SEMICON West continues to be the flagship event for the global semiconductor industry, as well as a showcase for related emerging markets and technologies. Here are some of the cool things we noted at this year’s show:
1) Collaboration and early cooperation remain key strategies in the semiconductor space
2) Implantable MEMS devices may help predict heart attacks
3) A transistor gate that is 5 nm across will be only about 10 atoms wide
4) Clever technologists are mimicking bats to develop ultrasonic-based gesture input capability
5) 3D printing is not just for plastics – concrete, seaweed, and even chocolate can be 3D printed
6) Smartphone users check their phones 150 times a day
7) Key drivers for 3D NAND are mobile and the Internet of Things – NAND flash will be in nearly everything
8) Fabs in India may become reality soon
9) The car is the ultimate mobile device – some predict we are only 10 years away from fully self-driving automobiles
10) There will be ~50 billion connected devices by 2020
