At this week’s VLSI 2015 Symposium in Kyoto (Japan), imec reported new results on nanowire FETs and quantum-well FinFETs towards post-FinFET multi-gate device solutions. As the major portion of the industry adopts FinFETs as the workhorse transistor for 16nm and 14nm, researchers worldwide are looking into the limits of FinFETs and potential device solutions for …
The euro edged higher against the U.S. dollar, yen and Swiss franc on Monday as a new cash-for-reforms offer from Greece raised hopes a tangible deal is taking shape that will help Athens avoid a default on its debts. Euro zone finance ministers left a meeting with Greek officials in Brussels voicing optimism at Greece’s …
The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) has agreed on the definition of fifth-generation (5G) networks, a key technological requirement and its schedule to commercialize the technology by 2020. The union has decided to define 5G as a network which is capable of transmitting data at up to 20 gigabits-per-second. This means that users can download one …
A pulse detonation engine, or “PDE”, is a type of propulsion system that uses detonation waves to combust the fuel and oxidizer mixture. The engine is pulsed because the mixture must be renewed in the combustion chamber between each detonation wave initiated by an ignition source. Theoretically, a PDE can operate from subsonic up to …
A Roadmap on Turbomachinery Research 2014 – 2020 by EUTurbines. Today more than 80% of the electricity generated worldwide is produced by gas and steam turbines. These machines are core components in coal, nuclear, gas, biomass and solar-thermal power plants. Together with the related technology of hydro turbines the share in electrical power generation is …
A grand transformation is underway. A wave of decentralization is sweeping across the globe and changing the way we live, work and play. Distributed power technologies are more widely available, smaller, more efficient and less costly today than they were just a decade ago. The portfolio of distributed power technologies includes diesel and gas reciprocating …
China has a new multipurpose cannon (sy_wsh at lt.cjdby.net via Popular Science). The 127th Ordinance Research Institute’s news 125mm tank cannon is the world’ largest, with a barrel length over 7.5 meters and highly powerful shells. The multipurpose cannon achieves its high performance through a high length to caliber ratio of at least 60:1 (the …
Despite ubiquitous discussions of robots’ potential impact, there is almost no systematic empirical evidence on their economic effects. Researchers analyzed for the first time the economic impact of industrial robots, using new data on a panel of industries in 17 countries from 1993-2007. We find that industrial robots increased both labor productivity and value added. …
European finance chiefs have poured fresh emergency funds into Greek banks in a desperate attempt to keep them afloat after panicking savers withdrew more than £3billion this week. The amount being offered by the European Central Bank has not been revealed, but it is believed to be around £2billion. It is the bank’s second intervention …
This is a China high sped rail roundup. This has significant geopolitical and economic impacts. * Russia and China are moving ahead with the Moscow Kazan high speed rail line which will be followed by a Beijing Moscow line * China completed more internal high speed rail * China’s merged high speed rail companies are …
The hotter coal (or any thermal plant – natural gas and nuclear) can run then the more efficient they can be. Upgrading existing plants and building new high-efficiency, low-emissions (HELE) coal-fired power plants addresses climate change concerns in two important ways. In the near term, emissions can be reduced by upgrading existing plants or building …