Before we get to autonomous vehicles, there is going to be a big market for a special-purpose automotive processors (APU?). That chip is going to look a lot like a mobile app processor, and Qualcomm may be the best positioned to capture the opportunity.
Plumbing for Semis – Arm and SiFive are M&A targets, they provide crucial plumbing for almost all chips today, and their ultimate fate will have a big impact on the industry.
Intel 2.0’s Customer Dilemma – If Intel can sort out its manufacturing process, if it can find the funds it needs, if it can build up a true customer service capability, and if can do all this in under three years, then IFS may be viable.
The Gaming Internet – Why so Laggy? Early (hard to reverse) engineering choices and basic geography often underpin poor game networking conditions.
Heterogeneous Compute – The competitive dynamics of the processor markets were static for years, but the demand for “AI” and the emergence of new customers/competitors means the market for all processors is likely to shift considerably in coming years.
Where will Apple take Silicon next? – Apple is looking to build its own GPUs next, and that will give them a clever way to boost PC margins.
Do Nvidia’s competitors want it to buy Arm? Chip companies are worried that Nvidia will be successful with Arm, but they are much more worried that Nvidia fails putting an immense burden on an industry that depends on Arm.
Nvidia for Arm – the view from China – Put simply, it is going to be very hard for Nvidia to get deal approval in China. Not impossible, but considerably long odds.
5 chip companies revisited – With elevated stock prices and cheap debt the large companies have the means to further consolidate the industry. But this time even the biggest companies may be targets.
Chip companies cannot build software products, but they can build software enablers, and through those differentiate their chips.
Digits to Dollars 