Important Innovations

  Money Chasing Semiconductor Startups                                  Source: Semiconductor Stock Images Global Chip Shortage Is the Driving Factor Semiconductor startups are very hot.  They are the recipients of a flood of investor money rolling into them globally if they have very promising new chips.  In 2021 so far, 85 global deals in the semiconductor market have raised $3.7 billion with startups receiving 43% of the money.  The reason for the global investor spotlight on semiconductors is the global chip shortage that started in 2020.  Experts predict that shortages could continue through 2023 and beyond. The impact is huge.  Automakers and technology companies are being forced to wait 5 months and more for chip deliveries which is hampering their global businesses. Search For Developing New Chip Technologies What investors are placing bets on are chips that promise more power and efficiency.  The chips under development are better designed to the extent that fewer of them are

  Money Chasing Semiconductor Startups                                  Source: Semiconductor Stock Images Global Chip Shortage Is the Driving Factor Semiconductor startups are very hot.  They are the recipients of a flood of investor money rolling into them globally if they have very promising new chips.  In 2021 so far, 85 global deals in the semiconductor market have raised $3.7 billion with startups receiving 43% of the money.  The reason for the global investor spotlight on semiconductors is the global chip shortage that started in 2020.  Experts predict that shortages could continue through 2023 and beyond. The impact is huge.  Automakers and technology companies are being forced to wait 5 months and more for chip deliveries which is hampering their global businesses. Search For Developing New Chip Technologies What investors are placing bets on are chips that promise more power and efficiency.  The chips under development are better designed to the extent that fewer of them are

New Partnership on Streaming Games, Chips and AI by Two Tech Giants Source:  Microsoft - CEO's of Sony and Microsoft Shake Hands on New Partnership The Cloud and the Consumer This is a new and important strategic partnership to develop new innovations.  Two global technology giants Microsoft and Sony are joining forces.  Sony will use the Microsoft cloud to stream games and media.  And the two will work together to develop new image sensors and further the use of Artificial Intelligence in Sony products. Major Consumer Interactive Entertainmen t The purpose of the collaboration is to advance interactive content.  Both have major interactive entertainment businesses:  Microsoft's Xbox and Sony's PlayStation, that in some cases have been business partners and in other cases competitors. Win-Win This is a big competitive win for Microsoft's Azure cloud computing business particularly over Amazon's cloud market leader, Amazon Web Services.  Sony and Micros

Neuromorphic Computing - Self-Learning Chips Source:  Imec Chips that Could Revolutionize Computing Belgium nanoelectronics company Imec has innovated a breakthrough, self-learning computer chip embedded with AI.  Some experts believe this type of neuromorphic chip, which mimics the electrical circuitry of the human brain, could upend and revolutionize computing and technology.  My colleague and fellow journalist Ed Kane has just posted a news story on his blog  https://importantinnovationscollection.blogspot.com/2018/12/neuromorphic-computing-innovation.html

 Medical Tests Possible on Coin Sized Chip University of Buffalo Success Researchers at the University of Buffalo have done what many others have tried without success.  They're created medical tests on a chip the size of a coin.  They've demonstrated how their chip accurately determines the eight blood types based on the time it takes each to flow thru the chip. Medical Tech Breakthrough This is a breakthrough.  The obstacle has been finding a reliable and efficient way to mix and move blood and other fluids thru a chip's tiny pumps and valves.  The UB team have done it.  They fabricated a chip that uses two different types of forces - capillary & vacuum driven - to move the fluids in micro and nanosized channels.  This advance solves a difficult problem that has been an obstacle to labs on a chip. Big Vision for Med Labs on Chips The expectations for the use of labs on chips are big, including in the developing world, on battlefields and in our homes.  Ima