Japanese chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp and India's Tata Motors have formed a strategic partnership to design, develop and make semiconductor solutions, the firms said on Wednesday. The move comes as a persistent global shortage of semiconductor chips has hobbled the automotive and electronics industries, among others, forcing production cutbacks, while highlighting global dependence on a few sources, such as Taiwan. Renesas will collaborate with Tata Motors, India's biggest manufacturer of electric cars, on developing "next-generation automotive electronics" to accelerate the growth of electric and connected vehicles, the companies said in a statement.
UK startup Circulor, which uses blockchain technology to map supply chains for companies pursuing greener, more sustainable production, said on Tuesday it had raised $25 million to fund expansion, primarily in the United States. The Series B funding round brings Circulor's fundraising over the last two years to $45 million. The funding round was led by early Tesla investor Westly Group and included investments from the venture capital arms of Volvo Cars , Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) and BHP Group, the world's largest listed miner.
Jaguar Land Rover is battling to stop car dealers sending its cars to China and other hugely lucrative markets, which is compounding shortages in the west and widening price gaps globally.