Bain, SK Hynix group ups bid for Toshiba chip unit to $22 billion: sources

TOKYO (Reuters) - A group including Bain Capital and South Korea’s SK Hynix (000660.KS) has raised its offer for Toshiba Corp’s (6502.T) chip business to 2.4 trillion yen ($22.3 billion) including a 200 billion yen investment in infrastructure, sources familiar with the matter said.

The offer by the consortium, which is led by the U.S. private equity group and the South Korean chipmaker as well as Japanese state-backed investors, was higher than an initial offer of around 1.94 trillion yen, according to the sources who requested anonymity because the talks were confidential.

Bain and SK Hynix representatives were not immediately available for comment, while Toshiba declined to comment on details of the deal negotiations. 

The move comes after sources said Western Digital Corp (WDC.O), which was part of a competing group in final-stage talks with Toshiba, had revised its offer.

The sources said the U.S. company would take a step back from the initial financing consortium to address Toshiba’s concerns that a Western Digital stake could lead to prolonged anti-trust reviews.

It was unclear what its latest offer was, but sources previously said it was offering around 1.9 trillion yen.

Toshiba is desperate to sell the unit and cover billions of liabilities at its U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse. Last week it said it was considering three competing offers including one led by Taiwan’s Hon Hai (2317.TW), also known as Foxconn.

All three bidder groups have roped in Apple Inc (AAPL.O) to bolster their offers, sources have said.

Under their latest offer, Bain and SK Hynix offered to provide a combined total of around 567.5 billion yen, while Apple Inc would provide 335 billion yen, according to sources. Toshiba would keep 250 billion yen in the business, they said.

U.S. technology firms and other Japanese companies were also expected to provide funding, while major banks were expected to provide a total of around 600 billion yen in funds, the sources said.

Bain would have 49.9 percent of initial voting rights in the memory chip business, while Toshiba would have 40 percent and Japanese firms would have 10.1 percent, the sources said.

Toshiba’s board is due to meet on Wednesday to consider the offers, sources said.

http://www.reuters.com/article/us-toshiba-accounting/bain-sk-hynix-group-ups-bid-for-toshiba-chip-unit-to-22-billion-sources-idUSKCN1BK06B

Funding Boost for U.K. Chip Firm Aiming at Amazon, Apple Voice-Control Market

Infineon Technologies AG bought a stake in U.K. audio specialist Xmos Ltd. as the German chipmaker seeks to gain from rapidly growing demand for voice-controlled devices like Amazon.com Inc.’s Echo assistant and the Google Home speaker.
Infineon led a $15 million funding round in Bristol-based Xmos, which develops sophisticated voice processors and algorithms. Infineon wants to pair those with its own microphones and gesture-tracking products to improve the interaction with smart home gadgets by, for instance, better filtering out background noise. The technology is aimed at potential customers such as Amazon, Apple Inc. and Samsung Electronics Co., said Andreas Urschitz, who heads Infineon’s power management and multimarket division.
The market for voice-controlled devices “is a strategic growth area for Infineon,” Urschitz said in a phone interview. “We can jointly bring the user experience for voice control to an entirely new level.”

The market is promising. Shipments of intelligent home speakers surged almost seven-fold year-over-year to 4.2 million units in the fourth quarter, according to consultant Strategy Analytics. Spending on smart-home related hardware, services and installation fees will reach $155 billion by 2022, up from almost $90 billion this year, with devices accounting for about half of that, the consulting firm estimates.
And it’s not just the Amazon Echo, Google Home, or Apple’s yet-to-be released HomePod that will drive demand for these chips. Infineon and Xmos expect voice control to increasingly replace touch technology in household devices such as TVs, thermostats and robot vacuums, partly because the user experience will improve and chips get smaller and cheaper.
Chips are even set to make their way into furniture -- think voice-controlled beds, Xmos Chief Executive Officer Mark Lippett said. To be successful, the chips need to be "the most economical,” he said.
Infineon already sells or is working on sensors that let devices to listen, see, smell, and feel temperature or pressure, and it expects the partnership with Xmos to speed up the development of its chip designs, Urschitz said. Infineon didn’t disclose the size of its Xmos stake, calling it a strategic minority investment.
“We want to jointly advance communication between a person and a machine to a point where it resembles more and more like two people interacting,” Urschitz said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-09-07/infineon-eyes-amazon-apple-voice-control-market-with-xmos-stake

Huawei investing $250m in global partner program

Huawei is banking on its partner program to the tune of $250 million to help deliver innovations across software, hardware, and systems, also announcing plans to have 24 OpenLabs by 2020.

Chinese networking giant Huawei has announced that it will invest $250 million in a new integrated partner program to bring independent software vendors, independent hardware vendors, systems integrators, and consulting partners on board.
The investment in the new Huawei Solution Partner Program includes $70 million to be spent on "co-marketing" with its partners, with Huawei to fund the technical, marketing, and sales resources needed for its partners to develop, construct, and market Huawei-based solutions.
The solution consolidates Huawei's previously separate programs run through its Enterprise, Products and Solutions, and Carrier business groups, which it said have attracted more than 1,000 partners, with over 100 of their solutions available in the new Huawei Marketplace.
The program also provides partners with access to its open labs for testing and development, and has also simplified the process by which companies can gain certification as a Huawei solution partner.

http://www.zdnet.com/article/huawei-investing-250m-in-global-partner-program/

Samsung increases chip orders to Taiwan fabless firms

Samsung Electronics has stepped up purchases of IC parts from its Taiwan-based suppliers, including fingerprint sensor supplier Egis Technology (Egistec) and RF component specialist Richwave Technology, and other fabless firms specializing in LCD driver ICs, touchscreen controllers, and other chips components for use in smartphones, according to industry sources.

Egistec, which used to supply fingerprint sensors to Samsung's entry-level and mid-range smartphones, has obtained orders for high-end and flagship models from the Korea-based vendor, said the sources.

Egistec has also started shipping fingerprint sensors to its new customers based in China, the sources said. Egistec will be striving to expand the number of its China-based customers in 2018, since orders from Samsung reportedly account for over 50% of the company's revenues.

Richwave with its new-generation RF solutions reportedly will enter the supply chain of Samsung's high-end smartphone line, the sources noted. Orders placed by Samsung are expected to buoy Richwave's sales performance through the end of 2017 or even 2018, the sources said.

In addition, Samsung, which used to source analog chips from mainly Richtek Technology - now a unit of MediaTek - has begun to diversify its analog suppliers. Champion Microelectronic has grabbed analog chip orders from Samsung, with the orders set to boost the company's revenues during the second half of 2017, the sources indicated.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170905PD210.html

Toshiba Fails to Pick Winner as Three Groups Bid for Chip Unit

Toshiba Corp. disclosed it’s in talks with three consortiums for its memory chip unit and that it’s still unable to make a final decision on a buyer.
There’s one group that includes Western Digital Corp., a second that includes Hon Hai Precision Industry Co. and a third comprised of Bain Capital, the Innovation Network Corporation of Japan and Development Bank of Japan. The board hasn’t been able to choose a winner even though the company “exercised its best efforts to reach a mutually satisfactory definitive agreement with one of the consortia,” Toshiba said in a statement Thursday.
The Japanese electronics conglomerate has been negotiating for months to sell off its chips business and pay for multibillion-dollar losses in its U.S. nuclear business. Although Toshiba identified the Bain-led group as the preferred bidder in June, the process has been complicated by legal action from Western Digital, which argues that it should have a say in any sale because of its partnership with Toshiba in the chips business.
Toshiba needs to raise the money by March to avoid being delisted from the Tokyo Stock Exchange. Any delay could result in it missing that deadline because of the time needed to get regulatory approval and close the deal.
“They need to come to an agreement in September to get all of the anti-trust approvals in place, but it’s really beginning to feel like they don’t really want to sell.” said Hideki Yasuda, an analyst at Ace Research Institute. “They could still keep the business. If Toshiba is not so hung up on staying public, they can get delisted and still survive.”

Any successful bidder would need to be able to pay enough cash to repair Toshiba’s balance sheet and finance large capital investments in the chip business after the purchase, the Japanese company said in its statement. The buyer would also need to possess the ability to make decisions flexibly and quickly, it said. The Tokyo-based company said it’s aiming to reach an agreement at the “earliest possible date.”

Bain Capital had previously submitted a 2.1 trillion yen ($19 billion) offer with INCJ and Development Bank of Japan. Western Digital is offering about 2 trillion yen, according to people familiar with the matter. Hon Hai founder Terry Gou has indicated his willingness to pay as much 3 trillion yen.
Apple Inc. is also wading into into the middle of the battle. The iPhone maker is in talks with Bain Capital , people familiar with the matter said this week. Apple depends on flash memory from Toshiba in its iPhones and iPods, and wants a continued supply so it’s not dependent on rival Samsung Electronics Co.
In recent weeks, Japan’s powerful Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry had encouraged Toshiba to accept the offer from the Western Digital consortium, the people said, in an effort to end the litigation and reach a deal quickly. Top Toshiba executives and its deal advisers are resisting the current offer, arguing it doesn’t do enough to protect the interests of the chips unit or the parent, the people said.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-31/toshiba-says-in-talks-with-3-groups-no-decision-on-chip-sale

Winbond announces equipment purchases

Winbond Electronics, a memory chipmaker specializing in specialty DRAM and flash memory chips, has disclosed two purchases of machinery equipment from Lam Research and Tokyo Electron for a total of about NT$3.31 billion (US$109 million).

Winbond said previously its capex for 2107 will reach a record NT$17.4 billion, up from the NT$16.6 billion estimated previously.

Winbond plans to expand production capacity at its 12-inch fab in Taichung, central Taiwan to 48,000 wafers monthly by the end of 2017 from the current 44,000 units, the company was quoted in previous reports. The monthly capacity will grow further to 53,000 units in 2018.

Winbond also plans to build a new 12-inch wafer plant in Tainan, southern Taiwan, according to the company. Details of the new plant will be given later in 2017.

Winbond saw its net profits reach a nine-quarter high of NT$990 million in the second quarter of 2017. EPS for the quarter came to NT$0.28. Winbond posted consolidated revenues of NT$11.41 billion in the second quarter, up 9% sequentially. Gross margin climbed to 32% from 29% in the prior quarter.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170823VL201.html

Counterfeit products caught out by machine-learning tool

Nearly every high-value object – from watches to helicopters – will suffer from the manufacture of counterfeits.
The growth of the market for counterfeit consumer products has proved a major problem all around the world. Researchers have found that counterfeit trafficking has increased by 10,000 per cent in the past 20 years and now makes up 5-7 per cent of the world’s trade. Profits collected by counterfeit traders have been shown to be a major source of funding for activities such as human trafficking and terrorism.
Existing methods to detect counterfeit products tend to be invasive and risk damaging high-value products. Researchers at New York University have now developed a new, non-invasive detection method which only requires a high-quality photograph of the product.
“The underlying principle of our system stems from the idea that microscopic characteristics in a genuine product or a class of products – corresponding to the same larger product line – exhibit inherent similarities that can be used to distinguish these products from their corresponding counterfeit versions,” said Professor Lakshminarayanan Subramanian, who leads the Open Networks and Big Data Lab at New York University.

The hardware necessary for their detection method is a wide-angle microscopy device, compatible with a smartphone. This allows the user to capture a microscopic image of the object being tested. Based on these microscopic images, supervised machine-learning algorithms – trained on a dataset of known genuine and counterfeit products – are able to classify the product.
According to the researchers, the use of microscopic photographs allows for the detection of “‘super-fake’ counterfeits observed in the marketplace that are not easily discernible [by] the human eye.”
Professor Subramanian and his team put the system to the test with images of fabric, pills, leather, electronics, toys and shoes. They found that the system returned accurate results approximately 98 per cent of the time
The counterfeit detection system is being brought to market by Entrupy Inc, a start-up founded by Professor Subramanian and colleagues. So far, Entrupy has assessed $14 million of products for authenticity.

https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2017/08/counterfeit-products-caught-out-by-machine-learning-tool/

Single molecule transistors work at room temperature

For the first time a team of researchers from Columbia University in the city of New York claims to have reproducibly demonstrated current blockade – the ability to switch a device from the insulating to the conducting state where charge is added and removed one electron at a time – using atomically precise molecular clusters at room temperature.

According to the research team, this could enable smaller electrical components and improve data storage and computing power.
To create the transistor, the researchers developed a single cluster of geometrically ordered atoms with an inorganic core made of 14 atoms and positioned linkers that wired the core to two gold electrodes.
The researchers then used a scanning tunneling microscope technique to make junctions comprising a single cluster connected to the two gold electrodes, which enabled them to characterise its electrical response as they varied the applied bias voltage. The technique is said to allow them to fabricate and measure thousands of junctions with reproducible transport characteristics.
"We found that these clusters can perform very well as room-temperature nanoscale diodes whose electrical response we can tailor by changing their chemical composition," says Professor Latha Venkataraman.
"Theoretically, a single atom is the smallest limit, but single-atom devices cannot be fabricated and stabilised at room temperature. With these molecular clusters, we have complete control over their structure with atomic precision and can change the elemental composition and structure in a controllable manner to elicit a certain electrical response."
"Most of the other studies created single-molecule devices that functioned as single-electron transistors at 4K, but for any real-world application, these devices need to work at room temperature. And ours do," says postdoctoral researcher Giacomo Lovat.
The team evaluated the performance of the diode through the on/off ratio. At room temperature, they observed an on/off ratio of about 600 in single-cluster junctions, which they claim is higher than any other single-molecule devices measured to date.

http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/single-molecule-transistors-work-at-room-temperature/159602/

Nvidia invests in China self-driving startup

Tusimple, a Beijing-based startup focused on developing autonomous trucks, has disclosed that Nvidia will make a strategic investment to take a 3% stake in the company. Nvidia's investment is part of a a Series B financing round, Tusimple indicated.

Tusimple has plans to raise more than US$30 million through this financing round in the fourth quarter of 2017. The company previously completed its Series A financing round in early 2016 and raised a total of CNY50 million (US$7.5 million).

Nvidia's investment in Tusimple is part of the GPU vendor's GPU Ventures program, industry observers believe.

According to Nvidia, its GPU Ventures program is aimed at supporting startups across the globe as they build their businesses around GPU-based platforms. Nvidia is targeting startups that are aligned with its strategy in fields as diverse as artificial intelligence (AI) and life sciences to automotive, robotics and virtual reality (VR). The GPU vendor has invested in more than 25 companies, building relationships that span strategy, technology, sales and marketing, development and distribution, and beyond.

Momenta, another China-based self-driving startup, has also drawn investments from an international vendor. Mercedes-Benz parent Daimler has reportedly participated in a US$46 million funding round for Momenta.

http://digitimes.com/news/a20170808PD216.html

ON Semiconductor reports whopping jump in profit, sales thanks to healthy sector

ON Semiconductor Corp. reported a 266 percent increase in profit and a 52 percent increase in revenue year over year due to a healthy semiconductor market.

The Phoenix-based semiconductor manufacturer (Nasdaq: ON) announced its second-quarter earnings today.

ON reported net income of $94.4 million, or 22 cents per share, on revenue of $1.3 billion for the quarter ended June 30.

That compares to net income of $25.8 million, or 6 cents per share, on revenue of $877.8 million for the same quarter a year ago.

Keith Jackson, president and CEO of ON Semiconductor, said “impressive margin expansion and strong free cash flow generation in the second quarter clearly demonstrate the strength of our operating model.

“Along with expansion in our margins, our revenue momentum remains strong, driven by strengthening customer engagement for power, analog and sensor semiconductor solutions,” Jackson said. “Customers are increasingly relying on us as a provider of enabling technologies for automotive, industrial and communications applications.”

The good news continues as Jackson said “commentary from our global customers and macro-economic data point to steadily improving demand for our products from most end-markets and geographies.

“Along with steadily improving demand environment, industry-wide supply side dynamics remain generally healthy with stable inventory levels and disciplined capacity additions,” he said.

ON’s stock closed trading today at $16.33, which is closer to its 52-week high of $16.93 than its low of $10.03.

https://www.bizjournals.com/phoenix/news/2017/08/07/on-semiconductor-reports-whopping-jump-in-profit.html

Toshiba to Cut Off Western Digital's Future Supply of Chips

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-08-04/toshiba-escalates-western-digital-fight-by-cutting-off-supply

The latest escalation of the fight between the two centers on a new factory called Fab 6. Toshiba said it will build the plant without any participation from its U.S. partner, thereby cutting off Western Digital from chips made with the factory’s new technology. Western Digital inherited its stake in the joint venture when it bought SanDisk Corp.
“Toshiba is dismayed by Western Digital’s pattern of exaggerating SanDisk’s rights under the relevant agreements,” the Tokyo-based company said Friday in a statement. “Despite claims to the contrary, Western Digital does not now possess any legal ‘rights’ to participate in this phase of investment, which is an important investment in the next generation of flash memory.”
Western Digital soon countered with a statement of its own, saying Toshiba’s position is wrong and affirming its rights.
“The terms of the agreements and our related legal rights are clear, and we remain confident that we will receive our share of any capacity from Fab 6,” the San Jose, California-based company said. “We are continuing our constructive dialogue with Toshiba on this and other matters.”
The two companies are locked in a legal fight over Toshiba’s plan to sell its share of the joint venture to make up for multibillion-dollar losses in its nuclear power operations. Western Digital argues that it has a say in the sale, as well as right of first refusal. Further legal wrangling could delay the sale to a group of preferred bidders, putting Toshiba at risk of being delisted.

Exclusive insights on technology around the world.

Aspects of the dispute have spilled over into court. Western Digital said a judge in San Francisco on Friday agreed to change a temporary restraining order -- prohibiting Toshiba from blocking Western Digital employees access to shared databases and other joint-venture facilities -- into a preliminary injunction. The order also requires Toshiba to continue to supply materials and sample wafers to Western Digital in the U.S.
Western Digital needs to retain access to output from new Toshiba factories as improvements in manufacturing technology are one of the key determinants of success in the memory chip industry. Newer plants and equipment typically produce better semiconductors more cheaply.
Toshiba said the talks haven’t proved fruitful.
“Toshiba provided an investment proposal to SanDisk earlier this year,” it said in the statement. “Despite numerous meetings and negotiations, including at the CEO to CEO level, Toshiba’s proposal was not accepted on the timetable set out in the agreements. ”
Western Digital shares declined 4 percent Friday to close at $81.17 in New York. The stock has gained 19 percent this year.
Toshiba, in its current partnership with Western Digital, is the second-largest producer of flash memory chips used to store data in mobile devices. Demand for that component is exploding as its use spreads to computers and data centers. Samsung Electronics Co. is the largest manufacturer.

Memory supply to remain tight in 3Q17, says Transcend

Supply of DRAM and NAND flash memory chips is expected to remain tight through the third quarter of 2017, according to memory module firm Transcend Information.

Due to the ongoing tight supply, memory contract prices will continue their growth in the short term, Transcend indicated.

Tight supply of NAND flash chips, particularly triple-level cell (TLC) ones for use mainly in consumer flash devices, negatively affected Transcend's sales performance in the second quarter. The company posted revenues of NT$5 billion (US$165.5 million) in the second quarter of 2017, down 6.3% on year.

However, with Transcend putting increased focus on niche-market products, the company saw its gross margin increase to 26.2% in the second quarter of 2017 from 21.1% a year earlier. Operating profits for the quarter came to NT$930 million, rising 33.8% compared to the same period in 2016.

Of Transcend's second-quarter revenues, industrial control products accounted for 43.6%, followed by standard DRAM products with 19%, consumer flash devices 18.9% and strategic products 18.5%.

Transcend reported net profits of NT$776 million for the second quarter of 2017, with EPS reaching NT$1.80.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170804PD202.html

SEOUL, July 28 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. emerged as the world's No. 1 chipmaker in terms of sales and operating profits in the second quarter, beating behemoth Intel Corp. market data showed Friday.
The rise of Samsung is significant as Intel has been standing as the leading computer chip producer for some 24 years.
Industry watchers said the rise is the result of the South Korean tech giant's successful developed next-generation technologies for dynamic random-access memory (DRAM) chips and NAND flash memory and quickly responded to changing market needs.
 
On Thursday, Samsung Electronics said its chip business posted an operating profit of 8.03 trillion won (US$7.1 billion) in the second quarter, soaring from 2.64 trillion won posted a year earlier, on the back of the rising demand for server DRAMs and SSD products. Overall sales were estimated at 17 trillion won.
It marked the first time for the chip business to post an operating profit exceeding the 8 trillion-won mark.
Intel, on the other hand, said it posted sales of $14.8 billion and operating profit of $3.8 billion for the April-June period.
The U.S. company's operating profit marked a whopping 190 percent on-year growth, although this still lagged far behind those of Samsung.
Samsung posted an operating profit ratio to sales of 45.7 percent, easily outpacing the 25.7 percent posted by Intel.
The boom of the mobile industry, which led to the rising demand for DRAM chips and solid state drives (SSDs) helped Samsung post the sharp growth, industry watchers added. An SSD is a data storage device made with a NAND flash memory chip that does not need power to store data and is more durable and faster than a hard disk drive.
Intel, on the other hand, focuses on the production of central processing units.
The South Korean tech company is anticipated to beat Intel also in terms of annual performance as the global chip industry's outlook remains rosy over the second half, industry watchers here said.
The boom of the cloud computing, virtual reality and self-driving automobile industries is also expected to lend support to Samsung's strong position going forward, they added.

Shanghai forms CNY50 billion IC industry investment fund

The city government of Shanghai, China recently introduced a CNY50 billion (US$7.4 billion) IC industry investment fund aimed at cultivating and supporting the local leading enterprises, according to a recent Chinese-language Commercial Times report.

The fund will provide CNY30 billion to support the development of the local manufacturing sector, CNY10 billion to help local fabless firms expand via acquisitions, and another CNY10 billion to foster the development of the local equipment and materials sector, the report cited China media as saying.

Named the Shanghai Integrated Circuit Investment Fund (SICIF), it completed the first round of fund-raising totaling CNY28.5 billion in 2016, according to previous reports. Contribution from the national China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund accounted for 10% of SICIF's initial fund-raising. Other major investors include Shanghai Science and Technology Venture Investment (Group) and SAIC Motor.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170725VL210.html

Toshiba board to meet Wednesday, weigh offers for chip unit: source

TOKYO (Reuters) - Toshiba Corp's (6502.T) board will meet on Wednesday to consider offers for its chip unit from Western Digital (WDC.O) and Taiwan's Foxconn in addition to a bid from a consortium that was previously favorite, a source familiar with the matter said. Toshiba is scrambling to sell its flash memory unit to cover losses from its bankrupt U.S. nuclear business Westinghouse.

But it has struggled to close a 2 trillion yen ($18 billion) deal with the group it previously chose as preferred bidder - a consortium including Japanese-government backed funds, Bain Capital and South Korean chip maker SK Hynix (000660.KS).

Western Digital, which jointly operates Toshiba's main chip plant, also wants to buy the business. It sought an injunction to block the sale to the consortium, arguing that any transaction required its consent.

The legal battle has unnerved the state-backed funds and they want the deal to be conditional on the conflict with Western Digital being resolved.

Another key point of contention has been a proposal by SK Hynix to help fund the deal with convertible bonds - a step that could eventually give it an equity interest in the world's second-largest maker of NAND flash memory chips.

Japanese government officials are eager to keep Toshiba's semiconductor technology in domestic hands, according to sources.

In attempt to revive the stalled talks, Toshiba earlier this month began reconsidering offers from Western Digital and Foxconn, formally known as Hon Hai Precision Industry (2317.TW), sources have said.

Western Digital is also offering about 2 trillion yen and would form an alliance with U.S. private equity firm join KKR & Co (KKR.N) as well as the two Japanese government funds that are part of the preferred bidder group, the source said on Tuesday.

The U.S. company has significantly compromised on its earlier demands for voting rights, said the source, who requested anonymity because the talks were confidential. 

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-scripps-net-int-viacom-m-a-idUSKBN1AA2XW

Op amp keeps power levels low

A zero-drift, 20 kHz operational amplifier, the LTC2063 from Linear Technology draws just 1.3 µA typical (2 µA maximum) on a 1.8 V supply.

Self-calibration circuitry results in maximum input offset of 5 µV at 25°C and maximum drift of 0.06 µV/°C from -40°C to +125°C. In addition, maximum input bias current is 15 pA at 25°C and 100 pA from -40°C to +125°C.

These precision input characteristics allow the use of high-value resistors in the feedback network, keeping power consumption low without compromising accuracy, event at elevated temperatures. The LTC2063’s rail-to-rail inputs and outputs simplify single supply use and enhance dynamic range.

An integrated EMI filter provides 114 dB rejection at 1.8 GHz. With low 1/f noise inherent to its zero-drift architecture, the LTC2063 is well-suited for amplifying and conditioning low-frequency sensor signals in high-temperature industrial and automotive systems, as well as portable and wireless sensor networks.

Offered in 6-lead SC70 and 5-lead TSOT-23 packages, the LTC2063 operates from supply voltages of 1.7 V to 5.25 V and is fully specified from -40°C to +125°C. Prices start at $1.50 each in lots of 1000 units.

http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4458658/Op-amp-keeps-power-levels-low

Chip demand for data centers to boom in China

With China's local governments looking to set up data centers, chip demand for data centers locally is set to surge, according to industry sources.

Meanwhile, as data center installations are set to surge in China, the demand outlook for new applications, such as Big Data, cloud infrastructure and artificial intelligence (AI), appears promising locally, the sources indicated.

International chip firms and mobile electronics vendors are seeking cooperation with China's local governments to be part of the government-led data center projects. Apple and Qualcomm have both disclosed their participation.

Apple recently signed an agreement with the government of Guizhou Province to invest US$1 billion to build a data center to promote its iCloud service in China. Apple will provide technical know-how for the data center, which will be operated by the provincial government-backed Guizhou-Cloud Big Data Industry Development.

Qualcomm in 2016 reached a deal also with the government of Guizhou Province, and unveiled a joint venture - the Guizhou Huaxintong Semiconductor Technology. The JV, which will be 55% owned by the Guizhou provincial government's investment arm and 45% owned by Qualcomm, will focus on the design, development and sale of advanced server chipset technology in China.

Many chip vendors are also gearing up to break into the supply chain of data centers set up in China, as they anticipate China will play a driver of the server and other related chip market growth in the next several years, according to industry sources. Those include Avago, Intel, AMD, ARM, Marvell and Socionext, and Taiwan-based MediaTek, Aspeed, Nuvoton, Parade and Phison.

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170719PD207.html

New Microcontroller Series Extends Flash Memory

Mouser Electronics is now stocking the ATtiny1617 microcontroller series from Microchip Technology. The ATtiny1617 is part of Microchip’s low-power 8-bit AVR® microcontroller portfolio and offers pin and code compatibility with the ATtiny817 series devices and extending the flash memory. The 8-bit series run at up to 20 MHz and provides customized configuration and simplified process for capacitive touch systems and Core Independent Peripherals (CIPs) that help increase system throughput while lowering power consumption.

The Microchip ATtiny1617 8-bit AVR microcontrollers features 16 kBytes of in-system self-programmable flash memory, 256 Bytes of EEPROM and 2kBytes of SRAM. These devices are similar to other Microchip tinyAVR® microcontrollers. They used the 8-bit AVR processor with hardware multiplier and provide an Event System Controller that allows peripherals to communicate without using the central processing unit (CPU). This functionality allows designers to customize the configuration of the microcontrollers to specific applications. Included on the chip is an integrated QTouch® Peripheral Touch Controller (PTC) that helps to simplify the development of capacitive touch systems offering touch interfaced with proximity sensing and a driven shield.
Other features of the microcontroller includes a 20MHz internal oscillator; high-speed serial communication interfaced that include USART, SPI and I²C; configurable custom logic blocks; a 10-bit analog-to-digital converter (ADC) with internal voltage reference; operating voltages ranging from 1.8 V to 5.5 V; and picoPower® technology for sleep currents as low at 100nA.
Microchip’s ATtiny1617 Series microcontrollers combine processing power, analog performance, and system level integration. They are available in a compact 24-pin QFN package. They are also suitable for a variety of power applications, including LED lighting, motor control, H bridges and power converters. For development, the devices are fully supported by the Atmel Studio 7 IDE, the STK600 platform and Atmel’s START online configuration tool.

http://electronics360.globalspec.com/article/9329/new-microcontroller-series-extends-flash-memory

SK Hynix drops demand for voting stake in Toshiba chip unit

South Korea’s SK Hynix Inc., a member of the international consortium favored to purchase Toshiba Corp.’s flash memory subsidiary, has dropped its demand for voting rights in the unit, sources said.
The major semiconductor maker has informed related parties of its intention to provide lending to the acquisition framework of the consortium, which is led by the government-backed Innovation Network Corp. of Japan, the sources said.

The decision removes the biggest obstacle to uniting the members of the consortium, which was picked on June 21 as the preferential bidder for Toshiba Memory Corp.
Following a petition filed by U.S. hard disk drive maker Western Digital Corp. for an injunction to block the sale of Toshiba Memory, a California superior court held off making a decision on Friday, a step that could make it possible for Toshiba to conclude a deal to sell the unit.
If the conflict within the Japanese-U.S.-South Korean consortium is resolved, Toshiba will be in a better position when it holds talks with Western Digital, its joint partner in the flash memory business. The struggling electronics and machinery giant needs to sell the prized flash memory unit to erase its negative net worth by March 2018 so it can remain listed on the Tokyo Stock Exchange. The situation was caused by huge losses at Westinghouse, its U.S. nuclear energy business.
After becoming the preferred bidder, the consortium was thrown into disarray by SK Hynix’s demand for a voting stake in its rival. SK Hynix was originally added to provide funding to U.S. investment fund Bain Capital, another member of the group.
If SK Hynix sticks to its demand for the stake, the consortium’s bid to acquire the flash memory firm could face a protracted antitrust screening, clouding the prospects for reaching an agreement by March 2018.
The negotiations have been delayed substantially by the demand and by the strong opposition put up by Toshiba’s partner Western Digital.
Some in the consortium have called for bringing Western Digital into the consortium to help sort out the legal difficulties between it and Toshiba.
Following SK Hynix’s decision, Toshiba aims to conclude the deal by the end of July, the sources said.
Partners Toshiba and Western Digital are fighting over issue because Toshiba’s goal is to raise as much money as possible from the sale and Western Digital’s goal is to acquire the highly competitive unit for itself.
In addition to the petition for the California court injunction, Western Digital has taken its case to the International Court of Arbitration of the Paris-based International Chamber of Commerce. Toshiba has meanwhile asked the Tokyo District Court to seek an injunction ordering Western Digital to stop interfering with the sale.
The two companies cannot part ways to continue production at their flash memory joint venture, a source said.
In the exchange of lawsuits, each is believed to be aiming for a favorable out-of-court settlement. Toshiba and Western Digital are likely to seek a compromise during the ICA proceedings in August and beyond, industry watchers said.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2017/07/16/business/corporate-business/sk-hynix-drops-demand-voting-stake-toshiba-chip-unit/

South Korea, Taiwan, China lead surging chip investment

TOKYO -- Global chipmaking leaders South Korea, Taiwan and mainland China likely will drive investment in semiconductor manufacturing equipment to an all-time high this year, with Samsung Electronics and others scrambling to fill roaring demand for memory.
Worldwide sales of chipmaking equipment are forecast to grow 19.8% in 2017 to $49.4 billion, says industry group SEMI, beating the roughly $47.6 billion record set in 2000 amid the dot-com bubble. The group projects sales to balloon a further 8% in 2018 to $53.2 billion, breaking $50 billion for the first time.
South Korea, the second-place spender, is expected to overtake leader Taiwan. But China, presently a distant third, likely will rush forward in 2018 to disrupt their ranks. Meanwhile, Japanese manufacturers of chipmaking equipment are benefiting handsomely from the sharp investment growth.
Thirsty for space
A growing hunger for NAND flash memory -- used for storage in smartphones and data centers -- drives this demand for chipmaking equipment.
Samsung's 2016 capital spending on semiconductors topped the equivalent of roughly 1 trillion yen (about $8.85 billion at today's exchange rate), and one director suggests the company is aiming even higher this year. South Korean compatriot SK Hynix looks to put profits from more stable operations in DRAM memory toward boosting NAND production.
Another tailwind comes from the shift toward 3-D memory, in which chips are stacked vertically to increase storage space.
"Memory is overwhelmingly insufficient to handle the data boom" and will continue to be so "until the first half of 2018 at least," said Tetsuya Wadaki, a Nomura Securities analyst.
The memory chip industry tends to move in three- to five-year cycles of boom and bust. But some say the field has entered a "supercycle" in which skyrocketing demand overcomes those ups and downs, known as "silicon cycle."
Jostling for top spot

South Korea likely will claim the lead in chip equipment spending for the first time this year, with a 70% jump to $12.9 billion expected. Taiwan would slip to second, but the amount is projected to exceed $10 billion, buoyed by cutting-edge investments from Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., the world's largest contract chipmaker.
Yet mainland China appears set to surge past Taiwan to second place in 2018 amid a massive government-backed push, with its chipmaking equipment purchases projected to reach $11 billion -- a year-on-year leap of roughly 60% and more than threefold growth over five years.
Digital storage company Yangtze River Storage Technology looks to construct a massive memory plant in Wuhan, Hubei Province. Yangtze -- whose parentage includes Tsinghua Unigroup, affiliated with Beijing's prestigious Tsinghua University -- has received some 2 trillion yen equivalent in government support to build the plant, which will be among the world's largest. Tsinghua Chairman Zhao Weiguo expressed an intent to join the ranks of the top worldwide memory makers in 2020.
Faded into memory
Japan held the market crown until the 2000s, but has dwindled to a global share of around 10%. The nation has no standout investments besides those at a chip plant belonging to embattled conglomerate Toshiba, and its sense of presence in the market has faded.
But the country's chip production equipment makers are largely enjoying the ride. Domestic market leader Tokyo Electron recently upgraded its sales target for the year through March 2020 by 50% to 1.2 trillion yen and plans a round of investment in equipment for silicon wafer etching. Its compatriot Disco, whose products include wafer-cutting equipment, projects record sales and operating profit for the first half of fiscal 2017. But Nikon, which makes semiconductor lithography equipment, heavily downsized its staff recently after losing a technological battle to Dutch rival ASML.

http://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Trends/South-Korea-Taiwan-China-lead-surging-chip-investment

Helix aims for ‘zero-power’ in smart grids

Fabless power semiconductor firm Helix Semiconductors is sampling its first production chip for use in electricity grids.

The US firm says it can reduce the power consumed by electronic appliances when in an inactive, or standby, mode.
Dubbed ‘Zero Power,’ the goal is specified as less than or equal to 5mW.
Based on a patented MuxCapacitor voltage reduction technology, the eMpower HS100 is  capacitive-based and is designed to offer high efficiency even in light load and no load scenarios.
According to Helix, when converting AC mains to 5Vdc the the device achieves more than 90% end-to-end efficiency from its full load range of 10W all the way down to 100mA, which represents 5% of full load.
Likely applications include IoT gateways, remote sensors and smart LED lighting.
Harold A. Blomquist, president and CEO of Helix Semiconductors, writes:

“We are currently developing future implementations of our eMpower HS100 in smaller geometries, which will open the door for more applications to experience unprecedented power efficiencies.
“Next-generation products include a 0.18 micron chipset for higher power applications, initially targeting 30W, and a 48V DC-DC device for Power over Ethernet, electric/hybrid vehicles and datacom/telecom applications.”

https://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/helix-aims-zero-power-smart-grids-2017-07/

Western Digital gets U.S. court order to access Toshiba databases, chip samples

(Reuters) - Western Digital Corp (WDC.O) won a temporary U.S. court order on Tuesday saying that Toshiba Corp (6502.T) must allow Western Digital's employees to access databases and chip samples as part of a joint venture with Toshiba around flash memory chip plants in Japan.

Toshiba is scrambling to sell its flash memory business and Western Digital is among the bidders.

In a sign of high tensions around the deal, Toshiba threatened to lock Western Digital out of shared databases and quit sending chip samples.

Western Digital sued Toshiba in San Francisco County Superior Court saying that its joint venture with Toshiba means Toshiba must get its consent for a sale. It asked the court for two separate orders: An injunction to stop the sale, and a temporary restraining order forcing Toshiba to give its workers access to shared databases.

A judge granted the temporary order for access to the shared databases Tuesday and set a further hearing on July 28.

"We welcome the decision of the court, which we believe validates our position," Western Digital said in a statement.

Toshiba plans to appeal the ruling, which it believes essentially provides Western Digital access to technical information until the July 28, the company said in a statement.

"This is a proceeding with many rounds and many rulings, and while we are disappointed with the judge's ruling, it doesn't forecast the outcome of this proceeding or those to come," Toshiba said in the statement.

A hearing on the injunction to stop the sale is set for Friday.

Despite the legal tensions between them, Toshiba and Western Digital resumed talks this week. Toshiba also returned to talks with a group led by Taiwan's Foxconn. The renewed negotiations come after a potential $18 billion sale to Bain Capital and South Korea's SK Hynix Inc (000660.KS) stalled out.

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-western-digital-toshiba-idUSKBN19W2IL

Samsung hosts foundry forum, unveils vision

SEOUL, July 11 (Yonhap) -- Samsung Electronics Co. on Tuesday hosted a forum on its foundry business, inviting local partners and sharing its vision on the segment.
During the Samsung Foundry Forum Korea 2017, the company expanded ties with business partners amid rising demand for chips in line with the development of the Internet of Things, automotive and artificial intelligence industries.
Samsung said its production based on the 10-nanometer technology is stable, and it is currently preparing to take steps toward 7-nanometer production.
The South Korean tech giant has been tapping deeper into the foundry business, restructuring its organization earlier this year to uphold three major pillars in its semiconductor business: namely memory, system LSI and foundry.
The foundry business refers to making chip designs for other companies that do not have a semiconductor fabrication plant.

http://english.yonhapnews.co.kr/business/2017/07/11/0501000000AEN20170711003400320.html

Commentary: Proximity benefits China IC designers in tapping domestic market

The geographic proximity advantage has proved the most powerful weapon for China IC design houses to develop the vast domestic market, as they can respond to local customers' needs for changing designs or increasing new functions much faster than foreign competitors including Taiwanese counterparts.

The advantage has enabled China's IC design companies to "intercept" orders meant for their Taiwanese counterparts, which have long enjoyed a robust niche market of chip designs for cosumer electronics and IT products in China, the sources said.

This is despite the fact that China IC design houses still lag behind their Taiwanese counterparts in IC designing capabilities, whether in designing touch-control ICs, LED driver ICs, or the latest fingerprint recognition chips and OLED driver ICs.

Over the past few years, China's IC design industry has grown rapidly thanks to strong policy support from the government, stable research assistance from academic units and continuous injection of funds from local capital markets.

As a result, many large-sized local IC design houses have sprung up in China, including Silan, RDA Microelectronics, and Spreadtrum Communications seen in early years, followed by Rockchip Electronics and Allwinner Technology, as well as the latest Sinowealth Electronic and Huiding Technology.

Major Chinese players springing up

These major China IC design houses have managed to outperform Taiwanese counterparts in vying orders from domestic clients in China due largely to the geographic advantage, causing the revenues, gross profit rates and net earnings of Taiwanese IC designers to fall year on year.

This can be evidenced by the fact that Spreadtrum Communications has tapped into the market for 2G/2.5G chips that was dominated by Taiwan's MediaTek, and also penetrated the market for 3G chips and entry-level 4G chips which MediaTek was supposed to be able to dominate.

In addition, Silergy has quickly developed into a major player in LED driver designs due to strong domestic market demand in China; Sinowealth Electronic has won a significant share of the China market for LCD driver IC designs; and Huiding Technology has also successfully grasped over 50% of China's design market for touch-control ICs and fingerprint recognition chips. All these indicate the geographic advantage has worked well in helping China IC designs duplicate the Taiwan IC designers' dominant role in Taiwan's PC supply chains in the past.

In contrast, after enjoying a brilliant past in the mature market for chip designs for consumer electronics and IT products, Taiwan IC designers face many huge challenges, including technology upgrade, business transformation and how they can increase added-value of their products. 

http://www.digitimes.com/news/a20170705PD208.html

Powerchip Tech chairman outlines turnaround plans

Powerchip Technology Corp’s (力晶科技) new 12-inch wafer plant in China is set to start mass production by the end of this year as the company prepares for a potential relisting on Taiwan’s stock market, a senior executive said yesterday.
The plant in Hefei, Anhui Province, is operated by Nexchip Semiconductor Corp (合晶集成), a joint venture between Powerchip and the Hefei City Government.
The 12.8 billion yuan plant (US$1.89 billion) will help ease Powerchip’s capacity constraints and play a major role in its capacity allocation plan, Powerchip Group (力晶集團) chairman Frank Huang (黃崇仁) told Unique Satellite TV yesterday.
“Powerchip has an installed capacity of 100,000 a month [in Taiwan], but is still facing a severe capacity problem,” he said.
Hsinchu-based Powerchip, primarily a maker of driver ICs for LCD panels, plans to boost the Hefei plant’s monthly capacity to 10,000 wafers by the second quarter of next year after producing a first batch of chips by the end of this year.
The ultimate goal is to boost the monthly capacity to 40,000 wafers in 2019 and to 80,000 wafers in 2020, the company said.
The Hefei plant would also help Powerchip make room for Nor flash memory production, Huang said.
The company last week said it planned to return to the NOR flash memory sector to take advantage of the strong market demand.
The Hefei plant would be a major manufacturing site for driver ICs, while Taiwanese production lines would be used to make NOR flash chips, Huang said.
He expects severe supply constraints of NOR flash memory chips to extend into the second half and even into next year as global major chipmakers have exited the market.
Powerchip, originally a major Taiwanese DRAM chip suppler, has transformed itself into a foundry service provider focused on making driver ICs, image sensors and power management chips, as well as DRAM chips.
Net profit last year was NT$6.41 billion (US$211.1 million), or NT$2.97 per share, marking a fourth straight profitable year.
Powerchip shares were delisted from the Taipei Stock Exchange in 2012 as the company ran into financial trouble following a slump in the DRAM industry.
Huang said the company is preparing for a comeback and wants to get its share back on the local stock market in the near future.

http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/biz/archives/2017/06/30/2003673552

Graphene set to enable terahertz technology, says team

Terahertz technology enabled via graphene could boost the capacity of future data networks, according to researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Andrei Vorobiev, pictured, senior researcher, said: “One of graphene’s special features is that electrons move much faster than in most semiconductors used today. Thanks to this, we can access the high frequencies that constitute the terahertz range. Data communication then has the potential of becoming up to ten times faster and can transmit much larger amounts of data than is currently possible.”

Researchers at Chalmers have shown that graphene based transistor devices could receive and convert terahertz waves. One example of these devices is a 200GHz subharmonic resistive mixer based on a CVD graphene transistor integrated on silicon. This, says the team, could be used in high-speed wireless communication links.
The university has also developed a graphene based power detector integrated on a flexible polymer substrate and suggests this could be used in wearable THz sensors for healthcare and high resolution interferometric imaging for biomedical and security imaging, remote process control, material inspection and profiling and packaging applications.
“Analysis show that flexible imaging detector arrays is an area where THz applications of graphene have a high impact potential. One example of where this could be used is in the security scanning at airports. Because the graphene-based terahertz scanner is bendable, you’ll get much better resolution and can retrieve more information than if the scanner’s surface is flat,” Vorobiev noted.

 http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/graphene-set-to-enable-terahertz-technology-says-team/156893/

Terahertz technology enabled via graphene could boost the capacity of future data networks, according to researchers at Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden.

Andrei Vorobiev, pictured, senior researcher, said: “One of graphene’s special features is that electrons move much faster than in most semiconductors used today. Thanks to this, we can access the high frequencies that constitute the terahertz range. Data communication then has the potential of becoming up to ten times faster and can transmit much larger amounts of data than is currently possible.”
Researchers at Chalmers have shown that graphene based transistor devices could receive and convert terahertz waves. One example of these devices is a 200GHz subharmonic resistive mixer based on a CVD graphene transistor integrated on silicon. This, says the team, could be used in high-speed wireless communication links.
The university has also developed a graphene based power detector integrated on a flexible polymer substrate and suggests this could be used in wearable THz sensors for healthcare and high resolution interferometric imaging for biomedical and security imaging, remote process control, material inspection and profiling and packaging applications.
“Analysis show that flexible imaging detector arrays is an area where THz applications of graphene have a high impact potential. One example of where this could be used is in the security scanning at airports. Because the graphene-based terahertz scanner is bendable, you’ll get much better resolution and can retrieve more information than if the scanner’s surface is flat,” Vorobiev noted.

SK moves closer to building chip powerhouse

South Korea’s third-largest conglomerate SK is on the path to becoming the second-biggest memory chip provider in the world, taking one step closer to acquiring a slice of Toshiba’s chipmaking unit.

SK’s semiconductor business SK hynix and its three strategic partners -- US private equity firm Bain Capital, Development Bank of Japan and Innovation Network of Japan -- were picked by Toshiba as the preferred bidder in the sale of its lucrative memory chip business on June 21.

SK hynix is set to provide loans of 3 trillion won ($2.62 billion), covering around 15 percent of the buyout price for the global consortium.

SK hynix’s participation in the sale is expected to raise the possibility of the company forging an exclusive partnership with Toshiba, the world’s second-largest memory chipmaker, amid the booming chip business driven by growing demand for smartphones.

“It is too early to say SK hynix might own a significant stake in Toshiba, but possibilities are high that the Korean chipmaker would get chances to cooperate with Toshiba on technological development and production,” said Kim Rok-ho, an analyst at Hana Financial Investment.

If the SK hynix consortium becomes the final owner of the Toshiba unit, the Korean chipmaker is expected to jump from its current No. 4 in the global NAND flash chip market to second, trailing only Samsung Electronics.

If the scenario is realized, the global memory chip market -- comprising both DRAM and NAND chip markets -- would be controlled by Korean chip giants Samsung and SK.

Currently, Samsung has a 36.7 percent share in the global NAND flash market, followed by Toshiba with a 17.2 percent share, Western Digital with a 15.5 percent share and SK hynix with an 11.4 percent share, according to market researcher IHS Markit.

SK has continued making aggressive investments in the semiconductor business. SK’s ambition for chips was unveiled in 2011 as the group took over Hynix and jumped into the semiconductor market for the first time. The group also acquired LG’s wafer manufacturing business LG Siltron in January as part of efforts to enhance securing materials for chips.

However, SK Group Chairman Chey Tae-won said Friday its semiconductor arm’s move to join the acquisition of Toshiba’s chip business is “not finished,” hinting there are still challenges moving forward.

According to industrial sources, the SK deal is expected to face hurdles down the road due to an ongoing legal battle between US-based Western Digital and Toshiba. Western Digital, a long-time ally of the Japanese company, filed a request for arbitration with an international court, in opposition to the sale of the Toshiba unit to the Korea-Japan-US consortium.

http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20170628000899

Western Digital says resubmitted bid with KKR for Toshiba's chip unit

Western Digital Corp said it and private equity firm KKR & Co LP had resubmitted a bid for Toshiba Corp's prized flash memory chip unit.
As part of the bid, Western Digital will provide debt financing to facilitate a sale, the U.S. firm said in a brief statement.
Western Digital, which jointly runs Toshiba's main semiconductor plant, has been feuding bitterly with its Japanese partner over the sale of the world's No. 2 producer of NAND chips and has sought a U.S. court injunction to prevent any deal that does not have its consent.
Toshiba is seeking to sign a definitive agreement with its preferred bidder - a group led by the Japanese government and including U.S. private equity firm Bain Capital - by Wednesday, the day of its annual shareholders meeting.
Toshiba did not have immediate comment.
(Reporting by Makiko Yamazaki; Editing by Edwina Gibbs)

http://www.reuters.com/article/toshiba-accounting-idUST9N1IB02I

Imagination Tech up for sale after bruising Apple fight

Imagination Technologies, the British firm that lost 70 percent of its value after being ditched by its biggest customer Apple, put itself up for sale on Thursday in a disappointing end to a once-great European tech success story.
Founded in 1985 and listed in 1994, Imagination has been rocked by Apple's announcement in April that it was developing its own graphics chips and would no longer use Imagination's processing designs in 15 months to two years time.
Apple's decision, which analysts said posed an existential threat to the company, sent Imagination's shares plummeting 70 percent on April 3 and they have barely recovered since.
The stock jumped as much as 21 percent on Thursday, however, after the sale announcement to 149.5 pence, giving the company a market capitalization of 425 million pounds ($538 million).
Analysts said potential buyers could include Intel, Qualcomm, Mediatek, CEVA and various entities from China, while Apple itself could be interested.
"Imagination Technologies announces that over the last few weeks it has received interest from a number of parties for a potential acquisition of the whole group," the company said.
"The board of Imagination has therefore decided to initiate a formal sale process for the group and is engaged in preliminary discussions with potential bidders."


Imagination has said it doubted Apple, which accounts for about half of its sales, could go it alone without violating Imagination's patents. Analysts said legal battles were likely and Imagination started a dispute resolution procedure in May with the U.S. giant, which is valued at $761 billion.
The British company initially responded to Apple's decision to walk away by putting two of its main divisions up for sale.
"That was a pretty dire scenario, akin to selling off the family silver to keep the estate going a little longer," said Neil Wilson, Senior Market Analyst, ETX Capital. "Now the shutters are up and a buyer sought. A pretty ignominious end to what was a great British tech success story."
APPLE RELIANCE
Imagination has licensed its processing designs to Apple from the time of the first iPod and receives a small royalty on every device using its graphics.
Imagination's shares rose sharply between 2009 and 2012 as sales of smartphones boomed, prompting Apple and Intel to buy stakes and the company was valued at more than 2 billion pounds in April 2012. Apple owns 8 percent of the shares.
Imagination struggled, however, to reduce its reliance on Apple, and has faced increased competition from the likes of chipmaker Qualcomm and British rival ARM, which developed its own graphics to complement its core processor blueprints.
Imagination downplayed fears it could lose Apple contract for years. Facing reports that Apple was building a graphics operation and hiring Imagination staff, the British firm told investors that Apple was just improving its customization of the technology Imagination sold, rather than replacing it.


Analysts at Stifel said they thought interested parties could include those groups that want to develop their own processing technology across platforms such as mobile, wearable tech, vehicles and the so-called Internet of Things.
"This could include a coordinated Chinese bid, a hyper-scale vendor from the cloud or some other IP player," they said.

Imagination said on Thursday it had received indicative proposals for its embedded MIPS technology - processors used in vehicles and home appliances - and its mobile connectivity division Ensigma, the two businesses put up for sale in the wake of the slide in its shares.
While Imagination has other clients for its technology, UBS analysts estimated in April that its non-Apple business was worth just 81 million pounds and the MIPS division, which it bought for $100 million in 2013, was worth 77 million pounds.
UBS said the company could be worth 110 pence per share on a sum of the parts basis. In May, Jefferies said the wind up value was about 96 pence a share while Morgan Stanley said the company could be worth as little as 106 million pounds, or just 30 pence per share, though its base case was 95 pence.
The U.S. investment bank said Imagination's headquarters was worth 40 million pounds.




http://www.reuters.com/article/us-imagination-tech-apple-sale-idUSKBN19D0H8

Organic material gives batteries longer life

A new class of material that could make batteries safer, longer-lasting and better performing has been found by researchers from the University of Houston.

Even though aqueous rechargeable batteries featuring low cost and nonflammable water-based electrolytes are safe and robust, they have a short lifespan, making them unsuitable for applications where it isn't practical to replace them frequently.

The problem is the anode as existing anode materials are structurally and chemically unstable, meaning the battery is only efficient for a relatively short time.
To resolve this issue, the researchers used quinones – an inexpensive, earth-abundant and recyclable material – to create stable anode composites for any aqueous rechargeable battery.
"This new material is cheap and chemically stable," said associate professor Yan Yao.
According to Yao, the material can be used to create a drop-in replacement for current battery anodes, allowing the new material to be used without changing existing battery manufacturing lines.
Current research offers evidence that the material is an effective anode for both acid batteries and alkaline batteries, such as those used in a car, as well as emerging aqueous metal-ion batteries.
The new material is also said to allow the batteries to work across temperature ranges, unlike some conventional aqueous batteries.
"One of these batteries, as a car battery, could last 10 years," Yao said.
In addition to slowing the deterioration of batteries for vehicles and stationary electricity storage batteries, it also would make battery disposal easier because the material does not contain heavy metals

- See more at: http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/organic-material-gives-batteries-longer-life/156547/#sthash.y7mo4WKC.dpuf

ew class of material that could make batteries safer, longer-lasting and better performing has been found by researchers from the University of Houston.

Even though aqueous rechargeable batteries featuring low cost and nonflammable water-based electrolytes are safe and robust, they have a short lifespan, making them unsuitable for applications where it isn't practical to replace them frequently.
The problem is the anode as existing anode materials are structurally and chemically unstable, meaning the battery is only efficient for a relatively short time.
To resolve this issue, the researchers used quinones – an inexpensive, earth-abundant and recyclable material – to create stable anode composites for any aqueous rechargeable battery.
"This new material is cheap and chemically stable," said associate professor Yan Yao.
According to Yao, the material can be used to create a drop-in replacement for current battery anodes, allowing the new material to be used without changing existing battery manufacturing lines.
Current research offers evidence that the material is an effective anode for both acid batteries and alkaline batteries, such as those used in a car, as well as emerging aqueous metal-ion batteries.
The new material is also said to allow the batteries to work across temperature ranges, unlike some conventional aqueous batteries.
"One of these batteries, as a car battery, could last 10 years," Yao said.
In addition to slowing the deterioration of batteries for vehicles and stationary electricity storage batteries, it also would make battery disposal easier because the material does not contain heavy metals
- See more at: http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/organic-material-gives-batteries-longer-life/156547/#sthash.y7mo4WKC.dpuf

ew class of material that could make batteries safer, longer-lasting and better performing has been found by researchers from the University of Houston.

Even though aqueous rechargeable batteries featuring low cost and nonflammable water-based electrolytes are safe and robust, they have a short lifespan, making them unsuitable for applications where it isn't practical to replace them frequently.
The problem is the anode as existing anode materials are structurally and chemically unstable, meaning the battery is only efficient for a relatively short time.
To resolve this issue, the researchers used quinones – an inexpensive, earth-abundant and recyclable material – to create stable anode composites for any aqueous rechargeable battery.
"This new material is cheap and chemically stable," said associate professor Yan Yao.
According to Yao, the material can be used to create a drop-in replacement for current battery anodes, allowing the new material to be used without changing existing battery manufacturing lines.
Current research offers evidence that the material is an effective anode for both acid batteries and alkaline batteries, such as those used in a car, as well as emerging aqueous metal-ion batteries.
The new material is also said to allow the batteries to work across temperature ranges, unlike some conventional aqueous batteries.
"One of these batteries, as a car battery, could last 10 years," Yao said.
In addition to slowing the deterioration of batteries for vehicles and stationary electricity storage batteries, it also would make battery disposal easier because the material does not contain heavy metals
- See more at: http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/organic-material-gives-batteries-longer-life/156547/#sthash.y7mo4WKC.dpuf

ew class of material that could make batteries safer, longer-lasting and better performing has been found by researchers from the University of Houston.

Even though aqueous rechargeable batteries featuring low cost and nonflammable water-based electrolytes are safe and robust, they have a short lifespan, making them unsuitable for applications where it isn't practical to replace them frequently.
The problem is the anode as existing anode materials are structurally and chemically unstable, meaning the battery is only efficient for a relatively short time.
To resolve this issue, the researchers used quinones – an inexpensive, earth-abundant and recyclable material – to create stable anode composites for any aqueous rechargeable battery.
"This new material is cheap and chemically stable," said associate professor Yan Yao.
According to Yao, the material can be used to create a drop-in replacement for current battery anodes, allowing the new material to be used without changing existing battery manufacturing lines.
Current research offers evidence that the material is an effective anode for both acid batteries and alkaline batteries, such as those used in a car, as well as emerging aqueous metal-ion batteries.
The new material is also said to allow the batteries to work across temperature ranges, unlike some conventional aqueous batteries.
"One of these batteries, as a car battery, could last 10 years," Yao said.
In addition to slowing the deterioration of batteries for vehicles and stationary electricity storage batteries, it also would make battery disposal easier because the material does not contain heavy metals
- See more at: http://www.newelectronics.co.uk/electronics-news/organic-material-gives-batteries-longer-life/156547/#sthash.y7mo4WKC.dpuf