The 2000s—Dot-com aftermath, mobile revolutions, and the quest for advanced nodes

Recap

The 1990s cemented semiconductors as the backbone of the digital revolution, with personal computing, the internet, and mobile communications driving unprecedented demand. The "Megahertz Wars" among microprocessor makers, the rise of networking ASICs, and the mainstreaming of DRAM all shaped pricing dynamics. Meanwhile, the foundry model, led by TSMC, gained traction, allowing fabless companies to thrive. Globalization introduced new cost pressures, with Asian manufacturers dominating memory and logic markets. By the decade’s end, the industry was balancing rapid innovation with soaring capital expenditures, setting the stage for the mobile and cloud revolutions of the 2000s.

Introduction

As the 21st century dawned, the semiconductor industry found itself at the crossroads of sweeping technological transformations. The early 2000s began with the dramatic collapse of the dot-com bubble—an event that jolted technology…