By Peter Clarke

What’s at stake:

The future of the technology-based society and the world’s super-power landscape hang in the balance. A belief that control of AI development could determine winners and losers for decades has driven US bureaucrats to lay down an interim final rule (IFR) that seeks to control global access to AI technology. But in a globalized era, it is not clear that such measures will work. They may even be counterproductive.

One of the last acts of the Biden Administration was to issue yet another export control ruling – an interim final rule (IFR) – on AI chips, published on January 13, just days before the inauguration of President Trump.

This has not been debated in the US Congress, as the Department of Commerce has the authority to issue and enforce export control regulations under existing laws.

By Bolaji Ojo

Soon, the electronics world will be treated to a special news conference to be hosted by Intel Corp. When this event will take place is uncertain, but it will hopefully occur soon. What we are certain about is that it will be more consequential and involve more than what the semiconductor supplier announced this week.

Intel Capital is being set free, the company said. As an independent firm, Intel Capital “will have the flexibility to attract external capital,” the press statement noted.

That wasn’t the news anyone was expecting to hear from Intel, hence the flaccid market response.  However, “this step supports our broader strategy to maximize the value of our assets while driving greater focus and efficiency across the business,” David Zinsner, interim co-CEO and CFO of Intel said, in a statement.

By Bolaji Ojo

What’s at stake:

First, Seeing Machines scored a big lifeline, improving its balance sheet and its competitiveness. More importantly, the company’s profile received a huge boost, making it an even more notable player in the software-defined vehicles (SDV) market and in applications for driver and vehicle occupant monitoring.

Seeing Machines wrapped up 2024 in grand style, scoring a much-needed investment from Japan’s Mitsubishi Electric Mobility that executives believe will help the company further penetrate the automotive industry while boosting its balance sheet.

Japan’s Mitsubishi framed the transaction, in which it has purchased approximately 19.9 percent of Seeing Machines, as part of its efforts to comply with growing regulatory requirements in Europe and elsewhere to improve driver and passenger safety in automotives.

By Bolaji Ojo

STMicroelectronics NV believes it will be a $20 billion company by 2030. For now, though, Jean-Marc Chery, president and CEO at ST, won’t say what revenues the company will have in 2025 and 2026. 

Chery calls 2025 “a transition year” for ST. Go ahead and add 2026 – with or without Chery’s consent. ST will by the end of 2024 fall $4 billion short of its record revenue of $17.3 billion in 2023. The CFO believes ST will cross that threshold again in 2027 or 2028.

Take your pick. 

By 2030, though ST expects revenue to be about $20 billion, a goal set years before. By then, Chery, now 64 years old, will likely have moved on, no longer CEO at ST. If you were to pose a question to the CEO in 2030, someone else will have to answer in Chery’s titular name. That’s the way this game is played. 

By Kolade Ojo

Infineon Technologies Inc. faces a paradox. It must successfully juggle two challenging and potentially conflicting objectives.

The first – powering AI – represents a lucrative business opportunity while the second – sustainable manufacturing – has become a major societal obligation in a world concerned about climate change and global warming. Both goals are desirable, but neither can be easily achieved by a chipmaker serving the hot artificial intelligence and power markets from locations in a country passionate about the impact of manufacturing on the environment.