Smart Manufacturing

The CxO Summit at SEMICON Europa 2025 spotlighted Europe’s ongoing efforts to build a resilient and globally competitive semiconductor industry, while calling for greater ambition, speed, and unity in execution. Following global disruptions with the automotive supply chain crisis, the European Union launched a continent-wide strategy through the EU Chips Act. While the Act has already spurred significant developments, including construction of the new ESMC fab in Dresden, Europe remains far from its goal of achieving a 20% share of global semiconductor production by 2030. The CxO Summit, part of the SEMICON Europa event in Munich, provided an opportunity for industry leaders to share ideas about how to catalyze the next phase of the European industry’s growth.Ajit Manocha, President and CEO of SEMI opened the summit by describing today’s industry landscape with one word: “unprecedented.” Manocha said, “The global growth of the industry is unprecedented, with 107 new fabs set to come online by 2028, but the uncertainties are unprecedented, from geopolitics to the talent shortage to environmental concerns. So we need unprecedented solutions.” Ajit Manocha, President and CEO, SEMILaith Altimime, President of SEMI Europe echoed the mood of uncertainty, describing Europe as caught “in a perfect storm.” Altimime said, “As we face a combination of internal challenges and intensifying external competition, collaboration is not optional — it is mission critical.” Laith Altimime, President, SEMI EuropePierre Chastenet, Head of the Unit for Microelectronics and Photonics, European Commission, highlighted the tangible progress made under the EU Chips Act. “We now have a proper toolbox to handle a future crisis in the supply chain. The Chips for Europe initiative has led to the creation of five pilot lines for advanced technologies such as FD-SOI and wide bandgap semiconductors.” Chastenet added, “Europe must now capitalize on its strengths, from materials and equipment to design tools and cutting-edge research emerging from our RTOs.”Pierre Chastanet, Head of the Unit for Microelectronics and Photonics, European CommissionEchoing the call for action, Oliver Schenk, Member of the European Parliament, urged stronger regional unity. “Europe must act together, act faster, and act with much bigger ambition,” Schenk said, reinforcing the need for cross-border commitment to strengthen the continent’s semiconductor position.Oliver Schenk, Member of the European Parliament, European ParliamentHighlighting Europe’s most critical technology gap, Luc Van den hove, President and CEO of imec, unveiled plans for a new advanced fab backed by €2.5 billion in investment from the EU, the Flemish government, and ASML. Van den hove urged Europe to commit wholeheartedly to advanced technologies: “We must be more ambitious, and focus on disruptive breakthroughs rather than incremental change if we want to ensure a prosperous future.”Luc Van den hove, President CEO, imecAt the CxO Summit, CEA-Leti and ASML signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to deepen their collaboration and accelerate innovation in mainstream semiconductor technologies. Building on promising results in hybrid bonding, the partnership will now target 'More-than-Moore' innovations, including heterogeneous integration and novel substrates like SiC and GaN. “We aim to combine ASML’s world-class lithography expertise with CEA-Leti’s system-level innovation,” said Sébastien Dauvé, CEO of CEA-Leti. The collaboration is set to strengthen Europe’s ecosystem by shortening the path from early research to industrial impact.Left: Anne Hidma, Senior Vice President EUR US, ASML; Right: Sébastien Dauvé, CEO, CEA-LetiTurning to Europe’s industrial base, Christian Senger, CEO of Volkswagen Autonomous Mobility, emphasized the need to shift from risk-aversion to opportunity. While the region’s automotive sector faces intense global competition, particularly from China, Senger highlighted that Europe has the potential to lead in new mobility markets. “The market for autonomous roboshuttles for people transport in large cities is forecast to be worth €400 billion in the US and Europe alone,” he said. With American firms like Waymo and Uber leading the robotaxi space, Senger stressed that Europe must “act swiftly to create an environment that supports an autonomous mobility industry here.”Christian Senger, Member of the Board for Fully Autonomous Mobility and Transport CEO of ADMT GmbH, VolkswagenEurope’s Potential to Create Advanced TechnologyOne of these RTOs, CEA-Leti, is responsible for the FAMES pilot line for FD-SOI technology. Sébastien Dauvé, CEO of CEA-Leti, agreed with Pierre Chastenet that the pilot lines show great promise. He said, “FD-SOI is a big trend in semiconductors, because it enables very low power consumption in embedded devices. We think that adoption of the technology will grow in the coming years, and that is good, because most of the technology is produced in Europe.”Sébastien Dauvé, CEO, CEA-LetiEurope is also widely recognized to be the leading global voice on sustainability – a huge issue of concern to the semiconductor industry. Henri Berthe, President of the Semiconductor and Battery Segment at Scheider Electric, told the summit that 500 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year are attributable to the semiconductor industry – “more than the whole of Mexico emits!” he said. “We need to make fabs more efficient, and that is why Schneider Electric has launched a new playbook with Applied Materials for sustainable energy abundance for the industry.”Henri Berthe, President of the Semiconductor Segment, Schneider ElectricAnother aspect of Europe’s playbook is support for new fabs. The flagship is ESMC, the joint venture between TSMC, NXP Semiconductors, Bosch, and Infineon. Christian Koitzsch, president and managing director of ESMC, reported to the summit that the project to build in Dresden a 12nm FinFET foundry and a 28nm CMOS line, requiring a total investment of €10bn, is on schedule. “We are now developing local supply chains, hosting a series of ESMC Supplier Days which are open not only to German but generally to European suppliers,” said Koitzsch.Christian Koitzsch, President and Managing Director, European Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (ESMC)As Manfred Horstmann, General Manager and Senior Vice President of Global Foundries, pointed out, the building of the ESMC fab means that Dresden is established as the center of a cluster of semiconductor industry companies. “Global Foundries has its Fab 1 and a mask center in Dresden. In fact, one-third of the chips produced throughout the whole of Europe now comes from Dresden.”Manfred Horstmann, General Manager and Senior Vice President, GlobalFoundriesAn example of ambition was given by Terence Gan, Executive Director of the Institute of Microelectronics of Singapore. Gan told the summit how Singapore has used pilot lines to stimulate research and development in new technologies. He said: “We started research into advanced packaging as long ago as 2011. Most people thought we were mad! But today, there is strong demand for our advanced packaging capabilities because of the rise of AI and its need for high-performance computing.”Terence Gan, Executive Director, Institute of MicroelectronicsBreaking Barriers to ProgressDespite momentum, bureaucratic inefficiencies continue to hamper progress. Narjiss Haddaoui, Managing Director of European Economics called for faster decision-making: “In global competition, speed is a decisive factor. To act fast enough, the EU must change its ‘software’ - the processes by which it considers and makes decisions.” Narjiss Haddaoui, Managing Director, European economicsThe stifling character of European bureaucracy is reflected in the region’s approach to building fabs. Herbert Blaschitz, Executive Vice President of Advanced Technology Facilities at Exyte, compared fab construction timelines: 20 months in Taiwan, 34 in Europe, and 38 in the U.S., attributing delays in Europe to paperwork bottlenecks.Herbert Blaschitz, Executive VP of Advanced Technology Facilities, ExyteFabio Gualandris, President for Quality, Manufacturing and Technology at STMicroelectronics raised another concern — 100% of raw materials used in European fabs come from outside the region. Christophe Frey, Vice-President for EU Engagements at Arm France, added that geopolitical tensions are clouding the path forward: “We are a bit lost in the smoke from the big fire in the world’s semiconductor industry.” Fabio Gualandris, President Quality, Manufacturing Technology, STMicroelectronics Christophe Frey, Vice-President of EU Engagements, Arm FrancePlaybooks For Future SuccessSo amid the uncertainty and global tension, what lessons can the industry learn from successful regional examples? Tuomas Korpela, Business Development Senior Manager at Nokia, credited Finland’s strategic procurement and policy tools with enabling a vibrant semiconductor ecosystem: “Finland creates demand for advanced chips using industrial policy tools, alongside strategic procurement in sectors such as defense and aerospace, and connectivity.” Tuomas Korpela, Business Development Senior Manager - Corporate Development Organization, NokiaAt a regional level, Joerg Schulze, Director of the Bavarian Chips Alliance, said that his organization was supported by the Bavarian State Ministry of Economic Affairs, as well as by companies and universities. “We help semiconductor companies to establish themselves and grow here through help with site searches, networking and contacts, funding and support, and talent acquisition,” said Schulze.Joerg Schulze, Spokesperson for the Bavarian Chips Alliance, Director of the Fraunhofer IISB, Bayern Innovativ GmbHCompanies in the European semiconductor supply chain also provided the summit with their insights into the roots of global success. André Grede, Chief Technology Officer of Comet, described how his company’s strategy is not to wait for customers to tell it what they need, but to be “ahead of the curve.” Grede said: “Is staying in sync with the customer enough? Not for us - we are deeply embedded with our customers, and constantly looking to broaden our relevance to them.”André Grede, CTO, CometChristophe Maleville, Chief Technology Officer of Soitec, provided a real-world example of how this is done. He said: “Our engineered substrates using RF-SOI technology reduce the drain on a mobile phone’s battery power, and cut our customers’ board footprint thanks to RF front end integration. As a result, our products are now in 100% of 5G smartphones.”Christophe Maleville, CTO, SoitecAnne Hidma, Senior Vice-President for Europe and the US at ASML, shared the company’s success formula: “The reasons for ASML’s success include customer focus – decide which markets you are going to be in, and which you are not. We are also all-in on innovation. We nurture an ecosystem, which for us includes imec and CEA-Leti, as well as partnerships with academia. And lastly, we have a strong supply base, which is a core strength of Europe.” In a time marked by both uncertainty and opportunity, the example of ASML shows how the European semiconductor supply chain can survive and thrive.Anne Hidma, Senior Vice President EUR US, ASMLEurope’s Path ForwardThe CxO Summit made one thing clear: Europe has world-class innovation, policy momentum, and industrial commitment. What’s needed now is faster execution, deeper collaboration, and the courage to invest in the technologies of tomorrow. As the industry heads toward the $1 trillion milestone, the decisions made today will shape Europe’s place in the semiconductor world for decades to come.On behalf of SEMI, the SEMI Europe team would like to express appreciation to the industry leaders for sharing their visions and readiness to collaborate during the CxO Summit.SEMI ContactLaith Altimime, President SEMI [email protected]

The semiconductor industry continues to push the envelope to meet demands of key applications such as advanced computing, consumer electronics, and defense, as well as environmental sustainability. There remain several critical challenges that our industry is working diligently to address, but how can these issues be tackled more effectively and at a pace that can keep up with this ever-evolving landscape?SEMI sat down with Supika Mashiro, Advisor at Tokyo Electron, where she shares her perspective on the importance of strengthening industry collaboration and what SEMI is doing through its first-ever SEMI Global Standards Summit – “Innovating Tomorrow: Standards for Future Factories” – of which she chairs the Planning Committee responsible for organizing this Summit.Trio: What is the SEMI Global Standards Summit and why is this event timely?Mashiro-san: Topics such as advanced packaging, cybersecurity, as well as supply chain and materials innovation (and their impact to the environment) are considered strategic areas requiring more industry collaboration. Many of these areas also greatly benefit from standards, and the next generation specifications and guidelines will need to be engineered to meet the technical challenges we face today and in the future. The magnitude of these standardization efforts will require engagement from all stakeholders in the design-to-manufacturing value chain as well as multiple Standards Developing Organizations (SDOs) coordinating and collaborating with each other.This is the driving force behind the Summit, and the need to bring together industry stakeholders to identify standards-critical areas and align on developing an industry standardization strategy for the next 3- and 7-year time horizons. We are excited to host this inaugural event on December 12, 2024, in conjunction with SEMICON Japan 2024. Trio: What is the focus of the Summit?Mashiro-san: The Global Standards Summit will cover three main themes: Smart Manufacturing for Future Factories, Packaging Architectures Materials, Environmental Sustainability.Factories are increasing their use of digital twins, predictive maintenance, and AI/ML to improve productivity and yield across the entire manufacturing environment. To take full advantage of these approaches, factories must reduce cybersecurity risks and secure the transfer of “smart” data across the entire supply chain while protecting IP. There is a need for standards to address these risk areas, as well as help diverse advanced analytics systems interoperate to assist personnel in increasing factory productivity. In the Smart Manufacturing for Future Factories session, we will be focusing on autonomous fabs, cybersecurity, and flow-oriented manufacturing.Similarly, packaging technologies have been progressing since the early stages of semiconductor device development more than 70 years ago. More recently, where packaging occurs in the semiconductor process has evolved, and some of the packaging processes are now done as an extension of front-end manufacturing. Moving forward, packaging architecture and materials are becoming increasingly important, driven by the adoption of heterogenous integration to address demands for more complex functionality and reduced power consumption as well as enabling chiplet integration. In the Packaging Architecture Materials session, we will discuss what kind of standardization our industry requires for copper-copper (Cu-Cu) direct interconnection, hybrid bonding, and panel-level packaging. We will also explore glass substrates as well as standards needed to enable semiconductor assembly and test automation.Our third session recognizes that the semiconductor industry is heading into an era of NetZero, in which quantification of environmental performance can have meaningful financial impact. The methods of measuring and accounting the environmental impact such as carbon emissions and the presence of substances of concern in manufacturing and products are not uniformly consistent across the industry. In order for the semiconductor industry to better navigate and make a positive impact in this arena, a consistent set of standards will be crucial. In the Environmental Sustainability session, thought leaders will present on communicating substance of concern (SOC), reporting of process emissions from factories, as well as lifecycle assessment of materials and substances used in semiconductor manufacturing, including equipment.Last but not the least, we will feature a panel session where we will explore all of these topics in a discussion with our panelists.Trio: Who should attend the Summit and why?Mashiro-san: The Summit is intended for leaders who are interested in these standardization topics to come and engage. Attendees will hear and learn about the issues critical to the future advancements of semiconductor manufacturing, what’s happening to address them, as well as new standards development. Attendee engagement is critical as we want our participants to influence and be able to contribute to the direction of standards development by providing valuable insights to help optimize future factories. To facilitate industry collaboration, we have organized networking events with other stakeholders from suppliers and solutions providers to end customers. The Summit is just one of many compelling reasons for industry stakeholders and thought leaders to come to SEMICON Japan. There are several sessions on many related topics that we are covering in the Global Standards Summit. Ultimately, at the conclusion of the Summit, we expect to have identified lists of critical standards areas, and we would like for those leaders to be able to assign and dedicate resources to these standardization efforts.For more information about the inaugural SEMI Global Standards Summit, please visit the SEMICON Japan 2024 site and register today!Supika Mashiro works as an Advisor for Strategic Planning of Industry Initiative Group at Tokyo Electron Limited.She has been involved in Factory Integration (FI) IFT of IRDS since its inauguration in 2016 and a co-chair since 2017. Her area of interest and involvement encompasses “smart” technology applications in manufacturing equipment, its co-optimization with Fab operation as well as ESH/S (Environment, Safety, and Health/ Sustainability) road-mapping and related industry standard development. For the latter, she has taken a couple of leadership roles in SEMI Standards Program as well as IEC TC/44.Paul Trio is Director of the SEMI Standards program.

SEMI has guided a proof-of-concept (POC) project since 2018 at Cornell University. Funded by the Army Research Labs to demonstrate an AI model that predicts the precise patterned features on the chip – the tinier and more precise the features, the higher the chip performance.

For the semiconductor industry to flourish, all chip ecosystems must embrace closer ties, greater openness, and more flexibility to co-innovate solutions in today’s rapidly unfolding global digital transformation.

The microelectronics industry works to make the most of the current boom and to manage crises and opportunities around the chip and talent shortage, data explosion, compliance requirements, digital innovation, environmental sustainability, remote work, and other pressing issues.

SEMICON Europa, SEMICON West, SEMICON Japan, & SEMICON Taiwan welcome back exhibitors and visitors to show floors starting in mid-November as four of SEMI’s seven flagship events gather visionaries and industry leaders to explore the latest semiconductor trends and innovations by the end of 2021.

Dr. Mousumi Bhat, senior director of External Manufacturing at Micron Technology and first female member of the SEMI Southeast Asia Regional Advisory Board, discusses her passion for sustainable business practices and her work driving the transformation of Micron’s manufacturing plant in Singapore.

For the second straight year, SEMICON China, among the world’s largest and most influential semiconductor industry events, was the first local tradeshow of its scale held in-person, reflecting China’s rising prominence in the semiconductor industry. After securing approval from the Chinese government to hold large events, SEMI staged SEMICON China 2020 and 2021 with advanced protections against COVID-19 in place. There were no reported infections at either event. Highlights from SEMICON China 2021: Large Scale: Attendance of over 92,000, including more than 66,000 visitors and 25,000 exhibitors. Expo hall totaled 84,500 square meters with about 1,100 exhibiting companies and over 4,000 booths. World-Class Thought Leaders: Strong industry support from key foundries, OSATs, equipment and materials suppliers. Keynote speeches featured world-class industry leaders and head of China’s IC industry fund and global investment consulting agency, who explored the latest global business, technology and market trends and hot domestic investment topics. Concurrent Forums: Forums included SIIP China: SEMI Innovation Investment; Smart Manufacturing; Advanced Manufacturing; Advanced Packaging; Memory; Power Compound Semiconductor; China Display Conference; the all-new Advanced Materials Forum; and China Semiconductor Technology International Conference (CSTIC). Rich Digital Content: SEMICON China’s digital platform provided a rich array of content to attendees around the world including the Grand Opening Keynote and CSTIC, which were broadcast live online. Workforce Development: SEMI China worked closely with industry and government partners to promote SEMI Workforce Development programs to help attract and retain talent for China’s semiconductor industry. SEMICON China again featured the SEMI Workforce Pavilion and SEMI Workforce CXO Talent Forum. Outstanding COVID-19 Protective Measures: SEMICON China deployed advanced testing and monitoring equipment and implemented strict COVID-19 preventative measures to ensure a safe environment for all attendees to network and conduct business. Looking Ahead With the resounding success of SEMICON China 2021, optimism is growing that more physical events will be held with travel restrictions set to ease later this year. The more than 2,500 SEMI members around the world are eager to again network and collaborate face-to-face with customers, suppliers and partners to solve challenges in the microelectronics industry and drive semiconductor innovation that continues to transform how we work and live. That very innovation made many businesses more resilient as the virus spread and enabled people worldwide to work, learn, and shop from home. As SEMI starts to stage other events in-person, we will put in place advanced protective measures against COVID-19 to ensure the safety and well-being of all attendees. As the vaccination roll-out continues worldwide and new COVID-19 strains emerge, SEMI’s flagship SEMICON events are evolving in several ways, most notably with a larger digital presence. In this new era, we offer an international platform for SEMI members and partners across the microelectronics supply chain to collaborate, discuss industry trends, solve common challenges, network, and accelerate business growth through physical, virtual, and hybrid formats. Hybrid events – on-site exhibitions and conferences featuring a digital presence – allow the face-to-face connections so important to the semiconductor industry but also improve the attendee experience by offering an online option with the following benefits: More international accessibility to content live or on-demand Robust interactivity with live-streamed events, allowing more people to participate Greater cost effectiveness to enable companies and people under tight budgets to take advantage of world-class content, including keynote presentations, panel discussions, and technical sessions. In a recent survey of advanced manufacturing businesses, Informa Markets, a multinational publishing, business intelligence, and exhibitions group, found that 93% of respondents are likely to return to in-person events between August and December 2021, signaling a widespread eagerness for the return of live events and face-to-face connections. SEMICONs Scheduled for 2021 In a normal year, each of the seven regions where SEMI operates stages a SEMICON, with the exhibitions spread throughout the year. With the world continuing to combat COVID-19, more SEMICONs have been moved to the second half of 2021 – most of them with a hybrid format so exhibitors and attendees can take advantage of the increasing popularity of online events. After last year’s disruptions to the SEMICON schedule – and with more experience in the new normal – SEMI is excited to welcome the businesses and peers who couldn’t attend the 2020 events back to the in-person and hybrid shows. Innovation never sleeps. And SEMI will continue to evolve its events to help you form the partnerships and make the connections vital to the growth of your company and the industry. For more information about regional SEMICONs, please visit the SEMI events page. About the Author David Ghodsizadeh is the Director of Global Product Marketing at SEMI, where he develops customer-centric strategies to market SEMI Membership, Market Data, Expositions, Smart Initiatives, and Technology Communities to members, partners, and industry peers. Connect with David on LinkedIn.

The turn of the New Year means new opportunities for the microelectronic industry as SEMI continues to focus on a top priority for companies across the microelectronics design and manufacturing supply chain and SEMI members – supporting the development of the talent pipeline. Regardless of a member company’s role within microelectronics, ensuring a continued, robust flow of qualified talent for what is a cross-cutting, foundational industry sector is of high strategic importance. Skilled workers are essential to advances in areas such as artificial intelligence (AI), smart manufacturing, medtech, transportation and communications. In order to satisfy the world’s insatiable appetite for technology, we need a qualified workforce that can design and manufacture cutting-edge microelectronic devices. Launched in 2019 by SEMI’s Government Programs Office, SEMI Works™ is a holistic approach to developing and maintaining the talent pipeline. 2020 focused on building the all-important infrastructure, engaging member companies to identify required skills and developing a Unified Competency Model to catalog these workforce requirements. SEMI Works™ accomplished several firsts for the microelectronics industry: First dynamic, data informed workforce training standard adopted and published by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment Training Administration (USDOL-ETA) First SEMI Certified college program for technicians First Industry Approved Apprenticeship Program for Technicians, adopted and endorsed by the U.S. Department of Labor Member inputs anchor the SEMI Works™ portal, which enables connections among talent, employers and training/education providers. The portal’s initial phase of development is on track for completion in the first quarter of this year, marking the point when it will begin to be populated with specific job information, individual (talent) profiles and applicable training courses. Once SEMI Works™ is fully operational, it will be optimized to further support talent development and acquisition, providing a comprehensive platform for learning management, e-learning and career advancement. Throughout 2021 SEMI will be engaging members, training providers and job seekers to ensure the portal’s capabilities and user interface meets their needs. We’ll also move forward with several other SEMI Work’s programs including the Curated Content Initiative, which will enable SEMI members to identify non-proprietary courses, a SEMI member job board and an interactive career map to help job seekers plan their future in the industry. The microelectronics industry will only fulfill its tremendous promise for innovation and growth with the right talent. SEMI looks forward to working with members in 2021 to expand SEMI Works™ and help lay the groundwork for the next wave of technology advances. Mike Russo is vice president of Industry Advancement and Government Programs at SEMI.

While Artificial Intelligence (AI) emerged in the 1950s, only in recent years have AI applications proliferated with the explosion of data and continuing improvements in Moore’s law that have driven rising processing speeds. Voice assistants, image analysis software, search engines, and speech and facial recognition systems were among the first applications to use AI. Today, adoption has spread to sectors such as agriculture, cybersecurity, healthcare, software development, e-government and the intelligent enterprise to generate jobs and help spur economic growth. The Edge AI Opportunity and the Microelectronics IndustryAI can be embedded in hardware devices such as advanced robots, autonomous cars, drones or Internet of Things (IoT) applications. Today, according to the EU’s digital strategy, data centres and other centralized computing facilities account for the vast majority – 80% – of AI data processing and analysis, with smart connected objects such as automobiles, home appliances and manufacturing robots that bring the compute function closer to the user representing 20%. The latter, known as Edge AI applications, are powered by edge-based machine learning chipsets, not the AI chipsets designed to run cloud-based machine learning algorithms.The EU’s white paper on AI published in February 2020 anticipates that the way data are stored and processed for AI applications will change significantly over the coming five years as edge computing applications proliferate. Most AI applications need to connect with devices that collect data and manage data flows. When the applications connect with cloud infrastructures to train large volumes of data for a machine learning model, the interface devices often require hardware support. Edge AI can minimize data transport by processing data directly from local devices to accelerate data analysis and decision-making and make data transport or accelerator hardware unnecessary, critical in reducing power consumption and enhancing data security for applications such as autonomous driving. Over the past 40 years, the ICT sector has been continuously increasing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions despite efforts to shift to renewable energy. Cloud-based AI applications require an ICT infrastructure for high-performance computing and high-speed connectivity. According to MIT Technology Review, data centres’ AI workloads could account for a tenth of the world’s electricity usage by 2025. a mass update of cloud-based AI applications may significantly increase energy consumption, unlike with Edge AI. This is why the strategy for developing Edge AI is well-aligned with the EU’s Green Deal objectives. Europe aspires to play a leadership role in Edge AI to strengthen the sector’s competitiveness and protect the European digital sovereignty. Europe’s strong industrial competencies in embedded systems and microcontrollers will help the region promote development of European domestic AI solutions for emerging high-value IoT applications in industrial processes such as Industry 4.0, Connected and Automated driving (CSA), smart cities, climate action, healthcare, and national defence and security. With this strong strategic position in technology, Europe is well-positioned to invest to become the leader in the Edge AI global market.Preparing the Workforce for the Microelectronics IndustryTo design and manufacture leading Edge AI chipsets, European education providers and industry will need to work closely together to train the current and future workforces. Within the framework of the METIS project, a four-year project co-funded by the European Commission through the Erasmus+ programme, SEMI and imec deployed experts in the field to survey and interview focus groups. The survey identified the following key focus areas for workforce development: 1. True Capability of AI and Data Science With AI’s heavy dependence on data, the workforce of the future must be trained in areas of data science including data integrity to ensure quality, unbiased sourcing, collection and accurate analysis necessary to interpret huge volumes of data. Europe also needs to train the next generation of AI chip designers in data security and privacy – key challenges to the widespread deployment of Edge AI chips. 2. Climate Change, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and Social Inclusion TrainingSince the industry must be able to develop Edge AI solutions to enable the digital transformation while limiting GHG emissions, microelectronics engineers need to be schooled in climate change and understand how their work contributes to meeting the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Workplace diversity and social inclusion are also important target areas for education since Edge AI applications should serve various groups of people with different needs.3. EthicsChip industry workers must also be educated in ethical issues of AI related to the technology’s potential societal impact in the near future[1]. With AI applications capable of monitoring Internet searches based on users’ personal preferences and biases to deliver tailored advertising, news and other information, developers must recognize how the technology can influence thinking and behaviour of individuals and groups. This awareness can help developers strike a balance between supporting commercial interests and societal good so the microelectronics industry can ensure ethical implementation of AI. 4. Cross-disciplinary Skills Required for AIAI development requires a comprehensive, cross-disciplinary skill-set to be able to integrate the work of specialists from diverse educational, cultural and professional backgrounds critical to developing non-biased AI solutions. For example, in addition to technical expertise, microelectronics AI developers must be able to communicate clearly and work in close-knit teams with non-technical experts from business, law, medicine and the social sciences.What’s Next?The microelectronics industry has a tremendous opportunity to develop new chip-based solutions for AI architectures, and apply AI techniques to improve operational efficiencies of design and manufacturing. To seize this opportunity, the industry must work closely with education providers to groom the next generation of skilled workers. This tight collaboration is critical to designing and delivering specialised courses to college and university students as well as engineers now working in the chip sector. The stakes are high. By preparing workers to develop Edge AI chipsets, the microelectronics industry can help the world confront some of the greatest challenges it faces today.For more information, see SEMI Responds to European Commission White Paper on Artificial Intelligence.METIS is a Sector Skills Alliance project co-funded by the European Commission’s Erasmus+ Program and coordinated by SEMI. The four year project, launched in November 2019, will develop a Microelectronics Skills Strategy. Based on the strategy, the METIS project will design 43 training modules for 1,100 hours learning in four key areas of the microelectronics sector.We thank Patrick Blouet (STMicroelectronics) and Jeroen Geusens (imec) for their valuable contributions to this article.[1] Ethics of Artificial Intelligence and Robotics, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyDr. Yanying Li is senior manager of Collaborative Projects at SEMI Europe.Dr. Pushkar P. Apte is the strategic technology advisor for the Smart Data AI Initiative at SEMI