What are the topics covered? There’s 90nm FD-SOI manufacturing, chip execs under investigation, the Great Resignation, Sierra Wireless and 5G market share…
5. Skywater and Google enable open source 90nm FD-SOI manufacturing
Google and SkyWater, the hi-rel fab, are to develop an open source design capability for Skywater’s 90nm FD-SOI process. This will then give IC design houses a route to volume production. Skywater has been given $15 million for the project by the US Department of Defense. Google is to provide the expertise and computer power as it did in 2020 when it enabled open source design on Skywater’s 130nm process.
4. China Investigates Chip Execs For Failures [Mannerisms]
As the US prepares to dole out $250 billion to its chip industry, China is reported to have initiated three investigations into men seen as responsible for the relative failure of China’s costly efforts to develop a technologically significant chip industry. The three men are: the former Minister of Industry and Information Technology – Xiao Yaqing – the head of the National Integrated Circuit Fund (often called the ‘Big Fund’) Ding Wenwu – and the former chairman of Tsinghua Unigroup – Zhao Weiguo.
3. Why Are People Giving Up Their Jobs? [Mannerisms]
Research in Australia, Canada, India, Singapore, the UK and US by McKinsey & Company reveals that of employees that chose to quit their jobs from April 2020 to April 2022, 65% did not so far return to the same industry. The most common reasons cited by people quitting their jobs are: “Lack of career development/advancement” and “inadequate compensation”. The importance of a good boss is also highlighted, however, with the third most common response being uncaring or uninspiring leaders.
2. Huawei, Nokia, Ericsson to take 74.5% of 5G market this year
Huawei, Ericsson, and Nokia will account for 74.5% of the global base station market in 2022, says TrendForce. O-RAN is the answer to the political situation with Huawei and to the cost implications of having a quasi-monopoly of only three end-to-end vendors. However O-RAN has more security issues then end-to-end suppliers.
1. Semtech said to be buying Sierra Wireless
Semtech the Californian LoRa specialist, is reported by Bloomberg to be at a late stage in negotiations to buy Sierra Wireless, the Canadian IoT specialist. With LoRa becoming the accepted wireless technology for long range networking – up to 3 miles in urban areas and 10 in rural areas – there is logic in combining the two companies. Semtech has been focussed on extending the application of LoRAWAN. Earlier this year, the company hooked up with Lacuna Space to extend the coverage of LoRaWAN by adding IoT-to-Satellite connectivity using Long Range Frequency Hopping Spread Spectrum (LR-FHSS) technology.
