The Long & Short of It

The Deal with Semiconductors

Published on24 SEP 2018
Topic:
Markets Technology Driving Innovation

As trade tensions continue to intensify, semiconductors, one of the world’s most important and complex industries, have emerged as a key point of contention. “We’re seeing headlines everyday around tariffs being proposed but I think the most important outcome…[is that] it’s created a level of uncertainty, particularly around deal making,” explains Tammy Kiely of the Goldman Sachs Investment Banking Division. The tensions raise the stakes for an industry that’s seen increased attention from a regulatory perspective. More broadly, semiconductor companies are streamlining their businesses through consolidation and cost cutting. “If you look at the next five to 10 years in the industry,” she says, “we’re going to find semiconductors more and more pervasive in our daily lives. And I think we’re also going to see new advances in technology.”  

Given the size of the semiconductor industry, as well as its importance from a technology and military perspective, many countries are very focused on their semiconductor assets.