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NEWS & VIEWS |
Taipei,
Friday, July 10, 2009
15:32 (GMT+8)
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Subject: Bits + chips > IC design |
NXP and TSMC deliver single-chip digital TV solution built on 45nm Jul 10, 10:21 NXP Semiconductors and Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) on July 9 announced their cooperation to deliver the industry's first single-chip 45nm global LCD TV platform, TV550, with NXP already delivering the engineering samples to its lead customers. Read more |
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Spurred by iPhone and Palm Pre, accelerometers gaining traction in handsets, says iSuppli Jul 10, 10:11 Owing to the essential role they play in the user interfaces of hot smart phones like Apple's iPhone and Palm's Pre, accelerometers are expected to appear in one-third of mobile phones shipped next year, according to iSuppli. Read more |
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Small-size driver IC firms to enjoy sales growth through September Jul 9, 16:56 Driver IC design houses ILI Technology, Orise Technology and Sitronix Technology will likely manage on-month revenue growth throughout third-quarter 2009, as demand for small-size panels has been pushed up by seasonality, according to market watchers. The three IC designers are expected to report revenue increases of 20-30% sequentially in the third quarter. Read more |
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MIPS and EE Solutions team for China and Taiwan markets Jul 9, 16:27 MIPS Technologies and EE Solutions, an ASIC and SoC design solution provider in Taiwan, have announced they are teaming to provide semiconductor companies in China and Taiwan with access to MIPS' industry-standard technology. EE Solutions licensed the synthesizable MIPS32 24KEc core as part of its digital IP portfolio and will work with MIPS to provide value-added solutions to joint customers, according to the companies. Read more |
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Macroblock sales expected to grow over 20% in 3Q09 Jul 9, 16:13 LED driver IC design house Macroblock is expected to enjoy a revenue growth of more than 20% sequentially in the third quarter, thanks to growing demand for LED lighting applications in China, according to market watchers. Macroblock has also secured orders for LED billboard panels in preparation for the 2010 Shanghai World Expo. Read more |
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Samsung to ramp up 8-inch wafers for CMOS image sensor production, say distributors Jul 9, 15:45 Samsung Electronics has revealed plans to ramp up the output of 8-inch wafers by 3,000-5,000 a month from August through December in order to meet increasing demand for high-end CMOS image sensors (CIS) from the handset sector, according to Samsung's Taiwan distributors. Read more |
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MEMS to debut as a theme at SEMICON Taiwan 2009 Jul 8, 16:37 There will be a MEMS pavilion at SEMICON Taiwan 2009 scheduled for September 30-October 2, according to SEMI Taiwan. The government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) will showcase its R&D on MEMS technologies and applications at the exhibition. Read more |
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Consumer IC designers see sales jump in 2Q09 Jul 8, 13:29 Taiwan-based consumer IC designers saw second-quarter revenues increase significantly and market watchers expect them to continue to enjoy revenue growth in the third quarter. Read more |
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Samsung said to be cutting back on CMOS image sensor production Jul 7, 17:09 Samsung Electronics, in view of improved prospects for DRAM and NAND flash production in the third quarter, has shifted capacity from making CMOS image sensors (CIS) to making memory products and thus will temporarily suspend supply of CIS to users outside the Samsung Group in the third quarter of 2009, according to industry sources in Taiwan. However, Samsung's Taiwan distributors responded by saying a supply suspension is unlikely. Read more |
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LCD driver IC designers Novatek and Raydium enjoy strong 2Q09 sales growth Jul 7, 16:43 Taiwan-based LCD driver IC designer Novatek Microelectronics had revenues of NT$7.44 billion (US$226 million) in the second quarter of 2009, up 96.7% on quarter, while fellow competitor Raydium Semiconductor saw second-quarter revenues rise 63.5% to NT$1.88 billion. Read more |
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IC designer Realtek posts record sales for June, 2Q09 Jul 7, 15:22 Taiwan-based networking IC design house Realtek Semiconductor has reported record revenues of NT$1.86 billion (US$57 million) for June, and NT$4.98 billion for the second quarter. On a sequential basis, June and second-quarter sales rose 20.5% and 35%, respectively. Read more |
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MediaTek deal with Qualcomm reportedly to be finalized shortly Jul 7, 14:55 Recent reports in Taiwan's Chinese-language press have recently claimed that MediaTek is close to signing a WCDMA licensing deal with Qualcomm, but the Taiwan-based IC designer described the reports as "speculation." Read more |
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MediaTek 2Q09 revenues beat guidance Jul 7, 11:53 MediaTek has reported consolidated revenues of NT$8.94 billion (US$271.12 million) for June 2009, down 4.48% from May but up 31.15% on year. Consolidated revenues in the second quarter were NT$28.09 billion, growing 17.48% sequentially to beat the company's earlier guidance of 6-15% increase. Read more |
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TV IC shipments decline seasonally in 1Q09, says DisplaySearch Jul 7, 11:13 TV IC market declined seasonally to 30.8 million units shipped into flat panel TVs in the first quarter of 2009, according to DisplaySearch. Shipments were down 4.3% on quarter, but up 11% on year. This is in line with the normal seasonal trends, and with the maturing of flat panel TV as developed markets have completed the switch from CRT TVs. Read more |
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MediaTek responds to media reports on tax lawsuit Stockwatch - Jul 7, 01:00 MediaTek has responded to a media report saying the company lost a tax lawsuit by clarifying that the Taipei High Administrative Court only judged whether a new or old regulation shall be applied to MediaTek. The Court did not specify any payable tax amount in the judgment, according to a MediaTek filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Read more |
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ZTE and Qualcomm collaborate to boost UMTS system performance Jul 6, 16:53 Qualcomm and ZTE have announced their collaboration to significantly enhance the capacity and performance of UMTS systems with the integration of Qualcomm's uplink interference cancellation (ULIC) technology into ZTE's next-generation UMTS base station products. Using this technology, operators can boost their UMTS data throughput by up to 60% and deliver a user experience that is comparable to LTE in a similar channel bandwidth. The technology also enables UMTS operators to increase voice capacity by up to 45%, according to the companies. Read more |
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Realtek to acquire China-based Actions Semiconductor, says paper Newswatch - Jul 6, 16:51 Realtek Semiconductor is looking to acquire China-based digital media player chip designer Actions Semiconductor via a share swap, according to a Chinese language United Daily News (UDN) report. Yeh Nan-Horng, CEO of Actions, was appointed chairman of Realtek in June. Read more |
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TV related IC designers to see strong shipment growth in 3Q09 Newswatch - Jul 6, 16:08 MediaTek and MStar Semiconductor are expected to see significant growth in TV chip shipments in third-quarter 2009, while Novatek Microelectronics' shipments of large-size LCD driver ICs will also grow by more than 30%, due to strong TV market demand in Europe, North America and emerging markets, according to market watchers. Read more |
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Taiwan analog IC designers to enjoy growth in 3Q09 Jul 6, 15:52 Taiwan analog IC design houses are expected to see double-digit sequential revenue growth in third-quarter 2009, outperforming other segments, according to market watchers. Order momentum is strongest for panel, notebook and networking related ICs, followed by handset and consumer electronics products, the sources noted. Read more |
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Discera introduces DragonFly programmer for customizing oscillators Newswatch - Jul 6, 12:23 MEMS oscillator maker Discera has announced and sampled the hand-held DragonFly oscillator programmer which allows customers to program a blank oscillator to a frequency of 1-150MHz in seconds. Read more |
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MCU maker Weltrend 2Q09 revenues up 25% Jul 6, 11:43 Microcontroller unit (MCU) design house Weltrend Semiconductor saw June revenues increase 10% sequentially to NT$160 million (US$4.86 million) and second-quarter revenues rise 25% sequentially to NT$478 million, thanks to recovered demand for digital TV (DTV) MCUs and panel related products. Read more |
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Taiwan IC designers expect revenues to climb in 3Q09 Jul 3, 16:49 Taiwan's leading IC design houses MediaTek, Novatek Microelectronics, Realtek Semiconductor and Richtek Technology expect revenues to increase on-month from June through the third quarter. Read more |
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Sitronix enters touch panel IC market Jul 3, 12:30 Driver IC design house Sitronix Technology has introduced a touchscreen SoC which integrates CPU, DSP, and scanning system. The company expects to see a significant revenue contribution from the product line in 2010. Read more |
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China IC designer Pixcir to supply capacitive touch controllers to Taiwan notebook vendors Jul 2, 17:01 China-based TFT-LCD driver IC and capacitive touch controller supplier Pixcir Microelectronics said it will supply capacitive touch controllers to Taiwan-based notebook vendors soon. Read more |
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Chip recovery subject to debate over coming quarters, says IC Insights Jul 2, 16:11 The bottom of the current cycle in the worldwide economy and semiconductor industry was reached in the first quarter of 2009, but the "velocity" of the chip industry recovery is subject to debate, according to IC Insights. The discussion over the next few quarters will be about how much sequential growth can be expected, instead of how far the markets are going to fall. Read more |
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IC designer Prescope to offer handheld game console in 3Q09 Newswatch - Jul 2, 16:04 Prescope Technologies has stepped into system products and will offer a handheld game console with a 2.7-inch screen and 100 built-in games in the third quarter, targeting China and Europe, according to the Taiwan-based company. Read more |
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Silicon Motion announces controllers supporting Micron 34nm MLC flash Jul 2, 11:02 Silicon Motion Technology has obtained validation for its new flash memory controllers that support Micron's 34nm multi-level cell (MLC) flash product family, according to the company. The validated Silicon Motion products include SM2682/SM2682LT SD controllers, SM2232/SM2234 CF controllers, SM2235/SM2242 SSD controllers and SM3251/SM3252 USB flash drive controllers, all of which are in mass production. Read more |
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Small-size driver IC price likely to be raised in July Jul 1, 16:58 Taiwan small-size driver IC makers have said they may raise product prices in July at the earliest to reflect the costs. The backend production quotes, which account for 20-30% of the total costs of driver ICs, have been raised due to increased average gold prices, impacting driver IC designers' gross margins, according to the makers. Read more |
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Weltrend readies to ship motor drivers for notebooks Jul 1, 16:35 Microcontroller unit (MCU) design house Weltrend Semiconductor is sampling its three-phase motor drivers for notebook applications with customers, with volume shipments slated for the third quarter, according to the company. The new product line is expected to be Weltrend's major growth driver in the second half of the year. Read more |
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Driver IC designer ILI says margin improved in 2Q09 Jul 1, 15:21 ILI Technology has estimated a gross margin of 20-25% for the second quarter, up from 18% in the first. The LCD driver IC designer said it expects clearer order visibility through the third quarter, thanks to increased demand for handsets and consumer electronics products such as digital cameras and GPS devices. Read more |
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Taiwan IC distributor Maxtek supplying Zoran digital TV chips to Wistron and Compal Jul 1, 11:07 Taiwan-based IC distributor Maxtek Technology has begun supplying Zoran digital TV ICs to Taiwan-based makers Wistron and Compal Electronics for their ODM production of LCD HDTVs for Sony and Toshiba, respectively. Zoran's TV products target high-end HDTV applications and have strong competitiveness in the market, according to Maxtek. Read more |
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IST supplying RFID for education device Jul 1, 10:50 Driver IC backend supplier International Semiconductor Technology (IST) has extended its radio frequency ID (RFID) sales to supporting education devices for pre-school children in the Taiwan and China markets, with shipments having already begun in second-quarter 2009, according to the company. Read more |
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Large-size driver IC designers to see limited 3Q09 growth Jun 30, 15:21 Large-size LCD driver IC designers Novatek Microelectronics and Himax Technologies are expected to see better-than-expected revenues in the second quarter of 2009 thanks to a recovery in panel demand. Novatek's second-quarter revenue growth is likely to reach 90%, according to market sources. Read more |
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Taiwan IC designers Realtek, Ralink expect revenue growth in June Newswatch - Jun 30, 15:14 Taiwan-based IC design houses Realtek Semiconductor and Ralink Technology expect their June 2009 revenues to increase by over 10% on month to NT$1.7 billion (US$52 million) and a record NT$430-450 million, respectively, mainly due to booming orders for WLAN chips from China and emerging markets, according to the two companies. Read more |
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Toy IC orders to peak in August, say Taiwan designers Jun 30, 15:06 Orders for toy ICs are on the rise and order volumes are expected to peak in August as usual, according to Taiwan consumer IC design houses. However, the total order volume may decrease by about 50% from past years, as US-based toy vendors Mattel and Hasbro will focus on inexpensive toys with sales prices of about US$20. The companies will not launch, or offer only a few, intelligent toy products, such as electronic pets, at US$40-50 price points, the sources pointed out. Read more |
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MediaTek comments on report forecasting its 3Q09 revenues Stockwatch - Jun 30, 13:57 MediaTek has stated it was not the source of a Chinese-language Economic Daily News (EDN) report that indicated MediaTek's third-quarter revenues may grow 11%-14% sequentially, up from a previous forecast of 5% growth, according to a company filing with the Taiwan Stock Exchange (TSE). Read more |
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Global Unichip to have former Cadence Asia Pacific president head China operations Jun 30, 12:07 Taiwan-based IC design service provider Global Unichip has decided to appoint Lung Chu, the former Asia Pacific president for EDS company Cadence Design Systems, as its China president as well as corporate vice president, according to industry sources in Taiwan. Global Unichip declined to comment on the report. Read more |
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Samsung launches 45nm application processor Jun 30, 12:04 Samsung Electronics has announced it is sampling its S5P6440an ARM11 series of application processors manufactured on 45nm low power CMOS process technology. The device will be targeted at electronic (CE) products and is scheduled for volume shipment in the third quarter of this year. Read more |
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CSR and SiRF complete merger Jun 30, 11:02 CSR and SiRF Technology have completed the merger between SiRF and a wholly-owned subsidiary of CSR, creating a leading pure-play provider of connectivity and location platforms and a company with the scale, technology and strategy to enable its customers to address the exciting and emerging opportunities in mobile markets. Read more |
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Stantum and Sitronix team up for multi-touch solutions Jun 30, 10:36 France-based multi-touch technology company Stantum and Taiwan-based LCD driver IC designer Sitronix Technology have announced a partnership to provide voltage matrix multi-touch single-chip solutions. Under the licensing agreement, Sitronix will integrate Stantum's patented multi-touch screen technology into its own products and supply high-performance multi-touch controllers for consumer electronics and mobile applications. Read more |
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Taiwan government launches program to strengthen MEMS supply chain Jun 29, 16:52 Taiwan's Science Park Administration has proposed a program, the SoC Innovative Product Partnership (SIPP), inviting players from the local CMOS and MEMS sectors to team up with the government-sponsored Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) and National Chip Implementation Center (CIC) to boost Taiwan's MEMS industry. Read more |
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MEMS markets on the rebound, says The Information Network Jun 29, 11:26 The MEMS device market is faring much better than the overall semiconductor industry, but the MEMS processing equipment market is suffering the same fate as the semiconductor equipment market, according to The Information Network. Read more |
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Elan expects strong 3Q09 driven by touch panel solutions Newswatch - Jun 26, 11:45 Elan Microelectronics' third-quarter revenues are expected to see strong growth as its shipments of touch panel IC and module solutions for notebooks and handsets will increase thanks to the popularity of touchscreen products. Elan indicated its new touch solutions will be its major growth driver in the second half of 2009. Read more |
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Sitronix and Orise likely to see 15% on-quarter revenue growth in 3Q09 Jun 25, 17:04 LCD driver IC designers Sitronix Technology and Orise Technology both are expected to see revenues grow 15% sequentially in the third quarter due to seasonality as well as strong demand from small-size panel makers, according to market sources. Read more |
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OmniVision delivers 5-megapixel solution for DSC and handset market Jun 25, 16:32 OmniVision Technologies has introduced its newest imaging solution for handsets, the 1.75-micron OmniBSI (backside illumination) family. Read more |
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SuperSpeed to boost USB market after slower 2009, says In-Stat Jun 25, 12:26 Next-generation "SuperSpeed" technology will fuel the USB market over the next several years although the global recession will prompt a slight decline in USB-enabled device shipments this year, reported In-Stat. SuperSpeed, USB's new incarnation, will deliver 5Gbps, a 10-fold improvement over high-speed USB. With the late 2008 introduction of SuperSpeed, the question is not whether it will be successful, but how successful it will be, In-Stat said. Read more |
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Driver IC backend supplier IST aims to turn profitable in 2H09 Jun 25, 12:24 Taiwan-based International Semiconductor Technology (IST) aims to swing back to profitability in the second half of 2009, as the driver IC backend supplier has enjoyed increased demand from the flat panel segment since the second quarter of the year, according to company general manager Chih-Wen Ho. Read more |
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TSMC adopts SpringSoft Laker for 65nm CMOS node Jun 25, 10:30 SpringSoft has announced a multi-year technology agreement with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to jointly develop and validate process design kits (PDKs) for chip manufacturing technologies, with the first deliverable being SpringSoft's Laker 65nm CMOS PDK for digital, mixed-signal and RF processes. Read more |
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Commentary: Free-to-air was the theme of mobile TV during Computex Jun 23, 16:46 Looking back at the product offerings at the recently concluded Computex Taipei 2009, you couldn't help notice that companies highlighting mobile DTV solutions based on the DVB standard were focusing on free-to-air solutions (DVB-T) as opposed to solutions targeting the subscription-based DVB-H standard, despite the latter being the technology standard developed specifically for digital mobile DTV. Read more |
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Taiwan analog IC designers foresee revenues increase in 3Q09 Jun 23, 15:25 Analog IC design houses Global Mixed-mode Technology (GMT), Richtek Technology and Anpec Electronics expect their third-quarter revenues to grow on quarter based on orders from notebook makers, according to industry sources. Read more |
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Notes and corrections |
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A July 8 article regarding the CMMB market has been updated with comments from mobile TV solution provider Siano. Siano has pointed out that a recent licensing dispute referenced in the article between it and TiMi was a temporary mistake, which was quickly resolved. Siano also expressed its view that the CMMB market is seeing an increase, not a decline as claimed by the sources in the article. |
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