Infineon is to buy the world’s oldest independent semiconductor company, International Rectifier, for $3 billion. The deal is 50% above IR’s market cap yesterday.
Founded in 1947, IR has been run as a standalone semiconductor company – until today.
Eric Lidow, who died last year aged 100, co-founded IR with his father. He was CEO until 1995 but even after handing the management of the company to his two sons, he was still going into into the office every day at the age of 94.
The two sons, Alex and Derek became co-CEO in 1995, but Derek left in 1999 to set up the semiconductor industry analyst company iSuppli.
“The acquisition of International Rectifier is a unique opportunity,” says Dr Reinhard Ploss Infineon’s CEO, “with their great knowledge of specific customer needs and their application understanding, International Rectifier employees will contribute to Infineon’s strategic development from product thinking to system understanding and system solutions. The combination of Infineon’s and International Rectifier’s products, technological and innovative excellence, as well as distributional strength will unleash great potential.”
Infineon says its and IR’s product portfolios are highly complementary. IR’s expertise in low-power, IGBTs, intelligent power modules, power mosfets and digital power management ICs will integrate with Infineon’s offering in power devices and modules.
With IR, Infineon acquires its in-house gallium nitride on silicon (GaN) process which, unlike several others, is producing real power semiconductors.
Infineon already has a silicon carbide (SiC) process and products, so now it can make discretes and integrated circuits with both of the new kids on the power block, as well as using its established silicon power processes.
The integration of International Rectifier will generate economies of scale through optimisation of the combined entity’s operating expense structure and through the acceleration of the ramp-up of Infineon’s leading 300-millimeter thin wafer manufacturing capability.
- See more at: http://www.electronicsweekly.com/news/business/infineon-buys-ir-2014-08/#sthash.rHbc5MxO.dpuf
NEW YORK -- Passive component powerhouse, Japan’s Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd., has taken a major step to expand its RF component and wireless business with a $471 million deal to acquire fabless RF IC maker Peregrine Semiconductor Corp.
Murata, which makes RF modules and filters, will gain access to Peregrine’s advanced RF-SOI (silicon-on-insulator) process technology and RF front-end capabilities, as well as its broad IP portfolio consisting of 180 filed and pending patents. For Peregrine, which will become a wholly owned subsidiary of Murata, the deal will help accelerate its efforts to push widespread adoption of an integrated, all-CMOS RF front-end.
“There are tremendous potential opportunities for the two companies. The core capabilities are very complementary. Murata is the leader in filter and packaging technology, and Peregrine is the leader is RF-SOI technology and RF products,” said Duncan Pilgrim, Peregrine's vice president of marketing.
He added that there are there are also market synergies within the communications, automotive, and consumer markets, which will allow the combined company “to expand its footprint within these markets.”
The companies are no strangers. In fact, Murata is Peregrine’s largest customer, and has been a licensee of Peregrine’s patents and UltraCMOS technology for several years. Last year, Murata agreed to source its RF switches and components from San Diego-based Peregrine in exchange for a license to purchase or manufacture its RF CMOS IP. It also planned to combine Peregrine’s switches and tunable components manufactured using silicon-on-sapphire (SOS), a more expensive variant of RF SOI, with Murata’s filter and packaging technology into an RF front-end solution.
Peregrine’s UltraCMOS RF ICs are manufactured using either SOS technology or enhanced SOI as the insulating substrates. Peregrine’s SOS-based RF chips are manufactured on a foundry basis at South Korea-based Magnachip. More recently, however, Peregrine began to push its lower-cost RF SOI process. It began to sample its first RF switches manufactured on its UltraCMOS 10 RF SOI technology process at its foundry partner, GlobalFoundries of Santa Clara, Calif. UltraCMOS 10 RF SOI is based on 130nm process technology using 200 mm wafers from GlobalFoundries.
It also recently rolled out the first reconfigurable RF front-end, UltraCMOS Global 1, enabling 4G LTE platform providers and OEMs to cut costs by creating a single-SKU design for global markets. With Peregrine’s RF front-end capabilities and SOI process technology, Murata will shore up its RF component supply chain, with the potential of becoming one of the leading suppliers of RF parts to the smartphone and wireless device markets.
“The RF industry continues to consolidate, and Peregrine and Murata customers are looking for a ‘one-stop solution’ for all of their RF needs,” Pilgrim said. Indeed, the RF chip market is experiencing an unprecedented level of consolidation. For example two major chip companies -- TriQuint Semiconductor Inc. and RF Micro Devices Inc. -- announced a $1.6 billion all-stock merger earlier this year that is expected to create a wireless component powerhouse capable of providing all of the critical RF building blocks required to simplify handset and equipment design. Analog Devices Inc. also expanded its RF business with its $2 billion cash deal to acquire RF chipmaker Hittite Microwave Corp. in June 2013. (See Analog Devices' $2 Billion RF Buy.)
3/25/2013 04:55 PM EDT LONDON – Fabless RF IC provider Peregrine Semiconductor Corp. (San Diego, Calif.) is licensing Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. to serve as a source of RF switches and other components made using Peregrine's UltraCMOS manufacturing process.
UltraCMOS is a patented silicon-on-sapphire process – a form of ultra thin silicon on insulator – which is suitable for switches for radio frequency circuits. It is the result of 20 years research and is protected by 140 patents issued and pending, Peregrine said.
Peregrine has achieved success in the RF front-end section of mobile equipment supplying RF switches and tunable RF components but the licensing Murata will expand the availability of these circuits, the company said.
Murata supplies RF front-end modules for mobile wireless devices and claims to be present in 65 percent of all smartphones. It supplies passive components, RF switches and tuning devices, SAW filters and advanced packaging techniques.
"This agreement marks the first license of Peregrine's core switch-based intellectual property to a third party and we look forward to entering into this collaborative arrangement with Murata," said Jim Cable, president and CEO of Peregrine, in a statement.
"We believe that the combination of Murata's filter and packaging technology with Peregrine's UltraCMOS switch and tuning technology is a formidable RF front-end solution," said Norio Nakajima, vice president of the communication business unit, at Murata, in the same statement.
This December 2013 report from Global Financial Integrity, “Illicit Financial Flows from the Developing World: 2002-2011,” finds that the developing world lost US$5.9 trillion in illicit financial flows from 2002-2011, with illicit outflows alarmingly increasing at an average rate of more than 10 percent per year.
The report is the fourth update of Global Financial Integrity’s groundbreaking report, Illicit Financial Flows from Developing Countries 2002-2006. For the first time, this year’s report incorporates re-exporting data from Hong Kong and uses disaggregated—as opposed to aggregated—bilateral trade data for those countries which report it.
The developing world lost US$946.7 billion in illicit outflows in 2011, an increase of 13.7% over 2010. The capital outflows stem from crime, corruption, tax evasion, and other illicit activity.
The report finds that from 2002 to 2011, developing countries lost US$5.9 trillion to illicit outflows. The outflows increased at an average rate of 10.2% per year over the decade—significantly outpacing GDP growth.
As a percentage of GDP, Sub-Saharan Africa suffered the biggest loss of illicit capital. Illicit outflows from the region averaged 5.7% of GDP annually. Globally, illicit financial outflows averaged 4% of GDP.
China leads the world over the 10-year period with US$1.08 trillion in illicit outflows. However, 2011 marked the first time that Russia’s illicit outflows exceeded China’s, with a loss of US$191.14 billion against China’s US$151.35 billion. The previous methodology had significantly understated Russia’s illicit outflows, while it overstated China’s illicit outflows.
New Methodology
Last year, Global Financial Integrity debuted several important revisions to its HMN (Hot Money Narrow) methodology for calculating illicit financial flows. This report continues to revise GFI’s methodology by making significant changes to how it calculates GER (Gross Excluding Reversals) to estimate trade misinvoicing.
For the first time, this year’s report incorporates re-exporting data from Hong Kong and uses disaggregated—as opposed to aggregated—bilateral trade data for those countries which report it. The authors of this report believe that GFI’s previous methodology—which was accepted by most economists studying trade misinvoicing—resulted in an estimate that potentially overstated illicit outflows from many Asian countries and understated illicit outflows from other countries. Post-revision, the authors believe they have produced the most accurate estimate of global illicit financial outflows produced by GFI to date.
Country Rankings
The Top 25 countries with the highest measured cumulative illicit financial outflows between 2002 and 2011 were:
Data for Iraq was not available in 2002-2006, thus the average illicit outflows of US$15.76 billion reflect only the years 2007-2011. Likewise, the cumulative outflows of US$78.79 billion for Iraq are cumulative outflows for 2007 through 2011 only.
Illicit financial outflow estimates from the oil exporting nations of Brunei, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates should be viewed with caution as they could be inflated due to opaque transactions with their nation’s sovereign wealth funds. GFI has flagged these countries in particular as their Net Errors and Omissions are greater than 50% of their Financial Account.
Grant Hackett had an inkling that something was not quite right with his great rival Ian Thorpe. The Australian swimming greats would sometimes room together at team camps and international competitions which could produce some awkward moments, given that Thorpe was always one or two strokes ahead of Hackett in 200 and 400 metre freestyle races, the events in which Thorpe secured his fame with Olympic gold medals and world records.
I think it takes absolute strength and character to be courageous and come out and actually admit these sort of problems
But after Thorpe revealed in his autobiography published in 2012 that he had battled depression and alcohol abuse, and reports on Friday that he had checked into rehab for his problems after a fall on Wednesday night - although this has yet to be confirmed by his management company - Hackett now understands that some of the surprisingly downbeat comments Thorpe made after famous victories masked a serious problem.
Ian Thorpe (right) and teammate Grant Hackett celebrate winning the men's 400-metre freesyle final at the 2001 FINA World Swimming Championships.
"I sort of knew," Hackett said.
"Ian went through his ups and downs and I knew that but I was in this precarious situation because you keep finishing second to the guy – I'd be winning the 800 and 1500 (freestyle) but geez I wanted to win the 200 and 400 as well – and you'd listen to him say stuff and I'd often wonder: 'Is he really feeling like that or is that a strategy to beat me?"'
A News Corp Australia report on Friday stated that the swimming great was injured in a fall earlier this week and claimed he seeking help for depression and alcohol abuse.
Hackett said, if true, Thorpe should be admired for facing his demons.
"I think it takes absolute strength and character to be courageous and come out and actually admit these sort of problems, especially when you have been such a revered character in sport and known for your mental and physical strength," the dual Olympic gold medallist said.
Hackett said he began to appreciate the pressure that Thorpe felt in the public eye during a conversation in which he revealed the toll the lead up to the 2004 Athens Olympic Games had taken. Thorpe was disqualified from the 400 freestyle after false starts at Olympic trials. He was eventually reinstated to his pet event after Craig Stevens gave up his berth with Thorpe going on to defend his Olympic title.
"I think over time those things, when you're a naturally introverted person, can add up and be quite challenging to deal with and then you transition out of sport and you lose that sense of community, that real team feeling, that real strong sense of purpose that you had," Hackett said.
"... It's not a transition many people are ready for and it is difficult and it's hard and you've got to have good support around you, regardless if your high profiled or not, to make that transition successfully.
"I think Ian's had difficulty in that and obviously coming in and out of the sport again (with his failed comeback attempt to make the 2012 London Olympics), has probably exasperated some of the issues that he was struggling with and my heart certainly goes out to him as one of his closest rivals but more so as a friend."
Former Australian backstroker, and now Swimming Australia board member, Nicole Livingstone agreed that more needed to be done to help sportspeople to adjust to their post-career lives, with few outside the sporting community understanding what has been left behind.
"Not many people in the world have had an athletic career like Ian Thorpe and the heights of Ian Thorpe," Livingstone said.
"You have to get yourself prepared because when the adulation stops and it's quiet and there's not a lot of people around you, it's actually really difficult.
"I've had three children, I've done lots of things in media but to be really honest nothing ever compares to the feeling of what I had as an athlete and being on the Olympic podium, racing for Australia and representing Australia and racing at the Olympic Games. Nothing ever compares to that high.
"Some people chase that for the rest of their lives rather than understanding that was one part of your life and you may never reach that high or get that feeling again."
Thorpe has not been able to find a direction since his retirement in 2006, suffering failures in starting up media and business careers as well as attempting a number of university courses.
Livingstone said the 31-year old needed a purpose.
"He needs to find something to actually get stuck into," Livingstone said. "He needs that opportunity to feel that he is winning."
Former national head coach Alan Thompson, who did not have the opportunity to lead a team that included Thorpe after the swimmer withdrew from the 2006 Commonwealth Games because of illness, said officials had to ensure that young athletes, some of whom are thrust into the spotlight in their early teens, were equipped with the necessary skills to cope life's challenges.
"I think what it shows to sporting administrators is that we really do have to prepare our athletes better for post competition whether it be the coping mechanism for this type of issue or the preparation of life after their careers," said Thompson, who now works for NRL team Canterbury Bulldogs.
"It's the high profiled footy players or swimmers that get the attention, but underneath that there is probably a large number of people who have an issue that we probably don't hear about."
"Ian was on the Australian team from when he was 15 years of age (first international meet) and probably missed out on a lot of life skills that other people would have had growing up with through school and so forth and it's probably very difficult to come back to those things afterwards.
"I know that he tried university a few times, and a variety of things and I think it's incumbent upon us to make sure that these things occur and it's very difficult to do sometimes while you're in the prime of your career."
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Ian Thorpe (right) and teammate Grant Hackett celebrate winning the men's 400-metre freesyle final at the 2001 FINA World Swimming Championships. 
昨天大年初二國道交通量有305萬輛次，創下歷史新高，高公局預估今天大年初三將出現280萬到300萬輛次，國道將湧現春節北返最大車潮，今明兩天上午九點到下午三點，國道1號和國道3號都啟動北上高乘載管制，而被列為一級戰區的國道5號，今天上午已經塞爆，明天下午3點到晚上8點、北上蘇澳到頭城路段將實施高乘載管制。