The outlook for the global semiconductor market in 2011 has deteriorated from earlier in the year due to multiple factors including slower than expected economic growth in the U.S., debt crises in Europe and the Japan earthquake and tsunami. Recent forecasts have narrowed down to a range of -1.4% to 3.5%. In the first half of 2011,… Read More
SICAS capacity data loses TSMC and UMC
SICAS (Semiconductor Industry Capacity Statistics) has released its 2Q 2011 data with significant changes in membership. The data is available through the SIA at: SICASdata The SICAS membership list no longer includes the Taiwanese companies Nanya Technology, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company Ltd. (TSMC) or United… Read More
A New Name: ‘Si2Con’ Arrives October 20th!
In case you have not heard, the 16th Si2-hosted conference highlighting industry progress in design flow interoperability comes to Silicon Valley (Santa Clara, CA) on October 20th. Si2Con will showcase recent progress of members in the critical areas of:
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Global Semiconductor Alliance Ecosystem Summit Trip Report!
Being an internationally recognized industry blogger (IRIB) does have its benefits, one of which is free invites to all of the cool industry conferences! The presentations are canned for the most part but you can learn a lot at the breaks and exhibits if you know the right questions to ask, which I certainly do.
The GSA Semiconductor… Read More
Semiconductor equipment spending beginning to decline
Semiconductor manufacturing equipment shipments have leveled off after a strong rebound from the 2008-2009 downturn. August 2011 three-month-average shipments based on combined data from SEMI (North American and European companies) and SEAJ (Japanese companies) were $2.9 billion, down from a peak of $3.2 billion in May … Read More
Economic news not all bad for semiconductors
The economic news lately has been bleak. U.S. GDP grew at an anemic 0.4% in 1Q 2011 and 1.0% in 2Q 2011 – leading to increased concerns about a double-dip recession. High government debt levels in the U.S. and several European nations have contributed to volatile stock markets. The news does not seem to be any better for the semiconductor… Read More
ISSCC Semiconductors for Healthy Living
Not only do I enjoy San Francisco, I really enjoy the International Solid-State Conference that was held in San Francisco again last week. This was ISSCC #57 I believe. ISSCC attracts a different crowd than other semiconductor conferences, probably because there are no exhibits and no sales and marketing nonsense, just serious… Read More
Semiconductor Forecast 2010-2011 Update!
It’s that time of the quarter again, where the semiconductor analysts revise forecasts, passing off glorified guesstimates as valid financial planning data. They aren’t forecasts! They are observations! I blame these hacks for the 12.5% Silicon Valley unemployment rate! I blame these hacks for the dwindling available capitol… Read More
The New Semiconductor Economy
Bill Wiseman of McKinsey & Company presented “Waking up to the new normal, the world economy after the great recession” at a recent ITAC GSA Conference. Bill supports my previous semiconductor financial predictions in great and graphical detail.
In the United States: unemployment claims are up, home sales are down without… Read More
Warning Signs for Semiconductors!
Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernanke recently testified before Congress that the U.S. economy is recovering, and he predicts the nation will not experience a double-dip recession, or as I predicted a big “V” then a small “v” in my blog: China Semiconductor Bubble.
Bill Jewel from Semiconductor Intelligence agrees with Bernanke:… Read More
Elon Musk Given CHIPS Act & AI Oversight – Mulls Relocation of Taiwanese Fabs