CTL, a global cloud-computing solution leader for education, announced today the introduction of the new CTL Chromebook NL73 Series. The new Chromebook, incorporating the Intel Processor N100 and Intel Processor N200, enables IT professionals to equip schools with the cloud-computing performance they need today and with the sustainability required for tomorrow.

"Since Chromebooks were widely deployed during the pandemic to remote students, new applications have come into use, requiring more processing power and cybersecurity measures than ever before," noted Erik Stromquist, CEO of CTL. "Chromebook users will need to level up their technology in 2024. Our new NL73 Series delivers not only the power to meet these new requirements but also CTL's flexible configuration options, purchase options, and whole lifecycle management services for the ultimate in sustainability."

More than mere modes of transportation, today's software-defined vehicles are a result of the ongoing transformation of the automobile from a product that is mainly hardware-based to a software-centric device on wheels. Premium vehicles today can have up to 150 million lines of software code, distributed among hundreds of electronic control units (ECUs), sensors, cameras, Lidar and more.

It is critical for automotive OEMs to ensure the quality and reliability of these software-intensive systems. Automotive SPICE (Software Process Improvement and Capability dEtermination) is an industry-standard guideline for evaluating the automotive embedded software development process. This ISO/IEC 15504 standard proves the software and development capabilities of automotive suppliers and manufacturers meet OEM requirements and incorporate best practices throughout the automotive software development cycle.

Global leader in embedded computing, Jetway, today introduced the JF35-ADN1, a 3.5" SubCompact single-board powered by the Intel Processor N97 CPU. A versatile board, the JF35-ADN1 is primarily targeted towards the industrial robotics sphere, with Automated Guided Vehicles (AGV) being one application singled out as being particularly suitable. However, Jetway have stated that the board also contains the right combination of display capability and encrypted mobile networking capacity to power both machine vision and payment systems solutions.

The JF35-ADN1 boasts a range of high-speed interfaces for camera, sensor, and card reader connectivity, such as two RJ-45 ports for Intel I225-V running at 2.5GbE, as well as both USB Type-A and Type-C ports. Further, a total of eight USB 2.0 interfaces are evenly split between physical ports and internal connectors. It is worth noting that the JF35-ADN1's high-speed data acquisition for its intended deployment areas is enhanced by the board's support for up to 32 GB of DDR5 system memory via SODIMM. This connectivity, alongside the board's optional onboard TPM 2.0, make it a suitable candidate to develop payment system solutions.

AAEON's UP brand, renowned for producing sophisticated developer boards with industrial-grade specifications, has announced the release of the UP Xtreme 7100, an all-in-one robotics solution available as both a single-board and Mini PC. Both the UP Xtreme 7100 and its system-level counterpart, the UP Xtreme 7100 Edge, are available in SKUs powered by Intel Core i3-N305 or Intel Processor N97 CPUs, chosen due to their balance of low power consumption and high performance. The platform consequently provides the sensor data processing, integrated graphics, and resources required for path planning and control algorithms needed to bring AGV, AGV + AI, and AMR solutions to market.

Consistent with previous product lines from AAEON's UP Division, the UP Xtreme 7100 and UP Xtreme 7100 Edge are built on compact form factors in order to address space restraints. Consequently, the UP Xtreme 7100 board-level solution measures just 120.35 mm x 122.5 mm, while the edge system version comes in at 152 mm x 124 mm x 40 mm. Targeting areas in robotics such as AGV and AMR, the UP Xtreme 7100 and UP Xtreme 7100 Edge are equipped with a number of terminal blocks for serial communication, along with a 30-pin board-to-board connector that offers digital I/O, GPIO, and isolated RS-232/422/485 function. Further, CAN 2.0B, a DIP switch, and LED indicators are onboard to make the solution conducive to establishing communication with other devices on the CANBus network.

TrendForce predicts a significant rise in mobile DRAM and NAND Flash (eMMC/UFS) prices for the first quarter of 2024, with an expected seasonal increase of 18-23%. This surge could be further amplified in a market dominated by a few major players or if brand clients resort to panic buying under pressure.

Observations for 1Q24 indicate steady production planning by Chinese smartphone OEMs. A clear rise in memory prices is driving buyers to actively increase their purchasing efforts as they aim to establish secure and competitively priced inventory levels.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation (NasdaqGS: SIMO) ("Silicon Motion", the "Company" or "we") today announced its financial results for the quarter ended September 30, 2023. For the third quarter of 2023, net sales (GAAP) increased sequentially to $172.3 million from $140.4 million in the second quarter of 2023. Net income (GAAP) decreased to $10.6 million, or $0.32 per diluted American Depositary Share of the Company ("ADS") (GAAP), from net income (GAAP) of $11.0 million, or $0.33 per diluted ADS (GAAP), in the second quarter of 2023.

For the third quarter of 2023, net income (non-GAAP) increased to $21.1 million, or $0.63 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), from net income (non-GAAP) of $12.6 million, or $0.38 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), in the second quarter of 2023.

Kioxia Corporation, a world leader in memory solutions, today announced sampling of new, higher performing JEDEC e-MMC Ver. 5.1-compliant embedded flash memory products for consumer applications. The new products integrate a newer version of the company's BiCS FLASH 3D flash memory and a controller in a single package, reducing processor workload and improving ease of use. Both 64 and 128 gigabytes (GB) products will be available.

As the market continues to shift to UFS, there are cases where e-MMC may still be used. This includes consumer products with mid-range storage requirements such as tablets, personal computers, point of sale devices and other portable handheld devices, as well as smart TVs and smart NICs. Kioxia continues to reinforce its market-leading position by delivering a broad, high-performance product lineup and expanding the available options for these applications.

The Power of Small: Evolution of Data Storage—since computers were built, making them smaller has never stopped. This is especially evident in the industrial sector, where compactness is highly valued. As a crucial component of computers, data storage has undergone a process of miniaturization as well, leading to the era of M.2 interface SSDs. While some ultra compact fanless PC and rugged mobile PC may adopt smaller embedded storage, such as eMMC (Embedded MultiMediaCard), they significantly lag behind M.2 PCIe SSDs in terms of performance. Therefore, M.2 PCIe SSDs have emerged as the superior choice for those seeking top-notch performance and efficiency in their computing experience.

Introducing the Cervoz T425 SSD: Unleash Power in a Tiny Package
To embrace this remarkable trend, Cervoz presents the latest T425, a new M.2 2230 NVMe PCIe Gen 3 x2 SSD. Designed with a compact M.2 2230 form factor (22 mm x 30 mm), it supports both A and E key configurations and utilizes PCIe Gen 3 x2 lanes for high-speed data transfer. With impressive sequential speeds of up to 815 MB/s read and 760 MB/s write, along with storage capacities of 64 GB, 128 GB, and 512 GB, the T425 is the ultimate solution for enhancing the performance of embedded computing systems with space constraints.

TrendForce expects that memory suppliers will continue their strategy of scaling back production of both DRAM and NAND Flash in 2024, with the cutback being particularly pronounced in the financially struggling NAND Flash sector. Market demand visibility for consumer electronic is projected to remain uncertain in 1H24. Additionally, capital expenditure for general-purpose servers is expected to be weakened due to competition from AI servers. Considering the low baseline set in 2023 and the current low pricing for some memory products, TrendForce anticipates YoY bit demand growth rates for DRAM and NAND Flash to be 13% and 16%, respectively. Nonetheless, achieving effective inventory reduction and restoring supply-demand balance next year will largely hinge on suppliers' ability to exercise restraint in their production capacities. If managed effectively, this could open up an opportunity for a rebound in average memory prices.

PC: The annual growth rate for average DRAM capacity is projected at approximately 12.4%, driven mainly by Intel's new Meteor Lake CPUs coming into mass production in 2024. This platform's DDR5 and LPDDR5 exclusivity will likely make DDR5 the new mainstream, surpassing DDR4 in the latter half of 2024. The growth rate in PC client SSDs will not be as robust as that of PC DRAM, with just an estimated growth of 8-10%. As consumer behavior increasingly shifts toward cloud-based solutions, the demand for laptops with large storage capacities is decreasing. Even though 1 TB models are becoming more available, 512 GB remains the predominant storage option. Furthermore, memory suppliers are maintaining price stability by significantly reducing production. Should prices hit rock bottom and subsequently rebound, PC OEMs are expected to face elevated SSD costs. This, when combined with Windows increasing its licensing fees for storage capacities at and above 1 TB, is likely to put a damper on further growth in average storage capacities.

IBASE Technology Inc. (TPEx: 8050), a global leader in network appliances and embedded solutions, proudly announces the release of the INA8505 enterprise 1U edge server. Powered by the Intel Xeon D-2700 processor and offering versatile connectivity options, this state-of-the-art appliance is specifically designed to excel in demanding 5G Open vRAN & MEC applications such as real-time data analytics, autonomous vehicles, and smart city deployments. It enables full control over resource allocation in the RAN and MEC, and has the potential to seamlessly integrate AI capabilities to dynamically optimize network performance in real time at the edge of the 5G network infrastructure.

The INA8505 delivers unmatched performance, scalability, and efficiency with flexible storage, offering two SATA/NVMe 2.5" HDD/SSD slots, 2x M.2 (M-key) SATA/PCI-E storage slots, and one 16 GB/32 GB/64 GB eMMC. With an FHFL PCI-E (x16) Gen 4 (supports 75 W) and an FHFL PCI-E (x8) Gen 4 (supports 75 W) configurable as PCI-E (x16) Gen 4 double FHFL (supports 120 W), the INA8505 adapts effortlessly into different network environments and meet future demands for increased scalability. It boasts a rich array of I/O connectivity options, including a VGA port from BMC (Aspeed 2600, IPMI 2.0 support), two USB2.0 Type-A ports, an RJ45 console port, and four 25 GbE SFP28 ports, ensuring enhanced adaptability to various connectivity needs.

Make health and fitness journeys smoother with the Exynos W930—the wearable processor that keeps smartwatches ahead of the curve, with new leaps in performance and power saving.

Watch it work wonders
Exynos W930 is equipped with the Arm Cortex-A55 dual-core CPU, boosting CPU speed to 1.4 GHz for an 18% jump over our last generation processor. In-package DRAM expands to 2 GB in the Exynos W930, passing the last generation by 33%, so you can switch between apps up to 25% faster and manage your workouts and your work life better with a suite of apps performing at their best.

TrendForce reports that OEMs have continued making concerted efforts to scale back production. However, given that the trajectory of market demand is still unclear, it's expected that the NAND Flash market will continue to be in a state of oversupply in 3Q23. Cautious inventory management by buyers is preventing a stabilization in NAND Flash prices even with an anticipated seasonal surge in demand for 2H23. TrendForce predicts that NAND Flash wafers will be the first to see a price hike in 3Q23 as prices for module products such as SSDs, eMMCs, and UFS will likely continue to fall due to tepid downstream demand. Consequently, the overall ASP of NAND Flash is forecast to continue dropping by about 3~8% in 3Q23, though a possibility exists prices may recover in 4Q23.

Client SSD: Although notebook shipments are expected to gradually recover in 3Q23, reversing an oversupply of SSD will continue to be challenging. Furthermore, a portion of suppliers have implemented aggressive promotions to secure customer orders and hit shipping targets in light of weakened demand and less-than-satisfactory order volumes from major clients, putting pressure on other suppliers. TrendForce estimates that the ASP of client SSDs will fall by 8~13% in the third quarter.

Synopsys, Inc. today announced an expanded agreement with Samsung Foundry to develop a broad portfolio of IP to reduce design risk and accelerate silicon success for automotive, mobile, high-performance computing (HPC) and multi-die designs. This agreement expands Synopsys' collaboration with Samsung to enhance the Synopsys IP offering for Samsung's advanced 8LPU, SF5, SF4 and SF3 processes and includes Foundation IP, USB, PCI Express, 112G Ethernet, UCIe, LPDDR, DDR, MIPI and more. In addition, Synopsys will optimize IP for Samsung's SF5A and SF4A automotive process nodes to meet stringent Grade 1 or Grade 2 temperature and AEC-Q100 reliability requirements, enabling automotive chip designers to reduce their design effort and accelerate AEC-Q100 qualification. The auto-grade IP for ADAS SoCs will include design failure mode and effect analysis (DFMEA) reports that can save months of development effort for automotive SoC applications.

"Our extensive co-optimization efforts with Samsung across both EDA and IP help automotive, mobile, HPC, and multi-die system architects cope with the inherent challenges of designing chips for advanced process technologies," said John Koeter, senior vice president of product management and strategy for IP at Synopsys. "This extension of our decades-long collaboration provides designers with a low-risk path to achieving their design requirements and quickly launching differentiated products to the market."

Axiomtek - a world-renowned leader relentlessly devoted to the research, development, and manufacture of series of innovative and reliable industrial computer products of high efficiency - is pleased to introduce the AIE110-XNX, its new edge AI developer kit powered by the NVIDIA Jetson Xavier NX platform which features 6-core NVIDIA Carmel ARM v8.2 64-bit CPU delivering up to 21 TOPS of accelerated AI computing performance and integrates an advanced 384-core NVIDIA Volta GPU with 48 Tensor Cores. Aimed to save effort on system integration and reduce complexity for embedded developers, the AIE110-XNX enables users to develop AI solutions on a friendly budget with no limit of minimum order. The palm-sized edge AI developer kit is ideal for makers, learners, and system integrators to build more AI innovation with little effort.

"The AI boom is happening all over the world, and it is now available for everyone. Catching the AI wave with faster responding and more efficiency, Axiomtek's AIE110-XNX can be quickly engaged to be the AIE100-903-FL-NX for smart city, the IP67-rated AIE800-904-FL for outdoor edge AI applications, the AIE900-XNX for robotics and AMR or self-service kiosk applications. It can also be flexibly transitioned to a new generation platform with upgraded AI performance such as NVIDIA Jetson Orin NX, NVIDIA Jetson Orin Nano, and more," said Annie Fu, a Product Manager of the AIoT Team at Axiomtek. "In addition, the AIE110-XNX has reserved mounting holes on the bracket, which helps system integrators to easily start development right out of the box."

Greenliant will highlight its portfolio of solid state storage products for automotive and transportation applications at the ADAS & Autonomous Vehicle Technology Expo in Stuttgart, Germany, June 13-15, at booth 6024. Greenliant's portfolio of high reliability data storage products includes high capacity industrial SSDs (SATA 2.5", NVMe U.2), NANDrive ball grid array SSDs (eMMC, PATA, SATA), and ArmourDrive SSDs (SATA M.2, mSATA, SATA 2.5", NVMe M.2) and memory cards (SD / microSD). Meet with technical experts at booth 6024 to learn how Greenliant SSDs and memory cards can address the requirements of best-in-class ADAS and autonomous driving applications.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion", the "Company" or "we") today announced its financial results for the quarter ended March 31, 2023. For the first quarter of 2023, net sales (GAAP) decreased sequentially to $124.1 million from $200.8 million in the fourth quarter of 2022. Net income (GAAP) decreased to $10.2 million, or $0.30 per diluted American Depositary Share ("ADS") (GAAP), from net income (GAAP) of $23.5 million, or $0.71 per diluted ADS (GAAP), in the fourth quarter of 2022.

For the first quarter of 2023, net income (non-GAAP) decreased to $11.2 million, or $0.33 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), from net income (non-GAAP) of $41.1 million, or $1.22 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), in the fourth quarter of 2022.

Although NAND suppliers have continued to roll back production, there is still an oversupply of NAND Flash as demand for products such as servers, smartphones, and notebooks is still too weak. Therefore, TrendForce predicts that the ASP of NAND Flash will continue to fall in 2Q23, though that decline may shrink to 5~10%. The key to supply and demand returning to a market equilibrium lies in whether NAND suppliers can cut back on production even more. TrendForce believes if demand remains stable, then the ASP of NAND Flash will have an opportunity to rebound in 4Q23; if demand is weaker than expected, then ASP will take longer to recover.

Client SSD: Currently, PC OEM's have managed to liquidate most of their component inventory, and are now gearing up in preparation for mid-year sales events. Suppliers are cutting prices to clear out their inventories of PCIe Gen 3 SSDs, which are gradually being phased out. Meanwhile, prices of PCIe Gen 4 SSDs continue to face downward pressure due to a slow intake of new customer orders. The continuous decline of QLC products in 1Q23 has also dragged down the prices of TLC products, and there is relatively little room for prices to keep falling in 2Q23. While it still remains unclear whether or not demand will recover, TrendForce projects that the prices of PC client SSDs will drop 5~10% in 2Q23.

IBASE Technology Inc., a global leader in the manufacture of embedded computing products, has launched the new RM-QCS610 SMARC 2.1 compliant module powered by an Octa-core Qualcomm QCS610 SoC and designed for the creation of devices with edge artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning capabilities such as vision-enhanced drones, advanced intelligent conferencing cameras, and smart robots.

"The low cost, low power RM-QCS610 offers high performance for devices with edge AI capabilities that have grown in popularity in the last few years," explained Albert Lee, Executive Vice President at IBASE. "The module is our first Qualcomm-based platform. It provides flexible I/O interfaces and brings powerful visual edge computing to accelerate AI across devices with sensors or cameras to collect and process information, make decisions, and perform tasks in the same location in applications including traffic data collection and analysis, computer vision in manufacturing, and automated security validation."

The homebrew and modification community has delved deeper into the recent bout of bricked Nintendo Wii U consoles, unlucky owners are seeing their systems throwing up error codes that indicate an internal memory failure. As covered on TPU almost two weeks ago, it was speculated that leaving a Wii U in a long-term state of unuse was a root cause of the problem. It is now theorized that a simple choice of memory chip is the real issue behind the corruptions, and not a case of leaving your unplugged Wii U stashed in a box somewhere.

An online database has been established on hackmd.io, and a member is collecting hard data from Wii U owners across various online communities and sources. Early indications show that consoles fitted with a Hynix eMMC are leading the pack in terms of number of system failures, Samsung-equipped models are placed in a distant second place, and the Toshiba variant is reported as having zero problems.

DFI, the global provider of industrial computers, has introduced its ECX700-AL ruggedized x86 PC for outdoor edge computing applications. Its impeccable performance capabilities, compact size, and high durability make it the ideal solution for outdoor operations. The ECX700-AL is a rugged computer with a waterproof and dust-proof design to withstand harsh environments and any type of climate. Stable performance is ensured with its wide operating temperature of -40 to 70 degrees Celsius. It is also equipped with a smart vent that drains water automatically, preventing typical problems such as condensation within the system or excessive heat.

An external SIM slot provides convenience for users when changing SIM cards, and the high-gain antenna delivers a high-quality signal. Versatile I/O settings including a combo port that supports 2 CANs and 2 COMs as well as selective display ports (HDMI/VGA) help integrators meet demands for various applications.

The BeagleBoard.org Foundation today announces the global availability of BeaglePlay, the most adaptable open-source performance platform available. Built on our proven open source Linux approach, BeaglePlay has a feature set that includes built-in wired and wireless connectivity and ability to connect to a wide selection of sensor and prototyping systems with thousands of options, as well as interfaces and processing performance to support them.

Leveraging the Texas Instruments AM625 processor with quad 64-bit Arm Cortex -A53 cores, low-latency microcontroller subsystems, a dedicated Texas Instruments SimpleLink CC1352P7 sub-1 GHz and 2.4-GHz wireless MCU, and a Texas Instruments WiLink WL1807MOD Wi-Fi module, new and experienced users can use a wide variety of application libraries and examples from Linux, Zephyr, MicroPython and numerous other open source frameworks to add an endless array of sensors, actuators, indicators and new connectivity options.

Silicon Motion Technology Corporation ("Silicon Motion" or the "Company") today announced its financial results for the quarter ended December 31, 2022. For the fourth quarter of 2022, net sales (GAAP) decreased sequentially to $200.8 million from $250.8 million in the third quarter of 2022. Net income (GAAP) decreased to $23.5 million, or $0.71 per diluted American Depositary Share ("ADS") (GAAP), from net income (GAAP) of $42.9 million, or $1.29 per diluted ADS (GAAP), in the third quarter of 2022.

For the fourth quarter of 2022, net income (non-GAAP) decreased to $41.1 million, or $1.22 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), from net income (non-GAAP) of $51.2 million, or $1.53 per diluted ADS (non-GAAP), in the third quarter of 2022.

Acer today launched four new Chromebooks to meet the needs of students, teachers and administrators, including its first Acer Chromebook Vero model designed specifically for the education market. These new models provide the latest in durability, performance, and features, making them a powerful tool for helping educators deliver better learning outcomes.

"As a leading provider of Chromebooks for the K12 education market, Acer knows what students and teachers need to keep the focus on learning - and these new Acer Chromebooks deliver what's needed and more," said James Lin, General Manager, Notebooks, IT Products Business, Acer Inc. "Our new Chromebooks provide advances in all the areas that have helped establish them as an essential tool for learning: student-focused durability features, reliable performance and advanced connectivity options to support school technology initiatives."

Intel today debuted its 2023 N-series entry-level mobile processors targeting a range of low-cost notebook applications, such as educational notebooks for bulk purchase and distribution by public schools. These processors are built on the same Intel 7 (10 nm Enhanced SuperFin) node as the 13th Gen Core processors, but come with just "Gracemont" E-cores, and no P-cores.

The silicon physically features two "Gracemont" E-core clusters amounting to 8 E-cores, 6 MB of shared L3 cache, and an iGPU based on the Xe-LP graphics architecture, with 32 EUs (execution units). The silicon also features a GNI 3.0 for basic AI acceleration using a truncated version of the DLBoost instruction set, and an IPU (as in image processing unit), which can improve web-camera experience (on the fly background noise suppression). The iGPU also offers hardware-accelerated AV1 decoding. On the platform-side, the processor features a single-channel DDR5 memory interface that's backwards-compatible with DDR4, and also supports LPDDR5. Storage interfaces include eMMC, UFS 2.1, and NVMe SSD. Wireless networking options available with the platform include fast WiFi 6E and Bluetooth 5.2.

IceWhale Technologies has launched ZimaBoard, a low-cost single board server that functions as personal cloud storage and software router, and allows users to set up a VPN, stream 4K video, access media collections, and reinvent smart home projects on Amazon. Three models with tiered processing power are available in the brand's shop for US customers: ZimaBoard 216 (2 GB RAM, 16 GB eMMC storage, dual-core Intel Celeron processor) is $139.99 USD, ZimaBoard 432 (4 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC storage, quad-core Intel Celeron processor) is $169.99 USD, and ZimaBoad 832 (8 GB RAM, 32 GB eMMC storage, quad-core Intel Celeron processor) is $229.99 USD.

"Following our Kickstarter campaign and fulfillment to backers in July, we're excited to announce our move to Amazon," said founder Lauren Pan. "Getting here was no small feat, especially after more than a year of chip shortages and unpredictable lockdowns, but here we are. ZimaBoard is one board to rule them all—one that puts individuals back in control."