Overseas
Business
Electronic components distributor Digi-Key surpassed $1,5 billion in global sales for the first time in 2010, generating a half-billion dollars in the fourth quarter alone. The record-setting total represents a 64% year-over-year sales increase. The company is projected to reach nearly $1,8 billion in worldwide sales for 2011. Digi-Key also announced the decision to cease production of its print catalogue with immediate effect.
u-blox reported consolidated revenue for its 2010 financial year of CHF 112,8 million, a growth of 53,4% compared to 2009. Net profit increased by 288,3% from CHF 3,3 million to CHF 12,9 million, representing a 11,5% net profit margin for 2010.
Micron announced results of operations for its second quarter of fiscal 2011, which ended 3 March. Net income attributable to Micron shareholders was $72 million, or $0,07 per diluted share, on net sales of $2,3 billion. The results for the second quarter of fiscal 2011 compare to net income of $155 million, or $0,15 per diluted share, on net sales of $2,3 billion for the first quarter of fiscal 2011, and net income of $365 million, or $0,39 per diluted share, on net sales of $2,0 billion for the second quarter of fiscal 2010.
OSRAM Opto Semiconductors will be stepping up its production output significantly by converting its two chip manufacturing facilities to 6-inch wafers while expanding both plants. A new production building is currently under construction in Penang, Malaysia, while in Regensburg, Germany, the available space is being reallocated. The two facilities will each be converting to the new manufacturing technology, introducing 6-inch wafers to replace the current 4-inch technology. These measures are expected to almost double the chip production capacity for the company’s white LEDs by the end of 2012.
Semtech reported unaudited financial results for its fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011. Net revenue was $116,3 million, up 36,8% from the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 and down 5,6% from the third quarter of fiscal year 2011. Net income for the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2011, computed in accordance with GAAP, was $26,0 million or 39 cents per diluted share. This compares to GAAP net income of $9,5 million or 15 cents per diluted share in the fourth quarter of fiscal year 2010 and GAAP net income of $16,1 million or 25 cents per diluted share in the third quarter of fiscal year 2011.
Industry
Shipments of 802.15.4-based WSN (wireless sensor network) ICs continued to show extremely strong growth in the second half of 2010 as demand for ICs for trials and early pilots returned after the sharp decline in 2009. New ABI Research market data shows that 2010 saw IC shipment growth of more than 300% over the previous year. While growth rates will drop, shipments are still expected to grow strongly, with 2011 almost doubling 2010 shipment numbers. Much of that growth will come as the WSN market continues to move from proprietary to standardised offerings, leveraging 802.15.4 silicon.
Technology
Microsemi has partnered with ESCRYPT to develop new cryptographic cores with enhanced resistance to differential power analysis (DPA). The cores are available for use with Microsemi’s ProASIC3, IGLOO, Fusion and SmartFusion FPGAs. The new advanced encryption standard (AES) and elliptic-curve cryptography (ECC) cores incorporate countermeasures to defeat side-channel attacks, making them among the most secure FPGA implementations available.
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