ET-P2 PANEL SESSION – Fabless semiconductors and the factors that link microelectronics and the vehicle sector
Organizer:
Thomas Hoetzel, Atmel Automotive GmbH, DE
Gerd Teepe, Globalfoundries, DE
Moderator:
Hans-Christian Reuss, FKFS Stuttgart, DE
Panellists:
Wolfgang Breuer, Continental, DE
Christoph Hammerschmidt, EETimes, DE
Frank Kessler, BMW, DE
Reinhard Ploss, Infineon Technologies, DE
Thilo von Selchow, ZMDI, DE
Hans-Juergen Straub, X-FAB, DE
Microelectronics is an important technological mainspring of the car industry – but does the trend towards fabless semiconductors really suppose a breakthrough with respect to the factors, currently under examination, that link microelectronics and the vehicle sector?
Microelectronics is the technological mainspring of many different business sectors that have reached the ultimate stage in optimisation evolution. Innovation is increasingly driven by the supply industry, while businesses that actually apply the technology to consumer products, are actually undergoing a process of consolidation.
Developments in the automotive industry are following a similar track. As far as genuine innovation is concerned, car manufacturers are being faced with the challenge of proactively bringing new systems to bear for individual use. More than a few of the emerging megatrends, such as safety, electrical mobility or increased efficiency in the use of natural resources, are based on technical solutions that originally stem from the field of microelectronics.
When we consider the value chain of the car industry, this is not an altogether new or easily measurable phenomenon. There are, however, linking elements that the operational interplay of factors between sectors has in common. Among the unresolved questions in respect to measuring efficiency in increased productivity, one remains paramount: "How can the required cost reductions be applied without using ’design shrinks to new technology nodes‘ and without a negative outcome in terms of quality"?
We also must consider the question of long-term availability and the ongoing concerns relating to the interaction between the vehicle-manufacturing and semiconductor sectors.
Tackling these issues in a forum of top experts drawn from the car-manufacturing, fabless semiconductor and foundry sectors is the goal of this panel, which shall convene on DATE 2010. This endeavour is based on the conviction that any progress can only be achieved if the best concepts from all three sectors are combined.
