Electronics Weekly
Let’s take them in reverse order, as always, according to Google Analytics…
5. US ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ contrasts with UK taxing regime on R&D expenses
The proposed treatment of taxation on chip R&D expenses in President Trump’s ‘Big Beautiful Bill’ contrasts with the way UK R&D expenses get taxed. The BBB proposes that US companies should be allowed to expense 100% of their domestic R&D costs from January 2025-2029 in the same year as they are incurred , rather than amortising them over five years as before. The change would provide tax relief and immediate cash flow for firms investing in R&D. Firms can deduct the full cost of R&D expenses in the year they are incurred, reducing taxable income…”
4. Marelli to file for Chapter 11
Japanese automotive components supplier Marelli Holdings, owned by US private equity outfit KKR, is expected to file for Chapter 11 in Delaware, reports the Nikkei. KKR bought Calsonic Kansei fom Nissan in 2016 for $4.5 billion and bought Magneti Marelli from Fiat Chrysler in 2019 for about $7 billion, merged the two companies under the Marelli name and loaded it up with $9.5 billion of debt which Marelli had to service by selling off bits and pieces and cost-cutting. Marelli’s debt now stands at $4.5 billion.
3. April semi sales up 22.7% y-o-y
April semiconductor sales of $57 billion were up 2.5% on the March total of $55.6 billion and 22.7% up on the $46.7 billion total of April 2024, reports the SIA. “Global semiconductor sales in April ticked up on a month-to-month basis for the first time in 2025, and the global market continues to notch year-to-year growth driven by increasing sales into the Americas and Asia Pacific,” says SIA CEO John Neuffer, “meanwhile, a new WSTS industry forecast calls for solid global market growth in 2025 driven by demand for AI, cloud infrastructure, and…”
2. Builder AI goes into administration
Nine year-old Builder AI, which claimed its software could make generating apps as easy as ordering a pizza, has called in the administrators with the loss of about 1,000 jobs. Builder AI raised £334 million from investors including Microsoft, Qatar’s sovereign wealth fund and Insight Partners. The company achieved a valuation of $1.5 billion. A former EY Entrepreneur of the Year, Imperial College graduate Sachin Dev Duggal founded the company and was Chief Wizard of Builder AI before leaving in February.
1. Qualcomm buys Alphawave
Qualcomm has bought Alphawave for $2.4 billion in cash. The price is nearly double Alphawave’s market cap before Qualcomm was known to be interested in buying the company. Softbank and Arm also showed interest in buying Alphawave. Alphawave’s attraction is its Serdes technology. Qualcomm had previously made two all-share offers for Alphawave. Alphawave CEO Tony Pialis, said move allows Alphawave to “expand our product offerings, reach a broader customer base, and enhance our technological capabilities”.
