Processors and power electronics help to reduce the amount of energy that is consumed in many different applications and sectors. At the same time, however, semiconductor products themselves require energy to operate. With increasing digitalisation, the energy efficiency of microchips is therefore becoming more and more important. Digitalised technologies are an important building block in…
Quantum technology is promising to make fundamental changes to how we process and transfer information. Quantum processors are already available on the market. At the same time, researchers are working on combining conventional semiconductor technology and quantum systems – and thereby creating a completely new form of semiconductor electronics. The year 2022 marks a milestone…
A brief summary of the most important trends that will determine the development of the semiconductor technology of today and tomorrow. 1 Moore’s Law still applies The CMOS transistor density will continue to follow Moore’s Law over the next few years. This is primarily enabled by progress in EUV patterning and by the roll-out…
The notion of converting electronically generated information into light emissions and vice versa might initially appear somewhat abstract. However, this concept – known as optoelectronics or optronics – has long been part and parcel of our daily lives. Whether it’s lasers, screens, computers or optical storage solutions – they all rely on components that combine…
The semiconductor industry has been able to drastically reduce the price of microchips since the first semiconductor products came onto the market. However, the roll-out of ever-smaller chip patterns has put a stop to this trend, with the price per transistor now rising again. Technological advancements in the semiconductor industry have led to a drastic…
Reliability is increasingly becoming a critical factor in microchips. This is because electronics are assuming more and more functions critical to safety – whether these are in automated driving, in medical technology or in industrial production using robots. Different approaches can be used to increase the reliability of micro-electronics, however. Reliability means that the microchip performs…
In the first 40 years of chip development, it was the production technology that was above all responsible for the great progress in line with Moore’s law. Today, packaging technology is just as important for continuing to increase the number of transistors per component. The term packaging has a completely different meaning in electronics to…
For over 50 years, Moore’s Law has been applicable to the development of microchips. These are now so small that further miniaturisation hardly seems possible. But the development is far from reaching the end point. For over 50 years, the semiconductor industry has kept pace with Moore’s Law, doubling the density of transistors in an…
For a long time, Moore’s law controlled the requirements when it came to developing new microchips. But new technology trends, such as the Internet of Things and Artificial Intelligence, are posing new challenges for the semiconductor industry. At the same time, miniaturising chip patterns is increasingly coming up against its limits. Ever since semiconductor technology…
In the current discussion around the shortage of semiconductors and technology leadership in the microchip market, it might seem as if Europe has nothing to offer in the semiconductor sector. But that is not the case: across the entire continent, we have seen the formation of various clusters in recent years in which actors from…
On the one hand, semiconductor solutions help to save energy and lower emissions, but on the other, manufacturing them uses up considerable resources. Stakeholders along the entire semiconductor value chain are therefore increasing their efforts to make microchip production more sustainable. Semiconductors are a key technology when it comes to climate protection. In photovoltaic cells…
The current chip shortage has highlighted how sensitive the complex semiconductor supply chains are to disruption. Politics, the semiconductor industry and companies that require chips for their products are now taking different measures to increase the resilience of the supply chains. A boom in consumption meets a delivery bottleneck – this is how we can…
Over the past two years, the global economy has been hampered by a major shortage of semiconductor products. This has been caused by a combination of several different factors. t the start of 2021, Ford, Toyota and Nissan were amongst the first automotive manufacturers who were forced to slow down their production due to a…
The high costs required for producing high-end microchips have resulted in a clear separation of chip development and semiconductor production: the majority of semiconductor products are now produced by purely production suppliers, while most semiconductor developers no longer have their own factories. Anyone who works with microchips is sure to be familiar with Moore’s law….
Silicon continues to be the main material used for the production of microchips, even though other materials are also used. Silicon is the raw material used in a complex production process that results in the manufacturing of integrated circuits for all manner of requirements and applications. Without sand, no computer would be able to function,…
Highly specialised expertise and a huge amount of investment is required to produce state-of-the-art chips. An extremely complex and global supply chain has emerged in the semiconductor industry over the last few decades in order to cope with this situation. Processors, logic modules and communication components are now in everyday use in many devices. Barely…
Interview with Yvonne Keil, board member of Silicon Saxony and Director Global Indirect Procurement at GlobalFoundries Over the past two decades, the high-tech network Silicon Saxony has successfully established Europe’s largest micro-electronics site in the Dresden region. Globalfoundries, Infineon and Bosch are all located there, running some of the largest and most cutting-edge semiconductor factories…
Nowadays, practically every form of innovative technology is based on micro-electronics. Semiconductors are essential for most sectors of the economy and for almost all areas of life. But producing them requires more and more expertise and complex value chains. That means the world of semiconductors is very sensitive to any disruption. Oil was previously considered…
Interview with Jan-Peter Kleinhans from think tank Stiftung Neue Verantwortung Since 2020, Jan-Peter Kleinhans has led the area of Technology and Geopolitics at Stiftung Neue Verantwortung, a non-partisan, independent and not-for-profit think tank in Berlin. His focus is on analysing semiconductors as a strategic product, how resilient the global semiconductor value chain is against external…
With increasing digitalisation, the number of semiconductor products ending up in the waste is also growing. Recycling or re-using them not only helps in terms of sustainability, but is also increasingly interesting as a source of raw materials, too. According to the latest issue of the “Global E-Waste Monitor” from the United Nations, a record…
Thorsten Eyle, Director of LogOn at EBV Elektronik explains the new logistics services from EBV Elektronik and how they help to make the semiconductor supply chains more resilient. The semiconductor industry is currently struggling to cope with the huge demand for semiconductor products. Although expansion of production capacities is already being tackled, it will be…
Semiconductor industry in the throes of change – greater resilience, improved autonomy, new technologies The last few months have shone a light on the role that semiconductors play in our economy. First came the US-China trade conflict and the 2019 economic downturn, then the COVID-19 outbreak – all of this threw supply chains around the…
Even low-key, day-to-day activities can be tweaked to use energy sustainably without going to the effort of installing solar panels on the roof or driving an electric car. Future Markets Magazine gives ten best energy-saving hacks for everyone to make their own contribution to changing the way we use energy and reducing their carbon footprint….
The thirst for energy will continue to grow over the coming years. At the same time, the world has set the target of dramatically reducing CO2 emissions. This puts electricity generated from renewables front and centre in the fight against climate change. in fact, thanks to new developments and maturing technologies throughout the entire energy…
Andrej Orel from EBV explains the role semiconductors play in the energy transition and how EBV as a distributor helps companies develop solutions for this exciting market. The shift towards sustainable energy will have a significant impact on the value chains in the energy industry and will cause the market for green products and sustainable…
The technologies for generating electricity from wind power have seen major refinements over the past decades. With smart systems, new materials, and innovative concepts, they are extracting more and more energy from the wind. Wind power is one of the fastest-growing sources of sustainable energy. Over the past two decades, the amount of wind energy…
Green hydrogen will be a core element of any future energy system. It can play a significant role in achieving net zero greenhouse gas emissions in all sectors by 2050. And contribute to the system integration of fluctuating renewable energies. Hydrogen is an energy source with enormous potential. The gas has a lot of energy,…
Smart energy management is a key element for building a reliable power infrastructure based on volatile renewable energy sources. Like wind and solar. In smart grids, bidirectional converters are needed to link and balance power generation and storage/usage. And also to offer an intelligent way to harvest the synergies of fast-growing applications like Electromobility. Enhanced…
Solar energy has declined in cost by an amazing 82 per cent over the last decade. Which has made it the lowest cost option in many places around the world. Recent electricity bids for new solar have continued to break records with bids as low as 1.3¢/kWh. This trend is heartening considering the huge challenge…
Data centres are the backbone of digital transformation. But they consume lots of power. However, with the right concepts and technologies, their energy efficiency can be significantly improved. Streaming, chatting, posting – it all takes power. Every click causes carbon emissions. “Digitalisation means more data, more computing capacity, more data centres,” says E.ON executive board…
The last decade was the warmest worldwide since records began. This is an urgent reminder of just how important the targets of the Paris Agreement on climate change are for keeping global warming well below two degrees Celsius. In particular, the energy landscape needs to change and reduce its CO2 emissions for targets to be…
High-voltage direct-current (HVDC) technology enables electricity to be transported over long distances with low losses. This makes it a key technology for adapting transmission grids to deal with the increasing number of renewable energy sources. Power grids have an essential role to play in achieving carbon-neutrality. In a decentralised, renewable energy system, these grids connect…
Devices for the Internet of Things require only a small amount of energy. Which can be efficiently produced from our direct surroundings. With the enormous number of IoT devices, the energy potential of these energy harvesting technologies will soon total several hundred terawatt hours. Around 30 to 70 billion devices constituted the Internet of Things…
Solar and wind farms, tidal and geothermal power plants. All of these derive energy from sources that had been untouched since the dawn of time. This raises an interesting question. How much of these energy streams can people use for their own purposes without upsetting the Earth’s energy system? Is there endless sustainable energy? A…
Climate neutrality cannot be achieved by expanding the use of renewable energy sources alone. They must be complemented by technologies. They should capture CO2 from exhaust gases or the atmosphere, store it and, in the best case, even utilise it. More and more governments and organisations have committed to the goal of climate neutrality. They…
Electric motors are used in almost all buildings, industries, and infrastructure. In fact, they are the largest individual consumers of electricity worldwide. According to the European Commission’s estimates, around eight billion electric motors are in use in Europe alone. Consuming almost 50 per cent of the electricity generated in the EU. Modernising the world’s motors…
There is great potential for reducing the energyrelated greenhouse gas emissions created by space and water heating in buildings. In Europe, it accounts for around 40 per cent of end-user energy consumption, primarily fossil fuel based. More and more in trend: sustainable buildings. Buildings account for around 40 per cent of Europe’s total energy consumption. And…
Despite all technological advances, the transport sector still accounts for around a quarter of Europe’s greenhouse gas emissions. The pressure on countries and manufacturers to change that is high. Expanding electromobility is the logical consequence. Electromobility has made great technological advances in recent years. According to a new study by Bloomberg New Energy Finance (BNEF),…
Direct current offers a number of advantages, not only for long-distance transmission, but also in the low-voltage grid. Intensive industrial research is already being carried out on solutions for such DC grids. It is 129 years since alternating current (AC) emerged victorious against direct current (DC) in the “electricity war”. But today direct current is…
A lot of hope is pinned on synthetic fuels made using green hydrogen. These e-fuels are expected to replace fossil energy sources in industry, transport and other areas. The use of renewable electricity is due to become increasingly important. However, there will be some areas in which electricity cannot be used directly, even in 20…
Systems that store energy using mechanical principles complement batteries and pumped-storage plants in the energy landscape of the future. They enable a power output that will measure in the megawatts. As well as storing electricity for a long period of time, and at a high level of efficiency. But storing energy as liquid air would…
The demand for battery storage systems for renewables is set to grow massively in the future. To meet this anticipated demand, new batteries are being developed. Those that are cheap and more environmentally friendly than conventional lithium-ion models. For example redox flow batteries. The growing amount of renewable energy can hardly be stored in pumped-storage…
Pumped-storage plants are currently the only power storage facilities available on a large scale. This makes them a core element when it comes to bringing the energy system into a new era of energy generation. Without fossil energy sources. The goal of decarbonising the energy sector, as defined by the EU in the Energy Roadmap…
Hydropower is currently the world’s most important source of electricity from renewable sources. It is suitable for base-load operation and, unlike wind power and photovoltaic systems, is not so dependent on weather conditions. Hydroelectric power stations are among the very oldest power generation facilities. Some of them have been reliably supplying green electricity for over…
There are not many people who can look back on 80 years of research. And even fewer still who have revolutionised people’s lives with their work. John B. Goodenough, the father of the lithium-ion battery, is one of them. Even today, at the age of 99, he is still researching more sustainable alternatives for energy storage. He…
Smart grids signify the transition from a centrally controlled mains power supply to a smart, decentralised alternative. Better stability in the grid is among the most significant aspects in the roll-out of smart grids. Incorporating regenerative sources of energy into the electricity grid presents power companies with a huge challenge. It is no longer the…
The transition to a low-carbon future is turning the economy on its head. All around the world, many sustainable energy start-ups are revolutionising the energy sector. With their innovative ideas, they are helping to blaze a trail towards a sustainable energy future and making an important contribution to a successful change of energy policy worldwide….
An interview with Francesca Gostinelli, Head of Group Strategy, Economics, and Scenario Planning at Enel At Enel, renewable energy and a major energy provider go hand in hand. According to German statistics portal Statista, Enel is not only Europe’s largest power company, but also the largest in the world. Enel is now also the most…
Supercapacitors can store large amounts of energy very quickly before dispensing them again with just as much speed. This makes them an indispensable component of sustainable energy systems that have many fluctuating energy sources. In order to effectively replace fossil fuels, we need energy storage devices. That can not only hold vast amounts of energy,…
Electricity generation and use are key considerations for renewable-energy applications. In terms of energy sources, the focus is increasingly shifting to fuel cells. That use stored hydrogen to generate clean electricity for all kinds of applications. Researchers around the world are working hard to make fuel-cell technology fit for mass production. And, by doing so,…
Alongside wind energy, photovoltaics are the central cornerstone of the ongoing change in energy policy. Nowadays, no electricity can be generated more cheaply than from solar power. That is mainly thanks to the rapid technological development seen over the past decades. Which has caused costs to tumble by more than 90 per cent and the…
Whether in electricity trading or plant control. Blockchain might play a central role in the digital transformation of the energy system. Because, the transaction technology simplifies the exchange, validation and documentation of data. A core aspect of sustainable energy supply is decentralisation. More and more producers are generating energy for sale to consumers. At the…
“The Quintessence” magazine is created and realised by IndustryAgents – a Munich-based advertising agency specialising in technology topics. The agency uses its comprehensive technical expertise and love of impeccable design to write creatively framed, forward-looking stories. Made up of creative minds, specialist editors, and designers, the agency team develops the editorial and visual concept for…
The articles on this online platform were originally written for “The Quintessence”, a print magazine with 13 previous awards to its name. The magazine is published by EBV Elektronik, one of Europe’s leading semiconductor distributors. It presents the biggest future growth markets alongside the latest technological solutions and modules. And the magazine also contains inspiring…
Renesas delivers trusted embedded-design innovation. They include complete semiconductor solutions that enable billions of connected, intelligent devices to enhance the way people work and live. One of the leading companies in microcontrollers, analogue, power, and SoC products. The quintessence of our passion for technology is evident in every aspect of the Renesas RA family. Just…
Artificial intelligence (AI), including machine learning (ML) and deep-learning techniques (DL), is poised to become a transformational force in healthcare. The various stakeholders in the ecosystem all stand to benefit from ML-driven tools. From anatomical geometric measurements to cancer detection, radiology, surgery, drug discovery and genomics, the possibilities are endless. ML can lead to increased…
Condition monitoring is a key element of the predictive maintenance approach for industrial installations. When it comes to the design of condition monitoring systems, many different requirements need to be taken into account. The mission profile of the system needs to be explored from the hardware and software perspective. And this, while looking at the…
Connected Lighting is a fast-growing area overall. This is not least because it can return significant cost savings on energy expenditure. More and more countries are introducing laws to enforce responsible energy use in commercial and enterprise buildings. Connected-lighting use is the perfect platform for this by providing the ability to automate-lighting control, a significant…
Micron’s global production network of more than twelve sites worldwide not only enables to efficiently serve a wide-range of customers. But also fosters a culture of collaboration and innovation. A culture that brings together people with diverse backgrounds, expansive knowledge and practical industry experience. Micron has proactively embarked on smart manufacturing projects that use big-data…
Humanity has made phenomenal progress thanks to technology. There are more researchers and developers today than ever before. With their passion for technology, they toil to create solutions for the challenges we will face in the future. The market for AI is growing rapidly The predicted average annual growth rate of the global market…
Mate Rimac is a key figure in the field of electromobility and he is not only building the fastest mass-produced car of all time. But Rimac is also one of the few people to found a successful car company in the past hundred years. Even as a young child, Mate Rimac was already obsessed with…
According to Crunchbase, between 2010 and 2019 over 1.5 trillion dollars was invested in start-ups as risk capital worldwide, most of this in the last few years. Many of these young companies are developing new technologies and exciting tech products for a huge range of applications. Some of these innovations make life easier and provide…
Anyone can get innovative product ideas off the ground nowadays, as Antonio Fernandez and Frank-Steffen Russ from EBV explain. They outline what part semiconductors have to play in the process and how EBV can help as an electronics distributor. Today, thanks to the ever falling cost of electronic components and ever easier access to expertise…
The world in which we live today was and is decisively shaped by technology pioneers and their developments. With their passion and their view of creativity, technology and the world itself, they can be role models for everyone. It is worthwile to heed one or two pieces of advice from them: Twelve advices of…
Johann W. Kolar is a true visionary in the field of power electronics. Having developed several key innovations relating to inverters and energy saving. But his teaching has also had a big impact. Professor Johann W. Kolar is an IEEE Fellow (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers). And he is also holder of the professorship…
Juliana Rotich is a Kenyan IT pioneer and an innovative entrepreneur. She shows what can be achieved with good ideas and a passion for technology. In the economic and also in the social area. With a mixture of socio-political intuition and business acumen, Juliana Rotich is helping shape digital transformation in Africa. She believes that…
Digitalisation in industry is not only facilitating more efficient production processes. It is also revolutionising business models. Manufacturers no longer earn money merely from selling a machine. Now they are also paid for related services and they are even paid according to the volume of goods produced on it. Networked machines that communicate with one…
Smart Buildings means that houses and apartments are increasingly being equipped with intelligent technologies. But they not only provide increased convenience. They also help to find answers to fundamental challenges such as the ageing population and climate change. There are several reasons to turn a home into a Smart Home. For most users, the added…
Cities are becoming increasingly intelligent thanks to the use of numerous different technologies. We are seeing the emergence of more sustainable cities that improve their citizens’ quality of life and conserve resources. Cities cover just two percent of our earth’s land mass, but the majority of the world’s population and its economy are concentrated within…
New developments in health technology are increasingly being shaped by digitalisation. There is a wide range of applications for digital solutions. They not only facilitate better medical care, but they also access to healthcare in regions with limited service provision. As smartphones are becoming increasingly widely used and Internet connectivity is advancing, the health system…
Vertical Farming in trend. Robotics, artificial intelligence, LED light, sensors. All kinds of technologies are used to facilitate more sustainable and resource-conserving production of food. One of the major challenges we will face in the future is feeding a global population that continues to expand. Emissions of greenhouse gases from agriculture keep growing all the…
Rapid urbanisation and growing car use have left infrastructure and the environment in many of the world’s regions at breaking point. All kind of solutions for making future mobility more efficient and helping to conserve resources have been proposed by technology companies. Micromobility is only one of the new mobility trends. According to market researchers…
The interplay between innovative technologies and the dramatic rise in technical aids for a large portion of the population will help to satisfy people’s needs, both now and in the future. New technological solutions have the potential to fundamentally transform the economy and society as a whole. Enormous possibilities will be opened up in terms…
LEDs are not only dominating the lighting market, but also carving out a niche in more and more other applications. They impress with their energy efficiency, minuscule size and steadily increasing power. The LED’s success story first gathered steam back in the 1960s. When the yield of light-emitting diodes was increased exponentially from less than…
Sensors and Metrology – Data is the currency of our networked world. To gather this valuable commodity, more and more objects are being kitted out with sensors. The performance of measuring instruments is continuously improving at the same time, despite them often being no larger than a pinhead. Sensor technology and metrology play a key…
Maryam Rofougaran is an inventor, technology manager and entrepreneur. She is also best known as the architect of an entire series of wireless standards and systems-on-a-chip, on which modern smartphones are based. In Maryam Rofougaran’s view, wireless technologies are one of the most significant advances of our age. And after all, they make a huge…
In our interconnected world, there is high demand for a wide range of communication technologies. Today’s market can offer a solution for any application – whether wireless or with physical cables. Whether we are talking about a self-organising production process in Industry 4.0 or highly automated driving in cars. Data is transferred everywhere. At the…
Cybersecurity. As the connectivity of devices increases, the number of potential attack points for hackers also multiplies. A combination of hardware and software solutions enables data to be reliably protected in spite of this. 2019 was a record year for cybercriminals. Experts at F-Secure, a Finnish IT security provider, recorded an all-time high number of…
New processor technologies ensure that sufficient computing power is available for efficiently processing the massive streams of data we will generate in the future. The year is 1965: the world’s first commercial minicomputer is unveiled, the first human walks in space, and Gordon E. Moore makes a prophecy that would define development in the semiconductor…
Electronic devices based on wide-band-gap semiconductors offer a chance to boost the efficiency and power density of power electronics. This makes power-electronics components smaller, faster and more efficient. Smart energy supplies, electromobility, broadband communication systems and AI applications. The number of interacting and interconnected systems is growing all the time. However, as the number of…
SoC and SiP are devices that combine multiple functions in one package provide easy access to innovative semiconductor technologies. The number of devices connected to the internet is constantly growing. A new forecast from the International Data Corporation (IDC) estimates that there will be 41.6 billion connected IoT devices in 2025, which will generate 79.4…
Passionate people make a difference to the lives of others. This is especially true for techies – people with a passion for technology. You only have to think of Steve Jobs, James Dyson or Tim Berners-Lee, the inventor of the Internet. Of course, we mustn’t forget Robert Noyce, father of the Silicon Valley and, together…
With the new Heracles 324 module, EBV offers an all-in-one solution for networking Internet of Things products via plug&play. Whereever they are located. The third generation of the module also has a secure element that ensures secure authentication in every kind of applications. The Internet of Things opens up a large range of new applications….
All manner of technologies are used to sate the thirst for energy among the world’s growing population. Here, carbon-neutrality is the main objective. Energy Harvesting is one of the new ways to combine them. But, what ist Energy Harvesting? By 2040, global energy requirements are set to rise by around a third according to BP’s…
Interview with Dr Simon Haddadin, CEO of robotics manufacturer Franka Emika Many innovative technologies like artificial intelligence or machine learning end up on a screen, as Dr Simon Haddadin explains. But he and his team at Franka Emika, develop robots that get technology off the drawing board and into the thick of things in the…
Edge Computing is changing the connected world of tomorrow. It is having a turbo-charged effect on various areas of technology. Future Markets Magazine provides an overview of the most interesting facts and figures about Edge Computing and its impact. The number of networked devices is booming From minuscule chips right through to mighty machines, more…
The concurrent development and design of chips and software has enabled researchers to realise chips that are not only uncommonly small and energy-efficient. But also boast powerful AI capabilities extending right through to training. One possible application scenario might be in nano drones that can navigate their way through a room independently. To the untrained…
Interview with Calista Redmond, CEO of the RISC-V Foundation The success story of Linux – a free, open-source operating system for anyone to work on – began over 20 years ago. These days, Linux is the leading operating system for embedded devices. Calista Redmond now wants to repeat this success story with open-source hardware. Since…
The demands on intralogistics are growing in the Industry 4.0 era. Robust computer systems integrated in transport vehicles ensure that vehicles are flexible and highly available to meet these demands. They even allow assistance systems in forklifts as have only been familiar to date in high-end cars. Maximum availability and flexibility are right at the…