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英伟达引爆CPO新战场
半导体芯闻· 2025-03-24 10:20
Core Viewpoint - NVIDIA has officially launched two CPO (Co-Packaged Optics) switch products, Quantum-X Photonics for InfiniBand and Spectrum-X Photonics for Ethernet, with the InfiniBand CPO expected to debut in the second half of 2025 and the Ethernet CPO in the second half of 2026 [1][2]. Group 1: CPO Technology and Market Position - CPO will be an optional configuration, and NVIDIA will continue to offer traditional switch systems with pluggable modules [2]. - The primary driver for NVIDIA's investment in CPO technology is power optimization, with a significant reduction in power consumption from 30W to 9W for a 1.6T port, achieving a 70% decrease [2]. - NVIDIA's CPO solution utilizes new micro-ring modulators (MRM) for enhanced energy efficiency, contrasting with Broadcom's CPO solution that achieved a 50% power reduction using traditional Mach-Zehnder modulators (MZM) [2]. Group 2: Ecosystem and Partnerships - The technology involves a multi-component ecosystem, integrating electronic and photonic chips through 3D stacking, with TSMC's compact optical engine technology playing a key role [3]. - NVIDIA's CPO partners include major industry players such as Browave, Coherent, Corning, Fabrinet, Foxconn, Lumentum, Senko, SPIL, Sumitomo, Tianfu Communication, and TSMC [3]. Group 3: Strategic Implications and Future Developments - LightCounting notes that NVIDIA's first CPO product is an InfiniBand switch, which has been overshadowed by Ethernet in NVIDIA's AI strategy, indicating that the initial deployment will primarily serve NVIDIA's own clusters [4]. - The Spectrum-X platform aims to elevate Ethernet performance to match that of InfiniBand, with potential for significant GPU interconnectivity in future architectures [4]. - NVIDIA's entry into the CPO market is expected to invigorate the ecosystem, with both NVIDIA and Broadcom projected to release single-channel 200G CPO switches by 2027, leading to a more mature industry landscape [4]. Group 4: Technical Challenges and Innovations - Scale-out is seen as a low-risk entry point for CPO, while scale-up is critical for success, particularly for the mixed expert (MoE) model requiring rapid response times across GPUs [5]. - NVIDIA has previously announced fiber-based NVLink plans, with at least one cluster built internally, but large-scale deployment has been hindered by high power consumption of timing modules [6]. - The NVLink CPO is scheduled for 2028, allowing NVIDIA to validate technology feasibility over two product cycles, significantly reducing future integration risks [6].
台积电2nm,4月1日开始接单
半导体芯闻· 2025-03-24 10:20
苹果很可能成为台积电 2nm 晶圆的首个客户,该公司预计将于 2026 年下半年推出用于 iPhone 18 系列的 A20。 目前,有两家工厂专注于提高 2nm 晶圆的产量:高雄和宝山。据《工商时报》报道,扩产仪式将 于 3 月 31 日在高雄举行,首批晶圆将于 4 月下旬运抵新竹宝山。尖端技术的预订将于 4 月 1 日 开始,苹果似乎是第一个获得首批晶圆的客户,因为我们一直关注这一趋势。 这家库比蒂诺巨头将利用这一制造工艺来制造其 A20,据说它是为预计于 2026 年下半年推出的 iPhone 18 系列量身定制的。不过,该报告提到,AMD、英特尔、博通和 AWS 等多家客户都将 为台积电的 2nm 节点排队。据报道,该公司的目标是到 2025 年底实现每月 50,000 片晶圆的产 量,这一数字此前已经报道过一次。 唯一的条件是台积电的高雄和宝山工厂必须全面投入运营,这家半导体制造商还具备在同一时间段 内达到 80,000 片产能的能力。尽管行业观察人士认为每片晶圆的成本为 30,000 美元,但台积电 打算通过在 4 月前启动"CyberShuttle"服务来降低客户成本。这项技术允许客户在同一测试 ...
台积电员工每天做啥?流程曝光!
半导体行业观察· 2025-03-24 01:23
Core Viewpoint - TSMC, referred to as the "guardian mountain" of Taiwan, plays a crucial role in the economic and technological development of Taiwan, symbolizing its achievements in the semiconductor industry [2][3]. Group 1: TSMC's Role and Impact - TSMC was established in 1987 and pioneered the foundry model, quickly becoming a leader in the global semiconductor industry [2]. - The company's rapid advancements in logic process technology are largely attributed to the dedication of its engineers, who work tirelessly to push R&D efforts forward [3]. - TSMC's overseas expansion has raised concerns about technology leakage and regional security, despite its contributions to Taiwan's economic growth and technological image [3][4]. Group 2: Semiconductor Manufacturing Challenges - TSMC's manufacturing facilities include a research center, a main factory, several high-volume manufacturing plants, and advanced packaging facilities, making it a model of a comprehensive semiconductor ecosystem [4][5]. - The manufacturing process involves complex roles and modules, including lithography, etching, thin films, and diffusion, requiring precise management of the overall process [6][7]. - Engineers face a demanding work environment, often needing to be on call 24/7, which poses challenges to work-life balance [7][8]. Group 3: Corporate Culture and Recruitment - TSMC's corporate culture is influenced by Confucian values, emphasizing discipline, professionalism, and integrity, while adapting to cultural differences in global operations [10]. - The company plans to recruit approximately 8,000 new employees, with an average annual salary of 2.2 million New Taiwan Dollars for master's degree holders [11]. - TSMC's recruitment efforts also include a summer internship program aimed at undergraduate students, with high-performing interns potentially receiving job offers [11]. Group 4: Key Aspects of Semiconductor Foundries - Knowledge transfer and technical legacy are critical, as new engineers rely on mentorship from experienced colleagues to gain practical skills [31]. - System integration in foundries requires extensive experience and data analysis capabilities to create a seamless manufacturing system [32]. - The high-pressure work environment necessitates effective talent retention strategies, especially as TSMC expands its operations internationally [33]. Group 5: Production Optimization and Market Dynamics - Maximizing yield and capacity utilization is essential for foundries, as each process step is interconnected, impacting overall production efficiency [34]. - Pricing strategies directly affect profitability, with aggressive pricing from competitors like China putting pressure on global pricing [36]. - Advanced packaging is becoming a key trend in the industry, with TSMC investing in facilities to support cutting-edge processes [39].
博通芯片,麻烦不小
半导体行业观察· 2025-03-24 01:23
Core Viewpoint - The article discusses the evolving relationship between Broadcom and its largest customer, Apple, particularly focusing on the potential impact of Apple switching to its own Wi-Fi chips, which could significantly affect Broadcom's revenue from this segment [2][5][8]. Group 1: Revenue Impact from Wi-Fi Chip Transition - Apple plans to replace Broadcom's Wi-Fi and Bluetooth chips with its internal Proxima chips in upcoming products, which could lead to a revenue loss for Broadcom estimated at $2.74 billion in 2025, decreasing to $3.24 billion by 2028 [7][8]. - The Wi-Fi chip segment currently contributes approximately 33.6% to Broadcom's revenue from Apple, but this is expected to drop to 4.3% in 2025 and further to 3.3% by 2028 [8][9]. - Broadcom's market share in the Wi-Fi chip market could decline from 24% to 12.5% if Apple transitions to its own chips, highlighting Broadcom's dependency on Apple for this revenue stream [9]. Group 2: RF Business Analysis - Broadcom supplies RF components to Apple, which accounted for about 65.2% of its revenue from Apple, with a previous agreement valued at $15 billion over three years [10][11]. - Despite the competitive landscape, Broadcom holds a significant position in the RF market, with a stable growth rate and a strong share of Apple's RF revenue, estimated at 32.7% [15][16]. - The RF business is crucial for Broadcom, and while it faces competition from Qualcomm and others, it has maintained a solid relationship with Apple, which is expected to continue in the near term [12][16]. Group 3: AI Chip Opportunities - Broadcom is collaborating with Apple on the Baltra AI chip, which is expected to be produced in 2026, potentially offsetting losses from the Wi-Fi chip transition [18][20]. - Apple's commitment to invest $50 billion over the next four years in AI infrastructure could create significant revenue opportunities for Broadcom, estimated at $12.53 billion annually from custom ASICs [21][22]. - The partnership with major tech companies like Google and Meta in the custom ASIC market positions Broadcom favorably to benefit from Apple's AI initiatives [19][22]. Group 4: Market Outlook and Valuation Concerns - Broadcom's optimistic market outlook, particularly in the custom accelerator space, has faced scrutiny as the company’s valuation has declined since reaching a $1 trillion market cap [24][29]. - The company’s revenue growth is projected to be strong, but there are concerns that the market's expectations for growth may be overly optimistic, particularly in light of competitive pressures from Nvidia and others [24][29]. - Broadcom's current market valuation appears high compared to its growth projections, suggesting potential downward pressure on its stock if growth does not meet expectations [28][29].
美光:“东风” 是不远,但等风有风险
海豚投研· 2025-03-22 11:28
Core Viewpoint - Micron Technology's Q2 FY2025 earnings report indicates a recovery in revenue, with guidance for the next quarter suggesting a revenue of $8.8 billion, representing a 9% quarter-over-quarter growth, exceeding market expectations of 7% [1][2] Summary by Sections Revenue and Profitability - Actual revenue for the quarter was $8.1 billion, slightly above the expected $7.9 billion, but gross margin guidance was weaker than anticipated at 36.5%, with a potential decline of a few hundred basis points due to increased consumer product sales and a challenging NAND market [2][3] - The DRAM segment, which accounts for over 75% of revenue, saw a 4% quarter-over-quarter decline, totaling $6.1 billion, aligning with market expectations [2] HBM and Market Dynamics - HBM revenue is projected to reach multi-billion dollars in FY2025, with significant contributions from AI server applications, and the market size for HBM has been revised upwards to $35 billion for 2025 [13] - HBM production capacity is fully booked for 2025, with a focus on ramping up production and releasing capacity throughout the year [5][6] Cost and Expense Management - Operating profit has declined due to high R&D expenses and stable marketing and management costs, which were higher than market expectations [3] - The company is expected to maintain stable market share despite lower production growth compared to industry demand, with inventory days decreasing [14] Future Outlook - The second half of 2025 is anticipated to see a significant increase in HBM shipments alongside a potential surge in AI-related hardware demand, which could enhance Micron's market position [8][9] - The company is positioned as a "cyclical stock," with the potential for growth driven by HBM and AI applications, although short-term expectations remain cautious [7][9]
英伟达,开启硅光新纪元
半导体行业观察· 2025-03-22 03:17
Core Viewpoint - NVIDIA's introduction of silicon photonics technology, specifically the Co-Packaged Optics (CPO), is set to revolutionize data center infrastructure by significantly reducing power consumption and enhancing network efficiency for AI computing clusters [1][11]. Group 1: NVIDIA's Innovations - NVIDIA announced its groundbreaking silicon photonics technology at the GTC2025 conference, which is expected to reduce data center power consumption by 40 megawatts [1]. - The Spectrum-X and Quantum-X silicon photonic network switches integrate electronic circuits with optical communication technology, enabling AI factories to interconnect millions of GPU clusters while lowering energy consumption and operational costs [1][2]. Group 2: Spectrum-X and Quantum-X Specifications - Spectrum-X offers configurations with up to 128 ports at 800 Gb/s or 512 ports at 200 Gb/s, achieving a total bandwidth of up to 100 Tb/s [2]. - Quantum-X features a throughput of 115.2 Tb/s with 144 ports, utilizing advanced cooling and silicon photonics technology to double AI computing speeds compared to previous generations [2][4]. Group 3: CPO Technology Advantages - CPO technology integrates ASIC and optical components, eliminating the need for separate DSP chips, which enhances overall module performance and significantly reduces data center power consumption [6]. - Compared to traditional pluggable optical modules, CPO can reduce power consumption by 30% in high-capacity switches [6]. Group 4: Challenges and Market Position - CPO modules face challenges such as fixed configurations that may limit flexibility, as failures in CPO systems require replacing the entire module rather than just the faulty part [8]. - Despite the advantages of CPO technology, pluggable optical modules remain the market standard due to their flexibility and established standardization [9]. Group 5: Future Outlook - The CPO technology marks the beginning of a transformative phase in the semiconductor and switching markets, with potential for accelerated growth in AI infrastructure as the technology matures [11]. - In the short term, CPO may be piloted in specific scenarios, while pluggable modules will continue to dominate; however, a hybrid "CPO + pluggable" architecture may emerge to meet varying application needs [11].
三星,再传坏消息
半导体芯闻· 2025-03-21 10:40
Core Viewpoint - Samsung faces limited opportunities to ensure that its upcoming Galaxy S26 series will not be exclusive to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2, relying on the Exynos 2600 chipset, which requires timely design completion and increased production capacity [1][2]. Group 1 - The design of the Exynos 2600 chipset needs to be completed by the third quarter of 2025 to be included in the Galaxy S26 series [1][2]. - Current production yield for Samsung's 2nm GAA technology stands at 30%, significantly lower than TSMC's performance, which achieved double that yield [1]. - Samsung has approximately 10 months to ramp up production of the 2nm GAA technology [1]. Group 2 - The Exynos 2600 prototype production is expected to begin in May, with a focus on improving yield for manufacturability [2]. - The prioritization of resources towards the Exynos 2600 has led to uncertainty regarding the release of the Exynos 2500, which was previously expected to be mass-produced by the end of 2025 [2].
美国经济衰退或滞胀概率几何?|国际
清华金融评论· 2025-03-21 10:30
关于当前状况 随着这次衰退结束后经济迅速恢复并过热,通胀大幅上升,美联储为降低通胀历时1年多持续加息。 2022年特别是2023年,包括美联储在内各界普遍预测美国经济将会衰退,但结果相反,美国经济一直保 持强劲增长。去年8月,由于7月份新增就业大幅下降,失业率明显上升,再加其他因素,引起了市场恐 慌,认为失业率上升触发了"萨姆法则",预示美国经济开始衰退,但后来也没有发生,预测再次失败。 这次呢? 这次不同以往,经济数据和经济状况呈现混合、复杂的图景,其中既有大量指向衰退的信号,也有一些 保持稳健增长的指标,既有预期类的"软指标",也有实际发生的"硬指标",需要深入、细致分析辨别, 既看静态状况,更看动态趋势,剔除暂时性因素,把握趋势性因素,也就是美联储说的区别"噪音和信 号"。 目前指向衰退的既有预期类"软指标",比如亚特兰大联储预测GDP下降、消费者信心指数大幅下跌、小 企业乐观指数连续下降等,也有不少现实类的数据和动态,比如月度零售数据大幅走弱,零售商、百货 商店和快餐业、航空业最新销售及预期指引疲软,家庭债务增加,现金储备减少,贷款、信用卡拖欠率 上升,各类收入群体消费支出都更为谨慎等。鲍威尔称预期类 ...
曝iPhone18首发台积电2nm制程!
国芯网· 2025-03-21 04:28
之前摩根士丹利发布报告称,2025年台积电2nm月产能将从今年的1万片试产规模,增加至5万片左右的 量产规模。由于产能爬坡以及良率提升都需要时间,2025年苹果iPhone 17系列的A19系列处理器可能不 会采用2nm制程,只是会升级到3nm家族的N3P制程。 根据台积电披露的资料,2nm制程在相同电压下可以将功耗降低24%-35%,或将性能提高15%,晶体管 密度比上一代3nm工艺高1.15倍,这些指标的提升主要得益于台积电的新型全环绕栅极(GAA)纳米片 晶体管,以及N2 NanoFlex设计技术协同优化和其他一些增强功能来实现。 价格方面,消息称台积电2nm晶圆的价格超过了3万美元,目前3nm晶圆的价格大概在1.85万至2万美 元,两者价格差距明显。半导体业内人士预计,由于先进制程报价居高不下,厂商势必会将成本压力转 嫁给下游客户或终端消费者。 ***************END*************** 国芯网[原:中国半导体论坛] 振兴国产半导体产业! 不拘中国、 放眼世界 ! 关注 世界半导体论坛 ↓ ↓ ↓ 3月21日消息,投资公司GF Securities在报告中称,iPhone 18 ...
ASML的奇迹,从这个破棚子开始
半导体行业观察· 2025-03-21 01:08
如果您希望可以时常见面,欢迎标星收藏哦~ 来源:内容编译自tomshardware,谢谢。 ASML 是全球无可争议的先进芯片制造设备设计和供应商。台积电、英特尔和三星等行业巨头制造 最先进的半导体时,高度依赖这家 1984 年成立的荷兰公司的设备。然而,与科技界许多家喻户晓的 品牌一样,ASML 的起源相当低调。就 ASML 而言,公司传说这一切都始于一个"漏水的棚子"。 当今光刻机领域的霸主 ASML(先进半导体材料光刻技术公司)最初是由电子行业家喻户晓的飞利 浦公司和先进半导体材料国际公司(ASMI)合作成立的。双方的愿景是成立一家专注于光刻系统的 新公司,而这两家公司都认为这是一个不断增长的市场。 值得庆幸的是,ASML 和所有来自漏水棚的员工们,不久之后,业务就蓬勃发展起来,并于 1985 年迁至专门建造的办公室和工厂。一年后,改进后的 PAS 2500 上市,并成为许多未来机器的基 础。巧合的是,ASML 与镜头制造商卡尔蔡司的合作关系在此时签署,并持续至今。 20 世纪 90 年代,ASML 宣布推出其"突破性平台",即 PAS 5500。凭借这一成功,ASML 在阿姆 斯特丹和纽约证券交易所成 ...