US-based semiconductor firm Microsemi Corporation has acquired the telecom clock generation, synchronisation, packet timing and synthesis business from Maxim Integrated Products, Inc.

According to the company, the product lines and technology are vital to the effective and efficient delivery of time-sensitive voice, data and multimedia traffic over wireless and wired networks.

The acquisition will provide Microsemi's customers with the critical synchronisation components required to harmonise system and network clocks, as well as the synthesis products required to distribute timing clocks throughout each system.

"This business, acquired from our colleagues at Maxim, is the perfect complement to the highly sought-after synchronisation and timing products we obtained in the Zarlink acquisition," said James J. Peterson, president and chief executive officer, Microsemi. "We believe the two pieces fit like a glove and allow us to better serve our customers with the broadest high-end synchronisation and timing technology portfolio in the market today. Here at Microsemi, we don't just want to participate in these attractive markets, we want to lead them."

The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

Semiconductor industry revenue will grow at a slow pace this year due to struggling economies worldwide, lower spending and sluggish demand for products, research firm IHS iSuppli said in a study released on Tuesday.

Revenue for the semiconductor industry this year is expected to be US$323 billion, growing by just 3.3 percent compared to last year's revenue, IHS iSuppli said.

"Because the world economy is not in a strong-enough position to drive growth, the semiconductor business is coming under pressure," said Len Jelinek, director and chief analyst of semiconductor manufacturing research at IHS iSuppli, in a statement.

The weak performance of the semiconductor market has continued from last year, and there are economic troubles in the U.S., Europe, Japan and China, Jelinek said.

Semiconductors are used in a range of products including PCs, smartphones, tablets, cars and medical devices. With consumers spending less, semiconductor demand will decrease and hurt revenue, Jelinek said.

Manufacturers will try to clear out semiconductor inventory and keep existing factories viable, iSuppli said. Any capital expenditure to boost production or upgrade factories will likely be pushed into 2013.

The weak demand for some products also will hurt demand for DRAM, iSuppli said. Revenue for the memory is expected to decline by 16.1 percent this year, which is slightly better than the 26.8 percent fall last year.

A shortfall in the PC market has hurt memory demand, which has softened DDR3 RAM pricing this year. As PC prices remain under pressure, PC makers have been resistant to adding more RAM, which has led memory makers to move excess memory inventory to market rapidly. Some top DRAM makers like Samsung have also been suffering from yield and supply issues.

The market for NAND flash is "less rosy" despite the surging demand for devices like smartphones and tablets, iSuppli said. There is growing demand for NAND flash as storage requirements grow on mobile devices, but additional factory capacity to meet excess demand could lead to oversupply and likely pressure NAND flash revenue.

NAND flash prices have also been tumbling since 2010, and stood at $12.90 on Tuesday afternoon for a 64GB unit, according to memory-price-tracking site DRAMexchange.

Semiconductor revenue growth will likely be negative in the first half and recover starting in the second half, iSuppli said.

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Industry and Security (BIS) announced today that FedEx Express (FedEx), Memphis, TN, has agreed to pay a $370,000 civil penalty to settle allegations that it committed six violations of the Export Administration Regulations (EAR) relating to FedEx’s provision of freight forwarding services to exporters.

BIS alleged that on two occasions in 2006, FedEx caused, aided and abetted acts prohibited by the regulations when it facilitated the attempted unlicensed export of electronic components from the United States to Mayrow in Dubai, United Arab Emirates. The exports to Mayrow were thwarted when delivery was halted at BIS’s direction. On June 5, 2006, BIS had issued a General Order imposing a license requirement with a presumption of denial for the export or reexport of any item subject to the EAR to Mayrow General Trading and related entities. The General Order was issued based on information that Mayrow and the related entities were acquiring electronic components and devices that were being used in Improvised Explosive Devices deployed against Coalition forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.
BIS also alleged that in December 2005, FedEx caused, aided and abetted acts prohibited by the regulations when it facilitated the unlicensed export of flight simulation software to Beijing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics, a/k/a Beihang University, an organization listed on the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Entity List and located in the People’s Republic of China. The Commerce Department’s Entity List contains a list of names of foreign persons – including businesses, research institutions, government and private organizations, and individuals – that have been determined through an interagency review process to have engaged in activities contrary to U.S. national security and/or foreign policy interests. These persons are restricted from receiving items subject to U.S. jurisdiction.

Lastly, BIS alleged that on three occasions in 2004, FedEx caused, aided and abetted acts prohibited by the regulations when it facilitated the unlicensed export of printer components from the United States to end users in Syria. Facilitating the export of commodities to Syria without the required U.S. Department of Commerce export license was prohibited under General Order No. 2 as set forth in Supplement 1 to part 736 of the EAR.

The Commerce Department Assistant Secretary for Export Enforcement David W. Mills said, “It is vital that every stakeholder in the U.S. exporting chain remain vigilant in its efforts to prevent prohibited transactions that may be detrimental to our national security, and each will be held accountable if it fails to do so.”