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June 2008
Tiptoe of trepidation
Mid year is the time of revision for the analyst community and if you were to rely on all the data coming out as a whole then you would conclude it is a coin toss about whether the industry will grow and if so, by what sort of margins.
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May 2008
A diverse and sometimes rocky road
The global economy is going to be the main driver of the semiconductor industry’s fortunes over the next year or so. The fear that surrounds the global economy will cause as much disruption as any real impact will do.
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April 2008
The semiconductor industry is like no other
THE FINANCIAL WORLD likes to present itself as knowledgeable and careful in its financial assessment but in truth it is a game of chance where people try to put the smallest bet in hope for the largest returns.
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March 2008
Lithography will find a way
Lithography has always been the key component of the engineering of semiconductor chips. A clever and advanced form of photography able to replicate minute images at an extraordinary rate to produce the huge number of wafers that are produced in a fab. After years of pushing the physical boundaries of optical lithography the industry contemplates chip manufacturing for the next few technology nodes with an understanding that optical lithography as we know it now is finally reaching the end of its limits.
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February 2008
Finances beat technology
As usual at this time of year there is a flurry of financial results from companies involved in microelectronics. The differing array of results demonstrate the diversification that has become more apparant over the last few years.
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January 2008
Know the segment and not the industry
Traditionally the financial figures come out for individual companies and the industry as a whole and everyone feels they have a handle on the state of the whole industry.
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November 2007
The death of silicon
Reading some of the mainstream media reports of Intel’s new 45nm product range you could be mistaken for thinking there was no silicon used in the production of these logic devices. To paraphrase Mark Twain, I think there has been a premature announcement.
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October 2007
Time of change
The semiconductor industry is in constant change as the rate of technological advancements continues unabated regardless of the economic status.
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Mid September 2007
A technological beerfest
This year sees change come to Semicon Europa. The annual trade show has been moved from Munich in April to Stuttgart in October. It will be interesting to see how these differences affect SEMI’s European operations.
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September 2007
Money talks
Here we are three-quarters of the way through the year and once again the needs of the shareholders override technology and common sense. Every analyst in the industry has now suggested that growth in the microelectronics industry 2007 will be flat or slightly negative.
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August 2007
A window to the industry
This year at Semicon West the overall feel was one of movement. Perhaps not radical change but certainly a fluid progress towards development as industry boffins came together to thrash out ideas and exchange the latest news and views in the semiconductor and microelectronics manufacturing industries.
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July 2007
Market Decisions
Only a few years ago, this time of year would have seen almost every company in the industry preparing for the upcoming SEMICON West trade show.
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June 2007
Financial warnings
As is common at this time of year, most of the financial analysts around the globe are revising their industry growth predictions. After convincing the world of the reliability of the start of year figures, the usual change in stance occurs. Of course there are good reasons why there is a change in analyst’s perceptive perceptions as first quarter figures have come in providing clues to how the year will shape up.
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May 2007
New World Order
Last week I was in Athens attending the Future Horizons annual international gathering that attracts a wide array of top executives from around the world. Some discussions, facts and figures at the conference further underlined how much the global industry has changed in the last five to ten years.
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April 2007
IP Protection
I have recently returned from a trip to China where I was lucky enough to meet with a number of local and international companies working in the semiconductor arena.
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March 2007
Spring heralds change
The Northern hemisphere is just entering the official spring months but if the recent weather around me is any guide then I am sure you are finding that what is out the window is different than what you would expect this time of year.
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February 2007
Research begins to move
Ever since Asian countries began to focus their attention on semiconductor manufacturing there have been fears that high value research and manufacturing would slowly disapear from Europe and the United States.
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December 2006 / January 2007
Will 2007 be a defining year for the semiconductor industry?
A defining year in the life of an industry may be a high, a low or just one full of change. For a few years some commentators have alluded to the maturation of the industry so maybe 2007 will be the year the industry grows up.
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November 2006
Year end lottery
As the end of the calendar year approaches there is a flurry of predictions on the size of the semiconductor industry and the associated markets. Market analysis is an inexact science at the best of times but in the current market scenarios anyone’s guess is as good as the next persons.
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October 2006
Improvements require the whole food chain
The semiconductor industry has a long history of blaming another part of the process when things go wrong.
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September 2006
Threat of job loss sees shares rise
At the time of writing there has been no official word from Intel regarding the size of the job cuts they will initiate but the rumours flying around suggest they are to lay off up to a third of their global workforce.
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August 2006
Summer heat
David Ridsdale, Editor in Chief
The month of August typically brings news of mergers, acquisitions, price wars and scandals. This year was no exception as the heat went up around the Northern hemisphere both in temperature and stories like above. The Southern climates may have had cooler weather but were just affected by some of the events of recent months.
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July 2006
The starting grid for the server race
The British Grand Prix was held in England recently and the two major manufacturers of processing chips chose the event to promote themselves as the leaders in processor technology for the server market. AMD utilised their association with the Ferrari F1 team and gathered a few lucky journalists at Silverstone for a car enthusiasts treat with pit tours on the day of qualifications.
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June 2006
Thanks for the reception
We are well into the changes that EuroAsia semiconductor has brought upon our magazine.
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May 2006
No more Munich Spring
April was the last time SEMICON Europa will occur at Spring time in Munich. The SEMI group have decided that SEMICON China is now too close to the Europa event and something had to give.
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April 2006
European Semiconductor evolves
Welcome to the new look EuroAsia Semiconductor. Starting exactly where European Semiconductor left off, the new look magazine and website has successfully paralleled the evolution with the European semiconductor manufacturing industry.
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March 2006
The times they are a changing
For thirty years European Semiconductor has provided the microelectronics community with the technical and business news required for success. The last decade has seen incredible change in the semiconductor industry with the focus changing from regional manufacturers and markets to a globally encompassing environment.
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February 2006
Certain to be uncertainty
Considering the world shaping events of 2005, the world escaped a fiscal backlash suprisingly well. With natural disasters and political unease it would have been appropriate to expect rising prices and uncertainty to upset the delicate appetite of capatilism.
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December 2005/January 2006
Collaborate or miss the boat
Recently the editorial team were complaining of a lack of news stories. The very next day a flood of information began to inundate us. A bit of Murphy’s Law for journalists.
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November 2005
Environmentally aware
With a range of environmental legislation coming in to force around the world and impacting on all companies wishing to play in the global electronics market, semiconductor companies are going to have to be a lot smarter about their corporate responsibilities in terms of environment, health and safety.
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October 2005
Know more through less
Although many do not realise it, the semiconductor industry is going through another positive upturn where return on investments could reach the heady heights of the 80’s and 90’s.
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September 2005
Defining markets
Despite the heady ups and downs, the electronics industry has tended to grow in product driven cycles for over sixty years. The PC, mobile phone and industrial tools have driven each major stage of microelectronics growth.
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August 2005
Raw Material Hides
Normally a Semicon West show can tell you about the overall mood of the industry. There is usually an obvious sense of positive or negative feeling amongst the participants. Although this year's show was more upbeat than last year there was no defining overall experience.
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July 2005
Moderation is healthy
The severe boom and bust cycle of the past is over, believes iSuppli's Dale Ford.
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June 2005
Blue blue electric blue
The battle for dominance of the games console market is hotting up. Microsoft and Sony have in the past couple of weeks given us glimpses of their next generation consoles – the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 – and Nintendo has also unveiled preliminary details about its new Revolution games machine. No-one as yet knows which of these companies will end up commanding the market but the rewards for doing so will be enormous. Users of the new games consoles will be able to watch films and surf the web in addition to playing spectacular 3D games. The consoles could become the PCs of the 21st century.
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May 2005
Standard and deliver
One would struggle to think of a more ridiculous way of doing business. The major players in an industry each independently develop a unique set of standards for their products. Naturally, the products of one manufacturer are not compatible with those of another. Customers – naively expecting things to work together – are confused and initially refuse to buy the products. Eventually, one company manages to get its – usually inferior – standard widely accepted. The rest of the industry – after the obligatory fight – belatedly adopts that standard.
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April 2005
The need to nurture
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Mid-March 2005
The price of love
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March 2005
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February 2005
Fortune telling
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December 2004
A new market place
The last few years have seen the impact of globalisation on the semiconductor industry with access to new markets growing. At the same time there is a consolidation of market players.
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November 2004
Editorial Comment
It has been a sad time preparing this edition of European Semiconductor as it marks the last edition that Dr. Mike Cooke is working on European Semiconductor. After seven years Dr. Cooke has decided to take a well earned sabbatical and review his future plans.
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July 2004
Editorial Comment
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May 2004
Spring clean
With Semicon Europa behind us, it is time for European companies to take stock and prepare for the est of the year. With the economic cycle in the upswing, a spring clean is more relevant than ever.
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April 2004
Better than last year
With all the hope and excitement building in the industry that the upturn is arriving and the downturn is finished I think the only true statement to be made at present is that it is better than last year.
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March 2004
A new cycle
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February 2004
Lessons learnt?
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