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Worldwide semiconductor capital spending is projected to increase 2.9 percent in 2017, to $69.9 billion, according to Gartner, Inc. This is down from 5.1 percent growth in 2016 (see Table 1).

“The stronger growth in 2016 was fueled by Increased spending in late 2016 which can be attributed to a NAND flash shortage which was more severe in late 2016 and will persist though most of 2017. This is due to a better-than-expected market for smartphones, which is driving an upgrade of NAND spending in our latest forecast,” said David Christensen, senior research analyst at Gartner. “NAND spending increased by $3.1 billion in 2016 and several related wafer fab equipment segments showed stronger growth than our previous forecast. The thermal, track and implant segments in 2017 are expected to increase 2.5 percent, 5.6 percent and 8.4 percent, respectively.

Compared with early 2016, the semiconductor outlook has improved, particularly in memory, due to stronger pricing and a better-than-expected market for smartphones. An earlier-than-anticipated recovery in memory should lead to growth in 2017 and be slightly enhanced by changes in key applications.

Table 1: Worldwide Semiconductor Capital Spending and Equipment Spending Forecast, 2015-2020 (Millions of Dollars)

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

Semiconductor Capital Spending ($M)

 67,994.0

 69,936.6

 73,613.5

 78,355.6

 75,799.3

Growth (%)

5.1

2.9

5.3

6.4

-3.3

Wafer-Level Manufacturing Equipment ($M)

35,864.4

38,005.4

38,488.7

41,779.7

39,827.0

Growth (%)

7.9

6.0

1.3

8.6

-4.7

Wafer Fab Equipment ($M)

 34,033.2

 35,978.6

 36,241.1

 39,272.8

 37,250.4

Growth (%)

8.1

5.7

0.7

8.4

-5.1

Wafer-Level Packaging and Assembly Equipment ($M)

1,831.2

2,026.8

2,247.6

2,506.9

2,567.7

Growth (%)

3.9

10.7

10.9

11.5

2.8

Source: Gartner (January 2017)

Foundries continue to outgrow the overall semiconductor market with mobile processors from Apple, Qualcomm, MediaTek and HiSilicon as the demand driver on leading-node wafers. In particular, fast 4G migration and more-powerful processors have resulted in larger die sizes than previous-generation application processors, requiring more 28 nanometer (nm), 16/14 nm and 10 nm wafers from foundries. Nonleading technology will continue to be strong from the integrated display driver controllers and fingerprint ID chips and active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) display driver integrated circuits (ICs).

This research is produced by Gartner’s Semiconductor Manufacturing program. This research program, which is part of the overall semiconductor research group, provides a comprehensive view of the entire semiconductor industry, from manufacturing to device and application market trends. Gartner clients can see more in “Forecast Analysis: Semiconductor Capital Spending and Manufacturing Equipment, Worldwide, 4Q16 Update.”

SEMI’s Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) opened yesterday with a theme focused on new industry forces and new markets.  The annual three-day conference of C-level executives gives the year’s first strategic outlook of the global electronics manufacturing industry. Today’s keynote, economic trends, and market perspectives highlighted market and technology opportunities and marked the rising tide for 2017 investments in the semiconductor manufacturing supply chain. While Day 1 brought both insight and optimism to the more than 200 attendees, deeper discussions on technology, applications, regional opportunities, and an expert panel on mergers and acquisitions will be presented on Day 2 and Day 3 of SEMI’s business leader annual kick-off event.

Opening keynoter Gary Patton, CTO and senior VP of worldwide R&D at GLOBALFOUNDRIES, presented a wide-ranging overview of industry growth and opportunities. Referencing Thomas Friedman’s three disruptive trends:  globalization, climate change, and Moore’s Law, Patton showed 2016’s global semiconductor merger and acquisition activity exceeding a staggering $130 billion and China’s rapidly growing IC production which is forecast to reach more than 20 percent of global output in 2020.

Patton identified five areas of semiconductor growth: IoT (Internet of Things), Automotive, 5G (mobile network), AR & VR (Augmented & Virtual Reality), and Artificial Intelligence.  From 2016 to 2025, Patton forecasted that semiconductor IoT content will grow from $15 billion to $62 billion, Automotive will grow from $32 billion to $51 billion, 5G will grow from $0 to $20 billion, AR/VR will grow from $4 billion to $131 billion, and Artificial Intelligence will grow from $5 billion to $50 billion.

For these different growth areas, Patton and GLOBALFOUNDRIES see a variety of solutions, what they’re calling “the right technology for the right application.”  This includes FinFET, FD-SOI, and different technology nodes selected for specific applications.  DTCO (Design-Technology Co-Optimization), and collaboration with not just suppliers, but sub-suppliers, raw materials and components manufacturers were key tools for success with Patton calling for greater cooperation in working within SEMI’s Semiconductor Components, Instruments, and Subsystems (SCIS) Special Interest Group.

In the Economic Trends session, presenters took on macroeconomic trends and detailed industry-specific forecasts:

  • Paul Thomas, Economic Stories, long-time former chief economist at Intel, drilled down on the topic of innovation, productivity, and economic stagnation.  Thomas presented data that showed productivity growth rates are not showing the expected benefits of digitization (computers, etc.).  He discussed possible causes for the discrepancies and gave food for thought on the gaps between perceived and measured productivity gains due to digital innovations.
  • Jim Hines, Gartner, provided a recently upgraded semiconductor and electronics market.  With recent improvements in chip prices, increasing semiconductor content, and inventory replenishment 2016 IC revenue was upgraded from 0.9 percent to 1.5 percent for 2016.  2016 is now forecast to come in at $340 billion.  2017 forecasts were adjusted from 5.5 percent to 7.7 percent.  Areas for strong growth are seen to be non-optical sensors (NOS), memory, opto-electronics and automotive growth (driven by connected vehicles, automated driving, and powertrain electrification).
  • G. Dan Hutcheson, VLSI Research, forecasted semiconductor equipment revenue at $54 billion, up 10 percent in 2016 and an outlook for $58 billion, up 8 percent, in 2017. Hutcheson showed data that the industry bottomed in April 2016 and in July 2016 demand pressure shifted the industry into an upturn.  Shortages in semiconductor supply will continue to drive growth in 2017.  Cloud computing and automotive are hot spots with smartphones in China, PC replacement cycles, DRAM pricing and Flash for SSD providing further positive support.
  • Michael Corbett, Linx Consulting provided an overview of the dynamics for wafer fab materials in the semiconductor industry. Corbett noted that the market for semiconductor materials was $18.5 billion in 2015 with the top 50 suppliers accounting for $17.2 billion or 93 percent of the materials sold.  M&A has been active in materials with recent combination of Dow & DuPont (proposed), Linde and Praxair, and Air Liquide and Airgas.  Corbett identified key trends impacting WFM suppliers including a consolidating customer base while at the same time the industry finds new entrants from China.
  • Matt Gertken, BCA Research provided a more academic geopolitical outlook for 2017.  Looking through the lenses of multipolarity, mercantilism, and dirigisme, Gertken provided context for the changes in progressive and protectionist forces over time.  Showing that globalization increased almost monotonically from 1950 through 2010, it appears to have hit a trade globalization peak where globalization plateaued and, in part, set the stage for Brexit and the unexpected Trump win and related more protectionist sentiment.

The afternoon session focused on Market Perspectives, including consumer, artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), and automotive.

  • Shawn DuBravac, Consumer Tech Association, gave a summary of CES 2017 which just ended the day before.  DuBravac found three unifying trends at this year’s event:  voice, AI, and connections and computations.  It is anticipated that we are entering the era of faceless computing. The next computer interface is voice – with vocal computing replacing the traditional GUIs for robots and other emerging computing devices.
  • Prasad Sabada, Google, in his presentation on “Cloud and Moore: Disruptors for Semiconductors,” discussed two inflection points.  Tectonics shift #1:  Cloud. Tectonic Shift #2:  No more Moore’s Law.  Sabada sees the industry entering an era of accelerators – application specific devices that may leapfrog up to three Moore’s Law node generations.  Sabada called upon the semiconductor manufacturing industry for the need for speed (launch changes at the speed of software), the need for balanced system integration (innovation across the system), and the need for open innovation and collaboration.
  • Dario Gill, IBM Research, focused on “the new frontiers” of computing.  Gill talked about “Beautiful Ideas.”  He presented two:  Artificial intelligence, a beautiful idea with consensus; and Quantum Computing a beautiful idea (currently) without consensus.  He went on to show the value of artificial intelligence and the complicated and extraordinary potential for Quantum Computing.
  • Mark Bünger, Lux Research, believes the industry needs to rethink sensors, networks, and autonomy in automotive. Bünger forecast that autonomy could proceed much faster than diffusion of other car features because of its massive potential for improving utilization. It is not without disruption, though, as carmakers are worried about “losing the dashboard.”  Bünger provided several visceral examples of autonomous driving scenarios to make the case for AI moving to the IoT edge – and not relying on the Cloud.
  • Andrew Macleod, Mentor Graphics, discussed how automotive electronics are “a non-linear system of systems.”  Macleod pointed out that there have been three waves of recent progress in automotive electronics.  The first wave was globalization in 1984 when VW (and others) moved into the China market and pioneered automotive R&D decentralization and regional customization.  In the second wave came automotive drive electrification with the Toyota Prius in 1997.  The third wave was digitalization and the democratization of automotive.  The car is now becoming a consumer device and needs new design tools to manage the enormous amount of electronics complexity and permutations.

Days 2 and 3 at ISS will delve deeper into the industry ─ technology, manufacturing, public policy, and global forces, including China’s new focus on semiconductor manufacturing ─ with presentations from: AMEC, Applied Materials, Cadence Design Systems, imec, JSR, McKinsey & Company, Shanghai Huali Microelectronics (HLMC), IC Knowledge, International Business Strategies, Nikon, SanDisk, and SEMI. The Tuesday morning keynote is presented by Diane M. Bryant of Intel. Diego Olego of Philips Healthcare will offer the closing keynote on Wednesday, immediately before the ISS Panel on “The Future of M&A in the Semiconductor Industry,” with panelists from DCG Systems, FormFactor, MKS Instruments, and Stifel Nicolaus; moderated by Robert Maire, Semiconductor Advisors.

The SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) examines global economic, technology, market, business and geo-political developments influencing the global electronics manufacturing industry along with their implications for your strategic business decisions. For more than 35 years, ISS has been the premier semiconductor conference for senior executives to acquire the latest trend data, technology highlights and industry perspective to support business decisions, customer strategies and the pursuit of greater profitability.

Weisl-AndreasAndreas Weisl (38), former Vice President Europe of Korean LED manufacturer Seoul Semiconductor (SSC), has taken on the position of CEO at Seoul Semiconductor Europe GmbH based Munich, Germany, with effect from November 11, 2016.

The European headquarters has been consistently successful, establishing themselves since 2010. The global success story of SSC, which is marked by rapid growth, has been successfully implemented in Europe for many years now. SSC is among the leading companies in global markets and throughout the European LED market.

In his role as General Manager for Central and Northern Europe since 2010, and as Vice President Europe since 2014, Mr. Weisl is part of the SSC executive and is responsible for business developments in Europe. Mr Weisl has contributed significantly to the company’s success and looks back on more than eleven years of experience in the area of LEDs before coming to SSC in 2010. Previously he served as a manager, among other roles, at Osram Opto Semiconductors.

Today, SEMI updated the World Fab Forecast report revealing that 62 new Front End facilities are expected to begin operation between 2017 and 2020. The report has been the industry’s trusted data source for 24 years ─ observing and analyzing spending, capacity, and technology changes for all front-end facilities worldwide.

The 62 facilities and lines range from R&D to high-volume fabs.  Most of the newly operating facilities will be volume fabs; only seven are R&Ds or Pilot facilities.

Between 2017 and 2020, 26 facilities and lines begin operation in China, about 42 percent of the worldwide total currently tracked by SEMI.  The Americas region follows with 10 facilities, and Taiwan with 9 facilities.

Fab-Dec-2016

By product type, 32 percent are foundries, 21 percent are Memory, 11 percent LED, then Power, MEMS, Logic, Analog, and Opto, in decreasing order.

Between 2017 and 2020, the World Fab Forecast indicates that five facilities are unconfirmed, 10 are planned, 11 are announced, 26 are in construction and 10 are equipping. These numbers include facilities and lines of all probabilities, including unconfirmed projects and projects which have been announced, but may have a low probability of completion.

The projects under construction, or soon to be under construction, will be key drivers in equipment spending for this industry over the next several years — with China expected to be the key spending market.

SEMI’s World Fab Forecast provides detailed information about each of these fab projects, such as milestone dates, spending, technology node, products, and capacity information. Since the last publication in August 2016, the research team has made 249 changes on 222 facilities/lines. The report, in Excel format, tracks spending and capacities for over 1,100 facilities, using a bottoms-up approach methodology, and provides high-level summaries and graphs, with in-depth analyses of capital expenditures, capacities, technology and products by fab. The SEMI World Fab Forecast and its related Fab Database reports track any equipment needed to ramp fabs, upgrade technology nodes, and expand or change wafer size, including new equipment, used equipment, or in-house equipment, while the SEMI Worldwide Semiconductor Equipment Market Subscription (WWSEMS) data tracks only new equipment for fabs and test and assembly and packaging houses; also check out the Opto/LED Fab Forecast. Learn more about the SEMI fab databases at: www.semi.org/en/MarketInfo/FabDatabase and www.youtube.com/user/SEMImktstats.

As more smartphone manufacturers build designs using flexible display technology, shipments of flexible displays are expected to reach 139 million units in 2017, an increase of 135 percent compared to 2016. According to IHS Markit (NASDAQ: INFO), flexible displays are expected to comprise 3.8 percent of total display unit shipments in 2017.

Vivo and Xiaomi launched their first smartphones with flexible active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) displays in 2016, while many other manufacturers have plans to develop their own foldable (or bendable, dual-edge curved) smartphone designs. In particular, Apple is expected to launch its new iPhone using flexible AMOLED display in 2017, which would dramatically drive up expected demand for flexible AMOLED panels. Flexible AMOLEDs are expected to comprise 20 percent of total OLED display unit shipments in 2017.

IHS_Markit_Flexible_display_shipments_forecast

“During 2016, many smartphone manufacturers have pressured display panel makers to supply them with more flexible AMOLEDs for their new smartphone designs, however, due to limited production capacity only a few players had their orders met in quantity,” said Jerry Kang, principal analyst of display research for IHS Markit.

However, tight supply conditions are expected to change in 2017 once Samsung Display and LG Display start operating their new fabs to increase supply capacity for flexible displays, resulting in earlier availability of new smartphone entrants in the market.

“With new form factors entering the marketplace next year to entice consumers, smartphone manufacturers will find themselves locked in a fierce battle with one another as they jostle to win marketshare for their new smartphone models featuring dual-edge curved and foldable AMOLED displays,” Kang said.

According to the latest IHS Markit Flexible Display Market Tracker report, smartphones took up 76 percent of the total flexible display supply in 2016 with the remainder taken up by smartwatches. However, flexible display supply for other applications, including tablet PCs, near-eye virtual reality devices, automotive monitors and OLED TVs, is not expected to be significant until 2023.

“Consumer device manufacturers will eventually move from conventionally designed flat and rectangular form factors to the latest curved, foldable or rollable screens, but only once their product roadmap for newer, innovative devices becomes more mature,” Kang said.

The semi-annual IHS Markit Flexible Display Market Tracker covers the latest flexible display market forecast, and panel manufacturer’s strategies, technologies and patent trends.

The latest Research and Markets report, “North America Light Emitting Diode (LED) Market (2016-2022)”,  indicates that the North American LED market is expected to reach $11,702.6 Million by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 9.7% during the forecast period.

The General lighting market dominated the North America LED market in 2015, and that trend is expected to continue until 2022, thereby achieving a market value of $ 4,563.6 Million by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 9.5% during the forecast period. The Automotive market is expected to reach a market size of $1,663.5 Million by 2022.

The U.S market dominated the North America LED market in 2015 and would continue until 2022 thereby achieving a market value of $ 8,683.3 Million by 2022 growing at a CAGR of 8.8% during the forecast period. The Canada application market is expected to reach a market size of $1,755.4 Million by 2022. The Mexico market would witness the growth rate of 14.2% during 2016-2022.

High brightness LEDs (HB-LEDs) are widely used in automotive, signals and signage in the North American region. Major mobile companies such as Apple Corporation have incorporated Organic LEDs (O-LED) in their mobile phones, which will contribute to the growth of the LED market. With widespread adoption in North America, the emerging economies also have started using LEDs in various applications, which should further add to the market growth, offering tremendous opportunities for the LED market players to enter into the LED market.

Since President Obama took office in 2009, the Administration has focused on promoting innovation for the purposes of strengthening the economy, improving quality of life, and protecting the safety and security of our country.

Last week, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) announced the formation of a new working group focused on strengthening the U.S. semiconductor industry in ways that benefit the nation’s economic and security interests.

Semiconductors are essential to many aspects of modern life, from cellphones and automobiles to medical diagnostics to reconnaissance satellites and weapon systems. The semiconductor industry directly employs 250,000 workers, is the third largest source of U.S. manufactured exports, and has the highest level of investment in research and development (R&D) as a percentage of sales of any major industry. In addition, the semiconductor industry creates foundational technologies that enable innovation in virtually every sector of the U.S. economy. A loss of leadership in semiconductor innovation and manufacturing could have significant adverse impacts on the U.S. economy and even on national security.

In a world where the supply chains are global, policies being pursued by other countries are posing new challenges to the U.S. semiconductor industry. Specifically, some countries that are important in this domain are subsidizing their domestic semiconductor industry or requiring implicit transfer of technology and intellectual property in exchange for market access. Such policies could lead to overcapacity and dumping, reduce incentives for private-sector R&D in the United States, and thereby slow the pace of semiconductor innovation and realization of the economic and security benefits that such innovation could bring.

The industry may also be approaching technological and economic inflection points. Based on the currently commercialized approach to semiconductor technology, the industry may soon be unable to continue the pace of advance described by “Moore’s Law”—doubling the processing power of chips every 18–24 months—a pace that has brought with it rapid advances in the capabilities of systems that use semiconductors, opened up new applications, and thus fueled economic growth while increasing quality of life and strengthening national security. Indeed, the exponentially growing cost of designing and fabricating higher-performance chips in the conventional mold is already stifling innovation, making it more difficult for startups and new ideas from university research to create new markets—a key source of competitive advantage for America’s entrepreneurial economy.

Additional public and private investments in R&D are almost certain to be required if the past remarkable pace of improvements in price and performance of semiconductors and the benefits deriving therefrom are to continue—R&D that looks to create new technologies that can leapfrog beyond the limits of today’s technology and explore entirely new computer architectures and their integration into systems well beyond the traditional computing sphere, including automotive and other mobile applications.

The time is therefore right for a fresh look at the policy issues shaping innovation and global competition in the semiconductor industry. The new PCAST working group will identify the core challenges facing the semiconductor industry at home and abroad and identify major opportunities for sustaining U.S. leadership. Based on its findings, the working group will deliver a set of recommendations on initial actions the Federal government, industry, and academia could pursue to maintain U.S. leadership in this crucial domain.

The full working group includes the following members:

  • John Holdren (Director, OSTP; PCAST Co-Chair); Working Group Co-Chair
  • Paul Otellini (Former President and CEO, Intel); Working Group Co-Chair
  • Richard Beyer (Former Chairman and CEO, Freescale Semiconductor)
  • Wes Bush (Chairman, CEO, and President, Northrop Grumman)
  • Diana Farrell (President and CEO, JP Morgan Chase Institute)
  • John Hennessy (President Emeritus, Stanford University)
  • Paul Jacobs (Executive Chairman, Qualcomm)
  • Ajit Manocha (Former CEO, GlobalFoundries)
  • Jami Miscik (Co-CEO and Vice Chairman, Kissinger Associates; Co- Chair, President’s Intelligence Advisory Board)
  • Craig Mundie (President, Mundie and Associates; Former Senior Advisor, Microsoft; Member of PCAST)
  • Mike Splinter (Former CEO and Chairman, Applied Materials)
  • Laura Tyson (Distinguished Professor of the Graduate School, UC Berkeley; Former CEA Chair and NEC Director)

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA), representing U.S. leadership in semiconductor manufacturing, design, and research, today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $88.3 billion for the third quarter of 2016, marking the industry’s highest-ever quarterly sales and an increase of 11.5 percent compared to the previous quarter. Sales for the month of September 2016 were $29.4 billion, an increase of 3.6 percent over the September 2015 total of $28.4 billion and 4.2 percent more than the previous month’s total of $28.2 billion. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“The global semiconductor market has rebounded markedly in recent months, with September showing the clearest evidence yet of resurgent sales,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “The industry posted its highest-ever quarterly sales total, with most regional markets and semiconductor product categories contributing to the gains. Indications are positive for increased sales in the coming months, but it remains to be seen whether the global market will surpass annual sales from last year.”

Regionally, month-to-month sales increased in September across all markets: China (5.4 percent), the Americas (4.6 percent), Asia Pacific/All Other (4.2 percent), Japan (2.3 percent), and Europe (1.6 percent). Compared to the same month last year, sales in September increased in China (12.0 percent), Japan (4.2 percent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (1.7 percent), but decreased in the Americas (-2.4 percent) and Europe (-4.0 percent).

“China stood out in September, leading all regional markets with growth of 5 percent month-to-month and 12 percent year-to-year,” Neuffer said. “Standouts among semiconductor product categories included NAND flash and microprocessors, both of which posted solid month-to-month growth in September.”

September 2016

Billions

Month-to-Month Sales                               

Market

Last Month

Current Month

% Change

Americas

5.43

5.68

4.6%

Europe

2.71

2.76

1.6%

Japan

2.74

2.80

2.3%

China

8.99

9.47

5.4%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.37

8.73

4.2%

Total

28.24

29.43

4.2%

Year-to-Year Sales                          

Market

Last Year

Current Month

% Change

Americas

5.82

5.68

-2.4%

Europe

2.87

2.76

-4.0%

Japan

2.69

2.80

4.2%

China

8.45

9.47

12.0%

Asia Pacific/All Other

8.58

8.73

1.7%

Total

28.41

29.43

3.6%

Three-Month-Moving Average Sales

Market

Apr/May/Jun

Jul/Aug/Sept

% Change

Americas

4.94

5.68

15.0%

Europe

2.68

2.76

3.0%

Japan

2.53

2.80

10.8%

China

8.29

9.47

14.2%

Asia Pacific/All Other

7.97

8.73

9.5%

Total

26.41

29.43

11.5%

North America-based manufacturers of semiconductor equipment posted $1.60 billion in orders worldwide in September 2016 (three-month average basis) and a book-to-bill ratio of 1.05, according to the September Equipment Market Data Subscription (EMDS) Book-to-Bill Report published today by SEMI.  A book-to-bill of 1.05 means that $105 worth of orders were received for every $100 of product billed for the month.

SEMI reports that the three-month average of worldwide bookings in September 2016 was $1.60 billion. The bookings figure is 8.5 percent lower than the final August 2016 level of $1.75 billion, and is 3.2 percent higher than the September 2015 order level of $1.55 billion.

The three-month average of worldwide billings in September 2016 was $1.53 billion. The billings figure is 10.2 percent lower than the final August 2016 level of $1.71 billion, and is 2.6 percent higher than the September 2015 billings level of $1.50 billion.

“Semiconductor equipment bookings continue to outpace equipment billings,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI.  “Year-to-date bookings and billings data are on trend to surpass last year’s levels.”

The SEMI book-to-bill is a ratio of three-month moving averages of worldwide bookings and billings for North American-based semiconductor equipment manufacturers. Billings and bookings figures are in millions of U.S. dollars.

Billings
(3-mo. avg)

Bookings
(3-mo. avg)

Book-to-Bill
April 2016

$1,460.2

$1,595.4

1.09
May 2016

$1,601.5

$1,750.5

1.09
June 2016

$1,715.2

$1,714.3

1.00
July 2016

$1,707.9

$1,795.4

1.05
August 2016 (final)

$1,709.0

$1,753.4

1.03
September 2016 (prelim)

$1,534.4

$1,604.1

1.05

Source: SEMI (www.semi.org), October 2016

Silvaco, Inc., a provider of electronic design automation software and semiconductor IP, today announced that Dr. Jin Jang of Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea, has joined the Technical Advisory Board (TAB). Formed in early 2016, the TAB is chartered with providing guidance to Silvaco management and engineering teams on the direction of the company’s technology roadmap, and additional early insight into future technology challenges and breakthroughs. Dr. Jang, an accomplished researcher in information display development, will help the company expand its technology leadership in advanced TFT and OLED displays.

Dr. Jang serves as the Director of the Advanced Display Research Center at Kyung Hee University in Dongjak-gu, Seoul, Korea. He actively pursues display research, publishing 20 to 30 SCI-level papers each year and conducting joint research projects with researchers in the US and UK as well as sharing his research findings via international conferences and special lectures. He is credited with establishing the world’s first Department of Information Display at a major university, and is the recipient of numerous academic and industry awards including the Academic Award from the Korean Vacuum Society, the IEEE George E. Smith award, and the Sottow Owaki Prize from the Society for Information Display (SID) for outstanding contributions to the education and training of students and professionals in the field of information display. Dr. Jang was named an SID Fellow in 2006. Dr. Jang received a BS in Physics at Seoul National University and his PhD in Physics from the Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST).

“I’m pleased to join Silvaco’s technical advisory board at an exciting time of growth and technical development for the company,” said Dr Jang.  “Creating solutions to the important growing challenges in advanced display development requires close collaboration between industry and academic researchers, and I believe working with Silvaco and the advisory board will accelerate this cooperation.”

“We are honored to welcome Dr. Jang to our technology advisory board,” said David L. Dutton, CEO of Silvaco.  “He is a well-known and highly regarded leader in the information display industry. We appreciate him joining our team and look forward to working closely with him to help us continue our technical leadership in the display segment. His immense knowledge will guide us to align our technology direction to meet the future requirements in TFT and OLED display development.”