Semiconductors, Data Centers & AI

When the Society of Automotive Engineers released their definitions of varying levels of automation from level 0 to level 5, it became easier to define and distinguish between the many capabilities and advancements of autonomous vehicles. Supervision and functionality remain in the balance as values to prioritize for OEMs choosing to employ higher levels of automation.

AI is placed to reshape the battery supply chain over the next few years, with machine learning providing powerful tools for cell developers, materials suppliers, battery users, and even recyclers. IDTechEx Technology Analyst shares more on how valuable data can finally be used to its full effect.

Thursday 20 February 2025 - Data Center Energy Use Exceeds Sweden's Annual Consumption, Driving Demand for Sustainable Technologies; Energy consumption overview; Regional regulations and hyperscalers' actions and targets; Scope 2: Power generation technology benchmarking and cost analysis; Scope 2: Energy efficiency trend of data center IT, thermal and electrical components; Scope 3 decarbonization technologies; Market size forecast of carbon-free energy for data center and future opportunities

Quantum computing is growing closer to realizing its full potential, pipe dreams have become tangible five-year plans, and more and more players are earning their own money for the first time. Finally, time will pass quicker than many appreciate in the years ahead - don't blink and miss the quantum computing market grow up, and the chance to leverage its disruptive potential at maturity.

The market for Silicon Photonics and PICs is experiencing robust growth, driven by the surge in AI and datacom transceiver demand. IDTechEx forecasts that PIC technology will continue to dominate the high-performance transceiver market, further solidifying its position as a critical component in the modern technological landscape.

The grip of AI has continued to hold, with strong competition to develop more powerful AI models, active innovation in the semiconductor industry, and continued investment in the High-Performance Computing (HPC) data center market. Artificial Intelligence has been a hot topic, particularly since generative AI's introduction with large language models (LLMs). In today's landscape, there is an ever-growing plethora of generative AI applications, not limited to generating images, videos, code, and data.

The electronics market is vast, with integrated circuits (ICs) being the third most traded product globally, presenting significant opportunities for sustainable electronics innovation. Action is currently being undertaken by many well-known electronics manufacturers to improve the sustainability and efficiency of their products. This includes water management strategies for semiconductor manufacturing, with over 500 billion liters of water used annually by the industry.

The battery industry is facing increasing pressure to develop new chemistries and materials to keep up with rising energy density and sustainability demands. The traditional materials discovery process is both expensive and time-consuming. Machine learning methods, specifically materials informatics, could provide a necessary avenue for accelerating the battery development process.

A free collection of insights from our industry experts, sharing some of the key technology innovation trends shaping the next decade.

By 2035, IDTechEx forecasts that the continued growth of artificial intelligence will result in over 2000 TWh of energy being consumed by data centers. The expected increase in CO2 emissions from powering these new data centers creates a dual challenge for both governments with net-zero targets and tech giants with internal carbon neutrality pledges alike: how can the unprecedented rise of AI be supported without causing major harm to the environment?