Semiconductor & Technology Specialist, Ingenuity

William Keating

Semiconductor & Technology Specialist

Ingenuity

Our focus is exclusively on in-depth research & consulting in the broader semiconductor industry. We focus on the key players, namely Intel, Micron, Qualcomm, Apple, Samsung, NVIDIA, AMD, TSMC & Global Foundries - as well as some of the lesser known, but nonetheless critical, companies such as ASML (for EUV), Mellanox, Cavium, Xilinx etc. We specialise in their products, roadmaps, process technologies, competitive advantages & threats etc. We also help our clients understand the implications of new and emerging technologies, e.g. 3D X-Point, 3D NAND, Carbon Nanotubes, Autonomous Driving, Graphene, Silicon Photonics, Wafer-Level Optics, Artificial Intelligence, FPGA, GPU, ASIC etc. 

Semiconductor Analysis & Research

Thematic (Sector/Industry)

2020 turned out to be a record year for semiconductor equipment sales with revenues of North American vendors increasing 22.5% sequentially to reach an all time high of $29.7 billion. On the back of a step-function CapEx 2021 forecast increase by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/taiwan-semiconductor-manufacturing-company" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:11230:1" rel="noopener">TSMC</a> and ever-increasing reports of chip shortages, particularly in the automotive industry, the outlook for the current year is also looking particularly strong. Here's our analysis of the sector and why we see it going from strength to strength.

2020 turned out to be a record year for semiconductor equipment sales with revenues of North American vendors increasing 22.5% sequentially to reach an all time high of $29.7 billion. On the back of a step-function CapEx 2021 forecast increase by TSMC and ever-increasing reports of chip shortages, particularly in the automotive industry, the outlook for the current year is also looking particularly strong. Here's our analysis of the sector and why we see it going from strength to strength.

Semiconductor WFE. Going From Strength To Strength.

2020 was a year of two halves as far as semiconductor memory was concerned. The first two quarters saw rising ASPs for both DRAM and NAND. In the case of the former, it was the reversal of a five-quarter period of declining ASPs and, in the case of the latter, the reversal of an eight quarter downward ASP spiral. That recovery changed trajectory in the second half of the year when ASPs once again declined across the board during the third and fourth quarters. So, where exactly are we in terms of the current memory cycle and what can we expect in the quarters and years ahead? Here's our thoughts on the matter.

2020 was a year of two halves as far as semiconductor memory was concerned. The first two quarters saw rising ASPs for both DRAM and NAND. In the case of the former, it was the reversal of a five-quarter period of declining ASPs and, in the case of the latter, the reversal of an eight quarter downward ASP spiral. That recovery changed trajectory in the second half of the year when ASPs once again declined across the board during the third and fourth quarters. So, where exactly are we in terms of the current memory cycle and what can we expect in the quarters and years ahead? Here's our thoughts on the matter.

Semiconductor Memory Cycles. Where Are We At & Where Are We Going?

Founder/CEO of ROK Advisory, ROK Advisory LLC

Ken S. Kim

Founder/CEO of ROK Advisory

ROK Advisory LLC

ROK is an independent research advisory firm. We guide you to minimize the information gap between foreign and local investors in Northeast Asia with a focus in Korea, Taiwan and Japan.

Independent Research Advisory Firm

Event-Driven

On the latest earnings call, <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/samsung-electronics-co-ltd" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:191:1" rel="noopener">Samsung Electronics (005930 KS)</a> responded to a question on M&amp;A that has perked the interest of investors.   Is a M&amp;A in the cards in the near future?  We examine the likelihood and possible target(s).

On the latest earnings call, Samsung Electronics (005930 KS) responded to a question on M&amp;A that has perked the interest of investors.   Is a M&amp;A in the cards in the near future?  We examine the likelihood and possible target(s). 

Equity Bottom-Up

<a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/intel-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16764:1" rel="noopener">Intel</a>'s CEO in waiting, Pat Gelsinger, joined last week's earnings call along with outgoing CEO Bob Swan and Chairman of the Board, Omar Ishrak. Among many other things, he promised a return to a "Grovian, maniacal execution", a reference to the management style of the company's first employee and third CEO, the legendary Andy Grove. Is this what Intel has been missing and what the company requires in its hour of need? Here's our thoughts on the matter.

Intel's CEO in waiting, Pat Gelsinger, joined last week's earnings call along with outgoing CEO Bob Swan and Chairman of the Board, Omar Ishrak. Among many other things, he promised a return to a "Grovian, maniacal execution", a reference to the management style of the company's first employee and third CEO, the legendary Andy Grove. Is this what Intel has been missing and what the company requires in its hour of need? Here's our thoughts on the matter. 

Intel. Will A Return To A Grovian, Maniacal Execution Style Save The Day?

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst, Obex Capital Research

Aaron Gabin

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research Analyst

TMT & Consumer Independent Equity Research

Obex Capital Research

“Obex” is Latin for Barriers to Entry. Obex Capital Management’s investment philosophy is driven by an intense focus on which business model’s Barriers to Entry are able to withstand the ever increasing competitive disruption in the TMT and Consumer Sectors.

SmartKarma Insight Providers Jim Handey and Will Keating have done excellent work detailing the Intel backstory, and outlining the current problems, I wanted to highlight the difficulty of the decisions facing Gelsinger, and the fact that while he has time to execute (his pay package will pay him  &gt;$100M if Intel’s stock is up 200% in 5 years), he doesn’t have the best track record as a CEO. We think a split up of Intel with the US government helping to fund manufacturing may be the best option for Intel. <div class="content-highlight">Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.</div>

SmartKarma Insight Providers Jim Handey and Will Keating have done excellent work detailing the Intel backstory, and outlining the current problems, I wanted to highlight the difficulty of the decisions facing Gelsinger, and the fact that while he has time to execute (his pay package will pay him  &gt;$100M if Intel’s stock is up 200% in 5 years), he doesn’t have the best track record as a CEO. We think a split up of Intel with the US government helping to fund manufacturing may be the best option for Intel. Obex’s fundamental research process is focused on secular change in the TMT and Consumer sectors. We seek to differentiate between fundamental business analysis and security analysis. Before deciding if a security’s pricing and positioning merit a long or short position, we analyze the four pillars of business fundamentals (Secular Factors, TAM, Competitive Advantage, Business Model) in order to determine if this is a “good” or “not so good” opportunity.

Intel: Are We Sure Gelsinger Is the Best Choice? Maybe Its Time for a Government Bailout.

United States

Intel Corporation designs, manufactures, and sells computer components and related products.  The Company's major products include microprocessors, chipsets, embedded processors and microcontrollers, flash memory products, graphics products, network and communications products, systems management software, conferencing products, and digital imaging products.

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Intel Corp (INTC US)

Semiconductor WFE. Going From Strength To Strength.

Semiconductor WFE revenues grew by around 20% in 2020. We expect similar, if not stronger, growth in 2021. Here's why we see the sector going from...

William Keating

Semiconductor Memory Cycles. Where Are We At & Where Are We Going?

With the memory boom & bust cycle of the past three years in our rear view mirror, we posit that we are now entering a period of greater stability...

William Keating

Samsung Electronics - M&A in the Cards?

Samsung Electronics' M&A desire. To me there is a clear target that can be done in the near future even with JY Lee in the can.

Ken S. Kim

Intel. Will A Return To A Grovian, Maniacal Execution Style Save The Day?

Intel's incoming CEO is promising a return to a "Grovian, maniacal execution" style. What exactly is this and is it what Intel needs at this time?

William Keating

Intel: Are We Sure Gelsinger Is the Best Choice? Maybe Its Time for a Government Bailout.

Pat Gelsinger is being hailed as the perfect fit for Intel CEO, but his track record managing VMWare hasn't generated good returns for investors.

Aaron Gabin

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