Qualcomm officials confirmed that the company is working with Korean mobile operators to launch the Snapdragon-based smartphone and Smartbook. Smartbook will be offered by Taiwanese companies during the fourth quarter; the Snapdragon-based smartphone, made by a Korean handset manufacturer, will be available by the end of this year or the first quarter of next year, said Jordan Lim, marketing director of Qualcomm CDMA Technologies Korea.

At the 2009 Symposium on VLSI Technology in Kyoto, Japan, Globalfoundries reported the first demonstration of a technique that allows the equivalent oxide thickness (EOT) in a high-k metal gate (HKMG) transistor to scale down to well beyond the level required for the 22nm node, while maintaining a combination of low leakage, low threshold voltages, and superior carrier mobility.

Samsung Electronics, the world's biggest memory chipmaker, said on Monday it had signed a cross licence deal on semiconductors with Japan's Toshiba.

Samsung Electronics has developed the world's first 32GB DDR3 module for use in server systems. The new module operates at 1.35-volts, in support of the global trend to cut power usage in mass storage computing environments.

Hynix Semiconductor's contract prices for DRAM chips will likely continue to rise at least until the third quarter, a person familiar with the situation said Friday.

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC), China's biggest chipmaker, said recently that the country's demand for its products is recovering with orders in the third quarter expected to be better than in the second.

Elpida Memory is still considering applying for a public funds injection, a company spokeswoman said Friday.

Flat-screen maker LG Display said on Tuesday it would invest 50 billion won (US$40 million) in a pilot line and testing facility for solar power cells, aiming for commercial production in 2012.

Synopsys has announced TSMC selected its Galaxy Implementation Platform for their new integrated sign-off Flow. The new flow is now available for 65nm designs with planned extensions into other process technology nodes.

MagnaChip Semiconductor has announced that its parent companies filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the US Bankruptcy Code, but its South Korean operations are not part of the bankruptcy filing.

Beijing is expected to unveil subsidized prices for solar power production as soon as the second half of the year, the South China Morning Post reported on Monday, citing an industry official.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that politicians needed to consider whether to aid struggling chipmaker Qimonda and its peers in Germany.

Chartered CFO George Thomas said wafer shipments are expected to increase about 60% from the fiscal first quarter, and the loss is expected to be about US$10 million smaller than previously forecast. The chip foundry now expects a loss of 57-67 cents per American Depositary Share on revenues of US$338-348 million.

Toshiba has said it will shoulder US$307 million in restructuring costs from shutting down its old system chip and discrete chip lines as it seeks to unload losses.

Yahoo has named Altera's CFO as its finance chief, the latest move by the Internet company to rebuild itself in the image of its new chief executive. Analyst said the hiring of Morse suggested that Bartz wanted someone to focus on "no-frills financial management."

Hynix Semiconductor plans to raise its contract price for DRAMs by an additional 10% later this month on signs of increased demand, a high-ranking industry source said Friday.

Hoku Scientific said it could be forced to delay completing construction of a polysilicon plant in Idaho if the company is unable to raise capital. Because of its financial woes, the Hawaii-based fuel cell-maker said it may not be able to continue ''as a going concern'' for the next 12 months.

The construction project is expected to take approximately two years to complete and an additional 12 to 18 months to ramp to full operating mode, with volume production anticipated in roughly 2012.

Call them philanthropic or just call them smart investors, the bottom line is that Google wants to provide an alternate solution to the greenhouse gases of laden coal power generation in the US.

A senior Chinese official has said China wants to produce one-fifth of its energy needs from renewable sources by 2020, a significant increase on the current target.