| ENERGY DAILY | SOLAR DAILY | TERRA DAILY | SPACE WAR | SPACE MART | GPS DAILY | SPACE DAILY | ABC SOLAR |
 |
Ottawa, Canada (SPX) Aug 02, 2007 Group IV Semiconductor has announced that it received a substantial new round of investment led by Garage Technology Ventures Canada with Applied Ventures, a subsidiary of Applied Materials, and with existing investors including Khosla Ventures and BDC Venture Capital. These investments will further expand Group IV's aggressive program to use its revolutionary silicon-based nanofilm technology to dramatically reduce the cost of solid-state lighting and enable its widespread global adoption. "The race is on to create energy-efficient lighting alternatives as awareness grows of the enormous waste of energy caused by conventional technologies," said Stephen Naor, CEO of Group IV. "Our vision is to create silicon-based light engines - many times more efficient than conventional bulbs and much more economical than today's LED alternatives - to provide the world with a brighter, more sustainable future. We are delighted that Garage Canada, Applied Ventures and our existing investors share this vision and recognize this unique opportunity to transform a $12 billion market." Group IV will also collaborate with Applied Materials to develop a low cost manufacturing process that will enable Group IV to accelerate its technology towards product commercialization and production. Group IV's solid-state light engines use a single-chip, AC-powered, silicon-based process that can deliver dramatic cost savings relative to conventional LED technologies. Since production cost is generally considered to be the last remaining hurdle for mass adoption of solid-state lighting, Group IV projects that its unique materials system will provide a crucial competitive advantage in creating high efficiency, long-life lighting products that outperform incandescent, compact fluorescent and fluorescent lighting. "We consider Group IV to be one of the most exciting new technology companies in Canada," said Tom Sweeney, Managing Director and General Partner of Garage Technology Ventures Canada. "It fits our model of identifying true innovation that has the clear potential to materially impact or redefine existing or emerging markets. The team at Group IV has impressed us and our colleagues in Silicon Valley. With the added benefit of Applied Materials on the team, we are clearly on a path to substantial value creation and energy-efficient, mercury-free, customer choices in the fast-growing solid-state lighting industry." "We believe that Group IV has significant technology that complements Applied Materials' work in developing cost-effective nanomanufacturing technology solutions," said J. Christopher Moran, Vice President and General Manager of Applied Ventures. "Using our 40 years of experience in providing high-productivity manufacturing systems to the silicon IC industry, we look forward to working with Group IV to help increase the efficiency and lower the cost of this energy-saving technology." Community Email This Article Comment On This Article Related Links Group IV Semiconductor Garage Technology Ventures Applied Ventures BDC Venture Capital Khosla Ventures Powering The World in the 21st Century at Energy-Daily.com
A Future Natural Gas Cartel
Doha, Qatar (UPI) Aug 02, 2007The April 9 meeting in Doha, Qatar, of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum attracted intense media scrutiny. Pundits speculated that the hidden agenda of the meeting, the first in two years, was to explore the possibility of developing a natural gas cartel along the lines of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries. Such a cartel would have immense financial and political clout in the global economy. Russian President Vladimir Putin first proposed the idea in 2002. |
|
| The content herein, unless otherwise known to be public domain, are Copyright 1995-2007 - SpaceDaily.AFP and UPI Wire Stories are copyright Agence France-Presse and United Press International. ESA Portal Reports are copyright European Space Agency. All NASA sourced material is public domain. Additional copyrights may apply in whole or part to other bona fide parties. Advertising does not imply endorsement,agreement or approval of any opinions, statements or information provided by SpaceDaily on any Web page published or hosted by SpaceDaily. Privacy Statement |
