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| Pandemic expose our cyber weaknesses (and strength) |
4/1/2020 |
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The pandemic lays bare the many vulnerabilities created by society’s dependence on the internet. These include the dangerous consequences of censorship, the constantly morphing spread of disinformation, supply chain vulnerabilities and the risks of weak cybersecurity.
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| U.S. consumer confidence tumbled |
4/1/2020 |
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The Conference Board reported Tuesday that its confidence index dropped to a reading of 120 in March from February's 132.6. It was the lowest reading since the index was at 117.3 in June 2017. The steep decline in March reflected rising worries about the coronavirus during the survey period of March 1-18.
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| Historical big recessions ahead |
4/1/2020 |
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Deutsche Bank expects France, Germany, Italy, Japan, the U.K. and the U.S. to shrink by between 4% and 9% in 2020, figures that in most cases have only been eclipsed in recent decades by war and the Great Depression of the 1930s.
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| Tesla’s Buffalo plant to make ventilator parts |
4/1/2020 |
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This week, medical device giant Medtronic indicated Tesla was one of its partners in its efforts to ramp up production of ventilators — which will likely be needed in the tens of thousands to combat the pandemic in the state.
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| IMF economists suggested that we are now in global recession |
3/31/2020 |
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IMF Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva said the 189-nation lending agency was forecasting a recovery in 2021, saying it could be a “sizable rebound.” But she said this would only occur if nations succeed in containing the coronavirus and limiting the economic damage.
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| German PCB supplier increased output for ventilator PCB |
3/31/2020 |
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To ensure the supply of medical ventilators for coronavirus patients in Germany, the German government has placed several orders with different manufacturers at short notice. The company has responded to this request and its plants at Niedernhall, Rot am See and Schopfheim are able to supply all types of PCBs.
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| AP Memory takes IP licensing services model |
3/31/2020 |
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PSRAM is AP Memory's major offering for customized solutions, while its standard products are designed for profitability. With its newly-added IP licensing business, AP Memory is gearing up for AI and other emerging technology applications.
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| 5G standardization work paused |
3/31/2020 |
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The 3GPP — the global association responsible for standardizing the technology — has now confirmed that it would delay work on Stage 3 of Release 16, and, more worryingly, announced that Release 17 would also be delayed.
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| Italy move to idle most manufacturing |
3/30/2020 |
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After more than two weeks of a nationwide lockdown, the Italian government decided to expand the mandatory closure of nonessential commercial activities to heavy industry in the eurozone's third-largest economy, a major exporter of machinery, textiles and other goods.
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| Micron is optimistic on memory demand |
3/27/2020 |
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Micron Technology Inc. predicted stronger-than-expected revenue helped by a surge in orders from data center operators who are building more capacity to deal with the expansion of people working from home.
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| U.S. Airlines to get help from Virus Bill |
3/27/2020 |
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AIRLINES: Airlines could get a key part of their request — cash grants from taxpayers — under the massive spending bill. The deal includes $25 billion in direct grants and up to another $25 billion in loans or loan guarantees to passenger airlines.
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| Auto manufacturers push to restart in April |
3/27/2020 |
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Auto companies, like other businesses, are trying to manage their way through the coronavirus crisis, which has forced factories to close amid employee concerns that they could catch the virus while working close to others at factory work stations.
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| Big-ticket item order was up before the coronavirus interuption |
3/26/2020 |
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The Commerce Department said Wednesday durable goods orders rose 1.2% last month, rebounding from January when orders had shown a tiny 0.1% gain. However, with all the shutdowns that have occurred as authorities try to deal with the coronavirus, economists are looking for weak reports in coming months.
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| Medical glove factories operating at half capacity |
3/26/2020 |
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The Malaysian government ordered factories to halt all manufacturing starting March 18. Then, one by one, those that make products deemed essential, including medical gloves, have been required to seek exemptions to reopen, but only with half of their workforce to reduce the risk of transmitting the new virus.
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| Europe to use cellphone app to track movement of virus carriers |
3/25/2020 |
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The tools in question are apps that would use real-time phone-location data to track the movements of virus carriers and the people they come in contact with. The aim would be to develop a better sense of where infections are flaring up, how they are spreading and when health authorities need to order quarantines and related measures to limit the spread of COVID-19.
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| UMC and Faraday Technology jointly announced 28nm, 28Gbps SerDes PHY |
3/25/2020 |
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The CEI-25G-LR compliant SerDes solution comes with a programmable architecture that supports data rates of up to 25Gbps across long-reach channels. Additionally, it supports multiple protocol standards, including 25G/100G Ethernet, PCIe Gen1-4, and JESD204B/C. The IP is also the only 28G SerDes solution to support xPON applications in the industry.
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| Foundrys reported 30% increase in business during Q1 |
3/25/2020 |
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Regarding the major foundries’ performances in 1Q20, TSMC ranks first in terms of revenue. Some of its 7nm process node capacities have been booked in advance by its clients, providing a steady influx of orders for TSMC. Even with adjustments to some of its wafer starts, the demand from TSMC’s subsequent client orders is projected to fill the gaps in wafer starts, meaning the foundry will continue to maintain the maximum level of 7nm process node capacity utilization.
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| Micron to offer Multichip package solution for 5G phones |
3/25/2020 |
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Micron recently began sampling a universal flash storage (UFS) multichip package (uMCP) with low-power DDR5 (LPDDR5) DRAM. Designed to fit on slim and compact midrange smartphone designs, the company’s uMCP provides the high-density and low-power storage that will allow users to benefit from the applications and capabilities that come with 5G,
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