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Technology Stocks : Cohu, Inc. (COHU) -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: robert b furman who wrote (2614)	1/18/2002 3:04:56 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 7827

Bob/All, Not specifically related to COHU, but one of the reasons I love this sector...... news.bbc.co.uk Peering into the future Robots have long inspired visions of the future By BBC News Online's Jane Wakefield By 2010 the first robot will have passed its GCSE exams. This is just one of the predictions for the future decade from BTexact's futurologist Ian Pearson. Artificial intelligence is always on the futurist's list of hopefuls but often seems to be the most unachievable. Most AI research to date has got little farther than teaching robots very basic language skills. Intelligent robots AI research is coming on in leaps and bounds though says Mr Pearson meaning a school swot robot is a very real possibility. It is hard for many people to believe or accept some of the changes listed above when half of the world's people have yet to make their first phone call Ian Pearson, BT futurologist "By 2006 it will be quite possible to ask a robot general questions which it hasn't been told beforehand and get a response," Mr Pearson told BBC News Online. "It could talk the answers but I think that would be against GCSE rules so it is more likely to print them out," he explains. Such a robot would be ready to take its A Levels a few years later and a degree a few years after that he says. For 2002, however, the predictions are a little more mundane. Mr Pearson believes that underused video-conferencing may get a boost with talking head technology. Speed freaks will also need to be careful with the possible introduction of intelligent cats' eyes with integrated speed cameras. A food tester that can identify the presence of bugs could prove useful in the kitchen and the desktop looks set for a make-over with air typing and an air mouse. Smart clothes 2003 looks like being a little bit more sci-fi with the introduction of video jewellery and virtual retinal displays in glasses. The long-talked about home intranet - connecting all the devices in your house - may also become a reality next year. Smart clothes always get a look in when it comes to future tech predictions. Jumpers that alter their thermal properties and clothes that can collect and store solar power are just two of the possibilities, thinks Mr Pearson. Other predictions Notebook computer screen with contrast as good as paper by 2003 Mobile phone location used in traffic management systems by 2004 First organism brought back to life by 2006 Anti-noise technology built into homes by 2010 He admits that such items will be of limited use in everyday life and are more likely to be luxury or gimmick items on the high street. In the military though they will prove invaluable. Many of the predictions seem to be geared towards leisure with limited use in the developing world where technology can make the difference between life or death. "It is hard for many people to believe or accept some of the changes listed above when half of the world's people have yet to make their first phone call," admits Mr Pearson but he believes technology can still make a difference. "Palm-pilot like devices which can be distributed free and allow people in the developed world to get educated will be one of the most important technologies in this part of the world." Artificial companions For the gadget-hungry West things start to get really exciting by 2006, with emotionally sensitive toys. While they are unlikely to be as sophisticated as the teddy bear in Stephen Spielberg's AI, such toys will prove invaluable companions believes Mr Pearson. Toys will be able to respond to emotions "We already have technologies that can measure stress, using simple cues like skin condition and temperature and it will be easy to put these in Barbie dolls which will be able to talk to little girls when they are upset and ask what is wrong," he says. Not all the robots of the future will be so cuddly though, with robots the size of bees playing a vital role in surveillance during wartime. "These tiny flying robots will be able to fly into caves and hack into computer systems," says Mr Pearson. Perhaps the most bizarre prediction on his list is the idea that the highest earning celebrity in 2010 will be synthetic. Some cruel observers might note that this one has already come true. news.bbc.co.uk

To: robert b furman who wrote (2614)	1/22/2002 3:02:03 PM
From: Proud_Infidel	Respond to of 7827

Music to the ears...... Nanya to proceed with 12-inch wafer fab By Mike Clendenin EE Times (01/22/02 12:25 p.m. EST) TAIPEI, Taiwan — Memory chip maker Nanya Technology Corp. intends to proceed with plans to build a $2 billion 12-inch wafer processing plant starting in March, following the course of two other Taiwanese manufacturers who are accelerating plans for next-generation chip facilities. The company hopes to begin equipping the plant at the end of this year, with full-scale volume production slated for 2003 using 0.11-micron processing technology. This will be the company's third fab, joining two other 8-inch wafer plants. Last year, Nanya shelved the project to mitigate its expenditures during the industry's worst-ever year. Fortunes have improved lately, spurring a flurry of activity among the small DRAM players here, which hold 10 percent to 15 percent of the market. After such a bleak 2001, during which memory prices plunged more than 90 percent, manufacturers are now more optimistic because of surging chip prices and the possibility of further consolidation in the industry. The cost of a 128-Mbit DRAM chip has risen 70 percent in the past month to $3 a chip. Nanya will fund the capacity expansion with the issuance of global depository receipts, most likely late in the second quarter. Two other chip makers in Taiwan are already farther along than Nanya on 12-inch wafer production. ProMOS Technologies Inc., an affiliate of Infineon Technologies AG, is quickly ramping up its facility and plans to churn out 5,000 wafers per month by the spring and 9,000 or more per month by year's end. Powerchip Semiconductor Corp. will also produce 12-inch wafers this year. The company recently stepped up its timeline for production, saying it will move in equipment in March instead of May and enter pilot production in July. By December, the fab will produce about 15,000 wafers per month. Despite being relatively behind in the transition to 12-inch wafers, Nanya has beaten other manufacturers in bragging rights over double data rate DRAMs. It was among the first to shift over the majority of its production to DDR devices, which are once again commanding a premium over SDRAM after a brief time at parity. Nanya was also among the first to ship 333-MHz versions of DDR.