How the conception of ASML took some convincing
Back in the 1980s, Philips wasn’t particularly keen on working with the much smaller company ASM International. Only by cozying up to the Dutch government, ASMI CEO Arthur del Prado managed to nudge Philips into the partnership that we know today as ASML.
WaveLAN: the tech that brought Wi-Fi to the world
Wi-Fi, one of the most recognizable technologies on the planet, turns 20 this year. While Steve Jobs and Apple had a hand in bringing it to the masses, the building blocks of the world-renowned technology sprouted from right here in the Netherlands. One of its founding fathers, Bruce Tuch, discusses the journey from the early days of the Dutch-developed WaveLAN to the globally recognized Wi-Fi.
Get your data out of the gray zone
Last week, I wrote about the different types of use for data that we have available. That led to discussions with various people and I realized that there’s a problem around data that’s very typical in companies that have their roots in embedded systems or mechanical engineering: it’s actually unclear who owns the data from their products.
A new era of spectrum use thanks to AI and SDR
A team of Imec researchers, together with scientists from Rutgers University, have participated in the finals of the Darpa Spectrum Collaboration Challenge. Their idea: using AI to teach wireless devices to avoid spectral collisions.
It’s official: Intel is playing catch-up
Things are heating up in the X86 processor market. After taking a backseat to Intel for more than a decade, AMD (together with TSMC) has edged itself into technological leadership.
Bridging the gap
Nico Meijerman joined NTS to help build and expand the company’s software competency. Shortly after arriving at the hardware stronghold, he started to work on bridging the gap between software engineering and the worlds of physics, mechanics and hardware-related disciplines. The result is a workshop in which Meijerman teaches his non-software colleagues the basics of software engineering. Customer and business specifics included.
TUE, NXP and KPN roll out the red carpet for 5G
4G cellular network capacity is about to reach its limit but the transition to the next-generation 5G network will certainly be no easy task. In an effort to ensure the rollout of the new technology, the Dutch private and public sectors are teaming up as Eindhoven University of Technology joins industry giants NXP and KPN to pave the way.
Data sifting to finetune nanometer structures by the trillions
If headlines are any clue, machine learning is taking the semicon industry by storm. Bits&Chips talks to two of ASML’s data scientists about the impact their discipline has on the hardcore physics company. The litho giant is increasing its use of machine learning to support its holistic lithography products.
“We don’t distinguish ourselves by software alone”
Do Dutch high tech companies invest enough in software development? Bits&Chips poses the question to Guustaaf Savenije and Ton Peijnenburg of VDL ETG, the largest tier-1 high tech supplier and hardware company in the Netherlands. “Software is just one of the disciplines – no more, no less. Better participate in the multidisciplinary world!”
Ask the headhunter
As the R&D manager of a fast-growing semiconductor start-up, I spend a lot of time selecting candidates for my team. These days, we regularly receive very good applications from Iranians but we wonder if it’s wise to hire them. Do you know if they can work on government projects? How do other tech companies deal with this?
What use is your data?
If you’ve been reading my posts, you know that I feel data is one of the key ingredients of a successful digital transformation. It’s not just about adding software to your products or putting DevOps in place. It is as much about collecting, analyzing and storing data and using this data to improve a variety of aspects of the business. As, in my experience, every proponent of the use of data has a specific and different interest from others, the interesting question is what these relevant aspects are. Here, I provide an initial taxonomy of the uses of data.