KLAC- Very Strong Sept & Guide-Foundry up 50%- 5NM & EUV drivers- Outperforming

KLAC- Very Strong Sept & Guide-Foundry up 50%- 5NM & EUV drivers- Outperforming
by Robert Maire on 11-05-2019 at 6:00 am

  • KLAC Strong Beat on Both Sept Q & Dec Guide
  • Foundry/logic (TSMC) up 50% H2 vs H1
  • Gen 5 acceptance and 5NM rollout drive future

Strong beat in Sept results and Dec Guide
KLAC reported revenue of $1.41B and EPS of $2.48 handily beating street estimates of $1.5B and $2.20 in EPS. More importantly the company guided December to be revenues… Read More


AMD Intel TSMC menage a trois and the trouble with trouples

AMD Intel TSMC menage a trois and the trouble with trouples
by Robert Maire on 11-01-2019 at 10:00 am

  • Its “Complicated”- A 3 way Chip Relationship
  • Competing for Wafers, Moore’s Law & Love
  • Who’s Competing with Whom?
  • All’s Fair

The 3 way relationship is more complex than it seems

On the surface it seems simple. AMD and TSMC compete with Intel making its own chips and TSMC making them for AMD. But… Read More


TSMC Update Q3 2019 Absolutely!

TSMC Update Q3 2019 Absolutely!
by Daniel Nenni on 10-25-2019 at 6:00 am

This will be a combination of the recent TSMC quarterly report, a look back at Cliff Hou’s keynote at the most recent TSMC conference, and conversations on SemiWiki.com. There has been a lot of press on this but of course the most important points are being missed. Semiconductors are complicated and getting more so, absolutely.… Read More


ASML – In Line Qtr but big bookings – Logic Strong! Memory ? EUV?

ASML – In Line Qtr but big bookings – Logic Strong! Memory ? EUV?
by Robert Maire on 10-20-2019 at 6:00 am

ASML in line QTR with big Orders
Near term slippage w long term upside
Logic is strong but memory recovery unknown
EUV is finally a reality/commercialized

In line quarter- supplier slippage expected in Q4
Results were revenues of Euro 3B and EPS of Euro 1.49, more or less in line with earnings estimate if a tad bit light in revenue. … Read More


TSMC – Solid Q3 Beat Guide- 5G Driver – Big Capex Bump – Flawless Execution

TSMC – Solid Q3 Beat Guide- 5G Driver – Big Capex Bump – Flawless Execution
by Robert Maire on 10-19-2019 at 6:00 am

TSMC puts up solid QTR, Capex increase for 5NM and capacity increase, 5G/mobile remains driver- HPC good 7NM, 27% of revs- Very nice margins!

In line quarter-Good guide
TSMC reported revenues of $9.4B and EPS of $0.62 , more or less in line with expectations, perhaps a touch below ” whisper” expectations which had been… Read More


My Top Three Reasons to Attend IEDM 2019

My Top Three Reasons to Attend IEDM 2019
by Scotten Jones on 10-11-2019 at 6:10 am

The International Electron Devices Meeting is a premier event to learn about the latest in semiconductor process technology. Held every year in early December is San Francisco this years conference will be held  from Decembers 7th through December 11th. You can learn more about the conference at their web site here.

This is a must… Read More


A Future Vision for 3D Heterogeneous Packaging

A Future Vision for 3D Heterogeneous Packaging
by Daniel Nenni on 10-07-2019 at 6:00 am

At the recent Open Innovation Platform® Ecosystem Forum in Santa Clara, TSMC provided an enlightening look into the future of heterogeneous packaging technology.  Although the term chiplet packaging is often used to describe the integration of multiple silicon die of potentially widely-varying functionality, this article… Read More


A Review of TSMC’s OIP Ecosystem

A Review of TSMC’s OIP Ecosystem
by Daniel Nenni on 10-06-2019 at 10:00 am

Each year, TSMC conducts two events – the Technology symposium in the Spring and the Open Innovation Platform (OIP) ® Ecosystem Forum in the Fall.  Yet, what is the OIP ecosystem?  What does it encompass?  And, how does the program differentiate TSMC from other foundries?  At the recent OIP Forum in Santa Clara, Suk Lee, Senior Director,… Read More


Chapter Eleven – International Semiconductor Competition

Chapter Eleven – International Semiconductor Competition
by Wally Rhines on 09-20-2019 at 6:00 am

Semiconductor industry evolution was largely a U.S. phenomenon.  While there were important contributions made by persons all over the world, the basic technology grew from the invention of the transistor at Bell Labs which was licensed broadly in the U.S.  That created a level playing field for all who wanted to become producers. … Read More


Is Samsung having problems with 7NM? Do long lines at TSMC prove that?

Is Samsung having problems with 7NM? Do long lines at TSMC prove that?
by Robert Maire on 09-19-2019 at 2:00 pm

Reports of increasing TSMC 7NM lead times
There have been a number of increasing media reports about lengthening leads times for TSMC 7NM process. From what we have been able to determine its not due to TSMC having a yield bust or other production issues, it is simply one of stronger than expected demand.

There have been reports of … Read More