A New Partnership With SEMI

Last month in this space, I noted how critical people and partners are to success, and how excited we are about a new venture. The deal was still being finalized at press time, so I couldn't say much, but now it's official: Semiconductor International has reached an agreement with SEMI that will allow us to closely partner on several different levels.

The five-year agreement grants us the right to produce the SEMICON West Daily News and the official SEMICON West Show Planner, as well as co-branded supplements and other communications projects, such as industry information webcasts and event sponsorships. It also makes Semiconductor International the “official magazine of SEMI.”

We will be integrating into Semiconductor International some components of Semiconductor Manufacturing magazine, which ceased publication last month. This includes circulation information for subscribers not currently served by SI. We'll also be running four pages of content each month devoted to all-things SEMI, similar to what was run in Semiconductor Manufacturing.

Although not part of the deal with SEMI, we're also happy to announce that you'll be reading more of Katherine Derbyshire's work, as she will be a leading contributor for us as she was for Semiconductor Manufacturing. Starting this month, Katherine has taken over the monthly Emerging Technologies column , and will soon begin writing feature articles, while continuing to pursue her career as an independent consultant.

The real excitement for us in all of this is that we will collectively be able to serve the semiconductor manufacturing industry in exciting new ways. It's clear that people want more information quicker and in a greater variety of formats, and we are delivering that with our print and digital versions of the magazine, website, webcasts, info channels, learning center, e-newsletters and seminars — in English, Japanese and Chinese.

What you might not know is that Semiconductor International is part of a much larger corporation — Reed Elsevier Group plc, which offers 15,000 different journals, books and reference works, as well as more than 500 online information services. Suffice it to say, we have some resources behind us. Check out www.sciencedirect.com as one example.

As important as technology is to this industry, however, there is also the people and business part of the equation. That is where SEMI has always excelled, through its exhibitions and events, standards program, market reports, advocacy programs, special interest groups and other ways it brings people together. With offices in Austin, Beijing, Brussels, Hsinchu, Moscow, San Jose, Seoul, Shanghai, Singapore, Tokyo and Washington, the association has its own fantastic set of resources on which to draw.

One recent example of what SEMI is doing for the industry is the establishment of the Manufacturing Technology Forum (MTF) to provide additional oversight and coordination with semiconductor device makers into the industry standards process. The advisory body will provide a forum for collaboration of user requirements during standard development.

The MTF, a SEMI Special Interest Group, was established with the support of the International Sematech Manufacturing Initiative (ISMI), JEITA, individual device manufacturers, and SEMI member companies. The 20-member MTF advisory board includes a balanced participation from device manufacturers, equipment suppliers and industry consortia. Advisory board members have been selected for their ability to represent far-reaching industry needs rather than the specific position or interest of individual companies. Device manufacturers on the MTF board include representatives from Intel, TSMC, NEC, AMD, and Infineon. SEMI member companies participating in the MTF include Applied Materials, Hitachi High Technologies, Tokyo Electron, Asyst Technologies, Murata Machinery, KLA-Tencor, Dainippon Screen Manufacturing, and Nikon. Major industry consortia such as ISMI and JEITA have a permanent seat.

I see a bright future for Semiconductor International and SEMI as we set off on our new venture. As our publisher John Bold noted in a press release that went out in early September, “This agreement is a great beginning.”