A CD-ROM of proceedings from the Technology Futures 2003 conference is available for purchase.

A new class of microscopic crystal structures developed at the University of Toronto is bringing high bandwidth optical microchips one step closer to efficient, large-scale fabrication. The structures, known as photonic band gap (PBG) materials, could usher in an era of speedy computer and telecommunications networks that use light instead of electrons.

Intel has announced details of its 'tri-gate' transistor design, stating that the tri-gate transistor is moving from research to the development phase.

The three-in-one event of Austronics, Automate & Electrix 2003 opens from 2-4 September at the Sydney Exhibition Centre, Darling Harbour. It is set to attract in excess of 8000 visitors from the electronic, manufacturing , process and electrical industries. It will highlight the latest innovations in Australian and international technology.

Magnets form the basis of computer technology, so the speed at which magnets can act and react has become extremely important. The Nanomagnetics and Spin Dynamics (NSD) group in the School of Physics recently hosted Dr Tom Silva, from the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in Colorado, to work with them on a development of a high speed magnetometer which measures magnetisation at very short time scales.

The ability to make atomic-level changes in the functional components of semiconductor switches, demonstrated by a team of Oak Ridge National Laboratory, North Carolina State University and University of Tennessee physicists, could lead to changes in the semiconductor industry.

In 1978, a 'hand held' was a transistor radio, computers were gigantic mainframe, immobile machines, and the Internet was a project by a handful of research scientists. Twenty-five years later, Intel Corporation is marking its 25th year of delivering silicon products based on Intel architecture, and data from industry analyst firm Mercury Research indicates that the company has now shipped more than 1 billion x86 CPUs since that time, sparking a new era of computing and communication solutions.

Sun Microsystems and Intel Corporation have announced a collaboration that will enable Java technology-enabled audio, visual and multimedia applications to users of mobile devices using Intel XScale technology based processors.

Texas Instruments has announced that it is working with Cornice Inc on a 1.5 GB storage element (SE). The SE, a 2.54 cm, high-capacity, embedded storage device, is designed to bring low cost storage solutions to portable consumer electronics devices such as MP3 players, PDAs, digital video recorders and players and handheld gaming devices.

A tiny solid-state light emitter produced by Phaedon Avouris and his colleagues at IBM, consists of a single-walled carbon nanotube (NT) strung between two electrodes and controlled by a third.

Thai Microelectronic Centre (TMEC), in Thailand is set to complete a small-size wafer-fabrication plant by the end of this year that will be able to produce microprocessors for electronic identity cards. The production capacity is claimed to be six million chips a year.

Sharp and Daihen have jointly developed a solar inverter for large-scale photovoltaic power generating systems intended for commercial users and electric utilities. Operational tests in Japan will begin in May, with product availability anticipated from July 2003.

Scientists at Brown University have created a magnetic-sensing microscope that allows them to watch electricity flow through the tiniest components. They are using the device to find defects in integrated circuits and micro-machinery.

The Australian Electrical and Electronic Manufacturers Association (AEEMA) has welcomed the establishment of a new national agency, the National Measurement Institute, to provide measurement standards and services.

The Australian Federal Government has awarded Curtin University of Technology, The University of Western Australia and EMC Technologies a grant to establish the 'Australian Centre for EMC Technology Transfer' (ACETT).