Research Bits: June 27


Tunable soliton microcomb Researchers from the University of Rochester and CalTech say they have created the first microwave-rate soliton microcomb that can control the repetition rate at a high speed. Microcombs are frequency combs that can fit on a microchip, which will be useful in photonics. Solitons are solitary waves that keep their shape as they move at a constant speed. The team put an... » read more

Research Bits: June 13


Converting heat to electricity Researchers at the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) and University of Colorado Boulder fabricated a device to boost the conversion of heat into electricity. The technique involves depositing hundreds of thousands of microscopic columns of gallium nitride atop a silicon wafer. Layers of silicon are then removed from the underside of the waf... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Japanese and American trade officials announced a joint roadmap for cooperation in strengthening global semiconductor supply chains by advancing Japan-U.S. collaboration with emerging and developing countries in the Indo-Pacific. China and South Korea agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on semiconductor industry supply chains with a focus on the supply of key raw materials and ensu... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Arm debuted its latest platform for mobile computing. Arm Total Compute Solutions 2023 adds the new Immortalis-G720 GPU based on the 5th Generation GPU architecture, which redefines parts of the graphics pipeline to reduce memory bandwidth for the next generation of high geometry games and real-time 3D applications. The company also added two new Mali GPUs. In addition, Arm introduced a cluster... » read more

Developing An Unbreakable Cybersecurity System


Cyberattacks are increasing in frequency and sophistication, and the impact of those attacks is increasing almost exponentially as the amount and value of data continues to grow. Cybersecurity Ventures projected the annual cost of cybercrime will grow from $8 trillion in 2023 to $210.5 trillion by 2025, with no end in sight. On the target list are a slew of industrial and commercial segments... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


The Cyberspace Administration of China recommended a ban of Micron chips for critical information infrastructure (CII), alleging serious network security risks. According to a statement from China's Network Security Review Office, "Micron's products have relatively serious potential network security issues, which pose a major security risk to [China's] critical information infrastructure supply... » read more

Week In Review: Design, Low Power


Cadence bought Pulsic, a U.K.-based developer of place-and-route tools for custom digital and analog. The acquisition follows a previous acquisition attempt by a Chinese firm in August 2022, which was blocked by the U.K. government. At the G7 Summit in Japan, IBM announced a 10-year, $100 million initiative with the University of Tokyo and the University of Chicago to develop a quantum-centr... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Global semiconductor sales reached $574 billion in 2022, and U.S. semiconductor companies accounted for sales totaling $275 billion, or 48% of the global market, according to the 2023 Factbook released by the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA). DRAM and NAND prices likely will continue to fall further this quarter because production cuts have not kept pace with weakening demand, accord... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive, mobility Qualcomm signed a definitive agreement to acquire fabless semiconductor company Autotalks, maker of automotive-qualified vehicle-to-everything (V2X) SoCs, processors, sensors, V2X RF transceivers, and other products for use in automatic braking and cooperative perception systems (where a vehicle can see what another vehicle is seeing). Autotalks’ V2X products are dual-m... » read more

Research Bits: May 10


Growing 2D TMDs on chips Researchers from Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), Oak Ridge National Laboratory, and Ericsson Research found a way to “grow” layers of 2D transition metal dichalcogenide (TMD) materials directly on top of a fully fabricated silicon chip, a technique they say could enable denser integrations. The researchers focused on molybdenum disulfide, which is f... » read more

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