Convergence and divergence in parallel for the ubiquitous era

Abstract

Summary form only given. After having enjoyed the years of staggering growth in the 90's, the semiconductor industry is being matured. Today, it is still a growing industry, at a slower pace, as it continues to expand its reach to cover a growing number of all industries. While miniaturization is still an important consideration for many semiconductor manufacturers, the multitude of complex technology and economical scale limitations are posing as new challenges. Today, there is no single driving force to fuel the growth of the semiconductor industry. Under this new paradigm, it is important re-evaluate the business model of the semiconductor industry, together with two keywords, "convergence" and "divergence." "Convergence" enables utilization of various application contents beyond time and space, allowing consumers to access data from anywhere, anytime. On the other hand, "divergence" accelerates segmentation, bringing solutions such as electronics systems tailored for each individual need and widely distributed networked systems. In the ubiquitous era, these seemingly contradicting elements become the foundation for establishing a new business model. Given the change, what is required for technology is also changing. What the industry really needs is a system-centric innovation approach centered on software, to enable delivery of a wide spectrum of applications, rather than a conventional hardware-centric approach. This paper discussed how to enable such innovations as well as how to overcome other future challenges in the industry.