Semiconductor WEEK: An overview of results and conclusions from recent reports at VLSI.Chip Market Research ServicesThe super cycle is in a full swing • Order activity for semiconductor equipment surged to a scorching 98 degrees as SOC Mobile and Computing jumped into triple-digit territory • It does not get any better than this; all indicators are pointing to a big year ahead for both chipmakers and equipment suppliers • VLSI’s Chip Price Performance surged againSemiconductor AnalyticsLast Week in the Semiconductor Market:Semiconductor sales turned up last week. VLSI’s 2021 forecast was raised to +20% from February’s +13%. Focusing on the Logic market this week, the 13-week MA is at 15% y/y growth. This segment is flying high compared to both 2020 and 2019, with growth solidly double digit.VLSI added Auto ICs to its Supply/Demand status. It exited from a Balanced status over the holidays and jumped 2 levels to Shortage conditions in the first full week and has held tight ever since. Semi Market results from last week: • Semiconductor Weather1 Report: Hot, Hotter• Wafer Fab Production Levels: Soaring• IC Supply-Demand2 Metrics: Shortage• Electronics Prices decline bottoming The Chip Insider
What’s Happening and What’s the Meaning: TSMC’s Strategic Shift. Bosch, auto chip shortages, and GF. Attention getting e-mail items: Solving Defect Detection with Big Data – Applied Materials walks Gary’s AI talk. SkyWater’s transformation to the Technology as a Service (TaaS) model: a radically new way to think of HI.Obituaries: Bill Tobey and more on Bill Arnold. Both were legends and some insights into why.Maxim: Sell through education as an open R&D business model. How imec conquered the world, emerging out of a small, poor-resourced country, in a continent whose ability to move advanced semiconductor process technology forward was in decline. Comments, Questions & Answers: Consistent Semiconductor Equipment Market Growth: I still am a little puzzled…Chip History CenterASML - PAS 2000 Wafer Stepper: Virtually everyone seemed to be entering the semiconductor capital equipment business in the early eighties. Entourages were continuously scouting opportunities in Silicon Valley. Thus, it came as no great surprise when the Dutch Government teamed up with Phillips and ASM to enter the stepper market under the Philips name. Their first product soon followed—the Sire 3. But the triumvirate was not to last; Philips soon begged out and a fourth company was born: ASM Lithography or ASML as it was to become known. The outcome was introduction of the ASML PAS 2000 Wafer Stepper, which would launch the company onto a stellar path. But it was not easy, as you can find out here.Semiconductor StocksVLSI's Semiconductor Stock Indices eked out a gain this week with Material Stocks hitting a new yearly high. • Semiconductors +1%• Equipment +1%• EDA -0%• Electronic Materials +1%VLSI’s Semiconductor Stock Index was led up 0.5% by Amkor, Panasonic, and Broadcom. A majority of the companies finished above the weekly average of +0.7%.IDM +1.9%Foundry & OSAT -0.9%Fabless & Fablite +0.4%VLSI’s Semiconductor Equipment Stock Index was led up 1.4% by Nikon, who was also this week’s biggest winner. Advantest was also a top performer this week.WFE +0.8%Test +1.5%Assembly +1.9%VLSI’s EDA Stock Index slipped 0.4%.VLSI’s Electronics Materials Stock Index was led up 1.0% by DNP.Hottest Stocks: Nikon, DNP, Amkor, Advantest, Panasonic, and Broadcom.
