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Intel: A Dynasty That Dominated the PC Era, Now Struggling to Keep Up with Changing Times. A Struggle for Rebuilding!

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  Intel [Posting: 2025.05.11] Once the undisputed leader in semiconductor sales and market capitalization, Intel has faced a dramatic shift, recording a massive $11.6 billion loss in 2024 as it struggled to adapt to the new paradigm shift from PC to AI . While other fabless companies leveraged TSMC's advanced processes to produce competitive chips, Intel relied on its own in-house fabrication, failing to maintain technological superiority . As a result, the company lost significant market share in the PC segment to competitors like AMD . Furthermore, its transition to cloud and AI technology was slow, leaving it as a latecomer in the rapidly evolving market. Intel is attempting to make a technological transformation through Intel Foundry Service (IFS), but it must narrow the technological gap with TSMC and Samsung Foundry. Even if it develops advanced technologies, the challenge of achieving high yield rates remains. Intel aims to leverage its Gate-All-Around (GAA) process technol...

NVIDIA, TSMC: Aiming for Innovation in Data Centers through Collaboration in Silicon Photonics Technology

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  Silicon photonics collaboration : NVIDIA/TSMC [Posting: 25.05.08] NVIDIA and TSMC are collaborating on the development of silicon photonics technology to transition data center communication from rack-to-rack copper wire connections to optical communication. Currently, they are utilizing a pluggable form factor , where boards are connected via fiber optics in a pluggable configuration. However, they plan to further integrate this technology by implementing Co-Packaged Optics (CPO) for optical communication within Multi-Chip Modules (MCM) , which will be applied to the Rubin GPU scheduled for release in 2026 . This approach is expected to enable data centers to achieve low power consumption and high bandwidth at terabits-per-second levels. Although there are several challenges to overcome—such as further advancements in CPO technology, development of Electric ICs (EIC), Photonic ICs (PIC), and 3D packaging using Hybrid Copper Bonding (HCB) —there are high expectations for the C...

Infineon: The No. 1 Automotive Semiconductor Company — Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with STMicro and NXP

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  Infineon [Posting: 2025.05.05] Infineon, the No. 1 automotive semiconductor company in the world, forms a "top-three" system alongside NXP and STMicroelectronics . With its own in-house fabs, Infineon is vertically integrating its power semiconductor production , while also partnering with foundry TSMC to manufacture high-performance MCUs using 28nm + RRAM (Resistive RAM) technology —pursuing both internal and external manufacturing to drive revenue. Additionally, together with TSMC, Bosch, and NXP, Infineon is establishing ESMC (European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company) in Dresden, Germany , planning to begin production by 2027 using 12/16nm FinFET and 22/28nm CMOS process nodes . This represents a strategic initiative to expand in-vehicle semiconductor fab capacity within Europe. Focusing on automotive MCUs and power semiconductors , Infineon is aiming to secure the supply of core components such as controllers and power modules essential for future electric vehicle...

NXP: The World’s No.2 Automotive Chipmaker, Standing Shoulder to Shoulder with Infineon and STMicro

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  NXP NXP, the world’s second-largest automotive semiconductor company , was spun off from Philips’ semiconductor division in 2006 and now forms a core part of the automotive semiconductor ecosystem alongside Infineon, STMicro, TI, and Renesas. NXP is recognized for its strong technological capabilities in automotive SoCs and MCUs. While Infineon and STMicro operate their own fabrication facilities, NXP is a pure fabless company that collaborates primarily with foundries such as TSMC, Samsung Foundry, GlobalFoundries, and UMC. This means that even though it ranks second in revenue, NXP is considered a leader in this segment purely through its design capabilities. Automotive accounts for 56% of its revenue, followed by Industrial & IoT (18%) and Mobile (12%) . The company’s overall revenue and operating profit are likely to increase depending on how it balances revenue contributions between automotive and consumer/industrial segments. As the share of SoCs and MCUs in elect...

AMD: From an Oil Money-Backed Company to an Innovation Leader in the AI Era

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  AMD (Advanced Micro Devices) [Posting: 2025.05.03] Once considered the perpetual second place in the PC business, AMD has emerged as a truly recognized company in the market by riding the AI boom. It leveraged TSMC's advanced process nodes below 5nm to launch products, while Intel continued producing PCs using 10nm-class technology. Previously known for its ties to oil money, AMD spun off its manufacturing operations into GlobalFoundries in 2008 , transitioning into a fabless company. Since then, it has grown steadily— acquiring Xilinx in 2022 to enter the FPGA and adaptive computing markets , and acquiring ZT Systems in 2024 to strengthen its server business . Under the t echnological leadership of current CEO Lisa Su , AMD has gained recognition as an innovation leader in the semiconductor industry and plays a pivotal role in the AI era. Through aggressive M&A strategy, it continues to expand its business scope, becoming one of the companies that demonstrate only innovati...