High speed communications specialist Nine Ways Research & Development has launched NetFusion, an industrial Ethernet switch development board based on Microsemi's SmartFusion 2 FPGA. NetFusion is said to be designed specifically for use in industrial networking, site perimeter telemetry and telematics and industrial motor control, as well a...

Qualcomm Atheros has acquired Ikanos Communications, a developer of broadband networking semiconductor and software, in a deal that values it at around $47million. According to the company, the deal will broaden Atheros' presence in the carrier fixed line segment through the addition of high performance broadband access and modem technologies,...

Microsemi has launched the smallest radio module it has yet produced. Called the ZL70323 and measuring 5.5 x 4.5 x 1.5mm, the device is said to be optimised for use in implantable medical devices such as pacemakers, cardiac defibrillators and neurostimulators.Martin McHugh, Microsemi's product line manager for the new module, said: "RF...

Cambridge Design Partnership has developed a wearable device that can measure and monitor the vital signs of multiple trauma patients. According to the company, the low cost device – called the First Response Monitor – bridges the gap between manual measurement and more expensive patient monitoring systemsThe low cost wearable biometr...

Plessey has announced the MaGIC LED dice range. Manufactured on the company's patented GaN on silicon technology, the so called 'blue dice' are said to be the latest innovation in high brightness LED dice for medium to high power applications.Plessey's CTO Dr Keith Strickland said: "We have developed LED die for a number of...

Worldwide semiconductor sales in June 2015 amounted to $28billion, according to the European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA). This represents a 0.4% decrease from May. In Europe, semiconductor sales were $2.826bn, down 1.7% from May.Despite the overall decline there were – compared to May – areas of growth in Europe, inclu...

The Alan Turing Institute – a joint venture involving the universities of Cambridge, Edinburgh, Oxford, UCL and Warwick, as well as the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) – has started operations and named Professor Andrew Blake as its first director.Prof Blake, currently a Microsoft Distinguished Scientist a...

A team from the University of California, Berkeley, says it has discovered a new way to switch the polarisation of nanomagnets. The move is said to pave the way for high density storage to move from hard disks onto integrated circuits.The team, led by Sayeef Salahuddin, has found that a slight tilt of the magnets makes them easy to switch witho...

Ionix Advanced Technologies has closed a £2million funding round, with backing from IP Group, ParkWalk and private sources. The cash will help the company to accelerate the commercialisation of a range of devices based on its high temperature piezoelectric materials.A spin-out from the University of Leeds, Ionix is targeting applications...

Graphene Flagship researchers have developed an optical fibre laser that can emits pulses just a few wavelengths of light in duration. The device, based on graphene, is thought to be suited to ultrafast spectroscopy and in surgical lasers."When engineering light to travel in ultrashort pulses, it is important to understand its wave nature,...