Didier Lamouche replaces Gilles Delfassy after the transformation of the company's portfolio roadmap from legacy feature phone products to smartphone and tablet platforms.

SpringSoft has announced immediate availability of the Laker Blitz chip-level layout editor, a new software product targeting chip finishing applications and the latest addition to its popular family of Laker custom IC design and layout automation solutions.

China's solar-panel supply glut is consolidating the industry and will likely slash the number of domestic manufacturers to 15 within half a decade, according to a research group at the nation's top economic planning agency.

IBM and Micron Technology are beginning to produce a new memory chip based on technology designed to boost memory speeds 15-fold. The technology will be used to make a Hybrid Memory Cube chip that will be commercially manufactured by Micron.

The US Supreme Court left intact a ruling that lets Tessera Technologies seek damages from Qualcomm and four other companies for infringing patents covering computer-chip packaging.

Seagate raised its forecast for the fourth quarter, providing a somewhat more optimistic view of the disk-drive component constraints that have affected the industry due to catastrophic Thai floods.

Aptina has announced the expansion of its extensive product portfolio with the production ready AR0832E backside illuminated (BSI) sensor. The AR0832E is a 1/3.2" optical format, 8-megapixel sensor with a 1.4-micron BSI pixel that produces stunning images to enable a class of Smartphone cameras capable of delivering the performance of digital still cameras.

Building new nuclear power stations will make it harder for the UK to switch to renewable energy, said one of the top German officials leading the country's nuclear energy phase-out.

China has launched a trade probe into US subsidies for renewable energy and is contemplating filing a case with the World Trade Organisation. The probe is the latest episode in the rapidly escalating trade dispute between the two countries that was sparked off by an anti-dumping petition from a group of US manufacturers last month.

The one millionth photovoltaic system has been connected to Germany's grid, according to the country's solar industry association, BSW-Solar.

Indian lighting market has seen buoyancy in lighting products recently.

For established manufacturers of solar panels, this has proved a difficult year, in the face of falling demand and a wave of cheap imports from China.

Elpida Memory has announced that it reached an agreement with Walton Advanced Engineering in which Walton will purchase from Elpida 7,500 preferred shares in Elpida subsidiary EBS. The value of the share purchase is estimated at JPY 3.75 billion (US$50 million).

Microprocessor vendor Advanced Micro Devices has decided to cancel APUs that Globalfoundries was set to make for it on 28nm process technology, according to online reports. Instead AMD will start afresh using the 28nm gate-last HKMG manufacturing process technology from alternative foundry TSMC, the reports said.

JA Solar Holdings Co., a Chinese maker of solar power products, reported a third-quarter net loss on Tuesday, weighed by sharply lower revenue and higher operating costs.

Third quarter results from Hanwha SolarOne echoed pricing pressure and weak demand, especially from Germany that led to margin pressure, inventory write downs and losses.

Several China-based solar power companies are reporting lackluster earnings today.

Seagate alleged that Western Digital and a former Seagate employee misappropriated confidential information and trade secrets.

Chinese solar panel makers plan to shift some of their production to South Korea, Taiwan and the United States in hopes of defusing a trade case pending against them in Washington, according to industry executives.

Germany's Economy Ministry released a paper on Thursday with a proposal to reduce the growth of new photovoltaic installations to 1,000 megawatts (MW) a year, a move that would dethrone the country as the world's largest market for solar panels.

Germany's Environment Ministry on Friday dismissed a proposal from the Economy Ministry to reduce the growth of new photovoltaic installations to 1,000 megawatt (MW) a year, saying a 15-percent cut for 2012 was enough for now.

Toyota Motor said it had restored vehicle output in Japan to "near-normal levels" on Monday, after severe flooding in Thailand disrupted supply chains.

"This is going to take a lot longer than people are assuming, until the end of 2012 at least..."

Researchers have designed a new computer chip that mimics synaptic plasticity-how a brain's neurons adapt in response to new information.

Under fire from angry Republicans, US Energy Secretary Steven Chu denied Thursday that now bankrupt solar panel firm Solyndra leveraged political ties to President Barack Obama for a government loan.

China Sunergy Co. (CSUN) swung to a third-quarter loss despite a jump in sales as the Chinese solar-products maker saw its margins plunge into negative territory amid falling solar panel prices.

China-based module provider JinkoSolar has today revealed plans to install a 5MW solar plant in the UK with AEE Renewables.