In physics, a semiconductor is a material that conducts electricity more than an insulator, but less than a pure conductor. Many electronic appliances as well as social infrastructure in our everyday lives rely on semiconductors. From medical and military equipment to cars and brand-new smartphones, you can find these devices everywhere. Today, the semiconductor industry is valued at $527 billion, according to statistics. Hundreds of millions of dollars are invested in this sector every year. However, it took humanity at least 200 years of scientific, engineering, and political advances to get ..read more

On February 24, Russia launched an unprecedented attack on Ukraine that stunned the world. This war of aggression not only results in thousands of unjustified deaths but also in an avalanche of sanctions and a refusal of global brands to do business with Russia. Its impact is reaching every part of life.  Following are just a few examples of how companies around the world have responded to Russia’s aggression: Aviation and automotive industry exit from the market — Boeing, Audi, Chevrolet, Cadillac, Jaguar. blockage in the supply chain — BMW, Ford, Harley Davidson, General Motors. Media ..read more

Game developers and gaming equipment manufacturers appeared to have no further prospects after the successful year of 2020. The 2021 statistics, however, surprised even the most optimistic of them. According to The NPD Group, an American market research company: Consumer spending on gaming hardware and PC accessories in 2021 reached $5.74 billion, a 25% year-on-year growth. And it is just in the US. Desktops, laptops, and microphones showed the highest revenue growth with 38%, 29%, and 25% respectively. The computer games screentime has also increased. The NPD Evolution of Entertainment 2021 ..read more

1. Intel creates a $1 billion fund Intel announced the launch of a new $1B fund on February 7th. The fund will support startups and established companies developing new technologies for the foundry ecosystem. In terms of performance, Apple has already surpassed Intel. According to Geekbench results (a cross-platform tool for testing the performance of computers’ CPUs), AMD, another competitor to Intel, has become the leader in balancing the performance of single-core and multi-core chips. It’s for this reason that Intel has gone the other way. By announcing their plans, Intel demonstrated its ..read more

Have you ever heard of the cheese paradox? Cheese has holes in it. The more cheese, the more holes. Less cheese means more holes. Therefore, more cheese equals less cheese. Jokes aside, considering the environmental issues and the global shortage of chips, the semiconductor industry is experiencing something similar: as we make more chips, our carbon footprint grows. Conversely, manufacturing chips reduces our carbon footprint.  This is because all new, eco-friendly equipment — electric vehicles, solar panels, wind turbines – does not work without semiconductors. The demand for that equip ..read more

As a result of the global chip shortage and the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic in 2021, the automakers have come to the conclusion that the industry will never be the same again. But even if it does, it won’t happen anytime soon. Currently, automakers face a common problem: low vehicle inventories caused by a global shortage of semiconductor chips. Prices rise due to high consumer demand and a shortage of affordable vehicles. The reason is simple: consumers are willing to pay more for a new vehicle in pursuit of a new car. Dealers are happy to capitalize on this demand, inflating market prices ..read more

In news articles on BBC and The New York Times, several US residents report that they or their cars have been followed using Apple AirTags. AirTags are miniature devices introduced and created by Apple to locate items in the Find My network. After the release, several reports were made in the United States about the surveillance conducted with such devices. Now many users question whether Apple is doing enough to protect them. The main goal of AirTags is to improve consumer comfort. But in the wrong hands — private or public — AirTags or any other modern device can become a tool for illegal su ..read more

Many people like to look back on the previous year on New Year’s Eve. Analyzing the outgoing year makes it easier to plan for the next. Here are the 5 most important events in the semiconductor industry in 2021 that will help you catch the major trends and understand what to expect in 2022: COVID-19 has raised the cost of technology, but accelerated digital transformation. Sonos has raised prices. Now they’re asking consumers to pay $100 more for some of their devices. Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., whose biggest customer is Apple, raised prices for its more advanced chips by aroun ..read more

Intel has been one of Silicon Valley’s most technologically advanced companies for decades. Almost every personal computer has been powered by a microprocessor from the x86 family. As a result of the pandemic and the microchip crisis, trends have changed. The giants want to play by their own rules. Including Apple. In the fall of 2021, Apple introduced the M1 Pro and M1 Max, a technology with breakthrough chips of their own production. Not only is this the end of the 15-year period when Intel processes were used in Apple laptops and desktops, but it’s also a huge step forward for the semicondu ..read more

COVID-19 has caused serious shortages in the chip supply chain, which have affected automakers as a result. According to the latest update from AlixPartners, a microchip shortage will cut auto industry revenues by $210 billion this year. For many automakers, but not for Tesla. While others are cutting supplies, Tesla is exceeding its own expectations. The company recently shared that it delivered 241,300 electric vehicles in the third quarter of 2021. This is 20,400 more than analysts predicted. The question is, how? The average electric car contains about 2,000 microchips. That’s about double ..read more