PLEN-4: The Evolution and Trends of the Semiconductor Industry and Signal Processing SoC
Date: Friday, April 24, 08:30 - 09:30, Location: Plenary Hall
Presented by
Ming-Kai Tsai, Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer, MediaTek Inc.
Abstract
Since Jack Kilby demonstrated the first integrated circuit in 1958, semiconductors have evolved into one of most important enablers for today’s prevalent electronic products and applications. The semiconductor industry has gone through many transformations and has grown into a foundation upon which other technological industries now build. In this talk, we will discuss the evolution of the semiconductor industry and its recent trends, as well as how it affects today’s, and possibly tomorrow’s, signal processing applications. The most important trend is the phenomenal exponential growth of the number of transistors per unit area, i.e., the celebrated Moore’s Law. This phenomenon results in ever-growing complexity in circuit design and manufacture. In order to cope with the increased complexity, the specialist/collaborative (or vertical disintegration) model, as opposed to the traditional integrated device manufacturer (IDM) model, becomes an important trend in the semiconductor industry. One important result from this trend is the rise of the fabless business model.
Moore’s Law also has great impact upon signal processing applications because it provides an exponential increase of available computational power. It allows for increasingly complex signal processing techniques to become reality. The ever-reducing cost of computational power that accompanies Moore’s Law shifts the focus of the semiconductor industry from computing toward telecommunication, and then to massive-market consumer applications. The ever-increasing integration of circuits has moved from LSI to VLSI, and to today’s SoC (System-on-Chip), which may include analog or RF circuits, besides digital circuits. All of these integrations lead not only to many challenges, but also to many opportunities. One of the greatest challenges, as well as one of the greatest opportunities, comes from the convergence of computing, communication, mobility and multimedia. This convergence will likely lead to the next wave of killer applications that could satisfy the public’s need and desire for convenient entertainment, communication, and information.
Speaker Biography
Ming-Kai Tsai is the Chairman of the Board and Chief Executive Officer of MediaTek Inc., a leading fabless semiconductor company for wireless communications, high-definition digital TV, optical storage, and high-definition DVD products, with its headquarters in Taiwan, R.O.C. Serving under his leadership and vision since its inception in 1997, MediaTek has achieved significant growth. It is now one of the world's top-10 fabless IC companies and the only company from Taiwan, among the world top-10. It has the world's top market share in optical storage chipset, DVD player chipset, as well as in HD DTV chipset. It ranks number four in mobile handset chipset in the world. The company became publicly traded on the Taiwan Stock Exchange in 2001.
Prior to joining MediaTek, Ming-Kai Tsai was with United Microelectronics Corp (UMC) for 14 years in several managerial positions. He joined UMC as the Director of its R&D department in 1983. By 1989, he was the Executive Vice President of one of its business units, responsible for computer, communication and consumer business products. From 1994 to 1997, Mr. Tsai served as the President of UMC’s Business Unit II, responsible for memory, consumer and multimedia products.
Between 1976 and 1983, he was Design Manager of the Electronic Research & Service Organization (ERSO) at the Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI), a national leading technology research organization in Taiwan managing its Microcomputer IC Design Department.
Ming-Kai Tsai has a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from the National Taiwan University and a M.S. in Electrical Engineering from the University of Cincinnati, U.S.A.