Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Bitcoin Mining and Other HPC Applications
Jul 28, 2021 · By Dean Freeman · 3D In Context, Blogs
3D In Context View all
Semiconductor Summer Conference Highlights: Hardware is Back Baby!
June and July have been busy months from a semiconductor conference perspective. VLSI, IITC, imec IFT America, CEA-Leti Innovation Days, MEPTEC, and SEMI’s Innovation for a Transforming World event were all held in roughly a 4-week period. It’s easy to see why a lot of folks are starting to get...
Achieving Carbon Neutral Computing
According to the Wall Street Journal, (WSJ) the Security and Exchange Commission (SEC) is proposing that public companies be required to disclose more information on what they are doing to combat climate change and the threats linked to climate change. According to the SEC, approximately 90% of companies in the...
As Semiconductor Spending Explodes,This Sure Feels Like a Super Cycle!
What a time to be in the semiconductor industry! If you’re a chip manufacturer you’re currently being blamed for the woes of the supply chain and shortages, because you failed to anticipate demand. Fortunately, billions of dollars are emerging to help increase capacity. Money is coming from all quarters and...
More Thoughts And Lessons Learned During My Career in Semiconductors
In the Spring 2020 issue of the MEPTEC Report, Herb Reiter briefly emerged from his recent retirement to pen an article and interview based on lessons learned during his 50-year-long career in semiconductors. Turns out he had a lot to say. So with Ira Feldman and Bette Cooper’s blessing, we’re...
Francoise in 3D View all
Anyone Else Excited about a Hiatus from SEMICON West in July?
People often tell me that I say out loud what everyone else is thinking. So there it is. It’s July 1, 2021, and I have to admit I’m feeling a little off. Probably because this time of year we are usually in the throes of SEMICON West preparations. Even last...
ECTC 2021: Economic Outlook Focuses on the Impact of the Pandemic
For the first time in its 71-year history, the ECTC committee veered away from strictly technical topics to include a panel discussion on market trends and the economic outlook. Moderated by SemiEngineering’s Ed Sperling, much like a relay race, the session was structured to start with the big picture story,...
Introducing the 3D InCites Podcast
Over the past month, you may have noticed a new addition to the 3D InCites platform. The 3D InCites Podcast made its debut on May 5, 2020, with a conversation with Kiterocket’s Joe Cestari, about how to successfully market a semiconductor business. The second episode featured 3D InCites bloggers, Julia...
The Role DEI Plays in Achieving a Sustainable Future
I was recently invited by IMAPS UK to give a keynote at their annual conference, MicroTech 2021. The topic was Heterogeneous Integration (HI). I agreed, provided I was allowed to give the topic a new twist. I provided the following abstract, and the committee eagerly agreed to my proposal: A...
From Different Dimensions View all
Sustainability 101: Circular Economy, Part I –What is Zero Waste?
Someone once asked me if the circular economy requires a specific type of currency. Let’s clear up some basic misconceptions. The circular economy: Has nothing to do with cryptocurrency Relates to how we extract and use materials to make products Stands in contrast to decades of growth in the linear...
The ESD Alliance: A Forum to Address Cross-Industry Issues
Members of the ESD Alliance are vital to the semiconductor industry, providing comprehensive solutions for the planning, design, and verification of complex SoCs. Their EDA, semiconductor IP, embedded software offerings, services, and solutions for 3D IC design and advanced packaging are found in most chip companies. They, in turn, rely...
Sustainability 101: Sustainability Reporting Standards and Trends
You have probably heard that what gets measured is what matters. That is the idea behind sustainability reporting. Companies that issue reports make a public statement about their past actions and future goals around environmental, social, and governance (ESG) issues. Sustainability reporting is no substitute for action, but it can...
3D InCites Launches WeChat Platform
Audiences in China have no access to social media apps like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Instagram, but they’ve completely embraced the WeChat platform. Launched in 2011 by Tencent, WeChat has grown from a messaging app to a unique social media hybrid. It forms the basis of the daily digital life...
Packaging IFTLE View all
IFTLE 491: IBM Simplifies Si Bridge Technology
Continuing our coverage of ECTC 2021, let’s take a look at the session on Heterogeneous Integration (HI) using 2.XD/3D packaging, chaired by Subash Shinde of Notre Dame and John Knickerbocker of IBM. IBM Introduces Direct Bonded HI Si Bridge Technology Though they are not manufacturing chips or packages anymore, IBM...
IFTLE 490: TSMC considers Packaging Facility in the US; EMIB Technology Advances
TSMC considers Packaging Facility in the US The Taipei Times is reporting (via Nikkei Japan) that TSMC is considering building an advanced IC packaging facility in the US. The potential US packaging plant would be equipped with the latest 3D stacking technologies. IC packaging is highly localized in Asia and...
IFTLE 489: AMAT Addresses Hybrid Bonding; DECA M-Series Continues to Develop
Let’s take a final look at some of the presentations from the 2021 IMAPS Device Packaging workshop. Applied Materials Applied Materials (AMAT) discussed “Through Silicon Vias (TSVs) and Hybrid Bonding Solutions for Heterogeneous Integration…”. AMAT notes that hybrid bonding is not a new technology but rather has been commercialized for...
IFTLE 488: Nepes Readies Commercialization of mPoP Technology
This week we’re looking at some packaging presentations from the 2021 IMAPS Device Packaging Workshop. The focus is on Nepes mPoP and Sumotomo Bakelite EMC. Nepes – Fan Out mPoP BC Kim described Nepes M-series fan-out package mPoP. mPoP is a stackable package-on-package structure used to provide an integrated solution...
SemiSisters View all
2021 3D InCites DEI Fundraiser a Success; Thank You Sponsors
We took our annual mural project online this year! Illustrator Ronna Encarnacion created this original watercolor to reflect the importance of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in creating sustainability. Proceeds from the project will be used to seed the 3D InCites DEI Fund to support technology businesses owned by women and...
How is COVID 19 Impacting the Semiconductor Industry’s Diversity and Inclusion Efforts?
A headline on CNN Business caught my eye last night: Working mothers are quitting to take care of their kids, and the US job market may never be the same. I started reading and went down a rabbit hole of related articles that revealed a few things: Unlike the recession...
SemiSister Success Story: A Woman on the Edge of 3D Technology
Severine Cheramy has devoted her career to developing 3D integration technologies and bringing them to market. She was the first person to show me what a TSV wafer looked like when I visited CEA-Leti’s cleanroom in 2009 during my Tour de France in 3D. At the time, she was a...
Diversity, Parity, Prosperity: Perspective of an Industry Veteran
“Don’t surround yourself with yourself …” Yes, from I’ve Seen All Good People. “At Japan’s Most Elite University, Just 1 in 5 Students Is a Woman.” The New York Times, 08 December 2019 “The semiconductor industry isn’t known as a standout example of diversity and inclusion. But that’s changing.” Jane...
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IFTLE 487: Yole Développement Reviews the Advanced Packaging Market
Vaibhav Trivedi of Yole Développement gave an outlook for the advanced packaging market with a focus on 3DIC. The semiconductor market...
PART 2: Lessons 7-13 Learned from Fifty Years in the Semiconductor Industry – A Memoir
In the Spring 2020 issue of the MEPTEC Report, Herb Reiter briefly emerged from his recent retirement to pen an...
12 Lessons Learned from Fifty Years in the Semiconductor Industry – A Memoir
In the Spring 2020 issue of the MEPTEC Report, Herb Reiter briefly emerged from his recent retirement to pen an...
Trends in Semiconductor Manufacturing: Wafer-Level Packaging
One of the hottest trends in semiconductor manufacturing today is wafer-level packaging (WLP). According to Allied Market Research, the global...
Sustainability 101: GHG Emissions – Definitions and Scopes
Welcome to Sustainability 101. The purpose of this blog post series is to define what we mean when we mention...
IFTLE 485: TSMC, Samsung and Sony Showcase Advanced Packaging at 2021 IEEE ISSCC
Finishing up our look at the 2021 IEEE ISSCC, Forum 5 was entitled Enabling New System Architectures with 2.5D, 3D,...
Developing Water Resilience Strategies for a Secure and Sustainable Future
Taiwan, an island dotted with scenic mountains and lakes, is facing its worst drought in decades. Not a single typhoon...
What You Need to Know About Sustainability in Semiconductors
While the global spotlight is shining on the importance of sustainability in semiconductors, the concept itself is not new. As...
Everything is Always Greener on Earth Day
In my day job in the winter, I work in the ski industry, which is working very hard on sustainability...
IFTLE 484: Massively Parallel Pick-and-Place Assembly from the X-Men
I think it was Shakespeare who reportedly penned, “Would a rose by any other name still smell as sweet?” or...
A History and Analysis of Offshoring and Reshoring the US Semiconductor Industry
Since TSMC made its announcement late in 2020 that they were potentially building a semiconductor fab in Arizona, the reshoring...
Everything’s Coming up Chiplets at the 2021 Global Business Council
Leave it to Bill Chen, ASE, to set an optimistic tone for the 2021 Global Business Council Spring Meeting. It...
Rare Earth Mining: The Dark Underside of Sustainability
Electric Vehicles (EVs) are increasing demand for Cobalt and Lithium: Two of the world’s rare earth minerals that come with...
IFTLE 483: Advanced Packaging Requirements for 5G and 6G Telecom
iNEMI recently presented a webinar by Prof. Madhavan Swaminathan who has taken over Georgia Tech’s Packaging Research Center, after Rao...
A Semiconductor Shortage, a Capex Boom, and Onshoring
The semiconductor shortage written about last month seems to have expanded, or at least the panic behind it has...
IFTLE 482: The Latest from TSMC‘s Mark Liu at IEEE ISSCC 2021
The IEEE International Solid-State Circuits Conference, – ISSCC 2021 – took place in late February. As we have suspected for...
SEMI Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: Supporting Continuity of Members’ Business Operations
The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic caught most countries and companies off guard and unprepared. Specifically, companies were caught short...
The People Who Make DBI Possible
A Conversation with the Xperi Hybrid Bonding Team In the world of heterogeneous integration, hybrid bonding — and in particular,...
Trends and Development in Heterogeneous Integration: Advancing the Smart Digital Age with System-in-Package and Chiplet Technologies
Heterogeneous integration (HI) is fast becoming a key driver of semiconductor development due to its ability to scale the number...