5 Issues Under The Foundry Radar


In the foundry business, the leading-edge segment grabs most, if not all, of the headlines. Foundry vendors, of course, are ramping up 16nm/14nm finFET processes, with 10nm and 7nm in R&D. The leading-edge foundry business is sizable, but it’s not the only thing going on in the competitive arena. In fact, there are battles taking place in many other foundry segments, such as 2.5D/3D packag... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


Intel is quietly delaying its process ramp at the 10nm node, according to multiple sources. In an e-mail, a spokesman for Intel said: “We have not disclosed a schedule for our 10nm process and we won't engage in speculation about it.” In March, though, Intel was supposed to make fab tool buys for high-volume manufacturing at 10nm, sources said. But now, those purchases won’t happen... » read more

Big Acquisitions, Big Changes


Rumors swirling about Intel's romance with Altera—this has been off-again, on-again, and now apparently off-again, for the better part of a decade—coupled with Apple's decision to shift A9 APU production to Samsung and away from TSMC, NXP's pending acquisition of Freescale, along with the Chinese' government's massive semiconductor investment fund, all add up to some massive shifts under wa... » read more

Making It Differently


Anyone who hasn't bought into the IoT/E as a fundamental shift in electronics should check out what's happening in China. All appliances and electronics being developed for the home market are now being sold as smart-ready. This is a market that comprises roughly one-fifth (19.4% to be exact) of the world's population. In the future, whether or not you hook up a new washing machine or TV to ... » read more

Will Wearables Work Well Enough?


By Ed Sperling & Ann Steffora Mutschler The rollout of the Apple Watch later this month has reset expectations for the wearable electronics market, just as early implementations of the Pebble, Fitbit and Google Glass helped raise awareness about a new level of portability and connectivity. Early projections are for strong sales, which in turn will propel a new level of connectedness for the ... » read more

Wireless Technologies For The IoE


It's generally understood the [getkc id="76" kc_name="Internet of Everything"] eventually will be the interconnect platform of all things, wireless and wireline. The utopian scenario is to have a common platform, with standardized protocols, which everyone builds to. Will that happen? Perhaps, but for a time, especially while the IoE evolves, that won’t be the case. Count on the early IoE bei... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


Intel is in talks to buy Altera, according to The Wall Street Journal. If a deal is reached, Intel would enter the FPGA market amid a slowdown in its core processors business. Intel would also secure its largest foundry customer in Altera. For years, Altera’s sole foundry was TSMC. Then, not long ago, Altera selected Intel as its foundry partner for 14nm. TSMC still handles 20nm and above wor... » read more

Fab Capacity Shortages


Planning fab capacity is a little like parachuting out of an airplane. Your chances of getting hurt are 50-50 every time you jump, and past experience doesn't necessarily make it safer the next time. At the leading edge, there is debate about just how much capacity should be added at 16/14nm, or whether the lion's share of that investment should go to 10nm or even 7nm. At least part of the d... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


Look out below! Intel has lowered its first-quarter revenue outlook. The company now expects first-quarter revenue to be $12.8 billion, plus or minus $300 million, compared to the previous expectation of $13.7 billion, plus or minus $500 million. “Intel may be experiencing greater-than-expected seasonal declines in both notebooks and desktops,” said Doug Freedman, an analyst with RBC Capita... » read more

The Week In Review: Manufacturing


At the SPIE Advanced Lithography conference in San Jose, Calif., there were several takeaways. First, the battle for lithography share is heating up at Intel. “We believe Nikon still holds a decent position at Intel, but with ASML gaining some share at 10nm. Nikon could regain some share with its new platform at 7nm, in our view, but it is early to tell. We believe Nikon has improved its posi... » read more

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