Semiconductors negative in 2016, positive in 2017

Semiconductors negative in 2016, positive in 2017
by Bill Jewell on 08-17-2016 at 12:00 pm

Note: the table and text below have been revised from an earlier post to correct the numbers for STMicroelectronics.

Semiconductor companies posted a wide range of results in 2nd quarter 2016. Intel, Micron Technology and Renesas Electronics all had declines in revenue in 2Q 2016 versus 1Q 2016. Samsung Semiconductor, Qualcomm… Read More


Xilinx is Killing Altera!

Xilinx is Killing Altera!
by Daniel Nenni on 06-28-2016 at 4:00 pm

At a recent outing with FPGA friends from days gone by, the long running Xilinx vs Altera debate has come to an end. The bottom line is that Xilinx has used the FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt) of the Intel acquisition quite effectively against Altera and is racking up 20nm and 16nm design wins at an alarming rate. It will be a while … Read More


Analysis of Cypress Semiconductor acquisition of Broadcom wireless IoT assets

Analysis of Cypress Semiconductor acquisition of Broadcom wireless IoT assets
by Dale Ford on 05-10-2016 at 4:00 pm

Cypress Semiconductor announced that it will acquire Broadcom’s wireless Internet of Things (IoT) business in a $550 million deal. The deal was announced on Thursday, April 28, at the same time it announced that T.J. Rodgers will step down as CEO. The deal transfers Broadcom’s Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Zigbee product… Read More


2015 semiconductor market flat, 2016 looking somewhat better

2015 semiconductor market flat, 2016 looking somewhat better
by Bill Jewell on 02-27-2016 at 7:00 am

The 2015 semiconductor market finished with a 0.2% decline from 2014, according to World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS). Optimists will round this to flat with 2014. The flat 2015 follows healthy 9.9% growth in 2014. Going into 2015, forecasts were in the range of 3% to 11%. We at Semiconductor Intelligence were at the high… Read More


Slinging Stones at the Data Center Semi Goliaths

Slinging Stones at the Data Center Semi Goliaths
by Maury Wood on 12-18-2015 at 7:00 am

For those not aware, there is quite a battle brewing in data center wired communication segment (across which most wireless data traffic traverses). A primary impetus driving the competitive positioning is the recent commercial availability of single lane 25 Gbps serdes (serializer / deserializer) channels in 28 nm CMOS from… Read More


IDMs are Much Ahead of Fabless Semicon Companies

IDMs are Much Ahead of Fabless Semicon Companies
by Pawan Fangaria on 12-06-2015 at 7:00 am

In a balancing global economy, it’s a common phenomenon that at certain times a few sectors or segments within the sectors grow much faster compared to others. And a few companies within the growing sectors lead those sectors. Both the growing sectors and the leading companies in those sectors become the centers of attraction. … Read More


Dinner with the Man who is Reshaping the Semiconductor Industry!

Dinner with the Man who is Reshaping the Semiconductor Industry!
by Daniel Nenni on 10-07-2015 at 4:00 pm

The recent mega acquisition of Broadcom Corp by Avago can be traced all the way back to Silicon Valley stalwart Hewlett Packard (founded in a two car Palo Alto garage in 1939). Even more interesting is the man behind the acquisition and how he got to where he is today.Avago began as the semiconductor products division of HP in 1961, … Read More


Make American Semiconductor Great Again!

Make American Semiconductor Great Again!
by Daniel Nenni on 08-10-2015 at 4:00 pm

As I watched the GOP debate between the top 10 candidates last week I asked myself which one of those men would I pick to help the United States stay competitive in the semiconductor industry. I’m saddened to say that the only candidate even remotely qualified for that conversation in my opinion is Donald Trump. Of course I backed Ross… Read More


Apple Watch – A Great New Design, Needs More

Apple Watch – A Great New Design, Needs More
by Pawan Fangaria on 07-06-2015 at 7:00 pm

During 52[SUP]nd[/SUP] DAC, there was a special session where a brand new Apple watch was opened and each of its components was shown with a brief description about it. I found this tear down session a great innovative idea coming from DAC organizers; actually two buzzing products, AppleWatch and DJI’s Phantom Drone were opened… Read More


Semiconductor Acquisitions will Fuel Innovation!

Semiconductor Acquisitions will Fuel Innovation!
by Daniel Nenni on 05-30-2015 at 7:00 am

Has the semiconductor world gone acquisition crazy? It certainly seems that way with the more than $60B in M&A activity which may now include Altera. We are probably getting close to the 80/20 rule where 80% of the semiconductor revenue is being generated by 20% of the companies. Not far off from where we were at 25 years ago when… Read More