Get insights on today's labor market and educational resources for developing a strong engineering team while keeping you up to date on the latest news in the semiconductor world.
Most semiconductor engineers have a similar mission: planning, executing, delivering, and optimizing cutting-edge products. That takes meticulous and thoughtful foresight, planning, processes, and resources — all of which stem from sustained research and development (R&D) efforts.
While R&D is foundational in every chip company, recent profound shifts in the industry call for a different approach. KPMG’s 14th semiconductor outlook report found that due to challenging market conditions, R&D and innovation ranks first in strategic priority. Semiconductor companies are innovating and growing revenue in new ways without massive investments in scaling. Many are also in partnerships with suppliers, foundries, system, and fabless companies, which demands a focus on value chain coordination. Moreover, the need to push new products within the critical ramp period increases R&D costs.
Design planning has never been easy for semiconductor engineers. Between front-end and back-end engineers building functional and error-free features quickly, designers are under the same pressure to manage complex design constraints and mandates efficiently.
For automakers, everything is in flux.
Four big disruptions— automated cars, connected vehicles, electric vehicles, and shared-vehicle technology — create new mobility solutions for drivers and various industries. At the same time, this new innovation comes with a host of financial and technical issues. Additionally, the impact of Uber and Tesla pedestrian fatalities has led government agencies and engineers to rethink safety and security measures.