For Cristiano Amon, the date is approaching. On June 30, it will be a year since he took control of the American semiconductor giant Qualcomm, the world leader in the sector of smartphones. Previously president of the company, he now also serves as executive director. In a context of concentration in the sector, between geopolitical rivalries, uncertainty about production capacities linked to the Covid-19 pandemic and ever more fierce competition, the manager wants to be, despite everything, optimistic, assures- he has World.
Latest challenge: Apple, one of Qualcomm’s main customers, has announced that it will now produce its own M2 semiconductors for its laptops. The apple brand should also offer home-made microchips for its next iPhone. Already, Qualcomm has integrated into its outlook that Tim Cook’s company would drastically lower its orders.
The company was also affected by the slowdown in production linked to successive confinements. But, she affirms, she was able to take measures very early on to reduce the effects, by diversifying her sources of supply and by supporting the increase in production through her investments. Measures that should allow him to overcome this situation by 2023, says Cristiano Amon.
At the heart of geopolitical issues
The group is also at the heart of the geopolitical issues that affect technology companies today. Its takeover by Broadcom, then based in Singapore, for an amount of 142 billion dollars (115 billion euros at the time, in 2018), was blocked by the American administration of Donald Trump, on the grounds of protection of the “national security”.
At the same time, Europe and China have reaffirmed their desire to ensure their sovereignty in the production of components through plans such as the European Chips Act (for Europe to rise to 20% of the production world) or Made in China 2025. A brake for the flagships of American tech? “We are in a global interconnected economy. The very strong links between private companies in all countries will continue to play the role of a stabilizing force in this context.”retorts Cristiano Amon, which reminds us that Qualcomm’s business is still growing.
These rivalries are all the more concerning as with the digitization of more and more industries, the need for semiconductors has never been greater. According to Mr. Amon, demand could double in the next ten years. In this context, he calls for the development of foundries in Europe, with which he could work, if they are compatible with the advanced technologies developed by the American giant.
You have 47.37% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.