Researchers have demonstrated a tiny chip based on silicon that could be used to diagnose dozens of diseases. The design is simpler and requires less blood be taken.

Loss-making foundry Tower Semiconductor, which trades as TowerJazz, has announced it plans to transfer "manufacturing know-how and certain equipment" to support an un-named Asian company ramp up production.

Angry workers at Atmel's fab in Rousset, France, have gone on an unlimited strike. The strike aims to protest against Atmel's decision to sell its site in Rousset without guaranteeing its employees.

A recovery is coming in 2010 but many things about it remain uncertain, according to a survey. One consistent finding is that the Chinese market opportunity is the key to growth.

With the forecast for packaging improving in 2010, business strategy is shifting toward more partnerships and joint ventures. And the focus on through-silicon vias (TSVs) is rapidly accelerating and may result in even more partnerships and joint ventures between foundries and packaging houses.

"Samsung is aiming to raise its global DRAM share to 45% in 2010 inspired by the bullish outlook in the memory chip sector," a Samsung executive told the paper.

Intel is now completing its first chip-fabrication plant in China; it will lag the technology used by other factories by two years, but the factory will still affect local know-how.

Applied Materials will acquire Semitool for up to US$364 million, positioning Applied in the growing markets of wafer-level packaging and copper memory interconnects.

The German government is funding a research project aiming at developing manufacturing processes for large-area OLED illuminants. In the Light InLine (LILi) project, Applied coordinates the activities of a team formed of its own experts as well as professionals from OLED materials manufacturer Merck KGaA and from the Technical University of Braunschweig (Germany).

Korea Exchange Bank (KEB), representing creditors, is planning to send out invitations for the auction to domestic companies between Nov. 25 and Dec. 15, its officials said. The action follows Hyosung Group's recent decision to scrap its bid to purchase Hynix.

"The MOEA needs to make more of an effort to restructure the DRAM industry, with TIMC being one of the possibilities, " said Taiwan's economics minister Shih Yen-shiang. "The ministry will explain to lawmakers the necessity of establishing TIMC and review other ways of pushing the project."

Kleiner Perkins and Khosla Ventures-backed solar-thermal startup Ausra is in talks with three potential buyers to sell itself, according to sources familiar with the company.

With an investment of up to US$1.2 billion, 500 full-time jobs, and more than 800 construction jobs, Hemlock Semiconductor's new facility will increase polycrystalline silicon production to meet the needs of the growing solar industry.

Suntech Power has announced that its first US manufacturing plant for the growing North American market would be located in the Greater Phoenix, Arizona area. The plant will have an initial production capacity of 30 megawatts (MW) and is expected to begin production in the third quarter of 2010.

Price pressure, caused by overcapacities in the worldwide solar panel business are exerting pressure on the solar panel value chain.

Besides adding manufacturing capacity through ATIC's acquisition of Chartered and the construction of a new plant in New York, Globalfoundries is counting on advanced process technologies to help it win customers and compete with rivals like TSMC.

Consumers are changing buying patterns, placing a new emphasis on value and gravitating toward products that promise to improve their lifestyles, such as netbooks, portable navigation devices (PNDs), digital TVs, DVD recorders and video game consoles.

OCZ Technology has announced its collaboration with SandForce on its next-generation mainstream and enterprise solid state drives (SSD).

South Korea's Hyosung has withdrawn its bid for Hynix Semiconductor, throwing the future of the world's second-largest memory chipmaker into doubt again.

Applied Materials has announced it will cut 10% and 12% of its global workforce over the next 18 months, with half of the cuts in the US. Applied saw net income for its fiscal 2009 fourth quarter slip 40% on year.

"The problem for Applied and the problem for semi equipment in general is that it's highly unlikely that we're going back to 2007 capital spending levels..."

Solid state drive (SSD) controller start-up SandForce has closed US$21 million in series C funding. Led by new investor TransLink Capital, the round also included new investors UMC Capital, LSI, Red Maple Ventures, Darwin Ventures and A-Data Technology.

Intel will release a US$120 solid-state disk (SSD) drive positioned as a server "boot drive" with only 40GB of capacity, but the drive could also be used in low-end laptops PCs and netbooks.