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

Heard on the Beat (June 1) Semiconductor Alert! (May 28-June 1) Commentary & analysis of week's chip news Infineon decides not to challenge Rambus patents In a surprise move, Infineon Technologies AG has decided not to ask Federal Judge Robert Payne to void SDRAM patents held by Rambus Inc. Trikon to cut workforce by 12% in response to fab equipment slowdown NEWPORT, Wales -- Trikon Technologies Inc. today announced it will reduce its worldwide workforce by 12% and cut operating expenses by about 10% in an attempt to maintain profitability in the semiconductor downturn. Bluetooth backers plead for patience Bluetooth proponents next week will again try to convince an increasingly skeptical audience that interoperability and pricing issues will not derail the technology's deployment. AMD to attack Intel with new 1.4-GHz Athlon and 950-MHz Duron processors SUNNYVALE, Calif. -- In another attack on Intel Corp. in the microprocessor market, Advanced Micro Devices Inc. is expected to announce its fastest processors for the low- and high-end PC markets. AMD will announce two processors--a 1.4-GHz Athlon and a 950-MHz Duron--at next week's Computex trade in Taipei, Taiwan, according to sources. New round of fab cutbacks sweeps chip industry A new wave of fab cutbacks is sweeping the semiconductor industry as producers scale back capital expenditures to counter the unrelenting industry slump. Micron's 32-Mbit flash uses 1.5 volts while running in burst mode BOISE, Idaho--Micron Technology Inc. here claimed it is sampling the industry's first 1.5-volt 32-megabit flash memory chip with read-while-write burst and page modes. The MT28F322D15FH is based on a dual-bank architecture and targeted at next-generation mobile phones. DRAM prices wilt to record lows Electronics systems makers may be smarting from excess inventories and weak end demand, but they can be assured of a good deal on DRAM as the price of commodity