semiconductor (반도체)
A semiconductor is expressed as an IC or integrated circuit, and falls between a conductor (a material that conducts electricity well) and an insulator (a material that does not conduct electricity). (Section) It would be easier to understand if it was expressed as a semiconductor.
Conductors, which are materials that conduct electricity well, include copper and iron, while insulators, which are materials that do not conduct electricity, include wood, rubber, and plastic.
The most important material that makes up a semiconductor is silicon (Si). As you probably know, it is a substance called silicon.
Impurities are added to silicon, which makes up a semiconductor so that it sometimes conducts electricity and sometimes does not conduct electricity.
So why do we make electricity conduct or not conduct? When electricity flows through a binary system, semiconductors turn on the current to 1 to control electronic devices or store information. Conversely, when electricity is not flowing, the current is turned off with 0, which is the opposite of 1.
Why are semiconductors important? These semiconductors can be found very easily in our daily lives. First of all, semiconductors are included in mobile phones, and then computers, door locks, refrigerators, induction machines, bus and subway tags, information boards at stops, cars, elevators, escalators, etc. Countless semiconductors are with us in our daily lives, proudly providing convenience near us. This is an important item that should not be done.
semiconductor type
memory semiconductor
It is a semiconductor circuit device whose purpose is to control electronic signals to remember and store data. Representative products that use memory semiconductors include mobile phones and computers. These memory semiconductors are also divided into two types as follows.
[Volatile memory: DRAM]
- DRAM is a volatile memory that plays an important role in quickly processing large amounts of data when the power is turned off.
- Generally, it is a device called a memory card that helps the CPU, the central processing unit of a computer, process data.
- A memory card is one of the memories that make up a computer and is indicated by RAM, 16GB, 32GB, etc. You may have heard or seen it written as ‘RAM’ at least once. (D) RAM is a volatile device that processes data.
[Non-volatile memory: NAND flash]
- NAND flash processes data slower than DRAM and stores data even when the power is turned off.
- Among the computer components we know, the part that makes up an SSD is NAND flash. In addition, NAND flash components are also used in SD CARD and Micro SD CARD.
The CPU processes data stored in an SSD (NAND), and DRAM (memory card) plays a role in increasing processing speed.
semiconductor company
Let’s check out 10 companies from the list provided by the Semiconductor Engineering Society to find out where the semiconductor companies are.
| no | company | Products |
| 1 | Samsung 🔗 |
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| 2 | SK Hynix 🔗 |
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| 3 | DB HiTek 🔗 |
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| 4 | Synopsys 🔗 |
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| 5 | Cadence 🔗 |
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| 6 | Primarius 🔗 |
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| 7 | Livertron 🔗 |
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| 8 | silvaco 🔗 |
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| 9 | ENTASYS 🔗 |
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| 10 | tshightec TSE 🔗 |
|
Semiconductor Outlook
The semiconductor market, which had stagnated after COVID-19, has been showing a continuous upward trend since the FOMC decided to freeze interest rates until the end of 2023.
It is expected that new demand will be created in the semiconductor market due to expectations of AI computers and AI mobile phones that will be released starting next year.
In addition, IDC (a market research company) predicts that next year’s semiconductor market will increase by more than 20% compared to this year, bringing good news to semiconductor investors.
Meaning and prospects of AI semiconductors. Stock prices of startup companies
[Unlisted exchange]
AI semiconductor startup company
Rebellion
Rebellion provides edge cloud computing ATOM semiconductors with speeds ahead of NVIDIA and ION semiconductors based on TSMC’s 7nm technology with low power, space, and high performance.
Recently, Rebellion is working to mass produce AI semiconductors in earnest as Korea’s leading AI semiconductor design startup by attracting 100 billion won in investment.
Rebellion was valued at approximately 390 billion won in 2022, and its corporate value in 2023 is known to have exceeded approximately 700 billion won before investment.
[Rebellion stock price]
- Rebellion is not currently a listed company, so it is impossible to purchase stocks publicly, and those who cannot wait for an initial public offering (IPO) are trading 1:1 on an unlisted stock exchange.
[Rebellion stock price]
- As it is an unlisted company, it is traded over the counter until the IPO is confirmed, and as recently confirmed, it appears to be trading at around 200,000 won per share.
[Rebellion Investment Method]
- Unlisted company stock exchanges include 증권플러스 비상장(두나무), 38커뮤니케이션코넥스(한국거래소), K-OTC(금융투자협회)
Furiosa AI
Furiosa AI, which directly designs and develops optimized appliances, is a startup company that has proven its superiority over NVIDIA and is investing in and collaborating with Naver, Korea’s largest portal site, and Kakao, the largest online company.
We are raising expectations for AI semiconductors by recently recruiting a former vice president at Intel.
[Furiosa AI stock price]
- Furiosa AI is also currently not a listed company, so it is impossible to purchase stocks publicly. Trading is possible on unlisted exchanges.
[Furiosa AI stock price]
- Because transactions have not been confirmed on unlisted exchanges, it is difficult to check the current average price of Furiosa AI.
[Furiosa AI Investment Method]
- I have linked the stock exchanges of unlisted companies at the top. Please search for Furiosa or check the shareholder club posts and refer to them when investing.
SAPEON
SAPEON is an SK-affiliated semiconductor fabless (design) company, and recently launched SAPEON X330, an artificial intelligence AI semiconductor chip, as its flagship model.
SAPEON’s goal is to provide AI services that everyone can use universally.
GS affiliates, Daebo Information, Hana Financial Group, Mirae Asset, We Ventures, E1, etc. completed attracting KRW 60 billion in investment and were recognized as having a corporate value of KRW 500 billion.
Sapion stock price, Sapion stock price, Sapion investment method, etc. are still an unlisted company, and the necessary information can be found by searching the shareholders’ club at the top link of the unlisted exchange.
What is an AI semiconductor and how is it used?
In short, an AI semiconductor is a semiconductor that learns on its own and produces results. AI semiconductors can also be easily seen around us.
Chat GPT, an interactive AI service, is also a hot topic these days, such as turning a human-driven car into a car capable of self-driving using AI semiconductors and AI checking stored food in refrigerators to recommend recipes. This is already in use.
AI semiconductor outlook
According to market research firm Gartner, the AI semiconductor market has increased by 20% this year compared to last year and is expected to grow by about 25% next year.
The growth of the AI market is noticeably increasing, and as the demand for GPUs (high-performance graphics processing units) increases with the use of AI-based applications, it is essential to build optimized semiconductor devices.
In four years, the global sales of the AI semiconductor market are expected to grow more than double, from approximately KRW 71 trillion (KRW) to approximately KRW 155 trillion.
As there are many issues related to the semiconductor high-tech strategic industrial complex and interest in designating specialized universities and government support is increasing, we looked into what a semiconductor is and what an AI semiconductor is, and looked into where startup companies are located, and what technologies they have.
Semiconductors have and will always exist around us. Also, AI semiconductors will enrich our lives.
Thank you for reading.
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