CHIPS Act details; Arm suing Qualcomm; Risc-V updates; fast-charging batteries; GaN JBS diodes

Major news updates this week include the first insights into how US taxpayers’ money will be used to support the domestic semiconductor industry. Among the other updates, fast-charging car batteries getting closer to mass production.

Details of U.S. CHIPS Act implementation

The U.S. Department of Commerce has released its implementation strategy for the $50 billion CHIPS Act. The program, called ‘CHIPS for America’, will be housed within the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). Approximately three quarters of the incentives funding, around $28 billion, will be targeted to establish domestic production of leading-edge logic and memory chips that require the most sophisticated manufacturing processes available today. Arguably, Intel and Micron will be the main beneficiaries of this share. At least a quarter of the available CHIPS incentives funding, or approximately $10 billion, will be devoted to new manufacturing capacity for mature and current-generation chips, new and specialty technologies, and for semiconductor industry suppliers. The remaining $11 billion will be invested in new R&D initiatives – a National Semiconductor Technology Center, a National Advanced Packaging Manufacturing Program, up to three new Manufacturing USA Institutes – and in NIST metrology R&D programs.

Some details about the conditions under which applicant companies will be granted ‘CHIPS for America’ funding have been provided by US Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo during a press briefing at the White House. “This is not a blank check for companies,” she said.  “This is not for them to pad their bottom line.”  (…) “CHIPS funds cannot be used for stock buybacks. CHIPS funds are not intended to replace private capital,” she added. Raimondo then addressed issues specifically concerning China, explaining that beneficiary companies “are not allowed to use this money to invest in China, they can’t develop leading-edge technologies in China, they can’t send latest technology overseas.” (…) “Companies who receive CHIP funds can’t build leading-edge or advanced technology facilities in China for a period of 10 years. Companies who receive the money can only expand their mature node factories in China to serve the Chinese market,” she said.

Arm suing Qualcomm

Arm has filed a lawsuit against Qualcomm over the use of architectural licenses that were owned by its recently acquired subsidiary Nuvia as a startup, and Qualcomm continued to use after the acquisition completed in March. Qualcomm, however, reportedly believes its existing architectural licenses cover the continuing work. According to eeNews Europe, the lawsuit in the US comes as Qualcomm is set to ship test chips of the Nuvia designs to partners for high performance notebook PCs running Windows on the Arm architecture.

Risc-V updates: SiFive, Renesas

SiFive has been selected by NASA to provide the core CPU for NASA’s next generation High-Performance Spaceflight Computing (HPSC) processor. HPSC will utilize an 8-core, SiFive Intelligence X280 Risc-V vector core, as well as four additional SiFive Risc-V cores. Renesas has introduced the industry’s first Risc-V MCU specifically optimized for advanced motor control systems, a pre-programmed ASSP that eliminates Risc-V related tools and software investment. Renesas’ new R9A02G020 motor control ASSP is based on Risc-V IP from Andes Technology. The MCU will ship pre-programmed with application code developed by BFG Engineering and DigiPower. Renesas has also recently introduced the 64-bit general-purpose RZ/Five MPUs based on a 64-bit Risc-V CPU, and announced development of Risc-V automotive solutions, as well.

StoreDot sampling fast-charging car batteries

Israel-based StoreDot has commenced shipping EV cell samples of its fast-charging battery technology to electric vehicle OEM partners and potential customers. While current performance shows over 900 consecutive extreme fast charging (10% to 80%) in just ten minutes, the company plans to begin mass production of its ‘100in5’ cells providing 100 miles of range for five minutes of charging during 2024. Next goals in StoreDot’s roadmap include providing 100 miles of range with just three minutes in 2028, and in two minutes of charging within a decade. Shipped in EV form factor, the 30Ah batteries are based on a silicon-dominant anode, lithium-ion technology. StoreDot’s strategic investors and partners include Daimler, BP, VinFast, Volvo, Polestar, Ola Electric, Samsung, TDK and its China-based manufacturing partner EVE Energy.

GaN Junction Barrier Schottky diodes

A research team from North Carolina State University has come up with a technology for using gallium nitride to build Junction Barrier Schottky diodes. According to the researchers, historically these power devices have been made of silicon or silicon carbide, because the electrical properties of undoped GaN are not compatible with the architecture of JBS diodes. The team demonstrated that GaN can be selectively doped to create functional JBS diodes with better performance than the ones that use conventional semiconductors. In particular, the new devices – fabricated on a native GaN substrate – showed record high breakdown voltage (915 V) and record low on-resistance.

Revenue of the top ten global IC design houses up 32% YoY in 2Q22

According to market research firm TrendForce, revenue of the top ten global IC design houses reached US$39.56 billion in the second quarter of 2022, growing 32% year-on-year. Growth was primarily driven by demand for data centers, networking, IoT, and high-end product portfolios. TrendForce’s revenue ranking for 2Q22 shows Qualcomm in the top spot, and AMD’s 70% growth rate. As the market research firm explained answering our question, TrendForce does not include Intel nor Samsung in these rankings as their IC design business is not listed separately in their financial statements.

Big tech events

Fall is the time for consumer-oriented announcements from US big tech companies. Apple held its latest event on September 7, introducing new iPhone models and more; Google will respond on October 6 launching a new Pixel phone and more; Meta (Facebook) will hold its Meta Connect event on October 11, showcasing augmented and virtual reality offerings.

Let’s finish by flagging John Cooley’s post about Ravi Subramanian leaving Siemens EDA to join Synopsys as the new GM of the Systems Design Group. According to anonymous sources quoted by Cooley, Subramanian will specifically lead the Synopsys verification business, directly reporting to the company’s president Sassine Ghazi.

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