The semiconductor industry needs to focus on new business models and innovations that will help reduce the R&D spend to ensure that half of the world's population becomes PC users by 2015, according to Dirk Meyer, president and chief operating officer, AMD. | |
| Delivering the keynote address at the International VLSI (very large-scale integration) Conference and International Embedded Systems Conference, being held here from January 4-8, Meyer expressed concern over the fact that the R&D expenditure in the semiconductor industry had been outpacing the growth of semiconductor revenues. |
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| While companies, including AMD, would continue to focus on increasing the transistor density on a single processor, which signifies the speed they offer in computing and other functions, the industry needs to innovate easy ways that would bring down the R&D expenditure, he said. |
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| Terming PC as the fundamental driver of growth in the semiconductor industry, Meyer pointed out at the ongoing transition of the machine from a mere computing instrument to a media-centric devise, offering new opportunities in integration of multiple purposes and functions into a single mainstream product. |
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| Dirk also cited the hand-held devices, which are becoming entertainment-centric from mere voice-centric devices till recently, as another big opportunity for the industry. "A third of all hand-held devises in use are already media-centric," he said stating that the standalone markets for products like cameras are in real danger on account of this trend. |
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| Other consumer electronics, mainly digital television sets, are also set to use more processor technologies, according to him. |
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