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China silicon wafer production capacity growth ‘fastest in the world’, says Semi

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The growth in silicon wafer production capacity in China is the “fastest in the world”, according to a report by industry association Semi.

Semi says China is “unwavering in its drive to build a strong, self-sufficient semiconductor supply chain”.

The country is planning more new fab projects than any other region in the world from 2017 to 2020, and its expansion of fab capacity recently picked up pace on the strength of new foundry and memory projects from both domestic and foreign companies, according to Semi’s 2018 China Semiconductor Silicon Wafer Outlook report.  [Read more…] about China silicon wafer production capacity growth ‘fastest in the world’, says Semi

NXP and Kalray partner to develop platform for autonomous driving

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NXP Semiconductors has agreed a new strategic partnership with Kalray, a designer of processors for new intelligent systems.

The partnership will combine NXP’s scalable portfolio of functional safety products for advanced driver assistance systems and central compute with Kalray’s high-performance intelligent “Massively Parallel Processor Array” processors.

The new platform is significant because it addresses the performance, safety and near-term commercial needs of levels 2 and 3 driving with an eye to longer-term release in level 4 and 5 autonomous vehicles.  [Read more…] about NXP and Kalray partner to develop platform for autonomous driving

Denso and Dellfer to partner on cybersecurity for connected cars

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Denso, one of the world’s largest mobility suppliers, and Dellfer, a cybersecurity company, have entered into a joint development agreement to bring ZeroDayGuard 1.0, a cybersecurity product to market for the automotive industry.

The partnership aims to introduce a new way for automotive manufacturers to protect their customers and drivers from increased vulnerabilities associated with connected and autonomous vehicles.

ZeroDayGuard is Dellfer’s internet of things cybersecurity solution that prevents zero-day cyberattacks on IoT devices through built-in code execution protection.  [Read more…] about Denso and Dellfer to partner on cybersecurity for connected cars

Investcorp acquires Ubisense SmartSpace business and Ubisense brand

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Investcorp has acquired the Ubisense SmartSpace business as well as the Ubisense brand for an undisclosed amount.

Arma Partners acted as the exclusive financial adviser in the deal and says Ubisense is “a leader in the industrial internet of things” space.

SmartSpace is an enterprise software and sensor platform that generates and interprets vast amounts of location data to create visibility of real-world objects and their interactions in real-time, enabling complex manufacturing processes with high levels of variability to be more flexible, easier to manage and easier to control.  [Read more…] about Investcorp acquires Ubisense SmartSpace business and Ubisense brand

Infineon and TTTech Auto collaborate for level 4 and 5 automated driving

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Semiconductor firm Infineon Technologies AG and TTTech Auto, a leader in safety platforms for automated driving, have just released the second generation of their fully integrated automotive-grade safety solution for automated driving use cases.

It is based on Infineon’s AURIX™ TC397XM microcontroller and TTTech Auto’s MotionWise safety software platform.

It delivers full support and scalability for level 2+ solutions up to the advanced levels 4 and 5 of automated driving. It is said to help customers achieve faster time-to-market, improved software integration and validation thus reducing overall cost.

[Read more…] about Infineon and TTTech Auto collaborate for level 4 and 5 automated driving

Ambarella and Smart Eye partner to deliver ‘next-generation AI-based driver monitoring’

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Ambarella, a developer of high-resolution video processing and computer vision semiconductors, and Smart Eye, a developer of artificial intelligence-powered eye, mouth, and head tracking technology, are partnering to deliver a Driver Monitoring System platform that they say “tracks driver actions and intentions”.

The platform is based on Ambarella’s CV22AQ CVflow computer vision processor, which offers high-quality image processing and high-performance AI computing at low power consumption, typically below 2.5 watts.

Smart Eye AI software running on CV22AQ will make it possible for automotive original equipment manufacturers and tier-1s to deploy a new generation of driver and in-cabin monitoring systems with advanced AI features, increasing safety and convenience for drivers and passengers.  [Read more…] about Ambarella and Smart Eye partner to deliver ‘next-generation AI-based driver monitoring’

Nvidia system picked by Chinese e-commerce firms for robot delivery

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Leading China e-commerce companies JD.com and Meituan have selected the Nvidia Jetson AGX Xavier platform to power their next-generation autonomous delivery robots.

Over the past decade, China’s e-commerce has grown to more than 40 percent of the world’s online transactions, accounting for hundreds of billions of dollars in trade annually.

To support this tremendous growth, China’s leading e-commerce companies are developing AI delivery robots to move goods to and from warehouses, speed up last-mile deliveries and deliver products to consumers and businesses.

[Read more…] about Nvidia system picked by Chinese e-commerce firms for robot delivery

An ‘App Store’ for robots? It’s coming and it’s a game-changer

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By Kyle Fazzari, software engineer and roboticist at Canonical, the company behind the Ubuntu open-source operating system

We are all familiar with Apple’s app store. It is an easily navigable place to download the latest features available, at the touch of our fingertips. Now imagine this same concept, but for robotics.

A growing industry, robotics isn’t just a buzzword – it’s becoming a transformative technology.

Whether robotics track down deadly species of starfish responsible for coral reefs destruction, or provide agricultural support for sustainable crops, access to an app store could open up an array of alternative revenue streams for robotics startups – functionality exchanged for a fee.  [Read more…] about An ‘App Store’ for robots? It’s coming and it’s a game-changer

Webcast: Nvidia launches ‘world’s first AI computer for autonomous machines’

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Nvidia has launched what it says is the world’s first artificial intelligence computer for developing autonomous machines. (See video below.)

The Nvidia “Jetson AGX Xavier” module sports vast computing power generated by six different processing systems integrated into one single architecture, says the company.

In a presentation to launch the new computer, Nvidia’s Jesse Clayton, senior manager of product, autonomous machines, says: “The Jetson AGX Xavier module is an AI computer that makes fully autonomous machines possible.  [Read more…] about Webcast: Nvidia launches ‘world’s first AI computer for autonomous machines’

Wandelbots raises €6 million funding to ‘democratise industrial robots’

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A startup called Wandelbots has raised €6 million in funding which it says it will use to “democratise industrial robots”. 

Wandelbots, a software company which uses what it describes as “demonstration-based teaching”, raised the €6 million Series A funding from Paua Ventures, the EQT Ventures fund and existing investors.

The funding will be used to grow Wandelbot’s team and expand the company’s global presence. One year after launch, Wandelbots is already working globally with automotive and electronics manufacturers, such as Volkswagen, Infineon and Midea.  [Read more…] about Wandelbots raises €6 million funding to ‘democratise industrial robots’