Talks for Chip Software Maker Are Said to Bog Down on Price
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Buyout talks between Cadence Design Systems and two private equity firms appear to have stalled, according to people close to the matter.
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Mobile chip makes inroads as prices drop and Intel de-emphasizes clock speed.
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Panel trying to decide whether to bring formal antitrust charges against the chipmaker, according to a source.
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InfoWorld - Amid further delays of AMD's quad-core server chip and plans to write off goodwill from the acquisition of ATI, AMD executives are going to face tough questions when they meet financial analysts in New York Thursday.
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Cadence Design Systems Inc. , a maker of software for designing microchips, is in talks with at least two buyout firms about a possible sale, the New York Times reported in its online edition on Monday.
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(InfoWorld) - Anyone looking to add a bit more memory to their computers won a gift from the DRAM (dynamic RAM) industry. Heavy competition has caused prices to tumble and industry analysts predict further price declines. The contract price of the most widely used DRAM chips, 512Mb, DDR2 (double data rate, second generation) chips that run at 667MHz dropped 12.5 percent from two weeks ago to $1.75 each as of Thursday, a new low for this year according to DRAMeXchange Technology, which runs an online trading site for the chips. That's great news for users for three reasons. DRAM price declines increase the likelihood that PC vendors such as Hewlett-Packard and Dell will add more DRAM to the computers they sell, or offer extra DRAM as an incentive; it give users a chance to buy more DRAM on the cheap; and it generallyÂ spurs memory chip makers to move forward on new technologyÂ that will ultimately increase computing performance. Contract DRAM prices for DDR2-667 chips have plunged 70.5 percent so far this year to the Thursday low. The main reason is because memory chip makers built too many new production lines in anticipationÂ of strong demand for Microsoft's Windows Vista, which requires more DRAM per PC, as well as because stronger DRAM prices in general for the past few years was a sign to some that the market had stabilized, analysts say. DRAM prices may continue to decline a bit further, but downside appears limited, according to Gartner. Today's pricing is at a similar level to the lows reached in May of this year, when DRAM makers refused to sell because the price had hit their cash cost. "However, we may see some activity below this level, because some brokers and distributors who are holding inventory may be prepared to sell at a lower price to clear stock," the market researcher said. Over the years, DRAM makers have tended to place more emphasis on winning market share than on profits, and the current DRAM price declines are symptomatic of their battles. Companies have invested so much money in new factories that the increased output has caused a glut, leading to price declines. Prices for DRAM chips fellÂ almost 40 percent in the first half of this year, compared to the first half of 2006, offsetting a 66 percent increase in unit shipments, according to the Semiconductor Industry Association. Contract prices are typically renegotiated between DRAM makers and PC vendors every two weeks. Around four fifths of all DRAM is sold by contract, while the rest is sold on the spot market, just like commodities such as oil and gold. Â
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Signaling a possible wider slowdown in the semiconductor industry, Royal Philips Electronics on Friday became the latest company to say that its chip sales had begun to stall, at least temporarily.
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AMD and IBM have extended their chip-manufacturing technology agreement for another three years according to investors.com. The previous deal, signed in 2002, was due to run out next year.
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Chipmaker turns to a more-is-better approach, downplaying chip speeds in favor of new features and designs.
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Shares of chip companies closed lower Tuesday as Wall Street began to look ahead at a mid-quarter report expected by Intel Corp. on Thursday, with some analysts concerned the semiconductor giant might lower expectations.
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The company talks down a recent inexplicable stock run-up.
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In an announcement strategically timed to lessen its impact, SanDisk admits that it must cut prices to stay competitive in a tougher NAND memory chip market. Layoffs and salary cuts for executives are also planned.
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Intel's financial results for the fourth quarter fell short of analysts' estimates in part because of weak prices for memory chips.
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The chip maker grew too quickly and couldn't keep up with customer demand, the company's CEO told an audience of investors, saying the company 'let down' its channel partners.
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PeopleSoft's board is willing to talk about a deal if the price is right.
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TAIPEI/SEOUL  - Memory chip prices are expected to  slide 30 percent or more by mid-year to below the manufacturing  cost as chip makers plough generous 2004 profits into new  production lines, exacerbating a surplus of supplies.
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It may sound like carping coming from a big electronics company, but the price drops have surprised manufacturers and analysts alike.