📊 Semiconductor Sovereignty Policies (2025 Report)

Governments are accelerating local semiconductor manufacturing to reduce foreign dependency and geopolitical risk, including lower-power IoT chips. Policies now treat these technologies as critical digital infrastructure, expanding export controls to cover microcontrollers, connectivity, sensors, and security chips. Notable examples include the following:

➡️US – The CHIPS and Science Act allocated $52.7 billion to boost domestic manufacturing and R&D. Further, the government has expanded funding to semiconductor production companies like Intel, TSMC, and Samsung.

➡️China – China has countered the US’s actions with a $47.5 billion “Big Fund” to boost domestic chipmaking and close its technology gap by 2030.

➡️Japan – The government of Japan has committed approximately $65 billion by 2030 to expand its semiconductor and AI sectors, supporting domestic fabs and R&D partnerships.

➡️South Korea – Republic of Korea officials announced a $19 billion support package in 2024 to strengthen its chip supply chain and SME competitiveness.

➡️EU – Leading national efforts include Italy’s €10 billion investment to become one of the largest microelectronics producers in Europe and the Netherlands’ €2.5 billion Brainport Eindhoven initiative, which aims to enhance collaboration between businesses, academia, and governments for technological development, including semiconductors.

Semiconductor localization is becoming a strategic priority as countries aim for more resilient, self-sufficient IoT and tech supply chains. These investments signal a long-term shift toward regional chip ecosystems and reduced foreign dependency.

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#articles

📺 Why Fighter Jets Ban 90% of C++ Features

The video’s story highlights how reliability comes from strict control over language features rather than from the language’s full power. The F-35’s C++ subset demonstrates how banning exceptions, implicit conversions, and unpredictable allocation paths leads to code that behaves the same way every time, under every condition.

⛓ https://youtu.be/Gv4sDL9Ljww

#video #programming

🌊 Waveshare has released ESP32-C6-Touch-AMOLED-1.8

The Waveshare ESP32-C6-Touch-AMOLED-1.8 is a compact development board built around 🇨🇳 Espressif’s ESP32-C6 wireless SoC. It combines modern wireless connectivity with a high-quality AMOLED touch display and a rich set of onboard peripherals, making it well suited for interactive IoT and HMI-focused projects.

Key features of the board:
➡️ESP32-C6 SoC with single-core RISC-V CPU, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth LE, Zigbee, and Thread
➡️1.8-inch capacitive AMOLED display (368 × 448, 16.7M colors)
➡️Built-in microphone, speaker, and low-power audio codec
➡️6-axis IMU, real-time clock with backup support, and microSD card slot
➡️USB-C for power and programming, Li-ion battery support with PMIC

Overall, this development board stands out as a highly integrated, display-centric ESP32-C6 platform. It would be especially interesting for developers working on smart home panels, wearable or handheld IoT devices and portable dashboards.

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#boards #esp32

🤖 Sub-$200 Lidar Could Reshuffle Auto Sensor Economics

MicroVision, a Redmond, Washington–based solid-state sensor company, has introduced a new automotive lidar it says can reach production pricing below $200 per unit, with a long-term goal of $100. The move aims to make lidar economically viable for mainstream advanced driver-assistance systems rather than limiting it to premium autonomous programs.

Key features and highlights:
➡️Movia S solid-state phased-array architecture
➡️180-degree horizontal field of view
➡️Detects objects up to 200 meters
➡️Designed for high-volume manufacturing
➡️Multi-sensor vehicle deployment required
➡️Competes with Hesai, Luminar

The technology is important because it moves lidar from an experimental or premium feature toward a scalable safety component for everyday vehicles. For automakers, suppliers, and investors, this development signals a transition from performance-driven innovation to economically sustainable deployment—one that could soon see adoption beyond the automotive sector.

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#news

🖥 ASML unveils EUV light source advance that could yield 50% more chips by 2030

ASML has unveiled a breakthrough in its extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology, revealing a new light source capable of reaching 1,000 watts of power. The advance could allow chipmakers to produce up to 50% more chips by 2030, strengthening ASML’s lead as global rivals in the United States and China attempt to develop competing systems.

Key features and highlights:
➡️EUV power increased from 600W to 1,000W
➡️Up to 50% higher chip output
➡️Target of 330 wafers per hour
➡️New dual-laser plasma shaping method

In conclusion, this development is significant because EUV machines are essential for manufacturing the world’s most advanced semiconductors. By increasing output and lowering per-chip production costs, ASML reinforces its technological dominance at a time of geopolitical competition and export restrictions.

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#news

💻 15 Single Board Computers Tested in 2025: Key Trends and Standout Boards

The article reviews 15 single-board computers (SBCs) released in 2025 from eight manufacturers using processors from vendors such as Rockchip, Qualcomm, Broadcom, and others. Prices ranged from $42 to $590, highlighting the growing diversity and maturity of the SBC market. The boards span several categories, including budget hobbyist devices, mid-range development boards, and high-end systems designed for specialized workloads.

The budget category under $50 included six boards with both ARM and RISC-V architectures. The Radxa Cubie A7A stood out due to its strong performance and 6GB LPDDR5 memory for only $45, outperforming other boards in the price tier.

In the $50–$100 range, the Radxa Dragon Q6A attracted attention with a Qualcomm QCS6490 processor and performance comparable to a Raspberry Pi 5 at $70. Networking-focused boards like the Banana Pi R4 targeted router and OpenWrt applications rather than general computing.

In the high-end segment, boards using the new CIX P1 SoC—such as the Radxa Orion O6N and Orange Pi 6 Plus—achieved the highest multi-core benchmark results, while the Raspberry Pi 500+ offered a refined keyboard-integrated design with 16GB RAM and NVMe support.

Overall, 2025 demonstrated rapid diversification in the SBC ecosystem. New competitors such as Qualcomm and CIX introduced powerful hardware, while RISC-V continued progressing but remained behind ARM in performance. With expanding price ranges and specialized devices for networking and AI workloads, the SBC market is becoming broader and more competitive, suggesting continued innovation in the coming years.

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#articles #raspberry

🇨🇳 Espressif Unveils ESP32-S31: A Feature-Rich Next-Gen Wireless SoC

Espressif announces the ESP32-S31, a new high-performance System-on-Chip designed for advanced IoT devices. The chip combines modern connectivity, processing power, and multimedia support in a single solution.

Features of the chip:
➡️Dual-core RISC-V CPU running up to 320 MHz
➡️Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.4, Thread/Zigbee, and Ethernet connectivity
➡️Built-in support for displays, cameras, and touch input
➡️Hardware acceleration for graphics, audio, and AI workloads
➡️Strong built-in security with encryption and secure execution

Overall, the ESP32-S31 is likely the most powerful wireless SoC released by Espressif so far, offering a strong balance of performance, connectivity, and I/O capabilities such as a high GPIO count and Gigabit Ethernet. While its multimedia features are more limited compared to some higher-end variants, it remains a compelling choice for developers building advanced smart home, voice-enabled, and industrial IoT applications.

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#news #esp32

💻 Velxio: Open Embedded Development for Everyone

Velxio is an open-source, browser-based platform for simulating embedded hardware such as Arduino, ESP32, and Raspberry Pi without requiring physical devices or local setup. It began as a personal project exploring microcontroller emulation and evolved into a complete, self-hostable development environment.

Features of the project:
➡️Browser-based emulation for multiple architectures (AVR8, RP2040, RISC-V, ESP32, Raspberry Pi)
➡️Multi-board simulation within a single circuit
➡️Integrated code editor with compilation and debugging tools
➡️Rich hardware support (GPIO, ADC, PWM, UART, SPI, I2C, WiFi)
➡️Visual circuit builder with components and wiring system

Velxio provides a hardware-free way to develop, test, and understand embedded systems with high realism and flexibility. Its open-source and self-hostable nature makes it especially useful for education, experimentation, and scalable classroom environments without infrastructure barriers.

More information:
🔗 Demonstration
😹 The GitHub repository

#projects

🤖 MSG-compliant Open-Source Stepper Gripper

The MSG-compliant stepper gripper is a modular robotic gripper designed for precise force control using StepFOC stepper drivers. It is well-suited for tasks like assembly and human-robot interaction, with a design that works well in visually monitored environments.

Features of the project:
➡️Precise and responsive force control based on FOC technology
➡️Modular design allowing adjustment of grip span and force output
➡️Fully open-source system compatible with custom tools and robotic platforms

Overall, this project provides a flexible and customizable gripping solution for robotics enthusiasts and developers looking to build or integrate a capable gripper into automation or collaborative systems.

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#projects #robots

💻 The RAM shortage could last years

Demand for memory chips has surged in recent years, driven by rapid growth in AI technologies and data-intensive applications. This has put increasing pressure on global supply chains, especially for RAM, which is essential for both data centers and everyday devices.

A global RAM shortage is expected to continue for several years, with supply projected to meet only about 60% of demand by the end of 2027. Major manufacturers are working to expand production, but most new facilities won’t be ready until 2027 or later. While output needs to grow by roughly 12% annually to keep up, current plans fall short at around 7.5%.

Much of the new capacity will focus on high-bandwidth memory used in AI data centers, leaving less production for standard DRAM in consumer devices. This imbalance is already driving up prices for products like smartphones, laptops, and gaming devices, and relief may remain limited even as new factories come online.

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#news

🎙 AERIS-10: Open-Source Phased Array Radar

Traditional phased array radar systems cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, placing them out of reach for most researchers, drone developers, and hobbyists. AERIS-10 solves this by providing a fully open-source, modular 10.5 GHz radar for under a fraction of that cost, making advanced beamforming and pulse compression experimentation accessible.

Features of the project:
➡️Full electronic beam steering (±45°)
➡️360° mechanical rotation
➡️Two versions: 3km range or 20km
➡️On-board FPGA for signal processing
➡️GPS/IMU integration
➡️Python GUI with maps

This hackable platform removes cost barriers to radar experimentation. It will interest university researchers, drone startups, and serious SDR enthusiasts who have PCB assembly and FPGA experience.

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#projects #radar #fpga #drones