Too expensive to use A17 Pro for vanilla iPhone 15

Apple is the first of many who started using the TSMC N3 3nm process for its latest SoC, and even for Apple, it is not easy to eat the manufacturing cost. 

35 million ARM vs 1.6 million "other“ wafers

There is one big change that is happening in the manufacturing equipment industry and ARM used its ARMTechCon to educate us about the big change. Drew Henry, SVP of infrastructure at ARM, pointed out in its presentation that ARM silicon wafer production ends up in 35 million wafers.

Writing a $10.1 billion cheque

Foundry chipmaker Powerchip Technology wants to build a new $10.1 billion 12-inch wafer plant in northern Taiwan.

But Intel wants higher yields

People are harrying Intel for being very late with 10nm which is true, but this does not mean that Intel couldn't ship the 10nm parts today. Intel has delayed the 10nm on purpose, as it wanted to get higher yields before it shifts to a smaller node.

It's soaraway silicon!

The World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) body forecast that the chip market will increase 20.6 percent this year compared to 2016.

All ready for 2016

TSMC is scheduled to move its integrated fan-out (InFO) wafer-level packaging technology to volume production in the second quarter of 2016.

16nm plans

TSMC has asked the Investment Commission of Taiwan's Ministry of Economic Affairs to allow it to invest in a wholly-owned 12-inch wafer manufacturing facility and a design service centre in Nanjing, China.

Slimming down with Ultra-Thin Body processes

Chinese foundries are ignoring FinFET technology and are developing Fully Depleted Silicon-on-Insulator (FD-SOI), or also called Ultra-Thin Body (UTB), processes for wafer production.

Predicted slump

United Microelectronics (UMC) expects to post an up to 5 per cent decrease in wafer shipments for the third quarter of 2015. 

Lithography systems maker to advance chip making by two years