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☆ Quantum computing software startup Q-CTRL raises $27.4 mln
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-31 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan 31 (Reuters) - Sydney-based startup Q-CTRL, whose software helps run quantum computers more accurately, said on Tuesday it raised $27.4 million with Salesforce Ventures joining as a new investor. Billions of dollars have been invested to prepare for the moment quantum computers can outperform classical computers on important tasks as those could be industry changing, experts say. Several quantum computer makers say they will have over a thousand qubits in the next one to two years. Q-CTRL's software helps see through some of that static to increase the chances of reading the right answer from the quantum machine. It works with both quantum computer hardware and software makers, including IBM (IBM.N), IONQ (IONQ.N), and Classiq.

OAKLAND, Calif/BANGALORE, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Microprocessor giant Intel Corp (INTC.O) has stumbled badly at a time when smaller rival AMD and others are picking up speed. Intel still dominates the markets for PC and server processing chips, with a market share greater than 70%, tech research firm IDC calculated. "I don't think Intel is in a position yet to start recovering share" in the market, he said. Customers of processors cannot launch products if new chip designs are late, and Intel has stumbled on delivering its latest data-center chip, code named Sapphire Rapids. Worse for Intel, the benchmarks published by the two companies show that AMD's latest server chip outperforms Sapphire Rapids on "general purpose workloads", according to Bernstein analyst Stacy Rasgon.

REUTERS/Andrew KellyOAKLAND, Calif/BANGALORE, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Microprocessor giant Intel Corp (INTC.O) says it will regain its footing against AMD and other chip rivals which are gobbling up market share, but Wall Street is skeptical. That's a headwind for Intel and AMD, both of which are rolling out new chips, but Intel is facing a larger inventory correction. Intel still dominates the markets for PC and server processing chips, with a market share greater than 70%, tech research firm IDC calculated. Chipmaker shares were hammered across the board on Friday, but Intel led the decline, slumping by 10% while AMD lost 1.8%. AMD set to overtake Intel in market cap, again AMD set to overtake Intel in market cap, againReporting By Jane Lanhee Lee and Chavi Mehta; Editing by David Gaffen, Peter Henderson, Kirsten Donovan and Jonathan OatisOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

"Everything hinges on the PC market recovery. Meanwhile, the data center market has also slowed from double-digit growth as businesses cut costs to ride out an economic slowdown. The company forecast first-quarter revenue in the range of about $10.5 billion to $11.5 billion. The company expects an adjusted loss of 15 cents per share versus expectations of a 24 cents per share profit. Revenue in the fourth quarter fell 32% to $14 billion.

"Everything hinges on the PC market recovery. AMD isn’t immune to this either," said Wayne Lam, an analyst at CCS Insight about Intel rival Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.O). Shares of other microchip companies fell as well, with AMD down 2.4% and Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) down 2%. PC shipments fell 16.5% to 292.3 million units in 2022, per data from research firm IDC, forcing chipmakers to cut back production and slash revenue forecasts. Meanwhile, the data center market has also slowed from double-digit growth as businesses look to cut costs to ride out an economic slowdown.

“The small miss on Microsoft’s cloud earnings forecast is likely just a reflection of the new economic reality that businesses are facing and not a harbinger of something worse," said Bob O'Donnell, chief analyst at TECHnalysis Research. It forecast third-quarter revenue in its so-called intelligent cloud business would be $21.7 billion to $22 billion, just below the analyst average forecast of $22.14 billion, according to Refinitiv. He said revenue from OpenAI-related businesses would show up in revenue for Microsoft's cloud service Azure in the future. Azure cloud product revenue in the second quarter rose 31%, in line with estimates compiled by Visible Alpha. The company expects that revenue to drop to $11.9 billion to $12.3 billion in the current fiscal third quarter.

Microsoft said its third-quarter intelligent cloud revenue would be $21.7 billion to $22 billion, while analysts forecast $22.14 billion. In the second quarter, Microsoft's cloud services business helped offset a slump in the personal computer market. Azure has also steadily grabbed market share from leader Amazon.com Inc's (AMZN.O) Amazon Web Services (AWS). Azure ended 2022 with 30% share in the cloud computing market, up from 20% in 2018, according to estimates from BofA Global Research. Microsoft's revenue rose 2% to $52.7 billion in the three months ended Dec. 31, compared with the average analyst estimate of $52.94 billion, according to Refinitiv IBES.

☆ French quantum computer startup PASQAL raises 100 million euros
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-24 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OAKLAND, Calif. Jan 24 (Reuters) - Paris-based quantum computer startup PASQAL on Tuesday said it had raised 100 million euros ($109 million) and aims to deliver major commercial advantages over classical computers by next year using the fresh funds. The investment is the biggest private funding round for a quantum computer startup in Europe, according to Georges-Olivier Reymond, CEO and co-founder of PASQAL. It comes as the stock price collapse of three New York-listed quantum computer makers, IonQ Inc (IONQ.N), Rigetti Computing , and D-wave Quantum has made funding for the sector challenging. Scientists expect quantum computers could one day make certain calculations millions of times faster than the fastest super computers today. The number of qubits, or quantum bits, is an indication of the power of the quantum computer.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif/FRANKFURT, Jan 17 (Reuters) - U.S. chip giant Intel Corp (INTC.O) is committed to building its chip fabrication plant, or fab, in Magdeburg, Germany and is working out funding details with the government, according to Chief Global Operations Officer Keyvan Esfarjani. “We are committed to making the Magdeburg project successful,” Esfarjani told Reuters on the sidelines of Industry Strategy Symposium, a chip conference by Semi last week in Half Moon Bay, California. When asked about Intel's investment, Germany's economy ministry's spokesperson told Reuters the government was in "constant exchange with Intel and the European Commission" about the project. In March Intel announced Magdeburg as the site for its new mega chip manufacturing complex, a key part of its $88 billion investment drive across Europe. Last week Italy's government also reiterated that it was determined to secure and investment by Intel.

☆ Qualcomm, Iridium partner to bring satellite-based messaging to Android phones
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-05 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Jan 5 (Reuters) - Qualcomm Inc (QCOM.O) has partnered with Iridium Communications Inc (IRDM.O) to provide a satellite-based messaging service on premium smartphones running Google's Android operating system, the chipmaker said on Thursday. The partnership comes months after Apple Inc (AAPL.O) unveiled a similar feature allowing iPhone 14 models to send emergency messages via satellite in some countries such as the United States and Canada. Those phones also contain a Qualcomm chip that can talk to satellites when there is no Wi-Fi or cellular data connection. Qualcomm said on Thursday the new service, Snapdragon Satellite, will be available in certain regions from the second half of 2023 starting devices using the second generation Snapdragon 8 mobile platform. Snapdragon Satellite can also be enabled on other devices including laptops, vehicles and tablets, it added, without specifying if those devices would need any special equipment.

☆ Qualcomm launches auto chip to handle both assisted driving and entertainment
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

OAKLAND, Calif., Jan 4 (Reuters) - Mobile chip maker Qualcomm Technologies, Inc (QCOM.O) on Wednesday unveiled a processor chip for the car called Snapdragon Ride Flex SoC that handles both assisted driving and cockpit functions, including entertainment. Previously those functions were handled on different chips and merging them can help bring down costs, said Nakul Duggal, Qualcomm’s head of automotive. The extra external components that you need, those go down,” Duggal told Reuters. Qualcomm has been steadily building up its automotive business in recent years and in September it said its automotive business "pipeline" increased to $30 billion. Duggal said automotive customers are already trying out the new chip and it would be commercially available in the first half of next year.

"Due to the significant supply demand mismatch entering calendar 2023, we expect that profitability will remain challenged throughout 2023," Micron chief executive Sanjay Mehrotra said. Micron, reporting earnings on Wednesday, forecast second-quarter revenue of $3.8 billion, plus or minus $200 million, above Wall Street estimates. But it forecast a loss of 62 cents per share plus or minus 10 cents, much steeper than analysts' estimates for a 30 cents loss. Micron said the layoffs, part of a restructuring plan, would result in charges of at least $30 million in the second quarter. Revenue for the first quarter ended Nov. 30 fell about 47% year on year to $4.09 billion.

☆ Intel splits graphic chips unit into two
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-21 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 21 (Reuters) - Intel Corp (INTC.O) is splitting its graphic chips unit into two, the company said on Wednesday, as it realigns the business to better compete with Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) and Advanced Micro Devices (AMD.O). The consumer graphics unit will be combined with Intel's client computing group, which makes chips for personal computers, while accelerated computing teams will join its data center and artificial intelligence (AI) business, the company said. The move comes as Intel doubles down on accelerated computing, a growing segment dominated by Nvidia as AI use surges. Raja Koduri, who led the graphic chips unit, will return to his role as chief architect and oversee the company's long-term technology and chip design strategy. Koduri, who has led graphics technology ventures at iPhone maker Apple (AAPL.O) and AMD, joined Intel in 2017.

☆ EnCharge AI, a chip startup born in Princeton lab, raises $21.7 mln
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-14 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OAKLAND, Calif., Dec 14 (Reuters) - EnCharge AI, a chip startup born at a Princeton University lab, on Wednesday said it raised $21.7 million as it looks to commercialize its computing technology that is designed to run artificial intelligence applications more efficiently. Its first products will be cards that can be easily slotted into server racks for companies to run AI applications, said Naveen Verma, CEO and co-founder of EnCharge AI and a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Princeton. EnCharge AI chips work by computing data directly in the memory on the chip, using a special chip design and software. The chips will first be used in factories, warehouses and retail spaces to run AI applications, said Verma. EnCharge AI said the latest funding round was led by Anzu Partners with participation from AlleyCorp, Scout Ventures, Silicon Catalyst Angels, Schams Ventures, E14 Fund and Alumni Ventures.

Starting with the Trump administration, the United States has been tightening the noose around China's high-tech ambitions. But why worry about older chip technology? “28 nanometer” refers to a chip technology commercially used since 2011. But it is a giant in older technology, including chips that regulate power flows in electronics. The importance of older chip technology hit the industry in the face in 2021 as a shortage of those chips prevented manufacturing of millions of cars and consumer electronics.

☆ TSMC expects $10 billion in annual revenue from Arizona fabs
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-06 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

PHOENIX, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Taiwanese chipmaker TSMC (2330.TW) on Tuesday estimated annual revenue of $10 billion when its two planned chips fabrication plants open in Arizona. TSMC said Tuesday it was more than tripling its planned investment in the factories to $40 billion. U.S. President Joe Biden and others, including the CEOs of major TSMC customers, are attending a "tool-in" ceremony for the symbolic moving of the first equipment onto the shop floor of the new $12 billion facility. "When completed with both fabs, we will manufacture over 600,000 wafers a year, representing $10 billion in yearly revenue and with our customers product sales over $40 billion a year," said TSMC Chief Executive Mark Liu. Apple Inc (AAPL.O), Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O), and Advanced Micro Devices Inc (AMD.O), all major TSMC customers, said they expected their chips to be made in the new Arizona plants.

[1/2] U.S. President Joe Biden delivers remarks about the student loan forgiveness program from an auditorium on the White House campus in Washington, U.S., October 17, 2022. The investment is a big win for Biden after supply-chain issues disrupted the U.S. economy early in his presidency. They will attend a "tool-in" ceremony, which is the symbolic moving of the first equipment onto the shop floor of the new $12 billion facility. The $52.7 billion "Chips and Science" act, signed by Biden in August, is aimed at preventing a resurgence of supply-chain woes. Biden's victory in Arizona in the 2020 presidential election helped catapult him to the White House after Republican Donald Trump won the state in 2016.

☆ Silicon Valley startup beaming electricity wirelessly raises $30 million
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

REDWOOD CITY, Calif., Dec 2 (Reuters) - Reach Power Inc, a Silicon Valley startup that beams electricity wirelessly, said on Friday it had raised $30 million in a funding round that will help it commercialize its products. In a demonstration for Reuters, Davlantes connected a radio with no batteries to an antenna-based wireless power receiver that turned on the radio as far as 25 feet (7.6 meters) from the power transmitter. Asked about the safety of shooting stronger beams of electricity, Dalvantes said the systems can detect objects and switch off or route around them. "We always guarantee when you're around one of our systems, you're getting exposure that meets the same limits as all of the cellphones," he said. Reach has signed a contract with the U.S. Defense Department for prototypes that can combine multiple energy-beaming modules for stronger power transmission or longer ranges, he said.

☆ Report warns U.S. chip design market share to plunge without government support
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-30 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The U.S. share of chip design revenue has been slipping in recent years, dropping to 46% in 2021 from over 50% in 2015. The United States has already lost its lead in chip manufacturing, prompting the Biden administration to pass the CHIPS and Science Act this year. An earlier report by SIA and BCG in 2020 showed the U.S. share of modern global chip manufacturing capacity had fallen to 12% by that year, down from 37% in 1990. The report also said government support is helping companies in countries like China and South Korea to gain market share in chip designing as well. It said federal investment in semiconductor design and R&D of $20 billion-$30 billion through 2030, including a $15 billion-$20 billion investment tax credit for chip design, would be needed to maintain U.S. leadership in the long-run.

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Chip designer and computing firm Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) beat expectations for third-quarter revenue on Wednesday, thanks to strong demand in its data center business on the back of rising cloud adoption. Data center revenue in the third quarter rose 31% from a year ago, while gaming revenue was down 51% from a year ago. Cloud companies are increasingly using Nvidia chips in their systems. read moreAnd Nvidia Chief Financial Officer Colette Kress said while the export restrictions impacted third-quarter revenue, the decline was "largely offset by sales of alternative products into China." Nvidia forecast current-quarter revenue at $6 billion, plus or minus 2%, versus expectation of $6.09 billion.

Nov 16 (Reuters) - Chip designer and computing firm Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) beat expectations for third-quarter revenue on Wednesday, thanks to strong demand in its data center business on the back of rising cloud adoption. Nvidia's A100 data center chip and ramp-up in its latest "Hopper" series H100 chip will help the company maintain momentum in the data center space, analysts said. Data center revenue in the third quarter rose 31% from a year ago, while gaming revenue was down 51% from a year ago. Analysts on average expect revenue of $6.09 billion, according to Refinitiv data. Analysts on average had expected revenue of $5.77 billion, according to Refinitiv data.

☆ Micron to supply fewer memory chips in 2023, plans fresh capex cuts
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Micron was the first major chipmaker to sound an alarm about falling demand for personal computers and smartphones earlier this year in the face of decades-high inflation. "In order to significantly improve total inventory ... DRAM bit supply will need to shrink and NAND bit supply growth will need to be significantly lower than previous estimates," the company said. Widespread supply and capex cuts typically denote a bottom for the memory industry and is a good sign, Wedbush Securities analyst Matt Bryson wrote in a note on Wednesday. But he said there is potential for a longer demand trough that would likely weigh on the broader technology space. For 2023, the company expects its year-on-year bit supply growth to be negative for DRAM and in the single-digit percentage range for NAND.

The chip is called the Zynq UltraScale+ MPSoC and was developed by Xilinx, which was acquired by AMD this year. This will allow automakers to update not only software, but also the chip, after the car is sold, Rehan Tahir, AMD’s senior product marketing manager for automotive told Reuters. Tahir said the Aisin auto parking system will start production on 2024 models, but declined to say which car brands would use it. Tahir said the Aisin system works with four cameras and 12 ultrasonic sensors on the car to parallel park and also back into parking spaces. But the human in the car will have to decide if that spot is in a no-parking zone, he said.

☆ Nvidia says it is working with Microsoft to build 'massive' cloud AI computer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-16 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

OAKLAND, Calif, Nov 16, (Reuters) - U.S. chip designer and computing firm Nvidia Corp (NVDA.O) on Wednesday said it is teaming up with Microsoft Corp (MSFT.O) to build a “massive” computer to handle intense artificial intelligence computing work in the cloud. The AI computer will operate on Microsoft’s Azure cloud, using tens of thousands of graphics processing units (GPUs), Nvidia’s most powerful H100 and its A100 chips. “We're seeing a broad groundswell of AI adoption ... and the need for applying AI for enterprise use cases.”In addition to selling Microsoft the chips, Nvidia said it will partner with the software and cloud giant to develop AI models. Buck said Nvidia would also be a customer of Microsoft’s AI cloud computer and develop AI applications on it to offer services to customers. This is important as heavy AI computing work requires thousands of chips to work together across several servers.

☆ Silicon Valley chip startup Cerebras unveils AI supercomputer
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-14 | by ( Jane Lanhee Lee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] Startup Cerebras System's new AI supercomputer Andromeda is seen at a data center in Santa Clara, California, U.S. October 2022. Rebecca Lewington/Cerebras Systems/Handout via REUTERSOAKLAND, Calif. Nov 14(Reuters) - Silicon Valley startup Cerebras Systems, known in the industry for its dinner plate-sized chip made for artificial intelligence work, on Monday unveiled its AI supercomputer called Andromeda, which is now available for commercial and academic research. Andromeda is built by linking up 16 Cerebras CS-2 systems, the company's latest AI computer built around the over-sized chip called the Wafer-Scale Engine 2. This is less than $35 million,” said Andrew Feldman, founder and CEO of Cerebras when asked about the Frontier supercomputer. Feldman said Andromeda is owned by Cerebras and built at a high performance data center in Santa Clara, California called Colovore.

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