AT&T and GM Team Up for 5G Connected Cars
High-speed vehicular connections by 2023 Last week, General Motors (GM) and AT&T announced a partnership to launch 5G connected vehicles over the next decade. At launch, GM will provide access…
Advances in RF Front-Ends Made 5G Phones Possible
The complexity of radio frequency design A version of this article is available in Chinese. Click here to download. A decade ago, a fundamental change began in the radio frequency…
Chinese Chipmakers Set to Achieve 14 nm Breakthrough in 2022
Semiconductor manufacturing turns focus to mature silicon processes Seven months after the US government placed restrictions on Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corporation (SMIC), China’s largest pure-play foundry, the Chinese semiconductor industry…
Qualcomm Rewards Snapdragon Fandom
Asus-made smartphone demonstrates the art of the possible Qualcomm made a surprise product announcement on 8 July, introducing a limited-edition, Snapdragon-branded smartphone exclusively for members of its newly formed Snapdragon…
In the Realm of Rugged Phones, Caveat Emptor
Buying a low-cost rugged device? Approach with caution One of the oldest economic sayings, “caveat emptor”, Latin for “let the buyer beware”, should be top of mind for people eyeing…
A Shot in the Arm for RISC-V?
Intel eyes SiFive acquisition, hedges on Nvidia–Arm deal Last week, Bloomberg reported that Intel is exploring an acquisition of SiFive for more than $2 billion, effectively quadrupling SiFive’s last valuation…
Snapdragon 778G Widens Qualcomm’s 5G Portfolio
A complete modem-to-RF solution for the growing 5G opportunity Against the backdrop of accelerating global adoption of 5G smartphones, with CCS Insight forecasting over half a billion shipments in 2021…
Qualcomm’s Mid-Tier 5G Chipsets Expand Phone Design Possibilities
Phone-makers tap its mid-range platforms to cater to untapped segments In a study of recent mid-tier 5G smartphones featuring Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 690 and Snapdragon 750G 5G system-on-chip (SoC), we noted…
The Unintended Smartphone Tax
Prices of 5G devices resist falling in the US Well into their third year of deployment, global 5G networks are rolling out much quicker than 4G did at the same…
The Global Semiconductor Crunch
A supply chain is only as strong as its weakest link The global shortage of semiconductors that has been plaguing the automotive market since 2020 is now being felt by…