Semico is a semiconductor marketing & consulting research company located in Phoenix, Arizona. We offer custom consulting, portfolio packages, individual market research studies and premier industry conferences.
In the past, integrated circuits, packages and boards were all designed independently and yet in most cases still managed to fit together with very few functional or technical problems. However recent advances in chip performance have changed this process dramatically. New designs, processes and materials have already been seen in packaging as high performance semiconductor chips need to carefully match the size, power and performance requirements of more demanding end applications. For optimal system performance, specific information related to material, speed and stability has created the need to improve information exchange and collaboration for successful board design. While collaboration is not new to the industry, we are now at a point where collaboration needs to be extended to all parts of the electronic ecosystem in order to maximize system performance while minimizing costs.
The Internet of Things promises an unprecedented opportunity for the electronics industry. From front-end devices like roadway sensors to back-end network equipment supporting the rush of new data inputs, electronics are the integral foundation of this new era. More than ever, pressure is on the electronics industry to deliver the right solution at the right time and at the right price. A panel will discuss this important issue during the Semico IMPACT Conference: Designing to Maximize Results, October 13, Computer History Museum, 1401 N Shoreline Blvd., Mountain View, California 94043.
Semico expects to see a stronger market in the second half of 2015, based on strong increases in our IPI index in the second half of 2014. The IPI accurately predicts semiconductor revenue inflection points four quarters in advance. Recent economic events and fears of weakness in some end markets have resulted in substantial downgrades in forecasts from other prognosticators. In the past we too have fallen into this trap only to look back to say that the IPI was more correct. Forecasting the semiconductor market is not for the "faint of heart".
One of the most overlooked aspects of hardware design is the key role that materials selection plays in the overall product development process. For example, laminates are the foundation upon which all other components, both hardware and software, depend in order to ensure that the products into which they are incorporated are functionally operational.
The System-on-a-Chip (SoC) method of creating silicon solutions is delivering on the original high expectations for the future of the semiconductor industry and ASIC markets. Designs of very high complexity are regularly accomplished using this approach today, far beyond what was possible only five or six years ago using more traditional ASIC methodologies.
The thirst for higher bandwidth--driven by mobile, Big Data, and higher performance computing applications--presents new challenges for the designers of very high speed PCBs and IC packages. Faster PCIe, SATA, and SAT interfaces and new 100G/400G systems featuring multi-lane 25-32Gbps SerDes (moving to 56Gbps), and higher density, lower power, smaller footprint HPC/HBM/3D NAND memory interfaces are sparking a move to signaling technologies (PAM4/8), improved board/package materials, and a better signal/power integrity design discipline.
The vision of the Internet of Things places electronics in all aspects of our lives─from knowing what’s in our refrigerator to life-critical functions such as connected, implantable defibrillators. The potential of autonomous driving places our lives in the hands of sensors, processors and wireless communication that we have to assume collect accurate information, processes that information and reacts in real time. Semico has compiled a list of the top ten elements that must align in order for the IoT to come to fruition. Semico’s report on security started a groundswell of discussion and, more importantly, new solutions from chip vendors.
Semiconductor designers have been engrossed in developing solutions that deliver the right performance at the lowest cost while using the least amount of power. But there is another item to add to the list of essentials for IoT adopton. Making sure your customers know you, or more specifically your product specs, is even more important than ever. In the past five years, packaging has become a critical piece of a successful solution. System in Package, 3D chips, and 3D packaging have all been created to serve one or more angles of the power/performance/cost pyramid. What about the results once the chip is mounted onto a board with all its companion chips? How far should the chip manufacturer go in order to control and guarantee performance and reliability in their chips?
