Marketing reports, industrial technology reports and strategy reports, industrial research reports

LED epitaxial wafer and chip maker Epistar has disclosed it has spun off its semiconductor foundry business unit and will also turn its mini LED R&D operation into a separate entity next year. The foundry business has become a wholly-owned subsidiary Epistar Semiconductor since October 1, while the mini LED R&D unit will turn into Yen-Rich Technology, which Epistar will retain full ownership, in January 2019, according to the firm.

Addition of Houston-based lab will include proprietary ApoStream® liquid biopsy technology, further expanding precision's large array of biomarker capabilities. Precision for medicine, part of the precision medicine, announced it has acquired Houston-based ApoCell, a next-generation lab specializing in the identification and analysis of biomarkers.

CMOS image sensors (CIS) have become key components of the semiconductor industry. This is not only because of the technology involved and the revenue it generates, but also because it is now impossible to imagine a smartphone, a car or even a house without numerous enabling cameras. The CIS industry reached $13.9B in 2017 and Yole Developpement (Yole) is expecting a CAGR of 9.4% for the next 5 years, as shown in the newly released report “Status of the CMOS Image Sensor Industry 2018”.

In the era of a slowing of Moore’s Law, advanced packaging has become an enabler for future innovation in semiconductors. The semiconductor industry is entering a disruptive phase where, along with mobile, new mega drivers such as big data, AI, 5G, high-performance computing (HPC), IoT (including industrial IoT), smart automotive, industry 4.0 etc., have the potential to transform the industry putting it on a high growth path.

Our self-driving vehicles just crossed 10 million miles driven on public roads. When it comes to driving, experience is the best teacher, and that experience is even more valuable when it’s varied and challenging. These millions of miles were driven in 25 cities across the United States: in sunny California, dusty Arizona, and snowy Michigan, and from the high-speed roads around Phoenix to the dense urban streets of San Francisco.

The market for infrared (IR) light sources is not new, but has evolved rapidly with the recent development of Solid-State Lighting (SSL). Initially developed for optical communication applications, LEDs and laser diodes started to be integrated into high-volume applications (like remote controls for IR LEDs or data centers for laser diodes…) in the 1980s/1990s. But it’s only recently, with the development of smartphones, that IR LEDs and laser diodes have come back to prominence. And now, the market is set for growth for the next 10 years as the automotive sector, among other emerging applications, is also implementing high-value functions using those light sources.