Thursday, November 3, 2016

Semiconductor Mergers and Potential Mergers in 2015-6 (latest Broadcom buys Brocade and potentially Skyworks buying Microsemi)


Semiconductor industry continues to consolidate. Last month Qualcomm offered to buy NXP and this month Broadcom is buying Brocade Communications for $5.5 Billion. It also appears that Skyworks Solution is in talks to acquire Microemi .


See below a table summarizing all these deals and the potential deals.




Ron

Insightful, timely, and accurate semiconductor consulting.
Semiconductor information and news at - http://www.maltiel-consulting.com/



NXP/Freescale
March 2015
$ 12 Billion
Cypress Semiconductor/ Spansion
March 2015
$ 5 Billion
NXP RF/ Jianguang Asset Management
May 2015
$ 1.8 Billion
Avago/Broadcom
May 2015
$ 36.7 Billion
Intel/ Altera
June 2015
$16.7 Billion
Microchip/ Micrel
Aug 2015
$0.8 Billion
LAM/ KLA-Tencor
Oct2015
$10.6 Billion
Western Digital/ SanDisk
Oct2015
$19 Billion
Texas Instruments, Analog Devices, ? /Maxim
Oct2015
$9+ Billion
Microsemi/ PMC-Sierra
Nov 2015
$2.5 Billion
On Semiconductor or China Resources  / Fairchild Semiconductor
Dec 2015
$2.5 Billion
Dialog/ Microchip Technology / Atmel
Jan 2016
$3.6 Billion

June 206
$1 Billion
SoftBank wants to purchase of ARM
July 2016
$32 Billions
Qualcomm buy NXP
Oct 2016
38.5 Billions
Broadcom to Buy Brocade Communications
Nov 2016
$5.5 Billion
Skyworks in talks to buy Microsemi
Nov 2016



Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Manufacturing cost of iPhone 7

IHS published a "bill of materials (BOM) for an iPhone 7 equipped with 32 gigabytes (GB) of NAND flash memory carries $219.80 in bill of materials costs". See more in the article below.

Apple A10 Fusion APL1W24 SoC + Samsung 3 GB LPDDR4 RAM (from https://www.ifixit.com/Teardown/iPhone+7+Plus+Teardown/67384)
Some of the high cost chips used in the iPhone will go down in price; for example the System-on-Chip (SOC) at a cost of $26.90 (made by TSMC) and the NAND memory chips (made by Hynix) and SDRAM (made by Samsung) at a combined cost of $16.40. The price of the iPhone 7 will not go down.


Ron
Insightful, timely, and accurate semiconductor consulting.
Semiconductor information and news at - http://www.maltiel-consulting.com/




The iPhone 7 costs Apple more than you think


LONDON--()--The bill of materials (BOM) for an iPhone 7 equipped with 32 gigabytes (GB) of NAND flash memory carries $219.80 in bill of materials costs, according to a preliminary estimate from IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO), a world leader in critical information, analytics and solutions.
“Total BOM costs for the iPhone 7 are more in line with what we have seen in teardowns of recent flagship phones from Apple’s main competitor, Samsung, in that the costs are higher than in previous iPhone teardown analyses,” said Andrew Rassweiler, senior director of cost benchmarking services for IHS Markit. “All other things being equal, Apple still makes more margin from hardware than Samsung, but materials costs are higher than in the past.”After $5 in basic manufacturing costs are added, Apple’s total cost to manufacture the iPhone 7 rises to $224.80. The unsubsidized price for a 32GB iPhone 7 is $649. IHS Markit has not yet performed a teardown analysis on the larger iPhone 7 Plus. This preliminary estimated total is $36.89 higher than the final analysis of the iPhone 6S published by IHS in December 2015.

Apple iPhone 7 32GB (A1778) 
   Cost Summary  
Direct Material Costs $219.80
(Component Costs)
Conversion Costs$5.00
(Assembly / Insertion / Test Costs)
Total Cost$         224.80         
(Direct materials and manufacturing)
         
Itemized Components Manufacturer Name          Manufacturer Part Number Description Total Cost
Apps Processor        
System-on-Chip TSMC (Apple) APLW24 
Apple A10, Quad-Core 64-Bit ARM Based CPU, Hexa-Core
GPU, 16nm FinFET
 $         26.90
Baseband / RF / PA                $         33.90
Baseband INTEL CORP PMB9943 Baseband Processor, Multi-Mode  
RF Transceiver INTEL CORP PMB5750 RF Transceiver, Multi-Mode (Qty:2)  
RF Front End        
Antenna Switch Module TDK CORP D5313 Antenna Switch Module, w/ Filters  
Antenna Switch Module TDK CORP D5325 Antenna Switch Module, w/ Filters  
Envelope Tracking QORVO INC 81003M Envelope Tracking IC  
FEM BROADCOM LTD (AVAGO) DFI620 FEM  
FEM SKYWORKS SKY13702-20 FEM  
FEM SKYWORKS SKY13703-21 FEM  
PAM BROADCOM LTD (AVAGO) AFEM-8050 PAM  
PAM BROADCOM LTD (AVAGO) AFEM-8060 PAM  
PAM QORVO INC RF6110 PAM  
PAM SKYWORKS SKY77359 PAM  
Battery        
  HUIZHOU DESAY   Li-Polymer, 3.8V, 1960mAh $         2.50
         
BT / GNSS / WLAN       $         8.00
BT / WLAN 
UNIVERSAL SCIENTIFIC INDUSTRIAL
 S39S00201 BT / WLAN Module  
GNSS BROADCOM LTD BCM47734IUBG GNSS Receiver  
Front End     BT / WLAN & GNSS Front End  
Cameras       $         19.90
Front FaceTime     7MP BSI w/ Fixed Lens  
Rear     12MP BSI, w/ AutoFocus, & Optical Image Stabilization  
Display       $         43.00
Display / Touchscreen Module     4.7" 1334x750 LTPS IPS LCD, w/ In-Cell Touch  
Electromechanicals                $         16.70
Taptic Engine     Taptic Engine  
Other Electro-MechanicalsAntennas, Connectors, Microphones, PCBs, Speakers, etc.
          
Glue Logic       $         1.30
  LATTICE SEMICONDUCTOR ICE5LP4K-SWG36I          FPGA - iCE40 Ultra, 40nm  
Mechanicals       $         18.20
Enclosure     Enclosure, Main, Bottom - Machined Aluminum  
Other Mechanicals     Hardware, Labels, Insulators, Shielding, vents, etc.  
Memory       $         16.40
NAND SK HYNIX H23QEG8VG2ACS-BC 32GB NAND  
SDRAM SAMSUNG SEMICONDUCTOR K3RG1G10CM-YGCH 2GB LPDDR4 PoP  
Power Management       $         7.20
PMIC - Main DIALOG SEMICONDUCTOR 338S00225 PMIC - Main  
PMIC - RF INTEL PMB6826 PMIC - RF  
Others     Other PMICs, Transistors, Diodes, etc.  
User Interface       $         14.00
Audio codec CIRRUS LOGIC CS42L71 Audio Codec  
Audio Amplifier CIRRUS LOGIC 338S00220 Audio Amplifier (Qty:3)  
NFC NXP PN67V NFC Controller  
Others     Interface Ics, discretes, passives, etc.  
Sensors        
Barometer BOSCH SENSORTEC GMBH            Barometric Pressure Sensor  
e-compass ALPS   Electronic Compass  
Other Sensors     
Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Touch ID Fingerprint
sensor, ALS/Proximity sensor, etc.
 
         
Box Contents       $         11.80
Lightning Cable     USB to Lightning  
Lightning to 3.5mm Audio Adapter     Audio Adapter, Lightning to 3.5mm Jack  
Headset w/ Lightning Connector              Headset, Stereo, w/ Lightning Connector  
Charger

Same shape. No jack.
While the overall shape and physical design of the iPhone 7 is similar to the iPhone 6S that preceded it, the new display has wider color gamut, including DCI-P3 as well as traditional sRGB, which improves the rendering of photos and videos. The device’s haptic engine, which provides the “click” feel for users, has also been improved for longer-duty cycles and better dynamic response. The home button is now static and mimics the MacBook in terms of a solid-state button design.
Apple has also eliminated the 3.5 millimeter headphone jack, allowing a larger battery and haptic motor. “Where there was an audio jack in the previous design, Apple replaced it with a symmetrical grill -- not for speakers, but for the waterproof microphone, leaving more room for the larger battery and Taptic Engine,” Rassweiler said.
Increased base-model storage
Apple has increased the iPhone 7’s storage density. For the first time, the base model starts at 32 gigabytes (GB) – which is only the second time Apple has upgraded the base storage in the iPhone. From a cost perspective, the shift from 16GB/64GB/128GB iPhones to 32GB/128GB/256GB is a big jump. “Despite significant cost erosion in NAND flash over the last year, this increase in the overall memory cost definitely puts pressure on the bill of materials costs -- and therefore margins -- from Apple’s perspective,” Rassweiler said.
Intel returns
The Intel design win, and six years of absence that Intel had from the iPhone, is important to note. Even so, Intel still shares the processor business with Qualcomm. “Whereas Apple strives to have ‘one iPhone model for all carriers and markets,’ there are a number of different hardware permutations supporting various countries and carriers,” Rassweiler said. “Apple will likely look for ways to simplify the design moving forward, which means one supplier – whether Intel or Qualcomm – will likely dominate, as part of supplier and SKU streamlining.”
According to Wayne Lam, principal analyst of smartphone electronics, IHS Markit, “Largely left behind in the 4G LTE market, Intel has finally worked itself back into the iPhone, which is a huge win, but not one that is going to be financially significant in the near term for Intel.”
RF paths
Apple has also eliminated segmented antenna bands, which means the company is pushing all radio-frequency (RF) paths to the very ends of the phone – both on the top and bottom. The aluminum uni-body construction and design forces all RF paths into those two locations. Whereas other smartphones use a glass back and RF components with antennas mounted on the ample back spaces, Apple is restricted to just two physical antennas. “This design limitation may force Apple to go back to an all-glass design again so that they can fit in 4x4MIMO LTE antennas and more features like wireless charging in the next iPhone iteration,” Lam said.
Modem moved
The baseband thin modem has been moved next to the A10 processor. Prior to the iPhone 7, the thin modem was always on the other side of the SIM card receptacle. “This is a subtle change but likely shows us where Apple wants to take this,” Lam said, “eventually putting the thin modem right on the apps processor package or even integrating it into the A-series processor.”
Officially water resistant
iPhone 7 is now officially rated as water resistant. “We also saw evidence of this water proofing design evolution in the earlier iPhone 6S, which included additional gasketing around critical connectors, as well as the use of WiFi antenna at the end of the primary speaker box,”Lam said. “Doing so pushes the antennas near the only other opening, for better reception and transmission.”
Jet-black polished case
Jet black polish is a new option on 128GB and 256GB models. “This is a new feature that produces a whole new look for the iPhone,” Lam said. “It is a lower yielding, time-intensive manufacturing step that adds cost, as well as considerable value, pushing the retail price higher for those requesting this option.”
Antenna speaker design
The antenna speaker design on the iPhone 7 came from the WiFi antenna packed into the speakers of Apple’s MacBook. “Apple likes to reuse these unique designs throughout their product lines,” Lam said. In a first for the iPhone series, the headset speaker now doubles as a stereo speaker.
Upgraded camera
While not as groundbreaking as the two optical paths in the iPhone 7 Plus, the iPhone 7 camera has now been upgraded to optical image stabilization (OIS), for better low light performance.
Improved battery life
The battery has been increased to 1960mAhr capacity from 1715mAh in the previous iPhone 6s. This change is consistent with Apple’s claims of improved battery life.

IHS Markit (www.ihsmarkit.com)
IHS Markit (Nasdaq: INFO) is a world leader in critical information, analytics and expertise to forge solutions for the major industries and markets that drive economies worldwide. The company delivers next-generation information, analytics and solutions to customers in business, finance and government, improving their operational efficiency and providing deep insights that lead to well-informed, confident decisions. IHS Markit has more than 50,000 key business and government customers, including 85 percent of the Fortune Global 500 and the world’s leading financial institutions. Headquartered in London, IHS Markit is committed to sustainable, profitable growth.
IHS Markit is a registered trademark of IHS Markit Ltd. All other company and product names may be trademarks of their respective owners © 2016 IHS Markit Ltd. All rights reserved.

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IHS Markit
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