SMIC to invest $8.87 billion in chipmaking plant in Shanghai

On Friday, China’s Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp said, it will invest $8.87 billion to build a chip plant in Shanghai. The development underscores Beijing’s efforts to boost its independence in the chip manufacturing sector. The development comes at a time when global chipmakers are struggling to fulfill orders from the electronics and automotive industries triggering new…

TSMC reports gas contamination at its most advanced chip making facility

On Friday, Apple Inc’s chip supplier Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co said, a few of its production lines in southern Taiwan have been hit by a contamination of gases that are used in the chipmaking process. The incident is unlikely to significant impact its operations, said TSMC. In a report, Japanese news agency Nikkei reported, TSMC’s most advanced…

Britain cuts off funding to microchip factory after its sale to China’s Nexperia

In a report the Telegraph said, British ministers have cut off funding to Britain’s biggest microchip factory following its sale to a Chinese-owned technology company. UK Research and Investment (UKRI) has suspended funding to Newport Wafer Fab following government instructions after it was sold to China’s Nexperia. Earlier this month, when asked whether the sale…

US Senate sees bipartisan support for sweeping legislation to strengthen US R&D, tech production

In a significant development, the U.S. Senate voted 68-32 to approve a sweeping legislative package aimed at boosting the country’s ability to compete with China, with the U.S. Congress seeking to take a tough line on Beijing. The bipartisan measure authorizes around $190 billion in provisions to strengthen U.S. technology and research spending; it will…

Japanese carmaker taps Xilinx for driver assisted hands free car driving experience

In a joint statement, Japanese carmaker Subaru Corp and chip maker Xilinx Inc said, the Japanese automaker will use Xilinx’s chip to power a new driver-assistance system which will enable drivers to go hands-free during traffic jams, among other new features. Subaru’s upcoming midsized hatchback Levorg will use Xilinx’s “Zynq” chips to provide a new…

IBM rolls out Power 10 data center centric chip

On Monday, in a significant development, International Business Machines Corp (IBM) announced a new processor for data centers that can handle three times the workload of its predecessor. IBM’s Power10 chip will be manufactured by Samsung Electronics Co Ltd. The Power10 will benefit from Samsung’s 7-nanometer chip manufacturing process, which incidentally is similar to its…

Trump Administration in talks with chipmakers on building semiconductor factories in the U.S.

May 10, 2020 – On Sunday, the Wall Street Journal reported, the Trump’s administration is holding talks with semiconductor companies on building chip factories in the United States. As per the WSJ report, which cites sources familiar with the matter at hand, the Trump administration is in talks with Intel Corp and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing…