(AOF) – Philips reported favorable results for tests carried out on certain sleep apnea treatment devices, which it recalled earlier this year. There was a risk that their foam would break down into particles, enter the air circuit and be inhaled by the user. The foam could also give off certain chemical gases.
Testing for first-generation DreamStation products has shown that exposure to “volatile organic compounds (VOCs)” (…) “is generally not expected to have long-term health consequences for patients.”
“This new assessment is limited to the assessment of VOCs for the first generation DreamStation devices. It does not assess the risks related to potential foam particles and does not cover other devices affected by the recall” stressed the group of electronics specializing in health and “Personal Care” products.
Full particle testing and analysis is expected to be completed in the second quarter of 2022.
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Professional electronics: market under tension
According to the WSTS (World Semiconductor Trade Statistics), the global semiconductor market is even expected to grow 8.4% in 2021 for a market under extreme stress.
Excellent outlook
While demand is growing faster than global growth, supply is very limited. Three players dominate the sector (the Taiwanese TSMC, the American Intel and the Korean Samsung) whereas they were more than twenty in 2002. Analysts predict that they will be down to two from 2023. The United States represent only 12% of world production according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. As for Europe, it weighs only 7%. It aims to produce 20% of semiconductors in the world by 2030. Sixteen countries, including France and Germany, will unite to develop production capacities.
TSMC (the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) is very well positioned to take advantage of the arrival of 5G and connected objects. “Founder”, it does not sell any chip under its brand, but produces the components on behalf of other players.
The Middle East ESC
Still relatively unknown compared to the Consumer Electronics Show (CES), the Gitex (Gulf Information Technology Exhibition) in Dubai has existed since 1981 and attracts around 100,000 visitors per year. Even if it wants to compete with CES in Las Vegas, and the region is a very tech-savvy market, Gitex remains, despite its internationalization, still a regional hub for technology. CES covers the United States, North America and Europe at the same time, while Gitex covers the Middle East, Africa and South Asia in 2021. at the same time as the Dubai World Expo. France was the second most represented country, behind Italy.