GE Aerospace (GE) vs Lam Research Corporation (LRCX)

GE Aerospace (GE) is a global leader in the design, manufacturing, and servicing of commercial aircraft turbine engines, including through its CFM joint venture with Safran. Supported by a vast installed base of nearly 80,000 commercial and military engines worldwide, the company generates most of its profits from recurring service revenue tied to equipment that remains in operation for decades. GE Aerospace is now the core remaining business of the company founded in 1892, which has historical connections to American inventor Thomas Edison. General Electric evolved into a renowned conglomerate, reaching peak revenue of $130 billion in 2000, before spinning off its appliance, finance, healthcare, wind, and power businesses between 2016 and 2024.

Lam Research Corp is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of semiconductor wafer fabrication equipment. The company specializes in deposition and etch technologies, which involve building layers on a semiconductor wafer and selectively removing patterns from each layer. Lam holds the leading market share in etch and ranks a clear second in deposition. It has greater exposure to memory chipmakers, particularly in DRAM and NAND. Its major customers include some of the world’s largest semiconductor companies, such as TSMC, Samsung, Intel, and Micron.