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26 Sep 24. US: Semiconductor manufacturing bill will increase targeted activism, reputational risks for sector. According to reports on 25 September, environmental activist groups are strongly urging President Joe Biden to veto a bill that would weaken federal scrutiny of semiconductor manufacturing. The bill would specifically exempt semiconductor manufacturing facilities that receive federal funding from environmental reviews. Opponents of the bill allege this will result in less oversight of the industry and increased levels of pollution. The bill enjoys broad bipartisan support; it passed the Senate in late 2023 and the House on 23 September. As such, we assess that Biden is likely to sign the bill in the short term. In the long term, the bill will help to prevent delays to manufacturing projects and decrease the US’ reliance on China and Taiwan for semiconductors, a key technology used in defence systems and renewable energies. Nonetheless, Biden is likely to face criticism from a coalition of House Democrats who oppose the bill over environmental concerns. In the medium-to-long term, new semiconductor manufacturing plants are likely to face increased scrutiny and targeted activism from environmental groups. The possibility of on-site protests will increase disruption risks for such firms. (Source: Sibylline)
25 Sept 24. Aitech now offers a rugged AI supercomputer that uses the most powerful NVIDIA Jetson AGX Orin System-on-Module (SoM) currently available for high-performance military systems. With its compact size, the A230 Vortex is the most advanced embedded computer for AI, deep learning, and video and signal processing in distributed systems that need to reliably operate in remote, harsh conditions.
Optimizing the full performance of the Ampere GPU, the new rugged HPEC system provides up to 2048 CUDA cores and 64 Tensor cores that reach up to 275 TOPS at a remarkable level of energy efficiency. The system also features two scalable, highly configurable, dedicated NVDLA (NVIDIA Deep-Learning Accelerator) engines that simplify integration and portability as well as promote a standard way to design deep learning inference accelerators.
Dan Mor, director, products and solutions at Aitech, commented, “Military systems keep integrating more information inputs at the edge, meaning remote systems need high-powered processing to manage this data and provide actionable intelligence. The A230 sets a new standard for advanced, rugged AI that enables deep learning as well as video and signal processing in next generation autonomous vehicles, surveillance systems, and advanced weapons systems.”
In addition to providing AI-based local processing right where it is needed, the A230 features high-speed interfaces and a variety of data and video I/O to enable easy adaptation to specific system requirements. This includes four SDI (SD/HD) and eight composites (RS-170 [NTSC]/PAL) that are simultaneously available as well as Gigabit Ethernet, discrete, USB, DVI/HDMI out, and UART Serial ports. Optional NVMe SSD and a microSD card slot helps extend memory resources for the robust 64 GB of LPDDR5 RAM that comes standard. More interfaces are available upon customer request.
The new system offers cold-plate cooling, weighs less than 8 lbs and has low power consumption, while meeting MIL-STD-810H for vibration, shock, acceleration, altitude, humidity, dust and salt fog.
26 Sept 24. New support for semiconductor firms to grow, powering growth in £10bn UK industry.
Support for semiconductor scale-ups announced as Lord Vallance kicks off a stakeholder forum ahead of the G7 Semiconductors Points of Contact group in Cambridge.
16 semiconductor scale up projects backed to advance innovative tech
- Science Minister Lord Vallance unveils new support for UK semiconductor scale-ups to advance innovations, from phone screens to medical tech
- Support to help businesses grow unveiled as Minister welcomes leading tech nations to a stakeholder forum preceding the G7 Semiconductors Points of Contact group in Cambridge
- Comes as new report finds rapidly growing UK semiconductor industry valued at nearly £10 bn and expected to rise this decade
UK semiconductor firms producing vital technology from phone screens to surgical lasers are being backed in their efforts to scale up into large businesses and drive economic growth.
The science Minister Lord Patrick Vallance has announced the 16 projects that will win a share of a £11.5m pot – provided by Innovate UK – that will help drive innovation, as he opened an industry conference of G7 nations today (Thursday 26 September).
Pioneering projects across the country will help take the UK’s thriving semiconductor industry to the next level as it further enhances everyday life – from more efficient medical devices to energy saving phone screens – and kickstart economic growth.
This comes shortly before the Government’s International Investment Summit which will showcase the UK as a place to do business. Today’s move is yet another reason for business to choose the UK as a place to invest – as it is backing the industries of the future.
A new report by Perspective Economics reveals the UK semiconductor sector, which includes over 200 companies in research, design, and manufacturing, is valued at almost £10bn and could grow up to £17bn by 2030.
Semiconductors are small chips at the core of everyday technology from smartphones to renewable energy systems and this support will help to scale up domestic manufacturing and strengthen supply chain resilience, so the UK is fit for the future in a global industry.
The funding comes as the G7 Semiconductors Point of Contact group kicks off with a stakeholder forum at major UK tech company Arm’s HQ in Cambridge, where member states, research organisations, and industry representatives are discussing key issues affecting the global semiconductor industry, like supporting early-stage innovation and sustainability.
Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said:
Semiconductors are an unseen but vital component in so many of the technologies we rely on in our lives and backing UK innovators offers a real opportunity to growth these firms into industry leaders, strengthening our £10 bn sector and ensuring it drives economic growth.
Our support in these projects will promote critical breakthroughs such as more efficient medical devices that could significantly lower costs and faster manufacturing processes to improve productivity.
Hosting the G7 semiconductors Points of Contact group is also a chance to showcase the UK’s competitive and growing sector and make clear our commitment to keeping the UK at the forefront of advancing technology.
Among the funded projects, receiving a share of £11.5 m, is Vector Photonics Limited in collaboration with the University of Glasgow, which aims to enhance the power and cost-effectiveness of blue light lasers in everyday technology by using gallium nitride, a high-performance material. Blue lasers are key in devices like medical equipment, quantum displays and car headlights.
Another project, led by Quantum Advanced Solutions Ltd with the University of Cambridge, is developing advanced shortwave infrared (SWIR) sensors which improve vision in critical sectors like defence, by supporting surveillance in challenging conditions in low-visibility environments, such as during adverse weather conditions or atmospheric disturbances. The project looks to simplify production using innovative quantum dot materials – tiny semiconductor particles that emit light at specific wavelengths – offering higher sensitivity and performance, cutting costs and making this advanced technology more accessible to multiple sectors including manufacturing and healthcare.
Andrew Tyrer, Deputy Director, Electronics, Sensors and Photonics, Innovate UK, said:
Innovate UK’s investment in this programme directly supports the National Semiconductor Strategy launched in 2023 and aims to ensure the UK’s place in the global landscape.
Iain Mauchline Innovation Lead – Electronics, Sensors, and Photonics at Innovate UK, added:
It has been recognised that semiconductors are key enablers for the UK ambitions across all critical technology areas. Funding these diverse projects highlights the strengths and depth of the UK’s semiconductor ecosystem.
The G7 Semiconductors Point of Contact Group, established under Italy’s G7 Presidency earlier this year, continues its mission to address issues impacting the semiconductor industry, including early-stage innovation, crisis coordination, sustainability, and the impact of government policies and practices.
Rene Haas, CEO, Arm said: “It is an honour to host the G7 Semiconductor working group at Arm’s global headquarters in Cambridge to advance collective efforts from industry, research organizations, and governments to increase supply chain resilience, security, and energy efficiency. We look forward to continued partnership with the G7 representatives and the UK government as we work to enable innovation and realize the full potential of AI.”
This meeting immediately follows the OECD Semiconductor Informal Exchange Network gathering, where countries and stakeholders shared strategies for strengthening global semiconductor supply chains and addressing shared challenges in the semiconductor industry.
The UK is playing a key role in the OECD’s efforts to unite government and industry in navigating the complexities of the global chip supply chain.
Charles Sturman, CEO of TechWorks said: “This report represents the first detailed economic study of the UK Semiconductor sector in many years. I am proud to have been part of this important work and pleased with the results. Key findings here show that the UK already sees significant revenue from the sector and, by building on strong innovation, we can see significant opportunity to increase this together with our ~2% share of global semiconductor revenues; ultimately creating much more than the 86,000 jobs currently in the wider economy. The industry is set to grow rapidly in the next decade and the right mix of scale-up support and industrial policy can secure future growth of the UK semiconductor sector.” (Source: https://www.gov.uk/)
24 Sept 24. Curtiss-Wright’s Defense Solutions Division today announced that it has doubled the storage capacity of the Removable Memory Module (RMM) used in both the HSR10 and HSR10-CSfC commercial off the shelf (COTS) 10 Gigabit Ethernet (GbE) Network Attached Storage (NAS) solutions to 32 Terabytes (TB). The ITAR-free HSR10 and HSR10-CSfC are designed to store and protect critical data-at-rest (DAR) on air, sea, and ground platforms and meet the DAR storage needs of modern deployed C5ISR platforms that capture and process large amounts of sensor data for mission success. The size, weight and power (SWaP)-optimized rugged devices feature dual 10 GbE interfaces that support up to 1.97 GB/s of data throughput (write) and 2.35 GB/s (read) to provide the high bandwidth and storage capacities needed to support these critical applications. The increased storage capacity of the HSR10 NAS devices will enable extended mission duration while ensuring that no valuable data is lost due to limited storage capacity.
The HSR10-CSfC variant supports National Security Agency (NSA) Commercial Solutions for Classified (CSfC) encryption with two layers of encryption and protects up to 32 TB of data with a combination of software full disk encryption (SWFDE) and hardware full disk encryption (HWFDE). Both the HSR10 and HSR10-CSfC support RAID 0, 1, 5, 6, 10 configurations and include a Trusted Platform Module (TPM).
“The HSR10 and HSR10-CSfC address the data capture challenge for modern ISR platforms with high-speed 10 GbE optical connections and now up to 32 TB of storage capacity to ensure uninterrupted data acquisition without compromising security,” said Brian Perry, Senior Vice President and General Manager, Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions Division. “With optional support for CSfC two-layer encryption, these turnkey NAS DAR solutions are ready for plug-and-play deployment, faster and more easily than Type 1 encryption-based alternatives.”
Both the HSR10 and HSR10-CSfC feature a PCI Express (PCIe) architecture and NVMe memory that connects directly to the system processor at flash memory speeds. The NVMe memory (~50% faster than SATA based memory) is housed in the rugged RMM to ease the secure transfer of data for post-mission analysis. The HSR10 and HSR10-CSfC are ideal for use in manned and unmanned deployed network-centric system applications.
The HSR10 and HSR10-CSfC product sheet is available for download here.
For additional information about Curtiss-Wright Defense Solutions products, please visit www.curtisswrightds.com, LinkedIn, and X @CurtissWrightDS.
23 Sept 24. LiquidPiston, Inc., a leading innovator of efficient internal combustion engine technology and hybrid power systems, today announced that it has begun testing its 10kW heavy-fueled generator prototype.
The genset is powered by LiquidPiston’s 25hp heavy-fueled XTS-210 rotary engine, which itself entered its integrated engine testing phase in April 2024.
The company has been awarded over $65m in Department of Defense (DoD) contracts, including an $8.3m development contract with the U.S. Army, in 2023, to develop a lightweight and ultra-portable generator for the military. The 10kW generator prototype now being tested is meant to address DoD priorities for a smaller footprint and increased portability.
“This is an exciting time for the LiquidPiston team as we begin testing the fully integrated generator prototype, which we will continue to refine ahead of delivering it to our DoD customers,” said LiquidPiston co-founder and CEO, Alec Shkolnik. “Our goal is to help address the DoD’s demanding operational energy needs with significantly smaller and lighter portable power generation systems.”
The LiquidPiston 10kW genset is designed specifically to meet the DoD’s portable electric genset specs at approximately one-quarter the size and weight of the U.S. Army’s current Advanced Medium Mobile Power Source (AMMPS) 10kW generator system.
The 10kW system incorporates all components required for reliable and efficient power production in the field, including the XTS-210 rotary engine, a high-performance electric motor/generator, custom power electronics, controls, a thermal management system, a fuel tank, muffling, and military-grade packaging. The generator is designed in the long term to be plug-and-play compatible with today’s AMMPS systems, and it will have similar connectivity and interoperability.
Being smaller and lighter than the DoD’s currently-deployed 5kW and 10kW gensets, and approximately the same size as the currently deployed 3kW genset, LiquidPiston’s 10kW genset could greatly simplify DoD generator procurement and logistics by potentially replacing three products with a single product.
While being developed initially with an eye on military specifications, the base generator technology can be applied commercially in applications operating on heavy fuels including diesel, kerosene, and jet fuel, or can be configured to be multi-fuel capable, compatible with gasoline and gaseous fuels like propane.
The 10kW genset leverages the XTS-210 engine’s patented High Efficiency Hybrid Thermodynamic Cycle™ (HEHC) design, offering several key benefits over current generator technology:
- Lightweight – Up to 75 percent lighter and smaller than the currently-fielded AMMPS.
- Easy to transport – Can be man-portable, instead of requiring a truck, trailer, or forklift.
- Space efficient – Occupies only ~9 cubic feet of space.
- Heavy- and multi- fuel capable – Designed for jet fuel, the engines have also been operated on gasoline, diesel, propane, and hydrogen.
LiquidPiston’s XTS-210 heavy-fueled rotary engine is the result of significant internal research and development, coupled with more than ten contracts secured with the U.S. Department of Defense and over $20 m awarded in development funding, including a $9 m DEVCOM Army Research Laboratory award for a Compact Efficient Rotary Engine announced in November 2022. The XTS-210 is also being integrated into a hybrid eVTOL UAS for a U.S. Army demonstration that will occur later this year.
LiquidPiston has previously raised over $50M in equity crowdfunding, and is currently running a Reg CF equity crowdfunding campaign which is scheduled to close September 27, 2024.
24 Sep 24. Flying Fuel Cell: MTU Aero Engines tests an LH2 fuel system.
MTU Aero Engines has reached an important milestone on its path to zero-emission flight—it successfully completed multi-week testing of a liquid hydrogen fuel system for its Flying Fuel Cell™ (FFC).
“The tests show that the system architecture is safe, reliable, and works as expected, so we can ensure a regulated, need-based supply of preconditioned hydrogen to the fuel cell,” says Barnaby Law, FFC Chief Engineer at MTU in Munich. He is pleased about the successful campaign. By developing the FFC, Germany’s leading engine manufacturer is steadily moving toward complete electrification of the powertrain.
Together with MT Aerospace AG, the engine specialist is developing a complete liquid-hydrogen fuel system for commercial aviation that consists of tanks, sensors, heat exchangers, valves, safety systems, and controls. MT Aerospace is responsible for the liquid hydrogen tank and successfully tested the first system at its headquarters in Augsburg. Now MTU is following suit—these results are important and special because the tests were done with liquid hydrogen, which is the actual operating medium for the FFC. The tests performed in Augsburg had used liquid nitrogen, which is easier to handle because of its physical characteristics. Dr. Günther Schullerer, Director of Future Technologies, MT Aerospace, comments, “Now that we have fully confirmed the functionality, we can focus our shared skills on lightweight engineering, integration concepts, and optimized space utilization.”
The basic principle: Hydrogen is transported and stored in liquid form at a temperature of about -250°C. The refrigerated LH2 needs to be heated during operation and changed to a gaseous state; then a defined mass flow is fed into the fuel cell. Law: “This concept, including all of the sensors and functions needed in the aircraft, is what we have now validated.” Dr. Claus Riegler, Senior Vice President Technology & Engineering Advanced Programs at MTU, sums it up: “This is an excellent starting point; it will let us offer an appropriate, reliable, and high-performing LH2 fuel system solution for a wide range of aircraft models.”
What’s next? Testing of a product-specific full-system FFC will begin in 2026. The liquid hydrogen system will be one of its main components.
(Source: ASD Network)
24 Sept 24. Legionnaire International has been selected for a $3.19m AFWERX Challenge SBIR Commercial Services Offering contract to design and deliver a new potentially podded refueling boom for tactical aircraft – the Small Hybrid Aerial Refueling Kit (SHARK) – to address the most pressing challenges in the Department of the Air Force (DAF).
Legionnaire International designs, builds and tests weapons and carriage systems, aerospace components, electrical harnesses and critical defense systems and was selected as the prime contractor with partners MatrixSpace, Sixdof Space and Target Arm.
The Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) and AFWERX have partnered to streamline the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) and Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) process by accelerating the small business experience through direct proposal to award timelines, changing the pool of potential applicants by expanding opportunities to small business and eliminating bureaucratic overhead by continually implementing process improvement changes in contract execution. The DAF began offering the Open Topic SBIR/STTR program in 2018 which expanded the range of innovations the DAF funded. Legionnaire will begin the contract immediately to create and provide innovative capabilities that will strengthen the national defense of the United States of America.
Quote from J.R. “Flash” Starch, CEO, Legionnaire International
“Rapid and sustained power projection depends upon the long reach of airpower which, in turn, hinges on the availability of sufficient in-flight air refueling. Our modular SHARK system will enable traditional and non-traditional tanker aircraft to safely refuel current and future military aircraft in flight – whether crewed or uncrewed. It also provides this critical capability to our tactical fleet as NGAS matures. This is particularly valuable as the U.S. and our allies depend increasingly upon Collaborative Combat Aircraft and other uncrewed, autonomous aircraft. The SHARK is a perfect example of how to reimagine a standard practice and we are thrilled to be involved in this project with our partners.”
MatrixSpace delivers an ultra-low SWaP, AI-enhanced radar for robust situational awareness of both airborne and ground-based objects, regardless of lighting or weather.
Sixdof Space has developed ultra-fast optical tracking sensors and algorithms to integrate into OEM hardware. The technology uses infrared lights as beacons to report an object’s position and orientation at a very high speed.
Target Arm provides revolutionary, autonomous launch and recovery products, both software and hardware, enabled by its proven Sensor Fusion Engine.
23 Sept 24. AMD announces major breakthrough. Researchers from Advanced Material Development (AMD) and the University of Sussex have unveiled a major enhancement in their market-leading carbon nanomaterial-based inks, reaching conductivity levels of 3,000,000 S m⁻¹. This means its non-metal solutions are now approaching the performance of existing metal-based solutions.
Building on more than five years of success with graphitic inks, the latest breakthrough significantly raises the bar. This development reinforces AMD and the UK as leading pioneers of advanced materials for the electronics industry.
This promising breakthrough has exciting applications across a wide variety of industries. AMD’s work in this area sets the UK on track to be less reliant on metal-based solutions, bringing a more sustainable future. Visit AMD’s site to learn more.
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Oxley Group Ltd
Oxley offer a range of Military Marine NVG friendly LED lighting that includes navigation lights and controls, flight deck landing lights and interior compartment lighting. Our lighting products are used by Navies around the world including our own Royal Navy on UK Aircraft Carriers, Canadian Frigates, Swedish Submarines, Australian Surface vessels and Submarines, on board French Naval Carriers and in Naval Gun Turrets.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-r/
The technology is extremely energy efficient and built robustly, with proven long life. The lighting is NVG friendly, dimmable and programmable to allow for operations with aircraft pilots using military night vision goggles. They offer superior design giving high reliability for the most demanding environments with high sealing and the ability to meet the most stringent EMC standards.
https://oxleydevelopments.cmail20.com/t/t-l-cdhkulk-yujhutkljd-y/
Oxley are proud to say that we are working in partnership with SeaKing to enable a control panel to be offered with our LED Navigation Lighting. All of Oxley navigation lights have been specifically developed for vessels over 50 metres.
Contact Marcus Goad on 07850 917 263 for more information or to arrange samples.
Oxley specialises in the design and manufacture of advanced electronic and electro-optic components and systems for air, land and sea applications within the military sector. Established in 1942, Oxley has manufacturing facilities in the UK and USA and enjoys representation worldwide. The company’s products include night vision and LED lighting, data capture systems and electronic components. Oxley has pioneered the development of night vision compatible lighting. It offers a total package incorporating optical filters, equipment modification, cockpit and external lighting along with fleet wide upgrade services including engineering, installation, support, maintenance and training. The company’s long experience of manufacturing night vision lighting and LED indicators, coupled with advances in LED technology, has enabled it to develop LED solutions to replace incandescent and fluorescent lighting in existing applications as well as becoming the lighting option of choice in new applications such as portable military hospitals, UAV control stations and communication shelters.
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