Adrienne Downey

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Adrienne Downey is director of manufacturing research at Semico Research.

Author's Latest Posts

Semiconductor CapEx To Grow 13.0% In 2021
By Adrienne Downey - 23 Mar, 2021 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor capital expenditures grew 9.2% in 2020 to US$112.1 billion. This is $14.1 billion higher than our spring 2020 forecast, and $3.2 billion higher than our fall 2020 forecast. As shown in the graph below, the total 2020 CapEx was $9.4 billion larger than the $102.7 billion spent in 2019. Semico is forecasting 2021 CapEx to reach $127 billion, an increase of 13.0%. Source: Semico... » read more

Recent Earthquakes Highlight Risk To Semiconductor Manufacturing Sites
By Adrienne Downey - 24 Jul, 2019 - Comments: 0

On July 4, 2019, southern California experienced a 6.4 magnitude earthquake followed by a 7.1 earthquake the next day. Both earthquakes occurred near the town of Ridgecrest, but they were not related to the San Andreas fault, an 800-mile fault zone in California where two tectonic plates meet. The San Andreas fault is generally considered to be where “the big one” could occur in California,... » read more

Slow And Cautious Start To 2019 For Memory Manufacturers
By Adrienne Downey - 21 Mar, 2019 - Comments: 0

Both NAND and DRAM prices began dropping in the second half of 2018 after a couple years at record highs. Product oversupply and excess inventories are signaling a bleak outlook for the memory market in the first half of 2019. With these conditions in mind, SK Hynix and Samsung have slowed or put on hold their plans for capacity expansion in 2H18 and 2019. The chart below shows DRAM capacity... » read more

Big Push For 3D Sensing With iPhone X
By Adrienne Downey - 21 Sep, 2017 - Comments: 0

3D sensing is a buzzword that has been thrown around quite a bit this year in connection with the rumors surrounding the tenth-anniversary iPhone. Although the iPhone X will be the first large-scale consumer push for 3D sensing, the technology has been around for years, particularly in industrial applications such as machine vision. 3D sensing is already used in the PC – think Intel’s RealS... » read more

Semiconductor CapEx To Increase 4.3% In 2017
By Adrienne Downey - 20 Feb, 2017 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor capital expenditures are an important bellwether for the industry. Based on preliminary findings, Semico Research predicts 2017’s total will increase 4.3% to $69.7 billion, a record high, and a slightly larger increase than in 2016. Semico tracks more than 80 companies for CapEx and R&D spending, although many of those companies have merged, have been acquired, or gone ba... » read more

Watch Out: Reality Is Set To Explode
By Adrienne Downey - 20 Dec, 2016 - Comments: 0

Walk into any store right now (December 2016), and you can probably find a VR headset for $20. These will be a popular gift item this holiday season, but ultimately it may hurt the market if consumers have bad experiences with these bargain-basement VR headsets. There exists a considerable amount of confusion regarding the virtual reality, augmented reality, and mixed reality industries. Sem... » read more

Smartphone Security: For Your Eyes Only
By Adrienne Downey - 26 Sep, 2016 - Comments: 0

Fans of the Olympics here in the United States were treated to a great Samsung commercial throughout the broadcast. The commercial stars the genius, multi-award-winning actor Christoph Waltz, showing how Americans can multitask with the amazing new Galaxy Note7. Yes, THAT Galaxy Note7. The 90-second long commercial is a delight to watch, but it must have cost Samsung some serious bucks to produ... » read more

3D Printing: What Does It Mean For The Semiconductor Industry?
By Adrienne Downey - 21 Jul, 2016 - Comments: 0

Semico Research was pleased to host the 3D printing TechXPOT at SEMICON West 2016, in conjunction with SEMI. We also hosted the inaugural 3D printing session at SEMICON West 2014. What is striking is how much the 3D printing industry has changed in those two years. In 2014, 3D printing was at the height of media attention; the major questions were when each home would have its own 3D printer. I... » read more

Capex Growing To A Record High In 2015
By Adrienne Downey - 18 Jun, 2015 - Comments: 0

Semiconductor companies are spending more than ever to stay competitive. In 2015, the total amount spent for capital expenditures is forecast to be $68.7 billion, up 9% from 2014’s $63.3 billion. This breaks the previous record set in 2011 at $63.8 billion, as shown in the following graph. Total Semiconductor Capital Expenditures, 2009-2015 Source: Semico Research Corp. The Top 15 A... » read more

3D Printing: Can You Imagine the Possibilities?
By Adrienne Downey - 02 Jul, 2014 - Comments: 0

3D printing is being used in many more applications than most people realize. But the most exciting applications for 3D printing are the ones that haven’t even been conceived of yet. It’s exciting to realize we are on the cusp of a manufacturing revolution that affects so many different industries already. If you have been to the movies lately, you’ve likely seen 3D printing in action.... » read more

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