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Swiss robotics company ANYbotics opens office in Silicon Valley, USA

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ANYbotics, a Switzerland-headquartered industrial inspection robotics company, has opened an office in Silicon Valley, USA.

The company says the move will help it to “further advance autonomous inspection in North America”.

Building on US customer success and partnerships with global technology companies, ANYbotics is elevating its service and support in the US by providing turnkey robotics solutions and continuous, next-level support to US operators.

This expansion ensures faster integration and boosts efficiency and safety in the power, metals, chemicals, and mining industries.

[Read more…] about Swiss robotics company ANYbotics opens office in Silicon Valley, USA

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increase 6 percent in Q3 2024, SEMI Reports

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 5.9 percent quarter-over-quarter to 3,214 million square inches (MSI) in the third quarter of 2024 and registered 6.8 percent growth from the 3,010 million square inches recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Lee Chungwei, chairman of SEMI SMG and vice president and chief auditor at GlobalWafers, says: “The third quarter wafer shipment results continued the upward trend which started in the second quarter of this year.

“Inventory levels have declined throughout the supply chain but generally remain high. Demand for advanced wafers used for AI continues to be strong.

[Read more…] about Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increase 6 percent in Q3 2024, SEMI Reports

Infineon unveils ‘world’s thinnest’ silicon power wafer

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Infineon Technologies has unveiled what it describes as “the next milestone’ in semiconductor manufacturing technology.

Infineon says it has reached a “breakthrough” in handling and processing “the thinnest silicon power wafers ever manufactured”, with a thickness of only 20 micrometers and a diameter of 300 millimeters, in a high-scale semiconductor fab.

The ultra-thin silicon wafers are only a quarter as thick as a human hair and half as thick as current state-of-the-art wafers of 40-60 micrometers.

[Read more…] about Infineon unveils ‘world’s thinnest’ silicon power wafer

Matternet enters home delivery market with first drone delivery in Silicon Valley

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Matternet, a developer of urban drone delivery services, is entering the home delivery market with the launch of the first-ever drone delivery service in Silicon Valley.

Matternet’s technology platform will enable ultra-fast, zero-emissions delivery of food and commercial items to consumers’ homes.

The company has been running an initial pilot since August 30, and now will expand its service in Mountain View and Sunnyvale. [Read more…] about Matternet enters home delivery market with first drone delivery in Silicon Valley

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increase 7 percent

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments increased 7.1 percent quarter-over-quarter to 3,035 million square inches (MSI) in the second quarter of 2024 but saw an 8.9 percent decline from the 3,331 million square inches recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Lee Chungwei, chairman of SEMI SMG and vice president and chief auditor at GlobalWafers, says: “The silicon wafer market is recovering driven by strong demand related to products for data centers and generative AI.

“While the recovery is uneven across different applications, 300mm wafer Q2 shipments indicated 8% quarter-over-quarter growth for the best performance among all wafer sizes. There are a growing number of new semiconductor fabs under construction or ramping production volume.

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ZF partners with STMicroelectronics to develop silicon carbide devices

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Automotive technology group ZF will, from 2025, purchase silicon carbide devices from STMicroelectronics, a global semiconductor leader serving customers across the spectrum of electronics applications.

Under the terms of the multi-year contract, ST will supply a volume of double-digit millions of silicon carbide devices to be integrated in ZF’s new modular inverter architecture going into series production in 2025.

ZF will leverage ST’s vertically integrated silicon carbide manufacturing in Europe and Asia to secure customer orders in electromobility. [Read more…] about ZF partners with STMicroelectronics to develop silicon carbide devices

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments set new record

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments reached a new record of 3,741 million square inches (MSI) in the third quarter of 2022, according to industry association SEMI.

This is an increase of 1 percent quarter-over-quarter and growth of 2.5 percent from the 3,649 MSI recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reports in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.

Anna-Riikka Vuorikari-Antikainen, chairman of SEMI SMG and chief commercial officer at Okmetic, says: “While the semiconductor industry has faced macroeconomic headwinds, the silicon industry continues to show quarter-over-quarter shipment increases. [Read more…] about Worldwide silicon wafer shipments set new record

Wolfspeed to build ‘world’s largest’ silicon carbide materials facility in North Carolina

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Wolfspeed, a developer of silicon carbide technology, says it will build a new, state-of-the-art, multi-billion-dollar materials manufacturing facility in Chatham County, North Carolina.

The investment is targeted to generate a more than 10 fold increase from Wolfspeed’s current Silicon Carbide production capacity on its Durham campus, supporting the company’s long-term growth strategy, accelerating the adoption of Silicon Carbide semiconductors across a wide array of end-markets and unlocking a new era of energy efficiency.

Gregg Lowe, president and CEO of Wolfspeed, says: “Wolfspeed is the industry leader in supplying the materials required to meet the accelerating demand for next generation semiconductors and creating a more sustainable future for all. [Read more…] about Wolfspeed to build ‘world’s largest’ silicon carbide materials facility in North Carolina

Addverb Technologies expands US presence with R&D center in Silicon Valley

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Addverb Technologies, an automation solutions provider for warehouses and distribution centers, has opened a new Center of Excellence for Advanced Robotics Research and Development in Fremont, California.

The center, located in the heart of Silicon Valley, will focus on developing state-of-the-art platforms for autonomous mobile robotics and automated guided vehicles, as well as advanced algorithms for human-machine collaboration and biomedical robotics.

Overseeing the center’s operation is Tapan Pattnayak, who was named director of system architecture at Addverb in April 2022. [Read more…] about Addverb Technologies expands US presence with R&D center in Silicon Valley

Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue ‘set new records in 2021’

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Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue “set new records in 2021”, according to a new report by semiconductor manufacturing industry association SEMI. 

SEMI says that worldwide silicon wafer area shipments in 2021 increased 14 percent while wafer revenue rose 13 percent compared to 2020, topping $12 billion, to reach new “all-time highs”.

The study was produced by the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group as part of its year-end analysis of the silicon wafer industry. [Read more…] about Worldwide silicon wafer shipments and revenue ‘set new records in 2021’