Seminar: Microelectronics R&D Future for Sweden (2006)

On January 23, Acreo gathered some of Sweden’s leading actors in microelectronics to present what’s happening in microelectronics and SOC design at universities, institutes and companies. 

As one result of the panel discussion a forum for electronics systems is to be formed.

• Elektroniktidningen wrote (in Swedish):
  "Oro inom svensk mikroelektronik: Att elektronik är viktigt för Sverige finns en rad nyckeltal som visar. - Hur mycket är det värt för Sverige? frågade retoriskt Rolf Rising, ISA."
  Read the whole article
• Below: Program with links to PDF presentations

With the completion of the Socware Program in 2004 it is now time to review and discuss the outcomes and accomplishments and also to debate the future of microelectronics and SOC design in Sweden. 

Increasingly, in the developed world, a country’s competence and creativity in the design of new and highly complex and integrated electronic systems will determine its prosperity and economic future.  The design of new electronic products based on integrated circuits and systems will continue to drive new economic growth in Sweden for the coming decades. 

It is at the core of traditionally strong Swedish industries such as telecommunications infrastructure, mobile terminals, and increasingly the automotive sector.  And although large-scale electronics hardware manufacturing has shifted to the Far East, the R&D of new materials, components and systems in microelectronics is still a strong and growing industry in Sweden, throughout Europe, and the western hemisphere in general.  This is demonstrated by solid growth in existing Swedish companies such as Switchcore, Catena, Bitsim and Zarlink and startup examples such as Nanoradio and Coresonic. 

To keep pace in the highly competitive industry of high technology, Sweden must increase its public investment on activities that are focused on the design and micro-system integration of new technologies that are now manufactured in other parts of the world.  This is the new and growing age of the fabless semiconductor business model which must be embraced and enhanced with directed public R&D in the area of IC and SOC design.

This seminar was organized to present academic and industrial achievements in integrated circuit development and to debate the future R&D direction for Sweden in this area.