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2021 Review. SEMICON West 2021. Maskless Lithography. Strategy Statics versus Dynamics.
Strategy and Tactics: 2021 Review. SEMICON West 2021. Maskless Lithography. Strategy Statics versus Dynamics.
The ducks are lining up for the New Year
Semiconductor WEEK: An overview of results and conclusions from recent reports at TechInsights.
Semiconductor Equipment Sales Projected to Hit $150B in 2022
Fueled by soaring demand, the semiconductor equipment market is on track to increase 35% in 2021, hitting an-all-time-high of $125B.
Year in Review: CPU-IP Vendors Chase High-End Wins
In the past year, new CPU cores from Arm and SiFive targeted high-performance applications in the data center and communications infrastructure. Many IP startups instead focused on edge AI.
WD Licenses RISC-V CPUs
Storage giant Western Digital added Linux and Android support to its Swerv line of RISC-V CPU in its new EHX3. The company is licensing the new CPU, which targets low-end application processing.
Marvell Bridges MIPI to Auto Ethernet
Marvell announced several products under its new Brightlane automotive brand. The 88QB5224 is a unique chip for bridging MIPI CSI-2 cameras to an Ethernet-based automotive network.
Year in Review: Edge AI Knows No Boundaries
In 2021, edge AI continued propagating far beyond the cloud; smart speakers alone were up 12% from last year. Increased demand attracted investors to edge-AI-chip startups, creating several new unicorns.
P650 Pumps Up Performance by 50%
SiFive added a new flagship CPU to its RISC-V “Performance” line that raises integer performance compared with its predecessor through additional execution resources, larger caches, and microarchitecture tweaks.
Kompanio 828 Tackles Chromebooks
For the holidays, MediaTek offers the Kompanio 820 and 828 to refresh its Chromebook line. These chips deliver multiday battery life, in part thanks to their 7nm manufacturing.
New Lab Investments Bringing us to the Future of Reverse Engineering
TechInsights’ unsurpassed technical abilities come from two important areas – our (amazing!) people, and our tools. To reverse engineer cutting edge technology, we require the equipment and the expertise that keep us at – or ahead of – the pace of the latest technology. And that requires continuous investment in our staff and our tools.
TechInsights' Experiences of the 2021 Chip Shortage
Our views on contributing factors, how it has impacted our semiconductor reverse engineering this year, and looking to the future.
Latest Revelations on the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3
Qualcomm recently officially released the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 which is using 5LPE process technology and is therefore likely based on the Snapdragon 888 made with the Samsung 5LPE process. Based on their announcement and previous analyses, we have reached some key findings.
Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 Sports 18-Bit ISP
In delivering the Snapdragon 8 Gen 1, Qualcomm is upscaling smartphone cameras by adding native 18-bit processing. The new platform packs impressive upgrades across all sections, scoring double digit gains across each section.
Qualcomm Eyes Ultrathin PCs
Providing a big performance boost, the Snapdragon 8cx Gen 3 is suitable for some ultrathin Windows PCs, moving up from the 2-in-1 systems where Snapdragon serves today. The company also updated the Snapdragon 7c+.
Year in Review: Data Centers Spur New Architectures
The past year began with AMD and Intel introducing next-generation server processors. AI-accelerator vendors focused on delivering production-worthy versions of previously announced products, validated by MLPerf testing.
MediaTek Reenters Flagship Phones
After several attempts, MediaTek has delivered its first true flagship processor: the Dimensity 9000. The new smartphone chip features the latest CPU designs, a powerful GPU, and LPDDR5X support.
Ventana Develops RISC-V Chiplet
The startup has developed a custom high-performance RISC-V CPU that comes as a 16-core chiplet, making it easier for customers to design their own data-center processors.
Fitness wearable WHOOP 4.0 leverages a next-generation battery anode technology
The new fitness wearable WHOOP 4.0 leverages a next-generation battery anode technology, which has the potential to raise the bar in the very competitive fitness and health monitoring market where major players such as FitBit, Xiaomi, and Apple lead.