Stephen Nellis is The Information’s semiconductor and hardware correspondent, operating from Silicon Valley with global reach into Asia’s tech hubs. His reporting dissects how silicon strategies reshape national economies and corporate fortunes.
“The real semiconductor race isn’t about nanometer counts—it’s about who controls the glue between chips.” - From Nellis’s 2024 analysis of chiplet standardization efforts
With 9 years of consistent high-impact reporting, Nellis remains essential reading for CTOs navigating tech’s new iron curtain and investors betting on silicon’s future.
We’ve tracked Stephen Nellis’s trajectory as one of tech journalism’s most incisive voices on semiconductor geopolitics and hardware innovation. His work bridges boardroom strategies and factory floors, offering rare insights into how silicon shapes modern power dynamics.
This 2023 investigation revealed how Biden administration officials were debating restrictions beyond SMIC to include lesser-known fabrication plants. Nellis obtained internal Commerce Department memos showing concerns about chipmaking equipment adaptations, not just cutting-edge nodes. His sourcing included rare interviews with ASML technicians and Chinese fab managers navigating the restrictions.
The piece’s impact reverberated through investment circles, causing a 14% drop in certain semiconductor equipment stocks. Policy experts cited it during Senate hearings on export control modernization. Nellis’s ability to connect technical specifications (like immersion DUV capabilities) to macroeconomic consequences sets this analysis apart from typical trade journalism.
Nellis’s 2022 scoop exposed how Apple’s silicon ambitions created unintended consequences in talent wars. Through court documents and engineer testimonials, he detailed how Rivos allegedly used “brainstorming sessions” to extract proprietary chiplet integration techniques. The article’s depth on technical specifics—including power management architectures—showcases Nellis’s ability to make esoteric engineering concepts accessible.
Legal experts praised his analysis of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act implications, while venture capitalists used the piece to reassess startup IP due diligence. This reporting exemplifies Nellis’s niche: translating Silicon Valley’s technical-legal collisions into strategic business intelligence.
In this Reuters piece, Nellis quantified the human cost of tech decoupling through Nvidia’s financial disclosures. He uncovered how the H20 chip’s architecture was specifically optimized for Chinese data center requirements before being blocked. Sources revealed internal debates at Nvidia about designing “modular chips” that could bypass future restrictions.
The article became essential reading for CFOs assessing geopolitical risk exposure. Analysts noted its unique angle: instead of focusing solely on national security, Nellis highlighted how export controls accelerate China’s domestic GPU development efforts, complete with SMIC yield rate comparisons.
Nellis consistently covers advanced packaging techniques like Foveros and hybrid bonding. A successful pitch would highlight how a company’s 3D chip stacking methods improve thermal performance while reducing reliance on EUV lithography. Reference his 2023 analysis of TSMC’s SoIC adoption to show understanding of his interest in alternatives to node shrinkage.
With 40% of his recent articles touching on workforce dynamics, pitch longitudinal studies of engineer migration between Chinese foundries and U.S. design firms. His Rivos lawsuit coverage shows particular interest in non-compete agreement evolution—provide data on how chip startups structure equity to circumvent traditional employment contracts.
Move beyond obvious compliance stories. Pitch analyses of how U.S. restrictions accelerate innovation in unexpected areas: Japanese resin suppliers benefiting from Chinese photoresist substitution efforts, or Malaysian test/assembly facilities expanding due to redirected supply chains. Nellis’s Nvidia piece demonstrates appetite for these ripple-effect narratives.
While competitors focus on 3nm races, Nellis frequently examines 28nm-90nm chip production’s role in automotive and industrial IoT. Pitch interviews with analog chip CEOs discussing capacity allocation strategies amid EV demand surges. His reporting on GlobalFoundries’ Malta expansion shows particular interest in this space.
With 15 articles since 2021 on IP theft cases, pitch cybersecurity firms specializing in silicon design protection. Highlight novel approaches like blockchain-based version control for chip blueprints or AI-driven CAD anomaly detection. Reference his Apple vs. Rivos coverage to demonstrate relevance.
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