The Circuit

Summary

In this episode, Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss their experience at CES and the presence of AI in various products. They explore the evolution of massage chairs and the AI wash in the industry. They also analyze the two tracks of AI at CES, with a more muted presence in big vendor booths and a greater focus in Eureka Park. The conversation delves into the role of AI in semiconductor vendors and the importance of on-device AI. They discuss the balance between cloud and edge AI and the outlook for semiconductors in 2024. They also touch on the revival of VR and AR and the potential for exciting developments in the future.

Takeaways

CES featured a more muted presence of AI compared to previous years, with a focus on specific use cases rather than generative AI.
The massage chair industry has seen advancements in AI sensing and 5D rollers, but there is still an AI wash in the labeling of products.
Semiconductor vendors are re-examining their roadmaps to incorporate more on-device AI, recognizing the need for advanced sensor fusion and compute at the edge. The balance between cloud and edge AI is becoming more symbiotic, with a recognition that both are necessary for a comprehensive AI strategy. The outlook for semiconductors in 2024 is mixed, with a cyclically good year expected but uncertainty about significant advancements in consumer-facing AI.

Chapters

00:00 Introduction and CES Experience
01:09 The Fascination with Massage Chairs
05:02 The Muted Presence of AI at CES
26:06 The Compute Happening at the Edge
27:29 The Outlook for Semiconductors in 2024

Summary

In this episode, Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss their hopes and predictions for the semiconductor industry in 2024. They cover topics such as the need for clarity of direction in automotive semis, the potential for partnerships and spin-offs in the industry, the importance of venture funding for semiconductor startups, the need for a more balanced and realistic narrative around AI, and the challenges and tensions between the US and China in the chip industry. They also make some speculative predictions about potential acquisitions and consolidation in the industry.

Takeaways

• The automotive semiconductor industry needs more clarity of direction to understand where it is headed.
• Partnerships and spin-offs could be a productive way for semiconductor companies to work together and fill gaps in their offerings.
• There is a need for more venture funding for semiconductor startups, as the industry is capital-intensive and often overlooked by investors.
• The narrative around AI needs to change to avoid overhyping and misunderstanding the technology.
• Reducing tensions between the US and China in the chip industry would benefit both countries and the global semiconductor ecosystem.

Summary

In this episode, Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss recent semiconductor events, including Marvell's analyst day, AMD's Advancing AI event, and Intel's AI Everywhere event. They analyze the key takeaways from each event, including Marvell's focus on data infrastructure, AMD's new chiplet SOC and AI capabilities, and Intel's architectural advancements in client and data center products. The hosts also discuss the challenges and opportunities in the AI PC market and share their holiday wishes.

Takeaways

• Marvell is a data infrastructure company with strong product roadmaps and a focus on the data center.
• AMD's new chiplet SOC, Meteor Lake, represents a significant architectural advancement and could be a game-changer for the company.
• Intel's AI Everywhere event showcased their advancements in client and data center products, including chiplet-based SOCs and AI integration.
• The AI PC market presents challenges in terms of consumer adoption and pricing, but has potential for growth in enterprise and cloud applications.

Summary

In this conversation Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg have a discussion with Rene Haas, President of ARM, provides an overview of the company and its role as the brain that powers electronic devices. He explains ARM's business model of designing CPUs and licensing them to chip manufacturers. Haas discusses the value capture and increasing ARM's share of the value in the market. He highlights the growth drivers for ARM in various industries, including PCs, cloud data centers, networking, automotive, and IoT. Haas also addresses the impact of US sanctions on China and ARM's success in the Chinese market. He concludes by discussing ARM's partnership with Intel Foundry Services and the potential for chiplets.

Takeaways

• ARM is the brain that powers electronic devices and is present in a wide range of products, including cell phones, laptops, automobiles, data centers, and IoT devices.
• ARM's business model involves designing CPUs and licensing them to chip manufacturers, allowing them to build chips with ARM's designs.
• To increase its share of the value in the market, ARM is focusing on delivering full solutions, accelerating chip design, and developing new products for growing markets.
• ARM sees opportunities for growth in industries such as PCs, cloud data centers, networking, automotive, and IoT, driven by trends like AI and the need for more compute power.
• ARM is navigating US sanctions on China by complying with export control restrictions and focusing on areas where its software ecosystem and partnerships are strong.

The conversation explores the current state of the Japanese semiconductor industry and its history of decline in the 1990s. It discusses the structure of the industry, key players, and recent developments such as the establishment of Rapidus, a consortium aimed at advancing semiconductor fabrication in Japan. The conversation also touches on the visit of Japan's Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry to UC Berkeley and the potential for collaboration between the US and Japan in the semiconductor industry. Overall, the discussion highlights the renewed interest and efforts in revitalizing the Japanese semiconductor industry.

• The Japanese semiconductor industry experienced a decline in the 1990s but is now showing signs of revitalization.
• Key players in the Japanese semiconductor industry include Tokyo Electron, Renesas, Sony, and Morata.
• The establishment of Rapidus, a consortium for semiconductor fabrication, demonstrates Japan's commitment to advancing its semiconductor capabilities.
• Collaboration between the US and Japan in the semiconductor industry is becoming increasingly important.

In this week's episode, Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg chatted about companies pushing the limits of what is possible with technology and breaking new ground with new products and experiences.  They discuss the impacts this has on the semiconductor landscape and why its a necessary, even if awkward, step to progress.

Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg dive into the recent announcements from Microsoft around their new custom silicon chips. They also discuss MediaTek's ambitions, shared from the MediaTek executive summit last week, where they are doubling down on helping people build custom silicon for the data center.  

Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg analyze Arm's most recent quarterly earnings in this episode.  These also happen to be Arm's first earnings report and investor call as a public company. Ben and Jay discuss the read from the earnings and the investor call and insights learned.  

In this episode of our short series in Back to Basics, Jay Goldberg shares the key moments in Qualcomm's story that led to the market position they have today. 

Ben Bajarin and Jay Goldberg discuss key news bits from Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit, Apple's Scary Fast event where new M3 Apple Silicon was announced, and what it means for the market as a whole and for architecture competition.