The hottest Semiconductors Substack posts right now

And their main takeaways
Category
Top Technology Topics

India’s Chip War

ChinaTalk • 148 implied HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Manufacturing Software Design Globalization
  1. India excels in software and design but faces challenges in manufacturing semiconductors due to historical economic policies that hindered growth in hardware and manufacturing sectors.
  2. India's approach to semiconductor industry development differed from Taiwan and China, starting from the design end rather than electronics assembly, posing challenges due to lack of a broader electronics ecosystem and global integration.
  3. Software industry in India thrived due to less restrictive regulations compared to hardware industries like semiconductors heavily controlled under small-scale industry reservations, hindering growth in manufacturing sectors.

The Coming Wave of AI, and How Nvidia Dominants

Mule’s Musings • 366 implied HN points • 30 May 23
🕹 Technology AI Semiconductors Inference Training Competition
  1. Large Language Models (LLMs) are powering AI applications and depend on factors like model size, training data, and computing power.
  2. Semiconductors benefit from the demand for LLMs due to their computing power requirements for training and inference, creating opportunities for companies like Nvidia.
  3. Nvidia dominates in the AI hardware market with a three-headed hydra strategy focusing on networking and systems, accelerator hardware, and software solutions.

Deploy! Intelligence too cheap to meter @ $0.0001 per million tokens.

Let Us Face the Future • 59 implied HN points • 29 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Semiconductors Edge Computing Model Deployment
  1. Making AI technology cheaper is key to its widespread use. If it costs only $0.0001 per million tokens, it can be integrated into many everyday devices.
  2. We need to focus on three main challenges: reducing semiconductor costs, optimizing power for devices, and creating smaller, efficient models that can run locally.
  3. To handle power constraints, especially for portable devices, we need new chips and better power management. This will help make AI more accessible and functional in our daily lives.

Taiwan AI Conference Slides, Nvidia Fraud Hoax, Huawei, ARM IPO, and Intel

Mule’s Musings • 263 implied HN points • 06 Sep 23
🕹 Technology AI Semiconductors Crypto Internet Conspiracy Theories
  1. The Taiwan AI conference had great slides and discussions on AI content and technology.
  2. There is a debunking of the 'Nvidia is a fraud' narrative, explaining reasons for recent actions by Nvidia.
  3. The complexity of internet-scale events can lead to conspiracy theories as people try to make sense of things beyond their understanding.

Interview with Intel’s Dr. Ann Kelleher

More Than Moore • 186 implied HN points • 22 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Manufacturing Research and Development Innovation Engineering
  1. Intel has been successful in using EUV in their Intel 4 technology
  2. The development of nodes at Intel involves extensive research, pathfinding, and process development before transferring to high-volume manufacturing
  3. Intel is progressing well with their roadmap of '5 nodes in 4 years', with Intel 4 completed and Intel 3 on track
Get a weekly roundup of the best Substack posts, by hacker news affinity:

Chinese EV's and the Lagging Edge Price War

Mule’s Musings • 256 implied HN points • 13 Aug 23
💼 Business EVs Semiconductors Competition Market Dynamics
  1. Chinese EV market strategy involves price cuts implying a potential price war.
  2. Chinese semiconductor firms are focusing on older technology to capitalize on the worldwide EV export surge.
  3. Western semiconductor giants are facing challenges from Chinese companies investing in the lagging edge, potentially leading to a decline in profits.

VLSI Japan: It’s Better on the Backside

Mule’s Musings • 263 implied HN points • 15 Jun 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Manufacturing Innovation Competition Design
  1. VLSI Japan discussed the revolutionary Backside Power Delivery (BSPDN) technology and its importance in semiconductor design.
  2. BSPDN addresses the IR droop problem in semiconductor design, offering power and performance benefits like decreased IR droop and increased core performance.
  3. Intel's adoption of PowerVia technology positions them ahead of competitors like TSMC, providing potential competitive advantages in process efficiency and cost.

AMD MI300X is not an AI chip.

Irrational Analysis • 99 implied HN points • 15 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Hardware Semiconductors AI
  1. AMD MI300X is not designed for AI workloads, despite the false narrative in the media.
  2. AMD's strategic decision to split GPU efforts into RDNA and CDNA families led to commercial success in gaming and datacenter markets.
  3. AMD's MI300X is optimized for high-precision compute and supercomputing, lacking in low-precision compute capabilities for AI workloads, putting them behind Nvidia until at least H1 2025.

[Q1 CY2024] Marvell and Broadcom

Irrational Analysis • 39 implied HN points • 08 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors AI Networking Cloud
  1. Marvell and Broadcom both faced challenges after recent earnings, with Marvell experiencing a bigger drop due to exposure to the struggling 5G industry.
  2. The 5G technology's promised new use cases beyond smartphones have largely failed to materialize, leading to decreased demand and implications for companies like Marvell.
  3. Broadcom, on the other hand, showed strength in custom AI accelerators and networking revenue growth, positioning themselves well for the future.

🏴‍☠️Traitors or Treasures: the Semiconductor Talent Conundrum

Interconnected • 231 implied HN points • 10 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Chip Manufacturing Global Competition
  1. South Korea is facing a conundrum in the fight for semiconductor talent, treating engineers suspiciously instead of as treasures.
  2. The case of Choi Jin-seok highlights the challenges faced by talented semiconductor executives, like being caught up in geopolitical tensions.
  3. There is a mismatch between demand and supply of semiconductor talent globally, with countries not properly valuing and nurturing their home-grown talent.

The Race to 2nm: RISC-V Chips in Japan

More Than Moore • 87 HN points • 27 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors AI RISC-V Manufacturing Research
  1. Rapidus, a new semiconductor company in Japan, aims to bring 2nm manufacturing capacity online by 2027 with backing from major Japanese companies and government subsidies.
  2. The Leading-Edge Semiconductor Technology Center (LSTC) in Japan, a collaboration between the US and Japan, will focus on advanced research and building vital silicon for both economies.
  3. Tenstorrent's collaboration with LSTC involves providing advanced high-performance RISC-V cores and chiplets, indicating a push towards AI acceleration and cutting-edge technology development.

Moore's Law Changed Our Lives Forever: Rest in Peace Gordon Moore

Mule’s Musings • 256 implied HN points • 25 Mar 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Computing Innovation Engineering Legacy
  1. Moore's Law drove massive technological progress and changed our lives significantly
  2. Moore's Law enabled the rapid advancement of communication, entertainment, and healthcare
  3. Moore's Law was an aspiration upheld by the semiconductor industry, not a scientific law, but its impact on technology and progress remains profound

Groq's inference strategy

Axial • 7 implied HN points • 22 Oct 24
🕹 Technology AI Hardware Semiconductors Innovation Computing
  1. Groq is designing chips that speed up AI by using a special kind of memory called SRAM, which is faster but also more expensive. This helps them run complex AI models more efficiently.
  2. Their choice of using separate cards for each chip instead of smaller, cheaper chips means they might face higher costs and power use. This choice could limit how easily they can grow their technology.
  3. Other companies like Microsoft are trying different approaches that might be cheaper and easier to scale. Groq needs to find a balance between speed and practicality to succeed in the competitive AI market.

How Taiwan became Arrakis

Deep Into The Mundane • 17 HN points • 20 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Manufacturing Innovation Research Economics
  1. Taiwan's TSMC is crucial to the global economy, producing chips for major tech companies like Apple, Nvidia, and Tesla.
  2. ASML, a Dutch company, has a monopoly on EUV lithography machines, a key technology for chip manufacturing, with machines costing hundreds of millions of dollars.
  3. TSMC's innovative 'pure-play foundry' model, led by visionary Morris Chang, revolutionized chip manufacturing, emphasizing collaboration with designers and avoiding competition with customers.

Wen Babelfish? feat. Aron of SEMRON who is making an analog AI chip

State of the Future • 7 implied HN points • 12 Feb 25
🕹 Technology AI Computing Semiconductors Energy Efficiency
  1. Edge AI needs efficient computing because it's important for energy conservation. The best designs will combine processing and storage to save power.
  2. CapRAM is a promising technology since it uses standard materials, making it easier and cheaper to produce. This could help it succeed where other technologies struggle.
  3. CapRAM could lead to smaller, more powerful edge devices by minimizing data movement and energy use. This means devices can perform better without overheating.

🧩E13: Chiplets - How Chip Lego is Driving AI Progress

Let Us Face the Future • 119 implied HN points • 31 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Innovation Market Analysis Research and Development
  1. Chiplets are a modular approach to building computer chips by combining multiple smaller 'chiplets' instead of a single monolithic design.
  2. Chiplets offer benefits like improved manufacturing yield, diverse process nodes, and cost savings through reusing pre-tested chiplets.
  3. The chiplet market is growing rapidly, expected to be worth $20 billion by 2027, driven by demand for AI and HPC accelerators.

Huawei to Transform Chip Game

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 39 implied HN points • 11 Sep 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors AI Hardware Innovation Competition
  1. Huawei is entering the chip market and competing directly with NVIDIA. Their Ascend 910 AI processor has similar power to NVIDIA's A100.
  2. The Ascend 910 offers strong performance with 256 TeraFLOPs while using less power than the A100. It shows that Huawei's technology can be efficient and effective.
  3. More companies, like iFlytek, are choosing Huawei's chips for AI development, indicating a shift in the industry. This could change the landscape of chip manufacturing.

To Be or Not To Be

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 39 implied HN points • 04 Aug 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Export Controls Market Strategy Global Trade Corporate Governance
  1. AMD is facing a tough decision between following US export rules and keeping its market in China. It's a tricky balance to maintain.
  2. The US has set strict rules that prevent companies like AMD from selling advanced chips to China. These rules are aimed at restricting high-performance technology exports.
  3. Nvidia has a chip that exceeds these performance limits, illustrating the competitive tech landscape and the challenges AMD is dealing with.

[Q1 CY24] ARM Short Squeeze, Fabrinet Sus

Irrational Analysis • 19 implied HN points • 08 Feb 24
💰 Finance Stocks Earnings Investing Semiconductors Analysis
  1. ARM experienced a significant short squeeze after hours, showing wild price movement.
  2. Fabrinet's weak guidance and management's unconvincing excuses suggest something suspicious, leading the author to liquidate their position.
  3. Qualcomm showcased steady growth in the automotive semiconductor market despite challenges, with a rough response to questions about partnership details and future seasonality.

The Semiconductor Trade War

Apricitas Economics • 78 implied HN points • 05 Jul 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Market Trends Government Policy Global Economy
  1. The US is engaged in a significant semiconductor trade war with China and needs help from allies to win.
  2. Semiconductors are crucial for modern industries and military defense, and the US sanctions have impacted chip exports to China.
  3. China's domestic semiconductor production is growing despite sanctions, creating a complex global scenario.

Can AMD beat Nvidia in the AI Race?

Golden Pineapple • 31 implied HN points • 07 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Artificial Intelligence Acquisitions Semiconductors Data Analysis Software
  1. Nvidia has been a market leader with high-performance chips for GPT models, positioning them well in the AI competition.
  2. AMD is making strategic moves in AI, such as diversifying into software through acquisitions like Nod AI, to challenge Nvidia's dominance.
  3. Both Nvidia and AMD are eyeing potential acquisitions in AI-related sectors, with AMD's recent chip advancements showing promise in the competition.

[Q4 CY23] ARM Special

Irrational Analysis • 19 implied HN points • 12 Nov 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors AI CPU RISC-V Royalties
  1. ARM's royalty revenue faces challenges with declines in smartphone sales and RISC-V gaining share in embedded markets.
  2. AI trend shifts workloads from CPUs to specialized hardware, posing a challenge to ARM's value capture.
  3. ARM is expanding and investing in compute capabilities, but questions arise regarding the outcomes of these efforts, especially in the face of evolving industry dynamics.

[Q4 CY23] Ericsson, Nokia, Lam Research, Tesla, TSMC

Irrational Analysis • 19 implied HN points • 21 Oct 23
🕹 Technology Telecom Semiconductors AI Data Centers
  1. Analyst pointed out Ericsson's struggles with return to 2018 revenue levels and significant growth decline, raising concerns about pricing and cost-cutting efforts.
  2. Nokia's CEO indicated a challenging forecast with no recovery until 2026, expressing concern over irrational pricing actions by competitors in the market.
  3. TSMC CEO emphasized confidence in the company's advanced technology, dismissing the impact of edge AI on revenue growth in 2024.

CEA-Leti, Imec launch chip pilot lines

Semiecosystem • 2 HN points • 29 Jun 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors European Union Research & Development Economic Growth
  1. European Union boosts semiconductor industry with new chip pilot lines led by CEA-Leti and Imec to drive R&D and explore advanced technologies.
  2. European Chips Act aims to strengthen EU's semiconductor ecosystem with a $47 billion program and increase Europe's share of semiconductors from 8% in 2021 to 20% by 2030.
  3. Initiatives like these are crucial due to the global importance of semiconductors in various products, the geopolitical vulnerabilities in current chip production regions, and past disruptions like the Covid-19 pandemic.

Small Mercies

Sector 6 | The Newsletter of AIM • 19 implied HN points • 19 Jan 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Manufacturing Investment Partnerships Policy
  1. India is set to approve a $10 billion subsidy for semiconductor manufacturing, which is a big step for the tech industry. People are eager to see if this will lead to actual semiconductor plants in the country soon.
  2. The success of this project heavily relies on the partnership between Vedanta and Foxconn, who are investing a significant amount to make this happen. They had plans for a major manufacturing unit, but funding is a major concern.
  3. Despite the exciting prospects, there are still uncertainties about when and how soon India can have its semiconductor fab operational. Many are curious about the timeline and the challenges that lie ahead.

Parallel Tracks: observations from the Jade Empire (Part 1)

East Wind • 7 implied HN points • 02 Apr 24
🕹 Technology AI Semiconductors Economics Innovation Manufacturing
  1. China and the US are in a tech race, but with different goals. China wants to become independent in key tech areas, while the US aims to bring manufacturing back home and limit China's advancements.
  2. China's economy is struggling, leading to a need for change. There are big problems like falling real estate prices and decreased foreign investment, which push China to improve its tech game.
  3. China is doing well in consumer tech, but it’s vying for a bigger role in high-end technologies like EVs and semiconductors. The US is currently ahead in areas like AI, but competition is growing.

Tippets #191

Tippets by Taps • 2 implied HN points • 17 Mar 24
🕹 Technology AI Journalism Semiconductors Essays Loneliness
  1. Children need physical risk-taking and thrill in play for healthy development and skill-building.
  2. AI is becoming more prevalent in various fields, including journalism and elderly care.
  3. Conflicts like US-China tech tensions can unexpectedly benefit other regions, like Malaysia's semiconductor industry.

Britain's headlong slide from silicon supremacy to silicon irrelevance

Material World • 6 HN points • 19 May 23
🕹 Technology Innovation Semiconductors Manufacturing
  1. In the 1940s and '50s, Britain was at the forefront of semiconductor research and came close to inventing the integrated circuit before the U.S.
  2. Geoffrey Dummer, an English engineer, almost changed history by conceptualizing the integrated circuit in 1952.
  3. The UK's semiconductor sector faces challenges, and the government's new Integrated Semiconductor Strategy indicates a potential shift towards a 21st century industrial strategy.

October 7 and the big hack: how China will seize control over semiconductors

World Game • 5 implied HN points • 11 Feb 23
🕹 Technology Semiconductors China Export Controls
  1. On October 7, 2022, the US Department of Commerce implemented export controls on certain semiconductor products.
  2. The export controls targeted advanced computing chips, computer commodities, and semiconductor manufacturing equipment.
  3. This action aimed at impacting the whole semiconductor value chain, not just individual chips.

An Interview with Aart de Geus, ex-CEO Synopsys

More Than Moore • 1 HN point • 11 Mar 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Artificial Intelligence Automotive Software Industry Trends
  1. EDA software is crucial for designing chips, involving multiple stages like logic design, simulation, and multiphysics tools.
  2. Synopsys, a major player in EDA, has been in the industry since 1986, offering IP for chip design and recently acquired Ansys for simulation software enhancement.
  3. The future of chip design involves complexities like chipletization, 3D stacking, and the intersection of software and silicon, driving the evolution and demand in the industry.

An Interview with Renee James, CEO Ampere Computing

More Than Moore • 1 HN point • 28 Feb 24
🕹 Technology Semiconductors Cloud Computing AI Software Innovation
  1. Efficiency is crucial for the future of AI, requiring high-performance CPUs that operate in tight power envelopes.
  2. Ampere Computing has succeeded by tackling challenges such as power constraints and building a full platform that includes software optimization.
  3. The company aims to be an at-scale semiconductor company, emphasizing the importance of diversity in suppliers and the need for merchant market silicon vendors for innovation and problem-solving.