Qualcomm Meets Jerry Sanders at 28nm

Qualcomm Meets Jerry Sanders at 28nm
by Ed McKernan on 04-19-2012 at 8:26 pm

First the good news: 4G LTE design in activity is off the charts as OEMs building smartphones, tablets and Ultrabooks are buying into the capability for product rollouts that will occur starting in September. Now the bad news: there’s not enough to go around until probably well into 2013. For a Company sitting on over $26B in cash,… Read More


Previewing Intel’s Q1 2012 Earnings

Previewing Intel’s Q1 2012 Earnings
by Ed McKernan on 04-17-2012 at 9:15 am

Since November of 2011 when Intel preannounced it would come up short in Q4 due to the flooding in Thailand that took out a significant portion of the HDD supply chain, the analysts on Wall St. have been in the dark as to how to model 2012. Intel not only shorted Q4 but they effectively punted on Q1 as well by starting the early promotion… Read More


Handsets, what’s up?

Handsets, what’s up?
by Paul McLellan on 04-13-2012 at 3:02 pm

So who’s in and who’s out these days in handsets?

It looks as if Samsung has finally achieved a long-held goal to be the largest handset vendor, taking over from Nokia which has been the market leader for 14 years since 1998 when it passed Motorola. Nokia hasn’t reported yet but they cut their forecast. Samsung … Read More


Intel’s Fait Accompli Foundry Strategy

Intel’s Fait Accompli Foundry Strategy
by Ed McKernan on 04-05-2012 at 1:09 am

As many analysts have noted, it is difficult to imagine what Intel’s foundry business will look like one, two or even three years down the road because this is all new and what leading fabless player would place their well being in the hands of one who is totally new at the game. I would like to suggest there is a strategy in place that will… Read More


Common Platform: Onward to the Future

Common Platform: Onward to the Future
by Paul McLellan on 03-14-2012 at 3:03 pm

There were keynotes from all three semiconductor partners in the Common Platform Alliance and, as if to show how common they are, they all talked about the problems that need to be addressed in the next decade and a half and they all said pretty much the same thing. Gary Patton of IBM went first and so he got to say everything first. Plus,… Read More


Common Platform Technology Forum: Peering into the Future

Common Platform Technology Forum: Peering into the Future
by Paul McLellan on 03-10-2012 at 9:00 am

Next Wednesday is the Common Platform Technology Forum. “Common Platform” is a name that only a committee could have come up with, giving no clue as to what it actually is. As you probably know, there are various process clubs sharing the costs of technology development (TD) and one of them consists of IBM, Samsung and… Read More


Semiconductors: A Decade of Invention… A World of Solutions

Semiconductors: A Decade of Invention… A World of Solutions
by Daniel Nenni on 02-17-2012 at 1:53 pm

Please join IBM, Samsung Electronics, Co., Ltd., and GLOBALFOUNDRIES at the 2012 Common Platform Technology Forum. The forum will showcase the alliance’s technological progress and how joint collaboration and innovation is setting the direction for industry-leading solutions to enable next-generation products. … Read More


ARM vs Intel? Just look at ARM Top Customer in 2010!

ARM vs Intel? Just look at ARM Top Customer in 2010!
by Eric Esteve on 01-16-2012 at 3:47 am

Looking at the ARM Top Ten customers list (for 2010) brings useful information about the volumes production generated by the chip makers involved in the wireless handset segment. Revenue for an ARM licensee comes from upfront license and royalties. Upfront license are in the few $ million range (max), when the below listed contribution… Read More


CES 2012 Trip Wrap-Up!

CES 2012 Trip Wrap-Up!
by Daniel Nenni on 01-15-2012 at 4:00 pm


The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas is the premier electronics gadget exposition, a window into what we will be spending our hard earned money on next Christmas. Personally, I go to CES every year to try and guess what new innovative technology will drive future semiconductor design and manufacturing. Last year I bet… Read More


Samsung’s Regrettable Moment and the Coming of 3D Tick Tock!

Samsung’s Regrettable Moment and the Coming of 3D Tick Tock!
by Ed McKernan on 01-10-2012 at 12:35 am

The might have beens. The shoulda’s, coulda’s, woulda’s are what launches a thousand Harvard Business School Case Studies that are meant to prepare a generation of business leaders on how to make decisions that impact the future directions of companies. Right before the 2008 financial crises (September … Read More