More than 20 Japanese and US semiconductor-related companies are teaming up to develop a mass production method for next-generation memory chips.

For years, technologies like Apple's Siri and Google's Google Now have been flying blind, awoken by the spoken command of their users. If Apple acquires PrimeSense, perceptual computing may finally open its eyes.

Apple came in at No. 46 on the European Union's R&D spending report released this week, which ranked the top 2,000 global companies.

"If we can use our silicon to provide the best computing, we'll do it," Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said. "You will see us focusing on a much broader set of customers."

Kionix has announced that the KMX61G Micro-Amp Magnetic Gyro has met Microsoft's stringent sensor fusion requirements and received Windows 8.1 certification.

Since Imagination's acquisition of MIPS Technologies in February 2013, the company has closed 22 MIPS related deals.

ARM predicts a shift in demand toward lower-priced smartphones will help boost royalty revenues.

Dongbu Group will sell off its core unit Dongbu HiTek, a silicon foundry that makes integrated circuits for other companies under contract, as a way to quell market concerns about the group's financial future.

Spansion has announced a complete family of microcontrollers addressing high performance and low power needs for industrial applications such as factory automation, building management, inverter drives, smart meters, home appliances and medical devices.

German semiconductor maker Infineon Technologies has reported higher revenues in the fourth fiscal quarter and forecast an increase in revenues for fiscal 2014.

Applied Materials is benefiting from an increase in demand from companies such as TSMC that build semiconductors for other chipmakers, as they upgrade plants for new production processes.

Sources close to the situation said the deal that appears to be taking shape looks more like this: Samsung will use Globalfoundries for what is known as "flex capacity." This is a long-standing industry practice under which a chip manufacturer pays to occasionally use another company's factories when demand on their own factory is running higher than they would like, and they need a little help.

Apple is developing new iPhone designs including bigger screens with curved glass and enhanced sensors that can detect different levels of pressure, said a person familiar with the plans.

Intel plans to lay off by end-2013 an undisclosed but "relatively small" number of workers at both of its assembly plants in Malaysia, the US chip maker's regional spokesman said Monday.

The focus of the US operations will be to find and support partners that can leverage XMC's customized manufacturing capabilities. XMC is currently in production technology nodes down to 45nm. Its leading-edge fabrication facilities in Wuhan China can be configured to produce up to 60,000 300mm wafers per month.

GlobalFoundries is preparing to make chips for Apple's iPhone and iPad at its Fab 8 complex in Malta, according to a source close to the company.

The semiconductor industry is in a standoff over the next big thing - 3D chip stacks. Someone needs to blink before the technology will be viable for creating the next generation of high-performance, low-power systems.

Accelerometers, gyroscopes, NFC and gesture recognition are predicted to be the big winners in mobile devices. These mobile technologies are projected to make the greatest penetration gains over the coming years, according to ABI Research.

China's exports rebounded to relatively strong growth in October while imports accelerated, adding to signs of a recovery in the world's second-largest economy.

US-listed chipmaker RDA Microelectronics said it received an US$18 per share buyout offer from China's state-owned Tsinghua Unigroup, which is funded by the Tsinghua University, marking it a second such bid in more than a month.

A consortium that includes the wireless company Qualcomm, the private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management and BlackBerry's co-founders, Mike Lazaridis and Doug Fregin, is preparing a bid for the company ahead of a Monday deadline, according to people briefed on the process.

ARM expanded its reach from mobile systems down to wearables and out to datacenter servers at its annual ARM Tech Con here last week.

Activist investor Starboard Value LP asked TriQuint Semiconductor to consider selling or restructuring its mobile power amplifier business, which it said was a drag on the radio frequency chipmaker's share price.

Hillcrest's SH-1 sensor hub includes sensor fusion, gesture recognition, and ?？lways on' functions for context aware applications.

InvenSense has announced the 6-axis MPU-6515 MEMS SoC and corresponding MotionApps software platform optimized to support key new functions introduced in Android KitKat.

A Qualcomm executive has been given a new role after making critical comments about Apple's 64-bit A7 chip.

Fusion-io swung to a fiscal first-quarter loss as the data-storage company recorded a steep drop in revenue, weighing on margins. The company also announced CFO Dennis Wolf will be leaving.

Dow Chemical, which is looking to exit businesses that are exposed to commodity price swings, said it planned to raise at least US$3 billion to US$4 billion from asset sales.

STMicroelectronics said chip demand is taking a hit as smartphone manufacturers trim orders, adding to testimony of weakening appetite for high-end handsets.

Japanese consumer electronics giant Panasonic will slash its 14,000-strong chipmaking workforce by half and possibly sell some of its plants, the Nikkei business daily reported Wednesday.

British microchip designer ARM said Tuesday it has a record order backlog going into the final fiscal quarter as it posted a rise in third-quarter profit on forecast-beating revenue powered by global demand for smartphones.

While TI hit the targets, investors seemed shaken by drops in revenue and EPS from the same quarter last year.

Broadcom fell after the company forecast lower fourth-quarter revenue than analysts estimated and said it's cutting as many as 1,150 jobs as demand slows for chips that connect mobile phones to the Internet.

Applied Materials has announced new technology systems for manufacturing large size and ultra-high definition (UHD) LCD and OLED displays that meet consumer demand for greater screen performance, clarity, color and brightness.

Xilinx has reported adjusted earnings per share of 49 cents in the second quarter of fiscal 2014, which lagged the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 52 cents per share. However, reported earnings increased 6.6% from the year-ago quarter.

SanDisk more than tripled its quarterly profit, beating analysts' estimates, after a fire at a rival chipmaker increased prices at a time when Apple and other users of its flash memory chips were launching new products.

ASML said it sees first-half sales in 2014 at similar levels to the second half of this year - which would translate into sales of about EUR3.12 billion if the company meets its full-year sales forecast of EUR5.2 billion in 2013.

Chipmakers including Broadcom and Renesas Electronics are ramping up in-car entertainment with faster processors and networks for wireless HD movies and navigation, aiming to keep drivers informed and passengers entertained.