Selecting Technologies for Constantly Changing Applications Markets

OVERVIEW: An application-oriented methodology using tear-down analysis and strategic evaluation can forecast technological trends and prioritize technologies for investment in markets where applications are constantly changing. Technologies are prioritized by assessing their market attractiveness and the organization's competitive position. Competitive strategies are formulated through a SWOT analysis, and then translated into the weights and/or scores of the variables associated with market attractiveness and competitive position. Successful applications of the methodology to leading semiconductor foundry companies have demonstrated its usefulness. Extended applications of the methodology to major players along the semiconductor industry supply chain have also been demonstrated. Although formulated for the semiconductor industry, many aspects of this methodology can be applied to other industries that exhibit a technology flow driven by applications markets.