Taking a long view, semiconductor equipment manufacturing is at commanding heights, with a very select club of companies capable of the most complex technological feats in R&D and production. Their clients, the chip-makers with the financial – and technical- ability to build the mega-factories for the new generations of chips, are in effect partners in a shared effort
With tens of billions of dollars at stake, and only very few players on either side, this great game is a technological race in the shadows of geopolitical strategies, protective of national interests.
Manufacturing has become a vastly concentrated affair with 10 firms securing over 90% of worldwide sales and the top 5 manufacturers – Applied Materials
Our theme is focused on best-known and very large specialized firms involved in the manufacturing process
With one exception (KLA-Tencor) included on the production-side of manufacturing because of its size, quality control systems, the metrology/inspection equipment specialists, which are ultimately responsible for reliable output, have been set aside in a theme dedicated to 'Precision measurement'
