TransferJet to demo speedy wireless at MWC

TransferJet to demo speedy wireless at MWC

LONDON – The TransferJet Consortium is due to demonstrate close proximity wireless transfers at data rates that are more than 1,000 times faster than near field communications (NFC) at the Mobile World Congress being held in Barcelona, Feb. 25 to 28.

At the event accessory products and prototypes – USB adapters, SD and SDIO cards – from Sony and Toshiba will be shown working with commercial smartphones and tablets. The consortium also plans to demonstrate a content download service from kiosk machines whereby smartphone and tablet users can download movies, music, e-books and so-on using TransferJet add-ons.

Chips, components, and modules that support TransferJet and available for design-in will also be on show, the consortium said.

TransferJet is a low-power, proximity data transfer technology designed to deliver a transfer data rate of up to 560-Mbits per second using a radio carrier center frequency of typically 4.48-MHz.



Click on image to enlarge.
Position of TransferJet in the distance versus data rate space. Source: TransferJet Consortium.

The TransferJet Consortium includes Sony, Hitachi, JVC Kenwood, Nikon, Olympus, Panasonic, Pioneer, Seiko Epson and Toshiba as "promoter members" and more than 30 adopter members.

The TransferJet Consortium was established in 2008 and registered as a Japanese incorporated association in 2011.


Related links and articles:

www.transferjet.org

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TAG:TransferJet Sony Toshiba USB SDIO smartphone tablet semiconductor NFC

Slideshow: Google updates fiber offer

Slideshow: Google updates fiber offer

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Google is getting ready to add a service for small businesses to its residential gigabit fiber offering in Kansas City. The move is one more small step taking the search giant toward being a carrier.

Milo Medin, a former cable Internet entrepreneur and now vice president of access services at Google, gave an update on the offering at a meeting of a local IEEE group here. He was coy about Google’s plans but did repeat what he said in a summary foil (below) that “this is a beginning, and not an end.”

It’s clear Medin loves his work and sees a broader opportunity for Google. Google Fiber got its start when a small team at the company was preparing to provide comment to a U.S. government’s broadband plan in the works.

“Google management said, ‘why whine to the government, if this is important we should do it,’ so a team was formed,” Medin told a group of several dozen engineers.

Click on image to enlarge.
Eleven hundred cities responded to an offer that Google would create a gigabit residential test bed.

“It made us wonder if there may be an opportunity here,” said Medin who joined the team in 2010. “We were looking at it as an opportunity to offer a profitable service that could benefit the Web by offering a 100-fold step function in what’s available today,” he said.

That presents strategic riches and challenges. Ultimately, even wireless operators will succeed or fail based on how much fiber they have, but pulling fiber can be costly and complex, he added.

Competitors such as Comcast are highly profitable offering typically well under 100 Mbits/s. But Google has significant fiber linking its data centers, stakes in undersea cables and owns one of the world’s largest content distribution networks that currently powers YouTube, he said.

Every state and local government has its own laws and practices that makes it potentially costly to install fiber. That fact stalled Verizon’s FIOS offering when the carrier found it more profitable to invest in more wireless than wired infrastructure, he said.


Medin at the recent IEEE meeting in Silicon Valley
TAG:Google Fiber Milo Medin Kansas City Google Broadband Internet Carriers Fiber Comcast TV

Slideshow: Google updates fiber offer

Slideshow: Google updates fiber offer

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Google is getting ready to add a service for small businesses to its residential gigabit fiber offering in Kansas City. The move is one more small step taking the search giant toward being a carrier.

Milo Medin, a former cable Internet entrepreneur and now vice president of access services at Google, gave an update on the offering at a meeting of a local IEEE group here. He was coy about Google’s plans but did repeat what he said in a summary foil (below) that “this is a beginning, and not an end.”

It’s clear Medin loves his work and sees a broader opportunity for Google. Google Fiber got its start when a small team at the company was preparing to provide comment to a U.S. government’s broadband plan in the works.

“Google management said, ‘why whine to the government, if this is important we should do it,’ so a team was formed,” Medin told a group of several dozen engineers.

Click on image to enlarge.
Eleven hundred cities responded to an offer that Google would create a gigabit residential test bed.

“It made us wonder if there may be an opportunity here,” said Medin who joined the team in 2010. “We were looking at it as an opportunity to offer a profitable service that could benefit the Web by offering a 100-fold step function in what’s available today,” he said.

That presents strategic riches and challenges. Ultimately, even wireless operators will succeed or fail based on how much fiber they have, but pulling fiber can be costly and complex, he added.

Competitors such as Comcast are highly profitable offering typically well under 100 Mbits/s. But Google has significant fiber linking its data centers, stakes in undersea cables and owns one of the world’s largest content distribution networks that currently powers YouTube, he said.

Every state and local government has its own laws and practices that makes it potentially costly to install fiber. That fact stalled Verizon’s FIOS offering when the carrier found it more profitable to invest in more wireless than wired infrastructure, he said.


Medin at the recent IEEE meeting in Silicon Valley
TAG:Google Fiber Milo Medin Kansas City Google Broadband Internet Carriers Fiber Comcast TV

宝诗龙高级定制波西米亚蛇珠宝

宝诗龙高级定制波西米亚蛇珠宝

　　今年2月，在巴黎高定时装周期间，美丽华服登场，同时在芳登广场上也上演了无比的璀璨。Boucheron推出了全新波西米亚蛇珠宝系列。Boucheron的蛇不那么妖艳，也不那么凶狠，而是通过一些蛇元素来带出整个蛇的概念。

蛇元素的运用
宝诗龙珠宝新品
蛇元素耳环
夸张戒指
高定期间推出的珠宝单品
波西米亚“蛇”系列珠宝


TAG:宝诗龙 Boucheron 蛇造型 珠宝 宝诗龙高级定制波西米亚蛇珠宝

绝不撞车的艺术珠宝助派对一臂之力

绝不撞车的艺术珠宝助派对一臂之力

　　如何能在派对上成为众人瞩目的焦点——这个永远的难题，也伴随着PARTY邀请函如约而至。大牌首饰？撞车的几率不小。自己淘换？有时候又觉得不够档次。怎样在特色与价格之间找到完美的平衡？我们不妨跳出一贯的思维定势，想一个“另类”的解答方案。众所周知，艺术与设计一直相伴而行，不少设计大师在艺术史上同样占有一席之地。反义亦然，艺术家的作品是最好的设计灵感源泉，有的甚至本身就是极富市场价值的设计品。

艺术感珠宝

　　这些在艺术家与设计师之间游走的人，为派对珠宝提供了别样的选择。我们不妨称这样的作品为“艺术珠宝”，相比市售首饰，它们风格更加凌厉，造型更为独特。相比大牌珠宝四平八稳的设计，它们更前卫，更先锋，更能凸显佩戴者的个人气质。还有一点值得注意：艺术珠宝通常都是“独一无二”的作品，极具升值潜力。没准几年之后，你就能把自己的首饰送上拍卖会。

yvel项链
Bernhard Schobinger戒指

　　一提到艺术，总会让人想到特立独行，毫不驯顺的个性，艺术珠宝同样如此。所以在日常搭配的时候，要给它们留出足够的“展示空间”。最保险的做法，是选一套简约风格的装备，让珠宝成为绝对的主角。例如2012春夏季侯赛因-查拉雅的发布中，就有不少简洁的单色款式。强调现代感的流畅线条，能与绝大部分艺术珠宝完美融合(无论是巴洛克风格，还是几何造型)，毫不复杂的配色，又能最大限度突出珠宝的色泽质感。就像白色的画布最容易描绘绚烂景色，简约的着装能让珠宝的艺术感发挥到极致。

Aaron Faber——MZobel项链
Peter Schmid——Atelier Zobel 戒指

　　另外，搭配艺术珠宝要注意场合。对于艺术家来说，设计的重心是在作品本身的美，而对于佩戴者来说，则必须考虑风格是否适合出席的场合。戒指、耳钉这样的小件物品，基本能做到百搭，但是项链因为展示面积较大，需要特别慎重。例如 Jennifer Trask 的“Acanthus Neckpiece”，巴洛克风格的金白配色极具装饰效果，但因为造型中锐角过多，而且材质坚硬，很容易激起他人的不安全感，最好避免在社交晚宴、工作场合等日常人际交往场所中出现。

造型感十足
宽手镯

　　相比可以轻松买到的市售珠宝，挑选艺术珠宝需要你的耐心，和一点点运气。有心人不妨去国际雕塑品及实用艺术博览会(简称SOFA, International Sculpture Objects & Functional Art Fair) 上看看，每年来自各个国家的画廊和商家、艺术家，会带来全新的设计产品、装饰艺术与美术作品，其中不乏极具创造力的首饰设计。寻找探索之旅诚然辛苦，但回报也是丰厚的：当派对上再有人问你首饰从哪里买的时候，你可以淡淡地说上一句：“这是位艺术家的手工作品，如果你喜欢，我可以给你他的电话号码。”

TAG:珠宝 艺术感 首饰 派对 绝不撞车的艺术珠宝助派对一臂之力

2013春夏时髦首饰大搜罗

2013春夏时髦首饰大搜罗

　　施华洛世奇[微博]施艺彩每年都会推出两个季度系列，带来时髦前卫以至高贵典雅等多种风格的首饰。华丽别致的神秘花开(Secret Bloom)系列项链、耳环和胸针，通过并列展示深浅不一的施华洛世奇元素，打造出复杂精美的花卉形态。精致细腻的花团锦簇(Blossom)系列项链和戒指，呈现由小巧的半透明仿水晶拼砌而成的优雅花朵图案。

　　七瓣莲(Star Flower)系列，除了有奢华瑰丽的短项链和炫目简约的长项链外，还有巧妙地运用钻石形仿水晶来做出几何花瓣的同款耳环和手链。简约迷人的鸢尾花(Iris)系列 戒指、耳环、饰针和袖扣，以金色魅影或银色魅影施华洛世奇元素组成的完美圆形为衬托，中央缀以大件的黑色或白色仿水晶，绝对让人眼前一亮。真实彩虹(Rainbow True)系列 项链和戒指系列与雅致彩虹(Rainbow Grace )系列 项链、戒指和耳环系列分别提供三款设计，通过互相重新组合来打造百变形象。

TAG:施华洛世奇 Swarovski 春夏 配饰 2013春夏时髦首饰大搜罗

MEMS market growth accelerating

MEMS market growth accelerating

LONDON – The deep penetration achieved by microelectromechanial systems (MEMS) sensors in consumer and mobile equipment will ensure that the market continues to enjoy growth in 2013, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.

The market for MEMS sensors and actuators is predicted to be worth $9.09 billion in 2013, up 8.1 percent from $8.41 billion in 2012, a year in which the MEMS market grew 6.1 percent. During the next two years IHS expects growth to be double-digit percentages and by 2017 the market will be worth $12.2 billion, up more than 50 percent on 2011.

While inertial MEMS sensors will continue to do well IHS predicts MEMS actuators for use with autofocus and zoom in cell phone cameras will do well with companies such as PoLight and Tessera Technologies prospering. The market for camera modules with imaging capabilities of more than 8 megapixels is worth $20 million in 2013 but climbs to $200 million by 2016.

Pressure sensors for judging height in location systems is another promising application. IHS iSuppli said it expects this market to double in 2013 to $100 million.


Related links and articles:

www.isuppli.com

News articles:

RF MEMS startup gains funds and veteran CEO

Bosch unveils consumer MEMS

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TAG:MEMS IHS market research semiconductor mobile smartphone tablet

MEMS market growth accelerating

MEMS market growth accelerating

LONDON – The deep penetration achieved by microelectromechanial systems (MEMS) sensors in consumer and mobile equipment will ensure that the market continues to enjoy growth in 2013, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.

The market for MEMS sensors and actuators is predicted to be worth $9.09 billion in 2013, up 8.1 percent from $8.41 billion in 2012, a year in which the MEMS market grew 6.1 percent. During the next two years IHS expects growth to be double-digit percentages and by 2017 the market will be worth $12.2 billion, up more than 50 percent on 2011.

While inertial MEMS sensors will continue to do well IHS predicts MEMS actuators for use with autofocus and zoom in cell phone cameras will do well with companies such as PoLight and Tessera Technologies prospering. The market for camera modules with imaging capabilities of more than 8 megapixels is worth $20 million in 2013 but climbs to $200 million by 2016.

Pressure sensors for judging height in location systems is another promising application. IHS iSuppli said it expects this market to double in 2013 to $100 million.


Related links and articles:

www.isuppli.com

News articles:

RF MEMS startup gains funds and veteran CEO

Bosch unveils consumer MEMS

MEMS, iPhone mics, and impressive growth


TAG:MEMS IHS market research semiconductor mobile smartphone tablet

MEMS market growth accelerating

MEMS market growth accelerating

LONDON – The deep penetration achieved by microelectromechanial systems (MEMS) sensors in consumer and mobile equipment will ensure that the market continues to enjoy growth in 2013, according to market research firm IHS iSuppli.

The market for MEMS sensors and actuators is predicted to be worth $9.09 billion in 2013, up 8.1 percent from $8.41 billion in 2012, a year in which the MEMS market grew 6.1 percent. During the next two years IHS expects growth to be double-digit percentages and by 2017 the market will be worth $12.2 billion, up more than 50 percent on 2011.

While inertial MEMS sensors will continue to do well IHS predicts MEMS actuators for use with autofocus and zoom in cell phone cameras will do well with companies such as PoLight and Tessera Technologies prospering. The market for camera modules with imaging capabilities of more than 8 megapixels is worth $20 million in 2013 but climbs to $200 million by 2016.

Pressure sensors for judging height in location systems is another promising application. IHS iSuppli said it expects this market to double in 2013 to $100 million.


Related links and articles:

www.isuppli.com

News articles:

RF MEMS startup gains funds and veteran CEO

Bosch unveils consumer MEMS

MEMS, iPhone mics, and impressive growth


TAG:MEMS IHS market research semiconductor mobile smartphone tablet

SEMI adds startup forum to Semicon West

SEMI adds startup forum to Semicon West

LONDON – SEMI, the industry body or the semiconductor equipment and materials industry, has announced a half-day conference called the Silicon Innovation Forum to be held on July 9, 2013, alongside the annual Semicon West exhibition at the Moscone Center, San Francisco.

The event is intended to help early-stage companies meet investors and gain funding and is being organized by leading strategic investment groups in the industry including Applied Ventures, Dow Chemical Company, Intel Capital, Micron Ventures, TEL Venture Capital, and Samsung Ventures.

Startup and emerging companies can showcase their innovations through table-top demonstrations or poster displays or can use the event to seek one-on-one meetings with potential investors or to present their ideas during the conference itself. Attendance at the Silicon Innovation Forum will be free to all Semicon West attendees, SEMI said.


Related links and articles:

www.semiconwest.org/sif

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TAG:venture capital SEMI Intel Samsung Micron TEL Dow

SEMI adds startup forum to Semicon West

SEMI adds startup forum to Semicon West

LONDON – SEMI, the industry body or the semiconductor equipment and materials industry, has announced a half-day conference called the Silicon Innovation Forum to be held on July 9, 2013, alongside the annual Semicon West exhibition at the Moscone Center, San Francisco.

The event is intended to help early-stage companies meet investors and gain funding and is being organized by leading strategic investment groups in the industry including Applied Ventures, Dow Chemical Company, Intel Capital, Micron Ventures, TEL Venture Capital, and Samsung Ventures.

Startup and emerging companies can showcase their innovations through table-top demonstrations or poster displays or can use the event to seek one-on-one meetings with potential investors or to present their ideas during the conference itself. Attendance at the Silicon Innovation Forum will be free to all Semicon West attendees, SEMI said.


Related links and articles:

www.semiconwest.org/sif

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Silicon Ventures tips plan to stem fabless VC drought

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TAG:venture capital SEMI Intel Samsung Micron TEL Dow

SEMI adds startup forum to Semicon West

SEMI adds startup forum to Semicon West

LONDON – SEMI, the industry body or the semiconductor equipment and materials industry, has announced a half-day conference called the Silicon Innovation Forum to be held on July 9, 2013, alongside the annual Semicon West exhibition at the Moscone Center, San Francisco.

The event is intended to help early-stage companies meet investors and gain funding and is being organized by leading strategic investment groups in the industry including Applied Ventures, Dow Chemical Company, Intel Capital, Micron Ventures, TEL Venture Capital, and Samsung Ventures.

Startup and emerging companies can showcase their innovations through table-top demonstrations or poster displays or can use the event to seek one-on-one meetings with potential investors or to present their ideas during the conference itself. Attendance at the Silicon Innovation Forum will be free to all Semicon West attendees, SEMI said.


Related links and articles:

www.semiconwest.org/sif

News articles:

Silicon Ventures tips plan to stem fabless VC drought

SK Telecom sets up Silicon Valley incubator

London Calling: How many years define a startup?


TAG:venture capital SEMI Intel Samsung Micron TEL Dow

Intel research improves moisture-tracking in PCBs

Intel research improves moisture-tracking in PCBs

PARIS – Intel researchers are finding ways to improve the monitoring of moisture in PCBs because this variable can be critical to both performance and failure mechanisms.

Industry research shows that moisture can negatively affect the integrity and reliability of PCBs. The presence of moisture in a PCB alters its quality, functionality, thermal performance and thermo-mechanical properties, thus affecting overall performance.

Reliability has been the subject of most studies on moisture effects in PCBs, and the moisture referred to in these studies comes from the environment, i.e., air. However, Intel has a different approach. Richard Kunze, a senior staff engineer and technical lead in the Enterprise System Engineering organization within the Data Center Group at Intel Corp., explained that the group’s primary focus is on moisture and temperature effects on the electrical performance, in particular on the insertion loss, of high speed signals, such as you would find in a typical computing device, and most particularly in servers found in data centers.

Commenting on high speed performance degradation, Kunze declared: “Moisture in PCBs directly affects various signal propagation characteristics, and we focus on the key one of insertion loss. We recognize that moisture will be absorbed by a PCB, and the questions then become how much under normal operating conditions and how to quantify its impact on high speed signaling performance.”

Kunze added that power dissipation of the devices attached to the PCB raises its temperature and this elevated temperature also leads to increased loss and affects the moisture content in the PCB. In an upcoming DesignCon paper, he said Intel will provide a simple examination of both of these effects for a variety of different PCB constructions and materials and try to understand performance impact under full operating conditions.

Moving to the importance of characterizing moisture sensitivity and controlling moisture content in PCBs, Kunze noted that it can be difficult to remove moisture –through baking- from a typical PCB that has solid copper planes throughout its stack up. Prior to assembly, he continued, bare boards are typically stored in vacuum sealed bags along with some desiccant material. After assembly, boards are subject to their operating environment which can range widely in temperature and humidity. “One question we want to understand is the moisture and temperature state of the PCB while in operation under the normal range of environment conditions,” he declared.

Kunze explained that many moisture studies conducted to date assess the amount of moisture in a PCB through an IPC-approved method, i.e. by weighing the PCB before and after exposure to water. Others have observed changes in capacitance to discern the amount of moisture in a PCB. “Our approach infers moisture content through its effect on insertion loss.”

Three years ago at DesignCon, Intel indeed introduced a novel method of determining the insertion loss by taking time-domain measurements at only two points, both at the same end of the line. They called it “Single-Ended TDR to Differential Insertion Loss,” or SET2DIL. This insertion loss test method was developed by Jeff Loyer, signal integrity lead for Intel’s Enterprise Server Division, and Kunze himself and is now an IPC-approved test method for determining differential insertion loss.


SET2DIL test structure

TAG:Intel Corp Richard Kunze Insertion Loss Moisture Printed Circuit Board PCB Failure Humidity Temperature

Intel research improves moisture-tracking in PCBs

Intel research improves moisture-tracking in PCBs

PARIS – Intel researchers are finding ways to improve the monitoring of moisture in PCBs because this variable can be critical to both performance and failure mechanisms.

Industry research shows that moisture can negatively affect the integrity and reliability of PCBs. The presence of moisture in a PCB alters its quality, functionality, thermal performance and thermo-mechanical properties, thus affecting overall performance.

Reliability has been the subject of most studies on moisture effects in PCBs, and the moisture referred to in these studies comes from the environment, i.e., air. However, Intel has a different approach. Richard Kunze, a senior staff engineer and technical lead in the Enterprise System Engineering organization within the Data Center Group at Intel Corp., explained that the group’s primary focus is on moisture and temperature effects on the electrical performance, in particular on the insertion loss, of high speed signals, such as you would find in a typical computing device, and most particularly in servers found in data centers.

Commenting on high speed performance degradation, Kunze declared: “Moisture in PCBs directly affects various signal propagation characteristics, and we focus on the key one of insertion loss. We recognize that moisture will be absorbed by a PCB, and the questions then become how much under normal operating conditions and how to quantify its impact on high speed signaling performance.”

Kunze added that power dissipation of the devices attached to the PCB raises its temperature and this elevated temperature also leads to increased loss and affects the moisture content in the PCB. In an upcoming DesignCon paper, he said Intel will provide a simple examination of both of these effects for a variety of different PCB constructions and materials and try to understand performance impact under full operating conditions.

Moving to the importance of characterizing moisture sensitivity and controlling moisture content in PCBs, Kunze noted that it can be difficult to remove moisture –through baking- from a typical PCB that has solid copper planes throughout its stack up. Prior to assembly, he continued, bare boards are typically stored in vacuum sealed bags along with some desiccant material. After assembly, boards are subject to their operating environment which can range widely in temperature and humidity. “One question we want to understand is the moisture and temperature state of the PCB while in operation under the normal range of environment conditions,” he declared.

Kunze explained that many moisture studies conducted to date assess the amount of moisture in a PCB through an IPC-approved method, i.e. by weighing the PCB before and after exposure to water. Others have observed changes in capacitance to discern the amount of moisture in a PCB. “Our approach infers moisture content through its effect on insertion loss.”

Three years ago at DesignCon, Intel indeed introduced a novel method of determining the insertion loss by taking time-domain measurements at only two points, both at the same end of the line. They called it “Single-Ended TDR to Differential Insertion Loss,” or SET2DIL. This insertion loss test method was developed by Jeff Loyer, signal integrity lead for Intel’s Enterprise Server Division, and Kunze himself and is now an IPC-approved test method for determining differential insertion loss.


SET2DIL test structure

TAG:Intel Corp Richard Kunze Insertion Loss Moisture Printed Circuit Board PCB Failure Humidity Temperature

Intel research improves moisture-tracking in PCBs

Intel research improves moisture-tracking in PCBs

PARIS – Intel researchers are finding ways to improve the monitoring of moisture in PCBs because this variable can be critical to both performance and failure mechanisms.

Industry research shows that moisture can negatively affect the integrity and reliability of PCBs. The presence of moisture in a PCB alters its quality, functionality, thermal performance and thermo-mechanical properties, thus affecting overall performance.

Reliability has been the subject of most studies on moisture effects in PCBs, and the moisture referred to in these studies comes from the environment, i.e., air. However, Intel has a different approach. Richard Kunze, a senior staff engineer and technical lead in the Enterprise System Engineering organization within the Data Center Group at Intel Corp., explained that the group’s primary focus is on moisture and temperature effects on the electrical performance, in particular on the insertion loss, of high speed signals, such as you would find in a typical computing device, and most particularly in servers found in data centers.

Commenting on high speed performance degradation, Kunze declared: “Moisture in PCBs directly affects various signal propagation characteristics, and we focus on the key one of insertion loss. We recognize that moisture will be absorbed by a PCB, and the questions then become how much under normal operating conditions and how to quantify its impact on high speed signaling performance.”

Kunze added that power dissipation of the devices attached to the PCB raises its temperature and this elevated temperature also leads to increased loss and affects the moisture content in the PCB. In an upcoming DesignCon paper, he said Intel will provide a simple examination of both of these effects for a variety of different PCB constructions and materials and try to understand performance impact under full operating conditions.

Moving to the importance of characterizing moisture sensitivity and controlling moisture content in PCBs, Kunze noted that it can be difficult to remove moisture –through baking- from a typical PCB that has solid copper planes throughout its stack up. Prior to assembly, he continued, bare boards are typically stored in vacuum sealed bags along with some desiccant material. After assembly, boards are subject to their operating environment which can range widely in temperature and humidity. “One question we want to understand is the moisture and temperature state of the PCB while in operation under the normal range of environment conditions,” he declared.

Kunze explained that many moisture studies conducted to date assess the amount of moisture in a PCB through an IPC-approved method, i.e. by weighing the PCB before and after exposure to water. Others have observed changes in capacitance to discern the amount of moisture in a PCB. “Our approach infers moisture content through its effect on insertion loss.”

Three years ago at DesignCon, Intel indeed introduced a novel method of determining the insertion loss by taking time-domain measurements at only two points, both at the same end of the line. They called it “Single-Ended TDR to Differential Insertion Loss,” or SET2DIL. This insertion loss test method was developed by Jeff Loyer, signal integrity lead for Intel’s Enterprise Server Division, and Kunze himself and is now an IPC-approved test method for determining differential insertion loss.


SET2DIL test structure

TAG:Intel Corp Richard Kunze Insertion Loss Moisture Printed Circuit Board PCB Failure Humidity Temperature

SK Telecom sets up Silicon Valley incubator

SK Telecom sets up Silicon Valley incubator

SAN JOSE, Calif. – SK Telecom Americas aims to open a small incubator in Silicon Valley as early as March. It will provide a home with services and seed funding to as many as four startups.

The incubator is an effort by the Korean telecom and chip giant to extend its ecosystem. Samsung announced similar plans for a larger center here recently.

The SK incubator will form the core of an innovation center dedicated to technologieds that could extend the reach of SK in areas including semiconductors, networking and medical electronics.

SK is Korea’s third largest company after Samsung and LG. It is the country’s largest telecom operator and recently bought a controlling stake in chip maker Hynix.

The innovation center will provide up to $1 million in seed funds to up to four companies. It will also provide facilities and services from chip design tools to human resources assistance.

Startups will need to agree with SK on milestones. If they hit them, startups can be spun into the company. SK is also developing a network of venture capitalists who could back startups that don’t become part of the company.

SK is hiring program and business development managers for the center.

Related stories:

• Samsung ramps venture efforts
• SK Telecom buys 21% stake in Hynix

TAG:SK Telecom Americas Silicon Valley Incubators Startups Hynix Korea Venture

Slideshow: Berkeley wields big data to beat cancer

Slideshow: Berkeley wields big data to beat cancer

BERKELEY, Calif. – Researchers showed progress accelerating the search for gene-based cures for cancer and expanding the field of computer theory at an annual event sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley. They also discussed work on next-generation processor architectures and an effort to speed the development of an Internet of Things.

Computer scientist David A. Patterson called for a million genome warehouse to advance work on a cure for cancer. Today separate repositories hold less than 10,000 pieces of genetic information, many of them only partial representations of genes.

"There’s a chance for computer science to help build fast and accurate genetic pipelines and accelerate the move to personalized therapies--I want this in time to help me and my family," he said, noting researchers today often delete genetic data after completing experiments.

Patterson helped develop a tool called SNAP that provides significantly faster and more accurate genetic analysis that tools typically used by cancer researchers today (see below). Benchmarking tools are still needed to improve what are still highly subjective methods used in the field, he said.


Click on image to enlarge.
Separately, the university will spend $60 million over ten years on a new institute aimed to stake out new frontiers in computer science. "We want to develop a new theory of computing that extends far beyond its current reach and encompasses problems in other fields," said Richard Karp who will direct the effort.

"Many phenomena can be viewed as computational," he said. "If you look at how a living cell operates we can think of it as information processing; an economy is an information processing activity," he added.

The institute will host a symposium in late May in one of its first efforts to gather experts from a broad range of fields to study the possibilities.
Next: Big data in the hunt for cancer cures
TAG:University Of California At Berkeley Internet Of Things Big Data Map Reduce Computer Science Computer Theory Smart Buildings Dave Pat

Slideshow: Berkeley wields big data to beat cancer

Slideshow: Berkeley wields big data to beat cancer

BERKELEY, Calif. – Researchers showed progress accelerating the search for gene-based cures for cancer and expanding the field of computer theory at an annual event sponsored by the University of California at Berkeley. They also discussed work on next-generation processor architectures and an effort to speed the development of an Internet of Things.

Computer scientist David A. Patterson called for a million genome warehouse to advance work on a cure for cancer. Today separate repositories hold less than 10,000 pieces of genetic information, many of them only partial representations of genes.

"There’s a chance for computer science to help build fast and accurate genetic pipelines and accelerate the move to personalized therapies--I want this in time to help me and my family," he said, noting researchers today often delete genetic data after completing experiments.

Patterson helped develop a tool called SNAP that provides significantly faster and more accurate genetic analysis that tools typically used by cancer researchers today (see below). Benchmarking tools are still needed to improve what are still highly subjective methods used in the field, he said.


Click on image to enlarge.
Separately, the university will spend $60 million over ten years on a new institute aimed to stake out new frontiers in computer science. "We want to develop a new theory of computing that extends far beyond its current reach and encompasses problems in other fields," said Richard Karp who will direct the effort.

"Many phenomena can be viewed as computational," he said. "If you look at how a living cell operates we can think of it as information processing; an economy is an information processing activity," he added.

The institute will host a symposium in late May in one of its first efforts to gather experts from a broad range of fields to study the possibilities.
Next: Big data in the hunt for cancer cures
TAG:University Of California At Berkeley Internet Of Things Big Data Map Reduce Computer Science Computer Theory Smart Buildings Dave Pat

SK Telecom sets up Silicon Valley incubator

SK Telecom sets up Silicon Valley incubator

SAN JOSE, Calif. – SK Telecom Americas aims to open a small incubator in Silicon Valley as early as March. It will provide a home with services and seed funding to as many as four startups.

The incubator is an effort by the Korean telecom and chip giant to extend its ecosystem. Samsung announced similar plans for a larger center here recently.

The SK incubator will form the core of an innovation center dedicated to technologieds that could extend the reach of SK in areas including semiconductors, networking and medical electronics.

SK is Korea’s third largest company after Samsung and LG. It is the country’s largest telecom operator and recently bought a controlling stake in chip maker Hynix.

The innovation center will provide up to $1 million in seed funds to up to four companies. It will also provide facilities and services from chip design tools to human resources assistance.

Startups will need to agree with SK on milestones. If they hit them, startups can be spun into the company. SK is also developing a network of venture capitalists who could back startups that don’t become part of the company.

SK is hiring program and business development managers for the center.

Related stories:

• Samsung ramps venture efforts
• SK Telecom buys 21% stake in Hynix

TAG:SK Telecom Americas Silicon Valley Incubators Startups Hynix Korea Venture

SK Telecom sets up Silicon Valley incubator

SK Telecom sets up Silicon Valley incubator

SAN JOSE, Calif. – SK Telecom Americas aims to open a small incubator in Silicon Valley as early as March. It will provide a home with services and seed funding to as many as four startups.

The incubator is an effort by the Korean telecom and chip giant to extend its ecosystem. Samsung announced similar plans for a larger center here recently.

The SK incubator will form the core of an innovation center dedicated to technologieds that could extend the reach of SK in areas including semiconductors, networking and medical electronics.

SK is Korea’s third largest company after Samsung and LG. It is the country’s largest telecom operator and recently bought a controlling stake in chip maker Hynix.

The innovation center will provide up to $1 million in seed funds to up to four companies. It will also provide facilities and services from chip design tools to human resources assistance.

Startups will need to agree with SK on milestones. If they hit them, startups can be spun into the company. SK is also developing a network of venture capitalists who could back startups that don’t become part of the company.

SK is hiring program and business development managers for the center.

Related stories:

• Samsung ramps venture efforts
• SK Telecom buys 21% stake in Hynix

TAG:SK Telecom Americas Silicon Valley Incubators Startups Hynix Korea Venture

London Calling: Mobile phone sales fell in 2012

London Calling: Mobile phone sales fell in 2012

We are used to the idea that tablet computers and smartphones are driving semiconductor sales right now, but here is another statistic to put alongside the fall in desktop and notebook computer sales: worldwide mobile phones sales fell in 2012.

Or at least according to market research firm Gartner Inc. they did. Gartner has said that worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totaled 1.75 billion units in 2012, a 1.7 percent decline from 2011 sales.

"The last time the worldwide mobile phone market declined was in 2009," said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner, in a statement. "Tough economic conditions, shifting consumer preferences and intense market competition weakened the worldwide mobile phone market this year."

Gartner does see a resumption of mobile phone sales growth in 2013 but driven by the fast ramping smartphone and hindered by all other classes of mobile phone. Gartner predicts that sales of worldwide smartphone sales to end users will be close to 1 billion units in 2013, and overall mobile phone sales to end users are estimated to reach 1.9 billion units.

Samsung's resources and ability to build a broad market reach is an advantage that no other competitor can easily match. However, the competition will intensify in 2013 as players such as Sony and Nokia improve, said Gartner. "With Samsung commanding over 42.5 percent of the Android market globally, and the next vendor at just 6 percent share, the Android brand is being overshadowed by Samsung's brand with the Galaxy name nearly a synonym for Android phones in consumers' mind share," said Gupta.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Nokia’s handset sales improved as a result of a good consumer response to its Asha mobile phones and the launch of the latest Lumia Windows Phone 8 models. It was not sufficient to stop Nokia to lose further market share, totaling 18 percent, the lowest it has ever been.



Click on image to enlarge.
Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users by vendor in 2012 (thousands of units). Source: Gartner (February 2013).


Related links and articles:

Medical monitoring gets personal, goes mobile

Tablets, smartphones driving growth of several IC categories

Apple top mobile phone vendor in Japan.


TAG:Peter Clarke London Calling mobile phone Gartner smartphone semiconductor

London Calling: Mobile phone sales fell in 2012

London Calling: Mobile phone sales fell in 2012

We are used to the idea that tablet computers and smartphones are driving semiconductor sales right now, but here is another statistic to put alongside the fall in desktop and notebook computer sales: worldwide mobile phones sales fell in 2012.

Or at least according to market research firm Gartner Inc. they did. Gartner has said that worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totaled 1.75 billion units in 2012, a 1.7 percent decline from 2011 sales.

"The last time the worldwide mobile phone market declined was in 2009," said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner, in a statement. "Tough economic conditions, shifting consumer preferences and intense market competition weakened the worldwide mobile phone market this year."

Gartner does see a resumption of mobile phone sales growth in 2013 but driven by the fast ramping smartphone and hindered by all other classes of mobile phone. Gartner predicts that sales of worldwide smartphone sales to end users will be close to 1 billion units in 2013, and overall mobile phone sales to end users are estimated to reach 1.9 billion units.

Samsung's resources and ability to build a broad market reach is an advantage that no other competitor can easily match. However, the competition will intensify in 2013 as players such as Sony and Nokia improve, said Gartner. "With Samsung commanding over 42.5 percent of the Android market globally, and the next vendor at just 6 percent share, the Android brand is being overshadowed by Samsung's brand with the Galaxy name nearly a synonym for Android phones in consumers' mind share," said Gupta.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Nokia’s handset sales improved as a result of a good consumer response to its Asha mobile phones and the launch of the latest Lumia Windows Phone 8 models. It was not sufficient to stop Nokia to lose further market share, totaling 18 percent, the lowest it has ever been.



Click on image to enlarge.
Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users by vendor in 2012 (thousands of units). Source: Gartner (February 2013).


Related links and articles:

Medical monitoring gets personal, goes mobile

Tablets, smartphones driving growth of several IC categories

Apple top mobile phone vendor in Japan.


TAG:Peter Clarke London Calling mobile phone Gartner smartphone semiconductor

London Calling: Mobile phone sales fell in 2012

London Calling: Mobile phone sales fell in 2012

We are used to the idea that tablet computers and smartphones are driving semiconductor sales right now, but here is another statistic to put alongside the fall in desktop and notebook computer sales: worldwide mobile phones sales fell in 2012.

Or at least according to market research firm Gartner Inc. they did. Gartner has said that worldwide mobile phone sales to end users totaled 1.75 billion units in 2012, a 1.7 percent decline from 2011 sales.

"The last time the worldwide mobile phone market declined was in 2009," said Anshul Gupta, principal research analyst at Gartner, in a statement. "Tough economic conditions, shifting consumer preferences and intense market competition weakened the worldwide mobile phone market this year."

Gartner does see a resumption of mobile phone sales growth in 2013 but driven by the fast ramping smartphone and hindered by all other classes of mobile phone. Gartner predicts that sales of worldwide smartphone sales to end users will be close to 1 billion units in 2013, and overall mobile phone sales to end users are estimated to reach 1.9 billion units.

Samsung's resources and ability to build a broad market reach is an advantage that no other competitor can easily match. However, the competition will intensify in 2013 as players such as Sony and Nokia improve, said Gartner. "With Samsung commanding over 42.5 percent of the Android market globally, and the next vendor at just 6 percent share, the Android brand is being overshadowed by Samsung's brand with the Galaxy name nearly a synonym for Android phones in consumers' mind share," said Gupta.

In the fourth quarter of 2012, Nokia’s handset sales improved as a result of a good consumer response to its Asha mobile phones and the launch of the latest Lumia Windows Phone 8 models. It was not sufficient to stop Nokia to lose further market share, totaling 18 percent, the lowest it has ever been.



Click on image to enlarge.
Worldwide mobile phone sales to end users by vendor in 2012 (thousands of units). Source: Gartner (February 2013).


Related links and articles:

Medical monitoring gets personal, goes mobile

Tablets, smartphones driving growth of several IC categories

Apple top mobile phone vendor in Japan.


TAG:Peter Clarke London Calling mobile phone Gartner smartphone semiconductor

Tower sees soft Q1, then growth

Tower sees soft Q1, then growth

LONDON – Tower Semiconductor Ltd., the specialty foundry that trades as TowerJazz, is forecasting a sharp drop in revenue in the first quarter of 2013 as it phases it out supply contracts with Micron Technology Inc. at a Japanese wafer fab and brings up replacement customers.

The company revealed the soft forecast at it announced it had made a net loss in 4Q12 of $23.4 million on revenue of $147.6 million. The revenue was down sequentially from $154.6 million in the prior quarter. This 4Q12 performance compares to the net loss of $16.7 million the company made on revenue of $174.6 million in 4Q11.

Tower (Migdal Haemek, Israel) acquired a wafer fab in Nishiwaki, Japan, from Micron Technology Inc. (Boise, Idaho) during 2012 and expects a significant dip in overall revenue in 1Q13 as Micron overhang orders decline and as other customer orders ramp up.

"Our recent introduction of an advanced SOI switch platform opens a new market for us and has already realized over 25 customer tape-outs. In 2012, we had over 450 full mask set tape outs and left the year with more than 400 new design wins. These numbers are at record levels and a strong indicator of customer traction and continued growth," said Russell Ellwanger, CEO of Tower, in a statement.

Tower is forecasting revenues in the range of $110 million to $120 million in the first quarter of 2013.

For the 2012 full year Tower made a net loss of $70.3 million on revenue of $638.8 million, compared wit a net loss of $18.5 million on revenues of $611.0 million in 2011.


Related links and articles:

www.towersemi.com

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Tower, On Semi team on display chip

Tower in talks over Micron fab

India fab decision likely this quarter

TAG:Tower TowerJazz semiconductor Japan Israel foundry

Tower sees soft Q1, then growth

Tower sees soft Q1, then growth

LONDON – Tower Semiconductor Ltd., the specialty foundry that trades as TowerJazz, is forecasting a sharp drop in revenue in the first quarter of 2013 as it phases it out supply contracts with Micron Technology Inc. at a Japanese wafer fab and brings up replacement customers.

The company revealed the soft forecast at it announced it had made a net loss in 4Q12 of $23.4 million on revenue of $147.6 million. The revenue was down sequentially from $154.6 million in the prior quarter. This 4Q12 performance compares to the net loss of $16.7 million the company made on revenue of $174.6 million in 4Q11.

Tower (Migdal Haemek, Israel) acquired a wafer fab in Nishiwaki, Japan, from Micron Technology Inc. (Boise, Idaho) during 2012 and expects a significant dip in overall revenue in 1Q13 as Micron overhang orders decline and as other customer orders ramp up.

"Our recent introduction of an advanced SOI switch platform opens a new market for us and has already realized over 25 customer tape-outs. In 2012, we had over 450 full mask set tape outs and left the year with more than 400 new design wins. These numbers are at record levels and a strong indicator of customer traction and continued growth," said Russell Ellwanger, CEO of Tower, in a statement.

Tower is forecasting revenues in the range of $110 million to $120 million in the first quarter of 2013.

For the 2012 full year Tower made a net loss of $70.3 million on revenue of $638.8 million, compared wit a net loss of $18.5 million on revenues of $611.0 million in 2011.


Related links and articles:

www.towersemi.com

News articles:

Tower, On Semi team on display chip

Tower in talks over Micron fab

India fab decision likely this quarter

TAG:Tower TowerJazz semiconductor Japan Israel foundry

Tower sees soft Q1, then growth

Tower sees soft Q1, then growth

LONDON – Tower Semiconductor Ltd., the specialty foundry that trades as TowerJazz, is forecasting a sharp drop in revenue in the first quarter of 2013 as it phases it out supply contracts with Micron Technology Inc. at a Japanese wafer fab and brings up replacement customers.

The company revealed the soft forecast at it announced it had made a net loss in 4Q12 of $23.4 million on revenue of $147.6 million. The revenue was down sequentially from $154.6 million in the prior quarter. This 4Q12 performance compares to the net loss of $16.7 million the company made on revenue of $174.6 million in 4Q11.

Tower (Migdal Haemek, Israel) acquired a wafer fab in Nishiwaki, Japan, from Micron Technology Inc. (Boise, Idaho) during 2012 and expects a significant dip in overall revenue in 1Q13 as Micron overhang orders decline and as other customer orders ramp up.

"Our recent introduction of an advanced SOI switch platform opens a new market for us and has already realized over 25 customer tape-outs. In 2012, we had over 450 full mask set tape outs and left the year with more than 400 new design wins. These numbers are at record levels and a strong indicator of customer traction and continued growth," said Russell Ellwanger, CEO of Tower, in a statement.

Tower is forecasting revenues in the range of $110 million to $120 million in the first quarter of 2013.

For the 2012 full year Tower made a net loss of $70.3 million on revenue of $638.8 million, compared wit a net loss of $18.5 million on revenues of $611.0 million in 2011.


Related links and articles:

www.towersemi.com

News articles:

Tower, On Semi team on display chip

Tower in talks over Micron fab

India fab decision likely this quarter

TAG:Tower TowerJazz semiconductor Japan Israel foundry

Ericsson demos Gbit LTE, talks OpenFlow at MWC

Ericsson demos Gbit LTE, talks OpenFlow at MWC

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Ericsson plans to demo at Mobile World Congress this month features of LTE-Advanced, including a prototype 8x8 MIMO antenna that could deliver data at a Gbit/second. It will also talk about its plans to support cloud virtualization and software-defined networks, including support for OpenFlow.

A handful of wireless operators are installing elements of LTE-Advanced Release 10 (R10) this year, starting with carrier aggregation. The feature lets operators link together multiple non-contiguous bands of their scarce spectrum together to create broadband data channels.

Ericsson will demo the feature with handsets powered by Qualcomm chips to hit peak data rates of 150 Mbits/s over 20 MHz. This is the first year both base stations and handsets supporting the feature are ready to ship.

“A few operators will upgrade to R10 this year, and carrier aggregation is the driver--it’s the first thing they need," said Hanna Maurer Sibley, a director of mobile broadband at Ericsson.

Ericsson also will show interoperability of LTE and the China variant, LTE TDD, including a voice over LTE call between the two systems working with China Mobile, ST-Ericsson and Renesas Mobile. It will also demo a data handover working with China Mobile and chip designer Altair.

Separately, Ericsson will stage a technology prototype of an 8x8 multiple input, multiple output antenna system. It is geared to deliver to handsets data rates up to a Gbit/second on bleeding edge LTE R10 networks.

"You can’t make a product like this today for a price the market would accept--size is also a challenge—so commercial use is some years away," said Sibley, noting chip sets supporting the feature are not yet available in handsets.

Meanwhile, Ericsson will show two 4x4 antenna systems. The Air 32 accepts two radio signals; the Air 21 accepts one radio signal and is currently being deployed by T-Mobile for a R10 network in the U.S.

Air 21 "offers a fast-track way of getting mobile broadband services such as LTE into the marketplace," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer of T-Mobile USA, in a statement. “We can save months in terms of deployment with this product on a per-site basis [and it offers] many performance gains and benefits in radio performance."
Next: Clouds and SDN for telcos
TAG:Software Defined Networks Release 10 Carrier Aggregation LTE Advanced Ericsson OpenFlow LTE R10 Cellular 4G SDN Networking Anten

Ericsson demos Gbit LTE, talks OpenFlow at MWC

Ericsson demos Gbit LTE, talks OpenFlow at MWC

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Ericsson plans to demo at Mobile World Congress this month features of LTE-Advanced, including a prototype 8x8 MIMO antenna that could deliver data at a Gbit/second. It will also talk about its plans to support cloud virtualization and software-defined networks, including support for OpenFlow.

A handful of wireless operators are installing elements of LTE-Advanced Release 10 (R10) this year, starting with carrier aggregation. The feature lets operators link together multiple non-contiguous bands of their scarce spectrum together to create broadband data channels.

Ericsson will demo the feature with handsets powered by Qualcomm chips to hit peak data rates of 150 Mbits/s over 20 MHz. This is the first year both base stations and handsets supporting the feature are ready to ship.

“A few operators will upgrade to R10 this year, and carrier aggregation is the driver--it’s the first thing they need," said Hanna Maurer Sibley, a director of mobile broadband at Ericsson.

Ericsson also will show interoperability of LTE and the China variant, LTE TDD, including a voice over LTE call between the two systems working with China Mobile, ST-Ericsson and Renesas Mobile. It will also demo a data handover working with China Mobile and chip designer Altair.

Separately, Ericsson will stage a technology prototype of an 8x8 multiple input, multiple output antenna system. It is geared to deliver to handsets data rates up to a Gbit/second on bleeding edge LTE R10 networks.

"You can’t make a product like this today for a price the market would accept--size is also a challenge—so commercial use is some years away," said Sibley, noting chip sets supporting the feature are not yet available in handsets.

Meanwhile, Ericsson will show two 4x4 antenna systems. The Air 32 accepts two radio signals; the Air 21 accepts one radio signal and is currently being deployed by T-Mobile for a R10 network in the U.S.

Air 21 "offers a fast-track way of getting mobile broadband services such as LTE into the marketplace," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer of T-Mobile USA, in a statement. “We can save months in terms of deployment with this product on a per-site basis [and it offers] many performance gains and benefits in radio performance."
Next: Clouds and SDN for telcos
TAG:Software Defined Networks Release 10 Carrier Aggregation LTE Advanced Ericsson OpenFlow LTE R10 Cellular 4G SDN Networking Anten

Ericsson demos Gbit LTE, talks OpenFlow at MWC

Ericsson demos Gbit LTE, talks OpenFlow at MWC

SAN JOSE, Calif. – Ericsson plans to demo at Mobile World Congress this month features of LTE-Advanced, including a prototype 8x8 MIMO antenna that could deliver data at a Gbit/second. It will also talk about its plans to support cloud virtualization and software-defined networks, including support for OpenFlow.

A handful of wireless operators are installing elements of LTE-Advanced Release 10 (R10) this year, starting with carrier aggregation. The feature lets operators link together multiple non-contiguous bands of their scarce spectrum together to create broadband data channels.

Ericsson will demo the feature with handsets powered by Qualcomm chips to hit peak data rates of 150 Mbits/s over 20 MHz. This is the first year both base stations and handsets supporting the feature are ready to ship.

“A few operators will upgrade to R10 this year, and carrier aggregation is the driver--it’s the first thing they need," said Hanna Maurer Sibley, a director of mobile broadband at Ericsson.

Ericsson also will show interoperability of LTE and the China variant, LTE TDD, including a voice over LTE call between the two systems working with China Mobile, ST-Ericsson and Renesas Mobile. It will also demo a data handover working with China Mobile and chip designer Altair.

Separately, Ericsson will stage a technology prototype of an 8x8 multiple input, multiple output antenna system. It is geared to deliver to handsets data rates up to a Gbit/second on bleeding edge LTE R10 networks.

"You can’t make a product like this today for a price the market would accept--size is also a challenge—so commercial use is some years away," said Sibley, noting chip sets supporting the feature are not yet available in handsets.

Meanwhile, Ericsson will show two 4x4 antenna systems. The Air 32 accepts two radio signals; the Air 21 accepts one radio signal and is currently being deployed by T-Mobile for a R10 network in the U.S.

Air 21 "offers a fast-track way of getting mobile broadband services such as LTE into the marketplace," said Neville Ray, chief technology officer of T-Mobile USA, in a statement. “We can save months in terms of deployment with this product on a per-site basis [and it offers] many performance gains and benefits in radio performance."
Next: Clouds and SDN for telcos
TAG:Software Defined Networks Release 10 Carrier Aggregation LTE Advanced Ericsson OpenFlow LTE R10 Cellular 4G SDN Networking Anten

Ten chip sectors tipped to grow

Ten chip sectors tipped to grow

LONDON – Ten product categories, led by tablet processors and mobile phone application processors, are going to enjoy a growth rate of 6 percent in 2013, according to market analysts IC Insights. The 6 percent figure is IC Insights's forecast for growth in the total IC market in 2013.

Five categories are forecast to enjoy double-digit percentage growth led by tablet MPUs (50 percent) and mobile phone application processors (28 percent). Other IC categories that support mobile systems – including NAND flash memory (12 percent) and special-purpose logic devices – are also expected to enjoy better-than-industry-average growth in 2013.

The number of categories with positive growth is expected to more than double to 22 in 2013 from 10 in 2012.

After two consecutive years of steep declines in 2011 and 2012, the DRAM market is forecast to increase 9 percent in 2013. DRAM unit growth is expected to increase by only 2 percent, but the overall average selling price is forecast to jump 7 percent this year.


Click on image to enlarge.
Forecast of 2013 growth by IC market segment. Source: IC Insights.


Related links and articles:

www.icinsights.com

News articles:

Samsung takes third place in 2012 foundry sales

Qualcomm, Broadcom climb in chip company ranking

Chip market rebound coming, survey says

Chip market to fall in 2012, rise in 2013

TAG:IC Insights semiconductor tablet chip NAND flash mobile

Ten chip sectors tipped to grow

Ten chip sectors tipped to grow

LONDON – Ten product categories, led by tablet processors and mobile phone application processors, are going to enjoy a growth rate of 6 percent in 2013, according to market analysts IC Insights. The 6 percent figure is IC Insights's forecast for growth in the total IC market in 2013.

Five categories are forecast to enjoy double-digit percentage growth led by tablet MPUs (50 percent) and mobile phone application processors (28 percent). Other IC categories that support mobile systems – including NAND flash memory (12 percent) and special-purpose logic devices – are also expected to enjoy better-than-industry-average growth in 2013.

The number of categories with positive growth is expected to more than double to 22 in 2013 from 10 in 2012.

After two consecutive years of steep declines in 2011 and 2012, the DRAM market is forecast to increase 9 percent in 2013. DRAM unit growth is expected to increase by only 2 percent, but the overall average selling price is forecast to jump 7 percent this year.


Click on image to enlarge.
Forecast of 2013 growth by IC market segment. Source: IC Insights.


Related links and articles:

www.icinsights.com

News articles:

Samsung takes third place in 2012 foundry sales

Qualcomm, Broadcom climb in chip company ranking

Chip market rebound coming, survey says

Chip market to fall in 2012, rise in 2013

TAG:IC Insights semiconductor tablet chip NAND flash mobile

Ten chip sectors tipped to grow

Ten chip sectors tipped to grow

LONDON – Ten product categories, led by tablet processors and mobile phone application processors, are going to enjoy a growth rate of 6 percent in 2013, according to market analysts IC Insights. The 6 percent figure is IC Insights's forecast for growth in the total IC market in 2013.

Five categories are forecast to enjoy double-digit percentage growth led by tablet MPUs (50 percent) and mobile phone application processors (28 percent). Other IC categories that support mobile systems – including NAND flash memory (12 percent) and special-purpose logic devices – are also expected to enjoy better-than-industry-average growth in 2013.

The number of categories with positive growth is expected to more than double to 22 in 2013 from 10 in 2012.

After two consecutive years of steep declines in 2011 and 2012, the DRAM market is forecast to increase 9 percent in 2013. DRAM unit growth is expected to increase by only 2 percent, but the overall average selling price is forecast to jump 7 percent this year.


Click on image to enlarge.
Forecast of 2013 growth by IC market segment. Source: IC Insights.


Related links and articles:

www.icinsights.com

News articles:

Samsung takes third place in 2012 foundry sales

Qualcomm, Broadcom climb in chip company ranking

Chip market rebound coming, survey says

Chip market to fall in 2012, rise in 2013

TAG:IC Insights semiconductor tablet chip NAND flash mobile

珠宝玉器行业成为朝阳产业

珠宝玉器行业成为朝阳产业

资料图片

　　玉是在世界(尤其是东亚)各地区受到广泛欢迎的一个宝石的分类,在矿物学上玉分为硬玉也称翡翠,主要成分为NaAlSi2O6和软玉.

　　据了解,“乱世藏金,盛世藏玉”,形象生动地说明了投资和经营之间的关系.这句话告诉我们,在不同的社会背景下投资的主体应该不同.

　　金和玉已经成为有形价值和无形价值的代表,我们要学会投资有形价值的东西,更要学会投资无形价值的东西.在如今,玉作为无形价值的藏品,显然已经成为越来越多人关注的投资方向.

　　近年来,股市、楼市的扑朔迷离,让投资者摸不着头脑,而另一方面,随着翡翠、和田玉等玉石的价格上涨,不少投资者转而将目光瞄准了玉石类收藏品.

　　据了解,目前国内玉石市场的规模扩大,随着大家对玉石类藏品及投资品的关注,翡翠等玉石的价格也一路走高,短短几年时间一些极品玉石的市场价格也由几十万元升至几百万甚至上千万.

　　在国际市场上,珠宝玉器价格一路上扬,珠宝玉器全球交易额每年高达2500亿美元,已成为名副其实的“朝阳产业”.

　　在国内,近年来玉器拍卖也迅速升温.1996年,北京瀚海拍卖有限公司在国内率先推出玉器拍卖专场以来,近10年来,众多拍卖公司相继在历年春秋大拍中,都推出玉器专场.玉器拍卖也逐渐在拍场上脱颖而出,日益抢眼.在各大城市的收藏市场上,玉器的收藏也日益升温.

　　人们一般将汉代以前的玉称为高古玉.高古玉是中国玉文化的源头,凡是年代可靠的高古玉只要一露拍场,动辄都在百万元以上,也是有实力藏家的首选.高古玉属稀缺资源,历史文化信息含量丰富,具有较高历史价值和文物价值,中国内地拍卖高古玉市场还没完全放开.

　　2004年以来,高古玉市场已逐渐复苏,一些年代可靠、文化特征明显的高古玉颇受市场欢迎.2004年,在纽约苏富比[微博]“中国陶瓷工艺品”专场拍卖中,一件新石器时代晚期至商时的玉刀,以23.2万美元成交.2004年,在北京春拍中,一件龙山文化玉璇玑,以16.5万元成交,一件西周跪人玉璜以132万元成交.

　　高古玉器可谓是玉器市场常青树,它以其悠远的文化含量,极高的艺术品位笑傲玉器拍场,不论市场风云如何变幻,仍然是藏家追逐的对象.

　　但从近年来高古玉器拍卖来看,虽然高古玉是众多藏家竞拍追逐的对象,但由于传承有序、年代可靠的古玉实在太少,赝品泛滥,藏家投资谨慎,市场难以形成较热的局面.

来源:新浪收藏


TAG:珠宝玉器行业成为朝阳产业 翡翠 翡翠手镯 中国翡翠网 翡翠新闻

黄水晶属玉石类产品：生产方式如万物生长

黄水晶属玉石类产品：生产方式如万物生长

　　据了解,黄水晶是水晶的一种,属玉石类.主要成分是二氧化硅,并含有微量的Fe和结构水H2O.呈色原因与晶体中成对占位Fe2+有关,常见颜色有浅黄、黄色、金黄色、褐黄色、橙黄色.

　　黄晶一般都具有较高的透明度,内部可含丰富的包体,常见的包体有负晶、流体包体及各种固态包体.黄晶在自然界中产出较少,常同紫晶及水晶晶簇半生,市面上流行的黄晶多数是由紫晶加热处理而成的或为合成黄晶.作为一种极其稀少的水晶,黄水晶著名的产地在巴西的米纳斯、吉拉斯、马达加斯加.

　　天然水晶主要产于伟晶岩或晶洞中,需要有丰富的地下水并含有饱和的二氧化硅,如果含有二价铁元素,长成黄晶的几率就更低了,温度则需在550-600℃间.

　　同时,压力约需在大气压力下的二至三倍,它们在地下经历至少八千万年的生长时间,吸天地之灵气,最终形成三方晶系的晶体.

　　水晶晶粒多而不乱,所有晶尖都指向洞体中心,有规律生长.有时把一个水晶球破开,里面常常可以看到细小的水晶芽,而球的中央原来应该是包含有水的,这也就是人们常说的水晶聚宝盆.

　　总之,黄晶的生产方式有如万物的生长,虽是必然也有偶然,因此世上不存在两个完全一样的天然水晶.

来源:新浪收藏


TAG:黄水晶属玉石类产品：生产方式如万物生长 翡翠 翡翠手镯 中国翡翠网 翡翠新闻

Slideshow: IBM outlines fab future beyond FinFETs

Slideshow: IBM outlines fab future beyond FinFETs

SANTA CLARA, Calif. – IBM sketched out its visions of the fab future at the recent Common Platform Technology Forum, the chip alliance of IBM, Globalfoundries and Samsung. IBM scientists spotlights that double patterning tricks with immersion lithography. Big Blue also showed advances in fully depleted silicon-on-insulator and plans for silicon photonics, nanowires and other new twists ahead on the semiconductor road map. The following pages provide a few excerpts from the talks, starting with lithography.

“Since the 45 nm node we have been on a steady downward path, but [extreme ultraviolet lithography] can bring us back,” said Gary Patton, chief technologist in IBM’s semiconductor research group said, referring to the foil below. “EUV represents “the biggest change in the history of lithography [because] EUV light is extremely hard to work with—it’s absorbed by any material, including reflective lenses and masks,” he added.

Nevertheless, “I believe CMOS scaling will continue, [but] it will require disruptive technologies such as carbon nanotubes and silicon photonics,” he said.

Click on image to enlarge.
Next: It's double vision going forward
TAG:$100 Smartphones Double Patterning Silicon Photonics Common Platform IBM ARM Smartphones Lithography Photonics Samsung Tablets

Agilent expert explains DDR4 timing

Agilent expert explains DDR4 timing

When it comes to memory, today’s computing platforms and embedded applications demand more: more capacity, more speed, and more efficiency. In 2000, JEDEC published the DDR1 DRAM standard, which featured a then-speedy top data-transfer rate of 200 MT/s. Fast-forward to September 2012, and the release of the hotly anticipated DDR4 DRAM standard (JESD79-4), which specifies a power-sipping DRAM with an initial transfer rate of up to 2.4 GT/s. Why bother to transfer over your design, you might ask, given that DDR3 devices operating at 2.1 GT/s are broadly available? The DDR4 operating voltage of 1.2 V, compared to 1.5 V for DDR3 is one good reason. Future scalability is another—DDR4 is the first DRAM standard compatible with 3-D architectures, and it currently boasts an end-goal transfer rate of 3.2 GT/s.

It’s not just the number that matters though, but the way the standard approaches high-speed operation that’s important, says JEDEC board member Perry Keller, manager for the digital memory applications program at Agilent Technologies. He covered key aspects of DDR4 timing at the “Making DDR4 work for you” session at DesignCon 2013 (January 28-31; Santa Clara, CA). “We’ve got a broad population of folks who really haven’t had the time or the business need to learn about DDR4,” Keller says. “What we hope to do is familiarize them with DDR4: What it is, why it exists, what it can bring to their products, and how to do something practical with it.” Indeed, DDR4 brings a host of benefits, including dramatically reduced power demand and compatibility with 3-D architectures. It also corrects a key weakness of earlier versions.

The first three generations of DDR were based on a simplifying assumption, which was that meeting spec on key parameters like setup time (tDS) and hold time (tDH) was enough to guarantee perfect data capture and zero bit-error rate (BER). Of course, when it comes engineering, there’s no such thing as perfect or zero, just good enough for practical purposes. For the initial generations of DDR, random jitter was sufficiently low that adding a small error margin was enough to ensure adequate performance; at the DDR1 rate of 200 MT/s, for example, a standard 50-ps margin accounts for 4.17% of the 1200-ps data valid window. At 1.6 GT/s, the initial end-goal transfer rate for DDR3, random jitter increases substantially and our margin now consumes 40% of the data valid window. As a result, increasing speeds forced designers to compensate by over engineering controllers, DRAMs, and systems, adding cost, engineering time, and complexity.

When the JEDEC committees began to craft the DDR4 specification, they knew they had to approach the problem differently. “DDR4 has probably taken one of the biggest steps in that it’s really moved into what we would call a microwave/digital speed domain,” says Keller, who chairs JEDEC’s validation committee for digital logic (JC 40.5) and the Universal Flash Storage measurement committee (JC 64.5). “It requires a similar evolution in thinking about how the controller PHY is developed, how the system is designed, and how people validate and measure system performance.”

The DDR4 standard addresses the issue of random and deterministic jitter up front. Instead of defining TS and TH, it specifies the data valid window. The standard defines an eye mask that scales depending on bit-error rate (BER). It’s a common approach for many other high-speed applications but it represents a new way of thinking for the memory community. “The basic measurement platforms have the capability we need. What’s really changing is some of the theory,” says Keller. “We’re taking concepts that have been applied in high-speed RF/microwave design and translating them nto things that make sense in the memory world so that it’s practical to implement and testable on the line.”

Right now, DDR3 DRAM dominates the market, but look for that to change faster than you might imagine. The time it takes a generation of DRAM to move from initial release through to embedded designs has shrunk dramatically over the past decade. Up until DDR3, the transition from server to set-top box designs incorporating the next generation of DRAM took anywhere from 18 to 24 months. For DDR3, the shift took less than a year. Based on attendance at events like the DesignCon DDR4 forum and the JEDEC workshops, Keller expects DDR4 to make the move even faster. “Most of these guys coming into these workshops are high-end embedded systems people designing routers, network switches, set-top boxes, and battery-operated devices. They want to understand what’s coming. Even though DDR4 isn’t going to be used in mobile systems, it is going to be used in a lot of embedded systems and probably more quickly than with any previous generation.”
TAG:DDR3 DDR4 DRAM memory test equipment jitter JEDEC Memory Designline