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Trends and innovations for low and ultra-low power integrated circuits are the focus of the Low Power Conference at the SEMICON Europa 2015 in Dresden, October 6-8.  With more than 400 exhibitors and 6,000 visitors expected, SEMICON Europa is the leading European semiconductor industry exposition.

Energy efficiency and low power technologies in electronic components have major significance in Europe as European companies hold a strong market position in these application areas. From the Internet of Things (IoT) to automotive electronics and medical technology to future mobile communication, a broad range of application areas exist.

Two major European research initiatives are driving low-power IC technology developments.  The first consortium, called “Silicon Impulse” at CEA-Leti in Grenoble, focuses on low power ICs. The eight partners – which include the chip manufacturer STMicroelectronics – are researching energy-efficient computer systems, ultra-low power solutions for the IoT, and robust chips for deployment in rough environments.  The second consortium, called THINGS2DO (an acronym for “Thin but Great Silicon to Design Objects”) is composed of eight partners. The project focuses on the value-added supply chain for circuit development and design for Fully Depleted Silicon on Insulator (FDSOI) technology being adapted for the requirements of automotive electronics, aerospace technology, industry automation, and the IoT.

GLOBALFOUNDRIES recently announced that the company will invest US$250 million in Dresden by the end of 2017.

“Industrial competitiveness is increasingly driven by innovative chip technologies,” emphasizes Rutger Wijburg, SEMICON Europa keynote speaker and senior VP and GM of GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “We see the new focus of our Dresden site on building energy-efficient, high-performance, and cost-effective 22nm FDSOI chips as a great opportunity to keep pushing forward the development in areas such as Industry 4.0, the IoT, and a future-oriented, innovative automotive industry from Germany and Europe.”

At the Low Power Conference at SEMICON Europa 2015, Wijburg will explain the details in his keynote presentation on “Low Power Technology and its Application in SoC, Energy-Efficient Designs and IoT from a Foundry Perspective.” In addition, Olivier Thomas, Silicon Impulse Consortium at CEA-Leti, will present on “FDSOI: A New Era for Energy Efficiency” and Michel Haond, STMicroelectronics (Crolles), will present on “Why is Fully Depleted SOI Best for Ultra-Low Power?”

Materials and equipment for the semiconductor industry are still the main focus at SEMICON Europa 2015. Additionally, the event has grown to include imaging, power electronics, chip design, and packaging. The conference packages for Automotive, MedTech, and Industry 4.0 are also new this year. SEMICON Europa 2015 is co-located with the Plastic Electronics 2015, with conferences and exhibitions in the field of flexible, large area, and organic electronics. For more information on SEMICON Europa 2015, visit www.semiconeuropa.org.

Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased during the second quarter 2015 when compared to first quarter area shipments according to the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Total silicon wafer area shipments were 2,702 million square inches during the most recent quarter, a 2.5 percent increase from the 2,637 million square inches shipped during the previous quarter resulting in a new quarterly volume shipment record. New quarterly total area shipments are 4.4 percent higher than second quarter 2014 shipments. First half 2015 shipments are 7.8 percent higher than the first half of 2014.

“For two consecutive quarters, strong silicon shipment growth has been recorded by the Silicon Manufacturers Group,” said Ginji Yada, chairman of SEMI SMG and general manager, International Sales & Marketing Department of SUMCO Corporation. “Continued growth off of the record level shipped in the first quarter, produced another record level of shipments in the most recent quarter.”

Quarterly Silicon* Area Shipment Trends

 Million Square Inches

 
 Q2-2014

 

  Q1-2015  Q2-2015  1H-2014  1H-2015
Total

 

 2,587 2,637 2,702 4,951 5,339

*Shipments are for semiconductor applications only and do not include solar applications

Silicon wafers are the fundamental building material for semiconductors, which in turn, are vital components of virtually all electronics goods, including computers, telecommunications products, and consumer electronics. The highly engineered thin round disks are produced in various diameters (from one inch to 12 inches) and serve as the substrate material on which most semiconductor devices or “chips” are fabricated.

All data cited in this release is inclusive of polished silicon wafers, including virgin test wafers and epitaxial silicon wafers, as well as non-polished silicon wafers shipped by the wafer manufacturers to the end-users.

The Silicon Manufacturers Group acts as an independent special interest group within the SEMI structure and is open to SEMI members involved in manufacturing polycrystalline silicon, monocrystalline silicon or silicon wafers (e.g., as cut, polished, epi, etc.). The purpose of the group is to facilitate collective efforts on issues related to the silicon industry including the development of market information and statistics about the silicon industry and the semiconductor market.  For more information on SEMI, visit www.semi.org.

STATS ChipPAC Ltd., a provider of advanced semiconductor packaging and test services, announced today the promotion and appointment of Dr. Han Byung Joon  as Co-President and Chief Executive Officer for the Company, together with Mr Tan Lay Koon.

Mr. Tan Lay Koon and Dr. BJ Han will both report to the Board and be jointly responsible for the management, strategy and performance of the Company.

“I am pleased that Dr BJ Han will be serving as Co-President and Chief Executive Officer with Mr Tan Lay Koon. Dr BJ Han is an experienced and effective leader who has served as our Chief Technology Officer and Head of Global Sales and Advanced Technology Marketing. I look forward to his continued contribution and leadership with Mr Tan Lay Koon,” said Mr Wang XinChao, Chairman of the Board, STATS ChipPAC.

Dr. BJ Han has been the Company’s Chief Technology Officer since 1999. He is also responsible for Advanced Technology Marketing and is the Head of Global Sales for the Company. Prior to joining us, Dr. Han worked at Anam Semiconductor, AT&T Bell Labs and IBM. He received his Doctorate from Columbia University and attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Advanced Management Program.

Today, Intel Corporation announced it will invest $5 million over the next five years to deepen its engineering pipeline partnership with the Georgia Institute of Technology and deploy research-driven solutions to inspire and retain women and underrepresented minorities to start and complete computer science and engineering degrees.

The Intel and Georgia Tech program, announced in conjunction with the first-ever White House Demo Day, builds on Intel’s ongoing commitment to improve diversity in the technology industry. Earlier this year, Intel announced a new goal in diversity and inclusion: to achieve full representation of underrepresented minorities and women by the year 2020 in its U.S. workforce, along with a $300 million Diversity in Technology initiative to help build a pipeline of underrepresented engineers and computer scientists, to foster hiring and inclusion of women and underrepresented minorities at Intel, and to fund programs to support a more positive representation of women and underrepresented minorities in technology and gaming.

“Filling the tech industry pipeline with diverse students is critical to increasing the number of diverse engineers and computer scientists in the field,” said Rosalind Hudnell, vice president of Human Resources and Chief Diversity Officer at Intel. “The goal of this program is to inspire and support more women and underrepresented minorities to earn technical degrees so we can hire them down the road – we want to foster those future tech innovators.”

The program will support and expand several existing Georgia Tech initiatives, including:

  • Summer Engineering Institute: The three-week Summer Engineering Institute hosts rising 11th- and 12th-graders from around the country. Students learn basic engineering and computer science techniques and gain hands-on experience through working in teams to solve real-world engineering problems.
  • RISE: Retaining Inspirational Scholars in Technology and Engineering (RISE) provides financial support to talented underrepresented minority and non-traditional students. Intel’s existing Diversity Scholars program will provide scholarships with priority going to those whose majors align with Intel’s interests: electrical engineering, computer science and computer engineering.
  • Peer-2-Peer Mentoring: The mentoring program provides specialized guidance and support to undergraduate students majoring in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM), while also helping them adjust to the climate and culture at Georgia Tech. Mentors and mentees develop leadership, communication and networking skills.
  • SURE: The Summer Undergraduate Research in Engineering (SURE) is a 10-week research program to attract qualified minority students from across the country into graduate school in the fields of engineering and science. In addition to conducting research, participants receive mentoring from faculty and graduate students and participate in professional development and technical seminars.
  • Focus: The Focus program invites college juniors and seniors from around the country to attend a three-day event designed to raise awareness of graduate education among underrepresented students. Participants learn about financial resources, visit research laboratories, network with other scholars and receive help with the graduate school application process.

The Intel and Georgia Tech program is anticipated to result in retaining more than 1,000 underrepresented minority students and improve access to thousands more students.

“It is a national imperative that the U.S. continue to enhance the engagement of students of all backgrounds in STEM fields to create a more robust economy,” said Gary May, dean and Southern Company Chair in the College of Engineering at Georgia Tech. “The higher education and private sectors must combine forces to achieve the impact that is necessary. As a national leader in producing outstanding underrepresented engineering graduates, Georgia Tech is pleased to partner with Intel in this transformative initiative.”

The Intel and Georgia Tech program was announced in conjunction with the first-ever White House Demo Day, which celebrates the important role entrepreneurship plays in America’s economy. Unlike a private-sector demo day, where entrepreneurs and startups pitch their ideas to funders, this new event invites innovators from around the country to “demo” their individual stories in Washington, D.C.

Earlier this year, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich announced that Intel is entering into a memorandum of understanding with the Oakland Unified School District and will invest $5 million over the next five years to improve access to computer science and engineering careers as early as high school. As part of Intel’s new collaboration with Georgia Tech, many of the Oakland students will have the opportunity to participate in Georgia Tech’s Summer Engineering Institute.

Microchip Technology Incorporated, a provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, and Micrel, Incorporated today announced that Microchip has completed its previously announced acquisition of Micrel.  Shareholders of Micrel overwhelmingly approved the merger with 98.95 percent of the Micrel shares that voted in favor of the merger.  As a result of the completion of the transaction, trading in Micrel common stock on the NASDAQ Stock Market will cease today.

“We are very pleased to have completed our acquisition of Micrel,” said Steve Sanghi, President and CEO.  “I welcome the Micrel employees into the Microchip family and look forward to building a combined organization that will bring the capabilities of both organizations to bear in the marketplace.”

Under the terms of the merger agreement, Micrel shareholders were able to elect to receive the $14.00 per share purchase price in either cash or shares of Microchip common stock.  Based on the results of the shareholder elections, Microchip will pay an aggregate of approximately $430 million in cash and issue an aggregate of 8,626,795 shares of its common stock to Micrel shareholders.  The number of shares of Microchip common stock that a Micrel shareholder will receive is based on a conversion ratio of $14.00divided by the average of the Microchip closing stock price for the ten most recent trading days ending on the second to last trading day prior to August 3, 2015, which is $42.888 per share.

Microchip Technology Inc. is a provider of microcontroller, mixed-signal, analog and Flash-IP solutions, providing low-risk product development, lower total system cost and faster time to market for thousands of diverse customer applications worldwide.

The growth rate for vehicle shipments in China is slowing, but more and better performing semiconductors will still be required in automotive applications in the coming years. Total automotive semiconductor revenue in China reached $5.6 billion in 2014, and revenues are expected to grow nearly 11 percent year over year in 2015 to reach $6.2 billion. Semiconductors used in automotive powertrains, infotainment and body-convenience electronic systems are the primary drivers of revenue growth, according to IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight.

“There is increasing auto industry focus on power efficiency and green energy, as well as the pursuit of greater safety and a better overall driving experience,” said Alex Liu, semiconductors and components analyst for IHS. “For that reason, more and higher performance semiconductors will be required in automotive applications, like direct injection systems in power engines, advanced driver assistance systems and safety applications.”

According to the latest IHS Automotive Semiconductor Report — China, the leading automotive semiconductor company in 2014 was Freescale, based on bill-to China sales, with 15.5 percent of the market. Freescale is strong in the microcontroller and processor market, with products that are widely used in automotive powertrains, automotive bodies, and safety and infotainment systems. Freescale was followed by STMicroelectronics, with 14 percent of the 2014 market in China, and NXP Semiconductors, with 12 percent of the market.

Local automotive design market revenue in China was estimated to reach $1.5 billion in 2014, led by the automotive infotainment category, which includes car radios and navigation systems. IHS expects that the total local design market in China will grow at a 13 percent compound rate from 2014 to 2019.

“Local Chinese companies are strong in the automotive aftermarket, because they have a price advantage, require less time to market and have more flexible design processes than their non-local competitors,” Liu said. “With the accumulation of technical knowledge, and close ties to original equipment manufacturers, some local players have also gradually entered the applications market. They provide semiconductors for low-end auto-body electronic applications where quality and reliability are less critical, such as parking assistance in advanced driver assistance systems and automotive infotainment.”

Qualcomm Incorporated today announced the appointment of Sunil Lalvani as vice president and president of Qualcomm India, and the departure of Avneesh Agrawal, senior vice president and president of Qualcomm India and South Asia. Lalvani’s appointment will be effective July 27 and he will report directly to Cristiano Amon, executive vice president and co-president, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

Lalvani has more than 20 years of experience in sales, business development, strategic planning and business operations across the IT and telecom sectors. He joins Qualcomm from BlackBerry, where he served most recently as managing director of India and SAARC (South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation). In this role, Lalvani was responsible for overseeing and driving BlackBerry’s overall business strategy and growth in India and was focused on driving differentiated solutions for consumers and enterprise customers. Lalvani was also instrumental in leading a strong engagement with Carrier partners and ISV’s in India, to drive uptake of BlackBerry’s services portfolio in the India region.

Prior to that, Lalvani held the position of Director of Enterprise Sales. Lalvani also has worked at EMC Corporation, Nokia Corporation, Cisco Systems and SITA Equant Network (now Orange Business Services).  Lalvani holds a bachelor’s degree in electronics engineering from Bombay University and a post graduate diploma in marketing management from Xavier’s Institute of Management, India.

“I am pleased to welcome Sunil Lalvani as vice president and president of Qualcomm India. His broad industry experience and extensive leadership experience will enable us to strengthen existing strategic relationships, identify new opportunities for business growth and build new relationships in India,” Amon said. “Under Avneesh’s leadership, Qualcomm led a number of successful efforts to nurture the local ecosystem in India, including accelerating 3G smartphone adoption and 4G LTE deployment, helping Indian brands build new revenue streams and establishing Qualcomm as the premier technology brand in India’s telecom and handset ecosystem. I’d like to thank Avneesh for all of his contributions to these successes.”

During his 21-year tenure, Agrawal has played a key role in many of the Company’s key technology initiatives including leading the development of Qualcomm’s first WCDMA and LTE chipsets, and has played a crucial role in driving Qualcomm’s business in India and South Asia.  In 2005 he assumed his role as senior vice president of engineering, where under his direction, the team has implemented a number of key initiatives to expand Qualcomm’s technology leadership and foster the mobile ecosystem in India. He has been granted 159 US patents. Avneesh is moving on to pursue his entrepreneurial ambitions.

ROHM Co., Ltd., a developer of analog power IC solutions, announced today that it has completed the acquisition of Powervation Ltd., a privately held digital power IC company that develops digital power management system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for approximately $70M, in an all-cash transaction.

The strategic combination of Powervation’s Intelligent Digital Power platform with ROHM’s leading analog power technology and global market access will enable the company to address a broad range of fast growing market opportunities, as customers increasingly adopt digital power solutions to power next generation high density systems and ICs such as processors, memory, FPGAs and ASICs.

Since its founding in Ireland in 2006, as a University of Limerick spin-out, Powervation has established itself as a leading innovator in digital power controllers serving high performance Computing, Cloud and Communications infrastructure markets. The Company’s proprietary DSP control platform with patented xTune auto-tuning and ITM intelligent transient management technologies, has been adopted by industry leading customers who need advanced power management, precision telemetry / control and high efficiency solutions to power their complex multi-rail, multi-phase systems. Powervation delivers on these needs with further breakthroughs on design flexibility, fast time-to-market and lower total cost of ownership.

ROHM, a $3B global leader in analog and power semiconductors, supplies a diversified global customer base in the consumer, automotive and industrial markets. By acquiring Powervation, ROHM will gain leading-edge digital power technologies to strengthen its product offerings in the rapidly-growing cloud, data-center, and communications infrastructure markets. This acquisition will also enable ROHM to develop advanced digital power solutions for a broader range of markets and applications with Powervation’s flexible controller platform.

According to market research reports, digital power continues to progressively displace traditional analog technology in the $11B global power management IC market driven by its performance and energy efficiency advantages.

“ROHM and Powervation share a common vision for the role of digital power technology in transforming the market with next-generation high performance power solutions,” stated Mike Smith, SVP & GM of ROHM Semiconductor USA.

“The combination of our two companies will enable ROHM to develop industry-leading, integrated digital power solutions to serve a broad range of customers, markets, and applications spanning the entire spectrum from Computing and Communications to Consumer and Industrial,” stated Jun Iida, head of LSI development and member of the ROHM board of directors.

Powervation will become a fully owned subsidiary of ROHM, with principal design center in Cork, Ireland and system application centers in San Jose, CA and Asia which fuse expertise in power systems, digital control, silicon and embedded software. ROHM plans to accelerate product development through investment and synergies with ROHM analog / discrete power technologies and to increase market adoption further by leveraging ROHM’s global customer base and channels.

“The Powervation team is excited to join forces with ROHM, a top 25 global semiconductor company,” said Mike McAuliffe, CEO of Powervation. “It’s simply a great fit – we have built an innovative Digital Power IC company to date but the combination with ROHM now presents a compelling opportunity for broad market leadership in Digital Power Management solutions.”

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today commended the launch of the Congressional Semiconductor Caucus. SIA recognized members of the caucus at a reception on Capitol Hill Tuesday evening and honored the caucus’s co-chairs, Sen. James Risch (R-Idaho), Sen. Angus King (I-Maine), Rep. Pete Sessions (R-Texas), and Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.).

“Semiconductors form the foundation of America’s technological and economic strength, national security, and global competitiveness,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “The Congressional Semiconductor Caucus will provide a venue for Members of Congress and industry professionals to share ideas and work collaboratively to advance policies that preserve and strengthen the semiconductor industry and our country. We applaud Sen. Risch, Sen. King, Rep. Sessions, and Rep. Lofgren for leading the caucus and for their longstanding support of policies that promote growth and innovation.”

Semiconductors are the brains of modern electronics, making possible the myriad devices we use to work, communicate, travel, entertain, harness energy, treat illness, and make scientific discoveries. SIA is the voice of the U.S. semiconductor industry, uniting companies that account for 80 percent of America’s semiconductor production.

The semiconductor industry directly employs nearly a quarter of a million people in the U.S. and supports more than 1 million additional U.S. jobs. In 2014, sales from U.S. semiconductor companies accounted for more than half of the $336 billion in total global semiconductor sales. Semiconductors are America’s third-leading manufactured export, behind aircraft and automobiles. The industry is highly research-intensive, investing one-fifth of revenues in R&D annually – more than any other industry.

“In the semiconductor industry and across the tech sector, innovation is made possible through the hard work and ingenuity of the industry’s scientists and engineers and is aided by smart public policy from the federal government,” Neuffer said. “SIA looks forward to working with members of the Semiconductor Caucus to advance policies that facilitate free trade and open markets, modernize America’s tax system, strengthen America’s technology workforce, advance university research, and protect intellectual property, among other priorities.”

SEMI today announced the fourth annual European 3D Summit. Entitled “European 3D Summit 2016: Above and Beyond TSV,”  the advanced semiconductor Summit will take place on January 18-20, 2016 in Minatec in Grenoble, France.

The 2016 SEMI European 3D Summit will include a wide scope of 3D integrated circuit topics beyond Through-Silicon-Via (TSV) technology – with talks on FO-WLP/ e-WLB, Embedded Die, and 3D alternative technologies. Keynote and invited speakers will present their approaches and strategies for 3D Integration technologies, with specific attention on current adoption for applications such as memory, mobile, automobiles, wearables and more.

The increasing implementation of 3D technology in microelectronics devices has reshaped the electronics market. SEMI will highlight the latest business challenges and opportunities with a market briefing where 3D and packaging industry experts will present business and market insights. Up to 30 companies working in the 3D sector will have the opportunity to exhibit their technologies at the 3D Summit exhibition.

SEMI will provide attendees networking opportunities throughout the event, including lunches, coffee breaks, a gala dinner and a complimentary one-on-one business meeting service. New this year: SEMI will offer attendees a chance to visit the Minatec Showroom, to learn about the latest innovations being developed in the Grenoble tech hub.

The  European 3D Summit steering committee includes executives from: ams AG, BESI, CEA-Leti, Evatech, EV Group, Fraunhofer-IZM, imec,  Scint-X,  SPTS, STMicroelectronics and SUSS Microtec.

Please visit www.semi.org/European3DSummit to register as an attendee or book a booth as an exhibitor.