ELECTRONICS MARKET NEWS W16.2024

1. Renesas releases the world’s first general-purpose 32-bit RISC-V MCU R9A02G021 with an in-house developed CPU core.

Renesas Electronics Corporation recently announced the industry’s first general-purpose 32-bit RISC-V-based microcontroller (MCU) built with an in-house developed CPU core. Renesas independently designed and tested the new RISC-V core, which has now been implemented in a commercial product and is available globally. The new R9A02G021 MCU family provides embedded system designers with a clear path to develop a wide range of cost-sensitive, power-efficient applications based on an open-source instruction set architecture (ISA).

While most RISC-V solutions today target specific applications, Renesas’ R9A02G021 group MCU is designed to serve a variety of markets, such as IoT sensors, consumer electronics, medical equipment, small appliances and industrial systems. Similar to existing general-purpose MCUs, designers have access to a full-scale development environment for the R9A02G021, provided by Renesas and the R9A02G021’s extensive toolchain partner network. This will allow them to significantly reduce costs, engineering resources, and development time.

As an early adopter of RISC-V, Renesas has many products dedicated to RISC-V applications, including 32-bit voice, motor control ASSP devices and RZ general-purpose microprocessors /Five 64 bits (MPU), built on CPU cores developed by Andes Technology Corp. The R9A02G021 family represents the first generation of general-purpose MCUs based on the RISC-V core developed in-house by Renesas and will be available in the next few years.

Learn more: Renesas releases world’s first general-purpose 32-bit RISC-V MCU with in-house developed CPU core.

2. SK Hynix plans to build an advanced packaging factory in Indiana, USA

According to the latest information from SEMI, SK Hynix plans to invest 4 billion USD to build an advanced chip packaging factory in Indiana, USA. The new SK Hynix plant, located next to Purdue University, is expected to create approximately 800 to 1,000 jobs.

The factory is expected to begin operations in 2028 and SK Hynix’s board of directors will soon vote on the construction plan to finalize this decision. SK Hynix chose Indiana as the location to build the plant, in part because Purdue University could provide a large pool of skilled engineers.

It is estimated that the cost for SK Hynix to build a packaging factory in the US will be about 30% to 35% higher than building a similar factory in Korea. However, SK Hynix will receive state and federal tax incentives as well as other forms of support to fund its planned factory construction, which will help offset some of the increased costs.

Learn more: SK Hynix plans to build advanced packaging factory in Indiana.

3. Odyssey Semiconductor is for sale for $9.52 million

According to reports, Odyssey Semiconductor Technologies Inc., a company focused on developing high voltage switching components and systems based on gallium nitride (GaN) process technology, suddenly agreed to sell its assets to price 9.52 USD million and then dissolved the entire company.

“The transaction is expected to be completed around July 1, 2024, but no later than July 10, 2024, and the company will be dissolved at the earliest before the end of 2024,” Odyssey CEO Rick Brown said”.

The report reveals the buyer is a major semiconductor company, but the company’s name will be kept secret while another buyer is sought for 20 days.