6-6: Japan is launching “minimal fab” targeting IoT; The Pentagon has decided to rely on Globalfoundries; Huawei showcasing first ARM platform server “Taishan”; etc.
Japan is launching “minimal fab” targeting IoT; The Pentagon has decided to rely on Globalfoundries; Huawei showcasing first ARM platform server “Taishan”; Japan Display Inc. showcasing its “curved-sheet OLED”; Analyst thinks that VR will not become a standard specification or requirement to a smartphone in a short time; etc.
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Chipset |
| TSMC’s new big gigafab could produce 100K 12” wafers per month, and each of these fabs costs NTD300 billion. However on 1 April 2016, Japan is launching “minimal fab”, targeting IoT, which costs JPY500 million. (TechNews, CW) |
| The Pentagon has decided to rely on Globalfoundries, an Abu Dhabi-owned company, to supply the most advanced microchips used in U.S. spy satellites, missiles and combat jets. (WSJ, Market Watch, CN Beta) |
| Huawei showcasing first ARM platform server “Taishan”, powered by in-house ARM 64-bit processor “Hi1612”, manufactured with TSMC’s 16nm node process, and having 16 cores, compatible with ARMv8-A processes. (My Drivers, Gizmo China)
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Touch Display |
| Japan Display Inc. showcasing its “curved-sheet OLED”. These WRGB panels are 5.2” in size and with a FHD resolution (423ppi). The luminance is 300nits, the color gamut is 108% sRGB and the bending radius is 53mm. (OLED-Info)
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Battery |
| Tesla Motors will likely source battery cells for its electric vehicles from South Korea’s Samsung SDI. This will end the dominance of Japan’s Panasonic as the almost sole supplier of battery cells to Tesla. (CN Beta, Nikkei) |
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Smartphones |
| GREE 2 is official – 6” QHD display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 processor, 16MP + 8MP cameras, 4GB RAM, 64GB ROM, Android 6.0.1, LTE, dual-SIM, fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C, 4000mAh battery, CNY3300. (CN Beta, My Drivers, Tencent, ZOL)
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| Samsung Galaxy J3 Pro is official with China Telecom – 5” HD Super AMOLED display, Qualcomm Snapdragon 410 processor, 8MP + 5MP cameras, 2GB RAM, 16GB storage, Android 5.1, LTE, dual-SIM, 2650mAh battery, CNY999. (GSM Dome, Android Headlines)
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Tablets |
| According to Futuresource Consulting, personal computer in K-12 (kindergarten to grade 12) market in 1Q16 fell by more than 15% to 4.8 million units compared to 1Q16 with the largest declines taking place in Latin America. Apple iOS (mostly iPads) accounted for only 17% of institutional educational purchases in 1Q16. (Futuresource Consulting, press, CN Beta, Business Insider)
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Wearables |
| Bernstein analyst Mark Li thinks that even though Google is pushing the VR solution, VR will not become a standard specification or requirement to a smartphone in a short time. That is because the technology to provide good VR experience is challenging. (TechNews, Barron’s, press) |
| US army has been gradually rolling out a smart earplug, TCAPS (Tactical Communication and Protective System), that adapts to the audio realities of war. The smartphone-linked device softens louder noises, but amplifies quieter ones. (Engadget, NPR, US Army, Looooker)
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Internet of Things |
| University of Maryland presented a paper on the gait characteristics of magnetically actuated legged robots weighing less than 2g. Each quadruped is 20mm long, with a hip height of 5.6mm and weight of about 1.6g. Each of the robot’s four hips has a 2-mm neodymium cube magnet embedded into it. (CN Beta, IEEE)
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| Faraday Future wants to test driverless car technology on Michigan’s public streets. (CN Beta, Yahoo, Detroit News, Ars Technica) |
