| Silicon wafer business set to rebound |
Source: Mark LaPedus, EETimes, October 10 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.com |
After a possible down year in 2007, the silicon wafer business is expected to rebound in 2008,
according to a new survey from the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group here. The silicon wafer
business grew by 20 percent in 2006, but it is projected to increase by only 9 percent in 2007
over 2006, according to the group. The overall IC market is projected to show little growth this
year, it was noted. |
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| Semi industry faces manufacturability, complexity and scale issues: Cadence CEO |
| Source: K.C. Krishnadas, EETimes, October 11 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml |
As semiconductor geometries continue to shrink, the people who have to deal with that trend
face confounding challenges of manufacturability, complexity and scale. For Cadence Design
Systems Inc., a major EDA player, and Michael J. Fister, its president and CEO, that means
looking at the design process from a different angle. |
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| Nokia Siemens continues R&D unit disposals |
| Source: John Walko, EETimes, October 11 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.eu/design/202401359 |
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Nokia Siemens Networks is continuing to shed units and workers as part of its major
restructuring, with giant Indian group Wipro Technologies buying an R&D operation in Berlin,
Germany that focuses on radio access development.
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| H-1B visa foes join to pressure Congress |
| Source: Marianne Kolbasuk McGee, EETimes, October 11 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.eu |
The IEEE and Semiconductor Industry Association both hope to create exemptions for foreign
professionals with advanced STEM degrees. Two large tech industry organizations that don't see
eye to eye on H-1B visa issues have joined together to urge Congress to put immigration reform
back on their legislative radar screen. |
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| In India, a $2,500 Pace Car |
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Source: Heather Timmons, New York Times, October 12 2007 |
| http://www.nytimes.com/ |
A revolution is taking place in India that could change what most of the world drives. Next fall,
the Indian automaker Tata Motors is scheduled to introduce its long-awaited People’s Car, with
a sticker price of about $2,500. Hot on its tail may be as many as half a dozen new ultraaffordable
vehicles — some from the world’s leading carmakers, including Toyota and Renault-
Nissan.
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| China's embedded software industry: Whys and wheretos |
| Source: EETimes, October 12 2007 |
| http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800483311 |
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CCID Consulting examined the status and the future of China's embedded software industry in
its report "Analysis of the current status of China's embedded software industry." The
embedded software industry in China is valued at $13.3 billion, the report said, yet the lead players are embedded top equipment manufacturers Huawei, ZTE and Haier, rather than
independent software vendors. |
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| Freescale joins France's competitiveness cluster |
| Source: Anne-Francoise Pele, EETimes, October 12 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.eu/semi/202401872 |
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Provider of semiconductors for the global automotive market, Freescale Semiconductor
announced it has joined the Automotive & Transportation research group of the System@tic
Paris-Region world-class competitiveness cluster. |
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| Centre may announce hardware policy soon |
| Source: The Hindu Business Line, October 12 2007 |
| http://www.thehindubusinessline.com/2007/10 |
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The Union Government is in the process of fine-tuning the new hardware policy which is likely
to be announced within two-three weeks. A task force appointed for the hardware policy is in
the process of finalising its guidelines as suggestions have been pouring in. |
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| Suddenly, A Chipper Outlook |
| Source: CNNMoney.com, October 15 2007 |
| http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds |
|
Semiconductor sales are at their highest level this year. The question is, will it last?
Global chip sales jumped 4.9% in August over the same month a year ago to hit $21.6 billion,
the best monthly rise since January. That's a welcome change from the last 12 months or so,
when a combination of slow sales and an oversupply of chips kept prices -- and profits -- down.
"I'm encouraged by what we see in the August numbers," said George Scalise, president of the
Semiconductor Industry Association, the biggest chip trade group.
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| Global auto majors plan to test cars in India |
| Source: Business Standard, October 15 2007 |
| http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx? |
|
Global car makers such as BMW, Nissan, Toyota, and Honda are in talks with the National
Automotive Testing and R&D Infrastructure Project (NATRIP) to avail themselves of its facilities
for testing the durability and performance of their vehicles for the global market. The move is
primarily aimed at global car makers, who would like to take advantage of cost reduction that
countries such as India offer, apart from climatic conditions that would enable manufacturers
get accurate account of the performance of their cars.
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| Tier II colleges go hi-tech to attract students |
| Source: Business Standard, October 15 2007 |
| http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?art_id=16889&cat_id=60 |
Even though the Indian Institutes of Technology (IITs) and Indian Institutes of Management
(IIMs) are the first choice for graduate and post graduate students due to the quality of
education, second rung colleges are trying to woo students with better infrastructure and highspeed,
virtually-networked campuses which they claim has resulted into a jump in student
applicants.
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| Global R&D activity set to shift to Asia |
| Source: The Economic Times, October 15 2007 |
| http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?art_id=16891 |
|
The focus of global research and development is shifting from the US to Asia, specifically India
and China, a new study shows. In 10 years, the global research and development activity will
shake loose the near-domination that the US has held for the past 50 years, and be split into
thirds between the US, EU, and China and India in terms of efforts, funds and activity. The
shift, finds the study, is not just in terms of expenditures and investments, but a structural
upheavals in the R&D enterprise and the complex interplay between funders and performers.
The study, conducted by Batelle, the world’s largest independent research and development
organisation based in the US, finds that the long history of R&D interactions among the US,
Western Europe and Japan has been growing to include the rest of Asia, specifically India and
China.
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| Tessolve Plans To Set Up Unit In Hyderabad |
| Source: Sreekala G, The Economic Times, October 15 2007 |
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Tessolve Services, provider of post-fab services to semiconductor companies, is planning to
expand its assembly, test, mark and packing (ATMP) facility in India. As part of this plan, the
company is looking at acquiring about 35 acres of land near the proposed 1,200-acre fab city in
Hyderabad for setting up its third production house. The project will require funding to the
tune of over $50 million. |
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| Israeli high-tech investment set to reach $1.7 bn in '07 |
| Source: Amir Ben-Artzi, EETimes, October 15 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.eu/israel/202402847 |
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Just over 100 Israeli high-tech companies have raised $414 million during the third quarter of
2007. The money was raised from both foreign and Israeli investors, and the number — 108 to
be exact — reflects a rise of 9 percent compared to the third quarter of 2006, when $381
million was raised, and a decline of 5 percent in comparison to the $436 million raised in the
second quarter of 2007. |
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| Hong Kong's newfound confidence in tech business |
| Source: Majeed Ahmad, EE Times, October 16 2007 |
| http://www.eetasia.com/ |
The opening of the second phase of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corp. (HKSTP)
last month brought a new sense of optimism to electronics design activities in Asia. The second
phase of HKSTP houses a new Wireless Communication Test Laboratory (WCTL) that is equipped
with 3G and 3.5G wireless testing capabilities for both product testing and pre-conformance
testing. Likewise, semiconductor design support entities of the park provide access to the
latest EDA tools and IC design platforms.
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| Brazil, too, wants to be IC design hub |
| Mark LaPedus, EE Times, October 16 2007 |
| http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800483745 |
There is a saying among suppliers of semiconductors and other electronic products to the
booming Brazilian market: "Miami is Brazil." The reference is to the percentage of foreign-made
chips and other products that are shipped from Miami in the United States into Peru and then
illegally smuggled into Brazil. Smuggling, of course, is a way to avoid import duties, which for
products like semiconductors can range from 5 percent to 10 percent in Brazil, according to
analysts.
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| Rise in foreign patent filings in the U.S. noted |
Source: Sheila Riley, EE Times, October 16 2007 |
| http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800483744_480100_NT |
Foreign nationals residing in the United States are steadily making greater contributions to the
country's intellectual property, stirring concern about maintaining the country's
competitiveness and the debate over whether to relax U.S. immigration policy. Research
released in August shows that foreign nationals were listed as inventors or co-inventors in 25.6
percent of patent applications from the United States in 2006, up from 7.6 percent in 1998.
The data, from the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO), was gathered by
academics from Duke, Harvard and New York University. The study defines foreign nationals as
individuals with foreign citizenship living and working in the States. |
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| TSMC acquires Canadian memory IP provider |
| Source: Mark LaPedus, EE Times, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.eetasia.com/ART_8800484041_480200_NT_1ea00c77.HTM |
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. (TSMC) has acquired Emerging Memory
Technologies Inc. (EMT), according to a report from the Ottawa Citizen. This move is in line
with its expansion of its intellectual-property (IP) efforts. |
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| Wipro to buy Nokia Siemens R&D unit in Berlin |
| Source: John Walko, EE Times, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.eetasia.com |
|
Indian group Wipro Technologies is buying from Nokia Siemens Networks an R&D operation in
Berlin, Germany that focuses on radio access development. Nokia Siemens Networks continues
to shed units and workers as it restructures. As part of the deal, 58 employees of Nokia
Siemens Networks are being transferred to Wipro Technologies' operations, one of the largest
independent R&D services providers in the world.
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| ‘Indian semiconductor industry remains bullish’ |
| Source: The Hindu Business Line, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.thehindubusinessline.com |
India’s impact in the global semiconductor business is larger than its rank as a market. The
country accounts for a mere one per cent of the $280-billion global semiconductor market.
“Designs from India are responsible for 20-30 per cent of our revenue worldwide,” said Mr
Steve Sanghi, President and CEO of top chipmaker Microchip. India’s domestic market is worth
only $2.8 billion. |
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| Women are hard to spot in Silicon Valley's executive ranks |
|
Source: Spectrum Online, October 17 2007 |
| http://blogs.spectrum.ieee.org |
While Silicon Valley is jumping again, with the doldrums that followed the dot-bomb already a
distant memory, the boom has yet to have any impact on women in the tech industry.
According to a study released today by the Graduate School of Management at the University of
California at Davis, women are making absolutely no progress up Silicon Valley’s corporate
ladder. And there’s been no change in the three years since the first study.
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| India emerges second biggest FDI magnet |
| Source: The Economic Times, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?art |
|
India has emerged as the second most-attractive location after China, ahead of the US and
Russia, for global foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2007. According to Unctad’s world
investment report, released here on Tuesday, India’s ranking in inward FDI performance index
has also improved to 113 in 2006 from 121 in 2005. China is the most preferred investment
location, followed by India, the US, the Russian Federation and Brazil, the report said. The
share of India and China in total global FDI outflows has also risen. While both accounted for
10% of total FDI outflows in 2005 in the Asian region, it increased to 25% in 2007. While China’s
outflows increased 32% to $16 billion in 2006, Indian outflows witnessed a four-time rise since
2004. |
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| India to grow at 10 per cent in the next decade: Lehman |
| Source: Business Standard, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?art_id=16915 |
|
The country’s economy is at a take-off stage and is poised to grow as much as 10 per cent
every year in the next decade, Lehman Brothers Asia, a US-based brokerage said. The
economy, which has averaged 8.6 per cent growth each year since 2003, is increasing
consumption and investment spending just as China and South Korea did during the early stages
of their economic development, it said in the report titled “India: Everything to Play For”
released here. |
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| Bessemer sets aside US$ 350 million for India |
| Source: The Economic Times, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?art |
|
US-Based Bessemer Venture Partners, which recently closed its seventh global fund at about $1
billion, has earmarked $350 million for Indian investments, especially in companies that cash in
on the rise of consumer spending, infrastructure development and intellectual property-based
opportunities, a senior official said. |
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| DRAM market remains dynamic |
| Source: Mark LaPedus, EETimes, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202403750 |
|
DRAM manufacturing capacity has clearly exceeded OEM demand. But does this signal a major
overcapacity situation in the second half of 2007? There are no easy answers, based on the
current dynamics in the marketplace. Bit growth has increased at approximately 20 percent for
the past two quarters — mostly on the strength of the 512-megabit market, according to
Semico Research Corp. But if DRAM capacity remains exactly flat with no increase in capacity
for the remainder of 2007, DRAM bit growth will still achieve highest growth rate in 7 years,
according to the firm.
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| U.S. Commerce official to lead patent exchange |
| Source: Rick Merritt, EETimes, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=202403699 |
|
A senior government official who oversees the U.S. Patent Office will leave his post to help set
up the first public exchange focused on intellectual property. Robert Cresanti, U.S. Under
Secretary of Commerce for Technology, is joining Ocean Tomo LLC as the chief executive of
the IPX Chicago exchange it plans to launch in January 2010.
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| Cadence links up with Europe's research centers |
| Source: Nicolas Mokhoff, EETimes, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.com/showArticle.jhtml?articleID |
Cadence Design Systems' European unit is forming an academic network to promote the
proliferation of advanced design technologies at European engineering universities. The
initiative will establish a network among selected European universities, research institutes and
industry advisors to share expertise in verification, design and implementation of
microelectronic circuits, Cadence said.
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| Hiring marketing people is key, says ST economist |
| Source: Anne-Francoise Pele, EETimes, October 17 2007 |
| http://www.eetimes.eu/semi/202403788 |
|
The semiconductor industry is fifty years old. For the last 30 to 40 years, this industry was
simple. It was growing. Major changes are underway. In a keynote speech at SAME Forum early
October in Sophia-Antipolis (France), Jean-Philippe Dauvin, chief economist emeritus at
STMicroelectronics NV (Geneva, Switzerland), offered his view of tomorrow's semiconductor
industry.
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| Bengal plans auto parts hub |
| Source: The Economic Times, October 18 2007 |
| http://www.ibef.org/artdisplay.aspx?art_id=16921 |
With the Tata Motors’ Rs 1-lakh car project and its adjoining vendor park gradually taking
shape at Singur, the West Bengal government has now decided to set up an auto components
hub at Guptamoni in West Midnapore district. |
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| Contract manufacturing catches on in Japan |
| Source: EETimes, October 19 2007 |
| http://www.eetasia.com |
|
Japanese OEMs have always been reluctant to take advantage of the benefits of contract
manufacturing. Given the enormous presence of Japanese OEMs in the electronics supply
chain—from their dominance in consumer electronics, to their heavy penetration into the
notebook PC market, to their influence in the LCD TV, wireless handset and gaming console
segments—it's surprising that the global outsourcing trend is not catching on in Japan. |
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