Another episode in the massive process of semi manufacturing concentration, after AD purchasing Linear Technology, it is now time for Maxim to be digested by one of the two giants (AD and TI). Short of the fabless companies relying on silicon foundries like TSMC to manufacture niche products, AD and TI is all what's left out of a once burgeoning and diverse semi manufacturing market in the US.
Never really liked Maxim, their strategy to rather quickly obsolete their products was annoying, plus that they did not have a wide range of high voltage linear products, but some of their power management products were useful in audio. They had a very generous samples policy, which likely will vanish in the usual corporate massacre that will follow the acquisition.
Never really liked Maxim, their strategy to rather quickly obsolete their products was annoying, plus that they did not have a wide range of high voltage linear products, but some of their power management products were useful in audio. They had a very generous samples policy, which likely will vanish in the usual corporate massacre that will follow the acquisition.
No, I believe TI will divest the analog business to AD and AD will divest the digital business to TI. One giant reptilian for each analog and digital with a virtual monopoly (f*ck competition that erodes the margins), and a lot of small fast and fabless mammals for niche markets.
I find it disappointing that the set of analog functions available as a chip keeps getting reduced, year after year. I understand if you design something actually pretty great, but no one uses it (because "the money" is all in the digital tsunami) its eventually got to go from the product line.
I'm sure the execs will have some "ZBB" line below which everything gets cut. I hope they have some technical understanding and not so much "it wasnt invented here"...
I'm sure the execs will have some "ZBB" line below which everything gets cut. I hope they have some technical understanding and not so much "it wasnt invented here"...
I was bummed to see LT getting bought... but I'm not quite as bummed to see Maxim getting acquired. They were always a royal PITA.
AD Continutes to sell some nice, bizarre and rather niche ICs... they just charge you an arm and a leg for it.
So how long before THAT gets eaten by one of the giants?
AD Continutes to sell some nice, bizarre and rather niche ICs... they just charge you an arm and a leg for it.
So how long before THAT gets eaten by one of the giants?
Still a lot of analog stuff being done but often in custom SKUs for certain fruity firms and their kin.
ADI seems to have been respectful of LLTC.
If you read some of the bio's of the folks who started these companies in the 1950's and 1960's one can only imagine that it was a real clash of cultures.
TI still maintains the Burr-Brown logos and trademark, but they have vacuumed out references to Nat Semi.
If you read some of the bio's of the folks who started these companies in the 1950's and 1960's one can only imagine that it was a real clash of cultures.
TI still maintains the Burr-Brown logos and trademark, but they have vacuumed out references to Nat Semi.
Intel? AMD? ON Semiconductor? Micron? Microchip?
All of them are American companies who operate semiconductor fabs on American soil.
Intel, AMD, Micron are essentially building chips for computer hardware (CPUs, flash, RAM, controllers, etc...). Nothing to compete with AD and TI. In this space, there is competition, and the resulting innovation driving force.
ON Semi is also not competing with TI and AD. Their focus is on power devices.
Neither does Microchip, as they are focused on cheap microcontrollers, their best fab in US is at the 130nm node, which is about 5-6 years in behind.
All the concentration in the semi industry appears to be toward building monopoly silos. I wonder if the US still has an anti trust legislation.
ON Semi is also not competing with TI and AD. Their focus is on power devices.
Neither does Microchip, as they are focused on cheap microcontrollers, their best fab in US is at the 130nm node, which is about 5-6 years in behind.
All the concentration in the semi industry appears to be toward building monopoly silos. I wonder if the US still has an anti trust legislation.
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Industry consolidation will continue. I suspect in 20 yrs it will be very different - think about how it looked 20 yrs ago. I suspect both TI and ADI will still be around as IDM’s, and the memory specialists, but more and more will go fabless.
Absolutely agreed. My concern is about the future driving forces for innovation. A monopoly is only a stiffing force.
A lot of innovation may come from PhD’s coming up with good ideas that get hoiked around to potential suitors who then ‘buy’ them out.
This is one of the models in tne pharma industry.
There’s no doubt consolidation kills innovation though.
This is one of the models in tne pharma industry.
There’s no doubt consolidation kills innovation though.
The vacuum tube industry was pretty well consolidated when Shockley Semiconductor got started in the early 60s. [fun fact: I bought speakers in their original building on San Antonio Road in Palo Alto; for a few years in the 80s and 90s the Shockley building housed a Pacific Stereo store]. Nobody bemoaned the consolidation of vacuum tube makers for very long.
Yes, but fact is, the next generation of devices is today nowhere in sight, and won't be, for the foreseeable future. The alleged future quantum devices are still in the fundamental/theoretical research state.
How many new vacuum tubes have been designed and successfully introduced to the market since 1970? My guess is not many the big scheme of things.
Most of the innovation in semi’s is now in processes and packaging, and less in circuit design (as in analog) or system functions.
Seriously, how many more opamps do we need?
🙂
Most of the innovation in semi’s is now in processes and packaging, and less in circuit design (as in analog) or system functions.
Seriously, how many more opamps do we need?
🙂
We don't, but the race for a combination of precision, noise, speed and power is (or should be) still on.
Op-amps? Not really any more. Faster, quieter, better, INAs? We could use that. Faster, quieter Iso-Amps? We could seriously use those (well, I could anyway). More and faster op-amps that can run above +/- 15 V? We could use that too.
There's room for USEFUL innovation, but whether it is PROFITABLE is another issue.