Trump Blocks Broadcom Bid for Qualcomm


President Trump has blocked Broadcom’s unsolicited, $117 billion takeover bid for Qualcomm, citing national security concerns. The president acted on the recommendation of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States, which cited the possibility of Qualcomm’s chip technology being compromised by Chinese interests, if it were acquired by Singapore-based Broadcom. The move is t... » read more

The Week in Review: IoT


Finance Toronto-based Ecobee, which markets smart thermostats, raised $61 million in its Series C funding, bringing the total funding for the 11-year-old company to $146 million. Energy Impact Partners led the new round and was joined by Amazon’s Alexa Fund, Relay Ventures, and Thomvest. Ecobee counts Nest Labs, the Google subsidiary, as its chief rival. ThoughtWire, also headquartered in... » read more

Investors Back IoT Startups


Internet of Things startups took in more than $1.35 billion from corporate and private investors during the latter half of 2017, for a total of about $2.2 billion in the full year. Chicago-based Uptake Technologies, an Industrial IoT startup, had the biggest haul of the year, with $117 million raised in a Series D round, on top of a $90 million Series C round earlier in 2017, bringing its to... » read more

Wireless Charging Creeps Forward


It's well known that electricity can travel long distances through the air, but expanding beyond the boundaries of a wire has never seemed a practical or reliable way to power delicate electronics. In fact, wireless power has been widely available for years. Whether this approach will be used to extend battery life isn't entirely clear. But it is attracting renewed attention as the balance b... » read more

RISC-V Gains Its Footing


The RISC-V instruction-set architecture, which started as a UC Berkeley project to improve energy efficiency, is gaining steam across the industry. The RISC-V Foundation's member roster gives an indication who is behind this effort. Members include Google, Nvidia, Qualcomm, Rambus, Samsung, NXP, Micron, IBM, GlobalFoundries, UltraSoC, Siemens, among many others. One of the key markets for... » read more

The Week In Review: Design


M&A Synopsys acquired PhoeniX Software, expanding its photonic integrated circuit design range. Founded in 2003 and based in the Netherlands, PheoniX adds photonic aware physical layout capabilities, enabled by support for foundry-specific PDKs, along with a full photonic chip design package. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Siemens PLM Software will acquire Sarokal Test Systems, w... » read more

DAC’s Passageway To Design Infrastructure


This year's Design Automation Conference will include an "alley" on the exhibit floor, but it won't be a dark, narrow passageway we think of when we hear "alley." Instead, the new Design Infrastructure Alley will be a well-illuminated tribute to the design technology infrastructure, a fundamental element for the creation and design of complex electronic systems and components. The Design Inf... » read more

Fan-Out Wars Begin


Several packaging houses are developing the next wave of high-density fan-out packages for premium smartphones, but perhaps a bigger battle is brewing in the lower density fan-out arena. Amkor, ASE, STATS ChipPAC and others sell traditional low-density fan-out packages, although some new and competitive technologies are beginning to appear in the market. Low-density fan-out, or sometimes cal... » read more

Cheaper Packaging Options Ahead


Lower-cost packaging options and interconnects are either under development or just being commercialized, all of which could have a significant impact on the economics of advanced packaging. By far, the most cited reason why companies don't adopt advanced [getkc id="27" kc_name="packaging"] is cost. Currently, silicon [getkc id="204" kc_name="interposers"] add about $30 to the price of a med... » read more

The Week in Review: IoT


Finance San Francisco-based Aquabyte has raised $3.5 million in seed funding led by Costanoa Ventures and New Enterprise Associates. Princeton University and strategic investors in the U.S. and Norway also participated in the round. The startup is using computer vision and machine learning to optimize efficiency in fish farming. Aquabyte is first deploying its technology in Norway in cooperati... » read more

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