Semiconductor Equipment

For your weekend reading enjoyment….. The 2009 International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors, in all its glory, is available right here: http://www.itrs.net/Links/2009ITRS/Home2009.htm Everyone should have a copy.   I strongly recommend reading it when it is raining outside.   Some of the tech transitions have been visible for a over a decade but they are the very reason...
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Under-estimations abound!    After reading several Wall Street analyst reports it is clear that some view the outlook as much more bullish than others.  Two of the reports we’ve  read, one from UBS and one from Goldman Sachs, are quite positive.   Less favorable views can be found on the EE Times website:   Applied...
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Thursday evening SEMI released bookings and billings for North American based semiconductor capital equipment suppliers.   It’s a lagging indicator but I think it is still worth noting…..  The full press release from SEMI follows the break. The three month moving average of bookings has now crossed the $1 billion mark – and in the coming...
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Piper Jaffray semiconductor analyst Gus Richard makes some very valid points in his call to buy the semiconductor group.   I do think there is a trade here because the semi-stocks have come down so far.   Cross your fingers, knock on wood….   It’s another call on the market. Your mileage will definitely vary (consider this a...
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Gartner presented their “Strategies for Recovery” at a Silicon Valley briefing this week. Color me, jaded. Yeah, I know. I’ve earned a charter membership to that club. I’ve been hosting a pretty good discussion about this session on the subscriber mailing list and I am hoping to land a copy of...
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If you are out surfing around check out the poll over on LinkedIn that asks if people will be attending Semicon West this year. Results are here (you might have to log in to see this): http://polls.linkedin.com/poll-results/37032/nmhbk I’ve heard from several people that booth count is going to be way, way down and that...
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You’ve probably read about it yesterday but yet another sell-side analyst upgraded a group of SCE companies. I have to tell you my friends in the business are very cynical about this. And yes, I know that Kulicke & Soffa (KLIC) stated that their business has picked up and that...
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I was thinking about “the lack of cash issue” today and how it relates to the many hurdles ahead for the semiconductor industry. Getting a bit more specific, I’m thinking about the capital required to develop 450mm and of all things, to fund an industry consolidation. The 450mm question is easy and was...
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Greetings! Okay, this is a revisit but because we are in the throes of earnings season some of these thoughts are worth repeating. This particular note was sent in early March and got passed around quite a bit. Eric Savitz called it a “Magnum Opus”. FWIW….. Opened yesterday morning’s e-mail with stories from...
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Subsystem component supplier MKS (Nasdaq: MKSI) pre-announced earnings for the quarter. No real surprises here. That said, I’ll make a few comments….. Conversations with a few industry friends have mentioned an interesting pattern. Here are some from a veteran of the business: Smaller equipment orders, stuff at/under $50k, are getting pushed...
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