So, is Nvidia absolutely wanting to take a look at GlobalFoundries then? Carvill wouldn't say, but noted, "As long as it didn't compromise our relationship with AMD and customer service to them, we would happily have those discussions with Nvidia and anybody else."

Canon New Zealand has introduced two world first projectors, the XEED WUX10 and the XEED SX80. Both projectors advance the XEED multimedia projector line providing high performance and features along with cutting-edge technology.

Sharp has introduced a line of 1800 lumen LED-based lighting fixtures appropriate for permanent outdoor use (roughly the same illumination as a traditional 250 Watt flood light per head).

Innovative packaging of standard blue chips delivers almost 90 lm/W; professor claims 197 lm/W could be possible with state-of-the-art die.

Japanese electronics maker Hitachi will close a Czech plasma television manufacturing plant due to falling prices and demand in the economic slowdown, the local unit said on Friday.

Sony says it has signed a $315 million deal to install its digital projectors in all AMC Entertainment theaters.

Japan's Toshiba plans to take a 100% stake in its struggling LCD joint venture with Panasonic, a source with knowledge of the matter said. Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology, currently owned 60 percent by Toshiba and 40 percent by Panasonic, is the world's second-largest maker of small and midsized LCD panels used in cell phones, car navigation systems and other devices.

Japan's Toshiba and Sharp has said they are considering working together in the solar power business amid growing demand for cleaner energy, sending their shares higher.

The leaders of the Group of 20 will meet in London on April 2, 2009. They need to limit the scope for tariff increases—ideally by finishing the Doha round of trade talks; they should agree to put aside anti-dumping actions and the rest of the apparatus of legal trade protection; and should ensure that subsidies do not discriminate against foreign firms.

Wal-Mart Stores is closing an optical lab in Ohio that employs roughly 650 workers, the world's biggest retailer has said.

Fairchild Semiconductor International recently announced it will close a wafer fabrication plant and eliminate some manufacturing at a second site to save up to US$25 million annually, as part of the power-chip maker's ongoing cost-reduction in response to slumping demand.

Agilent Technologies has announced a 2700 employee layoff and a major restructuring of its electronic measurement business in response to what the company described as the "most severe global downturn" in its history.

Hutchison Whampoa has reported a 42% fall in net profit but sounded an upbeat note as losses narrowed at its 3G mobile phone operations. The Hong Kong-based oil-to-telecoms firm said annual profits totalled HK$17.7bn (US$2.28 billion), compared with HK$30.6bn in 2007.

The global solar PV (photovoltaic) market grew to at least 5.5 GW of electrical power converted using PV methods in 2008 compared to 2.4 GW in 2007, the EPIA (European Photovoltaic Industry Association) said in a recent report.

The search engine company Google is planning to cut nearly 200 marketing and sales jobs in its second set of lay-offs this year. The cuts represent less than 1% of the 20,200 people employed by Google.