Chip Industry Week In Review


By Susan Rambo, Karen Heyman, and Liz Allan. Renesas plans to acquire Altium, maker of PCB design software, for $5.9 billion. In a conference call, Renesas CEO Hidetoshi Shibata cited Altium's PCB design software and digital twin virtual modeling as key components of its future strategy. "I believe it will generate transformational value for our combined customers and our stakeholders," Shib... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Restrictions on China continue to grow. The Biden Administration is considering more restrictions on selling advanced AI chips to China, according to multiple media reports. Meanwhile, the Dutch government is expected to limit the sale of manufacturing equipment. JIC Capital, the wholly owned subsidiary of Japan Investment Corporation (JIC), will purchase materials company JSR Corp. through ... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive, mobility The BMW Group will invest $1.7 billion in its U.S. operations to build electric vehicles and batteries, mostly in South Carolina. BMW will drop $1 billion in its South Carolina plant for EV production and $700 million for a new battery-assembly facility in the state. BMW also agreed to purchase battery cells from Japan-based Envision AESC, which plans to construct a new ba... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


AI/Edge The United States now has the highest number of COVID-19 cases, and the state governments in the U.S. are asking technologists for help, according to a story in The Washington Post. Data scientists, software developers, and others are needed to help. New York State started a Technology SWAT team calling for help from the tech community. Intel AI Builder program participant DarwinAI ... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto


Internet of Things Paris-based Parrot Drones and five other companies were selected by the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit and the U.S. Army to adapt off-the-shelf commercial drones for combat applications as part of the Army’s Short Range Reconnaissance program. SRR seeks to develop unmanned aerial vehicles that have a flight time of 30 minutes, a range of three kilometers (nearly two ... » read more

VivaTech: Reporter’s Notebook


What makes a successful startup in Silicon Valley or Europe is very different from what defines success in other parts of the world. While much of the mainstream tech industry focuses on markets such as automotive, 5G and AI, there is a less-obvious boom in startups with a much narrower focus. All of this was readily apparent at last week's Viva Technology Conference in Paris, a gathering of... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto


Internet of Things Microsoft has new services and capabilities for Azure-connected Internet of Things devices. There’s a new IoT security tool called Azure Security Center for IoT, which ties in with other tools within Azure IoT Hub. Azure Security Center for IoT uses Azure Security Center, Microsoft’s threat intelligence offering. The new IoT security tool also hooks into Azure Sentinel, ... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto


Internet of Things Is Google developing a Pixel Watch wearable? Perhaps, if recent job listings are any indication. The company recently was looking to hire someone as vice president of hardware engineering, wearables. Last month, Fossil Group sold smartwatch technology intellectual property to Google for $40 million, while Google hired certain members of Fossil’s wearables R&D team. ... » read more

AI’s Long-Term Impact


Artificial intelligence technology will have a significant impact on the world’s economy in the months and years ahead, the McKinsey Global Institute forecasts in a new report. Certain companies and some countries will greatly benefit in the new era of AI, leaving others behind, the business and economics research arm of McKinsey & Co. predicts. The key takeaway points of the report: ... » read more

Smarter Cities


One of the benefits touted by IoE proponents is that smart cities will improve the quality of life and make cities more “livable.” The concept is appealing, and if it comes to pass as visionaries hope, the smart city of the future will be a virtual cornucopia of convenience and efficiency. Residents and vistors will never be lost with the proliferation of location technologies, which als... » read more

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