➀ Global semiconductor revenue grew 25% YoY to $683 billion in 2024, driven by strong demand for AI-related chips, particularly HBM, which fueled a 74% surge in memory segment revenue;

➁ Memory market recovery, led by improved supply-demand balance and higher ASPs, lifted Samsung, SK Hynix, and Micron into the top seven semiconductor companies by revenue;

➂ Despite overall growth, automotive and industrial semiconductor revenues declined, highlighting market imbalances, while NVIDIA surpassed Samsung as the top semiconductor company due to GPU dominance.

➀ NVIDIA announced the RTX Pro 6000 Blackwell family at GTC 2025, featuring three variants (Server Edition, Workstation Edition, and Max-Q Workstation Edition) tailored for AI and graphics workloads;

➁ The GPUs offer 96GB GDDR7 ECC memory, with power configurations ranging from 400W to 600W, and are positioned as cost-effective alternatives to H100/H200/B200 data center GPUs;

➂ The Server Edition supports 8x GPU configurations with up to 768GB memory, targeting high-density AI and rendering tasks in 4U/5U systems.

➀ JEDEC has published the official HBM4 specification under JESD238, a new memory standard designed to meet the growing demands of AI, high-performance computing, and data centers.

➁ The HBM4 standard doubles the bandwidth and efficiency over its predecessor, HBM3, with support for transfer speeds of up to 8 Gb/s across a 2048-bit interface.

➂ The new standard introduces power efficiency improvements and maintains compatibility with existing HBM3 controllers, allowing for more flexible system designs.

➀ A prototype for an E-Bike terminal has been developed at the Hochschule Karlsruhe (HKA) as part of a project aiming for sustainable mobility;

➁ The terminal is constructed primarily from renewable resources (wood) and is designed to be replicable in other locations;

➂ The project includes a solar power system to charge the E-bikes and features social components such as a meeting point for students and staff.

➀ This study explores the development of chitosan-silanized hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) nanocomposite films;

➁ It focuses on their structural, mechanical, and barrier properties;

➂ The research aims to enhance the performance of biodegradable polymer films, overcoming limitations of chitosan.

➀ MinebeaMitsumi has announced a tender offer to acquire thermistor specialist Shibaura Electronics to save it from a hostile takeover bid from Taiwan's Yageo Corp.;

➁ Shibaura Electronics, with a 13.5% world market share in thermistors, is a key player in vehicles, wind turbines, and industrial robots;

➂ Yageo Corp. plans to make a takeover bid on May 7th, offering $29 per share, but MinebeaMitsumi is offering $31 per share, totaling $485 million for the company.

➀ Ed在日记中透露，关税问题让他感到自豪，他预见到这将是Liz Truss故事的翻版，并相应地应对。

➁ 到周二晚上，关税已使全球股市价值蒸发10万亿美元，而到周四早上，股市又上涨了6万亿美元。

➂ 所有金融人士都说，当政府债券开始抛售时，总统将改变方向，就像Liz在她预算后大量出售金边债券时那样。

➀ Hamamatsu Photonics Europe has launched NZConnectMD Scan, an image acquisition platform for digital pathology workflows.

➁ The software allows for centralized control of multiple NanoZoomer MD Series scanners.

➂ Key features include barcode-based slide tracking, workflow balancing, and space optimization.

➀ U.S. President Donald Trump has signed an executive order to create the United States Investment Accelerator Office;

➁ The office aims to negotiate better deals for taxpayers;

➂ There are concerns about the impact on existing contracts and awards.

➀ A recent study introduces a Janus membrane for water purification and energy generation, aiming to address water scarcity and energy needs;

➁ The membrane uses cellulose nanofibers (CNF) and a modified MXene to improve performance over longer periods;

➂ The Janus membrane demonstrates better performance than traditional membranes, achieving a high evaporation rate and photothermal conversion efficiency, and effectively preventing salt buildup.

SFA has developed three different kinds of metrology and inspection (MI) machines and has supplied one of them to a major South Korean chipmaker.

The company has supplied a white light interferometry (WLI)-based height measurement machine to the conglomerate and plans to supply four additional units.

Zeus, a South Korean semiconductor equipment manufacturer, reported revenue of 315.7 billion won last year, a 69% increase from 2023, according to its filings on Monday. It also returned to profitability with an operating income of 39.1 billion won. This growth is attributed to Zeus's timely development of cleaners for high-bandwidth memory.

➀ Micron confirms plans to raise memory prices due to strong demand for DRAM and NAND flash.

➁ The price hike is expected to continue through 2025 and 2026.

➂ Factors include supply constraints and growing demand from AI, data centers, and consumer electronics.

SK Hynix's CEO announced that the company's high-bandwidth memory (HBM) production capacity for this year has already been sold out. Following discussions with a customer, it is also expected that next year's volume or production capacity will be sold out within the first half of this year.

➀ A student at the University of Applied Sciences in Hagen, Melanie Welp, has developed a contactless timing system for Paralympic swimming to prevent injury from head impacts.

➁ The prototype uses an ultrasonic sensor to measure the time at six meters and 50 centimeters before the edge of the pool.

➂ The system has been tested and shown to be possible without causing injury to swimmers.

DI Corporation’s subsidiary, Digital Frontier, has supplied samples of its wafer inspection kit to SK Hynix for use in the production of HBM4. The equipment is currently undergoing quality testing by the chipmaker, and official orders are expected within three to six months.

➀ The P-562.6CD 6-axis Nanopositioning Stage from PI (Physik Instrumente) offers nanometer-level accuracy, repeatability, and high dynamic performance with millisecond responsiveness across six degrees of freedom.

➁ It uses PICMA® piezo actuators and play-free flexure-guided mechanics for frictionless motion and long-term stability.

➂ The stage is designed for photonics, semiconductor metrology, super-resolution microscopy, and nanomanufacturing.

➀ A trawler caught 7 1/2 times as much fish as with conventional driftnet methods using new electronic fish-finding equipment developed by Kelvin and Hughes (Marine) limited;

➁ The story dates back to 65 years ago, when CERES (Combined Echo Ranging Echo Sounding) equipment was introduced;

➂ CERES combined echo-ranging and echo-sounding to improve fishing efficiency.

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。

➀ Nvidia's GTC 2025 unveiled a roadmap with powerful new AI GPUs and systems, including Rubin GPUs for 2026 and Rubin Ultra in 2027.

➁ Intel's restructuring began with new CEO Lip-Bu Tan and a reorganization of Intel Foundry operations.

➂ Storage solutions for AI use cases were showcased, including Kioxia's 122.88TB SSD and Seagate's NVMe HDDs.