Moore’s Law stated doubling of computational growth every two years, but this was true before 2010. With the arrival of neural networks early 2010s, the computational resources utilisation doubled almost every six months. It is a paradigm shift.

With the surge in demand for compute power, the role of semiconductors becomes more significant since they are the backbone of compute processes.

The manufacturing of semiconductors is a complex process.

Chips are designed, to begin with, using electronic design software which is automatic.

There are 500 plus steps in making of chips. It takes 4-6 months to complete these processes.

After designing, there is fabrication in specialised units. It is a capital intensive process — it may cost up to $20 billion.

Lastly, there is chip assembly, testing and packaging (ATP). It involves cutting silicon waters into chips and adding connectors to chip frames.

Semiconductor market in 2022 stands at global valuation of $574 billion, and is forecast to grow to $1381 billion by 2029, witnessing a CAGR of 12.2 per cent