The Next Chip Shortages?


The rollout of chiplets and heterogeneous designs could have unexpected implications on a global scale, creating a whole new round of chip shortages that will be much harder to fix. It's impossible to say for certain what will happen here in the wake of massive changes in chip design and a fluid and unpredictable geopolitical situation. The trade war between the United States and China began... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Japanese and American trade officials announced a joint roadmap for cooperation in strengthening global semiconductor supply chains by advancing Japan-U.S. collaboration with emerging and developing countries in the Indo-Pacific. China and South Korea agreed to strengthen dialogue and cooperation on semiconductor industry supply chains with a focus on the supply of key raw materials and ensu... » read more

Security Becomes Much Bigger Issue For AI/ML Chips, Tools


Security is becoming a bigger issue in AI and machine learning chips, in part because the chip industry is racing just to get new devices working, and in part because it's difficult to secure a new technology that is expected to adapt over time. And unlike in the past, when tools and methodologies were relatively fixed, nearly everything is in motion. Algorithms are being changed, EDA tools ... » read more

What Is Zonal Architecture? And Why Is it Upending the Automotive Supply Chain?


Over the last few years, the basic architecture of how a vehicle is put together has changed a lot. This has also resulted in a change in how the automotive supply chain is put together, too. The traditional ECU-based architecture and the automobile supply chain Historically, vehicles have been put together like the picture on the left in the above diagram. Vehicles could have as many a... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


TECHCET is forecasting semiconductor precursor revenues, both for high-ƙ metal dielectrics and low-ƙ dielectrics, will increase in the second half of 2023, rebounding from the current zero percent growth rate. Wafer start volumes are expected to rebound in 2024 with expansions in 2nm and 3nm logic devices. SEMI also predicts the global slump in semiconductor sales will end this quarter, gi... » read more

Supply Chain Resilience And Agility: Two Critical Sides Of The Same Coin


Over the past three years of major global disruptions, the supply chains of many industries have sharpened their focus on resilience. Today, discussions on electronics industry resilience center on redundancy across suppliers, multi-tier supplier mapping, nearshoring, reducing the number of unique parts, regionalizing supply chains, and business continuity planning. Resilience connotes a st... » read more

Chiplet Security Risks Underestimated


The semiconductor ecosystem is abuzz with the promise of chiplets, but there is far less attention being paid to security in those chiplets or the heterogeneous systems into which they will be integrated. Disaggregating SoCs into chiplets significantly alters the cybersecurity threat landscape. Unlike a monolithic multi-function chip, which usually is manufactured using the same process tech... » read more

Week In Review: Semiconductor Manufacturing, Test


Samsung announced plans to invest $230 billion (300 trillion won) over the next two decades to construct the world’s largest semiconductor manufacturing complex in South Korea’s Gyeonggi Province, reports AP. The complex will consist of five new semiconductor plants producing memory and logic chips. Chips will be the enabling engines, requiring massive investments in new technology, m... » read more

Re-shoring And Rebuilding The IC Supply Chain


Raj Jammy, chief technologist at MITRE Engenuity and executive director of the Semiconductor Alliance, sat down with Semiconductor Engineering to talk about changes in the supply chain, where and how to leverage different capabilities, and why advanced packaging and manufacturing are so critical to economic security. SE: The global supply chain for semiconductors appears to be splintering. W... » read more

Tomorrow’s Semiconductor Workforce


With tens of billions directly allocated to spur growth in this essential industry, now is the time for us to focus on a critical challenge: ensuring that as this industry grows exponentially, we create a pipeline for the next generation of semiconductor workers, from the manufacturing floor to the design suites. The semiconductor industry’s growth will ripple throughout the nation, creating ... » read more

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