I recently had the opportunity to address the IESA (India Electronics and Semiconductor Association) in Bangalore and talk about innovation. In particular, I talked about how connecting innovation to a relevant user experience was important to realizing value. We had good discussions about the role of start-ups, universities, government, and established companies in promoting innovation in India where there are big challenges in energy, education, and healthcare. Electronics and technology are likely to play key roles in these areas. Since the focus of my talk was the semiconductor industry, I introduced the potential of new hardware service models in the semiconductor value chain and a simple way of thinking about what really matters in R&D. We actively debate these issues today in Rambus as we strive to bring impactful invention to market. I hope you find the materials included below interesting.
Abstract:
The opportunities for innovation in the trillion-dollar electronics industry have never been more exciting, despite the ever-increasing complexity and costs of keeping up with Moore’s Law. In a fascinating paradox of how economic value is created, the semiconductor and electronic systems industries find themselves striving for different goals within a highly interdependent and increasingly complex worldwide value chain. This paradox creates a tremendous opportunity for innovation. Economic forces in deep sub-micron semiconductor manufacturing are driving the need for optimization and replication of standard components at a lower cost point. At the same time, lithography complexity and the physical limits of materials are driving unprecedented levels of abstraction between design intent and physical realization. In simpler terms, this means there is a need to forge new and uncharted design territories while ensuring designs are done right the first time to minimize cost. Scarcity is driven by demand for resources while success is measured by how close to zero cost (and power) smaller transistors can be produced.
By contrast, value is determined at the individual user experience level by increasing levels of personalization or differentiation. Ubiquitous connectivity, context-aware information management, physical sensing and analysis, and immersive multimedia capabilities are all providing a more personal and useful user experience where the end user’s quality of life is positively impacted.
Download the presentation here.