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Intel Corporation (NASDAQ:INTC) and Mobileye N.V. (NYSE:MBLY) today announced the completion of Intel’s tender offer for outstanding ordinary shares of Mobileye. The acquisition is expected to accelerate innovation for the automotive industry and positions Intel as a technology provider in the fast-growing market for highly and fully autonomous vehicles.

The combination of Intel and Mobileye will allow Mobileye’scomputer vision expertise (the “eyes”) to complement Intel’s high-performance computing and connectivity expertise (the “brains”) to create automated driving solutions from cloud to car. Intel estimates the vehicle systems, data and services market opportunity to be up to $70 billion by 2030.

“With Mobileye, Intel emerges as a leader in creating the technology foundation that the automotive industry needs for an autonomous future,” said Intel CEO Brian Krzanich. “It’s an exciting engineering challenge and a huge growth opportunity for Intel. Even more exciting is the potential for autonomous cars to transform industries, improve society and save millions of lives.”

Intel’s Automated Driving Group (ADG) will combine its operations with Mobileye, an Intel Company. The combined Mobileye organization will lead Intel’s autonomous driving efforts, and will have the full support of Intel resources and technology to define and deliver cloud-to-car solutions for the automotive market segment. Mobileye will remain headquartered in Israel and led by Prof. Amnon Shashua who will serve as Intel senior vice president and Mobileye CEO and chief technology officer. In addition, Ziv Aviram, Mobileye co-founder, president and CEO, is retiring from the company, effective immediately.

“Leading in autonomous driving technology requires a combination of innovative proprietary software products and versatile open-system hardware platforms that enable customers and partners to customize solutions,” said Prof. Amnon Shashua. “For the first time, the auto industry has a single partner with deep expertise and a cultural legacy in both areas. Mobileye is very excited to begin this new chapter.”

Mobileye will support and build on both companies’ existing technology and customer relationships with automakers, tier-1 suppliers and semiconductor partners to develop advanced driving assist, highly autonomous and fully autonomous driving programs.

Microsemi Corporation, a  provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced its collaboration with Mellanox Technologies, Ltd. (Nasdaq: MLNX), a supplier of high-performance end-to-end smart interconnect solutions for data center servers and storage systems, and Celestica, a provider of the delivery of end-to-end product lifecycle solutions, to develop a unique reference architecture for NVM express over Fabrics (NVMe-oF) applications as part of Microsemi’s Accelerate Ecosystem Program.

Microsemi’s Accelerate Ecosystem speeds development efforts for customers and collaborators through technology alignment, joint marketing and sales acceleration. Collaborating with Microsemi allows companies like Mellanox and Celestica to leverage Microsemi’s peer-to-peer (P2P) memory architecture, which is supported by its Switchtec PCIe switches in combination with its Flashtec NVRAM cards and NVMe controllers to enable large data streams to transfer between NVMe-oF applications without the central processing unit (CPU) in the data plane. This leads to the development of highly optimized NVMe-oF storage subsystems with better throughput, latency and quality of service (QoS). It also enables customers’ data center storage applications such as rack scale architecture, which disaggregates flash and shareable pools of NVMe memory to operate at faster rates.

“With customers designing their next-generation applications around NVMe-oF today, Microsemi has created a strong ecosystem of industry leaders to put together tested and validated solutions for their specific needs,” said Amr Elashmawi, Microsemi’s vice president of corporate and vertical marketing. “The growth potential in this market makes this the perfect time to pair Celestica’s and Mellanox’s expertise with Microsemi’s unique value-add to showcase the NVMe-oF P2P reference architecture accelerating data center and cloud applications.”

The data center market continues to see NVMe storage devices increasingly being moved outside the server to centralized locations in order to share NVMe-based storage across multiple servers and CPUs. This enables better utilization in terms of capacity, rack space and power. According to industry research and marketing firm G2M, Inc., the NVMe market will be more than $57 billion by 2020 and nearly 40 percent of all-flash arrays will be NVMe-based by 2020. The firm also expects NVMe-oF adapter shipments will climb to 740,000 units by 2020.

“Working together with Microsemi through its Accelerate Ecosystem Program allows our team to leverage its performance storage tier, including Switchtec PSX switches, to develop innovative hardware platforms that can be customized for our customers,” said Jason Phillips, senior vice president, Enterprise Solutions at Celestica. “As a result of this important relationship, Celestica successfully launched the first commercially available NVMe dual-port All Flash Array platform, and is preparing to launch our first NVMe-oF solution, powered by Microsemi technology.”

While other companies have seen the benefits of Microsemi’s reference architecture, Microsemi also benefits from these cooperative efforts. With remote direct memory access (RDMA) a key technology in the NVMe-oF ecosystem, working closely with RDMA network interface card (NIC) providers like Mellanox enhances Microsemi’s ability to further serve the needs of its data center, cloud, hyperscale and enterprise original equipment manufacturer (OEM) customers. Such collaborations will enable Microsemi to gain market share for NVMe-oF applications, positioning Microsemi as a key player in the storage revolution.

“Mellanox is excited to collaborate with Microsemi as part of the Accelerate Ecosystem Program, which is delivering solutions with Microsemi’s Switchtec and Flashtec products for NVMe-oF applications,” said Rob Davis, vice president of storage technology at Mellanox Technologies. “Mellanox’s market leading ConnectX Network Adapters, including ConnectX-5 and our new BlueField SOC, combined with Microsemi’s P2P CPU memory offload capabilities, offer a comprehensive reference platform for high performance data plane applications and JBOF implementations.”

Rinchem recently announced the expansion of its chemical distribution center in Pyeongtaek, South Korea.

The new site provides four additional warehouses capable of storing a wide variety of materials including: general commodities (non-DG), flammable, toxic, corrosive, oxidizer and miscellaneous dangerous goods with strict temperature requirements ranging from -30 to 30 C. The new additions add 12,350 pallet positions to the Korea campus.

“This recent investment in South Korea marks Rinchem’s largest investment in the Asian Pacific market to date,” said Chris Wright, Rinchem’s Vice President of Sales & Marketing. “The Pyeongtaek distribution center is state-of-the-art in every way and is positioned as the largest semiconductor grade chemical storage facility in Korea.”

Each new warehouse will be optimized for efficiency and safety consistent with Rinchem’s global standards. The new warehouses will boast a very narrow aisle (VNA) racking system with wire-guided forklift steering controls. Additionally, the Korea campus now operates the newest version of Rinchem’s proprietary Chem-Star® customer interface. The system update showcases a streamlined and easy-to-navigate customer interface granting access to inventory data in real-time.

Rinchem will host a grand opening event to celebrate the recent completion of this expansion project on the new Korea campus on 9 August 2017 at 10:00 AM. Rinchem executives and staff will be on site to participate in a ribbon cutting ceremony, remarks on the new expansion and site tours.

Rinchem provides a wide range of logistics services to support the semiconductor, chemical, gas, life sciences and paint and coatings industries, including dedicated and multi-client warehousing, on-site services, over-the-road and local transportation, freight forwarding, empty container return management and supply chain consulting.

NXP Semiconductors N.V. (NASDAQ:NXPI) announced a $22 million dollar program that expands its operations in the United States, enabling the Company’s US facilities to manufacture security chips for government applications that can support critical US national and homeland security programs. Upon completion of the expansion project, NXP facilities in Austin and Chandler will be certified to manufacture finished products that exceed the highest domestic and international security and quality standards.

“This initiative advances NXP’s long-term commitment to developing secure ID solutions for federal, state and local government programs in the United States and demonstrates our deep dedication to serving the American market,” said Ruediger Stroh, Executive Vice President of Security and Connectivity at NXP. “The expansion program further positions NXP to deliver solutions for the IoT, connected devices and many other fast-growing applications in the United States as we continue to be a major contributor to the country’s global leadership in the semiconductor industry.”

As the market leader in secure identification solutions, NXP’s proven technology is included in core components that power secure government-issued ID documents in more than 120 countries, and is used by 95 countries worldwide to secure electronic passport programs.

Steve Adler, the Mayor of Austin, said, “We are excited to see NXP investing in Austin and in the cyber security of our country. We trust this initiative will also secure thousands of jobs and further foster the growth of Austin as a major technology hub.”

NXP R&D manufacturing facilities in San Jose, Austin and Chandler have also undergone a thorough security cite certification process to produce Common Criteria EAL6+ SmartMX microcontroller family products. Common Criteria is an international set of guidelines and specifications developed for evaluating information security products to ensure they meet a rigorous security standard for government deployments.

Knowles Corporation (NYSE: KN) today announced the appointment of Dr. Cheryl Shavers to the Board of Directors. Her appointment is effective August 1, 2017 and expands the Board to 9 directors, 8 of whom are independent.

Dr. Cheryl Shavers currently serves as Chief Executive Officer of Global Smarts, Inc. an advisory services and strategy firm which she founded in 2001. In this role, she consults small and established businesses as well as government agencies on managing growth opportunities and the innovative process. Between 1999 and 2001, Dr. Shavers served as the Undersecretary of Commerce for Technology at the U.S. Department of Commerce, where she oversaw the Office of Technology Policy and the Technology Administration, the focal point for partnerships between the US government and the private sector pertaining to commercial and industrial innovation, productivity and economic growth. She also oversaw the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the National Technical Information Service and the Office of Space Commercialization. Dr. Shavers was one of the highest-ranking technologists in the Clinton Administration at the time. Prior to joining the Clinton administration, she held a variety of roles at Intel Corporation and Hewlett-Packard, including director of Emerging Technologies and sector manager of the Microprocessor Products Group for Intel. Dr. Shavers also is a director of Rockwell Collins.

Dr. Shavers holds a doctorate in Solid State Chemistry and a bachelor’s degree in Chemistry from Arizona State University.

“I am excited to have Dr. Shavers as a member of the Board of Directors. She has a remarkable strategic mind and brings extensive experience with technology development, innovation and management of growth opportunities to the Board, which will be invaluable to the Company,” stated Jean-Pierre Ergas, Knowles’ Chairman.

Dr. Shavers has been appointed to serve on the Audit Committee and the Governance and Nominating Committee.

 

Covalent Metrology announced today that it has consolidated operations in a larger facility located in Santa Clara, CA. The new facility is positioned near Highway 101 and just off the San Tomas Expressway, reducing travel time for customers on the Peninsula or in the East Bay wishing to be present during measurement sessions. With more than 3,000 ft2 of available space, the facility allows co-location of the Covalent team and existing tools and provides ample room for further growth.

Consolidating operations will help the company better serve its customers, facilitating smoother communication and providing easier access to the tools. This is of particular importance because Covalent encourages Analytical Service customers to attend measurement sessions when possible. Being present during measurements offers customers the opportunity to provide dynamic feedback, tending to lead to more relevant results and better understanding of those results.

The new location includes a room dedicated to AFM operations, as well as a large open area that will welcome new tools as the company expands and more metrology techniques are added to the portfolio. Covalent Metrology was founded by Craig Hunter, previously founding general manager of both the thin film solar business at Applied Materials and the Clean Energy Group at Intermolecular. Mr. Hunter commented, “It is an exciting time at Covalent as we move into a new and larger facility, having the team all together and focused on growing our offerings and improving our services. There is a real “start-up” energy about the place as we strive to make a dent on the materials innovation ecosystem. We are still small but our ambition—to improve R&D efficiency by providing customers better data, faster and cheaper—is large.”

Toshiba Corporation (TOKYO:6502) today announced that Toshiba Memory Corporation (TMC), a wholly-owned subsidiary that manufactures Flash memory, will unilaterally invest in manufacturing equipment for the Fab 6 clean room at Yokkaichi Operations.

As Toshiba announced in its June 28, 2017 release, “Toshiba Memory Corporation to Invest in Manufacturing Facilities for Fab 6 at Yokkaichi Operations,” the company negotiated with SanDisk on a joint investment in the manufacturing equipment, but failed to reach agreement. Accordingly, TMC will move forward with a unilateral investment in Phase-1 of Fab 6 that will equip the clean room to handle TMC’s next-generation 96-layer BiCS FLASH memory, and allow TMC to meet demand growth in coming years.

TMC will invest approximately 195 billion yen in Fab 6 in FY2017, covering the installation of manufacturing equipment for 96-layer BiCS FLASH memory in the Phase-1 clean room, and the construction of Phase-2. TMC calculates that proceeding unilaterally with the installation of manufacturing equipment in Fab 6 will require it to increase its funding by 15 billion yen against its initial estimate. Installation is expected to begin as early as December, 2017.

Demand for TMC’s next generation BiCS memory devices is expected to increase significantly due to growing demand for enterprise SSDs in datacenters, SSDs for PCs, and memory for smartphones; TMC expects this strong market growth to continue in 2018. TMC’s investment timing will position it to capture this growth and to expand its business. TMC intends to increase the output of 3D NAND at Yokkaichi to approximately 90% of its capacity in FY2018, and will continue to make timely investments to expand operations.

This decision to move forward with a unilateral investment in Fab 6 does not impact production for the memory business, as Toshiba Memory produces the memory. Nor does it impact the various contracts related to development.

 

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced retired Gen. Keith Alexander, former Director of the National Security Agency (NSA) and Commander of U.S. Cyber Command, will deliver the keynote address at SIA’s 40th Anniversary Award Dinner, taking place on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in San Jose, Calif. Alexander, who currently serves as CEO and President of IronNet Cybersecurity, will offer insight on how America’s national security depends heavily on maintaining global leadership in the technologies that are crucial to the functioning of the U.S. military, including semiconductors. He will also discuss the importance of promoting next-generation technologies in order to tackle America’s future cybersecurity challenges.

“Gen. Keith Alexander knows what it takes to maintain and strengthen U.S. defense and cybersecurity, including the importance of advancing America’s global technology leadership,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “Semiconductors enable our military’s critical communications, navigation, weapons, and intelligence systems, as well as emergent applications like high-performance computing, data analytics, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles, robotics, and others that are central to our national security. A vibrant commercial sector is needed to advance these defense technologies and to ensure robust U.S. cybersecurity. Given Gen. Alexander’s wide-ranging national security knowledge and experience, we look forward to hearing his perspectives on these matters as the keynote presenter at SIA’s 40th Anniversary Award Dinner.”

Alexander is a four-star general with an impressive 40-year military career. His tenure as NSA Director (2005-2014) was longer than any other director. While serving in that role, Alexander was appointed by Congress to be the first Commander to lead the U.S. Cyber Command. He held this role from 2010-2014, establishing and defining how our nation is protected against cyber attacks. Serving as a member of the President’s Commission on Enhancing National Cybersecurity, Alexander developed key recommendations to create a defensible national cyber architecture to protect national security by promoting rapid innovation and close public-private collaboration while preserving privacy and civil liberties.

The SIA Award Dinner also will feature the presentation of the semiconductor industry’s highest honor, the Robert N. Noyce Award, to former Micron CEO Mark Durcan. The Noyce Award is named in honor of semiconductor industry pioneer Robert N. Noyce, co-founder of Fairchild Semiconductor and Intel.

Rudolph Technologies, Inc. (NYSE: RTEC) announced today that it has received an order for a JetStep G lithography system from a second customer in China for pilot line manufacturing of next-generation AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) displays.

The use of AMOLED displays in smartphones and wearables is growing rapidly because of their superior performance and form factor. Given the wide variety and rapid proliferation of consumer devices, an R&D or pilot line facility that can quickly and cost-effectively implement new processes allows manufacturers to bring new products to market faster. As these products continue to evolve, the need persists for low-power, low-cost, and conformity. Rudolph’s lithography solutions provide customers with the ability to develop these new processes with lower tooling costs and quicker product change-over.

Elvino da Silveira, vice president of marketing at Rudolph Technologies, said, “The AMOLED panel market is currently experiencing rapid growth, and in fact, UBI Research expects it to grow by close to 40 percent on an annual basis until 2020. We are seeing more and more companies enter this market by developing their own intellectual property, especially in China.”

“Customers continue to invest in Rudolph’s unique lithography solution for their R&D and pilot lines because it enables them to prove-out new processes more easily and at lower cost,” da Silveira continued. “The JetStep system is especially beneficial in pilot line environments where there is a high level of product change-over and pressure to minimize cost. A JetStep mask set, for example, is a fraction of the cost of a mask set for scanner-based photolithography tools, making it an ideal choice for new product development.”

The JetStep G lithography system addresses the AMOLED displays’ requirement for higher performance transistors by delivering finer resolution and tighter overlay. Additionally, the proprietary real-time magnification compensation and autofocus capabilities enable flexible substrate lithography. These capabilities are exactly what FPD manufacturers in China are looking for as they invest in capacity for next-generation AMOLED. Beyond the technology, Chinese manufacturers are looking for comprehensive and localized services. Rudolph is expanding capabilities in this area through the use of localized partnerships.

“With these technological advantages and local presence, we are poised to capture orders from additional China-based manufacturers,” da Silveira concluded.

Seoul Semiconductor Co., Ltd. (KOSDAQ 046890) today announced consolidated second-quarter revenues of KRW 267 billion. The rise in consolidated revenue came from strong sales in general lighting and strengths across all divisions within the company. The year over year rise in automotive lighting sales proved highly profitable for the company.

For the lighting division, while the differentiated product such as Wicop and Acrich increased in great proportion, automotive exterior lamps, e.g. daytime running lights and headlights continued their fast-paced growth. Automotive lighting is an area of high entry barriers due to high technology requirements and intellectual properties. Seoul expects to gain further market share with its differentiated Wicop technology. For the IT division, current customers expanding their product line-ups and new customer acquisitions were the main drivers for the rising sales figures.

To improve share price stability and increase shareholder value, Seoul announced plans to almost double its future dividends, based on the fact that its current level of pay-out is half the industry average and an increase up to the industry average is necessary. In addition, the company has sufficient cash generation capabilities since it has booked above 20% gains in EBITDA, leaving sufficient funds available for future investments. This was part of Seoul’s last quarter’s announcement to execute a KRW 10 billion share buyback program.

Company outlook

The company has provided revenue guidance of KRW 260 to 280 billion for the third quarter. The company plans to further strengthen its sales and marketing activities for its unique technologies including Acrich and Wicop and focus on acquiring more customers to reach new heights with respect to earnings.

The company’s Chief Financial Officer Sangbum Lee stated that SunLike, a new LED technology that produces light closely matching the spectrum of natural sunlight, unveiled at a press conference in Frankfurt, Germany in June, had been very well received with great interest from global customers. The company plans to launch additional new products during the remainder of the year and focus on protecting intellectual properties owned by the company.