But few business leaders keep up with the latest developments in this space. Multi-die technology remains a mystery to many operators. A recent poll by MIT Technology Review Insights asked business leaders about their perceptions of this design strategy and found that 62% of respondents said they were either disinterested or unaware of the technology’s capabilities. Or it turns out that they are only aware to some extent.
Some chip-dependent industries obviously need to pay attention to advances in semiconductor technology. Examples include automotive companies, artificial intelligence companies, hyperscale data processing organizations, and smart device manufacturers. But advanced semiconductors are the foundation of modern business operations, so even executives in non-technical roles should pay attention to chip design trends, including those that define the next chapter of the industry. there is.
Why Semiconductors Matter
The global semiconductor shortage that began in 2020 was directly caused by natural disasters and geopolitics, but the impact has drawn widespread attention to the fact that nearly every industry relies on chips. rice field. Aside from the pandemic-related ramifications, the silicon landscape has been in flux for some time. Emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and machine learning (AI/ML) demand higher computing efficiency and performance, putting a strain on traditional systems in recent years.
With the rise of the Internet of Things (IoT), customers have come to expect intelligence in everything from refrigerators to light bulbs. Innovators are responding accordingly. Our survey found that nearly one-third (31%) of business executives have plans to improve their existing smart products, and nearly one-third (29%) plan to It turns out that he plans to add AI/ML features. Only 9% of respondents said they do not manufacture IoT or connected devices.
However, this type of technology requires robust edge computing and on-device processing, requiring better and more efficient hardware performance. Complicating matters, the cloud data centers that are driving this computing shift are also voracious energy consumers. This is another area where traditional silicon has stagnated. Sustainability. The cost of producing excess silicon not only hurts your business, but also impacts the environment. And despite continued efforts toward net-zero carbon emissions within the semiconductor supply chain, the industry has yet to meet the emissions standards set by the 2016 United Nations Paris Agreement.
An industry shift to multi-die designs could be part of the solution to these challenges. Instead of a single monolithic chip (“system on chip”), multi-die designs are chips (chiplets or dies) linked into sophisticated packages (“system of chips”) that can be stacked in blocks in 3D. consists of a collection of Composition for increased density. Multi-die system designs can support large-scale AI/ML rollouts, improve silicon yields, and reduce waste during chip manufacturing.
When it comes to business use cases for multi-die systems, Patrick Moorhead, Founder, CEO and Chief Analyst at Moor Insights & Strategy, a global technology consulting firm, says these custom designs will soon become a key differentiator for companies looking to compete. said it could become among competitors. “Businessmen need to look at custom he silicon as more and more people look at it as a way to differentiate their offerings,” he says. “Chiplets allow small businesses with small wallets to use semiconductors to gain a unique competitive advantage.”
Gerry Talbot, Corporate Fellow of semiconductor company AMD, summarizes the business value of chiplets in a wide range of use cases for the technology. “Do not think [business leaders] The technology itself will be very exciting,” he says.
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This content was created by Insights, the custom content division of MIT Technology Review. It was not written by the editorial staff of MIT Technology Review.
