The title of this article shows one side of the problem with #Meta or Facebook which is how people saying the name and adding “whatever their name now….”, but let me get down to the main points by giving this example of comparing Facebook changing of its name to Meta, to repainting an old house with cracks and outdated design which will… Read More
The Roots Of Silicon Valley
The transistor was successfully demonstrated on December 23, 1947, at Bell Laboratories in Murray Hill, New Jersey, the research arm of American Telephone and Telegraph (AT&T). The three individuals credited with its invention were William (Bill) Shockley Jr., the department head and group leader, John Bardeen… Read More
CMOS Forever?
Today, the CMOS chip manufacturing is the pinnacle of the human technology defining economy, society and perhaps us as modern humans. This was highlighted by the recent chip shortage, followed by the ‘shocking’ realization that more than 80% of all chips are manufactured in the Far East.
Important decisions need to be taken by … Read More
Where is the Monument of the Silicon Glen?
In 1991, I arrived in Glasgow to become a lecturer in Glasgow University, attracted by the Silicon Glen – the heart of semiconductor manufacturing in Europe. Here are few facts:
- The larges semiconductor plant in Europe at that time was the NEC DRAM manufacturing site in Livingstone. When I visited the plant, I was mesmerized
Thick Data vs. Big Data
One of the challenges facing businesses in post-COVID-19 world is the fact that consumer behavior won’t go back to pre-pandemic norms. Consumers will purchase more goods and services online, and increasing numbers of people will work remotely just to mention few major changes . As companies begin to navigate the post-COVID-19… Read More
Why Tech Tales are Wafer Thin in Hollywood
Mad scientists have been a staple of Hollywood science fiction since Dr Victor Frankenstein created his eponymous monster in 1931. Pre-pandemic, the Marvel Cinematic Universe was the main source of on-screen geeks-turned-superheroes, from Iron Man’s Tony Stark to Ant Man’s Hank Pym.
When it comes to real-life scientists on… Read More
Dark Data Explained
Dark data defines as the information assets organizations collect, process and store during regular business activities, but generally fail to use for other purposes (for example, analytics, business relationships and direct monetizing). Similar to dark matter in physics, dark data often comprises most organizations’… Read More
Semiconductor Startups – Are they back?
Semiconductor startups used to rule the roost in Silicon Valley. The very name, Silicon Valley, comes from the birth of the semiconductor industry in the San Francisco bay area 60+ years ago. Large percentage of venture financing used to go to semiconductor startups, even as recently as 15 years ago. As a chip designer doing startups… Read More
RIP Jim Hogan – An Industry Icon
An unavoidable consequence of getting older is that more frequently our friends and colleagues unexpectedly leave us for their final venture. Jim Hogan, widely known and loved in the semiconductor industry, has passed on. He will leave a substantial hole in the hearts of many. Always ready with seasoned advice, a sympathetic … Read More
Pitching Without a Net. Look Ma, No Slides!
It’s a given in the business world that whenever you need to communicate to a group you need a slide deck. Yet we vigorously agree that most pitches are miserably bad, for all the usual reasons. All about the presenter’s product, not audience needs. A firehose of technical detail designed to drown any possible objection. A script … Read More
Intel to present Intel 4 process at the VLSI Technology Symposium