IoT is a catch all marketing team that has been bandied about for decades. There is really no such thing as IoT, but the number of connected devices is growing rapidly, and likely to accelerate as the cost of chips brings connectivity to many new areas.
We believe, with increasing conviction, that the market for IoT chips is not going to go to Arm. But it is not going to go to x86 or Intel either. It is going to go RISC V.
Where is Qualcomm Driving? – As the smartphone market matures, Qualcomm has finally taken steps to diversify into new markets – IoT and Auto both offer big opportunities, but may be many years away.
SLAB Bets the House on IOT – Silicon Labs’ IoT business could be immensely valuable, if it works. And they seem to think it really will work.
The Private Parts Networking – we like the technology behind private networks, it’s the business model that leaves us with a lot of questions.
Just add AI – Building an AI Platform is not as easy as Microsoft Azure makes it out to be.
Why settle for 1,000 chip companies when you can have 10,000? – The overwhelming majority of these companies will fade away, but a few will end up mattering a lot.
Nvidia for Arm first impressions – Softbank almost doubles its money in 3 years, Arm execs get $1.5b, RISC-V gets a huge boost. Nvidia can use its stock to buy an important asset, but a lot could go wrong – customers/competitors regulators, and China.
5G and the Bandit – The CBRS auction could be the start of a new chapter in wireless networking. We are watching to see if the cable MSOs and the Internet giants, or other new entrants, emerge as winners of some of that spectrum.
Edge Computing could be a sizable market for some companies. However, it does not need fancy new technologies or hardware so much as it needs solutions tailored to specific use cases and industries.
Digits to Dollars 