"The evolution of semiconductor electronics over this time has been so dramatic it has been more akin to a revolution," Robert Green, president and CEO at Renesas Electronics Europe tells Electronics Weekly.
"Even over the last 25 years, both memory densities and microcontroller computing power have increased almost 10,000 times.
"The incessant drive to increase computing power and speed is sometimes taken for granted.
"Looking forward, focus is placed on a greener environment and the need to reduce overall power consumption.
"Semiconductor companies are taking on the responsibility of supporting this on three levels: first, in the creation of utility infrastructures for the Smart Grid; second, in the conversion of previous electromechanical systems to intelligent, microcontroller-based systems, reducing energy consumption in the home, factory or in the car; and finally, in the design of semiconductor products themselves that have minimal current consumption.
"I am positive about the inherent long-term demand for semiconductors, needed to support the insatiable consumer appetite for more efficient, greener, smarter products in an “always connected” environment of the future.
"That doesn’t mean that the growth will be linear, of course, as we know our industry has the inherent ability to develop cycles, whether triggered by an external stimulus or not."