Tech’s Effects Are Not Always Clear. Here Are 10 Examples That Provides Clarity

Jean-Marc Chery, President, and CEO of ST Microelectronics, recently participated in a keynote moderated by the CEO of Leti during CEA-Leti Innovation Days. Chery noted the continuing growth of high tech Fully Depleted Silicon On Insulator (FD-SOI), which is a planar process technology, provides reduced silicon geometries without complicating the manufacturing process.

ST Micro is also active in the embedded AI space, especially in edge computing. The company is also involved in optical sensing technology and automotive application, especially in developing power GaNs. The next steps will include work on RF to meet 5G challenges.

AI-enhanced edge computing has been a key technology for Leti. In 2019, the institute announced an essential European AI collaboration with the Microelectronics Institute within Germany’s Fraunhofer Society. The two institutes’ work toward edge-AI systems is building up Leti’s strength in FD-SOI chip design and the expertise of both Fraunhofer and Leti in 3D packaging. There is also the likelihood that it will draw upon finFET architectural research by another EU R&D powerhouse, Belgium’s Imec.  

Such ecosystem and supply chain collaboration were important topics threaded throughout most of the keynotes at this year’s Innovation Days event. Improvements in the packaging of chips were but one example of positive results from such collaboration.

Related:What do the Experts Say About AI in 2021?

Ajit Minocha, President and CEO, SEMI, added to the panel discussion that the semiconductor industry had shown significant resiliency during the COVID-19 pandemic. Aside from semiconductors enabling the work-from-home (WFH) digital infrastructure, the industry’s supercomputing technology has helped genome sequencing.

This gallery showcases many innovations in these areas that are affecting lives in many different ways.

John Blyler is a Design News senior editor, covering the electronics and advanced manufacturing spaces. With a BS in Engineering Physics and an MS in Electrical Engineering, he has years of hardware-software-network systems experience as an editor and engineer within the advanced manufacturing, IoT and semiconductor industries. John has co-authored books related to system engineering and electronics for IEEE, Wiley, and Elsevier.