Panel discussion: The next killer application

Hot Chips has always focused on the latest semiconductor processes and computer architectures. As transistors continue to shrink, design costs increase and wafer sizes go from 200mm to 300mm, larger volumes of chips need to be sold in order to pay for the design, mask, EDA software, and manufacturing costs. This puts more pressure on the semiconductor business to search for the next killer application in the hopes of filling the factories. Some of the issues raised below will be discussed.