Tag: Foxconn

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Foxconn and Nvidia to develop platforms for autonomous vehicles

GPU and chipmaker Nvidia and electronics manufacturer Foxconn announced a partnership to develop platforms/software for autonomous driving vehicles.

According to Foxconn, it intends to manufacture electronic control units (ECUs) for autonomous vehicles based on Nvidia’s Drive Orin chip, which is made specifically for computing in connected and autonomous vehicles, as reported by Reuters. The ECUs Foxconn plans to make would serve the entire global autonomous automotive market.

On the other hand, according to Nvidia, its Drive Orin chip technology will help Foxconn manufacture ECUs that can process information from sensors in real-time and alleviate some of the issues faced by companies developing electric and autonomous vehicles, including difficulties in ramping up production due to rising costs.

Foxconn, which has a car-making plant in Ohio, announced that its cars will have autonomous driving ECUs based on Nvidia’s DRIVE Orin and DRIVE Hyperion sensors.

Currently, Foxconn makes electric vehicles for Lordstown Motors Corp, and reportedly has a contract to manufacture Fisker second car model, PEAR. Most notably, Foxconn also manufactures several of Apple’s products.

Foxconn has said that it intends to manufacture Tesla’s vehicles eventually.

Via: Reuters

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iPhone factory workers reportedly asked to work sick, skip COVID tests

Sick workers in Foxconn’s Zhengzhou, China-based iPhone factory are reportedly being asked to show up for shifts and avoid taking COVID-19 tests.

The details come from Rest of World (via 9to5Mac), which spoke with seven workers that joined the factory this month and contracted COVID. Rest of World said that employees were given N95 masks to wear while on production lines, but the workers say it’s still easy to catch COVID while inside the on-site dorm rooms, where eight people sleep in close proximity.

One employee told Rest of World that his supervisor advised workers not to get tested so they could continue working instead of quarantining. Another said that their supervisor seemed sick and couldn’t even walk steadily.

The report comes after Foxconn suffered a significant COVID outbreak in October, which led to workers breaking out of the plant and protests. The Zhengzhou lockdown ended about three weeks ago, but Foxconn was labelled ‘high risk.’ 9to5Mac reports it was obliged to keep using closed-loop production, which involves keeping workers in factory campuses.

Foxconn is responsible for producing iPhones, notably Apple’s top-line iPhone 14 Pro series. 9to5 notes that Foxconn is likely under immense pressure to get production back on track following the earlier disruptions. Apple previously sent a team to investigate what was happening at Foxconn.

So far, Rest of World appears to be one of the few publications covering the story. Although not the most well-known publication, Viola Zhou, who wrote the piece, previously covered Chinese politics, society, and internet culture for Vice World News and at the South China Morning Post.

Source: Rest of World Via: 9to5Mac

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Heatwave in China forces factories supplying to Apple, Tesla to shut down

A heatwave has forced the biggest electric vehicle battery manufacturer in the world, Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Limited (CATL), which supplies to Tesla, to temporarily close its doors.

Located in China’s Sichuan province, the government has shut down factories in 19 cities to conserve power. According to CNN, the province hosts several companies that manufacture products for the semiconductor and solar panel industries and the shutdown could cause problems for various companies.

Foxconn Technology, which supplies to Apple, and Intel, are among the companies asked to shutter operations.

The news outlet reports China is experiencing the worst heat wave in six decades. Temperatures surpass 40 degrees Celsius in many cities, and the demand for air conditioning has skyrocketed.

Source: CNN

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Google reportedly making a Pixel foldable and a ceramic ‘Pixel flagship’

Google’s Pixel 7 and 7 Pro are right around the corner, and while most are focused on those devices, some leakers are dredging up details about other upcoming Pixels. The latest: Google will use China-based Foxconn to manufacture two Pixel phones, possibly a foldable and another device made of ceramic.

The information comes from leaker ‘Digital Chat Station’ on Weibo, who details some of the specs of the ceramic phone (but not the foldable). Foxconn is the same company that manufactures the iPhone and has manufactured Google’s Pixel flagships since the Pixel 3 — the Pixel 1 and 2 were HTC and LG (for the 2 XL only). Google’s lower-cost A-series are manufactured in Vietnam.

Digital Chat Station describes the ceramic phone as a “Pixel flagship” with a 2K “flexible screen” sporting a centred selfie camera and a 50-megapixel primary camera and periscope camera on the back, plus a Sony IMX787 “sub-camera.” Moreover, the phone would sport Google’s second-gen Tensor chip and a ceramic body.

Digital Chat Station Weibo post about Pixels

Digital Chat Station’s Weibo post | Image credit: 9to5Google

From what we already know about Google’s upcoming Pixel 7 series, the device described by Digital Chat Station doesn’t sound like any of these. 9to5Google says the camera details line up with previous leaks about a Google device with codename ‘Lynx,’ rumoured to be either a high-end third Pixel device (perhaps the Pixel Ultra people have dreamed about for years). Others suggested Lynx could be a prototype for testing new hardware before bringing it into the Pixel line, but bringing manufacturing to Foxconn suggests it could see a public release.

Further, 9to5 reports that the IMX787 appears to be a telephoto camera with a 64-megapixel sensor, higher than the 48-megapixel sensor used in the Pixel 6 Pro’s 4x telephoto camera. The IMX787 is also about the same physical size as Samsung’s 50-megapixel GN1 sensor used for the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro primary camera (and the upcoming Pixel 7 series).

As for the Pixel foldable, Digital Chat Station described it as having a “conventional large-screen internal folding” screen, which isn’t particularly new information. Previous rumours suggested the foldable, possibly called ‘Pixel Notepad,’ would work similar to Samsung’s Galaxy Fold but use Google’s old 12-megapixel cameras like what was used in the Pixel 5 and 4. However, as 9to5 notes, the Pixel Notepad has been rumoured for so long that it’s hard to tell what’s accurate at this point.

Source: Digital Chat Station (Weibo) Via: 9to5Google

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China’s lockdown measures could mean rumoured MacBook Air won’t be available right away

Rumours around Apple’s WWDC event indicate a new MacBook Air might be introduced, but if that does happen, you won’t be able to buy one right away.

Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports COVID-19 shutdowns in China could lead to “potential delays.”

“If the new Air is indeed announced at the conference, I’d expect shortages or a non-immediate release date,” Gurman writes in his newsletter, Power On.

China’s zero-tolerance COVID policy put cities across the country in strict lockdowns. Shenzhen, a technology hub that caters to many companies, including Apple, is part of the list. One of the company’s suppliers, Foxconn, has production facilities in the city.

China gave the company the go-ahead to continue functioning in a “closed-loop,” with employees living and working in one area shortly after it suspended operations in March.

The new MacBook Air might feature a 13-inch display, USB-C ports, and MagSafe charging. Gurman says the device will be available in four colours: gray, silver, gold, and dark blue.

The WWDC keynote starts at 1pm ET/ 10am PT. It’ll be live-streamed on  developer.apple.com/wwdc22/, Apple’s Developer app and Apple’s YouTube channel.

Source: Bloomberg via The Verge 

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Apple supplier, Foxconn, allowed to continue production in closed loop setting

Shanghai.China-Feb.8th 2022: sign of Foxconn headquarter office building at night. Hon Hai Technology Group (Foxconn) is the largest electronics manufacturer

China is allowing Foxconn to continue operations under strict conditions.

Reuters reports the Apple supplier can continue operations in a “closed loop” or bubbled environment, which means employees live and work within one area.

“Some operations have been able to restart, and some production is being carried out,” the company said in a statement. “This process, which can only be done on campuses that include both employee housing and production facilities, adheres to strict industry guidelines and close-loop management policies issued by the Shenzhen government.”

The company previously announced it was suspending its operations in Shenzhen due to an uptake of COVID cases.

China has a strict zero-tolerance COVID policy, and other cities have implemented similar shutdowns as the country experienced the largest outbreak in two years.

Shenzhen serves as the country’s technological hub and concerns were raised its shutdown could mean impacts to global markets.

China previously utilized the closed-loop environment during the Beijing Winter Olympics, where athletes and personnel were separated from the public through designated transportation methods, ensuring they had to contact.

Image credit: Shutterstock

Source: Reuters