Mostly Upbeat Outlook For Chips
By Brian Bailey, Semiconductor Engineering
Market segments such as cryptocurrencies and virtual reality are not living up to expectations, the market for smart phones appears to be saturated, and DRAM prices are dropping, leading to cut-backs in capital expenditures. EDA companies are talking about sales to China being put on hold in the shadow of a trade war between the United States and China. And there appears to be a slowdown in consumer electronics, as evidenced by Apple’s recent earnings and guidance.
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Automotive is driving the need for an increasing array of safety related tools. “Functional safety has become a major concern for semiconductor and system design, with autonomous vehicles as the highest-profile application,” says Sergio Marchese, technical marketing manager at OneSpin Solutions. “2019 will see the expansion of safety concerns into other fields. Home and business owners don’t want a missed bug, or an alpha particle to disable alarms and sensors, leaving them vulnerable to intrusion.”
