This week's other technology news in brief

Discount tickets for software show

The Software Skillnet, the learning network which provides grant-aided training, is to offer special discounts on tickets for small companies to attend the Irish software show, epicenter 2010, in Trinity College Dublin on June 8th -11th.

The four-day event features over 100 presentations on topics in the areas of enterprise, web, cloud and mobile technology.

The Software Skillnet, hosted by the Irish Software Association and it@Cork, is offering businesses with less than 30 employees, subsidised tickets for a saving of 35 per cent.

http://epicenter.ie

Chip firm bags €7.5m

Dublin-headquartered Movidius has attracted a $7.5 million (€6 million) second round of funding from existing backers Celtic House Venture Partners, Capital E, Emertec Gestion, AIB Seed Capital Fund and unnamed angel investors.

The company said the funding will be used to accelerate deployment of its Myriad platform which enables advanced video and imaging capabilities on mobile phones. Movidius, formerly called Movidia, designs semiconductor chips for the next generation of smart phones which will provide capabilities such as real-time editing of video content, 3D mobile video, and enhanced utilisation of video download bandwidth. The chips are low power and Movidius also provides software applications to take advantage of their capabilities.

Major manufacturers have received samples of the Myriad chips with mass production slated for late this year and handsets containing the products expected to be available in early 2011.

Movidius has offices in Dublin and Hong Kong, with a substantial software development centre in Romania. As well as backing from venture capital firms, it has had investment from Enterprise Ireland.

Internet to run out of addresses

The current architecture of the internet is near the limit of its growth and urgent change is needed, a conference heard this week. More than 130 delegates attended the Irish IPv6 Summit in Dublin Castle which highlighted the threat to the smart economy because the internet is running out of addresses to assign to new devices.

Despite having nearly four and a half billion addresses, it is estimated that IPv4 will reach maximum capacity by September 2011. Newer technology, IPv6, provides a solution and will facilitate a substantial increase in the number addresses.