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)

Based on the latest quarterly earnings and forecasts of the top 5 global semiconductor wafer fab equipment (WFE) manufacturers, the sector is on track to grow by ~20% sequentially in 2020. This is a remarkable accomplishment considering the challenges these companies have faced during the year as a result of the global pandemic along with the US-China trade restrictions. Furthermore, assuming there are no surprises through the end of the year, 2020 will set an all time record high for annual WFE revenues. Here's a look in more detail at how the sector is performing.

Based on the latest quarterly earnings and forecasts of the top 5 global semiconductor wafer fab equipment (WFE) manufacturers, the sector is on track to grow by ~20% sequentially in 2020. This is a remarkable accomplishment considering the challenges these companies have faced during the year as a result of the global pandemic along with the US-China trade restrictions. Furthermore, assuming there are no surprises through the end of the year, 2020 will set an all time record high for annual WFE revenues. Here's a look in more detail at how the sector is performing. 

Semiconductor WFE. On Track For ~20% YoY Growth Despite US China Restrictions.

President

Thomas Coughlin

Coughlin Associates

Memory and storage demand are a critical ingredient in worldwide  digital transformations, spurred by the pandemic.  Demand for memory and processor investments, including domain specific processing, will drive semiconductor fab growth, especially in Asia through 2024.

Memory and storage demand are a critical ingredient in worldwide  digital transformations, spurred by the pandemic.  Demand for memory and processor investments, including domain specific processing, will drive semiconductor fab growth, especially in Asia through 2024.

The Pandemic Will Help Drive Silicon Wafer Fab Spending Increases Through 2023

Semiconductors, Memory and SSDs Specialist, Objective Analysis

Jim Handy

Semiconductors, Memory and SSDs Specialist

Objective Analysis

Objective Analysis offers third-party independent market research and data for the semiconductor industry and investors in the semiconductor industry.

Semiconductors, Memory and SSDs

Equity Bottom-Up

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC) / Equity Bottom-Up

Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp (SMIC)

The US Department of Commerce has added SMIC to its Entity List with the intent of limiting the company's access to US technology.  This Smartkarma Insight explores what that might mean to the company, to  China's national semiconductor efforts, and to SMIC's US-based tool suppliers.

The US Department of Commerce has added SMIC to its Entity List with the intent of limiting the company's access to US technology.  This Smartkarma Insight explores what that might mean to the company, to  China's national semiconductor efforts, and to SMIC's US-based tool suppliers.

The much-anticipated acquisition by <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/nvidia-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:5891:1" rel="noopener">NVIDIA</a> of <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/arm-holdings-plc" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:21816:1" rel="noopener">Arm</a> from <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/softbank-group-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:315:1" rel="noopener">Softbank</a> was formally <a href="https://nvidianews.nvidia.com/news/nvidia-to-acquire-arm-for-40-billion-creating-worlds-premier-computing-company-for-the-age-of-ai" target="_blank" rel="noopener">announced</a> on Monday. The transaction is valued at $40 billion, an approximately equal combination of cash and NVIDIA stock.On the surface the deal looks strategically solid from NVIDIA's perspective. It places the company at the center of Arm's one hundred and eighty billion connected device ecosystem. Perhaps even more importantly, it opens up the possibility of an outright assault on <a href="https://www.smartkarma.com/entities/intel-corp" target="_blank" data-smartkarma-citation="entities:16764:1" rel="noopener">Intel's</a> data center dominance by adding Arm-based server processors to complement NVIDIA's existing lineup of GPUs and interconnect.Underneath the surface however, this deal is fraught with issues and risks. While Arm has been a very successful company, their growth is flatlining as smartphone sales stagnate. Furthermore, we see the rise of RISC-V as a very real threat to Arm's business model in the coming years. Arm has never competed with its customers. Under NVIDIA ownership, this will be virtually impossible to avoid.From a regulatory perspective, Arm IP moving under american ownership will raise the very real prospect that this technology will become a future weapon in the US-China trade and technology wars. In today's environment, it's difficult to see why China would agree to facilitate that possibility.All in all we think this deal is not as good as it seems on the surface and that it will be practically impossible to get through the regulatory approval process.

The much-anticipated acquisition by NVIDIA of Arm from Softbank was formally announced on Monday. The transaction is valued at $40 billion, an approximately equal combination of cash and NVIDIA stock.On the surface the deal looks strategically solid from NVIDIA's perspective. It places the company at the center of Arm's one hundred and eighty billion connected device ecosystem. Perhaps even more importantly, it opens up the possibility of an outright assault on Intel's data center dominance by adding Arm-based server processors to complement NVIDIA's existing lineup of GPUs and interconnect.Underneath the surface however, this deal is fraught with issues and risks. While Arm has been a very successful company, their growth is flatlining as smartphone sales stagnate. Furthermore, we see the rise of RISC-V as a very real threat to Arm's business model in the coming years. Arm has never competed with its customers. Under NVIDIA ownership, this will be virtually impossible to avoid.From a regulatory perspective, Arm IP moving under american ownership will raise the very real prospect that this technology will become a future weapon in the US-China trade and technology wars. In today's environment, it's difficult to see why China would agree to facilitate that possibility.All in all we think this deal is not as good as it seems on the surface and that it will be practically impossible to get through the regulatory approval process. 

NVIDIA+Arm. Strategically Solid But Practically Impossible.

Senior Technology Analyst, Japanese Equities, LightStream Research

Scott Foster

Senior Technology Analyst, Japanese Equities

Long-Short Analysis on Japan, Asia and the World

LightStream Research

LightStream conducts quantitatively rigorous and data-driven analysis with a focus on Japan and Asia.

We consistently cover the Tech, Consumer and Industrial sectors, and provide ECM and Events coverage more broadly.

We supplement traditional qualitative insights from company relationships with a robust quantitative foundation that examines as much historical data as is available.
We further refine the accuracy of our insights and calls through the use of alternative data to flesh out current trends, and through a valuation framework that emphasises non-superficial peer group selection and a proper attempt to understand the metrics and changes that have driven security valuations in the past.

The Trump administration is considering whether or not to add Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC, 981 HK) to the Commerce Department's "Entity List" - the same mechanism that was used to restrict the export of American technology to Huawei. This would cause SMIC a great deal of inconvenience and further undercut American semiconductor production equipment (SPE) sales to China. A sword is hanging over the share prices of SMIC itself and leading American SPE makers including Applied Materials (AMAT), Lam Research (LRCX) and KLA (KLAC). Another act of economic war intended to cripple China's high-tech industries, it would also convince the Chinese government - if any further convincing is necessary - that eliminating dependence on American technology is an absolute necessity.Some form of retaliation also seems likely. Has anyone calculated the valuations of American listed companies assuming no further growth in sales in China, declining sales in China, or no sales in China at all? Not only high-tech is at risk.Potential beneficiaries include Japanese and European SPE makers including Tokyo Electron (8035 JP), Lasertec (6920 JP), Screen Holdings (7735 JP) and ASM International (ASM). American commentators have claimed that semiconductors cannot be produced without American technology, but that is not true.Nevertheless, the immediate concern is the impact of the U.S-China trade war on semiconductor capital spending, which in the short to medium term at least is negative for all concerned.

The Trump administration is considering whether or not to add Semiconductor Manufacturing International Corp. (SMIC, 981 HK) to the Commerce Department's "Entity List" - the same mechanism that was used to restrict the export of American technology to Huawei. This would cause SMIC a great deal of inconvenience and further undercut American semiconductor production equipment (SPE) sales to China. A sword is hanging over the share prices of SMIC itself and leading American SPE makers including Applied Materials (AMAT), Lam Research (LRCX) and KLA (KLAC). Another act of economic war intended to cripple China's high-tech industries, it would also convince the Chinese government - if any further convincing is necessary - that eliminating dependence on American technology is an absolute necessity.Some form of retaliation also seems likely. Has anyone calculated the valuations of American listed companies assuming no further growth in sales in China, declining sales in China, or no sales in China at all? Not only high-tech is at risk.Potential beneficiaries include Japanese and European SPE makers including Tokyo Electron (8035 JP), Lasertec (6920 JP), Screen Holdings (7735 JP) and ASM International (ASM). American commentators have claimed that semiconductors cannot be produced without American technology, but that is not true.Nevertheless, the immediate concern is the impact of the U.S-China trade war on semiconductor capital spending, which in the short to medium term at least is negative for all concerned.  

United States

Applied Materials, Inc. develops, manufactures, markets, and services semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment and related spare parts for the worldwide semiconductor industry.  The Company's customers include semiconductor wafer and integrated circuit manufacturers, flat panel liquid crystal displays, solar photovoltaic cells and modules and other electronic devices manufacturers.

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Applied Materials (AMAT US)

Semiconductor WFE. On Track For ~20% YoY Growth Despite US China Restrictions.

Despite the double headwinds of COVID-19 and US China trade restrictions, the semiconductor WFE segment is turning in an outstanding performance...

William Keating

The Pandemic Will Help Drive Silicon Wafer Fab Spending Increases Through 2023

Increased semi fab investments in Asia, spurred by investments to provide services during the pandemic, will drive digital transformations

Thomas Coughlin

US Government Puts the Squeeze on SMIC

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Jim Handy

NVIDIA+Arm. Strategically Solid But Practically Impossible.

The long-anticipated acquisition by NVIDIA of Arm Holdings (ARM LN)

William Keating

Sword of Trump Hanging Over SMIC

xxx The Trump administration is considering whether or not U.S. agencies are in discussions to determine whether Semiconductor Manufacturing...

Scott Foster

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