SemiAccurate appears to have uncovered reports of a potentially serious issue with certain Asustek Computer motherboards that could leave customers seeing their boards fail sooner than expected, and may even cause damage to other system components such as the CPU.Tipped off by reports in various user forums, SemiAccurate's says that motherboard owners are discovering what looks to be rusted chokes on their boards. The boards include those that are new, or released within the past year or so.Chokes, the usually square component found clustered around the CPU socket and sometimes other parts of a motherboard, act as a "short-term storage area" for electrical charge as it passes from the MOSFETs to the capacitors and onto the CPU. Good quality chokes are able to hold a higher charge for longer meaning the MOSFETs can switch off more frequently.On the other hand, old, damaged or degraded chokes are unable to retain their charge which forces the MOSFETs to open more frequently. This causes the system to draw more power, reducing the overall efficiency of the motherboard while producing more heat, and increases the workload of other components – the MOSFETs, capacitors, and PSU – which over time could eventually lead to these parts failing also. The result is a dead motherboard or PSU, and if the user is unlucky, whatever component lies beyond the capacitors, usually the CPU, could also get damaged.High-quality chokes are made from ferrite, which doesn't rust, while motherboard makers may use cheaper chokes made from iron in their low-end and mid-range boards to reduce costs. This suggests that owners of Asustek's high-end boards aren't likely to be affected by this issue, but that still leaves the cheaper (i.e. the high-volume) segments potentially exposed, meaning Asustek could face a large number of RMA cases down the road.It's possible for rusting as seen in SemiAccurate's images to be caused by water or condensation which accumulated on the boards sometime after they shipped from Asustek. However, such cases are usually isolated (the result of end-user error) or in regions known for high humidity, such as near the coast.But since current reports are coming from users as far apart as Taiwan and Singapore, and include claims of brand-new off-the-shelf boards already showing signs of corrosion, it's much more likely that the problem originated somewhere within Asustek's supply chain, most likely during the production of the chokes themselves.A followup post by SemiAccurate in which the site opened up some of the affected chokes and discovered that the corrosion is not just on the surface of the components, and in fact extends right through to the core appears to back the hypothesis that the issue arose at some point during the manufacturing of the chokes, possibly by contamination, or that the parts were not allowed to dry thoroughly.Despite it being almost a week since SemiAccurate first publicized the claims, Asustek has not yet acknowledged the reports or contacted the site. Asustek did acknowledge receipt of our email inquiries, but said the relevant spokesperson was currently unavailable and would get back to as soon as possible. We will continue to update this story as it develops.Update: A representative for Asustek in Taiwan has responded saying there have been no reported cases of anomalous motherboard behavior resulting from the alleged rusty chokes issue to date. The company added is saying, "We are unable to comment on the specific article published on SemiAccurate, as no one from the site has approached us for clarification." The company finished in saying that its service center engineers are happy to assist customers with any questions or concerns.SemiAccurate maintains that it did reach out to Asustek's offices in the US with no response.Chokes showing apparent rust corrosionPhoto: SemiAccurate, used with permission

A source close to Nokia has challenged parts of a recent Digitimes report that Skyworks will be the beneficiary of Nokia shifting some of its power amplifier (PA) orders in 2010, saying the report didn't get the numbers quite right.The article stated that Nokia would take approximately 30% of the PA order volume it had planned to give its major supplier RF Micro Devices (RFMD) and switch that portion to Skyworks. Skyworks is likely to receive total orders for 600 million PAs from Nokia this year, according to the report.The source did not deny that more orders will be going to Skyworks this year but simply maintained that the numbers provided in the report are not correct. The source was not willing to clarify which of the numbers were off, nor by how much.Officially, Nokia danced around the issue without addressing it. When asked if the company planned to switch orders from RFMD to Skyworks, Nokia stated it will continue to use RFMD as its major PA supplier, and that Skyworks has been an additional supplier for some time.Skyworks only commented on the article by stating there were multiple gross inaccuracies in the report.

There has been no shortage of rumors and speculation surrounding Apple's upcoming tablet PC (which for want of a better name will be referred to as the iSlate for the rest of this post), but the most recent talk from multiple sources inside Taiwan's component supply chain is that Apple plans to put a GPU from AMD inside the device. This rumor, however, couldn't get past our editors and so wasn't posted as news on the Digitimes front page, but it is still interesting to speculate how such rumors come into circulation.As far as we know (and we did ask but received a "no comment" from a company spokesperson), AMD does not currently have any GPUs that support ARM processors. In fact it sold its related assets to Qualcomm in January 2009. Since developments inside AMD are usually leaked out to reporters well ahead of time, it seems highly unlikely that AMD could complete development on a whole new chip without any hints until now.Second, even supposing AMD could complete initial design on a chip completely in secret, once it comes time to start planning how to manufacture it, AMD would need to let a foundry partner in on the project. Since AMD usually uses Taiwan-based foundries for its GPU manufacturing, the leaks would have started then. In order to get a chip out completely under the radar, AMD would have to be using a different foundry, most likely one of Globalfoundries' or its newly acquired Chartered ones, with a newly tailored process.Put simply, that is a lot of secrecy and a lot of risk (combining a new chip design with a new manufacturing process only multiplies the number of issues) for Apple to go through, especially when there are already plenty of suitable GPU options for the iSlate available; Nvidia's Tegra or Qualcomm's Snapdragon for example. (If it turns out Apple does go with Snapdragon it would mean the rumors have a kernel of truth since Snapdragon most likely contains at least some IP originally developed by ATI.)But the most logical supplier for the iSlate's graphics is Imagination Technologies. Apple has investment in Imagination and the company supplies graphics for the iPhone. Additionally, Imagination already has products available, such as its PowerVR SGX545, that are capable of meeting the expected needs of the iSlate in terms of 3D and multimedia performance.With Apple already having several GPU options to power its iSlate, the idea that it has commissioned AMD to roll a whole new one seems like a joke. However, since there are no definites in the IT industry, we'll just have to wait until January 27 to find out.

One key reason that is seldom discussed as to why Microsoft has been able to enjoy continued successful with its Windows operating system in the PC and mobile device market is that the software giant has always sought to maintain close partnerships with hardware OEMs, especially makers in Taiwan.It appears that Microsoft is using this same business model to promote its cloud computing initiatives. Microsoft has announced that it is cooperating with the Taiwan government and Taiwan's largest telecom carrier Chunghwa Telecom (CHT) to develop cloud computing technologies in Taiwan, and during his recent visit to Taiwan, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was quick to point out that Microsoft's Taiwan partners will play a key role in the future development of hardware and software.Looking at Microsoft's partnership with CHT, sufficient Internet infrastructure with stable broadband networks is crucial to developing cloud computing applications, and in this context telecom carriers play the key role of being the channel to provide cloud computing services. Microsoft's cooperation with CHT reflects its strategy of setting up close partnership with telecom carriers.As for its partnership with Taiwan's government, Microsoft and Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs will jointly invest to establish a Software and Service Excellence Center in Taipei, with focus on R&D of applications of cloud computing technologies. This reveals Microsoft's intention of establishing a hardware supporting system to realize cloud computing applications.While these two announcements demonstrate Microsoft's continued support of its Taiwan partners, they also signify a shift in Microsoft's focus. In the past, Microsoft has targeted its hardware partners directly. For its cloud computing strategy, it appears that Microsoft is looking to make sure that government support and telecom infrastructure can keep up with the hardware makers.

While originally scheduled for a one day November 4 trip to Taiwan, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer slipped into Taiwan late November 3 amid little fanfare. Ballmer came to Taiwan to help Microsoft celebrate its 20 year anniversary on the island.Although Ballmer arrived at the smaller and less internationally used Sungshan Airport in downtown Taipei, the local media was still there waiting for him. If any of the reporters covering Ballmer's arrival hoped to catch a tired, grumpy and jet-lagged Ballmer, they were surely disappointed. Despite the late hour, Ballmer remained his usual energetic self, praising the performance of the local Taiwan office and stating that the local weather was "pretty darn great."The understanding was that Ballmer's whirlwind Taiwan tour would include a morning meeting with Taiwan president Ma Ying-jeou and a keynote speech at a Microsoft event where he would participate in a forum with leaders from Taiwan's Legislature and Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) as well. Ballmer may also meet with handset maker HTC in the evening before jetting off to his next destination.Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer arrives in Taiwan at the Sungshan Airport, TaipeiPhoto: Terry Ku, Digitimes

Micron Technology has posted a Q&A blog post discussing the impact the company expects Windows 7 to have on the memory industry. Matthias Buchner, director of segment marketing for Micron's DRAM product group, gave his comments on how DRAM demand will be influenced on the launch of Windows 7.Buchner said Windows 7 is revolutionary catalyst that will bring would-be PC buyers off the sidelines and into the PC market. Not only will Windows 7 drive the mainstream memory density in traditional notebooks from 2GB to 4GB, but its launch will also spur DRAM bit growth through increased PC unit sales. Buchner forecast that unit growth should be driven by consumers in calendar 2010, followed by the enterprise applications in calendar 2011.While 4GB is seen as the sweet-spot in notebooks, netbooks will also move to 2GB, from today's 1GB, Buchner indicated.2010 is shaping up to be a big year for DRAM technology transitions with the conversion from DDR2 to DDR3, as well as the density transition in DDR3 from 1Gb-based modules to 2Gb-based modules. Additionally, a trend in reducing power consumption, or lowering voltage in the systems, is emerging as DDR3 moves down to 1.5V and even further to 1.35V, said Buchner.The full posting can be read here.

AU Optronics today announced it has completed the carbon footprint verification on its 32-inch LCD TV set according to international carbon footprint standard PAS2050: 2008. Succeeded in the third party verification by SGS, AUO's 32-inch LCD TV is the worldwide first LCD TV set gaining carbon footprint verification, which establishes the benchmark on the carbon footprint management for consumer electronic products, the company said.The 32-inch LCD TV is also included in the UKAS PAS2050 pilot project by United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS). AUO is the only IT company in this project and will bring its experiences on the carbon footprint management for instituting the international verification standard, the panel maker said.Based on the definition of the life cycle of ISO14044, the carbon emission calculation of AUO's 32-inch LCD TV carbon footprint project includes each stage of the product life cycle from raw material, manufacturing, delivering, consumer using, discard, or recycling. Through the indicator of carbon calculation, consumers will know well how the environmental impact is caused by the electronic products they use in the future."We are proud that AUO's 32-inch LCD TV successfully completed the first carbon footprint verification on LCD TV set in the world. It truly demonstrates AUO's continuous efforts on implementation of green solutions," L J Chen, president and CEO of AUO, said. "Since the manufacturing process of electronic products is very complicated and detailed, there are hundreds of suppliers in the whole supply chain. AUO conducted several suppliers' trainings to launch the carbon footprint management, and developed a carbon database management system to increase the carbon calculation efficiency. From here, AUO successfully builds up a flawless program of carbon footprint management for the supply chain. When developing the next generation of eco products, the carbon database system with detailed carbon data of the supply chain will lead AUO to the leading position in low carbon products innovation."AUO's 32-inch LCD TV set completing the PAS 2050 verification consumes 30% less of the electricity compared to the other same-size products. The product not only conforms to EuP regulations in 2010 but also complies with Energy Star 3.0 in U.S. In addition, the cold cathode fluorescent lamps (CCFLs) are diminished from 16 straight tubes to 4 u-shape tubes. Substantially decreased 82% of the mercury level, the product reduces the environmental impact significantly, it said.

AU Optronics (AUO) has announced that it has been selected as a constituent stock on the Dow Jones Sustainability Asia/Pacific Index (DJSI Asia/Pacific), making it the only pure TFT-LCD manufacturer worldwide to join the index.

Acer last week acted quickly to reiterate that it will launch its first dual-OS netbook with both Windows XP and Android in September 2009 as scheduled, following claims by industry sources that it might delay the launch. During Computex 2009 in June, where Acer showcased the dual-OS netbook, the vendor indicated that the netbook launch would come in the third quarter. And sources with Acer indicated that it could be as early as July. As the end of July was approaching, retail channel players indicated that Acer was mulling a delay in the launch because of lackluster demand for Android. After the news of a possible delay broke, Acer reiterated that the dual-OS netbook will be launched as scheduled in September - which falls within the third-quarter time frame. The netbook may be officially launched in September, but it remains to be seen whether it will be available on the market next month. Channel players expect the netbooks to be shipped in October. Acer's dual-OS netbookPhoto: Yen-Shyang Hwang, Digitimes, June 2009

Foxconn (Hon Hai Precision Industry) is said to have reached a preliminary agreement with the family of an engineer who is believed to have killed himself after losing a prototype unit of Apple's next-generation iPhone.The Southern Metropolis Daily – which first reported the death of engineer, Sun Danyong, at Foxconn's massive manufacturing base in Shenzhen, China – did not indicate the terms of the agreement.But the paper said Sun's body was already cremated on July 22.Apple, which has Foxconn make many of its products at the Shenzhen base, has confirmed the death of the engineer, and an Apple spokesperson in Hong Kong has been cited by the Associated Press as saying that "We require our suppliers to treat all workers with dignity and respect."The remark is apparently a response to allegations that Sun had been mistreated and even beaten by managers investigating the loss of the device.The Southern Metropolis Daily on July 23 said it had obtained CCTV footage of the interviews where Sun was questioned by managers, but there was no indication in the footage that the engineer was beaten.But the news has failed to convince skeptics, the paper said, citing some readers as questioning whether the footage could really clear Foxconn of the beating allegations.Some other readers said the case highlighted Foxconn's alleged violation of human rights by searching the engineer's dormitory room for the lost device.Some questions may never be answered, such as what really drove the engineer to kill himself, or how the device was lost. And Apple is unlikely to confirm what actually was lost.