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Annasha

Annasha Dey is an NIT student, who apart from studying engineering is also a content writer. She has a great interest in photography, writing, reading novels, and travelling as well. She is a foodie who loves socializing and hanging out with her friends. She is also a trained Kathak dancer and a big fashion enthusiast. Dey also loves watching TV series, which includes F.R.I.E.N.D.S. and Big Bang Theory. To be a better writer she prefers to read more

Leidos

Leidos – The Largest IT Service Provider in the Defense Sector.

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Leidos is a global leader that provides cutting-edge technology solutions to customers in demanding situations. The main sectors that Leidos offers efficient solutions to are aviation, defense, information technology, and healthcare. Leidos provides a wide range of both hardware and software solutions from automatic equipment identification technology to security instruments and many more.

Leidos was formerly known as Science Application International Cooperation (SAIC) which is currently headquartered in Reston, Virginia, US. J. Robert Beyster founded the company in 1969 which now operates in four main divisions, namely, Civil, Health, Advanced Solutions, Defence & Intelligence. Roger Krone is the current CEO of the company and the company has approximately 32,000 employees.

The Establishment of Leidos

In 1969, Robert J. Beyster founded the company as Science Applications Incorporated (SAI) in San Diego, California. Before founding the company, Beyster was a scientist for Westinghouse Atomic Power Division and Los Alamos National Laboratory. In 1957, Beyster became the Chairman of the Accelerator Physics Department of General Atomics and later he sold stocks received from here to raise the money for his new company.

From the beginning of the entrepreneurial journey, Beyster’s company focused on projects for the US government. Initially, SAI focused on nuclear power and weapons effects study programs but soon the company was renamed as Science Applications International Cooperation (SAIC) and it eventually expanded its area of interest. The company worked on radiation therapy, assistance to the development of the cruise missile, post-accident cleanups in nuclear stations, design and evaluation of Stars & Stripes 87, design of the first luggage inspection machine, etc.

Leidos
Image Source: twitter.com

Beyster developed SAIC as an employee-owned company which helped in attracting many dedicated and highly motivated employees. This is the biggest reason that SAIC grew and expanded so fast in many sectors. Beyster retired in 2003 and in 2009 the headquarters of the company was shifted to Tysons Corner in Virginia. In 2012, the company had to pay a large sum of money to the City of New York for overbilling the city for seven long years.

The Founding Story of Leidos

In 2012, the company decided to split up into two independent trading companies thus forming a $4billion per year and $7billion per year publicly traded entities. The former focused on government services, systems engineering, technical assistance, financial analysis, and program office support. The $7billion company became an IT business specializing in national security, health, and the engineering sector. After the companies were split into two different businesses they were able to pursue more fields which created a conflict of interest as a whole.

In 2013, it was decided that the smaller company will continue with the name SAIC while the bigger company changed its name to Leidos and moved its headquarters to Reston. Leidos was the true successor of SAIC though it didn’t retain the name. So, the company retained SAIC’s pre-2013 stock price and corporate filing history. In 2016, Leidos announced one of the biggest deals in the defense sector as it merged with Lockheed Martin’s Information Systems & Global Solutions. This doubled the size of Leidos making it a leader in the global defense industry. In 2019, the company ranked 311 on the Fortune 500 list and its annual revenue summed up to $18.569 billion.

Subsidiaries and Structure of the Company

Leidos has multiple subsidiaries in a diverse market which helped it become successful in a short period. Some of the subsidiaries of the company are Systems Made Simple (SMS), QTC Management, Leidos Engineering, Leidos Health, CloudShield Technologies, Reveal, Dynetics, Leidos Biomedical Research, etc. In 2018, the company again shifted its headquarters to Reston, Virginia, and the new building was completed last year.

As mentioned earlier, the company is divided into four main sectors. The Civil Division deals with the aviation system, security transportation measures, IT infrastructure, and efficient energy. The Health division is responsible for optimizing healthcare companies, securing medical data, and providing better solutions for data entry. Leidos’ Advanced Solutions Division focuses mainly on data analysis, integrating advanced defense systems, etc. The Defense & Intelligence Division works on providing air service systems, geospatial analysis, cybersecurity, intelligence analysis, etc.

About J. Robert Beyster

Beyster was from Detroit, Michigan, and went to the University of Michigan. He served in the US Navy during World War II which might be one of the reasons why he focused on governmental projects when he started his own business. Apart from founding SAIC, he started the Foundation for Enterprise Development in 1986. In 2004, this foundation established Beyster Institute which is dedicated to training and education on entrepreneurial grounds. He passed away on 22nd December 2014 in his home.

Cryptocurrency

Bitcoin Price continues to fall as Chinese officials exclusively target Crypto Mining.

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Digital currencies have gained a lot of popularity and demand in a very short span of time. Unfortunately, the world’s largest and most popular cryptocurrency which hit an all-time high under $65,000 during mid-April has fallen to 45% of its valuation. Many people, especially the younger generation, invest and trade using digital currencies. But, China has recently imposed stricter regulations and speculative measures so that the financial risks are minimized on mining and trading of the world’s largest cryptocurrency.

The Financial Stability and Development Committee of China which is chaired by Vice Premier Liu He, said that Bitcoin needs more regulation. So, last Friday, the valuation of Bitcoin fell more than 11% after doubling the monitoring efforts. For most of the London and Asian session, the value of Bitcoin was $40,000 which dropped to $35,928.

Imposing Strict Speculation on Cryptocurrency

The Chinese Government and other officials of the country are now determined to rule out any possible loophole that will increase the chances of fraud in Cryptocurrency. Before the Chinese officials made any public statement, three Chinese industries already imposed a ban on banks and payment companies which carried out crypto-related services. This escalated the situation and finally Liu He released the order of crackdown on Bitcoin publicly. It is for the first time that crypto mining is targeted by the government.

Cryptocurrency
Image Source: nulltx.com

After the statement by China, John Wu, President of Ava Labs commented that the statements made by China were not very specific. So, it might be difficult to understand the course of action or the real impact of the situation that will take place in the following days. He further added that the statement by Liu He makes it clear that Bitcoin mining is very risky in China as it relies on the will of the government.

The New Rules

With China imposing double measures on digital currencies, there are new rules proposed by the Chinese government. According to the government proposal, every cryptocurrency exchange that is operating in Hong Kong is bound to be licensed by the city’s market regulators. From now onwards, they can only provide services to professional investors. In response to this new announcement by the Chinese government, Ruud Feltkamp, chief executive officer at crypto trading bot Cryptohopper, said that, China is trying to tackle Bitcoin, its mining and trading since 2013 so again doubling down efforts to stop fraud in digital currencies is not a surprise anymore. But, he further said it will be a surprise if this has substantial long-term effect on Bitcoin.

Last Friday, China’s state broadcaster CCTV warned its audience against the systemic risks of cryptocurrency trading during a commentary on its website. The exact words that CCTV said were, “Bitcoin is no longer an investment tool to avoid risks. Rather, it’s a speculative instrument.” It further mentioned that cryptocurrency is a very lightly regulated asset which makes it a good option for trading in the black market, money laundering, drug dealing, and every other kind of illegal business. While the Chinese government is trying to enforce strict rules on Bitcoin, the rival cryptocurrency Ether is also losing its valuation.

Sudden Awareness of the Chinese government

Before China decided to declare a crackdown on Bitcoin, the U.S.Treasury Department just a day before China’s declaration announced some new rules. According to these new rules, the large cryptocurrency transfer should be reported to the Internal Revenue Service and the Federal Reserve flagged the risks cryptocurrencies posed to financial stability (Gadgets 360). The Bitcoin market operates around the clock so the traders have to be vigilant as any time unpredictable price swings might occur.

For many people, the concept of Bitcoin is not very clear. One should know that Bitcoin is a form of digital currency that does not have any relationship with the bank or government and the user can spend it in any possible way. The users also have the option to buy or sell Bitcoins in exchange for U.S. dollars and other currencies. But, seeing that digital currencies especially Bitcoin are becoming a very dominating source of monetary trading in illegal activities, the Chinese government is enforcing strict rules and regulations.

NXP Semiconductors

NXP Semiconductors – A leading semiconductor company that was originally a part of Philips.

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NXP Semiconductors is one of the largest non-memory semiconductors suppliers across the world. The company is famous in the electronics industry for supplying semiconductors for secure identification, automotive, and digital networking sectors. Originally the company was founded in 1953 as a part of Philips and it was known as Philips Semiconductors. But, in 2006 this division was sold to private equity investors who then changed the name to NXP Semiconductors.

Currently, the headquarters of this spun-off company is based in Eindhoven, Netherlands. The company is running its business in more than 35 countries with approximately 31,000 employees. Kurt Sievers is the current CEO and President of NXP Semiconductors. Qualcomm, a few years back, proposed to buy the company but the deal was called off later.

History of NXP Semiconductors

Philips is a multinational conglomerate and back in 1953, it had many divisions and factories spread across many regions. In 1953, Philips started a small-scale production in Nijmegen (a city in Dutch) which became a part of Icoma (a division of Dutch Philips). Over the next two decades many such production facilities and new divisions were established by Philips.

In 1975, Philips acquired Signetics which made the former company the second-largest semiconductor manufacturers in the entire world. Every division of Philips in every other nation had a different name and the company decided to merge all these into Philips Components and renamed it as Philips Semiconductor in 1991. In 1999, Philips Semiconductors acquired VLSI Technology and this acquisition made it the sixth-largest semiconductor company in the world.

Formation of NXP Semiconductors

It was in December 2005 when Philips decided to spin off Philips Semiconductors and make it an independent company. A consortium of private equity investors bought an 80.1% stake in Philips Semiconductors in September 2006. The investors who were involved in this acquisition were  Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR), Bain Capital, Silver Lake Partners, Apax Partners, and AlpInvest Partners. The new name of the company was changed to NXP Semiconductors (from next experience). The company was launched officially during the Internationale Funkausstellung (IFA) consumer electronics show in Berlin. Even after the company was separated from the big brand name of Philips, NXP ranked one of the top 10 semiconductor companies worldwide.

NXP Semiconductors
Image Source: yicaiglobal.com

During the acquisition, Frans Van Houten was the CEO of NXP Semiconductors. He emphasized on the fact that NXP should evolve and enter into the “vibrant media” technologies present in every essential gadget and appliance from smartphones to digital televisions. NXP planned to strengthen its mobile phone and personal business and thus announced the acquisition of Silicon Laboratories’ AeroFONE single-chip phone and power amplifier product lines.

After one year, NXP decided to start a joint venture with STMicroelectronics and NXP’s mobile and personal business unit. But in 2009 STMicroelectronics bought the 20% stake of NXP and it became a joint venture between Ericsson and ST.  The same year NXP decided to sell its Home Business unit to Trident Microsystems. NXP was in a very good shape this time which called for a restructure of its manufacturing plan and it led to a job loss of 4,500 employees.

Major Events in The Company

In 2009, the position of  Frans Van Houten was taken over by Rick Clemmer and under his leadership, the company focussed more on “high-performance mixed-signal” products. In 2010, NXP acquired Jennic, a UK-based company that is now part of its smart home and energy product line. The same year NXP announced its IPO in NASDAQ with a total shares of 34,000,000. At the end of 2010, the company decided to sell its Sound Solutions business for $855 million. In 2012, NXP’s revenue increased by 41% as compared to 2011 and it was mainly because of demand for NFC chips and secure elements. Last year, Kurt Sievers was appointed the new CEO of the company.

Kurt Sievers – CEO of NXP Semiconductors

Since May 2020, Kurt has been serving as the CEO of the company and his main motto for the company is “secure connections for a smarter world”. The focus of the company should evolve with time and the demand of users is always changing with more profound tech and the threats of compromising it. Kurt went to Augsburg University, Germany, and has two master’s degrees in information technology and physics respectively. Kurt has significantly made many acquisitions possible for NXP and played different roles in the company since 1995.

Snapdragon 778 5G

Qualcomm revealed Snapdragon 778 5G Mobile Platform during the Annual 5G Summit.

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The new 5G Mobile Platform, that is, the Qualcomm powered Snapdragon 778 is designed by the company with cutting-edge technology and better implementation of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Qualcomm has announced the new platform for the next generation of high-tier mobile phones from Honor, Motorola, Oppo, Xiaomi, Realme, and IQOO. The new Snapdragon 778 5G claims to enhance the gaming experience and also video and imaging with better AI.

The demand for OEMs for more platforms is increasing at a global rate, especially for high-tier smartphones. Qualcomm designed the new 5G mobile platform to address this problem as it brings many latest premium technologies and a wide range of features for a better experience in the future. The demand for quality tech has accelerated especially during the pandemic so the companies are trying to design better products that will be highly efficient in terms of performance and provide a top-notch entertainment experience as well. So, let’s have a look at all the new features and tech of the Snapdragon 778 5G Mobile Platform.

Snapdragon 778 5G Features

The new Snapdragon 778 5G Mobile Platform is featuring a Triple ISP which will allow the user to capture three photos or videos simultaneously. The options included in this shooting type are wide-angle, ultra-wide, and zoom along with the option of shooting from three different lenses all at once. So, when the user is capturing or recording the same subject from three different aspects, the camera system automatically merges these shots to finally produce a professional photography-like result. The videos can be also captured in 4K HDR10+ which is hard to differentiate if recorded in a mobile phone or a DSLR camera. The Snapdragon 778G also has Staggered HDR image sensors which allows one to capture computational HDR videos with improved detailing.

Snapdragon 778 5G
Image Source: qualcomm.com

6th Generation Qualcomm AI Engine

With every new platform released in the market, there is always improved technology behind it and one of the main reasons is more efficient AI-based applications. The Snapdragon 778G is featuring the latest 6th generation Qualcomm AI Engine with the Qualcomm Hexagon 770 processor. This assures high-performance delivery of up to 12 TOPs and twice the performance. The performance per watt has also increased as compared to its predecessor.

The capability of AI has been heightened as it will use AI-based noise suppression, AI-based camera, etc for a video call, zoom meeting, and even a voice call. The Snapdragon 778G also has the 2nd generation Qualcomm Sensing Hub which integrated a low power consuming AI processor for contextual awareness use cases. Honor has collaborated with Qualcomm as the brand new HONOR 50 series will be powered by Snapdragon 778G and this will set new industry standards for Honor.

Enhanced Gaming Experience

The new gaming features are one of the main attractions of the Snapdragon 778G. The platform is delivering select Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gaming features along with Variable Rate Shading (VRS) and Qualcomm Game Quick Touch. These are the features that have been unlocked in the 7-series. Users are looking for better gaming experience be it smartphones, laptops, or gaming consoles. The VRS feature which is enabled by the Qualcomm Adreno 642L GPU allows the user (developer) to specify and group the pixels being shaded with different game scenes. This helps in reducing the workload of GPU which leads to power saving by a huge amount while maintaining the highest visual fidelity. Along with this, the Qualcomm Game Quick Touch allows 20% faster input response which is also an advantage for a gamer.

Connectivity and Performance

Snapdragon 778G comes with the integrated Snapdragon X53 5G Modem-RF System which will deliver mmWave and sub-6 5G capabilities to more users around the globe. This new mobile platform is featuring Qualcomm FastConnect 6700 Connectivity and also supports multi-gigabit class Wi-Fi 6 speeds (up to 2.9 Gbps) with 4k QAM and access to 160MHz channels in both the 5GHz and 6GHz bands. It will support Bluetooth 5.2, lightning-fast Wi-Fi 6/6E, and 5G. The Qualcomm Kryo 670 is designed to generate up to 40% uplift in overall CPU performance and the Adreno 642L GPU will deliver up to 40% faster graphics rendering compared to the previous generations.

CDW

CDW Corporation – A US-based company delivering IT services to government, schools, and non-profit organizations.

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Established in 1984, CDW Corporation is a provider of B2B IT services and products to the various entities of the US government and also state and federal government. The company also provides its IT services to various schools and organizations and non-profit health organizations. Apart from the United States, the company has its branches in Canada and the United Kingdom. Michael Krasny established the company as MPK Computing back in 1984. Today, CDW has approximately 10,000 employees and it has become a Fortune 500 company and member of the S&P 500 Index.

Founding Story of CDW Corporation

Michael Krasny, back when the company was a newborn, took a small ad in a free circulation newspaper because he wanted to sell his computer and printer. From this moment, he got the idea of renaming it as Computer Discount Warehouse which simply became CDW. The first national advertisement run by the company was in 1985 in PC World Magazine and after two years the company published its first catalog. In 1987, CDW started offering their first services and helping customers set up their computers. Eventually, the workforce expanded and they started hiring more technical expertise.

CDW Corporation
Image Source: upload.wikimedia.org

Within less than a decade of the company’s establishment, it completed its first IPO in 1993, and its sales summed up to $247million. CDW Corporation was hiring new employees at a high rate and by 1995 it had more than 500 employees which tripled after three years. In 1997, the company established headquarters in Vernon Hills, IL, and celebrated its $1billion sales mark. Next year, a new sector of CDW was founded called CDW G which aimed exclusively at helping government and educational customers. By the end of the late 90s, CDW’s sales reached $2billion.

CDW in the 21st Century

In 2001, John Edwardson became the new CEO and Chairman of the company. The company listed on number 435 in the Fortune 500 company this year and the sales rose to $3.96billion. After a couple of years, the company made a big investment as it bought Micro Warehouse Canada, an asset of Micro Warehouse. In the following years, the company opened Western Distribution Center in Las Vegas, launched CDW Healthcare, opened new data centers and offices in various states. In 2006, the company acquired Berbee Information Network which was a top-tier reseller of IBM, Cisco, and Microsoft products and services.

On 12th October 2007, Madison Dearborn Partners and Providence Equity Partners from Chicago acquired CDW for $7billion. But the company again went public in 2013 through an IPO in the NASDAQ market under the name CDW Corporation. CDW Finance Corporation and CDW LLC are wholly owned subsidiaries. CWD Canada which is the Canadian branch of CDW has received a lot of recognition and ranked 25th in the category of large and multinational companies.

In 2011, the company started a new campaign called People Who Get IT which focused on new technology that solves everyday business problems. In 2013, the company ranked 267 in the Fortune 500 list. CDW established a new partnership with Dell, acquired a UK-based company Kelway and recently acquired Scalar Decisions, a Canadian solution provider. In 2019, Christine Leahy became the new CEO of the company. 

Currently, CDW is selling a wide range of products starting from hardware equipment to providing IT solutions. Starting from computer accessories to ethernet cables and projectors, cameras, drones, microphones, smartwatches, CDW is selling every tech I can think of. The company also sells software for business applications, security purposes, communication, etc. It also provides ample of choices brand-wise.

Michael Krasny – Founder of CDW Corporation

Born in the early 1950s, Michael Krasny is a famous American billionaire hailing from Illinois. Krasny went to the University of Illinois Gies College of Business and graduated in 1975. His career started by working as a Toyota car salesman but he left his job in 1981 and started learning computer programming. But, Krasny was unable to find steady work so he was forced to sell his own computer. While selling his computer, he understood that computers are having great demand and this gave birth to his new and successful business idea. Under his leadership, the CDW Corporation flourished but he left the company after the deal with Madison Dearborn Partners became successful.

Amphenol

Amphenol – Leading Electronics Company Selling Innovative Solutions in Diversified Market

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Amphenol is one of the largest conglomerates known for manufacturing interconnect products in the world. Established in 1932 by Arthur J. Schmitt, the company started designing and selling products in both the electrical and electronics sectors. Amphenol manufactures fibre optic connectors, coaxial and flat-ribbon cable, and interconnect systems. The company is escalating when it comes to the communication and information processing market, along with providing mobile connectivity and internet solutions.

The headquarters of the company is based in Wallingford, Connecticut, US. There are approx 74,000 employees in the company working in various divisions, from military equipment design to commercial aerospace products, from mobile solutions to the automotive industry. Currently, the CEO and President of the company is R. Adam Norwitt.

Founding Amphenol

Arthur J. Schmitt founded Amphenol in 1932, 89 years from now in Chicago. The company manufactured tube sockets for radio tubes as its first product. The time when Amphenol truly started expanding its business and became famous was during World War II. During the war, the company became the main manufacturers of connectors used in military hardware. Amphenol was a part of Bunker Ramo Corporation for sixteen years, which sold digital computers and military electronics devices. Today, the company has expanded its market in sixty countries across the world.

After World War II, the diverse range of products, from electronics to military aerospace, is the biggest reason how Amphenol entered numerous markets and kept thriving. Amphenol started another company in 1993, known as Amphenol Fiber Systems International, specializing in communication systems based on fibre optics interconnect technology. The company launched another division in 2006, known as Amphenol Cables which distributed standard cable assemblies. Among all the divisions of the company, the largest is Amphenol Aerospace, based in Sidney Village in New York State. During the 2000s, Amphenol’s business was booming, and in 2010, its revenue summed up to $3.55billion.

Popular Products from Amphenol

Amphenol has many divisions that design and manufactures innovative solutions in a variety of fields. Starting with the military equipment, the military devices used for communication should be susceptible to conditions like nuclear radiation, severe temperature, etc. So, the company is responsible for manufacturing high quality interconnect systems that work in harsh conditions. Amphenol designs high-speed board-level interconnects, printed circuit boards, backplane systems, etc.

In the commercial aerospace sector, Amphenol is a major provider of connectors and interconnect assembly products. For aircraft applications, Amphenol provides solutions to controls and instrumentation, in-flight entertainment, airframe power distribution, wire bundling, cable management, etc. The company also manufactures sensors and antennas when it comes to industrial applications. It is also a major provider of the core solutions in the industrial sector, its products are consumed by healthcare, marine, oil and gas, transportation, lighting, entertainment sector, etc.

Next is the automotive sector, where the main solutions of Amphenol are in management and control, exhaust monitoring and cleaning, in-car power, communications, safety, security system, navigation, etc. Today, many companies are striving towards a new era of the automotive industry, i.e., electric vehicles, and Amphenol is one of them. For mobile devices, Amphenol provides a broad range of products, including antennas, micro-coax assemblies, camera sockets, LCD connectors, microphone and speaker connector, sim, and memory card sockets, etc.

Along with mobile devices, the company also provides solutions in mobile networks, which includes RF, high-speed, power, fibre optic, antennas, etc. IT and datacom is also another division of Amphenol that creates solutions for storage systems, power distribution assemblies, bushbars, optical and copper networking equipment, cloud computing, etc. Amphenol is also a leading service provider when it comes to broadband communications.

Acquisitions

The list of acquired companies by Amphenol started growing in the last twenty years. In early 2005, the company took over the operations of SV Microwave, followed by Teradyne Connection Systems in October of the same year. This was followed by the acquisition of a French company SEFEE and Jaybeam Wireless (currently known as Amphenol Antenna Solutions). Some of the other companies that are under Amphenol today are Tecvox OEM Solutions LLC, FCI Asia Pte Ltd, Phitek Ltd, Wilcoxon Research, etc.

The founder – Arthur J. Schmitt

Born on 14th June 1893, Arthur J. Schmitt established himself as a successful American engineer, entrepreneur, and inventor. He was also a big philanthropist who founded the Arthur J. Schmitt Foundation, which built a school and college to train engineers during World War II. The foundation is also known to offer scholarships and fellowships in many schools and colleges. Being an entrepreneur, Schmitt founded American Phenolic Corp in 1932, which today is famous as Amphenol. It was under his leadership that the company successfully developed several equipments for the military during the war and eventually entered various markets.