Hardware Podcasts

Episode 30: Intel / Tower Semi Deal, Capacity Challenges, and Leading Edge $$$

The Circuit · 21 Aug 2023 · 34m · Episode 32

What this episode covers

Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss the collapse of Intel's $5 billion acquisition of Tower Semiconductor, attributing the failure to Chinese regulatory blockage driven by geopolitical tensions rather than antitrust concerns. They analyze Intel's strategic need for trailing-edge capacity and external customer service capabilities to compete with TSMC in its Intel Foundry Services (IFS) division. The hosts explore the broader semiconductor landscape, highlighting China's dominance in trailing-edge capacity and the massive economic opportunity for TSMC competitors in the leading-edge market, estimated at $40 billion.

Most relevant to

large enterprises

Topics

Mentioned

Companies
Intel, Tower Semiconductor, TSMC, Samsung, Nvidia, Qualcomm, GlobalFoundries, ARM, Synopsys, MaxLinear, Silicon Motion
Products
Intel Foundry Services, Nvidia GPUs

Related episodes from other shows

Other shows on the same ground, closest first.

  • EE Times Current · 18m

    ON Semi’s Acquisition | TSMC’s Finer Nodes | Tesla’s AI Chip | China’s Fabless Companies

    Rick Merritt reports on ON Semiconductor's acquisition of GlobalFoundries' East Fishkill fab to transition to 300mm wafers and TSMC's roadmap updates on 7nm, 5nm, and advanced packaging. Junko Yoshida analyzes Tesla's new Full Self-Driving computer and criticizes the company's marketing of its autonomous capabilities. Echo Zhao discusses the 2019 China fabless survey, highlighting rapid growth, fragmentation, and the rise of IoT applications in the region.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsPolicy, trade & tariffs
    5 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 09m

    Bonkers Birthday Badinage

    Hosts Dave Jones and Chris Gammell celebrate the 100th episode of The Amp Hour, discussing the show's growth to 5,000 listeners and the launch of a new discussion server based on the Hacker News engine. They analyze the semiconductor industry, noting TSMC's $8-10 billion investment in a 450mm wafer fab and Intel's dismissal of ARM as a competitor. The episode also covers practical engineering topics, including the use of gallium nitride (GaN) FETs, the TI LM5113 driver, and the feasibility of sourcing cheap Chinese electronics components for product design.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsPCB design & layout
    8 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 15m

    Silicon 100: Startups Worth Watching in 2023

    Peter Clark, curator of EE Times' Silicon 100, analyzes the 2023 list with Embedded.com editor Nitin Dahad, highlighting a surge in AI startups, significant Chinese activity, and a shift toward full-stack offerings. They discuss the transition from data center AI to edge applications, the persistent semiconductor talent shortage, and the geopolitical challenges facing Chinese chipmakers like Byton Technology who are denied access to leading-edge foundries like TSMC. The conversation also covers the rise of custom silicon, the maturity of quantum computing, and the broadening wavefront of startup activity across power semiconductors and displays.

    Chips, FPGAs & semiconductorsAI & machine learning
    5 chapters

  • EE Times Current · 32m

    Seismology 1: Nvidia & Arm | Seismology 2: US IC Manufacturing on the Rebound

    Kevin Krewell of Tirias Research discusses the potential acquisition of Arm by Nvidia, analyzing executive connections and the strategic implications for Arm's licensees like Qualcomm and Apple. Dan Hutcheson of VLSI Research, James Lewis of CSIS, and Jeff Rittener of Intel discuss US legislation to boost domestic semiconductor manufacturing, highlighting Intel's need for grants to compete with lower-cost Asian production and the geopolitical focus on TSMC and SMIC.

    Policy, trade & tariffsChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    7 chapters

  • The Amp Hour · 1h 07m

    For a couple weeks there...

    Hosts Chris Gammell and Dave Jones discuss the current state of the semiconductor industry, including Michael Burry's bearish bet on the sector and the impact of Chinese export controls on gallium and germanium. They analyze the layoffs at RISC-V startup SiFive and the acquisition of Future Electronics by W&T Microelectronics, while also covering the technical details of WS2812 LED controllers and the regulatory fraud surrounding the nuclear diamond battery.

    Sourcing & supply chainChips, FPGAs & semiconductors
    9 chapters

The summary, chapters and topics are generated from the episode’s audio by this directory, not written by The Circuit. The episode itself belongs to its publisher.