Semiconductor

SAN JOSE, Calif.—Global semiconductor sales hit $12.68 billion for the month of November, slightly up from the $12.51 billion reported in October, and well above the year-ago’s $10.6 billion, according the Semiconductor Industry Association. “The November sales of the global …

SEOUL, South Korea-Hanaro Telecom Inc., South Korea’s second-largest broadband and fixed-line carrier, announced it would take over its rival Korea Thrunet Co., signaling a major change in the fast-evolving high-speed Internet access market. Hanaro held a board of directors’ meeting …

Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will merge most of their semiconductor operations April 1 into a new company, Renesas Technology Corp., with the goal of turning a profit in its first fiscal year on sales of at least $7.5 …

TOKYO-Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. will merge most of their semiconductor operations April 1 into a new company, Renesas Technology Corp., whose goal is to turn on profit its first fiscal year on sales of at least $7.5 billion. …

NEW YORK-J.P. Morgan has downgraded three top semiconductor vendors, including Intel Corp., Advanced Micro Devices Inc. and Texas Instruments, owing to slow uptake of wireless products. In the eyes of the brokerage firm, Intel and AMD ratings dropped to “underweight,” …

AUSTIN, Texas-Motorola’s Semiconductor Products Sector released the MC72000, an advanced integrated Bluetooth radio solution for wireless devices. The new solution reportedly increases radio operating ranges while decreasing interference from other devices, including microwave ovens, 802.11 networks, cordless phones and other …

NEW YORK-Semiconductor companies like National Semiconductor Corp and Advanced Micro Devices Inc. witnessed stock declines on the downgrade handed out by Morgan Stanley to that sector. In a research note, Morgan Stanley analyst Edelstone downgraded the sector to “in-line” from …

BRUSSELS, Belgium-The European Union has given its nod to the semiconductor joint venture between Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp, making the world’s second largest chipmaker. According to the JV, which will be known as Renesas Technology Corp., Hitachi will …

Motorola Inc. claims it is the only company that has full type approval certification for its wireless reference designs for handhelds. Texas Instruments disagrees. Pointing to its I.250 platform for GPRS as a key example, Motorola said it has moved …

REDMOND, Wash.-Microsoft Corp. and Samsung Semiconductor Inc. announced they teamed to create a concept design for devices using Microsoft’s Pocket PC personal digital assistant operating system, a move the companies said will dramatically lower costs and reduce product development time …

NEW YORK-Intel Corp and five other wireless chip makers suffered downgrades from Merrill Lynch to sell from neutral. The other companies include Analog Devices Inc., Applied Micro Circuits Corp., Conexant Systems Inc., PMC-Sierra Inc. and Vitesse Semiconductor Corp. The investment …

ALLENTOWN, Pa.—Agere Systems said it has unveiled a wireless platform that will shave software costs by as much as $25 million and offer services that are 24 times more reliable by using fewer lines of code to write and maintain. …

EINDHOVEN, United Kingdom-Royal Philips Electronics and Cingular Wireless L.L.C. reported a successful commercial network field trial of single antenna interference cancellation chips for GSM/GPRS mobile phones. The companies said the semiconductor technology improves voice quality, decreases download times for data …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Cypress Semiconductor Corp. said it has sampled the first solution that will link human interface devices like PC mice, keyboards and gaming consoles to personal computers. “Operating at 2.4 GHz, the CY694X can connect as many as seven …

ARLINGTON, Ill.-Neither Motorola nor STMicroelectronics has confirmed press reports that both companies are in talks that could lead to Motorola’s semiconductor division being sold to STMicroelectronics. Such a merger will make STMicroelectronics the second-largest chip company in the world. “We …

Hitachi Ltd. and Mitsubishi Electric Corp. said they have decided to bring their semiconductor units together to form a new company called Renesas Technology Corp. The new company, which should begin operations in April, is intended to combine the system …

CAMBRIDGE, United Kingdom-ARM Ltd. said it will collaborate with China-based Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. to develop an ARM7TDMI microprocessor core-based test chip for the Chinese company’s 0.18 CMOS process. “The ARM7TDMI test chip will enable local semiconductor houses to develop …

CARY, N.C.-UbiNetics said it has signed a development and licensing agreement to allow Hitachi to sell its 3G/GSM radio-frequency chip. “The 3G market represents an enormous growth opportunity for Hitachi,” said Kunio Kobayashi, general manager of the radio-frequency device division, …

SUNNYVALE, Calif.-Advanced Micro Devices Inc. said it has rolled out its double-gate transistors, across which electrical current flows in microprocessors, in wireless devices. “The entire semiconductor industry is working to meet the increasing challenges of developing new transistor designs that …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-At the Intel Developer Forum, Intel Corp. said it has unveiled a number of products to bring personal computer applications to wireless and handheld products using its Personal Internet Client Architecture building blocks. They include the Intel Wireless …

SAN DIEGO-The first International Wireless Symposium, scheduled to be held October 2-4, 2002, in San Diego, will be attended by wireless experts specializing in third-generation technologies, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, according to the symposium’s organizers. Among several others, confirmed speakers at …

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Royal Philips Electronics and Ericsson Mobile Platforms signed an agreement under which Philips will source semiconductor devices for Ericsson reference designs. This will give Ericsson access to Philips’ semiconductor and product portfolio, the companies said.

SAN JOSE, Calif.-Chips for wireless phones and network equipment have witnessed a rise in demand so far during the third quarter of this year, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. “The July data and the year-on-year increase confirm that a …

BERLIN, Germany-Siemens AG said its voting rights in chip maker Infineon have dropped to 25 percent, following the sale of 4.3 million shares of its pension fund on the stock market. Siemens decided to shed its stake in the semiconductor …

OTTAWA, Canada-Atsana Semiconductor Corp. said it has licensed ARM core for multimedia applications in mobile phones, personal digital assistants and network digital cameras. “By licensing the ARM922T core, we are ensuring our ability to deliver a high-performance, low-power processor, which …