semiconductor
6 articlesAll articles tagged "semiconductor"
Applied Materials: The Pickaxe Seller Behind Every Chip Factory on Earth
Applied Materials is the world's largest semiconductor equipment company — supplying the deposition, etch, and inspection machines that every chipmaker needs regardless of which end-market wins. This explainer covers its technology segments, business model, competitive position, cyclicality, China exposure, and what observers should understand.
ASML: The EUV Lithography Monopoly Behind Every Advanced Chip
ASML is the only company on Earth that builds EUV lithography machines — the systems required to manufacture chips at 7nm and below. This explainer covers its technology, business model, moat, cyclicality, China/export-control risk, and what investors should understand.
Intel: Foundry Turnaround, AI PC Ambitions, and the Risks of Reinvention
Intel Corporation is attempting the most ambitious turnaround in semiconductor history — regaining manufacturing leadership, building a contract foundry, defending its CPU franchise against AMD and Arm, and chasing AI relevance. This explainer covers the foundry strategy, AI PC ambitions, CHIPS Act support, competitive position, and key risks.
May 26, 2026
Micron Technology: Memory Cycles, AI Data-Center Demand, and the DRAM/NAND Business
Micron Technology is one of only three DRAM manufacturers globally, operating in a notoriously cyclical commodity market now being reshaped by AI data-center demand. This explainer covers memory cycles, DRAM/NAND economics, HBM and AI demand, capital intensity, the oligopoly structure, China risk, and what observers should understand.
May 26, 2026
Qualcomm: Modems, Smartphones, and the AI Edge Chip Business
Qualcomm invented the CDMA technology that underpins modern cellular networks and remains the dominant supplier of smartphone modems and application processors. This explainer covers how Qualcomm's chip (QCT) and licensing (QTL) businesses work, its expansion into automotive, IoT, and edge AI, revenue structure, competitive dynamics, and what observers should understand.
May 26, 2026
Arm Holdings: How the Chip Architecture Licensing Model Works
Arm does not manufacture chips — it designs processor architectures and licenses them to companies that do. This explainer covers how Arm's royalty and licensing model works, its position in the semiconductor ecosystem, revenue structure, key customers, competitive dynamics, and what observers should understand.
May 26, 2026