SEMICON West 2020 will occur in a virtual format for the first time in its 50-year history, featuring world-class talent and leading technologies. Legendary inventors and futurists from around the world will help SEMI examine opportunities for the microelectronics industry to accelerate innovation over the next half century and drive improvements in the quality of human life worldwide.
 
The visionaries will highlight a multi-day online conference celebrating 50 years of the information age, July 20-23, conducted globally through both livestream discussions and on-demand presentations.
 
“This will be the deepest, most extensive online global industry event this year,” said Dave Anderson, president of SEMI Americas and host for the gathering. “As we embrace the cusp of the next industrial revolution, SEMI is gathering industry legends and future leaders for a powerful event headlined by A-list speakers and a full exhibition experience. All the content, interactions and networking opportunities of a physical show – without the associated costs and time of travel – will serve as an added bonus for all participants.”
 
According to the World Economic Forum, the value of digital transformations worldwide in the new industrial revolution is estimated at $100 trillion in the next 10 years alone. Among the many outgrowths of this disruption, artificial intelligence (AI) is widely expected to have the largest societal impact across industries, including automotive, medical, financial, agriculture and energy. Autonomous mobility, ubiquitous connectivity, novel materials and advanced manufacturing technologies will also be key drivers of innovation.
 
The conference’s keynote speakers will explore how these advances will combine to shape next industrial revolution and the new world in which we live and work:
• Environmental advocate and former US VP Al Gore will update attendees on the global challenges our industry can help solve by driving advances in the latest cutting-edge technologies, especially by increasing the energy efficiency of semiconductors and computing.
• Gary Dickerson, president and CEO of Applied Materials, will highlight the need for Sustainable AI and discuss actions that can be taken by companies throughout the semiconductor and computing value chain, both individually and collectively, to enable a better future.
• Futurist and author Steve Brown, formerly the futurist and chief evangelist for Intel, will identify six strategic technologies that will shape every business in the 2020s and present the semiconductor manufacturing industry with a roadmap for emerging stronger from the disruptions caused by COVID-19.
• Ambassador (Ret.) Nicholas Burns from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government will address the changing geopolitical landscape.
• Lea Gabrielle, special envoy of the Global Engagement Center for the U.S. State Department, will focus on strategic implications for future technologies gleaned from publicly available intelligence forecasts for the national economy.
• Predicting that the volume of global data will double every 12-18 months, Dr. John E. Kelly III, SVP and director, IBM Research, will describe an expected scale of growth that will dwarf previous eras of computing and produce “an enormous number of opportunities” for microelectronics and its wide range of markets.
• Paul Saffo, forecaster for large-scale and long-term technology change, will discuss “Chasing fire: a glimpse into our accelerating future.” He will look at how to address the gap between accelerating technologies and slower-moving cultural and institutional adaptation, which he views as the single greatest challenge facing society.
• Featuring lessons from the past half century, industry legend Tetsuro “Terry” Higashi, former chairman and CEO of Tokyo Electron, navigated TEL through some of the equipment sector’s toughest days as he built a global powerhouse, partially due to his implementation of fully integrated co-development teams in Japan and the U.S.
 
SEMI will announce additional featured speakers leading up to the event.
 
Co-located content will include the imec Technology Forum (ITF) and the SOI Consortium Forum. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with exhibitors from SEMICON Southeast Asia in a regional pavilion.

Additional sponsored pavilions will feature SMART Manufacturing, SMART MedTech, SMART Mobility, and SMART Workforce. Virtual exhibit booths throughout the detailed, interactive exhibit hall provide the opportunity to network and gather insights just like on a physical show floor – attendees can stop by SMART technology pavilions and exhibitors’ booths to view video content, download informative product information, and converse with supplier representatives.
 
Attendees can also join technical sessions, participate in one-on-one or group meetings, and interact with colleagues and industry representatives in networking areas. Recorded sessions and exhibitor booth content will remain available on demand 24/7 for weeks after the close of the SEMICON West 2020 Virtual event.