Robotics & Automation News

Market trends and business perspectives

chips

Chipotle tests robot kitchen assistant Chippy

by Leave a Comment

Chipotle Mexican Grill has unveiled its latest digital innovation, Chippy, an autonomous kitchen assistant made by Miso Robotics that integrates culinary traditions with artificial intelligence to make tortilla chips.

Chipotle’s culinary and technology teams called on Miso Robotics to customize its latest robotic solution to cook and freshly season Chipotle’s delicious tortilla chips.

“We are always exploring opportunities to enhance our employee and guest experience. Our goal is to drive efficiencies through collaborative robotics that will enable Chipotle’s crew members to focus on other tasks in the restaurant,” said Curt Garner, Chief Technology Officer, Chipotle. [Read more…] about Chipotle tests robot kitchen assistant Chippy

Volkswagen to design its own chips for autonomous vehicles

by Leave a Comment

Automotive giant Volkswagen is planning to design its own chips for autonomous vehicles, according to a report in German newspaper, Handelsblatt.

VW’s CEO, Herbert Diess, is said to have “ordered” the company to “launch the next revolution after electromobility”, and Handelsblatt says that Diess “wants to create the fully networked and self-steering vehicle with its own processor”.

Diess told Handelsblatt: “To achieve optimal performance in light of the high demands that exist for cars, software and hardware have to come out of one hand.” [Read more…] about Volkswagen to design its own chips for autonomous vehicles

Semiconductor Industry Association to discuss global chip shortage with US government

by Leave a Comment

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) is to meet with officials in the administration of newly elected president of the United States, Joe Biden, to discuss the ongoing global shortage in chips, which is affecting many areas of manufacturing and the wider economy.

The SIA released a statement from its president and CEO, John Neuffer, welcoming the upcoming meeting at the White House between Biden Administration officials and leaders from the semiconductor industry and other sectors to discuss the global chip shortage, President Biden’s infrastructure plan, and other issues related to the semiconductor supply chain.

In the statement, Neuffer says: “We welcome this high-level engagement between the White House and industry leaders and see it as an important opportunity for a discussion on the need to fund investments in domestic semiconductor manufacturing and research to help ensure the long-term strength and resilience of America’s semiconductor supply chain.” [Read more…] about Semiconductor Industry Association to discuss global chip shortage with US government

Bosch produces its first semiconductor wafers through ‘fully automated’ fabrication process

by Leave a Comment

Bosch says it has produced the first semiconductor wafers through its “fully automated” fabrication process at its facility in Dresden, Germany.

The industrial giant describes it as “a milestone on the path to the chip factory of the future”.

Bosch says this is a key step toward the start of production operations at the factory, which is scheduled for late 2021. [Read more…] about Bosch produces its first semiconductor wafers through ‘fully automated’ fabrication process

Teradyne and Syntiant partner to ‘significantly shorten time to market’ for new AI chips

by Leave a Comment

Teradyne, a supplier of automated test solutions, says the company’s UltraFLEX test platform has enabled AI chip company Syntiant to successfully ship millions of its microwatt-power, deep learning Neural Decision Processors to customers worldwide.

Built from a clean sheet, hardware/software co-design methodology that optimizes silicon and deep learning models together, the Syntiant NDP100 and Syntiant NDP101 Neural Decision Processors bring hands-free, cloud-free, always-on voice and sensor AI applications to battery-powered edge devices.

Pieter Vorenkamp, COO at Syntiant, says: “Our deep learning NDP10x chips leverage our custom designed near-memory compute architecture, so we were looking for a partner with a deep understanding of the AI chip market. [Read more…] about Teradyne and Syntiant partner to ‘significantly shorten time to market’ for new AI chips

New Chinese chipmaker’s progress could ease pain of US restrictions

by Leave a Comment

The progress made by a relatively new Chinese chipmaker, called ChangXin Memory Technologies, could help ease the pain caused by increasingly wide-ranging US restrictions against China’s tech companies.

US President Donald Trump has already effectively banned Huawei from doing business in the country, which has led to American companies to shun the Chinese telecommunications and smartphones giant. And in the latest move, as reported by the Wall Street Journal, the Trump administration has introduced new rules prohibiting non-US companies from selling any chips made using American technology to Huawei “without a special license”.

Huawei has found it difficult to source chips and other components for its equipment, for which, in turn, the company has found fewer buyers. [Read more…] about New Chinese chipmaker’s progress could ease pain of US restrictions

Nvidia reportedly in talks to buy ARM

by Leave a Comment

Nvidia, one of the largest chipmakers in the world with a leading position in the robotics and autonomous cars market, is in talks to buy ARM, according to a report on the Bloomberg website. 

ARM is a chip designer which was bought in 2016 for $32 billion by SoftBank Group, as reported by the Financial Times.

SoftBank Group is a giant Japanese telecommunications company and is the parent of SoftBank Robotics. [Read more…] about Nvidia reportedly in talks to buy ARM

SEMI backs US government initiative to support to chipmaking in America

by Leave a Comment

Global semiconductor manufacturing industry association SEMI has expressed its backing for the US government’s initiative to support to chipmaking in America.

Facing a staggering “50 percent decline” in the US share of global semiconductor manufacturing capacity over the past 20 years, Congress has introduced the Creating Helpful Incentives to Produce Semiconductors for America Act – also known as CHIPS for America Act.

The measures called for in the Act include a federal investment tax credit, which is “strongly supported” by SEMI, which represents the electronics manufacturing and design supply chain. [Read more…] about SEMI backs US government initiative to support to chipmaking in America

Bosch ‘poised for leap’ in e-mobility with new silicon carbide semiconductors

by Leave a Comment

Bosch says it is poised to make a technological “leap” in electric mobility as a result of developing new silicon carbide semiconductors.

The vast majority of semiconductors today are made using common silicon, which makes up 25 per cent of Earth’s crust, but silicon carbide is generally made from an extremely rare mineral called “moissanite”.

Bosch is secretive about its technology, but Harold Kroeger, member of the Bosch board of management, says: “Silicon carbide semiconductors will transform e-mobility.” [Read more…] about Bosch ‘poised for leap’ in e-mobility with new silicon carbide semiconductors

Top US semiconductor companies stop supplying Huawei

by

Leading technology companies in the US have started to cut off supplies to Chinese telecommunications equipment supplier Huawei, according to Bloomberg.

US chipmakers such as Intel, Qualcomm, and Xilinx are reported to have said they will not supply Huawei until further notice.

Meanwhile, Google is reported by the Wall Street Journal to have banned Huawei from using some services in its version of the Android operating system for smartphones. [Read more…] about Top US semiconductor companies stop supplying Huawei