semiconductor

In this episode, we’re taking a look at how the explosion in our demand for data storage has led to needing more capacity than ever before, and whether long-vanished ideas from our computing past could influence technological innovation in the future. 

In 2022 the world generated 97 Zettabytes of data. It has been predicted that, by 2025, that number will almost have doubled to 181 Zettabytes. Although at the rate generative AI and machine learning is expanding, that figure could be even higher.

As the Head of the Hewlett Packard Enterprise storage division, Senior Vice President Patrick Osborne has storage at the forefront of everything he does. He sees just how much his customers' needs are growing every year and is always actively looking for new methods and fabrics to meet those needs.

Alongside those requirements for greater data storage also sits the need for faster data processing - and there are a number of technologies nearing maturity which could revolutionise the space. Aidong Xu is Head of Semiconductor Capability at Cambridge Consultants, and is keeping a close eye on these technologies, especially in the memory space. For him, the big challenge is combining performance with efficiency.

However, whilst we’re looking at the future of data storage, it’s hard not to draw parallels with the past. Colin Eby from the National Museum of Computing knows a thing or two about that, guiding us through the history of the storage technologies which marked our pathway to today - some of which, in the decades since they fell out of favour, may have come round once more.

But what if the future of data storage isn’t data at all, but something more organic. Mark Bathe is a professor of biological engineering at MIT, specialising in DNA storage, and what that can mean for the future of our digital archiving needs. 

Sources and statistics cited in this episode:
Zettabytes usage - https://www.statista.com/statistics/871513/worldwide-data-created/
Sales of storage units - https://www.statista.com/forecasts/1251240/worldwide-storage-unit-sales-volume
Hard drive shipment figures - https://www.statista.com/statistics/398951/global-shipment-figures-for-hard-disk-drives/
Random access DNA memory using Boolean search in an archival file storage system - https://www.nature.com/articles/s41563-021-01021-3

Smartphone and telecom-equipment maker Huawei is one of China's most successful and controversial companies.  Despite efforts from the U.S. and other countries to restrict its access to cutting edge semiconductor technology, Huawei recently launched a new phone - the Mate 60 - featuring advanced made-in-China chips. The breakthrough has raised one question: Is America's effort to limit the rise of China's tech sector failing?

In this episode, CSDS-Asia Matters' Andrew Peaple analyzes Huawei's rise, fall, and apparent rise again, with guests Paul Triolo, from the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Dylan Patel, Chief Analyst at the semiconductor consulting firm SemiAnalysis.

 In a world where technology reigns supreme, a sinister and unprecedented threat looms on the horizon. It surpasses the destructive power of nuclear weapons, casting a shadow of doom over humanity's future...

⚡Semiconductor chips go through a long manufacturing process. It all depends on the type of chip, but the standard timeframe is between 120 days and nine months. It is a three-phase process that includes design and frontend and backend manufacturing, all dependent on various factors. ''These are global supply chains supporting the completed product. Semiconductor chips could be manufactured by a large fab, maybe most of it within the house, but there are diversified approaches too, where the chip is moving across the country to complete certain stages of manufacturing.''

⚡Some companies don't produce semiconductors in-house. The rationale behind such a decision lies in the need for a specific environment and certain conditions for making these chips. ''The fabs themselves are like huge low cities. All of this has to be clean room work. It needs to be done within one location generally. So because it's clean room work, you can't send that across until a critical step is completed in the manufacturing process. [...] If even a dust molecule were to land on any of these chips, the dust molecule's width is wide enough to block the passes of electrical current on the chip, thus making the chip ineffective," explains Geoff. 

⚡We use a wide range of gases to prevent impurities from harming the chips. The most commonly used are helium, nitrogen, argon, and hydrogen. However, the gases used must be in perfect condition. And that's Mark's job. ''My experience is mostly with mass spectrometry, which is one of the best ways to analyze compounds like this. Specifically, an API-MS — an atmospheric pressure ionization mass spectrometer — has a simplified analysis of big bulk gases. For example, in the past 20 or 30 years, you could not analyze oxygen, if you could not get down low detection limits, analyze oxygen in bulk nitrogen. That used to be a lot more difficult with traditional techniques. But Thermo Fisher Scientific has put out some new analyzers with such a low detection limit there that we can accurately say we will get 10 to 15 parts per trillion in our gases that are being put through all these processes.'' 

Gideon Kedem, Head of Valen Semiconductor's Automotive Business unit, discusses innovation's deep roots in our DNA and the need for effective management to ensure its impact.  He also shares his view on the different types of innovation beyond technology. Finally, Gideon offers his thoughts on technology's direction and emphasizes the importance of taking risks and managing the process. 

More about our guest:

Gideon Kedem has led Valen Semiconductor's Automotive Business unit since 2020. He brings more than 30 years of experience in the semiconductor and EDA industries, with various roles at leading companies like Cadence, Intel, and Xilinx. Prior to joining Valens in 2020, Gideon managed sales and business development at Xilinx activities across EMEA, Israel and India, with revenue responsibilities exceeding $200M. He holds a B.Sc. in Electrical Engineering and an MBA, both from Tel Aviv University.

Know more about her and her company here:

• Gideon Kedem

------------------------------------------------------------

Episode Guide:

1:16 - What is Innovation?

6:19 - Innovation perspectives

7:28 - Innovation in Valens company

11:53 - What isn't Innovation?

15:08 - Intersection of innovation, technology, and art: MoMA

17:46 - Advice to innovators
--------------------------

OUTLAST Consulting offers professional development and strategic advisory services in the areas of innovation and diversity management.

In high-speed communications, very fast optical signals connect to your office or even your home. But these optical signals have not yet reached end-of-edge terminals such as personal computers and smart phones.

Dr Hideaki Fukuzawa and Mr Takashi Kikukawa (TDK Corporation, Japan) show that it’s possible to make these optical modulators with standard semiconductor industry processing, significantly lowering costs and creating more compact devices.

Read the Research Features article: https://doi.org/10.26904/RF-148-4833963484

Read the original research: https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/10118728

Big technology companies have been on a wild ride over the past few years, with the pandemic-driven boom followed by an inevitable hangover as economic uncertainty loomed. In the first segment of this episode, we examine the outlook for the global diversified information technology sector over the next 12-18 months. Then at 10.02 we discuss how the European Chips Act will help the region’s semiconductor manufacturers in the face of stiff competition from other parts of the world.

Guests: Raj Joshi Senior Vice President and Dirk Goedde Vice President-Senior Analyst - Corporate Finance Group, Moody’s Investors Service. 

Host: Tania Hall Senior Vice President – Corporate Finance Group, Moody’s Investors Service. 

To read more on this topic, visit The Big Picture page on Moodys.com (some content only available to registered users or subscribers). 

This week, we brought TechCrunch+ senior climate reporter Tim De Chant on to talk climate tech, hardware breakthroughs, and why we have a whole stage this year at Disrupt focused on sustainability.

On that last point, perhaps you have gone outside recently. Extreme weather around the world, warming oceans, fires — it's a mess out there. That's the bad news. The good news is that a number of startups are working hard to build new technologies that could shoothe our struggling planet. And perhaps make a lot of money in the process.

Here's what we got into on the show:

• Climate tech venture capital activity. Why aren't we seeing more capital despite some interesting activity.
• The question of fusion. Is it really around the corner (this time)?
• Why we're both excited about potential hardware breakthroughs, even if LK-99 was not the real deal.
• Dread about our changing world.

Tim is not only a great journalist, he's also very good at the whole science thing, so he was a treat to talk to!

We're back on Friday for our last recording before we're on stage at Disrupt! Talk soon.

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders and more!

Credits: Equity is hosted by TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm and Mary Ann Azevedo. We are produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

Here's what Alex got into this morning:

• Earnings Season Never Ends: Gitlab, Asana, UiPath, Docusign, Rent the Runway and others will report this week.
• Crypto Down Bad: Prices for major cryptoassets are flat this morning, while the crypto venture picture is looking up to some degree.
• Arm Sets IPO Range: Shares of Arm are expected to sell for $47 to $51 per share, according to the company. The question for investors is whether to value the company on its trailing results, or future profits.
• More on the impact (or lack thereof) of Arm's upcoming debut can be found here.
• The Catalyst Fund: The Africa-focused venture fund has reached a first close, and intends to invest in climate-focused startups on the continent.
• Elon Musk Is Mad
• And to close out, a new Chinese semiconductor fund is potentially coming, while India wrestles with net neutrality.

Don’t forget that Equity is opening this year’s Disrupt. We’ll see you there!

For episode transcripts and more, head to Equity’s Simplecast website.

Equity drops at 7 a.m. PT every Monday, Wednesday and Friday, so subscribe to us on Apple Podcasts, Overcast, Spotify and all the casts. TechCrunch also has a great show on crypto, a show that interviews founders and more!

Credits: Equity is hosted by TechCrunch's Alex Wilhelm and Mary Ann Azevedo. We are produced by Theresa Loconsolo with editing by Kell. Bryce Durbin is our Illustrator. We'd also like to thank the audience development team and Henry Pickavet, who manages TechCrunch audio products.

The modern world runs on microchips and semiconductors. There's no way around it -- and the semiconductor business is perhaps one of the most important industries on the planet. But there are some serious problems (and conspiracies) on the horizon. In tonight's episode, Ben, Matt and Noel dive into a ticking time bomb of supply, demand, and conflict... discovering why these tiny chips may just be the thing that causes World War III.

They don't want you to read our book.: https://static.macmillan.com/static/fib/stuff-you-should-read/

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, I talk about Adyen's massive sell of from last week as well as Grabs earnings and the road to profitability. I also talk about Zoom's earnings and how they plan to leverage AI as well as the "Stock Of The Year", NVIDIA, their surprise earnings and how they continue to dominate and surprise an already highly anticipated and hyped AI industry. 

Did Trump's interview really get 74 million views on X? (Probably not). American workers say TSMC management is to blame for delays with construction at the Arizona fabrication facility. Nvidia makes serious bank from AI, and lots more!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Technology is the focus of the intensifying competition between the United States and China, and Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the core. China views AI as a means to gain a strategic advantage over the United States and its allies. It intends to use AI to build a world-class military. Beijing also views AI as an enabler of surveillance and repression that can help to bolster its illiberal model of governance. China’s national AI strategy calls for a vast expansion of AI in manufacturing, governance, and national defense, with China becoming a global leader in the field by 2030 through multiple AI technology innovations and personnel training centers. 

To discuss this topic, host Bonnie Glaser is joined by Gregory Allen, director of the Wadhwani Center for AI and Advanced Technologies at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS). Before joining CSIS, he was the director of strategy and policy at the Department of Defense (DOD) Joint Artificial Intelligence Center, where he oversaw development and implementation of the DOD’s AI Strategy, drove policy and human capital reforms to accelerate the DOD’s adoption of AI, and developed mechanisms for AI governance and ethics. 

Timestamps

[01 :37] Centrality of AI in US-China Competition

[04 :21] China’s Strengths and Weaknesses

[06 :20] Progress in the Field of AI

[09 :54] Reducing the Risk of Military AI Accidents

[13 :37] Discussing AI with the Chinese Government

[16 :11] Biden Administration’s Export Controls on AI

[21 :31] Reducing Dependency on the West

[24 :15] Collaborating on AI Regulation

[27 :25] Who will spearhead the next Technological Revolution?

In episode 4 of SiliconPolitik, Stephen Ezell, VP of Global Innovation Policy, ITIF, talks to Satya Sahu about the Information Technology Agreement and how trade policy is instrumental in creating India's Semiconductor Ecosystem.

Do follow IVM Podcasts on social media.

We are @‌IVMPodcasts on Facebook, Twitter, & Instagram.

https://twitter.com/IVMPodcasts

https://www.instagram.com/ivmpodcasts/?hl=en

https://www.facebook.com/ivmpodcasts/

You can check out our website at https://shows.ivmpodcasts.com/featured

Follow the show across platforms:

Spotify, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, JioSaavn, Gaana, Amazon Music

Do share the word with your folks!

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

On this episode of PDXPLORES, Professor Christof Teuscher from the Maseeh College of Engineering & Computer Science and Andrea Goforth, an assistant professor in chemistry in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences, discuss Portland State’s expansive and accessible semiconductor pipeline. With the addition of the Semiconductors and More (SMORE) Center, PSU’s comprehensive semiconductor curriculum equips and connects students to careers within Portland’s burgeoning “Silicon Forest.” 

Follow PSU research on Twitter: @psu_research and Instagram: @portlandstateresearch

Critical minerals are non-fuel minerals or mineral materials essential to the economic or national security of the U.S. They have no viable substitutes yet face a high risk of supply chain disruption. Critical minerals are used for many different purposes, including the production of advanced electronics, weapons systems, manufacturing equipment, and cutting-edge medical devices. They are indispensable for the transition to low-carbon energy sources. Last year, the U.S. Secretary of the Interior, with the aid of the U.S. Geological Survey, published a list of 50 critical minerals. 

China dominates global critical mineral supply chains, accounting for approximately 60% of world-wide production and 85% of processing capacity. However, the U.S. and several European countries are taking steps to build out their own ability to mine, process, and manufacture critical minerals. To discuss the implications of China’s role in critical mineral supply chains and the responses of the U.S. and its partners, host Bonnie Glaser is joined by Abigail Wulf, vice president and director of the Ambassador Alfred Hoffman Jr. Center for Critical Minerals Strategy at Securing America’s Future Energy (SAFE), a non-profit advancing transformative transportation technology to enhance energy security.

Time Stamps

[01:51] Vulnerabilities and Risks of Overdependence 

[07:07] Development of a Domestic Mining Industry 

[12:42] Environmental Hazards of Processing Raw Minerals 

[18:30] Impact of Export Controls on Gallium and Germanium

[22:53] Diversifying Sources of Rare Earth Imports

[26:38] The Critical Raw Materials Act

[29:58] The Mineral Security Partnership

Kevin Distelhurst holds both a bachelor's and a master’s degree in electrical engineering and has spent his career to date in the world of semiconductor manufacturing where he develops techniques and tools, leads projects, and trains and mentors new engineers and technicians. Join our conversation to learn more about what semiconductors are, how they are manufactured, and what some of the sources of defects are. 

About Being An Engineer

The Being An Engineer podcast is a repository for industry knowledge and a tool through which engineers learn about and connect with relevant companies, technologies, people resources, and opportunities. We feature successful mechanical engineers and interview engineers who are passionate about their work and who made a great impact on the engineering community.

The Being An Engineer podcast is brought to you by Pipeline Design & Engineering. Pipeline partners with medical & other device engineering teams who need turnkey equipment such as cycle test machines, custom test fixtures, automation equipment, assembly jigs, inspection stations and more. You can find us on the web at www.teampipeline.us

 We all get trapped in our daily world.  Our location, our contacts, our responsibilities can often create a commonality to what we do and the decisions we make. And we often fail to realize how this localization creates an internalization which makes it hard to think creatively.  We do more of the same because of the rut we’re in.

  This podcast was recorded with Manny in Panang Malaysia, where he was getting his eyes and ears full of new ideas.  Attending a semiconductor manufacturing conference he was hearing from leaders and entrepreneurs about how they get things done.  And it doesn’t sound much like business in the USA. For example, Malaysia has used immigration as a positive to grow its economy, create jobs and invigorate business.  The opposite view of immigration in America.

 Inflation is widely misunderstood, and this podcast covers how the G7 countries are struggling with inflation, while much of Asia is not. While the US Federal Reserve ratchets up interest rates in the hopes of slowing economic growth to “tame” inflation, trying to use the wrong tool for the wrong problem.  Meanwhile Malaysia is growing like the proverbial weed without inflation by focusing on growth, not creating a recession.  And it’s clear that the G7 countries all have inflation, which belies the notion that America’s is caused by the money supply.  Listeners will hear a lot about how they can ger more done, and grow faster, if they take time to get outside their daily grind and discover alternative ways of running their business.

Thinking Points:

• When was the last time you traveled internationally to explore new ways of doing business?
• Do your long-term plans include new sales, or sourcing, from far flung regions, or are you planning on more of the same?
• Do you actively seek new problem solving methods, or largely rely on attacking your problems with “tried and true” solutions?
• Are you prepared for threats from far flung locations greatly removed from your current business?

We explore the impact that geopolitical tensions between the US and China are increasingly having on technology companies, particularly the vital semiconductor supply chain. Which companies are most affected and what are the implications for China’s domestic semiconductor industry? Then at 9.58, we delve into what is supporting revenue growth for global information technology services companies, as growth slows from exceptionally high levels during the pandemic. 

Guests: Zedric Cheung, Associate Analyst in the Credit Strategy and Standards Group, Moody’s Investors Service; Chenyi Lu, Vice President – Senior Credit Officer and Farah Zakir, Vice President – Senior Analyst both in the Corporate Finance Group, Moody’s Investors Service.  

Host: Tania Hall, Senior Vice President – Senior Research Writer, MIS Research, Moody’s Investors Service. 

To read more on this topic, visit the Behind the Bonds page on Moodys.com (some content only available to registered users or subscribers). 

Related Research:

• US-China and cross-Strait tensions will lead to lasting semiconductor supply chain shifts
• Slowing global growth, US export controls will hit revenue in coming years
• Diversified providers can weather slowing demand; generative AI is new growth lever
• Q3 update: Bookings grow but new projects will favor incumbent IT service providers