TAIPEI, Taiwan- The Global Semiconductor Alliance (GSA), announced the release of a white paper commissioned by GSA’s 2013 Board of Directors, which explores both the societal and economic impact of the semiconductor. The report “Enabling the Hyperconnected Age,” is housed on GSA’s newly launched microsite, semismatter.com.
The semismatter.com also features articles, infographics, data and videos that educate and enhance the understanding of this critical and enabling industry for students, policy makers, investors, and the general public. The study will be initially available in English, traditional Chinese, simplified Chinese, and Japanese.
The study shows that the impact of the semiconductor cannot be overstated and is one of the top 4 inventions of our world. It contributes $7 trillion dollars in economic activity annually, and is responsible for over 3.3 million jobs worldwide. By evaluating the growth and development of several significant industries over the past 50 years, the report was able to quantify the economic contributions of the semiconductor as well as observe technological improvements in each industry over time driven by advancements in semiconductor technology.
The industries evaluated were telecommunications, automobiles, healthcare, and energy and utilities. The report goes on to state the importance of ensuring a thriving semiconductor ecosystem by investing in research & development and putting an emphasis on science, technology, math and engineering on our education system to develop future scientist and engineers.
"The GSA Board of Directors, of which I am part of, recognize that outside our field, many are unaware of the semiconductor and what it truly is – the foundation of the digital world; and that without the semiconductor, the internet ceases to exist, mobile phones are never created, and the race towards smart energy, smart cities, and autonomous driving never begins. It is that lack of awareness surrounding such a vital industry that inspired this study. This study is very important for Taiwan as the number 2 ranked region for semiconductors. We need our policy makers to appreciate this industry and work with us to strengthen the ecosystem and encourage new talent to be incubated in Taiwan," Dr. Nicky Lu, chairman of World Semiconductor Council (WSC) and Taiwan Semiconductor Industry Association (TSIA), who is also chairman of GSA Asia Pacific Leadership Council.
"This report not only takes an independent look at the semiconductor industry to objectively measure the societal and economic impact of one of the greatest contributing industries in our modern world, but also reflects how semiconductor enable unlimited possibilities and inspire innovators to dream,” said Jodi Shelton, president & founder, GSA.
