Manufacturing articles

Falling demand for hardware hits TSMC as Nvidia, AMD, others slash orders

Huawei patents EUV lithography tools used to make <10nm chips

How did TSMC get so good?

The big picture: By now, we are all familiar with the fact that TSMC is, by far, the most capable semiconductor manufacturer in the world, with all the entails for the industry and geopolitics. And as this reality sets in, many people have been asking us how did they get so good?

Space infrastructure startup to build a multifunctional manufacturing platform in LEO

The final (commercial) frontier: A new space infrastructure startup called "ThinkOrbital" wants to boldly go where no manufacturing corporation has gone before — low-Earth orbit. It aims to construct a space station for manufacturing various commercial products. It says the platform can also recycle space junk.

Rethinking auto manufacturing: Poised for disruption?

TSMC will pour $40 billion into two Arizona chip fabs

Forward-looking: Taiwanese giant TSMC has officially confirmed it will build an additional fab for chip manufacturing in the US. The Arizona site will grow, the investment will skyrocket and the number of newly-created jobs will make politicians very, very happy.

TSMC's 2024 Arizona fab to upgrade from 5nm to 4nm after Apple's request

The big picture: Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company's (TSMC) Arizona factory project has become more apparent over the last few weeks. The company intends to move some of the most advanced node processing to the United States, much of it for Apple's iPhones. The company will soon announce an upgrade to its plans.

Disengaging from China manufacturing is hard, but it's happening slowly

A hot potato: Like a train leaving the station, it now seems inevitable that US companies are moving to reduce, or entirely eliminate, their reliance on China. It took a long time to get started, companies had been complaining about changing conditions in China for a decade. The 2018 trade war was the spark that really got them moving, and their progress has only been gaining momentum since then. This process will take years, maybe decades, but at this point is probably unstoppable.

Apple expected to lose 6 million iPhone 14 Pros as disruption at Foxconn plant continues

Samsung will manufacture 3nm chips for Nvidia, Baidu, Qualcomm and IBM

In context: Samsung will use its most advanced manufacturing process to make chips for four well-known technology companies. The race to overtake TSMC as the world's largest chip foundry is on, while geopolitical conflicts are tearing the old economic balance apart.

TSMC reportedly plans to raise 3nm wafer prices 25 percent over 5nm to $20,000

Home Depot for DIY Chips: What's the going trend?

The big picture: Earlier this year we were reviewing Analyst Day slides from leading semiconductor companies and a clear theme emerged. Large companies are all shifting in a similar direction, posing some potential challenges for their long-term positions. More and more customers are looking for special purpose chips, a coping mechanism for dealing with the slowdown in Moore's Law. And the big players are all looking to support those customers.

Apple set to purchase chips from TSMC Arizona plant as it lessens reliance on Asia

Foxconn denies claims that eight workers have died from Covid-19 at its locked-down China plant

In context: Manufacturing giant Foxconn has responded to a video circulated on Twitter claiming that eight people in a dormitory at its Zhengzhou, China, factory have died due to a Covid-19 outbreak. The facility, its main iPhone production plant in the country, is in the middle of a Covid lockdown, but Foxconn claims nobody has died and the video has been "maliciously edited."

Taking stock on the decline of semiconductor stocks

Apple cuts iPhone 14 Plus production by up to 90% on back of weak demand

Expect SSD and RAM prices to rise as memory manufacturers slash production

Apple reluctantly agrees to TSMC's price increases

In context: TSMC is one of the largest processor manufacturers in the world, creating chips and wafers for many companies, including AMD, Nvidia, and Apple. As one of TSMC's biggest customers, Apple was not happy following an announcement that TSMC would increase prices in 2023.

Who will be Intel's first foundry customer?

The big picture: Intel has ambitions to create a foundry business by manufacturing chips for other companies. This is an important strategic initiative that the company will need to recoup the massive investment it is now making in fabs around the world.

The US government is strengthening China export bans on chipmaking devices

Cutting corners: Washington is preparing new rules to ban exports of advanced chipmaking devices to China, a move that could, however, be too little too late as Asian manufacturing companies are already engaged in making sub-14nm semiconductors on their own.

There is TSMC and there's everybody else, can Samsung or Intel catch up?

Heatwave in China forces factories to shut down, affecting Intel, Foxconn, Toyota, and many others