Challenges Grow For 5G Packages And Modules


The shift to 5G wireless networks is driving a need for new IC packages and modules in smartphones and other systems, but this move is turning out to be harder than it looks. For one thing, the IC packages and RF modules for 5G phones are more complex and expensive than today's devices, and that gap will grow significantly in the second phase of 5G. In addition, 5G devices will require an as... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Fab tools and materials Applied Materials has signed a definitive agreement to acquire Kokusai Electric for $2.2 billion in cash from investment firm KKR. With the acquisition of Kokusai’s semiconductor equipment unit, Applied expands its customer base and gains a foothold in the batch processing equipment business, where a tool can process wafers in parallel. Applied’s strength is in the ... » read more

Why Choose NI For PMUs And Wide Area Monitoring


PMUs have helped foster high speed data gathering from the grid with some utilities capturing phasor data as fast as 1 sample per cycle. As adoption and experience with PMU data grows, new possibilities emerge to help better monitor and control the dynamic health of a utility grid. PMUs built on NI technology have several advantageous features that can help utilities, power systems engineers, a... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers Cree posted its results for the third quarter of fiscal 2019 ended March 31. Revenue from continuing operations was $274 million, a 22% increase compared to revenue from continuing operations of $225 million in the like period a year ago. As previously announced, Cree executed a definitive agreement to sell its Lighting Products business to IDEAL. As a result, Cree’s Wolfspeed ... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto


Internet of Things AT&T reports the activation of its narrowband Internet of Things network in the U.S. The carrier upgraded its 4G LTE cell sites across the country. It now offers two low-power wide-area networks to business customers, including its LTE-M network in Mexico and the U.S. “Both networks are designed for the IoT within licensed spectrum and provide carrier-grade security,�... » read more

Racing To The Edge


The race is on to win a piece of the edge, despite the fact that there is no consistent definition of where the edge begins and ends or how the various pieces will be integrated or ultimately tested. The edge concept originated with the Internet of Things, where the initial idea was that tens of billions of dumb sensors would communicate through gateways to the cloud. That idea persisted unt... » read more

Own Test Architecture To Meet Ever-Growing Test Coverage


Automotive consumers worldwide are increasingly basing their purchase decisions on the vehicle’s user interface, or human-machine interface (HMI). An in-vehicle infotainment (IVI) or car multimedia system, together with a digital cockpit, heavily influences how drivers and passengers feel about vehicles. And while HMI-related automotive electronics account for 70 percent of all in-car code, e... » read more

Week In Review: Manufacturing, Test


Chipmakers and OEMs Cypress Semiconductor has received regulatory antitrust approval for the closing of its previously-announced joint venture with SK Hynix. The new joint venture, SkyHigh Memory, will provide single-level cell (SLC) NAND memory solutions. Cree has announced the execution of a definitive agreement to sell its Lighting Products business unit (Cree Lighting), which includes t... » read more

Peak Signal-To-Noise Ratio As An Image Quality Metric


The term peak signal-to-noise ratio (PSNR) is an expression for the ratio between the maximum possible value (power) of a signal and the power of distorting noise that affects the quality of its representation. Because many signals have a very wide dynamic range, (ratio between the largest and smallest possible values of a changeable quantity) the PSNR is usually expressed in terms of the logar... » read more

Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto


Internet of Things Arm aims to accelerate Linux-based embedded design through providing quick access to the Cortex-A5 CPU under the Arm DesignStart program. Developers can work on embedded and Internet of Things system-on-a-chip devices for gateways, medical systems, smart homes, and wearable electronics. IP access to the Cortex-A5 is now $75,000, with one-year of design support from Arm exper... » read more

← Older posts Newer posts →