D&R Headline News (September 2008)

Headlines for Tuesday Sep. 30, 2008

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Freescale Offers Customization Across SoC Platforms to Help Customers Streamline Unique Product Development

To address the market need for highly customized devices, Freescale Semiconductor has launched a Customer Specific Products (CSP) business that provides custom system-on-chip (SoC) solutions based on its industry-leading SoC platforms – Power Architecture® processors, ColdFire® controllers and i.MX platforms based on ARM® technology

• Shenzhen Integrated Circuit Design Industrial Center Licenses Low-Power Cores from MIPS Technologies
• UMC Names Arthur Kuo as Senior Vice President of UMC-USA
• Virage Logic and TSMC Expand Agreement to Provide Process-Optimized IP
• Altera and SLS Offer Commercially Supported Pre-Packaged uCLinux for Nios II Embedded Processor
• NXP Semiconductors Introduces Industry's Lowest Cost ARM9 with High Speed USB 2.0 OTG

Headlines for Monday Sep. 29, 2008

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TSMC's 28nm To Be a Full Node Process

Next generation 28nm process provides first comprehensive manufacturing platform featuring both high-k metal gate and silicon oxynitride

• Sarnoff Europe Releases Silicon-proven ESD Solutions for Advanced Applications in 40nm CMOS
• MIPS Technologies Expands HDMI Portfolio with Industry’s First 45nm IP Cores; 90nm IP in Silicon
• A New Offering of High-Resolution Audio DACs for Resident Consumer Applications by Dolphin Integration
• NextIO Names Virage Logic as Its Trusted IP Partner for 65-Nanometer Embedded Memories
• Fujitsu Adopts Tensilica's Xtensa Processor as Baseband Processor for Fujitsu Mobile Phone
• Virage Logic's Expanded Business Model Addresses Semiconductor Market's Growing Need to Meet Application-Specific Requirements
• ARM, Chartered, IBM and Samsung Collaborate to Enable Energy-Efficient 32nm and 28nm Systems-on-Chip
• Zoran Uses Kilopass XPM Memory in Consumer Electronic Chips
• Nokia and Nokia Siemens Networks enter into patent license agreement with Huawei
• SMIC Reiterates 2008 Third Quarter Revenue Guidance
• DesignArt Networks Delivers the First Universal WiMAX Basestation-on-Chip

Headlines for Friday Sep. 26, 2008

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Intel, Chartered slam semi IP industry

At the GSA IP conference here this week, two chip makers--Intel Corp. and Chartered Semiconductor Manufacturing Pte. Ltd.--took turns in separate presentations and landed some pot shots at the semiconductor IP industry for those and other reasons.

• CriticalBlue and Toshiba Collaborate on Multicore Software Development Environment
• Radiocomp demonstrates soft-configurable radio heads for WIMAX

Headlines for Thursday Sep. 25, 2008

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Transmeta Initiates Process to Seek Sale of the Company

Transmeta announced today that, with the assistance of its independent financial advisors Piper Jaffray & Co., it has initiated a process to seek a potential sale of the Company.

• Chartered tips 40-, 32- and 28-nm processes
• Tower Semiconductor Announces Signing and Closing of Definitive Agreements with its Lenders to Restructure Its Balance Sheet and Reduce $250 Million of Debt
• Sarnoff Europe joins the TSMC Design Center Alliance with its ESD Design portfolio
• Sidense Chosen One of Canada's "Companies to Watch" in the 2008 Deloitte Technology Fast 50 Awards
• New Tensilica Partner Morpho, Inc Offers Image Processing Software For Mobile Devices
• Transmeta Announces Two Agreements with Intel
• XMOS Hardware Development Kit Provides Fast Track to Software Defined Silicon Designs
• Aldec selected by Thales to deploy DO-254/ED-80 CTS for Level B Certification Compliance of Advanced Avionics System
• U.S. Appeals Court Affirms Jury Verdict That Qualcomm Infringes Two Broadcom Patents

Headlines for Wednesday Sep. 24, 2008

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eInfochips introduces High-Definition Digital Video Processing Board for Texas Instruments DaVinci Technology

The DVPB-HD features TI’s TMS320DM6467 digital media processor based on DaVinci technology and provides all commonly used video system peripheral interfaces.

• Numetrics Enhances NMX-ERP Software Suite With Extensive Customization Capability
• Analysts question NXP's survival
• Renesas Plans to Sell German Fab to Silicon Foundry Holding
• Lattice Semiconductor Announces Two Key Executive Appointments
• OKI Network LSI Reduces Test Time 90% by Combining the Open Verification Methodology (OVM) and Cadence Incisive Technologies
• Evatronix to present its IP products at both GSA Suppliers Expo and ARM Developers Conference.

Headlines for Tuesday Sep. 23, 2008

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New HiveGo CSS Product Line From Silicon Hive and Acutelogic Provides Complete Embedded Camera Imaging Subsystems for SoC Makers

Silicon Hive and Acutelogic Enter Into Partnership Enabling SoC Makers To Buy One Stop Camera Imaging Solutions Which Combine Silicon Hive’s Efficient Programmable Processors With Acutelogic’s Ultra-High Quality And Robust Image Processing and Camera Control Algorithms.

• Denali Software Design and Verification IP Adopted By Siverge Networks to Accelerate ASIC Design for Wireless Solution Providers
• Atmel's Secure 32-bit ARM System-on-Chip Microcontroller Awarded Common Criteria EAL4+ Certification
• Xilinx Ships Industry's Largest Domain-Optimized FPGAs for Communication, DSP and Embedded Processing Applications
• Virtex-5 TXT Platform Delivers First Single FPGA Solution for Building 40G and 100G Telecommunications Equipment
• Sonics Participates in TechOnline Webinar on Creating Scalable Architectures for Video SoCs Using Multichannel
• Foundry wafer starts in 'free fall,' says analyst
• Infiniscale and Mentor Graphics collaborate with STMicroelectronics to offer a unique design solution for analog parametric yield optimization
• DSPACE, VaST Collaborate on Simulating Automotive Software on Virtual Hardware Platforms

Headlines for Monday Sep. 22, 2008

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ARC International PLC Operational Update

ARC today announced its plan to reorganise operations, enhancing and accelerating the deployment of its new multimedia product range to high-growth consumer electronics markets, while benefiting from recent strategic investments in new lower cost development capabilities.

• Domino Logic in ASIC Design Flow - Detailed Methodology and Breakthroughs in High Speed Design Automation Approach
• Tilera's TILEPro Multicore Processors Set New Performance Benchmark
• DesignArt Networks Announces Fully Integrated WiMAX Femtocell SoC
• MosChip Launches System-on-a-Chip (SoC) Processor for Digital Content Management in Camcorders, DVRs, Blu-Ray Disc Recorders, Video Editors and other AV Storage Devices
• Cypress Combines PSoC and Non-Volatile SRAM Technologies for Fail-Safe, Mixed-Signal Data Logging
• Synopsys Enters Mixed-Signal Implementation Market With Galaxy Custom Designer

Headlines for Friday Sep. 19, 2008

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DVD Disc Manufacturer Dicentia Infringing MPEG-2 Patents, German Court Says

The District Court Düsseldorf, Germany pronounced last week 12 verdicts on the merits finding that DVD disc manufacturers Dicentia have infringed certain patents in the MPEG-2 Patent Portfolio License offered by MPEG LA as a result of Dicentia’s manufacture of DVD video discs.

• Tower Semiconductor Completes Merger with Jazz Technologies

Headlines for Thursday Sep. 18, 2008

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Frontier Silicon Selects Elliptic as Security Supplier

The next-generation Frontier product will offer enhanced security capability for multi-scheme digital rights management (DRM) including support for Microsoft Certified for Windows Vista® DRM (formerly known as PlaysForSure).

• Ittiam Systems Announces the Availability of High Performance Multimedia Codecs on the ARM Cortex-A8 Processor
• IPextreme Provides Solarflare Additional Licenses of Infineon C166SV1 Microcontroller IP
• iSuppli: Chip biz has lost 'money-making touch'

Headlines for Wednesday Sep. 17, 2008

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LinkedIn entry confirms Apple-ARM connection, says NY Times

An entry at the public social-networking site LinkedIn has added weight to what has previously been the subject of speculation; that Apple is developing its own line of system-chips for the iPhone and has taken an ARM architecture license to do so, according to a New York Times report.

• Agilent Technologies' New Electronic System-Level EDA Platform Helps Algorithm Developers, System Architects Cut Design Time in Half
• Cryptography Research Announces License Agreement for Differential Power Analysis Countermeasures Patents with Renesas Technology
• Universities Adopt CoWare Processor Designer as Teaching and Research Tool
• HPC Platform Selects Altera Stratix II FPGA Family for New HMPE System
• Texas Instruments partners with Ittiam Systems to offer customers a highly flexible IP video phone solution based on TI's Voice over IP platform and DaVinci video technology
• LSI Delivers World's Fastest Read Channel, Achieving 4.0GHz Data Rates for Enterprise Hard Disk Drives

Headlines for Tuesday Sep. 16, 2008

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Achronix Semiconductor Launched to Break through FPGA Performance Barriers

Achronix Semiconductor today announced that it has already begun shipping the world's fastest FPGAs. The Speedster family, with the SPD60 as its initial member, delivers speeds up to 1.5 GHz, which represents a three-fold increase in performance over existing FPGAs.

• IQ Analog announces industry first 8-Channel Analog Front End IC
• Lattice Semiconductor Announces Restructuring
• Tensilica Adds AMR WB+ Audio / Speech Decoder and Encoder to HiFi 2 Audio Processor Software Library

Headlines for Monday Sep. 15, 2008

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On2 Technologies Announces New High Definition Hardware Encoder IP

The Hantro 7280 enables real-time video encoding up to 1280 x 1024 resolution for low-power chipsets

• ChipX Adds More Than 60 Analog Functions to IP Portfolio
• MIPS Technologies Unveils Groundbreaking Linux Development Tools in New Integrated Component Suite
• Actel Adds Sophisticated DSP Capabilities to Industry-Leading RTAX Space FPGAs
• Lattice Delivers Industry's Fastest RLDRAM I/II Memory Controller Support
• POWERVR 3D graphics accelerator core has now shipped in over 100 products
• PLDA announces that PLDA's AHB-PCIe Bridge IP has been selected for JVC's next generation professional digital camcorder system.
• Actel Launches Flash-Based FPGAs into Space
• On2 Technologies Unveils New Advanced Video Compression Format
• Fraunhofer IIS and VoiceAge provide ­reference for upcoming MPEG audio codec
• Altera Devices Offer Full Support of XAUI Protocol With 10-Gigabit Ethernet Reference Design
• Nuvation Introduces the Multichannel Video Front End Reference Design for Design-Acceleration of Video Security Encoder Products
• First 3-D processor runs at 1.4 Ghz on new architecture

Headlines for Friday Sep. 12, 2008

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Fabless business model 'stressed out', says analyst

Nvidia is not getting the 55-nm capacity it needs from silicon foundry giant Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., a problem likely to worsen as the graphics chip maker moves to the 40-nm node, according to Doug Freedman, an analyst at American Technology Research.

• Redesign of NXP Semiconductors Organization - Restructuring targets USD 550 M annual cost savings
• Samsung, Intrinsity Partner to Provide New Generation High-Speed, Low Power Processor Cores
• Lattice Semiconductor Updates Guidance For Third Quarter

Headlines for Thursday Sep. 11, 2008

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IBM and NEC Electronics Sign Agreement for Joint Development of Next-Generation Semiconductor Process Technology

Under the agreement, NEC Electronics will participate in a joint development project for the next-generation core CMOS process, at the 32-nm node, and in advanced fundamental research for leading-edge semiconductor technologies of the future.

• New Release of the OVM Takes Verification to the Next Level
• Virage Logic Strengthens Management Team With Key Appointments
• CriticalBlue raises $4M, adds Investors Toshiba Corporation and Scottish Venture Fund
• Sequence, Faraday, NemoChips Team To Slash Over 50% Of Total Power From Advanced Mobile Processor Design
• Nusym Technology, a Verification EDA Company, Raises $8 Million in Series B Funding
• Actel Corporation Reduces Third Quarter Revenue Guidance

Headlines for Wednesday Sep. 10, 2008

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ATEME releases third generation H.264 core engine

ATEME’s Gen3 H.264 codec, for the Kyrion series of real-time video encoders, is based on a number of ATEME patent-pending innovations enabling bandwidth efficiency gains and video quality enhancements over the previous generation of H.264 codecs.

• Venture capital is losing patience with the fabless
• eMemory and MagnaChip Partner to Offer Non-Volatile Memory Logic and High Voltage Processes
• Viewpoint: Engineers need to move up the design value chain
• Cadence Introduces SaaS Solutions for Semiconductor Design
• SP Devices joins Xilinx alliance program
• TSMC August 2008 Sales Report
• Thomson Selects Altera FPGAs for New Slow Motion Cameras
• Chartered Updates Guidance for Third Quarter
• Newtec Selects Altera's Cyclone II FPGAs for Satellite Broadband Terminal

Headlines for Tuesday Sep. 09, 2008

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Analog Devices Selects Virage Logic's AEON(R) Non-Volatile Memory Technology for High-Reliability Applications

The AEON product line, acquired by Virage Logic as part of its recent purchase of the NVM IP business of Seattle-based Impinj, Inc., is part of the company's comprehensive portfolio of embedded NVM solutions.

• Sunplus mMedia Licenses CEVA's MM2000 Multimedia Solution for Portable Multimedia Processors
• Tensilica Collaborates with Cadence to Create CPF-Enabled Flow for Tensilica’s Multimedia Subsystems
• VaST Integrates CoMET and METeor into Eclipse 3.3 Framework
• CEVA MM2000 Multimedia Solution Powers Solomon Systech MagusCore High Performance Portable Multimedia Processor
• Tokyo Electron Device Announces New TB-OP-FCRAM Evaluation Board Released for Low Power Consumption Memory FCRAM
• Cadence Expands Enterprise Verification Solution to Include Planning, Unified Verification Metrics and Industry Databases
• CEVA Partners With TES Electronic Solutions to Bring Graphics Capabilities to MM2000 Portable Multimedia Solution
• Newport Media Unveils World's First 65nm System-on-Chip (SoC) for Japan/Brazilian ISDB-T Mobile TV

Headlines for Monday Sep. 08, 2008

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High Performance DDR3 SDRAM Controller from Eureka Technology Supports AHB and AXI Bus Interface.

Eureka’s DDR3 SDRAM controller is designed specifically to harness the performance advantage of the DDR3 SDRAM. It employs high speed design techniques such as fast page access, pipeline design and smart arbitration. The controller supports both DDR2 and DDR3 SDRAMs to enable a smooth transition between the two SDRAM technologies.

• intoPIX Introduces its New Range of JPEG 2000 Mathematically Lossless IP-Cores
• Tensilica's Xtensa Processor Core Adopted by NEC For NEC's Mobile Phone SOC
• Silicon Image To Enable High-Definition Media Content In Mobile Applications on AMD Platforms
• Sun and Xilinx Ignite CMT Development Market With Introduction of Feature-Rich, High-Performance Programmable OpenSPARC Evaluation Platform
• Sanyo Denki Selects Actel Fusion for Industrial Encoder
• Tata Elxsi, Discretix Deliver Complete OMA BCAST Mobile TV Solution for Handset Vendors
• Wipro Technologies Joins Power Forward Initiative
• Lattice Announces ispLEVER 7.1 Service Pack 1 FPGA Design Tool Suite
• Cadence Extends Low-Power Leadership With Early Dynamic Power Analysis and Pre-RTL Exploration

Headlines for Friday Sep. 05, 2008

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Has Imagination followed ARM's lead with Apple license?

Imagination Technologies Group plc, licensor of graphics processor cores, has said it has concluded a multi-year, multi-use license agreement with an international electronics systems company. Imagination did not name the company or indicate how much money the deal might be worth.

• Green Hills Software Announces u-velOSity for ARC 600 Core Family and the ARC Sound Subsystem
• Faraday Monthly Sales Report - August 2008

Headlines for Thursday Sep. 04, 2008

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Denali Software First to Announce Verification IP for PCI Express 3.0 Designs

Denali Software today announced the availability of PureSpec™ PCI Express™ (PCIe) verification intellectual property (VIP) product which now supports the latest version of the Gen 3 specifications from the PCI-Special Interest Group (PCI-SIG®), allowing chip designers to begin early Gen 3 development.

• Innovative Silicon Names Michael Van Buskirk Senior Vice President of Engineering and Operations
• SP Devices' time-interleaving technology in module from Texas Instruments
• intoPIX and Omnitek launch a JPEG 2000 development kit
• Imagination Technologies Extends Relationship with International Electronics Systems Company with Significant Multi-year Licensing Deal
• Wi-LAN Reports Third Quarter 2008 Financial Results
• Verayo Launches, Introduces Security Solutions Based on "Unclonable" Silicon Chips
• Certess Certitude Increases Verification Quality at Mellanox Technologies

Headlines for Wednesday Sep. 03, 2008

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GDA Technologies Adds AXI to Its Serial RIO Silicon IP

AXI Bridge was added to GDA's GRIO Serial RIO IP and to enhance designs demanding high performance, low latency, low pin count, reliability and scalability.

• MIPS Technologies Accepts Resignation of Chipidea Founder Jose Franca
• Percello Licenses CEVA DSP Core for Femtocell Basestations
• Sonics Joins Power Forward Initiative
• CEVA, Inc. Adopts Rule 10b5-1 Stock Repurchase Plan
• Anchor Bay Offers New Low-Cost HDMI 1.3 Deep Color Video-Processing IC for Blu-ray Players and AV Receivers

Headlines for Tuesday Sep. 02, 2008

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IPextreme Announces Availability of Market's First IEEE 1149.7 cJTAG Semiconductor IP Core

Texas Instruments, a key contributor to the development of the IEEE 1149.7 standard, collaborates with IPextreme to bring compact JTAG (cJTAG) IP to market

• Fujitsu Microelectronics and Nanya Technology Sign License Agreement to Settle Patent Dispute
• Barco and Ingenient Technologies announce business partnership toward European customers
• Sigma Designs Licenses Imagination's POWERVR SGX Graphics Core Family
• Staccato Introduces Ripcord2 Single-Chip, Ultra-Wideband IC Family
• Renesas Technology Adopts Stratosphere Solutions' StratoPro-STX Variability Characterization Platform for 45nm
• Atmel Launches US$399 Starter Kit for ARM7-Based Customizable Microcontrollers
• Reading the tea leaves: How deep will EDA losses go?
• Texas Instruments driving development and ratification of new IEEE 1149.7 standard to slash space and cost for embedded systems
• Avnet and Cypress Release Upgraded Spartan-3A FPGA Evaluation Kit

Headlines for Monday Sep. 01, 2008

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DOLPHIN Integration completes its 65 nm Library with the AURIGA sROMet

The new sROMet AURIGA demonstrates an outstanding architectural property for a single metal programmable solution. Indeed it reuses the same architecture as its twin spRAM URANUS.

• Evatronix enhances its NAND Flash Controller with OCP interface and BCH error correction code