Weekly Tech Update: Semiconductors, Aviation and Social Media
Welcome to The Macro Mail’s Tech Newsletter. Every week we highlight stories from three technology subsectors and provide insights into their implications. Today’s focus is on Semiconductors, Aviation and Social Media.
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SEMICONDUCTORS: Qualcomm’s New CEO
Semiconductor firm Qualcomm have announced that CEO Steve Mollenkopf will retire this year. He will be replaced by Cristiano Amon, who is currently President.
Mollenkopf has worked at Qualcomm for 26 years, and has been CEO since 2014
His biggest projects have been developing 5G technology and diversifying the chipmaker to research into Internet of Things, RF Front End circuitry components, and automotive technology
Mollenkopf will retire as CEO on June 30th, and has said that he will remain as a strategic advisor for some time
Cristiano Amon started at Qualcomm as an electrical engineer in 1995. He has served as President since 2018, and will retain this position when he becomes CEO.
His current responsibilities include overseeing Qualcomm’s core semiconductor business
Qualcomm shares rose 70% in the past year, spurred by confidence in the firm’s continual growth. Whilst their largest American competitor, Intel, has struggled to maintain growth in recent years, Amon will hope to further expand Qualcomm’s market share and profit from the global construction of 5G networks. His biggest challenge will be addressing the prospect that Apple, currently Qualcomm’s largest customer, will develop their own proprietary chips to replace Qualcomm’s components.
AVIATION: Supersonic Flight Taking Off
Following their ruling on drone testing last week, the Federal Aviation Administration has issued new guidance on obtaining permissions for supersonic flight testing.
The new ruling will come into effect on March 1st. It is designed to ease the process of authorizing private testing for supersonic flight technology
Agency secretary Elaine Chao described the move as “a significant step toward reintroducing civil supersonic flight and demonstrates the department’s commitment to safe innovation”
Supersonic flight over land remains banned, and applications for testing require details on operating area and assurances that no sonic boom will be detectable outside the proposed area
Concerns have been expressed about the potential risks of supersonic flight to the environment. Due to the infrequency of supersonic tests, evidence of any negative effects have yet to be measured
The new rulings should come as good news to firms hoping to bring supersonic flight into the mainstream of commercial air travel. Elon Musk, CEO of aerospace giant SpaceX, suggested in 2017 that supersonic flight could one day take travelers from New York to Shanghai in 39 minutes. SpaceX is competing with fellow space exploration company Virgin Galactic and startups Hermeus and Boom to commercialize supersonic air travel.
SOCIAL MEDIA: Trump suspended
Donald Trump, the current U.S. President infamous for his social media outbursts, has been temporarily suspended from Twitter and Facebook for violation of site rules.
Twitter has suspended Trump’s account with 88.7 million followers for 12 hours for "severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy"
Twitter has informed Trump that if he breaks the rules again, his account will be banned permanently
Facebook has also suspended Trump’s account for 24 hours and removed his most recent video
These suspensions come after Trump seemingly endorsed riots in Washington D.C., and has repeatedly spread misinformation alleging voter fraud in the results of the 2020 Presidential election, which he lost
Throughout Trump’s presidency, Facebook and Twitter have faced increasing scrutiny about how they handle misinformation on their platforms. One 2016 study found that Facebook was responsible for 15% of fake news spread online. With the advancement of DeepFace technology allowing misinformation to be presented in a convincing manner, and the allegations of Russian interference in the 2016 elections through fake news bots, the management of misinformation on social media remains a key social and technological concern.
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