Items tagged with semiconductors
In a potential move that could shake things up in the mobile space, Google might be taking a page from Apple by designing its own system-on-chip (SoC) hardware for future Pixel smartphones and lower end Chromebook devices. If that turns out to be the case, it would be disappointing news for Qualcomm, and good news for...
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A chip design startup founded by a trio of former Apple semiconductor architects just raised $53 million in funding. The company is called NUVIA and it hopes to make a splash in the data center by "reimagining chip design to deliver industry-leading performance and energy efficiency." Should Intel and AMD be...
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There is reason to be optimistic AMD will deliver its next-generation Zen 3 processors on schedule. AMD's manufacturing partner, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC), says it has begun mass producing chips based on its 7-nanometer plus (7nm+) Extreme Ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology.
TSMC did...
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Samsung today said it has developed the industry's first 12-layer 3D-TSV (Through Silicon Via) chip packaging technology, calling it "one of the most challenging packaging technologies for mass production of high performance chips." And that is precisely what it will be used for—it will enable Samsung to mass produce...
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Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) is countersuing rival semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries, alleging several instances of patent infringement related to the company's 40-nanometer, 28-nanometer, 22-nanometer, 14-nanometer, and 12-nanometer process nodes. As part of the lawsuit, TSMC is seeking...
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TSMC generated $7.75 billion in revenue during the second quarter of 2019, which is down 1.4 percent year-over-year but up 9.2 percent from the previous quarter. In a subsequent conference call with investors, TSMC talked about powering through softening economic conditions, and what the future holds in regards to...
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In just a few weeks, AMD is expected to roll out its new Ryzen 3000 series of CPUs based on its Zen 2 architecture. These new parts are being built by Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) on a 7-nanometer node. Looking ahead, however, TSMC is already talking about 6nm and even 5nm, the latter of which...
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It’s been a 7-month-long search, but Intel finally has named its permanent CEO, and the company didn’t have to look very far. Intel has announced that interim CEO Robert (Bob) Swan will now serve permanently in that position. Swan previously served as Intel’s Chief Financial Officer, a role he took on in October 2016.
Swan is a finance guy
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Intel is planning a massive expansion to its D1X research and manufacturing site in Oregon as it sets the pieces in the place for a transition to 7-nanometer production. The project is expected to take at least 18 months and cost billions of dollars, and represents a long term outlook for a market that Intel estimates...
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AMD is going all-in on 7-nanometer manufacturing for both its CPUs and GPUs, and it doesn't look like the company will have to worry about low inventories. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) has reportedly seen a reduction in 7nm orders from Apple, HiSilicon, and Qualcomm, and subsequently will not be...
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Intel insists it's on track to ship 10-nanometer processors in volume by the end of next year, but what could be even more exciting is what lies beyond the confines of CMOS (complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor) technology. In a newly published research paper in Nature, researchers from Intel, the University of...
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At times it seems as though Apple is loathe to work with its manufacturing and component supply partners, most notably Samsung, a rival in the mobile space. So, it's not really surprising that Apple is entering into a massive $600 million partial acquisition and licensing deal with Dialog Semiconductor, a fabless...
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While testifying before Congress over the Cambridge Analytical privacy scandal, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg repeatedly talked about the need to further develop artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to tackle several of the challenges the company currently faces. Apparently that includes designing its own chips...
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Qualcomm on Tuesday increased its bid to buy NXP Semiconductors, agreeing to pay $127.50 for each share of the Dutch chipmaker. The revised amount is 16 percent higher than what Qualcomm originally proposed last October, which at the time stood at $110 per share. Qualcomm's amended agreement is an aggressive move that...
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TSMC has broken ground on a new 5nm fab that will be used to produce the world's first 5-nanometer chips starting in 2020. TSMC builds chips for numerous manufacturers, including NVIDIA, Qualcomm and many others. The new Qualcomm Snapdragon 855 mobile chips coming this year are built on the TSMC 7nm technology. With...
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Broadcom is hoping to pull of the largest technology transaction of all time in its bid to acquire Qualcomm. The company made an ambitious cash and stock offer valued at around $130 billion, and it stands whether Qualcomm is able to consummate its deal to acquire NXP Semiconductors at $110 per share or not. Either...
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Samsung today announced that it is ready to start producing semiconductors based on its 8-nanometer FinFET Low Power Plus (LPP) manufacturing process. The company's newest process node provides up to 10 percent lower power consumption compared to its 10nm LPP process, and also takes up 10 percent less space due to a...
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When it comes to electronics, semiconductors make the world go round. This has been true for many decades, though future generations will own devices with different physical makeups than those that are in use today. That includes a potential move away from silicon. In what could be a glimpse into the future...
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We might be reaching a point where mid-range smartphones are good enough for most people. That may seem like a double-edged sword for Qualcomm, which just announced its new Snapdragon 450 processor for such devices, but there is still room at the high-end for things like virtual reality (VR), augmented reality (AR)...
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The memory chip wars are heating up. Just four months ago, Western Digital kicked off pilot production of the industry's first 64-layer 512-gigabyte (Gb) 3D NAND flash memory. While it will take some time to reach mass production status, that's exactly where Samsung is now at with its 64-layer 256Gb Vertical NAND...
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Foxconn is attempting to acquire Toshiba's semiconductor business though it is not going at it alone. According to multiple reports, both Apple and Amazon have joined forces with Foxconn to grab a piece of the sale, with each company offering up an untold amount of financial backing to help push the deal...
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IBM has teamed up with semiconductor equipment suppliers and manufacturing bigwigs GlobalFoundries and Samsung to develop a new process for building silicon nanosheet transistors. This new process paves a path to 5-nanometer, with the subsequent "fingernail-sized" chips packing a staggering 30 billion transistors...
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