Now Hear This!

Welcome to This week in gEEk, EDN's short review of the week's happenings.

Although passed this afternoon, the bailout bill hit a few snags this week, which sent the stock market up and down in trading, further hurting the US economic situation. And that situation has been noted by as a prime reason for the continuing industry layoffs. Indeed, Sony Ericsson pointed to it as it announced it would begin 2,000 job cuts, as did Magma Design Automation when it announced a workforce reduction. 

The economy was also noted by IC Insights in its 2008 forecast update. In the update, the research company said worldwide IC market growth will realistically be between 1 and 5% in 2008 as unit volumes rise but average selling prices fall.  The SIA further recognized the economy in its report on August semiconductor sales, which grew month over month by a modest 2.4% to $22.7 billion. In the report, SIA President George Scalise stated that consumer purchases now drive more than half of semiconductor sales and because consumer confidence is essential to the entire supply chain of the global technology sector, it is "essential for Congress to move swiftly to restore stability to the US financial system." 

Microchip even noted the economy as it and ON Semiconductor launched a $2.3 billion bid for Atmel. The two Arizona-based companies would break up Atmel, selling its nonvolatile memory and RF and automotive businesses to ON Semi and possibly disposing of Atmel's ASIC business if the proposed acquisition goes through.

Speaking of breaking things apart, check out the second-generation iPod Touch EDN tore apart this week. More mobile ICs, anyone?

There will be no more mobile ICs for Freescale. The company has decided to exit that business and is looking at its options now. In doing so, the company aims to increase its investments in the automotive and networking markets, as well as in the industrial and consumer markets. That move came after the company this week lifted the curtain on a custom SoC business. 

TSMC also lifted its own curtain this week, giving the industry a sneak peak at its planned 28-nm process. Early information suggests the foundry giant has divided the move to 28 nm into two separate tracks: one at lower risk that stays with a conventional silicon-oxy-nitride gate technology but has issues, and one at higher-risk using high-k/metal-gate stack but that is more in line with mainstream industry thinking.

On that news, an IBM VP challenged TSMC in regard to the notion that a SiON process would have lower active power, or for that matter, that it would even have lower gate capacitance.  Separately, IBM's Common Platform Alliance further talked up 28 nm this week, announcing ARM will develop and license a platform of physical intellectual property (IP) for the group moves it moves SoC work to the 32-nm and 28-nm nodes based on high-k metal-gate technology. 

Isn't it nice when companies get along, rare as it is? Vishay, which in its continued pursuit of its power rival International Rectifier, launched a $23 per share tender offer. With things getting "hostile" between the two companies, IR encouraged shareholders not to take the offer.

Have something to say on the above noted happenings? Share your comments on this week's news and analysis below.

--Suzanne Deffree, Managing Editor, News