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TOKYO, Feb 2 (Reuters) - Japan's state-backed chip venture Rapidus will need about 7 trillion yen ($54 billion) of mostly taxpayer money to begin mass producing advanced logic chips in around 2027, its chairman, Tetsuro Higashi, told Reuters on Thursday. "In the past, the United States hindered Japan's chip industry growth. Japan and the United States worry that friction with China will result in semiconductor shortages that could threaten economic growth. Japan's most advanced semiconductor factory is a 40 nanometre plant owned by Renesas Electronics (6723.T). For them, the decision to invest will be taken when they are able assess our technology and production plans."

REUTERS/Florence Lo/IllustrationWASHINGTON, Jan 31 (Reuters) - An American official on Tuesday made the most direct comments by a U.S. authority to date acknowledging the existence of a deal with Japan and the Netherlands for those countries to impose new restrictions on exports of chipmaking tools to China. "But you can certainly talk to our friends in Japan and the Netherlands." The United States in October imposed sweeping export restrictions on shipments of chipmaking tools to China, seeking to hobble Beijing's ability to supercharge its chip industry and enhance its military capabilities. For the restrictions to be effective, though, Washington needed to bring on board the Netherlands and Japan, home to chipmaking powerhouses ASML (ASML.AS) and Tokyo Electron (8035.T), among others. The Commerce Department said in an email it will continue to coordinate on export controls with allies.

☆ Japan's chip equipment makers in the dark about new China export restrictions
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Jan 30 (Reuters) - Japanese makers of semiconductor manufacturing machinery and materials used to make chips said on Monday they had yet to hear from Japan's government about export restrictions that could directly or indirectly affect their business in China. Without knowing the details of any new restrictions it is impossible to know their impact, he said. Its statement followed a Bloomberg report that the United States had secured a deal with the Netherlands and Japan. Among them was Tokyo Electron Ltd (8035.T), Japan's biggest semiconductor manufacturing machinery maker. Shares of Japanese semiconductor equipment makers were mostly flat on Monday, with Tokyo Electron up 0.68% while Advantest Corp (6857.T) fell 0.32%.

☆ ASML says ‘rules are being finalized’ on chip export controls to China
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( Michelle Toh | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +4 min

Hong Kong CNN —ASML, a Dutch maker of semiconductor equipment, says “rules are being finalized” on export controls, amid reports that the Netherlands and Japan have joined the United States in restricting sales of some computer chip machinery to China. Bloomberg reported that the deal “would extend some export controls the US adopted in October” to Dutch and Japanese companies, including ASML (ASML), Nikon (NINOY) and Tokyo Electron. In recent months, the Dutch government has faced pressure from the United States to limit chip-related exports to China, particularly from ASML, according to Xiaomeng Lu, director of geo-technology at the Eurasia Group. It noted that it mainly sold “mature” products to China, and its most advanced lithography technology had already been restricted since 2019. Those machines had been prohibited from being sent to China because the Dutch government had “refused to grant it a license under US pressure,” Lu previously told CNN.

☆ America's hazy chip deal fogs market signals
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Having unveiled sweeping new curbs targeting the People's Republic in October, American officials have lobbied friendly governments to follow suit. Companies like Dutch giant ASML and Tokyo Electron enjoy near-monopolies in chipmaking equipment, namely lithography machines and silicon-wafer coatings. Preventing them from selling to Chinese companies would deal a serious blow to Beijing’s technological progress. ASML and Tokyo Electron currently generate 15% and 26% of annual sales from China, respectively, and the People's Republic is Japan's top trading partner. Shares of Japanese suppliers including Tokyo Electron, ASML-rival Nikon and Canon all opened flat on Monday morning.

☆ Japan, Netherlands to join US in restricting chip equipment exports to China-Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

TOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Japan and the Netherlands will soon agree to join the United States in restricting exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China, Bloomberg News reported. Japan would impose similar restrictions on Nikon Corp (7731.T), the report said. "We have been in discussion with the United States and other countries regarding the export-control regime," Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, told reporters on Friday. "A balance needs to be struck so no one among Japan, the United States and Europe will be disproportionately disadvantaged. Japan expects sales at affected chip-related companies to rebound quickly because the market for their equipment is expanding, a trade and industry official involved in overseeing semiconductor firms told Reuters.

☆ U.S. secures deal with Netherlands, Japan on China chip export limit- Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/2] White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan addresses the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, U.S. September 30, 2022. REUTERS/Jonathan Ernst/File PhotoWASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The United States has secured a deal with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict exports of some advanced chip-making machinery to China in talks that concluded on Friday, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. Officials from the Netherlands and Japan were in Washington discussing a wide range of issues in talks led by White House national security adviser Jake Sullivan. John Kirby, the White House national security spokesperson, earlier said the officials were talking about issues that are "important to all three of us." When asked about the Bloomberg report, the White House declined to comment beyond Kirby's earlier remarks.

☆ U.S. secures deal with Netherlands, Japan on China chip export limit - Bloomberg
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON, Jan 27 (Reuters) - The United States has secured a deal with the Netherlands and Japan to restrict exports of some advanced chip-making machinery to China in talks that concluded on Friday, Bloomberg reported, citing people familiar with the matter. The agreement would extend some export controls the United States adopted in October to companies based in the two allied nations, including ASML Holding NV (ASML.AS), Nikon Corp (7731.T) and Tokyo Electron Ltd (8035.T), the report added. Reporting by Kanishka Singh; Editing by Tim AhmannOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Japan, Netherlands to join U.S. in restricting chip equipment exports to China, Bloomberg reports
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-27 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

TOKYO, Jan 27 (Reuters) - Japan and the Netherlands will soon agree to join the United States in restricting exports of semiconductor manufacturing equipment to China, Bloomberg News reported. Japan would impose similar restrictions on Nikon Corp (7731.T), the report said. Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara, a government spokesperson, said Japan would make "appropriate steps" based on the United States' and other nations' regulatory moves. "We have been in discussion with the United States and other countries regarding the export-control regime," Yasutoshi Nishimura, Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, told reporters on Friday. "A balance needs to be struck so no one among Japan, the United States and Europe will be disproportionately disadvantaged.

☆ Factbox: What is a chip making tool?
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

WHAT ARE CHIP-MAKING TOOLS? A single chip factory can contain 1,000 or more tools, each tuned to a different step in the process. The biggest and most sophisticated lithography machines require three Boeing 747s to carry them in sections and can cost as much as $160 million. The raft of measures, if effective, could hobble China's chip manufacturing industry by forcing American and foreign companies that use U.S. technology to cut off support for some of China's leading factories and chip designers. But to be effective, the United States needs the Netherlands and Japan to jump on board with similar restrictions.

☆ Rocket Lab establishes new U.S. foothold with successful launch after years of delays
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-25 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

The company's Electron rocket lifts off from LC-2 at NASA's Wallops Flight Facility in Virginia on Jan. 24, 2023. Rocket Lab 's first U.S. launch got off the ground Tuesday evening, marking a successful mission and a long-awaited expansion of the company's capabilities. The company's Electron rocket launched from NASA's Wallops Flight Facility on the coast of Virginia, carrying a trio of satellites to orbit for radio frequency analytics specialist Hawkeye 360. Rocket Lab Electron launches possible with our game-changing flight safety technology," he said. Rocket Lab stock was down about 2% in early trading Wednesday from its previous close of $4.97 a share.

☆ U.S. talks with Japanese, Dutch to yield no immediate China chip export curbs -source
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Alexandra Alper | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] Employees work at a production line manufacturing chips inside a factory of an electronics company in Chizhou, Anhui province, China March 21, 2018. Upcoming meetings between U.S. President Joe Biden and Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte at the White House on Friday and next Tuesday, respectively, will provide forums to discuss the issue, said a person briefed on U.S. officials' thinking. But, "these visits will not result in immediate announcements and (are) part of our ongoing consultations on these issues," the person cautioned. A key commerce department official said in October that such agreements were coming "in the near term." Reporting by Alexandra Alper; Editing by Leslie Adler and Lincoln Feast.

Tokyo Electron (8035.T), Japan's leading chip manufacturing equipment maker, relies on China for about a quarter of its revenue. The other top producers of chip-making gear are the United States and the Netherlands, home to ASML (ASML.AS), another of the world's biggest makers of chip-making tools. SEEKING A DEALU.S. officials are quick to play down the differences between the United States, Japan and other allies. But unless Japan and the Netherlands impose their own export controls, China will soon perfect other ways of getting the equipment it needs, even as American companies stand to lose market share. "For better or worse, Japan's semiconductor strategy is moving in accordance with what the United States wants."

☆ Nearly 250,000 kindergarteners in U.S. are vulnerable to measles due to slide in vaccination rates, CDC says
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-12 | by ( Spencer Kimball | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +5 min

"And we know that measles, mumps and rubella vaccination coverage for kindergarteners is the lowest it has been in over a decade," Peacock said. Nearly a quarter of a million kindergartners are potentially vulnerable to measles due to a dip in vaccination coverage during the pandemic, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kindergarteners are required to be vaccinated against measles, mumps and rubella, chickenpox, polio, and diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis. The vaccination rates for measles, mumps and rubella was 93.5% during the 2021-2022 school year, below the target coverage of 95% to prevent outbreaks. The CDC report looked at whether the kindergarteners had received the second dose of their measles, mumps and rubella vaccine.

☆ Rocket builder ABL's inaugural launch fails shortly after liftoff, damages launch pad
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-11 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

The company's RS1 rocket lifts off on its inaugural launch attempt from Kodiak, Alaska on Jan. 10, 2023. The first mission by ABL Space got off the ground on Tuesday, but the company's RS1 rocket suffered an issue early in the flight that caused it to fail shortly after lifting off. ABL President Dan Piemont told CNBC that the RS1 rocket stayed within the predefined "acceptable flight corridor" during the short launch, but after the rocket's engines shut down the vehicle "impacted directly on the launch pad," causing damage. ABL's RS1 rocket stands about 90 feet tall, and is designed to launch as much as 1,350 kilograms (or nearly 1.5 tons) of payload to low Earth orbit — at a cost of $12 million per launch. That puts RS1 in the middle of the commercial launch market, between Rocket Lab's smaller Electron and SpaceX's heavy class Falcon 9.

☆ Japanese shares end higher on Wall Street gains, financials weigh
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

The Nikkei share average (.N225) rose 0.65% to close at 26,405.87, while the broader Topix (.TOPX) edged up 0.24% at 1,902.52. "Japanese shares rose because U.S. equities gained at the end of last week, but the trading is very quiet with most participants in the U.S. and Europe away for holidays," said Shuji Hosoi, senior strategist at Daiwa Securities. Heavyweight Fast Retailing (9983.T), owner of the Uniqlo brand, rose 2.0% and chip-making equipment maker Tokyo Electron (8035.T) gained 2.22%. "The 10-year government bond yield hovers below the top end of the Bank of Japan's (BOJ) policy band, which prompted a sell-off of banking shares," Hosoi said. The volume of shares traded on the Tokyo bourse's main board was 0.85 billion, compared to the average of 1.25 billion in the past 30 days.

☆ Startup Plans to Make Synthetic Natural Gas With Green Hydrogen
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-22 | by ( Giulia Petroni | ) www.wsj.com time to read: +7 min

Hydrogen company Tree Energy Solutions plans to provide low-emission fuels for businesses in Europe as they struggle with energy shortages and higher prices. PREVIEWRoughly 96% of the hydrogen in Europe is produced using natural gas, resulting in significant CO2 emissions, according to the European Commission, the European Union’s executive arm. Marco Alverà, head of TES and former chief executive officer of Italian gas grid operator Snam SpA, spoke with WSJ Pro Sustainable Business about a green-hydrogen-based process to create synthetic natural gas. Mr. Alverà: I’m a fan of hydrogen, but not of hydrogen in itself. Suddenly, we’ve turned something problematic and illiquid like hydrogen into something very fungible like natural gas.

☆ Rocket Lab delays first U.S. launch, cuts revenue forecast
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-19 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 19 (Reuters) - Rocket Lab USA Inc (RKLB.O) cut its revenue forecast for the fourth quarter on Monday after it delayed the first launch of its Electron rocket from U.S. soil to January, sending its shares down about 5% in extended trading. The rocket maker said that due to the delay, revenue for the mission will be recognized in the first quarter. The delay in documentation left two days in a 14-day launch window which were unsuitable for "Virginia Is For Launch Lovers" mission due to bad weather, the company added. Rocket Lab, which has been launching rockets from New Zealand, cut its fourth-quarter revenue forecast to between $46 million and $47 million from $51 million to $54 million. Reporting by Akash Sriram in Bengaluru; Editing by Shinjini GanguliOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

A combination of targeted subsidies and local demand will help. China's dependence on foreign suppliers for lithography machines, used to print patterns onto silicon wafers, light-resistant wafer coatings known as photoresists and other vital tools cannot be understated. A 2021 report found that Chinese chipmakers buy less than a fifth of their equipment by value from local suppliers and that the country has localised less than 8% of annual equipment demand. China's equipment specialists, such as little-known firms NAURA Technology Group (002371.SZ) and Advanced Micro-Fabrication Equipment (688012.SS), are probably too small to effectively absorb massive amounts of government funding anyway. The majority of the funds will be used to subsidise the purchase of domestic semiconductor equipment by Chinese chipmakers.

☆ Japan, Netherlands to join U.S. in China chip curbs - Bloomberg News
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-12 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

Dec 12 (Reuters) - Japan and the Netherlands have agreed in principle to join the United States in tightening controls over the export of advanced chip-making machinery to China, Bloomberg News reported on Monday, citing people familiar with the matter. In October, the Biden administration published a series of curbs aimed at stopping the export of chip-making technology and certain chips made through U.S. equipment anywhere in the world to China. The new curbs may be announced in the coming weeks, it added. Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry as well as Netherlands' foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to Reuters' requests for comment. Reporting by Yuvraj Malik in Bengaluru; Editing by Devika SyamnathOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ A globally critical chip firm is driving a wedge between the U.S. and Netherlands over China tech policy
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-05 | by ( Arjun Kharpal | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

The U.S. has been putting pressure on the Netherlands to block exports to China of high-tech semiconductor equipment. The Netherlands is home to ASML, one of the most important companies in the global semiconductor supply chain. Instead, it makes and sells $200 million extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography machines to semiconductor manufacturers like Taiwan's TSMC. ASML has not been able to ship an EUV machine to China since 2019 due to various Dutch export restrictions, according to a company spokesperson. According to a Reuters report from 2020, the Dutch government withdrew ASML's license to export its EUV machines to China after extensive lobbying from the U.S. government.

☆ Why Faulty Streetlights Are Turning Cities Purple — and Why It's Worrisome
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-29 | by ( Adam Rogers | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +14 min

LED streetlights are supposed to shine for the better part of a decade. Every city with purple lights that responded to my queries or has public records on the matter bought its LED lights from Acuity. The blue LED, with its narrow wavelength, enabled all sorts of modern tech, from the compact disc to flat-screen monitors. Acuity and the purple cities haven't been entirely transparent on that matter. "The purple streetlights are a result of the phosphor coating delaminating from the LEDs," says Fiona Hughes, a representative for the city of Vancouver.

☆ New measures for size, as world’s people surpass 8 billion
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-19 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

And one British scientist led the push Friday to incorporate bold new, tongue-twisting prefixes on the gigantic and even the minuscule scale. There’s the gargantuan “ronna” (that’s 27 zeros after the one) and its big brother the “quetta” — (that’s 30 zeros). Their ant-sized counterparts are the “ronto” (27 zeros after the decimal point), and the “quecto” (with 30 zeros after the decimal point) -- representing the smaller numbers needed for quantum science and particle physics. The conference, which takes place every four years in France, is the supreme authority of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures. (We) need new words as things expand,” Brown said.

☆ NTT, Kioxia to invest in new Japan-backed logic semiconductor firm - TV Tokyo
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

[1/2] The logo of NTT (Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation) is displayed at the company office in Tokyo, Japan September 29, 2020. REUTERS/Issei KatoTOKYO, Nov 10 (Reuters) - Japanese companies, including Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corp (9432.T) and Kioxia Holdings Corp, have decided to invest in a new government-backed company that aims to mass-produce next-generation logic semiconductors, TV Tokyo reported on Thursday. Other companies, including Toyota Motor Corp (7203.T), Sony Group (6758.T), SoftBank (9434.T) and Denso Corp (6902.T), also plan to invest about 1 billion yen ($6.84 million) each into the new company, the Nikkei newspaper reported separately. Japan's government will set up a new research centre by the end of 2022 to develop sub 2-nanometer semiconductors, which will be led by a former Tokyo Electron Ltd (8035.T) president, TV Tokyo also said. ($1 = 146.2800 yen)Reporting by Kantaro Komiya; Editing by Jan Harvey and Jane MerrimanOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Rocket Lab reports record quarterly revenue, with added contract wins
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( Michael Sheetz | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

An Electron rocket launches from the company's New Zealand facility on Nov. 4, 2022. Rocket Lab delivered quarterly results on Wednesday that boasted record revenue, with the space company tacking on additional contract wins across its business. Rocket Lab stock is down 61% this year as of Wednesday's close of $4.74 a share. Additionally, Rocket Lab signed a research agreement with the Pentagon's United States Transport Command to "explore cargo transport use" with its rockets. Rocket Lab has begun production of the hardware for its forthcoming, larger Neutron rocket.

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