© begemot 30 dreamstime.com
Components | June 16, 2020
Qualcomm retakes market leadership in 1Q20
According to the 1Q20 revenue ranking of global top 10 IC design companies compiled from TrendForce’s latest data, Qualcomm was able to stop the trend of continuous YoY revenue declines, which lasted for the six previous consecutive quarters.
Its effective 5G product strategy and the considerable growth in WFH and distance learning demand. On the other hand, Broadcom’s semiconductor business displayed negative growth for five consecutive quarters because of market competition and the China-U.S. trade war, subsequently trading places with Qualcomm on the revenue ranking list in 1Q20, writes market researcher Trendforce.
TrendForce Senior Analyst CY Yao indicates that Qualcomm was able to become part of the supply chain for Chinese brands’ flagship and high-end smartphones in 1Q20. Furthermore, its 5G RF front-end products enjoyed increased market adoption. These factors, combined with increased demand for its networking products because of the COVID-19 pandemic, led Qualcomm’s revenue to return to a state of growth in 1Q20. However, Broadcom was impacted by not only the China-U.S. trade war and the accompanying Entity List policy, but also the recently declining shipment of its major client Apple’s iPhones, which was unable to sustain the revenue of Broadcom’s semiconductor business.
The other two U.S.-based companies, NVIDIA and AMD, recorded stable revenue performances of 39.6% and 40.4% CAGR in 1Q20, respectively. Whereas NVIDIA benefitted from strong momentum in gaming graphics cards and data centers, AMD had the highest revenue CAGR on the list of top 10 IC design companies due to rising revenues from its line of 7nm CPUs, in addition to the massive demand for WFH-use notebook computers brought about by the pandemic. Marvell benefitted from increasing demand for networking and 5G infrastructure while being relatively less impacted by the China-U.S. trade war. Conversely, Xilinx underwent an 8.7% YoY revenue decline due to the continuing influence of the trade war, marking the first time since 2016 the company suffered YoY declines in two consecutive quarters.
Taiwan-based companies MediaTek and RealTek also benefitted from increased WFH demand, while the former saw increased market share in 4G smartphones, in turn raising its revenue. Novatek posted robust performances in smartphone DDI and TV SoC applications.
With regards to 2Q20 performances, given the once again escalating trade tensions between China and the U.S. as well as persisting influence from the COVID-19 pandemic, Broadcom and Xilinx are likely to see YoY declines in the short term, according to TrendForce. On the other hand, pandemic-induced networking and notebook computer demand is expected to persist, meaning IC designers specializing in related applications are projected to maintain strong revenue performances in 2Q20.
1Q20 revenue rankings of Top 10 IC design companies (In million USD)
This table shows only the top 10 IC design companies with publicly disclosed earnings
| Rank | Company | 1Q20 Revenue | 1Q20 Revenue | YoY |
| 1 | Qualcomm | 4,100 | 3,722 | 10.2% |
| 2 | Broadcom | 4,082 | 4,183 | -2.4% |
| 3 | NVIDIA | 2,946 | 2,110 | 39.6% |
| 4 | MediaTek | 2,019 | 1,710 | 18.1% |
| 5 | AMD | 1,786 | 1,272 | 40.4% |
| 6 | Xilinx | 756 | 828 | -8.7% |
| 7 | Marvell | 702 | 690 | 1.8% |
| 8 | Novatek | 560 | 485 | 15.6% |
| 9 | Realtek | 525 | 416 | 26.9% |
| 10 | Synaptics | 328 | 334 | -1.8% |
| Top 10 Total | 17,808 | 15,751 | 13.1% |
GF CEO on Intel rumour: “There’s nothing to that story”
In an interview with Jon Fortt from CNBC, GlobalFoundries’ CEO Tom Caulfield sets the record straight regarding the Wall Street Journal’s report of a potential USD 30 billion acquisition by Intel.
Applied Engineering to set up JV operations with Malaysian counterpart
US-based Applied Engineering (AE) will be establishing a joint venture (JV) plant with Malaysian counterpart, QES Manufacturing Sdn. Bhd. (QES) in Batu Kawan Industrial Park, Pulau Pinang later this year.
Sponsored content by Shenzen Kinwong Electronic
The development trend of printed circuit board products and Kinwong's solution
With the rapid development of electronic technology in recent years, printed circuit board (PCB) products are pursuing higher heat dissipation capabilities, with high voltage and high current characteristics, and are developing towards high-density interconnection technology (HDI).
MKS completes its acquisition of Photon Control
MKS Instruments has completed its previously announced acquisition of Photon Control Inc.
Renesas to close its Yamaguchi factory next year
Renesas says that it has decided to consolidate the Yamaguchi Factory (located in Ube, Yamaguchi Prefecture in Japan) of its wholly owned subsidiary, Renesas Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. at the end of June 2022.
Intel looking to buy GlobalFoundries for $30 billion?
US chipmaker Intel is reportedly in talks to acquire semiconductor manufacturer GlobalFoundries for some USD 30 billion, reports the Wall Street Journal citing sources familiar with the matter.
Sponsored content by CML
Strategic solutions to the current material shortage in the PCB industry
In the past few month’s PCB laminates and base material costs have seen a dramatic rise. The natural consequences of this inflation besides the higher production costs are the unavailability of certain materials paired with longer delivery lead times. A problem like this will destabilize any supply chain, or that’s what you may think.
A simple way to measure temperature using one GPIO digital interface
Question: How can I make an analog measurement if I only have a single GPIO left on the FPGA/microprocessor for my system?
New owner for crystal growth business in Eisenach
Jenoptik has sold its crystal growth business to Hellma Materials, and will continue to focus its business on photonic applications. Hellma Materials takes over all 25 employees, and continues all business activities.
Linear Integrated Systems partners with Digi-Key Electronics
Linear Integrated Systems, a designer and manufacturer of precision, high-performance, small-signal discrete semiconductors, has entered into a new partnership with Digi-Key Electronics.
Conti invests in Israeli industrial sensing start-up Feelit
Continental has acquired a minority stake in the Industry 4.0 start-up Feelit, headquartered in Tel Aviv, Israel. Both companies have agreed not to disclose the amount of the holding.
Skeleton Technologies brings in additional capital
On the first of July, Skeleton Technologies, announced the successful closing of a further EUR 29 million in its Series D financing. The total financing in Round D amounts to EUR 70.4 million.
Fingerprint receives follow-on order for its T-Shape sensor
Swedish biometrics company, Fingerprint Cards has secured an additional volume order for approximately 250,000 units of T-Shape sensor modules from one of the world’s top three card manufacturers.
Minebea Mitsumi acquires Omron’s of 8-inch fab
Minebea Mitsumi’s subsidiary Mitsumi Electric, has entered into an agreement with Omron Corporation for the acquisition of Omron's semiconductor and MEMS fabrication plant in Yasu, Shiga, Japan – as well as its MEMS product development function.
Neonode brings contactless touch to kiosk solution by MiTAC
Swedish Neonode will deliver its Touch Sensor Modules (TSMs) to MiTAC Computing Technology Corp. (MCT) who has developed a contactless touch self-service kiosk solution with a 32 inch display featuring Neonode’s TSMs.
Sourceability ink distribution deal with Nexperia
Electronic component e-commerce marketplace, Sourcengine, says that it is making components from semiconductor manufacturer Nexperia available worldwide.
SK hynix starts mass production of 1anm DRAM using EUV equipment
SK hynix says that it has started mass production of the 8 Gigabit (Gb) LPDDR4 mobile DRAM based on the 1anm, which is the fourth generation of the 10nm process technology this month.
Cirrus Logic to acquire Lion Semiconductor for $335 million
Cirrus Logic has entered into an agreement to acquire California-based Lion Semiconductor for USD 335 million in cash. The acquisition brings IP and products for power applications in smartphones, laptops and other devices and accelerates growth of the company’s high-performance mixed-signal business.
Bootstrapping a low voltage Op Amp to operate with high voltage signals and supplies
Question: Can I bootstrap a low voltage amplifier to get a high voltage buffer?
Sensirion raises its outlook for full-year 2021
The Swiss manufacturer of digital microsensors and systems raises its outlook for financial year 2021 based on strong demand in the first half of the year.
Altix moves to increase its R&D capabilities
Following an increase in manufacturing activity, exposure systems specialist Altix has recently expanded its R&D center located at its French headquarter in Normandy, France.
Micross buys microelectronics business assets of Ultra CEMS
Micross Components, a provider of mission-critical microelectronic components and services, is expanding its Hybrid and assembly business with the acquisition of assets of the microelectronics business from Ultra CEMS, a provider of high reliability hybrid electronics engineered for harsh environments.
ITEC emerges as independent semiconductor equipment manufacturer
Semiconductor equipment manufacturer ITEC, which was founded in 1991 by Philips (now Nexperia), has announced its launch as a separate independent entity. ITEC will however remain part of the Nexperia group.
LPKF supplies systems to chip manufacturer
Technology company LPKF says it has received a follow-up order from the semiconductor industry. An unnamed global chip manufacturer had installed a first LIDE system at the beginning of 2020 and, after a qualification phase, initially used it for its own product development. Now, further systems have been ordered.
Load more news
