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[Semiconductor_Fabless] Google: Expanding Beyond Search Ads into In-House Semiconductor Development

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  Google : Alphabet C [Posting: 2025.05.01] The software giant Google has been pursuing a strategic shift toward cloud, AI, and semiconductor internalization since 2020 . Search advertising , which accounts for 56% of its total revenue , remains the company’s primary source of income. With the introduction of AI Overviews and Circle to Search , user engagement is steadily increasing. In terms of semiconductors , although revenue from this segment stood at approximately $4 billion in 2024—only 1.1% of total revenue —Google’s internalization strategy is expected to expand its share in the coming years. Semiconductor-related revenue includes earnings from A I infrastructure within Google Cloud , Tensor SoCs in Pixel devices, and licensing of TPU and Axion chips . The Tensor G1 to G4 models , which serve as SoCs for Pixel smartphones, were manufactured using Samsung Foundry's 4nm and 5nm processes . However, the upcoming G5 version is expected to be manufactured using TSMC’s 3n...
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[Semiconductor_Fabless] Mediatek:Taiwan's Fabless. Aspiring to Become a Powerhouse in SoC APs

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  Mediatek [Posting: 2025.05.01] Taiwan’s fabless company MediaTek was spun off from UMC in 1997 and has gained prominence in the premium mobile market with the launch of its SoC AP line, Dimensity . In 2024, the company recorded $16.4 billion USD in revenue and $3.1 billion USD in operating profit (operating margin of 19.3% ) , continuing its steady growth and emerging as a key player in Taiwan's semiconductor industry alongside foundry partner TSMC . In the Android market, MediaTek’s main competitors include Qualcomm and Samsung Electronics System LSI . Samsung’s Galaxy series predominantly uses Qualcomm Snapdragon and Exynos chips, whereas MediaTek targets brands such as OPPO and Vivo in China. Currently, MediaTek utilizes TSMC’s 3nm process for premium-tier products , 4nm for mainstream applications , and also employs UMC’s nodes for select mainstream and IoT devices . Fierce competition is expected in the future, and the industry is closely watching what new p...
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[Semiconductor_Foundry] PSMC: Falling Behind the Major Taiwanese Foundries, but Demonstrating Strong Competence in Legacy Processes

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  [Posting: 2025.04.26] Taiwan’s PSMC (Powerchip Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation) , which excels in legacy processes, operates both 200mm and 300mm FABs . The company is expanding specialty processes such as Power IC BCD (Bipolar-CMOS-DMOS) , embedded NVM (Non-Volatile Memory)  for MCU application and CIS into the automotive sector . Its major clients include prominent IDMs and fabless companies like Infineon and ON Semiconductor , which together account for approximately 30% of its revenue , indicating PSMC's strong process competitiveness. PSMC possesses mass production capabilities for planar transistors (up to the 28nm technology node ) within its legacy processes, suggesting stable future revenue growth in the automotive sector. Currently, there is a strong trend among fabless companies to seek NCNT (Non-China, Non-Taiwan) foundry options to mitigate geopolitical risks. This factor is expected to significantly influence PSMC’s future sales. I will cont...
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