Samsung is warming up and spending again
Samsung gave its preliminary report for Q4 and it was well better than prior muted expectations. It doesn’t take long for Samsung’s business units to respond to business trends in either direction and we have already heard of increased spending plans on the part of Samsung.… Read More
The Tech Week that was January 6-10 2020
Happy New Year to everyone.. lets hope 2020 is a great year.. The indicators are all pointing in the right direction but it will not take much to derail it if external factors change. Here is my weekly summary of all the important news from the semiconductor industry around the world.
2020 is starting very differently from 2019 with… Read More
Semiconductor Review 2019 into 2020!
Semiconductors continue to surge and lead technology sectors all over the world. TSMC has always been my economic bellwether and 2019 was another great year as the TSM share price almost doubled. But it looks like the best is yet to come with TSMC significantly increasing CAPEX to cover 7nm and 5nm demand.
TSMC CEO C.C. Wei increased… Read More
ANSYS, TSMC Document Thermal Reliability Guidelines
Advanced IC technologies, 5nm and 7nm FinFET design and stacked packaging, are enabling massive levels of integration of super-fast circuits. These in turn enable much of the exciting new technology we hear so much about: mobile gaming and ultra-high definition mobile video through enhanced mobile broadband in 5G, which requires… Read More
TSMC, Huawei, the US Government, and China
The media is trying to disparage the semiconductor industry again. It’s hard to not take this type of desperate journalism personal. Semiconductor people are the smartest and hardest working people in the world and we deserve better, absolutely.
TSMC founder sees trade dispute as ‘reality show with no script’… Read More
IEDM 2019 – TSMC 5nm Process
IEDM is in my opinion the premiere conference for information on state-of-the-art semiconductor processes. In “My Top Three Reasons to Attend IEDM 2019” article I singled out the TSMC 5nm paper as a key reason to attend.
IEDM is one of the best organized conferences I attend and as soon as you pick up your badge you are handed a memory… Read More
As 2019 comes to an end everyone is starting to look at what 2020 holds
At the moment there are many encouraging signs based on the latest data. Let’s hope this trend continues into 2002 and 2020 is the year of recovery of the semiconductor market. However much depends on how the US China trade war pans out. Last week Trump blew hot and cold saying everything from the negotiations were going very well to… Read More
Bob Swan says Intel 7nm equals TSMC 5nm!
Bob Swan is really starting to grow on me. Admittedly, I am generally not a fan of CFOs taking CEO roles at semiconductor companies but thus far Bob is doing a great job. This comes from my outside-looking-in observations and from the people I know inside Intel, absolutely.
Bob did a fireside chat with Credit Suisse at their 23rd annual… Read More
AMAT last to confirm foundry led recovery
Good end to a weak fiscal year- and end to down cycle
As expected and well telegraphed by TSMC, LRCX, ASML & KLAC, AMAT put up a good quarter and guide as the last to report that the industry has turned the corner on the down cycle. While not a rip roaring recovery, its better to return to growth than continue a downward trend.
Results… Read More
2020 Semiconductor Foundry Landscape Update!
When I first started working with the foundries 25 years ago I would have never imagined that I would make a career out of it, which I most certainly have. Fortunately, I recognized early on that not only are the foundries the cornerstone of the semiconductor ecosystem, they are also a very important economic bellwether, absolutely.… Read More

