The software revolution at the heart of the chip industry

At the heart of our era’s digital transformation – powering everything from satellites in the sky to consumer devices in our hands – it all comes down to tiny, intricate semiconductor chips.

Today, the chip industry is undergoing a quiet evolution that will profoundly affect the digital world. Softwarization is coming to chip manufacturers. What can chip companies – and the rest of the industries – expect?

A point of view for Softwarization for Semiconductors

Traditionally, the semiconductor industry’s opportunities are met primarily with a hardware-centric approach. The focus is on creating a product that meets the industry’s unique hardware needs first, and the primary value lies in the physical chip capabilities. Software plays a ‘supporting role,’ developed to complement and support the hardware after its specifications have been established.

Of course, even in a hardware-centric approach, the software is essential to exploit a chip’s full potential. The software makes the hardware accessible and valuable to the end-user by providing the necessary interfaces, controls, and customizations.

In this Point of View, we’ll explore the opportunities facing chip companies at this turning point and some of the challenges along the way.

• What is driving this Softwarization shift?
• What opportunities does this create for Semiconductor companies?
• Where can these companies expect to find value?
• What is holding companies back?

Formidable obstacles stand in the way. Many semiconductor companies share the goal of becoming more ‘software-centric’ but lack a clear route forward to accelerate the transformation. Some have taken their first steps in the right direction but realized that softwarization is even more complex than expected. Let’s shed some light on the road ahead and download our POV.

This Point of View is part of our broader offering, Softwarization for Semiconductors.