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Commentary / Analysis

• Consortium forms Rapidus to get Japan back into chip race at 2nm (Monday Nov. 14, 2022)
  A consortium of eight Japanese companies have formed Rapidus, a company that the Japanese government hopes can help the country get back into advanced chip manufacturing, according to local reports.
  
  
• After 1Q23 Bottom, Expectations Increase for a 2Q23 IC Market Rebound (Friday Nov. 11, 2022)
  Following a 9% drop in the 3Q22 IC market, and assuming the 4Q22 and 1Q23 IC markets register a decline, the 3Q22-1Q23 timeperiod would mark the seventh three-quarter IC market drop on record.
  
  
• Mythic strapped for cash (Thursday Nov. 10, 2022)
  After raising $165.2 million in venture capital, it looks as if Mythic, the analogue processor pioneer, has run out of cash,
  
  
• Global Silicon Wafer Shipments Projected to Set New Record in 2022, SEMI Reports (Monday Nov. 07, 2022)
  Global silicon wafer shipments are projected to increase 4.8% year-over-year in 2022 to a record high of nearly 14,700 millions of square inches (MSI), SEMI reported today in its annual silicon shipment forecast for the semiconductor industry.
  
  
• Market Dynamics, Technologies Drive Automotive Design (Monday Nov. 07, 2022)
  Likening the modern automobile to a server on wheels is starting to sound cliché, but we’re just hitting the tip of iceberg when it comes to the number of electronic components that are finding their way into modern automotive design, as well as the supporting infrastructure for autonomous driving in large urban centers.
  
  
• Finding Talent to Run New Fabs Might Be Challenging (Thursday Nov. 03, 2022)
  The U.S. CHIPS and Science Act spurred a rush to build new semiconductor fabs in the United States. So far, there are at least nine new fabs planned or under construction, as well as expansion plans at many existing fabs.
  
  
• Delay in Mass Production of New Intel Products a Boon for AMD, Proportion of AMD x86 Server CPUs Forecast to Exceed 22% in 2023, Says TrendForce (Wednesday Nov. 02, 2022)
  According to the latest TrendForce research, the mass production schedule of new Sapphire Rapids products has been delayed due to the poor yield rate of the Intel 7 process.
  
  
• Intel signs 7 out of top 10 fabless companies, sees 18A test chip (Monday Oct. 31, 2022)
  Amongst its warning on lower income in Q4 and 2023, eeNews Europe highlights the seven out of the top ten foundry customers that Intel says it has signed. The company has taped out a test chip for its 18A process for a foundry customer this quarter.
  
  
• Monthly Semiconductor Sales Decrease 0.5% Globally in September (Monday Oct. 31, 2022)
  Worldwide sales of semiconductors totaled $141 billion during the third quarter of 2022, a decrease of 3.0% compared to the third quarter of 2021 and 6.3% less than the second quarter of 2022.
  
  
• Report: TSMC stops work on Chinese AI chip amid sanctions confusion (Thursday Oct. 27, 2022)
  Foundry Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. Ltd. has stopped making AI chips for Chinese startup Biren while it ensures compliance with US requirements, according to a Bloomberg report.
  
  
• Worldwide Silicon Wafer Shipments Set a New Record in Q3 2022, SEMI Reports (Wednesday Oct. 26, 2022)
  Worldwide silicon wafer shipments reached a new record of 3,741 million square inches (MSI) in the third quarter of 2022, increasing 1.0% quarter-over-quarter and growing 2.5% from the 3,649 MSI recorded during the same quarter last year, the SEMI Silicon Manufacturers Group (SMG) reported in its quarterly analysis of the silicon wafer industry.
  
  
• U.S. Chip Sanctions "Put Temporary Checkmate on China" (Monday Oct. 24, 2022)
  Biden Administration’s escalation of the chip war with China is expected to at once hamper China’s foundry industry and cost multinational chipmakers billions of dollars in lost sales.
  
  
• How the CHIPS Act Will Impact Engineers (Monday Oct. 24, 2022)
  EE Times asked two design engineers to weigh in on the implications of the Act for engineers in the U.S., in the short and long term.
  
  
• Global 200mm Semiconductor Fab Capacity Projected to Surge 20% to Record High by 2025, SEMI Reports (Wednesday Oct. 19, 2022)
  Semiconductor manufacturers worldwide are estimated to increase 200mm fab capacity 20% from 2021 through 2025, adding 13 new 200mm lines as the industry reaches a record high of more than 7 million wafers per month (wpm)
  
  
• Electronic System Design Industry Hits Record Revenue of Nearly $3.8 Billion in Q2 2022, ESD Alliance Reports (Monday Oct. 17, 2022)
  Electronic System Design (ESD) industry revenue increased 17.5% from $3,191.4 million in Q2 2021 to $3,748.7 million in Q2 2022. The four-quarter moving average, which compares the most recent four quarters to the prior four, rose 15.3%.
  
  
• First RISC-V laptop uses Alibaba TH1520 SoC (Monday Oct. 17, 2022)
  A project led by RISC-V International with DeepComputing and Xcalibyte has resulted in the first RISC-V laptop. We take a look at the chip behind the laptop and the people behind the project.
  
  
• TSMC Cuts Expansion Plan to $36B as Outlook Sours (Monday Oct. 17, 2022)
  Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co. (TSMC) is cutting its 2022 capacity expansion budget to $36 billion from the original $40 billion announced in July, as outlook for demand from smartphone and other consumer electronics makers dims.
  
  
• US restricts Sea Turtles in chip industry (Thursday Oct. 13, 2022)
  The US has extended its embargo on the supply to technology to China by restricting the involvement of individuals in the chip industry, reports the Nikkei.
  
  
• Foundries defy chip market downturn (Thursday Oct. 13, 2022)
  Taiwanese foundries TSMC and UMC were able to maintain strong progress year-on-year with September sales while the global chip market is headed towards contraction.
  
  
• Global 300mm Semiconductor Fab Capacity Projected To Reach New High in 2025, SEMI Reports (Wednesday Oct. 12, 2022)
  Semiconductor manufacturers worldwide are forecast to expand 300mm fab capacity at a nearly 10% compound average growth rate (CAGR) from 2022 to 2025, reaching an all-time high of 9.2 million wafers per month (wpm)
  
  
• Arm chops staff (Thursday Oct. 06, 2022)
  Arm has laid off 20% of its UK workforce of 3,500 employees and 18% of its global workforce of 6,950 people.
  
  
• No suggestion from Softbank about Samsung investing in Arm, say reports (Thursday Oct. 06, 2022)
  According to the Korean newspaper JoonAng, Softbank CEO Masa Son did not make any suggestion that Samsung should buy, or invest in, Arm when they met earlier this week.
  
  
• EU chip plan would cost €500bn, says NXP CEO (Tuesday Oct. 04, 2022)
  The EU will need ten times more than its budget if it wants to get 20% of the world chip market by 2030, Kurt Sievers, CEO of NXP (pictured), told the Globalfoundries’ Technical Summit in Dresden.
  
  
• Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 0.1% Year-to-Year in August (Tuesday Oct. 04, 2022)
  SIA today announced global semiconductor industry sales were $47.4 billion during the month of August 2022, a slight increase of 0.1% over the August 2021 total of $47.3 billion but a decrease of 3.4% compared to the July 2022 total of $49.0 billion.
  
  
• Global Fab Equipment Spending Forecast to Reach All-Time High of Nearly $100 Billion in 2022, SEMI Reports (Monday Oct. 03, 2022)
  Global fab equipment spending for front-end facilities is expected to increase approximately 9% year-over-year (YOY) to a new all-time high of US$99 billion in 2022
  
  
• Mobileye files for IPO, reveals data (Monday Oct. 03, 2022)
  Late on Friday Intel announced it is preparing to sell shares in its loss making Israeli driverless car technology subsidiary Mobileye.
  
  
• Intel Foundry's "No. 1" Customer - U.S. DoD - Targets GAA (Thursday Sep. 29, 2022)
  The U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) is Intel Foundry Services’ (IFS’s) “No. 1” customer, IFS president Randhir Thakur told EE Times, noting that IFS plans to be part of the DoD state-of-the-art heterogeneous integrated packaging (SHIP) program.
  
  
• Supply Chain Experts Weigh In on CHIPS Act (Thursday Sep. 29, 2022)
  Federal legislation is, one source says, “an opportunity to think differently around a common problem.”
  
  
• AI "unicorn" Graphcore set to cut jobs (Thursday Sep. 29, 2022)
  Artificial intelligence (AI) chip startup Graphcore Ltd. (Bristol, England) is proposing to axe jobs at multiple sites due to the “macroeconomic” situation.
  
  
• Automotive IC Marketshare Seen Rising to 10% by 2026 (Wednesday Sep. 28, 2022)
  The automotive IC marketshare has steadily increased since 1998 growing from 4.7% of total IC sales that year to 7.4% in 2021. Marketshare gains are forecast to continue for the auto segment, with an 8.5% share expected this year and 9.9% share by the year 2026.