After all the unexpected twists and turns of last year, 2021 looks like the year to take stock and plan stronger, more resilient operations. The unexpected crises and new demand patterns of the past year have pushed players in the semiconductor and tech space to reimagine work processes and business models. With many of the effects of 2020’s challenges still present, it’s clear that the need for creative solutions and planning will be crucial for long-term success.

While 2020 wasn’t the year we expected, semiconductor companies and tech organizations worldwide have made strides in the past few months despite the fallout from COVID-19. Chip sales rebounded, a trade pact brought ASEAN countries together to help revitalize trade, and superconductors gained traction for practical usage. Before closing out the year, make sure to catch up on the latest chip news and technology updates in the final quarter of 2020!

If semiconductors are the backbone of modern technology, then semiconductor memories are the brain of the operations. In an era with a dramatic increase in the volume of digital information generated daily— from individual consumers to entire industries— the semiconductor memory market is more important than ever.

For years, semiconductor manufacturing in the U.S. remained stable. But now chip capacity growth in other regions has started to outperform American output. More semiconductors are now manufactured in Asia than anywhere else, and China is on track to become the largest semiconductor manufacturing location in the world.

In 1890, the first successful electric vehicle (EV) was created. While it was nothing more than an electrified wagon, the ingenuity of EVs sparked real interest in the possibilities of mass electric mobility.

Today, about 7.2 million electric vehicles are on the world’s roads. Thanks to technological advancements, electric vehicles are far more efficient, safe, and accessible to consumers than they were even a decade ago— and for good reason. EVs have the potential to revolutionize energy efficiency, economic growth, and environmental safety. Semiconductors have a big role to play in keeping the electric vehicle revolution on track.

Working as a project manager for an engineering team can feel a lot like being thrown into organized chaos. Technology evolves fast, customer demands are nonstop, and industry competition escalates every day. As a result, project definitions change— yet deadlines remain fixed. This stubborn unpredictability makes project management a hard job to get right.

Businesses and organizations have never been more dependent on the digital economy and the internet for growth. Cloud-based technologies have also made digital innovation much more vast and accessible to people. However, the greater the virtual infrastructure, the greater exposure to security risks businesses face. 

As we head toward the fall season, semiconductor players are finding creative ways to continue developing technology and processes while adapting to a new normal. In the past few months, we’ve seen positive sales trends, creative fiction made from machine learning, silicon-based space technology, and new commercialized chipsets. In case you’ve missed anything, here’s a rundown of the latest news and breakthroughs in the semiconductor space:

As any engineer who has spent hours mulling over a malfunctioning piece of hardware can attest, nothing lasts forever. Years ago, finding defects wasn’t so complicated. But now, more features, complex packaging, and smaller nodes in modern technology make identifying defects more difficult. As a result, some devices never make it out of the lab— and others die in the fab.

Anything relying on semiconductor technology— from mobile phones to automotives— is vulnerable to integrated circuit (IC) failures. Because detecting and diagnosing IC failures is key for successful deployments, chip engineers have their work cut out for them. Today’s electronic system failures are becoming increasingly difficult and costly to identify and fix. Having the right failure analysis (FA) resources is now crucial in deciding how chipmakers can go to market effectively and lead the competition.