Hydrogen & Electrons: Shaky Times In The Solar Industry

Solar inverter manufacturer SolarEdge posted last night preliminary Q3 results that fell well below expectations (revenue 19% below, gross margin 30% below) following cancellations and pushouts of existing backlog from its European distributors. The company noted higher-than-expected channel inventory and slower-than-expected installation rates from the end of the summer. This weakness in Europe was clearly…

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Smart Connectivity/AI: Reshoring And Innovation To Keep Powering The Chip Equipment Sector

Chip equipment makers have been hit in recent days and weeks by the intensification of export controls to China and by order delays as manufacturers are experiencing troubles in building their new fabs. Most notably, Taiwan Semiconductor (TSMC)’s $40 billion Arizona plant is running behind schedule. Accordingly, Dutch equipment giant ASML delivered this morning a…

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Metaverse/Gaming: Monster Hunter Gives Fresh Impetus To Augmented Reality

Niantic, the developer of massive mobile hit Pokemon Go, released in recent weeks in collaboration with Japanese game maker Capcom its newest location-based and augmented reality (AR) title, Monster Hunter Now. The game lets users explore the world and achieve missions while fighting gigantic monsters, the AR technology allowing to blend the digital monsters with…

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Digital Security: With The Acquisition Of Splunk, Cisco Emerges As A New Cybsersecurity leader

Eighteen months after initial reports of M&A talks, networking giant Cisco announced the takeover of data analytics and cybersecurity software company Splunk in a massive $28 billion deal (both Cisco and Splunk are portfolio companies). The 32% premium is in line with recent sector transactions and the valuation multiple (6x revenue) is in the low-end…

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Artificial Intelligence: Electronic Design Automation Riding A Booming Chip Design Cycle

Electronic Design Automation (EDA) is the bedrock of modern digital transformation, encompassing software-based tools used by all semiconductor companies to design cutting-edge chips and complex integrated circuits that power our technological landscape. EDA has, accordingly, accompanied the growth of the semiconductor industry over the years. Looking forward, the growth pace of the main EDA players,…

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