Electronics Weekly Electronics Design & Components Tech News
He writes:
The future of the electronics industry is undoubtedly bright.
During this global crisis, we can clearly see how digital technologies have enabled many companies to continue their activities.
Addressing the strong need for more computation, data storage and communication will be the continuous driver of the semiconductor industry, as companies seek advanced technologies for more complex integrated circuits and high-performance devices.
Moreover, the roadmap will not be as one‑dimensional as it used to be, and we’ll see more diversification of technologies in the future.
In addition to scaling, new device structures, 3D integration, and new computing architectures will be crucial to achieving greater complexity and optimising various applications. System technology co‑optimisation (the intimate collaboration between technology developers and system architects) will be essential to realise this complexity level.
In short, we’ll have to tune technology for specific system applications.
We will also see the emergence of many new applications where semiconductor technologies will allow a vast array of innovations.
At Imec, we have selected a set of application domains on which we are focusing our R&D. One of these is the healthcare sector.
We believe that the implementation of semiconductor platforms which allow for large volume manufacturing at low cost, will enable commoditisation of healthcare technology. As we’ve seen in the electronics industry, we will see the healthcare sector decentralise.
Similarly to how we have moved from mainframe computing systems at a central location to decentralised computing power on our smartphones, we will move from generic testing in large clinical labs to personalised, customised diagnostics tests.
This shift will create more effective and efficient healthcare that is accessible to more patients, and increase each patient’s comfort.
The technology that we are pioneering or healthcare can be leveraged to improve many other sectors as well.
Through semiconductor technology, innovations will penetrate the automotive, food, agriculture, and security industries, as well as many others.
