Semiconductor makers are starting to question the value of their production divisions. They can't overwhelm the competition with their own in-house technology alone, and they face a worsening shortage of engineering talent. This means Japan's old do-it-all-in-house school of process engineering is breaking down, and technology is starting to flow more freely. Production technology will increasingly be transferred among players much like intellectual property is now in the design realm. The LSI makers who best figure out how to adapt to this new order, focusing with technology paranoia** on one particular production strength, will be the ones who come out on top.
展开▼