SAN FRANCISCO — SEMI said semiconductor equipment sales will reach $44 billion in 2014, up 21% over estimated 2013 equipment spending, according to its mid-year forecast released Monday.

SAN JOSE -- Samsung this week will start construction on a 1.1 million sq. ft. research and development campus here, its largest outside of Seoul, Korea.

MCLEAN, VA – May US manufacturing technology orders totaled $430.06 million, says the Association for Manufacturing Technology, up 13.6% sequentially, but down 7.6% compared to May 2012.

NEW DEHLI, INDIA -- India will consider changes to its policy of encouraging government and private industry to buy electronics made domestically after several large multinational OEMs complained.

EAST FISHKILL, NY -- A leading semiconductor analyst today provided a somewhat more optimistic forecast for the industry's sales over the next five quarters.

HIGH WYCOMBE, BUCKS, UK – The Smart Group will present a 60-minute webinar on using solder spheres in fine-pitch area array rework on Aug. 20.

BANNOCKBURN, IL — Columnist, author and small business owner Gene Marks will keynote at the IPC Technology Market Research Conference (TMRC) in late September in Chicago. The keynote, themed “The Next Generation: Creating the Electronics Industry of the Future,” will be held Sept. 24; the TMRC meeting takes place the next day.

BANNOCKBURN, IL – IPC issued a call for awards nominations to recognize the volunteers who contribute to IPC standards development and other IPC activities.

EL SEGUNDO, CA – Boosted by orders from unbranded, white-box Chinese manufacturers, global demand for tablet panels is exceeding expectations, spurring IHS to increase its forecast for displays by 6% for 2013.

TEMPE, AZ – The June PMI registered 50.9%, up 1.9 percentage points, the Institute for Supply Management said today.

FRAMINGHAM, MA – International Data Corp.’s May PC forecast projected worldwide PC shipment declines of 11.7% in the second quarter of 2013, 4.7% in the third quarter, and 1.6% in the fourth quarter, resulting in a total annual drop of 7.8% for the year. 

WASHINGTON -- A leading committee member of one of the largest electronics industry trade groups testified to Congress that new rules governing counterfeit components might be too onerous and have unintended consequences that overwhelm the goals of the statute.