EETimes.com | Electronics Industry News for EEs & Engineering Managers

Heard on The Beat (March 2) Semiconductor Alert! (Feb. 26-March 2) Commentary & analysis of week's chip news Intel has spotty record enticing DRAM makers to build Rambus Desperate to get enough Direct Rambus DRAMs into the market to support its new Pentium 4 processor, Intel Corp. this week announced it has put money into Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. for the second time to boost RDRAM output and ensure a steady supply of parts. Cymer projects 5-to-10% sales decline for 2001 following chip downturn SAN DIEGO -- Cymer Inc., a supplier of excimer light sources, here today (March 2) reduced its forecast in the first quarter of 2001 and calendar year following a downturn in the chip industry. For the first quarter of 2001, Cymer's unit shipments will be between 8-to-10% lower than the 138 units shipped in the fourth quarter of 2000. As a result, the company's revenue will be 8-to-10% lower in the period, as compared to the like quarter a year ago. TI begins running 300-mm wafers in Dallas fab DALLAS -- During February, Texas Instruments Inc. begun running its first 300-mm wafers through process equipment in its DMOS 6 fab here, using an initial 0.18-micron process technology. TI is preparing to ramp the 300-mm fab into volume production this year and transfer an advanced 0.13-micron process into the plant by December. Nvidia has upper hand for now in volatile graphics market Like a character in an action video game, graphics leader ATI Technologies Inc. took a beating this week on Wall Street after issuing a sales and earnings warning. The bad news was in sharp contrast to competitor Nvidia Corp.'s recent announcement of stellar sales and earnings growth for the year. The news helps secure Nvidia's place as the No. 1 graphics supplier in this volatile market--at