1.1 - Semiconductor Industry: Present & Future (Kevin Zhang)

Summary

Dr. Kevin Zong, Senior VP of Business Development at TSMC, discusses the pivotal role of semiconductors in modern economy and their exponential growth driven by AI and HPC. He highlights TSMC's innovations in transistor technology and the importance of design-technology co-optimization. Zong also addresses the future of automotive silicon technology, the impact of 3D stacking, and the potential of silicon photonics, emphasizing the semiconductor industry's bright outlook and its transformative effect on society.

Takeaways

• 🌟 Dr. Kevin Zong is a Senior Vice President of Business Development at TSMC, overseeing company-wide business strategy and customer engagement.
• 📈 The global semiconductor industry is experiencing rapid growth, with worldwide revenues projected to double by the end of the decade, largely driven by AI and HPC advancements.
• 🚀 AI's impact on the semiconductor industry is significant, with the potential to shape the growth curve and create a multi-trillion-dollar market for semiconductors.
• 🔌 The demand for energy-efficient compute is driving the adoption of advanced silicon technology, particularly in the context of AI and communication standards like Wi-Fi 7.
• 🚗 Automotive is undergoing a silicon-defined evolution, integrating advanced semiconductor technology for autonomous capabilities and software-defined features.
• 🏭 The introduction of the Pure Play Foundry model has revolutionized the semiconductor industry, allowing IC companies to focus on innovation and accelerating industry growth.
• 🔬 Transistor innovation has shifted from geometry reduction to new architectures and materials, such as the 2-nanometer Nanosheet and the potential CFET design.
• 🔍 The industry is moving towards more advanced packaging technologies like 3D stacking and co-packaged optics to meet the demands of high-performance computing.
• 📊 The scaling of transistor technology has led to an 80x increase in energy efficiency over a decade, enabling the rise of AI and its applications.
• 🌐 The economic impact of the semiconductor industry is vast, with a projected one trillion-dollar market by 2030, influencing trillions in electronics and GDP.
• 🔄 The future of semiconductors includes leveraging advanced packaging and 3D technology to increase the number of transistors and computational power for AI and other applications.

Q & A

What is Dr. Kevin Zong's current position at Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Corporation (TSMC)?

Dr. Kevin Zong currently serves as the Senior Vice President of Business Development at TSMC, where he is responsible for company-wide business strategy, including technology roadmap and customer engagement.

What was Dr. Zong's role at Intel before joining TSMC?

Before joining TSMC in 2016, Dr. Zong was the Vice President of the Technology and Manufacturing group and Director of Circuit Technology at Intel, where he was responsible for key process and design collaterals and C-def optimization for Intel products.

How many papers has Dr. Zong published in international conferences and technical journals?

Dr. Zong has published more than 80 papers at international conferences and technical journals.

What is the current worldwide semiconductor revenue, and what is the projected growth by the end of the decade?

The current worldwide semiconductor revenue is about 500 billion USD, and it is projected to double by the end of the decade.

How does Dr. Zong describe the impact of AI on the semiconductor industry?

Dr. Zong describes AI as a significant driver for the semiconductor industry, with the potential to shape the growth curve and enter an accelerated growth period, especially with the introduction of technologies like Chat GBT.

What is the significance of the Pure Play Foundry model in the semiconductor industry?

The Pure Play Foundry model, pioneered by Dr. Morris Chen, has fundamentally changed the semiconductor industry by allowing IC companies to focus on product development and innovation, accelerating the industry's overall innovation.

What is the role of the transistor in semiconductor technology and how has it evolved?

The transistor remains at the heart of semiconductor innovation. It has evolved significantly from focusing on geometry reduction to innovations in transistor architecture and the use of new materials.

What is the significance of the introduction of the EUV (Extreme Ultraviolet) technology in the context of transistor scaling?

The introduction of EUV technology at the 7-nanometer node paved the way for continued geometry scaling, allowing for more advanced and smaller transistor designs.

What is the importance of 3D stacking in the future of semiconductor technology?

3D stacking is crucial for achieving high interconnect density and chip-to-chip communication, which is essential for meeting the demands of future high-performance computing needs.

How does Dr. Zong view the future of automotive silicon technology?

Dr. Zong sees a future where automotive silicon technology will advance to include 3-nanometer processes, driven by the need for more computation power to support autonomous driving capabilities.

What is the potential economic impact of the semiconductor industry by 2030?

By 2030, the semiconductor industry could drive up to a three trillion USD electronics industry, generate 12 trillion USD in revenue, and create over 145 trillion USD in GDP, indicating a significant economic impact.