Tracking the Big Semiconductor Story of 2012

Tracking the Big Semiconductor Story of 2012
by Ed McKernan on 01-06-2012 at 3:56 pm

It’s just a matter of time – perhaps just a few months – before the greatest mystery of the semiconductor industry is revealed and the peaceful co-existence of the Fab vs Fabless world is blown apart. An arms race was started by Intel to challenge TSMC and Samsung on who would control not only the high valued processor but soon… Read More


Why AMD is Up Q4, While Intel is Down

Why AMD is Up Q4, While Intel is Down
by Ed McKernan on 12-19-2011 at 5:45 pm

Immediately following Intel’s announcement that they expected Q4 revenue to come up short by $1B, Rory Read the new CEO of AMD, countered that they were on track to meet their original guidance (see article). Furthermore, “In 1Q and 2Q, maybe you see some manifestations, but I wouldn’t bet against the supply chain,”… Read More


Layout for analog/mixed-signal nanometer ICs

Layout for analog/mixed-signal nanometer ICs
by Paul McLellan on 08-26-2011 at 5:24 pm

Analog has always been difficult, a bit of a black art persuading a digital process to create well-behaved analog circuits, capacitors, resistors and all the rest. In the distant past, we would solve this by putting the analog on a separate chip, often in a non-leading-edge process. But modern SoCs integrate large amounts of digital… Read More


Will AMD Crash Intel’s $300M Ultrabook Party?

Will AMD Crash Intel’s $300M Ultrabook Party?
by Ed McKernan on 08-14-2011 at 7:00 am

Let’s face it, the ships are burning in the harbor and there is only one way out of here for AMD. It needs to crash Intel’s exclusive $300M Ultrabook Party in order to grab a slice of the future, more profitable PC market.

Intel Capital Creates $300 Million Ultrabook FundRead More


Intel Briefing: Tri-Gate Technology and Atom SoC

Intel Briefing: Tri-Gate Technology and Atom SoC
by Daniel Nenni on 07-17-2011 at 3:00 pm

Sorry to disappoint but my 2 hours at the Intel RNB was a very positive experience. It is much more fun writing negative things about industry leaders because I enjoy the resulting hate mail and personal attacks, but the candor and transparency of the Intel guys won me over. They even asked ME questions which was a bit telling. I also… Read More


Intel’s 22nm Process. Atom, ARM, Apple

Intel’s 22nm Process. Atom, ARM, Apple
by Paul McLellan on 05-05-2011 at 9:52 am

Intel had a big press event yesterday at which they announced details of their 22nm process. In a change from their current processes, it goes with a vertical gate. In fact 3 gates which gives them much better control of leakage through transistors that are switched off, along with more transmission through the on transistors. They… Read More