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I have a hard time taking seriously a semiconductor fab/technology discussion that refers to SEC as a manufacturer. SLSI is the silicon design and wafer fab com

by kurthr 5y ago

I have a hard time taking seriously a semiconductor fab/technology discussion that refers to SEC as a manufacturer. SLSI is the silicon design and wafer fab company. It may incorporate IP from SEC, and certainly SEC are it's largest (and prefered) customer, but it has a separate CEO and is much tighter with other parts of the chaebol (SDC for example got their leadership from SLSI). Not knowing this implies a lack of knowledge of Samsung's business structure and operation. The problem is that, if I believe that label, then I have to assume all the sales/investment $ numbers are completely off. SLSI is very big (RAM/Flash/Display/Exynos), but their revenues are tiny compared to SEC which sells hundreds of millions of ~$1k phones. SEC is more of an OEM like Apple, than a chip maker like Intel, much less a foundry like TSMC.

xadhominemx 5y ago
Sorry man you are just wrong about this. SLSI is an operating division within Samsung Electronics. There are certain Samsung chaebol companies in the electronics industry that are not operating divisions of SEC - eg SEMCO and SDI - but SDC and SLSI most certainly are. In addition, Samsung RAM and NAND Flash operations do not fall within SLSI. Both the memory division and SLSI fall under the semiconductor division of the device solutions division (which also includes SDC). Hard to imagine how you can write such a smug comment while being completely wrong, but I guess that’s HN for you.
- kurthr 5y ago
  Interesting, it's an operating division with its own CEO? I've never heard of that before, but it could well be the case. Certainly, the corporate structure of Samsung is highly complex. I can say from personal experience that working between the foundry side and the electronics side is challenging because their interests are often not well aligned. It's apples to oranges in any case. Comparing revenues of an OEM, to a fabful CPU manufacturer, to a foundry is just weird and makes little sense. I don't know what point you were trying to make.
  - kurthr 5y ago
    For your information, here is a breakdown of Samsung Semi which includes all of the semiconductor businesses of interest, but is not Samsung Electronics (especially as referred to within the corporation), which is the OEM. Look at their products list, it does not include Cell Phones, Tablets, Wearables, PCs, Dishwashers, etc. https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/about-us/business-overview/ https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/about-us/business-over...
    - xadhominemx 5y ago
      No, Samsung Electronics is the parent company of Samsung Semiconductor. I guess the consumer facing website is throwing you off. May I suggest Wikipedia to start instead?
      - kurthr 5y ago
        Yeah, no. If that's your source of information, it's hopeless. You need to look at VP org-charts (and maybe know which are highschool friends) to see the power structure. Here's a public list of recent changes: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201204000678 http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201204000678 It doesn't address the key issue that I brought up which is that comparing operating profits of radically different company/conglomerates doesn't make any sense, while (whether it's called SLSI or SamsungSemi, a name I've never heard used in Gumi/Suwan) comparing a subset of SEC (a name which internally only refers to the OEM side) would at least be comparing honeycrisp to grannysmith. SLSI is the internal acronym used to discuss the whole of Samsung Semi whether for historical or political reasons. Certainly, a quick search shows other news sources get this correct. I don't think that naming is really so complicated or controversial to those in the industry. https://www.phonearena.com/news/google-pixel-6-and-pixel-6-pro-specs-software-updates-leak-android-iphone_id133496 https://www.phonearena.com/news/google-pixel-6-and-pixel-6-p...
        xadhominemx 5y ago
        I do this for a living man. You are wrong.

by kurthr 5y ago

xadhominemx 5y ago

Sorry man you are just wrong about this. SLSI is an operating division within Samsung Electronics. There are certain Samsung chaebol companies in the electronics industry that are not operating divisions of SEC - eg SEMCO and SDI - but SDC and SLSI most certainly are. In addition, Samsung RAM and NAND Flash operations do not fall within SLSI. Both the memory division and SLSI fall under the semiconductor division of the device solutions division (which also includes SDC). Hard to imagine how you can write such a smug comment while being completely wrong, but I guess that’s HN for you.

kurthr 5y ago
Interesting, it's an operating division with its own CEO? I've never heard of that before, but it could well be the case. Certainly, the corporate structure of Samsung is highly complex. I can say from personal experience that working between the foundry side and the electronics side is challenging because their interests are often not well aligned. It's apples to oranges in any case. Comparing revenues of an OEM, to a fabful CPU manufacturer, to a foundry is just weird and makes little sense. I don't know what point you were trying to make.
- kurthr 5y ago
  For your information, here is a breakdown of Samsung Semi which includes all of the semiconductor businesses of interest, but is not Samsung Electronics (especially as referred to within the corporation), which is the OEM. Look at their products list, it does not include Cell Phones, Tablets, Wearables, PCs, Dishwashers, etc. https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/about-us/business-overview/ https://www.samsung.com/semiconductor/about-us/business-over...
  - xadhominemx 5y ago
    No, Samsung Electronics is the parent company of Samsung Semiconductor. I guess the consumer facing website is throwing you off. May I suggest Wikipedia to start instead?
    - kurthr 5y ago
      Yeah, no. If that's your source of information, it's hopeless. You need to look at VP org-charts (and maybe know which are highschool friends) to see the power structure. Here's a public list of recent changes: http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201204000678 http://www.koreaherald.com/view.php?ud=20201204000678 It doesn't address the key issue that I brought up which is that comparing operating profits of radically different company/conglomerates doesn't make any sense, while (whether it's called SLSI or SamsungSemi, a name I've never heard used in Gumi/Suwan) comparing a subset of SEC (a name which internally only refers to the OEM side) would at least be comparing honeycrisp to grannysmith. SLSI is the internal acronym used to discuss the whole of Samsung Semi whether for historical or political reasons. Certainly, a quick search shows other news sources get this correct. I don't think that naming is really so complicated or controversial to those in the industry. https://www.phonearena.com/news/google-pixel-6-and-pixel-6-pro-specs-software-updates-leak-android-iphone_id133496 https://www.phonearena.com/news/google-pixel-6-and-pixel-6-p...
      - xadhominemx 5y ago
        I do this for a living man. You are wrong.