D&R Headline News (August 2014)

Headlines for Friday Aug. 29, 2014

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UMC Joins Fujitsu's New Foundry Company

UMC and Fujitsu Semiconductor today announced an agreement for UMC to become a minority shareholder of a newly formed subsidiary of Fujitsu Semiconductor that will include its 300mm wafer manufacturing facility located in Kuwana, Mie, Japan. UMC’s advanced 40nm technology will be also licensed to Fujitsu Semiconductor.

• SMIC Announces Unaudited 2014 Interim Results
• MStar to Include Cryptography Research' CryptoFirewall Security Core in Connected TV Chips

Headlines for Thursday Aug. 28, 2014

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CSR confirms approach from Microchip Technology Inc

The Board of CSR plc ("CSR") notes recent press speculation and confirms that it has received an approach regarding a possible offer for the company from Microchip.

• Google's Project Ara Is Science Fiction, Says Critic
• Data Centers May Ride on ASICs
• Google Selects Rockchip for Modular Smartphone Processor
• Major IDMs Increasingly Rely on Foundries for Logic Production
• Sibridge Technologies expands to Europe
• Himax Imaging chooses TowerJazz Panasonic Semiconductor's State of the Art 65nm process with Outstanding 1.12µm Pixel for its Next Generation Cameras for Smart Phone Applications
• HDL Design House New Verification Seminar in Austin: Maximizing Verification Efficiency

Headlines for Wednesday Aug. 27, 2014

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Fujitsu Presents HEVC HD Decoding SoC for Multimedia Applications

Fujitsu Semiconductor Europe (FSEU) today introduced its newest addition to the Fujitsu H6x decoder series: the MB8AL2030 nicknamed HD62. The System on Chip (SoC) supports HEVC (H.265) decoding in HD resolution for multimedia applications in in-car infotainment and home entertainment systems.

• INSIDE Secure Appoints Martin Bergenwall as Head of the Mobile Security Business Division

Headlines for Tuesday Aug. 26, 2014

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Rambus and Northwest Logic Certify Interoperability of DDR4/3 PHY and Controller

Rambus and Northwest Logic today announced they have validated interoperability of the Rambus R+™ DDR4/3 PHY with the Northwest Logic DDR4/3 SDRAM Controller Core. The combined solution provides customers with a differentiated memory subsystem that brings together the superior signal integrity offered by the Rambus R+ PHY along with the robust Northwest Logic controller core for a proven and easy-to-integrate solution.

• Toshiba Launches Multi-function ARM Cortex-M0-core-based Microcontroller with Low Pin Count
• Full Compliance with Military Temperature Specification Planned for Altera 20 nm FPGA and SoC Devices
• Maxscend Partners with CEVA to Offer Complete Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Solutions for Mobile Platforms, Wearables and IoT Devices
• JEDEC Releases LPDDR4 Standard for Low Power Memory Devices

Headlines for Monday Aug. 25, 2014

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Video Codecs in Close Battle

The battle between today's leading video codecs -- HEVC and VP9 -- will be a closer fight than we saw between the leaders in the prior generation, VP8 and AVC. There may be room in the market for both – at least in the short term.

• SiliconArts May Disrupt Mobile Graphics
• Report: India, China show interest in Korean analog foundry
• New standard cell and memory libraries at 28 nm from Dolphin Integration
• Murata to Acquire Peregrine Semiconductor for $12.50 Per Share in Cash
• mCube Creates New "Ten Degrees" Subsidiary to Focus on Indoor Navigation Business

Headlines for Friday Aug. 22, 2014

• North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts July 2014 Book-to-Bill Ratio of 1.07

Headlines for Thursday Aug. 21, 2014

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Synopsys DesignWare USB 3.0 IP Shipped in More Than 100 Million Production SoCs

Synopsys today announced that its DesignWare® USB 3.0 Controller and PHY IP has shipped in more than 100 million production system-on-chips (SoCs) used in mobile computing, digital home and cloud computing applications such as smartphones, tablets, set-top boxes, digital TVs, gaming systems and servers.

• JPR Reports AMD jumps 11% in GPU shipments in Q2, Intel up 4%, Nvidia slips
• Synopsys Posts Financial Results for Third Quarter Fiscal Year 2014
• CSEM's new Sub-1V Bluetooth Smart RF transceiver IP offers best-in-class per-formance for wearable sensors and IOT
• Algo-Logic Systems Joins OpenPOWER Foundation
• Undo Software releases UndoDB Out-and-About edition

Headlines for Wednesday Aug. 20, 2014

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ARM Stressed in Server Bid

ARM-based servers are coming, but even more slowly and perhaps more narrowly than once thought, according to companies that expect to build and use them.

• SmartPlay Offers Specialized Design Services for Customers of Intel Custom Foundry
• eMemory Provides Tailor-Made MTP Solutions in Low-Cost Green Process Platforms, Develops Diverse MCU Product Range
• NxGn Data Emerges from Stealth Mode to provide a paradigm shift in enterprise storage solutions
• Process Roadmap For Memory Devices Marches On as 3D Looms
• 2014 Q2 Tablet Market Grows, as Apple and Samsung Disappoint says Strategy Analytics
• RTOS Synthesis Tool SynthOS Goes Online For Free

Headlines for Tuesday Aug. 19, 2014

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Q&A: ARM Mobile Targets Wearables

Last week I had the opportunity to talk to David Maidment, mobile segment marketing manager at ARM, who is now focusing on the wearable market. He shared his views on this new exciting market for the company.

• Analog Bits Launches PLL Products for Chinese Semiconductor Market
• Algo-Logic Systems Launches High Performance Second Generation 100G Top-of-Rack (TOR) Switch for Datacenters
• INSIDE Secure NFC patents licensed to smartphone manufacturer LG

Headlines for Monday Aug. 18, 2014

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Northwest Logic's PCI Express Gen3 Core and S2C's Virtex-7 ASIC Prototyping Platform fully validated together

Northwest Logic and S2C, Inc. announced today that Northwest Logic’s PCI Express® (PCIe®) 3.0 solution, including the Expresso 3.0 Core (PCI Express 3.0 Controller Core) and family of DMA Cores has been validated on S2C’s ASIC prototyping platforms. These cores are now the latest addition to S2C’s Prototype Ready™ IP suite.

• ON Semiconductor Completes Acquisition of Aptina Imaging and Provides Guidance for Third Quarter on Impact of Acquisition of Aptina Imaging
• Mentor Graphics Extends Nucleus RTOS with Industry-Leading Capabilities for Microcontroller and Multicore Applications
• Altera Releases Quartus II Software Arria 10 Edition v14.0
• Dolphin Integration announce the availability of their Reusable Power Kit Library at TSMC 180 nm eLL
• Wind River Integrates Virtualization Technology into Next-Generation RTOS for Internet of Things
• Worldwide Smartphone Shipments Edge Past 300 Million Units in the Second Quarter; Android and iOS Devices Account for 96% of the Global Market, According to IDC
• Bitcoin ASIC in Chips-to-$ Race

Headlines for Thursday Aug. 14, 2014

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Nvidia Flexes Custom 64-Bit ARM

Nvidia has opened the hood on its custom 64-bit ARM core first announced in January 2011. "Denver" is an ARM processor that uses microcode to enable a novel execution optimizer.

• Imagination Technologies Group plc - Board Changes
• Microcontroller Sales Kick Into Gear Again After Slump

Headlines for Wednesday Aug. 13, 2014

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Ittiam Systems announces availability of its third generation H.265/HEVC codec with 422 12-bit support

Ittiam Systems announced the addition of 422 12-bit support to its Pristine Quality H.265/HEVC Main 10 encoder SDK making it one of the industry's first commercially licensable encoders with range extension.

• Microsoft Plugs FPGAs in Datacenter

Headlines for Tuesday Aug. 12, 2014

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USB 3.0 Promoter Group Announces USB Type-C Connector Ready for Production

The USB 3.0 Promoter Group today announced the completion of the USB Type-C specification that defines the next generation USB connector. The USB Type-C specification establishes a new cable and connector scheme tailored to fit mobile device product designs, yet robust enough for laptops and tablets.

• TSMC Board of Directors Meeting Resolutions
• Energy-efficient and programmable heterogeneous many-core platform with self-adaptive capabilities
• Microsemi and eInfochips Collaborate to Improve Efficiency, Reliability and Performance for Critical Avionics Systems Development and Design
• 400 Gbit Ethernet: The Next Leap
• Strong Growth in Second Quarter 2014 Silicon Wafer Shipments
• Intel Outlines 14nm, Broadwell
• Sibridge Technologies expands with a New Design Centre in Bangalore
• Server ASIC Hits Performance/Cost Sweet Spot

Headlines for Monday Aug. 11, 2014

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Dolphin Integration reveal high quality and common-mode noise-resilient audio CODEC targeting automotive infotainment application

Dolphin Integration offer an audio CODEC targeting automotive infotainment applications, sCODS100-N.11-Xenon, providing optimal voice command and in-cabin phone conversation performances for best-in-class listening sound system.

• Khronos Group Announces Key Advances in OpenGL Ecosystem
• MagnaChip to Offer Competitive Embedded Multiple Time Programmable (MTP) IP Solutions
• Open-Silicon Establishes High-Speed SerDes Technology Center of Excellence
• Khronos Releases SPIR 2.0 Provisional Specification
• DMP Launches the world's smallest GPU IP core for Wearables and Internet of Things (IoT)

Headlines for Friday Aug. 08, 2014

• TSMC July 2014 Revenue Report
• UMC Reports Sales for July 2014
• New IBM SyNAPSE Chip Could Open Era of Vast Neural Networks
• SMIC and JCET Establish a Joint Venture in Jiangyin National High-Tech Industrial Development Zone

Headlines for Thursday Aug. 07, 2014

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u-blox acquires IP for industrial Wi-Fi

Swiss u-blox (SIX:UBXN), a leading provider of wireless and positioning semiconductors and modules for the automotive, industrial and consumer markets, has acquired the company Antcor, a developer of Wi-Fi baseband intellectual property (IP).

• Changing The IP Supplier Paradigm
• IP Reaches Back To Established Nodes
• MediaTek, AMD, and SK Hynix's 1H14 Sales Surge by more than 20%!
• USB-IF Statement regarding USB security
• MIPI Alliance Enhances its Battery Interface Specification with "Smart Battery" Capabilities for Mobile Devices

Headlines for Wednesday Aug. 06, 2014

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Vidatronic Announces Buck DC-DC Switching Converter IP with Excellent Power Efficiency for Low Power Applications

Vidatronic announces the VBUCK400T110, a Buck DC-DC switching converter IP core in the TSMC 110nm CMOS process. The VBUCK400T110 is optimized for microprocessor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and system-on-a-chip (SOC) integration. The Buck IP core can be used to implement dynamic voltage and frequency scaling (DVFS) for modern microchips.

• eASIC and Mobiveil Collaborate on Optimized NVMe Solution for SSD Systems
• Lattice Simplifies Optical Ethernet System Management Interfaces
• SMIC Reports 2014 Second Quarter Results
• Squid Systems Video Codec Hardware IP Available for Licensing
• e2v technologies to acquire AnaFocus
• NJR and UMC Extends Collaboration to MEMS Microphone Manufacturing
• Microsemi Continues its FPGA Security Leadership for Secure Boot with Extension of Cryptography Research Differential Power Analysis Patent License
• GUC Monthly Sales Report - July 2014

Headlines for Tuesday Aug. 05, 2014

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Global Semiconductor Industry on Pace for Record Sales Through First Half of 2014

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing and design, today announced that worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $82.7 billion during the second quarter of 2014, an increase of 5.4 percent over the previous quarter and a jump of 10.8 percent compared to the second quarter of 2013.

• Calypto Catapult High-level Synthesis Platform Chosen by Olympus for C-Based Design and Verification
• IBM, GF Explore New Partners
• Cadence Introduces Voltus-Fi Custom Power Integrity Solution, Delivering Foundry-Certified SPICE-Level Accuracy for Transistor-Level Power Signoff
• Ridgetop Group, Inc. Awarded Advanced Mixed-Signal Troubleshooting ATE Software Contract
• Altera to Demonstrate FPGA Technologies at Flash Memory Summit 2014

Headlines for Monday Aug. 04, 2014

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Moortec Semiconductor Announce Transient Voltage Supply Monitor for Advanced Node SoCs

Moortec Semiconductor, provider of high accuracy on-chip temperature sensors for advanced-node CMOS technologies, announces its Voltage Transient Monitor (VTM) IP which is a part of its Moortec Embedded Die Sensor (MEDS) family. The VTM is a self-contained IP block specially designed to monitor dynamic supply voltage conditions at a continuous sample rate of 1MHz.

• RFaxis to Unveil Family of RF Front-Ends for IEEE 802.11ac in Nanometer-Scale CMOS Technology
• MEMS imitates logic
• Altera Enables Customer Design Starts for 14 nm Stratix 10 FPGAs and SoCs
• IP-Maker to showcase new NVMe reference design at Flash Memory Summit
• HED Launches the First 55nm Smart Card Chip Based on SMIC's 55nm LL eFlash Platform
• Dolphin Integration launch an innovative IP portfolio for 28 nm multimedia SoC
• Double Digit Growth of Cellular Radio Components Likely to Accrue to Top Suppliers Qualcomm, MediaTek, Skyworks, RFMD-TQS, Murata
• A New Era for DRAM Bit Volume Growth

Headlines for Friday Aug. 01, 2014

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ARM Concludes its Acquisition of Duolog Technologies

ARM has concluded its acquisition of Duolog Technologies, a leader in design configuration and integration technology for the semiconductor industry. The acquisition strengthens ARM's IP configuration and integration capability, helping ARM partners design and deploy system IP and manage increasing SoC integration complexity.