In March, the USB Implementers Forums (USB-IF) announced the USB4, the latest version of the popular connector. Although the full specifications haven’t been released, the standard is expected to be faster, better equipped, and more standardized than all previous versions.
Among advancements in the semiconductor market, the Texas Instruments Sitara Am57x processor is the latest in high performance. The Sitara Am57x processors are designed for a broad range of embedded and industrial applications.
According to Jurgen Weyer, Vice President of Automotive Sales and Marketing at Freescale, the mission is clear – “To advance the truly assisted driver, the role of radar and other technologies is expanding to provide coverage around the entire vehicle. We are very pleased to make our roads safer by facilitating broader adoption of radar in more mainstream vehicles.” Freescale Semiconductor and Continental are planning to integrate Freescale’s next 77GHz radar technology into Continentals short and mid-range automotive radar modules. It’s a move that represents the next generation of Continental’s advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). The benefits are dual. ADAS safety benefits will available to more cars, and automakers will be able to meet mandated safety regulations.
Texas Instruments has committed another $2.2 million to Educate Texas, which will provide additional funding to promote science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) programs in schools throughout the state.
Cirrus Logic’s fourth quarter and full-year report surpassed analyst expectations. However, the Texas-based maker of audio components is looking to expand on its already impressive portfolio as well as acquire more clients.
NXP Semiconductor will buy out Freescale Semiconductor in a deal that’s reportedly worth $11.8 billion. According to Freescale CEO Gregg Lowe’s letter to employees, “As the transaction is subject to stockholder and regulatory approvals, the merger will likely not close until the second half of 2015.”
In the mid 80’s, Casio released the first commercially available graphing calculator. Three decades later, the dominant player in this niche market isn’t Casio, but Texas Instruments (TI). TI didn’t begin producing its own graphing calculator until the early 90’s, but since then it has never let off the pedal.
When it comes to advances in the electronics industry, less is often more. Silicon Labs has introduced its sixth generation TV tuner IC, a package that has been honed for five generations to provide the world’s smallest electronic footprint while using parts that cost less. All this, while also providing the high linearity and sensitivity that makes for a superior viewing experience for customers.
Their Si2151 and Si2141 tuners are targeted specifically at the Chinese market, where sales of ultra-HD TVs are expected to grow from 1.3 million in 2013 to 23 million by 2017. They're not just the ones buying these TVs though; China is also forecasted to manufacture over half of them.
