The Semi-Conducive Industry

The Semiconductor Industry is a paradox. Having worked in this industry for close to 7 years, I should know. Thanks to a dude called Gordon Moore, who, besides confining many of my friends at an institution called Intel, also coined the Moore’s Law. Plainly put, this law states that the average size of chips (semiconductor, though this may apply to the potato variety as well) halves every 18 months. What Jesus is to Christianity, Moore is to the Semiconductor industry. The Semicon Industry takes his word as gospel and spends on an average 20% of it’s revenue trying to reduce the size of chips and prove him right.

And therein lies the paradox. Customers of Semicon Companies expect the Semicon Cos to halve the cost of their chips every 18 months! And if the Semicon Cos don’t do it, their customers always have their competitor’s number on speed dial. So that puts these Semicon Cos in a situation where they actually spend more on research so that they can charge less to their customers and make less money! Talk about shooting yourself in the foot! The only way they can make any profits in this situation is to sell at least twice the number of chips. Unless we all figure how to either double our consumption or our population every 18 months, the Semiconductor Industry will be stuck with a case of a flooding of chips. Perhaps this also explains why this industry sees such a cyclical pattern of growth and downturns with the downturns lasting longer and deeper than the times of growth.

So is the future for anyone in the Semiconductor Industry doomed? Not at all. In my next post, I’ll discuss my thoughts on the business opportunities in the Semiconductor Industry. In fact, I’ll argue that it’s a great time to be in the Semicon space.

And so Mr. Moore, while we will thank you for your famous law, we thank you still for not making any further ones. For sometimes, it’s best to let those foolish entrepreneurs be ignorant about laws that go against what they’re trying to build…. that’s the only way they succeed.

How many engineers ...

A video clip to a party we had at our place to celebrate IIT Bombay's Diwali Dhamaka performance. Don't remember the exact date but sometime in late December. Kind of reminds me of the tongue-in-cheek question about how many engineers does it take to do something. In the case of opening a champagne bottle, well, all of us. But then, not all jobs are judged by how few people are needed to do it. For jobs like these, it will always be all of us. We know no other way. Go IIT-B!

Sher ka baap bandar!

I did not realize it when the picture was taken. Thanks to Binaisha for the smart remark! 

Jane Kahan Gaye Woh Din.

Got this poem from my friend from back during my school days. Jay Wagh and his twin brother, Vijay used to swim with me. When you are into competitive swimming, you virtually spend 1/3rd of your life in the pool. And the people you meet in these turbulent waters are the ones who become friends for life.

"How Lives change....?"

Here i am sitting in my room @ night...

Thinking hard about life
How it changed from a maverick college life to strict professional life......

How tiny pocket money changed to huge monthly paychecks
but then why it gives less happiness....

How a few local denim jeans changed to new branded wardrobe
but then why there are less people to use them

How a single plate of samosa changed to a full Pizza or burger
But then why there is less hunger.....

Here i am sitting in my room @ night...
Thinking hard about life
How it changed.....

How a bike always in reserve changed to bike always on
but then why there are less places to go on......

How a small coffee shop changed to cafe coffee day
but then why its feels like shop is far away.....

How a limited prepaid card changed to postpaid package
but then why there are less calls & more messages......


Here i am sitting in my room @ night...
Thinking hard about life
How it changed.....

How a general class journey changed to Flight journey
But then why there are less vacations for enjoyment....

How a old assembled desktop changed to new branded laptop
but then why there is less time to put it on..........

How a small bunch of friends changed to office mate
But then why we always feel lonely n miss those college frnz.....

Here i am sitting in my room @ night...
Thinking hard about life

How it changed..... How it changed........

With Lot of Change,
Regards,
jay

What Me Valentine?

A little limerick as I wait for Meg to join me for a movie. Earlier we were wondering how people spend so much on Valentine's Day when they had the rest of the year to prove their love...

Then it was a special day,

Now it's part of life's way.

Then I said with a dozen flowers,

Now,  it's us and the unsaid hours.

Then I said she's the world to me,

Now through her the world I see.

Then this day her love I sought,

Now we laugh at the world Valentine bought.