Sustaining Moore’s Law : The Macroeconomics of US Microelectronics Industry

FEATURING UPCOMING BOOK: Sustaining Moore’s Law : The Macroeconomics of US Microelectronics Industry

Chapter 1: The Strategic importance of US Semiconductor Industry for US Economy
Chapter 2: Semiconductor Technology, Manufacturing and Applications
Chapter 3: Macroeconomic causes of failure of the US Economy

3.1 A Failure Analysis of the US Economy

3.2 The Myth of Free Trade
Chapter 4: Mitigation of Counterfeit Electronics through US Macroeconomic Policies
Chapter 5: US Economic Boom to Economic Bust

5.1 Loss of US Dominance in Global Electronics and Semiconductor Industry

5.2 Globalization of Semiconductor Manufacturing Industry
Chapter 6: Macroeconomics of US manufacturing Supply Chain

6.1  Centralized Supply Chain and unsustainable Business Model of MNCs

6.2  Decentralized Supply Chain and efficient Business Model
Chapter 7: Revival of the US semiconductor Industry

7.1 Macro-economic reforms engendering the growth of Microelectronics Industry

7.2 A Three Tier business Model for US Semiconductor Industry
Chapter 8: The Future of US Semiconductor Industry
Chapter 9: Moore’ Law for Integrated Circuits: Maintaining its Innovation and Business Impacts for the Semiconductor Industry
Chapter 10: Socio- Economic Reforms for a brilliant future of US Semiconductor Industry

10.1 Corporatocracy to Cooperatocracy

10.2 Reforms in US democracy
Chapter 11: On National Financial Matters

11.1 Should USD be restored back to Gold Standard?

11.2 Revamp of US Financial Industry

11.3 How to combat the rise of China as an industrial economic power, while the USD is being restored back to Gold Standard?

PREFACE

In 1965, the Intel co-founder Gordon Moore, in publishing his paper “Cramming more components onto integrated circuits” in  Electronics Magazine (19 April, 1965), made the observation that in the history of computing hardware the number of transistors on integrated circuits doubles approximately every two years.  This law is now used in the semiconductor industry to guide long-term planning, and to set targets for research and development.

The capabilities (processing speed, memory capacity, sensors) of many digital electronic devices have been improving at roughly exponential rates, and are thereby strongly linked to Moore’s law. This exponential technological improvement in the electronic devices has dramatically enhanced the impact of digital electronics in nearly every segment of the world economy.  Indeed, Moore’s law has characterized a driving force of technological advancements and socio-economic developments in the late 20th and early 21st centuries.

Moore’s law has had an amazing run for past several decades, with unmeasured economic impacts on US Microelectronics industry. The progress of Moore’s law has even transformed the business model of US semiconductor industry and still continues to do so. However, now the immense problems of youth unemployment, huge capital investments, unsustainable trade and budget deficits as well as manufacturing complexities constitute measures of bankruptcy of economic wisdom, which are making it difficult to sustain Moore’s law and its economic impact on US Semiconductor industry. There is hence an urgent need for new ideas to counter the menace of impending economic troubles affecting the survival of US Microelectronics industry. That is where this book comes in. It provides a solution for carving out a brilliant future of the US Microelectronics and Semiconductor industry. The suggested solutions are resilient enough to solve the economic and business problems facing this industry.

The suggested recommendations call for a radical change in the economic thinking of semiconductor industry professionals and business leaders. These recommendations are (i) challenging the stereotyped economic views, questioning the sustainability of existing modes of conducting microelectronics business, and (ii) introducing new R&D promoting ideas, business models, and economic policies for revival of the US semiconductor industry. Together, they constitute novel socio-technological and business-economic reforms towards a sustainable future of the microelectronics industry and its professionals.

In this process of exposing the reader to economic heresy, this book has also introduced a new business model for US Semiconductor industry based on what is known as Progressive Utilization Theory (PROUT). But let us remember that John Maynard Keynes was also a heretic and so was the father of Modern economics, Adam Smith. The economic orthodoxy is repeatedly failing the business of operation for US Semiconductor Industry and its ability to sustain Moore’s Law. So let heresy get a chance for continued applicability of Moore’s Law and the technological-business-economic growth of the US Semiconductor Industry towards maintaining its global leadership.

Chapter 1 highlights the strategic importance of the US Semiconductor Industry to the US economy. Chapter 2 helps the reader to understand (i) the importance of the field of Microelectronics Economics involved in manufacturing advanced semiconductor products, and (ii) the significance of retaining a global leadership in this industry. Chapter 3 provides an in-depth analysis of causes of failure of US economy based on its Macroeconomic and Trade policies. Chapter 4 deals with policies to mitigate the problems of counterfeit electronics, caused by import of semiconductor systems from China by American companies based there. Chapter 5 then provides a detail analysis of impacts of Globalization on US Semiconductor industry.

Chapter 6 evaluates the US manufacturing supply chain and its impacts on business models in US semiconductor industry. Chapter 7 offers solutions towards revival of US Microelectronics industry, and also introduces a new business model for vibrant growth of this industry. Chapter 8 forecasts the near future of US Semiconductor Industry, by taking into consideration the recent geo-political events around the world and explains the importance of a vibrant domestic economy and geo-political dangers of too much reliance of domestic economy on foreign investments.

Chapter 9 offers solutions for sustaining Moore’s law to overcome the physical and economic limits of shrinking transistor dimensions in order to maintain industry’s innovation and to benefit from the business impacts of Moore’s law.  Chapter 10 provides socio-economic reforms for a brilliant future of the US semiconductor industry. The final Chapter 11 talks about the national financial matters which would have an impact on sustainability of operation for US Microelectronics and Semiconductor industry. It educates the reader about importance circulation of currency in any economy for achieving higher standard of living for all industry professionals.

I owe my greatest intellectual debt to the supreme neohumanist Prabhat R. Sarkar, whose monumental work on Progressive Utilization Theory lies at the heart of this book’s development.  Others who have provided me a constructive criticism and advice have been Professor Ravi Batra and Professor Dhanjoo Ghista.  I am thankful to Professor Ghista for co-authoring chapters 5.1, 5.2, 6.1, 7.1 and 10.1 with me, and providing me guidance in this venture.

I should also express my gratitude to electronics.ca publications, Truth-out.org, Semiwiki, EBN, PROUT Globe, Military & Aerospace electronics magazine and EDFAS journal for publishing my articles on Macroeconomics and giving me the recognition as a Macroeconomist of Microelectronics business. Above All, I am grateful to my parents and brother who supported me in more ways that I can say.

About the Author

Apek Mulay is a senior analyst in US Semiconductor Industry, A Freelance Writer and blogger, Macro-economist and is also authoring a book on” Macro-economics of Micro-electronics Industry”. He pursued undergraduate studies in electronics engineering at the University of Mumbai in India and completed his master’s degree in EE at Texas Tech University, Lubbock. He is the sole author of the patent “Surface Imaging with Materials Identified by Colors,” and he has chaired technical sessions of the International Symposium for Testing and Failure Analysis. He is a contributor to the EDFAS international journal and has authored several articles on the US economy, economic policy analysis, Political Analysis, supply chain, trade deficits, budget deficits, the sustainable economy, reforms in democracy, reforms in Financial Industry and mass capitalism. He is USCIS approved for US permanent residency under the category of foreign nationals with extraordinary abilities in science and technologies without pursuing PhD in engineering. He contributes to recognized publications such as EBN, Semiwiki, Truth-out.org, Electronics.ca Publications, and Military & Aerospace electronics Magazine. www.apekmulay.com.

 

Sustaining Moore’s Law : The Macroeconomics of US Microelectronics Industry