The year 2021 was strange, you can read more of it from A 2021 technology retrospective: Strange days indeed. But how strange will 2022 be? Here are some predictions for year 2022:
2022 preview: Will the global computer chip shortage ever end?
The growing demand for computer chips, used in everything from cars to fridges, has collided with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, leading to a global shortage that is likely to continue through 2022
Read more: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2022-2022-preview-will-the-global-computer-chip-shortage-ever-end/#ixzz7GqrP1H9A
Industry Transforming In Ways Previously Unimaginable
https://semiengineering.com/industry-transforming-in-ways-previously-unimaginable/?cmid=3dedf05d-0284-497a-b015-daf7747872e6
As we look back over 2021, there have certainly been some surprises, but the industry continues to take everything in its stride.
2022 tech themes: A look ahead
https://www.edn.com/2022-tech-themes-a-look-ahead/
The continued COVID-19 question mark: The world quickly and dramatically changed. It hasn’t yet reverted to pre-pandemic characteristics, and it very likely never will. Sad but true, the pandemic isn’t even close to being over yet.
Deep learning’s Cambrian moment: Look at today’s participant-rich deep learning silicon and software market, spanning both training and inference.
The ongoing importance of architecture: As the number of transistors that it’s possible to cost-effectively squeeze onto a sliver of silicon continues to slow, what you build out of those transistors becomes increasingly critical.
Open source processors’ time in the sun: There is a burgeoning RISC-V movement. It’s likely a little-known fact to some of you, that a public domain instruction set for v2 and earlier versions of the Arm ISA exists. And both Sun (with OpenSPARC) and IBM (OpenPOWER) have also joined the open-source silicon movement.
The normalization of remote work (and the “Great Resignation’s” aftershocks): I suspect that, to at least a notable degree, we won’t ever completely return to the “way it was before.” In fact, I’d wager that having a taste of a work-from-home or “hybrid” employment lifestyle is one of the key factors behind the so-called “Great Resignation” that tech and broader media alike inform me is well underway.
The metaverse starts to stir: Perhaps we’ll look back at 2022 as the year when the crossing of the chasm started in earnest.
Autonomy slowly accelerates: 2021 was another year filled with fully autonomous car tests and premature “coming soon” pronouncements; 2022 will likely be the same.
Batteries get ever denser, ever more plentiful, and ever cheaper
Space travel becomes commonplace
Global semiconductor industry forecasts for 2022
https://www.digitimes.com/news/a20211229VL205.html
“2021 is the year that everyone remembered that chip mattered,” said Wired Magazine. So far 2022 seems likely to be another fruitful year for the semiconductor industry.
World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) also has predicted that the global semiconductor market is projected to grow by 8.8 percent in 2022, to US$ 601 billion, driven by double-digit growth of the sensors and logic category. All regions and all product categories are expected to continue positive growth. Wafer foundry manufacturers sales likely to remain strong due to tight supply. 5G smartphone silicon content increase to drive demand for foundry service higher. Demand for digital transformation is here to stay, no sign of weakening for foundry service sales.
The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital transformation over the past two years. Work from home, virtual conference, and remote learning have driven up the demand for cloud computing, laptops, and servers, and hence the sales growth of related semiconductor products. Demands for CPU, GPU, AI accelerator (including FPGA) foundry services will remain strong in 2022 because trends such as virtual conferences, live streaming, and large capex of data centers are likely to stay. Long-term demands for customized chips in IoT, 5G infrastructure, HPC, and EV applications, like ADAS, autonomous driving, V2X, in-Vehicle Infotainment, will provide robust growth momentum for chip foundry services.
Chip crunch is not ending in 2022, as the lead time of some electronic components is stretching into 2023. Meanwhile, the increasing adoption of RISC-V open standard instruction set architecture is an important trend that can not be ignored. RISC-V market will double its size in 2022, compared to 2021, as it is attracting small and medium-size chip designers and manufacturers, especially those in China. RISC-V designs are now being used by Qualcomm, Samsung, Google, Microchip, Nvidia, and more.
Taiwan’s chip industry emerges as a battlefront in US-China showdown
https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/editorials/archives/2022/01/01/2003770517
The country dominates production of chips used in almost all civilian and military technologies. That leaves the US and Chinese economies reliant on plants that would be in the line of fire in an attack on Taiwan. The vulnerability is stoking alarm in Washington
40 prosenttia pienempiä latureita
https://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=12981&via=n&datum=2021-12-20_14:53:12&mottagare=30929
The size of a standard mobile phone charger can be reduced by up to 40 percent when using GaN components or it can be designed to produce more power in the same size. GaN chargers are becoming the most popular charger technology for billions of devices, so it’s no wonder that European semiconductor giant STMicroelectronics is also excited about them.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Ina Fried / Axios:
Six robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics, pledge not to support the weaponization of their products and say adding weapons will erode trust in robots — Several robotics companies, including Boston Dynamics, are pledging not to support the weaponization of their products and are calling …
Exclusive: Boston Dynamics pledges not to weaponize its robots
https://www.axios.com/2022/10/06/boston-dynamics-pledges-weaponize-robots
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/10/06/robot-blade-runner-turns-in-world-record-time/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2022/10/06/exploring-the-cutting-edge-of-desktop-arm-hardware/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Max A. Cherney / Protocol:
The Biden administration issues sweeping rules that significantly expand the limits on exports to China of chips and tools to make advanced chips and other tech — The U.S. unveiled a set of new regulations Friday that aim to choke off China’s access to advanced chips …
The Biden administration issues sweeping new rules on chip-tech exports to China
https://www.protocol.com/enterprise/chip-export-restrictions-tsmc-intel
The Biden administration rolled out new, wide-ranging export controls on the chips and equipment U.S. companies are able to sell to China.
The U.S. unveiled a set of new regulations Friday that aim to choke off China’s access to advanced chips, the tools necessary to manufacture years-old designs, and the service and support mechanisms needed to keep chip fabrication systems running smoothly.
The new rules are comprehensive, and cover a range of advanced semiconductor technology, from chips produced by the likes of AMD and Nvidia to the expensive, complex equipment needed to make those chips. Much of highest-quality chip manufacturing equipment is made by three U.S. companies: KLA, Applied Materials, and Lam Research, and cutting off China’s access to their tools has the potential to damage the country’s ambitions to become a chipmaking powerhouse.
“I think the whole policy of the administration can be justified by the fact that if you sell an AI chip to any entity in China for cloud server activities and that’s the alleged end use, it can also be used elsewhere and there’s no way around that problem,” said Mathieu Duchâtel, director of the Asia Program at the Institut Montaigne. Years ago, China adopted a civil-military fusion doctrine that effectively enables the transfer of just about any tech in China to military uses.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ana Swanson / New York Times:
The Biden administration adds 31 Chinese companies and institutions including YMTC to an “unverified list”, limiting their ability to get some regulated US tech — The White House issued sweeping restrictions on selling semiconductors and chip-making equipment to China …
https://www.nytimes.com/2022/10/07/business/economy/biden-chip-technology.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reuters:
The US spares SK Hynix and Samsung from the brunt of new restrictions on DRAM and NAND chipmakers in China, aiming “not to hurt non-indigenous companies”
Exclusive: Samsung, SK Hynix to be spared brunt of China chip crackdown by U.S.
https://www.reuters.com/technology/exclusive-samsung-sk-hynix-be-spared-brunt-china-memory-chip-crackdown-sources-2022-10-06/
The Biden administration plans to spare SK Hynix (005930.KS) and Samsung (005930.KS) from the brunt of new restrictions on memory chipmakers in China aimed at thwarting Beijing’s technological ambitions and blocking its military advances, sources said.
The Commerce Department, which plans to release new curbs on exports of technology to China this week, will likely deny requests by U.S. suppliers to send equipment to Chinese firms like Yangtze Memory Technologies Co Ltd (YMTC) and ChangXin Memory Technologies, Inc (CXMT) if they are making advanced DRAM or flash memory chips, the sources said.
However, license requests to sell equipment to foreign companies making advanced memory chips in China will be reviewed on a case by case basis, sources said, potentially allowing for them to receive the equipment.
“The goal is not to hurt non-indigenous companies,” one of the people briefed on the matter said.
The Chinese Embassy in Washington on Thursday described the expected rules as “sci-tech hegemony.” It accused the United States of using its “technological prowess … to hobble and suppress the development of emerging markets and developing countries.”
The move could assuage the worst fears of South Korean memory chipmakers that the United States might hobble their China-based manufacturing business in its effort to thwart China’s rise, cripple YMTC and protect vulnerable U.S. memory chipmakers.
U.S. suppliers seeking to ship equipment to China-based semiconductor firms would not have to seek a license from the Commerce Department if selling to firms producing DRAM chips above the 18 nanometer node, NAND Flash chips below 128 layers, or logic chips above 14 nanometers, the sources said.
However, U.S. companies selling sophisticated technology to indigenous Chinese chipmakers producing DRAM chips at 18 nanometers or below, NAND flash chips at or above 128 layers or logic chips at or under 14 nanometers would have to apply for a license that would be reviewed with the tough “presumption of denial” standard.
U.S. suppliers seeking to sell the equipment to non-Chinese origin companies operating in China and producing those same types of chips would also face a license requirement but the applications would be reviewed on a case-by-case basis, the sources added.
If published as expected, the rules would mark the first U.S. bid through export controls to target Chinese production of memory chips without specialized military applications, representing a more expansive view of American national security, according to export control experts.
South Korea’s Samsung has a facility producing NAND Flash memory chips in China’s Shaanxi Province. South Korean rival SK Hynix has purchased Intel Corp’s NAND flash memory chip manufacturing business in Dalian and produces DRAM chips at another China-based facility.
According to consulting firm Yole Intelligence’s Walt Coon, 25% of SK Hynix’s and 38% of Samsung’s NAND wafer production is based in China, and about 50% of SK Hynix’s DRAM production is in China.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Foo Yun Chee / Reuters:
EU doc: regulators asked game developers ~100 questions about Microsoft’s Activision Blizzard deal, such as if Microsoft would block rivals’ access to games
EU wants to know if Microsoft will block rivals after Activision deal
https://www.reuters.com/technology/eu-wants-know-if-microsoft-will-block-rivals-after-activision-deal-2022-10-06/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg:
Amazon stops working on Scout, its autonomous, cooler-sized home delivery robot in testing since 2019; source: ~400 people were working on the project globally
Amazon Abandons Home Delivery Robot Tests in Latest Cost Cuts
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-06/amazon-abandons-autonomous-home-delivery-robot-in-latest-cut
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://semiengineering.com/ic-architectures-shift-as-oems-narrow-their-focus/
As chip companies customize designs, the number of possible pitfalls is growing. Tighter partnerships and acquisitions may help.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Pi Still Hard to Get as Company Can’t Meet Demand
By Les Pounder published 6 days ago
Raspberry Pi Founder Eben Upton confirms that stock issues continue.
https://www.tomshardware.com/news/raspberry-pi-stock-update
Tomi Engdahl says:
Best CPU for Gaming in 2022
By Paul Alcorn published 3 days ago
Here is the best CPU for gaming.
https://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/best-cpus,3986.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
USA laittoi Kiinalle tiukat sirurajoitukset – voi vaikuttaa myös puhelimiin https://www.is.fi/digitoday/art-2000009126800.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14099-etteplan-toteutti-digitaalisen-kaksosen-keittioetehtaalle
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14100-saehkoetekniikkaa-myytiin-ennaetysvauhtia
Sähköteknisten tuotteiden tukkumyynnin arvo kasvoi heinä-syyskuussa 22,1 prosenttia verrattuna vastaavaan jaksoon vuotta aiemmin. Tämän vuoden myynnin arvo oli syyskuun lopussa 994 miljoonaa euroa, mikä on 19,0 prosenttia suurempi kuin syyskuun lopussa viime vuonna.
Kolmannen vuosineljänneksen kasvuprosentti ja myynnin 372 miljoonan euron arvo ovat kumpikin suurempia kuin yhtenäkään vuosineljänneksenä aiemmin. Sähköteknisen kaupan liiton (STK) toimitusjohtaja Sallamaari Muhonen nostaa kasvun aiheista esiin muun muassa ennätysmäisen kiinnostuksen aurinkosähköä kohtaan.
- Kiinteistökohtainen aurinkosähkö on tullut kannattavammaksi paneelien hintojen laskun myötä, ja äskettäin on purettu lainsäädännön esteitä aurinkosähkön hyödyntämiselle.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Viime vuonna myytiin jo 400 miljoonaa SSD-levyä
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14101-viime-vuonna-myytiin-jo-400-miljoonaa-ssd-levyae
Tutkimuslaitos SkyQuest sanoo, että SSD-levyjen osuus kaikesta tallennustilasta on 70 prosenttia vuoteen 2025 mennessä. Kehitys on ehkä vienyt enemmän aikaa kuin aiemmin uumoiltiin, mutta hiljalleen flash-sirut ovat viemässä perinteisiä mekaanisia kiintolevyjä eläkkeelle.
Viime vuonna SSD-levyjen osuus oli noin 60 prosenttia kokonaistallennustilasta. Kasvu johtui useista tekijöistä, kuten SSD-levyjen hintojen laskusta, pilvipalveluntarjoajien kasvavasta kysynnästä ja lisääntyneestä kiinnostuksesta ohuita asiakaslaitteita ja palvelinkeskuksia kohtaan.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A huge text adventure begun by anonymous creators 40 years ago was only completed this year
By Jody Macgregor published 3 days ago
Ferret may be one of the biggest text adventures ever.
https://www.pcgamer.com/a-huge-text-adventure-begun-by-anonymous-creators-40-years-ago-was-only-completed-this-year/?utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=socialflow&utm_source=facebook.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
SAS: The Interface of Choice in Modern Storage-System Architecture
Oct. 11, 2022
This article explains new serial-attached SCSI (SAS) features in HDDs and SDDs that help to optimize storage infrastructure.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/embedded-revolution/article/21252552/scsi-trade-association-sas-the-interface-of-choice-in-modern-storagesystem-architecture
What you’ll learn:
Current and future technology advances in HDDs for designing storage infrastructure with the best TCO.
Details to consider in technology assessments, including cost, performance, and capacity.
Understanding of how different storage technologies can complement each other for your needs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bloomberg:
Sources: Intel is planning major job cuts, likely in the thousands, close to October 27; some divisions, including sales and marketing, could see ~20% cuts — Intel Corp. is planning a major reduction in headcount, likely numbering in the thousands, to cut costs and cope …
Intel Plans Thousands of Job Cuts in Face of PC Slowdown
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-11/intel-is-planning-thousands-of-job-cuts-in-face-of-pc-slowdown#xj4y7vzkg
Chipmaker may announce move around time of its earnings report
Companywide cuts will hit sales and marketing especially hard
Intel Corp. is planning a major reduction in headcount, likely numbering in the thousands, to cut costs and cope with a sputtering personal-computer market, according to people with knowledge of the situation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Asa Fitch / Wall Street Journal:
In a staff letter, Intel CEO Pat Gelsinger says the company plans to create greater decision-making separation between its chip design and chip production arms — New structure allows the company’s chip-making factories to work like contract operations — Intel Corp. INTC -0.63%
Intel CEO Pushes to Further Separate Chip-Design, Production Arms
New structure allows the company’s chip-making factories to work like contract operations
https://www.wsj.com/articles/intel-ceo-pushes-to-further-separate-chip-design-production-arms-11665523857?mod=djemalertNEWS
Intel Corp. INTC -0.63% plans to create greater decision-making separation between its chip designers and chip-making factories as part of Chief Executive Pat Gelsinger’s bid to revamp the company and boost returns.
The new structure, which Mr. Gelsinger disclosed in a letter to staff on Tuesday, is designed to let Intel’s network of factories operate like a contract chip-making operation, taking orders from both Intel engineers and external chip companies on an equal footing.
Intel has historically used its factories almost exclusively to make its own chips, something Mr. Gelsinger changed when he launched a contract chip-making arm last year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chinese city of Shenzhen offers free money to boost chip industry
Throwing cash at industry to keep chip well from running dry as US sanctions continue to bite
https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/12/chinese_city_of_shenzhen_chip_funds/
The Chinese city of Shenzhen has proposed a plan to lure semiconductor makers, offering subsidies to the tune of 20 percent of a qualifying applicant’s annual investment, up to a maximum of $1.4 million a year.
Once the companies have arrived, the proposal would see the Chinese city assisting in things like obtaining finance and making use of government service and boards.
But the Chinese coastal metropolis, which sits between Hong Kong and the rest of the mainland, doesn’t only want to bring home the making of the product itself, it’s looking to bring in talent as well. A cool $700,000 was promised to companies looking to bring in “eligible talents” alongside other measures to bring overseas expertise back to China.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14113-mram-valmis-korvaamaan-sram-piirit
Tomi Engdahl says:
You thought you bought software – all you bought was a lie
Isn’t code something worth paying for? Well, frankly, no
https://www.theregister.com/2022/10/04/you_cannot_buy_software/?td=keepreading
At the heart of the computer industry are some very big lies, and some of them are especially iniquitous. One is about commercial software.
Free and open source software (FOSS) is at the root of a very big lie. FOSS itself isn’t a lie. FOSS is real and it matters. The problem is that the most significant attribute of FOSS is a negative. It’s all about what it is not. It’s quite hard to explain things in terms of what they are not. People aren’t used to it, and it can cause more confusion than it clears up.
So, instead, FOSS advocates talk about aspects which are easier to explain. Stuff like “source code,” which is where the term “open source” came from. The problem is that in real life, the parts that are relatively easy to convey are most often completely irrelevant, at best unimportant, and at worst, not true at all.
So first, I want to talk about something equally important, but which may seem like a digression. Let’s talk about convenience.
Anyone who chooses to use free and open source software on their desktop regularly gets asked why. Why bother? Isn’t it more work? Isn’t the pro-grade gear commercial? Isn’t it worth buying the good stuff? Windows is the industry standard, isn’t it simply less work to go with the flow?
Well, no. The software industry reboots more often than a ZX-81 with a wobbly RAM pack, but we’re half a century into the microprocessor era now, and a large majority of software has been thoroughly commoditized. Anyone can do it. These days, it’s all about branding.
The practical upshot of which is that most of the time, the commercial stuff isn’t significantly better. No, it isn’t less hassle. Mostly, it’s more hassle, but if you’re used to the nuisances you don’t notice them. If the free software experience was really worse, most of us wouldn’t do it.
Again, this all about convenience. For me, this has several benefits for me. It lets me run the same set of apps on macOS, and on Linux, and on Windows when I have to. I don’t have to worry about moving apps between platforms or formats: I use the same set of apps on all three, so no conversion is necessary. If there’s a bug or a vulnerability, I can get a new version from each app’s creators, quickly, without waiting for a big vendor to patch or update its products.
This is a big deal, and it comes up more often than you’d think.
The more things change….
I regularly get asked, by both friends and acquaintances, and in my former life as a tech consultant, about switching office software. It happened, yet again, very recently, when an acquaintance of mine updated their computer. That in turn updated Microsoft Office, and that broke it in some way. As a result, they asked about free office suites.
But they had some stipulations: it had to open all their existing documents with perfect fidelity, and it had to have an email client that would import Outlook .PST files perfectly.
I started to explain that no free office suite can do this. None of the significant ones even come with an email client or anything like one. That is the point of vendor lock-in. This is why many software vendors regularly change their file formats, but ensure that the new product can import the old product’s file, often with a scary warning.
It’s because it keeps you paying. You may be perfectly happy with your old version, but people will start sending you files from newer versions, and oft you won’t be able to open them, so you end up having to update just for a quiet life.
No, you cannot have perfect fidelity.
Nothing free will do that. But asking why can’t we have perfect compatibility is the wrong question. (Not because it’s unanswerable. The answer is easy, but it’s unsatisfying: it’s in the interests of proprietary vendors to make perfect compatibility as hard as they can get away with, because it makes them more money.)
A better question is this:
If I have to sacrifice perfect compatibility, what do I get in return?
And the answer to that is good news: you get convenience. Put up with the slight hiccup of some wonky conversions, and you get unlimited free tools, forever, and they work on everything, and they will never lock you out or compel you to pay for an upgrade.
Free stuff, for the taking.
So what is this big lie?
The reason that it’s not better to buy software is simple, but it’s a lie. A lie at the heart of the entire computer industry, but nonetheless a lie that’s very hard to see – “for the same reason that people in Trafalgar Square can’t see England,” to quote a good book.
It isn’t better to buy commercial software because you can’t buy software.
It is not possible for you to own paid-for, commercial software. You can’t buy it. You probably think that you have bought lots, but you haven’t. All you really bought is a lie.
Not because software can’t be bought. It absolutely can, just not at retail. Large corporations buy and sell software to each other all the time, for millions and billions.
But ordinary people, users, customers, including corporate clients, do not and cannot buy software. You probably think you have, and that you own umpteen programs, but you don’t. That’s a lie by the commercial software industry.
All you can buy is licenses. Serial numbers or activation keys or maybe even hardware dongles. Strange abstract entities that only really exist in lawyers’ minds, which claim to permit you to use someone else’s software.
And they aren’t worth the paper that they’re no longer printed upon.
You don’t own the software. You have no rights over it. The vendors don’t even claim it works and, indeed, explicitly state that it might not and if it doesn’t it’s not their fault and they don’t, and won’t, promise to fix it.
You own, at most, a serial number. Congratulations. You paid $25 per letter for a really bad Scrabble hand, and it won’t work with the next version of the app, or with your next computer either. Enjoy.
At worst, with software as a service, you don’t even get a copy. You don’t even get to run it on your own computer. You pay for the right to use someone else’s computer, and if they go broke or get hacked or your internet goes down… tough. Sucks to be you.
So how can you own software?
There certainly are ways.
You can make a few hundred mill, and buy a software company.
You can write your own software. But it’s really hard, especially as most modern commercial OSes don’t come with software development tools any more.
You can hire some programmers to write the software you need just for you.
Of course, you can’t check their work unless you learn their job, and they might go sell it to someone else too. If you lose those programmers, others probably won’t be able to take over. Just as no real work has gone into making it easier for non-specialists to write software, precious little has gone into real genuine modularity, or maintainability, or robustness, or efficiency. Real software is about as recyclable as fast food packaging.
But if you commissioned it and paid someone to create it for you, and you keep the code, then you do own it.
This is one reason that FOSS advocates keep going on about source code. The majority of operating systems and mass-market software is compiled. It inherently has two parts, like a jelly and a mold. If you don’t have the mold, you can’t make more matching jelly, and you can’t make one from the jelly. So if you only have the jelly, well, it won’t last long and you can’t maintain it, or replace the bits you ate or which went bad. Software, like jelly, is very perishable. It doesn’t last and there’s no fridge.
But if you have the mold, well, even if you don’t know how to make jelly, you can hire a cook, give them the mold, and they can make you more identical jelly.
Source code is the jelly mold. It’s no use on its own but you can use it to make something useful.
In most other ways, though, source code is useless.
Sadly, this means that the benefits that FOSS advocates talk about simply are not real. The ability to alter or customize software? By and large, fictional. You can’t usefully inspect it, check it or verify it. Most software is written in famously opaque languages. Programmers can’t read their own code a few weeks or months later, let alone anyone else’s.
It’s huge and hugely complicated and almost unreadable.
It’s also vast.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
Microsoft plans to sunset its Microsoft Office branding after more than 30 years, rebranding the apps to Microsoft 365; new logos will roll out in January 2023 — Microsoft is making a major change to its Microsoft Office branding. After more than 30 years, Microsoft Office is being renamed …
Microsoft Office will become Microsoft 365 in major brand overhaul
https://www.theverge.com/2022/10/13/23402155/microsoft-office-microsoft-365-rename-branding-changes?scrolla=5eb6d68b7fedc32c19ef33b4
The Microsoft Office collection of apps aren’t going away, but the first big brand change in 30 years sees Microsoft 365 take the center stage
Microsoft is making a major change to its Microsoft Office branding. After more than 30 years, Microsoft Office is being renamed “Microsoft 365” to mark the software giant’s collection of growing productivity apps. While Office apps like Excel, Outlook, Word, and PowerPoint aren’t going away, Microsoft will now mostly refer to these apps as part of Microsoft 365 instead of Microsoft Office.
Microsoft has been pushing this new branding for years, after renaming Office 365 subscriptions to Microsoft 365 two years ago, but the changes go far deeper now. “In the coming months, Office.com, the Office mobile app, and the Office app for Windows will become the Microsoft 365 app, with a new icon, a new look, and even more features,” explains a FAQ from Microsoft.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Debby Wu / Bloomberg:
TSMC cuts its 2022 capital spending target by ~10%, expecting to spend ~$36B on equipment, down from a prior $40B+ estimate, suggesting a deeper tech downturn — Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. slashed its 2022 capital spending target by roughly 10%, a dramatic sign of trouble …
TSMC Cuts Capital Spending 10% in a Warning for Tech Sector
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2022-10-13/tsmc-earnings-top-estimates-as-chip-industry-braces-for-slowdown
Taiwan giant betting on tech to weather a potential recession
Outlook for tech industry is souring after US adds trade curbs
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. slashed its 2022 capital spending target by roughly 10%, a dramatic sign of trouble for the technology industry from the world’s most valuable chip company.
TSMC said it expects to spend about $36 billion in 2022 on capital equipment, down from at least $40 billion previously. The sharp reduction in expenditure — an important indicator of its own expectations for growth across sectors from smartphones to servers and electric vehicles — suggest the Taiwanese firm is bracing for a broader-than-anticipated downturn.
TSMC and its peers are grappling with Washington’s sweeping restrictions on doing business with China, which are sending shock waves through the global semiconductor industry. Applied Materials Inc., a leading producer of chip-making equipment, slashed its forecast for the fourth quarter, while Intel Corp. is said to be preparing to fire thousands. Shares in European gear maker ASML Holding NV, whose top customer is TSMC, fell as much as 3% Thursday.
The moves unveiled last week are the Biden administration’s most aggressive yet as it tries to stop China from developing technological capabilities it sees as a threat. The actions, which have incensed Beijing, threaten to disrupt a global economy already dealing with a potential global recession, soaring inflation and lingering supply snarls.
“The company’s 10% cut in full-year capital spending target implies prolonged weakness in smartphone and PC chip demand,” Bloomberg Intelligence analyst Charles Shum said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel to Take on AMD’s Xilinx with Future Edge FPGAs
Oct. 5, 2022
Executives at Intel are serious about becoming a larger competitor to AMD’s Xilinx in the FPGA market.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/embedded-revolution/article/21251986/electronic-design-intel-to-take-on-amds-xilinx-with-future-edge-fpgas?utm_source=EG+ED+Connected+Solutions&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS221011200&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wall Street Journal:
Sources: US chip equipment suppliers are pausing business activities and pulling out staff based at China’s YMTC, following US curbs on China’s chip sector — Tool makers are pulling out staff and pausing work as they assess the impact of Commerce Department restrictions on semiconductor exports to China
U.S. Suppliers Halt Operations at Top Chinese Memory Chip Maker
Tool makers are pulling out staff and pausing work as they assess the impact of Commerce Department restrictions on semiconductor exports to China
https://www.wsj.com/articles/u-s-suppliers-halt-operations-at-top-chinese-memory-chip-maker-11665573761?mod=djemalertNEWS
Tomi Engdahl says:
Reuters:
Applied Materials says US export controls on chips and chipmaking tech to China would result in a $250M-$550M net sales loss for its fiscal Q4 2022 and Q1 2023
Applied Materials cuts quarterly revenue, profit estimates on China export curbs
https://www.reuters.com/business/applied-materials-cuts-fourth-quarter-revenue-estimate-2022-10-12/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Isoja kiekkoja valmistetaan ennätysmäärä
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14116-isoja-kiekkoja-valmistetaan-ennaetysmaeaerae
Puolijohdevalmistajien ennustetaan laajentavan 300 millimetrin piikiekkojen tuotantokapasiteettia lähes 10 prosentin vauhdilla vuosina 2022-2025. Jakson lopulla isoissa kiekoissa päästään ennätykselliseen tuotantovauhtiin: 9,2 miljoonaan kiekkoon kuukaudessa.
SEMI-järjestön johtajan Ajit Manochan mukaan samalla, kun pula joistakin siruista on helpottunut ja toisten tarjonta on pysynyt niukkana, puolijohdeteollisuus luo pohjaa vastatakseen pitkän aikavälin kysyntään monenlaisille nouseville sovelluksille.
Kiinan ennustetaan kasvattavan maailmanlaajuista osuuttaan 300-millisten kiekkojen tuotantokapasiteetista viime vuoden 19 prosentista 23 prosenttiin vuonna 2025. Kiinassa valtio investoi voimakkaasti puolijohdetuotantoon ja ennusteen mukaan maassa valmistetaan 23 miljoonaa 300-millistä kiekkoa kuukaudessa vuonna 2025. Kiinan volyymien uskotaan ohittavan Taiwanin tuotantomäärät jo ensi vuonna. Selvä ykkönen on edelleen Korea.
Yhdysvalloissa valmistetaan tällä hetkellä 8 prosenttia kaikista 300-millisistä kiekoista. Osuuden arvioidaan nousevan 9 prosenttiin vuonna 2025 massiivisten Chips Act -investointien jälkeen.
Euroopassa suurista kiekoista valmistetaan tällä hetkellä noin 6 prosenttia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/12/apple-brings-more-of-its-services-including-icloud-and-apple-music-to-microsoft-platforms/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/12/microsoft-announces-syntex-a-set-of-automated-document-and-data-processing-services/
Tomi Engdahl says:
AR/VR screens could be getting a lot better as ‘microLED’ tech sneaks out of the lab
https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/12/porotech-microled/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google’s 3D video calling booths, Project Starline, will now be tested in the real world
https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/13/googles-3d-video-calling-booths-project-starline-will-now-be-tested-in-the-real-world/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.iflscience.com/musk-reveals-optimus-tesla-robot-but-some-folks-aren-t-impressed-65568
Tomi Engdahl says:
The U.S. Has a Microchip Problem. Safeguarding Taiwan Is the Solution.
A Chinese attack on the island would imperil the world’s supply of semiconductor components. Here’s how to offset that threat.
https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2022/10/taiwan-microchip-supply-chain-china/671615/
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. to thwart China’s semiconductor industry on all fronts
https://www.donga.com/en/article/all/20221008/3685555/
The Biden administration’s announcement envisioned as early as Friday local time to impose sweeping semiconductor export restrictions on Chinese entities is apparently aiming to thwart China’s semiconductor industry at all fronts as the measures ban exports for system semiconductors serving as the brain of advanced weapons and AI but the memory chips used in all electronic products.
The U.S. Department of Commerce is preparing measures to require foreign firms to get separate approval if they plan to sell semiconductor technology and equipment such as 18nm DRAM or below that exceeds its current standards based on the U.S. Foreign-Direct Product Rules (FDPR) currently applied on Chinese mobile communications companies including Huawei.
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. aims to hobble China’s chip industry with sweeping new export rules
https://www.reuters.com/technology/us-aims-hobble-chinas-chip-industry-with-sweeping-new-export-rules-2022-10-07/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chinese industry body urges US to rectify mistake over chip ban, as global firms face chaos
‘Disruptive, discriminatory’ move put millions of jobs at stake
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202210/1277097.shtml
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tesla’s Optimus and the problem with humanoids
https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-63130363
Fans of Tesla and Elon Musk were enthralled by the unveiling of Optimus, a prototype humanoid robot, in California last week.
I also enjoyed the theatrics – but I’m not alone in wondering why, apart from the wow factor, Optimus had to be human-like.
And while the fans hate any perceived criticism, Mr Musk himself has said Optimus is nowhere near market-ready.
The argument made for humanoids is they are best equipped to work with human tools, in human environments. People may feel more comfortable interacting with something that looks like a bit like them. And of course, they look great.
But how practical are they?
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://nordic.ign.com/google-stadia/60471/news/google-is-shutting-down-stadia-its-cloud-gaming-service
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.edn.com/chinas-grey-market-for-chips-in-the-post-export-curbs-world/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Useful Sensors’ new $10 Person Sensor includes a camera and microcontroller in a tiny package, and comes pre-loaded with an ML algorithm that can detect people.
https://www.hackster.io/news/the-whole-package-301ee0887def
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://techcrunch.com/2022/10/18/google-is-finally-making-chrome-tablet-friendly/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bespoke Silicon Rattles Chip Design Ecosystem
https://semiengineering.com/bespoke-silicon-rattles-chip-design-ecosystem/
From specific design team skills, to organizational and economic impacts, the move to bespoke silicon is shaking things up
Bespoke silicon developers are shaking up relationships, priorities, and methodologies across the semiconductor industry, creating demand for skills that cross traditional boundaries, and driving new business models that leverage these enormous investments.
Bespoke silicon designers today are a rare breed, capable of understanding the unique requirements of a specific domain, as well as a growing array of issues that can crop up in multiple stages of the design flow. At the most basic level, they need to understand what works best in hardware, what works best in software, and how to tightly integrate both to optimize performance and power.
“The software architect or the system architect needs to know what it takes to do silicon,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel to Take on AMD’s Xilinx with Future Edge FPGAs
Oct. 5, 2022
Executives at Intel are serious about becoming a larger competitor to AMD’s Xilinx in the FPGA market.
https://www.electronicdesign.com/technologies/embedded-revolution/article/21251986/electronic-design-intel-to-take-on-amds-xilinx-with-future-edge-fpgas?utm_source=EG+ED+Auto+Electronics&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS221017197&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.identpull=omeda|7211D2691390C9R&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
The future of digitalization: On-premises vs. cloud
https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/xcelerator/2021/11/17/the-future-of-digitalization-on-premises-vs-cloud/?utm_source=endeavor&utm_medium=native&utm_campaign=personifai&utm_term=cloud%20technology
Digital Threads and Business Processes
https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/xcelerator/2021/08/20/digital-threads-and-business-processes/?utm_source=endeavor&utm_medium=native&utm_campaign=personifai&utm_term=digital%20transformation
Manufacturers of all stripes are pursuing digital transformation efforts to meet the evolving needs of product development. The digital thread is a vital part of such initiatives. As manufacturers look for better ways to manage more complex products and processes through digital transformation, many are formalizing and improving their digital threads.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Role of the Digital Thread and Digital Twin in Digital Transformation
https://blogs.sw.siemens.com/xcelerator/2021/04/29/the-role-of-the-digital-thread-and-digital-twin-in-digital-transformation/?utm_source=endeavor&utm_medium=native&utm_campaign=personifai&utm_term=digital%20transformation
Lifecycle Insights: Digital transformation offers overwhelming ROI
https://resources.sw.siemens.com/en-US/analyst-report-lifecycle-insights-digital-transformation-offers-overwhelming-roi?utm_source=endeavor&utm_medium=native&utm_campaign=personifai&utm_term=digital%20transformation
Tomi Engdahl says:
Toimitusajat lyhenevät, jakelijoilla on kiire
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14133-toimitusajat-lyhenevaet-jakelijoilla-on-kiire
Pitkään komponentteja ostavat ovat joutuneet odottamaan tuotteita linjoille massiivisia aikoja, mutta nyt ongelmat ovat helpottamassa useissa tuotekategorioissa. Tämä tarkoittaa samalla, että komponenttien jakelijat tekevät uusia ennätyksiä.
Ennätyksistä raportoi esimerkiksi Rutronik, jonka Euroopan keskusvaraston kuukausiliikevaihto ylitti jo elokuussa ensimmäistä kertaa 100 miljoonan euron rajan. Tämä tulos ylitettiin jälleen syyskuussa, kun kuukausimyynti nousi yli 109 miljoonaan euroon. Syyskuussa varastossa poimittiin noin 200 000 asiakkaille toimitettavaksi, mikä sekin on uusi ennätys.
Rutronik toimittaa tuotteita yli 40 000 asiakkaalle maailmanlaajuisesti.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14134-suunnittelutyoekalujen-myynti-on-nyt-ennaetysvauhdissa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wi-Fi 7 rynnii markkinoille jo ensi vuonna
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14136-wi-fi-7-rynnii-markkinoille-jo-ensi-vuonna
Langattomien lähiverkkojen eli Wi-Fin uusin polvi kulkee nimellä 6E. Seuraavaksi vuorossa on Wi-Fi 7. IEEE on näillä näkymillä saamassa 802.11be-standardin valmiiksi alkuvuodesta 2024. Operaattorit, piirien- ja laitteidenvalmistajat eivät tuoreen tutkimuksen mukaan aio odottaa valmista standardia.
Wireless Broadband Alliancen eli WBA:n tuoreessa operaattorikyselyssä yli kolmanneksella (33 %) palveluntarjoajista, teknologiatoimittajista ja yrityksistä on jo suunnitelmia ottaa Wi-Fi 7 käyttöön vuoden 2023 loppuun mennessä. Raportti paljasti myös, että Wi-Fi 6E:stä on nyt tullut de facto alan standardi: 53 % on jo ottanut teknologian käyttöön ja 44 % jo valmistelee suunnitelmia ottaa käyttöön Wi-Fi 6E seuraavien 12–18 kuukauden aikana.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/14120-ultraaeaeni-tuo-eleet-aelypuhelimen-ohjaamiseen