The architectural, software and process innovations Altera is making at 20nm enable the development of an enhanced mixed-system fabric that delivers new levels of performance, bandwidth, integration and power efficiency.

KLA-Tencor has announced two new additions to the company's IC fab-based reticle inspection portfolio: the X5.2 and Teron 611 systems. As the latest offering in the successful 5XX product line, the new X5.2 applies its high performance to capture defects and pattern degradation on masks currently in production, with extended capability for the upcoming 20nm node.

Cadence Design Systems has announced that the first products in the Cadence DDR4 SDRAM PHY and memory controller design IP family have been proven in silicon on TSMC's 28HPM and 28HP process technologies.

Elpida Memory said it opposes moves by a group of bondholders to block its sale to Micron Technology because it would interfere with an "entirely fair" reorganization.

FormFactor will acquire MicroProbe, a provider of advanced SOC wafer test solutions, for US$100 million in cash and US$16.8 million in stock, subject to customary adjustments. The merger is expected to close in the first half of FormFactor's fiscal quarter ending December 29, 2012.

Intel's R&D expenditures accounted for 32% of the top-10 spending and about 17% of total R&D expenses at all semiconductor companies worldwide-counting IDMs, fabless suppliers and foundries.

Samsung Electronics said on Monday it would inspect 250 Chinese companies which make products for the South Korean firm to ensure no labour laws are broken.

Warren East, chief executive of ARM, said the chipmaker was holding back on some of its recruitment plans in 2012 amid fears of a slowdown in sales in the second half of the year.

The objective of the agreement is for Fujitsu Semiconductor and J-Devices to build a long-term, mutually beneficial strategic partnership in the semiconductor manufacturing business.

SEMI has announced the introduction of 450 Central (www.semi.org/450), a web-based information service to help the semiconductor industry efficiently transition to 450mm-ready solutions and keep the industry informed of important news and perspectives on 450mm wafer processing.

US private equity firm KKR & Co has approached struggling Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics and its shareholders with an offer of investment, people with knowledge of the proposal said Wednesday.

About 20 bondholders of Elpida Memory are negotiating with alternative sponsors to replace a takeover offer by Micron Technology they consider too low, a representative said.

Apple and Qualcomm were rebuffed in separate attempts to invest cash with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. in a bid to secure exclusive access to smartphone chips, people with knowledge of the matter said.

Prior to joining Globalfoundries, Bruce Kleinman served as corporate VP of platform marketing at Xilinx, where he led product marketing, product planning and technical marketing.

DesignArt, based in Israel, focuses on small-cell modem and system design for cellular base stations and high-speed wireless infrastructure.

Rambus on Wednesday said it would lay off around 15% of staff as part of a restructuring effort in which the company is trying to curb expenses to improve profitability.

The Lenovo ThinkPad X1 Carbon weighs in at less than three pounds, has an exterior made of extremely lightweight carbon fiber material, boasts optional embedded 3G connectivity for anywhere, anytime Internet access, and relies on a 256GB2 SanDisk X100 SSD for incredibly responsive, small form factor storage.

Yukio Sakamoto has decided to step down as president of Elpida Memory to take responsibility for the company's fall once its takeover by Micron Technology is complete, The Nikkei reported Wednesday morning.

Elpida Memory, the bankrupt Japanese chipmaker being bought by Micron Technology, will get JPY280 billion (US$3.5 billion) in support from the US company, the Asahi newspaper said.

Applied Materials has forecast fiscal fourth-quarter sales that may fall short of analysts' estimates as some customers rein in expansion plans.

Chipmaker Marvell technology said Thursday that its second-quarter net income fell by more than half as revenue declined but research and sales costs rose.

The Japanese electronics maker said in a statement that it's not introducing tablets based on Windows RT due to delayed components "that would make a timely launch impossible." Instead, Toshiba will focus on bringing Windows 8 devices, which run on chips from Intel and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD), to market.

On Tuesday, the group - Linden Advisors, LIM Advisors, Owl Creek Asset Management and Taconic Capital Advisors - reiterated its opposition to Micron Technology?嚙編 US$2.5 billion offer for Elpida.

Qualcomm is providing chips for new devices from Dell and Samsung Electronics that run Microsoft's Windows RT operating system, people familiar with the matter said.

Micron Technology CEO Mark Durcan said he expects the market for chips that store files in mobile devices to improve in the first half of 2013 as manufacturers rein in supply increases.

Globalfoundries and ARM have announced a multi-year agreement to jointly deliver optimized system-on-chip (SoC) solutions for ARM processor designs on Globalfoundries' 20nm and FinFET process technologies.

Elpida Memory bondholders plan to tell a Tokyo court today that Micron Technology's takeover offer for the bankrupt Japanese memory-chip maker is too low, according to a person familiar with the matter.

Applied Materials has has signed an enhanced two-year contract with Globalfoundries to service all Applied Materials equipment at its Fab 1 in Dresden, Germany.

Shares of AMD were buoyed nearly ten percent by rumors that Snapdragon master Qualcomm may be interested in acquiring the fabless chip company.

STMicroelectronics has acquired the intellectual property of Israeli company bTendo, and has hired most of the staff, as it aims to increase the popularity of consumer electronics with integrated projectors.

MIPS Technologies, Ingenic Semiconductor and Karbonn Mobiles have jointly announced availability in India of the world's lowest-cost Android 4.1 'Jelly Bean' tablet.

The Nikkei Shimbun, Japan's economic newspaper, reported that Nikon is going to work with Intel to develop the next generation semiconductor manufacturing equipment capable of handling 450mm wafers.

ARM has announced the second generation of its Mali-series graphics processing units (GPUs), providing a dramatically improved user experience for tablets, smartphones and smart-TVs.

Struggling Japanese chip firm Renesas Electronics has forecast it will make a net loss of JPY150 billion (US$1.91 billion) driven by restructuring costs for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2013, as it published sales down 11% sequentially for the first fiscal quarter, ended June 30.

A key battlefield is emerging for suppliers of mobile chips - the low-end smartphone market in developing countries.

Memory maker Spansion, which reported strong second-quarter earnings today, has an "aggressive" roadmap to boost its product-introduction rate and break its latest design-win record.

German chipmaker Infineon Technologies said Tuesday it will reduce its investments to safeguard operating margin after it dropped in the fiscal third quarter.

Toshiba's first-quarter operating profit is expected to exceed JPY10 billion (US$127.9 million), the Nikkei reported, more than double the profit recorded in the same period a year earlier.

The BCM4335 is now sampling to Broadcom's early access customers, with full production expected in the first quarter of 2013.

The deal may hurt Samsung Electronics, which last week said it would start using AuthenTec's technology in new devices. Samsung is unlikely to continue with plans to use AuthenTec under Apple's ownership.