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Microchip Technology

Microchip Technology – A Leading Provider Of Semiconductors All Over The World.

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Microchip Technology Inc. is a publicly-traded American company that makes microcontrollers, mixed-signal integrated circuits, analog circuits, and Flash-IP integrated circuits. Microcontrollers (PIC, dsPIC, AVR, and SAM), embedded security devices, Serial EEPROM devices, Serial SRAM devices, radio frequency (RF) devices, thermal, power, and battery management analog devices, and linear, interface, and wireless products are among the company’s offerings. In order to raise awareness and expertise of embedded applications, Microchip Technology provides support and resources to educators, students and researchers. Online resources (e.g., code examples, textbook recommendations), One-on-one consultations, instruction at regional training centers, aid in finding low-cost development tools, silicon contributions, free versions of Microchip programming tools, and product discounts are all forms of support.

Establishment Of Company

General Instrument’s microelectronics branch was spun out as a wholly-owned subsidiary in 1987, resulting in the company’s formation. When a group of venture capitalists bought Microchip Technology in 1989, it became an independent company, and it went public in 1993. The nanoWatt XLP Microcontrollers (With World’s Lowest Sleep Current) were unveiled by Microchip Technology in April 2009. As of 2009, Microchip had sold over 6 billion microcontrollers. Microchip bought Silicon Storage Technology (SST) in April 2010 and sold a number of SST flash memory assets to Greenliant Systems in May of the same year. Microchip Technology has been shipping over a billion CPUs annually since 2011. Microchip Technology supplied the 10 billionth PIC microcontroller in September 2011.

Microchip Technology, Inc. is a semiconductor company that develops and manufactures specialized devices. Its primary activities include semiconductor product design, development, manufacturing, marketing, and Flash intellectual property licensing. The company’s product line includes 8-bit, 16-bit, and 32-bit PIC microcontrollers, as well as 16-bit dsPIC digital signal controllers with onboard Flash memory. It also offers a wide range of high-performance linear, mixed-signal, power management, thermal management, radio frequency (RF), safety and security, and interface devices, as well as serial EEPROMs, Serial Flash memories, and Parallel Flash memories. The company was created on February 14, 1989, in Chandler, Arizona, and is based there.

Microchip Technology
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Growth And Expansion

As of January 2021, MCHP had acquired more than 10 companies since its start, with two of those acquisitions involving private equity firms. Hampshire Company, a privately held company specializing in the commercialization of universal touch screen controller circuitry and comparable software, was bought by MCHP in 2008. It completed the $3.4 billion acquisition of Atmel, a semiconductor manufacturing business, in 2016. Microsemi Corporation was acquired by MCHP a year later. According to sources, the purchase price reflected an $8.35 billion total equity value, while the overall enterprise value was believed to be around $10.5 billion. The Alfred P. Sloan Foundation has awarded the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation to MCHP. Sloan has won this award for the past ten years in a row for his ability to implement workplace flexibility in order to meet both corporate and employee objectives. RHCP has also received multiple “Best Place to Work” accolades from Forbes Magazine, Bay Area News, and Phoenix Business Journal. It has also been named to Training Magazine’s “Training Top 125” list on multiple occasions. In Forbes’ Global 2000 list for 2020, MCHP was ranked 1040th.

Ganesh Moorthy – CEO

In March 2021, Ganesh Moorthy was named President and Chief Executive Officer of Microchip Technology, and in January 2021, he was also named to Microchip’s Board of Directors. Since February 2016, he has served as President and Chief Operating Officer of Microchip, having previously served as Executive Vice President from October 2006 to May 2009. Mr. Moorthy was previously Vice President of Microchip, where he was in charge of several of the company’s business areas. Prior to joining Microchip in 2001, he spent 19 years at Intel in various engineering and executive leadership capacities. According to the SEC’s Form 4, Ganesh has made over 87 trades in Microchip Technology shares since 2004. On May 15, 2022, he exercised 18,592 units of MCHP stock valued $1,225,771.

Veeco

Veeco – Leading Provider Of Smart Solutions In The Semiconductor Market.

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Veeco is a New York-based global equipment supplier that was originally founded in 1945. It is a leading provider of smart solutions in the semiconductor market, especially for nanoscale devices and smart packaging production. Some of its well-known advanced solutions are laser processing systems, lithography systems, dicing and lapping systems, and many more. Apart from semiconductors, it also offers various data storage products and scientific materials. Veeco has more than 1,100 employees who are working coherently to deliver services around the clock. The technologies that are offered by Veeco are used by various enterprises to enable AI, virtual and augmented reality, cloud storage, 5G wireless communication, etc. 

Back in the 1940s

Two scientists, Frank Raible and Al Nerken established Veeco in 1945. The company was founded as a business that specializes in leak detector equipment. Originally, the name of the company was Vacuum Electronic Equipment Company, and in short, it made the current name of the company “Veeco.” During the 1960s, the company decided to merge with another company, Lambda (a power supply manufacturing business) which was followed by the merged company’s acquisition by Unitech in the 1980s. 

In the late 1980s, discussions took place to split Veeco’s instrument business from Unitech. And, this was successfully acquired by Edward H. Braun, the then COO of Veeco, and a group of senior executives from the company. It was a management buyout and Braun became the new CEO of the independent company. The new company was named Veeco Instruments and it completed an initial public offering in 1994. Veeco Instruments raised $27.5 million from the IPO. After it went public, Veeco acquired a series of companies including Ion Tech Inc through which it entered the optical coating market. 

Veeco
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Veeco in the 21st century

In the new decade, the company’s first acquisition was Applied EPI, which is the current-day Molecular Beam Epitaxy group. This group currently maintains a leadership position in MBE technology worldwide. In 2003, Veeco acquired Emcore which helped the company start a business in metal-organic chemical vapor deposition technologies. Thus, it entered the advanced LED, VCSEL, and photonics market. From 2007 to 2010, the company released several MOCVD and MBE compound semiconductor systems. The company also did heavy research in the ALD field for more than a decade and published several papers. 

In July 2007, Braun became the chairman of the board of Veeco whereas former president of JDSU’s Communications Test and Measurement Division, John Peeler joined the company as the new CEO. Next year, Veeco settled patent litigation that it brought against Asylum Research Corporation in 2003. In late 2010, Veeco decided to sell its metrology business to Bruker Corporation and the deal was settled for $229.4 million. After a couple of years, John Peeler became the new chairman of the company’s board. In 2014, Veeco acquired Solid State Equipment Co. which helped to expand its portfolio to solvent-based wet etch and clean technologies for semiconductors. In recent years, the company is focussing on the advanced packaging market, hence it decided to acquire Ultratech in 2017. Through this acquisition, it also acquired Cambridge Nanotech, a Boston-based company specializing in atomic layer deposition technology. 

Bill Miller – CEO of Veeco

Bill Miller is the present CEO of the company and has also served as the company’s President since 2016. He is associated with the company for a long time as he held several executive positions before becoming the CEO. Dr. Miller studied Mechanical Engineering at the University of Pennsylvania and thus he held various engineering and operations positions in other companies he worked for. Before joining Veeco, he worked at Advanced Energy and Exxon. 

renesas electronics

Renesas Electronics – A Japanese Semiconductor Company That Merged With NEC Electronics In The Last Decade.

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Renesas Electronics was originally known as Renesas Technology when the company was established in 2002. The company is one of the leading suppliers of semiconductor equipment across the globe. In the early 2000s, Renesas was the sixth-largest semiconductor company in the entire world. There are many semiconductor companies that were established in the past 100 years that either ended up merging with other companies or spinning off some of their divisions. Renesas Electronics was also a product of the merger between the semiconductor units of Hitachi and Mitsubishi. The business of dynamic random access memory was kept separated in the case of both companies.

About Renesas Electronics

Renesas Electronics Corporation is based in Tokyo, Japan. The company started operating as Renesas Electronics in 2010 after it integrated with NEC Electronics. Renesas is currently a global leader as a provider of complete semiconductor solutions which include microcontrollers, power, SoC products, and analog. The products developed by Renesas are extensively used in home electronics, industrial equipment, the automotive industry, etc. The main four growth segments of the company are automotive, industrial, infrastructure, and IoT so that they can intelligently deliver solutions people use in their day-to-day lives.

renesas electronics
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History Of The Company

Renesas Technology became official in April 2003 as the non-DRAM joint venture of Hitachi and Mitsubishi. Hitachi owned 55 percent of the joint company while Mitshubhi owned the rest of it. In 2010, when NEC Electronics merged with Renesas Technology, the DRAM business was kept separate. And, the non-DRAM chip business of these three companies became a part of Elpida Memory which came under the acquisition of Micron Technology. In 2010, when Renesas Technology merged with NEC Electronics, the joint entity became the fourth largest semiconductor company in the world in terms of revenue generated.

After Renesas Technology became Renesas Electronics, the same year Renesas Mobile Corporation was formed. This new unit was created by merging the Mobile Multimedia Business Unit of Renesas and the Nokia Wireless Modem Business Unit (which was acquired by Renesas). Only after a year of new mergers and a big acquisition, the company suffered heavily in 2011 due to the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami, and flooding in Thailand.

After the calamity, in 2012 Renesas decided to restructure the entire organization from manufacturing to sales in all 20 countries. The aim was to create an optimized business structure and increase profit. Renesas received investment from INCJ and other key clients of the company. By 2013, the company was able to raise $130 billion in capital and used it for several developmental purposes from plant improvements to making acquisitions.

Operations And Acquisitions

In 2013, a major part of the Renesas Mobile Communication was acquired by Broadcom and after the allotment of third-party shares, INCJ became the largest shareholder of the company. The company focussed exclusively on company restructuring soon after Renesas Electronics was formed. So, in the first three years, there was more or less no profit in the business. In 2014, the company recorded its first-ever profit and started operating as Renesas Electronics Corporation. The same year, the company decided to withdraw from the 4G wireless business which resulted in the consolidation of Renesas Mobile Communication.

Soon, the company also sold its display driver unit to Synaptics. In 2016, Renesas made a huge acquisition for $3.2 billion and the name of the company is Intersil. The deal was successfully closed in 2017. Renesas eventually entered the market of the self-driving car concept as it is one of the most demanding technologies in the 21st century. In 2018, Renesas acquired Integrated Device Technology for $6.5 billion and its latest acquisition is Dialog Semiconductor.

Hidetoshi Shibata – CEO of Renesas Electronics

Hidetoshi Shibata is the current CEO and President of Renesas Electronics. He completed his education from the University of Tokyo followed by Harvard Business School. His career started with a job in Central Japan Railway and he was also the executive managing director at INCJ. Hidetoshi joined Renesas in 2013 as the executive vice president and CFO of the company.

STMicroelectronics

STMicroelectronics – A Multinational Company Which is the Largest Semiconductor Chip Maker in Europe.

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STMicroelectronics is the largest semiconductor chip maker in terms of revenue in Europe. The company uses the most advanced innovations intelligently and efficiently for making chips. STMicroelectronics company was established as a result of merging a French and an Italian company in 1987. The companies are, namely, Thomson Semiconducteurs (French) and SGS Microelettronica (Italian). STMicroelectronics is mostly famous as ST. The main headquarters of the company is based in Geneva, Switzerland. Since ST operates across the globe it has other headquarters in various regions including Texas, Singapore, Shanghai, and Tokyo. The company is currently led by Jean-Marc Chery (CEO and President).

About STMicroelectronics

The chips manufactured today are highly complex because of their multipurpose functions and high efficiency. In everyday life, we use devices that have several chips integrated into them. And, it is through these chips that ST is creating a big influence in our life. We are not even aware of how often we use products that have ST chips embedded in it. From factory machines to an electric toothbrush, ST has its advanced chips embedded everywhere. ST currently has 46,000 employees and more than 100,000 customers who have created a strong community. With extensive collaboration and advanced research labs, ST is very dedicated to R&D. Every year, 16 percent of the total revenue of the company is invested in R&D across the world. The company’s main target is to become carbon neutral and operate fully in renewable energy by 2027.

STMicroelectronics
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History of Company

In 1987, the merger of Thomson Semiconducteurs and SGS Microelettronica, two government-owned semiconductor companies marked the foundation of ST. After the merger, the new company was named SGS-THOMSON, and then it was renamed STMicroelectronics in 1998 as Thomson sold its shares. The company soon became one of the leading semiconductor manufacturers and ranked among the top 20 semiconductor suppliers. ST became a publicly-traded company in 1994 as it filed its first IPO both in Paris and New York Stock Exchange.

ST expanded its business in other continents as it started acquiring geographically diverse businesses from the late 1980s. It started off with the acquisition of Inmos, a British company in 1989 followed by the semiconductor division of Nortel, a Canadian company. In 2000, ST acquired WaterScale Integration Inc, a company based in California for flash memory-based chips. In 2002, ST acquired the microelectronics division of Alcatel which helped the company enter into the wireless-LAN market. ST also acquired a leading company in video processing technology called Genesis Microchip (a US-based company) in 2007. This company has design centers in Asian countries as well which strengthens the market of ST even more. ST also went into a joint partnership with Motorola and TSMC for designing a new tech. The company eventually became one of the top 5 companies from ranking in the top 20 list within a decade.

Present Day

ST’s strong passion to build more efficient products based on advanced tech led to another joint venture with Intel in 2007. This partnership started in the memory application called Numonyx and it led to the merger of ST and the activities of Intel Flash Memory. NXP is one of the leading semiconductor companies and in 2008 ST announced a joint venture with the company for their mobile activities. Another partnership started in 2009 which included Ericsson Mobile Platforms and ST-NXP Wireless.

ST is currently working on three major fields, namely, Smart Mobility, Power & Energy, and IoT & 5G. The company has designed car electrification solutions that will help manufacturers build better electric vehicles at affordable rates. ST has always focused on better energy management and being an active participant in the green technology movement, the company is using wide bandgap materials like Silicon Carbide and Gallium Nitride for saving energy.

Jean-Marc Chery – CEO of STMicroelectronics

Jean Marc Chery, an engineer by profession, has been serving as the President and CEO of the company since 2018. Jean was a part of the Thomson Semiconducteurs before the merger and worked in various management positions, product planning, and manufacturing. He is also the President of the European Semiconductor Industry Association (ESIA), President of the European microelectronics R&D program AENEAS, etc.

ASE Group

ASE Group – Story Of A Chinese Semiconductor Company Founded By Two Brothers.

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The ASE Group is also known as the Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc. Jason Chang and Richard Chang founded the company in 1984. ASE Group is a publicly-traded company that mainly provides independent semiconductor assembling and testing services. The company’s headquarters is based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan and it operates on a global scale. The ASE Group and the Siliconware Precision Industries (SPIL) decided to form a new holding company in 2016. While the companies retained their legal entities, management, and staff there was a change in their operating models and independent operations.

About ASE Group

Being a leading provider of independent semiconductor manufacturing services, ASE Group offers turnkey solutions for front-end engineering tests, IC packaging, design of interconnect materials, etc. The entire process of semiconductor manufacturing consists of several steps, and among them, ASE is capable of a front-end engineering test, water probing, packaging, and final testing. ASE has a team of highly experienced and skilled engineers to strive to conduct rigorous research and develop the most advanced assembly technologies. To date, the company has 18 smart factories and 48,000 employees worldwide.

ASE Group
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A Brief History Of Tthe ASE Group

Jason Chang and his brother Richard Chang founded the ASE Group in 1984. They established their first plant in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. Currently, Jason Chang serves as the Chairman of the company. The company had crossed several big marks in due time and became the world’s largest provider of independent semiconductor test manufacturing services and assembly. In 2018, Advanced Semiconductor Engineering Inc became a part of the ASE Technology Holding Company Ltd and it is listed both on NYSE and Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Before the company went into a joint venture with SPIL, ASE Group’s market capitalization summed up to $8.77 billion. Last year, the company established its first 5G mmWave smart factory. ASE Group is very much focused on creating a sustainable environment and it has also won various awards for sustainability. A few months ago, the company achieved the 20 million tons mark of saving water with its water management strategy.

Advanced Technologies And Sustainability

ASE Group is the largest company on a global scale for independent semiconductor manufacturing tests and assembly. The company was able to reach the top with its leading advanced technology and volume production. ASE Group has developed advanced packaging technologies with the time that can be used for electronics packaging over a broad range of sectors from healthcare to smart homes. Some of these technologies are Fan Out Packaging, System-in-Package, 2.5D & 3D, etc.

Pledging towards developing a greener environment is becoming a common goal for every industry. ASE Group is continuously engaged in finding ways to optimize waste generation and minimize greenhouse gas emissions along with recycling as many resources as possible. Since 2012, ASE has been making improvements to its existing facilities and also constructing new manufacturing facilities maintaining the international Green Building Standards. ASE Group currently has 18 smart factories and one of them became the world’s first semiconductor packaging plant to get a certification of low carbon building. Five times in a row, ASE became the industry leader in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indices. Also, ASE continuously associates with various NGOs, academic institutions, government, and other stakeholders of the company for supporting social development.

About The Founders

Jason Chang is a Taiwanese/Singaporean billionaire according to the Forbes 2020 billionaires list ranked 836. Jason Chang is an electrical engineer who completed his education at National Taiwan University followed by the Illinois Institute of Technology. He is the recipient of the Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International SEMI Award (2015).

Richard Chang is the Vice President of Advanced Semiconductor Engineering. His total worth is approximately $6 billion. He is also an investor who along with Jason Chang is investing in Sino Horizon (a Chinese real estate developer).

Realtek

Realtek – A Taiwanese Semiconductor Company Focused on Developing Low-Cost Electronic Devices.

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Realtek is a leading cutting edge semiconductor company founded in 1987. Realtek has expanded its primary products and solutions throughout the following years. The company took a big leap when it acquired Avance Logic in 1995 and improved its audio technology solutions. Avance was an independent subsidiary till 2002 and then it was integrated into Realtek’s Audio Solutions. Currently, the company is operating with approximately 5,000 employees and its headquarters is based in Hsinchu, Taiwan. The company invests significantly in research and development facilities and 78 percent of the total employees exclusively work for the same as well.

The Early Days of Realtek

Founded in 1987, Realtek made a breakthrough when it invented Realtek’s RTG3108 High-Performance Window Accelerator Chipset. The product received appreciation and was awarded the Innovative Product Award from Hsinchu Science Park Administration. In 1995, the company got certified as an ISO9001 registered company and after a couple of years rolled out Realtek Single-Chip Fast Ethernet Controller. Realtek received a New Product Development Award for this new controller and the company was also approved for the Taiwan Over-The-Counter Securities Exchange list. Next year, Company made it into the list of companies approved for the Taiwan Stock Exchange.

Realtek
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Realtek in 21st Century

Realtek brought some major new innovations into the semiconductor market as it started focusing on its R&D department. In 2000, the company received a huge R&D grant from the Hsinchu Science Park Administration for building a very fast ethernet transceiver. The same year, Realtek became the recipient of MOEA’s Most Outstanding Award for Industrial Technology Advancement. In 2001, Realtek rolled out a Multi-mode Single-Chip 10/100M Fast Ethernet Controller which also received Component Design Award by EDN Asia Magazine.

In 2002, the company received another round for an R & D fund and this time it was for a media access controller and a high-performing multifunction peripheral controller. The company received a lot of fame this year as it was featured in Taiwan’s Microelectronics Magazine as one of the top ten global electronic component providers. the company also made it into the Forbes list in 2003 as it became Global 200 Best Small Companies. The innovations kept on brewing in the R&D sector of Realtek and every year it came up with more than one impressive product. This led to the opening of a new building of the company in 2005. In 2009, the company won’t the prestigious National Invention and Creation Award. In the following years, the company started making progress in digital media and also enhanced on designing sustainable products.

Company in Present Day

Realtek’s contribution to creating a better environment through designing more green products was awarded by the country. It received Taiwan Green Classics Award in 2011 Industrial Sustainable Excellence Award and Superior Enterprise Innovation Award all in the same year. In recent years, Company has proven to be one of the best companies with significant contributions in IoT applications, mobiles, and wearables, car electronics, IC & Components, etc.

The demand for the company’s chips has also increased especially during the pandemic as the consumer base for smart devices and gadgets have splurged unexpectedly. This is one of the biggest reasons why not only Realtek but every semiconductor business, in general, faced an increase in demand for chips from the last year. In 2021, the company also launched a new gaming network total solution that bagged Computex D&I Awards of this year. Realtek designs products on a very wide range of semiconductor components. But, some of their signature products that have contributed to their global presence are BlueTooth TWS with ANC solution, Low-Power AI IP Camera, 8K Video Decoder and Processing IC, etc.

Sun-Chien Chiu – General Manager

Chiu completed his education at National Taiwan University and has been a part of Realtek Semiconductor Corp since 1999. Apart from serving as the President of Realtek, he is also the board member of Wionics Technologies Inc.