A team of Australian engineers at the University of New South Wales (UNSW), in Sydney, has taken the first step towards making quantum computers a reality by building a quantum logic gate in silicon for the first time.“What we have is a game changer,” said team leader Andrew Dzurak, Scientia Professor and director of the Australian...

A professor of theoretical physics and condensed matter theory from Caltech has suggested that a new type of quasiparticle could help improve the efficiency of photonic devices.While electrons travelling through semiconductors lose energy via heat because of resistance, a similar effect can be seen with light transmission, caused by factors suc...

The Centre of Process Innovation (CPI) has announced that it has joined a UK based collaboration called ‘Gravia’, to develop the next generation of ultra-barrier materials using graphene for the production of flexible transparent plastic electronic based displays for the next generation of smartphones, tablets and wearable electronics....

A research team, including scientists from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), has developed a straightforward method to create magnetic skyrmions under ambient room conditions. The achievement brings skyrmions a step closer for use in data storage and could be the basis for a new type of computer memory that never loses the...

Renesas Electronics has announced the ADAS Surround View Kit. An extension of the ADAS Starter Kit, the Surround View Kit is said to simplify and accelerate the development of surround view applications when combined with the Starter Kit.The ADAS Surround View Kit combines automotive cameras from Integrated Micro-electronics and multiple high-s...

Skyworks Solutions is to acquire PMC-Sierra in a $2billion cash deal. According to Skyworks, the deal enhances its position as a diversified analogue, RF and mixed signal semiconductor provider.“With our acquisition of PMC, Skyworks will be [well] positioned to capitalise on the explosive demand for high performance solutions that seamles...

Sony has announced plans to split its devices business into three new companies, addressing semiconductors, batteries and storage solutions. The three units will all report to Sony’s executive deputy president and corporate executive officer Tomoyuki Suzuki. The move is intended to improve accountability and to allow the new companies to reac...

Belgian nanoelectronics research centre imec and Cadence Design Systems have completed the first tapeout of a 5nm test chip, created using a mixture of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) and 193nm immersion lithography techniques.The partners say they optimised design rules, libraries and place and route technology to obtain optimal power, performance a...

CEVA has introduced a real-time neural network software framework, the CEVA Deep Neural Network (CDNN), to streamline machine learning deployment in low-power embedded systems.Exploiting the processing power of the CEVA-XM4 imaging & vision DSP, the CDNN is claimed to enable embedded systems to perform deep learning tasks 3x faster than the...

Research at Oregon State University has shown that potassium can work with graphite in a potassium-ion battery; a discovery which may pose a challenge and sustainable alternative to the lithium ion battery.According to the research team, potassium ion batteries were last explored in 1932. “For decades, people have assumed that potassium c...