Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang’s net worth has now reached USD 109.2 billion, surpassing Intel’s total market value of USD 96.595 billion. This development has sparked excitement among many netizens, with some calling for Huang to acquire Intel and create a new tech industry merger legend.

In fact, tech companies have long led the way in mergers and acquisitions (M&A), driven by the need to stay ahead in technological innovation and strengthen their market positions. Large-scale mergers have been a common strategy for tech giants looking to secure a competitive edge. The M&A Community has compiled a list of the 11 largest tech mergers in history.

Microsoft and Activision Blizzard

Microsoft’s USD 69 billion acquisition of gaming giant Activision Blizzard, completed in 2023 after overcoming regulatory challenges in the U.S. and UK, has solidified the tech giant’s position in the gaming market, particularly for its Xbox platform. Activision Blizzard, known for popular titles such as Warcraft and Call of Duty, gives Microsoft a strategic advantage in the competitive gaming industry.

EMC and Dell

In 2016, Dell finalized its USD 67 billion acquisition of EMC, a leader in data storage and security. The merger, one of the largest in tech history, combined Dell’s hardware expertise with EMC’s advanced storage solutions, strengthening its position in enterprise IT and cloud computing.

AMD and Xilinx

AMD’s USD 49 billion acquisition of Xilinx, completed in 2022, marked a significant expansion of AMD’s semiconductor capabilities, particularly in adaptive computing. The deal, initially valued at USD35 billion, surged in value by the time it closed, positioning AMD as a major player in the semiconductor industry.

Avago and Broadcom

Avago’s USD 37 billion acquisition of Broadcom in 2016 brought together two semiconductor powerhouses. The merger created a stronger presence in wireless communications and infrastructure, with Broadcom’s strengths in communications semiconductors complementing Avago’s portfolio in wired and wireless solutions.

IBM and Red Hat

IBM’s USD 34 billion purchase of open-source leader Red Hat in 2019 was a landmark deal, designed to boost IBM’s cloud and hybrid cloud offerings. The acquisition positioned IBM as a key player in enterprise cloud solutions, leveraging Red Hat’s expertise in open-source software.

Salesforce and Slack

Salesforce completed its USD 27.7 billion acquisition of Slack in 2021, a move aimed at integrating Slack’s communication platform with Salesforce’s customer relationship management (CRM) tools. The deal created a unified solution for enterprise collaboration, further enhancing Salesforce’s suite of cloud-based business tools.

Microsoft and LinkedIn

Microsoft’s USD 26.2 billion acquisition of LinkedIn in 2016 was designed to enhance business productivity by integrating LinkedIn’s networking platform with Microsoft’s suite of enterprise software. The deal allowed Microsoft to expand its reach in the professional networking space.

HP and Compaq

HP’s USD 25 billion acquisition of Compaq in 2002 was one of the largest tech mergers at the time, but it ultimately became known as a failure. The merger led to significant market value losses for HP, and its long-term impact was negative.

Facebook (Meta) and WhatsApp

Facebook’s USD 19 billion acquisition of WhatsApp in 2014 was widely regarded as a success. The deal allowed Facebook, now Meta, to significantly expand its global reach, particularly in international markets where WhatsApp has a strong user base.

Silver Lake and Qualtrics

In 2023, Silver Lake completed a USD 12.5 billion deal to acquire Qualtrics from SAP, marking another high-value transaction in the tech industry. The acquisition strengthened Silver Lake’s investment portfolio, particularly in the data analytics and survey software space.

Adobe and Marketo

Adobe’s USD 4.75 billion acquisition of Marketo in 2018 enhanced its marketing automation capabilities, allowing Adobe to offer a more comprehensive marketing platform to both B2B and B2C clients. The deal boosted Adobe’s presence in digital marketing solutions.

(Photo credit: Microsoft)

The SiC market has been very active lately, with constant news coming from device suppliers and car makers. And there seems to be an ongoing tug-of-war between supply and demand.

Toshiba announced in April the groundbreaking of its power semiconductor fab for SiC in Ishikawa Prefecture, with the first stage beginning in the 2024 fiscal year. This news echoes earlier reports from Japanese media that Toshiba is strengthening the vertical integration throughout SiC equipment, wafers, and devices, and planning to increase the production by three times in 2024 and 10 times by 2026.

Meanwhile, over the past two years, leading companies in the Europe and the US such as Infineon and ST have also accelerated M&A as well as internal expansion for SiC production devices at an unprecedented pace, aiming to expand their SiC-related businesses and maintain their core competitiveness in the market.

Despite aggressive demand-driven expansion plans, the unexpected announcement from Tesla in mid-March that it plans to reduce overall SiC usage by 75% in the next generation of electric vehicle platforms has sparked various speculations in the industry. This move was made without compromising the performance and efficiency of the cars and represents one of the few specific details that Tesla has revealed about its new car plans.

Now here is the question – will the popularity of SiC be a genuine trend, or merely a passing fad that could lead to a potential bubble in the market?

SiC or Si-based solutions?

Compared to IGBT and MOSFET, the dominant technologies in power semiconductor, SiC offers stronger advantages such as low resistance, high temperature and high voltage tolerance that can overcome the technical bottlenecks of EVs by improving battery efficiency and solving component heat dissipation issues. SiC can also make chip design sizes smaller, which means more flexibility in vehicle design.

These advantages have made SiC the most sought-after technology. According to TrendForce, the SiC power device market is expected to grow at a CAGR of 35% to reach $5.33 billion annually from 2022 to 2026, driven by mainstream applications such as electric vehicles and renewable energy.

There is a long-standing debate among the industry about whether SiC will replace IGBTs entirely. What we believe is that SiC may not completely replace IGBTs considering their distinct targeted use scenarios.

In terms of use cases, SiC is particularly suitable for high-frequency, high-voltage applications, especially in the field of new energy vehicles. Traditional Si-based IGBT chips have reached the physical limit in high-voltage fast charging models, making SiC more favorable for new energy vehicles.

However, SiC transistors are expensive due to complex production processes, slow crystal growth, and difficult cutting. Unlike silicon, which can be pulled quickly, SiC crystals grow at a slow rate of 0.2-1mm/hour and are prone to cracking during the cutting process due to their high hardness and brittleness, leading to hundreds of hours of cutting time.

Additionally, SiC transistors also have some drawbacks such as vulnerability to damage and temperature sensitivity, which makes them unsuitable for low-cost and low-power applications.

IGBT, on the contrary, is preferred over SiC in such a field because it is more cost-effective, reliable, and has better capacitance and surge capability for high-power and high-current applications. In certain scenarios, such as DC-DC charging piles, IGBT is irreplaceable due to its cost advantage and suitability.

Could a Hybrid Solution be the Answer?

The premise above can help to explain Tesla’s conflicting decision to cut back on SiC usage.

Tesla’s reluctance to fully adopt SiC technology is mainly due to concerns about reliability and supply chain stability, as evidenced by a mass recall of Model 3 due to issues with SiC components in the rear electric motor inverter.

In addition, the shortage of substrate materials is another challenge facing the SiC industry as a whole, with major manufacturers such as Wolfspeed, Infineon, and ST ramping up production capacity to address the issue. As a result, Tesla is considering alternative ways to mitigate the risks associated with supply chain constraints.

Despite these challenges, SiC remains a promising trend for the EV industry. Even Tesla recognizes its enormous potential commercial value.

In terms of technological innovations, Tesla’s next-generation EVs may feature a novel packaging design for the primary inverter, utilizing a hybrid SiC/Si IGBT packaging approach that leverages the unique strengths of both technologies while avoiding potential pitfalls. This technological advancement poses certain difficulties, but the groundbreaking innovation at the engineering design level is definitely something to look forward to.

Read more:

• Chinese Players Rally for Demand Surge in MOSFET, IGBT, and SiC
• The M&A battle for SiC: Who’s the Top Acquirers?

(Photo credit: Tesla)

The compound semiconductor market has been flourishing in recent years thanks to the strong demand from markets such as electric vehicles and renewable energy. This has led to an increase in M&A as companies race to establish their position in the industry.

The market has seen a significant surge in M&A deals over the last few years: from 2006 to 2017, there was only one deal every two years, but since 2018, there have been six deals annually, surpassing historical data.

While SiC and GaN are the top categories for M&A, 21 of the transactions are directly related to SiC. This is because after its development over 20 years, SiC has been able to be mass-produced for market demands, particularly in the automotive industry where SiC has become the mainstream technology.

Vertical Integration driven by Industry Titans

Industry leaders in the US and Europe, such as Wolfspeed, On Semi, II-VI, ST, and Infineon, have started accelerating vertical integration in recent years, as reflected in the frequency of M&A.

The United States has led 12 M&A deals, with only four of them occurring before 2018, and Wolfspeed contributed to three of them. Over the past three years, On-Semi, II-VI, and Macom have led several deals with a focus on SiC’s vertical integration to meet market demands.

In Europe, there were eight M&A deals in total, all of which took place in 2018 and beyond, with ST and Infineon being the major players. Both companies have been accumulating technical strength through strategic acquisition to maintain their leading ground in the SiC power device market.

In 2019 and 2020, ST acquired Norstel AB to bolster its SiC wafer manufacturing capabilities and Exgan to improve the GaN power device design expertise. Similarly, Infineon acquired Siltectra GMbH in 2018 to gain control of the crucial SiC wafer cold split process technology and recently acquired GaN Systems to reinforce its presence in the GaN market.

It’s evident from the cases that the high frequency of M&As in the US and Europe is mainly driven by leading companies in the industry, gradually defining the landscape of the market.

Wolfspeed, which has grown into a leading company after a long period of time, has accumulated enough capital for M&A and gradually been transforming into a platform-type company. Meanwhile, Onsemi, ST, and Infineon, which have traditionally been platform-type companies with established expertise in the field of compound semiconductors, are now ramping up their M&A activities to expand market presence and generate strong growth momentum.

Market Landscape Continues to Change

M&A deals among semiconductor equipment companies are also receiving attention. Recently, ASM and Veeco have successively acquired LPE and Epiluvac, indicating that equipment manufacturers have also realized the huge potential of the SiC market and are accelerating their investment.

Given the rapid technology breakthroughs, the overall SiC power device market is predicted to grow at an annual rate of 41.4% to reach $2.28 billion by 2023 and $5.33 billion by 2026 at 35% annual growth, according to TrendForce’s latest report.

However, with the current market boom comes a new challenge – the supply shortage. One of the biggest obstacles to industry growth is the scarcity of SiC substrate material, despite efforts from companies like STM and Onsemi to ramp up their production.

Manufacturers are now on the hunt for both internal and external sources to keep the supply flowing. While most of the SiC substrate suppliers are expanding, only a few, like Wolfspeed, are controlling the manufacturing capacity for high-end SiC substrates used in automotive main inverters, which worsens the bottleneck in SiC devices’ production for cars.

With that being said, major players must quickly address technology hurdles and supply issues to bridge the market gap. This will inevitably drive intense competition and industry consolidation, and only the ones that can adapt quickly will be thriving in the long run.

Read more:

• SiC vs. Silicon Debate: Will the Winner Take All?
• Chinese Players Rally for Demand Surge in MOSFET, IGBT, and SiC