By Zeev Collin, CEO, Semitech Semiconductor

Zeev Collin

Navigating the Tech Terrain: Trends and Transformations in 2024 and Beyond

Amidst the semiconductor industry’s ongoing recovery from the aftermath of Covid-19 and the surging demand from the automotive sector, the technology landscape in 2024 finds itself significantly influenced by recent geopolitics and the waning era of globalization’s golden age. The focus now extends beyond merely what technology accomplishes to where it originates. The growing divergence between China, the U.S., and to a lesser extent, Europe, presents fresh hurdles in terms of market accessibility and technology availability. However, notwithstanding these challenges, it also offers new prospects, particularly for regional startups that stand a better chance of capturing regional markets and gaining access to products that were previously out of reach. Both Chinese and U.S.-based chip companies exhibit resilience, evident in the projected 16.8% sales revenue increase for 2024 following a 10.9% decline in 2023 (as reported by research firm Gartner), with AI and automotive sectors being the primary catalysts for this revenue growth.

The recent geopolitical climate has led to the introduction of the CHIPS Act, aimed at re-establishing semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. While substantial impacts from major companies will likely take years, if not decades, smaller firms and startups in 2024 are already making early strides by investing in their own “micro-fab,” focused on the more esoteric technologies like photonics and MEMS.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – Semitech

By Sowmyan Rajagopalan, CEO, Thalia

The economic outlook for the semiconductor industry in 2024

Sowmyan Rajagopalan

As 2024 unfolds, the semiconductor industry is entering a period of reinvigoration and transformation. The advancements on the horizon are not just iterative; they are foundational, signaling a new chapter of innovation and strategic market adaptation.

Process technologies down to 2nm

The industry’s march towards 2nm process technologies heralds an era that will challenge and evolve Moore’s Law. The significance of 3D stacking and monolithic 3D integration, as recently highlighted by Penn State research[1] and Intel’s roadmap to a 1-trillion transistor chip[2], indicates a shift towards more sophisticated and capable semiconductor devices. These are the very advancements that will define the next generation of electronic devices.

Automotive industry requirements move on

Amidst this backdrop of innovation, the automotive sector’s move to electric and green hydrogen solutions marks a change in demand for semiconductor technologies, particularly in the area of battery technology. With the projected increase in the semiconductor content of vehicles, there is an evident need for technologies and devices that can meet these emerging requirements, such as discrete compound semiconductors (silicon carbide and gallium nitride)[3], and offer superior performance and efficiency compared with traditional silicon.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – Thalia

By Cédric Mayor, CEO, Presto Engineering

2024: Sailing the Semiconductor Ocean – After Turbulent Storms, Keeping Innovation as a Compass

Cédric Mayor

2023 will remain in everyone’s mind as the inevitable return to the basic balance between demand and supply. Our semiconductor industry entered 2023 after a traumatic supply shortage, quite unique in our industry’s recent history. With great determination, Presto Engineering confirmed its 2023 strategic choices and closed again a new record year.

While consumer-driven segments such as smartphones, computers and others had to weather the storm, Presto Engineering’s key market focus on the automotive, medical, industrial, and communication infrastructures has been rewarding. These segments demonstrated strong resilience due to their somewhat counter cyclic product life cycle and lack of inventory in 2022; most importantly, their never-ending semiconductor bill of materials was driven by heavy trends of automation, smart monitoring, and sensing.

Like many peers, I anticipate that demand will be back in 2024, especially once inventories in all segments return to normality after the first half of the year. Fundamentals like electrification, smart mobility, 5G maturity, and artificial intelligence (AI) will create demand for new ASIC and semiconductor devices. However, if global inflation is assumed to slow down this year, along with demand back again, I dare think that a talent shortage and energy price volatility will be rationales that will sustain sales price levels. The cost-per-transistor is not scaling down until it reaches below 20nm nodes, as we are now in a new era of reduced wafer price erosion along with different dynamics from node-to-node. While demand returns back full steam ahead in mature nodes, I expect that the global 8-inch wafer capacity footprint in China and trade restrictions will still impact prices significantly.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – Presto

By Florian ‘Flo’ Wohlrab,  CEO, OpenHW Group

Florian Wohlrab

Industrial grade, proven Open Source RISC-V CPU IP

By Emmanuel de Suremain, Marketing and Communication Manager, IC’Alps

2024 is already a very promising year for IC’Alps. After opening a second design center in Toulouse – France and becoming TSMC DCA partner, our design house is ready to take on any challenging ASIC project for our customer’s innovation.

We have especially prepared to contribute to the major evolutions we feel are occurring in the healthcare market. Secondly, we are witnessing an increasing demand for intelligence and autonomy ever closer to the sensors (the world is analog). Finally, our focus in 2024 will be to answer a growing need for security, safety/reliability-related requests around the way we design custom chips at IC’Alps.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – IC’Alps

By Kelly Cardone, Director of Marketing and Customer Experience, AIM Solder

Kelly Cardone

It’s no secret that the past few years have presented unusual challenges and opportunities across the electronics industry. At AIM, we reflect on the “pandemic years” as a period where our resilience was tested and our adaptability and strategic acumen shone through, positioning us to emerge stronger. After effectively navigating the volatile terrain of supply chain challenges and fluctuating interest rates, our journey has not only enabled us to remain competitive but also to deliver profitability and value to our customers.

As we enter 2024, the stage is now set for a year of stability and remarkable growth. With over ten manufacturing sites globally, AIM is well-placed to meet the evolving needs of the international electronics market. Strategic hires, promotions, and partnerships in 2023 are set to bolster our presence, ensuring that AIM Solder maintains a dynamic and influential role in the industry.

Emerging Industry Trends

Consumer behavior and market trends of 2024 are expected to gravitate towards quality and reliability. Amidst the normalization of global supply chains, customers will prioritize products that offer consistency and longevity. We also anticipate significant advancements in environmentally friendly solder materials, driven by the industry’s growing commitment to sustainability. These innovations will not only enhance product performance but also contribute to a greener manufacturing process.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – AIM Solder

By Jacek Hanke, CEO, Digital Core Design

Pioneering the Path Ahead: Digital Core Design’s CEO Forecasts Industry Trends for 2024

Jacek Hanke

As we stand on the brink of 2024, the landscape of our industry is on the verge of unprecedented transformation. This year holds special significance for Digital Core Design (DCD) as we celebrate our 25th anniversary – a quarter-century of actively shaping the IT market since our inception in 1999.

At the core of our industry lies the pulse of technological advancements, and 2024 promises a symphony of breakthroughs. A notable paradigm shift is imminent, poised to redefine connectivity on multiple levels. The evolution of RISC-V technology, in particular, is set to bring forth new and powerful solutions. DCD plans to capitalize on this by launching advanced 32-bit and 64-bit RISC-V CPUs with accompanying peripherals, empowering companies to construct more robust and innovative systems.

Safety and security, integral aspects of technological progress, will run parallel to our new product offerings. Noteworthy is our CAN XL IP Core, which, equipped with Functional Safety Functions, provides a comprehensive solution, especially in the automotive sector. As we focus on safety, the importance of security becomes apparent. From our perspective, deeply embedded hardware security, exemplified by DCD’s CryptOne cryptographic system, is becoming a necessity in new designs, given the increasing threats at the lowest integration level.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – Digital Core Design

By Lauro Rizzatti,  Business Advisor at VSORA

Technological Innovations in 2024

Lauro Rizzatti

The semiconductor industry closed 2023 on a high note as the U.S. CHIPS Act brought renewed attention to our importance and product introductions from startups and established players buoyed our confidence.

Technological innovations will continue into 2024 along the same trends line much as they did last year more or less. Despite a drop in overall semiconductor revenues of about 10%, top billing for 2023 tech innovation from semiconductor industry followers would have to be OpenAI, Generative AI and ChatGPT, as we witnessed enormous interest in GenAI once ChatGPT took center stage. Following closely behind would have to be the accelerated adoption of RISC-V and the embracing of chiplets for the promise of bending the Moore’s Law curve. The incoming year will also see renewed interest in autonomous driving (AD) at Level 4 where vehicles can operate in self-driving mode and in fully autonomous vehicles at Level 5 that no longer require human attention behind a steering wheel. In fact, steering wheels will not be a standard feature.

Beside a projected increase of global semiconductor sales in the ballpark of 17%, 2024 will usher in some challenges. Notwithstanding the drawbacks of massive computational power and outsize energy consumption, GenAI will continue to revolutionize all sectors driven by human behaviors in every industry from commerce, agriculture and finance to medicine, pharmacy and entertainment, and its adoption will expand exponentially.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – VSORA

By Donna Moore, CEO and chairwoman, LoRa Alliance^®

Market Confidence in LoRaWAN^® Is Flourishing

Donna Moore

 Looking back on 2023, it was truly the year that LoRaWAN matured. The LoRaWAN standard itself is supported by the strongest LPWAN device ecosystem, the strongest supplier ecosystem, and the strongest certification program. Ultimately, this drives market confidence in LoRaWAN deployments and boosts the global IoT sector as a whole.

In my travels this year to a variety of IoT and vertical market events, I observed how end customers are learning about other companies’ successful LoRaWAN deployments, which allows them to recognize the value of LoRaWAN because they personally can witness these successful outcomes. Real-world examples help the market understand the issues LoRaWAN can solve, its ease of deployment, and its strong ROI––quickly. Experiencing these real-world deployments is accelerating decision-making globally and driving global LoRaWAN adoption.

This energy and excitement that has continued to build this year will drive LoRaWAN and IoT forward in 2024. Digital transformation will continue to grow, and this is where IoT will shine. Smart utilities, smart buildings, and smart cities will remain a key focus for the LoRa Alliance in the coming year, as these markets are ideally suited to LoRaWAN’s strengths: long range, low power, ability to transmit through metal and concrete, easy integration with legacy or other wireless technologies, and more.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – LoRa Alliance

By Sanjeev Kumar, Co-Founder & Mentor of Logic Fruit Technologies

Sanjeev Kumar

Indian Prowess Soars – Predicting Aerospace and Defense Industry Dominance on the Global Stage: 2024 Outlook

In last few years we observed a notable surge in product demand within the Aerospace and Defense (A&D) sector. In the aerospace industry, we witnessed domestic commercial aviation revenue passenger kilometers surpassing prepandemic levels in most nations.

The growth in air travel led to a substantial increase in demand for new aircraft and aftermarket goods and services. Within the US defense industry, I noticed that fresh geopolitical challenges and a strong emphasis on modernizing the armed forces contributed to robust demand, especially for armaments and next-generation capabilities.

Looking ahead to 2024, it is clear that there will continue to be a significant need for A&D goods and services. Additionally, as geopolitical unrest intensifies, I predict a further rise in product demand within the defense industry.

Read the rest of EDACafe Industry Predictions for 2024 – Logic Fruit