Source: SEMICON WestJuly 10 was the first day of SEMICON West 2018. This is the venue where the most talented representatives of the industry can be seen and where the most advanced semiconductor resources are showcased.
This year is special because the talents and the resources are all related to 21st century innovation: artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, IoT, smart transportation, smart manufacturing, big data, new materials and processes for chip manufacturing, chip stacking technologies, medical technologies and the cognitive technologies that are transforming the world.
Here are highlights of the first day of the show. Pavilions are full-day presentations by experts related to the niche topics of the pavilions.
- Smart manufacturing pavilion: This location shows how the explosive growth of big data is forcing the industry to create smarter manufacturing processes in order to increase yield and profits.
- Smart transportation pavilion: The semiconductor industry plays a vital role in the development of smart transportation technologies, including autonomous vehicles. Memory chips, lidar, flexible hybrid electronics (FHE), MEMS and smart sensors are the building blocks of this industry. These technologies are well represented in this year's show.
- Smart workforce pavilion: Companies discovered that with the advent of new innovations, workforce skills are top priorities for their success. This year, for the first time, SEMICON West is dedicating a pavilion to inform entry-level prospects that microelectronics is a smart career choice.
Several keynote speakers presented innovation topics. Among these:
- “Breakthrough Innovators Who Changed the World”; Melissa Schilling, Ph.D., New York University
- “The Era of Artificial Intelligence”; Dr. John E. Kelly, III, Cognitive Solutions and IBM Research
- Panel: AI Design Forum — Overcoming the Memory Wall
- “AI—The Perfect Storm — An Industry Call to Action”; Gary Dickerson, president and CEO, Applied Materials
- “Efficient Hardware and Methods for Deep Learning”; William Dally, chief scientific and president pr research, NVIDIA
