Riding the Wave of Silicon Magic in 2015!

2014 was a busy year for SemiWiki. We attended dozens of events, met hundreds of people (if not thousands), and published 810 blogs and a book that reached more than half of a million people. We collaborated throughout the fabless semiconductor ecosystem all year long and let me tell you it has been an amazing mind expanding experience, absolutely.

Next year will be even bigger for SemiWiki and the fabless semiconductor ecosystem and it all starts with the first SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) at the Ritz Carlton in Half Moon Bay. Here are just a few of the topics that will be covered:

• Riding the Wave of Silicon Magic–Broadcom
• Internet of Everything (IoE) – Supply Chain Transformation–Cisco Systems
• The Future in a World of Digitized Defined Objects–Consumer Electronics Association
• Transforming a Business for Success–Honeywell
• Imagine How Genomics Will Transform Our Future–Illumina
• Technology Innovation in an IoT Era–IMEC
• IoT– The Next Technology Revolution–Intel
• Enabling Moore’s Law through Materials Innovation–Intel
• Top-10 Economic Predictions for 2015–IHS
• Industry Dynamics and Growth Trends for Semiconductor Wafer Fab Materials–Linx Consulting
• Mapping Innovations to Growth: Assessing the Impact of Emerging Technologies in Autonomous Systems, Internet of Things, Wearables, and 3D Printing–Lux Research
• Semiconductors in 2015–Where Are We and Where Are We Going?–McKinsey and Company
• A Geopolitical Forecast: Trends Shaping Semiconductor Manufacturing Countries–Stratfor
• The Cycle: Is it Different This Time?–VLSI Research

With an incredible lineup of speakers from Altera, Boeing, Broadcom, Cisco, IBM, IMEC, Intel, Micron, Qualcomm, Samsung, and TSMC, here is the premise of the symposium. It is definitely worth a read. Paul McLellan and I will both be there and it would be a pleasure to meet you!

Since the dawn of computing, the semiconductor industry has been the enabler for the major innovations in the electronics industry. Moore’s Law has been the foundation for semiconductor industry economics. It laid the groundwork for the PC revolution, pervasive use of the internet, and the emergence and dominance of mobile devices, and each wave created renewed demand and prosperity in the semiconductor industry. In recent years, demand for semiconductors, and with it growth, has slowed to single digit numbers. Exploding costs for developing and manufacturing these state-of-the-art devices has led to major consolidations, first among device makers and then among the equipment and material suppliers. Although this may be healthy, profitable growth is necessary for the re-investment needed to continue the silicon magic and create the next wave of innovations that will generate demand for more device capability.

While the above natural forces are in play, mobility and availability of tablets and smart phones for the masses, coupled with the exciting possibilities that the Internet of Things can bring, could potentially lead to increased growth in ICs. Further, continued efficiencies and shifts in the value chain caused by deeper collaboration between fabless and foundries on one hand, unique capabilities that IDMs deliver on the other, and the entry of some IDMs to the foundry sector, should generate new dimensions in the supply chain’s quest to create value.

ISS 2015 explores the trends taking place in the industry from economic, market, technology, and manufacturing perspectives. In addition, the conference will look at ways to address the demands for continued development and manufacture of advanced technology. How should the supply chain respond to create increased value for customers, no matter where in the supply chain they reside? And most importantly, what should the industry do to maintain and increase prosperity to meet this demand in order to continue to sustain future growth? As always, the final goal is to help semiconductor industry executives set their strategies to navigate this exciting and rapidly changing environment.

SEMI is the global industry association serving the nano- and micro-electronic manufacturing supply chains. Our 1,900 member companies are the engine of the future, enabling smarter, faster and more economical products that improve our lives. Since 1970, SEMI has been committed to helping members grow more profitably, create new markets and meet common industry challenges. SEMI maintains offices in Bangalore, Beijing, Berlin, Brussels, Grenoble, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo, and Washington, D.C. For more information, visit www.semi.org.