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The post Chip Industry Technical Paper Roundup: August 20 appeared first on Semiconductor Engineering.

Last month, Samsung unveiled its new foldable phones, smartwatches, and wireless earbuds. After the announcement, several people started mocking Samsung and accused it of copying Apple's design language with the Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Watch Ultra, which reportedly made Samsung's chief angry at the mobile division for plagiarism.

Samsung chief Lee reportedly got angry and stepped in after accusations of copying Apple's design

According to a report from AjuNews (via @lafaiel), Samsung Electronics Chairman Jay Y. Lee ordered the company's mobile division, Samsung MX, to reexamine its plans. Lee's strict orders reportedly came after people accused Samsung of copying Apple's design language for the Galaxy Buds 3, Galaxy Buds 3 Pro, and the Galaxy Watch Ultra. They look like Apple's AirPods, AirPods Pro, and Apple Watch Ultra, respectively.

Apparently, actions have been taken against some people in the smartphone division, including Samsung MX leader (TM Roh). An insider reportedly claimed that tensions are rising inside Samsung MX after this move. He said, “The chairman (Lee) himself stepped in after the controversy over Apple's design plagiarism and quality issues surrounding the Buds 3 series and Galaxy Watch 7 released last month. The internal atmosphere is currently very bad.”

At the media briefing held at Samsung Store Hongdae in South Korea, reporters constantly talked about Samsung's new devices looking exactly the same as Apple's.

The Galaxy Buds 3 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro now have stems, similar to AirPods and several other wireless earbuds in the market. Their pinch and swipe gestures are also similar to AirPods. The boxy and chunky design and orange theme of the Galaxy Watch Ultra also look similar to the Apple Watch Ultra. Long-time Samsung fans have been disappointed with Samsung for dropping its own design language in favor of Apple's.

To make things worse, Samsung also faced quality control issues with the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. Some people received units with uneven gaps and fragile ear tips that are prone to tearing. Jay Y. Lee, who generally has a calm demeanor, reportedly shouted and gave strict orders to the Samsung MX division.

The post Samsung chief angry at mobile division for copying Apple’s design appeared first on SamMobile.

As one of the leading companies in South Korea and the world, you can imagine why investors from across the globe like to purchase shares in Samsung Electronics. It provides them with an opportunity to share in the success, as this Samsung company is the conglomerate's cash cow, making everything from mobile devices to high-bandwidth memory.

However, recent business headwinds seem to have spooked invested based out of South Korea, who have now begun to dump shares of Samsung Electronics worth billions of dollars. This trend is expected to continue in the absence of buyers willing to pick up the stock at current prices.

Over $1.7 billion worth of Samsung Electronics stock sold this month

Foreign investors were the biggest buyers of Samsung Electronics stock between November 2023 and May 2024, scooping up $8.72 billion worth of shares. The average purchase price is estimated to be 75,942 won or $54.99. Samsung Electronics stock is down nearly 8% year-to-date, ending at 73,500 or $53.22 at end of business today.

The stock has traded below that average purchase price for a few weeks now. Foreigners have been closing their positions, selling 2.37 trillion won or $1.7 billion worth of Samsung Electronics shares since May 9. They dominated the selling side in today's trading session as well. With fewer buyers in the market at current prices, this may lead to a further decline in share price, prompting more foreign investors to close their positions.

There are a few factors behind the lagging share price. From concerns about Samsung falling behind SK Hynix in the high-bandwidth memory race to potentially failing NVIDIA's quality tests for HBM3E memory.

There's also the risk of the first-ever strike at Samsung Electronics by the National Samsung Electronics Union, with 90% of the union's members belonging to the semiconductor division. Since semiconductor manufacturing is a very lengthy and precise process, even the most minor disruptions could cause a snowball effect that leads to product issues.

It's the combination of this risk and the negative sentiment that's driving down Samsung's stock price, even as local and foreign analysts maintain a higher price target for the stock at 105,000 won or $76, since the fundamentals of Samsung Electronics' business are still rock solid.

The post Foreign investors are dumping Samsung shares worth billions appeared first on SamMobile.

Every now and then a corporation is at least a bit funny when going about their late-stage capitalism. For instance, Samsung has released an absolutely perfect diss-ad response to Apple’s recent crushing PR disaster.

Read more...

Apple's latest iPad Pros announced earlier this week must look quite interesting even for Samsung. The new models are the industry's first to use Tandem OLED displays supplied by the Korean tech giant (and LGD) and boast a few other innovations that garnered attention in the media.

A few examples are that the new iPad Pros are the thinnest Apple products ever made; they offer compatibility with a new high-tech Pencil Pro; their new M4 chip promises massive performance and efficiency gains; and these new iPad Pros boast a better thermal design.

Speaking of the thermal design, it is one of the most intriguing bits Apple revealed at its launch event. The tech giant thought of a clever and unique way to improve the iPad Pro's cooling through the Apple logo by turning it into a passive cooling element.

New iPad Pro's Apple logo acts as a heatsink

Apple's new iPad Pros boast more performance and better thermal management than previous models. In part, this is thanks to two new upgrades that facilitate heat dissipation.

First, Apple claims it has incorporated graphite sheets into the new iPad Pro's housing. Second, the Apple logo itself, located at the back of the iPad Pros, is now a part of the cooling design.

The Apple logo emblazoned on the new iPad Pros is made of copper. It acts as a heatsink that helps dissipate and transfer heat from the M4 chip and internal components.

Story continues after the video…

Apple claims the new iPad Pros offer 20% better cooling but hasn't revealed precisely how much this new copper logo contributes to these gains. Nevertheless, it seems a creative way to add functionality to the iconic Apple logo.

Unlike the “Samsung” letters engraved on the Galaxy Tab S9 series' back panels, the iPad Pro's Apple logo is more of a structural component with cooling properties, at least, according to Apple.

But even if we assume that the copper logo provides minimal cooling and very little real-world benefits, it is very clever marketing, if nothing else.

The post Apple’s logo is now a heatsink appeared first on SamMobile.

Apple's latest iPad Pros announced earlier this week must look quite interesting even for Samsung. The new models are the industry's first to use Tandem OLED displays supplied by the Korean tech giant (and LGD) and boast a few other innovations that garnered attention in the media.

A few examples are that the new iPad Pros are the thinnest Apple products ever made; they offer compatibility with a new high-tech Pencil Pro; their new M4 chip promises massive performance and efficiency gains; and these new iPad Pros boast a better thermal design.

Speaking of the thermal design, it is one of the most intriguing bits Apple revealed at its launch event. The tech giant thought of a clever and unique way to improve the iPad Pro's cooling through the Apple logo by turning it into a passive cooling element.

New iPad Pro's Apple logo acts as a heatsink

Apple's new iPad Pros boast more performance and better thermal management than previous models. In part, this is thanks to two new upgrades that facilitate heat dissipation.

First, Apple claims it has incorporated graphite sheets into the new iPad Pro's housing. Second, the Apple logo itself, located at the back of the iPad Pros, is now a part of the cooling design.

The Apple logo emblazoned on the new iPad Pros is made of copper. It acts as a heatsink that helps dissipate and transfer heat from the M4 chip and internal components.

Story continues after the video…

Apple claims the new iPad Pros offer 20% better cooling but hasn't revealed precisely how much this new copper logo contributes to these gains. Nevertheless, it seems a creative way to add functionality to the iconic Apple logo.

Unlike the “Samsung” letters engraved on the Galaxy Tab S9 series' back panels, the iPad Pro's Apple logo is more of a structural component with cooling properties, at least, according to Apple.

But even if we assume that the copper logo provides minimal cooling and very little real-world benefits, it is very clever marketing, if nothing else.

The post Apple’s logo is now a heatsink appeared first on SamMobile.

Apple's latest iPad Pros announced earlier this week must look quite interesting even for Samsung. The new models are the industry's first to use Tandem OLED displays supplied by the Korean tech giant (and LGD) and boast a few other innovations that garnered attention in the media.

A few examples are that the new iPad Pros are the thinnest Apple products ever made; they offer compatibility with a new high-tech Pencil Pro; their new M4 chip promises massive performance and efficiency gains; and these new iPad Pros boast a better thermal design.

Speaking of the thermal design, it is one of the most intriguing bits Apple revealed at its launch event. The tech giant thought of a clever and unique way to improve the iPad Pro's cooling through the Apple logo by turning it into a passive cooling element.

New iPad Pro's Apple logo acts as a heatsink

Apple's new iPad Pros boast more performance and better thermal management than previous models. In part, this is thanks to two new upgrades that facilitate heat dissipation.

First, Apple claims it has incorporated graphite sheets into the new iPad Pro's housing. Second, the Apple logo itself, located at the back of the iPad Pros, is now a part of the cooling design.

The Apple logo emblazoned on the new iPad Pros is made of copper. It acts as a heatsink that helps dissipate and transfer heat from the M4 chip and internal components.

Story continues after the video…

Apple claims the new iPad Pros offer 20% better cooling but hasn't revealed precisely how much this new copper logo contributes to these gains. Nevertheless, it seems a creative way to add functionality to the iconic Apple logo.

Unlike the “Samsung” letters engraved on the Galaxy Tab S9 series' back panels, the iPad Pro's Apple logo is more of a structural component with cooling properties, at least, according to Apple.

But even if we assume that the copper logo provides minimal cooling and very little real-world benefits, it is very clever marketing, if nothing else.

The post Apple logo is officially more functional than Samsung’s appeared first on SamMobile.

Samsung and Synopsys collaborated on the first production tapeout of a high-performance mobile SoC design, including CPUs and GPUs, using the Synopsys.ai EDA suite on Samsung Foundry’s gate-all-around (GAA) process. Samsung plans to begin mass production of 2nm process GAA chips in 2025, reports BusinessKorea.

UMC developed the first radio frequency silicon on insulator (RF-SOI)-based 3D IC process for chips used in smartphones and other 5G/6G mobile devices. The process uses wafer-to-wafer bonding technology to address radio frequency interference between stacked dies and reduces die size by 45%.

Fig. 1: UMC’s 3D IC solution for RFSOI technology. Source: UMC

The first programmable chip capable of shaping, splitting, and steering beams of light is now being produced by Skywater Technology and Lumotive. The technology is critical for advancing lidar-based systems used in robotics, automotive, and other 3D sensing applications.

Driven by demand for AI chips, SK hynix revealed it has already booked its entire production of high-bandwidth memory chips for 2024 and is nearly sold out of its production capacity for 2025, reported the Korea Times, while SEMI reported that silicon wafer shipments declined in Q1 2024, quarter over quarter, a 13% drop, attributed to continued weakness in IC fab utilization and inventory adjustments.

PCI-SIG published the CopprLink Internal and External Cable specifications to provide PCIe 5.0 and 6.0 signaling at 32 and 64 GT/s and leverage standard connector form factors for applications including storage, data centers, AI/ML, and disaggregated memory.

The U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) launched the CHIPS Women in Construction Framework to boost the participation of women and economically disadvantaged people in the workforce, aiming to support on-time and successful completion of CHIPS Act-funded projects. Intel and Micron adopted the framework.

Quick links to more news:

Market Reports
Global
In-Depth
Education and Training
Security
Product News
Quantum
Research
Events
Further Reading

Markets and Money

The SiC wafer processing equipment market is growing rapidly, reports Yole. SiC devices will exceed $10B by 2029 at a CAGR of 25%, and the SiC manufacturing tool market is projected to reach $5B by 2026.

imec.xpand launched a €300 million (~$321 million) fund that will invest in semiconductor and nanotechnology startups with the potential to push semiconductor innovation beyond traditional applications and drive next-gen technologies.

Blaize raised $106 million for its programmable graph streaming processor architecture suite and low-code/no-code software platform for edge AI.

Guerrilla RF completed the acquisition of Gallium Semiconductor‘s portfolio of GaN power amplifiers and front-end modules.

About 90% of connected cars sold in 2030 will have embedded 5G capability, reported Counterpoint. Also, about 75% of laptop PCs sold in 2027 will be AI laptop PCs with advanced generative AI, and the global high-level OS (HLOS) or advanced smartwatch market is predicted to grow 15% in 2024.

Global

Powerchip Semiconductor opened a new 300mm facility in northwestern Taiwan targeting the production of AI semiconductors. The facility is expected to produce 50,000 wafers per month at 55, 40, and 28nm nodes.

Taiwan-based KYEC Semiconductor will withdraw its China operations by the third quarter due to increasing geopolitical tensions, reports the South China Morning Post.

Japan will expand its semiconductor export restrictions to China related to four technologies: Scanning electron microscopes, CMOS, FD-SOI, and the outputs of quantum computers, according to TrendForce.

IBM will invest CAD$187 million (~US$137M in Canada’s semiconductor industry, with the bulk of the investment focused on advanced assembly, testing, and packaging operations.

Microsoft will invest US$2.2 billion over the next four years to build Malaysia’s digital infrastructure, create AI skilling opportunities, establish an AI Center of Excellence, and enhance cybersecurity.

In-Depth

New stories and tech talks published by Semiconductor Engineering this week:

• Multi-Die Design Pushes Complexity To The Max
• Design Considerations In Photonics
• Overlay Optimization In Advanced IC Substrates
• Fundamental Issues In Computer Vision Still Unresolved
• Sensor Fusion Challenges In Automotive

Security

Infineon collaborated with ETAS to integrate the ESCRYPT CycurHSM 3.x automotive security software stack into its next-gen AURIX MCUs to optimize security, performance, and functionality.

Synopsys released Polaris Assist, an AI-powered application security assistant on its Polaris Software Integrity Platform, combining LLM technology with application security knowledge and intelligence.

In security research:

• UT Dallas, Intel, NXP, and TI published a framework for early anomaly detection in AMS components of automotive SoCs.
• The University of Central Florida said that LLMs can be harnessed to automatically rectify security-relevant vulnerabilities inherent in hardware designs within the semiconductor context.
• Western University leveraged hardware security modules for enhanced intra-domain security.
• A team in India proposed a post-quantum secure PUF-based cross-domain authentication mechanism for Internet of Drones.

U.S. President Biden signed a National Security Memorandum to enhance the resilience of critical infrastructure, and the White House announced key actions taken since Biden’s AI Executive Order, including measures to mitigate risk.

CISA and partners published a fact sheet on pro-Russia hacktivists who seek to compromise industrial control systems and small-scale operational technology systems in North American and European critical infrastructure sectors. CISA issued other alerts including two Microsoft vulnerabilities.

Education and Training

The U.S. National Institute for Innovation and Technology (NIIT) and the Department of Labor (DoL) partnered to celebrate the inaugural Youth Apprenticeship Week on May 5 to 11, highlighting opportunities in critical industries such as semiconductors and advanced manufacturing.

SUNY Poly received an additional $4 million from New York State for its Semiconductor Processing to Packaging Research, Education, and Training Center.

The University of Pennsylvania launched an online Master of Science in Engineering in AI degree.

The American University of Armenia celebrated its 10-year collaboration with Siemens, which provides AUA’s Engineering Research Center with annual research grants.

Product News

Renesas and SEGGER Embedded Studio launched integrated code generator support for its 32-bit RISC-V MCU. 

Rambus introduced a family of DDR5 server Power Management ICs (PMICs), including an extreme current device for high-performance applications.

Fig. 2: Rambus’ server PMIC on DDR5 RDIMM. Source: Rambus

Keysight added capabilities to Inspector, part of the company’s recently acquired device security research and test lab Riscure, that are designed to test the robustness of post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and help device and chip vendors identify and fix hardware vulnerabilities. Keysight also validated new conformance test cases for narrowband IoT non-terrestrial networks standards.

Ansys’ RedHawk-SC and Totem power integrity platforms were certified for TSMC‘s N2 nanosheet-based process technology, while its RaptorX solution for on-chip electromagnetic modeling was certified for TSMC’s N5 process.

Netherlands-based athleisure brand PREMIUM INC selected CLEVR to implement Siemens’ Mendix Digital Lifecycle Management for Fashion & Retail solution.

Micron will begin shipping high-capacity DRAM for AI data centers.

Microchip uncorked radiation-tolerant SoC FPGAs for space applications that uses a real-time Linux-capable RISC-V-based microprocessor subsystem.

Quantum

University of Chicago researchers developed a system to boost the efficiency of quantum error correction using a framework based on quantum low-density party-check (qLDPC) codes and new hardware involving reconfigurable atom arrays.

PsiQuantum will receive AUD $940 million (~$620 million) in equity, grants, and loans from the Australian and Queensland governments to deploy a utility-scale quantum computer in the regime of 1 million physical qubits in Brisbane, Australia.

Japan-based RIKEN will co-locate IBM’s Quantum System Two with its Fugaku supercomputer for integrated quantum-classical workflows in a heterogeneous quantum-HPC hybrid computing environment. Fugaku is currently one of the world’s most powerful supercomputers.

QuEra Computing was awarded a ¥6.5 billion (~$41 million) contract by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) to deliver a gate-based neutral-atom quantum computer alongside AIST’s ABCI-Q supercomputer as part of a quantum-classical computing platform.

Novo Holdings, the controlling stakeholder of pharmaceutical company Novo Nordisk, plans to boost the quantum technology startup ecosystem in Denmark with DKK 1.4 billion (~$201 million) in investments.

The University of Sydney received AUD $18.4 million (~$12 million) from the Australian government to help grow the quantum industry and ecosystem.

The European Commission plans to spend €112 million (~$120 million) to support AI and quantum research and innovation.

Research

Intel researchers developed a 300-millimeter cryogenic probing process to collect high-volume data on the performance of silicon spin qubit devices across whole wafers using CMOS manufacturing techniques.

EPFL researchers used a form of ML called deep reinforcement learning (DRL) to train a four-legged robot to avoid falls by switching between walking, trotting, and pronking.=

The University of Cambridge researchers developed tiny, flexible nerve cuff devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibers without damaging them, useful to treat a range of neurological disorders.

Argonne National Laboratory and Toyota are exploring a direct recycling approach that carefully extracts components from spent batteries. Argonne is also working with Talon Metals on a process that could increase the number of EV batteries produced from mined nickel ore.

Events

Find upcoming chip industry events here, including:

Upcoming webinars are here.

Further Reading

Read the latest special reports and top stories, or check out the latest newsletters:

Systems and Design
Low Power-High Performance
Test, Measurement and Analytics
Manufacturing, Packaging and Materials
Automotive, Security and Pervasive Computing

The post Chip Industry Week In Review appeared first on Semiconductor Engineering.

Samsung continues to be a global Olympic and Paralympic partner, and last month, the company revealed its slogan for the 2024 Summer Olympic Games in Paris. Now, in anticipation of the Olympics, Samsung has announced a new partnership with the Dutch Basketball Association.

Basketball is the fastest growing sport in the Netherlands. Now, the Dutch Basketball Association has entered a 3-year partnership with the Korean tech giant Samsung.

The company will support basketball in its entirety as a sponsor. But interestingly, Samsung says its main focus in the run-up to the 2024 Summer Olympics will be 3×3 basketball.

Streetball is taking over, and Samsung is there for it

Not only is Basketball the fastest growing sport in the Netherlands, with the country earning eleven medals at the European and World Championships over the past two years, but 3×3 basketball has also become the number one urban team sport globally.

3-on-3 street basketball, or streetball, puts two teams of three players against one another in matches that last up to 10 minutes or until one team scores 21 points.

Because streetball has a different set of rules than court basketball, it makes for a dynamic and spectacular game with innovative moves and great teamwork, where quick decision-making skills can make the difference between winning and losing.

Samsung is supporting all the Dutch 3×3 basketball teams at the 2024 Olympic Summer Games in Paris. The men's teams have at least two chances to qualify for the Olympic Games, while the women's teams can participate in three qualifying tournaments as European champions.

Exactly how Samsung will support the basketball teams in the Netherlands isn't entirely clear, and we don't know if the players will get money and/or Samsung devices out of this partnership. However, the director of the Dutch Basketball Federation, Maarten Hoffer, says:

“Our sport is growing in every possible way. The fact that a leading, innovative brand like Samsung is committed to our sport as a partner shows where Dutch basketball stands: we are proud of that. Samsung has all the knowledge and technology in-house to help make basketball, and 3×3 basketball in particular, even better and more popular in our country.”

The post Samsung is playing ball with the Netherlands at the 2024 Olympics appeared first on SamMobile.