Energy Industry Articles

Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 29.2% Year-to-Year

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors were $44.5 billion in June 2021, an increase of 29.2% from the June 2020 total of $34.5 billion. Sales in June were 2.1% more than the May 2021 total of $43.6 billion. Sales during the second quarter of 2021 were $133.6 billion, an increase of 29.2% over the second quarter of 2020 and 8.3% more than the first quarter of 2021. Monthly sales are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average. SIA represents 98% of the U.S. semiconductor industry by revenue and nearly two-thirds of non-U.S. chip firms.

Nanotechnology Solves the Problem of Thermal Insulation for Chemical Tanks and Chemical Plant Process Equipment

Finding a thermal insulation that can withstand the highly corrosive conditions of chemical tanks and chemical plant heat process equipment has been virtually impossible. The constant exposure to acids and bases and everything in between wreaks havoc on conventional thermal insulation and severely limits both the lifespan and performance qualities of the insulation.

NASA’s Lucy Spacecraft Begins Launch Preparations

Designed and built by Lockheed Martin for NASA, Lucy will give humankind its first ever close-up look at Jupiter’s elusive Trojan asteroids. These celestial objects are important because scientists believe they could hold clues about how our solar system and the planets formed.

Micron Launches World’s First 176-Layer NAND in Mobile Solutions to Power Lightning-Fast 5G Experiences

Micron Technology, Inc., announced today it has begun volume shipments of the world’s first 176-layer NAND Universal Flash Storage (UFS) 3.1 mobile solution. Engineered for high-end and flagship phones, Micron’s discrete UFS 3.1 mobile NAND unlocks 5G’s potential with up to 75% faster sequential write and random read performance than prior generations,1 enabling downloads of two-hour 4K movies2 in as little as 9.6 seconds.

3D Systems Accelerates Access to Advanced Materials – Opening New Applications

3D Systems Accelerates Access to Advanced Materials – Opening New Applications

3D Systems announced two additions to its industry-leading materials portfolio – Certified Scalmalloy (A) and Certified M789 (A) – to facilitate demanding industrial high-strength, corrosion-resistant parts for additive applications in markets such as aerospace, motorsports & automotive, semiconductor, energy, and moldmaking.

NGen & Evercloak Collaborate to Scale Innovative Graphene-Based Membrane Manufacturing

NGen & Evercloak Collaborate to Scale Innovative Graphene-Based Membrane Manufacturing

Next Generation Manufacturing Canada, the industry-led organization behind Canada’s Advanced Manufacturing Supercluster, has announced over $4.5 million in collaborative investment to scale up commercial applications of graphene nanofilms in HVAC systems for cleanrooms and other critical environment systems.

First Solar breaks ground on 3.3 GW production facility

First Solar breaks ground on 3.3 GW production facility

The new 3.3 gigawatt (GW)DC facility, which is scheduled to commence operations in the first half of 2023, represents a $680 million investment. When fully operational, the facility is expected to scale the company’s Northwest Ohio footprint to a total annual capacity of 6 GWDC, which is believed to make it the largest fully vertically integrated solar manufacturing complex outside China.

Relaxor Ferroelectrics Materials’ Mechanical & Electrical Properties Excite Researchers

Relaxor Ferroelectrics Materials’ Mechanical & Electrical Properties Excite Researchers

Relaxor ferroelectrics, which are often lead-based. These materials have mechanical and electrical properties that are useful in applications such as sonar and ultrasound. The more scientists understand about the internal structure of relaxor ferroelectrics, the better materials we can develop for these and other applications.

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Overhead Hoist Transport Devices Drive Materials in Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility

Overhead Hoist Transport Devices Drive Materials in Semiconductor Manufacturing Facility

Self-driving cars sit at the intersection of artificial intelligence and the automobile industry, presenting an exciting new opportunity for transportation. While the commercialization of autonomous driving awaits technological refinement and regulation, Samsung Electronics’ semiconductor production lines are already utilizing systems that share similarities with self-driving technologies.

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Gold Nanoparticles Could Improve Solar Energy Storage

Gold Nanoparticles Could Improve Solar Energy Storage

gold nanoparticles, coated with a semiconductor, can produce hydrogen from water over four times more efficiently than other methods – opening the door to improved storage of solar energy and other advances that could boost renewable energy use and combat climate change, according to Rutgers University–New Brunswick researchers.

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Molecular clock could greatly improve smartphone navigation

Molecular clock could greatly improve smartphone navigation

MIT researchers have developed the first molecular clock on a chip, which uses the constant, measurable rotation of molecules — when exposed to a certain frequency of electromagnetic radiation — to keep time. The chip could one day significantly improve the accuracy and performance of navigation on smartphones and other consumer devices.

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Neutrino Distant Cosmic Source Identified

Neutrino Distant Cosmic Source Identified

Neutrinos, Italian for “little neutral ones,” are often described as “ghost particles,” for their extremely weak interactions with ordinary matter. Indeed, billions of neutrinos stream through our fingernails every second, without ruffling so much as a molecule of matter. And yet, on Sept. 22, 2017, the IceCube Neutrino Observatory, based at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station, detected a neutrino in signals picked up by its detectors buried deep in the Antarctic ice. Researchers there quickly sent out alerts to ground- and space-based telescopes in hopes of finding the neutrino’s cosmic source.

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X-Ray Experiment Confirms Theoretical Model for Making New Materials

X-Ray Experiment Confirms Theoretical Model for Making New Materials

X-Ray Experiment – Over the last decade, scientists have used supercomputers and advanced simulation software to predict hundreds of new materials with exciting properties for next-generation energy technologies. Now they need to figure out how to make them. To predict the best recipe for making a material, they first need a better understanding of how it forms, including all the intermediate phases it goes through along the way – some of which may be useful in their own right.

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