Author page description
March 24
- Humanoid robots to be $4bn market by 2028
➀ The market prospects for humanoid robots have improved with Jensen Huang's introduction of an open source foundational model called Isaac GR00T N1.
➁ TrendForce projects the total market value of the humanoid robot industry to reach nearly $4 billion by 2028.
➂ The Nvidia model, featuring comprehensive datasets and adaptable training capabilities, is expected to accelerate market adoption by speeding up AI model training and reducing time-to-market.
- Ed Tackles PIP
➀ Ed向他的日记透露，执政不到一年的工党政府正在削减福利预算；
➁ 总理认为Ed是一个多面手，经常找他解决问题，Ed成了他的跑腿；
➂ 总理希望Ed帮助解决长期病假人员的问题，以减少福利预算开支，并避免政府形象受损。
March 21
- Sensing fluids in space
➀ Swiss company Sensirion's sensors are being sent into space this month as part of the Wobble2 experiment;
➁ The purpose of the experiment is to improve fuel delivery in zero-gravity conditions by using a better propellant management device (PMD);
➂ Sensirion is providing its SLF3S-4000B flow sensors for the experiment.
- How Neil Armstrong earned his exes
➀ Neil Armstrong, the first man on the moon, spoke at the 2006 Freescale Technology Forum, downplaying the significance of his 'giant step for mankind'.
➁ Armstrong discussed the risks involved in the moon landing, including the computer system disagreement during the final approach and landing.
➂ He recounted the first experiment on the moon, which was to set up mirrors for laser measurements, and humorously mentioned the challenge of correctly determining the location of Mount Hamilton.
- Untangling tariffs
➀ DigiKey's vice president discusses the impact of new tariffs and executive orders on the electronics industry.
➁ The complexities of tariffs, including their introduction, retraction, and the uncertainty they create.
➂ How tariffs affect international distributors, such as DigiKey, and the challenges of managing tariffs in a global supply chain.
- Welsh semiconductor design centre
➀ A new UK semiconductor design centre is expected to emerge from a joint venture between the Welsh Government, the Compound Semiconductor Applications (CSA) Catapult, and Cadence Design Systems.
➁ The design centre, funded by £2.5m from the Welsh Government and supported by Cadence and CSA Catapult, is set to create over 100 jobs for graduate students in the next five years.
➂ Based in Centre 7 in Cardiff Gate, it will be a Cadence Design Centre operated by CSA Catapult, and will collaborate with universities, start-ups, and small businesses on projects.
- 2.5kW medical power supply
Delta has introduced a 2.5kW medical AC-DC power supply, the MEB-2K5A, in 24V, 36V, and 48V versions. The PSUs are designed for applications such as CT scanners, surgical robots, and laser machines, featuring PMBus version 1.3 compatibility and a range of safety certifications.
With an operating range of 85-264Vac and 47-63Hz, the MEB-2K5A offers full output capability above 180Vac. It includes a smart fan for thermal management and is available with various remote on-off options.
- Fieldbuses and Ethernet for industrial MCUs
RT-Labs has expanded its U-Phy fieldbus and Ethernet industrial protocol library to support Infineon's XMC7000 industrial microcontroller family based on the Arm Cortex-M7. Protocols such as Profinet RT, EtherCAT Master, Ethernet/IP, CANopen, CC-Link, and ModBus/TCP are included, accessible via Infineon's Modbus Toolkit. Only 'registered XMC7000 opportunities' can use it commercially in products, as per Infineon's statement to Electronics Weekly. Code examples and documentation are provided, with a sample application available on GitHub.
- Imec and Zeiss extend strategic partnership
➀ Imec and Zeiss have signed a Strategic Partnership Agreement to advance semiconductor technology.
➁ The partnership focuses on High-NA-EUV lithography and other key semiconductor manufacturing technologies.
➂ Zeiss will support imec with research projects and lithography optics, enhancing imec's pilot line capabilities.
- Strathclyde Uni gets £9m for IC packaging R&D
Strathclyde University has received £9 million from Innovate UK to pursue semiconductor packaging R&D.
The goal is to create an advanced packaging line for power electronic semiconductors that will reduce packaging times from months to days.
Global material shortages, limited manufacturing capacity, and a lack of innovation facilities have left the UK supply chain dependent on international markets for key components, leading to long delays.
- WiFi 6E and 7 drive WLAN growth
➀ The enterprise WLAN market in Q4 2024 grew by 3.2% to reach $2.6 billion, according to IDC, but for the full year the market declined by 12.7% year-on-year, ending at $9.4 billion.
➁ The latest Wi-Fi standards, Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7, are driving this growth, with Wi-Fi 6E accounting for 29.0% of the dependent access point market segment revenues in 4Q24 and Wi-Fi 7 contributing 10.2%.
➂ In the Americas, the market increased by 6.1% year-on-year in 4Q24, but declined by 16.7% for the full year. In China, the market declined by 20.1% year-on-year in 4Q24 and by 14.2% for the full year.
- UK Catapult and Voyager sign MoU for In-Orbit Servicing
➀ The UK's Satellite Applications Catapult has signed an MoU with Voyager Technologies to collaborate on In-Orbit Servicing, Assembly and Manufacturing (ISAM).
➁ The collaboration aims to explore opportunities for space tech development, including manufacturing and materials development in orbit, and advanced robotics.
➂ The global ISAM market is expected to be worth £10 billion by 2030, with the UK potentially capturing a 25% share.
- Starlink uniquely vital for Ukraine
➀ Starlink is uniquely vital for Ukraine;
➁ There is only one other low Earth orbit satellite constellation providing internet;
➂ Low orbit is crucial for drone and other military operations due to its higher speed and latency.
March 20
- Modules embed Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE 5.4 and Matter
➀ Mouser is now stocking Silicon Labs’ latest series of Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth Low Energy 5.4, and Matter wireless modules;
➁ The modules, known as SiWG917Y, come with a dedicated wireless processing subsystem, MCU, and security engine;
➂ They have radio approvals for the US, Canada, and Japan, and follow EN standards for EU and UK compliance.
- Google rolls out new Android 16 beta – audio, text outlining, LNP
➀ Google has released the third beta version of Android 16 with new features like broadcast audio support, text outlining, and testing apps with LNP (Local Network Protection).
➁ This update is available only for developers on Pixel devices and is meant for early testing and feedback.
➂ The Android 16 system is scheduled for release in the second quarter of this year.
- CHIIPS Podcast #3 – Insights from Academy Achievers’ Paulette Watson
➀ The latest episode of Electronics Weekly's CHIIPS podcast features an interview with Paulette Watson, founder of Academy Achievers.
➁ Paulette discusses her passion for helping BME girls succeed in STEM careers and her transition from banking to education.
➂ She shares insights on her role as a judge for the Electronics Weekly Women Leaders In Electronics Awards and her work with the non-profit organisation Academy Achievers.
- Softbank buys Ampere
➀ Softbank has acquired Ampere, an Arm-based server chip designer, for $6.5 billion.
➁ Ampere's technology originates from the Arm-based server processors of Applied Micro Circuit Corp (AMCC), which was acquired by MACOM in 2016.
➂ Softbank's acquisition of Ampere aligns with its mission to build AI chips and its recent purchase of Graphcore to enhance IC design expertise.
- EC throws down gauntlet to US
➀ The EC has charged Google with favoring its own services over rivals in its searches and ordered Apple to further open iOS to rivals’ connected devices.
➁ The EC argues that it is merely enforcing the terms of the 2022 Digital Markets Act.
➂ Many see this as the EC throwing down the gauntlet to the new US administration, which has threatened to impose tariffs on countries imposing fines on US digital services companies.
- 2024 datacentre capex up 51% to $455bn
➀ Dell'Oro reported that datacentre capex grew 51% to $455 billion in 2024, driven by hyperscalers deploying accelerated servers optimized for AI training workloads.
➁ The top 10 hyperscalers accounted for over half of global datacentre capex, with NVIDIA's Hopper architecture and custom accelerators from Google, Amazon, and Microsoft contributing significantly.
➂ Dell led all OEMs in server revenue for 2024, with white-box server vendors capturing over 56% of total server revenue.
- Q4 server market grew 91% y-o-y
➀ The server market grew 91% year-over-year in Q4 2024, with revenue reaching a record $77.3 billion. Revenue from x86 servers increased 59.9% to $54.8 billion, and non-x86 servers increased 262.1% to $22.5 billion. Servers with embedded GPUs saw a 192.6% year-over-year growth.
➁ Nvidia dominated the server GPU market with over 90% of shipments with embedded GPUs in 2024Q4. The adoption of servers with embedded GPUs by hyperscalers and cloud service providers has been a significant driver of market growth.
➂ The U.S. was the second fastest-growing region in the server market, with China also experiencing significant growth. Dell Technologies and Supermicro tied for the number one position in the market, followed by Hewlett Packard Enterprise, IEIT Systems, and Lenovo.
- DigiKey, SparkFun partner for STEM with XRP Robotics Kits
➀ DigiKey and SparkFun are collaborating to bring the Experiential Robotics Platform (XRP) kits to students;
➁ The initiative aims to lower the barriers to learning robotics, engineering, software development, and automation;
➂ The XRP kit is a steppingstone for future innovators in the electronics industry.
- The AI Treadmill
➀ AI has become an ever-accelerating treadmill, with costs increasing exponentially.
➁ Jensen Huang highlighted the need for significantly more computation power due to agentic AI, with a requirement 100 times greater than last year's expectations.
➂ Nvidia is increasing its GPU generation frequency to keep pace, as the AI treadmill is driven by new iterations with enhanced capabilities, such as Perception, Generative, Agentic AI, and the upcoming Physical AI.
March 19
- Embedded World Video: NXP’s new S32K5 MCU family advances zonal SDV architectures
➀ At Embedded World 2025, we spoke with Manuel Alves from NXP Semiconductors about the recently announced S32K5 microcontroller family;
➁ He discusses its significance in the automotive industry's shift towards software-defined vehicles (SDVs);
➂ He explains how the S32K5 family enhances the NXP CoreRide platform for SDV development.
- Stepping beyond atomic clocks
➀ Researchers at JILA and the Technical University of Vienna have discovered a resonant mode in thorium atom nuclei with a low temperature coefficient, which could be a replacement for atomic oscillators in national-level frequency standards.
➁ The preferred isotope is 229mTh, which has nuclear resonances in the ultraviolet, accessible by lasers.
➂ The team found a transition with almost cancelled effects, shifting only 62kHz across the measurement range, showing great promise for precision timekeeping.
- Not So Magnificent
➀ The Magnificent Seven, known for their market-moving influence, are currently experiencing losses;
➁ All seven companies closed last week at least 14.5% below their most recent three-month high;
➂ Tesla's share price has nearly halved since December 17 due to CEO Elon Musk's involvement with the Trump administration and the resulting damage to the brand.
- 30mΩ 1.2kV SiC mosfet in top-side cooled package
➀ Nexperia has launched a 1,200V 30mΩ silicon carbide mosfet in a top-side-cooled plastic package with a 18.5 x 14mm footprint.
➁ The device is rated to handle 68A at 25°C and 48A at 100°C, as well as 160A pulses.
➂ The package combines the assembly benefits of SMD with the cooling efficiency of through-hole technology, ensuring optimal heat dissipation.
- Jensen stokes up the AI pace
➀ Huang emphasized the need for significantly more computation for agentic AI;
➁ Nvidia announced the Blackwell Ultra GPU with Dell's 20-PetaFLOPS workstation;
➂ The company also introduced the GROOT humanoid robot and discussed collaborations with GM and T-Mobile for autonomous driving and AI-native 6G networks.
- SiC diode with breakdown voltage of 2000V in TO-247-2 package
➀ Infineon has launched the CoolSiC Schottky diode 2000 V G5 product family, its first discrete SiC diode with a breakdown voltage of 2000V, packaged in TO-247-2.
➁ The product is suitable for applications with DC link voltages up to 1500 V DC, such as solar and EV chargers.
➂ The diode allows for higher power levels and reduced component count, simplifying the overall design.
- Argotec unveils HAWK Plus modular microsatellite bus design
Argotec, an Italian space company, has unveiled the HAWK Plus, a modular platform for microsatellites up to 130kg. The platform allows payload integration at the final stage, enabling mission-specific customization. HAWK Plus aims to provide faster and more cost-effective missions for LEO and deep space exploration. Argotec has a history of working on deep space missions with NASA and is developing the technology further for Earth observation projects.
- Top Ten Chip Vendors 2024
➀ This article provides an overview of the top ten semiconductor companies in 2024, based on Gartner's data.
➁ The list includes the ranking, revenue, market share, and growth percentage compared to 2023.
➂ Notable companies like Samsung Electronics, Intel, NVIDIA, and Apple are highlighted.