Could China Conflict Curtail Chip Comeback? Part 2

Could China Conflict Curtail Chip Comeback? Part 2
by Robert Maire on 12-07-2018 at 12:00 pm

In our recent note sent several days ago we suggested that the China conflict would come back to haunt the US chip industry. From a stock perspective we suggested taking short term gains from a recent bounce back off the table. Both ideas turned out true, but way faster than we had thought! Not only have investors figured out that the… Read More


The Disconnect Between Semiconductor and Semiconductor Equipment Revenues

The Disconnect Between Semiconductor and Semiconductor Equipment Revenues
by Robert Castellano on 11-27-2018 at 7:00 am

Historically, the semiconductor and semiconductor equipment industry were inextricably linked due to the cyclical nature of the chip industry. An increase in semiconductor revenues was followed within a short period with an increase in equipment revenues, as semiconductor companies purchased equipment to make more chips… Read More


More Negative Semiconductor News

More Negative Semiconductor News
by Robert Maire on 09-24-2018 at 7:00 am

The amount of negative news and information about the semiconductor industry seems to be increasing at a faster rate. Micron put up a better quarter than expected but more importantly guided less than expected. We are surprised that the street is surprised as the decline in memory pricing is well known and Micron has been clear about… Read More


Is the Q4 Bounce Back now a 2009 Recovery?

Is the Q4 Bounce Back now a 2009 Recovery?
by Robert Maire on 09-10-2018 at 7:00 am

Last week saw a unique confluence of events that continue the negative news flow in semicap following the story about GloFo. At a financial conference, Micron’s CFO said NAND prices were declining, this was on top of an analyst note in the morning about the same issue. Even though this should be no surprise as memory has had … Read More


Welcome DDR5 and Thanks to Cadence IP and Test Chip

Welcome DDR5 and Thanks to Cadence IP and Test Chip
by Eric Esteve on 05-25-2018 at 7:00 am

Will we see DDR5 memory (device) and memory controller (IP) in the near future? According with Cadence who has released the first test chip in the industry integrating DDR5 memory controller IP, fabricated in TSMC’s 7nm process and achieving a 4400 megatransfers per second (MT/sec) data rate, the answer is clearly YES !

Let’s come… Read More


Data Center Powers Intel but 10NM Still Slow

Data Center Powers Intel but 10NM Still Slow
by Robert Maire on 04-29-2018 at 12:00 pm

Intel (INTC) blew away expectations based on strong performance in the data center. Revenues of $16.1B versus street of $15.05B and EPS of $0.93 versus street of $0.72. While revenue was up 9% over prior year, earnings were 50% higher. Guidance is for Q2 revenue of $16.3B and EPS of $0.85 versus street of $15.55B and EPS of $0.81. IOT,… Read More


Cleaning Trends for Advanced Nodes

Cleaning Trends for Advanced Nodes
by Scotten Jones on 04-09-2018 at 12:00 pm

I was invited to give a talk at the Business of Cleans Conference held by Linx Consulting in Boston on April 9th. I am not a cleans expert but rather was invited more to give an overview talk on process technology trends and the impact on cleans. In this write up I will discuss my presentation. I discussed each of the three main leading-edge… Read More


Intel to buy Micron – Trump Blocks IC Equipment Sales to China – Broadcom Fighting for QCOM

Intel to buy Micron – Trump Blocks IC Equipment Sales to China – Broadcom Fighting for QCOM
by Robert Maire on 04-01-2018 at 12:00 pm

It has been reported over the holiday weekend that Intel is in talks with Micron over a proposed merger that would value Micron at $70 per share in a deal of a combination of stock and cash for Micron shareholders. It is said that the boards of both companies have already approved the deal.

Intel’s CEO Brian Krzanich said, “We… Read More


LithoVision 2018 The Evolving Semiconductor Technology Landscape and What it Means for Lithography

LithoVision 2018 The Evolving Semiconductor Technology Landscape and What it Means for Lithography
by Scotten Jones on 02-25-2018 at 5:00 pm

I was invited to present at Nikon’s LithoVision event held the day before the SPIE Advanced Lithography Conference in San Jose. The following is a write up of the talk I gave. In this talk I discuss the three main segments in the semiconductor industry, NAND, DRAM and Logic and how technology transitions will affect lithography.… Read More


2017 Semiconductor Growth Approaching 20 Percent!

2017 Semiconductor Growth Approaching 20 Percent!
by Bill Jewell on 10-01-2017 at 7:00 am

The 2017 semiconductor market is shaping up as the strongest since 2010 – when the market grew 32% as it bounced back from the 2008-2009 downturn. According to World Semiconductor Trades Statistics (WSTS), the second quarter 2017 semiconductor market was up 5.8% from 1Q 2017 and up 23.7% from a year ago. Much of the market vitality… Read More