Victor Pushparaj PhD

#Potential #Closure Looms Over #Coherent’s Durham Facility After Loss of #Apple Contract One of #Britain’s largest #microchip plants is facing a potential shutdown following Apple’s decision to terminate a significant supply deal. The plant, owned by the US semiconductor company Coherent, is located in County Durham and spans 310,000 sq ft. Recent accounts filed by Coherent have highlighted that losing its primary customer has jeopardized the factory’s future. The #SundayTelegraph has learned that this facility manufactures components for Apple’s iPhone Face ID recognition system. However, Apple has halted orders due to anticipated changes in the upcoming iPhone models. This has led Coherent’s UK subsidiary to express doubt about the business’s viability, initiating a strategic review that may result in the plant’s sale. Additionally, the company has issued a last-time-buy notice to its remaining customers. “Unfortunately, the supply to the primary customer ceased at the end of Financial Year 2023,” the company stated. “This places the ongoing viability of the business in doubt. A strategic review of the business is currently being undertaken with potential new technologies and/or sale of the business as options under consideration.” This situation has already impacted the workforce, with over 100 staff laid off last year following Apple’s notification of order cessation. The remaining 257 employees are working to fulfill the remaining contracts. The closure of the Coherent facility would be another setback for Britain’s semiconductor industry, which has been shrinking as global production shifts to Asia. The Newton Aycliffe plant, originally built by Fujitsu, was heralded as the world’s most advanced microelectronics plant. However, it has faced a turbulent history, with Fujitsu planning to close it in 1998 during an industry downturn. The plant has since changed hands several times In 2021, Coherent announced a significant expansion of the site, likely tied to the Apple contract. Accounts for the year ending June 2023 revealed that the UK factory’s revenues surged from £13.3m to £104.5m as the supply agreement took effect. Apple’s Face ID system incorporates a complex array of sensors and cameras for phone unlocking, payment authentication, and enhanced photo and augmented reality capabilities. The next generation of iPhones, expected later this year, will reportedly feature a smaller module integrated under the screen, leading to the cessation of the current supply arrangement with Coherent. The UK Government’s announcement of a £1bn semiconductor strategy last year has faced criticism for inadequate support and for being dwarfed by semiconductor subsidies in the US and Europe. Reference: https://lnkd.in/g2WwMweM

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KeenSemi / KeenHeads welcomes statement from Hon. PM Narendra Modi regarding stability in Semiconductor Policy for India. This assurance strengthens the belief for long-term investments by global Semiconductor players and provides a foundation for Indian Semiconductor Startups. "Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured semiconductor industry CEOs of a predictable and stable policy regime, emphasizing India's potential as a reliable partner in the global semiconductor supply chain. He highlighted India's talent pool and commitment to skilling, while CEOs praised India's conducive environment for growth, seeing India as a future powerhouse in the sector."

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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙏𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙀𝙣𝙜𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙝𝙤 𝘽𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙖 𝘾𝙪𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙧 𝙒𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙧 It was a typical Monday morning when Rahul received a frantic call from their Director. His team had been working tirelessly on a cutting-edge chip design, but despite their best efforts, they were struggling to ensure comprehensive test coverage and bridge the gap between customer requirements and product features. "𝘞𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘴𝘦𝘢 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘤𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘦𝘵 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘳𝘪𝘵𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘴𝘤𝘦𝘯𝘢𝘳𝘪𝘰𝘴," the Director lamented. "𝘖𝘶𝘳 𝘤𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘭𝘦𝘴𝘴, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘸𝘦'𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘺𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘤𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩-𝘶𝘱. 𝘐 𝘧𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘵 𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘭𝘢𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘸𝘪𝘯𝘥𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘶𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘳 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘭." Our man, Rahul, could sense the desperation in the director's voice, and it struck a chord. As a seasoned test engineer, he had witnessed firsthand the challenges of delivering high-quality chip designs while navigating the intricate web of customer needs and expectations. That's when he realized that he and his team had the unique ability to bridge the divide between engineering and customer engagement. They weren't just test experts; but were customer whisperers, fluent in the language of customer requirements and adept at translating them into comprehensive test strategies. With a renewed sense of purpose, they embarked on a journey to transform the team's approach to testing; developed a test planning strategy that left no stone unturned, leveraging their understanding of customer systems and their ability to map customer needs with product features. Through rigorous test #methodologies and scalable test #automation solutions, they ensured that every aspect of the chip design was thoroughly validated, minimizing the risk of costly failures and delays. But their true superpower lay in their ability to #communicate the value proposition of the product to customers, effectively bridging the gap between technical features and customer expectations. Weeks turned into months, and as the launch date approached, both teams began to see the fruits of their #collaboration. Test #coverage soared, customer #satisfaction reached new heights, and the once-daunting project timelines became manageable. They weren't just test engineers; they were problem-solvers, customer advocates, and ultimately, partners in success. Are you this Rahul? Comment below. ############################################## PS: The story showcases the value of skills and expertise in developing comprehensive test planning strategies, leveraging end-to-end understanding of customer systems, implementing rigorous test methodologies, and utilizing scalable test automation solutions and talking in a language the customer understands. For more such powerful insights, follow me Mahesh Ravi Varma

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#Startup Tackles #Chiplet Design Complexity 💡 Baya Systems is coming out of stealth mode to take the guess work out of #chiplets 👏 In a briefing with EE Times | Electronic Engineering Times, Nandan Nayampally, Baya’s chief commercial officer, said that with #SoC and chiplet system design, as well as #software development complexity exploding, there is also a growing need to accelerate analysis, design, and deployment of chiplets. He said Baya’s broader agenda is to tackle the data movement bottleneck faced by #AI workloads in #heterogeneous #computing environments, or what Baya said is now “intelligent compute.” Nayampally said a more cohesive system is necessary to reduce data movement, even as more complex #memory hierarchies and processing solutions are coupled together. Chiplets provide a solution but even with standardization, there is a need for tools to support an end-to-end workflow as software development for both them and SoCs gets more complex, he added. A big thank you again to Gary Hilson and EE Times | Electronic Engineering Times for the full article with more background and insights via the link below 💡🙏👇 https://lnkd.in/es_tUdPh #semiconductorindustry #semiconductormanufacturing #semiconductor #technology #innovation #tech #chip #chips #ic #foundry #aiot #it #ml #cloud #datacenter #data #computing #computer #server

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I happen to notice some people are posting on Linkedin about their hardworking and importance and great achievement in Tesla after being laid off. Let me ask one question: if you are so important and did great job in Tesla( I am not denying that), why you are paid so low and eventually laid off ruthlessly? The take-home message is that "IT IS ONLY A JOB". Have your own dream, build your own business, run your own company, don't work for employer, work for your own company. I am not saying don't work for Tesla, I am saying that don't work for any company that is not your own. PLEASE START YOUR OWN BUSINESS.

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