Future Days: semiconductors’ next exciting chapter 

If you own a smart speaker, you might have found it being accidentally activated by someone else – perhaps during a meeting, or even by someone speaking on your TV. 

While many people worked from home during the Covid-19 pandemic, doing this as a light-hearted joke was a fairly common way to lighten up a meeting – which demonstrates how widely the smart speaker has become accepted as the most well-known application of the Internet of Things (IoT).  

Semiconductors’ new horizons

Beyond the novelty, our homes are filling rapidly with smart, connected devices. These everyday applications make life easier for us all, which is one reason the semiconductor market is predicted to keep growing in the near future. Another reason, perhaps a little further away, is the much-discussed ‘metaverse’, which will require huge quantities of computing power to become reality.  

The world of semiconductors is expanding rapidly. The race to the smallest node continues, but this is by far not the only area of innovation and growth. Chips made with proven and reliable nodes are being used for exciting applications seemingly every day – and novel materials offer an entirely new horizon, as we have seen in recent years with gallium nitride following in silicon’s footsteps. Anchoring this innovation are the tried-and-tested analytical methods that have supported the semiconductor industry for many years – after all, an experiment is only as good as the way you measure it.

Looking to the future

But while all this dynamic exploration makes the semiconductor field both important and fascinating, it can also make it hard to predict the road ahead. How should we prepare? Which future is the most likely outcome?

On March 22, we’ll gather experts, guest speakers and many of our attending colleagues in the semiconductor industry for a shared exploration of what the future might hold. We’ll discuss and exchange ideas through presentations, roundtable sessions and Q&A opportunities to build up an informed picture of what we can expect – and what’s harder to predict. 

Help to write the semiconductor story’s next chapter 

While IoT appliances feel like a new trend, the first ‘home computer’, analogous to the central smart hubs that control our systems today, was designed and built in 1965. The ECHO IV, as it was called, was a recognizably smart device thanks to its resistor-transistor logic circuitry, made possible by semiconductor materials. Weighing about 800 pounds (360 kg) and taking up four cabinets, the ECHO IV can nonetheless be counted as a predecessor to the smartphone in your pocket that controls your lighting!  

The future may bring both challenges and opportunities, but one thing is certain: semiconductors will have an important role to play. That’s why we’ve chosen this exciting segment as a focus for Future Days – industry developments will touch almost every aspect of life, from medical and healthcare applications to energy and industrial processes. By coming together and exchanging ideas, we can lay the groundwork today for the smart solutions of tomorrow. 

Join us on March 22 and help to shape the future – register here now! 

Further reading

• The year in review: Revisit our semiconductor insights from 2022
• MP Tools: Driving accuracy in a complex semiconductor landscape
• Semiconductors: Lighting the way to sustainability
• Serving the semiconductor industry: Instrumental developments
• Improving safety in semiconductor manufacturing

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