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Today during the NXP FTF China Tech Forum keynote, NXP Semiconductors (NASDAQ:NXPI) kicked off its 10th year anniversary celebration since its founding as a standalone semiconductor company, with NXP Chief Executive Officer, Rick Clemmer, highlighting the key trends that are driving the company’s growth – ADAS, Internet of Things (IoT), security, automotive and payments.

“As NXP celebrates a decade, we’re reminded of how important innovations in security and connectivity, key partnerships and ecosystem convergence has been in both the evolution of a smarter world and our company growth,” said Clemmer. “We are celebrating today with customers, employees and partners, but more importantly we are looking towards the future – a future of more secure connections for a smarter world. Here at NXP FTF China, we are demonstrating our vitality notably in automotive, IoT, payment and transit technologies.”

NXP FTF China is taking place at the Shenzhen Intercontinental Hotel, September 28-29. At the event, the company announced key collaborations and unveiled new solutions for IoT, automotive and smart kitchens. Announcements include:

  • Establishing Security Standards for Smart Cars in China with Cross-sector Collaborations

    NXP announced it is collaborating with Changan Automobile and Neusoft to establish the China Auto Security Common Interests Group (CIG). The group brings together a hardware-based industry cooperative organization for automotive security with local automotive and software partners in the global market. CIG will adopt “NXP 4 plus 1 security framework” – the highest level of car information security today. The CIG will work together to develop comprehensive industrial solutions and will collaborate to establish industry standards to contribute to the innovation of China’s automotive industry.

  • Driving Mobile Transit and Contactless Payment in China

    NXP and Xiaomi Inc. today announced they are successfully deploying best-in-class technologies to implement secure, convenient mobile transit experiences countrywide across China’s popular metro stations and public bus lines. Since initial launch of the mobile transit services in June, activation rates grew more than 15 percent in Shanghai and more than 20 percent in Shenzhen among commuters. And with Xiaomi’s recent launch of Mi Pay, featuring NXP’s embedded secure element (eSE) technology, consumers will benefit from the highest level of security for transactions from both bank and transportation accounts.
  • NXP and Midea Demonstrate New Smart Kitchen Appliances

    NXP is collaborating with Midea to achieve breakthrough R&D innovations in smart kitchen appliances. NXP has brought revolutionary changes to Midea products through technological innovations: the semiconductor-heating cube demonstrated at the Tech Forum is the first result of this cooperation. With a sleek appearance, it features the MHT1004N solution based on NXP’s RF technology and is small in volume, lightweight and easy to carry, offering users with a more convenient cooking experience. As a major milestone in NXP’s cooperation in R&D of smart kitchen solutions in China, the launch of the semiconductor-heating cube heralds broader cooperation between the two parties in the field of smart home appliances.
  • Integrated Innovation to Push New Solutions for Secure Connected cars

    NXP announced its expansion of the industry leading MagniV microcontrollers product line and introduced a broad portfolio of hardware, software and integrated motor control solutions designed to dramatically speed time to market.  The new integrated solution would radically simplify system development and shorten design cycles.

    In addition, NXP also extended its leadership in secure car access technology to car-side systems with the introduction of the NJJ29C0 Low Frequency transceiver. As a leader in advanced key fob designs, NXP now enables full system solutions that combine longer-range performance and enhanced convenience for end-users, together with reduced costs, faster time-to market and greater design freedom for OEMs and their tier one suppliers.

  • New Innovative Technologies Designed in China, Built in China, For China

    At NXP FTF China, NXP officially unveiled the i.MX 6ULL – the lowest power ARM® Cortex-A7-based applications processor in the market.  The i.MX6 ULL processor, designed for the growing IoT consumer and industrial, mass markets, delivers up to 30 percent more power efficiency than its nearest competitors and is available at breakthrough prices.

    NXP also announced it is expanding the Kinetis E Series with KE1xZ and KE1xF ARM® Cortex® -M based MCU families to bring higher performance with greater memory densities and robust IP integration to the series making them ideal for high-end home appliances, motor control and smart lighting applications.

    NXP today introduced the industry’s first automotive 15W wireless charging solution, qualified to meet stringent automotive and industrial grade requirements. Compatible with WPC Qi and PMA charging standards, this complete solution allows automakers to easily transition from 5W to 15W capabilities, giving drivers a faster in-vehicle charging experience for mobile phones, tablets and wearables.

    In addition, the company announced that Cannice Technology, an original design manufacturer based in China, has unveiled a production-ready true wireless earbuds design.

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.75 billion in orders worldwide in August 2016 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.03, according to the August Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 1.03 means that $103 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in August 2016 was $1.75 billion. The bookings figure is 2.3 percent lower than the final July 2016 level of $1.80 billion, and is 5.0 percent higher than the August 2015 order level of $1.67 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in August 2016 was $1.71 billion. The billings figure is approximately the same as the final July 2016 level of $1.71 billion, and is 8.4 percent higher than the August 2015 billings level of $1.58 billion.

“The book-to-bill ratio has been at or above parity since December of last year with current monthly bookings and billings levels at $1.7 billion,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.  “Given the current data trends, North American equipment suppliers are clearly benefiting from strong investments by device manufacturers in the second half of the year.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

  Billings
(3-mo. avg)		 Bookings
(3-mo. avg)		 Book-to-Bill
March 2016  $1,197.6 $1,379.2 1.15
April 2016  $1,460.2 $1,595.4 1.09
May 2016  $1,601.5 $1,750.5 1.09
June 2016  $1,715.2 $1,714.3 1.00
July 2016 (final) $1,707.9 $1,795.4 1.05
August 2016 (prelim) $1,708.1 $1,753.9 1.03

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), September 2016

The data contained in this release were compiled by David Powell, Inc., an independent financial services firm, without audit, from data submitted directly by the participants. SEMI and David Powell, Inc. assume no responsibility for the accuracy of the underlying data.

The data are contained in a monthly Book-to-Bill Report published by SEMI. The report tracks billings and bookings worldwide of North American-headquartered manufacturers of equipment used to manufacture semiconductor devices, not billings and bookings of the chips themselves. The Book-to-Bill report is one of three reports included with the SEMI Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS).

Analogix Semiconductor, Inc. and Beijing Shanhai Capital Management Co, Ltd. (Shanhai Capital), today jointly announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which a consortium led by Shanhai Capital will acquire all of the outstanding shares of Analogix for over $500 million. China Integrated Circuit Industry Investment Fund Co., Ltd. (China IC Fund) also joined Shanhai Capital’s fund as one of the limited partners. The transaction is subject to regulatory approvals and is expected to close in late 2016.

Analogix’s high-speed, mixed-signal semiconductor integrated circuits (ICs) for high-performance display applications are used in mobile devices, virtual/augmented reality (VR/AR), and other high-performance electronic products from leading electronics brands including Apple, Samsung, LG, Microsoft, Google, Lenovo, Dell, HP, Asus, and HTC. The company is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and the majority of its engineering operations are located in Beijing, China. Current investors include leading venture capital firms: DCM Ventures, Globespan Capital Partners, Keytone Ventures, and the Woodside Fund.

“We are very happy to have reached this agreement, which provides significant value to our shareholders,” said Dr. Kewei Yang, Analogix Semiconductor’s chairman and CEO. “The financial support of Shanhai Capital propels our growth while maintaining the direction, organization, and determination to serve our customers. I am especially excited that we all share the same vision of building Analogix into a much broader and more capable global semiconductor leader.”

“We are pleased to establish our relationship with Analogix, a company whose technology leadership is recognized by the world’s leading OEMs, and we look forward to facilitating Analogix’s continued growth,” said Mr. Xianfeng Zhao, Chairman of Beijing Shanhai Capital Management Co, Ltd. “With the added investment, we can leverage the strength of the company’s core technology and business expertise, extend our business into adjacent high-growth markets, and build a world-leading semiconductor company. We expect an IPO in China in the near future.”

The bill of materials (BOM) for an iPhone 7 equipped with 32 gigabytes (GB) of NAND flash memory carries $219.80 in bill of materials costs, according to a preliminary estimate from IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a source in critical information, analytics and solutions.

After $5 in basic manufacturing costs are added, Apple’s total cost to manufacture the iPhone 7 rises to $224.80. The unsubsidized price for a 32GB iPhone 7 is $649. IHS Markit has not yet performed a teardown analysis on the larger iPhone 7 Plus. This preliminary estimated total is $36.89 higher than the final analysis of the iPhone 6S published by IHS in December 2015.

“Total BOM costs for the iPhone 7 are more in line with what we have seen in teardowns of recent flagship phones from Apple’s main competitor, Samsung, in that the costs are higher than in previous iPhone teardown analyses,” said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director of cost benchmarking services for IHS Markit. “All other things being equal, Apple still makes more margin from hardware than Samsung, but materials costs are higher than in the past.”

Same shape. No jack.

While the overall shape and physical design of the iPhone 7 is similar to the iPhone 6S that preceded it, the new display has wider color gamut, including DCI-P3 as well as traditional sRGB, which improves the rendering of photos and videos. The device’s haptic engine, which provides the “click” feel for users, has also been improved for longer-duty cycles and better dynamic response. The home button is now static and mimics the MacBook in terms of a solid-state button design.

Apple has also eliminated the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, allowing a larger battery and haptic motor. “Where there was an audio jack in the previous design, Apple replaced it with a symmetrical grill — not for speakers, but for the waterproof microphone, leaving more room for the larger battery and Taptic Engine,” Rassweiler said.

Increased base-model storage

Apple has increased the iPhone 7’s storage density. For the first time, the base model starts at 32 gigabytes (GB) – which is only the second time Apple has upgraded the base storage in the iPhone. From a cost perspective, the shift from 16GB/64GB/128GB iPhones to 32GB/128GB/256GB is a big jump. “Despite significant cost erosion in NAND flash over the last year, this increase in the overall memory cost definitely puts pressure on the bill of materials costs — and therefore margins — from Apple’s perspective,” Rassweiler said.

Intel returns

The Intel design win, and six years of absence that Intel had from the iPhone, is important to note. Even so, Intel still shares the processor business with Qualcomm. “Whereas Apple strives to have ‘one iPhone model for all carriers and markets,’ there are a number of different hardware permutations supporting various countries and carriers,” Rassweiler said. “Apple will likely look for ways to simplify the design moving forward, which means one supplier – whether Intel or Qualcomm – will likely dominate, as part of supplier and SKU streamlining.”

According to Wayne Lam, principal analyst of smartphone electronics, IHS Markit, “Largely left behind in the 4G LTE market, Intel has finally worked itself back into the iPhone, which is a huge win, but not one that is going to be financially significant in the near term for Intel.”

RF paths

Apple has also eliminated segmented antenna bands, which means the company is pushing all radio-frequency (RF) paths to the very ends of the phone – both on the top and bottom. The aluminum uni-body construction and design forces all RF paths into those two locations. Whereas other smartphones use a glass back and RF components with antennas mounted on the ample back spaces, Apple is restricted to just two physical antennas.  “This design limitation may force Apple to go back to an all-glass design again so that they can fit in 4x4MIMO LTE antennas and more features like wireless charging in the next iPhone iteration,” Lam said.

Modem moved

The baseband thin modem has been moved next to the A10 processor. Prior to the iPhone 7, the thin modem was always on the other side of the SIM card receptacle. “This is a subtle change but likely shows us where Apple wants to take this,” Lam said, “eventually putting the thin modem right on the apps processor package or even integrating it into the A-series processor.”

Officially water resistant

iPhone 7 is now officially rated as water resistant. “We also saw evidence of this water proofing design evolution in the earlier iPhone 6S, which included additional gasketing around critical connectors, as well as the use of WiFi antenna at the end of the primary speaker box,”Lam said. “Doing so pushes the antennas near the only other opening, for better reception and transmission.”

Jet-black polished case

Jet black polish is a new option on 128GB and 256GB models. “This is a new feature that produces a whole new look for the iPhone,” Lam said. “It is a lower yielding, time-intensive manufacturing step that adds cost, as well as considerable value, pushing the retail price higher for those requesting this option.”

Antenna speaker design

The antenna speaker design on the iPhone 7 came from the WiFi antenna packed into the speakers of Apple’s MacBook.  “Apple likes to reuse these unique designs throughout their product lines,” Lam said. In a first for the iPhone series, the headset speaker now doubles as a stereo speaker.

Upgraded camera

While not as groundbreaking as the two optical paths in the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 7 camera has now been upgraded to optical image stabilization (OIS), for better low light performance.

Improved battery life

The battery has been increased to 1960mAhr capacity from 1715mAh in the previous iPhone 6s.  This change is consistent with Apple’s claims of improved battery life.

Intel Corporation today announced the appointment of Robert “Bob” H. Swan as executive vice president and chief financial officer (CFO), effective Oct. 10, 2016. Swan will report to Intel CEO Brian Krzanich and oversee Intel’s global finance and IT organizations, as well as the Corporate Strategy Office. He replaces Stacy Smith, who, as previously announced, is taking a broader role within Intel leading manufacturing, sales and operations. Smith served nine years as Intel’s CFO.

“I’m thrilled to join Intel, a company where incredible innovation is supported by strong financial management,” Swan said.

“Bob brings a wealth of leadership and financial experience to Intel. His financial acumen and strategic insight will be welcome additions to our leadership team as Intel’s transformation continues,” Krzanich said.

Swan, 56, joins Intel from growth equity firm General Atlantic where he served as an operating partner working closely with the firm’s global portfolio companies on growth objectives. Prior to General Atlantic, he served nine years as the CFO of eBay Inc. Before that, he was CFO at Electronic Data Systems Corp and at TRW Inc. He also served as CFO, COO and CEO of Webvan Group Inc. Prior to that, Bob served in a number of senior finance roles at General Electric.

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq:  SNPS) today announced the successful tapeout of multiple customer test chips with DesignWare Logic Libraries and Embedded Memories for TSMC’s 7-nanometer (nm) FinFET process. The tapeouts mark a significant milestone in Synopsys’ and TSMC’s collaboration on the development of DesignWare Logic Library, Embedded Memory and Interface IP for TSMC’s 7-nm FinFET process. The collaboration extends Synopsys’ long history of successful IP development on TSMC advanced FinFET processes for high-performance, low-power system-on-chips (SoCs).

“TSMC and Synopsys have a long track record of successful collaboration on advanced FinFET processes, providing our mutual customers with a low-risk path to integrating a broad portfolio of high-quality, silicon-proven IP into their SoCs,” said Suk Lee, TSMC senior director, Design Infrastructure Marketing Division. “Achieving multiple customer tapeouts of Synopsys DesignWare IP on TSMC’s 7-nm process demonstrates the benefits of our collaboration and gives designers confidence that they will meet their power, performance and area targets while accelerating their time to market.”

“As a leading provider of physical IP, Synopsys continues to provide early access to IP in the most advanced process technologies, helping designers incorporate necessary functionality and accelerate their design schedules,” said John Koeter, vice president of marketing for IP and prototyping at Synopsys. “With multiple customer tapeouts of DesignWare IP for TSMC’s 7-nm process, Synopsys enables designers to reduce integration risk and differentiate their products with this latest technology.”

SEMI, the global industry association representing more than 2,000 companies in the electronics manufacturing supply chain, announced that MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG) will become a SEMI Strategic Association Partner effective January 1, 2017.

Through this strategic partnership, SEMI and MSIG members will benefit from stronger consolidated representation in the MEMS and sensors segments. Members will access SEMI’s global platforms, including its SEMICON expositions and International Standards program, and MSIG’s events, including MEMS & Sensors Executive Congresses, MEMS & Sensors Technical Congress and MSIG Conference Asia. MSIG also brings member-focused initiatives, such as the TSensors initiative, as well as industry Standards and community-building to the new partnership.

“SEMI members are increasingly engaged with MEMS and sensors manufacturing,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “The convergence of IC technology, flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), and MEMS and sensors for consumer electronics and IoT applications makes this partnership a clear win for the combined membership. The synergies between our associations will result in increased member value, a unified voice for the MEMS and sensors sector, and a strong platform for global industry collaboration. Ultimately, it will accelerate our joint strategic objectives at a global level and provide greater opportunities to advance the growth and prosperity of members.”

“Our partnership with SEMI reflects our commitment to our members, who have supported us since MSIG’s inception in 2001,” notes Karen Lightman, executive director, MEMS & Sensors Industry Group. “MSIG members will benefit from this relationship with increased access to global resources and service offerings, the expertise of a complementary industry and fast-track entry to worldwide programs. Ultimately, MSIG members will gain broader reach as they pursue new business opportunities. We are delighted to have such a capable and accomplished partner and look forward to our strategic association partnership with SEMI.”

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $27.1 billion for the month of July 2016, an increase of 2.6 percent compared to the previous month’s total of $26.4 billion. July marked the global market’s largest month-to-month sales increase since September 2013, though sales were down 2.8 percent compared to the July 2015 total of $27.9 billion. Underscoring the welcome uptick, month-to-month sales increased in all regional markets for the first time since October 2015. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“The modest increase in global semiconductor sales in July was the global market’s largest month-to-month growth in nearly three years, an encouraging sign of potentially stronger sales during the remainder of 2016 and beyond,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “After months of lagging sales, the Americas region was a bright spot in July, posting 3.3 percent growth to lead all regional markets. Meanwhile, most major semiconductor product categories saw increased sales in July compared to the previous month, with DRAM leading the way with 7.1 percent growth.”

In addition to the month-to-month growth in the Americas, sales also increased in China (3.2 percent), Japan (3.1 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (1.8 percent), and Europe (0.7 percent). Year-to-year sales increased in China (4.7 percent), but dropped in Japan (-1.1 percent), Europe (-4.9 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (-6.8 percent), and the Americas (-7.5 percent).

“As Congress returns to Washington this week, we urge policymakers to work together to advance initiatives that promote growth and innovation in the semiconductor industry and throughout the U.S. economy,” Neuffer said. “One such measure is the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP), a landmark agreement that would tear down barriers to trade with Pacific-Rim countries. Congress should do what’s right for U.S. businesses, consumers, and our economy and approve the TPP.”

To find out how to purchase the WSTS Subscription Package, which includes comprehensive monthly semiconductor sales data and detailed WSTS Forecasts, please visit http://www.semiconductors.org/industry_statistics/wsts_subscription_package/.

July 2016 GSR table and graph

SEMI today announced that twenty-one start-ups have been selected to pitch to investors and exhibit their products at SEMICON Europa‘s INNOVATION VILLAGE in Grenoble, France at the Alpexpo from 25-27 October, 2016. INNOVATION VILLAGE will showcase never-before-seen technologies, with early stage companies introducing their technologies on the exposition floor.

INNOVATION VILLAGE, an area of more than 400m² on the SEMICON Europa exhibition floor, is dedicated to the launch and promotion of technological innovation.  Twenty-one leading European start-ups will be featured, including:

• 3Dis Technologies • HPROB • ProNT GmbH
• Antaios • Irlynx • Silicon Radar
• Applied Nanolayers BV • Madci • Siltectra
• Bright Red Systems Gmbh • Mi2-factory GmbH • Smart Force Technologies
• Fastree3D • Miniswys SA • Smoltek
• FlexEnable • Noivion • Solayl
• FMC – The Ferroelectric Memory Company • Pollen Metrology • Terabee

Start-ups will be given the opportunity to “pitch” their products to potential investors including Applied Ventures LLC, Samsung Ventures, TEL Venture Capital, Robert Bosch Venture Capital GmbH, 3M New Ventures, Aliad-Air Liquide Corporate Venture Capital, Capital ASTER, CEA Investment, VTT Ventures, Capital-E, Siemens Technology Accelerator GmbH and more.

For the first time at the INNOVATION VILLAGE, a new technology transfer program, called the TechnoMarket, from partner Linksium, SATT Grenoble Alpes will be showcased on 26 October. “The national network, SATT, has chosen SEMICON Europa to promote the best technological projects derived from public research within France that can also benefit manufacturers. The new Techno Market event offers new opportunities for businesses,” says Gilles Talbotier, CEO, Linksium.  The TechnoMarket acts as a genuine market place for VCs and companies ready to invest in innovation.

Free admission code: Use the promotional code SCEU-TBN4U to gain free admission to the show floor (not including conferences or forums).  Register now – attend to connect.

For more information about SEMICON Europa, please visit http://www.semiconeuropa.org

Synopsys, Inc. (Nasdaq: SNPS) and GLOBALFOUNDRIES today announced that Synopsys has joined the foundry’s FDXcelerator Partner Program, an ecosystem designed to facilitate 22FDX system-on-chip (SoC) designs. This program enables designers to deploy Synopsys’ comprehensive RTL-to-GSDII solution with superior power and performance metrics for FDX-based designs. The collaboration accelerates the development of innovative products in applications spanning systems for intelligent clients, 5G connectivity, augmented and virtual reality and automotive.

Through the FDXcelerator Partner Program, Synopsys and GLOBALFOUNDRIES offer easy access to a complete 22FDX Reference Flow based on the Synopsys Galaxy Design Platform. This includes validated 22FDX “plug & play” support for tools, including Design Compiler, IC Compiler II, IC Validator, PrimeTime, StarRC, Custom Compiler, HSPICE and CustomSim solutions. The collaboration enables Synopsys’ tools to enhance support for differentiating GLOBALFOUNDRIES FD-SOI design features, including support for the adaptive body bias that unlocks FDX SoC performance and ultra-low-power operation, while lowering barriers of migration from bulk nodes. This allows engineers to create optimized designs, while minimizing development costs.

“Synopsys’ close collaboration with GLOBALFOUNDRIES provides designers access to a trusted EDA solution with advanced technical capabilities to address the requirements for developing differentiated FD-SOI-based designs,” said Bijan Kiani, vice president of product marketing for Synopsys’ Design Group. “We are helping designers adopt GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ innovative FDX offering by delivering comprehensive tools and methodologies to take advantage of the power, performance and cost advantages of the FDX technologies.”

“We are thrilled that Synopsys is an initial FDXcelerator partner,” said Alain Mutricy, senior vice president of Product Management at GLOBALFOUNDRIES. “Through this collaboration, our mutual customers can now take full advantage of the FDX value proposition by leveraging the validated Synopsys-based reference flow. The FDX-enabled Galaxy Design Platform will offer seamless support of body bias and other critical FDX performance management capabilities. The program will also enable access to Synopsys FDX EDA experts available for proactive training and support of mutual 22FDX design customers.”

With the recent announcement of the company’s next-generation 12FDX technology, the FDXcelerator Partner Program builds upon GLOBALFOUNDRIES’ industry-first FD-SOI roadmap, a lower-cost migration path for designers desiring advanced node design. By participating in FDXcelerator and continuing to invest in expanding the feature set of its tools to further support FDX customers, Synopsys is well positioned to participate in the adoption and growth of the FDX market. Moreover, the FDXcelerator Partner Program broadens the qualification and quality assurance collaboration between the companies, including tighter interlock around quality testing and methodology.

Additional Synopsys tools and features will be enhanced for FDX, and more information will be shared with the FDX design community in the months to come. Customers and partners interested in learning more about FDXcelerator can visit www.globalfoundries.com/fdxcelerator