Electronics Industry News: January

As a leader in electronic component distribution, we know the importance of market awareness and staying up to date on the latest events and news in the electronics industry.  Please enjoy our compilation of electronics industry news for the month of January!

U.S. Manufacturing Expanded Slightly in January

Despite continued supply and worker constraints, U.S. manufacturing activity continued to increase in the month of January.  According to the Institute for Supply Management’s manufacturing index, the PMI decreased by 1.8 percent in January to 58.7 from the December level of 60.5.  While the PMI decreased slightly, the index remains well above 50, the line of demarcation between growth and contraction.  Production fell by 4 percent, to 60.7 percent from 64.7 and new orders also fell by 6.4 percent to 61.1.  However, prices paid by U.S. factories rose by 4.5 percent to the highest level in nearly a decade.

Micron Delivers Electronics Industry’s First 1-alpha node DRAM Technology

Micron Technology has unveiled its 1-alpha node DRAM, which the company said offers a 40% improvement in memory density over its 1z node DRAM, as well as a 15% improvement in power-savings for mobile devices.

NXP Unlocks the 6GHz Spectrum with a Wi-Fi 6E Tri-Band Chipset for Access Devices

NXP is introducing a Wi-Fi 6E tri-band chipset that will enable devices to operate in the 6GHz band.  This technology will extend Wi-Fi capacity by bringing improved performance, increased capacity, reliability, and lower latency.

Kneron Captivates 2 Large Strategic Investors

Kneron, an edge AI chip startup, has signed Foxconn and Winbond as strategic investors.  In addition to an undisclosed amount of funding, the two Taiwanese companies will work closely with Kneron on strategic partnerships.

Mercedes-Benz Announces Integration of In-Cabin AI in Upcoming EV Model

Daimler’s Mercedes-Benz has debuted a single screen spanning almost the full width of the car, called the MBUX Hyperscreen, which will be available in the EQS sedan.  This screen combines the instrument cluster, infotainment screen, and passenger displays on one massive display.  The screen will also implement artificial intelligence (AI) to automate many of the driver’s most-used functions on a “zero layer” interface.  This means that the driver will not need to scroll through sub-menus to access a display, and common tasks are programmed to be available immediately.

TDK Exploits Energy from Vehicle Wheels to Power Sensors

As Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems (ADAS) become more advanced and autonomous driving becomes popularized, more sensors are needed to address safety concerns in vehicles.  Wheel-mounted sensors relay the data from the tire to the driving safety systems and are typically powered by embedded batteries.  TDK, however, has developed an energy harvesting module that converts mechanical vibration energy from the tire into electricity.  TDK’s technology, called InWheelSense, is a sensing module that uses the piezoelectric power from the tire’s rotation and enables sensing without batteries.

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Sources:

Micron Delivers Industry’s First 1α DRAM Technology | Micron Technology

NXP Unlocks the 6GHz Spectrum with a Wi-Fi 6E Tri-Band Chipset for Access Devices | NXP Semiconductors – Newsroom