Nvidia GTC 2024 Day 1 – Entrenchment

Nvidia knows exactly what it is doing. Nvidia once again distanced itself from its rivals revealing yet more hardware advances and new features for its platforms that aim to increase the degree of its entrenchment which will support its revenues and gross margins for some time yet. The highlights were: First, Blackwell: which replaces Hopper and once again puts Nvidia...

China vs. USA – Tit for Tat pt. III.

Tit for tat battle spreads to automotive. A switch by Chinese OEMs to Chinese semiconductor suppliers in the Chinese automotive industry is unlikely to have much impact beyond media headlines but represents a great opportunity for MediaTek to pick up business for its new automotive products. The Chinese state is asking EV makers to source semiconductors for their vehicles from...

China vs. USA – The TikTok War pt. III.

TikTok makes the USA’s case for it. The chances of TikTok coming under severe pressure have increased with the passage of the bill through the House of Representatives and with TikTok’s recent actions offering a clear demonstration as to why the bill has been put together in the first place. The bill gives ByteDance 180 days to divest TikTok to...

Telegram – The Paradox

Its greatest strength is also its greatest weakness. There is little doubt that Telegram has emerged from the background of the technology industry to drive publicity for an IPO but there are substantial hurdles to an IPO which may well see it retreat back into the shadows. Telegram is a security-focused chat app like WhatsApp founded in 2013 so that...

Arm vs. x86 – The Gauntlet pt. II.

This time Qualcomm is serious. While the technology world continues to jump up and down over generative AI, the most consequential challenge to Intel and AMD’s dominance in laptop processors is almost ready for launch and this time it might just work. Intel has more than enough reason to scoff at the prospect of losing market share in laptop processors...

China vs. USA – TikTok War II

ByteDance is back in the crosshairs. The fuss over TikTok which seemed to have died down following the change of administration in 2021 is back on but simply divesting TikTok is not going to be simple because the company uses Chinese technology that the CCP does not want in foreign hands. China is the one thing that both sides of...

Musk vs. OpenAI – Another Hot Mess

OpenAI blows itself up yet again. In its rush to discredit Mr Musk’s lawsuit, OpenAI has revealed that it never had any real intention of being open and called attention to the fact that the company has strayed very far indeed from its original mission statement. The problem for OpenAI is that its image for honesty and its position as...

Microsoft – Unnecessary risk

Microsoft needs to acquire OpenAI. Satya Nadella’s tenure at Microsoft has been excellent but I think the one mistake he has made is to open up his company and his core business to the risk represented by the chaotic and deeply conflicted governance of Open AI. The solution is to acquire the company which I suspect will happen once the...

The Metaverse – The halo effect

Meta is back on top as Apple reignites interest. Meta has correctly positioned the Quest 3 for the market that is available today, but it has been greatly helped by Apple giving the market legitimacy and Pico bowing out. It looks as if Q4 23 saw a good recovery for VR and AR with a big bounce YoY in shipments...

USA vs. China – The screw pt. IV.

USA restrictions are biting. China is making the best of a difficult situation but there is no getting around the fact that the USA is currently winning the technology war, meaning that China needs to stop hammering its homegrown companies if it wants to compete effectively. This week is the annual National People’s Congress which serves as a platform for...