Chip Ecosystem Apprenticeships Help Close The Talent Gap


Competency-based apprenticeship programs are gaining wider acceptance across the chip industry as companies and governments look for new ways to address talent shortages, and as workers look for new skills that can span multiple industry sectors and industries. Funded in part by the CHIPS Act in the U.S. the European Chips Act, and various other nation-specific and regional programs, apprent... » read more

Week In Review: Auto, Security, Pervasive Computing


Automotive The chip shortage continues to affect automotive OEMs around the world. Ford is cutting production of its F-150 pickup truck. It is not just passenger car production that is affected. The transportation industry will see chip shortages with 5+ month lead times through the end of 2021, according to ABI Research. Some of the shortages will be in telematics chips, due to high demand wh... » read more

NIWeek on Offer in May


National Instruments is putting on its annual NIWeek conference and exhibition this month, May 21-24 at the Austin Convention Center in the capital of Texas. Details on the agenda and the full four-day program are available here. I’ve attended NIWeek for the past two years, and it’s an opportunity to learn new things, see impressive product demonstrations, and hear about developments ... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Feb. 10


Deadweight machines The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) is in the process of cleaning, restoring and recalibrating its 4.45-million Newton deadweight machine. NIST’s deadweight machine, the largest of its kind in the world, is equivalent to one million pounds-force. Built in 1965, the deadweight system consists of a stack of 20 stainless steel discs about three meter... » read more

Manufacturing Bits: Dec. 30


Mechanical switches For years, the industry has been talking about the use of advanced mechanical switches in low-power applications. In theory, mechanical switches have zero off-state leakages, abrupt ON/OFF switching capabilities and small voltage swings. Mechanical switches could overcome the energy efficiency limit of CMOS. In fact, mechanical switches could replace CMOS in some applica... » read more