Europe and North Africa could be powered solely by renewable electricity by 2050 through the implementation of a SuperSmart Grid, according to a report issued this week by global advisory firm PricewaterhouseCoopers.

Nokia has signed an agreement to acquire 100% of the outstanding shares of Novarra, a web browsing company based in Chicago. The acquisition is expected to close in the second quarter of 2010 and following the acquisition, Novarra will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Nokia.

Applied Materials has a balance sheet that can support additional acquisitions, some potentially larger than its US$364 million purchase of Semitool last year, CEO Mike Splinter said in an interview ahead of the company's annual meeting with analysts Tuesday.

Hynix Semiconductor has appointed Oh Chul Kwon as the new CEO of the company.

Taiwan and China will hold the second round of talks on a broad cross-strait trade agreement in Taipei on March 31 and April 1, to discuss which sectors will be among the first to enjoy favorable tax terms under the planned pact, according to Taiwan's semi-official Straits Exchange Foundation.

Hynix Semiconductor is targeting record revenues in 2010, driven by tight memory chip supply conditions, according to OC Kwon, who took over as Hynix's chief executive on Monday.

Ford Motor has signed a US$1.8 billion deal to sell its Volvo brand to Geely in a move seen as emblematic of the shift in the global car industry's centre of gravity from the US and western Europe to China.

No Tech Day is a time to set aside the luxury gadgets for 24 hours "to raise awareness of how much we all rely on and use gadgets in our everyday life, and think what life is like for people in the developing world who do not have the same access to technology and energy."

Smart Modular Technologies has reported a profit for the fiscal second quarter as improved customer demand and higher pricing lifted revenues by nearly half.

NXP, the Dutch chipmaker bought by KKR & Co. four years ago, plans to raise at least US$1 billion to cut debt in a deal that would be this year's largest initial public offering, two people with knowledge of the matter said.

OmniVision Technologies has completed the acquisition of Aurora Systems, which makes components for digital projectors ranging from handheld ones to home theater systems.