Shaken by crises, between shortages and a battle between the United States and China to control supply lines, the semiconductor industry is enthusiastic about the idea that artificial intelligence could be the key to some long-term stability.
“The most exciting thing right now is AI,” said Qualcomm boss Cristiano Amon at a side event at the Mobile World Show (MWC) in Barcelona. The leader of the American semiconductor giant hopes that terminals around the world will soon be equipped with components capable of handling the most delicate tasks related to AI.
Semiconductors, tiny electronic components, are essential in everything from telephones and electric cars to sophisticated weapons, robotics and all other high-tech machinery. So many areas where AI is already very present.
But Qualcomm’s traditional rivals, like Intel and Nvidia, are also desperate not to miss out. The biggest company in the industry with a valuation of $580 billion, Nvidia dominates the market for specialized chips called GPUs, which are proving ideal for training AI programs like the hugely popular ChatGPT. “Where and how is AI used? It will probably be easier to answer the question of where it is not used, “Nvidia vice-president Ronnie Vasishta told AFP on the sidelines of the MWC.
For ARM, a British designer of microprocessors, AI represents “a huge opportunity”, underlines one of its leaders, Chris Bergey, who compares this revolution to the appearance of mobile applications around 15 years old.
Complications
But with semiconductors, nothing is simple, as the supply chains are devilishly complex. Consulting firm Accenture estimates that a chip crosses borders 70 times before ending up in a phone, camera or car.
Added to this is an inflammable geopolitical context, with China and the United States engaged in a fierce battle for the manufacture of semiconductors, the Americans having lost their dominant position to the benefit of the Chinese.
With an additional potential tension factor: the largest chip factories in the world are in Taiwan.
However, the passes of arms have multiplied in recent years between the two powers on the fate of the autonomous island, governed by a democratic government, but which the People’s Republic of China intends to attach to its territory, by force if necessary. “We don’t really have a position on geopolitics: we comply with all the American regulations that are required as an American company”, indicates the vice-president of Nvidia, Ronnie Vasishta.
The chip industry is “ cool right now, but maybe too much cool, with too much attention,” warns ARM Vice President Chris Bergey. “It’s a dynamic phenomenon that the industry is facing and we will have to see how things evolve. »