Online information source for semiconductor professionals
Editor's Blog
The blog is written by Semiconductor Fabtech's Editor-in-Chief, Mark Osborne. Mark is also the Senior News Editor for Photovoltaics International and the PV-Tech website. He has launched multiple technology titles in print and online covering manufacturing in the automotive, shipping, semiconductor and solar sectors in a publishing career spanning three decades. Mark started blogging in 2005, the first technology editor to do so and has worked online since 1996. A veteran manufacturing technology journalist and editor, Mark as been responsible for a series of innovative formats for delivering technical content to an engineering-based audience. Quarterly Quotes to make you laugh and cry
16 October 2008
A long time ago I thought it would be a good - perhaps funny-ish - blog
idea to regularly post some good quotes from semiconductor executives.
The problem was there weren’t any! Well, there were some occasionally,
but not enough of them to string together to make any sense.
Read more >>Does ASML walk on water? Intel places first major immersion lithography tool order
15 October 2008 | Comments (7)
Having claimed 65 percent of the lithography market in 2007, ASML positioned itself for further gains in 2008. The significant capital spending cuts by memory manufacturers this year, coupled to very tight spending from the major foundries, meant that not even Moore’s Law enablers such as lithography tool vendors would be immune from the serious slump in spending.
Read more >>AMD’s gamble
08 October 2008 | Comments (4)
We all waited and waited and waited some more to find out from AMD and Hector Ruiz what exactly was its ‘asset smart’ plan. Now that it has been revealed, it is very close to what we and others thought it would mean.
Read more >>Dead cats don’t bounce
03 October 2008 | Comments (1)
Barely two months after releasing unrealistic capital spending projections for 2009, SEMI have slipped out news that 2009 doesn’t look like it's going to be bright as once (just) thought. I noted in this blog that things were worse than being painted by SEMI and that the memory manufacturers would remain cautious on spending until the mess they have created is sorted out.
Read more >>The white box is mightier than the semiconductor
18 September 2008
How low can you go? That question has been asked by iSuppli Corp’s analysts after trawling over the financial figures coming out of semiconductor manufacturers (though not foundries).
Read more >>Semiconductor capital spending for 2009 hangs in the balance
15 September 2008 | Comments (1)
The latest round of capital spending and production cuts from the likes of Elpida, Hynix and Powerchip Semiconductor are a concern to Gartner and suppliers alike as they may impact the potential for a fourth quarter recovering in tool spending that should see a better capital spending environment develop in 2009.
Read more >>
SEMI fab outlook bounces like a dead cat
26 August 2008 | Comments (1)
The latest sales pitch from SEMI to part with $4,000 greenbacks for their ‘World Fab Forecast’ market research data notes that we can all expect a ‘brighter’ 2009. Fab spending is set to recover by 20 percent over a 20 percent decline expected for 2008 compared to 2007.
Read more >>
Shake, rattle and roll, according to IC Insights
04 August 2008
Quick-of-feet market research firm IC Insights has posted its first
half year semiconductor supplier rankings based on revenues. If you had
expected the majority of the top 20 chip firms to have posted
lacklustre results due to the macro-economic woes, then think again!
Read more >>
Updated:AMD in a spin, but not an ‘off’ - or so they claim
28 July 2008 | Comments (1)
AMD spin doctors have quickly come out of the bunker to refute claims
that CEO Dirk Meyer ever said that they would spin-off its
manufacturing arm. The story everyone is quoting over at the Austin
American Statesman is apparently wrong in its assertions, and seems to
be a classic case of misinterpretation of what Mr Meyer actually said.
Read more >>
AMD going fabless
23 July 2008
It looks like AMD will bite more than the ‘asset-smart’ bullet and go
fabless after all, according to comments made by new CEO Dirk Meyer in
an interview with the Austin American Statesman newspaper.
Read more >>