Semiconductors, Computing & AI

As the electric vehicle (EV) and battery energy storage system (BESS) industries grow, requirements for the batteries that power them become more demanding. To achieve more energy-dense batteries that aren't unsustainably expensive, faster battery development is needed, as well as more efficient management, manufacturing, and recycling methods. Artificial intelligence (AI) will play an important role in achieving these goals.

Utilizing alternatives to helium where possible could allow for a greater conservation of helium, which could prove to be necessary for the market going forward. IDTechEx reports that since 2005, there have been 4 supply shortages of helium, each resulting in high price volatility, with the price of helium having almost doubled since 2021.

Autonomous driving technologies have seemingly been on the horizon for the last decade, maybe more. Over the past four years, level 3 technologies have been certified for consumer use on public roads, hands-off/eyes-on driving has solidified as a market segment, and commercial driverless robotaxi services have become available to the public.

Friday 22 November 2024 - Mobile Robotics: Emerging applications, challenges, innovative solutions, and the latest market developments; Service Robots: Different applications experience different growth rate; Collaborative Robots: Technologies and industrial news; Sensors for Robotics: An analysis of key sensors

Advanced semiconductor packaging is experiencing significant growth due to the interplay of technological, economic, and market forces. As silicon scaling approaches its limits, advanced packaging offers a viable alternative for boosting chip performance, particularly for high-performance computing (HPC) applications like AI and data centers, which demand increased computational power and bandwidth.

As Moore's Law slows down, the semiconductor industry is seeking innovative solutions to increase performance and functionality without merely increasing transistor density. Chiplets offer a promising path forward, providing flexibility, modularity, customizability, efficiency, and cost-effectiveness in chip design and manufacturing.

The evolution of telecommunications continues with each decade, and as 5G becomes widespread, attention is shifting to the next generation: 6G. Promising next-level capabilities compared to next generation, 6G will offer data rates reaching terabits per second (Tbps), microsecond-level latency, and ultra-high level of network reliability.

As semiconductor packaging technologies evolve, advanced methods like 2.5D and 3D Cu-to-Cu hybrid bonding are essential for achieving higher performance and power efficiency. However, manufacturing these technologies to meet high performance and yield standards while fulfilling client requirements is complex.

Friday 8 November 2024 - An outline of the ongoing development of specialized AI accelerators and the impact of ARM architectures on the CPU market for HPC; Trends and developments in memory and storage technologies for AI and HPC workloads and the advanced semiconductor packaging technologies to realize next-generation solutions; Examination of the growing role of silicon photonics in high-speed interconnects for HPC and how co-packaged optics will increase bandwidths whilst reducing power consumption; Discussion of the push towards liquid cooling in data centers, driven by increasing AI workloads; Insights from IDTechEx's ten-year forecasting for the HPC market

As of 2024, single-phase direct-to-chip (D2C) cooling dominates the high-end GPU thermal management market. However, with the increasing thermal design power (TDP), two-phase D2C cooling will be required.