EAS Comment vFinal DR 27/6/08 16:25 Page 3
COMMENT
3
Industry heads
West
T
he semiconductor industry makes its annual pilgrimage to the original Wild West of
California for this year’s Semicon West conference and exhibitions and will be joined
by a number of new groups of pilgrims as the West conference expands by joining
Comment
forces with new exhibitions, most notably, the Intersolar Photovoltaic conference.
Ever since SEMI moved the backend conference from San Jose to the San Francisco site and
reduced the programme from five to three days it has been difficult for anyone to navigate their way
around the vast number of booths and halls. With the addition of even more technologies and
participants the mind boggles how anyone will have a meaningful experience other than those who
know exactly who they want to see. As long as they are in the same area it is plausible.
I am not criticising SEMI here as their response is appropriate to an industry that is differentiating
and evolving into a number of technologies. With emerging technologies only just beginning to
develop market traction it is appropriate for SEMI to try and get as much diversity and opportunity
for its members. Attempting to co-ordinate such a large group of participants all wanting their 15
minutes, and ensuring all visitors have a meaningful experience over such a large area will be
difficult. I wish them all the best.
The problems SEMI faces are indicative of the changing nature of the industry with photovoltaics
being the current darling of future hope. This changing nature also reflects technological
advancements and that is one part of the show I always enjoy. Recent releases that have passed my
desk suggest there are a lot more potentially disruptive and evolutionary products and approaches
than the roadmaps of recent years would suggest. Of course not all of them will make it and not
necessarily because they are ineffectual. Cost is a much bigger factor than cleverness in today’s
world.
Some of the products I have seen suggests that there are some major changes on the way for some
aspects of the IC manufacturing process. Such a positive number of new options has come at
challenging time for the industry and I would expect some unusual and unexpected solutions to be
highlighted over the next year and the Semicon West show will be a great time to discover such
innovative products.
Like all good innovations they are more likely to be with new small and medium enterprises so don’t
expect the great new ideas from established companies. If you have never heard of a company then it
is probably worth a look.
David Ridsdale
Editor-in-Chief
July 2008
www.euroasiasemiconductor.com
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