Positive news and analysis from SEMICON West currently dominate the coverage throughout our industry onlines. No wonder. Colorful and vibrant were the words I used when I described it to someone who wasn’t there. 
I used vibrant because the program itself had an unbeatable 120 hours of content with 250 speakers, 17 tracks, TechXPOT sessions on 10 stages and the popular feature, “Meet the Expert” theater. An impressive lineup of 12 keynotes and executive panels offered compelling topics that ranged from “Breakthrough Innovators Who Changed the World” to multiple looks at Artificial Intelligence. Of course, no industry conference today would be complete without a session on autonomous driving and SEMICON West didn’t disappoint with “Autonomous Driving 101: Semiconductors in the Driver Seat.” One other noteworthy session was the “SEMI Bulls and Bears Panel.”
Of course, many attendees came to take part in the networking opportunities and SEMICON West didn’t disappoint here either with 15 of them, along with a welcome reception and several other receptions, and an after-hours party benefitting the SEMI foundation.
Colorful is the best descriptor for the conference theme, “Beyond Smart,” which sent a signal that SEMI vertical segments including manufacturing, MedTech, transportation, IoT and data are integral parts of the conference. Three Smart pavilions dedicated to transportation, manufacturing and workforce drew large crowds of attendees.
