TOKYO – December 10, 2024 – SEMICON Japan, the region’s premier microelectronics industry conference and exhibition, opens tomorrow at Tokyo Big Sight. With more than 1,000 exhibitors from 35 regions, the conference gathers leaders from across the microelectronics manufacturing supply chain from December 11-13. SEMICON Japan 2024 will spotlight smart semiconductor applications for automotive, Internet of Things (IoT), and more, emphasizing industry insights, trends, and innovations that are powering the next wave of digital transformation. Registration is open.

Themed Strong Together, this year’s SEMICON Japan will feature two new events, including the Advanced Design Innovation Summit (ADIS) that will detail the future of semiconductor design and verification. Additionally, the inaugural SEMI Global Standards Summit will look at future advancements of semiconductor manufacturing and industry standardization strategies focusing on three important themes: Smart Manufacturing for Future Factories, Packaging Architectures & Materials, and Environmental Sustainability.

“Japan’s focus on worldwide semiconductor industry collaboration and its critical role in the broader supply chain solidify it as a key region for innovation,” said Jim Hamajima, President of SEMI Japan. “SEMICON Japan will expand opportunities to connect with leaders across the global industry to further accelerate the pace of technological developments in growing sectors such as AI, automotive, IoT, 5G, and more. As the world becomes increasingly digital, SEMICON Japan is bringing the industry together to drive the next wave of groundbreaking technology.”

Notable speakers at the SuperTHEATER, SEMICON Japan’s biggest stage, will include:

• Akira Amari: Former Member of the House of Representatives Honorary Chairman, Diet Members Caucus for the Promotion of Semiconductor Strategy
• Tetsuro Higashi: Chairperson of the Board, Rapidus Chairman, Leading-Edge Semiconductor Technology Center 
• Jim Keller: CEO, Tenstorrent
• Makiko Eda: Managing Executive Officer, Chief Sustainability, DE&I Officer, Sumitomo 
• Dario Gil: Senior Vice President and Director of IBM Research, IBM
• Ho-Young Son: Vice President of Advanced Package Development, SK hynix 
• Terushi Shimizu: Representative Director, President and CEO, Sony Semiconductor Solutions

Concurrent Events with SEMICON Japan 

• Advanced Packaging and Chiplet Summit (APCS): This summit will include an exhibition area for technologies that support 2.5D, 3D, redistribution layers, through silicon vias, chiplets, and more. APCS will also feature networking opportunities and conference sessions led by the world’s top industry players. 
• FLEX Japan: This event will bring device and material suppliers together with vendors who provide the final products, with the goal of creating new business opportunities within the flexible device and printed electronics sectors.

Other SEMICON Japan Highlights

• Workforce Development Programs*: SEMICON Japan’s workforce development programs will include Mirai College at SEMICON*, where 51 semiconductor-related companies will gather to help attendees learn about the industry. In addition, 70 universities* from across Japan will share their latest research and provide collaboration opportunities for those in academia*. 
• Technology Pavilions: The many technology pavilions at SEMICON Japan include the Quantum Computing, Ministry of the Environment, Power Electronics, Clean Room, and SEMI Sustainability HUB pavilions. Each pavilion will feature targeted exhibitions related to their focus area. 
• Interactive Attractions: To help encourage semiconductor industry interest among the younger generation, SEMICON Japan will feature Yoichi Ochiai’s Passion Lab, an initeractive discussion led by media artist, Yoichi Ochiai. In addition, SEMICON STADIUM will allow attendees to see, touch, and experience semiconductors through sports-playing AI robots, such as AI basketball robot “CUE6” (Toyota Motor Corporation), table tennis robot “Forpheus” (Omron), baseball swing analysis using Fujitsu Human Motion Analytics (Fujitsu), and the fastest robot to solve a puzzle cube “TOKUFASTbot” (Mitsubishi Electric).

*Website (Japanese language)

SEMICON Japan 2024 Sponsors 

• Platinum: DISCO, Hightec Systems, Hitachi, SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions, and Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) 
• Gold: Advantest, Applied Materials, EBARA Corporation, JSR Corporation, KLA, Kokusai Electric, Lam Research, Nikon, TANAKA Precious Metals, and Tokyo Seimitsu Group
• Workforce Development: HORIBA, Muratec, SUMCO, and Toray Engineering Co. 
• APCS Sponsors: Advantest, DISCO, ESPEC, FUJIFILM, Lam Research, Resonac, SCREEN Semiconductor Solutions, Sony Semiconductor Solutions, Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL), Tokyo Seimitsu Group, and Yamaha

For more details, please see the SEMICON Japan 2024 Agenda-at-a-Glance. 

About SEMI 

SEMI® is the global industry association connecting over 3,000 member companies and 1.5 million professionals worldwide across the semiconductor and electronics design and manufacturing supply chain. We accelerate member collaboration on solutions to top industry challenges through Advocacy, Workforce Development, Sustainability, Supply Chain Management and other programs. Our SEMICON® expositions and events, technology communities, standards and market intelligence help advance our members’ business growth and innovations in design, devices, equipment, materials, services and software, enabling smarter, faster, more secure electronics. Visit www.semi.org, contact a regional office, and connect with SEMI on LinkedIn and X to learn more.  

Contact Information:

Association Contacts

Shuichi Sato/SEMI Japan
Phone: 81.3.3222.5757
Email: [email protected]

Sherrie Gutierrez / SEMI Corporate 
Phone: +1 831 889 3800 
Email: [email protected] 

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Innexis delivers a set of products and capabilities to address demand for shift-left software development in the IC development process

With more demanding software workloads, it is critical to facilitate the development and execution of realistic workloads early in the design phase to shorten overall development time and identify hardware and software defects earlier
Siemens Digital Industries Software announced today the Innexis product suite, a complement to its industry leading Veloce™ hardware-assisted verification and validation system.

Building on the success and rapid adoption of Veloce, Siemens’ Innexis product suite delivers a set of capabilities to address customer demand for shift-left software in the early phases of IC development. These products include a hardware/software development flow from virtual to hybrid to full RTL, an architecture native virtual platform for early high-speed software development and a simulation backplane that enables the development of digital twins in Siemens’ PAVE360™ software for software-defined vehicles and other complex systems.

“The complexity of integrated circuits (IC) is increasing exponentially, designers need more efficient methodologies to meet industry demands. Veloce has seen rapid adoption by industry leaders to help solve this critical bottleneck. The Innexis product suite extends workflow improvements from Veloce to help our customers shift left their IC development and debug cycle,” said Jean-Marie Brunet, vice president and general manager, Hardware-Assisted Verification, Siemens Digital Industries Software. “This enables IC design to begin months before final RTL, all while using a common software workload across the development process.”

Adoption of a shift-left approach for software development and IP verification processes is now mandatory. As chip designs become increasingly complex due to more demanding software workloads, it is critical to enable the development and execution of realistic workloads early in the design phase. A proactive shift-left software approach helps mitigate the risk of identifying issues late in the development cycle.

“The implementation of Innexis in our development process has significantly enhanced software and system validation performance, thereby improving the efficiency of our teams and projects. By enabling heterogeneous component modeling within virtual platforms, it allows us to create realistic high-speed models of System on Chips (SoCs),” said Ari Hautala, Principal System Architect, Nokia Mobile Networks. “Furthermore, the integration of these high-speed virtual platforms with RTL IP on Veloce emulators facilitates superior overall performance while still permitting precise cycle-accurate performance and power analysis on RTL model components. Additionally, Innexis offers exceptional visibility and debuggability for the SoC design, along with the capability to integrate and execute a large number of complex test cases effectively.”

Currently, the Innexis product suite consists of:

Innexis Developer Pro: Innexis Developer Pro software provides a connected development flow from virtual to hybrid to full RTL. This provides a comprehensive environment for accelerating the creation of complex SoC design supporting a wide range of use-cases including seamless hardware-software co-development, co-validation, and pre-silicon cycle accurate analysis and validation. Innexis Developer Pro supports the modelling of complex SoC’s with heterogeneous cores and custom SystemC model components. In addition, it provides the ability to run in both virtual plus RTL hybrid mode for high performance execution, and then at a time of interest switch to full RTL emulation enabling high accuracy analysis of the full SoC when required.

Innexis Architecture Native Acceleration (ANA): Innexis Architecture Native Acceleration software is a cloud- based high-speed virtual platform. By running natively on Arm based servers the software workloads run at much higher speeds than on typical instruction set simulation based virtual platforms. Cloud hosting also provides scalable compute resources and simple browser-based access and tools. Innexis Architecture Native Acceleration can also run on local Arm based servers if preferred. In both cases it enables early software development and testing, and early software defect identification.

Innexis Virtual System Interconnect: Innexis Virtual System Interconnect software facilitates the creation and simulation of comprehensive system level digital twin platforms by seamlessly connecting multi-behavioral virtual and physical subsystems, supporting a variety of communication protocols. Innexis Virtual System Interconnect behavioral models can include Innexis Developer Pro or Innexis Architecture Native Acceleration SoC models, supporting system-level shift-left software development and RTL verification.

To learn more about Siemens’ Innexis product suite and how it addresses the demand for shift-left software development in the integrated circuit development process, visit: www.siemens.com/innexis

About Siemens
Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens' software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today's ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries. Siemens Digital Industries Software – Accelerating transformation.

Note: A list of relevant Siemens trademarks can be found here. Other trademarks belong to their respective owners.

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Heidelberg Instruments Reports Major Orders for the VPG+ 1400 FPD Volume Pattern Generator from Leading Asian Photomask Manufacturers

Heidelberg, Germany – Heidelberg Instruments has secured two major orders for its VPG+ 1400 FPD Volume Pattern Generator from leading photomask manufacturers in Asia, with a total order value between EUR 9 million and EUR 10 million. Deliveries are scheduled for 2025.

“These significant order intakes mark major milestones for the company, reinforcing our market position and driving further innovation and growth in the display technology sector”, says Alexander Forozan, VP of Global Sales and Business Development.

The VPG+ 1400 is Heidelberg Instruments’ largest system, specifically designed for large-format photomask patterning in the flat panel display (FPD) industry. It supports mask sizes up to 1400 x 1400 mm², making it ideal for various flat panel display generations (G4 to G8). The VPG+ 1400 sets a new standard for high-throughput photomask production, offering the precision and scalability required for large displays. Additionally, it delivers the accuracy needed to produce large-area halftone photomasks for flat panel displays.

Equipped with advanced metrology and alignment features, including Cognex AI-based image recognition, the system ensures precise alignment for multilayered masks. Its linear and nonlinear coordinate corrections further enable precise overlay across tools.
By addressing the diverse exposure needs of customers, Heidelberg Instruments' large-area VPG+ Volume Pattern Generators have proven to be valuable assets in display photomask production lines.

Further information: https://heidelberg-instruments.com/product/vpg-1400-fpd/

• Read more about Heidelberg Instruments Reports Major Orders for the VPG+ 1400 FPD Volume Pattern Generator from Leading Asian Photomask Manufacturers

Innovative plug-and-play device helps conduct comprehensive equipment compliance tests for automatic carrier delivery in automated fabs

SEMICON Europa, Munich, Germany, November 12, 2024 – Agileo Automation, a leading provider of control and connectivity solutions for global semiconductor equipment manufacturers, today launches the E84 PIO Box at Booth #C2848. This handheld device offers a new lightweight interface for fab staff to test semiconductor equipment software for compliance with SEMI’s E84 and GEM300 standards suite for automatic carrier delivery. It improves the readability, identification, and validation of E84 signal exchanges and functional aspects in cleanrooms or workshops. Integrated with Agileo Automation’s Speech Scenario software that emulates the fab host and validates the SECS/GEM interface with predefined test scenarios, the E84 PIO Box can easily emulate automated carrier delivery systems such as overhead hoist transport or automated guided vehicles. It is able to detect non-compliance and other functional issues thanks to its close alignment with SEMI’s E84 standard. The device features a DB25 connector for easy integration with E84 passive systems such as a load port and connects directly to a PC via a single USB cable for both data and power supply.

“In highly automated fabs, even minor carrier delivery issues can lead to costly downtime. Our E84 PIO Box is designed to rigorously validate nominal and error cases, ensuring seamless operations and fast recovery, benefiting both equipment manufacturers and facilities alike,” explains Marc Engel, CEO of Agileo Automation. “Early adopters have seen significant improvements in overall equipment software quality and now approach each software update with greater confidence, backed by consistent testing results.”

About Agileo Automation
Since its inception in 2010 in Poitiers, France, Agileo Automation has empowered global semiconductor equipment manufacturers to optimize their production machines with control, communication, data acquisition, and testing solutions, enabling their deployment in large-scale fabs worldwide. At the heart of Industry 4.0, Agileo’s A²ECF-SEMI framework provides a robust foundation for developing equipment controller software, leveraging the SEMI SECS/GEM and GEM300 standard suites. As a member of SEMI and the OPC Foundation, Agileo is a key contributor to the development and integration of industry standards such as SEMI standards and OPC Unified Architecture (OPC-UA). For more information, please visit our web site or follow us on LinkedIn.

• Read more about Agileo Automation Launches The E84 PIO Box For The Enhanced Compliance Testing Of Semiconductor Equipment With SEMI Standards

PDF Solutions, Inc. (Nasdaq: PDFS), a leading provider of comprehensive data solutions for the semiconductor ecosystem, today announces the list of industry leaders speaking at its AI Executive Conference to be held on December 12th, 2024, in San Francisco, CA.

This event features keynotes, presentations, panels and demonstrations offering insights into the power of AI to transform semiconductor design and manufacturing. It includes talks on the state of art and best practices to design, deploy, scale and manage AI/ML solutions across the global semiconductor industry from PDF Solutions executives, other industry thought leaders, solutions experts and partners and users.

Three keynote presentations will look at how AI is currently being deployed in semiconductor manufacturing. Aziz Safa, Vice President and General Manager at Intel, will describe “How Analytics and AI are helping to transform a leading semiconductor company.” Smitha Mathews from ADI will discuss how semiconductor companies can “Get ready for AI” and the lessons learned from a real-life deployment. John Kibarian, PDF Solutions’ CEO will explain how AI is the next evolution of PDF Solutions portfolio.

Confirmed speakers include:

Aziz Safa Intel, VP and GM Analytics and Automation
Smitha Mathews Analog Devices, Senior Manager, Data & Analytics Strategy
Mike Campbell Qualcomm, Senior VP Engineering
Shyam Gooty Microsoft, Senior Director Product Engineering
Jean Philippe Fricker Cerebras, Founder and Chief System Architect
Anton Devilliers TEL, VP RnD
Jayant D’Souza Siemens, Principal Technical Product Manager
Marc Hunter Siemens, Director Product Management
Ken Butler Advantest, Senior Director Applications Marketing
Eli Roth Teradyne, Product Manager
Sunil Gandhi SAP, Sr Director Industry Executive, High Tech
Jason Schnitzer Yurts, CTO
Steve Mahoney Yurts, VP Product Management
Handel Jones International Business Strategies (IBS), founder and CEO.

PDF Solutions AI Executive Conference
Agenda and Registration:
https://go.pdf.com/AI-Conference-2024

Date: December 1‌2, 2‌0‌2‌4
Following the 70th Annual IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting.
Location: St. Regis Hotel 125 3rd St San Francisco, CA 94103

About PDF Solutions
PDF Solutions (NASDAQ: PDFS) provides comprehensive data solutions designed to empower organizations across the semiconductor ecosystem to improve the yield and quality of their products and operational efficiency for increased profitability. The Company’s products and services are used by Fortune 500 companies across the semiconductor ecosystem to achieve smart manufacturing goals by connecting and controlling equipment, collecting data generated during manufacturing and test operations, and performing advanced analytics and machine learning to enable profitable, high-volume manufacturing.

Founded in 1991, PDF Solutions is headquartered in Santa Clara, California, with operations across North America, Europe, and Asia. The Company (directly or through one or more subsidiaries) is an active member of SEMI, INEMI, TPCA, IPC, the OPC Foundation, and DMDII. For the latest news and information about PDF Solutions or to find office locations, visit https://www.pdf.com/.

• Read more about PDF Solutions announces industry leaders speaking at its AI Executive Conference on Dec 12th, 2024, in San Francisco