Author: Techtime

EU seized Million Counterfeit Semiconductors

Counterfeit Semiconductor Component
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The European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) announced yesterday of unprecedented success in a continent wide coordinated effort to block counterfeit electronic components arriving the EU borders. A major Joint Customs Operation, code-named Operation Wafers, co-ordinated by Dutch Customs with the support of OLAF, targeted counterfeit semiconductors imported into the EU from China and Hong Kong by post and or express courier.

In just two weeks, the partners seized more than one million counterfeit devices such as diodes, LEDs, transistors and integrated circuits (IC). OLAF reported that the semiconductors in question were not produced by the genuine manufacturers, their incorporation into electronic products could have led to the failure of computer systems and caused serious malfunctions of sensitive infrastructures, whether civilian or military.

“As some of the counterfeit semiconductors seized could have been destined for the transport sector and ended up in cars or airplanes or could have made their way into hospitals as part of surgical instruments, their use could have endangered human lives. Moreover, the smuggling of counterfeit products causes serious financial damages to the European industry.”

ESIA gave Professional Services

Operation Wafers  was a joint effort of Belgium, the Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Spain, France, Lithuania, Romania, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, the Netherlands. The European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA) also took part in this operation,  by providing extensive customs training sessions and intelligence to the participating authorities, and assisted in the identification of suspected counterfeit semiconductors.

The European Anti-fraud Office gave its financial, technical and logistical support, providing the participants with a secure platform to share information during the operation. Dutch customs were in charge of the preparatory work and the coordination of this successful operation.

The Director-General of OLAF, Giovanni Kessler, said the seizures illustrate how crucial European cooperation is in the fight against the illegal trade of counterfeit products. “By working together, we can ensure that European citizens are not harmed by fake products.”

The General Manager of Dutch Customs, Mrs. Aly van Berckel, said: “JCO Wafers showed the added value of an intelligence-led operation. Based on professional information, the right checks could be initiated without overloading the available control staff.”

Ethernity Networks Raised £15 million in London’s AIM

Ethernity Networks in London AIM
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After more than 12 years since it was founded, Ethernity Networks found its way into the stock exchange market. Last week the data network processing technology company from Lod, Israel, has landed on the AIM Market of the London Stock Exchange and successfully raised £15 million (Approximately $19.4 million). The company total value is evaluated at £65 million.

Ethernity Networks provides data processing cards and software to accelerate high-end Carrier Ethernet applications. The company that was founded in 2004 was on of the firsts in the market to realize that the traditional massive parallel Network Processors does not aswer the needs of the evolving dynamic networks of today. Its core technology, which is populated on programmable logic, enables data offloading at the pace of software development, improves performance and reduces power consumption and latency.

David Levi, CEO of Ethernity Networks, said that the fundraising and AIM listing is a major moment. “We have game changing technology that major global network operators are demanding and the listing will enhance Ethernity’s profile and strengthen our balance sheet, which is essential in order for us to fulfill tier one supply chain requirements.”

Ethernity NFV software acceleration NIC
Ethernity NFV software acceleration NIC

The Company’s software and firmware is already installed in over 400,000 systems globally in broadband access, mobile backhaul and Ethernet access applications. The reducing cost of the Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA) will enable the Company to target larger markets previously only served by Application-Specific Integrated Circuits / Application-Specific Standard Products (ASIC / ASSPs) and fuel increased demand in the Company’s markets.

Ethernity’s major markets are the Carrier Ethernet and NFV/SDN markets. The SDN market is estimated to reach US$70.41 billion by 2024, according to Grand View Research, Inc. Software Defined Networking (SDN) has witnessed a surge in its popularity in the recent years due to the benefits it offers over the existing legacy infrastructure.

The SDN solutions provide centralised control and operational capabilities, which help network administrators and engineers respond quickly and efficiently. The global NFV market (including hardware and software) will be worth US$15 billion by 2020, with software comprising 80 per cent of that $15 billion, according to IHS Markit.

All-Electric Plane to be produced with 3D Printing

Eviation-electric-aircraft
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Aviation Industry helps 3D Printing to take-off in the market. This week, Stratasys from Rehovot, Israel and Minneapolis, US, announced that the Israeli startup from Tel aviv, Eviation Aircraft, is now using Stratasys 3D printing to develop its revolutionary all-electric commuter aircraft.  Eviation electric aircraft, called Alice, is designed to take 9 passengers up to 1,000km at more than 240kts. The company expects  to begin flight testing in late 2018 with commercial availability slated for 2021.

Alice of Eviation Aircraft“In the next four years, Eviation aims to make regional air travel a cost-effective and clean option that rivals any existing form of transit today,” says Eviation founder and CEO, Omer Bar-Yohay. “With people working and commuting across greater distances than ever before, we believe the solution will bring mid-range cities like Seoul and Beijing, or London and Paris, closer together through all-electric air travel.”

The plane uses distributed propulsion with one main pusher propeller at the tail and two pusher propellers at the wingtips, to both reducing drag and giving it extra redundancy. It will have Self-piloting technology enables unmanned flights, for increased flexibility and expansion of services. Alice will also use a Lithium-aluminum fusion technology delivers a 800 mile range per flight before re-charging is required.

3D printed Aircraft

The company took a “start from scratch,” holistic approach to the engineering of its aircraft. It also used Stratasys 3D printing to test many of its designs long before it needed to invest in actual certifiable parts. “The ability to create new iterations of designs with 3D printing and see how they perform in real-time is helping us reduce critical capital costs,” said Bar-Yohay. “Producing lightweight parts in complex geometries will also enable us to explore the possibility of 3D printing parts for the final aircraft.”

Eviation_Engine
3D printed version of the wing tip motor (on left), produced in 20 hours on the Stratasys Fortus 450mc Production 3D Printer in FDM ABS material, used until final motor (on right) was delivered (Photo: Eviation).

Eviation 3D printed its wing-tip motors in a matter of hours, enabling swifter design and functional evaluation, while waiting for the final motors to be shipped. Another key aspect of Eviation’s design is its ability to reduce interference drag on the exterior of the aircraft by employing smooth, curved surfaces. Eviation was able to create the required strong, geometrically complex, lightweight parts to support these surfaces by 3D printing a composite lay-up tool in ULTEM 1010 material, which was then covered with carbon fiber.

Intelsat and Gilat Unveiled a Mobile Communication for Remote Areas

Gilat VSAT
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Intelsat and Gilat Satellite Networks has developed a new package of product and services to being cellular connectivity to remote areas via Intelsat’s constellation of communications satellites. The joint solution called Mobile Reach Solar 3G is an end-to-end managed solar-powered station that combines Intelsat connectivity, including services from the Intelsat Epic high-throughput satellite (HTS) platform, bundled with Gilat’s VSAT system for small cell and cellular backhaul.

Intelsat Epic SatelliteThis package provides 3G service over a 2.5-kilometer radius, including power supply, mono-pole, and all satellite and cellular equipment. It answers the needs of mobile network operators (MNOs) who want to expand their service footprint efficiently into ultra-rural regions where traditional networks are uneconomical. In those environments, maintaining equipment and securing fuel can be the most difficult and expensive part of keeping traditional cell towers operational.

“There is a massive transformation underway in the communications sector,” said Jean-Philippe Gillet, Intelsat’s Vice President and General Manager, Broadband. “One of satellite’s biggest advantages is the ability to easily reach areas where terrestrial connectivity is limited. Combining this with solar-based solutions means that remote regions can enjoy the economic benefit that always accompanies digital inclusion.”

Digital Technology in Space

Intelsat Epic is a new generation of satellites called High Throughput Satellite (HTS) that deliver many times the throughput of traditional fixed satellite services (FSS). There are three major technical features introduced with the Epic spacecraft: Multi-spot beam design, Analog to Digital converters (ADC) and the use of the Digital payload.

Epic’s spot beam footprints are shaped by standard multi-array antennas aboard the spacecraft. These beams range in bandwidth between 62.5 – 500MHz.  The benefits of very focused, concentrated beam is high forward and return gains, less power to transmit an RF signal and ability to utilize a smaller antenna to close the links. This allows Intelsat to push more megabits and be more efficient.

Highcon raised $20 million for Packages Cutting Machines

Highcon Post Printing Machine
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The the inventor of the digital cutting and creasing solution for the post-print market, Highcon from Yavne, Israel, announced the completion of a new round of funding led by Jerusalem Venture Partners (JVP) and the existing investors: Landa Ventures, LR Group, OurCrowd, and Go Capital. The $20 million financing round will be used for further product development of digital finishing solutions.

Highcon Package Example
New kind of packages made possible by Highcon

Highcon targets big market: The global printing industry is predicted to reach $980 billion by 2018, while its folding carton segment is estimated to reach $82 Billion and $167B respectively. Highcon has developed its patented Digital Adhesive Rule Technology to create crease lines and high-speed laser solutions for the cutting and etching. The system accelerates the creation of custom packaging and paper products on-the-fly. Aviv Ratzman, Highcon CEO and Co-founder, said that the global printing industry has been dominated by Israeli digital printing technology for decades. “We are bringing that tradition to the next level.”

Since the launch of the first Highcon machine at drupa 2012, the company has installed more than 50 machines worldwide. “We believe Highcon will be the next Israeli print giant,” said Raffi Kesten, JVP Managing Partner. “Highcon’s field-proven digital technology is bringing about a radical change in a field that has shown little innovation in decades. Their solutions create customized products that jump off the shelf for consumers.”

The company provides three main product lines: Highcon Beam for digital cutting and creasing is a digital solution with a speed of up to 5,000 sheets per hour. Highcon Pulse brings this technology to the B2/29 inch format, while Highcon Euclid III  enables a wide range of applications from packaging and commercial print applications to customization with Variable Data Cutting and even 3D modeling. The Highcon Axis 2D to 3D platform is a software solution handles all the intricacies of 3-dimensional folding applications.

Toyota Motor made an investment in Autotalks

better safety with v2x wireless communication
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The emergence of connected car and future autonomous driving brings new investors to the semiconductors Industry, among them: car manufacturers. Last example is Autotalks. The provider of V2X (Vehicle to Everything) communication chipsets fro Kfat Netter, Israel, announced today an extension to its recent funding round to about $40 million in investments, an over-subscription of $10 million.

Whw? The increased investment amount is a result of new investments from investors such as Mirai Creation Investment Fund, of which the principal investors are Toyota Motor Corporation and Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation, and is managed by SPARX Group. Additionally, current Autotalks’ investors increased their investment in the company.

“The funding round represents a real vote of confidence both in the V2V market and in Autotalks,” said Hagai Zyss, Autotalks’ CEO. “Having such respectable investors, who are worldwide leaders in the automotive industry, is a wonderful addition. The funding will allow us to expand our operations for the upcoming start of mass productions as well as continue to develop communication solutions for both connected and autonomous cars.”

Short video on Autotalks’ V2X technology:

Massive deployment in 2019

Autotalks was founded in 2008, and is considered a V2X chipset market pioneer, providing customers with V2X solutions to helps reducing collisions on roadways and improve mobility with its automotive qualified chipsets. Autotalks’ advanced technology, to be mass-deployed by 2019, complements the information coming from other sensors, specifically in non-line-of-sight scenarios, rough weather or poor lighting conditions. The company says its chipsets exceed all requirements mandated by the USDOT’s V2V notice of proposed rule making (NPRM). Therefore, after several design wins, Autotalks is preparing for mass production starting in 2019.

Toyota’s commitment to V2X

Toyota Motor makes heavy investments in connected driving and is one of the founding members of ITS Connect consortium, that coordinate industry effort to adopt wireless communication by infrastructural equipment installed on the road and among vehicles. Toyota also works closely with the USDOT to create V2X utilizing 5.9GHz DSRC and plans to to deploy systems using this frequency, in accordance with the US regulations.

Imagination Technologies is Looking for a Buyer

Imagination Technologies HQ in UK
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[Photo above: Imagination’s Headquarters in  Hertfordshire, UK]

Five weeks after the British  silicon IP (intellectual property) provider  Imagination Technologies (IMG.L) announced the sale of its MIPS division that provides RISC based CPU IP, the company announced the commencement of formal sale process for whole Group. In a letter to shareholders, sent on June 22, 2017 Imagination’s Chairman, Peter Hill, informed that over the last few weeks it has received interest from a number of parties for a potential acquisition of the whole Group.

“The Board of Imagination has therefore decided to initiate a formal sale process for the Group and is engaged in preliminary discussions with potential bidders. “The sale process for the MIPS and Ensigma operations, which commenced on 4 May 2017, is progressing well and indicative proposals have been received for both businesses.”

The Company’s business model is based on the licensing of embedded processor intellectual property (IP) in the form of both architectures and implementations. MIPS customers are global semiconductor companies and system original equipment manufacturers (system OEMs). Its technology is standard processor architectures and cores, mainly GPU, CPU and networking, sold to global semiconductor companies and OEMs, through its main divisions: Ensigma, MIPS and PowerVR.

Employing approximately 1,400 employees and traded in London with market value of about $618 million, Imagination struggle a financial crisis and a major uncertainty caused by GPU dispute with Apple. Three months ago Imagination’s largest costumer, Apple Inc, has decided to cut the royalties it pay to Imagination by 2/3, resulted in a law suite of Imagination against Apple. On May 4, Imagination has commenced a dispute resolution procedure under the licence agreement “with a view to reaching an agreement through a more structured process”.

This did not impress the market: UBS analysts estimated that Imagination will record losses in fiscal year 2019. The issue is deeper, lately Techtime has learned from sources close to the company that Apple plans to develop its own GPU processor. A move that will not only  cut off Imagination relationships with its giant costumer – but also creates a formidable competitor in its most important segment of the market.

This is the power of Apple: Three months after it clashed with Imagination Technologies – the company put itself up for sale!