What can we expect for the semiconductor industry?

Today, the semiconductor supply chain offers a lot of possibilities in terms of business models. Companies have many opportunities to develop their own components all across the market. They can develop designs, integrate software, focus on sensitive elements and propose dedicated packaging. There are many possibilities – but maybe just one way to optimise a company's value.

Questions abound regarding the organisation of the semiconductor industry and its supply chain, whatever the field of activity, be it MEMS, LED, power electronics or advanced packaging. This industry incorporates a lot of different business models, from fabless to integrated device manufacturers. What are the best business models to ensure development and success? What are the limits of these business models? There is a permanent need for innovation in the design stage to get access to new markets: what are the technical challenges in satisfying this? What about production capacity? Is there a way to share industrialisation work and mutualize production capacity?

Lot of mergers, acquisitions and huge investments have been made in the semiconductor industry. These changes have a direct impact on the semiconductor supply chain and create new business opportunities. Examples include:

• In mid-2014, InvenSense acquired Movea. The provider of intelligent sensor solutions signed a definitive agreement with Movea, a provider of software for ultra-low power location, activity tracking and context sensing. With this acquisition, InvenSense, one of SSF 2015’s keynote speakers, confirmed its leadership in the growing mobile market with an innovative solution based on SoC technologies and spread its market positioning all along the supply chain.
• Two months later, Fairchild Semiconductor International announced a similar agreement with Xsens Technologies. This acquisition allows Fairchild to expand its activities from a discrete component supplier to a smart-module provider in the mobile market.
• In the IoT world, Google closed its transaction at the beginning of 2014 to acquire 100% of Nest Labs, well-known for the development of its smart home solutions such as its Learning Thermostat and Protect smoke and carbon monoxide detector. This strategic decision allows Google to enlarge its range of products and services in the home appliance and IoT areas. It allows also Google to acquire the huge technical knowledge coming from Nest’s former Apple engineers.

These examples clearly highlight the impact of acquisitions and technology transfer on the supply chain and market structure.

So, what can we expect for the semiconductor industry? Yole’s analysts have been following this industry for a long time. Thanks to its daily discussions with industrial companies and R&D institutes, Yole has a deep understanding of the market’s evolution, the competitive environment and related technical challenges. Serma develops a high added value platform for solutions and services in electronics, especially for high stress environments. The company therefore has a strong knowledge of semiconductor market needs and supply chain organisation, especially at the industrialisation stage.

Both partners combine their visions of the industry to propose an attractive program. With the SSF 2015 agenda, Yole and Serma enable you to discover the status of the semiconductor industry, learn more about its evolution, from both technology and market viewpoints, and get a comprehensive understanding of its strategies, business models and success stories.

“SSF participants will enjoy this 2015 edition, which will provide multiple viewpoints regarding the semiconductor supply chain, bringing together large and mature players as well as start-ups and smaller companies with disruptive technologies,” says Pascal Matosevic, Marketing & Sales Director, Serma Technologies.

The SSF 2015 conference gathers leaders of the semiconductor industry, including: Amkor Technologies, ATREG, Bluetest, Cityzen Sciences, Coventor, Creative Chips, InvenSense, MathWorks, On Semiconductor, Phoenix bv, Pyxalis, Serma Technologies, SigFox, Silicon Labs, Tronics Microsystems and Yole Développement.

Pascal Langlois, CEO, Tronics Microsystems, comments: “The SSF 2015 conference jointly organised by Yole Développement and Serma Technologies is one of the few events in the semiconductor industry covering business, technology and supply chain challenges simultaneously. Companies attending will be able to share their vision of the industry and their experiences around one common objective: define the right market positioning to build sustainable success in a competitive landscape with fast technology transitions. SSF is undoubtedly the right place to discuss technical issues as well as business opportunities."