Intel Corp

A fabless company only focuses on chip designing and a foundry focuses on manufacturing the chips designed by fabless firms.

According to IDC, YoY growth in worldwide semiconductor revenues should slow from 7.1% in 2014 to 3.6% in 2015. Semiconductor revenues are estimated to reach $389.4 billion in 2019.

Huge investment is required at every stage of semiconductor development to make smaller-sized chips in a cost-effective manner without compromising on functionality.

Since 2014 when a slowdown in PC shipments hit its revenue, Intel has shifted its focus toward chips for smartphones and tablets.

The debt-to-equity ratios of several top tech companies suggest that the broader markets are much more leveraged than tech stocks.

Bridgewater Associates is an American hedge fund. It was founded in 1975 by Ray Dalio. The firm manages ~$157 billion in global investments.

Integrated device manufacturers and foundries use Applies Materials’s semiconductor manufacturing systems to build and package memory, logic, and chips.

According to Gartner, Applied Materials is the world’s largest maker of semiconductor equipment by revenues.

Renaissance Technologies is an investment management firm. The fund’s portfolio decreased to $36.52 billion in the third quarter—compared to $42.89 billion in the second quarter.

A loss of technology leadership means that NVIDIA will lose its competitive advantage. This will lead to lower margins through lower revenues and increased R&D spending.

Qualcomm (QCOM) recently acquired Wilocity to boost its portfolio of mobile chipsets. Wilocity operates high-speed wireless technology WiGig, which works at a higher frequency and promises faster data speeds.

In accordance with its mobile strategy in 2010, Intel acquired McAfee for ~ $7.7 billion. Intel acquired McAfee with the intent of integrating its security solutions into Intel-manufactured chips.