The future of semiconductor industry - A foundry's perspective

• Main Author: Fang-Churng Tseng
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Consumer products; Design optimization; Electronics industry; Investments; Process design; Product design; Productivity; Resumes; Technological innovation; Uninterruptible power systems
• DOI: 10.1109/VDAT.2009.5158079

Summary form only given. The semiconductor industry has been in a path of steady growth tolerating waves of economical ups and downturns. We are currently facing a severe one that very few of us have encountered in our lifetime. Nevertheless, it is not a question whether the growth curve will resume. It is always a matter of when it does. The adoption of communication, computer and consumer products is spreading across the world in both advanced and developing economies. Opportunities are global and the need for technologies are defined and shaped by different levels of economy but never stopped by the variances of economy. Meantime, the semiconductor industry has been facing design challenges. Design technology struggles to keep up the pace and to consume all the new possibilities opened up by the new advanced process technologies. It is not a matter to complete the product design, it is equally important to create economical and competitive design. Designers have never cease the dream of creating "just right" designs "just in time". The knowledge to create product and the resource to complete the design is a necessary condition. While the knowledge and the resource to create optimized design will become the major differentiation. Design and process co-optimization reduces design waste and increase design productivity. TSMC is committed with Open Innovation Platform (OIP) to deliver this in addition to our long-term investment in leading edge technology development and GigaFab capacity expansion needed to enable industry's total innovation.