11-1: ARM to launch new GPU; GlobalWafers acquiring SEMI is reviewed by CFIUS; BOE’s G6 flexible AMOLED fab in Mianyang; etc.
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Chipset |
| ARM introduces Mali-G51 GPU using the new Bifrost architecture built with Vulkan in mind, for devices in 2018. ARM also unveiled a new video processor, the Mali-V61, which supports HEVC h.265 with HDR/10-bit and scales up to 4K @ 120fps. (CN Beta, GSM Arena, Android Headlines, ARM, Android Authority, AnandTech, article)
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| Microsoft high-end version of Surface Studio uses NVIDIA GeForce GTX 980M, and lower version uses GTX 965M. All told, NVIDIA should generate a healthy amount of revenue and gross profit dollars from each of the Surface Studio systems that get sold. (CN Beta, 163, Motley Fool, Techtya, MSN)
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| North Carolina State University and at Intel have a solution to one of the modern microprocessor’s most persistent problems: communication among the processor’s many cores. A dedicated set of logic circuits they call the Queue Management Device, (QMD). In simulations, integrating the QMD with the processor’s on-chip network at a minimum doubled core-to-core communication speed and, in some cases, boosted it much further. (CN Beta, IEEE Spectrum) |
| Graphcore (Bristol, England), a startup developing a processor for machine learning, has completed a USD30M Series-A round of funding led by Robert Bosch Ventures and Samsung Catalyst Fund. Graphcore plans to bring the IPU to market in 2017 as both a rack-mounted system and a PCI Express Gen 3 card. (EE Times, eWeek, PR Newswire, TechNode, IT Home)
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| SIA announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached USD88.3B for 3Q16, marking the industry’s highest-ever quarterly sales and an increase of 11.5% compared to the previous quarter. Sales for the month of Sept. 2016 were USD29.4B, an increase of 3.6% over the Sept. 2015 total of USD28.4B and 4.2% more than the previous month’s total of USD28.2B. (SIA, press, TechNews)
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| President Barack Obama’s Council of Advisors on Science & Technology (PCAST) announced the launch of a new Semiconductor Working Group that will provide recommendations to address the rapid rise of semiconductor businesses abroad. (CN Beta, White House, Venture Beat) |
| SunEdison Semiconductor (SEMI) said its pending sale to Taiwan-based GlobalWafers has cleared a review by the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS). The transaction, valued at USD683M including debt. After merging, both companies monthly production—12” 750Kpcs, 8” 1Mpcs, 6” below 830Kpcs. (TechNews, Business Journal, TMC Net, EIN News) |
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Touch Display |
| BOE Technology announced that it signed a framework agreement with the Miangyang government in Sichaun to establish a Gen6 (1500×1850mm) flexible AMOLED fab. Total investment in this fab is estimated at CNY46.5B (USD6.87B). BOE aims to start construction in 2Q17 and mass production will begin in 2019, planning to have 48,000 substrates per month production capacity. (OLED-Info, BOE, Sina, EE Focus, OfWeek)
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| Innolux will begin production at the world’s first 8.6G fab in southern Taiwan in Jan. 2017, according to the general manager of TV Product Hung Mao-sheng. With monthly production capacity of 45,000 glass substrates, the factory will mainly produce 50” and 58” TV panels and it is expected reach full utilization in 4Q17. (Digitimes, press, Sanwen8, Sohu) |
| Innolux recorded net operating profit of NTD3.859B (USD122M) for 3Q16, swinging into profitability from consecutive operating losses from 4Q15 to 2Q16. (Sohu, Digitimes, press)
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| Apple design chief Jony Ive indicates the company has been exploring multi-touch on Mac a long time ago, but he dismisses that because he deems it was not particularly useful. (CN Beta, Mac World, Redmond Pie, Apple Insider, CNET) |
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Camera |
| Data from the Camera & Imaging Products Association (CIPA) shows that just how far the camera market has fallen in just the last 5 years but it also shows the growing rise in popularity of interchangeable lens camera (ILC) systems. In 2015, CIPA members shipped 35.4M digital cameras, down more than 70% from peak sales in 2010. (Statista, Digital Trends, CIPA, Fengniao)
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| Sony will finish spinning off all operations when the segment handling such products as consumer cameras is separated and turned into a wholly owned subsidiary in spring 2017. Sony Imaging Products & Solutions is slated to commence operations on 1 Apr. 2017. (Asia Nikkei, Imaging Resource, Sony, Reuters) |
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Memory |
| Samsung Electronics’ memory business department from the Device Solutions (DS) division plans to develop the next-generation 15nm and 16nm DRAM, which is known as “1y product”, with haste and mass produce it in 2H17. The company is also pushing to increase the production of 18nm chips to be 30%~40% of current production and is also aiming to release new 10nm DRAM chips. (Android Headlines, Sam Mobile, Business Korea, TechNews, Sohu) |
| Prices for NAND flash memory used in smartphones and memory cards continue to climb, recently rising above USD3 per chip for the first time in 2 years. Bellwether 64Gb multi-level cell (MLC) chips are currently selling for around USD3.30 apiece, 6% more than in Sept. 2016. The price last topped the USD3 benchmark when it reached USD3.10 in Nov. 2014. The price of 128Gb memory is up 1% from Sept. 2016 to around USD4.10. (Asia Nikkei, TechNews) |
| KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo expects that Apple may launch an update of MacBook Pro in 2H17 with 32GB RAM. The exact time depends on the availability of Intel Cannonlake processor. (CN Beta, Apple Insider) |
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Battery |
| Sony has sold its battery business to Murata Manufacturing, a components company based in Japan, for JPY17.5B (USD166M). (CNBC, CNET, Sony, Bloomberg, My Drivers) |
| Hon Hai Precision Industry, or Foxconn Technology Group, is reportedly making wireless charging modules to go with Apple iPhone’s 10th anniversary in 2017. (CN Beta, Asia Nikkei, CN Beta) |
| Toyota Motor claims to have figured out how to make lithium-ion batteries for electric cars that are smaller, more powerful, and most of all, safer. (CN Beta, Digital Trends, Fortune, Reuters) |
| Based at research institute Bio21, the team responsible is world leaders in the development of organic photovoltaics (OPVs) — printable lightweight, flexible solar cells. The cells are so pliable they can effectively turn any surface into a solar array – from buildings, to vehicles or even clothing. (IDTechEx, Phys)
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| Panasonic has partnered Tesla planning to contribute up to USD1.6B to produce electric vehicle and grid storage battery cells for Tesla. (CN Beta, Reuters, Fortune, Business Insider)
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Sensory |
| Finesse Solutions, Inc., a manufacturer of measurement and control solutions for life sciences process applications, announced the launch of SmartVessel, a single-use 3-liter bioreactor vessel. The SmartVessel features integrated single-use sensors for cell culture applications of mammalian, stem, insect, and plant cells. It also has separate electrochemical sensor ports for fermentation and bio-fuels applications. (EE Trend, Yahoo) |
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Biometrics |
| LG G6 reportedly to feature an iris scanner and non-modular design. (Android Headlines, Softpedia) |
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Connectivity |
| Apple next generation iPhone in 2017 is allegedly to feature USB Type-C. (WCCF Tech, TechNews, Qudong, My Drivers) |
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Smartphones |
| Microsoft Surface Phone could be launched in autumn 2017 with Windows 10 Mobile Redstone 3 release. (CN Beta, Technlogs, Techtya) |
| Samsung announced that some of its latest mobile accessories ranging from wireless speakers to charging accessories will be exclusively released online in markets across the globe starting Nov. 2016. (CN Beta, Ubergizmo, Samsung)
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| Xiaomi Global VP Hugo Barra reveals that his team has already started testing phones in America on U.S. LTE networks. (Engadget, Android Headlines, Phone Arena) |
| Elephone introducing a new Elephone sub-brand MGCOOL, which should be covering smart wearable products and general mobile electronics devices. (GizChina, Facebook)
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| A company has revealed that Meizu 2015 deficit was CNY1B. Meizu VP Li Nan indicates that CNY1B not only about operation, but also included investment in channel and R&D. He expects 2016 the company will be profitable again. (CN Beta, IT Home, My Drivers, DoNews)
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| Meizu M5 is official – 5.2” HD 2.5D curved display, MediaTek MT6750 processor, 13MP PDAF + 5MP cameras, 2 / 3GB RAM, 16 / 32GB storage, Yun OS (Flyme), mTouch fingerprint reader, 3070mAh battery, from CNY699. (GSM Arena, Gizmo China, 163)
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| Chinese company V-Phone launching could be smallest Android device Vphone S8 – 1.54” 2.5D curved touchscreen display, MediaTek MT2502 processor, 46.7×37.3×9.9mm, 30g, 64MB RAM, 128MB storage, Bluetooth 4.0, can pair with iOS or Android, 380mAh battery. (Gizmo China, Android Headlines, GizChina, 163)
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Tablets and PC |
| According to IDC, worldwide tablet market continued its slump as vendors shipped 43M units in 3Q16, a YoY decline of 14.7%. Low-cost (sub-USD200) detachables also reached an all-time high as vendors like RCA flooded the market. Apple still holds the largest market share with 21.5%. (IDC, press, Android Headlines, CN Beta)
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| KGI Securities Ming-Chi Kuo sees slow demand for Apple recently released MacBook Pro with Touch Bar models, as the notebooks ship at higher than expected prices and present disappointing specifications to core Mac users. For 1Q17, he anticipates demand for older MacBooks to remain steady, but forecasts a 15%~25% a decline in overall shipments QoQ, which is 3M units, due to slower uptake of the new models. (CN Beta, Apple Insider, TechNews) |
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Wearables |
| A Kickstarter campaign has been started for a new pair of connected glasses designed with 3D printing called Vue. Vue can report the time, make calls, play music or navigation instructions using bone conduction audio technology, and track activity. (Android Headlines, Digital Trends, 3ders, iamdaike, Nanjixiong)
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| Puma Autodisc has a Disc lacing system that automates the process with the press of a button on the shoe or via the companion app, which connects via Bluetooth. (TechCrunch, Engadget)
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| Planextra launching one of the world’s most precise emotion-tracking wearables Sence. It uses electrocardiography (ECG), a technology that records the heart’s electrical activity, and able to detect 64 different emotions, as the company claims. (Digital Trends, Kickstarter)
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| Nintendo President Tatsumi Kimishima indicates that VR offering new ways of playing, and the company must consider this possibility. (CN Beta, Bloomberg, TechSpot) |
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Internet of Things |
| BlackBerry has inked a new deal with Ford that will more tightly integrate BlackBerry’s QNX platform inside some of Ford’s upcoming vehicles. (CN Beta, ZDNet, USA Today)
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| Russia has unveiled its first electronic driverless bus – Matrёshka (“Matryoshka”) – at Moscow’s Skolkovo Innovation Center. Production of the bus is planned for 2017 at the Volgabus factory in Vladimirsky Region. (CN Beta, Daily Pakistan)
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