Electronics Supply Chain News & Analysis

Cadence, ARM Ink IP Cross Licensing Agreement

Multiyear agreement provides reciprocal access to intellectual property portfolios, grants both companies rights to manufacture test chips containing Cadence and ARM IP.

Fab Tool Sales Grew 18% in 2014

Semiconductor equipment spending grew last year across all regions of the globe except Taiwan, according to trade group.

Smart Grid Sensor Market Projected to Boom

Smart grid sensor market set for expansion in the coming decade as the result of larger contracts in North America and other regions potentially adopting the technology.

Microsemi Swoops in to Buy Vitesse

Industry consolidation is set to continue as loss-making networking chip company Vitesse is approached by fellow Californian defense and communications chip firm with a $389 million cash offer.

Judge Orders Injunction Against Synopsys Emulation Tools

Synopsys plans to appeal decision that would prohibit EDA vendor from selling ZeBu emulation systems in U.S.

Acuity Brands Buys Distech Controls

Acuity will use the technology from Distech to help enhance its smart buildings and smart cities market.

Hua Hong, Lexvu Claim Smallest MEMS Barometer

Chinese foundry is working with Lexvu Opto Microelectronics on an integrated MEMS barometer that will work in smartphones, UAVs, air cleaners and intelligent wearable devices.

Sony Buys Into MicroVision's Picoprojector Vision

Millions of dollars in orders from Japanese electronics powerhouse could make 2015 a transformational year for MicroVision and its projection display technology.

First HSA Spec Aims to 'Unleash' Multiprocessing

Heterogeneous Systems Architecture specification expected to enable more efficient and more distributed processing in platforms ranging from mobile devices up to high-performance computing and servers.

Qualcomm DevBoard Goes Raspberry-Pi Route

DragonBoard 410c development board provides 64-bit quad-core processing and wireless connectivity for the embedded prototyping and maker communities.

TI Licenses Technology from WiLAN to Settle Litigation

Second deal in two months between Texas Instruments and technology licensor WiLAN resolves litigation pending in U.S. federal court.

Handsets, Tablets Drive Ambient Light Sensor Market

AMS led Maxim as the top supplier of ambient light sensors into the mobile device market in 2014, with Samsung and Apple as the biggest customers. But Taiwanese suppliers and Chinese OEMs are on the rise.

Micron Expands Fab for 3D-NAND Memory

Micron has begun construction of a $4 billion expansion of Fab 10 in Singapore as a home for volume production of 3D-NAND flash non-volatile memory in 2017.

Strong Fab Equipment Spending Projected

Second consecutive year of growth expected this year, but slowdown looms in 2016, says trade group.

Bosch Rolls Integrated MEMS for Android Smartphones

MEMS vendor introduces two new sensors that integrate the company's DSP Fuser core with support for the full Android Lollipop sensor stack.

A Bright Idea: Using Light to Transmit Data

The idea of Light Fidelity, or Li-Fi, has people thinking about a different part of the electromagnetic spectrum that's available for data transmission—light.

TI Chipset Targets Small Portable Spectrometers

Texas Instruments has unveiled a programmable MEMS chipset that can be used in a variety of handheld near-infrared applications including spectrometers and chemical analyzers.

Cadence Looks to Improve Position in Digital Design Tools

EDA vendor rolls out new physical implementation platform in an effort to challenge Synopsys' dominance.

BOE's Module Push Accelerates Mobile Display Competition

With shipments for handset display modules expected to rise only 4 percent this year, Chinese vendors are making a push to increase their market share at the expense of rivals.