What happens next?

Each year, Silicon Catalyst assembles a panel of industry luminaries to discuss important questions about the future. The charter of the Silicon Catalyst Industry Forum is to: “create a platform for broad-topic dialog among all stakeholders involved in the semiconductor industry value chain. The Forum topics focus on technical and financial aspects of the industry, but more importantly the industry’s societal, geo-political and ecological impact on the world. “

Last year, for Forum 3.0, “A View to the Future” was pondered. You can view coverage of that event here and replay the complete 2020 Forum here. The fourth annual version of this event is happening on December 8.

Once again for 2021, it’s a seasoned and high-profile cast who will participate. The event promises to be both entertaining and thought-provoking. After the year we’ve all just experienced, the topic seems particularly on-point:

Semi Industry Forum 4.0: What happens next?

The panel will be moderated by Don Clark, Contributing Journalist, New York Times. Panel members includeMark Edelstone, Chairman of Global Semiconductor Investment Banking at Morgan Stanley; Janet Collyer, Independent Non-Executive Director, UK Aerospace Technology Institute; John Neuffer, President & CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association; and Dr. Wally Rhines, President & CEO of Cornami and GSA 2021 Morris Chang Exemplary Leadership award recipient. Quite a group of industry luminaries.

The event will begin with a Forum 4.0 overview from Richard Curtin, Managing Partner at Silicon Catalyst. Pete Rodriguez, CEO of Silicon Catalyst will then introduce the panel and Mark Edelstone will kick things off with a presentation of the on-going semiconductor industry consolidation. A panel discussion will then follow moderated by Don Clark.

As a backdrop for the panel discussion, the semiconductor industry, and society in general, is now at a major inflection point. The globalization of the supply chain, combined with the on-going geo-political turmoil, layered on top of the pandemic, has created a unique set of challenges for our industry, and most importantly, the world at large.

Topics to be discussed during the panel include:

Semiconductor Supply Chain Challenges: The current limited supply situation has impacted all aspects of our lives, industries, and global economies. Is there an end in sight? What are the key lessons learned? What should be done to ensure that the current chip shortage and other supply chain challenges are not repeated in the future?
US-China Relationship: The recent trend of punch / counterpunch does not seem to have an end in sight. As viewed by both countries, our industry is “too big to fail”. We’re now well beyond risk-mitigation and squarely in crisis-mode. Can we ever put the “genie back in the bottle?”
Public-Private Partnerships vs Free-Market Forces: The response to the pandemic has clearly shown that industry and government can collaborate for the good of society. Can the same be said for the initiatives by the major industrialized nations to establish domestic sources for the vital electronics demanded by their industries and societies? Is it too little, too late? And what impact will the continuing consolidation of semiconductor vendors, combined with local government investments, drive a new type of “territorial bottom-line”?
Startups: The landscape for startups has changed substantially over the past decade. What are the new challenges chip startups face? What barriers must be overcome? What target markets and applications are most promising?
Work-From-Home: The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: WFM / hybrid work environments are here to stay, especially for those in that are in the “knowledge worker” demographic. If you’re an electronic systems vendor, you’re seeing record setting business results (if you can get the chips…). But isn’t the history of the semiconductor industry’s innovation significantly based on the “randomness” of chance encounters with colleagues in the office? Can we truly be as creative and innovative, working individually dispersed and remote?

Silicon Catalyst’s Semiconductor Industry Forum 4.0 will take place on December 8, 2021, at 9:00 AM Pacific time. You can register for the event here. You’ll want to attend this event to better understand what happens next.