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June 10
- Jensen and Sir Keir talk AI
➀ Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang highlighted the UK's position as a global leader in AI talent but emphasized its lack of infrastructure to support AI development;
➀ He likened AI to critical infrastructure like electricity, stressing its transformative power across industries;
➀ Huang urged the UK to invest in AI supercomputers and data centers ('AI factories') to attract startups and strengthen its ecosystem.
- Builder AI goes into administration
➀ Builder AI, a 9-year-old startup claiming to automate app development, entered administration with 1,000 job losses and $100M liabilities;
➁ Despite raising £334M from investors like Microsoft and reaching a $1.5B valuation, audits revealed inflated financial forecasts and reliance on manual labor in India instead of AI;
➂ The company filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in the U.S. with under $10M in assets, while UK insolvency is managed by Alvarez & Marsal.
- 40% growth in Ethernet datacentre switch sales
➀ Q1 2025 saw Ethernet datacenter switch sales surge over 40%, the highest growth since Dell’Oro began tracking the market in 2013;
➁ NVIDIA and Celestica each gained 5% market share, with Arista maintaining its top position for the fourth consecutive quarter, while 800 Gbps switch sales surpassed $1 billion;
➂ Ethernet is rapidly displacing InfiniBand in AI infrastructure, driven by accelerated AI investments and networking upgrades despite tariff disruptions.
- Astroscale completes CDR for ELSA-M space debris removal mission
➀ Astroscale UK completed the Critical Design Review (CDR) for its ELSA-M mission, a UK Space Agency-backed initiative to remove multiple space debris through rendezvous and magnetic capture technologies;
➁ The mission, developed in partnership with ESA, Eutelsat, and other industrial partners, aims to advance Active Debris Removal (ADR) and support a sustainable space economy, with a launch planned after April 2026;
➂ Competitor ClearSpace UK also achieved milestones in its Phase 2 debris removal project, highlighting growing international efforts to address space sustainability.
June 9
- Taking the DJI Neo drone to pieces
➀ The article discusses iFixit's teardown analysis of the DJI Neo drone to evaluate its repairability;
➁ Despite its modular design, repairs are deemed highly challenging due to complex internal assemblies and adhesive bonding;
➂ The teardown reveals potential maintenance difficulties for consumers despite the drone's compact form factor.
- Internal cameras refine touch sense in artificial hand
➀ The F-Tac robotic hand achieves 100μm touch resolution across 70% of its surface using internal cameras and elastomer deformation detection, enabling precise object interaction;
➀ Its modular design combines 17 camera-equipped boxes with spring-loaded joints and wire-driven servos, allowing adaptive grasping through tactile feedback and machine learning algorithms;
➂ Developed jointly by Queen Mary University and Chinese institutes, the system demonstrated superior performance in 600 real-world trials compared to non-tactile alternatives.
- Robotaxi Ruckus
① Tesla plans to launch a robotaxi service in Austin, prompting Reuters to request two years of correspondence between Tesla and city authorities for review;
② Tesla opposes the request, arguing disclosure would benefit competitors, and has historically been less transparent about autonomous driving data compared to other companies;
③ The Texas Attorney-General is deciding on compliance, amid potential White House influence due to ongoing tensions between President Biden and Elon Musk.
- IonQ buys Oxford Ionics
➀ IonQ acquires Oxford Ionics for $1.08 billion to advance quantum computing, aiming to develop 256-qubit systems by 2025 and 2 million qubits by 2030;
➁ The deal combines Oxford Ionics' ion-trap chip technology with IonQ's quantum stack, targeting fault-tolerant systems for enterprise applications;
➂ Both companies will expand UK operations and maintain partnerships with governments, focusing on fields like defense and pharmaceuticals.
- US ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ contrasts with UK taxing regime on R&D expenses
➀ The US 'Big Beautiful Bill' proposes allowing companies to immediately deduct 100% of domestic R&D expenses (2025-2029), boosting cash flow and innovation incentives;
➁ The UK’s RDEC offers a 20-30% tax credit, but complex claims processes and policy changes have stifled innovation, with R&D spending at 2.8% of GDP vs. 3.4% in the US;
➂ A 100% same-year tax credit in the UK could mitigate the current system’s negative impact on innovation and align with increased government R&D funding plans.
- April semi sales up 22.7% y-o-y
➀ Global semiconductor sales in April 2025 reached $57 billion, up 22.7% YoY and 2.5% MoM, marking the first monthly growth in 2025;
➀ Yearly growth was driven by strong demand in the Americas (44.4% YoY) and Asia Pacific (23.1% YoY), with AI, cloud infrastructure, and advanced consumer electronics as key drivers;
③ The WSTS forecasts 11.2% annual growth in 2025 ($700.9 billion) and projects sales to reach $760.7 billion in 2026.
- Mouser’s robotics resource
➀ Mouser's robotics resource center provides engineers with tools for robotics engineering, covering domains like soft robotics, autonomous cleaning, and collaborative robots (cobots);
➁ The platform includes AI and machine learning-driven advancements, enabling smarter robots for industrial automation and human-robot collaboration;
➂ Featured products include Analog Devices' GMSL robotics platform, STMicroelectronics' ToF sensor, Broadcom's magnetic encoders, and Renesas' high-performance microcontrollers for AI and robotics applications.
- First rule of Lockheed Martin’s AI Fight Club? Evaluate warfare scenarios
➀ Lockheed Martin is developing "AI Fight Club," a virtual simulation environment to test AI models in realistic warfare scenarios across air, land, sea, and space;
➁ The platform allows third parties to evaluate AI systems using Department of Defense standards, fostering innovation and identifying vulnerabilities;
➂ Competitions starting in late 2025 will pit AI models against each other, with results guiding future military AI development.
- Ed Falls In Love
➀ Ed falls for a woman at a diplomatic event, later discovered to be a Chinese spy;
➁ MI6 warns him of her ties to China's Ministry of State Security, but the Prime Minister advises leveraging the relationship to feed disinformation;
➂ Ed plans to use her as a conduit to attract Chinese investment in his startups.
June 5
- Flash takes a bath
➀ Top NAND suppliers saw significant Q1 2025 declines: ASP (-15% q-o-q), units (-7%), and revenues (-24%);
➀ Samsung, Hynix, Micron, and Kioxia reported revenue drops of 25%, 35.5%, 11%, and 27.9% respectively;
➂ SanDisk plans to prioritize QLC product shipments to improve profitability amid slight ASP and shipment declines.
June 4
- Big Gap In Euro-Footie Rewards
➀ The UEFA Champions League final concludes the European football season, highlighting its status as the continent's premier club competition with significantly higher prize money compared to the Europa League and Conference League;
➁ Champions League winners can earn up to €110.8 million in prize money, over three times the Europa League and six times the Conference League maximum earnings;
➂ Financial disparities emphasize the Champions League’s dominance, while lower-tier competitions lack both prestige and monetary rewards.
- 200,000 electrode nerve cell sensing array
➀ Sony Semiconductor developed a CMOS-based nerve cell sensing array with 236,880 electrodes on a 5.5 x 5.9mm chip, enabling high-resolution experiments on cells outside living organisms for drug research;
➁ Collaborated with Screen Holdings, VitroVo, and Tohoku Institute of Technology to create a demonstrator integrating electrical activity measurement, data analysis algorithms, and real-time monitoring capabilities;
➂ Published three open-access papers detailing the technology and its applications in cardiac and brain research, following recent advancements in non-invasive neural interfaces using quantum magnetometers.
- Broadcom shipping Tomahawk 6
➀ Broadcom's Tomahawk 6 switch series delivers 102.4 Tbps switching capacity, doubling current Ethernet switch bandwidth, targeting AI networks with 100G/200G SerDes and co-packaged optics (CPO);
➁ It supports AI cluster interconnects for over one million XPUs, featuring Cognitive Routing 2.0 for dynamic load balancing and adaptive flow control tailored for AI workloads like mixture-of-expert models;
➂ Compliant with Ultra Ethernet Consortium standards, the switch enables scalable, low-latency networks for AI training/inference and integrates with open ecosystems like OCP's SUE Framework for flexible cluster configurations.
- Soitec and PSMC hook up for TLT wafers
➀ Soitec collaborates with PSMC to supply TLT-ready wafers for advanced 3D chip stacking, marking the first public reveal of its TLT technology；
➁ The technology enables ultra-thin transistor layer transfers (5nm-1µm), enhancing chip power efficiency and supporting vertical architectures like backside power delivery；
➂ Utilizes Smart Cut and IR laser processing to lift layers without thermal stress, advancing applications in AI, autonomous driving, and mobile devices.
- Imec fabs Ru lines at 16nm pitch with low resistance
➀ Imec fabricated Ruthenium (Ru) interconnects at a 16nm pitch using a semi-damascene process, achieving record-low resistance of 656Ω/µm;
➁ The integration flow combined EUV-based SADP and optimized Ru etching to enhance cost-effectiveness and yield, with 90%+ yields at 18-22nm pitches;
➂ Imec is advancing pillar-based self-aligned vias and epitaxial Ru films to further reduce resistance and expand multi-layer interconnect scalability.
- RUSI report highlights UK ‘defence dividend’ for local areas
➀ The RUSI report emphasizes the UK defense industry's role in driving economic growth, supporting 1 in 60 jobs and boosting local economies through higher-than-average salaries and multiplier effects;
➀ Leonardo's UK operations, such as its Yeovil site, highlight significant wage disparities (average £51,000 vs. local £32,000) and job creation through supply chains;
➂ The UK's strategic defense review prioritizes increased spending (2.5% GDP by 2027) and integration of AI, drones, and digital warfare to enhance military capabilities.
- Top Ten (less 5) Enterprise WLAN Companies
➀ The article lists the top five enterprise WLAN vendors based on IDC's report, though specific company names are not disclosed;
➁ It highlights the significance of enterprise WLAN technology in modern networking infrastructure;
➂ The content is part of David Manners' 'Mannerisms' series, which often covers industry trends and market analyses.
June 3
- Elektra Awards 2025 looking for tech stars – companies, entrepreneurs and designers
➀ The Elektra Awards 2025 is inviting global electronics industry innovators, with new categories highlighting entrepreneurial talent (under 35), impactful start-ups, and workplace excellence;
➁ Specialized awards focus on neurodiversity products (e.g., sensory aids), futurist prototypes (like haptic sneakers), and IoT-driven smart building solutions;
➂ Free submissions are open until June 13, with additional categories spanning automotive, medical, consumer tech, and Manufacturer of the Year.
- GMSL automotive bus gets an industry association as ‘OpenGMSL’
➀ The GMSL automotive serial bus is standardized as OpenGMSL with the creation of the OpenGMSL Association (OGA), aiming to drive innovation in autonomous driving, ADAS, and infotainment;
➀ Founding members include Analog Devices, Qualcomm, TDK, and over 20 other global companies, ensuring multi-vendor interoperability through compliance testing;
➂ The technology supports ASIL B safety standards, real-time diagnostics, and combines video, data, and power transmission on a single channel for automotive applications.
- How To Be MEGA
➀ The MEGA project, a 1983 collaboration between Philips and Siemens, aimed to advance Europe's semiconductor industry by developing a Megabit DRAM to compete with US and Japanese rivals.
➁ Jurgen Knorr of Siemens emphasized the necessity of mass production and cost-effectiveness for competitiveness, highlighting Europe's historical lag in adopting standardized, high-volume manufacturing strategies.
➂ The article critiques Europe's neglect of these principles, leading to challenges from Chinese semiconductor firms offering mature, cost-effective technologies.
- Video: Silicon Motion showcases AI and Industrial innovations
➀ Silicon Motion SVP Robert Fan discusses the company's latest storage and display solutions for AI, industrial, and embedded applications at Embedded World 2025;
➁ Key products include PCIe NVMe SSD controllers, Ferri embedded storage, SM770 multi-display SoC, and the MonTitan 128TB QLC SSD, emphasizing performance and energy efficiency;
➂ The innovations target high reliability for diverse industries, reinforcing Silicon Motion's position in AI-driven storage technology.
- Qorvo front end for WiFi 7
➀ Qorvo launched the QPF4557 integrated front-end module for Wi-Fi 7, optimizing power efficiency and performance through a 5V supply and digital pre-distortion technology.
➁ The module supports a wide bandwidth (5.125 to 5.925 GHz) and integrates components like a power amplifier, switch, coupler, and low-noise amplifier into one device.
➂ It aims to enhance throughput, reduce power consumption, and minimize layout area for advanced Wi-Fi 7 systems.
- Dual Audio Operational Amplifier with JFET input
➀ Nisshinbo Micro Devices introduced the NL8902 dual audio operational amplifier with "MUSES" technology, featuring JFET input and high-performance specs;
➁ Key specifications include 10 nV/√Hz noise, 0.0004% distortion, 20 V/µs slew rate, 9 MHz bandwidth, and 82 dB EMI rejection, operating at ±4-16V;
➂ Designed for consumer audio, professional equipment, and automotive systems, available in EMP-8-AN and DFN4035-8-GR packages.
- Wishful Thinking
➀ John G McDonald's 1960 article in Electronics Weekly predicted that rapid transportation advancements (e.g., jets) would accelerate global economic integration and competition;
➁ He highlighted the European Common Market's potential as an economic bloc rivaling the U.S., driving industrial consolidation and stronger international competitiveness;
➂ McDonald foresaw challenges in military coordination and urged foreign companies to establish local bases to adapt to the shifting economic landscape.
- Picture of the Day: “Holographic truck” and its rotating LEDs
➀ The article features a 'holographic truck' claimed as the world's first 3D holographic experience truck, utilizing rotating LEDs to create immersive visual effects;
➀ The innovation was highlighted by AV Magazine, emphasizing its unique application of holographic technology in a mobile format;
➂ The truck’s debut location remains unspecified, but its blend of automotive and advanced display technology showcases experimental semiconductor-driven solutions.
June 2
- How Hard Can It Be?
➀ The article features Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang discussing his approach to expanding the company into new technological frontiers, such as supercomputers and robotics;
➁ Nvidia is transitioning from chip manufacturing to providing integrated solutions, including servers, data centers, and advanced computing systems;
➂ Huang highlights his leadership philosophy of driving innovation and motivating his team to embrace ambitious goals in emerging markets.