ChipSiP Technology Co, Ltd. (Taiwan: 3637), a leading company in turnkey SiP solutions, launched three new products featuring optimum slimness, portability and connectivity for a connected life of cloud computing through the integrated design of Logic, RF and Turnkey solutions. SiP is bringing a smart, connected life to consumers who will be able to share special moments of their lives with ease through various connected devices such as smartphones, digital cameras, camcorders, tablet PCs and TVs.ChipSiP Chairperson Feng Laing said: "ChipSiP created the vision of smart life with the core engine of SiP technology. At Computex 2011, we've successfully delivered innovative miniaturization solutions to meet portability for mobile applications through our integrated cutting edge wireless communication technology and accelerated the penetration of multimedia streaming technology for consumer electronics, personal computers and mobile connected devices. This October, with mounting anticipation for multimedia devices such as tablet PCs and smartphones, we are launching the most high-density 7-in-1 SiP, a slimmest tablet PC with 9.85mm and the most light-weighted WiDi in the world weighing only 90 grams. In addition to the breakthrough in multi-chip design technology and device dimension, we have proven yet again that SiP technology embedded in daily life can be fun, easy and exciting, and the use of these multimedia applications will enable consumers to embrace a new lifestyle, thanks to those simple-to-use smart devices."Advanced core SiP technology shrinks PCB size by a whopping 80%* from mainstream tablet PCsChipSiP leverages its core value of system integration and miniaturization design to highlight competitive advantage of heterogeneous integration of SiP and successfully combined application processor, 2 units of DDR3, 2 units of NAND, WiFi, Bluetooth in a 7-in-1 SiP design that is only 18 x 18mm in size. This new design will usher in a brand-new chapter for lighter and slimmer tablet PCs and smartphone with smarter and higher connectivity.ChipSiP also announced its enhanced WiDi design, a WiDi dongle that weighs only 90 grams** and features the WiFi MIMO technology to allow multimedia contents such as video, photos and web pages to be transmitted wirelessly from PCs, tablet PCs, and smartphones to television. In addition, the design of a memory socket enables users to back up their multimedia contents and ensures an uninterrupted entertainment experience. This sleek and modern design can easily blend into any contemporary interior design with a high-fashion touch. **Compared with other WiDi in the market, WiDi dongle can reduce weight and dimension by as much as 52% and 40%, respectively.The booming tablet PC market heralded by Apple's iPad has created a new way of sharing multimedia and increased the demand for slimmer designs. ChipSiP develops a new tablet PC turnkey solution featuring a thickness as thin as 9.85mm and only 47mm² in dimension to enable a lighter weight, better performance and better power-efficiency. With miniaturized memory SiP and RF SiP in combination with Android operation system, consumers will enjoy more fun and convenience as a result of real-time sharing and connectivity anytime, anywhere. In addition, ChipSiP will release a high-end tablet PC solution with CPU clock speed of 1GHz as well as the world's thinnest design at 8.6mm in Q4. *Compared with mainstream 7-inch tablet PCs, the PCB developed by the tablet PC solution of ChipSiP can reduce footprint, weight and thickness by as much as 80%, 20% and 18%, respectively.Wireless Sharing UnlimitedWhile people enjoy their lives enriched by various mobile devices, they also suffer from the complexity of configuration and cable connection between devices. ChipSiP converts consumer insight and the value of SiP into real life application by combining RF and Logic SiP technologies to build the smallest PCB with highly integrated components without compromising the sleek design of mobile devices, fulfilling the needs for a seamlessly smart life.Thanks to the synergy of SiP technology and its applications, consumers can enjoy ubiquitous connectivity with their smart mobile devices and stay connected to share and interact with people wherever and whenever possible, maintaining real-time communications with great simplicity. No matter whether they are at home, outdoor or at work, they can enjoy multimedia entertainment, connect to a remote IP Cam for surveillance monitoring or healthcare application, or even remote control their toy cars with smartphones and tablet PCs. These smart life scenarios materialized by ChipSiP with its core SiP miniaturization technology makes it possible for consumers to share every wonderful moment anytime, anywhere.

Projectors for business purposes accounted for half of the shipments to the Taiwan market in second-quarter 2011, according to market sources. Thanks to the robust growth in the enterprise segment, overall projector shipments have risen to about 10,000 units per month in Taiwan in 2011 from 8,000-9,000 units in 2010, the sources said.Shipment growth of enterprise projectors have been spurred by sliding product prices, the sources said. The basic 2,500-lumen models are now sold at a market price of under NT$15,000 (US$489.95). Consumers' acceptance of the lightweight, portable models has increased, they said. Viewsonic, Asustek, and Acer have launched portable LED projectors with 250-500 lumens.The sources forecast a 5% market share for portable models in 2011, with the possibility to reach 10% in 2012.

Electronic components distributor Digi-Key Corporation, recognized by design engineers as having the industry's broadest selection of electronic components available for immediate shipment, and LS Research have signed a global distribution agreement.Mark Zack, Digi-Key's Vice President of Semiconductors said, "We are pleased to sign this worldwide agreement. With the company's deep history and unmatched experience in wireless product design, LS Research can offer our customers the best in radio module and gateway solutions.""Our agreement with Digi-Key enables LS Research to bring over three decades of wireless product development and innovative module solutions to a broad global customer base," said Bill Steinike, President of LS Research. "Together, Digi-Key and LSR will enable customers to get their products to market faster by providing them with tested and certified wireless module solutions and the latest innovations in supply chain management."LS Research delivers turnkey wireless solutions with product development, EMC testing & certification, and RF modules. LS Research's module offering includes state-of-the-art FCC/IC certified and ETSI tested WiFi, Bluetooth, 802.15.4, and ZigBee 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz and 5.8 GHz (WiFi) devices, antennas, ProFLEX and ModFLEX modules.LS Research's products are available for purchase now on Digi-Key's global websites: http://www.digikey.com/Suppliers/us/ls-research.page?lang=en

TM Technology's fiber-optic communication ICs has made great strides in reaching 4.25Gbps, meeting cloud computing business opportunities' demand for high bandwidth connectivity.Cloud computing has opened up endless business opportunities, with the emergence of a large number of various applications platforms generating pressing demand for high bandwidth connectivity. Therefore, passive optical network (PON) solutions that meet the high bandwidth demand have drawn much attention, boosting the development of the overall fiber-optic broadband market. These include: FTTH (fiber-to-the-home), FTTC (fiber-to-the-curb) and FTTB (fiber-to-the-building). Over the years, TM Technology has been dedicated to the development of high-bandwidth fiber-optic communications analog ICs, employing its consummate fiber-optic communication mixed signal technology to continuously develop such products as limiting amplifiers, laser diode drivers and GPON ICs for optical communication transceivers. Due to the high technological entry barrier in the fiber-optic communication market, TM Technology is among the few companies in the world that are capable of developing key ICs for optical communication.TM Technology has entered volume production for 4.25Gbps optical transceiver module solutionsThe i7230 laser driver and i7330 limiting amplifier that TM Technology has successfully developed have completed trial production and proceeded to volume production. Both devices deliver transfer rates of up to 4.25Gbps targeted mainly at Gigabit Ethernet SFP/SFF/1x9 transceivers, 1Gbps/2Gbps/4Gbps fiber channel SFF/SFP transceivers, and multi-rate OC3 to OC48 FEC transceiver modules. Apart from its existing 155Mbps, 1.25Gbps and GEPON/GPON IC products, the addition of these high-speed 4.25Gbps products has made TM Technology one of the major suppliers that offer complete portfolios of fiber-optic communication analog ICs in the market.The TM i7230 laser driver is designed for Gigabit Ethernet SFF/SFP multi-rate optical transceiver modules with maximum data transmission rate reaching 4.25Gbps. The product can drive rates ranging from 155Mbps to 4.25Gbps, and it can adjust the modulation current according to the bias current to deliver excellent modulation compensation performance. The product also complies with SFF-8472 transmitter diagnostic and SFP MSA timing requirements, and allows fewer external components.The TM i7330 is a limiting amplifier featuring low power and transmission rates from 155Mbps to 4.25Gbps, designed for all kinds of high-speed optical fiber communication receiver. The TM i7330 has programmable signal detection, allowing users to set the threshold under the CML voltage output mode. Its loss of signal (LOS) detection and optional disable can be used to perform muting functions. When the input signal is below the set threshold, the output of data can be maintained at a constant logic level.TM Technology is the largest supplier of fiber-optic communication analog ICs in Asia PacificTM Technology has been dedicated to developing high-bandwidth fiber-optic communication analog ICs for many years with products adopted for optical transceiver modules. It has won high acclaim from clients, and its accumulated shipments have reached more than 50 million units to make TM Technology the biggest fiber-optic communication analog IC supplier in Asia Pacific, and one of the top-3 in the world. Its product lines include: limiting amplifiers, laser diode drivers and integrated PON ICs. Its fiber-optic communication analog IC models include: 155Mbps IC i7032/i7050/i7051/i7110, 1.25Gbps IC i7070/i7090/i7091, 4.25Gbps IC i7230/i7330/i7331, GEPON IC i7511 and GPON IC i7520.As an IC developer who owns heterogeneous integration technologies covering optical communication, LED lighting driver and USB flash memory, TM Technology has now successfully developed 4.25Gbps and FTTx GPON/GEPON products and is stepping up efforts developing the latest generation of high-speed chip solutions and strengthening cooperation with upstream and downstream firms. It leverages its long experience in overall systems to develop products and applications that better meet clients' needs and raise the chipsets' added-values, establishing its leadership in the global optical communication sector.Cloud computing waves are accelerating fiber-optic network constructionWith the rapid development of the Internet, coupled with incentives from affordable and convenient platforms, demand for transmission bandwidth is growing bigger and bigger, and use of the Internet is becoming more and more diversified. Google has demonstrated the use of cloud computing applications – Gmail, Google Talk, iGoogle, Google Calendar and other online applications, which are the basic uses of cloud computing. As long as bandwidth is sufficient, most things can be done through the Internet without anything to do with computer performance. As long as you are connected to the Internet, you can do computing, store data, search data, share videos, exchange information, etc. on the Internet. All functions can be done online. Therefore the only function left with the computer is Internet connectivity, and the remote server takes care of the rest. This is basically the concept of cloud computing.As for mobile terminal applications, with application technologies fast appearing for the now extremely popular cloud computing, end-users have gradually come to realize the convenience of being able to enter the cloud computing environment at any time. However, as such cloud-based applications continue to increase the volume of multimedia audio-video transmission, even including full HD and three-dimensional (3D) imaging applications, demand for Internet transmission bandwidth is also growing sharply, increasing the importance of fiber-optic broadband network. Mobile broadband technologies have to be improved constantly in terms of transmission performance. However, the mobile broadband backbone connected to 4G wireless base stations must also provide a higher-performance network environment. For the wireless communications backbone, the fiber-optic technology will also be a main choice for its construction.Triple play (namely the digital convergence of broadband, voice and video) is an unprecedented cross-industry, cross-discipline integration and construction, and is also opening up tremendous business opportunities for the optical communication industry. With PON technologies becoming mature and their application growing, telecom operators have often seen IPTV as an entry point for triple play services – that is, through the bundling of broadband, voice and video services, existing broadband users' loyalty can be enhanced. This is the largest strength telecom operators currently have, and an effective measure to avoid price war. Telecom operators are expanding their broadband businesses, accelerating the progress of FTTx.

ViewSonic has unveiled a new LED projector line, including the availability of the PLED-W200 and PLED-W500.Ideal for the business traveler or on-the-road presenter, this ultra portable and energy-efficient projector line features miniature form factors and a 20,000-hour long-life LED light source, LG said. Both the PLED-W200 and PLED-W500 come 3D-ready with 120Hz frame rates. The short throw projectors feature WXGA widescreen resolutions for large screen HD projection in compact spaces."Mobility and energy efficiency are two main trends in the projector market," said Roger Chien, projectors product manager, ViewSonic. "The PLED series transforms the projector from a cumbersome gadget to an incredibly lightweight, compact device that can be carried anywhere to meet all your projection needs. With a mercury-free LED light source and power consumption of less than 50 watts, these pico projectors are as eco-friendly as they are portable, making for powerhouse business solutions."The PLED-W200 and PLED-W500 will be available in North and Latin America in mid-October with three-year limited warranties for respective ESPs of US$499 and US$699.

Memoright, a leading provider of solid state drive (SSD) products, unveils its latest SSD solutions HTM series which delivers constant sequential performance and constant random access performance and allows MLC- based SSDs to deliver longer life span for enterprise storage.As Memoright's Chairman and CEO Eric Kao stated in the keynote speech of Flash Memory Summit, "one size does not fit all in SSD world." SSDs are not simply as a faster version of HDDs. If SSD's performance characteristic does not match data access patterns, SSDs will not perform as expected and sometimes can be slower than HDDs.In some application of enterprise storage, SSD's are required to deliver consistent performance, especially when they are working in an array or certain RAID configurations. Latency is the time with which a drive takes to respond back to host after receiving an IO command. An array of SSD's performs the best when every SSD responds with same or similar latency. This is also the reason why enterprise HDD's are often short-stroked to limit the movement of read/write headset thus to obtain a narrower range of latency time, while sacrificing a high percentage of capacity. In SSD world, some manufactures use high over-provisioning to ease garbage collection process in hope of limiting the latency time. It not only wastes a lot of expensive NAND capacity, but also got no guarantee. Memoright shows that it is possible to limit the latency spread without a high percentage of over-provisioning.Memoright HTM series SSD is tuned for enterprise storage area which demands extremely stable random access performance and lower cost storage solutions with MLC NAND. Normally MLC only takes up to 3,000 to 5,000 cycles of erasures. With Memoright's proprietary flash writing scheme, called Endurance Write, HTM is able to boost the MLC NAND endurance up to 20,000 cycles.HTM uses Memoright's proprietary controller and firmware, supports SATA II interface and is available in both 2.5 inch form factor and 1.8 inch slim design.Memoright HTM-series SSDPhoto: Company

As Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) becomes a global trend, abundant opportunities lie ahead. In response to these demands NEXCOM has developed a complete range of total solutions for in-vehicle computing which are capable of a diverse range of applications including fleet management, security surveillance and digital signage. With vast industry knowledge and proven market experience, NEXCOM was able to attract over two hundreds potential customers to its recent In-vehicle Computing Seminar, which took place in Taipei on the 6th September.During the seminar, NEXCOM highlighted the top three elements to consider when developing an in-vehicle system. These were reliability, power management, and expansion. The requirement to develop new ITS technology for homeland security, travel safety and transport productivity has never been so huge; however all such systems must be truly reliable and capable of operation in the harshest in-vehicle environments.All NEXCOM's in-vehicle systems including the VTC series of in-vehicle computer, the NViS mobile security surveillance, and the PDS series of in-vehicle digital signage players are born to be rugged. They are capable of operating over a wide temperature range, and can withstand dramatic levels of shock and vibration. The industrial-grade fanless design ensures the longevity and reliability, which assures the ultimate stability operations in business.When it comes to in-vehicle applications, power management is always vital. Without the right power ignition on/off delay control, power surges can quickly damage the system, whilst power loss can cause transmission data loss. The integrated PoE, for example widely adopted in NViS series mobile NVR/DVR, overcomes power supply limitations by offering power to in-vehicles peripheral devices such as cameras and monitors. The low-battery protection not only ensures the data transmission can be fully completed, but prevents car battery from drain out while drivers are absent. Finally, a wide range of power input is basic for multinationals operations.Systems requirements vary from vehicle to vehicle and country to country. Thus, the configuration must be expansible and timely customization can be offered. For example, in Europe, NEXCOM's VTC series in-vehicle computer is usually equipped with dual 3G SIM cards to assure seamless signal connectivity when cross borders. "NEXCOM learns a great deal from great successes as well as great failures. We gain our profound knowledge and experience from real cases," Peter Yang says, the President of NEXCOM. This valuable asset enables NEXCOM to offer market proven in-vehicle solutions through out the world.NEXCOM was able to attract over 200 potential customers to its recent In-vehicle Computing Seminar, which took place in Taipei on September 6.

In order to provide quick services for the semiconductor industry in Taiwan, Avantor Performance Materials, a global manufacturer of high-performance chemicals, has set up a Taiwan branch in Chupei City, Hsinchu County. The company held a Grand Opening Reception in the morning on September 20, with lots of distinguished guests' participation. Also, the Forum on Semiconductor Industry Trends was held in the afternoon, inviting key semiconductor VIPs to share the latest technology trends and to provide the audience with insightful opinions.The grand opening ceremony was started with a short speech delivered by Jean-Marc Gilson, CEO of Avantor, saying, "Avantor is a company of 140 years of history. We have served the electronics industry with J.T. Baker brand name for 25 years. After being acquired by the private equity firm, New Mountain Capital, last year, the company has changed its name to Avantor."He emphasized that with the resource provided by the new investor, the company now has more focused plans to target new markets and expand business scopes. In Avantor's global strategy, Taiwan, which is the manufacturing center of global electronics industries, is the essential part of it.As a high-performance materials supplier, Gilson indicated, "We must be close to our customer, in an effort to deliver the support and efficiency they require. This is why we decided to set up the Electronics Laboratory in Chupei.""As process technology keeps evolving, it is necessary to adopt new materials to achieve new technology nodes. Also, the collaboration between companies is a must to overcome the increasingly strict challenges of process shrinking.""In our global expansion plan, establishing the Electronics Laboratory in Chupei perfectly meets with our short, middle, and long-term business goals. Moreover, Avantor will keep developing critical materials, providing customized solutions, and enhancing supply chain reliability. We will make endeavors to be customers' long-term partner and create a win-win situation."To celebrate the establishment of Electronics Laboratory, a mighty lion dance and beating drum performance was arranged, bringing a lively and exciting atmosphere at the ceremony. Officials from local and central governments, including Dr. Hwang Wang-Hsiang, Deputy Minister of Council for Economic Planning & Development, Hsu Ming-Tsai, Hsinchu City Mayor, Chiu Ching-Chun, Hsinchu County Mayor, and C.Y. Ling, Director General of Department of Investment Service, MOEA, also attended the event, expressing their welcome to Avantor's investment in Taiwan.These honorable guests indicated that Taiwan plays a pivotal role in global semiconductor industry with great industrial clusters, talents, and infrastructures. They complimented that Avantor is making the right choice at the right time, in the right place, and wish companies in the industry can work closely to drive innovations and expand business opportunities.During the Semiconductor Forum in the afternoon, Gilson also made a presentation on the topic of "From Taiwan to the World: Solutions for Industry Growth & Collaboration Challenges", further introducing Avantor, its Taiwan market expansion plan, and the technology center vision.A company known for high-purity performance materialsThe predecessor of Avantor is Mallinckrodt Chemicals, which was founded in 1867 to manufacture chemicals for the pharmaceutical industry. In 1995, the company was merged with J.T.Baker Chemical Company, which was founded in 1904 to manufacture laboratory chemicals of the highest purity, and renamed as Mallinckrodt Baker. Last year, Mallinckrodt Baker was acquired by an affiliate of New Mountain Capital and later changed its name to Avantor Performance Materials."The acquisition is just like a rebirth of the company," Gilson said, "Now, we have the resources and corporate support to achieve our vision; that is to create a leading global player in high growth specialty chemical markets including laboratory, pharmaceutical and microelectronics."At present, Avantor has approximately 1,700 employees worldwide, with several highly respected brand names, including J.T. Baker, Macron, Rankem, Diagnova, and POCH. It has built decades-long relationships with over 10,000 customers. There are eleven global locations, including four manufacturing facilities with certified capabilities"Avantor supplies very high purity materials. It's a promise from us," Gilson indicated, "With profound experiences in pharmaceutical industry, we are known for product quality, regulatory compliance, innovation, service, and advanced quality systems. We can work closely with customers to offer a wide variety of chemicals. In addition, we are very good at taking formula to make products for customers' special needs."Regarding electronics industry, Avantor has over 25 years of experiences supplying advanced surface treatment solutions for semiconductor manufacturing, solar cell manufacturing, and flat panel display manufacturing.Avantor's main products include FEOL and BEOL etching, post-etch residue removal, bulk photoresist removal, and FEOL cleaning for semiconductor manufacturing. As for photovoltaic manufacturing, there are pre-emitter and post-emitter surface modification, inline and batch process surface modification. Also, the photoresist removal for flat panel display manufacturing.Reviewing the development of semiconductor industry, Gilson pointed out that when the industry migrated to 90nm, it was considered a big technology jump at that time. But it was only 7 to 8 years ago, now we are moving to 28nm era. To survive in the highly competing market, to lead the market is the key, or will lag far behind."Avantor focuses on surface treatment solution, which is a magic to high-yield manufacturing. As process node keeps advancing, using the same chemistries is not possible. Moving ahead, adopting new material is a must. Only chemistries can help you to get there."The brand new Avantor will complete its offering of performance materials and chemistries through organic growth and acquisitions. In addition to expand manufacturing footprint, the company will also increase R&D spending 3X over historic levels, and adopt SAP Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) to implement complete operational solutions.Gilson emphasized, "We will leverage our improved global supply chain with localized manufacturing to serve the market better. We already invested in Poland and India to get cost-effective raw materials, and are actively investigating Asia/Pacific manufacturing resource.""As a result, in terms of building supply chain, setting up Taiwan branch and the Electronics Laboratory is key to our strategic deployment, with the aim to offer one-stop shop services for customers in Taiwan."To drive innovation through collaboration"Taiwan has two of the world's largest foundries. Processes and tools are here to drive roadmaps and technologies. The answer is very obvious for us to have major investment in Taiwan," said Robert Ferguson, Executive Vice President of Electronic Materials and Northeast Asia, "Also, we can see great opportunity for productive collaboration and technology innovation here."The new electronics applications laboratory is planned to open by the end of 2011, which will provide applications support to high-volume manufacturing customers, while furthering research and development. It will be used to conduct customer demonstrations, perform process of record (POR) development and support Avantor's global electronics technologies development."Our goal is to set up an all-in-one 'virtual fab' to support global customers more quickly with access to advanced 300mm process tools and latest generation metrology tools for customers. It's a unique way in the industry. In this lab, the combination of research and development, applications engineering and small volume manufacturing resources will speed collaboration with customers, leading to faster and more efficient technology development."The lab will be equipped with full suite of state-of-the-art systems. Customers will be able to use the systems to test chemistries and materials in a class 100 clean room fab environment, rather than disrupting operations by taking their own production equipment off-line for testing purposes."Simply put, it's all about collaboration. We got to be close to our customers, rather than imagine their requirements from hundreds or thousands kilometers away," Ferguson stressed, "The investments aims to help customers achieve aggressive technology roadmap targets. We will move forward together with customers from providing high quality product, increasing performance and faster time to market, to achieve next generation advances."Avantor is expanding staffing in Taiwan branch. According to Ferguson, "We have built a professional and passionate team. Also, along with our resources in China and Korea, we will be able to bring real-time support and service to customers in Taiwan and Asia. Either solving routine operational problems or joint developing new materials, we will be customers' best partner."TSMC leads innovations to keep Moore's Law aliveReviewing the progress of technology industry, Dr. Bing J. Shue, Senior Director of TSMC, said, "Starting from PC, the industry has been quickly moving towards consumer electronics with 3C or even 4C integrations. Now, as mobile computing is sweeping the planet, smartphones and tablets have replaced PC becoming the major computing devices. Moreover, the emergence of cloud computing will also bring radical changes to the industry."He believed that the continuous paradigm shifts of the industry can benefit the IC industry at large. However, the increasingly demands for more functionality integrated in handheld devices have pushed the chip design trend from SoC to heterogeneous integration at product level. This will bring strict technical challenges for semiconductor industry."Take process shrinking as an example, 90nm node started in 2004, then moved to 65nm in 2006, 40nm in 2008. Now, 28nm is in mass production, and 20nm will be in pilot run next year. The design complexity and cost are getting escalating."Even though challenge ahead, Dr. Shue is still optimistic, saying, "Semiconductor industry is good at coping with challenges. We have been overcome many difficulties that were considered impossible at first. Therefore, as Moore's Law is pushed to limit, leading semiconductor companies still be able to make challenges as their opportunities."However, as design complexity and cost keep rising, only fewer companies can continue investments to drive the road map. And the gap between processing cost and design cost is getting bigger from 45/40nm. According to Dr. Shue, the cost for developing 20nm process may be up to USD 100M, and only mask cost will account for USD 10M. Therefore, the economical benefit that resulted from process shrinking is no longer valid. This is why TSMC needs to build 450mm fab, which will be a few years down the road.The semiconductor industry has built an increasingly higher cost barrier. He estimated that there are 17 companies offering 65nm technology. The number is reduced to 13 in 45/40 nm node, and 6 in 32/28 nm node. Furthermore, the number will only be 3 in 22/20nm. Under this development trend, commitments, collaboration, and robust ecosystem are required to increase the success opportunity.TSMC's capex this year is USD 7300M, leading other companies. Its 28nm begins to ramp up and 20nm is in test. It will adopt FinFET 3D transistor structure in 14nm node, and the roadmap for 10nm and beyond is also planned."From FinFET, 3D IC, to advanced lithography, we will enable more innovative technologies to achieve the future generation process advances," said Dr. Shue, "We need to establish a strong platform enabling the collaboration among different companies. With our OIP, Open Innovation Platform, we will co-work with customers and third-party vendors, including EDA/IP providers, to push the continuous development of Moore's Law."The multi-platform stage: a new era for the Asian semiconductor industryColley Hwang, President of Digitimes, also spoke at the Forum, saying, "Shaky PC demands, emergence of new technology platforms, and the influences of emerging markets and China are the key topics in the ICT industry currently."He pointed out, "It is undoubted that Asia will be the center of technology industry in the future. For example, China's PC market already surpassed the State, becoming the largest market in the world. And Taiwan plays an important role in the global ICT manufacturing."There are 735 listed ICT companies in Taiwan, ranging from ICT manufacturing, semiconductor, optical, networking, components, distribution, IT service, and others. Their total revenue in 2009 was USD 312,794M, and the number increased to USD 424,581M in 2010, with annual growth rate 35.7%. It fully shows the strong ecosystem and infrastructure built in Taiwan.In addition to the strong manufacturing capability in worldwide notebook market, Taiwan also plays an important role in Apple's iPad, in terms of components and manufacturing, such as touch panel, mechanism components, and assembly. According to Hwang, Taiwan already accounts for 88% of worldwide tablet shipment.Therefore, behind those world-famous brand names, such Asus, Dell, HP, Lenovo, Samsung, Apple, and Acer, there is a huge ecosystem under the iceberg, covering from the upstream foundries TSMC, UMC, IC houses MediaTek, Realtek, components providers TPK, Catcher, distributors WPG, Synnex, to ODMs Quanta, Wistron, Hon Hai. The profound influences of Taiwanese technology makers can't be overemphasized.However, as Wintel architecture no longer dominates and Apple sweeps the market, the profit and business models that tech vendors used to be familiar with have encountered huge challenges. "The overall values of products have expanded from patents, market share to manufacturing and ecosystem, which further demonstrates the importance of Asia," said Hwang.He explained the reason why Samsung could be successful in the new era, saying, "The way Samsung leads the market is that they are brave to take the initiative to invest. Therefore, they can enjoy the benefits of being an early technology provider, and then take the advantages of cost reduction later on."Hwang indicated, "Willing to take risk is the key to Samsung's success. In light of this, Taiwanese makers should reconsider their operational model and strategy, in order to leverage existing strong foundation and create a new wave of growth."He stressed, "It's the end of Play Safe stage. Companies can't just develop one or two products and expect to earn long-term success. It is simply not enough. Platform strategy and thinking are required to gain the sustainability. As a result, Taiwanese companies should closely work with platform providers like Google, develop their own second core business, and strengthen application capabilities to have the long-term prospects."At the end of the Forum, Gilson said, "Dr. Shue and President Hwang's talks further prove the key roles that Taiwan and Asian will play in the future technology industry. Avantor comes here for the ecosystem and collaboration opportunities. We sincerely hope that we could have great developments here and grow with Taiwanese companies together," wrapping up the full-day event with a perfect closing remark.Jean-Marc Gilson, CEO of AvantorRobert Ferguson, Executive Vice President of Electronic Materials and Northeast Asia of Avantor

LSI announced on September 14 that it is working with Microsoft on the development of low-cost, Windows-based, high-availability (HA) server clustering solutions for Cloud datacenters and small and medium business (SMB) environments. The solutions will combine Microsoft's experience in managing clustered server environments through the Windows operating system with LSI's expertise delivering highly scalable storage and RAID interconnect technology.The result of this effort is intended to lower the cost and complexity of HA systems clustering for server platforms based on Microsoft's next-generation OS, codenamed Windows Server 8, by providing fully redundant shared-node storage and application failover without requiring additional networking hardware. The solutions are designed to provide both clustered DAS for application servers and clustered NAS when used for file serving environments.The combination of HA-DAS with Windows Server will allow Cloud datacenter providers to support a wider array of applications and enable scale-out to larger server clusters while preserving low latency. For SMBs running local applications, HA-DAS will offer a more cost-effective and easier to deploy and manage solution for avoiding application downtime and the associated lost productivity and revenue. The solutions will also help to increase storage utilization and reduce power, cooling and space requirements for a lower total cost of ownership.For more information about the LSI and Microsoft co-development work on HA-DAS solutions, please visit http://www.lsi.com/about/newsroom/Pages/20110914pr.aspx

Applied Materials, Inc. advanced the state-of-the art in photomask technology with its new Applied Centura Tetra EUV Advanced Reticle Etch system. Overcoming a major hurdle to the adoption of EUV (extreme ultraviolet) lithography, the new Tetra EUV system solves the critical and unmet challenge of etching the new EUVL photomasks with nanometer-level accuracy and world-class defect performance to enable the fabrication of multiple new generations of high-performance semiconductor chips."Our new Tetra EUV system expands the capabilities of Applied's industry-standard Tetra etch platform, which is used by the great majority of advanced mask makers today," said Ajay Kumar, vice president and general manager of the Mask and TSV (through-silicon via) Etch product division at Applied Materials. "Applied continues to invest in technologies that are important to our customers and will enable next-generation design nodes. We have already shipped multiple systems and we are working closely with virtually every leading mask maker to help the semiconductor industry accommodate this significant technology inflection."EUVL photomasks are fundamentally different than conventional photomasks that selectively transmit 193nm wavelength light to project circuit patterns onto the wafer. At the 13.5nm wavelength used by EUVL, all photomask materials are opaque, so the mask contains complex multi-layer mirrors to reflect circuit patterns onto the wafer instead. The Tetra EUV system is designed to etch new materials and complex layer stacks to meet the stringent pattern accuracy, surface finish and defectivity specifications required to achieve high lithography yields when operating in this reflected mode.The Tetra EUV system is part of Applied Materials' comprehensive portfolio of solutions to optimize the productivity and yield of its customers' photomask and lithography operations. The system is supported by Applied Global Services, the industry's most comprehensive service and support network, to maximize system uptime - a vital priority for mask etch tools. For more information on Applied Materials' lithography-enabling solutions, visit www.appliedmaterials.com/advanced-litho.Applied Materials Tetra EUVPhoto: Company