The specialist in microelectronics, business strategy and technology, Josep Maria Insenser, collaborator of Atlas Tecnológico and designer of the Integrated Microelectronics and Photonics Cycle, has participated in La Hora Premium on “Microelectronics as a key enabling technology”.
Microelectronics is key, according to Insenser because “it is at the core of many essential processes in multiple industrial sectors”, such as telecommunications, industry 4.0, health, among others. At the same time, it is responsible for the digitalization and automation of the economy, while contributing to improved productivity and cost savings.
“Power in the modern world (military, economic, geopolitical) is supported by microelectronic technology”. For Insenser, the fight to control the globalized value chain of semiconductors determines the position of countries. From “night vision-enabled weapons” to artificial intelligence (AI) and other “sophisticated branches” such as aerospace systems, semiconductors lead the search for strategic autonomy and control of each country’s economy.
The microelectronics value chain is divided into two parts: design and manufacturing, but “if you are using advanced technology it is important to have an advanced manufacturing R&D center,” that is, that both design and manufacturing are balanced.
At the meeting, he addressed the systems that make the most use of microelectronic technologies, divided into four groups: “Edge” Internet of Things (Iote) devices; cyber-physical systems (CPS); personal augmentation devices; and cloud systems.
Microelectronic systems are further classified into System-on-chip (Soc) and System-In-package (Sip). Insenser has explained how their combination can generate a higher value system. He has also linked the factors of flexibility and efficiency and has The advantages and disadvantages of each have been addressed: in the case of SoC systems, for example, both the optimization of space and the existence of a single point of failure.
«AI and augmented reality will continue to act as important drivers» in the future. In Spain, the main companies in the Spanish microelectronics and photonics cluster, MaxLinear and Analog Devices, have around 350 employees, so that in the sector as a whole, Insenser estimates that the total volume is around 1,000 workers. «This figure can be multiplied by three in five years», if the investment expectations of companies such as IMEC and Broadcom are met.
Regarding the demand in our country, for those companies that offer their design services to equipment manufacturers, who want to develop their chip system, Josep Maria Insenser has established that «if companies see the advantages of this type of design, there is obviously capacity».
See the news at (Spanish version) https://atlastecnologico.com/josep-maria-insenser-at-the-premium-hour-microelectronics-employment-will-triple-in-five-years/
