Futurum Advisory Analyst
Brendan Burke
Research Director, Semiconductors
Leads Futurum's Semiconductors Practice covering edge AI, generative AI, and hyperscale silicon architectures.
All Articles
41 articles
Can ADI Hot Swap Controllers De-Risk NVIDIA’s 800 VDC Transition?
800 VDC power architecture is becoming a key enabler of AI factory scale as NVIDIA and Analog Devices address power delivery constraints.
Brendan Burke · Jun 4, 2026 · 6 min
Intel Xeon 6+ Targets Agentic AI Density With 288 E-Cores on Intel 18A
Intel Xeon 6+ on Intel 18A with Foveros Direct 3D delivers 288 cores for agentic AI, leveraging captive fabs as a structural supply advantage.
Brendan Burke · Jun 2, 2026 · 9 min
Broadcom Lays the Pipeline for the Intelligent Edge With 50G PON and Wi-Fi 8 at COMPUTEX 2026
Broadcom’s broadband Edge AI portfolio pairs 50G PON and Wi-Fi 8 with on-chip NPUs, advancing an intelligent edge where connectivity gates the AI home.
Brendan Burke · Jun 2, 2026 · 6 min
Can NVIDIA’s RTX Spark Make Home AI a Relief Valve for the Grid?
NVIDIA RTX Spark moves AI agents on-device and could relieve a strained grid, but memory bandwidth and software gaps will set the real limits.
Brendan Burke · Jun 2, 2026 · 7 min
NVIDIA Engineers the Agentic Data Center with DSX Software Control and Vera CPU Acceleration
NVIDIA launches Vera CPU and DSX software to engineer the agentic data center, shifting AI factory competition from chip performance to software-controlled tokens per megawatt.
Brendan Burke · Jun 2, 2026 · 6 min
Marvell Q1 FY 2027 Raises Full-Year Outlook on AI Data Center Demand
Marvell Q1 FY 2027 earnings show AI data center demand driving interconnect, switching, and custom silicon outlook into FY 2028.
Brendan Burke · Jun 1, 2026 · 5 min
Teradyne Q4 FY 2025 Shifts the Narrative to Data Center and Physical AI
Teradyne AI testing and robotics drive Q4 2025 results. AI demand fueled 60% of revenue as testing and physical AI robotics hit new peaks.
Brendan Burke · May 29, 2026 · 4 min
Silicon Labs Q1 FY 2026: Industrial Demand and Design Wins Support Recovery
Silicon Labs Q1 FY 2026 earnings show industrial demand signals and design win momentum, with guidance suspended due to the pending deal.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 5 min
Applied Materials’ EPIC Advanced Packaging Ecosystem Adds Broadcom to TSMC
Broadcom partners with Applied Materials to accelerate next-generation AI chip development through co-innovation
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 6 min
Synopsys Q1 FY 2026 Earnings Highlight EDA and Ansys Momentum
Synopsys Q1 earnings show strong AI-led design automation demand, Ansys momentum, and disciplined execution supporting full-year guidance.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 6 min
Cadence Q4 FY 2025 Earnings Underscore AI-Led EDA Momentum
Cadence Q4 FY 2025 shows AI-led EDA momentum, hardware strength, and record backlog; agentic AI and hyperscaler supporting FY 2026 guidance.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 5 min
Arm AGI CPU Goes to Market via Supermicro and Verda at 2026 OCP EMEA Summit
Agentic AI infrastructure advances as Supermicro and Verda leverage OCP standards to integrate Arm AGI CPUs with NVIDIA GPUs at scale.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 5 min
Analog Devices Q2 FY 2026 Earnings Show AI-Linked Data Center, Power Demand
Analog Devices Q2 FY 2026 earnings show industrial growth and data center momentum, with Empower acquisition aimed at AI power efficiency.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 4 min
Will Analog Devices’ Empower Deal Reshape Power Delivery for AI Data Centers?
Analog Devices’ Empower deal signals major shift in AI data center power delivery technology and competitive dynamics.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 4 min
Can Intel Foundry’s Advanced Packaging Bring the Terafab Vision to the Stars?
Intel joins Tesla, SpaceX, and xAI in the Terafab project, committing its process and packaging to a consolidated Texas semiconductor campus.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 6 min
$2 Billion CHIPS Act Investment in Quantum Bets on IBM’s 300mm Superconducting Silicon
IBM’s CHIPS Act Investment of $2 billion establishes Anderon, America’s first pure-play quantum chip foundry as part of investments in nine companies.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 8 min
Can Micron’s Virginia DRAM Expansion Secure Critical U.S. Supply Chains?
Micron’s Virginia DRAM expansion launches 1α memory production, securing domestic supply for defense, automotive, and U.S. industries.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 4 min
Does Huawei’s Tau Scaling Law Challenge the Logic Leadership of Intel and TSMC?
Huawei’s Tau Scaling Law challenges Intel and TSMC’s process node leadership with LogicFolding architecture, reframing semiconductor competition.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 6 min
Cadence Q1 FY 2026 Earnings Driven by Agentic AI Expansion and Emulation Hardware
Cadence Q1 FY 2026 earnings center on agentic AI expansion, hardware demand, and integration execution shaping FY 2026 strategy.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 5 min
Arm’s $15 Billion CPU Opportunity Hinges on Agentic Data Center Design
Arm AGI CPU transforms the data center CPU market with first-party silicon, creating a dual revenue model that redefines competition.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 9 min
Synopsys Converge – Is the New Synopsys Ready to Own Multi-Physics Design?
Insights on Synopsys Converge 2026, where the “New Synopsys” unveiled Multiphysics-Fusion, AgentEngineer, and Ansys 2026 R1.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 9 min
EDA Vendors Race to Align With TSMC’s Angstrom-Era Roadmap at Technology Symposium
Synopsys, Cadence, and Siemens EDA unveil TSMC collaborations at the 2026 Symposium as COUPE co-packaged optics reshape EDA competition.
Brendan Burke · May 28, 2026 · 8 min
AMD’s Venice Ramping on 2nm: Can AMD Reset the AI Data Center Power Balance?
The 2nm ramp of AMD Venice targets data center power efficiency and agentic inference in AI infrastructure. Process node leadership promises pricing power.
Brendan Burke · May 22, 2026 · 4 min
Applied Materials Q2 FY 2026: AI Capacity Expansion Fuels Equipment Demand
Applied Materials Q2 FY 2026 results beat consensus, raised equipment growth expectations, and AI-led demand in logic, DRAM, and packaging.
Brendan Burke · May 18, 2026 · 5 min
Cerebras’ $95B First Day Valuation Sizes Up the 2028 XPU Opportunity
The Cerebras IPO’s $95B valuation prices in massive 2028 XPU opportunity, signaling exponential custom silicon market growth beyond GPU dominance.
Brendan Burke · May 15, 2026 · 5 min
NVIDIA Is Evolving From GPU Vendor to Datacenter Architect
NVLink Fusion addresses enterprise demand for flexibility. NVIDIA is evolving from GPU vendor to data center architect.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min
The XPU Market Reached $31B in 2025 — and Why That’s Just the Start
The XPU market reached $31 billion in 2025. Third-party custom silicon design could double by 2028 as enterprises diversify beyond GPUs.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min
Intelligence Belongs Where the Data Is — Not in a Datacenter
Intelligence must live wherever data is generated. The convergence of space-based compute and terrestrial AI infrastructure is no longer science fiction.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min
Why 2026 Is the Breakout Year for XPU Adoption
2026 will be a breakout year for XPU adoption by AI leaders. Specialized processors help meet insatiable demand while managing fast-growing capital expenditures.
Brendan Burke · May 14, 2026 · 1 min
SiFive’s P570 Gen 3 Tests Whether RISC-V Can Challenge Arm in Consumer Silicon
SiFive P570 Gen 3 RISC-V core delivers out-of-order vector execution and RVA23 compliance to challenge Arm in consumer and edge AI silicon.
Brendan Burke · May 13, 2026 · 6 min
Coherent Q3 FY 2026: AI Data Center Demand Accelerates Optical Growth
Coherent Q3 FY 2026 earnings show growing datacenter optics demand, capacity expansion progress, and Q4 guidance above revenue consensus.
Brendan Burke · May 11, 2026 · 5 min
Astera Labs Q1 FY 2026 Earnings Highlight Scale-Up Switching Ramp
Astera Labs Q1 FY 2026 results show PCIe Gen 6 mix expansion and early Scorpio scale-up shipments, with Q2 revenue guidance above consensus.
Brendan Burke · May 11, 2026 · 5 min
Microchip Technology Q4 FY 2026 Revenue Beats Consensus With Data Center Wins
Microchip Q4 FY 2026 earnings beat expectations, data center connectivity wins, and guidance reflecting improving demand and utilization.
Brendan Burke · May 11, 2026 · 5 min
Applied Materials and TSMC Partner to Drive Semiconductor R&D Roadmap
Applied Materials partners with TSMC to accelerate semiconductor R&D for AI scaling and next-generation chip manufacturing technologies.
Brendan Burke · May 11, 2026 · 5 min
Arm Q4 FY 2026: Agentic CPU Shift Boosts Demand Outlook
Arm Q4 FY 2026 earnings show AGI CPU traction and cloud royalty momentum, with Q1 FY 2027 guidance on sustained growth and supply execution.
Brendan Burke · May 8, 2026 · 5 min
Applied Materials Targets $3.5 Billion Electrochemical Deposition Market With NEXX Acquisition
Applied Materials acquires NEXX to add electrochemical deposition for panel-level AI chip packaging, expanding its packaging portfolio.
Brendan Burke · May 7, 2026 · 6 min
AMD Q1 FY 2026: Data Center Momentum Builds as AI Deployments Scale
AMD Q1 FY 2026 results show data center-led growth as server CPUs expand with agentic AI and MI450 ramp timing shapes H2 outlook.
Brendan Burke · May 7, 2026 · 5 min
Astera Labs’ Scorpio Switch Family Adds Hardware Engines to Lift the Interconnect Ceiling for LLMs
Astera Labs’ Scorpio X-Series 320 Lane fabric switch targets token economics with Hypercast and In-Network Compute for AI-scale GPU cluster.
Brendan Burke · May 7, 2026 · 7 min
Teradyne Q1 FY 2026 Earnings Credit Revenue Growth to AI Test Demand
Teradyne Q1 FY 2026 earnings show AI-led test demand and early merchant GPU progress, while Q2 guidance implies timing volatility.
Brendan Burke · May 7, 2026 · 4 min
Lattice’s $1.65B AMI Acquisition Doubles the Value of Neutral XPU Control to the AI Factory
Lattice’s $1.65 billion acquisition of AMI is a bet on controlling the full stack of AI data center management and security.
Brendan Burke · May 6, 2026 · 4 min
Lattice Semiconductor Q1 FY 2026 Results Set Up AMI Acquisition
Lattice Q1 FY 2026 earnings show compute momentum and improving embedded demand, with AMI adding firmware and control scope.
Brendan Burke · May 6, 2026 · 5 min