Chris Druce

Antenova wins £6m of second round fundingHarry YeatesCambridge smart antenna firm Antenova has secured £6m of second round venture capital funding, almost twice the amount it won during its first round last year.Antenova’s directional technology is used in multi-antenna assemblies that increase user data rates and network capacity when used in mobile handsets, micro and pico basestations, Bluetooth and Wireless ...

Cadence to dispute Mentor lawsuitRichard BallCadence Design Systems has responded to Mentor Graphics’ patent lawsuit, announced yesterday, saying it will “vigorously dispute” the complaint.Mentor filed the lawsuit through its IKOS subsidiary, claiming the Cadence/Quickturn hardware emulation system Palladium infringes on US Patent No. 5,847,578 titled, “programmable multiplexing input/output port”. The patent was originally awarded to IKOS in 1998, with IKOS ...

Chris Druce

IBM acquires PricewaterhouseCoopers Consulting for $3.5bnSteve BushIBM is to acquire PwC Consulting, the business consulting and technology services unit of PricewaterhouseCoopers. “The client is the driving force behind today’s announcement with PwC,” said Samuel Palmisano, IBM president and CEO. PwC Consulting will no longer pursue its planned initial public offering. “This transaction fulfils our commitment to fully separate PwC Consulting ...

Disties get recovery bluesRichard WilsonHopes of a recovery in the components market this year have all but faded for a number of distributors, despite some positive news from smaller volume manufacturers.Neal Turner, chief operating officer for the distribution business at Deltron Electronics Group, is less confident about business prospects than he was three months ago. “There is a significant level ...

Science funding to be allocated in NovemberHarry YeatesDetails of where the extra £1.25bn promised by the Government for science and technology by 2005-06 will be allocated won’t be known until November.The heads of the seven research councils will be meeting in September, under the auspices of the Strategy Group at the cross-council organisation Research Councils UK (RCUK), to discuss with ...

Chris Druce

Chris Druce

WSI wound up, 53 jobs lostHarry YeatesBristol-based Wireless Systems International, a developer of power amplifiers for mobile phone basestations, has been wound up with the loss of 53 jobs.The firm was backed to the tune of £17m by venture capitalists in September 2000, and also received a £4.25m grant from the Welsh Assembly and Welsh Development Agency.Despite attempts by administrators ...