➀ Applied Materials (AMAT) reported a significant Q4 revenue drop of $1B, driven by a $500M decline in China (due to export restrictions and market saturation) and a $500M slowdown in advanced logic/foundry projects, with TSMC delaying fab expansions;
➁ The semiconductor equipment cycle has turned negative, potentially ending China's prolonged capex growth and increasing TSMC's pricing power over suppliers;
➂ Memory markets remain viable only in HBM segments, while equipment stocks face reality checks with AMAT shares plunging 14% amid lowered investor confidence in sector resilience.
➀ Menlo Micro leverages MEMS-based Ideal Switch technology to overcome limitations of traditional relays and solid-state switches in RF and power systems;
➁ Key applications include semiconductor testing for AI GPUs (accelerating PCIe Gen6/7 testing), aerospace beamforming systems, and smart power grids with 1000VDC/125A modules;
➂ Proprietary metallurgy enables 10x size reduction, billion-cycle durability, and operation from -273°C to +150°C, addressing thermal and signal integrity challenges.