– SPIE EUV & Photomask conference well attended with great talks
– Chip industry focused on next gen High NA EUV & what it impacts
– Do big chips=big masks? Another Actinic tool?
– AI & chip tools, a game changer- China pre-empting more sanctions
Tag: robert maire
AMAT- Trailing Edge & China Almost Offset Floundering Foundry & Missing Memory
-AMAT reported inline resulted helped by trailing edge & China
-Memory remains at very low levels- Foundry remains uninspiring
-China seems to be buying anything they are allowed to buy
-The recovery is too far out & unknown to handicap
Quarter was OK and Guidance also OK
Revenue was $6.63B and EPS of $1.86 versus reduced… Read More
AMAT- Flat is better than down-Trailing tool strength offsets memory- backlog up
-Strength in trailing tools offsets weak memory resulting in flat
-Order book very volatile but backlog surprisingly still grew
-Trailing edge VS Leading edge = 50/50 – Foundry/logic over 2/3
-Not nearly as bad as Lam but not as good as ASML
AMAT posts good quarter & guide – Flat for three quarters
Applied Materials… Read More
ASML – Powering through weakness – Almost untouchable – Lead times exceed downturn
-Demand far exceeds supply & much longer than any downturn
-Full speed ahead-$40B in solid backlog provides great comfort
-ASP increase shows strength- China is non issue
-In a completely different league than other equipment makers
Reports a good beat & Guide
Revenues were Euro6.4B with system sales making up Euro4.7B… Read More
Where there’s Smoke there’s Fire: UCTT ICHR LRCX AMAT KLAC Memory
-UCTT & ICHR both pre announce ugly QTR & blame memory
-LRCX is the memory “poster child” & most impacted
-This is on top of China & Economic issues & memory specific
-Clearing out inventory is a sign of expected slow recovery
UCTT & ICHR pre-announce ugly quarters
Both UCTT & ICHR that … Read More
ASML Business is so Great it Looks Bad
-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
DUV, EUV now PUV Next gen Litho and Materials Shortages worsen supply chain
-New PUV light source will push litho into Angstrom Era
-Rare earth elements shortages add to supply chain woes
-Could strategic wafer reserve releases lower memory pricing
-Can we cut off/turn off Russian access to chip equipment?
DUV, EUV and now “PUV” to become next generation lithography
Lithography is the locomotive… Read More
Forty Four Billion Reasons Why TSMC Remains Dominant
-Chips for America is better than nothing, but not much
–TSMC $40-44B Capex crushes competition (Intel & Samsung)
-Additional efforts other than handouts are necessary
-Could/should TSMC be “adopted” as a US company?
Competition can’t keep up with $40-$44B of Capex
TSMC’s recent announcement… Read More
“Too Big To Fail Two” – Could chip failure take down tech & entire economy?
-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
Intel- Analysts/Investor flub shows disconnect on Intel, Industry & challenges
Analysts missed all warning signs until Intel spelled it out
12% stock drop shows disconnect and misunderstanding
No quick fix, this is a long term, uncertain problem & solution
Everyone ignored the obvious until it ran them over
A 12% stock drop is fault of investors/analysts not Intel
Whenever a stock drops 12% in one day there… Read More