hurdle

The German government will likely block the Chinese takeover of Elmos' chip factory, the Dortmund-based company said. The economics ministry had been examining the sale to competitor Silex, a Swedish company that is a subsidiary of Chinese group Sai Microelectronics . The deal "will most likely be prohibited" in a "new development", Elmos said on Monday.Read Also Until Monday, the ministry "had indicated to the parties that the transaction most likely will be approved". Elmos said that it would examine further steps…

An effort to save a late architect’s Cherry Creek home from the wrecking ball cleared its first hurdle on Tuesday, even as most members of the public weighing in spoke against preserving the structure. Denver’s Landmark Preservation Commission voted unanimously Tuesday afternoon to recommend approval of a landmark designation application for the home at 401 N. Madison St., which dates to 1979 and was designed by and for Richard Crowther. Crowther, who died in 2006, designed elements at Lakeside Amusement Park, buildings…

SINGAPORE—China’s aviation regulator issued a key certificate for the country’s first homegrown narrow-body passenger jet, Xinhua News Agency said Friday, one major regulatory hurdle to begin carrying passengers. Commercial Aircraft Corp. of China’s C919 jet received its “type certificate” from the Civil Aviation Administration of China this month, Xinhua reported, without specifying a date. That means it has met the country’s standards for commercial operation. That marks a…

Over a dozen automakers including Toyota and Nissan, have signed up with a platform for patent licences from 51 tech companies, aiming to simplify access to wireless technology and avoid costly legal battles. Conflicts have stemmed in part from different views among carmakers, suppliers and tech firms over who should shoulder the cost of licensing. Through independent licensing marketplace Avanci, carmakers gain access to patents for 2G, 3G and 4G technology from the likes of Finland’s Nokia, Sweden’s Ericcson and…

Put a disc in and play. | Photo by Vjeran Pavic / The Verge Microsoft is making it easier to play games on your Xbox Series X, even if it’s offline — as of the 2208 update released earlier this month, you won’t be forced to do an online compatibility check to play a game from an Xbox One disc (via Windows Central). Instead, you can just pop the disc in, install the game, and play; no internet connection required. The change, which isn’t listed as a feature of the 2208 update on Microsoft’s site,…

Scientists at Cornell University have been using a modified household microwave oven to help overcome a significant obstacle to practical 2nm semiconductor production. The resulting microwave annealer borrows inspiration from TSMC’s theories about microwaves and silicon doping with phosphorus. As a result, semiconductor manufacturers could push past a previous phosphorus concentration limit using the newly devised equipment and techniques.For semiconductor processes to continue shrinking, silicon must be doped with…

Microsoft’s nearly $70 billion acquisition of Activision Blizzard is under review internationally, and no country takes this matter more seriously than the United Kingdom. The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) completed the first phase of its investigation into the deal and is now recommending putting it through a second phase. The call for extra scrutiny into the deal between Microsoft and Activision Blizzard stems from the CMA’s concern that such a deal may substantially stifle competition in the U.K.’s…

Boeing hasn’t been able to deliver Dreamliners for much of the past two years. Photo: Michal Dyjuk/Associated Press…

A massive bill to bolster U.S. innovation took a big step toward becoming law this week after a bipartisan coalition of senators defeated an attempt to strip away most of its research components. The latest version of the U.S. Innovation and Competition Act (USICA) also includes new language requiring the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the Department of Energy (DOE) to allocate their research dollars more evenly across the country. The 64-to-34 vote on Tuesday represents a…

Samsung is rapidly gathering regulatory approvals for its upcoming foldables. Earlier this week, we saw the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Z Flip 4 receive the FCC certificate. A few days later, both new foldables have now picked up approval from Thailand’s NBTC (National Broadcasting and Telecommunications Commission). These developments indicate that the devices are nearing their debut.Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Flip 4 receive NBTC certificationNBTC has certified the upcoming Samsung foldables with model numbers SM-F936B and…