Chip Industry Week In Review


Global semiconductor sales hit $57.8 billion in November 2024, an increase of 20.7% compared to the same month last year, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. In U.S. government news: The U.S. Department of Commerce finalized up to $325 million in CHIPS Act funding for Hemlock Semiconductor, which will support construction of a new semiconductor-grade polysilicon manufac... » read more

Edge And IoT Security Turning A Corner


Security is beginning to improve for a wide range of IoT and edge devices due to better tools, the implementation of new standards and methodologies, and an increasing level of collaboration and communication across different market segments that in the past had little or no interaction. Until recently, many vendors in cost-sensitive markets offered the bare minimum of security. To make matt... » read more

How Software-Defined Vehicles Change Auto Chip Design


The shift to software-defined vehicles is changing nearly every aspect of automotive design, from what hardware is added into vehicles, when it gets added, and what gets left behind. Moving key features to software rather than hardware allows carmakers to bring new features to market faster, at a lower cost, and to modify those features more quickly. It is also expected to drive up the value... » read more

ISO 26262’s Importance Widens Beyond Automotive


The ISO 26262 standard, which has become a mainstay since the trend toward vehicle electrification really took root a decade ago, is starting to gain traction in markets outside of automotive chip and system design. At the center of this expansion is a focus on safety under a variety of conditions — extreme temperatures, unexpected vibration, or a collision that is unavoidable. This includ... » read more

Matter 1.4 Advancements In The Smart Home


Recently the Connectivity Standards Alliance (CSA) announced the updated Matter 1.4 specification.  This new release shows the smart home business community's continued discipline in maintaining this release schedule for developers and manufacturers as Matter adoption grows and becomes more successful in the smart home space. This update includes normal bug fixes,  multiple feature enhance... » read more

Power And Sensing Selection Guide 2024-2025


This latest edition of the power & sensing selection guide compares our products’ key benefits and the latest power and sensing technology advancements to find what you need for your designs. Technologies covered include: MOSFETs, MCUs, power management ICs, wide-bandgap semiconductors, sensors, power switches, USB-C and more. Read more here. » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


Updated for 12/20 government fundings and 12/23 for China trade investigation announcements. President Biden announced a trade investigation into "China's unfair trade practices in the semiconductor sector."  The announcement stated "PRC semiconductors often enter the U.S. market as a component of finished goods. This Section 301 investigation will examine a broad range of the PRC’s non-m... » read more

Challenges In Powering Electrification With GaN And SiC


The wish list of device properties that designers of power management systems would like to have is lengthy, but no single material is yet sufficient for the full range of power control applications. For control transistors to handle power surges, breakdown voltages should be at least triple the expected operating voltage — 1.2 kilovolts or more for many electric vehicle applications, and ... » read more

Chip Industry Week In Review


The 2024 IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting (IEDM) was held this week, prompting a number of announcements from: imec: Proposed a new CFET-based standard cell architecture for the A7 node containing two rows of CFETs with a shared signal routing wall in between, allowing standard cell heights to be reduced from 4 to 3.5T, compared to single-row CFETs. Integrated indium pho... » read more

Auto Chip Aging Accelerates In Hot Climates


Automotive chips are aging significantly faster than expected in hot climates with sustained high temperatures, raising concerns about the reliability of electrified vehicles over time and whether advanced-node chips are the right choice for safety-critical applications. Many of the most advanced electronics used in vehicles today are ASIL D-compliant, expected to function up to 125° C. But... » read more

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