What caught your eye this week? (Intel-Tower, Quantum tech, BAE Systems)

The Electronics Weekly team share some fingerposts – their picks of the week, in terms of announcements, developments, product releases, quotes or anything else in the wide world of electronics that caught their eye…

David Manners, components editor

What caught my eye this week was China refusing to give approval to the Intel-Tower takeover which means that anyone wanting to pursue M&A which involves doing business in China is likely to have it scuttled by the Chinese regulator…

Alun Williams, web editor

What caught my eye this last week the The U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) opening its Extreme Computing centre, as a component of national defence research – with a focus on quantum computing.

Offsite links

Ball Corporation reaches an agreement to sell its aerospace business to BAE Systems for $5.6 billion in cash. “BAE Systems is well-positioned to invest in Ball Aerospace to elevate the combined business to new heights, generate significant value to critical mission partners, offer customers more affordable solutions and enable a safer world for all stakeholders benefitting from today’s agreement,” said Ball.
The UK Space Agency is funding a collaboration between the Plasma dynamics and Electric Propulsion Lab, at the University of Michigan, and leading Hall thruster companies Pulsar Fusion, in the UK, Starlight Engines, US, and the University of Southampton. “As a manufacturer of space engines, there are regulatory challenges in being based in the UK, but England does have a fantastic talent pool and our scientists deserve to be at the forefront of these emerging technologies,” said Pulsar Fusion CEO, Richard Dinan.
The Register reports on Darpa’s LunA-10 programme, which is seeking designs for ‘optimized and integrated lunar infrastructure’, integrating elements of essential technology into shareable and interoperable systems.