Real-time corrective data analysis and adaptive decision-making support tackling new challenges.
I recently had the opportunity to host Pierre Cambou, Principal Analyst for Global Semiconductors at Yole Group, on the Advantest podcast. What struck me about our conversation was while we focused on what was going on in the mobile market, the entire talk was reflective of the cyclical nature of the semiconductor industry and how technology can drive intense cycles of innovation.
As Pierre pointed out, the semiconductor industry in general is only 50 years old. It really grew significantly in the 80s, mostly in Japan with radios and VCRs, and more recently it’s really through the internet and mobile that the semiconductor industry grew into this 500-plus billion industry that we know today.
Which brings me to the latest tech darling of the industry, AI. Now AI chips are starting to be embedded into mobile phones, and it looks like that’s going to have a positive impact, or a positive boost, to the market in general. It’s a renewal market, but there’s always new things, new features to be added, and this is part of the game.
As Pierre noted, in the 80s and 90s, PCs were all the tech rage, followed by the internet and then mobile. Mobile is what really powered the industry in the last 20 years, and now we have a switch towards something else. Generative AI is, I think, a pivotal technology where it’s not just information. We are transitioning out of the information age because with generative AI, what can be done is autonomous cars, robotics: robots at home, and for sure industrial robots. So, there is considerable potential for growth in AI and in turn, the semiconductor industry.
Pierre thinks that the industry has the potential to double in size and while we know there will be a next cycle, we still have to discover what kind of cycle will come next. In order to grow the way the industry needs to grow, it may require even larger investments than the ones that we see today ― companies that will invest in multiple generations of chips.
Another concern and potential limiting factor to the growth is energy, the energy that ICs consume, or electronics at large. Most compute will switch to data centers, and they will require even more and more energy to do this generative AI work.
Will these new challenges present opportunities for innovation? I’d like to think so. At least, that has been the pattern of the semiconductor industry in general. At Advantest, we have confronted one of the bigger, more costly challenges, which has long involved the traditional file-based approach currently used for data analysis. This long-used but archaic approach is costly, complex, and time-consuming, so we created the Advantest Real-Time Data Infrastructure (ACS RTDI) which offers real-time corrective analysis and action in the ever-changing testing environment. The ACS solution employs online edge computing and analytics in a secure True Zero Trust environment that delivers results in a matter of milliseconds. And this all means that we have a solution wherein adaptive decision-making and corrective actions can be implemented nearly instantly.
The Advantest Data Solutions ecosystem is armed with advanced analytics capabilities, including machine learning, and features future-proof, real-time, and automated production control. This revolutionary system integrates all data sources across the entire IC manufacturing supply chain, allowing customers to maximize their investments while uncovering data-driven insights that enhance everything from quality to performance. With this cutting-edge solution, Advantest continues to empower customers so they can take advantage of the latest analytics technologies, improve their operations, and drive innovation of their own within the industry.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
Leave a Reply