In its update yesterday, the company said its main chip business continued to see strong demand, but that demand for communications chips remains soft.

Thieves would be unlikely to remove the communications chips because it would be time-consuming and mean disassembling much of the car.

The company said sales in its main processor business were at the high end of expectations, while demand for its communications chips remained weak.

It does not provide design services and works from customers' designs to produce communications chips.

And before anyone could be notified of the change in conditions, he removed the communications chip, then snapped it in two.

The last time they were in, the talk had been about sending political messages through the communications chips that some people were having put in their heads.

Analog Devices Inc., a maker of high-speed communications chips, said it was reducing its estimates for the third quarter because of canceled orders.

Advanced Micro said it also had strong sales of communications chips and recovering sales of programmable logic chips.

The company develops advanced technologies for multimedia and wireless communications chips.

The unit makes communications chips and fiber optic components like lasers.