Category Archives: Technology

The Hindu

Signs and technology The Hindu Shakti (Gautham Karthik) is one of those Ritchie Street computer mechanics who has an easy fix for all technological problems. He is, in his own words, a 'reverse engineer' and that's established quite early, when he's helping out the police find a ... and more »

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Signs and technology - The Hindu

Imagine sportswear that not only stays dry through the most sweat-inducing workouts, but also turns perspiration into a design element. Named after the driest desert in the world, Atacama uses microfluidic technology to create textiles that can do just that. The recipient of a grant from the National Science Foundation, Atacama is also exploring how its technology can be applied in a diverse range of industries, including apparel, auto manufacturing, and healthcare.

The medical industry started using microfluidics in the 1980s for lab-on-a-chip devices that allow researchers to use very small samples of blood and other fluids. By figuring out how to integrate microfluidics into textiles, Atacama can create activewear that feels more comfortable because almost all of the fabric remains dry. While most moisture-wicking fabrics currently on the market draw sweat to the surface of clothing so it evaporates more quickly, microfluidics directs moisture into tiny three-dimensional channels and then controls the direction of the fluid so it collects or drips off textiles exactly where manufacturers wants it to.

Atacamas tech was created by a group of UC Davis researchers including Siyuan (Alex) Xing, who is now the startups chief scientist. Xing tells TechCrunch that the biggest challenge they faced was that most microfabrication processes used to make microfluidic devices, including photolithography and laser cutting, were developed for rigid substrates such as silicon wafers and glass. This made it hard to create channels on fabric. Finally, they realized that the solution needs to come from the fabric side.

The team studied textile manufacturing methods and figured out which ones can be used to create microfluidic channels in a cost-effective way. They took a close look at embroidery, weaving, textile printing, and knitting, as well as the latest state-of-the-art machinery used for those techniques.

For example, in knitting, people have been using jacquard knitting to create different patterns on the front and back of fabrics. The resolution of the pattern is actually as fine as one loop, which can be around 100 micrometers and is 3D, Xing says. In embroidery, the needle is manipulating a single strand of yarn through a fabric substrate, similar to a through hole on a microfluidic chip. Once we understood how textile manufacturing methods could serve as an alternative to microfabrication, we became confident in our ability to create and pattern microstructures in textiles.

After a paper Xing co-authored about his findings caught the attention of several manufacturers in the military, healthcare, and automotive sectors, a friend introduced him to Susan Neal, who had previously served in leadership roles at Mens Wearhouse and Gymboree. He asked her to join Atacamas board to help him talk to companies. Neal decided to take on Atacamas CEO position after seeing Xing demonstrate its technology.

It was at a board meeting where I saw the prototype, a shirt, that they had developed. Seeing it work and in action, it had that wow factor, says Neal.

She adds, He was able to directionally control moisture as it moves through the surface of fabric. First of all, Id never seen that before. I run and do Bikram yoga and were all used to moisture-wicking fabric that just pulls sweat and spreads it. Alex demonstrated how he could directionally control moisture, move it from the skin to the outside of the shirt, and then have it drip off. The shirt remains absolutely dry, and its something youve just never seen.

While Atacamas tech has been applied mostly to synthetics like polyester and nylon, the company is also testing it on natural fibers like cotton and merino wool. Consumer products using the technology arent on the market yet, but Neal says Atacama is developing prototypes with several companies. Being able to manipulate how fluid travels over the surface of fabric in channels means Atacamas technology can be incorporated into apparel design and shown off, a potential selling point for sportswear labels.

While its most obvious use is for workout gear and other apparel (in dress shirts, for instance, Atacamas tech can prevent underarm stains), it also has a whole host of other potential applications. For example, it can be used in protective clothing or to create better diapers, bandages, casts, and hospital linen.

Weve been asked to look at car seats. What were finding is that there is a lot of interest in this technology to keep moisture and spilled drinks away from electronics in autonomous cars, says Neal.

Because the technology is so new, there has been some great dialogue with the scientists, she adds. Theyve been asked, can it do this or that, and they go back into the lab to figure out more ideas where it can be useful.

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Atacama uses microfluidic technology to create moisture-control fabric that actually stays dry - TechCrunch

June 30, 2017 Microcontact printing. Credit: Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST)

The field of medicine is always on the lookout for better disease diagnostic toolssimpler, faster, and cheaper technologies to enhance patient treatment and outcomes. Currently, microfluidic bioassay devices are the preferred diagnostic tools that allow clinicians to measure the concentration of disease biomarkers within a patient's biological sample, such as blood. They can indicate the likelihood of a disease based on a comparison of the biomarker concentration in the sample relative to the normal level. To detect this concentration, the patient's sample is passed across a surface containing immobilized bioreceptors, or "biomarker-capturing" molecules that have been attached to this surface. A researcher can then record the biomarker abundance, determine whether the level is normal, and reach a diagnosis. Since the efficiency of these devices relies on how intact and functional the attached bioreceptors are, immobilizing these bioreceptors without causing damage has proved daunting.

Over the last two decades, microcontact printing, which uses a rubber stamp to immobilize the bioreceptors, has been established as a robust method to create a variety of assays with multiple applications. Yet this method also has its flaws, particularly when utilized at the nano scalethe scale where proteins and DNA reign. At this scale, the harsh and elaborate techniques currently used compromise the device's resolution, whether by deforming the stamp or damaging the bioreceptors, thus yielding data somewhat unmanageable for use in diagnostics or other applications. However, in a recent article published in the journal Analyst, researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University (OIST) describe a new sequence of printing steps that have rectified these issues.

For microcontact printing, "you need a stamp, an ink, and a surface, and then you create your pattern on your surface. It's as simple as that," explains Shivani Sathish, OIST PhD student in the Micro/Bio/Nanofluidics Unit, and first author on the paper.

The stamp is made of polydimethylsiloxane, which is a flexible solid similar to the rubber used in everyday stamps. The ink is a solution composed of silicon- and oxide-containing molecules called APTES, and the surface is glass. After coating the stamp with the ink, the stamp is pressed onto the glass, and then removed after a short incubation. The result is a patterned layer of APTES on the glassa checkerboard of regions with or without APTES. Next, a microfluidic device, which contains one or more microchannels configured to guide fluid through specified pathways, is sealed over the patterned glass. Finally, the bioreceptors are chemically linked to the APTES regions within the microfluidic channels. The device as a whole is about the size of a postage stamp.

The system is now ready for use as a diagnostic assay. To carry out the assay, a fluid sample from a patient is delivered through the microfluidic device attached to the glass. If the pertinent disease biomarker is present, the molecule will "stick" to the areas containing the bioreceptors.

What is important about the APTES solution is its convenient chemistry. "Depending on your bioreceptor of interest, you just have to choose the appropriate chemistry to link the molecule with the APTES," Ms. Sathish explains. Or in other words, one stamp can be used to prepare an assay with the ability to immobilize a variety of different bioreceptorsone stamp allows for multiple tests and diagnoses on a single surface. This feature would be advantageous for diagnosing complex diseases such as cancer, which relies on tests that can detect multiple markers to improve the diagnosis.

In their research, Ms. Sathish and colleagues developed an improved technique to create the most optimal disease diagnostic device for use at the nano scale. Here, they first patterned nanoscale features of APTES using an ink made of APTES in water, as opposed to harsh chemicals, which eliminated the stamp-swelling issue. Then, they immobilized the bioreceptors onto the surface as the very last step of the process, after patterning the APTES and attaching the microfluidic device. By attaching the bioreceptors as the final step, the researchers avoided exposing them to extreme and damaging conditions. They then demonstrated the efficacy of the final device by running an assay to capture the biomarkers interleukin 6 and human c-reactive protein, two substances that are often elevated in the body during inflammation.

"The final goal is to create a point-of-care device," explains OIST Professor Amy Shen, who headed the research.

"If you get your bioreceptors pre-immobilized within microfluidic devices you can then use them as diagnostic tools as and when required," Ms. Sathish continues. "[Eventually] instead of having a whole clinical team that processes your sample...we're hoping that the patients can do it themselves at home."

Explore further: Novel sensor capable of measuring both charge and mass of biomolecules

More information: Shivani Sathish et al, Microcontact printing with aminosilanes: creating biomolecule micro- and nanoarrays for multiplexed microfluidic bioassays, The Analyst (2017). DOI: 10.1039/C7AN00273D

OIST researchers create a novel sensor capable of measuring both charge and mass of biomolecules with potential applications in healthcare diagnostics.

When remote regions with limited health facilities experience an epidemic, they need portable diagnostic equipment that functions outside the hospital. As demand for such equipment grows, EPFL researchers have developed a ...

A new process for creating patterns of individual molecules on a surface combines control of self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) and a soft lithography technique known as microcontact printing. Scientists use the process, known ...

"Printing" on the micrometer scale is the technology of the future for the production of the electronic components used for such things as flat-screen monitors or (bio)sensors.

Swapping delicate microscopic flow valves for a universal modular valve system has enabled A*STAR researchers to dramatically decrease the cost and complexity of microfluidic diagnostic chipsbusiness card-sized devices ...

An important concept in future healthcare is the development of devices called "lab on a chip." These "chips," not related to the electronic ones found in computers, are small devices in which biological fluids blood ...

A research group from the Institute of Process Engineering (IPE), Chinese Academy of Sciences, recently reported the development of a new technology to boost performance of direct methanol fuel cells (DMFCs) using high-concentration ...

A diagnostic system developed at the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology enables rapid and accurate customization of the antibiotic to the patient. The system makes for faster diagnostics, earlier and more effective treatment ...

Taking inspiration from an unusual source, a Sandia National Laboratories team has dramatically improved the science of scintillatorsobjects that detect nuclear threats. According to the team, using organic glass scintillators ...

A novel composite material has been developed by scientists in the Energy Safety Research Institute (ESRI) at Swansea University which shows promise as a catalyst for the degradation of environmentally-harmful synthetic dye ...

Scientists from Trinity College Dublin and AMBER, the Science Foundation Ireland-funded materials science research centre hosted in Trinity College Dublin, have created 'molecular cages' that can maximise the efficiency of ...

A pioneering X-ray technique that can analyse artefacts of any shape or texture in a non-destructive way has been developed by an international team of researchers led by the University of Leicester.

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Miniature technology, big hope for disease detection - Phys.Org

Since being introduced in 1998, the Dodge Durango has remained popular by listening to the needs and wants of consumers and improving each year. Now, the Dodge Durango is the longest-standing model in its class.

Since being introduced in 1998, the Dodge Durango has remained popular by listening to the needs and wants of consumers and improving each year. Now, the Dodge Durango is the longest-standing model in its class.

This popular SUV has been a staple in the Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram showroom for many years and continues to lead the way in technology innovation. With added technology features for convenience and safety, the 2017 Dodge Durango packs a powerful punch for an affordable SUV.

The 2017 Dodge Durango is a well-liked vehicle for customers from all walks of life, said Don Hamrick, general manager of Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram. With features that fit the needs of almost anyone, the Durango is a classic Dodge model that stands the test of time.

With technology at the forefront, the 2017 Dodge Durango was designed to be the most convenient SUV on the market. An available memory system comes programmed and allows drivers to save two tailored settings for radio station presets, power tilt and, most importantly, the power driver seat position. Truly ideal for couples, the memory system can also remember settings for personalized steering wheel and pedal positions.

Updated key fobs allow for entry by simply pulling on the handle and can even be set to only unlock the driver-side door. To keep passengers occupied, the Durango is fitted with a dual-screen Blu-Ray entertainment system featuring two 9-inch mounted screens behind the driver and passenger seats that include HDMI ports and Bluetooth compatibility.

Advanced braking technology was implemented with new features to perform in any condition. Complete with a four-wheel antilock brake system that tracks the individual speed of each wheel, the 2017 Dodge Durango allows each tire to brake independently from the others for maximum control.

Rain brake support is activated once the windshield wipers are on and removes water from the brake pads by placing a small amount of pressure onto the caliper. Brake assist and ready-alert braking technology can sense emergency braking and prep the brakes for peak performance.

The 2017 Dodge Durango starts at $29,603 and is available at Chapman Dodge Chrysler Jeep Ram. Located at 3175 E. Sahara Ave., the dealership sells and services new and used vehicles. For more information, call 702-457-1061 or visit vegasdcj.com.

About the dealer

Chapman Automotive has four locations in Southern Nevada. All dealerships are open for sales from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday. Parts and service are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday and 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday.

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Technology, convenience create power-packed Durango - Las Vegas Review-Journal

Memory-chip maker Micron Technology (MU) received at least 10price-target increases on its stock Friday, a day after delivering a beat-and-raise fiscal third-quarter report, but shares tumbled, apparently due to investor profit taking.

XAutoplay: On | OffBoise, Idaho-based Micron earned an adjusted $1.62 a share, reversing a year-earlier loss of 3 cents, in the quarter ended June 1. Sales rose 92% to $5.57 billion. Analysts expected $1.51 and $5.41 billion.

For the current quarter, Micron expects to earn an adjusted $1.80 a share, compared witha year-earlier loss of 5 cents, on sales of $5.9 billion that would be up 83%, based on the midpoint of its guidance. Wall Street was modeling for $1.57 and $5.62 billion.

Micron stock received price-target hikes from Baird, Cowen, Deutsche Bank, JPMorgan, Mizuho, Morgan Stanley, Rosenblatt Securities, Stifel, Susquehanna Financial Group and UBS. All have buy ratings or the equivalent on the stock.

Rosenblatt analyst Hans Mosesmann was most bullish, raising his price target on Micron to 75 from 60.

Micron rose in premarkettrading, but quickly reversed, on the stock market today. By the closing bell, shares fell 5.1% to 29.86.

Analysts attributed the stock drop to profit-taking, selling on the news and concerns that Micron has hit peak average selling prices.

IBD'S TAKE: The IBD 50 list of top-performing growth stocks now includes six chip-industry players, such as Nvidia and Lam Research.

Micron is benefiting from sustained strong demand for its memory chips, especially from the data-center and cloud-computing markets, Mosesmann said in a note to clients.

"The duration and nature of this cycle is set to be the best memory cycle in the semiconductor industry," Mosesmann said. "We are about four quarters into the current cycle that has legs for 3 to 4 years."

Micron is being helped by continued high DRAM pricing and increased Nand unit shipments, Needham analyst Rajvindra Gill said in a report. He rates Micron as buy with a price target of 50.

"We believe that memory is an integral part of AI (autonomous driving, cloud computing, mobile machine learning, etc.) and expect a continued strong (pricing) environment," Gill said.

Power-conversion chipmaker Power Integrations (POWI) received a bullish report Friday from investment bank Stifel.

Stifel analyst Tore Svanberg reiterated his buy rating on the stock and raised his price target to 82 from 75.

"POWI is at the forefront of the key, long-term secular trend towards greater energy efficiency, with industry-leading products across the power spectrum," Svanberg said in a report. "From smartphones to home appliances to commercial lighting to energy transmission and high power industrial applications, POWI has developed a design win pipeline across all its market segments that is poised to capture this secular growth trend over the coming years."

Power Integrations stock was down 0.2%, near 73.95, in middaytrading.

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4:05 PM ET Analyst actions on Friday included price target hikes for Nike,...

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Micron Technology Gets Slew Of Price-Target Hikes, But Shares Fall - Investor's Business Daily

Although our lives are dominated by a myriad of screens, along with an ever-increasing selection of audio and video streaming services, it appears that the radio star is alive and well. Despite being bombarded by the equivalent of a few hundred newspapers of data every day, radio continues to reach 91% of the population each week.

We might be living in a digital world, but it seems there are still elements of our analog past that are desperately in need of a tech makeover. Today, brands and agencies expect radio performance measurement data to be on par with that of digital. Obtaining meaningful data is something we often take for granted and quickly run of patience when its not available.

NextRadio recently released a new audience measurement tool that aims to enable radio sellers to offer advertisers proof of who heard their ads when listening to FM radio through smartphones. The new Dial Report is a digital measurement of analog radio usage. It provides location-based data, demographics and radio listening data within 48 hours of airing spots.

The report highlights how to enable users to drill down into MSAs and/or device activity to uncover revealing specific measurement insights into radio campaigns. The in-depth analytics reveals data around engagement, campaign listens, demographic reach, listener proximity, and in-store traffic along with real-time listener behavior for advertisers.

Pandora radio was recently accused of cooking their figures and hiding the fact that the streaming giant has a fake listeners problem. While advertisers receive the all-important impressions reports, they are also questioning the relevance of ads playing to an empty room.

Dial Reports robust analytics appears to be exposing the inaccurate streaming data from services such as Pandora radio and is providing a much-needed wake-up call for marketers. For example, despite Pandora having a total of 21.96 billion listener hours in 2016, the platform is currently unable to identify active and inactive listeners.

The introduction of are you still listening? alerts is making marketers question whether their ads are reaching their target demographics. Dial Reports is attempting to solve this problem by offering real-time insights of listeners behavior.

News that the decline in average active sessions during the fourth quarter of 2016 marks the first time that Pandora has sustained a year over year decline (-1%) in average active sessions further. This verifies the effect of increasing competition and saturation in music streaming.

Average Active Sessions for AM/FM radio streaming has grown year over year for the fifth straight quarter. Listeners are increasingly looking to AM/FM radio stations for music, information, entertainment, and a sense of community. Streaming makes this destination content available wherever listeners demand it. (source).

Pandora routinely asks for user zip code upon sign up of their service. However, this translates to only sharing targeted local ads that equal a static form of target marketing in a digital age that demands various forms of data to deliver dynamic real-time locational analytics.

The worlds of digital and the more traditional AM/FM radio stations have collided, but there is room for both to work alongside each other. Trends suggest that listeners are increasingly tuning into the traditional stations they know and love. But they are embracing the freedom that comes with streaming the content in any location.

However, the measurement of streaming digital audio along with FM Chip listening (unique to NextRadio) is being brought into the 21st century by new solutions such as those offered by Next Radio and their Dial Report. Marketers need to move away from measuring meaningless impression metrics and understand how they can engage with an audience rather than an empty room.

Generating meaningful information from an engaged audience is where advertisers are finding the elusive ROI they have been searching for. The alternative is watching a campaign grinding to a halt quicker than the decline of Pandora Radio.

Read next: Understand the building blocks of coding and pay what you want

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How technology is enabling advertisers to connect with a highly engaged radio audience - TNW

Micron Technology Inc. (NASDAQ:MU)

Q3 2017 Results Earnings Conference Call

June 29, 2017, 04:30 PM ET

Executives

Shanye Hudson - Investor Relations

Sanjay Mehrotra - President and CEO

Ernest Maddock - CFO

Analysts

Harlan Sur - JPMorgan

Wayne Low - Citi

Mark Delaney - Goldman Sachs

David Wong - Wells Fargo

Kevin Cassidy - Stifel

Srini Pajjuri - Macquarie

Romit Shah - Nomura Instinet

Blayne Curtis - Barclays

Joe Moore - MS

John Pitzer - Credit Suisse

Jagadish Iyer - Summit Redstone

C.J. Muse - Evercore

Operator

Good afternoon. My name is Karen, and I'll be your conference facilitator today. At this time, I would like to welcome everyone to Micron Technology's Third Quarter 2017 Financial Release Conference Call. All lines have been placed on mute to prevent any background noise. After the speakers remarks there will be a question-and-answer period. [Operator Instructions] Thank you.

It is now my pleasure to turn the floor over to your host, Shanye Hudson. You may begin the conference.

Shanye Hudson

Thank you, Karen. And welcome to Micron Technology's third fiscal quarter 2017 financial conference call. On the call with me today are Sanjay Mehrotra, President and CEO; and Ernie Maddock, Chief Financial Officer. This conference call, including audio and slides, is also being webcast from our Investor Relations website at investors.micron.com.

In addition, our website contains the earnings press release, which was filed a short while ago, and supplemental information including a reconciliation of GAAP to non-GAAP financial measures, slides for today's conference call and a convertible debt and capped call dilution table. The prepared remarks from today's call will also be added to our website later today.

Today's call will be approximately 60 minutes in length. A webcast replay will be available on our website for a year. We encourage you to monitor our website at micron.com thought the quarter for the most current information on the company, including information on the various financial conferences that we'll be attending. You can also follow us on Twitter, @MicronTech.

As a reminder, the matters we will be discussing today include forward-looking statements based on the environment as we currently see it. These forward-looking statements are subject to risks and uncertainties that may cause actual results to differ materially from the statements being made today. We refer you to the documents that the company files with the SEC, specifically our most recent Form 10-K and Form 10-Q for a complete discussion of these important risk factors and other risks that may affect our future results.

Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results, levels of activity, performance or other achievements. We're under no duty to update any of the forward-looking statements after todays date to conform these statements to actual results.

With that, Ill turn the call over to you Sanjay.

Sanjay Mehrotra

Thank you, Shanye. Good afternoon, everyone. I'm pleased to be speaking with you for my first Micron quarterly earnings call and I'm particularly fortunate to be joining at a time when we are able to report record revenues and non-GAAP EPS. These results reflect healthy industry fundamentals, the strength of Micron's diversified technology and product portfolio and our broad customer reach.

Micron also continues to make progress in improving its technology and product competitiveness. The current industry dynamic and the growing strategic importance of Micron's technologies and capabilities make this an exciting time to join the company. The unprecedented amount of data being created stored and processed presents tremendous opportunities for Micron.

Applications like autonomous driving, machine learning and big data analytics all promise to make an enormous impact on our lives. Memory and flash storage are the critical and increasingly strategic elements in every one of these applications.

Market-leading companies from a broad array of industries who provide data center services, automotive applications and mobile solutions, just to name a few, are eager to partner with innovative companies like Micron that can provide leading-edge technology and systems solutions.

Micron is uniquely positioned with the right technologies and capabilities to take a leadership position, and I'm delighted to have the opportunity to help the company maximize this potential.

I will now share some details from each of our business units, followed by technology and operational highlights for the quarter. Finally, I'll share our perspective on current industry supply and demand dynamics.

We had record revenues in all business units this quarter, nearly doubling our company level year-over-year revenue performance. In the Compute and Networking Business Unit, all segments posted significant gains from year ago levels.

Revenue from cloud customers was more than four times higher year-over-year. And we saw increased enterprise demand as analytics workloads are driving more use of in-memory databases and higher server memory content.

We continue to build upon our strong position in graphics and high performance memory technology, with shipments of our 12 gigabits per second GDDR5X, the industry's fastest discrete DRAM, which we successfully ramped to high volume during the quarter. Most CNBU revenue came from 20-nanometer DRAM products, and we also recognized initial revenue on our next generation 1X DDR4 products.

Looking forward, we believe that we are positioned to effectively serve both our traditional OEM customer base, as well as evolving opportunities around tailored solutions for large data center customers.

Our Mobile Business Unit revenue increased slightly quarter-over-quarter with significant margin expansion, driven by lower costs associated with the continued shift to 20-nanometer LPD RAM and a favorable pricing environment. We expect increased demand ahead of anticipated flagship smartphone introductions planned for the fall.

Requirements for multi-camera systems, augmented reality applications and high-resolution displays now dictate 4 and 6-gigabyte LPDRAM densities for a great user experience. This demand aligns well with our 20-nanometer and 1X offerings where we plan to introduce nearly 20 new 1X package-on-package variation in the next 12 months.

We are focused on developing and diversifying our MCP and discrete NAND device offerings, which will position us to well to address the full range of smartphones, from basic entry level smartphones to content rich high-end devices.

Many mobile OEM customers prefer MCPs in their design implementation to address their memory and storage requirements, as MCPs provide a single source for DRAM memory and NAND storage, simplifying system design, validation and supply chain considerations.

We continue to sample our 32-layer MLC and TLC 3D NAND MCP, discrete UFS and e.MMC devices to both chipset partners and handset OEMs.

Revenue shipments of these products will begin later in the second half of this calendar year following completion of qualifications by customers.

Our Embedded Business Unit recorded a 44% increase in revenue year-over-year, driven by strong demand growth across all segments and a better pricing environment. We achieved record quarterly revenue for each of the automotive, consumer and connected home and industrial segments. We saw continued strength in automotive, DRAM and e.MMC NAND with the infotainment and instrument cluster applications driving this record level.

We continue to maintain our strong market share leadership position in automotive, enabled by our focus on a high quality and deep customers relationships and support. Industrial and consumer connected home revenues were led by increased shipments into rapidly growing applications, such as voice-activated home assistance and set-top boxes.

We continue to transition our non-automotive DRAM portfolio onto 20-nanometer designs. Our Storage Business Unit delivered record revenues as sales of our SSD products grew 33% quarter-over-quarter. Sales to cloud and enterprise SSD customers grew appreciably on a combined basis and exceeded revenue from client customers for the first time.

The most significant growth came from our cloud customers, where revenue doubled quarter-over-quarter. Our SSD sales in the quarter were driven primarily by our SATA SSD solutions using our 32-layer TLC 3D NAND.

During the quarter, we had first revenue shipments of our 8-terabyte SSD enterprise class SSD, which is an industry first. Several new OEM and hyperscale customer qualifications are underway for our SATA drives, and in calendar year 2018, we plan to introduce NVMe PCIe offerings using our 64-layer TLC 3D NAND.

On the manufacturing operations front, we continue to make good progress toward achieving meaningful output by the end of our fiscal year on both our 64-layer 3D NAND and our 1X DRAM.

Both of these technologies have already begun revenue shipments and are advancing well in their production yield ramp. We also continue to execute our plans to outfit our assembly operations as part of our DRAM center of excellence in Taiwan.

These DRAM center, in addition to our NAND center of excellence in Singapore, will be essential to our ongoing efforts to optimize costs and improve our flexibility and speed to meet customer needs.

On the technology front, we continue to make solid progress on the development of our third-generation 3D NAND and our next-generation 1y DRAM technologies. Our third-generation 3D NAND will continue to be based on our innovative CMOS-under-the-array architecture.

This architecture, pioneered by Micron, provides the benefits of smaller die size and lower cost. We expect our 1y DRAM to further improve our competitive position in the industry.

Looking at the industry broadly, Micron continues to see a healthy supply and demand environment that creates opportunities across both memory and storage markets.

For calendar 2017, we expect DRAM industry bit supply growth of between 15% and 20%, slightly below our view of demand growth. For NAND, we expect 2017 industry supply growth in the high 30% to low 40% range, constraining what would otherwise be higher demand.

We expect healthy industry demand to persist into 2018, supported by continued strong growth in both DRAM and NAND demand, reflecting broader trends in the data center and mobile markets, as well as increased adoption of SSDs across enterprise, cloud and client PCs.

Finally, after my first two months at Micron, I would like to share some of my priorities. Our execution and competitiveness are my primary focus, particularly accelerating the ramp of new technologies into volume production and introducing new products quickly, both of which are essential to delivering innovative solutions at lower cost and strengthening Micron's business fundamentals.

Micron has a tremendous portfolio of technologies and core capabilities. Our goal is to leverage these to provide high-value products and solutions that improve our revenue mix. We will target high growth opportunities and seek out partnerships with leading companies in the ecosystem to position Micron for long-term success.

We are off to a good start. Our execution and the current business climate are creating more flexibility, which we are leveraging to solidify our foundation through technology, product and manufacturing investments, while also strengthening our balance sheet. I believe that through focus and solid execution, Micron can capitalize on the world's increasing reliance on memory and storage solutions.

Ill now turn it over to Ernie, who will walk through the specifics of our financial performance this quarter.

Ernest Maddock

Thank you, Sanjay. We had a strong quarter with record revenue, non-GAAP EPS and operating cash flow, driven by the continued positive industry environment, additional bit growth from our current technologies and progress on deploying our next-generation technologies into manufacturing.

I will provide an overview of the fiscal Q3 results by technology and business unit, followed by comments on our overall corporate financial performance and guidance for F 'Q4.

DRAM represented 64% of our total revenue with the following segmentation: Mobile was in the mid 20% range. PC was in the low 20% range, down from the prior quarter. Server represented approximately 30%, up from 25% the prior quarter, and specialty DRAM, which includes networking, graphics, automotive and other embedded technologies, was in the mid 20% range.

Our trade NAND revenue represented 31% of total revenue with the following segmentation. Consumer, which consists primarily of component sales to partners and customers, was approximately 40%. Mobile, which includes managed NAND discrete solutions and the majority of our MCPs, was in the mid-teens percent range. SSDs were in the mid 20% range, up slightly from last quarter, and automotive, industrial and other embedded applications were in the high-teens percent range.

Turning to performance by business unit. The Compute & Networking Business Unit reported fiscal Q3 revenue of $2.4 billion, up 25% sequentially due to increased bit shipments, ongoing success in penetrating growing segments like enterprise, graphics and high-performance memory and cloud and a stronger pricing environment.

Non-GAAP operating income was $1.2 billion or 51% of revenue, up from 38% to prior quarter. 20-nanometer products were greater than half of CNBU revenue and were shipped primarily in the enterprise, cloud and client segments.

Revenue growth in the enterprise segment was driven by the continued expansion of DRAM content per server. And in the cloud space, we experienced good sequential bit growth. Both segments also benefited from the current pricing environment. We saw ongoing growth of our 20-nanometer DDR4 products with particular strength coming from the latest industry server platforms.

In networking, we saw shipment and revenue growth bolstered by the continued transition to 20-nanometer, 4-gigabit DDR3 and 8-gigabit DDR4 products. We also continue to see strong interest in our high-performance memory portfolio. This strength was primarily evident in data center networking equipment.

Double-digit client revenue growth was driven by a continued firm pricing environment and product mix optimization, resulting in modestly declining bit shipments. Our 1X nanometer revenue was predominantly in this segment.

Graphics also saw double-digit revenue growth, driven by strength in the game console market, as well as new PC graphics card product launches, including the G5X-based Titan Xp from NVIDIA.

The Mobile Business Unit delivered fiscal Q3 revenue of $1.1 billion, up 4% sequentially, driven primarily by a stronger pricing environment and our non-GAAP operating income was $304 million or 27% of revenue, up from 16% to prior quarter.

The embedded business unit delivered fiscal Q3 revenue of $700 million, up 19% sequentially. Non-GAAP operating income was $256 million or 37% of revenue, up from 33% the prior quarter.

The results were driven by strong bit demand and increased average selling prices of DRAM, combined with record shipments of SLC and MLC NAND in the consumer and connected home segments and record shipments of DRAM and eMMC NAND into the industrial and automotive segments respectively.

The Storage Business Unit delivered fiscal Q3 revenue of $1.3 billion, up 26% sequentially. Non-GAAP operating income was $276 million or 21% of revenue, up from 7% the prior quarter. The results were primarily driven by strong unit growth of SSDs and a stronger pricing environment.

Moving to overall company results. Revenue for the third fiscal quarter was $5.6 billion, up 20% sequentially and driven by primarily stronger DRAM ASPs and higher NAND bit volumes.

On a year-over-year basis, revenue increased 92%, primarily due to a stronger DRAM pricing environment, increased bit volumes in both DRAM and NAND and our focus on higher value-add solutions to improve our product mix.

Examples of this improved mix includes SSDs where year-on-year revenue tripled, while in DRAM bits embedded in high-value solution for enterprise, cloud and graphics customers, together grew at a rate twice our overall DRAM bit output for the same period.

Non-GAAP gross margin for the quarter was 48%, up from 38.5% in the prior quarter, driven by increased DRAM ASPs and cost per bit reductions in both DRAM and NAND.

On a year-over-year basis, non-GAAP gross margin increased 30 percentage points, driven by a stronger DRAM pricing environment, a better product mix and lower cost per bit in both DRAM and NAND. Non-GAAP net income was $1.9 billion or $1.62 per share.

Turning to results by product line. DRAM revenue increased 20% compared to the prior quarter as a result of a 5% increase in bit shipments and a 14% increase in ASPs.

DRAM non-GAAP gross margins for the third quarter increased 10 percentage points sequentially to 54%, driven by a 6% cost per bit reduction and better product mix. As a reminder, we noted last quarter that second half fiscal year 2017 DRAM bit output would be about 10% higher than first half fiscal year 2017.

As we look forward into fiscal 2018, the timing of the 1x technology transition is expected to result in our bit growth at or slightly below industry growth rates over the same period. We consider this bit growth pattern when we provided our 2 year bit growth CAGR earlier this year.

Trade NAND revenue increased 21% compared to the prior year quarter, reflecting a 17% increase in bit shipments and a 3% increase in ASPs. Non-GAAP gross margin was 41%, up 10 percentage points, driven by a 12% cost per bit reduction and better product mix.

As a reminder, we noted last quarter that second half fiscal year 2017 bit growth would be about 30% above first half fiscal year 2017. Based on the timing of technology transitions, we foresee relatively muted bit growth in the first half of fiscal 2018 follow by stronger growth in the second half. Consistent with DRAM, we considered this bit growth pattern when we provided our 2 year bit growth CAGRs earlier in the year.

Non-GAAP operating expenses for the quarter were $600 million, down $12 million from the prior year quarter. The company generated operating cash flow of $2.4 billion in fiscal Q3 compared to $389 million in the year ago period.

During the quarter, we deployed $1.3 billion for capital expenditures, net of partner contributions and free cash flow for the quarter was $1.1 billion as we retired approximately $1 billion of debt via a tender offer for certain of our high-yield notes. We currently expect fiscal year 2017 free cash flow of approximately $3 billion and continue to prioritize the deployment of our cash flow toward advancing our production technology capabilities and reducing our debt.

For fiscal year 2017, we are trending to the upper end of our indicated net CapEx range of $4.8 billion to $5.2 billion. We will provide a fiscal year 2018 CapEx perspective later this year.

We ended the third quarter with cash, marketable investments and restricted cash of approximately $4.9 billion. Our guidance for fiscal Q4 is informed by our view of sustained, healthy supply and demand dynamics, our ongoing work around cost reduction and the improvement of our product mix.

On a non-GAAP basis, we expect the following, revenue in the range of $5.7 billion to $6.1 billion, gross margin in the range of 47% to 51%, operating expenses between $575 million and $625 million, and operating income ranging between $2.2 billion and $2.4 billion. EPS will range between $1.73 and $1.87 per share, based on 1,179 billion [ph] diluted shares.

At our Analyst Day in February, we outlined how our production technology execution and the results in bit growth and cost reductions have enabled us to significantly strengthen our cash flow and financial performance in any market conditions.

We've been reporting our incremental progress each quarter. However, I wanted to share the tremendous progress we've made over the 12-month period ending in fiscal Q3.

During that time, our bit output has been above industry average for both DRAM and trade NAND and our cost per bit has declined approximately 25% and 30% in those technologies respectively.

In addition, we continue to improve our competitiveness by successfully delivering solutions to deliver higher value-add opportunities. Our ability to deliver these results has enhanced our energy and excitement to make further progress, and we look forward to sharing that with you.

With that, I will turn it back to Sanjay.

Sanjay Mehrotra

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Micron Technology's (MU) CEO Sanjay Mehrotra on Q3 2017 Results - Earnings Call Transcript - Seeking Alpha

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. -- Indiana University has announced that it is expanding and reorganizing the university resources devoted to delivering IU innovations to Indiana and the nation.

Effective July 1, technology transfer activities, previously led by the Indiana University Research and Technology Corp., or IURTC, will be moved into the Office of the Vice President for Research.

These activities include receiving and vetting invention disclosures, applying for intellectual property protection, marketing technologies and licensing them to established companies and startups.

"Indiana University has long been a leader in technology transfer activities, recently achieving year-over-year record numbers in patents issued, licensing agreements and generated revenue," IU President Michael A. McRobbie said.

He added that transferring responsibility for this area to the Office of the Vice President for Research would bring technology transfer staff closer to faculty who are making discoveries and inventions that have great commercial potential and need the kinds of services this office will now provide.

The move will facilitate a greater alignment with university priorities and a closer relationship with IU faculty, staff and students. It will also allow technology transfer to take advantage of the greater resources and efficiencies available within the university and to work more seamlessly with corporate and foundation relations and federal research relations, based in the research office.

Technology commercialization directors, managers and operations personnel who previously performed technology transfer duties at the nonprofit IURTC will continue their work as university employees in the research office. They will retain their current office locations at Simon Hall in Bloomington and at 518 Indiana Ave. in Indianapolis.

Technology transfer will also be adding four new positions and promoting existing staff. Bill Brizzard, currently director of technology commercialization in Bloomington, will become executive director. David Wilhite will continue as director of technology commercialization in Indianapolis. Simon Atkinson, associate vice president for research and vice chancellor for research at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, has been designated to oversee technology transfer and licensing and corporate development within the research office.

In 1997, IU established the Advanced Research and Technology Institute, or ARTI, to handle all IU-related intellectual property, trademarks and business development activities. In 2007, the organization evolved into IURTC. Over the past 20 years, these efforts have contributed to:

With the move of technology transfer into IU, IURTC will take on a greater role in supporting start-up ventures, including finding talent to lead and staff IU innovation-based companies, securing capital to be made available at all development stages, offering mentors and networking opportunities, and developing appropriate startup space and programming.

Vice President for Research Fred H. Cate said, "Our goal is to ensure that IU provides a seamless array of research and innovation services, including attracting the very best faculty, staff and students; supporting their efforts to earn support through competitive grants and foundation and corporate support; ensuring effective compliance with legal requirements; identifying, protecting and licensing intellectual property; and supporting startup companies that involve IU colleagues or intellectual property.

"We couldn't be better served than by the talented professionals whose skill and dedication have contributed to record-breaking results. I am delighted to welcome them to IU and to the research team."

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Indiana University to expand, reorganize technology transfer and licensing - IU Newsroom

Police in Cumberland County have a new piece of technology aimed at promoting public safety that many people have only seen in the movies and on television.

On Wednesday, Cumberland County District Attorney David Freed, along with members of local law enforcement, announced the roll out of mobile finger printer ID units in four municipalities.

I dont think it takes too long out on the streets to determine when somebody is not sharing the whole truth or being evasive with their identity, Freed said. Its very important for that police-citizen interaction for the police to know who they are dealing with.

A total of eight units have been provided to Upper Allen Township, Camp Hill, Mechanicsburg and Hampden Township police departments by the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and the Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association at no cost to the departments.

The devices, essentially modified Samsung smart phones equipped with new software and hardware, are able to scan fingerprints and compare them to FBI and Pennsylvania State Police databases to better identify people in the field.

Unfortunately, with todays technology anyone can go on the internet and buy false ID and get your picture on it with all kinds of information, Upper Allen Township Police Chief James Adams said. Sadly, its very popular in a lot of your college communities, but its also very popular with the criminal element.

The device takes about three minutes to scan both databases, which Freed said includes people who have been arrested and processed by law enforcement.

If youve been arrested and processed in Pennsylvania and that has not been expunged, your prints will be in there and it will come back with a hit, Freed said.

The databases do not include people who have been fingerprinted for things like work clearance, according to Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Adam Reed said.

Its another piece of equipment that I think will make the officers safer, Adams said. As (Freed) alluded to, this type of technology has been seen on TV and in movies for years. People expect that of us. This is just one of many success stories when it comes to technology.

The devices do not retain search records and do not add fingerprints to the database, Freed said.

Philadelphia, Lehigh and Montgomery counties have also implemented the mobile finger print ID devices.

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Cumberland County police roll out finger print ID technology - The Sentinel

As we race toward the fourth industrial revolution there will inevitably be tensions between public, private and individual interests. But these should be challenged, rather than shied away from, to minimize displacement, panelists at the World Economic Forum's "Summer Davos" agreed on Thursday.

"The tension between the private sector and the public sector and civil society and each of us individually is a good tension to have," Lauren Woodman, chief executive of NetHope, a consortium of NGO's with a specific focus on technology, as panellists debated the responsibility of government and private business to manage technological advancements.

Private business has faced criticism for the speed at which it has embraced automation, while public bodies are under growing pressure to manage this change in order to safeguard jobs.

"It means that the benefits (of technology) do surface to the top," Woodman told a CNBC panel in Dalian, China.

"Even the process of recognising that there is a gap, and that we have to struggle against that problem, means that we are at least beginning to bring those voices in."

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Technological development will cause tension - and it's a good thing, say 'Summer Davos' execs - CNBC