The Semiconductor Ecosystem
Key Companies
The major players in design, manufacturing, equipment, and materials
Chip Designers
Chip Designers
The companies that design the world's most important chips:
| Company | Focus | Key Products |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | Mobile/desktop processors | A-series (iPhone), M-series (Mac) |
| Nvidia | GPUs, AI accelerators | GeForce, A100/H100/B200 (AI training) |
| AMD | CPUs, GPUs | Ryzen, EPYC, Radeon |
| Qualcomm | Mobile SoCs, modems | Snapdragon |
| Broadcom | Networking, custom ASICs | Switch chips, TPU for Google |
| ARM | CPU architecture licensing | Cortex cores (in 99% of smartphones) |
Equipment Makers
Equipment Makers
The companies that build the machines that build chips — often called the "picks and shovels" of the semiconductor gold rush:
| Company | Country | Specialty |
|---|---|---|
| ASML | Netherlands | Lithography (sole EUV supplier) |
| Applied Materials | U.S. | Deposition, etch, CMP |
| Lam Research | U.S. | Etch and deposition |
| Tokyo Electron (TEL) | Japan | Coater/developer, etch, deposition |
| KLA | U.S. | Inspection and metrology |
Key Concept: ASML's Monopoly
ASML's EUV lithography machines cost $350+ million each, weigh 180 tons, and are the most complex machines ever built. ASML is the world's only supplier of these machines — giving it extraordinary strategic importance.
Knowledge Check
Knowledge Check
1 / 2Which company is the sole supplier of EUV lithography machines?