Nvidia cracked the list of top 10 semiconductor vendors by sales for the first time in 2017, joining Qualcomm as the only other strictly fabless chip supplier to attain that distinction last year, according to market research firm IHS Markit.

A plan for a billion-dollar fab in Guangzhou, China, aims to pool investments from fabless companies, creating a built-in customer base. It is the latest addition to a growing list of projects as the country tries to build up its semiconductor sector.

Two China-based fabless companies made the top 10 ranking last year-HiSilicon, which sells most of its devices as internal transfers to smartphone supplier Huawei, and Unigroup, which includes the IC sales of both Spreadtrum and RDA.

Samsung Electronics is considering a reorganization of the System LSI division in order to systematically grow the system semiconductor business. The company is planning to separate the design and manufacturing sectors in the business unit and divide or spin off it to fabless and foundry business divisions.

Some insiders of the company are suggesting to reorganize the System LSI division in order to systematically grow the system semiconductor business. They are planning to separate the design and manufacturing sectors in the division and separate or spin off to fabless and foundry business divisions.

With the takeover of Dutch fabless MEMS company Innoluce is Infineon complementing its sensor assortment for the booming market of technology for automated driving. Innoluce's expertise will help Infineon to close its gap in the future-prone field of lidar sensors.

Samsung Electronics is slated to hold a foundry forum in China later this month (August 2016) to attract Chinese fabless firms amid its growing idle foundry lines, industry experts said on Tuesday.

Fabless chip vendor and technology licensor Rambus said Monday (June 6) it would acquire Semtech's Snowbush serial interface intellectual property business for US$32.5 million in cash, plus additional payments over the next several years.

I know Intel partnered up with Tsinghua Unigroup last year to buy a 20% stake in Chinese fabless chipmakers RDA Microlectronics and Spreadtrum. However, I do not think Intel would be a major partner in Tsinghua Unigroup's $47 billion plan to become the world's third-largest chipmaker. I believe troubled AMD is more likely to be desperate enough to welcome Tsinghua's money.

Integrated Silicon Solution (ISSI) has finalized a definitive agreement to be acquired by Cypress Semiconductor for US$20.25 per share in cash, according to the fabless memory supplier.

SiTime, a MEMS and analog semiconductor company, has signed a definitive agreement under which MegaChips, a top 25 fabless semiconductor company based in Japan, will acquire SiTime for US$200 million in cash.

IC Insights forecasts that in 2017, fabless IC companies will command at least one-third (33%) of the total IC market.

Data from Chinese semiconductor industry sources identifies Allwinner as, by far, the number one apps processor supplier for Chinese tablets in 2012, followed by Rockchip, ViaTech, Amlogic and Vimicro.

Persistent speculation about a pending merger between Chinese fabless chip vendors RDA Microelectroics and Spreadtrum Communications may have some basis in reality, but word is that RDA has its sights set on a higher bidder.

Taiwan's TSMC will produce the LG-designed chips with using a finer 28-nanometer processing technology.

ALi has acquired Abilis, a fabless semiconductor company providing RF modulators, secure media processors and broadcast-to-IP solutions, according to the Taiwan-based set-top box IC firm.

Intel's R&D expenditures accounted for 32% of the top-10 spending and about 17% of total R&D expenses at all semiconductor companies worldwide-counting IDMs, fabless suppliers and foundries.

Shares of AMD were buoyed nearly ten percent by rumors that Snapdragon master Qualcomm may be interested in acquiring the fabless chip company.

The potential for Chinese fabless companies to reap greater rewards are already here, according to Allen Wu, president of ARM China. ARM-based SoCs, designed by Chinese fabless companies and shipped globally, jumped from 30 million units in 2007 to 615 million units in 2011.

Multinational semiconductor companies are no longer able to compete with China's fabless chips vendors in the consumer electronics IC business, according to Vincent Tai, CEO of RDA Microelectronics. "It's game over" for them, Tai asserted in a recent interview.

It's the beginning of the end for the fabless model, according to Mark Bohr of Intel. Bohr also claimed TSMC's recent announcement it will serve just one flavor of 20nm process technology is an admission of failure.

Apple is reportedly going to use part of its enormous pile of cash to buy an Israeli fabless semiconductor company that specializes in flash storage solutions.

China's fabless chip companies are turning to Taiwan to a greater degree to help them get close to the leading-edge in geometry and compete globally, according to an IC design house and fabless chip company survey conducted by EE Times-China.

Intel is considering buying Texas Instruments' OMAP division, according to a highly placed executive at another fabless semiconductor firm.

The acquisition of SiGe, a fabless semiconductor provider, complements Skyworks' leadership in wide area front-end solutions by adding SiGe's innovative short range, silicon-based products.

Fabless LCD developer Pixel Qi has announced it has struck a manufacturing partnership with Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) of Taiwan.

Renesas Electronics has announced it will cut about 5,000 jobs mostly in the current fiscal year and completed by March 2013. It also revealed plans to use outside foundries on all of its 28nm and smaller geometry semiconductor products.

GTronix' proprietary technology provides very low power solutions for noise cancellation in mobile applications such as wireless handsets and audio accessories, National Semi said in a statement. The analog chipmaker has acquired GTronix for an undisclosed sum.

Intersil and Techwell have entered into a definitive agreement for Intersil to acquire Techwell through a cash tender offer at US$18.50 per share. "The addition of Techwell's mixed signal video products will help our customers build solutions that improve performance, reduce overall cost and shorten time-to-market," said Dave Bell, Intersil's president and CEO.

Sematech wants to expand its wings. The chip-making consortium is now looking at ways to bring fabless companies into the fold and is also hoping to expand its collaborative efforts with fab tool makers.

Infineon Technologies and Golden Gate Capital have announced that Infineon's wireline communications division will become Lantiq after the closing of the recently announced transaction.