Competitive success through accelerated yield learning

摘要

Although the semiconductor industry is currently xperiencing one of the worst downturns in its his-ory, the one thing we know for sure is that this too hall pass. And when it does, IC manufacturers must be ready to respond to rapidly escalating demand for the leading-edge chips that will power our elec-tronic future. If the cycles of the past have taught us anything, it's that true leaders in this industry don't just weather the storm ― they strategically invest their way out of the downturn so that they can reap greater rewards when the inevitable upturn arrives. Today's top chipmakers are doing just that. It's evident in the continued strong capital spend-ing of IDMs like Intel, and in the aggressive expansion plans of foundries like TSMC, with its $20 billion, 10-year plan. But it's not just spending that matters. What counts are the strategic investments that will ensure future success.