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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.

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Meet our experts

Brett Bonthron

Executive Vice President and Global High-tech Industry Leader
Brett has over 35 years of experience in high-tech, across technical systems design, management consulting, start-ups, and leadership roles in software. He has managed many waves of technology disruption from client-server computing to re-engineering, and web 1.0 and 2.0 through to SaaS and the cloud. He is currently focusing on defining sectors such as software, computer hardware, hyper-scalers/platforms, and semiconductors. He has been an Adjunct Faculty member at the University of San Francisco for 18 years teaching Entrepreneurship at Master’s level and is an avid basketball coach.

Sanjiv Agarwal

Global Semiconductor Lead, Capgemini
With about 30 years of experience in the TMT sector, Sanjiv is experienced with enabling digital transformation journey for customers using best-of breed technology solutions and services. In his current role as a global semiconductor industry leader, he is working closely with customers on their journey on producing sustainable technology, driving use of AI/ ML, digital transformation, and global supply chain.