Analyst: Imagination Technologies Powers Apple A4 Graphics Engine, Tops Nvidia Tegra

January 29, 2010

The A4 is Apple's custom chip powering the iPad tablet

[Update] Analyst Jon Peddie just blogged more details about iPad’s internals.

Inside Apple’s upcoming iPad tablet lies a mysterious chip: the A4, with the “A” presumably referring to Apple and the number “4″ perhaps to 4-cores!

First, here’s what we know for sure about the A4, either from common sense and public comments by Apple:

  1. It’s a system-on-a-chip (SoC) which combines a low-power ARM-based CPU (supposedly the latest Cortex A9), a graphics processor (or GPU), and other circuitries like audio and video codecs.
  2. Runs at 1GHz;
  3. Fabricated by Samsung.

In many aspects, Apple’s custom silicon is comparable to next-generation ARM-based SoC mobile processors from Freescale (i.MX series), Marvell (Armada), Qualcomm (SnapDragon) and Nvidia (Tegra); all showed at CES a number of tablets and netbooks prototypes using their respective chips.

Intel has also entered the SoC market with its Moorestown chip, a shrink of the current Atom processor used in netbooks, which now integrates a CPU and GPU on the same die.

If there’s not much mystery left on the origin of the A4 CPU – aside from the number of cores – little is still known however of the internal design of the chip and its graphics capabilities.

In a blog post that was widely reprinted all over the Net, Brightside suggested that Apple used ARM’s Mali 50 design for its core GPU. However, graphics expert Jon Peddie, of Jon Peddie Research, disagrees.

“The Ipad is not using Mali,” told Peddie to TechPulse 360. “The graphics engine in iPad certainly do, spec-wise, rival Tegra, Snapdragon, or Armada. On a polygons/second, or a pixel fill-rate basis it is as good as any out there, maybe better. And if game play is the criteria, then the graphics engine has all the power needed to deliver a very satisfying, if not impressive experience.”

But for Peddie, the real question should be: how does the A4 chip compares on a polygons/second/watt basis?

“And here is where you (and competitors) will be surprised – it will be top of the class. We won’t have measured data probably until late summer when all the tablets, including HP’s Slate and MSI’s Tegra-based unit are out and available for testing. But based on what we know about the engines involved, the A4 should be the best of breed,” added Peddie who is coming out next week with a full report on the A4 chip.

Peddie just blogged more details on the A4′s graphics engine: it’s an Imagination Technologies [PowerVR] SGX 535 core that is already used in iPhones and iPod touches.

Earlier this month at CES, Imagination unveiled a successor to the 535 core – the 545 – with even more impressive graphics capabilities. No doubt that it will find its way in next-generation iPhones, iPods and iPads.

Apple and Intel are key stockholders in Imagination Technologies. According to the UK publicly-listed company, they respectively own 9.5% and 16% (according to the Guardian) of its shares.

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Tesla Files $100 Million IPO

January 29, 2010

Tesla's Roadster gets a re-charge, and so does the company's bank account

Tesla Motors said late Friday that is would launch a $100 million initial offering of stock, capitalizing on what is likely to be tremendous enthusiasm for its long expected IPO.

The high-end electric automaker, which has sold 937 Roadsters as of December in 18 countries, said it would use the money to expand its operations as it plans a second model, the Model S.

In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, the company disclosed that through September 2009 it had generated $108.2 million in revenue and accumulated debt of $236.4 million. Its net loss for 2009 was $31.5 million, a reduction from 2008.

The company’s stock sale is the first by one of a new generation electric car company that hopes to capitalize on the nation’s growing awareness of global warming. Electric cars promise to help reduce greenhouse gases, but they require a shift in driving habits that consumers have yet to embrace. Most significantly, electric cars are constrained by the capacity of their batteries.

Tesla is better suited than many in this regard. The batteries in its sporty Roadster can cover 236 miles on a charge, when new. But consumers must be willing to pay for this advantage. The Roadster starts at $101,000.

The company’s IPO will be managed by an all-star line up of white shoe Wall Street firms: Goldman Sachs, JP Morgan, Morgan Stanley and Deutsche Bank Securities. It ability to attach such big names suggested expectations are high.

In its filing, the Palo Alto manufacturer indicated that its present financial status is healthy. It has cash of $106 million and 514 employees. In addition, it secured a $465 million loan with loan guarantees from the federal government earlier this month. The money will go toward building a production center for the Model S sedan, which will launch for $49,900 in 2012. The IPO money also will be use the money for capital expenditures, the company said.

Nevertheless, uncertainties accompany the offering. There is no guarantee that Americans and drivers elsewhere will flock to electric vehicles, especially ones priced as high as Tesla’s. The company acknowledged this in its filing by saying that as of Dec. 31, orders for Roadsters stood at 220 and for the Sedan S, 2,000. It is not a large security blanket for a company seeking $100 million.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Turn Hot Inner City Air Into Renewable Energy

January 29, 2010

We’ve all experienced the hot sticky inner-city air of an urban summer.

Southern cities, such as Houston and Phoenix, can post downtown temperatures that are 20 degrees higher than those in nearby rural areas. Northern cities, such as New York and Washington, are not immune. Concrete buildings and asphalt streets absorb the intense summer sun and turn un-shaded streets into roasting pans.

Atmospheric Vortex Engine's solar chimney hopes to use the hot air to turn turbines

What about turning this excess heat into renewable energy, and reducing temperatures in the process?  That’s the goal of Atmospheric Vortex Engine.

The little Ontario company wants to harness the hot air to turn turbine blades (remember that hot air rises) and generate electricity. To do this, it has developed an solar chimney to funnel the air high into the atmosphere.

It estimates that 20 of the chimneys could produce the power of a large nuclear or coal-fired power plant. The system also has the potential to reduce the summer temperature in cities such as Phoenix three to four degrees as cooler, drier air is pulled in from rural areas. That would lower the demand for air conditioning

So far the company has developed prototypes. Next up? What about convincing a city center to conduct a real world trial.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Large Scale Maglev Wind Turbines Still Struggle To Get To Market

January 28, 2010

For several years, maglev wind turbines have been held out as the holy grail of the wind energy industry.

Efficient, frictionless, a single unit capable of producing the power of 500 standard commercial turbines, maglev technology was said to have it all. But what it didn’t have was a significant number of products in the market, and that doesn’t look like it is ready to change any time soon.

Maglev wind turbines, such as this design from Regenedyne, use magnets to float the turbine blades above their base

On Thursday, Regenedyne, one prospective producer, said it would partner with Gazoo Energy Group to raise capital to finance a manufacturing plant. The move appears to be a recognition that it can’t attract the money on its own.

Regenedyne apparently has moved to prototype stage. But the secretive company is releasing little detail about its work. It had hoped to show a prototype at a trade show next week, but the unit is large, expensive and cumbersome to move and apparently won’t make it for display.

Maglev wind turbines rely on magnets that suspend the turbine blades above the ground, much as high-speed elevated trains are levitated above their tracks. The floating blades spin with little resistance, and the power output is increased. They also can spin in light breezes.

However, costs are high. Some estimates claim large-scale machine can cost $50 million or more, even though operating costs are expected to be low.

According to a Thursday press release Gazoo of Scottsdale and Regenedyne agreed to a joint venture. Gazoo typically acquires green energy companies with the hoping for increasing their growth.

Apparently its track record is spotty. Its stock trades for  30 cents.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

First Solar Warns The US Could Become A Second Tier Solar Provider

January 28, 2010

U.S. demand for solar systems is widely expected to jump in the next 12 to 18 months. But this growth is no sure thing.

As much as 85% of a solar farm's revenue can go to repay debt, a significant burden

Analysts argue that the falling price of solar panels will make them more attractive alternatives to fossil fuel energy, such as that from natural gas, and spark buying. But the expiration of a federal solar grant in the stimulus bill could counter balance these lower prices at least in the short term.

The result could be a nation less able to compete in the 21st Century green economy.

That’s because the greatest constraint to new solar installations is the lack of investment capital. As much as 85 percent of the revenue from large scale solar plants goes to repaying loans and debt – a high burden.

This burden leaves little room for error and makes investors shy. The federal grant – offered in lieu of a tax credit – helps. It attracts a greater pool of investors willing to bet their money on a solar farm, says First Solar CEO Robert Gillette.

Trouble is the grant is due to expire at the end of this year. That will make it hard for solar projects to sign on. Many take a year or more to secure financing. In testimony Thursday before a Senate subcommittee on green jobs, Gillette argued the grant should extended to December 2012 to give the domestic solar industry a boost.

First Solar expanded its manufacturing from 20 MW to more than 1,100 MW since 2005 and expects to add another 700 MW of capacity, he said. But 90 percent of the output is sold overseas. That’s because government policy abroad has been more supportive.

The consequence for the U.S. is potentially severe. While First Solar expanded its Ohio plant last year, most its plants are built outside of the United States. “The proximity to markets and low cost manufacturing will drive investments and manufacturing overseas unless policies here help drive market growth; it is that simple,” he says

The U.S. market has the potential to be among the largest in the world. But without energy legislation and incentives, the country risks losing the global race for green technology and jobs. It “could be relegated to an importer of products developed and manufactured in other countries,” warns Gillette.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Apple iPad To Disrupt eReader, Netbook Markets

January 27, 2010

Apple's iPad is a nice PC tablet that outperforms current high-end eReaders at a lower price

Despite all the buzz prior to its unveiling earlier today during Steve Jobs’ keynote (you can watch it here), the iPad is anything but magical or revolutionary as Apple CEO wants us to believe.

Consider the iPad as a big iPod touch or an iPod touch XL or DX (in honour to the large sized Kindle).

Super thin, unbelievably light, reasonably priced

First, the good news. The iPad is really thin (half an inch), super light (1.5 lb) and has a 10-hours battery life and 1-month standby; a great achievement for a device that thin.

At CES, a couple weeks ago, Nvidia showed  a Tegra-powered tablet with 16-hours HD video playback time or  140 hours of audio playback, surpassing the iPad. Note that these numbers were for  tablet prototypes and might be better or worse on the final product.

Starting at $499, the iPad looks cheap compared to the similarly sized Amazon Kindle DX, which sells for $10 more: the iPad has a full colour screen, can browse the Web, read ebooks (with the iBooks app and the ePub format) and run applications (games, maps, social networking…).

All these things that the Kindle just can’t do. But to be fair, we’d have to compare the Amazon device with the 3G data-only connection (and Wi-Fi) iPad version, which then costs a whopping $630, without the optional data plan – but included with the Kindle.

The optional Bluetooth keyboard dock transforms the iPad into an "interesting" netbook

No Flash, camera, USB port and extended storage

Now the bad news.

As its smaller siblings, the iPad still doesn’t support Flash, which makes it a poor device to browse the Web, even compared to other ARM-based tablets – running Linux or Google Chrome OS for example – which offer support for Adobe’s Web video technology.

More surprising is the lack of an integrated camera. Not sure why this design choice, especially as the iPhone has one; making me think that the iPad is really just a souped-up iPod touch.

The lack of a USB port and an extended storage (e.g. an SD card slot) are two additional unpleasant surprises. However, Apple does sell a dongle to copy photos from a camera through a USB connector or an SD card slot.

The iPad is a killer eReader

All in all, the iPad is anything but magical or revolutionary. But I can see it be a cheap Mac (although it can’t run MacOS apps), an Apple version of a netbook, with its optional keyboard.

“Netbooks aren’t better at anything! They’re slow, they have low quality displays and run clunky old PC software. They’re not better than a laptop in anything. They’re just cheaper. They’re just cheap laptops,” Jobs joked.

Moreover, the iPad relatively lower price could very well disrupt the whole eReader market, that is currently inundated with over-priced devices like the Kindle or the $400 Sony Daily Edition. And I’m not sure the sleek Skiff e-reader stands a chance now.

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Honda Fuel Cell Strategy Takes Another (Small) Step Forward

January 27, 2010

Marketing fuel cell electrics, like Honda's FCX Clarity, is a tough slog

Honda’s fuel cell, electric vehicle strategy continues to find itself trying to get out from behind the eight ball.

The company’s Clarity fuel cell car remains available in North America on a limited basis only (by lease). Just 69 hydrogen stations are open for business in the country (22 in California).

And on Wednesday, the carmaker answered the question of what’s next. It unveiled a new more compact and efficient home hydrogen charging station. But the improvements continue to show how difficult hydrogen car ownership still is. The station requires well over 8 hours to refill a tank – 8 hours are needed only if owners anticipate 10,000 miles of less of annual driving.

What’s more, the station comes with solar panels to provide its energy. But if most drivers end up refueling at night, the panels aren’t much good.

Honda addresses this by suggesting the panels can be used to generate electricity to sell to the utility’s grid during daylight hours, thus off setting the cost of the equipment.

In any event, the unit is smaller in size – Honda figured out a way to eliminate the need for a compressor, the station’s largest and most expensive component. The machine also is 25 percent more efficient.

Carmakers such as Mercedes-Benz, Toyota, Ford, Daimler and Renault continue to profess interest in fuel cell electrics. But the pace of the industry is slow. Honda gets a medal for trying hardest.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Apple Claims #1 Mobile Spot, Ahead Of Sony, Samsung, Nokia

January 27, 2010

Apple's latest New York store, it's 4th, in the Upper West Side district

Before kicking off the “meat” of his keynote i.e. introducing Apple’s iPad tablet, CEO Steve Jobs started with an update on his company’s latest achievements.

  1. 250 million iPods sold since 2001;
  2. 284 retail stores;
  3. 50 million visitors went to Apple’s retail stores last quarter;
  4. Apple opened its 4th store in New York City;
  5. App store: 140,000 apps and 3 billion downloads in 18 months;
  6. Apple has a “run rate” of $50+ billion a year.

A last figure, that gives Steve Jobs the bragging right to claim the #1 spot as the world’s largest mobile devices company.

Selling more mobile devices – iPods, iPhones and Mac laptops – than Sony (camcorders, walkmans, cell phones…), Samsung and Nokia!

Later in his presentation, Jobs added the following numbers:

  1. 75 million iPod touches and iPhones sold so far. Meaning 75 million customers that already know how to use the iPad!
  2. The AppStore has 125 million active accounts with credit cards all ready for one-click purchases
  3. Finally, Apple sold 12 billion products through its AppStore and they’re ready to take orders from iPad customers buying music, videos, ebooks and more!

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Posted by TechPulse 360

Solar Highways Light Up In California And Oregon

January 27, 2010

Trouble finding land for a solar farm? Try the right of ways along the nation’s highways.

Two states – Oregon and California – are doing just this, experimenting with a work around to the sometimes confrontational process of building solar and wind farms on private land. Federal funds are helping to grease the skids.

Highway right of ways could be a useful alternative for solar panels as objections to big farms on private land rise

The two projects are small in size. So their contribution to the fight against global warming is somewhat symbolic. But they suggest great potential as the objections of communities and politicians stand in the way of quick progress on the nation’s goal of reducing fossil fuel use.

In Orgeon, Interstate 5 became the first solar highway in the nation in late 2008 when the state has placed solar panels on an interchange with Interstate 205. So far, 592 panels have been installed to produce 112,000 KW of power a year.

California joined the party this month when the Department of Energy provided $5 million to install solar generation along 2 miles of highway near Sacramento.  The systems will produce 1.5 MW of electricity. (The money also will fund a project turning oil, grease and sewage into biogas, or methane, and a separate project turning cow dung into fuel.)

As complaints about renewable energy rise – Senator Dianne Feinstein’s recent move to block about a dozen plants in the Mojave Desert, for example – it is time to think creatively about placing solar panels. The nation’s highways provide one obvious alternative.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

Wind Energy Industry Loses Jobs In 2009

January 26, 2010

The hope is that a green energy push in the United States will create jobs while  reducing greenhouse gases.

But in 2009, new green jobs in the wind energy industry were hard to find. The industry installed 10,000 MW of generating capacity during the year, a record.

But manufacturing growth in the country lagged. Early in the year, before federal recovery act monies began to flow into clean-tech, the wind industry expected its employment to fall by 50 percent, according to the American Wind Energy Association.

This worst-case scenario did not come about. By mid summer, federal incentives spurred construction. But business remained soft. There were one third fewer manufacturing plants in operation, expanded or announced in 2009 than in 2008, the association reported Tuesday. Orders were weak and inventories were high. The result was job losses.

Top Wind Energy States

The association fears more may be on the way – though this was not the promise of the nation’s clean-tech transformation. New incentives announced this month on top of the current tax credits and support for transmission line expansion will help boost the industry. But a federal bill requiring specific wind energy targets would go a lot further.

Unfortunately, such a prospect looks unlikely as long as Republicans have 41 votes in the Senate.

So far, the job numbers are relatively small. As of November, the association estimates the wind energy industry created 85,000 jobs. However, the potential for more appears to be considerable. If 20 percent of the country’s electricity comes from wind by 2030, the nation will have created 500,000 jobs, according to the Department of Energy.

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Posted by Mark Boslet

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