“It was not so very long ago that people thought semiconductors were part-time orchestra leaders and that microchips were very small snack foods,” said US politician Geraldine Ferraro in the 1980s about a technology that has gone on to revolutionize the world. Semiconductors are so essential for the creation of computers, phones, vehicles, and almost all electronic devices, that the growth of the semiconductor industry has become a measure for the development of modern industries and society itself. As personal computing grew in the 80s and 90s, computer companies signalled their maturity by partnering with semiconductor manufacturers to improve products and their performance. It was the same for the smartphone industry in the 00s and 10s, which quickly became an influential player within the growing semiconductor sector. Now, in the 2020s it is the turn of smart building and smart city technology providers to demonstrate their “coming of age” through a growing influence within the […]