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Russian Silicon Valley

Russian Silicon Valley
by Daniel Nenni on 11-14-2010 at 6:22 pm

In case you missed it, last June Dmitry Medvedev (the 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] President of Russia) visited Northern California to better understand and hopefully replicate the success of Silicon Valley in Russia. Last month Governor Schwarzenegger returned the favor by visiting Moscow with a delegate of Silicon Valley business leaders… Read More


TSMC Versus Intel?

TSMC Versus Intel?
by Daniel Nenni on 11-07-2010 at 7:18 pm


The big announcement last week was Intel opening up its 22nm manufacturing facilities to an outside company. Even better it’s an FPGA company. There are literally hundreds of write ups on this landmark event so it is definitely blog worthy. But what does it really mean? I have read (5) possibilities:

(1) Intel enters the FPGA businessRead More


Computational Lithography, Scaling’s Best Friend

Computational Lithography, Scaling’s Best Friend
by glforte on 11-03-2010 at 11:51 pm

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By Joseph Sawicki, Vice President & General Manager, Design to Silicon Division

It is one of the more amazing stories in the continued march of Moore’s Law over the past four nodes. Previously scaling was enabled solely though changes in the physical domain, whether through decreasing the wavelength of light, increasing … Read More


Mobile 2Drive Semi 4Ever!

Mobile 2Drive Semi 4Ever!
by Daniel Nenni on 10-30-2010 at 12:07 am

In case you didn’t notice, TSMC’s communications revenue jumped 22% last quarter for a total revenue share of 42%, and that is just the tip of the iceberg for mobile internet. According to the global marketing research company Nielsen, double digit mobile internet adoption rates are the new normal and will continue to be so in the… Read More


Steve Jobs’ 5 Minute Anti Open Systems Rant!

Steve Jobs’ 5 Minute Anti Open Systems Rant!
by Daniel Nenni on 10-24-2010 at 12:58 pm

First of all it was not a rant, it was a clearly scripted rebuttal to the competitive pressures Apple is feeling from Android (here). As I blogged before, Apple is the Open Standards Antichrist and is trying to monopolize the trillion dollar mobile internet ecosystem with a CLOSED platform. According to Steve Jobs, “Open systems… Read More


Semiconductor Supply and Demand in 2010/2011

Semiconductor Supply and Demand in 2010/2011
by Daniel Nenni on 10-22-2010 at 6:41 pm


The semiconductor analysts are at it again, revising numbers, polishing their guesstimates, and patting each other on the back for being equally as inaccurate. I blame these crystal ball hacks for the semiconductor shortages and price hikes we are experiencing today.

These people get paid to guide investors, and the industry… Read More


Semiconductor Forecast: 2010 Boom – 2011 Bust?

Semiconductor Forecast: 2010 Boom – 2011 Bust?
by Daniel Nenni on 10-15-2010 at 6:34 pm


Again, my economic bellwether is TSMC, and judging by the first half, 2010 will go down as one of the most profitable years the semiconductor industry has ever seen. In the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] quarter the foundries again posted record breaking wafer shipments, revenues, and profits. 3[SUP]rd[/SUP] quarter foundry financials should… Read More


What Do You Mean by Mandatory?

What Do You Mean by Mandatory?
by glforte on 10-14-2010 at 6:00 pm

When TSMC and Mentor Graphics held a joint seminar for mutual customers to go over new DFM requirements at 45/40 nm, two customers basically asked the same question, “What do you mean by mandatory?” Of course, TSMC wasn’t going to stand over them and say, “Mandatory means mandatory, what part of mandatory don’t you understand?” … Read More


What Do You Mean by Mandatory?

What Do You Mean by Mandatory?
by glforte on 10-14-2010 at 6:00 pm

When TSMC and Mentor Graphics held a joint seminar for mutual customers to go over new DFM requirements at 45/40 nm, two customers basically asked the same question, “What do you mean by mandatory?” Of course, TSMC wasn’t going to stand over them and say, “Mandatory means mandatory, what part of mandatory don’t you understand?” … Read More