What’s at stake:
Open systems, lower power, longer-range connectivity and bullet-proof device security will all be required if the much-hyped internet of things is to gain momentum. Silicon Labs is betting the pieces are falling into place and is targeting complete consumer and industrial solutions to achieve IoT dominance. But has it overestimated IoT’s maturity?
By Jon Peddie
EVGA came into prominence in 2000 when it developed the first highly efficient cooler for Nvidia’s GeForce 256, affectionally called “the banana” because of its color and shape. The company entered the market with graphics boards targeted at gamers in 2002.
Read More »Taiwan Gamer EVGA Ends Nvidia Relationship
By Bolaji Ojo
Chipmakers pledging to spend billions of dollars to construct new fabs and related capital equipment are likely to put many of those plans on hold next year, severely cutting back on spending and even mothballing fab shells as the industry braces for a steep downturn in 2023, according to researcher Future Horizons and Ojo-Yoshida Report analysis of spending forecasts.
Read More »Semiconductor Capex Cutback Inevitable as Downturn Looms
What’s at stake:
As the Commerce Department prepares to distribute CHIPS Act funding, the National Institute of Standards and Technology has been moving in parallel to promote chip innovation via a Google-backed open hardware initiative. The goal is making license-free chip design and production as ubiquitous as open-source software.
What’s at stake:
Nvidia’s move to acquire Arm in 2020 made SiFive’s full-fledged foray into the automotive market all but inevitable, as the RISC-V IP vendor wagered that automotive chip companies would seek its help to counter the combined forces of Nvidia automotive systems-on-chip and Arm core-based solutions. While the Arm deal never happened, SiFive prepared a portfolio of three low-power, high-performance automotive RISC-V processors. SiFive thinks it solutions, when used in combination, can compete with Nvidia’s automotive SoCs.
What’s at stake:
Intel needs as many new foundry customers as it can get. In parallel with its commercial efforts, the U.S. chipmaker has helped lead Pentagon semiconductor technology and chip-packaging efforts. Those connections appear to be paying off.
Here’s our take on the latest technology developments:
By Bolaji Ojo
What’s at stake:
The electronics industry abruptly rejected Just-in-Time inventory management during the recent shortages but the model is already staging a comeback, proving its efficacy compared with the more problematic Just-in-Case approach.
What’s at stake:
New U.S. fabs will generate tens of thousands of jobs. The outsourcing of chip manufacturing and the decline in engineering graduates mean many can’t be filled by qualified candidates. Proponents of the virtual factory scheme claim they can attract newcomers to the profession by training them on extended-reality tools.
