News & Analysis
Enlisting the Semiconductor Army
What’s at stake?
Unfilled positions at U.S. fabs will soon exceed 100,000 engineers and technicians. The labor shortfall has prompted a growing number of chipmakers and equipment vendors to focus their recruiting efforts on military veterans. The challenge is translating skills learned on the battlefield to the factory floor.
Intel Tripped by ‘Execution’ Challenges; Can it Rise Again?
By Bolaji Ojo
Are the best days of Intel Corp. behind the microprocessor giant? This question begs for an honest answer after the company posted what can best be described as dismal second quarter results today with revenue, gross profit margins and operating margins plunging to depths unheard of in the company’s recent history. A small net loss completed the rout.
Read More »Intel Tripped by ‘Execution’ Challenges; Can it Rise Again?
House Approves CHIPS Act
The U.S. House of Representatives voted Thursday (July 28) to approve subsidies designed to kickstart U.S. chip manufacturing. Twenty-four Republicans voted in favor of the measure, which provides $52 billion in industry incentives for chip manufacturing and research.
Read More »House Approves CHIPS Act
Renesas Grows but ‘Unbelievable’ Orders Trigger Concerns
By Bolaji Ojo
Renesas Electronics Corp. entered the second half of 2022 significantly stronger than it began the year, but the automotive semiconductor giant is proceeding cautiously with future production and inventory plans and will be closely watching order patterns due to what executives see as substantial mismatches in orders and consumption patterns.
Read More »Renesas Grows but ‘Unbelievable’ Orders Trigger Concerns
Senate Passes CHIPS Act, Final House Vote Looms
Senate passage of semiconductor manufacturing subsidies as part of broader technology innovation legislation finesses fundamental differences on how to revive technology supply chains—the impetus behind the evolving CHIPS Act.
Read More »Senate Passes CHIPS Act, Final House Vote Looms
Can Volkswagen Solve Auto Chip Supply Chain?
What’s at stake?
The automotive industry is scrambling to secure wafers for chips to plug into their vehicles. Volkswagen, hoping to game the system, has partnered with ST and TSMC. The automaker’s turn toward collegiality, however, must be backstopped by real commitments. And although the policy of one chip designer, one product, one foundry sounds clean and efficient, it could trigger unintended consequences.
Software Doomed CEO, But It’s China That Will Cripple VW
What’s at stake?
Ousting Herbert Diess might win a popularity contest inside the Volkswagen Group, but it hardly fixes the German carmaker’s structural problems. Stakes are high for new CEO Oliver Blume, who must simultaneously restore VW’s software excellence, battle a conservative corporate culture, and reverse significant sales losses in China.
Intel Optane Dominates Emerging-Memory Market
By Gary Hilson
What’s at stake?
Optane is the only phase-change memory currently available, giving Intel another first-mover advantage. Whether Optane is able to challenge traditional DRAM and NAND technologies in data center and other enterprise applications remains to be seen.