Intel is NOT Transparent Again!

Intel is NOT Transparent Again!
by Daniel Nenni on 01-19-2014 at 9:00 am

Recent headlines suggest that Intel was not transparent about some of the products they showed at the CES keynote. Intel confirmed on Friday that they used ARM-based chips for some of the products but would not say which ones. When your company’s tag line is “Intel Inside” and you hold up a product during your keynote wouldn’t… Read More


Positive Semiconductor Job Outlook in 2014!

Positive Semiconductor Job Outlook in 2014!
by Daniel Nenni on 01-15-2014 at 5:00 pm

Based on local traffic patterns and my experience in Silicon Valley over the last 30 years we are looking at a much higher employment rate inside the fabless semiconductor ecosystem, absolutely. Jobs are being filled more so than I have seen in the past ten years. The challenge of course is finding the right people for the right job… Read More


Is Intel the Concorde of Semiconductor Companies?

Is Intel the Concorde of Semiconductor Companies?
by Daniel Nenni on 01-15-2014 at 8:00 am

An Intel executive recently told me that my Intel articles on SemiWiki are used to motivate employees to work hard and prove me wrong. The converse is also true. The senseless Intel fabless ecosystem bashing motivates me to continue to write so it is a win-win scenario, absolutely. In fact, I should credit Intel’s Mark BohrRead More


Migrating SOCs from 8051 to 32-bits

Migrating SOCs from 8051 to 32-bits
by Daniel Nenni on 01-12-2014 at 10:00 pm

The 8051 processor has been widely used in many embedded applications over the past 30 years. While the 8051 core is small and simple-to-use, the newest generation of consumer electronics being developed today often require more than the 8051 MCU can reasonably deliver. New SOC applications such as flash drives, power managementRead More


Sidense Beats Kilopass in Court Again!

Sidense Beats Kilopass in Court Again!
by Daniel Nenni on 01-12-2014 at 12:00 am

The technology headlines in 2013 were often stolen by frivolous legal actions that made little or no sense to me at all. Patent Trolling is at an all-time high inside the fabless semiconductor ecosystem and as a result litigation reform is coming to Silicon Valley, believe it.

Currently working its way through the legislative process… Read More


Low Power @ DesignCon 2014

Low Power @ DesignCon 2014
by Daniel Nenni on 01-08-2014 at 11:00 am

Taking place annually in Silicon Valley, DesignCon is the premier educational conference and technology exhibition for electronic design engineers in the high speed communications and semiconductor communities.

Created by engineers for engineers, DesignCon is the largest gathering of chip, board and systems designersRead More


Innovations that will change our lives in the next five years

Innovations that will change our lives in the next five years
by Daniel Nenni on 01-05-2014 at 8:00 am

The theme of our book “Fabless: The Transformation of the Semiconductor Industry” comes from the Steve Jobs quote,“You can’t really understand now if you don’t know what came before.” After chronicling the rise of the semiconductor industry and transformation to the fabless business model we ask in the final chapter, … Read More


SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium

SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium
by Daniel Nenni on 01-02-2014 at 3:00 pm

The SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) is Jan 13th-15th at the Ritz-Carlton in Half Moon Bay. When I discussed this with my beautiful wife as a possible business trip for us and mentioned the agenda she stopped me and said, “You had me at Ritz-Carlton!” As you can see by the picture it has a beautiful ocean view and includes a world… Read More


SemiWiki 2013 in Review!

SemiWiki 2013 in Review!
by Daniel Nenni on 01-01-2014 at 9:30 am

This certainly was an interesting year. The fabless semiconductor ecosystem definitely got stronger and I see nothing but clear skies in 2014. Judging by the SemiWiki 2013 analytics and key search terms we all have an interesting year ahead of us with even more opportunities to grow and innovate. 2013 was also a year of growth and… Read More


Intel Wafer Pricing Exposed!

Intel Wafer Pricing Exposed!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-28-2013 at 12:00 pm

One of the big questions on Intel’s foundry strategy is: Can they compete on wafer pricing? Fortunately there are now detailed reports that support what most of us fabless folks already know. The simple answer is no, Intel cannot compete with TSMC or Samsung on wafer pricing at 28nm, 20nm, and 14nm.

In fact, recent reports have shown… Read More