Micron and Memory – Slamming on brakes after going off the cliff without skidmarks

Micron and Memory – Slamming on brakes after going off the cliff without skidmarks
by Robert Maire on 10-03-2022 at 10:00 am

Wiley Coyote Semiconductor Crash 2022 1

-Micron slams on the brakes of capacity & capex-
-But memory market is already over the cliff without skid marks
-It will likely take at least a year to sop up excess capacity
-Collateral impact on Samsung & others even more important

Micron hitting the brakes after memory market already impacts

Micron capped off an otherwise… Read More


Semiconductor Decline in 2023

Semiconductor Decline in 2023
by Bill Jewell on 09-22-2022 at 8:00 am

Semiconductor MArket Forecast 2022 1

The semiconductor market dropped 0.8 percent in 2Q 2022 versus 1Q 2022, according to WSTS. The 2Q 2022 decline followed a 0.5% quarter-to-quarter decline in 1Q 2022. The 2Q 2022 revenues of the top 15 semiconductor suppliers match the overall market results, with a 1% decline from 1Q 2022. The results by company were mixed. Memory… Read More


ASML Business is so Great it Looks Bad

ASML Business is so Great it Looks Bad
by Robert Maire on 07-24-2022 at 6:00 am

ASML Systems 2022

-ASML reports strong quarter- Orders up 20% Qtr/Qtr
-Customers rush delivery which delays revenue recognition
-Chip makers need hard to get litho tools most of all
-Warning on concerns about consumer chip demand

Good numbers that are even better in reality

ASML reported revenues of Euro5.4B and EPS of Euro3.54. Most importantly… Read More


Micron kicks off the down cycle – Chops 2023 capex – Holding inventory off street

Micron kicks off the down cycle – Chops 2023 capex – Holding inventory off street
by Robert Maire on 07-02-2022 at 10:00 am

Stock Crash 2022

-Micron reports weak outlook for fiscal Q4
-2023 capex to be down versus 2022 capex of $12B & Q3’s $2B
-Company keeping inventory off street to support pricing
-Memory is usually the first shoe to drop in a down cycle

Sharp drop in demand at end of Q3…..

Micron reported a sharp drop in demand at the end of its fiscal Q3,… Read More


The New Normal for Semiconductor Manufacturing

The New Normal for Semiconductor Manufacturing
by Daniel Nenni on 05-27-2022 at 6:00 am

200mm 300mm Semiconductor Capacity

One of the recent live events I attended was the 2022 GSA Silicon Leadership Summit on May 12th at the Santa Clara Convention Center (my favorite location). This was the first GSA live event in two years so it was a must attend gathering. This event targets semiconductor ecosystem executives (200+ people attended) so there were many… Read More


“Too Big To Fail Two” – Could chip failure take down tech & entire economy?

“Too Big To Fail Two” – Could chip failure take down tech & entire economy?
by Robert Maire on 12-19-2021 at 6:00 am

Semiconductors too big to fail

-Chips enable tech sector which underpins entire economy
-Is the US chip sector “Too Big To Fail”?
-If US chip industry fails, does tech & everything else follow?
-How chip/Taiwan crisis compares to 2008 financial meltdown

It was the best of times, it was the worst of times

We find it an incredible juxtaposition… Read More


A Practical Approach to Better Thermal Analysis for Chip and Package

A Practical Approach to Better Thermal Analysis for Chip and Package
by Daniel Nenni on 12-13-2021 at 6:00 am

ANSYS Thermal Chip Model

Thermal modeling has become a hot topic for designers of today’s high-speed circuits and complex packages. This has led to the adoption of better and more sophisticated thermal modeling tools and flows as exemplified in this presentation by Micron at the IDEAS Digital Forum. The presentation is titled “Thermal Aware Memory ControllerRead More


The Journey of DRAM Continues

The Journey of DRAM Continues
by Arabinda Das on 09-26-2021 at 10:00 am

HBM

The field of DRAM is fascinating as it continues to grow and innovate. For the past ten years, I have often read that DRAM is running out of steam because of its difficulty to scale the capacitor, and yet it continues to evolve since invented by Dr. R. Dennard at IBM. In 1966, he introduced the concept of a transistor memory cell consisting… Read More


VLSI Technology Symposium – Imec Alternate 3D NAND Word Line Materials

VLSI Technology Symposium – Imec Alternate 3D NAND Word Line Materials
by Scotten Jones on 07-19-2021 at 6:00 am

T8 1 Arjun Page 08

At the 2021 VLSI Technology Symposium, Imec presented on Ruthenium (Ru) and Molybdenum (Mo) as alternate Word Line (WL) materials for 3D NAND Flash “First Demonstration of Ruthenium and Molybdenum Word lines Integrated into 40nm Pitch 3D NAND Memory Devices”. I had an opportunity to interview one of the authors: Maarten Rosmeulen.… Read More


Chips for America Act – Funding Failures & Foreigners or Saving Semiconductors?

Chips for America Act – Funding Failures & Foreigners or Saving Semiconductors?
by Robert Maire on 06-06-2021 at 6:00 am

Government Bailout

-A repeat of the auto industry bailout of self inflicted issues?
-Not just money but systemic change is needed
-Perhaps chips need an Elon led revolution like autos & space
-Govt $ need focus not thrown into existing spend avalanche.

 

Are chips a replay of the auto industry bailout a decade ago? Deja Vu all over again.

The… Read More