Market Watch

September 2016

Progress in conductive ink-based transparent conductive films

Dr. Khasha Ghaffarzadeh, Research Director, IDTechEx

IDTechEx Research has been closely following the ITO alternative market for the past five years. It forecasts that ITO alternative solutions will reach more than $250m by 2026. There is renewed interest here globally on conductive ink-based metal mesh films, as technology and application developments are making th

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Date:

09/29/2016

RS Components augments power supply portfolio with XP Power agreement

RS Components, the trading brand of Electrocomponents, a distributor for engineers, has signed a distribution agreement with XP Power, a leading provider of AC/DC power supplies, DC/DC converters and DC to High Voltage DC converters, and now stocks around 2500 product lines from the manufacturer. As well as prov

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Date:

09/20/2016

Architects of Modern Power (AMP Group)

AMP Group releases non-isolated digital 60A PoL standard

The Architects of Modern Power (AMP Group) consortium announced an additional standard aimed at establishing common mechanical and electrical specifications for the development of advanced power conversion technology for distributed power systems. The ‘gigaAMP’ standard, introduced to provide a higher current op

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Date:

09/20/2016

ON Semi completes acquisition of Fairchild

ON Semiconductor and Fairchild Semiconductor International jointly announced that ON Semiconductor has successfully completed its previously announced $2.4 billion cash acquisition of Fairchild. “The acquisition of Fairchild is a transformative step in our quest to become the premier supplier of power manag

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Date:

09/19/2016

Renesas pushes into autos with $3.2 billion Intersil buy

Makiko Yamazaki - Reuters

Renesas Electronics Corp (6723.T) on Tuesday said it has agreed to buy U.S. chipmaker Intersil for $3.2 billion, an all-cash deal that bolsters the Japanese group's efforts to refocus the company around automotive chips. Slowing growth in computers and smartphones - the traditional mainstays of the chip industry - h

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Date:

09/13/2016

National Offshore Wind Strategy Plan

New Plan to advance national offshore wind strategy announced

U.S. Secretary of Energy Ernest Moniz and U.S. Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell announced the publication of a collaborative strategic plan to continue accelerating the development of offshore wind energy in the United States, the National Offshore Wind Strategy: Facilitating the Development of the Offshore Wi

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Date:

09/12/2016

Fits and starts in evolution of energy finance

Keith Schneider for CircleofBlue.org

Banks and nations are starting to move from financing high-carbon to investing in low-carbon fuel sources. For example, the World Bank, the second largest multilateral finance institution, says it no longer invests in most coal projects, including new power plants. A select number of governments have also indicated th

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Date:

09/08/2016

IBC SOLAR is cooperating with the Swiss energy provider EKZ

Swiss energy provider EKZ works together with IBC SOLAR

IBC SOLAR, a leader in photovoltaic (PV) systems and energy storage, is cooperating with the Swiss energy provider EKZ. The focus lies on the distribution of IBC SOLAR’s quality PV components for private customers. This cooperation with one of the largest Swiss energy suppliers is already a success: Fol

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Date:

09/07/2016

Renewable electricity documented with Guarantees of Origin

Germany’s position is challenged as renewable energy demand continues to grow in Europe

The demand for renewable electricity in Europe, documented with Guarantees of Origin (GOs), grew briskly in 2015 – up more than 9% from 2014 and surpassing 343 TWh. “Behind this growth are thousands of businesses and millions of households in numerous European countries – voluntarily purchasing renewable el

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Date:

09/07/2016

Apple hit with record EU tax ruling

Brendan Bordelon and Amir Nasr

The European Commission stunned the tech community and U.S. lawmakers with a landmark tax ruling against Apple Inc. The EU ruled that the tech company and Ireland engaged in an illegal tax deal, and ordered Ireland to collect about $14.5 billion in back taxes from Apple. The ruling outraged Apple Chief Exe

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Date:

09/05/2016

Mark Watson, IHS

Manufacturing overcapacity constrains Chinese robot market

Mark Watson, IHS

The Chinese market for industrial robots reached an estimated $1.3 billion in 2015. This market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 20 percent, reaching $3.3 billion in 2020, according to IHS, a leading global source of critical information and insight. China accounted for 13 percent of

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Date:

09/05/2016

Kevin Parmenter, Power Systems Design Contributor

Why power EEs need good gear

Kevin Parmenter, Power Systems Design Contributor

The test and measurement industry is undergoing a radical shift, not too unlike the semiconductor industry and other aspects of the technology world. First and foremost are changes in global consolidation and the M&A activities. I’ve started reading “Makers and Takers: The Rise of Finance an

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Date:

09/05/2016

Kevin Parmenter, Power Systems Design Contributor

Automotive Infotainment is more than just fun and games

Kevin Parmenter, Power Systems Design Contributor

Automotive infotainment systems in passenger cars are projected to be a $35+ billion market by 2020, based on the fact that consumers are increasingly becoming connected, 24x7, as they access their data and content wherever they go. Travel and entertainment are merging due to consumers’ expectations and capabilities fo

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Date:

09/03/2016