Renesas Technology, Japan's second-largest chipmaker, aims to return to profit next fiscal year by cutting labor, research and productions costs.

Sanyo Electric Co Ltd developed a front-projection projector that can fill a 100-inch screen at a distance of 63cm.

NEC LCD Technologies Ltd released the "NL2432HC22-45A," a 3.5-inch semi-transmissive LCD panel module that features significantly improved reflection properties.

Micronic Laser Systems AB (STO:MICR), today received an order for a Prexision-8 laser pattern generator from a captive mask shop in Asia. The tool will be shipped in the second quarter of 2009.

In a recent interview, Globalfoundries vice president of manufacturing systems and technology Tom Sonderman said that the company plans to make GPUs using 28nm processes in the near future.

Excluding China, which will announce first-quarter GDP figures later this week, the World Bank now expects developing countries in the region to grow by 1.2% in 2009, down from an estimate of 4.8% in 2008.

Yahoo is preparing to lay off several hundred workers in the first round of cuts since Carol Bartz became chief executive in January, a source with knowledge of the situation told Reuters. The layoffs could be announced next Tuesday, when Yahoo reports its first-quarter financial results.

Cellphone makers are expected to report buoyant sales of lower-priced, feature-packed smartphones as consumers opt for "cheap chic" amid the global recession.

Japan's government is considering providing funds to Elpida Memory to bolster its capital, NHK said, without providing an amount or saying where it got the information.

Intel CEO Paul Otellini says the company's much talked about GPU project, Larrabee is on track and volume shipments are to start early next year.

ASML Holding NV, Europe's largest maker of semiconductor equipment, has reported a first-quarter loss as sales plunged 80% amid an industry slump. The net loss was 117 million euros (US$155 million), compared with a profit of 145 million euros a year earlier.

Singapore's economy shrank by 19.7% in the first quarter of 2009 compared with the previous three months, its biggest quarterly contraction on record.

RIM Co-CEO Jim Balsillie said the BlackBerry maker is reducing supply costs as surging growth provides him with leverage to press for bargains during the recession.