chips

The real significance of Intel's Ivy Bridge technology, which should be seen in consumer devices early next year, is long-term.

The disaster in Japan is putting a pinch on 25% of the worldwide production of silicon wafers used to make computer chips, according to IHS iSuppli.

Whatever thrill the market got out of the rumor that Advanced Micro Devices (NYSE: AMD) may be up for sale, with Dell as a potential buyer, lasted but a day. Shares of AMD fell 3 cents, or 0.4 percent, to 8.60 on Tuesday after climbing more than 4 percent in Monday's session as the Dell-AMD rumor piqued investors' interest.

Chip maker Intel (NASDAQ: INTC) reported a 48 percent increase in fourth-quarter profit after Thursday's market close, sending shares up to $22 in after-hours trading, a gain of 3.3 percent over its 21.29 regular-session closing price.

Intel today formally unveiled its line of Sandy Bridge chips at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, taking the wraps off a family of Core processors that includes dozens of new chips, with more to follow later this year.

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has approved the planned purchase by chipmaker Intel of security software vendor McAfee.

Rather than accept the prognosis that the emergence of low-cost, underpowered computing devices spelled doom for its business, chip maker Intel is moving to capitalize on the emergence of netbooks and tablets.

Citing weaker than expected demand, "particularly in the consumer-notebook market in Western Europe and North America,” chip maker Advanced Micro Devices Inc.

Broadcom this week announced new chips designed to create a low-cost 802.11n wireless LAN edge for the enterprise, without the need for separate WLAN controllers.

Via Technologies may try to extend the use of its Nano processors from netbooks to servers in a potential challenge to Intel and AMD, although the battle will be an uphill one, analysts said.

MIT researchers said a breakthrough in light technology could help chip designers etch finer features on processors.

Uncertainty in the chip market is 'unprecedented', the SIA said, noting that tough economic conditions are hurting chip sales.