By Peter Clarke
What’s at stake:
We are at the dawning of an era of creative, generative AI that could turn out to be even more life changing than the internet. These bots, or their descendants, will be able to contribute significantly to a whole layer of professional work, from stockbroking to film- and music-making, journalism, software coding and possibly even chip design.
By Bolaji Ojo
What’s at stake:
The growing reliance of semiconductor vendors on foundries is problematic as the limited number of contractors will eventually not be able to satisfy the market’s IC needs. IDMs can help plug the gap but doing so successfully would require a complete overhaul of the current capital equipment funding system.
Foundries are the new alpha males of the semiconductor manufacturing world. The recent spate of supply deals between foundries and OEMs – at least one of which bypasses semiconductor suppliers – attest to the complete dominance of chip production by foundries and the quandary the industry is sliding into.
Read More »As Foundry Use Surges, IDM Renaissance Becomes Critical
What’s at stake:
Tesla is envy of its rivals. That makes a deposition by Tesla’s chief Autopilot software director required reading. His testimony highlights the company’s modus operandi that permits reckless beta roll outs of automation software, enabling the faulty assumption that infallible human drivers will be able to correct mistakes made by vehicles. Distancing themselves from Tesla isn’t enough. It’s time for every car manufacturer to step up and make safety a priority.
Investigations into business or political wrongdoing often lead reporters to top executives, about whom they poise the inevitable question: “What did he know, and when did he know it?”
But in the case of Tesla, there’s no reason to bother Elon Musk. The question is already asked and answered.
Read More »Tesla Deposition Exposes Disregard for Human Drivers
Cruise and Waymo are having serious problems deploying their vehicles on city streets. Consumers are watching.
What’s at stake:
If you think a faulty sensor triggered a BMW to automatically accelerate to 110mph on a U.K. country road, think again. The problem is systemic. The incident exposes the inability of many carmakers to understand the relationship among individual modules to ensure system-level safety.
By now, we hope a Sunday Times of London report, BMW cruise control ‘took over and tried to reach 110mph‘, has become required reading for every system engineer developing AI-embedded ADAS vehicles, and for consumers eager to embrace automated vehicle features. The story’s alarming subhead reads, “A motorist was sent hurtling over the limit when his car’s technology misread signs.”
Read More »BMW Fiasco: Failed Testing, Verification, Validation of AI-Driven ADAS
What machines lack is the necessary ability to successfully interact with humans on public roads.
We were ready to anoint you the Leonardo Da Vinci of our age. And then you blew it. How could it go so wrong?
By Jean-Christophe Eloy, Yole Group (in collaboration with Poshun Chiu and Ezgi Dogmus, analysts at Yole Intelligence, part of Yole Group)
What’s at stake?
Thanks to automotive electrification, the silicon carbide semiconductor market is witnessing unprecedented growth, with industry players jostling for position. Big questions we ponder are who are best positioned to lead the SiC device market and who will eventually acquire whom.
By Bolaji Ojo
What’s at stake?
A more balanced distribution of semiconductor fabs across the world does not signal the beginning of the end of globalization. True globalization entails not just production efficiency but also the creation of resilient and flexible supply chains. Achieving that goal requires distributed rather than concentrated production.
Morris Chang is no ordinary icon. In the semiconductor industry, Chang has few peers, dead or alive.
Chang has been right about so much – the fabless semiconductor manufacturing model is his most notable call – that contradicting him can be a daunting task. But contradict him we must on the topic of globalization, which he addressed recently in Arizona.
By Bolaji Ojo
What’s at stake?
Patrick Gelsinger has championed the transition of Intel into a manufacturing and foundry giant. As part of that process, he should take over as CEO of Intel Foundry Services and take charge of its future. Pending a possible spin off, Intel should name a separate CEO for the client computing, datacenter and AI, network and edge and accelerated computing systems and graphics businesses.
