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Digital Economy Relies on Semiconductors

Semiconductor technology is at the heart of all modern digital economies. This observation has prompted governments all over the world to consider how to revitalise or expand their domestic ecosystems centred on semiconductor technologies.

Beyond direct effects on the economy and national security, semiconductor technology plays a critical role in enabling solutions to many societal challenges, including the digital transformation of healthcare, combating climate change, protecting the environment, expanding access to education and economic opportunity, and developing COVID-19 vaccines.

Semiconductor technology is a foundational technology that has transformed the way we work, the way we interact with one another, and the way we enjoy our lives.  And the future demand for semiconductors is insatiable.

– Professor H.S. Philip Wong of the School of Engineering at Stanford University

With his area of research in semiconductor technology, Prof Wong added that semiconductor technology is a constantly evolving and progressing technology that requires technological advancement to capture its value. Prof Wong explained that people cannot use cell phones made 20 years ago to access the internet, applications, or make a Zoom call today.

There is a constant need for research and development, as well as the translation of that research and development into actual manufacturable products. Semiconductors are a technology that must be constantly renewed, and the constant renewal aspect is critical when considering the semiconductor economy and ecosystem.

What is required nowadays are methods to accelerate global semiconductor technology advancement, which can be summed up in four simple ideas that should keep in mind when developing policies and plans, according to Prof Wong.

The first is to force the competition and marketplace of ideas; the second, look for leaders who are willing to take risks and make certain that accountability does not lead to risk aversion. The third is to underwrite some of the risks associated with technological development; and finally, the formidable barriers to commercialising new process technologies must be reduced.

One of the bottlenecks in commercialising new process technologies is translating laboratory innovations into manufacturable products, a process known as lab-to-fab translation. Lab refers to small-scale laboratories such as those found in universities, and fab refers to semiconductor manufacturing plants, also known as fabs or fabrication plants.

A typical computer chip today can have several billion transistors whereas a university laboratory can only make a device with a thousand transistors. Demonstrations on a scale substantially larger than what can be done in academic laboratories today would be required to persuade the industry to continue developing the university discovery.

Prof Wong furthered that the computer chips, also known as semiconductors, are what make up those computers, networking, and data storage devices. Twelve of the 17 United Nations Sustainable Development Goals rely on continuous advancements in semiconductor-based information and communication technology.

Every day, semiconductors fuel the internet, which is used by more than half of the world’s population. Filling the semiconductor talent pipeline is a unique function that institutions all over the world can play and with support from the government can go a long way toward achieving that goal.

Prof Wong considers the U.S. CHIPS Act and other related international laws to be significant. If the U.S. CHIPS Act is enacted, it is conceivable that other nations will enact laws that will strengthen their local or regional semiconductor capabilities. This would lead to encouraging other countries to develop semiconductor manufacturing plants on U.S. territory, such legislation is crucial and will attract manufacturing to the United States.

If the U.S. has a very strong and robust semiconductor manufacturing industry, this will assure that the U.S. will continue to have very strong R&D activities and that the U.S. will continue to be able to innovate and develop the next generation of technology.

PARTNER

Qlik’s vision is a data-literate world, where everyone can use data and analytics to improve decision-making and solve their most challenging problems. A private company, Qlik offers real-time data integration and analytics solutions, powered by Qlik Cloud, to close the gaps between data, insights and action. By transforming data into Active Intelligence, businesses can drive better decisions, improve revenue and profitability, and optimize customer relationships. Qlik serves more than 38,000 active customers in over 100 countries.

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CTC Global Singapore, a premier end-to-end IT solutions provider, is a fully owned subsidiary of ITOCHU Techno-Solutions Corporation (CTC) and ITOCHU Corporation.

Since 1972, CTC has established itself as one of the country’s top IT solutions providers. With 50 years of experience, headed by an experienced management team and staffed by over 200 qualified IT professionals, we support organizations with integrated IT solutions expertise in Autonomous IT, Cyber Security, Digital Transformation, Enterprise Cloud Infrastructure, Workplace Modernization and Professional Services.

Well-known for our strengths in system integration and consultation, CTC Global proves to be the preferred IT outsourcing destination for organizations all over Singapore today.

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Planview has one mission: to build the future of connected work. Our solutions enable organizations to connect the business from ideas to impact, empowering companies to accelerate the achievement of what matters most. Planview’s full spectrum of Portfolio Management and Work Management solutions creates an organizational focus on the strategic outcomes that matter and empowers teams to deliver their best work, no matter how they work. The comprehensive Planview platform and enterprise success model enables customers to deliver innovative, competitive products, services, and customer experiences. Headquartered in Austin, Texas, with locations around the world, Planview has more than 1,300 employees supporting 4,500 customers and 2.6 million users worldwide. For more information, visit www.planview.com.

SUPPORTING ORGANISATION

SIRIM is a premier industrial research and technology organisation in Malaysia, wholly-owned by the Minister​ of Finance Incorporated. With over forty years of experience and expertise, SIRIM is mandated as the machinery for research and technology development, and the national champion of quality. SIRIM has always played a major role in the development of the country’s private sector. By tapping into our expertise and knowledge base, we focus on developing new technologies and improvements in the manufacturing, technology and services sectors. We nurture Small Medium Enterprises (SME) growth with solutions for technology penetration and upgrading, making it an ideal technology partner for SMEs.

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HashiCorp provides infrastructure automation software for multi-cloud environments, enabling enterprises to unlock a common cloud operating model to provision, secure, connect, and run any application on any infrastructure. HashiCorp tools allow organizations to deliver applications faster by helping enterprises transition from manual processes and ITIL practices to self-service automation and DevOps practices. 

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IBM is a leading global hybrid cloud and AI, and business services provider. We help clients in more than 175 countries capitalize on insights from their data, streamline business processes, reduce costs and gain the competitive edge in their industries. Nearly 3,000 government and corporate entities in critical infrastructure areas such as financial services, telecommunications and healthcare rely on IBM’s hybrid cloud platform and Red Hat OpenShift to affect their digital transformations quickly, efficiently and securely. IBM’s breakthrough innovations in AI, quantum computing, industry-specific cloud solutions and business services deliver open and flexible options to our clients. All of this is backed by IBM’s legendary commitment to trust, transparency, responsibility, inclusivity and service.

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