When Nvidia changed its automotive market messaging from an infotainment-centered theme to autonomous driving two years ago – pronouncing the coming tidal wave of robotaxi development – it matched the almost identical epiphany reached by Intel years prior. Automotive infotainment is a low volume, low revenue… Read More




CES 2019: Dashboard Dreams
The annual trek to Las Vegas arrives this year with visions of sinusitis, chapped lips, flat feet and new concepts for automotive cockpit systems. It is no coincidence that the plaza in front of the Las Vegas Convention Center is dominated by automotive exhibits – along with multiple automated driving demonstrations across the… Read More
CES 2019 Robotaxis vs. Micro Transit
Attendees of CES 2019 arriving at Las Vegas McCarran International Airport next week will have four options for getting to their hotels: a shuttle offering two rides for the price of one (out and back for about $15); a taxi offering one ride for the price of two (about $30), a Lyft or Uber offering one ride for the price of one ride (about… Read More
2018 Semiconductor Year in Review
Strong Overall Market Growth but a Slowdown Looms
After six years of single digit percentage growth in the overall semiconductor market, 2017 saw almost 22% growth and 2018 year-to-date is up roughly 17% (based on numbers published by the world semiconductor trade statistics). The big growth driver the last two years has been … Read More
Apple as Apex of chip industry portends weaker 2019
On the first day of trading in the new year Apple just announced, after the close, that revenues will be lower than previously expected coming in at $84B versus the expected range of $89B to $93B and analyst estimates of the current quarter at $91.5B. Ugly….. The blame was laid squarely on China as slowing sales and trade tensions… Read More
Disturbances in the AI Force
In the normal evolution of specialized hardware IP functions, initial implementations start in academic research or R&D in big semiconductor companies, motivating new ventures specializing in functions of that type, who then either build critical mass to make it as a chip or IP supplier (such as Mobileye – intially)… Read More
Samsung vs TSMC 7nm Update
The semiconductor foundry business has gone through a dynamic transformation over the last 30 years. In the beginning the foundries were several process nodes behind the IDMs with little hope of catching up. Today the foundries are leading the process development race at 10nm – 7nm, and will continue to do so, absolutely.… Read More
Let The AI Benchmark Wars Begin!
Why benchmark competition enables breakthrough innovation in AI. Two years ago I inadvertently started a war. And I couldn’t be happier with the outcome. While wars fought on the battle field of human misery and death never have winners, this “war” is different. It is a competition of human ingenuity to create new technologies … Read More
The 7 Most Dangerous Digital Technology Trends
As our world embraces a digital transformation, innovative technologies bring greater opportunities, cost efficiencies, abilities to scale globally, and entirely new service capabilities to enrich the lives of people globally. But there is a catch. For every opportunity, there is a risk. The more dependent and entrenched… Read More
Semiconductor Metrology Inspection Outpacing Overall Equipment Market in 2018
As uncertainties mount about the near-term semiconductor industry from companies in Apple’s supply chain and the significant drop in memory chip prices, the semiconductor industry has consistently grown each year since the great recession of 2009. Semiconductor revenues have consistently outpaced semiconductor equipment… Read More
Semiconductor Equipment Spending Healthy