Update: Who will manufacture the Apple A9?

Update: Who will manufacture the Apple A9?
by Daniel Nenni on 01-04-2015 at 12:00 am

Last August I presented possible scenarios for the manufacturing of the Apple A9 processor. Quite a bit has changed since then so I think it is worth revisiting. There has also been quite a lot of misinformation in the press which is now pretty much a daily thing. Attending the IEDM conference last month really was a stark difference… Read More


GlobalFoundries did NOT Pull the Emergency Brake!

GlobalFoundries did NOT Pull the Emergency Brake!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-31-2014 at 10:00 am

Barron’s again published an unsubstantiated semicondutor rumor that is making the rounds. It all started with a Christmas day blog by Robert Maire who is a long time semiconductor analyst. Please note that he is not a semiconductor professional (someone who actually works in the industry) but he certainly does know people who … Read More


Top Ten Semiconductor CEOs in 2014!

Top Ten Semiconductor CEOs in 2014!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-29-2014 at 7:00 am

Since my blog about the Intel CEOs went over so well (sarcasm) I thought I should write more about semiconductor chief executive officers. This list comes from David Manners of Electronics Weekly who, unlike me, is a real journalist. Using David’s list as a starting point I will add more candidates at the end and please add yours in… Read More


Fabless Semiconductor Milestones of 2014!

Fabless Semiconductor Milestones of 2014!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-28-2014 at 9:00 am

After working in the semiconductor industry for the past thirty years and writing about it for the past six I would say that 2014 was one of the more interesting years of late. Vindication is the word that pops into my mind now that many “predictions” the fabless detractors have made over the last three years were proven wrong.

As a student… Read More


Riding the Wave of Silicon Magic in 2015!

Riding the Wave of Silicon Magic in 2015!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-26-2014 at 7:00 am

2014 was a busy year for SemiWiki. We attended dozens of events, met hundreds of people (if not thousands), and published 810 blogs and a book that reached more than half of a million people. We collaborated throughout the fabless semiconductor ecosystem all year long and let me tell you it has been an amazing mind expanding experience,… Read More


New book untangles the Internet of Things (IoT)!

New book untangles the Internet of Things (IoT)!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-21-2014 at 9:00 am

In 10 years, there will be 50 billion devices connected to the web, said Ericsson CEO Hans Vestberg. Next, Cisco chief John Chambers called IoT a US$ 19 trillion business opportunity in his keynote at the 2014 CES.

What is this Internet of Things after all? And how is it evolving seamlessly into multiple dimensions? How does it relate… Read More


A Closer Look at the QCOM $40M Investment in China!

A Closer Look at the QCOM $40M Investment in China!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-14-2014 at 7:00 am

Last Thursday night was the 20[SUP]th[/SUP] annual GSA Awards Dinner which probably hosts one of the largest collections of semiconductor executives. Think of a movie or music awards show with all of the trimmings including Jay Leno as the keynote. I don’t know the exact head count but there were 160 dinner tables with 10 plates … Read More


Intel has Another First for 14nm Production!

Intel has Another First for 14nm Production!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-10-2014 at 7:00 am

An interesting thing happened while I was researching a slide from Bill Holt’s “Advancing Moore’s Law” presentation at last month’s analyst meeting. Slide #19 mentioned that Intel was the first to use “air gap” dielectric spaces to improve performance in a digital logic flow for microprocessors. I know a certain foundry that … Read More


TSMC Sees More Growth in 2015!

TSMC Sees More Growth in 2015!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-06-2014 at 8:00 pm

As I wait for my plane to Taiwan I’m wondering what the New Year has in store for the fabless semiconductor ecosystem. Good things I hope but to make sure let’s take another look at one of my trusted economic bellwethers (TSMC) which I’m guessing will break the $25B revenue mark this year. That is more than a 25% growth rate year… Read More


Intel is NOT Quitting Mobile!

Intel is NOT Quitting Mobile!
by Daniel Nenni on 12-04-2014 at 9:00 pm

Judging from the presentation Hermann Eul did at NASDAQ this week Intel is still in mobile. This presentation was probably inked before Intel Mobile was folded into the PC Group however. The first clue is Hermann’s title was listed as “General Manager and Vice President, Mobile Communications Group” which he is no longer. Even … Read More