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Semiconductors have spurred the greatest period of technological advancement in human history, transforming every aspect of our lives. As a result, information and communication technologies (ICT) are seeing "super-exponential growth." But, starting in late 2020, SRC highlighted that the demands for ICT are encroaching on global energy production levels. Even with all of the improvements that 2D-scaling and Moore's law have afforded semiconductors, an insatiable global appetite for ICT is yielding energy consumption levels that are the new headwind for its continued advancement. We must invest in and deliver new paradigms at scale with a radically improved (106:1) energy efficiency.
This unprecedented production also meets a time where global sustainability has never been more important. As an R&D community, we have an obligation to ensure that the growth in chip manufacturing and packaged chip volumes is as environmentally benign as possible and does not stress our already taxed planet. And, most importantly, our industry faces a workforce shortage where the next generation of innovators demands that their efforts positively contribute to a better future, for both society and the environment.
In response to these critical factors, SRC, in partnership with NIST, worked with 298 individuals representing 112 industrial, academic, and government organizations to create and publish the Microelectronics and Advanced Packaging Technologies (MAPT) Roadmap. It is a plan to revitalize the semiconductor industry for decades to meet the market, workforce, and sustainability needs of our collective future.
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