Semiconductor industry optimistic despite slowdown

Semiconductor industry optimistic despite slowdown

The semiconductor industry is not developing in spite of a weakened sense of crisis in 2012. "Of course no one really knows what it is. There are various forecasts. The industry is but in very good shape," the president of the industry association SEMI Europe, said Heinz Kundert, on Friday in an interview with news agency dpa. As risk factors, he cited the development of the Euro, debt and recession. However, make the continuing demand for new products courage.

As an example, he said the run on smartphones. "There is still a huge potential exists, especially when the smartphones are getting cheaper." The same applies for Tablet PCs. "Since we are only at the beginning of development. As will be many new things," Kundert said, referring to speech recognition, speed and greater capacity. Innovative but also the electronic infrastructure with trends such as the "cloud" is.

"There are virtually no products to do more to be redesigned and without sophisticated electronics," said the association manager and cited the example of the automotive industry and the electrical mobility. Not least of which benefit the environment. More and more efforts would be geared to reduce energy consumption. "All this is not possible without semiconductor technology. So we are moving in spite of fluctuations in a very positive future."

By the EU hopes Kundert more accents, those intended to promote the industry as a key strategic technology. "Just as the EU is now gathering around the €, she must also be the semiconductor industry," said Kundert. Otherwise you'll have to compete with the Chinese and Americans in the cold. There would be promoted investments extremely strong. "It needs a collective vision to put these things, otherwise we can not keep up with the rest of the world."

Kundert recalled that the construction of a major chip factory today will cost 4-6 billion dollars. In the future 450-millimeter wafers, it will even go to costs of up to 10 billion €. "That a country can not lift it alone and think you have to think European. How many fabs (factories), Europe needs or leaves everything China and the U.S." Such things must be discussed at European level. He now had the feeling that this "something moving in the right direction."

Kundert, even the semiconductor industry considers to be "systemically important". With the cycles between boom and bust in the meantime they could cope well. The recipes for the fluctuations are relatively simple: "If it goes up, must be able to deliver when it goes down, one goes into hibernation.." At the same time, this phase serves to prepare themselves with new products again on the upswing. "You must survive even times when there are no profits." For such times the war chest is there.