WASHINGTON – Worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $37.6 billion in April, up 20.2% year-over-year and 1.4% sequentially, says the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA).

SHENZHEN -- Foxconn chief executive Terry Gou today asserted that ongoing threats of tariffs between the US and China have their roots in technology, not trade.

EAST LONDON, CAPE TOWN, SOUTH AFRICA -- Yekani Manufacturing today opened a new "smart manufacturing" facility in the East London Industrial Development Zone.

MILPITAS, CA – Worldwide semiconductor manufacturing equipment billings reached a historic high in the first quarter, up 30% year-over-year and 12% sequentially to $17 billion, says SEMI.

CAIRO – Foxconn may invest an as-yet undisclosed sum to open a plant in Egypt to build electronics assemblies intended for export, according to reports.

DES PLAINES, IL – IPC E-Textiles 2018 technical and business education workshop will take place on Sept. 13 here.

TABY, SWEDEN – Mycronic continued its acquisition push today, purchasing 100 percent of MRSI Systems for $40.7 million in cash.

STAMFORD, CT – Global sales of smartphones to end-users returned to growth in the first quarter, rising 1.3% over 2017, according to Gartner. Sales of total mobile phones reached 455 million units, the research firm added.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – Worldwide spending on augmented reality and virtual reality (AR/VR) is forecast to achieve a five-year CAGR of 71.6% over the 2017-2022 forecast period, according to the International Data Corp.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – Global shipments of personal computing devices (PCDs) are expected to decline 3.5% year-over-year in 2018, says the International Data Corp. Looking ahead, PCDs are expected to drop at a five-year CAGR down 1.8%.

BANNOCKBURN, IL — North American printed circuit board fabricators reported shipments rose 8.8% year-over-year in April on a 90-day moving average.

WASHINGTON --- In response to the European Commission’s (EC) proposed framework for screening foreign direct investments (FDI), SEMI offers three recommendations for consideration by EU policymakers.