Abstract

The invention of the transistor in 1947, coupled along with advances in materials, device layout and process integration of semiconductor devices over the last seven decades has enabled the exponential growth of the necessary products and technological innovations that have transformed the world. Our society depends on semiconductors for most facets of everyday life. The near future will bring a level of instrumentation that grows daily with ever increasing amounts of data along with the Artificial Intelligence (AI) coupled with the ability to communicate and automate many processes and industries in what is now known as the Internet of Things (IoT), an area that will be progressing at much higher speeds thanks to the incremental deployment of 5G. As a result of all these advances the world is already smaller and flatter. The reality of living in a globally integrated world is upon us, a globalized supply chain and geopolitical implications are presenting us with many opportunities and challenges. This increased information content gives us a unique path to alleviate and find solutions to the very serious problems that pose some of the most important challenges facing the world today. In this talk we will provide a brief historical perspective of the most relevant milestones in the development of semiconductor technology and will provide an overview of the economics and supply chain currently producing the chips that are widely fabricated and employed throughout the world. We will describe the role and interactions of Pure Play Foundries, Integrated Device Manufacturers and Fabless companies. We will spend some time addressing the implications for our planet, from geopolitical to our ability to survive the impending climate and ecological crisis. To close we will look at the semiconductor industry and opportunities from the emerging countries perspective.