fixtures and other devices, providing an array of applications that enable the digital ceiling and smart building convergence over IP.
Technology
• Researchers at the University of Georgia and Ben-Gurion University in Israel have demonstrated for the first time that nanoscale electronic components can be made from single DNA molecules. They isolated a specifically designed single duplex DNA of 11 base pairs and connected it to an electronic circuit only a few nanometres in size. After the measured current showed no special behaviour, the team site-specifically intercalated a small molecule named coralyne into the DNA. They found the current flowing through the DNA was 15 times stronger for negative voltages than for positive voltages, a necessary feature of a diode.
• Ohio State University researchers working to develop wearable electronics have managed to embroider circuits into fabric with 0,1 mm precision – the perfect size to integrate electronic components such as sensors and computer memory devices into clothing. The shape of the embroidery determines the frequency of operation of the antenna or circuit. The shape of one broadband antenna, for instance, consists of more than half a dozen interlocking geometric shapes, each a little bigger than a fingernail, that form an intricate circle a few inches across. Each piece of the circle transmits energy at a different frequency, so that they cover a broad spectrum of energies when working together –hence the ‘broadband’ capability of the antenna for cellphone and Internet access.
• Scientists at Rice University have discovered that the strong force field emitted by a Tesla coil causes carbon nanotubes to self-assemble into long wires, a phenomenon they call ‘Teslaphoresis.’ The system works by remotely oscillating positive and negative charges in each nanotube, causing them to chain together into long wires. The specially designed Tesla coil even generates a tractor beam-like effect as nanotube wires are pulled toward the coil over long distances. The researchers discovered that the phenomenon simultaneously assembles and powers circuits that harvest energy from the field. In one experiment, nanotubes assembled themselves into wires, formed a circuit connecting two LEDs and then absorbed energy from the Tesla coil’s field to light them.
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