World Region – Asia

Researchers at the Tokyo University of Science have designed a scalable, fully-coupled annealing processor with 4096 spins, with parallelized capabilities for accelerated problem-solving Annealing processors are designed specifically for addressing combinatorial optimisation problems, where the task is to find the best solution from a finite set of possibilities. With CMOS  ICs it is necessary for the components of annealing processors ...

Four UK technology companies – including a space situational awareness specialist – have been selected to receive support from the UK-APAC Tech Growth Programme, to help accelerate plans for expansion in Japan. Aimed at UK technology startups headquartered in the UK, the programme is a government-backed initiative run by Intralink, a business development consultancy. The latest four companies to be ...

Vietnam could receive money from the US Chips and Science Act, according to  Jose Fernandez, U.S. undersecretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment. Under the Act, $500 million has been earmarked for  improving semiconductor training, cybersecurity and business climates globally, said Fernandez on a trip to the country reported by the Nikkei. Seven countries have been tagged ...

Axelspace Holdings, an Earth Observation and microsatellite specialist, has completed a ¥6.24 billion Series D funding round, equivalent to $44.0 million. Bringing the cumulative amount of equity financing to approximately ¥14.3 billion, the latest investments came from SMBC-GB Growth I Investment Limited Partnership, 31VENTURES, KURONEKO Innovation Fund and other venture capital and corporate investors. Axelspace says the funding will be ...

Indian startups are getting an increasing taste for IPOs with some Indian exchanges outpacing China exchanges for IPO numbers. 2023 saw 209 IPOs – a 45% y-o-y rise – on Mumbai’s two stock exchanges the National Stock Exchange and the Bombay Stock Exchange, reports  EY (Ernst & Young). This contrasts with falls in IPOs of 33% down to 126 IPOs in Shenzhen, ...

Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (PSMC) of Taiwan is about to sign an agreement with Japanese investment fund SBI Holdings to build a foundry fab in Japan, reports the Nikkei. The fab will cost $2.6 billion and run 55nm and 28nm processes starting in 2026. The fab will be set up to run 10k 300mm wpm. Japan’s Ministry of  Economy Trade ...

China’s share of mature (28nm and older) process capacity is expected to grow from 29% this year to 33% by 2027, says TrendForce, while Taiwan’s is expected to fall from 49% to 42%. The result could be a price war in mature process products  and increasing localisation for driver ICs, CMOS image sensors, and  power discretes. Leading China’s charge are:  ...

Taiwan-based server ODMs, including Quanta, Foxconn, Wistron (including Wiwynn), and Inventec, have set up production bases in countries like Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia to mitigate geopolitical risks and supply chain disruption, says TrendForce, which  projects that by 2023, the production capacity from these regions will account for 23%, and by 2026, it will approach 50%. TrendForce reveals that Quanta, due ...

SBI Holdings, a financial services group based in Tokyo, is to help Taiwan’s Powerchip Semiconductor Corporation (PSC) to set up a trailing edge foundry and advanced IC R&D centre in Japan. SBI’s CEO Yoshitaka Kitao says SBI will set up a company for planning, fundraising – possibly including selling municipal bonds – and attracting government subsidies to set up the ...

Earlier this morning Japan introduced export controls on chip-making equipment capable of sub-14nm processing. It will include etch, cleaning, deposition and litho among  23 different types of equipment. All immersion litho machines are included in the restrictions. “We are fulfilling our responsibility as a technological nation to contribute to international peace and stability,” said a statement from Japan’’s Ministry of ...