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Commentary / Analysis

• Spin-Orbit-Torque Tackles MRAM Constraints (Monday Sep. 27, 2021)
  The next generation of embedded MRAM (magneto-resistive RAM) may boil down to changing the order of ingredients in the recipe.
  
  
• Foundry Market Tracking Toward Record-tying 23% Growth in 2021 (Thursday Sep. 23, 2021)
  Robust demand for advanced processors used in networking and data center computers, new 5G smartphones, and ICs used in other high-growth market applications such as robotics, self-driving vehicles and driver-assist automation, artificial intelligence, machine-learning and image recognition systems, is forecast to lift total foundry sales to $107.2 billion in 2021, a 23% increase that would match the record growth rate set in 2017
  
  
• Revenue of Top 10 IC Design (Fabless) Companies Reaches US$29.8 Billion for 2Q21, Though Growth May Potentially Slow in 2H21, Says TrendForce (Monday Sep. 20, 2021)
  In view of the ongoing production capacity shortage in the semiconductor industry and the resultant price hike of chips, revenue of the top 10 IC design companies for 2Q21 reached US$29.8 billion, a 60.8% YoY increase
  
  
• Global Fab Equipment Spending Projected to Reach New High of Nearly $100 Billion in 2022, SEMI Reports (Monday Sep. 20, 2021)
  Powered by digital transformation and other secular technology trends, global semiconductor equipment investments for front end fabs in 2022 are expected to reach nearly US$100 billion to meet soaring demand for electronics after topping a projected $90 billion this year, both new records, SEMI highlighted today in its World Fab Forecast report.
  
  
• Imagination looking at IPO or sale (Monday Sep. 13, 2021)
  Imagination Technologies has engaged investment bank Lazard to look at options for selling or IPO-ing the company, reports Bloomberg.
  
  
• 3Q21 Earnings Outlooks Bode Well for Most Leading Semi Suppliers (Monday Sep. 13, 2021)
  For the third quarter of this year (ending in September), sales growth outlooks for the top-25 suppliers range from 16th-ranked Sony’s 34% increase at the high end, to Intel’s 3% decline on the low end.
  
  
• Intel to invest $95bn in Europe over 10 years, says CEO (Thursday Sep. 09, 2021)
  Intel will invest $95 billion in European fabs over the next ten years and will open up its Irish fab for foundry business from car companies, said CEO Pat Gelsinger at Munich’ s IAA car show.
  
  
• Second Quarter 2021 Global Semiconductor Equipment Billings Surge 48% Year-Over-Year to Record High of $24 Billion, SEMI Reports (Tuesday Sep. 07, 2021)
  Global semiconductor equipment billings surged 48% year-over-year to a record high of US$24.9 billion in the second quarter of 2021, a 5% increase from the prior quarter
  
  
• Global Semiconductor Sales in July Up 29.0% Year-to-Year, 2.1% Month-to-Month (Tuesday Sep. 07, 2021)
  The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced global semiconductor industry sales were $45.4 billion in the month of July 2021, an increase of 29.0% over the July 2020 total of $35.2 billion and 2.1% more than the June 2021 total of $44.5 billion.
  
  
• Emerging Memories Look to Displace NOR, SRAM (Wednesday Sep. 01, 2021)
  3D Xpoint’s growth won’t be without challenges
  
  
• TSMC hikes prices (Wednesday Sep. 01, 2021)
  On Wednesday TSMC told clients it is jacking prices by up to 20%, reports the Nikkei.
  
  
• Reports: ARM China makes independent move in autonomous driving (Wednesday Sep. 01, 2021)
  ARM Technology China Co. Ltd., the controversial minority-owned subsidiary of semiconductor intellectual property licensor ARM Ltd. (Cambridge, England), has launched its own foray into autonomous driving, according to reports.
  
  
• Foundry Revenue for 2Q21 Reaches Historical High Once Again with 6% QoQ Growth Thanks to Increased ASP and Persistent Demand, Says TrendForce (Tuesday Aug. 31, 2021)
  The panic buying of chips persisted in 2Q21 owing to factors such as post-pandemic demand, industry-wide shift to 5G telecom technology, geopolitical tensions, and chronic chip shortages, according to TrendForce’s latest investigations.
  
  
• Microprocessor Sales Will Continue Double-Digit Growth in 2021 (Monday Aug. 30, 2021)
  The total MPU market is on track to exceed $100 billion for the first time ever this year, thanks to strong increases in cellphone application processor revenues, says Mid-Year Update.
  
  
• Can AI Design a Better Chip Than a Human? (Friday Aug. 27, 2021)
  Is entirely autonomous chip design possible? Can AI behave as an “artificial architect,” designing and optimizing entire chips?
  
  
• North American Semiconductor Equipment Industry Posts July 2021 Billings (Thursday Aug. 26, 2021)
  North America-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers posted $3.86 billion in billings worldwide in July 2021 (three-month average basis). The billings figure is 4.5% higher than final June 2021 billings of $3.69 billion and 49.8% higher than July 2020 billings of $2.57 billion.
  
  
• Rambus Preps for HBM3 (Thursday Aug. 26, 2021)
  Final specifications for High Bandwidth Memory (HBM) 3 haven’t been finalized, but that’s not preventing Rambus from laying the groundwork for its adoption, driven by the memory bandwidth requirements of for AI and machine learning model training.
  
  
• UK Regulator Says Nvidia-Arm Deal Could Stifle Innovation (Thursday Aug. 26, 2021)
  The U.K. competition regulator has concluded that an in-depth probe of Nvidia’s proposed acquisition of Arm is warranted due to competition concerns and the potential for stifling technology innovation.
  
  
• Nvidia-Arm merger would substantially lessen competition says U.K. government report (Monday Aug. 23, 2021)
  An Arm-Nvidia merger would involve a Substantial Lessening Of Competition (SLC) concludes the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) in its Phase One review of the proposed merger for the Department Of Culture Media and Sport (DCMS).
  
  
• ARM Nvidia deal goes to full investigation in the UK (Monday Aug. 23, 2021)
  The reassurances offered by Nvidia in the $40bn takeover of ARM are not sufficient, says the competition and Mergers Authority in a blow to the deal
  
  
• Samsung Passes Intel to Become World's Largest Semi Supplier in 2Q21 (Friday Aug. 20, 2021)
  Driven by surging demand and rising prices for DRAM and flash memory, Samsung, the world’s largest memory supplier, saw its total semiconductor sales increase 19% in 2Q21 to $20.3 billion, moving it past Intel and into first place to become the world’s largest semiconductor supplier for 2Q21.
  
  
• CrossBar Aims to Secure Computing with ReRAM (Monday Aug. 16, 2021)
  CrossBar Inc. is setting its sights on security with its resistive RAM (ReRAM).
  
  
• The Worldwide Semiconductor Market is expected to show an outstanding growth-rate of 25.1 percent in 2021 (Monday Aug. 16, 2021)
  WSTS has published the Q2 2021 semiconductor market figures and re-calculated the Spring 2021 Forecast using the actual figures of the second quarter 2021.
  
  
• Facebook Open Sources Time Appliance For Data Center Networks (Thursday Aug. 12, 2021)
  Facebook engineers have built a time appliance for network synchronization and open-sourced the entire specification, which should drive the price of the function down significantly.
  
  
• Data Movement Depends on PCIe (Thursday Aug. 12, 2021)
  The Peripheral Component Interconnect Express (PCIe) bus standard has a lot riding on it. Or perhaps more accurately, needs to accommodate a lot of data flowing through it.
  
  
• Automotive MCU Sales to Surge 23% in 2021 Despite Shortages (Thursday Aug. 12, 2021)
  32-bit designs are expected to generate almost 77% of automotive microcontroller revenues this year, followed by 18% from 16-bit and 6% from 8-bit, says Mid-Year Update report.
  
  
• Robust Growth Rates Expected For Nearly All IC Products in 2021 (Thursday Aug. 05, 2021)
  
  
  
• Global Semiconductor Sales Increase 29.2% Year-to-Year in June; Q2 Sales Up 8.3% Over Q1 (Tuesday Aug. 03, 2021)
  Sales during the second quarter of 2021 were $133.6 billion, an increase of 29.2% over the second quarter of 2020 and 8.3% more than the first quarter of 2021
  
  
• CEO interview: Globalfoundries' Tom Caulfield on the European project (Tuesday Aug. 03, 2021)
  We sat down with Tom Caulfield, CEO of Globalfoundries, and discussed Europe's plans to build up its semiconductor supply chain, something in which GF is set to play a major part.
  
  
• Silicon Wafer Shipments Reach New High in Second Quarter 2021, SEMI Reports (Thursday Jul. 29, 2021)
  Worldwide silicon wafer area shipments increased 6% to 3,534 million square inches in the second quarter of 2021, surpassing the historical high set in the first quarter.