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IBM adds two technologies to chip offerings

EAST FISHKILL, N.Y.-International Business Machines Corp. said it has added two new chip technologies known as Radio Frequency CMOS and an enhanced silicon germanium to its pool of offerings to manufacture mixed-signal and radio-frequency devices for applications such as cell phones, wireless LANs, GPS...

Qualcomm ships 500 millionth chip

SAN DIEGO, United States—Qualcomm Inc. said it has shipped its 500 millionth CDMA chip for wireless communication."Our latest generation of Internet-ready, multimedia chipsets and system software continues the tradition of leadership by enabling the most advanced CDMA handsets, products and services available," said Don...

IBM develops technology to replace silicon

NEW YORK—International Business Machines said it developed a logic circuit based on molecules called carbon nanotubes as semiconductors that are about 100,000 times thinner than a human hair."Carbon nanotubes are now the top candidate to replace silicon when current chip features just can't be...

Rumsfeld warns spectrum loss threatens national security

WASHINGTON—Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld urged the Senate leadership that any decision to transfer the military's 1700 MHz band to the mobile-phone industry for third-generation wireless services not be made until comparable spectrum has been identified and made available to the Pentagon. The Aug. 27...

Motorola could sell chip unit

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Illinois, United States—Motorola said it might sell off its chip unit if it does not generate sufficient profit within an unspecified time period, according to Ed Gams, the company's director of investor relations."No segment of the company is sacred in terms of...

NEC, Matsushita join forces in 3G handset business

TOKYO—On Aug. 21, NEC Corp., Matsushita Electric Industrial and Matsushita Communication Industrial, announced plans to combine forces in the third-generation (3G) mobile handset business. Based on the agreement, NEC and Matsushita will jointly develop a common architecture and application/software for 3G handsets, mutually supply...

Motorola could sell chip unit

ARLINGTON HEIGHTS, Ill.—Motorola Inc. said it might sell off its chip unit if it does not generate sufficient profit within an unspecified time period, according to Ed Gams, the company's director of investor relations."No segment of the company is sacred in terms of being...

World Briefs

JapanToshiba Corp. said it would slash production of its domestic dynamic random access memory chip by 60 percent as part of its response to a flagging economy. The company said it would shut down a production line at its major semiconductor plant in Yokkaichi.Nokia...

Chip-maker deals intended to increase mobile device processing speed

Two of the world's leading chip makers last week announced deals they said would lead to the creation of faster and more efficient processors for 2.5- and third-generation mobile devices.Texas Instruments Inc. and Intel Corp. separately said they would license microprocessing technology from ARM...

Oberthur acquires Rapsodia Software

LOS ANGELES-Oberthur Card Systems announced that with $3.3 million, it has acquired the remaining 50 percent of Rapsodia Software from French customer relationship management company, Prosodie. "We set our sights a while ago on making the shift from being a `smart card provider' to...

Acunia takes Java to telematics

Even though third-generation services are not yet available on mobile phones, one Belgium-based company is betting that 3G telematics services will be just as big, if not bigger.Acunia NV, Leuven, Belgium, crossed the Atlantic at the beginning of last year to set up a...

NEC slashes 4,000 jobs

TOKYO-In response to the economic slump, NEC Corp. has slashed its work force by 4,000 jobs, which amounts to 2.5 percent of its entire staff.Its cost-cutting measures include slicing in half its output capacity in its Scottish plant, removing 600 of the 1,600 jobs...

NEC slashes 4,000 jobs

TOKYO—In response to the economic slump, NEC has slashed its workforce by 4,000 jobs, which amount to 2.5 percent of its entire staff.Its cost-cutting measures include slicing in half its output capacity in its Scottish plant, removing 600 of the 1,600 jobs there and...

Palm lays out plans to strengthen OS position

Palm Inc. last week announced a deal with some of the country's biggest chip makers to design a pre-packaged chip architecture for Palm OS-based personal digital assistants, a move Palm said will speed up the design and development time for the company's licensees and...

3G front and center on Hill as House telecom panel holds hearing: Draft GAO report released

WASHINGTON-Congress' interest in third-generation wireless and its potential impact on the military became more evident last week as congressional auditors warned a key senator against a hasty decision to move the military off of the 1700 MHz band and the House telecommunications subcommittee heard...

Falling market forces chip makers to form friendships

As a counterfoil to a slackening economy, chip makers are striking up alliances, shrinking their product sizes and paring down prices to differentiate themselves in the face of layoffs, reduced spending and plant shutdowns.Some of the alliances are between NEC Corp. and Taiwanese Semiconductor...

Intel’s 2Q reflects slump

SANTA CLARA, Calif.-The slump in the chip business was reflected in Intel Corp.'s second-quarter report as both sales and earnings dropped and little expected to cheer in the company's anticipated third quarter results.Sales in the second quarter fell 24 percent to $6.33 billion from...

Rumsfeld spectrum decision on hold, congressional 3G hearings scheduled

WASHINGTON-Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld last week told lawmakers no decision has been reached on future military spectrum requirements, a response starkly at odds with top brass and one that comes as Rep. Chip Pickering (R-Miss.) moves closer to introducing legislation to force the Pentagon...

GAO questions Pentagon report

WASHINGTON-A congressional report due out later this summer is expected to determine that a Pentagon study-which cast doubt on making military spectrum available for third-generation wireless services-is incomplete and needs further study, a finding that could help industry as momentum gains in the Bush...

NEC may take cost-cutting measures

TOKYO-NEC Corp. said it could cut jobs at a semiconductor plant in Scotland and put off an increase in chip output at a Chinese joint venture as part of its restructuring efforts. NEC had said in April that the Scottish plant, which employs 1,570...

Semtech ratings revised

NEW YORK-Although it recently affirmed its ratings on Semtech Corp., a wireless device semiconductor maker, Standard & Poor's Corp. revised downward its ratings outlook for the company to reflect "stresses" in its target markets.Semtech, headquartered in Newbury Park, Calif., provides power regulation chips for...

People

H.O. SystemsH.O. Systems has chosen Scott Berry as vice president of professional services. His 12 years of industry experience includes executive positions at Alltel, Convergys and Cellular One. At H.O., Berry will be responsible for streamlining and growing business operations for the company. Of...

DoD may deal on 3G issue: Humbled industry tackles survival issues

WASHINGTON-As policy-makers last week voiced support for a plan to move the Pentagon off spectrum sought by the mobile phone industry for third-generation wireless systems, Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Henry H. Shelton warned Congress that further loss of frequencies will compromise military capability...

CDMA looks to next generation

In technology as in life, the last protocol on stage is the hero. While time will serve as jury in due course, for now the CDMA operators and manufacturers seem to be gloating, sometimes quietly and sometimes on rooftops, that they are a few...